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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Resorts lower prices, offer promos for post-pandemic holidays
Hotels are ready to face off. After months of vacant rooms, prices are being cut to entice domestic tourists to book a post-pandemic holiday. Now provincial restrictions have been mostly removed Depending on the province and risk of coronavirus transmissions, some hotels were ordered to close their doors completely. Now restrictions are being lifted and domestic travel is picking up…
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“It’s 3 months now, when can we reopen?” – Pattaya bar owners
Today marks 3 straight months that Pattaya’s world famous – and vitally important to the city’s economy – nightlife and entertainment industry has been shuttered by the Thai Government. The industry was originally told to close “for 2 weeks” on March 18. But as the Covid-19 crisis escalated and fear and uncertainty grew worldwide, the closure was repeatedly extended, with…
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Minister promises fair investigation into transfer of hospital director amid corruption allegations
Following the transfer of the director of Khon Kaen hospital in north-east Thailand amid corruption allegations, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says an investigation into the matter will be “fair and just”. Dr. Charnchai Chanvorachaikul was transferred to Prapokklao Hospital in the eastern province of Chanthaburi, following allegations, strongly denied, of misappropriation of hospital funds. He was initially replaced…
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Vietjet Air resumes 8 domestic routes
Budget carrier Vietjet Air is confirming it will launch 8 domestic routes from Danang in central Vietnam, Hai Phong, Hanoi and the tourist island of Phu Quoc. Starting tomorrow, the low-cost airline will launch services to four destinations from Danang in central Vietnam using a mix of A320s and A321s. It will fly from Danang to Buon Ma Thuot offering…
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Constitutional Court to hear petition against MP Thammanat Prompao’s political standing
MP and Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao is no stranger to controversy, and this week he appears to be back in the hot seat, again, as opposition MPs have filed a petition challenging his ministerial status and his post as an MP. Thailand’s Constitutional Court has accepted the petition for consideration. But the Court rejected the demand by the 51…
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Locals support young tourist stuck at Phrae forest retreat
A lot has happened in the past 4 months. Imagine being away from it all and staying in a forest in northern Thailand, picking mulberries. That’s what happened to an 18 year old Polish woman. She’s been stuck at a Phrae forest retreat since February. She’s secluded at the Mulberry Farm Denchai. The retreat’s Facebook page says the it’s for…
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Jilted uni student throws acid on ex girlfriend
A university student in Thailand’s southern Songkhla province has been arrested today and charged with physical assault and possessing a fake gun, after he splashed acid on his former girlfriend for rejecting him. 18 year old Nong Thawibboonphonwent went to see his 20 year old ex-girlfriend Rattiyakorn (surname withheld), around 10:30 last night at the convenience store where she works,…
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Thailand News Today – Wednesday, June 17
Pattaya officials threaten bars masquerading as restaurants with closure Following a number of inspections at various restaurants in the Pattaya area, police have cautioned venues not to pretend they’re restaurants when they’re actually just bars that have added some food. In what may also serve as a warning to businesses in the rest of the country, Pattaya authorities are threatening…
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Injured whale shark looks for help from divers – VIDEO
Video footage of a huge whale shark swimming toward a diving instructor while showing its tail that was caught in a rope has gone viral on the internet. The encounter took place near Koh Pha Ngan in the southern Surat Thani province last Saturday. A 3 metre long whale shark, injured by a rope tightening around its tail, swam toward…
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MP proposes legalising prostitution, sex toys to lower rape cases
An MP of the Thai Civilised Party MP yesterday proposed make prostitution and adult toys legal in Thailand, to help stem what appears to be a rising tide of rape cases in the country. Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, one of Thailand’s wealthiest politicians is an adviser and a member of a House committee assigned to to tackle the problem of rape in…
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Teacher sends questionnaire to students asking for their phone passwords and social media accounts
…and the school has since been forced to apologise. A teacher in Chiang Rai asked students to hand over passwords to their social media accounts and phones. But many have criticised the teacher saying it overstepped privacy boundaries. The school has since apologised and imposed stricter rules. The teacher gave students a questionnaire, asking them to fill out information about…
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Grounded Thai pilot now does motorbike food deliveries
“I have my motorbike, so I found my part time job. And now I am a food delivery man.” With many of the world’s international airlines grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, many in the aviation industry, including even pilots, have been forced to find other ways to make a living. Here in Thailand, a ban on international arrivals remains in…
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Bangkok woman allegedly kills, mutilates father
Bangkok police have arrested a woman who they suspect of murdering her father and cutting off his genitals before fleeing the scene yesterday. She was found wandering on a street around 2.30am this morning. They also recovered the knife that they believe was used in the murder. The woman was semiconscious and unable to speak, and officers say they’ll let…
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Countdown! Thailand’s first satellite launch planned for Friday
Thailand’s air force will launch its first satellite this Friday, following months of delay. Dubbed Napa-1, it’s scheduled to be launched using an Ariane Vega rocket from a staging area in French Guyana in South America, according to a Royal Thai Air Force source. The launch was postponed 3 times, in September and December last year due to technical issues,…
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Pattaya officials threaten bars masquerading as restaurants with closure – VIDEO
Following a number of inspections at various restaurants in the Pattaya area, police have cautioned venues whose primary business is selling alcohol. In what may also serve as a warning to businesses in the rest of the country, Pattaya authorities are threatening some establishments with closure unless they meet the criteria for reopening. These include only serving alcohol to customers…
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PM, police issue warning to biker gangs, threaten renewed curfew
In a press briefing yesterday, the assistant national police chief issued a stern warning against “dek waen” (biker gangs), who have returned to the roads of Bangkok and some provinces after the national curfew was lifted Sunday. On Monday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha issued a warning saying the government will reimpose the curfew if people fail to cooperate with Covid-19 control…
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Couple wins millions in lottery, husband’s age is the lucky number
Usually people hope just 1 of their lottery tickets will end up being a winner. A couple in Central Thailand had their lucky day when all 4 of their tickets brought in millions, adding up to a total of 24 million baht. On Monday, 60 year old Bunruan, a local teacher at Nakhon Sawan’s Wat Pho Si Temple School, and…
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Hua Hin bars request permission to reopen on trial basis
In what could set a precedent for the rest of the country, representatives of bar owners in Hua Hin, accompanied by the Mayor of Hua Hin, have submitted a request to authorities, requesting permission to reopen for a trial period. Citing the apparently successful suppression of the Covid-19 virus around Thailand, and the fact that most other businesses have been…
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Staff at Khon Kaen hospital call for transferred director to be reinstated
Following the transfer of Dr. Charnchai Chanvorachaikul, a former director at Khon Kaen hospital, in north-east Thailand, staff at the hospital are demanding their boss be reinstated in his role. Dr. Charnchai was transferred to the eastern province of Chanthaburi province amid, so far, unsubstantiated allegations of corruption. He has consistently denied the allegation that he accepted bribes from a…
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Woman demands monk apologise for killing her pregnant sister in Buriram
A Buddhist monk who stabbed a pregnant woman to death has been ordered to apologise by the woman’s sister. The monk, named as 57 year old Phra Um Deeruenrom, was the abbot of Wat Ban Nong Bua, in the northeastern province of Buriram, until his arrest and defrocking. He has confessed to murdering the woman, who it’s understood he was…
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Monk chases pregnant woman and kills her in Buriram
Investigating a fatal stabbing in Buriram yesterday, police now believe the woman who was stabbed by an Abbot, had been blackmailing him after having an affair. The fatal stabbing happened on a road near Ban Mai Charoensuk in Tum Yai, in northern Buriram yesterday afternoon, following a road incident. The victim, 36 year old “Lampai”, was 8 months pregnant Eyewitnesses…
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Tropical Storm Nuri and Andaman Sea monsoon cause heavy rains throughout Thailand
Tropical Storm Nuri ripped China’s Guangdong province over the weekend; its wider effects causing storms in Northern Thailand. And a strong southwest monsoon in the Andaman Sea brought on rainstorms in other parts of the country. Hundreds of homes have been damaged from the storms and many streets have flooded. From Udon Thani in the north to Surat Thani in…
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Love for driving fast leads to fatal crash
Shortly after expressing his love for driving fast, a young man has died in a high speed motorcycle crash in Bangkok. He wrote on Facebook yesterday saying that when riding solo… “I can go as fast as I wish.” 2 hours later, he died. A witness said the 21 year old motorcyclist from Lopburi was speeding by when he smashed…
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His Majesty doesn’t want Thailand to use the lèse-majesté law
His Majesty the King does not want to use Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws, which make it a crime to insult or criticise the royal family, but Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says people should still be careful what they say about the Thai monarchy. While the PM says the lèse-majesté law will not be used, other similar laws can still be…
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Poll shows flea markets, supermarkets, most popular with Thais as lockdown easing continues
“46% of Thais want the Songkran holidays moved to the (western) New Year period.” A new poll shows that most Thais are anxious to return to markets and supermarkets first, as the country continues to relax the restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 crisis. A report in Nation Thailand says over 83% of those surveyed are prioritising markets, flea markets and supermarkets,…
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Thailand tourism recovery- are we doing enough?
OPINION by Andrew J Wood The wheels of Thailand’s tourism industry are slowly turning. Travel and tourism is starting to move again. Weekends in Hua Hin hotels for instance are close to capacity (with some resorts experiencing 90% occupancy and some even higher). Being close to Bangkok; the weather, air quality and the fact that you can drive from the metropolis definitely…
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5 men, 2 boys accused of raping 12 year old girl
A 12 year old girl was allegedly raped by 7 people, all who were either her in-law relatives or neighbours in Suphan Buri, Central Thailand. 2 of the suspects were minors and will be questioned by police later on. The other 5 adult men were arrested. A physical examination shows the girl had been sexually assaulted. But, at this stage, all…
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Officer says sex-for-sale to be banned on infamous “happiness street”
Prostitution is supposedly being eliminated in the Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok, after two sex workers were caught on video not wearing face masks while soliciting customers. It would take a lot more than a mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus during sex, but that’s apparently what sparked the attention. One police officer even said “there will be…
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Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – Thailand’s international travel quandary
With apologies to William Shakespeare. You’re going to hear a lot more about travel bubbles in the next few months. Indeed it will become the ‘new normal’ in the short-term for Thailand’s battered tourism and hospitality industry. The world is NOT going to magically re-open up and travel as they did before, at least not in the next few years.…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, June 15
No new cases of Covid-19, either locally transmitted or imported from overseas, in the past 24 hours. Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners Foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period.…
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