News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Saudi Arabia holds limited Hajj due to Covid-19
Saudi Arabia is holding a very limited Hajj this year, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Pilgrims who are already in the Kingdom will be permitted to conduct the annual Muslim rite, which usually draws millions to religious sites. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a must for Muslims at least once in their lives. …
-
North Korea joins propaganda war with South
North Korea is retaliating against its defectors by sending propaganda leaflets to the South in a move that is reminiscent of its Cold War-era psychological warfare. The millions of leaflets will be sent using 3,000 balloons to fly across the border-which is regarded as the most heavily-militarised in the world. But the communist country isn’t stopping there as it is…
-
Thai doctor pours cold water on suggestion ‘bitter cucumber’ cures cancer
No, the popular bitter cucumber is not a cure for cancer, nor is any other vegetable, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Services. Dr. Somsak Akksilp has dismissed the suggestion that bitter cucumber can cure cancerous tumours and cysts, pointing out that currently, only 3 therapies have proven effectiveness in treating cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. A report in Nation…
-
PM urges Thai industry representatives to adjust to “new normal”
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thai business representatives to accept and adapt to the new way of doing things in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis. He was speaking during a meeting with the Federation of Thai Industries, where he called for the private and civil sectors to work with the government to get the economy going again. In talks…
-
President Trump frees jobs for Americans by targeting foreigners
US President Donald Trump is reportedly targeting working foreigners in an effort to free up jobs for American citizens affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. He says he will pause some types of green cards that give immigrants permanent residency and suspend foreign workers’ visas until the end of this year in a move that has critics saying he is using the…
-
Pattaya driver blames wet weather after losing control and jamming truck under overpass – VIDEO
As European pop group Milli Vanilli once mimed, “blame it on the rain…” An 18 year old Pattaya driver says a wet road made him lose control of his truck, causing it to veer off the road and lodge firmly under a highway overpass. The Pattaya News reports that the incident took place around 4pm yesterday at an overpass on…
-
New York museum takes down Theodore Roosevelt statue
A New York museum is reportedly taking down its Theodore Roosevelt statue due to its racist depictions. The statue shows the late president flanked by both a Native American and African man which has heated up debates on whether such historical figures need to be in plain sight especially when they are considered racist in nature. One of Roosevelt’s great-grandsons has…
-
Thailand’s eastern economic zone lobbies for increase in foreign business visitors
Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor is pushing for more foreign business people to be allowed to enter Thailand when the country reopens for international visitors. No date has yet been confirmed for this. The EEC is a special economic region consisting of the eastern provinces of Chonburi, Chachoengsao, and Rayong, with the purpose of developing these provinces into an important ASEAN…
-
Thai teenager dreams of being an architect, sells his artwork to earn tuition fees
A talented teenager in the north-eastern province of Kalasin has taken to painting landscapes of his local area and selling them to earn his university fees. 18 year old Krittamet Saisaen, known as “Earth”, dreams of being an architect, but the prohibitively expensive fees put that beyond his reach. Earth’s mother died 2 years ago, at which point his father…
-
Durian sends 6 to hospital due to smelly ‘mystery’ package
Durian is smelly. So smelly that those unfamiliar with the pungent stench called emergency services to a post office in Germany, evacuating the entire building and sending a 6 people to the hospital. Post office workers in Schweinfurt noticed a smell coming from a package. Around 60 employees evacuated the building. Police, firefighters from 3 different departments and emergency services…
-
Bars and clubs can re-open soon, but with a list of 22 requirements
“Musicians and performers must wear face shields.” Well, there’s some good news and there’s some bad news if you’re the owner of an entertainment venue in Thailand. You CAN re-open… soon. BUT, the CCSA has put together a list of 22 requirements you’ll have to meet when you re-open your doors. Not surprisingly the owners and representatives are unhappy about…
-
Price spike for Thai latex, condoms and medical gloves in demand
It’s clear the coronavirus pandemic has lead to a surge in demand for plastic gloves, but demand has also increased for condoms (locked up for 2 months, blah, blah…). The high demand has increased the price of latex and business is booming for companies in Thailand. Malaysia had a significant drop in natural rubber production and The Thai Rubber Latex Corporation…
-
Second wave of Coronavirus hits South Korea
Despite reporting relatively low cases, health officials from South Korea claim they are in the midst of a second wave of Covid-19. Although the nation was previously referred to as a success story for Covid-19, they now say they are expecting the pandemic to continue for the next few months. Jung Eun-kyeong, Head of the Korea Disease Control Centres, said that the…
-
China’s dog-meat festival opens for another year
In spite of the Government’s campaign to boost animal welfare, China’s infamous annual dog-meat festival opened again, but activists hope that its days are numbered. An animal rights activist, Zhang Qianqian, who was in Yulin Saturday, says it was only a matter of time before the dog meat festival had been banned. “From what we understand from our conversations with meat…
-
Riot in Germany causes multiple injuries and arrests
After investigating a potential drug trafficking ring in downtown Stuttgart, Germany, police came under attack as riot broke out against them. The brawl resulted in 24 arrests and 19 police officers wounded, according to city officials who reiterated their support of its law enforcement. The Mayor condemned the protests saying they were unacceptable and that neither alcohol nor the desire to protest…
-
UK relaxes lockdown measures as it gears up for reopening date
As the full reopening of pubs and restaurants is inching closer to its July 4 date, UK is starting to relax some lockdown measures. British PM Boris Johnson is expected to announce the changes tomorrow with more economic assistance announcements to come early next month by the chancellor. The notion’s pub industry is also rooting for a relaxation of social-distancing measures…
-
Experts say just arresting teens doesn’t stop street racing
It’s going to take more than simply arresting street racers to stop the so-called ‘dek waen’ motorbike riders from speeding through city streets, police say. The next step in eradicating the illegal races is to crack down on the mechanic shops and garages that juice up the engines. Young dek waen racers took off again last week after the nightly…
-
Bangkok’s revamped Khaosan Road may reopen in August, without international tourists
Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, for decades a pilgrimage for backpackers from all over the world, looks set to reopen in August. A well-loved tourist mecca for browsing, eating and night life, the thoroughfare has undergone a revamp during lock-down, and now boasts a new road surface, traffic barriers and newly-planted trees. Similar work is planned for the city’s Kraisi, Rambuttri and…
-
New breathalyser underway to detect Covid-19
Israel has reportedly developed a breathalyser that may be able to detect the Covid-19 virus in those who don’t even show symptoms, making it a potentially promising way to control the spread of the virus. The new technology is set to be used on airplanes and other methods of travel where it can identify if the virus is present on someone’s breath-at…
-
Thai PM expresses condolences after repatriated man dies in state quarantine
Following the death in state quarantine of a repatriated Thai man, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has offered his condolences to the family and ordered a postmortem to establish the exact cause of death. A report in Thai PBS World says the man, named as Pongsak Kidkha, returned from Japan on June 9, and was placed in state quarantine at a Bangkok…
-
More sea turtles lay eggs on Koh Samui
It’s been years since sea turtles have been seen laying eggs on Koh Samui beaches. But this year more than a dozen sea turtle nests have popped up around the island’s coast. Just over the weekend, 70 eggs were found by villagers at Laem So beach by the Ban Sai Ree Hotel. It’s rare for the turtles to come to…
-
Ring of fire delights photographers around Asia
Those who stepped outside in parts of Asia yesterday got a rare photography opportunity as the solar eclipse (partial solar eclipse in Thailand), aka. the ‘Ring of Fire’, darkened daylight during the event. Skywatchers from parts of West Africa, the Arab Peninsula, South Asia, southern China and Taiwan were the lucky ones to see the full eclipse, which features the moon…
-
3 new imported cases of Covid-19 virus reported in Thailand (June 22)
Today, the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 3 new cases of the coronavirus with no additional deaths. This takes the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,151 and 58 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak. Today also marks the 28th consecutive day with no confirmed local transmissions of Covid-19, a milestone that is sure to give the CCSA…
-
Wealth disparity between blacks and whites in America becomes more apparent
Despite African Americans in the US making up 13% of its population, the minority group reportedly only earns 3% of America’s wealth. The statistics are alarmingly similar to the current war on racism in the States as many activists are pointing out the governmental and institutional bias surrounding black Americans. Since slavery was abolished over 150 years ago, the amount of…
-
3 killed, 2 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat crash
3 people have been killed, one an 11 year old girl, and 2 others seriously injured, after the pick-up they were travelling in collided with a roadside tree. They were all from the same family, driving in a Ford Ranger heading to a family burial. Police say the pickup they were travelling in ran off the road, hitting a roadside tree…
-
Doomsday comes and goes
Apparently doomsday has proven itself to be a hoax after it has came and went yesterday. The Mayan Calendar predicted June 21 as the day that the world would come to an end, and obviously we are all still here. But many are increasingly following such theories after the coronavirus has some saying that there will be a new world…
-
Police warning: Pattaya’s beaches remain party and alcohol-free zones
Police in Pattaya are warning beach-goers that a ban on parties and the consumption of alcohol on the city’s beaches remains in force. Officers are monitoring all local beaches, particularly at weekends, when numbers increase, issuing reminders that, in addition to the ban on alcohol, people must not mingle outside their own group and must wear masks when not in…
-
Khon Kaen police investigate tyre puncture epidemic
10 vehicles have been damaged after hundreds of nails were dumped on a road in Khon Kaen, north east Thailand. Police don’t know whether the nails were maliciously dumped on the road or if it was an accident. The nails were found in front of the Nong Go school in Khon Kaen. At least 10 motorbikes and cars have been…
-
Asia on alert for Covid’s second wave
Last week’s surge in new, locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in China, serves as a reminder to the rest of Asia that the possibility of a second wave may be all too real. A similar surprise second wave hit Singapore at the start of April after it appeared the island nation had been successful in containing the new virus. As restrictions…
-
Trump campaign and media tussle over Tulsa rally turnout
“In an increasingly globalised online world, the world’s youth have started getting involved in the narrative for this November’s US Presidential election.” In the days leading up to Saturday night’s election rally for US President Donald Trump – his first since March – the campaign management were touting figures suggesting that as many as 1 million people had signed up…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.