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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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Don Mueang tollway fee increase opposed by consumer agency
PHOTO: YouTube Plans to slap a 10% increase on the fee to use the Don Mueang Toll Way have been opposed by the Consumer Protection Board. The CPB is tasked with defending consumer rights and instigating legal proceedings in the case of infringement. Thai PBS World reports that the board claims the toll hike, which is due to come into…
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School building, where 13 year old shot a fellow student, has been closed down
An entire school building has been closed following a fatal shooting of a 13 year old student by another student on Wednesday in Nonthaburi, Bangkok. The class, which both were students, has been suspended until next week. The 13 year old shooter told police he shot the victim “out of desperation after being repeatedly bullied”. After the daily flag raising…
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Deceased captain from Wednesday’s Phuket boat crash had been the captain in another fatal boat crash
… meanwhile an 18 year old boat boy remains missing. Whilst the search continued for a missing boat crew, 18 year old Kittipong ‘Boy’ Samunboot, following a speedboat crash on Wednesday late afternoon off Phuket’s east coast, it’s been revealed that the captain of the boat, Surat Mat-osod, was involved in an earlier fatal crash at sea in 2014 off…
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Vietnam extends 15 day visa-free travel for some countries
Vietnam’s tourism operators are welcoming the Vietnam government’s decision to extend the visa-free stays for citizens from Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark and Belarus for another three years. The eight countries have already enjoyed visa exemption (for a stay up to 15 days) since 2015, but it was due to expire at the end of this year.…
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Activists propose amendments to same-sex marriage bill in Thailand
Activists from Togetherness for Equality and Action are broadening their push for an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code that would to allow people to legally marry, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Ekkawat Pimsawan, from the group, has submitted a proposal to amend the Code to Mukda Pongsombat, chairwoman of the House Standing Committee on children, youths, women,…
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Why is Thailand’s PropTech market so valuable…
… and who will come out on top in the battle of the portals and hybrids, 2020 and beyond? How big is the Thailand economy? Is Thailand just for tourism? The explosive growth in the economy has now placed Thailand as the second largest economy in Southeast Asia. With over 70 million people now residing in Thailand, the country boasts one of…
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Top 10 Feng Shui master tips to re-organise your home
The ancient wisdom of Feng Shui looks at how the life energy or “qi” in the environment, like our homes, affect our life, health, relationships, and prosperity. In this article, we want to share tips that some famous Feng Shui masters, who are sought after by celebrities, tycoons, politicians, and big brands, recommend to help you re-organise your house. Even…
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Thai Airways presents new recovery plan for board approval
Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham says the national carrier will submit a 2020-2025 rehabilitation plan to the Board of Directors in January, with a separate purchasing plan for new aircraft also being put forward. The Nation reports that the rehabilitation plan will consist of twenty projects and four key measures. One of these will be to increase the revenue derived…
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Thai parliament officials apologise for Future Forward members’ kiss
“Let’s call a press conference to apologise for the last press conference…” Parliamentary staff have held a media conference to apologise for the behaviour of two male Future Forward MPs who exchanged a kiss during an earlier press conference held in the Parliament building. The Nation reports that the House Speaker’s secretary Tankhun Jit-Issara emphasised the need to behave appropriately in…
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Paroled Thai serial killer “Jack the Ripper” spotted by two students before arrest
PHOTO: Alleged killer of his sixth victim on Sunday, Somkid Pumpuang (front centre), during his arrest in 2005 for five other murders Police arrested the paroled serial killer Somkid Phumphuang on a train in northeastern Thailand yesterday. He was wanted as a suspect in the killing of a woman in Khon Kaen province on Sunday. Police discovered Somkid, asleep next to…
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Thai tourism officials hire fortune teller (it’s not what you think)
PHOTO: springnews.co.th A celebrity fortune teller has been engaged to promote the “Positive Energy” campaign being run by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to promote domestic tourism. Spring News reports that the tarot card reader and feng shui master Dr Khatha Chinbanchorn is being engaged as the face of the project to promote “positive energy”, making merit and environmental awareness.…
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Army promises investigation after three civilians shot and killed
PHOTO: Villagers carry the body of one of the three men killed by government forces on Wednesday, from the Tawae mountains in Narathiwat – Benar News The army has promised a full and fair investigation after three unarmed men were shot dead by security forces in mountains around Narathiwat province, southern Thailand, on Monday. Pornsak Poolsawat, Thailand’s southern army commander, originally…
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13 year old shoots classmate in Bangkok afters repeated taunts
PHOTO: Siam Nonthaburi Foundation A teenage schoolboy has shot dead a 13 year old classmate who he says had repeatedly insulted and bullied him at a school in Muang district yesterday morning. The fatal shooting occurred inside a public school in Bang Kraso, Nonthaburi, a north west suburb of Bankok. The 13 year old shooter was apprehended and taken to the…
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Swedish national still missing in Bangkok
A Hat Yai woman has asked for police help in locating her Swedish husband, who went missing shortly after they arrived in Thailand from Stockholm last Thursday. 55 year old Begt Erik Gustafsson, a welder, allegedly left with a friend and hasn’t been seen heard from since. Sixty-five year old Amphorn Maksomboon filed a missing person report with Hat Yai…
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15 year old Buriram girl forced to sell drugs for her boyfriend
PHOTOS: Sanook.com Police in Buriram north east Thailand, have rescued a 15 year old girl and arrested her 33 year old boyfriend after he threatened her with a gun to deliver drugs for his gang. The girl, known only as “Aum,” called her father, who told police his daughter was being kept locked in a rented room in Nang Rong…
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FFP rally may have broken the law, activist demands investigation
PHOTO: Srisuwan Janya – Bangkok Post Thailand’s “complainer-in-chief”, lawyer and fan-boy for the current government, Srisuwan Janya, says he will ask the Election Commission to investigate if the Future Forward Party broke the law on political parties by holding a political rally in central Bangkok last Saturday. Srisuwan, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, cited…
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Doctor in southern Thailand issues warning after manicure goes VERY wrong
PHOTO: Facebook/Arak Wongworachat A doctor at a hospital in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat is warning women to exercise caution when choosing a nail salon and to ensure the facility follows correct sanitation procedures and only uses properly sterilised equipment. Dr Arak Wongworachat posted his warning online after a 35 year old female patient developed a serious infection…
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Rescue workers find women sitting with 10 day old corpse, waiting for dead man to come back to life
After local residents complained of the smell coming from a house in Nakhon Nayok, north east of Bangkok, a medical rescue team was sent to the property only to find a rather sad situation. The Nation reports that the team arrived at the property to find a decomposing human body, with three women sitting in the kitchen. The rescue team then…
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Thailand’s U-turn on agri-chemical ban shows US hitting where it hurts
PHOTO: matichon.co.th The US is piling the pressure on Thailand over its agri-chemical ban, and it appears to be working. A report by the Nikkei Asian Review claims the Kingdom’s proposed ban on three agri-chemicals – Paraquat, Glyphosate and Chlorpyrifos – would have affected American agricultural exports into Thailand. But the US President has weighed into the issue. Following news…
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Phuket resort owners Castlewood Group goes into liquidation
UPDATE: “The liquidation is for Singapore assets only, NOT Thai assets, the (Phuket) hotel is not being liquidated and operating as normal,” according to the Dream Phuket Hotel & Spa General Manager Chris Adams. PHOTO: Couple Travel The World The future of a Phuket resort in the booming Layan Beach/Cherngtalay area, funded by a Singapore-based property developer, is under a cloud following…
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PM demands sentencing review after “Jack the Ripper” serial killer case
Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha is ordering the justice minister to re-examine Thailand’s rules regarding sentence reductions and parole for violent criminals, after convicted serial killer Somkid Pumpuang, dubbed “Thailand’s Jack the Ripper,” was released from prison. He’s now the major suspect in another murder last Sunday, just seven months later after being released. “We have to be updated as the…
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Burmese authorities intercept boat carrying 173 Rohingya Muslims
FILE PHOTO: The New Humanitarian Burmese authorities have intercepted a boat and detained 173 Rohingya ‘boat people’ off the southern coast of Myanmar. They believe that the group from the Muslim minority group were heading to sea to seek a better life an avoid persecution. They were intercepted by a Navy vessel who detained the group and charged them ‘travelling illegally’.…
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SIS Kata receives “Gold Level” G-Green award 2019 – Ministry of the Environment
The SIS Kata in Kata, Phuket has received the G-Green awards 2019 – “Gold Level” by the Thai Ministry of the Environment. The award recognises the Phuket 5 star resort for its ongoing dedication to maintaining a healthy and sustainable tourist environment in Kata and the many initiatives introduced around the resort in the past 12 months. On December 16 the Director…
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“Run against Dictatorship” organisers threatened with legal action by “those in power”
PHOTO: The Nation Organisers of the planned Wing Lai Loong event “Run against Dictatorship” are being warned by the Thai Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda that they may face legal action if they go ahead with their politically-inspired event without prior permission from the police. The group’s planned press conference, scheduled to take place at Bangkok’s Royal Rattanakosin Hotel on Monday,…
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Sleeping woman seriously injured after car ploughs into her home in Sri Racha
A young woman has sustained serious head and back injuries after an SUV ploughed into her home while she was sleeping in her bedroom in eastern Thailand. It’s understood the incident happened at a house in Sri Racha, north of Pattaya, on Sunday afternoon. Local rescue workers were called to the property near a Caltex petrol station and arrived to…
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Students say “Run Against Dictatorship” media event to go ahead
PHOTO: Apichart Jinakul University students have finally been allowed to hold a press conference on the “Wing Lai Lung” (Run to Oust the Uncle) event at Thammasat University in Bangkok. Earlier requests for two other locations to hold their media gathering were denied. One of them was the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand… The professional committee of the Foreign Correspondents’…
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Vietnamese illegal street vendors’ knife fight shocks tourists in Pattaya
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News Three Vietnamese nationals have been seriously wounded and a fourth has fled after a very public knife fight in Pattaya on Sunday night. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 11:30pm. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to find three men with slash and stab wounds needing urgent medical attention. The three injured are…
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Police in Khon Kaen hunt Thai “Jack the Ripper”
PHOTOS: Chiang Rai Times Police and Crime Suppression Division officers have launched a manhunt for a convicted serial killer accused of murdering a woman in Khon Kaen on Sunday, just 7 months after his release from prison. The man, 55 year old Somkid Pumpuang, is the prime suspect in the murder of 51 year old Rassami Mulichan at her house last…
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Ten days later, no sign of missing Phuket pair, or their kayak
PHOTO: Phuket People’s Voice Nearly ten days have passed since Polish tourist Mateusz Juszkiewicz and his Thai friend Werakan Siriprakon went missing off the southern coast of Phuket. The hopes of finding them alive are fading fast as vast swathes of the Andaman and coastal areas have been searched by up to 100 Navy, officers, Tourist Police, Rawai police and…
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“They were just being playful” – Bangkok tuk tuk driver
“They were just being playful.” Playful indeed! A couple caught engaging in some spontaneous ‘close-and-personal’ in the back of a Bangkok tuk-tuk has got Thailand’s online community in a fluster. Whilst tourism numbers stagnate and thousands gather in the centre of the city for the biggest political rally in five years, THIS has been the biggest talking point for Thai…
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