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.
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With a ‘whoosh’ his village was gone – Tsunami Update
Asep Sunaria says he heard a loud “whoosh” just moments before a wall of water pushed him off his motorbike. The surging waters swallowed up his house and the village he called home until the Saturday night calamity. new.yahoo.com reports that rescuers hunted for survivors of the volcano-triggered tsunami that killed at least 281 people along Indonesia’s coast. At the…
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Defence volunteers robbed of their guns in Pattani
by Pares Lohasan Police a hunting for six males suspected to have seized guns and bullets from 10 village defence volunteers assigned to guard a local school in Pattani province’s Sai Buri district last night. The suspects made off with four shotguns and 20 bullets. Sai Buri police superintendent Pol Colonel Montri Khongwatmai led forensic police to inspect Ban Seu…
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Fisheries Department warns of fake news that a woman died from shells in Phuket
The Fisheries Department has issued an official statement after a website published ‘fake news’ that a woman was killed by shells on Phuket beach this weekend. The Fisheries Department is reporting that “a website www.Gmmwork.com has published news stating that a woman has died on a Phuket beach. The story claims that, under her body, they found ‘Neverita didyma’ which is…
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PR Model claims ex boyfriend kidnaps father for third time
PHOTOS: Pailin Yokklin (FB) Pailin Yokklin, a 23 year old model from Kanchanaburi, is filing a police report against her ex boyfriend Sukhum Manaim as he has allegedly kidnapped her father three times now. Sukhum will be charged with ‘confinement’. He has previously tried to stop Pailin from working at her PR job due to jealousy. Pailin claims the man…
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Elephants help search for missing Burmese boy
PHOTO: Thairath The latest update in our recent coverage of the missing boy in Suphan Buri is that four elephants have joined the search party, which now includes, police helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs, and frogmen. Police, military personnel, local administration officials and private rescue workers make up the 300 strong search party. The missing 2 year old Burmese boy is…
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No tsunami warning system for Sunda Strait
by The Jakarta Post – Asia News Network The Indonesian government says, following a “volcanic tsunami” in the Sunda Strait on Saturday evening, the country did not have any early warning system for tsunamis not caused by earthquakes, since 2012 when vandalism rendered the system inoperative. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman, says was no warning…
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From condoms to condos – Southeast Asia’s sex tourism journey
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com “One thing I can assure them is that business will never be the same. Never.” This is a story that has all the epic elements of military power, big oil, sleaze, real estate, greed and ultimately transformation. Southeast Asia’s sex tourism journey on a broad scale goes back to the 1960’s and the Vietnam War.…
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Warnings of more seismic activity around Sunda Strait
A young boy has been pulled from rubble as experts warn that another tsunami could strike Indonesia at any time. The warning comes two days after 280 people were killed and more than 1,000 people injured by a wave triggered after a volcanic eruption. The death toll is expected to rise today as searchers reach more remote areas. Richard Teeuw…
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Last Full Moon Party for 2018 attracts 30,000
Authorities claim over 30,000 tourists flocked to Hat Rin on Koh Phangan for the Saturday night (well, Sunday morning really), monthly full moon party, the final party for 2018. The party kicked off at 1am on Sunday morning and wound up at 7am. Most of the local hotels were full with highly inflated prices for the monthly gathering whilst many…
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Water cannons brought out to add humidity as authorities struggle with BKK smog
Bangkokians have at least another day to inhale unhealthy levels of air pollution after Sunday, the fourth consecutive day the city has been shrouded in smog. On Sunday morning the measure of particulate matter in Tambon Pak Nam in Muang Samut Prakan was 93 micrograms per cubic metres, approaching what the WHO describes as ‘unhealthy’. The Nation reported that Samut…
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UPDATE: Indonesian tsunami toll reaches 222
• The tsunami was only 1 metre high but hit coastal areas where hotels and shops reached the shoreline • Vulcanologists believe the tsunami was probably caused by the underwater collapse of a side of a volcano • The worst affected areas included popular beach holiday destinations At least 222 people have now been confirmed dead and another 843 injured…
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Thailand now in world’s top 100 most expensive places to live for expats
Singapore and Thailand are among the fastest risers in a survey of most expensive locations in the world for expats. Asian Correspondent is reporting that multinational human resource consultants ECA International, in its recent Cost of Living survey, revealed that Thailand rose 32 places this year to enter the top 100 most expensive locations in the world. Lee Quane, the…
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UPDATE: Indonesian tsunami: Toll reaches 168, more expected – VIDEO
• Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed by the waves • Current death toll stands at 168 people, more expected • “I just prayed and ran as far as I could” A tsunami following a volcanic eruption killed at least 168 people when it slammed without warning into popular beaches around Indonesia’s Sunda Strait on Saturday night, cutting a swathe…
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UPDATE: Indonesian Sunda Strait tsunami
“168 dead and ‘many missing’ after Anak Krakatoa erupts” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesperson for the Indonesian disaster agency has confirmed the Saturday evening tsunami has left at least 168 dead, 745 injured with 30 missing. But he says he expects the death toll to rise since not all the areas which were hit have been reached yet. The worst…
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Thai business tycoon buys Fortune for $150 million
Photo: Fortune Chatchaval Jiaravanon, son of the executive chairman of Thailand’s biggest conglomerate (the Charoen Pokphand Group) and part of the richest family in Thailand has bought Fortune for $150 million (4.8 billion baht). Publisher giant Meredith confirmed the sale on Friday, saying it will use the money to pay off down debt. The Thai business tycoon – executive chairman of…
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Road toll drops but still 60 deaths a day
The good news is that Thailand is no longer in the top couple of countries for road death tolls in the world. The bad news is the toll is still horrendous with an average of 60 deaths every day. Thailand has seen fewer road casualties this year and is now listed as the world’s ninth-most dangerous nation when road accidents…
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Happy ending for Malaysian tourist at Betong immigration
What appeared as a bad end to the holiday of a Malaysian tourist has ended up with a much happier ending. Immigration police have returned a wallet with cash and credit cards to the Malaysian tourist on yesterday after he dropped it in front of an immigration counter on Friday night. The tourist, Low Han Ben, reclaimed his purse at…
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UPDATE: Indonesian tsunami – toll rises to 62
PHOTO: EPA-EFE • Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave • At least 584 people injured and twenty reported missing across three regions The latest in the rising roll from Indonesia’s tsunami that hit the Sunda Strait last night. The toll in deaths, injuries and missing is expected to rise throughout the next few days. A tsunami following a…
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87 year old bedridden woman killed in Phuket fire
An 87 year old bedridden woman was burnt to death last night in a house fire in Phuket Town. The Phuket City Police were notified of the fire in Soi Cherng Keeree in Phuket Town at 7.10pm Saturday night. Police, emergency responders and firefighters arrived to find the wooden house with a zinc/steel roof ablaze. It took firefighters about 15…
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Bangkokians advised to stay inside until smog clears
• Bangkokians warned that cheap face masks are useless • Weather Bureau says the current smog should clear in a few days PHOTO: Framepool The hazardous ultra-fine dust that has been sweeping through 20 districts of Bangkok will last for a few days, City Hall’s Environment Department warned on Friday. The Bangkok Post say that the warning corresponded with dust levels measured…
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TSUNAMI: “There were two waves” – Norwegian volcano photographer
PHOTO: The Jakarta Post The toll remains at 20 dead and 165 injured as the morning provides light for searches after last night’s tsunami that hit the coastline around the Sunda Strait in Indonesia. The Strait separates the islands of Java and Sumatra. Authorities say the tsunami was caused by an undersea landslide after the remnants of the Krakatoa volcano…
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More than 300 involved in search for missing two year old
• 300 officers and volunteers involved in search for missing two year old • Police haven’t ruled our kidnapping as a motive in the disappearance PHOTO: vaaju.com More than 300 people have been involved in a search for a missing two year old as they scoured a 200 rai plantation in Suphan Buri, north west of Bangkok. The boy has…
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Tsunami in Indonesia kills 20, many more injured
• 20 people died in Indonesia • another 165 people had been injured in the incident At least 20 people have been reported to have died in Indonesia on Java and Sumatra islands after a tsunami struck areas around the Sunda Strait late late yesterday (Saturday). The tsunami was triggered by a sub-sea landslide caused by a volcano, according to the…
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Phuket’s most romantic dinner at Thavorn Beach Village Resort & Spa
A Unique Experience – Amy Bensema Looking for a memorable dining experience while in Phuket? Today, we had the chance to dine at Nakalay Beachfront Dining by Thavorn Beach Village Resort & Spa. The dining experience offers up the chance to enjoy a unique romantic beachfront dinner in an idyllic setting. Perfect for couples seeking a romantic evening by the…
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UPDATE: The Hangover – Pattaya
A 64 year old Thai woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing cash and valuables from a British man after he bought sex from her and another woman. Pattaya police say that Penchan Hale was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday for allegedly drugging and stealing from 56 year old George Andrew Lerce last Saturday night. (Original story below) The tourist…
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Authorities struggle to find solutions for the BKK smog
PHOTO: The Nation “Normal cheap face masks are useless to protect people from air pollution.” Bangkok is suffering some severe air pollution as authorities struggle to find a way to reduce the dangerous levels of particulate matter floating around the city. A lack of wind is allowing the pollution, mostly from vehicle emissions and local industry, to hang around the…
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Thai artist uses sex workers’ hair to make social critique in BKK installation
PHOTOS: Vivianne Chow Thai artist, Imahathai Suwatthanasilp new work at the Bangkok Biennale has brought attention to the prostitution industry in Thailand. Through her work the artist critiques preconceptions on sex workers while highlight their prevalence. Imahathai’s new work involved hair, specifically hair collected from a number of sex workers in Thailand. Her passion for hair started when her father was…
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Fine tuning on same-sex Bill before it goes to Cabinet next week
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The Life Partnership Bill has been updated to recognise more rights for same-sex couples before it heads to the Cabinet for approval next week. The latest version of the bill now includes a phrase that says non-heterosexual couples will have the right to “make medical decisions” and “hold a funeral” for their incapacitated or deceased spouse, both…
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Patient dies after jumping from balcony at Chumphon hospital
PHOTO: Khet Udomsak Hospital A distressed patient diagnosed with colon cancer has died after jumping from the 4th floor of a hospital in Chumphon’s main city district last night. Police say 53 year old Boonchuay Disapong died of his injuries after being rushed to the ICU unit following the fall. He had been admitted to the Khet Udomsak Hospital and…
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100 illegal road racers invade Pattaya roads
More than 100 motorcyclists have taken part in road racing on two roads in Pattaya early this morning. Witnesses say there was no police presence to stop the illegal activities. Tipped off by local residents, reporters from The Nation went to the area at 2am and found motorcyclists gathered on Sukhumvit Road and Jomtien 2 Road in Tambon Nong Plue…
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