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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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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
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Five US police officers charged with murder over fatal beating of black man
Five US police officers working in the state of Tennessee are charged with second-degree murder over fatally beating a black man. The officers were found to have beaten 29 year old Tyre Nichols, during a traffic stop on January 7, in which they pulled him over for reckless driving. According to The Straits Times, Nichols’ family attorney, Ben Crump, says…
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Australia returns 9 ancient Buddha statues to Thailand after 112 years
Nine wooden Buddha statues have returned to Thailand after being in Australia for 112 years. Murray Upton, an Australian man from Canberra, contacted the Royal Thai Embassy that he was in possession of nine ancient Buddha statues from Thailand. The Australian said he received the Buddha statues from his father. He said they were in his father’s possession since 1911.…
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Israeli troops kill 9 Palestinians in a West bank military operation
Palestinian officials reported today that nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed in a raid by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian health minister stated that the situation in Jenin was dire, with numerous injuries and ambulances unable to access the affected area. Additionally, the children’s ward of a local hospital was hit with Israeli…
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Van overturns in northeast Thailand, injuring 22 students
A school van overturned in Thailand’s northeast Nakhon Ratchasima province this morning, leaving 22 students injured. Police and rescuers arrived to find the van overturned along the side of the road, with many students crying in fear. The 22 children injured suffered minor injuries, including bruises and head swelling, Thai Rath reported. The children were mostly kindergarten and primary students. …
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China Airlines launches direct flights from Chiang Mai to Taiwan
Taiwan-based China Airlines commenced nonstop flights between Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to Taiwan on Friday. A 180-seat Airbus A321neo will service the four-hour route four days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Flight CI851 from Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), servicing Taipei City, to Chiang Mai will take off at 08.05am and touch down in Chiang Mai…
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Arrested drug dealer says he got narcotics from police
Police arrested a drug dealer and four addicts yesterday in the central province of Rayong. The dealer, while being arrested, alleged that the Thai police were involved in drug distribution and claimed that he had received the drugs as a reward for acting as a secret agent for the police in the province. The drug dealer and his four customers…
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Russian man found hanged in Phuket
A Russian man was found hanged in his rented room in Phuket yesterday. The man, 36 year old Roman Melnik, was found hanged by a strap attached to the balcony door behind his room in Rawai, The Phuket Express reported. Police said Melnik is believed to have died some 12 hours before his body was found. Chalong Police Captain Charat…
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Thai bride-to-be falls to death from Pattaya condo
A Thai bride-to-be fell to her death from a condominium in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning. Her friend told police that she and her foreign fiancé had just left her bar five minutes before she died. Mueang Pattaya Police Station officers and a rescue team were notified of the incident and rushed to the condo on Southern Pattaya…
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Drain collapses beneath Chinese tourist’s feet in Thailand
A Chinese tourist was walking on a pavement near the Ancient City in Samut Prakan near Bangkok yesterday when a drain cover collapsed beneath his feet. Luckily, the tourist only sustained minor injuries. The Facebook page ‘Samut Prakan News v2’ posted a photo of the distressed tourist sitting on the side of Sukhumvit Road next to a broken sewage drain…
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Royal arsonist goes on hunger strike
The royal arsonist convicted of setting fire to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida has gone on a hunger strike while awaiting an appeal. Food delivery rider Sitthichok Sethasavet was found guilty of defaming the royal family, arson, destruction of property, and violation of the Emergency Decree. He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.…
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Victim loses over 10 million baht in Thai Lion Air ticket scam
Thai Lion Air issued a warning to passengers to be cautious of a ticket scam, after a person lost over 10 million baht by visiting a fraudulent website to claim a free ticket. Trang Police Station posted a warning on its Facebook page of how the victim was grifted 10.2 million baht after trying to claim a free flight from…
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Narcotics police seize 6 million meth pills in Chiang Rai
Thai narcotics police seized 6 million meth pills in the northern Chiang Rai province earlier this week. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said yesterday that officers stopped a timber truck and two scout cars in the Wiang Pa Pao district. This was after officers had been alerted that a large number of drugs were to be transported from Mae Fah Luang…
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FTI warns foreign businesses will invest elsewhere unless govt makes energy cheaper
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) warned the government that foreign businesses will not invest in Thailand if it maintains its unsustainable utility bills. The FTI insists investors will look to their more competitive Asian neighbours and set up camp there if the government does not make its energy cheaper. FTI Vice President Sompote Ahunai said the government needs to…
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Thailand to spend US$250 million on private VIP jets
The Cabinet approved an 8.8-billion-baht (US$270 million) budget to procure private VIP jets for members of the Thai royal family, ministers and honoured guests. Proposed by the prime minister’s secretariat and approved on Tuesday, the plan includes the procurement of new aircraft and components and the training of personnel. It’s just the latest of many curious budget decisions we can…
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Bolt vs Win motorbike taxi gang violence continues in Pattaya
Violence between rivalling motorbike taxi operators continues in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, where three ‘Win‘ drivers were injured after being beaten with a baseball bat and an iron bar, allegedly by Bolt drivers. Yesterday evening, a brawl broke out between three Bolt drivers and three Win drivers at Thappraya Soi 7, South Pattaya, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province, near Jomtien…
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Huge waves in the southern Thai sea destroys beach and 200 palm trees
Thap Sakae Beach and 200 palm trees in the southern province of Prachup Khiri Khan were devastated as huge waves battered its shoreline yesterday morning. According to Thap Sakae sub-district chief Maria Phaopratarn, the waves and wind at Thap Sakae Beach in the southern province of Prachup Khiri Khan were unusually strong yesterday morning and began to subside around 4pm.…
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Koh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years
Thailand’s tropical holiday island of Koh Samui welcomed its first Taiwanese tour group in nearly three years on Tuesday. The group of 142 tourists enjoyed Koh Samui’s nature tourism, as well as its temples and shrines. The group also plan to travel to Koh Ang Thong, Koh Tao, and Koh Nang Yuan for four days. The group had a three-night…
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Thai man mistakes friend for wild boar and shoots him dead
A Thai man shot dead his best friend in the forest in Lampang province in northern Thailand yesterday morning. Distraught, the gunman said he thought his friend was a wild boar. At 7am, officers from Mae Tha Police Station were informed of a fatal shooting in the forest on the mountain in Wan Ngern subdistrict. At the scene, officers found…
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Taiwanese actress warns tourists to be aware of Thailand’s ‘bastard police’
A famous Taiwanese actress warned foreign tourists coming to Thailand to be aware of the kingdom’s “bastard police!” The actress revealed on social media that the Royal Thai Police (RTP) extorted 27,000 baht from her and her friends on fake, trumped-up charges while they were travelling in Thailand at the beginning of this month. The Thai Facebook page Hello Taiwan!…
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Pattaya prepares for return of Chinese tour groups
Cities across Thailand continue to prepare for the expected rise in the number of Chinese tourists to the kingdom. Pattaya is preparing for Chinese tour groups to finally return to the renowned party city. On Tuesday, Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches met with the Thai-Chinese Tourism Association to discuss how best to accommodate the influx of Chinese tourists to the city.…
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Bank of Thailand increases interest rates, again!
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand insists that it had to hike its policy interest rate by 0.25% to 1.50% yesterday for the fourth consecutive time to curb high inflation. MPC Committee Secretary Piti Disyatat reported that the committee was unanimous in its decision. “Under a gradual policy normalisation, rate hikes could take place for a…
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Thai livestock department hits back at rumours of fake Chinese eggs
Thailand’s Department of Livestock is hitting back against rumours that the country is importing fake eggs from China. This is after a video went viral on social media showing a factory in China that makes ‘century eggs.’ The video’s text says the Chinese delicacy can be made with a variety of eggs including duck, chicken, or quail eggs. It then…
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Thailand beats foreign arrivals goal for 2022
Thailand has reportedly beaten its goal for foreign arrivals in 2022 after seeing a total of 11.15 million tourists enter the country last year. Initially, the kingdom had set a goal for 10 million tourists to arrive in 2022. But, as the world opened up after the Covid-19 pandemic, the country saw a significant jump in arrivals compared to 2021’s…
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Bangkok, Songkhla, Chon Buri provinces to host 2025 Southeast Asian Games
Bangkok, Songkhla, and Chon Buri provinces are the new hosts of the 2025 Southeast Asian Games. The Sports Authority of Thailand decided at a meeting that was presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon yesterday. During the meeting, Nakhon Ratchasima was also chosen to host the 13th ASEAN Para Games in 2026. A budget allocation from the National Sports…
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Phuket taxis: outsiders are undercutting our prices
Operators from outside Phuket are the target of a recent complaint filed by representatives from 30 taxi, van, tuk tuk and bus operators on the island. The association is complaining that outside taxis are invading their province and stealing their tourist customers by undercutting their prices. The complaint alleges that these outside operators are greatly affecting the income of local…
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2 Chinese tourists injured after fight at bar in Chiang Mai
Two Chinese citizens were injured after two groups of Chinese tourists brawled at the end of a boxing match at a bar in Chiang Mai. The fight also caused a heavy backlog of traffic near Tha Phae Gate. Members of the Ruamlanna Chiang Mai Rescue Association rushed to the bar on Loi Kroh Road near Chiang Mai Old City after…
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Thailand promotes tourism with subsidies, vouchers nationwide
Thailand is promoting tourism by offering rate subsidies on hotels and food vouchers at participating businesses nationwide. According to Bangkok Post, the Thai Cabinet approved a budget of 3.95 billion baht to stimulate tourism, which includes 2.02 billion baht set aside for food-tour vouchers and room discounts of up to 40%. Under the government’s “We Travel Together” campaign, 560 hotel…
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Thai netizens predict lucky lottery numbers based on diamond eye cat
Thai netizens are predicting lucky lottery numbers based on an unusual cat with a diamond eye. TikTok clips that went viral today show the cat’s peculiar, piercingly bright left eye. Some netizens predicted lucky numbers for the February 1 lottery based on the TikTok user’s name, @user3026088746242. They have also predicted numbers associated with cats, mainly four, eight, and seven. Many…
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Thailand and Cambodia argue over origin of Muay Thai kickboxing
A row has sparked between Thailand and Cambodia over the origin of Muay Thai. As a result, Thailand has withdrawn from the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games). Cambodia, the host country of the 2023 SEA Games, changed the name of the kickboxing competition from Muay Thai to Kun Khmer and stated that the origin of Muay Thai is Cambodian. The…
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Cops nab Patong entertainment staffer allegedly selling cocaine to tourists
Cops nabbed a Patong entertainment staffer on Saturday who allegedly sold cocaine to tourists. Police patrolling the infamous party hotspot of Bangla Road received a tip-off from an anonymous entertainment venue operator that a staffer was selling cocaine to tourists on the road. The police then caught the staffer, 61 year old Rueng, reportedly with three bags of cocaine weighing 1.77…
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