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.
-
Motorbikes can now drive on Patong Hill road
After the road on Patong Hill collapsed due to landslides last week, officials are now letting motorbikes drive on the road again. Phuket Governor Narong said the decision was made to relieve the burden on people who need to travel across the hill every day, especially young students. Narong declared the road open to motorbikes last night. However, cars are…
-
Mountain B nightclub tragedy claims 26th life nearly 3 months after fire
The Mountain B nightclub tragedy claimed a 26th victim this morning almost three months after the fire in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, on August 5. A 26 year old submarine operator for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) died at 2am after fighting for his life in hospital for 83 days. Thirteen people lost their lives on the…
-
You dance with the devil if you watch porn says Pope Francis
Head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis declared that watching porn would be like dancing with the “devil.” The 85 year old sovereign of the Vatican City State warned Catholic Church members of the dangers of watching online pornography at a meeting with seminarians in Rome on Monday, reported Aljazeera. He said watching porn would allow the “devil” to enter your…
-
Burmese escapees rounded up in annual Florida snake wrangle
In stark contrast to the activities of a single reticulated python that recently swallowed a woman in Indonesia, a 19-year-old south Florida man has captured 28 Burmese pythons in an annual 10-day competition to rid the state of invasive species. Matthew Concepcion was among the 1,000 people who participated in the annual snake hunt, which this year “removed” 231 of…
-
Officials drug stray dogs for visit of PM Prayut in Sing Buri
Animal rights activists and Thai netizens were outraged after learning stray dogs in the central province of Sing Buri were drugged so that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could visit the area without any drama. PM Prayut visited Sing Buri on Monday, October 24, to check the province’s flood situation and offer his support to victims affected by the floods. The…
-
Thai military denies torturing and killing Deep South rebel
The Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) said peace talks with the Thai government will be harmed if they are responsible for the torture and murder of a Deep South rebel whose body was found in the Golok river, on the border of Thailand and Malaysia, last month. The tortured body of 42 year old Zahri Bin Abdullah – also known as…
-
Thaksin libel case to touch on Krue Se, Tak Bai massacres
President of the National Assembly of Thailand Chuan Leekpai has acknowledged a libel charge he made about former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chuan, who also serves as Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, gave a lecture to members of the Democrat Party on October 28, 2012, blaming Thaksin for making “mistakes” regarding the Krue Se, and Tak Bai…
-
Over 1 million Malaysian tourists have arrived in Thailand this year
Over 1 million Malaysian tourists have made their way to Thailand this year, and officials hope to keep pushing the numbers up. Between January 1 and October 7 this year, 1,041,293 Malaysian tourists arrived in the Land of Smiles. Malaysian tourists in the kingdom are now venturing to more of Thailand’s provinces than they used to. Tourism Authority of Thailand…
-
Officials arrest 18 in Phuket gambling bust
Officials arrested 18 people in a gambling bust in Phuket’s Thalang district on Monday. The eight men and ten women were caught at a gambling den in a house in the Thep Kasattri sub-district. The officials received complaints about an illegal gambling network in the area and acting on the information officers brought the suspects to Thalang Police Station. The suspects…
-
Eat a A waffle dick
A new naughty waffle shop in Bali is getting a rise out of people. Mr & Mrs Dick has just opened and instantly shot to viral fame for selling waffles shaped like male and female genitals. The shop is turning heads and gathering love (and some hate) from surprised people online. The shop opened this month in the trendy Seminyak…
-
Missing Indonesian woman’s body found inside giant python
A python swallowed a woman whole in Jambi, on the east coast of Jakarta in Indonesia, on Sunday, according to Indonesian police. Jahrah, a 54 year old worker at a rubber plantation from Betara District, did not return home from work on Sunday. Jahrah’s husband reported Jahrah missing that night. The next day, villagers found a python with a huge…
-
Mother seeks help after 14 year old daughter turns to prostitution
A Thai mother turned to the Social Development and Human Security Ministry (M-Society) and police for help after learning that her 14-year-old half-Thai, half-British daughter turned to prostitution. The 50 year old Naruemon (surname reserved) informed the Department of Special Investigation that her daughter, Nadia (alias) ran away from home in the Isaan province of Udon Thani on October 10.…
-
Spiderman spins web to promote Thai tourism
A Thai tour guide has found a novel way of attracting tourists into his web of activities – by dressing as Spiderman. But, not only that, Spiderman has recruited a superhero sidekick to help him out – Superman. Kasidet Juthamas aka Spiderman recruited an Australian TikToker, Mitch Muscle Lagos, in a Superman uniform to join him on a rock climbing…
-
Tourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend
Tourists flocked to two seafood festivals in Pattaya over the three-day weekend. The Central Pattaya shopping mall held the “Sea Bear” food festival, bringing in income for vendors. There was also a seafood festival at Terminal 21 shopping mall, which saw hundreds of vacationers stopping by, Pattaya Mail reported. The festival had planned to feature street food vendors from across…
-
Angry elephant smashes pickup truck windscreen in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, an angry elephant who escaped from Khao Yai National Park smashed a pickup truck’s windscreen with its tusks in northeast Thailand. Fearing for the safety of tourists, a brave national park official parked his pickup in front of the elephant to stop him from going any further. The Khao Yai National Park chief, Chaiya Huayhongthong, reported at 9am today…
-
Hundreds of Chinese citizens arrested in Bangkok drug party raid
Thailand appears to be struggling a bit in its quest to draw in “high-quality tourists.” Bangkok police arrested hundreds of Chinese citizens at a raid on a drug party in the Sathorn area early this morning. The police busted a total of 266 people at a karaoke venue on Charoen Rat Road. 237 of the busted partiers were Chinese nationals,…
-
Drink driving Chonburi FC goalie released on bail for 100,000 baht after fatal crash
UPDATE The Royal Thai Police released 22 year old Worawut “Bank” Sakuna, the Chonburi FC goalkeeper, on bail for 100,000 baht. At 4.30am this morning, Bank was drink driving when he struck and killed a woman and seriously injured a man in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. Another Chonburi FC player, Chalermpong “Ball” Kerdkaew, arrived at the scene shortly after…
-
Ugandan prostitute snatches hundreds of thousands of baht from British tourist in Pattaya
A Ugandan prostitute allegedly snatched a British tourist’s safe with hundreds of thousands of baht in it in Pattaya. Even though the incident happened on October 2, it was reported on Saturday that police still hadn’t caught the suspect. The victim, 57 year old Steven Paul, took a streetwalker he met on Walking Street back to his guesthouse on Soi…
-
Missing Russian’s body found at sea near Patong Beach
All hope is now lost for the safe return of the Russian woman who disappeared after a swim on a Phuket beach last week. The dead body of the missing woman, Elena Rusradchenko, washed ashore near Patong Beach earlier this morning. She disappeared from Sakoo in Thalang. Police and volunteers had been sweeping the island and the surrounding seas for the…
-
PICTURES: Soi Dog delivers food to animals in flood-hit provinces of Thailand
Soi Dog Foundation delivered over 210 tonnes of food to over 26,000 animals affected by floods in Thailand this month alone. Soi Dog helped animals affected by severe flooding in Sing Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Sukhothai, and Ang Thong provinces. The foundation was able to deliver 7,750 bags of dog food and 2,785 bags of cat food in six…
-
Investigators find note from gunman after US school shooting
UPDATE In the aftermath of the horrific shooting at a US school on Monday, investigators have found a handwritten note from the gunman. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, killed two people and injured seven others at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday. Harris ended up being shot dead in a gunfight…
-
Millionaire? Pfft! Indonesia’s second-home visa is for billionaires
Many online have criticised Thailand’s plan to focus on attracting millionaires, but Indonesia seems to think the Thai government is just setting their stall too low. Indonesia launched a “second-home visa” with plans to lure in billionaires, not millionaires. The new visa debuted last week, but the details are still being put into place by the Ministry of Interior, Immigration,…
-
Adidas drops partnership with Kanye West over anti-Semitic hate speech
Adidas has cut ties with rapper Kanye West, or Ye, after his espousal of anti-Semitic comments on Twitter and outrageous interview on the matter. In an interview a few days ago, Kanye said, “I can say anti-Semitic sh*t and Adidas can’t drop me. I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what? Now what?” In response, Adidas…
-
Tourists in Surat Thani & Trat warned to beware of jellyfish
Tourists have been warned to beware of jellyfish while swimming in the sea off the beaches at Koh Samui, and Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani, and Koh Mark, and Koh Kood in Trat. The Director of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Auttapon Charoenchansa, reported that it is venomous jellyfish season in Koh Samui, and Koh Pha Ngan…
-
Thailand scoops best costume at Miss Grand International
Miss Grand Thailand, Engfa Waraha, scooped the best national costume prize at the Miss Grand International 2022 final in Indonesia yesterday. Unfortunately, the Thai beauty queen had to make do with the first runner-up prize in the overall competition after being edged out by Miss Grand Brazil, Isabella Menin, who was crowned Miss Grand International 2022. Beauty queens from 72…
-
Police seize 263 guns in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month. Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province earlier this month. Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police…
-
Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites
Thailand’s recent three-day weekend drew tourists to some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites. Over 10,000 people ventured to Thailand’s highest mountain peak, Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, according to officials there. Tourists visited a number of other natural sites as well. In the western Kanchanaburi province, a tourism business operator said the tourist influx in Sangkhla Buri district over the…
-
9 year old boy shot dead while working in cornfield
A nine year old boy was shot dead while working in a cornfield in the north-central province of Phetchabun. The boy’s heartbroken mother revealed he was working to save up for a toy the family could not afford. A funeral ceremony is being held for the nine year old boy, Chaiyakorn “Seven” Niamklai, at Huay Toom Sutthawas Temple, according to…
-
Temporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong
After a road collapsed on Phuket’s Patong hill last week, health officials have worked to set up a temporary field hospital. The Kathu Field Hospital opened yesterday at the Kathu Public Park, as a result of a partnership between the Phuket Provincial Public Health and Patong Hospital. The temporary field hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to…
-
Cabinet agrees to let foreigners buy land and houses in Thailand
A major decision was made today by Thailand’s Cabinet which will allow foreigners to buy houses and land in Thailand. The foreigner will be eligible to buy houses and land if they invest at least 40 million baht in Thailand and can maintain the investment over three years, according to Bangkok Biz News. The land purchased cannot be bigger than…
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.