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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 New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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Thai army chief vows no coup after polls
Thailand’s chief of defence forces is vowing that there will be no military coup after the country’s next general election on May 7, 2023. Chalermpol Srisawat remarked on a reaction to reporters’ questions about how the military will respond if the elections produce a shift in the political landscape. He says the armed forces have no role in politics, but…
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King Charles III to be crowned May 6 next year
Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III will be crowned on May 6, 2023, at Westminister Abbey. The Palace noted that the ceremony will focus on embracing the past but also look forward to the modern world after the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign. Rumours have spread that the coronation will be less glamourous than the three-hour coronation of Queen…
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Abusive husband murders estranged wife & commits suicide
An abusive husband murdered his estranged wife in the car park of a condominium in Bangkok before later committing suicide at his house in the southern province of Pattalung. The man’s estranged wife, 47 year old woman Klongkamon Sooksawat, was shot dead at the underground car park of a condominium in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok at about 6.30pm,…
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Vietnam’s breathtaking views, cliffs, rock formations
Five cliffs and rock formations offer breathtaking views for outdoor adventurers headed to Vietnam. The cliffs are located in the northeastern Quang Ninh province, the northern Yen Bai province, the northwest Lao Cai province, the northern Hà Giang province, and the northwest Son La province. Located in Quang Ninh province is a rock formation on Da Chong Mountain. It is…
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IMF says world economy about to hit recession
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns the world economy will be in a recession as it downgraded global growth projections for next year. The IMF warned policymakers that a worldwide recession will occur if the fight against inflation is mishandled. The IMF’s bleak assessment comes after reviewing the World Economic Outlook report. According to The Straits Times, the report was…
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Japanese woman loses millions in intergalactic romance scam
A woman from Japan transferred 4.4 million yen to a man who said he was stuck on an International Space Station (ISS) and needed money for a rocket back to earth so he could marry her. The 65 year old woman, from Shiga Prefecture, told police that she fell in love with a man she met online in June and…
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US imposes more sanctions on Taliban over its treatment of women
The US handed down more sanctions on the Taliban as punishment for its treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan. The announcement was made on the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child yesterday. According to The Straits Times, a new visa restriction policy for current or former members of the Taliban and others involved in repressing women’s rights through…
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Airline flight capacity is up, Thai tourism officials hopeful
Airline flight capacity has shot up, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand. The aviation authority said that seat capacity from October to March next year went up by 74.2%, to 573,538 seats per week from the summer schedule. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is aiming to achieve the government’s goal of 1.5 trillion baht in revenue from…
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New MRT Yellow Line monorail train starts trial run today
The new MRT Yellow Line monorail train in Bangkok and Samut Prakarn province starts its trial run without passengers today and is expected to be fully operational by June next year. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) announced yesterday that the new MRT Yellow Line would be on trial today from 10am to 5.30pm. The trial is running…
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No peace for Maddie as ‘prime suspect’ charged with historical sex offences
The latest of so many prime suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged in Germany with unrelated sex offences. Convicted sex offender 45 year old Christian Brueckner is accused of five offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance is ongoing. Brueckner was identified as a suspect in the case in June 2020…
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Manager of famous Thai rapper ‘Illslick’ given 2 years in prison over sex scandal
Yesterday, the court sentenced ‘Lily,’ the manager of famous Thai rapper ‘Illslick’, to two years in prison with no parole for ‘luring’ an 18 year old to have sex with the rapper in Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand in February last year. Khon Kaen Provincial Court found Lily [surname withheld] guilty of “satisfying the lust of others by luring, supplying, leading…
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Where to order cannabis/weed in Thailand
Press Release On the PlookGanja website, which is controlled by the FDA, the number of individuals who have registered to produce cannabis in Thailand has now reached 1,090,000 registered growers. Since the 9th of June, more than 330 cannabis dispensaries and cafés have opened throughout the country of Thailand. You may obtain cannabis either by placing an order for it…
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Thai motorcycle taxi rider rips off Malaysian tourist
A Thai motorcycle taxi rider in the southern province of Songkla said he ripped off a Malaysian tourist because his washing machine was broken. The rider claims it is the first time he overcharged a customer after demanding 500 baht from the stranded tourist for a trip that is only two kilometres. A member of the Hat Yai Municipality Council…
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Thaksin suggests 3 month ‘amnesty’ to register illegal guns in Thailand
Ousted former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra suggests that the government hold a three month amnesty period in which illegal gun owners can register. Then, police should crack down on the illicit gun trade in Thailand, said Thaksin. Exiled Thaksin addressed the issues of guns and drugs from his home in Dubai on his weekly talk show, in response…
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Off-duty officer reportedly carried gun and “acted eratically” in Phuket
An off-duty police officer was reportedly spotted walking around carrying a gun and “acting erratically” in a Phuket housing estate, according to residents. The residents told police they saw the Phang Nga Police officer, 27 year old Corporal Korn, at the estate in Thalang district on Monday morning. Thalang Police Chief Colonel Pisit Chuenpet said police were first alerted about…
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BOT to mount rescue of crumbling baht
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) is attempting to steer the baht and the economy through some tricky times. As the government is apparently out of ideas to jump-start the economy due to high debt, the responsibility has fallen to the central bank. The central bank’s recent move to raise the key policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 1% has, however,…
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Funeral for victims of daycare centre massacre in pictures
Three temples held royally-sponsored funeral and cremation ceremonies today for the victims of the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand on Thursday. Toys, bicycles, flowers, fruit, and incense were laid out in front of wreaths adorned with pictures and names of the victims, who were mostly young children. Locals from over 6000 households…
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Woman arrested for operating illegal dental clinic from her car
A woman was arrested yesterday for operating an illegal dental clinic out of her car in a parking lot outside of a shopping mall in Bangkok. Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) were notified about the illegal dental clinic and its adverts on Thai social media. The fake clinic, named the Fashionable Brace Shop, by sister Ploy from…
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Political activist finds refuge in noodles shop after being shunned by family
A noodles shop in Bangkok has provided a safe refuge for a political activist ostracised by her family who disagrees with her views. Talented artist Thorpad Autta-a-nan uploaded a drawing to her Instagram account that some zealous monarchists may consider offensive. The drawing certainly offended her family and as a result, the 27 year old artist was shunned by her…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin accepts invitation to APEC meeting in Thailand
Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his attendance at the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting which will be held in Bangkok next month from November 18-19, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai. The Russian Federation is one of APEC’s 21 members. Putin attended an APEC summit hosted by Thailand 19 years ago in 2003. More than 30 countries…
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Drug-addled cabbie faces jail for driving under the influence
A drug-addled cabbie faces time in jail for dangerous driving while allegedly under the influence of narcotics in the Kathu district of Phuket. A motorcycle rider brought to light the drug-taking cab driver’s antics after becoming a victim of his erratic behaviour on the road. The taxi driver scolded the motorcycle rider after the latter complained. He said… “Don’t butt…
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Missing boat racers found dead in northeast Thailand
UPDATE The three boat racers who went missing in northeast Thailand after their boat capsized on Sunday have been found dead. Two bodies were found at the foot of the Tum Lam Chi bridge in Maha Sarakham’s main city district. They were about 4 kilometres away from where the boat crashed into a pillar of the bridge. A fisherman found…
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Loan shark shoots debtor 8 times in the head in southern Thailand
A loan shark chose revenge over repayments on Sunday when he shot a debtor eight times in the head outside a tea shop in Songkhla province in southern Thailand. At 8pm, officers at Khuan Meed Police Station received a call that someone had been shot dead in the Chana district. Police found the body of 42 year old Chusit [surname…
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Baby elephant found hungry and lost in eastern Thailand
A baby elephant has been found hungry and lost at a wildlife sanctuary in eastern Thailand on Sunday. Officials found the poor little elephant lost from its mother in the early hours of the morning at the Khao Soi Dao wildlife sanctuary in Chanthaburi province. From an examination, the elephant was found to be about one week old, Matichon reported.…
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Beware of snakes when the Chao Phraya river overflows, officials warn
As Bangkok and Pathum Thani prepare for the Chao Phraya river to overflow, officials warn people affected by floods to look out for poisonous snakes, scorpions, and centipedes. Water levels in the Chao Phraya river are reaching breaking point in lower central Thailand. The river is teeming with snakes which will flood into urban areas when the river overflows, warns…
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BMTA replaces mushroom seat on Bangkok public bus
UPDATE The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) today apologised to the city’s passengers after a story of mushrooms growing out of a public bus seat went viral on Thai social media. The picture of the mushroom-growing seat, posted by political activist Jatuporn “New” Saenueng, drew complaints from Thai netizens. The BMTA responded to the criticism on its official Facebook page…
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Non profit donates cremation ceremony uniforms to child massacre victims
A non-profit organization is donating dream job uniforms to the children who lost their lives last Thursday as a result of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province. The gunman, Panya Kamrab, a 34-year-old former policeman, killed 37 people including his wife and son before turning a gun on himself. Those who survived the killing spree are in…
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3 boat racers missing in NE Thailand after boat capsizes
Three boat racers went missing in Thailand’s northeast province of Maha Sarakham on Sunday. The In-Plaeng boat capsized when it hit a pillar of the Tha Tum Lam Chi bridge, just after it had passed the finish line. There were 40 people on the boat altogether. Another boat came to help, but three oarsmen were missing from the boat that…
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TAT going green to smash a Guinness World Record
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is calling on all diving enthusiasts to help smash an official Guinness World Record. The TAT wants tourists and residents to get involved in their Go Green Active drive, a conservation diving event at Phuket’s famous Patong Beach between November 18 and November 20. The TAT wants to set a new Guinness World Records…
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Worshippers wade through floods to get to temple in central Thailand
Buddhist worshipers in central Thailand are journeying through massive floods to get to their temple. The water level around the Wat Ban Phat temple in Ayutthaya province’s Bang Pa-in district is up to 1.5 metres. Worshippers are taking boats to get to the temple. Photos by Nation Thailand show temple-goers crossing a rather rickety-looking wooden walkway. The water level in…
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