- Pattaya News
Pattaya homeowner issues warning after CCTV catches clothes thief
A homeowner in Pattaya is warning residents to secure their belongings. CCTV footage showed a woman stealing clothes from a drying rack outside her house. The homeowner, 49-year-old Nipaporn, shared the footage with reporters. She had discovered several items missing from her home. CCTV footage from her home showed a woman dressed in black. She wore sweatpants, carried a black…
- Business News
Thailand blocks Starlink’s bid for full foreign ownership
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob said on August 20 that he does not support letting Starlink operate in the country under full foreign ownership. He wants Thai partners to hold a majority stake. Chaichanok said the government’s position hasn’t changed. Thai shareholders should hold more than 50%, under a 51:49 structure. That follows the Foreign Business Act…
- Thailand News
Khon Kaen school goes online after mass shooting threat
Kanlayanawat School cited unverified information and coordinated with police before shifting Friday lessons to online learning at home.
- Thailand News
Japan’s automakers told their base in Thailand is safe
Anutin told reporters in Australia and New Zealand that Thailand will not add conditions on established Japanese investors as it courts new EV players, and tasked Ekniti with a fairness review.
- Politics News
Rangsiman Rome on Phuket MP nominee allegations: no shielding
People's Party deputy leader says the nominee and asset-declaration questions around Somchat Techthawornjaroen belong to two separate agencies.
- Bangkok News
Bangkok ranks 8th in 2026 global tourism city attractiveness index
Bangkok has secured eighth place worldwide in a new global tourism study, with the Thai capital’s tourism ranking placing it ahead of Okinawa and Chicago and just behind Rome. The 2026 Global Tourism City Attractiveness Index, published by Yanolja Research on July 16, evaluated 261 cities and released rankings for the top 200 based on how travellers discuss and emotionally…
- Crime News
Thai woman held in Taiwan over swallowing 72 heroin capsules
A Thai woman has been arrested at Kaohsiung International Airport in Taiwan after allegedly swallowing 72 heroin capsules in an attempt to smuggle the drug into the country, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration. The Kaohsiung Criminal Investigation Team had received a tip-off that foreign nationals were attempting to smuggle drugs into Taiwan by concealing them in luggage or inside…
- Business News
Tops absorbs MaxValu as Central Retail expands
Central Retail Corporation’s food arm has agreed to buy out Japanese-owned supermarket chain MaxValu in Thailand, with all 30 branches set to be converted into the group’s Tops brand from October 1. Central Food Retail (CFR), a subsidiary wholly owned by Central Retail Corporation (CRC), signed a deal on August 7 to acquire 100% of the common shares in AEON…
- Bangkok News
Govt flags dentists pre-signing cannabis prescription forms, 4 laws broken
The government has warned dentists in Thailand not to sign cannabis prescription forms in advance of seeing a patient. Doing so, it said today, August 17, breaks four separate laws at once. Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploythalay Laksameesaengjan said the warning is part of continued controls on cannabis under the Public Health Ministry’s 2025 notification on controlled herbs. The form in…
- Northern Thailand News
Broker sold villagers’ IDs to register 35 Chinese nominee firms
Commerce Ministry inspectors found no business activity at the registered addresses in Khok Si Suphan, the department's director-general said
- Thailand News
Two years of skipped lottery bets by vendor add up to thousands saved
A Thai woman says she gave up buying lottery tickets and saved the money instead, ending up with more than she expected after two years, according to a Facebook post that has circulated widely. The post, shared to a Facebook group under the name Duenpen Tabla on August 17, describes the woman as a vendor who used to buy lottery…
- Tourism News
Bali visa crackdown sees 342 deported in 6 months
Bali deported 342 foreigners from 60 countries in the first six months of this year, as Indonesia tightens enforcement around its growing community of foreign residents and visas for content creators. A dedicated immigration unit called Dharma Dewata now runs routine checks through Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, Kerobokan and Uluwatu, the areas where the island’s creator economy has settled. The deportations…
- Bangkok News
Overnight charging blamed in Pathum Thani car fire
A car worth more than a million baht was destroyed by fire yesterday, August 16, after being left charging overnight outside a townhouse in Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani. The car fire gutted the vehicle’s cabin, though no injuries were reported and the blaze was stopped before it could spread to nearby homes. The call came in to the disaster…
- Phuket News
Hundreds of Phuket firms face fresh ownership checks
Thai officials are investigating whether a suspected nominee network is using naturalised citizenship to disguise foreign ownership of businesses in Phuket and several other provinces. The Interior Ministry has ordered checks on more than 100 Phuket companies and a wider list of 361 firms nationwide, following a raid on August 6 that saw eight locations searched and 16 people prosecuted.…
- Economy News
Home-grown factories could gain edge in levy shake-up
Thailand plans to rewrite the way it taxes cars, as excise rates are expected to fall for vehicles built in the country and rise for fully imported models from carmakers with no factory here. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas announced the plan and told senior officials to work out the details. “This would kill several birds with…
- Northern Thailand News
Loei school shooting threat shuts down classes for a day
A shooting scare that shut down Loei Pittayakom School for a day traced back to anger over a police stop, not a planned attack, officers investigating the case reported today, August 14. The school, in tambon Kudpong, Muang district, moved lessons online for one day after a friend of a Matthayom Suksa 2 (Grade 8) student alerted a teacher yesterday…
- Thailand News
Missing Chinese woman’s claimed return fuels doubt in Thailand
A missing Chinese woman at the centre of a widely discussed disappearance case in Thailand has posted on social media claiming she has safely returned to China, though the post has drawn scepticism online due to signs it may have been altered. The woman had been out of contact in Thailand for more than a week before the post appeared…
- Thailand News
Hat Yai noodle vendor, 90, cares for wife alone, gains online support
A Hat Yai noodle vendor, aged 90, is single-handedly caring for his bedridden wife months after the death of their only son, relying on daily sales to make ends meet. His situation has drawn sustained support from a TikTok user, who has since gone on to fund a new sign for his stall. The account holder, who posts under the…
- Thailand News
Thailand pushes default child safety settings on new phones
Thailand will push for child safety settings to be switched on by default on new digital devices, the government says, aiming to shield young users from harmful content without requiring parents to set anything up themselves. The plan follows an inter-agency review of the Debsirin Nonthaburi School shooting on August 7, in which nine people were killed, including the 14…
- Automotive
Toyota Thailand executive urges stronger EV policy amid Indonesia bid
A senior Toyota Motor Thailand executive has warned the Thai government that the country’s automotive competitiveness is at risk unless EV industry policy improves. Supakorn Ratanawaraha, Senior Executive Vice President of Toyota Motor Thailand, made the comments days after Indonesia’s finance minister urged Toyota to relocate its main manufacturing operations there. His remarks are a policy warning aimed at Bangkok,…
- Phuket News
Old photo, not new attack, police clear Phuket lion cafe
Chalong Police Station inspected Lion Cafe in Phuket yesterday, August 11, after viral photos claiming a lion had attacked a Chinese tourist raised concern over the province’s tourism image. Police found the business held a valid operating licence, and that the two lions kept there had complete ownership documents and up-to-date vaccination records. Police Colonel Surasak Jaidee, Superintendent of Chalong…
- Thailand News
Nene Royal America’s Got Talent bid gets yes from all four judges
Thai singer Nene Royal is heading to the Live Shows of America’s Got Talent Season 21 after winning yes votes from all four judges in the Judges’ Callbacks round. The official AGT Auditions page confirmed her advance, posting “NENE ROYAL is heading to the live shows!” Nene, from Phuket, first appeared on the show during the Audition round, where she…
- Thailand News
Govt proposes fee on foreign visitors alongside domestic travel subsidy
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has proposed a new Thailand tourist fee on foreign visitors, with the proceeds funding attraction development, visitor safety and environmental restoration. Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul presented the proposal on August 10, alongside a separate domestic travel subsidy scheme worth US$53 million (1.75 billion baht). The fee would be channelled into a new…
- Thailand News
Thailand approves seven-point school safety plan after shooting
Thailand’s Cabinet approved a seven-point school safety plan yesterday, August 11, elevating school safety to a national priority after a shooting at Debsirin Nonthaburi School killed nine people, including the attacker. Deputy Government Spokesperson Patdarasm Thongsaluaykorn said the plan, put forward by the Ministry of Education, applies to schools nationwide. Under the plan, every school will be designated a “School…
- Thailand News
50,000 people in Thailand are living with HIV unaware
Thailand is recording between 8,000 and 9,000 new HIV infections a year, more than eight times the target of under 1,000 annual cases needed for the country to end AIDS as a public health problem by 2030. The rate has held steady for the past five years, and infections are now rising among young people aged 15 to 24, according…
- Thailand News
Years of dog poisonings on Koh Phangan beach remain unsolved
Animal welfare groups on Koh Phangan are warning residents after a suspected poisoning incident left multiple dogs dead and others hospitalised on Ban Tai Beach, the latest in a series of similar incidents reported in the same area since at least 2022. According to posts from local animal welfare pages, poison was found hidden inside pieces of chicken meat left…
- Thailand News
Nonthaburi shooting leaves provincial official dead, ex-MP held
The chairman of the Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) has died after being shot at the PAO office in Muang Nonthaburi district this morning, police said, with a former Nonthaburi MP now in custody over the shooting. Police said the accused, former Nonthaburi MP Chalong, opened fire on PAO Chairman Thongchai Yenprasert inside the office, killing him. A driver at…
- Pattaya News
Mystery oil spill blankets Koh Larn’s coastline
An oily substance resembling engine oil washed ashore along more than one kilometre of Koh Larn’s coastline yesterday, leaving swimmers coated in the sticky residue. Officials are now investigating the cause and origin of the suspected oil spill. Beach umbrella operators and speedboat operators first reported and photographed the film-like substance floating offshore around midday yesterday, August 9. Waves later…
- Thailand News
Tooth decay tumour leaves Thai man accused of faking photos
A 31 year old man in Thailand says a growth on the left side of his face, which he described as having developed after years of picking at a decayed tooth with a toothpick, has left him in constant pain and uncertain how long he has left. He shared his story after facing online accusations that photos of his condition…
- Aviation News
Thailand upgrades air traffic management ahead of busy 2026
Thailand’s air navigation service provider is progressing six priority initiatives to strengthen aviation safety, modernise air traffic management and support a projected 919,643 flights in the 2026 fiscal year, according to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai). The initiatives include weather radar integration, the rollout of digital and remote air traffic control towers, next-generation aviation information systems, and sustainability programmes…
