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Finland tops World Happiness Report in 2026, Thailand slips 3 places
Finland has been ranked the world’s happiest country for a ninth consecutive year in the World Happiness Report 2026, while Thailand fell three places from 49th last year to 52nd this year. The report, published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford on March 19, said the top three countries were Finland, Iceland and Denmark. Costa Rica…
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Thai man rapes and blackmails ex-girlfriend over unpaid debt
A Thai man surrendered to Bangkok police after he raped his ex-girlfriend in a public bathroom and later blackmailed her with the explicit videos to pressure her over an unpaid debt of about 700,000 baht. The suspect, 28 year old Jirapas Kangwankrai, turned himself in at Tha Kham Police Station on Wednesday, March 18, after public attention intensified over a…
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Mum on the run in Asia TikToker jailed after return to UK from Thailand
A British TikToker known online as “Mum on the run in Asia” was sentenced to 26 months in prison for drug offences after returning to the UK from Thailand. The TikTok user, Ellis Matthews, left the UK in 2021 and travelled to Thailand while pregnant. She later attracted attention online for a controversial video posted last year on her TikTok…
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Chinese man blacklisted for filing fake theft to Chiang Mai police
A Chinese man is suspected of filing a fake theft complaint in Chiang Mai in an attempt to obtain a police document for an insurance claim before leaving Thailand. Officers from Mueang Chiang Mai Police Station were alerted of a snatching at 11.40pm on March 17 by a 33 year old Chinese man, Xiao. He reported that the crime occurred…
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Foreign woman attacked by transwomen on Phuket’s Bangla Road
A group of Thai transwomen physically assaulted a foreign woman on Bangla Road in Patong, Phuket, after the foreigner allegedly caused a disturbance and provoked conflicts. The video of the incident did not specify the date or time, but showed a foreign woman, believed to be Russian, confronting several Thai transwomen on the street. The foreigner, wearing an elephant-pattern skirt, is…
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SRT Red Line Salaya–Nakhon Pathom extension mapped for 2033 opening
Thailand’s State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is advancing plans for the Red Line Salaya–Nakhon Pathom extension, a proposed 25.3-kilometre route with a target opening year of 2033. SRT is also moving ahead with two Red Line extensions scheduled to begin construction in 2026, with contract signings planned for March and June 2026. The projects include the northern extension from Rangsit…
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Naked foreigner held for public disturbance and property damage in Pattaya
Police arrested a naked foreigner in Pattaya after causing a roadside disturbance and damaging a decorative statue outside a resident’s home. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to Thap Phaya Road near Soi Phra Tamnak 5 after reports of a naked foreign man walking along the street and appearing heavily intoxicated. His identity and nationality were not disclosed. Police said the…
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Four paedos nabbed in CCIB child pornography crackdown
As part of a nationwide child pornography crackdown, Thailand’s cyber police have raided and arrested four suspects accused of producing, possessing, sharing and selling obscene material involving children online. The Commander of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), Police Lieutenant General Surapol Prembutr, ordered an intensified crackdown on child pornography circulating on the internet and posing a threat to children and…
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Foreigner breaks left leg in off-road bike accident in Pattaya
Thai rescue workers spent more than four hours helping a foreign man who broke his leg after crashing his off-road bike in a remote area in Pattaya yesterday, March 19. The incident happened near the Huai Khun Jit Reservoir in the Khao Mai Kaew area of Bang Lamung district, Pattaya. Rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Dhammasatan Foundation walked more than…
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Netherlands Embassy Bangkok relocation set for August
The Embassy of the Netherlands in Thailand announced it will relocate its Bangkok office to Dusit Central Park in August, ending its long-standing presence on Wireless Road, one of the city’s prime areas. The embassy is currently based on a 32,000-square-metre plot in Soi Tonson off Wireless Road (Witthayu Road), an area known for its greenery and concentration of major…
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HKTDC launches GreenBiz HK campaign in Bangkok
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) organised the GreenBiz HK campaign in Bangkok, comprising a GreenBiz HK Forum with dedicated thematic sessions, networking events and business matching meetings, alongside a Hong Kong Green Team delegation. The campaign aims to foster collaboration between Hong Kong and Thailand in the green economy. One of the highlights, the GreenBiz HK Forum, was…
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Thai ex-cabin crew gets hate from South Korean netizens after resigning
A Thai woman drew abusive comments from South Korean social media users after resigning from Korean Air and posting a farewell message on Instagram featuring photos of herself in a flight attendant uniform. The former Korean Air flight attendant, identified only as Jam, shared the images on her Instagram account, @jammamyy, on February 28. In the caption, she wrote, “Once…
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Thai woman reports missing accessories after Bangkok to Shanghai flight
A Thai woman shared her experience online to warn other travellers after she said designer accessories went missing from her suitcase during a flight from Bangkok to China. The woman posted in the Facebook group เที่ยวเองเซี่ยงไฮ้ Shanghai (travel to Shanghai on your own) on Monday, March 16. She said the incident happened on a trip from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to…
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Bangkok prepares safety plan for Khaosan Road Songkran 2026
Bangkok officials have agreed on a joint plan to manage safety and traffic for Songkran celebrations on Khaosan Road this year, with multiple agencies coordinating measures ahead of the 2026 festival, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said. Speaking at Bangkok City Hall today, March 19, Bangkok Deputy Permanent Secretary Thanit Tanbuaklee said Phra Nakhon District Office had coordinated with multiple agencies…
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Labour Ministry confirms Thai worker killed in attack in Israel
A Thai national working in Israel was killed yesterday, March 18, amid escalating conflict in the region, prompting Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge Thai citizens to move away from high-risk areas for safety. Labour Minister Trinuch Thienthong said today, March 19, that officials at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed the death of the Thai worker, Chaiwat…
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Seven Chinese nationals arrested in illegal entry transit case
Immigration police in Kanchanaburi arrested seven Chinese nationals yesterday morning, March 18, after a search at a rented room in Kaeng Sian as part of an operation targeting illegal entry networks that use Thailand as a transit route. The arrests followed an expanded investigation ordered by senior Immigration Bureau commanders, after investigators previously detained three Chinese nationals for allegedly entering…
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Loei Hospital theft uncovered after ventilator stands found in river, a year later
Parts of medical equipment found in the Loei River led police to uncover a theft of ventilators from Loei Hospital. A medical worker is named as the suspect and remains at large. Residents reported to officers at Mueang Loei Police Station on March 17 after discovering parts of medical equipment in the river under a bridge in Kud Pong sub-district. Later,…
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UAE property market slows sharply as deals fall 51% month on month
Property transactions in the UAE have slowed sharply since the latest conflict in the Middle East began, according to investment bank Goldman Sachs, which said rising regional uncertainty is starting to weigh directly on homebuyer demand. The war is now entering its third week and has increased volatility across financial and energy assets in the region. Goldman Sachs analysts, led…
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Parliament elects Anutin as Thailand’s 32nd Prime Minister
Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul was elected Thailand’s 32nd Prime Minister (PM) during a Parliamentary vote held today, March 19. Anutin previously served as PM after former PM Partongtar Shinawatra was removed from office over a leaked phone conversation with Hun Sen. He later announced the dissolution of Parliament on December 11 last year, leading to the General Election on…
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Chinese fraud suspect caught after trying to hide with sacred tattoo
A Chinese man was arrested yesterday, March 18, at a ritual site in Khon Kaen, where he attempted to get a sacred tattoo, hoping it would help him hide from the arrest. Officers from Immigration Division 4 were alerted by Chinese officials about a Chinese suspect wanted for fraud. The suspect, later identified only as Shang, was accused of running…
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2 men leave 2 transwomen at Pattaya hotel without paying
Two men escaped from a hotel in Pattaya, leaving behind two Thai transwomen at the accommodation without paying on March 17. The 52 year old woman, Wan, who runs a hotel in the Jomtien area, shared CCTV footage of the suspects with The Pattaya News. She said one man was Thai, while the second was believed to be Chinese. Wan…
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Thailand News | Travel shock hits Thailand as regional conflict grounds flights, Intruder caught Inside Moo Deng enclosure at Khao Kheow Zoo
Today we’ll be talking about the continuing travel shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East as more than 1,000 flights bound for Thailand have been cancelled, a shocking incident of drink-spiking that has led to the death of a British holiday maker, and a little later Moo Deng is back in the news as an intruder dangerously enters…
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Phatthalung psychiatric patient kidnaps nurse at knifepoint
A psychiatric patient allegedly threatened a nurse with a knife and forced her into a car before fleeing from Srinakarin Hospital in Phatthalung, yesterday, March 18, before leaving her by the roadside. Police at Srinagarindra Police Station were alerted by the hospital that a patient showing psychiatric symptoms linked to drug use had been brought in for treatment. While staff were preparing…
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British man dies in Bangkok after suspected spiked drink
A British music event organiser died at a hotel in Bangkok on March 6 after he and his girlfriend allegedly consumed drinks that were spiked with cocaine and heroin. The woman remains in a rehabilitation centre. The British event organiser and yoga instructor, 38 year old Tom Pardhy, had been holidaying in Thailand for about six weeks with his girlfriend, 31…
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Thailand tourism overrated claim prompts debate online
A foreign woman criticised Thai tourism, describing Thailand as “overrated” and citing high accommodation costs, food hygiene concerns, poor transport experiences, crowded islands, rubbish and unfriendly locals. The woman shared her experiences of travelling in Thailand in a video that was later reposted by local news outlet TravelNews. In the clip, she said she spent two weeks in the country…
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Singaporean driver charged after hitting traffic police in Phuket
A Singaporean driver is facing charges after crashing a pickup truck into plastic traffic barriers at a roundabout in Phuket yesterday, March 18, causing the barriers to strike a traffic police officer before leaving the scene. A video of the incident, shared on Thai social media, showed a white Ford Ranger driving into the barriers, which then knocked into the…
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Chinese tourist struck in the face by bullet at Phuket shooting range
A visit to a shooting range in Kathu, Phuket, ended with a Chinese tourist being taken to the hospital yesterday evening, March 18, after she was struck in the face by a stray bullet when a staff member’s firearm discharged. Police in Kathu were notified at about 6.10pm that a foreign tourist had been shot at a shooting range opposite…
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AEROTHAI says 1,000+ Middle East flights to Thailand cancelled
More than 1,000 flights to Thailand have been cancelled by airlines from the Middle East since February 28, according to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI), as the regional conflict continues to affect traffic through Thai airspace. Surachai Nuprom, AEROTHAI’s deputy executive director and acting executive director, said today, March 18, that the impact on flight volumes in Thailand has become…
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Activist leads petition opposing non-Thai student admissions policy
A group led by activist Tae Achiwa gathered outside Thailand’s Ministry of Education in Bangkok yesterday, March 17, to submit a letter objecting to the government’s non-Thai student admissions policy. Tae arrived at around 11am with supporters from the Thai Mai Thon group and handed officials a petition opposing the Ministry of Education announcement on accepting students who do not…
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Pattaya taxi rider praised after helping disabled foreigner on blocked footpath
A Thai app-based motorcycle taxi rider made headlines after helping a disabled foreign man in Pattaya when a street light pole blocked a footpath and prevented a wheelchair from passing. A video of the incident circulated on Thai social media this week, showing the rider stopping his motorcycle to assist a foreign couple. The foreign man, who has a disability…
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