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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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Defence minister says third border clash remains possible
Defence Minister General Natthaphol Nakpanich has acknowledged that a third border clash remains possible if Cambodia fails to comply with existing agreements, while stressing that Thailand continues to prioritise a peaceful resolution. The minister made the remarks during a visit to border areas in eastern Thailand on January 16, 2026. He travelled to Sa Kaeo and Trat provinces to inspect…
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Wild elephant enters temple during funeral
A wild elephant from Khao Yai National Park entered a temple during a funeral ceremony in Pak Chong district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, causing monks and attendees to flee the area for safety. The incident occurred at around 7.20pm on January 16, 2026, at Wat Khao Wong in Nong Nam Daeng subdistrict. The elephant, known locally as “Phlai Duan”, walked into…
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Crane truck overturns injuring two people
A six-wheeled truck carrying a crane overturned near Nararat Bridge in Bangkok on January 17, 2026, leaving two people injured and causing traffic disruption while authorities cleared the scene and launched an investigation. The incident occurred at about 1.52pm on Chakraphong Road in Talat Yot subdistrict, Phra Nakhon district. Firefighters and rescue personnel from Phukhaothong Fire and Rescue Station were…
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Traffic police arrest three Vietnamese men with guns and drugs in Bangkok
Traffic police in Bangkok have arrested three Vietnamese men after firearms and illegal drugs were found during a routine drink-driving checkpoint in Wang Thonglang district. The arrests took place at about 1.40pm on January 17, 2026, when officers from Wang Thonglang Police Station were conducting alcohol breath tests in front of a petrol station on Pracha Uthit Road, in Phlapphla…
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300kg of crystal meth seized and two traffickers arrested
Authorities have seized approximately 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and arrested two suspected members of a drug trafficking network in Mueang district, Sakon Nakhon province, following a coordinated security operation. The arrests took place at about 9.10pm on January 16, 2026, in the parking area of the bypass market in Dong Mafai subdistrict. Officers recovered six sacks containing an estimated…
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Engineers find the irregularities after crane collapse onto train
Structural engineers have identified several irregularities following the collapse of a construction crane onto a passenger train in Sikhiu district, while confirming that the primary cause of the incident has yet to be determined. At about 4.40pm on January 16, 2026, Mr. Chuleart Jitjueajun, vice president of the Structural Engineers Association of Thailand, led a team of engineers to inspect…
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Wife opposes bail for former deputy mayor in fatal shooting case
The wife of a man fatally shot in Phatthalung province has formally objected to bail for a former deputy mayor of a sub-district administrative organisation accused of carrying out the killing, following the suspect’s surrender to police. The shooting occurred at about 8.30am on January 16, 2026, on the Ban Hat Khai Tao–Fa La Mi road in Moo 11, Na…
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Search intensifies for second victim in well murder case
Rescue workers in Lopburi province intensified their search on January 17, 2026, after detecting an odour believed to be from a decomposing body inside an abandoned well, where a second murder victim is thought to be buried. The operation centres on the search for Ms Jiraporn, known as “Teacher Lek”, aged 61, who was allegedly killed by her nephew along…
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Nigerian drug dealer arrested on Koh Pha Ngan after skipping court
Police arrested a Nigerian drug dealer on Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani on Wednesday, January 14, after he skipped court proceedings following an earlier arrest. Officers from the Koh Pha Ngan Tourist Police received a tip-off that the suspect, 38 year old Nigerian national Ukoma Jefta Nuzbech, who was wanted in a drug case, was travelling along a road…
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Garage owner and cop exchange shots over noise complaints
A noise complaint turned into a late-night shootout in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Wednesday, January 14, after a police officer and a garage owner pulled guns on each other during an argument over after-hours car repairs. The incident took place around 11pm at a garage on Pak Nakhon Road in Tha Sak subdistrict, Mueang district. A police officer, reportedly intoxicated,…
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Plankton takeover gives Cha-am beach a green makeover
Tourists visiting Cha-am Beach and Bo Yai Beach in Phetchaburi were met with an unusual sight yesterday, January 15, as the sea along the shoreline turned a dark green colour due to a natural plankton bloom. The phenomenon, stretching over 2.5 kilometres of coastline, was most noticeable along the southern stretch of Cha-am Beach and near Ban Bo Yai Beach…
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Japanese man arrested after viral reviews on his illegal matcha stall
Online food reviews led to the arrest of a Japanese man for operating a matcha ice cream shop without permission in Chiang Mai. The apprehension later sparked a heated online debate, with some netizens accusing authorities of discrimination. The Japanese man, 39 year old Junichi, was operating a small matcha ice cream stall outside Yang Kwang Temple, located in the city…
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Pattaya begging crackdown sees repeat offenders nabbed
Pattaya officials stepped up efforts to tackle street begging yesterday, January 15, with a joint evening operation across tourist-heavy areas. The operation resulted in the detention and screening of 15 individuals, including repeat offenders and foreign nationals. The evening operation was led by Bang Lamung Deputy District Chief Nathaphop Yom Jinda and Pattaya Deputy Mayor Damrongkiat Phinitkan. It brought together…
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Steel bar dropped from condo crane pierces through Phuket home
A steel bar reportedly fell from a crane at a high-rise condominium construction site and pierced through a home near Surin Beach in Phuket on the night of Wednesday, January 14. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, despite the close call. The female homeowner shared a video of the shocking incident on social media, showing a long steel bar embedded through…
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Woman delivers healthy baby in rescue van in Samut Prakan
A pregnant woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl in a rescue vehicle in Samut Prakan yesterday, January 15, after going into labour unexpectedly. Her husband, who was driving at the time, pulled over and called for help. Rescue volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, at around 2.20pm, were alerted by the Samut Prakan emergency command centre about a 29…
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Thailand video news | Construction crane collapse on Rama II road kills two, Thailand introduces muay Thai visa to support international students
Today we’ll be talking about the two crane collapses in as many days and the company behind these disasters, plus, leading Thai political parties are vowing to reclassify cannabis in an effort to make the plant medical use only, and later on we’ll talk about the pea soup pollution that is currently plaguing the country. Don’t worry though, still some…
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35 Thais detained after allegedly being forced to work in Cambodia
Thai police yesterday, January 15, detained 35 Thai nationals near the Aranyaprathet border in Sa Kaeo province after they illegally crossed back from Cambodia, claiming they had been unknowingly taken out of the country and forced into online scam operations. The Burapha Task Force, along with rangers from the 12th unit’s Company 1206, found the group walking along a forested…
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Russian doctor found dead in Pattaya after suspected attack
A Russian doctor was found dead in his hotel room in Pattaya earlier this month, with authorities investigating a possible link to a street assault he may have witnessed. Boris Tyutyunikov, a 41 year old oncologist from Krasnoyarsk, arrived in Thailand in early January and checked into a hotel on Jomtien Beach. He reportedly went silent on the same day…
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Bangkok air quality hits dangerous levels, but what’s causing the PM2.5 surge?
Air quality in Bangkok was once again hazardous this morning, January 16, with PM2.5 levels across the capital soaring above safe standards, prompting health warnings and calls to limit outdoor activities. At 7am, the Bangkok Air Quality Information Centre reported the average PM2.5 level in the city was 57.3 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), well above the national safety threshold…
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Bangkok ranked 3rd best city to visit by New York Times
Bangkok was named the third best city to visit in the world today, January 16, in The New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2026 list, praised for its green spaces, vibrant art scene, and recent innovations in public transport. According to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesperson Aekvarunyoo Amrapala, the city is proud to see its urban development and…
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Outrage over illegal sex products and cigarettes sold in Pattaya
Tourists and locals are demanding a crackdown from authorities after spotting vendors blatantly selling sex pills, sex toys, and contraband cigarettes in plain sight along Pattaya beach road yesterday, January 15. The complaints highlight the sale of illegal items in crowded tourist areas across Pattaya. Several vendors were spotted parking motorcycles along the beachfront and displaying their goods in full…
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3 missing passengers in Korat crane-train collision found alive
A medical official confirmed yesterday, January 15, that three people previously reported missing after a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima were found safe and receiving treatment at hospital. The deadly incident occurred on Wednesday, January 14, when a crane from the elevated railway construction for the Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed train collapsed onto a moving passenger…
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Phuket unveils ‘Dheveena’ sea goddess sculpture as new landmark
Phuket unveiled a new landmark, “Dheveena,” a large-scale public sculpture installed along the seafront at Saphan Hin Park in the Wichit sub-district, as part of the Thailand Biennale 2025. The fourth edition of the Thailand Biennale returned to Phuket on November 29 last year and will run for five months until April 30 this year. Under the theme “Eternal Kalpa,”…
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Train-crane crash claims woman en route to father’s funeral
A woman travelling home for her father’s funeral was among those killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani express train in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sikhio district. The woman, identified as 31 year old, Chanan, was returning to her hometown in Surin province to attend her father’s funeral, scheduled for January 17. She had worked in Bangkok for over…
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Chinese man spotted roaming around Pattaya after robbing real estate agent
Pattaya police are continuing their manhunt for a Chinese man wanted for robbing a fellow Chinese woman, after the suspect was spotted on CCTV at a convenience store near Jomtien Beach today, January 15. The victim, 35 year old Chinese real estate agent Yang Wang, filed a complaint with Nong Prue Police Station after the robbery occurred at around midnight…
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The King grants royal patronage to victims of Korat railway disaster
Today, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen have expressed deep concern and sorrow following a tragic incident where a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train, resulting in numerous casualties. In response, His Majesty has accepted all injured passengers as patients under royal patronage and placed the deceased under royal patronage, granting 20,000 baht per family to…
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Suicide suspected after Canadian man dies in Pattaya condo fall
Police are investigating the death of an elderly Canadian man who fell from a condominium in Pattaya today, January 15, with officers suspecting the incident to be a suicide. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to investigate the death of 86 year old Canadian national George Eugene at a condominium located along Jomtien Beach this morning. Rescuers from…
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China steps in with 90 million baht aid after Thai train tragedy
China has reaffirmed its close diplomatic ties with Thailand today, January 15, by donating 20 million yuan, approximately 90 million baht, in humanitarian aid, in the wake of a crane collapse at a high-speed rail construction site. At 11am today, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianwei met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the Government House to formally deliver the assistance. The…
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Thai man shares final moment with girlfriend killed in Korat crane collapse
A Thai man shared heartbreaking footage of the final moments he spent with his girlfriend before she was killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, January 14. The woman, Chananya Wongchan, was among 32 victims who lost their lives after a crane from the elevated Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway construction fell onto a…
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Government urges caution as PM2.5 levels hit dangerous highs
Thailand‘s government has issued a warning today, January 15, over rising levels of PM2.5 air pollution expected between January 14 and 16, urging strict control of pollution sources and greater public caution, particularly in Bangkok and surrounding areas. Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Pairsawetthawana said the Air Pollution Solution Communication Centre under the Pollution Control Department (APSC) had reported a significant…
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