THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News

It was a scene more suited to an action movie than a seaside stroll: a customised, racing-style pickup truck tore down Pattaya’s beachfront road at about 3:30 a.m., then deliberately belched a choking cloud of black smoke across Walking Street — right in front of more than 100 unsuspecting tourists. The dramatic footage, captured on a witness’s phone and shared online, has since ignited a storm of criticism about public safety, air pollution and the image of Pattaya as a top tourist destination. The anonymous witness told The Pattaya News they were driving along the beachfront when the pickup roared up from behind. “It came past at high speed and then let out this massive plume of smoke,” they said. “You couldn’t see the road ahead. It was scary for everyone there.” The grainy but compelling clip quickly circulated on social platforms, with many viewers calling the stunt dangerous and…

Imagine this: crystal waters, a sun-drenched deck and the gentle sway of a Phuket boat — the sort of postcard-perfect day that makes you forget your email password. Now imagine someone trying to Photoshop that postcard into evidence for a refund. That’s the drama unfolding in Phuket, and it comes with a modern twist: artificial intelligence. According to a post on the Facebook page Phuket Times, a group of French tourists who boarded a tour boat in Phuket photographed the vessel inside and out during their trip. Later, the page alleges, those images were edited using AI tools to make the boat look shabby — old, dirty and poorly maintained — and then submitted to a travel agency as proof to justify a refund claim. Phuket Times shared several of the allegedly doctored images in the comments: an inflatable slide that looks unusually worn and torn, a bathroom snapshot featuring…

It reads like the sort of story that belongs in a supernatural thriller — a woman who stirred inside her coffin during funeral preparations, briefly breathing life into a stunned crowd — yet the real-life outcome was quieter and, sadly, more solemn. On December 14, 65-year-old Chonthirat Sakulku from Phitsanulok passed away peacefully at Bang Yai Hospital in Nonthaburi, officials confirmed. Wat Rat Prakhong Tham posted the news on Facebook on December 17, closing the extraordinary chapter that had captured national attention. The sequence of events is as unusual as it is heartbreaking. Chonthirat, who had been stricken by a serious illness and presumed dead by her family, was brought to Wat Rat Prakhong Tham under the temple’s free funeral programme to await cremation. During last-minute preparations, temple staff heard and then saw unexpected movement from inside the coffin. A frantic check found Chonthirat still alive. She was rushed to…

Thailand’s long-haul comeback: 10 million reasons to celebrate (and two lucky winners) Thailand has quietly — and then spectacularly — crossed a tourism milestone this year: long-haul arrivals have topped 10 million for the first time. The moment was marked in proper airport-glam fashion on December 17, when a Thai Airways flight touched down in Bangkok from London and was greeted by Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool alongside representatives from partner agencies at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Cue the confetti, smiling officials and the selfie-ready tourists who helped make the number real. Why does this matter? Long-haul travellers — defined here as visitors from Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa — now make up roughly one-third of all international tourists to Thailand. They are high-value guests: they tend to stay longer and spend more per trip, which perfectly aligns with TAT’s strategy of courting “high-quality tourism.” Thailand…

A foreign student’s fight for justice after a deadly crash at Mae Fah Luang University When a routine ride turned into a life-changing crash outside Mae Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai, second-year cosmetic science student La Min Khaing found herself recovering from serious injuries while also shouldering the burden of seeking accountability. Unable to rely on the driver she says caused the collision, she turned to TikTok — and to the kindness of strangers — to make her voice heard. The December 1 accident began, according to La Min Khaing’s TikTok account @laminkhaing05, when a Thai driver ran a red light and struck a male motorcyclist who was attempting a U-turn. The initial impact sent the motorcycle skidding across the road; it subsequently collided with La Min Khaing’s bike. The other rider was pronounced dead at the scene. La Min Khaing survived but suffered a broken wrist and a…