THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News

If you were planning to park at Don Mueang International Airport next year and stroll off into the sunset (or the departure lounge), you might want to rethink your budget. Starting December 1, Don Mueang is overhauling its parking charges — and for many travellers that means a noticeable bump on the way out, before you even board a plane. What’s changing — the new parking rate breakdown The airport says the revision is designed to cover rising operational costs and to help improve facilities, but the effect is clear: long-stay parking will be significantly more expensive. The updated hourly-based tariff (with partial minutes rounded up to a full hour) applies to the basement car park at Terminal 1, the seven-storey car park near Terminal 2, and the three-storey car park in the old building. The first 15 minutes are still free, but after that the prices climb quickly: 1…

Phuket’s Smart City Plot Thickens: Officials Get a Crash Course in AI Phuket is turning another page in its smart city story — and this one comes with a dash of artificial intelligence. On August 26, the island hosted a lively, full-day training program at Phuket Vocational College called “Enhancing Knowledge on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Government Administration.” The session gathered a who’s-who of local leadership: Governor Sophon Suwannarat, heads of government agencies, district chiefs and community leaders, all eager to learn how machines can help make life smoother for residents and visitors alike. Narong On-in from the Phuket Provincial Office didn’t sugarcoat the message: technology is sprinting ahead, and the public sector has to keep up. “Government officials need knowledge, understanding and the ability to apply AI in their work,” he said, highlighting how AI can boost efficiency, streamline processes and ready Phuket for an increasingly digital…

Free ride to the King’s Cup: Thailand’s M81 goes toll-free If you’ve been scheming to catch the 51st King’s Cup at Kanchanaburi Stadium (aka Kleebbua Stadium) without the usual toll shock, Thailand’s Department of Highways has just handed you the perfect travel pass: the M81 motorway will be toll-free from 3pm on Friday, August 29 until 9am on Wednesday, September 10. That’s nearly two weeks of toll-free cruising across a 96-kilometre ribbon linking Bang Yai in Nonthaburi to Kanchanaburi — prime time to cheer on your team without digging into your wallet every few exits. The fine print you’ll actually want to read Before you punch the air and hit the highway, here are the essentials with a friendly nudge to be sensible: Dates: 3pm, August 29 → 9am, September 10. Who can use it: Four-wheel vehicles only — sorry, motorbikes and tuk-tuks. Speed limit: A safety-first cap of 80…

Unlocked by a Phone? Bizarre Attempted Car Theft Caught on CCTV in Phuket Phuket residents woke up to one of those “did that really happen?” news bites on August 24 when CCTV footage shared with the Phuket Times Facebook page revealed a foreign man apparently unlocking a parked car with nothing more than his mobile phone. The car owner parked her white sedan along Dibuk Road near Limelight Avenue in Mueang district and says she is certain she locked the vehicle before walking away. When she returned, however, one door was not properly shut — and her curiosity (thankfully) tipped her off to ask a neighbour for CCTV footage. What the video showed was unnerving and weirdly cinematic: a man in a blue T‑shirt strolling near the parked sedan, pausing to make sure no one was watching, then using his phone beside the door handle. The lock clicked. He opened…

In a rapid turn of events that reads like a scene from a late-night crime drama, Patong Police arrested a 28-year-old man yesterday, August 26, after linking him to a string of burglaries in the bustling Patong nightlife district. The suspect, identified as Kittipong Boonchuay, was taken into custody at a rented house on Phoonphol Road in Talat Nuea, Phuket Town, after CCTV footage and on-the-ground detective work tied him to a series of thefts valued at roughly 300,000 baht, according to police statements reported by The Phuket News. From CCTV Clips to a Doorstep Arrest Investigators say high-quality CCTV footage was the linchpin in the case. The video reportedly captured a figure moving through late-night scenes around Patong, and police say the suspect used a blue-black Honda Click motorbike for fast getaways. Officers followed the trail of images and sightings beyond the immediate area, ultimately tracing the suspect back…

Rain-slicked riverbanks, a lone fishing rod, and an anxious village waiting for news — that was the scene at Huai Suang Luang weir in Mueang district, Udon Thani, yesterday, August 26, after a 59-year-old man who went out to fish failed to return. What began as a routine day for a local fisherman quickly turned into a full-scale search operation as family, volunteers and police scrambled against fast-running currents and fading daylight. The alarm came shortly after midday. At 1:20pm, the disappearance was reported to Police Lieutenant Colonel Wichanate Suetrong of Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, prompting municipal water rescue volunteers from Nong Bua subdistrict to join the hunt. Nearly ten rescuers fanned out along the bank, while divers prepared to enter the fierce, rain-fed water. At the scene, the evidence was painfully simple: a rain umbrella, a fishing rod, a bait container and a pair of sandals left abandoned…

Chiang Mai tried to turn its polluted moat into an eco-friendly TikTok moment — and invited 10 geese to do the heavy lifting. The city’s bold, feather-brained idea launched on August 21 when a small flock was released into the southern moat near Chiang Mai Gate with a one-week, headline-ready mission: chow down on aquatic weeds and help restore the water’s health. What followed looked like a nature documentary directed by a social media manager. The geese became instant celebrities. Strollers, selfie-seekers and shutter-happy tourists lined the banks to capture the latest local influencers paddling languidly along the water. Over the weekend crowds swelled into the hundreds as visitors tried to catch the perfect shot of the birds preening in the morning light — or simply to witness Chiang Mai’s newest public-relations stunt in person. But for all the viral potential, the experiment has so far produced more fluff than…

What started as a routine relay practice on a sun-baked field in Bang Klam district, Songkhla, has spiraled into a community showdown over classroom discipline, viral footage and how far a teacher’s authority should reach. The clip that made the town gasp A short video shared on Facebook by TN Boonya captured a moment that many found hard to watch: a male teacher appears to push the back of a kindergarten boy’s head while the child is running on a football field. The boy loses his balance and falls. Within hours the clip travelled beyond the local chat groups and into the wider Songkhla conversation, prompting immediate outrage from family members and online viewers alike. Parents demand answers The guardian of the child—whose son is in kindergarten 3—only discovered the footage recently even though the incident reportedly took place over a month ago during a sports day practice. Shocked and…

Once upon a not-so-distant past, Pattaya felt like a seaside time capsule: street vendors calling out specials, pensioners swapping gossip over cheap coffee, and a generous helping of rules-that-were-more-guidelines-than-law. That era — the freewheeling, cash-in-hand, “I’ll-fix-it-with-my-agent” days — is slipping away, and the city’s neon-streaked beachfront is being quietly refitted with QR codes, digital IDs and a decidedly less forgiving playbook. Longtime residents and weekend warriors alike are waking up to a different Pattaya. The city that once rolled with improvisation now prefers regulation. Visa loopholes that let retirees sail past red tape with bolstered bank balances and friendly agents are being shut. Biometric checks, blockchain tracing and national ID integration are no longer science fiction; they’re becoming routine in government and financial systems. For many expats, the future arriving on these shores feels alarmingly like a software update. “It’s not nostalgia,” says Tom Tuohy, a veteran expat who’s watched…