Bangkok’s New M9: A 15.8 Billion-Baht Lifeline for Western Commutes If you’ve ever been stuck in the tangle of traffic on Bangkok’s western flank, here’s a headline that might finally make you sigh with relief: on January 7, 2026, the Thai Cabinet gave in-principle approval to a 15.8 billion-baht expressway—dubbed the M9—that will link Bang Bua Thong in Nonthaburi to Bang Pa-in in Ayutthaya. Think of it as a new beltway stitch, intended to ease the daily congestion that has long plagued commuters heading in and out of western Bangkok. The M9 isn’t a random flash of infrastructure inspiration. It’s part of a larger plan to shape a western belt that threads through Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya. For drivers who’ve grown weary of stop-and-go traffic, the promise of continuous travel across those provinces sounds almost revolutionary—especially during rush hour. How It Will Be Funded (And Why Future Governments Won’t…
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Bright skies and breathably clean air — at least for now. The Bangkok Air Quality Information Centre reported its early-morning readings on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 7:00 a.m., and the city’s PM2.5 story is looking pleasantly less dramatic than recent seasons. The average fine particulate (PM2.5) level across Bangkok was 24.3 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), comfortably below the national standard of 37.5 µg/m³. That average hides a little local personality: some neighborhoods flirt with the upper end of the scale while others are practically taking an oxygen selfie. Here are the dozen spots topping the PM2.5 leaderboard this morning — ordered from highest to lowest — so you can see how your part of town fared. Chatuchak: 36.6 µg/m³ Pathum Wan: 35.8 µg/m³ Sathorn: 31.9 µg/m³ Khlong Sam Wa: 31.2 µg/m³ Ratchathewi: 31.0 µg/m³ Bang Phlat: 30.1 µg/m³ Phra Khanong: 29.6 µg/m³ Nong Kham: 29.4 µg/m³ Bang Rak:…
It was supposed to be another sleepy afternoon at a school in Wang Nam Khiao district, Nakhon Ratchasima. Instead, New Year echoes turned into a schoolyard scare when three large mixed-breed dogs—thought to be Doberman and German Shepherd crosses—wandered onto the grounds and attacked four students on January 5, 2026. The chaos in the playground Local teachers and staff say the commotion began shortly after students returned from lunch. The dogs, likely spooked by nearby fireworks and firecrackers left over from New Year celebrations, appeared unexpectedly. What followed was a frightening burst of barking and a rapid response: staff administered first aid while emergency services and local leaders rushed to secure the scene. Dailynews confirmed that three boys and one girl were injured in the incident. Cuts and puncture wounds to arms, legs and ears were reported across the group. Most alarmingly, one male student suffered a severe knee injury—torn…
A close call in Ayutthaya has shaken a quiet community and prompted a mother’s urgent plea for better child safety measures. The subject: a nine-year-old boy who narrowly escaped what his family describes as an attempted sexual assault on school grounds. The mother, 35-year-old Phatcharaporn, went public with her fears in an interview with Channel 7 on January 4, asking local authorities and neighbours to be vigilant after the frightening incident in Tha Rue district. According to the boy’s account, the man arrived on an orange motorcycle and approached a group of children who had gathered at the closed school to play. The brand and plate number of the bike were not recognised by the child. What began as a stranger trying to appear harmless soon took a disturbing turn: the man asked the boy to go with him to a bathroom, saying he felt dizzy and needed to wash…
Imagine cruising across the glittering Andaman Sea, wind in your hair, the limestone karsts of Phang Nga sliding by like pieces in a giant postcard — and then glancing at your phone to discover a full 5G bar. That’s exactly what happened to a British traveller during his New Year break in Thailand, and the moment he realised his handset was streaming at top speed from the middle of the ocean became a cheeky little viral triumph for Thailand’s mobile networks. The clip, uploaded by TikTok user @koopatrooping, shows a seemingly ordinary speedboat ride turned extraordinary by one small, modern miracle: consistent, blazing mobile internet where you’d least expect it. His caption — “5G on a speedboat in Asia but there’s no signal in South London…” — struck a chord, because it flips the script on a widely held assumption: that advanced connectivity belongs to dense Western metros, not to…
A Golden Walk Over the Chao Phraya: Bangkok’s Proposed Pedestrian Bridge Bangkok is flirting with a new kind of skyline showpiece — a pedestrian-only bridge over the Chao Phraya River that promises to be as much a strolling promenade as a photo-ready landmark. Unveiled recently by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the concept features a modern, golden lattice structure with a central garden and stepped seating where people can pause, take in the river, and snap that perfect skyline shot. If the bridge goes ahead, it would be the first crossing on the Chao Phraya dedicated solely to foot traffic. That’s notable in a city where most river crossings prioritize vehicles and passengers hopping on and off ferries. The proposed span is planned to link Chiang Mai Road on one bank with Songwat Road near Chinatown on the other — a neat, walkable tie between two neighborhoods that have been…
Thailand’s national parks staged a green and glorious comeback for the New Year: more than 1.5 million nature-loving visitors streamed through gates and trails between 31 December 2024 and 4 January 2025, flocking to forests, waterfalls, and coastal havens as part of a broad government push to boost domestic travel while protecting the environment. A crowd-pleasing, eco-friendly holiday The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) rolled out a series of initiatives aimed at marrying festive travel with sustainability. Under the banner “Creating happiness for Thais, from the heart of MNRE,” park managers promoted simple but powerful habits — sort your rubbish, skip the single-use plastic, and leave nature better than you found it. The result: full campsites, busy lookouts and, importantly, cleaner trails than you might expect for a holiday rush. Numbers that tell the story Permanent Secretary Dr Raweewan Bhuridej confirmed the MNRE-managed sites drew over 1.5 million…
A Photo Op or a Photo Fight? How Wat Arun’s Iconic Views Sparked a Social Media Dust-Up Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, has always been one of Bangkok’s most photogenic spots — sunrise light kissing its spires, visitors draped in traditional Thai costumes, and the river breezes carrying the scent of incense. Lately, though, the temple’s postcard-perfect image came with an unexpected extra: confrontation over who gets to be in the frame. The story went viral after Krisda “Pond” Witthayakhajorndet, founder of the entertainment company Be On Cloud, shared an account on X that struck a chord. Pond wrote about visiting Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan on January 2 and being impressed by the sea of tourists — many of them renting traditional Thai outfits and clearly enjoying the dramatic backdrop. What spoiled the vibe, he said, was a local photographer aggressively prioritizing paying clients by repeatedly moving other tourists…
Whispers on the beach turned into a very public request for answers this week in Phuket. A group of nightlife operators, led by Apichet Phulsong — vice president of the Patong Beach Entertainment Venue Association — marched into Phuket Provincial Hall with a petition asking the governor to formally investigate explosive online rumours that some government officials have been soliciting bribes from entertainment and tourism businesses across the island. The petition, delivered by roughly 30 association representatives on behalf of an organization that claims to represent more than 400 establishments in Patong alone, was accepted by Damrongtham Centre director Monchai Saelao, who stood in for the governor. Monchai listened, assured the group their concerns would be passed up the chain, and promised an investigation aimed at restoring fairness and confidence for law-abiding operators. Why the sudden drama? It started with social media chatter and local press reports alleging that certain…
It was meant to be another sun-drenched memory from an island holiday — a couple perched on the rocks of Na Muang 2 Waterfall in Koh Samui, framing a selfie with the jungle’s roars and glints of water in the background. Instead, the afternoon of January 5 turned tragic when 22-year-old French tourist Alexis Vergos slipped from the fifth tier of the cascade and was later found lifeless in the pool on the fourth tier. According to local authorities, Alexis and his girlfriend, identified by interpreter Pimprapha Sakulpram as Romane, climbed up to the waterfall’s higher tiers earlier that day. While attempting to take photos, both reportedly lost their footing on the slick rocks. Romane miraculously managed to grab a tree branch and hold on — a desperate, split-second move that saved her life. Vergos, however, was swept away by the current and plunged to a lower level. Those onshore…