Posts published in “Thailand”

If you’ve been watching the weather apps with one eye and your suitcase with the other, here’s the good news: Southern Thailand is bouncing back. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reports that, as of December 8 at 10:00 a.m. local time, travel conditions across the flooded provinces have largely returned to normal. Roads, airports and most tourist services are up and running, and the region is steadily getting back to business — from Phuket’s bright beaches to the island-paced charm of Ko Samui. Where things are already back to normal Many of the big-name destinations in Southern Thailand are fully accessible and welcoming visitors again. That means: Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Ranong, Surat Thani, Chumphon, Trang, Satun and Phatthalung have reopened airports, roads, attractions and accommodation. Island favorites — Ko Samui, Ko Pha-ngan and Ko Tao — are functioning normally; marine transport continues, though ferry timetables may shift depending on…

Washington is quietly leaning on Bangkok and Phnom Penh to honor a ceasefire pact they once signed — and, according to U.S. officials, there’s a real chance the two neighbors will fall back into line by early next week. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced cautious optimism in a briefing in Washington, saying diplomats are working “around the clock” to restore the truce first agreed to in Kuala Lumpur last October. Rubio reminded reporters that both Thailand and Cambodia put their names to the agreement in writing, but simmering grievances and renewed skirmishes have since frayed that commitment. The foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are due to take up the crisis at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Monday — a timely forum, given that the original terms were hammered out there. Diplomacy is clearly in motion. Rubio spoke by phone with Thai Foreign…

Bangkok and Chonburi rang with cheers, whistles and the occasional triumphant roar as the 33rd Southeast Asian Games wrapped up on December 20, 2025. Nearly two weeks of non-stop competition — from December 9 to 20 — showcased the region’s athletic depth, its traditional sporting flair and, perhaps most memorably, a hometown host that refused to settle for anything less than spectacular. A homecoming with history The 2025 edition felt like a full-circle moment for Thailand. The SEA Games first visited the kingdom back in 1959, and this year’s return was both symbolic and emphatic. Thailand once again proved why it’s a regional sporting hub: 13,657 athletes from 10 nations converged across 50 medal sports, blending Olympic staples like athletics, swimming and weightlifting with regional mainstays such as sepak takraw and pencak silat. Who took part — and who didn’t Ten Southeast Asian countries battled for podium positions: Thailand, Indonesia,…

A Smooth, Toll-Free Ride: Thailand’s M6 Motorway Opens for the 2026 New Year Holiday Good news for anyone planning a road escape over the 2026 New Year holiday: the Thai government has announced that the brand-new M6 motorway — the 196-kilometer stretch linking Bang Pa-in and Nakhon Ratchasima — will be open to motorists free of tolls for an 11-day trial period. The announcement came on December 19 from Siripong Angkasakulkiat, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, and it’s exactly the kind of holiday relief long-suffering drivers have been waiting for. When and how it will be free From December 26, 2025, at 00:01 through January 5, 2026, at midnight, the Department of Highways (under the Ministry of Transport) will allow full trial use of the M6 with no tolls collected. That means a clean 196 kilometers of modern motorway — toll-free — for folks heading north and east out…

Just after 1:20 a.m. on December 20, a fierce blaze ripped through Building B5 of Rong Kluea Market in Pa Rai sub-district, Aranyaprathet — a bustling trading hub that hums day and night along the Thai-Cambodian border. In the small hours, flames lit the sky above one of Thailand’s busiest cross-border marketplaces, reducing a cluster of shops to smoldering shells while sending firefighters and police into an all-out scramble to protect the tightly packed market. Rapid response in the dead of night The radio communications center at Khlong Luek Police Station received the initial alarm and wasted no time. Officers and fire engines from multiple local agencies converged on the scene, where crews fought the inferno for more than an hour before bringing it under control. Authorities emphasized that, despite the market’s dense layout and the ever-present danger of a domino effect, the flames were contained and did not leap…

Pattaya’s luxury veneer took an abrupt turn toward a police procedural this week when immigration officers swooped on a rented mansion in Nong Prue and arrested 19 Indian nationals accused of running an illegal online business selling sexual enhancement drugs and sex toys. The Immigration Bureau announced the operation at a packed press briefing at its Mueang Thong Thani headquarters in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi. How a high-end house became an illicit e-commerce hub Investigators from Immigration Division 3, working with Chon Buri immigration police, had been following a trail of suspicious foreign-run enterprises across Chon Buri. Their inquiry led them to a plush rental property in Bang Lamung district, where officers say a team of foreigners had quietly turned the residence into a fulfillment center for an unlicensed online shop. The website — reportedly live for roughly three months — drew a sizable customer base, with women making up a…

In a case that reads like a tragedy and a cautionary tale rolled into one, a Bangkok court has handed down a four-year prison sentence to a Thai woman who fatally assaulted a young entertainer at a love hotel while eight months pregnant. The legal outcome—paired with a hefty compensation order—was detailed on Facebook by prominent Thai lawyer Nitikorn Kaewto on Tuesday, December 16. The victim, 23-year-old Potjanart, died after the April attack in Min Buri district. According to court records and police reports, 28-year-old Worrawan followed her husband, 28-year-old Bas, to a love hotel that day, accompanied by a transgender friend. The scene that unfolded inside the hotel would lead to criminal charges and national attention. Worrawan allegedly found Bas lying naked on a bed with Potjanart. Enraged, she is said to have dragged a naked Potjanart out of the room and assaulted her repeatedly. The attack continued until…

When the guns spoke along the Thai-Cambodian border, many families in Sa Kaeo province packed what they could and fled — leaving behind homes, memories, and, in too many cases, the creatures that are part of daily life. What followed was not just a military operation but a quietly compassionate mission: soldiers from the Burapa Task Force, operating through the Ta Phraya Special Task Force in Ta Phraya district, stepped into a role that isn’t often captured in headlines — caretaker. On December 19, as residents evacuated high-risk zones amid ongoing clashes, Burapa officers fanned out across villages to check on animals left behind. These weren’t glamorous rescues. They were practical, humane, and sometimes humorous rounds of care: delivering sacks of feed, topping up water troughs, and making sure the village dogs, cattle, buffalo and pigs were not forgotten as their owners sought safety. Photo via Thairath The Ta Phraya…