What started as a sun-soaked island story in Krabi turned into a social media tempest this week when Indian travel blogger Monica Gupta — better known to her followers as @travelwithshades — accused a local hospital of overcharging foreign tourists after she and a friend suffered bad reactions to what she described as “weird gummies.” Her original Instagram reel, posted on Sunday, November 16, said bluntly: “₹1 lakh (100,000 rupees) for 3 IV drips. Thai hospital, hospital scam, gummies, Thailand, Krabi, Phuket.” The short version: Monica and a male friend ate gummies they bought in Phuket. About an hour later they felt unwell and went to a hospital in Krabi, where they were admitted and given IV treatment. Monica recounted that they were initially shown a bill of 17,500 baht — an amount she found reasonable for two people — and then dozed off for three hours while receiving care.…
THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News
Thailand’s civil service may be in for a late-career makeover: the government is studying a plan to raise the retirement age for most civil servants from 60 to 65. The proposal — prompted by falling birth rates and the country’s steady slide toward an ageing society — was discussed publicly by Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs Bowornsak Uwanno, who is overseeing the review on behalf of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. A staggered shift, not a sudden shove Before anyone imagines a wholesale, overnight change, Bowornsak made clear the intention is cautious: the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) and the Comptroller General’s Department are studying options that would phase in the higher retirement age over about ten years. That means current civil servants would have time to plan, adjust benefits, and retire on terms they expect — rather than being blindsided by an immediate policy reset. “We’re not proposing a sudden…
Thailand has just been crowned the world’s best country for food, and the result tastes exactly as delightful as it sounds. In Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2025, the Land of Smiles snagged the top spot with a near-perfect score of 98.33 out of 100 — a culinary coronation that celebrates everything from sizzling roadside woks to sky-high tasting menus. A flavour-packed victory lap The win wasn’t a surprise to the millions who’ve navigated Bangkok’s night markets, hunted for the perfect bowl of soup in Chiang Mai, or surrendered to mango sticky rice on a sun-soaked beach. Voters praised Thailand’s bold, balanced flavours, its unbeatable street food culture, and a fine-dining scene that now rubs shoulders with the world’s best. CNN even noted that seven Bangkok restaurants made the cut among the world’s top 35 — proof that Thai cuisine thrives both at the humble stall and on the…
Thailand is waking up with a brisk reminder that the calendar is turning: a strong high-pressure system sweeping down from China has ushered in a cold snap, whipping up gusty winds, dropping temperatures and stirring stormy seas across large swaths of the country. The Meteorological Department (TMD) says the chill is most pronounced in the north and northeast, with parts of the south also feeling the sting as the northeast monsoon strengthens over the Gulf of Thailand and the upper Andaman Sea. What’s driving this chilly interlude? A dominant high-pressure area over upper Thailand — essentially a cool air dam rolling in from China — is the main culprit. It’s packing dry, cool air and brisk northeasterly winds that are dragging temperatures down, especially in the pre-dawn hours. At the same time, a low-pressure pocket over the lower Gulf is turbocharging the northeast monsoon, producing thundershowers that target southern provinces…
It was the kind of quiet November evening in Ayutthaya that usually slips by unnoticed — until it didn’t. Yesterday, November 18, a tense scene unfolded on a bridge in the Pratu Chai district when a 15-year-old boy in his school uniform was found sitting on the edge, clutching a handwritten farewell letter and openly crying. The sight drew a crowd of concerned residents and classmates. What might have become a tragic headline instead became a story of calm, human intervention thanks to two police officers whose steady presence helped turn the tide. Police Senior Sergeant Major Itsara Samakrob and Police Lance Corporal Thanachai Thianthong were dispatched to the bridge after a call about a possible suicide attempt. Rather than rushing in with orders or dramatic gestures, the officers approached the boy quietly, asking permission to read the letter he had left behind. That simple act — treating him with…
When a short, sharp clip of a traffic policeman asking for a 100-baht “parking fee” at Bangkok’s Morchit Bus Terminal exploded across social feeds, the timing couldn’t have been worse for the Royal Thai Police. The footage — shared widely alongside fresh allegations by former deputy commissioner Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn that more than 200 officers were tied to bribery, call-centre scams and online gambling rings — lit the tinderbox of public anger. But today the Metropolitan Police Bureau moved to calm the flare-up: the viral video is not new, it dates back to 2019, and the officer involved is already out of uniform. Old footage, new outrage The clip shows a traffic officer insisting a motorist hand over 100 baht to leave the Morchit terminal. The driver protests, saying he was told by the officer’s superior that parking there is free; the officer brushes that aside and insists the…
In a fast-moving shake-up that has rattled Thailand’s corrections world, the Ministry of Justice has quietly moved to reassign the director of Bangkok Remand Prison after a surprise inspection allegedly uncovered staff involvement in illegal activities. The move — formalized in Ministry Order No. 233/2025 — signals the ministry’s intent to treat the matter with urgency and help ensure an impartial inquiry. On November 18, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Pongsvat Neelayothin signed the order under the authority of Section 21 of the State Administration Act 1991, as amended by Act No. 5 (2002). The personnel shuffle took effect November 16, when Manop Chomchuen, director of Bangkok Remand Prison, was reassigned to the role of Inspector-General within the Department of Corrections. According to official statements, the transfer followed a surprise raid and inspection at both Bangkok Remand Prison and Bangkok Special Prison, during which investigators reportedly uncovered evidence…
Under the glow of streetlights and the hum of a late-night hospital car park, Patong police closed in on a 31-year-old man accused of selling cocaine in a swift undercover operation on the evening of November 18. The arrest, carried out in the parking lot of Patong Hospital at 6:55pm, was the latest move in a focused campaign to stamp out narcotics activity in Phuket’s busiest nightlife and tourist zones. The sting was mounted under the direction of Patong Police Superintendent Colonel Chalermchai Hirasawat and executed by a team led by Lieutenant Colonel Suchart Chumphusang, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation, alongside Lt. Col. Saran Chaiwut, Chief of the Investigation Division. Investigators arranged a controlled purchase for 6,000 baht. When the exchange took place, officers say the suspect handed over two small plastic bags containing roughly 1.10 grams of cocaine. Uniformed officers moved in immediately and placed the man under arrest. Patong…
Australian Journalist Murray Hunter to Face Thai Trial Over Malaysia Blog Posts When Murray Hunter hit “publish” on his Substack in April, he probably expected some pushback — not a cross‑border legal saga that would land him in a Bangkok courtroom. The 64‑year‑old Australian, who lives in Hat Yai in southern Thailand, is now due to stand trial on December 22 after being charged in Thailand with criminal defamation over a series of posts that criticised Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The case began with four articles on Hunter’s blog in which he accused the MCMC of political bias and alleged that the commission had been used to intimidate critics under the Pakatan Harapan government. The MCMC has denied Hunter’s claims. Still, the commission filed a complaint, and Thailand’s authorities acted on that request — turning what some observers call a routine media dispute into an international incident. Hunter’s…
Late-night head-on crash in Pattaya leaves one man fighting for life What began as a routine ride along a quiet Pattaya soi turned into a harrowing nightmare for two motorcyclists late on the evening of November 18. Emergency crews arrived to a scene of shattered plastic, twisted metal and two injured riders after a head-on collision on Soi Nern Plub Wan near the entrance to Mab Yai Lia Soi 39/1. Rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation found a blue Honda Wave overturned in the middle of the road, its front end crushed and fragments of the machines scattered across the pavement. The rider of the Honda, 28-year-old Somrak Inthanil, was discovered unconscious and suffering multiple abrasions and severe trauma. Paramedics provided emergency first aid before rushing him to Patmakhun Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The second rider, 30-year-old Chakkrit Monthathip, was fortunate to be conscious when responders…