THAI.NEWS - Thailand Breaking News

Bangkok’s narcotics scene got a weekend wake-up call after a three-month probe culminated in the arrest of four suspects allegedly tied to a cocaine distribution network operating across the capital and neighbouring provinces. Announced by the Royal Thai Police and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau on 24 January 2026, the coordinated swoop pulled together the Metropolitan Police Bureau, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and several specialist investigative units. The operation’s headline arrest involved a 38-year-old Thai woman identified by police as a central figure in the network. She was taken into custody on the evening of 23 January at approximately 8:30pm at an ice rink on Soi Pridi Phanomyong 37 in Watthana district. Authorities have charged her with the sale and distribution of Category 2 narcotics for commercial purposes — a serious accusation that carries heavy penalties under Thai law. Three other suspects were detained between 22 and 23…

Coordinated Raid in Nan: Authorities Destroy Opium Plot and Seize Illegal Firearms In a decisive swoop on 24 January 2026, multiple Thai government agencies teamed up to locate and destroy an illicit opium plantation deep in Wiang Sa district, Nan province. The raid, carried out in the remote hamlet of Ban Phu Fah Mai (Village No. 8, Yab Hua Na subdistrict), saw officers uproot one plot of opium—classified under Thai law as a Category 5 narcotic—and recover two unregistered muzzle-loading rifles nearby. The operation read like a carefully choreographed play: intelligence led the way, a regional support team executed the plan, and evidence was cataloged for investigators. No suspects were present at the scene when authorities moved in, and the seized firearms were promptly handed over to Wiang Sa Police Station for forensic examination and legal follow-up. Photo via Channel 7 News Who Led the Operation The mission was spearheaded…

On the evening of 23 January 2026, a routine school run turned into a grim discovery in Khon Kaen Province. At about 6:30pm, Ban Ped Police Station received a call reporting a man found unresponsive inside a parked car near a school entrance in Ban Wa Subdistrict, Mueang District. What followed was a quietly tense scene: police securing the roadside, medical staff and Region 4 forensic teams converging, and local rescuers standing by as investigators began piecing together a mystery that, for now, remains largely unanswered. Officers discovered a white electric saloon bearing Khon Kaen registration plates. In the driver’s seat lay a 40-year-old man with injuries to his neck; a knife was also found inside the vehicle. No other people were at the scene. The body was later identified as a public prosecutor who had been assigned to cases involving human rights protection, prompting questions and concern both about…

Thailand on Alert After Nipah Outbreak in India: What You Need to Know (and Why Bats Are Uninvited Guests) On January 23, Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) sounded a cautious alarm after a fresh Nipah virus outbreak was reported in India. The DDC — posting updates on its Facebook page — said it’s fast-tracking coordination with the One Health network to keep tabs on the situation, detect any possible cases early, and prevent cross-species transmission. No cases have been reported in Thailand so far, but officials stressed that Nipah’s grim track record and high fatality rate call for heightened vigilance. A quick explainer: What is Nipah? According to the World Health Organization, Nipah is a zoonotic virus — meaning it jumps from animals to humans. Its natural hosts are fruit bats in the Pteropodidae family, especially bats of the Pteropus genus. Outbreaks in South and Southeast Asia have often…

Thailand’s Department of Health is stirring the nation’s sweet-tooth conversation — and this time the cup of change comes with a scoop of compromise. Announced on January 23 after a policy meeting earlier in the month, a new national guideline will reset what “normal” means for made-to-order drinks: from now on, normal sweetness will be defined as 50% sugar. It’s not a sugar ban, nor a recipe rewrite — it’s a recalibration of expectations designed to nudge habits toward healthier choices while keeping beloved beverages enjoyable. A sweet idea with sensible goals Dr. Amphorn Benjaphonpitak, Director-General of the Department of Health (DoH), was careful to clarify the nuance: this guideline doesn’t force cafés to retool their entire drink formulas. Instead, it asks retailers and consumers to agree that when you order a drink “regular” or “normal,” you’re getting it at 50% sweetness. The move is part of a broader DoH…

When Noodles Turned Nerve-Wracking: An 80-Year-Old’s Unplanned Detour into a Trat Water Factory It was supposed to be a simple noodle break. Instead, an ordinary evening in Ban Nong Bua, Wang Krachae subdistrict, Trat province, turned into a scene straight out of a slapstick action clip — only thankfully without casualties. CCTV footage shows a black sedan gliding into a narrow alley beside a bottled water factory, then suddenly veering off course, clipping a row of parked motorcycles and smashing into massive water tanks and the factory wall. Glass shattered, plastic bottles exploded like confetti, and the front of the car was left looking as if it had been through a cyclone. Debris even ended up perched on the car’s roof and bonnet — a chaotic snapshot of an unusual accident. The driver and his version The driver, identified as 80-year-old Mitr, was still at the scene when police from…

In the small hours of a January morning that most people reserve for sleep (or at least questionable late-night snacks), Pattaya Beach played host to an episode that might have been mistaken for a badly timed reality show. At approximately 4:19 a.m. on January 23, a passerby alerted Pattaya City Police Station after spotting what they believed was inappropriate behaviour between a man and a woman on the sand. What unfolded felt equal parts awkward, alarming, and — for onlookers — undeniably headline-ready. Officers arriving at the beachfront found a foreign man and a Thai woman lying on the sand. The man was described as wearing a white T-shirt and shorts; the woman wore black. According to police reports, the couple appeared to be engaged in a sexual act when approached. The moment the uniforms moved in, both panicked, separated quickly and attempted to walk away — a feline scramble…

One Meatball, One Mission: How a Hungry Dog Got Her Head Stuck in a Spare Wheel in Phanom Sarakham It started like any ordinary day in Phanom Sarakham district, Chachoengsao — meatballs flying, tails wagging, and the promise of a quick snack. By the end of January 22, however, a backyard snack time had turned into an impromptu rescue operation that left the family chuckling, a little embarrassed, and very grateful. The protagonist of this small-scale drama was a female dog from the household of 36-year-old Aratchaya, who runs a local meatball shop. According to Aratchaya, her niece had playfully tossed a handful of meatballs to the dogs in the yard. One of those meatballs took an unfortunate bounce and landed in the hollow of a spare alloy wheel that had been left on the ground — exactly the sort of tight, shiny trap that spells temptation for a hungry…

It was a scene that could have been mistaken for a wildlife documentary gone wrong: at Tung Kwang Mineral Lick in Khao Yai National Park, a drone’s whirring suddenly turned a peaceful elephant gathering into a frantic dash for safety. The footage, shot on January 21, shows the moment a large female elephant breaks away from her herd and bolts into the forest — spooked by a small metal hobbyist encroaching from the sky. The location is one of Khao Yai’s most cherished wildlife-viewing spots in Nakhon Nayok province, where animals come to lick mineral-rich soil and visitors patiently wait for the natural drama of nature to unfold. Instead, yesterday’s drama came courtesy of a man in a white T-shirt who had parked a Suzuki by the roadside and launched a drone — allegedly close enough to the herd to cause visible distress. Videos of the incident spread across Thai…