Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul began his official visit to Beijing with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square. He then held a bilateral meeting with Z...
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul began his official visit to Beijing with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square. He then held a bilateral meeting with Z...
PHUKET: A Thalang homeowner has claimed his brother, allegedly hallucinating after taking drugs, started a house fire that spread to two neighbouring homes early this morning (July 20), causing extensive property damage but no injuries.
PHUKET: A Thalang homeowner has claimed his brother, allegedly hallucinating after taking drugs, started a house fire that spread to two neighbouring homes early this morning (July 20), causing extensive property damage but no injuries.
Opposition MPs highlighted how corruption affects Thais throughout their lives, from fraudulent birth certificates sold to foreign investors to textbook kickbacks draining school budgets by hundreds of millions annually.
On July 20, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at the Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, opposition leaders in parliament held a public forum titled "Born, Aged, Sick, Corrupt: How Can Thais Break This Cycle?" as part of their fiscal year 2025 outreach program.
Nattapong Rueangpannitwit, a list-based MP and head of the Prachathai Party, opened the forum by explaining that corruption affects all Thais across their entire lifespans. He categorized corruption into five groups: (1) rights people should receive but don't due to erosion—such as welfare payments, textbooks, and school milk; (2) unnecessary payments or overpaying for services like permits and utilities; (3) indirect harms from corruption unrelated to the individual, such as substandard public construction projects and building collapses; (4) reduced accountability when wrongdoers pay bribes to escape responsibility, as seen with polluting factories; and (5) payments for undeserved benefits, such as buying Thai nationality or "surrogate father" schemes.
List-based MP Piyarat Jongthep of Prachathai described birth-related corruption, revealing that foreign investors in shadow economies seek Thai nationality above all else. He disclosed that foreign-Thai couples pay approximately 110,000 baht to purchase birth certificates for children through chat group brokers who arrange Thai "surrogate fathers," which he called a national security threat. He warned that within 10-20 years, such children could claim full Thai rights, including voting eligibility, and urged the state to conduct DNA testing before issuing birth certificates.
List-based MP Prit Wachrasindsun of Prachathai addressed education-sector corruption, citing textbook fraud where publishers charge schools full price while kickbacks go to school administrators. If one in ten schools engage in this practice, it represents 100-200 million baht in annual budget leakage. He identified three hidden costs destroying the nation's future: degraded educational quality as students miss new learning methods, distorted policy direction reduced to mere self-interest, and corrupted values—despite teaching students "grow up, don't cheat," they learn corruption is acceptable when it surrounds them and their questions are silenced.
List-based MP Sirikanya Tansukul of Prachathai spoke about corruption across other life stages.
Thailand's cabinet approved a plan to merge tourism functions into a new Ministry of Culture and Tourism to reduce bureaucratic overlap, with implementation expected over four years starting with a preparation phase.
Culture Minister Sabida Thaiset disclosed that the cabinet has endorsed the draft law to restructure government ministries, departments, and bureaus by establishing a new Ministry of Culture and Tourism alongside a separate Ministry of Sports. The bill will now proceed to the Office of the Council of State for review before being sent to parliament. Staffing levels and budgets will not be increased in principle, though flexibility will be maintained to match assigned functions as both ministries negotiate which personnel and tasks to transfer.
The five key tourism functions to be transferred to the Culture Ministry include policy matters, the Department of Tourism, provincial tourism and sports office operations nationwide, tourism-related agencies, and coordination with the Tourism Police Command. The new structure will feature two main function groups: one handling cultural heritage, identity, and cultural capital, and another managing cultural economics and tourism.
The Culture Ministry has outlined a three-phase implementation plan: the first six months for preparation and task transfer; the second phase over two years for studying international case studies and developing administrative systems, laws, structures, and personnel; and the third phase completing full reform within four years. Culture Ministry, Tourism and Sports officials, and central agencies have established a working group to prepare for the transition with ongoing progress meetings and consultation with all stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation and address concerns.
Thailand aims to attract over 5 million Chinese visitors in 2025 through partnerships with major Chinese airlines and digital platforms, leveraging Prime Minister Anutin's visit to China to expand air routes and boost marketing in western C
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has signed letters of intent with five major Chinese partners to boost Chinese tourist arrivals to over 5 million in 2025. TAT Governor Thaopniey Kiatpibul noted that Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's official visit to China from July 16–20, 2025—in Shanghai, Chengdu, and Beijing—represents a critical opportunity to elevate Thai-Chinese tourism cooperation, restore Chinese traveler confidence, and expand market opportunities for sustainable bilateral travel growth.
On July 18 in Chengdu, TAT held discussions with senior executives from Sichuan Airlines and Meituan to advance travel and tourism collaboration, particularly targeting western China's high-purchasing-power market with rising outbound tourism trends. Talks with Sichuan Airlines focused on strengthening air connectivity, including reopening direct Chengdu–Chiang Mai service and exploring new routes to Hua Hin and U-Tapao airports to distribute travel across Thailand's secondary destinations and enhance convenience for Chinese visitors.
Collaboration with Meituan, a major Chinese digital lifestyle platform, aims to elevate marketing through digital channels, analyze consumer behavior data, and launch the "Thailand National Campaign" under a Two-Way Tourism concept. Additional initiatives include promoting Thai restaurants on the Black Pearl Restaurant Guide and advancing the "Trusted Thailand" program to build confidence in quality and safety among Chinese travelers.
On July 19 in Beijing, TAT signed letters of intent with five leading Chinese partners—China Tourism Group (CTG), Utour Group, China Comfort Group, AMAP, and TCP Red Bull—to jointly promote the "Amazing Thailand" brand via Chinese digital platforms, develop high-quality tourism routes, and apply Smart Tourism technology to attract quality visitors.
Chinese visitor behavior is shifting from group tours to independent travel, empowering digital platforms to influence younger and upper-middle-class travelers' decisions and opening doors for Thailand's emerging and secondary destinations. From January 1 to July 11, 2025, Thailand welcomed approximately 2.8 million Chinese tourists—a 14% increase year-on-year—maintaining China as Thailand's top source market. TAT projects over 5 million Chinese visitors for the full year 2025, generating approximately 288.385 billion baht in tourism revenue.
The collaboration on flight routes, digital marketing, and strategic partnerships is expected to drive recovery and expansion of Thailand's quality Chinese tourism market while supporting long-term tourism economy growth.
A fisherman rescued an exhausted monkey struggling in the sea off Phuket after the animal swam more than five kilometres from Koh Siray, pulling it aboard and returning it safely to shore.
A fisherman has been praised online after rescuing an exhausted monkey found struggling in the sea off Phuket, with the animal believed to have swum more than five kilometres before being brought to safety. The heartwarming rescue was shared on 19 July 2026 by the Phuket Times Facebook page. The incident occurred around 09:30 hrs while the fisherman was anchored in waters near Koh Maphrao. He spotted a monkey swimming alone in the open sea and appearing to be close to exhaustion. The monkey is believed to have entered the water from Koh Siray, a journey of more than 5 kilometres, leaving it fatigued after a prolonged swim. Realising the animal was struggling, the fisherman carefully manoeuvred his boat alongside it, allowing the monkey to climb aboard before transporting it safely back to shore. The story has drawn widespread praise on social media, with many users commending the fisherman for his compassion and quick response. Many commenters described the rescue as a reminder that every life is precious, while others jokingly suggested the monkey would probably choose a boat instead of attempting another long swim in the future.
Pancreatic cancer often goes undetected until advanced stages because early signs are virtually nonexistent, warns a Thai hospital official who urges smokers, obese individuals, and heavy drinkers to take preventive action now.
Dr. Jetsada Bunyavongvirooj, deputy director of primary care at Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, has issued a warning about pancreatic cancer, emphasizing it is a disease that catches people off guard because early stages produce virtually no symptoms—no pain, no lumps, and patients often appear perfectly healthy and can eat and work normally. Only when yellowing skin, weight loss, and severe abdominal pain appear has the disease often progressed significantly. In Thailand, thousands of people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer annually, and death rates closely match new cases, not because people neglect their health but because the disease is highly deceptive.
Dr. Jetsada identifies three major risk groups who should act now rather than wait for symptoms: smokers should stop adding to their risk, as tobacco toxins enter the bloodstream and damage the pancreas along with other organs—even light smoking counts; people with belly fat, weight gain, and sedentary lifestyles should not dismiss this as merely cosmetic, as obesity and type 2 diabetes significantly increase pancreatic cancer risk; and people who have suffered alcohol-induced pancreatic inflammation should stop drinking rather than resume old habits, because repeated inflammation causes lasting damage that accumulates into long-term cancer risk. He advises starting with simple changes: reducing sugar and processed foods, adding vegetables and protein, walking after meals, and building muscle two to three times weekly—benefits accrue even before major weight loss occurs.
A 16-year-old gang member was arrested in Chiang Mai for a fatal drive-by shooting in Pathum Thani in March that killed one person and injured others during a motorcycle gang rivalry.
On July 20, 2569, police officers led by Pathanasak Bubbhasuwannakij, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, ordered the arrest of a 16-year-old suspect known as A in connection with a youth court warrant issued on June 15, 2569. He faces multiple charges including premeditated murder, attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, carrying weapons in public areas, and discharging firearms in public without justification. The arrest took place in Mae Wang district, Chiang Mai.
The incident occurred on the night of March 26 when the suspect and 3-4 other motorcycle gang members ambushed their rivals in the Khlong 11 area of Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani, resulting in gunfire and leaving one person dead with others severely injured. After learning that his rival had died, the suspect fled to a monastery in Chiang Mai, his father's hometown. He remained as a novice for only one month before disrobing to work as a construction laborer, where authorities eventually apprehended him.
During interrogation, the suspect confessed to all charges. Police discovered he had previously been detained at a juvenile detention facility in Ayutthaya in connection with an earlier shooting case. He has been transferred to Thanyaburi Police Station in Pathum Thani for further legal proceedings.
PHUKET: A 20-year-old hotel intern has filed a police complaint after being assaulted by a head chef inside the kitchen of a hotel in Patong, with the incident captured on security camera footage.
PHUKET: A 20-year-old hotel intern has filed a police complaint after being assaulted by a head chef inside the kitchen of a hotel in Patong, with the incident captured on security camera footage.
Big Mountain music festival organizer Yuthana Boonorm pledged a complete overhaul after admitting years of decline, vowing to eliminate drug use, traffic problems, inadequate facilities, and dust complaints that sparked social media backlas
Organizer Yuthana Boonorm has pledged a 100% transformation of the Big Mountain music festival after admitting the event has declined yearly. Following social media criticism about drug use, traffic congestion, inadequate restrooms, and dust issues, Boonorm acknowledged his responsibility for letting standards slip and vowed to address every problem this year.
After hearing repeated complaints that the festival deteriorates annually—with attendance dropping by half last year—Boonorm publicly apologized and took personal responsibility. In a social media post on July 20, 2026, he promised: "I have read every comment. All problems will be fixed so Big Mountain becomes the best music festival. This year there will be no drug use, no traffic jams, no dust complaints, and bathrooms everywhere."
The pledge has energized fans who are now eagerly anticipating the revamped Big Mountain festival.
King Power is undercutting major airports with duty-free discounts up to 40% on perfume, cosmetics, and luxury goods across four locations through July 31. The promotion includes free coupons, tiered savings, and special Mother's Day gift s
King Power is attracting Thai shoppers with duty-free prices that undercut four major airports—Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, and Chiang Mai—while offering steep discounts on perfume, cosmetics, skincare, fashion, eyewear, and watches. The promotion runs for two weeks today through July 31, 2025, featuring discounts up to 40% on selected items, free 500-baht coupons, and special Mother's Day gift sets.
At King Power Suvarnabhumi, shoppers receive a free 500-baht discount coupon (redeemable on purchases of 1,000 baht or more) plus up to 40% off hot items from major brands. Additional tiered discounts apply: up to 25% off for purchases of 5,000 baht and above, and up to 30% for 8,000 baht or more, with POWER PASS members earning an extra 5% off.
Don Mueang offers up to 30% off select perfume and skincare brands plus 5% additional discount. Tiered savings include 20% for 3,000-baht purchases, 25% for 5,000 baht, and 30% for 8,000 baht or more, again with 5% extra for POWER PASS members.
Phuket provides an immediate 800-baht discount on purchases of 4,000 baht or more. Chiang Mai offers 500 baht off for 5,000-baht purchases and 1,000 baht off for 8,000 baht or more.
POWER PASS members shopping fashion, eyewear, and watches at Suvarnabhumi receive coupons up to 30% off (two coupons available with no minimum purchase); at Don Mueang, 30% off on a single item; and at Phuket, up to 10% plus 5% additional with a 5,000-baht minimum.
New members signing up for POWER PASS immediately receive four discount coupons worth up to 30% each across participating departments and branches.
Two special Mother's Day gift sets are now available for pre-order. The "Premium Basket for Mom" (2,799 baht) includes a Jim Thompson canvas pouch, Donna Chang Wild Rose perfume, and a sakura-scented reed diffuser. The "JOURNAL Soft Embrace Duo" (999 baht) contains body mist, body oil, and sunscreen in two signature fragrances: First Love and The Legacy. Orders can be placed at King Power branches, via the app, or through GrabMart and LINE MAN.