Thai opposition to hold off on no-confidence vote against government

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand's opposition parties said on Thursday that they will hold off on launching a no-confidence vote against suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra pending a court ruling, but they vowed to work together to avoid political deadlock. Thailand's Constitutional Court on Tuesday suspended Paetongtarn from her duties after accepting a petition from 36 senators who...

Suspended Thai leader Paetongtarn sworn in as Minister in new cabinet lineup

BANGKOK: Thailand’s suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was sworn in as a cabinet minister Thursday (July 3), a manoeuvre allowing her to attend ministerial meetings while awaiting the results of a court review of her alleged misconduct. Paetongtarn, who will be Minister of Culture in the country’s newly revamped cabinet, and 13 other ministers were sworn...

Thai actor Prom Ratchapat Worasarn accused of having sex with young female fans

Following serious allegations of sexual misconduct, Thai actor Prom Ratchapat Worasarn has been dropped by his management agency, YWPB Official. Since June 14, screenshots have surfaced on social media, allegedly showing the actor coercing women into having unprotected sex. Some of these encounters were supposedly with his teenage female fans. Prior to these private meet-ups, he would...

Thailand faces nationwide banking disruption as three major banks announce system outages

BANGKOK: A significant banking disruption is set to affect millions across Thailand as three of the nation's largest financial institutions – Krungthai Bank, the Government Savings Bank (GSB), and Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) – announce widespread system maintenance over the coming days. The planned outages will render core banking services, including mobile applications, credit card transactions,...

China-Thailand meeting yields agreement on strategic cooperation and military exercises

Senior military officials from China and Thailand reached “important consensus” on strategic cooperation when they met on Thursday, according to the defence ministry in Beijing. The meeting was held between China’s chief of joint staff, Liu Zhenli, and Thailand’s top defence official, Songwit Noonpackdee, during his visit to the Chinese capital. The two military leaders “reached important consensus on...

Cutting down on milk tea after thirty is keeping Ratchanok happy

KUALA LUMPUR: Thai shuttler Ratchanok Intanon loves milk tea but she has to cut back on her favourite drink to keep playing at the highest level in the women’s singles. The 2013 world champion Ratchanok, who turned 30 in February, has to make sacrifices to maintain her fitness as she eyes more titles in an already...

Myanmar, Thailand hit by series of quakes, strongest at 4.8

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Earthquake Surveillance Division under the Meteorological Department reported on May 5, 2025, a series of earthquakes occurring in Myanmar and Chiang Rai province, Thailand. The strongest quake was recorded at 6.33am (local time) with a magnitude of 4.8 at a depth of 10 kilometres. The epicentre was located at latitude 22.387°N and longitude 96.284°E,...

Thai government orders flags at half-mast in mourning for Pope Francis

BANGKOK: The Thai government has ordered all government agencies and state enterprises to lower their flags to half-mast for three days as a mark of respect and mourning for Pope Francis. The directive will come into effect from Wednesday to Friday (April 23–25). Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra issued the directive following the death of Pope Francis on...

Paetongtarn to make official visit to Cambodia on Wednesday

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (pic) will make an official visit to Cambodia on Wednesday (April 23) to mark the 75th anniversary of bilateral ties, the government spokesman said on Sunday. Government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said Paetongtarn would visit Cambodia on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. Jirayu said Paetongtarn...

Multiple earthquakes strike Thailand and Myanmar

BANGKOK: On Monday (April 14), a series of earthquakes were reported in Thailand and Myanmar, with the strongest tremor measuring 5.3 magnitude. Earthquake Observation Division, Thai Department of Meteorology (TMD) reported that the epicentre of this quake was located in Myanmar, approximately 10 kilometres from the Thai border. Several smaller earthquakes were also recorded in Myanmar, ranging...