Thailand news stories on Newser

KFC Thailand: Sorry 'Bout the Quake, Have Some KFC!

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:53:55 CDT

In hindsight, maybe it wasn't so smart to suggest that yesterday's massive earthquake was finger-lickin' good: KFC Thailand has issued an apology after being criticized for a Facebook message that urged people to rush home during yesterday's tsunami scare and order a bucket of KFC chicken. As people were being...

Thailand Bans 'Subversive' Film Adaptation of Macbeth

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:30:00 CDT

Thailand's film censors have banned an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth , saying it could inflame political passions in the country where it is taboo to criticize the monarchy. The Thai-language film Shakespeare Must Die is about a theater group in a fictional country resembling Thailand that is staging a production of...

Thailand Car Bombs Kill 14, Injure 340

Mark Russell — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:03:00 CDT

The biggest series of bombings in years killed 14 people and injured 340 in southern Thailand yesterday, reports the AP . Authorities suspect militant Islamic insurgents in the attack, which targeted shoppers and a hotel popular with Singapore and Malaysian tourists. The first explosion was a large truck bomb, going off...

Thai Billionaire Behind Red Bull Dead at 89

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:30:24 CDT

The Thai billionaire who sparked the worldwide "energy drink" craze and co-founded Red Bull has died of natural causes in Bangkok, the AP reports. Chaleo Yoovidhya was 89. Born to a Thai mother and Chinese father who sold ducks and fruit to survive, Chaelo died as Thailand's third-richest man. He...

Iranian Hit Squad Hid Bombs in Radios

Rob Quinn — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:17:00 CST

The suspected Iranian hit squad busted in Bangkok last week made cheap portable radios into bombs that they intended to use against Israeli targets, authorities say. Experts say the bombs are nearly identical to those attached to vehicles in attacks in India and the republic of Georgia , ABC reports. After...

Iranian Bomb Suspects Partied With Prostitutes

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:10:44 CST

Three Iranians suspected of plotting Bangkok bomb attacks on Israeli diplomats arranged to meet women as they planned their missions—and they weren't 72 virgins . They spent hours over two nights partying with prostitutes at a Thai beach resort in Pattaya, known for its sex industry, say authorities. One of...

Male Couple Kisses for 50 Hours

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:34:05 CST

A male couple in Thailand spent more than two days kissing to break the Guinness World Record for longest kiss. The competition began Sunday in Pattaya, and ended, fittingly enough, today on Valentine's Day. Couples had to stay in a space measuring one square meter, could only take water and...

Iranian Man Blows Off Own Leg in Thai Bombing

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:27:05 CST

An Iranian man blew his own leg off in Bangkok today, as a series of explosions rocked the Thai capital, the New York Times reports. The first blast occurred in the house the man was renting in a residential neighborhood; witnesses say three men who appeared to be foreigners ran...

China, Thailand Applaud Twitter Censorship

Rob Quinn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:24:30 CST

Twitter's controversial decision to allow censorship of tweets on a country-by-country basis has won praise from two of the countries with the busiest censors. In Thailand—ranked 153rd in the world for press freedom because of its strict laws against offending the monarchy—the country's information minister called the move...