News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Police intercept 9 million methamphetamine pills near Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai police have foiled an attempt to smuggle nine million methamphetamine pills in Wiang Pa Pao district this morning. Police found the drugs when they intercepted and searched a car on the Chiang Rai-Chiang Mai road in Ban Tala village in Tambon Sanslaee. Police declined to give details of the arrested suspects, saying they need to conduct further investigations…
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“We have sufficient evidence against Thanathorn” – Police
Deputy national police chief says that police likely have sufficient evidence to support the sedition charge filed against Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. Future Forward eclipsed even their own projections with a surprising performance on the Mach 24 election, coming in a close third behind the heavyweights Pheu Thai and Palang Pracharat, at the expense of the Democrats. Thai PBS reports…
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Man drowns after being washed off rocks in Rawai
A man’s body has been washed up on Nai Harn Beach today after going fishing near the windmill in Rawai. Chalong Police were notified at 10am this morning that the body of the man was found floating near Nai Harn Beach. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the body on the beach where lifeguards had already…
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Recounts and new elections ordered in eight polling stations
PHOTOS: The Nation The Election Commission has decided that two polling stations should recount their ballots while six others should re-hold the election due to discrepancies in the number of ballots in those booths. The two polling stations that have been ordered to re-count the ballots were in Nam Pong District in Khon Kaen province. The poll results they provided…
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Motorbike passenger dies after being crushed by bus in Kathu – VIDEO
A motorbike passenger has died at hospital after being crushed by the rear wheel of a bus in Kathu yesterday. Kathu Police were notified of the incident at Seekor Intersection on Phra Phuket Kaew Road in Kathu at 9.25 am yesterday. Emergency responders arrived to find the damaged motorbike along with the driver, 19 year old Sahassawa Churat. He had…
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Brunei’s draconian new penal code comes into force
PHOTOS: Beverly Hills Hotel, just one of many hotels partly owned by the Brunei royal family Outrage greets Brunei’s anti-gay laws and draconian punishments as they come into force. The harsh new criminal laws in Brunei, including death by stoning for sex between men or for adultery, and amputation of limbs for theft, is now in effect. Despite an international…
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Motorbike driver dies after slamming into parked truck in Phuket
PHOTOS: Kusoldarm Foundation A motorbike driver has died at the scene of the collision in Mai Khao after slamming into the rear of an asphalt truck this morning. The Tha Chatchai Police were notified about the incident on Thepkrasattri Road, northbound in Mai Khao at 7.20am. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the body of a man who was…
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74 year old Swede found dead in his Udon Thani home
PHOTO: khaosod.com A 74 year old Swedish man was found dead in his Udon Thani home yesterday. He is believed to have died about a week ago. Police say there are no suspicious circumstances. His body was sent for an autopsy at the Udon Thani Hospital. A neighbour called police at 6.45pm last night to check the house in Moo 1…
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Bogus policeman arrested for extorting Bangkok lottery sellers
FILE PHOTO A man has been arrested for allegedly disguising himself as a policeman to extort money and lottery tickets from at least two lottery ticket vendors who sold overpriced tickets in Bangkok. 40 year old Poramin Sartsomboon has been arrested over the matter. Police say Poramin was arrested on Sunday after parking his car in front of Thepsirin Temple,…
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Four kilograms of marijuana found in delivery pickup in Nakhon Si Thammarat
PHOTOS: Infantry Division 5 A parcel delivery driver has been found with four kilograms of marijuana in his Kerry Express pickup truck in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Infantry Division 5 reports that while soldiers from the Infantry Division 5 were on their duty at a normal checkpoint in Chulabhon District, they stopped a pickup truck doing parcel deliveries. They found…
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Former EC Commissioner says ‘Give seats to smaller parties’
A former Constitution Drafting Commission member, Praphan Naikovit, once a member of the Election Commission, met with election commissioners yesterday to discuss the formula that should be used to determine the number of MPs following an extensive debate on the interpretation of laws and formula. He says there is just one formula to calculate the number of party-list MPs in…
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Forecasts for Thai export growth revised upwards
The meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking has revised upwards its forecast of export growth in 2019 to between 6.5 – 7.5% from the previous forecast of between 3.5 – 4.5%. The revision is in line with export growth in the past eight months, the committee said. Growth momentum is expected to continue during the…
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Luxury beachfront suites at The Bay & Beach Club
The Bay & Beach Club boasts luxurious beachfront accommodation in the heart of Patong. Situated right on the soft sands of the beach in an area lined with palm trees, the resort is just a few steps away from the clear waters of the Andaman Sea. The Bay & Beach Club offers luxurious accommodation all designed with the finest contemporary…
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Big, wide beaches, but where are the stars of the show?
The video opens with travelogue music from the 1970s and the rest of the segment was missing the main stars – tourists. MCOT Presenter Preewat Bupsiri explains to the viewers about the 400 million baht that had been spent on new sand to widen the beach from a mere 5 metres to the artificially bloated 35 metres wide. A 2.8…
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Future Forward’s Thanathorn summoned to acknowledge sedition charges
“I believe that millions of people who cherish justice will stand by me and are ready to show they will not put up with dark power that intends to destroy Future Forward.” Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is complaining that his Future Forward party is being intimidated by a “dark power which refuses to let go of Future Forward”. He has been summoned by the police…
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Army chief steps into the political fray again
PHOTO: Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong against a snappy hot pink backdrop by Supalak Ganjanakhundee Army chief General Apirat Kongsompong’s provocative comments against foreign-educated politicians with ‘leftist leanings’ and activists is a threat to democracy, and could lead to social unrest, violence and even collapse of the regime… warnings from prominent Thai scholars and rights defenders yesterday. The comments follow…
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Royal foundation helps solve wastewater problems in Ao Nang
The Chaipattana Foundation, one of Thailand’s royal projects, has offered a hand to help solve the critical wastewater problem in Ao Nang, Krabi. Wastewater flowing from Klong Jak into the sea in Ao Nang has continued for over a decade, according to locals. Despite ten years of complaints, the wastewater problem hasn’t been solved. Read more about a recent complaint HERE.…
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Man drowns in Kathu lagoon, Phuket
PHOTOS: Kusoldharm Foundation A man has drowned while fishing in a lagoon in central Phuket yesterday. Kusoldharm rescue workers were notified of the incident at a lagoon in Kathu before noon. Rescue workers arrived to find a body of a man lying on the ground near the lagoon. There were no signs of a struggle on his body. The man was identified…
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KL Cobras capture top tier in Land of Smiles ice-hockey tournament
PHOTOS: Naratip Srisupab The New Delhi Sacred Bulls, the Shanghai Red Guard and 22 other teams competed in the City of Angels Ice Classic held March 27-30 in Bangkok at the Rink, Grand Central Rama IX. The Kuala Lumpur Cobras shut-out the Dubai Mighty Camels 3-0 to win the top tier in the tournament. Cobra captain Rich Hutson brought in…
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Swiss/Thai children run away from home claiming Thai mother beats them
PHOTO: The Nation Two children, who fell off a drying rack at a Bangkapi apartment block last May, have now run away from home saying their Thai mother had been beating them. Their remaining sibling is staying with the mother. One of the four siblings, a boy, died in the fall that happened when their mother was out at work…
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Is Thanathorn the new Thaksin? Will the ‘establishment’ tolerate his new political vision?
Is Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit a popular fad or does he, and his party, have the staying power to make him a sustainable threat to the entrenched Thai political elite? Many analysts are comparing Thanathorn to Thaksin in his early days. They say there are clear similarities. First off, Thanathorn is facing the kind of legal trouble that…
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Election Commission admits they haven’t decided on the formula to determine lower house
by Kas Chanwanpen In a stunning admission yesterday, the Election Commission admitted they didn’t know the exact formula to work out the final make up of the lower house seats. The Election Commission secretary-general Jarungvith Phumma says that he expected the agency to make a decision this week on their interpretation of the new Charter that sets out, broadly, how…
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Pattaya hit by sudden topical deluge
PHOTOS: Pattaya One Pattaya was inundated with two hours of unseasonal and sudden rain yesterday late morning-early afternoon, the result of a random ‘summer storm’ system that dumped heavy, localised rain on the seaside resort. The rains started at about 11am and continued for two hours, leaving many roads under water and impassable. The roadside drains struggled to get rid…
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Three suspects arrested with drugs in Patong
PHOTOS: Patong Police Patong Police have arrested three suspects with methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine in Patong. All three arrests happened yesterday. Patong Police report that they have arrested a 46 year old man. Police seized 261 methamphetamine pills. Police have als0 arrested a 46 year old woman with 30 methamphetamine pills. And in a third arrest police arrested another…
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JetSki crashes into shop in Kamala, Phuket
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Not often we get to write this headline… “JetSki crashes into shop in Kamala”. The jetski was being towed by a Saleng (motorcycle and side-car) through the streets of Kamala this afternoon when, for reasons we don’t yet (probably brake failure), the whole shebang went AWOL and ended up running into the front window of some tourist…
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Wastewater still flowing into Mudong Canal in Chalong
Officials from the Environment Office Region 15 in Phuket, along with Chalong municipal officials, have inspected the Mudong Canal. Water in the canal flows through villages and markets in Chalong and Wichit before getting to the open sea. Local villagers were complaining that the untreated water caused fish to die and that there was a bad odour all the time.…
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Iranian tourist fleeced during visit to Walking Street in Pattaya
PHOTO: Sanook Sanook reports that an Iranian man was robbed by a female pickpocket while walking along Walking Street in Pattaya with his girlfriend. The 32 year old Sadej told investigating Police that a Thai woman had come up to the wandering couple and gave him a hug. But he says he politely pushed her away and the woman just melted back…
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Activist’s car torched – Election Commission impeachment petition damaged
PHOTO: Thai PBS A car belonging to one of the activists campaigning for impeachment of the Election Commissioners at a rally in Rajaprasong intersection, Bangkok on Sunday, has had his car torched this morning, the second time in a week. Aekkachai Hongkangwan claims in a Facebook post today that his car was burnt beyond repair and some of his documents,…
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Koh Phangan and Koh Tao try to shake off monthly boom and bust
by Bill Barnett Thailand’s idyllic Koh Phangan island is renowned globally for its marque Full Moon parties. On the heels of soaring demand for the big event, visitor numbers surpassed the one million ceiling two years ago and over a five-year period registered compound annual growth rate of 17%. While the numbers are impressive, the reality for resorts on the…
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Patong lifeguard wins first prize in the Thai lottery, 30 million baht
“I will continue doing my job as a lifeguard. I love my job and I am happy with it.” 32 year old Nara Nalack, Patong lifeguard, has won first prize in the bi-weekly national lottery, receiving a prize of 30 million baht. The Thai lottery is announced twice each month (the 1st and 16th of each month). The first prize ticket…
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