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 one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip
Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...
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Soldiers water down protest plans ahead of PMs north-eastern visit
Police visited the home of an Ubon Ratchathani academic over the weekend to ask that he and university students refrain from engaging in protests when PM Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha visits the north-eastern province over the next few days. Khaosod English reports that police officers went to the university lecturer Teerapon Anmai’s home and asked him not to make any political…
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Four Dubai tourists pulled out of the Nai Harn surf
Four male tourists were dragged from the surf off Nai Harn beach after getting into difficulty in waves last night (July 22). Nai Harn lifeguards rescued four Dubai male tourists at 7pm last night (Sunday). The head of Nai Harn Lifeguards, Jula Nontree, says, “The incident happened at 7pm (just after sunset) after we had finished our official working hours…
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Phuket’s crocodile arrives at Patong bay
Our latest crocodile update reports that it was last seen his morning (July 23) off Tritrang Beach in Patong Bay. Locals say that they have spotted the crocodile of Tritrang Beach at 9.15am. Karon Deputy Mayor says, “Last night we didn’t see the crocodile. It was last seen in the waters off Karon Beach near the Karon roundabout at 5.30pm yesterday…
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Pattaya’s “sex gurus” ordered to remain in detention as they continue fight
Ten Russian self-appraised ‘sex gurus’ at the centre of a sex-techniques course held in Pattaya in February have been ordered to remain in detention by the Pattaya Court. The Thai News Agency are reporting that eight of the ten involved in offering the course appeared in court at the end of last week. The Court asked if they admitted their crimes…
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Search for Phuket’s elusive reptile continues – Crocodile sightings off Karon Beach
A “crocodile catching operation centre” has been set up at Karon Beach on Phuket while the professional crocodile catchers from Surat Thani are still battling with strong winds and waves to find the elusive reptile. Beachgoers have been walking along the beach instead of being allowed to go into the water. The crocodile was last officially seen early yesterday morning…
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Teacher hangs herself ‘to atone for sins of previous life’
A 40 year old has been found dead, hanged in an apparent suicide at her parents’ home in Suphan Buri province, north west of Bangkok, yesterday. The former contract teacher had claimed to have memories of her previous life as a soldier who had taken many lives. The suicide report of Somkid Ridkanto in Tambon Sa Kaew, Muang district said she had…
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Rights groups call for laws to stop child marriages
“This isn’t just a marriage, but may be child abuse.” Defenders of Thailand’s children are calling for legal actions and amendments to laws to tackle the increasing number of “premature” marriages throughout the country. Activists say that such marriages harm the children. The comments follow the controversy of a 44 year old Malaysian man who ‘married’ an 11 year old…
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Same-sex civil union bill ready for Cabinet in two months
A same-sex civil partnership law should be drafted and discussed before next year’s elections. Pitikarn Sitthidech, the Rights and Liberties Protection Department chief, saystThe law, allowing same-sex couples to formally register as life partners, should be drafted by September. It would then be submitted to Deputy PM and Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong, who would decide whether it should go to…
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Floods continue to cause havoc in the north, west and central
Floods are causing havoc across swathes of provinces across Thailand. From the north in Chiang Mai, to the west in Kanchanaburi and as far south as Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ranong. The Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation chief says that the flooding has been triggered by tropical storm Son-Tinh which still sits over Laos, so far affecting 13 Thai…
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Global Green Hotel Report – the third annual edition launched
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com The Green Lodging Trends Report 2018 (the third annual report) has been launched and will remain open until August 10, 2018. To participate, which is free, hotels need to sign up using the link HERE. Given the current influx of tourism to Phuket and all resort markets across Southeast Asia, this is a invaluable tool…
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Going north – Elusive Phuket crocodile avoids capture again
Phuket’s latest elusive crocodile escaped catch this morning off Karon Beach. It was first sighted off Yanui and Nai Harn beaches from Wednesday this week when a fisherman said it tried to chase him. Since then the crocodile has been taunting officials and professional crocodile catchers and making a slow track north long the island’s west coach beaches – yesterday…
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Boeing says Asian region biggest growth area for aviation in next two decades
By Data Leads. PHOTO: Thai Airways Boeing 787 Asian countries are estimated to require 16,930 more airplanes by 2037, making the region the fastest growing aviation area in the world. Boeing’s annual forecast, the Commercial Market Outlook, reveals that the world fleet of jet planes would need 42, 370 new planes valued at US$6.3 trillion. The forecast predicts that the global…
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“Not for sale at any price” – Mu Pa Academy VP
In the wake of 13 of their young footballers being rescued from the Tham Luang caves, TNA reports that some of the world’s biggest football clubs are showing interest in actually buying the Mu Pa football academy. But the club’s vice president and manager Kittipong Intaechai says, despite the interest, his club is not for sale at any price. Mr…
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Elon Musk “should be put up against a wall and shot” – Mother of UK diver Unsworth
The UK ‘The Sun’ is reporting that the 88 year old mother of UK cave diver Vernon Unsworth says American tech billionaire Elon Musk should be shot for falsely branding her son a ‘pedo’. Musk twittered the insult towards the cave expert after Unsworth branded the tycoon’s offer to build a mini submarine to free the trapped Thai schoolboys a PR…
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Great southern comforts – Narathiwat
by Pattarawadee Saengmanee The southern province of Narathiwat is a great place to chill, unspoilt by mass tourism and full of southern surprises. Narathiwat shares a border with Malaysia. A stone’s throw from the Narathiwat airport are the white sands of Ban Ton Beach where I stretch out while my media friends tuck into a Southern-style lunch in Chulabhorn marine camp’s…
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Man ties up mother, abducts 18 year old daughter in Hua Hin
PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath is reporting that Police have arrested a man who tied up a Hua Hin cleaner then abducted her daughter from a foreigner’s house. The incident happened last Tuesday in Hua Hin. The mother and daughter were working as cleaners for the house but were confronted at knife point by the intruder. The man is reported to…
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Machete-wielding BKK motorist jailed for threatening woman
The South Bangkok district court has handed down a sentence today on a male driver. He’s been sentenced to 2 months and 15 days behind bars. The sentence follows the man’s indiscretion caught on a dash cam (video and story below), threatening a female driver with a knife on July 18, after he drove against the traffic to cut in…
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Singapore Airlines back on top. Thai Airways in 10th place.
PHOTO: Flyer Talk Singapore Airlines is back on top after a decade held out of the top airline position by middle-eastern competition. It’s their fourth win since the Skytrax World Airline awards started back in 2001. The island nation’s national carrier was named Airline of the Year at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline awards. Singapore Airlines was last top of the…
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Burmese maid returns bag containing $11,000 to tourist
Daily News is reporting that a tourist from the Netherlands has thanked a Burmese maid at his hotel on Koh Samui. 37 year old Sawee Let Mau showed it was not just the Thais who are high up in the honesty stakes. Sawee found the green bag under some stairs – it contained AUD$ to the tune of 280,000 baht –…
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Sangkhla Buri floods declared a disaster zone
Kanchanaburi Governor Jirasak Phumsawat has declared Sangkhla Buri a flood disaster zone to speed up help to affected villagers. The governor took the action after seven villages in Tambon Nong Lu and three villages in Tambon Laivo were hit by floods on Friday morning following heavy rains that hit 70 per cent of the district.The disaster-zone declaration allowed the provincial…
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Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep housing protests ramping up for August
The protests against the construction of the Thai judge’s residences on the slopes of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai has gone quiet over the past month. That’s all about to change. Activists from leading non-governmental organisations from eight northern provinces will next month join a massive protest against the special housing for judges on Doi Suthep. The Nation reports that…
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Flooding ‘critical’ in Sangkhla Buri – Kanchanabui province
The flooding situation is now considered critical in the Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi province, situated on the Myanmar border, as Highway 323 is still about 1.2 metres under water, making it impassable to small vehicles. Thai PBS reports that the heavily-flooded Highway 323 has also made it difficult to deliver patients from Thong Pha Phum Hospital to Phahon Pholphayuhasena…
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Phuket crocodile discovered on Kata Noi Beach
The crocodile was last seen resting on the shoreline of Kata Noi Beach early this morning (July 21). Swimmers have been banned from going into the water while the capture operation continues. Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos reported yesterday afternoon that the crocodile was heading to Kata Beach after spending two days taunting officials and professional crocodile hunters in the sea…
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Surat Thani croc-hunters to the rescue
(cue dramatic music and slow-motion shot of team walking down Nai Harn Beach, probably with their shirts off) The ‘Crocodile Hunters of the Tapi River Basin’ have arrived in Phuket to save the day as they help track down a 1, 2 or 3 metre reptile that’s been getting a lot of media and local authority attention but, so far,…
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Data of 1.5 million patients stolen, including the Singapore PM
PHOTO: Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong The personal data of 1.5 million patients, including the Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong and a few ministers, has been stolen. Some 160,000 people also had their outpatient prescriptions stolen. In Singapore’s worst cyber attack, hackers have stolen the personal particulars of 1.5 million patients. Of these, 160,000 people, including PM Lee Hsien…
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Foreign media slammed for intruding on the Mu Pa 13
The Mu Pa 13 spoke to the Thai and world media on Wednesday night in a one-time-only media conference. Authorities said that it was now time to leave the team alone and let them re-unite with their families and friends, and get back to their studies and football. The media have mostly respected the wishes and left the team alone…
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Water Park Wars – Phuket wettest battlefield
by Xinyi Liang-Pholsena of ttgasia.com ttgasia.com is reporting that the water park battle in Phuket is getting very intense as new players enter the marketplace. Among them Blue Tree Phuket, poised to open its doors early 2019 as an upscale family entertainment and lifestyle complex. The sprawling 22.5ha development, located around Cherngtalay, is the result of a joint venture comprising…
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Sattahip: 15 year old motorbike driver crashes with her 3 year old brother
Two children have been injured riding a motorbike in Sattahip, south of Pattaya. The pair were hurt when their motorbike slammed into a utility pole during heavy rain in Sattahip. The Pattaya Mail reports that 15 year old Umarin Chumchai suffered a broken leg July 10 while her 3 year old brother Thanakorn Charoenwong escaped with only scrapes and bruises.…
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Channel dredged between Nai Harn beach and lake to help with croc catching
A channel has been dredged to connect Nai Harn beach with Nai Harn Lake to allow the crocodile to move in, making it easier to catch (The Thaiger suspects the crocodile might be on to the officials’ Cunning Plan). More than 50 officials and a specialist crocodile catcher team from Surat Thani have been planning to catch the crocodile while…
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Man douses young Thai woman in petrol, sets her alight and is given bail
Thai Rath has reported on the case of a Bangkok man who doused a 22 year old Thai woman from Ubon Ratchathani in petrol while she was eating with friends at a somtam stall. Thai Rath notes that the 23 year old Thai man, who committed the crime, was given bail by the court in Bangkok and is currently free. He has…
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