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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New law expands venues selling alcohol despite Buddhist fest bans
The government is set to widen the scope of venues permitted to sell alcoholic beverages daily, following the enactment of a new law last week. This legislation allows five categories of venues to sell alcohol. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong stated that the new law, announced in the Royal Gazette on May 9 and effective from May 10, continues…
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Thai woman’s search finds missing mother ‘gone with the wind’
A Thai woman who was searching for her missing mother was shocked to find that her mum sold their shared home and was living happily alone. The mother accused her daughter of physically abusing her, prompting her to run away. The woman named Ree sought help from news agencies after her mother, Peng, disappeared from their shared home in the…
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Car catches fire after recent service, insurance confusion resolved
A 49 year old woman was left puzzled when her car, recently serviced at a centre less than a week ago, caught fire. The incident, yesterday, May 13, occurred on Theparat Road in the inbound express lane near the Highway Police Service Centre in Bang Chalong, Bang Phli district, Samut Prakan province. The local fire department, alongside the Poh Teck…
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Baht out of luck: Thai currency slips as greenback flexes muscle
The Thai baht is wobbling once again, with currency watchers bracing for a further slide this week as the mighty US dollar gathers steam following a temporary pause in the US-China tariff war. Analysts say the baht could weaken to as low as 33.80 per dollar in the coming days, as uncertainty lingers despite a fleeting boost in global market…
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Truce or just a tariff tease? Trump and Xi hit pause on trade war
The bitter trade war between the United States and China that rattled global markets is getting a breather — but don’t pop the champagne just yet. The US and China have agreed to suspend punishing tariffs on each other’s goods for 90 days, starting Wednesday, after a tense round of high-stakes talks in Geneva over the weekend. The temporary truce…
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Five test positive for meth in Phuket migrant worker camp inspection
In Phuket, an inspection of migrant worker camps in Thalang District resulted in five people testing positive for methamphetamine, according to officials in Thalang. The operation, conducted from 5pm to 7pm yesterday, May 13, involved a team comprising the Thalang District Office Special Operations Unit, Phuket Immigration Police, Phuket Provincial Employment Office, Sakhu Police, public health officers, and local community…
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Kratom and disorderly: Pattaya bar raided over illegal jungle juice
A Pattaya bar has landed in hot water after being caught red-handed selling kratom-laced cocktails and operating without a licence during a late-night sting by police and district officials. At around 9pm, yesterday, May 13, a special operations team from Pattaya City Police, alongside Bang Lamung district officers, swooped on a buzzing beer bar in Nong Prue, Chon Buri. The…
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Desperate Thai mother offers to sell organs to keep son alive
A Thai mother took to social media in a desperate attempt to sell her organs to raise funds to care for her one year old son and to seek a better home for the young boy. The 33 year old woman from the Isaan province of Sisaket initially shared photos of her son on Facebook to find an adoptive family.…
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Pattaya tour boat boss calls tourists ‘animals’ in foul-mouthed tirade
A Pattaya tour boat operator has been forced to issue a grovelling apology after being caught on camera swearing at a boatload of foreign tourists: calling them “animals” in a foul-mouthed rant that’s since gone viral. The shocking outburst unfolded aboard a Koh Larn Relax tour boat during a snorkelling trip to Koh Sak last Saturday afternoon, and was exposed…
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Chon Buri transgender MP seeks expulsion from People’s Party
A Member of Parliament (MP) from Chon Buri urged the People’s Party (PP) leader to expel him so he can join a new party, citing a lack of support for his work and experiences of sexism. Krit Chevathamanon, a transgender MP from the PP, held a press conference at the Parliament building yesterday, May 13, to announce his desire to…
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Homemade rocket explosion causes panic at Thai festival (video)
A homemade rocket exploded at the weekend at its launch base in Yasothon province, just as it was about to soar into the sky. This incident, which took place on Saturday, May 10, caused locals to flee for safety. The homemade rocket festival, known as Bun Bang Fai, is a tradition in northeastern Thailand, celebrated to ask for rain from…
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Foreign beggar gang busted for using kids as cash bait in Pattaya
A foreign beggar gang using children and the disabled to pull in cash from tourists has been busted in a dramatic sting operation by immigration police in Pattaya. Undercover officers, posing as holidaymakers, swooped on a group of Cambodians spotted hustling money from passersby at popular tourist spots around the city. Some of the suspects were seen carrying two or…
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Man arrested in Surat Thani for assaulting niece
A 49 year old man was arrested in Surat Thani after being accused of sexually assaulting his wife’s 13 year old niece. The arrest followed a warrant issued by the Surat Thani Provincial Court on February 2, 2024. The suspect, Samphan, allegedly took advantage of his wife’s night shifts at a hospital to commit the assaults, threatening the girl not to…
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Brake point: Biker gang batters Pattaya mechanic over 100 baht
A Pattaya mechanic was left bloodied and bruised after a gang of angry teens stormed his workshop and beat him senseless, all over a 100-baht parking fee. The shocking attack happened yesterday, May 13, at 1pm, when police were called to a motorcycle repair shop on Soi Khao Noi, near the railway in Chon Buri province. Responding officers found 27…
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Cha-am theft ring busted, stolen goods used to buy methamphetamine
A group involved in numerous thefts across Cha-am, Phetchaburi, targeting electrical wires and appliances, was apprehended. The suspects, who used the stolen proceeds to purchase methamphetamine, were involved in nearly 10 cases. Victims can inspect the recovered items at Cha-am Police Station. Police Lieutenant General Naiwat Phadermchit led the operation yesterday, May 13, at 2.30pm. The suspects, identified as 47…
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Thai man murders 2 year old stepdaughter for interrupting sex
A Thai stepfather murdered his two year old disabled stepdaughter for interrupting him while he was having sex. The child’s body was later found in a river in the northern province of Chiang Rai, . Police apprehended the stepfather yesterday, May 13, after the girl’s family reported her missing on May 10. They stated to officers at Mae Fah Luang…
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Message in the sand: Nepali tailor found dead on Phuket beach
A mystery death on one of Phuket’s most popular beaches has left locals and tourists shaken, after a Nepali tailor was found hanged with a chilling message written in the sand beside him. The body of the man, later identified as Marike, was discovered beneath a pandanus tree on Kata Beach in the early hours of yesterday morning, May 13,…
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Swedish man denies sexually harassing his Thai-Swedish daughter
A Swedish man denied sexually harassing his half-Thai, half-Swedish biological daughter at a hotel in the Isaan province of Udon Thani and accused his Thai ex-wife of fabricating the crime for financial gain. The 29 year old Thai woman, Suay, lodged a sexual harassment complaint with Muang Udon Thani Police Station and urged officers to rescue her 16 year old…
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Chiang Rai massage parlour busted for illegal activities
Police in Chiang Rai arrested a massage parlour operating as a front for prostitution, utilising undercover agents to confirm illegal activities. The establishment charged between 1,000 and 3,000 baht per hour, depending on the employee’s age and appearance. Yesterday, May 13, Chiang Rai Governor Charin Thongsuk, alongside Police Major General Manop Senakul, the Chiang Rai Provincial Police chief, and Police…
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Phuket red mist: Daft foreign tourist climbs traffic light to go green
A hapless foreign tourist in Phuket sparked outrage after climbing a traffic light pole in the middle of the night, in a bizarre bid to turn it green. The impatient biker, riding through the Samkong intersection at 1.20am, today, May 14, decided he’d had enough of waiting at a red light. So, in a moment of madness, he ditched his…
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High stakes: Teesside teen busted in cannabis smuggle shock
A Teesside teen feared missing in Thailand has turned up 4,000 miles away, busted in handcuffs and facing a possible life sentence after allegedly trying to smuggle a massive haul of cannabis into the ex-Soviet state of Georgia. Bella May Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, in the North-East of England, sparked a frantic international search after vanishing during what was…
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Bomb attack injures two officers in Pattani’s Yaring district
An explosive attack on a military truck belonging to the 44th Ranger Regiment Task Force in Pattani has left two officers injured. The attack took place at 1pm yesterday, May 13, when unidentified assailants planted a bomb in Yaring district. The explosive device, weighing approximately 15 kilogrammes, was hidden in the median of Highway 41. The blast injured two officers…
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Thai girl denied by police father gets support from TV host
A 16 year old Thai girl received educational support from a well-known news host after her mother was diagnosed with brain tumours, and her high-ranking police officer father refused to care for her. A female massage shop owner, Piao, went to an online community to seek help for her employee, Rung, and Rung’s teenage daughter, Noo Dee. The two wanted to…
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Brace yourself: It’s a ‘rai-ny’ day forecast for 46 Thai provinces
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today issued a weather warning, predicting thunderstorms and heavy rainfall across 46 provinces in Thailand, including significant downpours in Bangkok, affecting 70% of the area. Residents are cautioned against possible flash floods and sudden flooding, particularly in hilly regions and areas near water flow paths. In the next 24 hours, the southern and upper regions…
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Family of 11 under scrutiny for alleged incest and porn production
A Thai woman clashed with the founder of a non-profit organisation in the central province of Phetchabun after her family was accused of incest and pornography production. The alleged incest and pornography production involving a family of 11 members garnered significant public attention after the news Facebook page, Tan Bao, shared the story on Saturday, May 10. In the post,…
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Strong wind topples tree onto motorcyclist in Chon Buri
A 21 year old woman suffered a broken arm when a tree fell on her motorcycle during a strong wind, causing significant damage to the vehicle. The accident occurred at 11pm, yesterday, on May 12 on the Phanat Nikhom-Nong Samet road in Mueang district, Chon Buri province. Emergency services were called to the scene by the Sawang Het Ban Thung…
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Knife fever: Brit suspect flees after Frenchman knifed in Phuket
A Frenchman is fighting for his life after being savagely stabbed outside a Phuket nightclub, with one British suspect fleeing the country and another still on the run. What began as a wild night out in Cherngtalay turned into a horror scene in the early hours of Sunday, May 11, when 29 year old French tourist, Nubel, was knifed three…
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Thai woman publicly severs ties with scam mother
A Thai woman publicly announced that she cut ties with her biological mother after the mother repeatedly used her identity to deceive men online. The woman’s daughter, Phantiwa, took to her Facebook account to inform her followers that she would no longer be involved with her mother, Suphat, and would not be held responsible for any damages caused by her.…
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China slump no drag-on for Phuket, says property tycoon
Fears that China’s economic slowdown could batter Thailand’s tourist trade have been brushed aside by a luxury property boss, who insists Phuket is still booming thanks to big spenders from elsewhere. Phuket’s posh property scene is still sizzling despite fewer Chinese tourists hitting the island and one property mogul reckons it’s all just a blip. Allan Zeman, chairman of the…
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Thai government expedites land for farmers in 17 provinces
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Juangroongruangkit yesterday tasked Sueknit Srijomkwan, Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs, to instruct Kulpat Phumjai-ud, Director of the Land Bank Management Institute, to expedite land allocation for farmers across 30 communities in 17 provinces. This initiative aims to provide farmers with their land to cultivate, promoting sustainability and stable…
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