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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Faith-based businesses: Your good luck is their bad luck
There’s big money in misery. In times of economic downturn and instability, many Thais turn to spiritual practices such as prayer, amulets, and fortune telling for support. As a result, many faith-based businesses have emerged to offer solutions to people’s problems. But as the economy grows stronger and more stable, faith business profits are falling. With the onset of the…
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Police say key suspect in macau888 case fled Thailand last month
Police say that a key suspect in the Macau888 gambling network case fled Thailand last month, along with his girlfriend. The suspect, 32 year old Kittipong ‘Big’ Kajornboonthavorn, is the younger brother of alleged macau888 gambling kingpin ‘Benz Daeman.’ Benz was finally arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport upon his return to Thailand on February 14. According to the head of the Cybercrime…
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Trafficker abandons 106 illegal migrants stuffed inside truck in Thailand
Police discovered 106 illegal migrants crammed into a truck in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, western Thailand, yesterday. The driver was nowhere to be found. A concerned forklift driver rang officers at Bang Saphan Police Station to say that he believed that a “suspicious” vehicle parked on the side of Petchkasem Road was carrying illegal immigrants. Police arrived to find a…
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Man arrested 19 times for thefts in Pattaya
Maybe the 19th time is the charm? A man was arrested in Pattaya for stealing a Russian woman’s phone, and, as it turns out, he had previously been arrested for theft 19 times before. The 54 year old Thai man was arrested this time after he was caught stealing a phone from a Russian woman. She reported to the police that…
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Grab driver caught on tracking app stealing passenger’s phone
A group of friends turned detective to successfully track down a lost mobile phone using a tracking application after it had been stolen by their Grab driver. They cancelled pre-booked flights and a vacation trip worth over 10,000 baht and set out to track down the thief. The incident was captured on video by one of the victim’s friends, 26…
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Tourist films himself smoking blunt while riding elephant in Thailand
A tourist in Thailand has filmed his experience riding an elephant while smoking a blunt and posted it on Instagram. According to Leafly, Mikhail Harrison rolled up some GUMBO and went into the jungle for an exotic experience. He posed the question, “If you could smoke weed with an elephant, which strain would you pick?” on his Instagram page. In…
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Pattaya Police find 5 motorbikes stashed in forest
We’ve all had trouble finding motorbikes in a big, crowded parking lot. But in Pattaya, five stolen Honda Wave 110 motorcycles were found deep in the forest where no one might ever look. According to the vice village headman, the motorbikes were found with broken handlebars and stripped seats and were discovered hidden in the forest. The motorbikes were recovered…
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Thai ambassador to UK attends football captain ‘Dom’s’ funeral
Thailand’s ambassador to the UK joined the funeral service for Duangphet Phromthep, or “Dom,” who was captain of the Thai football team that was rescued from a cave. The Royal Thai Embassy said Ambassador Thani Thongphakdi attended yesterday’s funeral along with students and teachers from Dom’s school, the CEO of Leicester City Football Club and others. The embassy says Buddhist…
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Drunk lawyer tries to flee after causing 9 vehicle crash
A drunken lawyer attempted to flee the scene of a crime in his damaged car after he crashed his Isuzu MU-7 SUV into nine cars on the road in the Isaan province of Udon Thani. The blood alcohol content in the alleged drunk registered at a staggering 219 milligrammes. This is significantly higher than the legal limit of 50 milligrammes, indicating…
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Thailand’s Cobra Gold war games sees largest US attendance in decade
Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold war games have seen the largest attendance by the US in a decade. The international military exercise started yesterday and runs to March 10. The unprecedented attendance by the US military is thought to be part of Washington’s efforts to build ties with a key security partner as geopolitical competition with China is on the rise.…
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Agoda says these are the most popular vacation spots for Thai families
According to early 2023 search data from the travel platform Agoda, Pattaya is the most popular destination for Thai families looking for a domestic vacation this year. Hua Hin/Cha-am, and Phuket followed in second and third place. The full list of the top 10 most searched domestic destinations by families includes: Pattaya, Hua Hin/Cha-Am, Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri,…
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Pattaya Police arrest 14 street beggars including nine kids
Pattaya Police are cracking down on street beggars by arresting 14 just last night. The arrests come after many complaints from tourists and residents. The arrests were of migrant workers, nine of whom were aged two to six years old. Patikorn Sornchai, deputy commander of Chon Buri Provincial Police, led the operation while Social Development and Human Security Officers combed…
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Cowardly British man on run in Thailand after abusing ex-girlfriend
A cowardly British man is on the run and believed to be in Thailand after administering the “most despicable psychological, emotional, and physical abuse,” on a former girlfriend. Nicholas Cash was found guilty of several charges, including controlling or coercive behaviour, assault causing bodily harm, criminal damage, and administering a poisonous or noxious substance with intent. These convictions followed a…
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Chang focuses on the mass-premium beer market
Chang beer’s parent company, Chang International Co., is eyeing the mass-premium beer market to expand its catalogue and profits. The company announced plans to invest 1 billion baht to grow its beer business and strengthen its portfolio with Chang Cold Brew. With the pandemic easing, the economy coming back, and tourism blooming, people are spending more on booze. Chang is…
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Courageous deer survives multiple bullets and finds new home in Hua Hin
A courageous deer, who endured multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by poachers, has been relocated to a rescue centre in Hua Hin. Park rangers found the injured Sambar deer in Thailand’s Kaeng Krachan National Park, Hua Hin Today reported. The park borders the Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces. Officials from the Department of National Parks sought help from the Wildlife…
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Man robbed at gunpoint by prostitute’s husband in Isaan
A man highlighted the dangers of booking a prostitute after he was robbed at gunpoint by the sex worker’s husband in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. The criminal couple was arrested on Monday, which also led to the arrest of ten other prostitutes, but because the victim did not file a complaint with the police the couple got off…
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Police find Abby Choi’s head cooked in soup pot
Police report that the decapitated head of Hong Kong model and socialite Abby Choi, who went missing last Tuesday, was found in a soup pot. The Hong Kong police Police Superintendent revealed that her head had been boiled until only the skull remained. “When we found the two pots of soup at the scene, one of the pots measuring 50…
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Thai man prints banner thanking court for imprisoning his sons for 33 years
An attempted murder survivor from Udon Thani in northeast Thailand had a huge banner printed thanking Udon Thani Court for imprisoning his two sons for 33 years. His sons tried to kill him over a land dispute, the court ruled. The banner reads… “Thank you to Nong Han Police and prosecutors at Udon Thani Court for sentencing my ungrateful sons…
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Phuket police arrest Swedish man on drug production charges
Police arrested a Swedish man in Phuket, southern Thailand, on drug charges today and are preparing to revoke his permission to stay in the kingdom, reports Matichon. On December 15 last year, police initiated the project, “White Residence for Foreigners (Free From Crime and Drugs) Project” in Phuket province. The ongoing project aims to weed out drug crimes and criminal behaviour among…
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Thailand gears up to welcome more cruise ships
Thailand is gearing up to welcome more cruise ships. The country is making efforts to improve existing ports, and building new ones, according to government spokesperson Anucha Buraphachaisri. Today, Anucha cited data from the Tourism and Sports Ministry, revealing that cruises are becoming increasingly popular among tourists. Some 1,800 to 2,400 tourists arrive in Thailand on cruise ships every year…
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Finnish expat found dead with throat cut in Chon Buri
A Finnish expat was found dead with his throat cut in Thailand’s Chon Buri province this morning. His Thai wife, 49 year old Aranya Srisaeng, told police that she was the first person to find the body of her husband, 57 year old Markku Tapanni Karjalainen. His death was reported at 8.30am. Karjalainen had lived with Aranya in a single-storey…
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Bangkok gambling den bust sees five police officers transferred
The Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 5 transferred five police officers from the Khlong Tan Police Station to work at the metro police headquarters after 48 gamblers were arrested on Sunday at a gambling den in their area of supervision in Bangkok, Thailand. The officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau raided a gambling den in Soi Pattanakarn 54 in the Suan…
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Thailand to resume cockfights and other animal sports, gambling allowed
Thailand is resuming cockfighting and other animal fights, with gambling allowed under strict conditions, the Ministry of Interior announced on Friday. Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Suttipong Junjaroen officially announced that cockfighting, horse racing, Siamese fighting fish battles, bullfighting and cow racing may all resume now that the pandemic has subsided. Betting will be permitted under strict conditions, so long as…
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Thailand’s Phetchaburi immigration office to move next month
Thailand’s Phetchaburi Immigration office is set to move to a new location next month. The office will move from its current location in Tha Yang to a new office in Cha-am, with the opening date scheduled for March 20, 2023. The new location will be situated in Khao Yai sub-district, near Khao Nang Phanthurat Forest Park, and is expected to offer…
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Bombs explode near Thailand-Myanmar border, injuring at least 3
A series of bombs exploded near the Thailand-Myanmar border last night, injuring at least three people. At least five explosions, which took place in the city centre of Myanmar’s Tachileik province, were reported to have occurred near the headquarters of Myanmar’s pro-junta Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Thai media reported that the injuries were not serious. Thailand and Myanmar’s…
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Collapsed crane kills Cambodian worker at Bangkok construction site
Tragedy struck at a construction site in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok yesterday when a tower crane collapsed and killed a Cambodian worker. Thai news outlet Channel 7 reported that the crane’s sling was broken, causing the crane’s arm to crash down on the worker, 31 year old Sophanna. Two other Cambodian workers were injured in the incident. One of the…
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Chinese and Indian investors buying up Pattaya
Pattaya has been attracting foreign investors for years, but now Indian and Chinese investors are leading the way, buying up businesses in the area and catering to people from their home countries. Business people in the Chonburi province have commented on a rise in businesses specifically by and for Indian and Chinese tourists. Indian investors were the first to strongly…
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Tuk tuk driver punches foreign tourist in the face in Bangkok (video)
A tuk tuk driver was caught on camera punching a foreign tourist in the face, twice, at the entrance of Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, the citizen journalism page ‘Social Hunter Reborn V‘ posted a chaotic four-minute-long clip on Facebook of a heated argument at the entrance of Khao San Road in Bangkok,…
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Thai teacher in US accused of sexual relations with 16 year old student
A Thai teacher at a high school in Seattle in the state of Washington was accused of having sex with his 16 year old student. He was arrested at the school on February 17 and released on bail the next day for US$100,000 or 3.5 million baht. The Seattle Times reported yesterday that a Thai man, 32 year old Pawares…
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Bangkok police help Chinese tourist get phone back after she left it in a cab
Bangkok police helped a Chinese tourist get her phone back after she accidentally left it in a cab. The incident happened on Friday at around 5.45pm near Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection. Chinese national Wang Chunhua notified Lumpini Police Station about her missing phone through the SOS system under the Smart Safety Zone initiative. After receiving the report, officers went to the…
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