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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Residents in a Chiang Rai district forced to breathe poisonous hydrogen cyanide for months
Thai people on the border of Thailand and Myanmar have been suffering for months after they unknowingly inhaled poisonous hydrogen cyanide (HCN) being belched into the atmosphere by a factory in Myanmar. Residents in the Mae Sai district of Ching Rai province have been protesting for months about a noxious odour and what appears to be low-white clouds hanging above…
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Phuket restaurant managers arrested for selling parrotfish
There’s been another parrotfish incident in Thailand, this time in Phuket. Three restaurant managers on the island province have been busted for selling parrotfish, a protected animal in Thailand. Officers inspected restaurants in Karon on Tuesday and Wednesday. The three restaurants inspected were Chic Restaurant, found with nine parrotfish, Bounty Seafood, found with five parrotfish, and Ton Tan Seafood, found…
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Police auction off water buffaloes seized from drug dealer in northeast Thailand
Thai police confiscated 16 water buffaloes from a drug kingpin in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand, and sold them at auction today for almost 390,100 baht (US$10,882). Earlier this month, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) seized 4.2 million baht in assets from “Yutt Nong Ya Khao,” the kingpin of a drug trafficking network in Isaan. The court…
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VIDEO: Chinese President Xi berates Canadian PM Trudeau ahead of APEC
Things could get a bit feisty ahead of tomorrow’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau exchanged a few choice words at the G20 Summit in Indonesia. President Xi yesterday confronted Canadian PM Trudeau at the summit in Bali and accused him of lacking “sincerity” after he leaked details of a…
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Songkhla hotels demand longer opening hours on Malaysian border
Longer opening hours for a controversial night entertainment strip which borders Malaysia in Ban Dan Nok, Songkhla, will boost the local economy and attract visitors according to the Hatyai Songkhla Hotels Association, who have a lot to gain if the change goes ahead. Association president Sitthiphong Sitthiphatprapha said Ban Dan Nok had been left out of tourism promotions, despite many…
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Thailand gets 200 million baht discount for World Cup TV licence
Three days before the first match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off and Thailand is out on the street with a begging bowl trying to collect money from both the government and private sectors to cover the broadcasting licence. Incredibly, FIFA gave in to Thailand’s embarrassing ancient bartering scheme and knocked 200 million baht off the original asking price…
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Senior sets junior student on fire in sick Uni hazing ritual in Thailand
Senior students at a famous university in Bangkok sprayed a first-year student with spray paint and set him on fire during a hazing ritual – or initiation ceremony – causing him serious burns on his body and genitals. Thanaphon [surname reserved], a 19 year old mechanics student, filed a complaint at Bang Phlat Police Station after he was attacked and…
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Skyline walk near CentralWorld closed during APEC meeting
Popular shopping mall CentralWorld, in Bangkok, informed its customers yesterday that the skyline walk near the shopping mall will be closed from now until the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on Saturday, November 19. The skyline walk is closed from the Chaloem Phao Intersection to Gaysorn Village near Erawan Shrine for 24 hours. CentralWorld itself and other…
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Search continues for French tourist missing in Thailand
The search for the missing French tourist believed to be lost in the jungle in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand continues today after it was temporarily called off last night due to heavy rains. He was last seen six days ago. Three witnesses provided useful testimony which has helped police to narrow down their search. Frenchman Gollino Cyrit Tizzlano…
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The spiritual significance of lotus flowers in Thailand
If you live in Thailand, you’ve probably noticed the country’s scenic lotus flowers blooming in ponds across the kingdom. These flowers add a great deal of beauty to Thailand’s scenery. But did you know that lotuses also hold significance in Thai Buddhism? Lotuses grow from mud, and are therefore believed to symbolise growing toward light and warmth, and rising above…
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Anti-APEC protesters warned not to pop a squat at Bangkok’s City Hall
Anti-APEC protesters are being warned to not pop a squat at Bangkok’s City Hall after the “Citizens Stop Apec 2022” leader said they intended to remain there. Patsaravalee “Mind” Tanakitvibulpon, the group’s leader, says many protesters had travelled from other provinces and had no way of finding accommodation, so they planned on sleeping overnight at City Hall. According to Bangkok Post,…
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Former US President Donald Trump announces 2024 White House bid
Former US President Donald Trump has officially announced his bid for the 2024 White House after teasing fans for months. Trump is defying calls from GOP key party leaders and donors after a huge loss in last week’s midterm elections. According to The Straits Times, Trump ploughed forward filing federal paperwork to declare his 2024 run, just 23 minutes before…
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Two petrol stations bombed in southern Thailand
Two petrol stations in Pattani province in southern Thailand were bombed yesterday evening. No one was killed or seriously injured. Police believe the attacks were carried out by insurgents and possibly in retaliation to an incident on November 7 when the police killed an insurgent who bombed a petrol station in Pattani. There were seven warrants out for his arrest…
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4 teenagers arrested from a sadistic gang of 17
Police arrested four teenagers from a sadistic gang of 17 members who kidnapped, tortured, and forced three teenage victims to perform oral sex for one of the gang members. One of the gang members is reported to be an actor in a Thai Netflix series while a perverse woman in the group is reported to be famous on Thai TikTok.…
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Unhinged cop shoots bar owner after being refused free food & drinks
An unhinged cop allegedly killed the owner of a karaoke bar in the southern province of Songkhla last Sunday, November 13, because he refused to offer free food and drinks. The senior sergeant major of police, Santiparp Rit-it-thiphat, was temporarily removed from his position after he shot dead the karaoke owner, 55 year old Pranate Chuea-la-ong. The victim’s wife, 55 year…
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After seeing smoke, Swedish man’s car burst into flames
A Volvo turned into a fiery inferno in Phuket with its owner barely escaping injury after pulling over the car when he saw smoke. The incident took place on Monday afternoon as a Swedish man was driving toward Rawai Beach. The 57 year old man had been driving around without any sign of a problem until he saw smoke under…
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Fisherman reels in dead body from Chao Phraya River
A Thai man went fishing last night at Nonthaburi Pier on the Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok and unexpectedly hooked the dead body of an unidentified man. The 37 year old fisherman, Pitsanu Phukird, told police that he was fishing on the pier at about 1am when he caught what he believed was a big fish. Pitsanu’s…
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Thai airline oversells tickets on domestic flight causing passengers to miss wedding
Four passengers looking forward to a wedding sadly didn’t make it in time after a Thai airline allegedly oversold tickets on a domestic flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Udon Thani in northeast Thailand this morning. At 8am, Phaiboon Sawanprai – a subdistrict chief from Rayong province – told reporters that he had bought four valid plane tickets via…
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Unruly passengers disrupt two flights in Singapore
Since the Covid-19 pandemic air rage has been a disturbing growing trend. And this past week, Singapore had two incidents of flights being disrupted by unruly passengers. A flight on Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier, was delayed when passengers refused to fasten their seatbelts for landing. And last week, a passenger was banned from Singapore Airlines after lashing out and…
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Lush lotus flowers in Northern Thai province draw tourists
Lush pink lotus flowers in one northern Thai province are drawing tourists to the area. Bueng Boraphet, a lake and swamp in Nakhon Sawan province, currently has lotuses covering an area of over 100 rai. A staffer at the Bueng Boraphet Wildlife Sanctuary Office said the lotuses have been blooming since early this month. The staffer said the lotuses are…
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Thai elephant given to Sri Lanka lives unhealthy life & works hard
Animal rights protection organisation RARE Sri Lanka urges Thailand to reclaim the Thai elephant they gave them 20 years ago because the animal is suffering at the hands of its owners. RARE Sri Lanka told Thairath that the Thai elephant, Sak Surin or Mathu Raja, was given to Sri Lanka as a gift in 2001. The Thai elephant was requested…
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Gambling den security guard says no shoot out occurred
A security guard robbed during a shoot-out last week at a Samut Prakan gambling den has reported to the police. Wutthipong Khotsaen was wanted for unlawful possession of a weapon and discharging it illegally in a public place. The 28 year old Wutthipong reported to Muang police station, on Monday. The shoot-out came to light when the community Facebook page…
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NEON Countdown EDM Festival comes to Bangkok
Making plans for New Year’s Eve? Love dance music? Read on. This year, Bangkok will celebrate New Year’s Eve with the NEON Countdown, a three-day EDM festival. The event is gathering big names in electronic music from around the world. They just announced their first lineup. World-famous DJs like Afrojack, Alan Walker, Axwell, Da Tweekaz, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike,…
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South Thailand province welcomes first female Muslim governor
One South Thailand province welcomed its first female Muslim governor yesterday. The new governor of Pattani, 57 year old Pateemoh Sadeeyamu, is the former deputy governor of Narathiwat, and Yala provinces. Several prominent people in the community hailed the appointment of Pateemoh as the governor of Pattani. One former lecturer at Prince of Songkhla University said that Pateemoh has extensive…
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Donki drops ads on premium Thai rice after making Thais angry
Japanese supermarket Don Don Donki dropped an advertisement for premium Thai rice at one of its Bangkok branches after some Thai people got offended by the messages in the ads. A Thai man posted a picture of the price tag and an advertisement banner of some jasmine rice at the Don Don Donki Supermarket in Bangkok on Facebook on Monday,…
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Frenchman missing after hiking in Khao Sok National Park
The search is on for a French tourist that has been missing for five days since going on a hike around Khao Sok National Park. The man said on Saturday morning that he was going for a walk in the jungle and has not been seen since. The man was officially reported as missing yesterday. The 30 year old Gollio…
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After heavy floods, Patong Hill road reopens to some traffic
While officials now believe it will take months to fully repair the storm-damaged motorway over Patong Hill, the road has been partially reopened to limited traffic this morning. The reopening comes after a night of heavy rain caused flash flooding all around the island. Kathu and Phuket Town were particularly hard-hit by the torrential downpours. Amid the heavy rains in…
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The three best dishes you may have not tried in Thailand
Upon travelling or living in Thailand, it is undoubtedly expected that you will go on a food cruise of the many amazing dishes of the country. But, despite Pad Thai and Tom Yum popping into your mind as options for lunch, try these lesser-known, yet unbelievably tasty dishes below. Pad Kra Pao Known as the real national dish of Thailand,…
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Asia at the FIFA World Cup, Part 2 – The Best
As Thai football fans scratch around for a team to follow at the FIFA World Cup and the government scratches around for a billion baht to pay for it, what makes one country so good at the beautiful game, and the country next door bad? South Korea are the best at football in East Asia, with Japan not so far…
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THAI Airways makes resurgence with addition of nine more aeroplanes next year
THAI Airways International Plc (THAI), is making a resurgence after it says 60% of its pre-pandemic fleet has resumed service. The company says nine more aeroplanes will be in service next year as the country’s flag carrier says an increase in travel has helped the ailing carrier. Thai Smile Airways, a subsidiary of THAI has also made a resurgence as…
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