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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Motorcycle rider dies after crashing into stage on road
A motorcycle rider died in the early hours of this morning after he crashed his bike into a stage set up in the middle of the road for the Loy Kratong Festival in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Officers from Phimai Police Station were notified about the accident at 5.30am. Officers found the dead motorcycle rider, 24 year old…
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Doi Inthanon in Chaing Mai spots first frozen dew of the year
The first frozen dew of this year was spotted this morning at Thailand’s highest mountain, Doi Inthanon, in Chiang Mai. The lowest temperature there is four degrees Celsius. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation reported that the very first frozen dew was witnessed at Doi Inthanon National Park appeared for visitors to check out. Snow is rarely…
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“India’s first voter” has died
A retired teacher labeled “India’s first voter” died on Saturday morning. The man, Shyam Saran Negi, passed away at 106 years old. Shyam is believed to have been the first person to cast a ballot after India gained independence from the British, and held its first election in 1951. Ever since then, he has voted in every one of India’s…
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Thai woman arrested for smuggling drugs into Japan inside her body
Japanese border police arrested a Thai woman for smuggling drugs into Japan by concealing them inside her body, reported the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thani Saengrat this morning. The ministry received a report from the Royal Thai Embassy in Tokyo about the body packing case yesterday, said Thani. The 41 year old Thai national – Wiwiew…
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Hundreds of tourists climb Chiang Mai mountain for glorious sunrise view
The glorious view of one mountain in Thailand’s iconic northern province of Chiang Mai drew hundreds of tourists yesterday. The tourists crowded the summit of the 1,100-metre peak to watch the sunrise through the mountain’s misty fog. The mountain now expects to see more visitors in the coming months, since Thais like the cool new year temperatures and the Covid-19…
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VIDEO: 19 killed in Tanzania plane crash
Nineteen people were killed in a plane crash in Tanzania yesterday, major news outlets reported. The plane was headed to the town of Bukoba from Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam when it crashed into Lake Victoria. Rescuers rushed to the scene and coordinated with nearby boat operators. Video footage shows the plane almost completely submerged in the water, with only…
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Middle Eastern tourists steal phones from Pattaya hotel
Pattaya Police are on the lookout for two Middle Eastern men who robbed two mobile phones yesterday from a hotel at Soi Pattaya Sai Song. A 43 year old member of the hotel staff, Siriwan Saeng-Arun, told police that the two Middle Eastern tourists requested to see a room before booking on Saturday, November 5. Siriwan showed the alleged tourists a…
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Thailand to surpass tourism target thanks to Malaysians and Indians
Thailand is set to surpass its target of 10 million tourists by the end of the year thanks to an influx of Malaysian and Indian visitors. Thailand has welcomed over 1 million tourists from Malaysia and almost 600,000 tourists from India so far in 2022. Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists topped the list of Thailand’s foreign arrivals year in and…
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Immigration police show off arrests of foreign criminals in Thailand
Officers from Thailand’s Immigration Bureau held a press conference on Friday to reveal the results of five ‘important’ recent criminal cases in the kingdom involving foreign perpetrators. Immigration police are hunting down foreign criminals in Thailand ahead of the APEC meeting in Bangkok later this month. Police recently announced a crackdown on foreign criminals to ensure the safety and security…
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Bangkok governor promises more dance space after Thai youth win international comp
Bangkok’s governor has promised to create more space for street dancing in the capital after a Thai youth dance group won several awards at an international competition. The dance troupe won 36 prizes at the UDO World Street Dance Championships 2022 in the UK in August. The categories the group won included “Ultimate Advanced,” “Super crew,” Team under 12,” “Solo…
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Marketing in Thailand as a Foreigner: Volume #2.2 Ad Campaign Crossroad: Global Materials vs. The New Investment
Sometimes, It’s Okay to Wear Socks and Sandals Foreign marketers sometimes need to be bold enough to wear socks and sandals in a tropical country like Thailand to stand out. If you wonder why: READ HERE. I have no space for rewriting all this; otherwise, you would think this article is too long, but it is already long enough that…
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UN highlights toxic foreign policy of the US in Cuba
The cruel, repressive foreign policy of the United States was brutally highlighted last week when the UN General Assembly demanded the US to end a 60 year economic embargo on Cuba. The near-unanimous vote by the UN Assembly, for a 30th consecutive year, sent a strong message to the US to end their toxic foreign policy toward Cuba. The vote…
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Asia at the FIFA World Cup, Part 1 – Bad times
With the FIFA World Cup less than two weeks away and no Thai team to cheer for, The Thaiger takes time to reflect on the good and bad times of Asia’s teams at the world’s premier sporting event. Thai people are crazy about football, but their national team is… not very good. But while Thailand has nothing to be proud of, there…
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Thailand ends emergency Covid vaccine procurement
The winding down of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit a new milestone as the emergency use procurement of vaccines has now ended. The Ministry of Public Health announced that it has officially cancelled its plans to obtain more vaccines against the coronavirus. The end of the programme was officially published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday and was put into…
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K-pop band NCT 127 end Jakarta concert on crush fears
K-pop sensation NCT 127 ended their first concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, early on Friday when 30 fans fainted in a crush. The world is still reeling from the fatal events in South Korea last week, while Indonesia still grieves for more than 130 people, including more than 40 children, who died in a stadium crush last month. The concert near…
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Malaysian celeb Diva AA drops out of election on dead mother’s advice
And you thought Thai politics and elections were crazy! A celebrity candidate, Diva AA, running for Malaysian parliament has pulled out of the race against his brother because his mother told him to. His dead mother. Malaysia is holding its 15th general election this year, commonly referred to as GE15. Voting will take place on November 15 across the country. A…
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Chiang Rai doctor suspended over ‘stupid’ argument
A doctor at Chiang Saen Hospital in Chiang Rai province has been suspended and is facing an investigation from the Medical Council of Thailand after a loud argument with a patient. Hospital director Sookchai Theansavettrakul explained the problem stemmed from miscommunication between the doctor, the patient and her relatives. Sookchai said the hospital had suspended the doctor for five days pending…
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Singaporean man trashes red-plate Lamborghini on Don Mueang Tollway
A bright yellow Lamborghini Aventador with red plates driven by a Singaporean man smashed into other vehicles on the Don Muang Tollway on Saturday morning, resulting in injuries to drivers and passengers in the other vehicles. The accident took place in the southbound lane of the tollway, near Don Mueang airport, said Pol Lt Col Teerapoj Thongkate. It’s the second…
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No fury like a ladyboy scorned – toyboy pulls gun
Fury gripped a middle-aged ladyboy in Phatthalung when she caught up with her toyboy lover at a hotel with a woman until he pulled his gun on her. On November 1, Phatthalung police arrested 18 year old Apichart Thongdeepeng on suspicion of threatening to shoot Amnuay Sukkaew, 28 years his senior. The pair say they have been together a year.…
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Too bad to be true – the 2 baht meth pill
Meth pills that cost 300 baht each just a few years ago, are now available on the street for as little as 2 baht each, according to police and the Bangkok Post, but are we obliged to believe them? Why would we start now? The revelation comes in an article in Bangkok Post which begins by talking about the speed…
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“Ari reset,” a great handing over plastic bottles campaign.
“Ari reset,” a great campaign, would like to invite the Ari brothers and sisters to join in handing over plastic bottles. Ari Around would like to invite the Ari brothers and sisters to join in handing over plastic bottles of all sizes that are no longer used for the “Ari Reset” campaign to help reduce the amount of plastic bottles…
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Thai carer who beat her lover to death denied parole in UK
A Thai woman in the UK who beat her elderly lover to death with a hammer has been denied parole and permission to move to an open prison. Bunthawee Rimmer, who was 49, at the time of the killing, was jailed for a minimum of 11 years in July 2012 for the murder her lover Paul Norfolk, 77 years old.…
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Twitter employees lay off begins after Musk takeover
Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has been swift and rattling after months of trying to back out of the deal. It is rumoured that Musk plans to lay off 75% of Twitter’s 7,500 employees. And the axe started swinging on Friday. Stay-home orders were given to thousands of employees at Twitter which may signal they’re being laid off. Some new sources…
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Today’s tourists can hit Thailand’s island-hopping heights
When it comes to Thailand’s southern beaches, island-hopping on the less well-known east coast appeals to more adventurous tourists. Three main islands – Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan –surrounded by many smaller islands still offer surprises to even the most jaded of beach bums. Overnight it for a day or two on the big names, and make…
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Life of A Sex Worker In Bangkok
Sex tourism is something that happens around the world. A potentially unfortunate byproduct of the tourism industry, it’s particularly prevalent in tourism in Thailand. Statistics for sex tourism in Thailand are hard to come by. Estimates suggest there are anywhere between 250,000 and two million sex workers in the country. Many still like to paint sex workers as a different…
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AoT bans lanterns near airports for upcoming festivals
Loy Krathong is upon us, and with it, Yi Peng, the lantern festival. Thousands of lighter-than-air lanterns drift up into the sky in a peaceful show for celebrating onlookers. But the Airports of Thailand (AoT) have issued a reminder warning that flying lanterns are strictly banned in the areas around the six main airports in Thailand. As beautiful and tranquil…
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Rescuers save 2 year old boy with head stuck in gate
Every parent’s worst nightmare came true on Thursday for a Chinese mother. Her two year old son sustained serious injuries in a freak accident that saw his head get stuck in an automatic gate mechanism. The terrifying incident occurred in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri on Thursday, and luckily police were on the scene to jump in and…
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Police bust 2 drug parties, arrest 43 teenagers
Move over adults, it’s time for the kids to join in. After a series of high-profile raids on entertainment venues around Thailand, in part as a crackdown on drugs after the meth ties to the daycare centre killer, police busted two parties full of mostly teenagers in Chon Buri this week. Police officials announced that in the early hours of…
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Khon Kaen Zoo treats tigers and hippos to Loy Krathong feeding festival
Today, staff from Khon Kaen Zoo in northeast Thailand held an untraditional Loy Krathong festival for their resident tigers and hungry hippopotami. Loy Krathong translates to “floating banana tree trunk.” Traditionally, Thais celebrate the festival by making a buoyant decorative basket (Krathong) and float (Loy) it on a river. The Krathong floats away, along with all your worries, anger, and…
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Cricket ice cream, anyone? Another quirky food at APEC Summit in Bangkok
On top of noodles with sandworm sauce, another adventurous food is competing at the APEC Summit in Bangkok this month: cricket ice cream. The cricket ice cream is one of several “future foods” competing in the “plate to planet” competition. The competition’s website describes the ice cream, called ProTim Magnet, as a Magnum-style ice cream. It is made with crickets,…
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