Bangkok News
Dive into the latest happenings in Bangkok with The Thaiger. Our team delivers up-to-date news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from the heart of Thailand’s dynamic capital. Keep your finger on the pulse of Bangkok’s ever-evolving political, economic, and cultural scene, as well as its thriving entertainment and nightlife. Stay informed about local events, transportation updates, and expat experiences in this vibrant metropolis.
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Investigation launched into Don Mueang passenger building collapse
The Ministry of Transport has begun an investigation into the partial collapse of a new passenger building at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, the home of most of the international discount airlines and some of the domestic budget carriers. According to the initial damage assessments, a heavy storm on Sunday evening led to a build-up of rainfall that the building’s guttering…
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Democrat party leader apologies, ‘accepts responsibility’ for Prinn’s sex scandal
Thailand’s Democrat party leader has publicly apologised and accepted responsibly for the high-profile sex scandal of Prinn Panitchpakdi, who stepped down last week as the party’s deputy leader, as a wave of sexual abuse and rape allegations mount against him. Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters in Bangkok on Monday, commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit apologised on the party’s…
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Arrest warrant issued for former Thailand PM Yingluck after she skips court date
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was issued an arrest warrant by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Tuesday, after she failed to appear at the court’s hearing for charges in a case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC. Hardly a surprise, the former elected PM of Thailand fled the country in 2017 and…
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3 more women break their silence, adding to claims of Prinn’s alleged sexual abuse
More potential #MeToo victims are coming out of the closet, as Thailand faces what may be the largest sex scandal involving a senior politician. On Monday, another three women filed complaints with police against former Democrat deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi, for a total of eight women who have officially accused him of sexual misconduct, according to a report by the…
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Rescue worker shot dead after rival volunteer groups brawl in Bangkok
A volunteer rescue worker has died, after reportedly receiving a lethal gunshot wound to the chest during a street brawl that broke out between two rival volunteer foundations on Sunday in Bangkok. Officers from Thonglor Police Station investigated Kasam Rat Road in front of Lotus’s Rama 4 branch in Bangkok yesterday, after receiving a report of a fight between two…
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UPDATE: Former Democrat deputy leader now temporarily released, Bangkok
THE LATEST After agreeing this morning to temporarily detain the former deputy leader of the Democrat political party, the Bangkok South Criminal Court has temporarily released Prinn Panitchpakdi on bail on the condition that he wouldn’t leave the country without the court’s permission. The former deputy leader posted bail surety of 700,000 baht. Thailand’s Immigration Bureau was to be informed…
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UPDATE: Bangkok court approves detention of former Democrat deputy leader
UPDATE After over 20 women came forward this week accusing former politician Prinn Panitchpakdi of sexually harassing and assaulting them, the Bangkok South Criminal Court has now approved detention for Prinn this morning (Sunday). Three of the alleged victims lodged complaints with Lumpini police, and the police requested that Prinn be detained for further questioning about the allegations. Prinn attended…
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Alleged victim of sexual assault by politician withdraws from Bangkok election
A woman who is alleging former Democrat party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi raped her, has announced yesterday she was withdrawing from the Bangkok city councillor election. The woman, Anna Vidhyaphum, said in a Facebook post that she wanted to show that her accusation against Prinn is not politically motivated. Anna’s party, The Ruam Thai United party, issued a statement yesterday…
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Does Thailand need casinos? Study to be submitted next month
In May, a committee of Thailand’s cabinet members and politicians will submit a study on the feasibility of bringing casinos, and casino resorts to Thailand, to the country’s House of Representatives. The first resort would likely be in Bangkok, however the committee is discussing opening more in other tourist destinations after that. Rumours have yet to be confirmed that Las…
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Argument between Bangkok ‘Win’ drivers ends in a fatal shooting
A motorcycle taxi driver, aka. ‘win’ driver, has surrendered to Bangkok police after shooting and killing a fellow Win driver. The incident happened in the Prachacheun area, north of the Bangkok metropolis near Chatuchak. A CCTV video shows 53 year old Chatchai Sukjaidee travelling down Soi Sarmsuk in the Bang Sue area. But 44 year old Sompong called him back to the…
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Democrat deputy leader quits party to fight accusations of sexual harassment
Thailand’s Democrat deputy leader, Prinn Panitchpakdi, announced his full and immediate resignation from the party on Thursday, in order to fight claims of sexual harassment claims, which he is denying. As of today, about 20 people have reported to police accusing Prinn of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or rape, according to Khaosod. During a press conference yesterday afternoon, he appeared…
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Thailand deploys troops to Khao San Road to combat water splashing tourists – VIDEO
Call in the troops! That’s been the response from Thailand’s government after reports of foreign tourists (you get bet there were plenty of locals in there as well) engaging in “dangerous water splashing behaviour” spread like wildfire on social media at the start of the Songkran festival, well Songkran eve to be precise. Bangkok authorities deployed the military, in addition…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport adds arrival QR code to ease confusion
Travellers are being recommended to download a QR code had been created and is available from April 14 at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, aka. BKK. Airport management are claiming the new QR code will assist them and help them to find the booth of their booked hotel. After numerous complaints, confusion, and congestion in the arrival area, angry visitors looking for…
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Scam bam thank you mam! Thai PBS anchor scammed out of 1 million baht.
A Thai PBS TV anchor is the latest high-profile victim of phone scammers in Thailand. Thai PBS is a government-owned public broadcaster. Pattima Komolbawonkul posted on her Facebook that she had lost 1 million baht through a phone scam. She claims that the scammer posed as a Thai police officer from the Ranong police (just north of Phang Nga province).…
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Bangkok gets the Sht Holiday treatment (their spelling, not ours)
Sht holidays has blessed us with their withering review of the Thai capital. Some may wonder where exactly they visited when they cobbled together this unpleasant collection of Bangkok sex-tourism clichés. The Sht Holidays Facebook page only has 41,763 followers but does the same for tourism around the world as Rotten Tomatoes does for film-reviews. Clearly rather cynical ‘Aussie’ humour,…
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UPDATE: Bangkok airport claims Test & Go crowding was temporary, problem already fixed
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has responded to the complaint from a Thai YouTuber about the seemingly chaotic crowds of international travellers arriving under the Test & Go entry scheme on Sunday. He said that people coming into the arrivals hall didn’t know where to go, couldn’t find their hotel transport, the awaiting hotel shuttles were randomly crowded behind barriers and it…
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Independent candidate leads Bangkok’s race for a new Governor
An independent candidate is leading the record pack of 31 running in the forthcoming election for Bangkok’s Governor. In Bangkok’s first Governor election in 9 years, Chadchart Sittipunt, a former Pheu Thai heavyweight, is favoured by 38.8% of 1,362 eligible voters polled in the Bangkok area. The poll was conducted from April 5-7. The runner up at the moment is…
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BMC candidate reveals transparent ads to reduce car accidents, netizens disagree
One inventive candidate for the Bangkok Metropolitan Council has come up with a new design for campaign ads, saying his transparent banners would reduce car accidents. The candidate said such banners would not block the visibility of drivers, as they can see through the clear plastic material, unlike traditional banners. However, Thai netizens, who have been keen on clearing the…
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Prayut advises Bangkok governor hopefuls on drainage system, population density
Following a record registration of 31 candidates for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, PM Prayut advises the future governor, whoever that will be, to continue solving the city’s problems. Prayut offered a few pointers on several pressing issues, including Bangkok’s drainage system and population density, saying, “May I offer moral support to all Bangkok governor candidates”. Prayut said in order to fix Bangkok…
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Highest ever number of gubernatorial candidates register in Bangkok
The highest ever number of candidates, 31, have registered for Bangkok’s upcoming gubernatorial election on May 22. This will be the 11th gubernatorial election in Bangkok, and the first held in nine years. The chairman of Bangkok’s election commission said all candidates will be invited to the government complex on Chaeng Wattana tomorrow to be briefed on the election guidelines. Right…
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Khao San Road businesses cancel Songkran party plans for third year running
Splash-happy tourists can cross out Bangkok’s Khao San Road from their water bucket list this year, after local business owners officially cancelled their plans to hold and Songkran celebrations in the capital’s tourist hotspot, formerly referred to as a “backpacker haven”. It’s the third consecutive year Khao San area operators have halted their famous water fights, much to the chagrin…
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PM Prayut wants to fix Bangkok’s smelly canals
It’s no secret that Bangkok stinks. When you take a breath of “fresh air” on the street, it’s not rare for a concoction of barbecued chicken, pollution and sewage to enter your nose. Even after living in Bangkok for a number of years, the smell never gets any less pungent, especially in the summer months. The issue is untreated wastewater…
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Thai netizens complain election banner forces Western woman in wheelchair into street
A video of a wheelchair user who got stuck on the sidewalk due to Bangkok’s governor election ads and had to take a dangerous detour into the street has gone viral on Thai Twitter. The incident follows many more complaints about the election banners, which have been blocking almost every sidewalk in Bangkok. The city’s banner bombardment has given Thai…
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Business owners on Bangkok’s Khao San Road kiss goodbye their Songkran plans
Businesses on Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road are axing their Songkran celebration plans, following news that they would have to abide by several restrictions. This would include an alcohol ban, having to provide free face masks to partiers if their masks got wet, and being held responsible if partiers took off their masks. The president of the Khao San Road…
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9 of Thailand’s restaurants ranked on “Asia’s 50 Best” list, all in Bangkok
“Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants” has included nine restaurants in Thailand on its 2022 list. The Thai restaurants featured on the list are located in Bangkok. While some of the restaurants serve traditional Thai cuisine, others serve international flavors, as well as fusion dishes. One restaurant, Le Du, serves Thai food with a French twist. Le Du ranks number 4 of…
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Candidates for governor register in Bangkok
Candidates for Bangkok started registering at City Hall 2 yesterday. Registration will last until April 4, and polling will be on May 22. The candidate to arrive earliest was an independent candidate who showed up at City Hall at 6am. Other candidates represented several different parties including Thai Sang Thai, the Democrat Party, and Move Forward Party. The independent candidate…
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Foreign man’s gold necklace stolen while filming video in Bangkok’s Asoke
A western man’s gold necklace was stolen as he was taking a video of himself walking in Bangkok’s Asoke area off Sukhumvit Road. As he was walking by the BTS station at night, a person who appeared to be a transgender woman approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug and unclasping the necklace. The foreigner didn’t…
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Songkran 2022: Bangkok allows “traditional water sprinkling”
No foam parties or powder smearing will be allowed in Bangkok during Songkran next month, but when it comes to water splashing on the Thai New Year, known for massive water gun fights, the rules are a bit vague. “Traditional water sprinkling” is allowed, but officials did not go into detail about what exactly that means. The Bangkok Communicable Disease…
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Investigation launched in central Thailand after 2 oil tanker explosions in a month
An investigation is being launched into why there have been 2 oil tankers explosions in Bangkok in the space of a month. The Transport Ministry has instructed the Marine Department to launch a probe into the explosions, the latest of which occurred on Sunday. The Ampar 8 was carrying over 3 million litres of crude oil from the island of…
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Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events
Business operators on Bangkok’s Khao San Road have been told they should forget about holding water-splashing events this Songkran. So says Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, ahead of a meeting of Bangkok’s communicable disease control committee today. This looks set to be the third Songkran in a row during which water splashing is banned, with the government ever-wary of triggering…
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