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Thailand hot news, breaking stories, crime, politics, tourism, and business—stay updated with in-depth reports and exclusive interviews on the latest events across the country. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Thailand news source.

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    See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget

    The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...

  • This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you | Thaiger

    This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    “We hope to put Pattani on the world tourist map,” tour operator Fareeda Abdullah told Bernama. South Thailand’s Pattani province is not the first place people usually imagine for a holiday getaway. The province often makes headlines for sectarian tensions. But Pattani has an up-and-coming tourism industry. The province boasts breathtaking nature, including a beautiful mangrove forest in the Yarang…

  • WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse | Thaiger

    WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse

    The World Health Organisation Syrian branch representative has been accused of fraud, corruption, and abuse by coworkers. Akjemal Magtymova is now under what seems to be one of the most extensive investigations by the organisation as at least a dozen personnel have accused her of mismanaging millions of dollars, giving gifts to government officials and acting frivolously when the Covid…

  • Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts | Thaiger

    Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts

    A police sergeant with a gambling addiction faces time in prison after he was arrested for selling state guns to pay off his debts. Senior sergeant major, Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested at 3pm yesterday in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling about 160 police guns to pay…

  • US actor Kevin Spacey cleared in sex assault trial | Thaiger

    US actor Kevin Spacey cleared in sex assault trial

    US actor Kevin Spacey has been cleared of wrongdoing in a sex assault trial in New York. The actor was accused by Anthony Rapp of an incident that allegedly happened back in 1986 when Rapp was just 14 years old. Rapp says the actor climbed on top of him in a bed after a party and grabbed his buttocks, pressing…

  • Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket | Thaiger

    Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Are later closing times finally coming to Phuket? Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to test a 4am closing time on several tourist hotspots, including Phuket’s Bang La Walking Street in Patong, Nation Thailand reported. The ministry will soon seek approval from the Thai Cabinet for the pilot project there, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday. Other…

  • Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism | Thaiger

    Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism

    In yet another robust day of geopolitical debate in the European Parliament, another Irish MEP called out the hypocrisy of the West, this time for its state-sponsored terrorism. Following in the footsteps of her MEP colleague Mick Wallace, who on Wednesday slammed the double standards of the West, Clare Daly gave a refreshing account of geopolitics far from the usual…

  • Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around | Thaiger

    Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around

    UPDATE The girlfriend of one of the five Pattaya pool villa suspects claims her boyfriend was just there to look around. The unnamed girlfriend told Pattaya Police that her boyfriend “Rang,” was not involved in the shooting or assault, but was only there to look around because he was a friend of the suspects. Rang’s girlfriend claimed that Rang had…

  • Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle | Thaiger

    Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle

    Providing shelter and jobs for Bangkok’s homeless population is being quoted as an “uphill battle.” According to Thai PBS World, Deputy Bangkok Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon made such comments after meeting with city officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations on Wednesday. The meeting was to discuss homelessness in Thailand’s capitol and to develop ways to find shelter and jobs for them.…

  • Liz Truss quits as UK PM after only 44 days | Thaiger

    Liz Truss quits as UK PM after only 44 days

    Liz Truss has resigned as UK Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party after less than five weeks in charge. The 47 year old only yesterday said she “was a fighter and not a quitter” at Prime Minister’s Questions but she has resigned after only 44 days as the UK PM. Truss said she could not deliver the mandate…

  • Pattaya pool villa gunmen surrender | Thaiger

    Pattaya pool villa gunmen surrender

    UPDATE The five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday last night surrendered to police, The Pattaya News reported. The first three men to turn themselves in were 23 year old Saralan “Top” Yodthat, 24 year old Boonrit “Chooi” Chitma, and 29 year old Jirarot “Rang” Wattana. Police seized a Glock 19 handgun and two…

  • Awesome ways to show off your NFTs | Thaiger

    Awesome ways to show off your NFTs

    Are you an NFT art collector? Want to create a cool NFT display? After spending a large amount of money, it’s only natural that you want to display your precious crypto art for the world to see. Unlike physical artworks, showcasing NFT art can be challenging, especially since this booming art type is still in its early stage. However, there…

  • Pattaya’s efforts to get tough on graffiti not going so well | Thaiger

    Pattaya’s efforts to get tough on graffiti not going so well

    Pattaya’s efforts to get tough on graffiti don’t appear to be going so well. The city’s Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai promised on September 30 that he would go after vandals and people plastering advertisements on public property. Nongyai had said that electrical transformer cabinets around Pattaya were being defaced by spray paint and advertisements. But three weeks on, the intended…

  • Iran making moves to help train Russian forces, US sources say | Thaiger

    Iran making moves to help train Russian forces, US sources say

    US intelligence sources say Iran is making moves to help train Russian forces in Crimea, CNN reported. The Islamic Republic sent military personnel to Crimea, a territory occupied by Russia, according to two intelligence sources. The sources say Iran’s military personnel are training Russia’s military on the use of Iranian-made drones. This news comes after Russia launched “kamikaze drones” into…

  • Trump answers questions over alleged rape of journalist | Thaiger

    Trump answers questions over alleged rape of journalist

    Former US President Donald Trump yesterday answered questions under oath about the alleged rape of a journalist in the mid-1990s. The US journalist, author, and columnist, Elizabeth Jean Carroll, alleges she was raped in the Bergdorf Goodman luxury department store in New York in the mid-1990s. Carroll discusses the reported assault in her book, What Do We Need Men For?:…

  • Thai teen, 19, gets engaged to 56 year old woman | Thaiger

    Thai teen, 19, gets engaged to 56 year old woman

    Wuthichai Chantaraj, now aged 19, met his fiancée 56 year old Janla Namuangrak, when he was only 10. According to The Mirror, Wuthichai was Janla’s neighbour in Sakhon Nakhon province of northeast Thailand. Janla had asked for Wuthichai’s help with cleaning her home and both got to know each other. The couple later got into a relationship, and have now…

  • Thai baht plummets even further against US dollar | Thaiger

    Thai baht plummets even further against US dollar

    The Thai baht depreciated even further against the strengthening US dollar. Last month, the baht plunged to 38 to the dollar for the first time in 16 years. Today, US$1 is worth 38.35 baht. Market strategist at Krungthai Bank Poon Panitphiboon revealed that the baht weakened from 38.25 yesterday to 38.35 against the dollar this morning. As US bond yields…

  • Ganja galore: Over 1,000 cannabis clinics have opened this year in Thailand | Thaiger

    Ganja galore: Over 1,000 cannabis clinics have opened this year in Thailand

    It is ganja galore as Thailand has seen over 1,000 cannabis clinics open this year alone. According to Bangkok Post, the public health ministry noted that out of 1,026 clinics opened this year, 929 are run directly by the ministry. But, to prevent unwanted consequences of the plant’s legalisation, the ministry says such clinics are also doubling as research units.…

  • Phuket police say residents should avoid Patong | Thaiger

    Phuket police say residents should avoid Patong

    Phuket’s floods are continuing to ravage the island province. Phuket police are urging residents to stay at home unless they have an emergency. The police also say that Phuket dwellers should avoid going to Patong, The Phuket Express reported. The road leading to Patong Hill suffered from a landslide last night, and another one this morning. Police had to redirect…

  • US military advised to prepare for Chinese invasion of Taiwan | Thaiger

    US military advised to prepare for Chinese invasion of Taiwan

    The US military is being advised to prepare for China’s invasion of Taiwan after President Xi Jinping’s rhetoric becomes increasingly alarming. According to The Straits Times, the chief of US naval operations, Michael Gilday, is the latest senior official to raise alarms concerning China’s willingness to invade Taiwan. He voiced his concerns as President Xi delivered a landmark speech where he…

  • Illegal immigrants sneak into Thailand in modified pickup truck | Thaiger

    Illegal immigrants sneak into Thailand in modified pickup truck

    Police were stunned when they found two illegal immigrants squeezed under the cargo bed of a modified pickup truck in Tak province, northern Thailand, yesterday. As KhaoSod put it, “nice idea, but illegal.” A “spy” informed the police that two Thai men in a pickup truck were carrying illegal immigrants who had just snuck across the border from Myanmar into Thailand.…

  • Iran arrests 14 foreigners, blames “thugs” linked to “foreign enemies” for protests over woman’s death | Thaiger

    Iran arrests 14 foreigners, blames “thugs” linked to “foreign enemies” for protests over woman’s death

    Iran has arrested 14 foreigners for their alleged involvement in anti-government protests over the recent death of a young woman in police custody. The government blamed the recent protests as being linked to thugs and foreign enemies. American, French, and British citizens were among those arrested, according to Japan Today. The semi-official Fars news agency, which is believed to be…

  • Builders uncover corrupt Thai Army practices | Thaiger

    Builders uncover corrupt Thai Army practices

    Construction workers say they fear for their lives after stumbling over corrupt Royal Thai Army practices while building army premises. The builders employed the help of a lawyer after they discovered shady dealings while working on army housing loan projects, reported Bangkok Post. They are frightened they will be linked to these corrupt practices. The builders lodged a complaint, via…

  • Attack on master complainer was wrong says Deputy PM | Thaiger

    Attack on master complainer was wrong says Deputy PM

    The violent attack on Thailand’s master complainer, Srisuwan Janya, by another activist was denounced yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon. The well-known publicity-seeking Srisuwan was attacked at a press conference he organised outside the Central Investigation Bureau announcing he was going to file a complaint with the police against comedian Udom “Nose” Taepanich. Srisuwan believes Nose Udom’s remarks,…

  • Escapee prisoner captured by police on a roof in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Escapee prisoner captured by police on a roof in northern Thailand

    UPDATE Last night, police captured the escapee prisoner who broke out of Fort Surasakmontri army prison in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Tuesday. Police found the soldier on the roof of his friend’s house in Mueang district, Lampang province, where he had been hiding. Officers from Khelang Nakhon Police Station closed in on the townhouse at 10pm after receiving knowledge…

  • New Zealand gangster arrested in Thailand handed to FBI | Thaiger

    New Zealand gangster arrested in Thailand handed to FBI

    UPDATE The New Zealand gangster who was arrested in central Thailand has now been handed over to the FBI for prosecution, Thai police said yesterday. The gangster, 43 year old Shane Ngakuru, had been on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. Ngakuru is a high-ranking member of the Comancheros Motorcycle Club gang. He was allegedly involved in…

  • “Big Joke” says he needs 2 more days to catch Pattaya pool villa gunmen | Thaiger

    “Big Joke” says he needs 2 more days to catch Pattaya pool villa gunmen

    UPDATE The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, says he needs just two more days to catch the five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa yesterday morning. Surachate visited the scene of the crime yesterday and reviewed CCTV footage. He said he already knew the identities of the gunmen, and they…

  • Druggie pays for 10 baht snack with a meth tablet | Thaiger

    Druggie pays for 10 baht snack with a meth tablet

    A store owner filed a complaint with the police after a druggie tried to pay for a 10-baht snack with a yaba, or methamphetamine, pill. The shop owner, Supaporn Kanya, filed a complaint at Mueng Udon Thani Police Station yesterday. The 40 year old woman has a small grocery store in the Baan Lueam sub-district of the Mueng district of…

  • New Zealand gangster arrested in central Thailand | Thaiger

    New Zealand gangster arrested in central Thailand

    A gangster from New Zealand was arrested in central Thailand early this morning, after being on the run from the FBI and New Zealand Police. A New Zealand Police inspector confirmed to the New Zealand Herald that the gangster was arrested in Samut Prakan province in a joint operation with New Zealand Police, the FBI, and the Thai police. The…

  • Missing 50 million baht is a misunderstanding, says govt | Thaiger

    Missing 50 million baht is a misunderstanding, says govt

    UPDATE The Thai government says there has been a misunderstanding about the missing 50 million baht promised to tobacco farmers. The money is still in government coffers and would be distributed to tobacco farmers as promised by May next year. Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and relevant departments to investigate the missing 50…

  • A rogue official arrested for issuing ID cards to migrants | Thaiger

    A rogue official arrested for issuing ID cards to migrants

    A rogue government official was arrested yesterday for illegally issuing Thai identification (ID) cards to more than 50 migrants in exchange for money at the San Sai District Office in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai Governor Nirut Pongsitthaworn reported yesterday that the San Sai District Office hired a temporary officer to help out with document work. However, the officer turned out to…