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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money
Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...
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Pattaya cops arrest spurned lover armed with gun after car chase
A high-speed car chase between police and a spurned lover armed with a gun ended when officers managed to arrest the man in a state of emotional duress in Pattaya. Police were called to the scene of a domestic dispute between Jane Ditphakdi and an unnamed woman, who rejected his advances, and another man trying to mediate the argument yesterday…
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Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla diagnosed with an unfortunate infection
If you’ve ever heard the advice “never get a haircut from a bald barber” you know that even something completely natural can tarnish the image of a brand in people’s minds. So, much like being judged for being an overweight fitness instructor, it’s a bit awkward for Albert Bourla that people now know he’s been infected by Covid-19, considering he…
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Aung San Suu Kyi receives additional 6-year prison sentence
Deposed Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi received an additional jail term sentence, this time six years for corruption, adding to the 11 years she has already. Suu Kyi was jailed by the military junta that overthrew the government on February 1, 2021, as she tried to introduce democracy. She was sentenced previously to 11 years in jail for breaking…
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Police officer who shot noodle vender sentenced to 25 years
A Phuket police officer who shot a noodle vendor on the streets of Patong when drunk last year has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars for the crime captured on video by security cameras. The 25 year old victim is permanently disabled from the incident. Pornthep Channarong was off-duty and was out drinking the night before shooting Aroon Thongplab…
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Mountain B Pub’s real owner surrenders while police guard venue
The presumed real owner of the Mountain B Pub has now turned himself in. Somyos Panprasong, now considered to be the actual owner of Mountain B Pub, which claimed the lives of 19, after his son Sia B surrendered to police in the wake of the fire, reported to the Phlu Ta Lung Police Station today and was placed under…
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A monk dies in yet another day of Buddhist shame in Thailand
A history of bad blood between two monks yesterday resulted in the death of one on yet another day of shame for the Buddhist faith. There has been an endless number of monastic scandals over the past year in Thailand involving Buddhist monks being caught engaging in inappropriate and criminal acts in violation of their monastic vows from fornication to…
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Electricity prices soar 18% to 4.72 baht per unit next month
Electricity prices are already at a record high rate of 4 baht per unit, topping an eight-year old record, and have now been approved to surge another 18%. When global oil prices rocketed up to US$110 per barrel in 2014, Thai energy prices hit 3.96 baht per unit. Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for all forms of…
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100 Consecutive Days of food handouts to the homeless of Bangkok
The Thaiger joins Bangkok Community Help Foundation on their 100th consecutive day of food distribution to the poor in Bangkok. Thanks to our Thaiger members generosity and donations from our viewers we were able to help distribute food for the homeless and people in need. As well as make a donation to the BCHF charity. Join Jay and Sara as…
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CSD requested to take over Mountain B Pub fire investigation
Citing a distrust for local officials, a coalition of representatives of many who were injured or died in the Mountain B Pub fire are calling for the Crime Suppression Division to take over the investigation. A group representing 13 of the victims officially complained yesterday to the CSD, asking them to replace local police in running the investigation into the…
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Broke Bangkok can’t afford to finish underground cables project
The Bangkok Deputy Governor, Wisanu Subsompon, appealed to the private and public sectors to come together and complete the capital’s perpetual cable problem. The deputy governor revealed that Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) might have to cancel the project, to bury the city’s underground power lines altogether, unless it can find some way of coming up with more funds. Wisanu made…
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UPDATE: Foreigner faces prison for parrotfishing in Thailand
UPDATE: The foreign parrotfishes have been caught and detained by police in Phuket, southern Thailand, and faces legal action. Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Warawut Silpa-archa made the following statement this morning… “Yesterday, August 15, at 3.30pm, Roslan Benedia of Dutch nationality was detained and questioned at a police station in Phuket over a video he posted on…
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Malaysia considers medical cannabis law shaped by Thai policy
While the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand has been somewhat rocky and haphazard, it has inspired Malaysia to rollout legalisation similarly. The Malaysian Minister of Public Health is slated to meet with Thailand’s Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul to discuss how the kingdom went about legalising medical cannabis. Malaysia is currently considering similar laws to those Thailand adopted to…
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Benevolent Bangkok cabbie drives 12 hours to take destitute family home
A benevolent Bangkok taxi driver drove 12 hours for free to take a family of three to their hometown in the Isaan province of Udon Thani after they were evicted from a rental room in the capital because they couldn’t afford to pay the rent. The taxi driver, Anurak Nakgamthong, posted the heartwarming story and pictures of his passengers on…
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Monkeypox variants renamed to avoid offending people
The World Health Organisation renamed the monkeypox variants from the Congo Basin, and West Africa to Clade I, and Clade II to avoid offending different sections of society. The WHO is also inviting the public to suggest a new name for the monkeypox disease. The WHO announced the two new variants of the monkeypox disease on Friday. The organisation reported…
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Thai doctor slaps a 3 year old for swearing & refuses to treat him
The family of a three year old boy filed a complaint to the police after a male doctor slapped the child in the face and refused to give him treatment. The doctor said he refused to treat the boy because he had insulted him. The child’s 24 year old mother, Sutharat, shared the story on the Facebook page Let Me…
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Thailand records fifth case of monkeypox in Thai woman
A Thai woman who recently returned to Thailand from Dubai has tested positive for the monkeypox virus. The positive result was confirmed today by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. Airport staff noticed that the 25 year old woman looked unwell and had blisters on her body when she arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on August 14, so they took her to…
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Thai temple man charged with murder of alleged would-be robber
Police revealed a temple servant wanted for murder surrendered at Hat Yai police station yesterday at about 5pm. Pinyo Suwanno, who helps out at a temple near Niphat Songkhro 2 Road, Hat Yai Municipality, Songkhla Province, confessed to killing 47-year-old Thammarit Ngamchom because he overheard him plan a robbery of the temple. The 48 year old alleged murderer, also known…
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Cannabis is illegal on Khao San Road, officials call for crackdown
In the ever-meandering journey of cannabis legalisation, with the plant being legalised for growing, selling, and consuming with very few rules and now receiving pushback for that lack of regulation, Khao San Road is being reminded that it’s NOT legal there. While about a million people have been licensed to sell cannabis now, smoking in public can be prosecuted as…
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Crocodile turns up in an unusual location: the heart of Bangkok
Visitors to Thailand are often amazed by the wildlife they can see: elephants, tigers, crocodiles, lizards, dolphins, whales and sharks, and so much more. There are areas – like nature reserves, marine parks, farms, and sanctuaries – where you can travel to meet these creatures, and downtown Bangkok is not usually one of them. But residents were stunned to run…
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48 year old Thai man gets first ID card after a lifetime of trying
A 48 year old Thai man finally got his first ID card after a lifetime of trying, thanks to a little help from the Thai media. The man, Sena Sriphet, is from the Koh Chan district in Chon Buri province, but he moved to live with his wife in the Nong Bua sub-district, Pa Kam district, in the Isaan province…
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4am alcohol curfew may increase revenue, but also crime, deaths
Supporters of the current proposal to allow nightlife entertainment venues to open and serve booze until 4am in some tourist provinces think it will allow money-spending customers to drink alcohol and party for a few extra hours. Meanwhile, opposition to the proposal worries that it will allow customers to drink alcohol and party for a few extra hours, with dire…
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Mountain B fire claims 19th life, 23 year old woman dies in hospital
A 23 year old woman injured in the Mountain B nightclub fire in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district on August 5 passed away at Chon Buri hospital at 2.50am today – leaving her five year old daughter without a mother or father. The fire, which has now claimed 19 lives and 26 people who are still receiving treatment in hospital, also…
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Another long weekend brings huge crowds to Surat Thani
Another long holiday weekend has benefited tourism in southern Thailand, as the province of Surat Thani recorded over 57,000 visitors. Both domestic and foreign travellers made their way down to Surat’s popular islands for the three-day weekend. Data shared by the Surat Thani office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said that 24,639 foreigners made their way to one…
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1 dead, 4 injured as gunmen rampage at a Bangkok wedding
Police are on the lookout for rampaging gunmen on motorbikes who shot and killed one man and injured another four people yesterday at a marriage ceremony in Din Daeng district of Bangkok. The families of 25 year old groom, Fahlan, and 24 year old bride, Jinsujee, held a marriage ceremony at the bride’s home in Soi Sutthipong 1/1 on Sutthisan…
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Speedo-wearing middle-aged joggers in Jomtien cause uproar
Scantily clad women are a fairly common sight in Pattaya, in clubs by night and on the beach by day. But when the gender roles were reversed, people on social media were going nuts over two middle-aged men jogging up Jomtien Beach Road, wearing nothing more than tight Speedo bathing shorts as they ran. Photos posted on social media on…
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Which type of health insurance do you need in Thailand?
There are numerous different types of health insurance available in Thailand to meet your needs. But with so many options, choosing a health insurance plan can be complicated, especially if you are a foreigner living in the country. When the question arises as to what type of health insurance you should get, you’ll need to make a decision based on…
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Gunman wounds 8 in Jerusalem, 48 dead in Israeli Gaza strikes
Mainstream media last night reported eight people had been wounded after a gunman opened fire at two locations in Jerusalem. According to reports, the man who pulled the trigger is believed to be a Palestinian who targeted a bus carrying Jewish worshippers who had just prayed at the Western Wall and people in a car park near the holy site.…
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Chinatown manhole covers to use art, tech to become cultural map
A new blend of utility, art, and technology will transform mundane manhole covers in Bangkok’s Chinatown into beautifying sources of information according to a new plan. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt met with members of the Office of Thailand Science Research and Innovation as well as Silpakorn University to develop the new project. The plan is to create beautiful manhole covers…
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Tourism Minister visits Full Moon Party, supports later curfew
The Full Moon Party week is just wrapping on the island of Koh Pha Ngan, and while attendance was down, there was at least one special attendee that could influence the future of the party. Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn visited Haad Rin, home of the iconic party that draws tens of thousands of tourists to the island…
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Thais cautioned against fake government websites
Thais are being told to be aware of websites pretending to be government agencies’ pages. A deputy government spokesperson said on Friday that cybercriminals are using these fake sites to get people’s data and even hack their devices. The spokesperson, Rachada Dhnadirek, gave one example that showed just how advanced some of the fake government sites are. A fake Department…
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