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.
-
Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
-
Bangkok’s pick-up-smashing angry aunties have their day in court
Bangkok’s famous, or infamous, ‘angry aunties’ (Thai PBS describes them as ‘female car vandals’) have had their day in court and have been handed out a suspended three month prison term by the Phra Khanong provincial court. In February last year the 57 and 61 year old sisters got busy on a pick-up truck that was parked in front of…
-
Democrats meet one day before PM election to decide who to support
PHOTO: Democrat party spokesperson, Ramet Rattanachaweng Three sleeps to go before the Thai parliament meets to elect a new PM. The result of that vote is expected to favour the Palang Pracharat prime ministerial candidate, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the man who has been Thailand’s PM for the past five years. The Democrat party say they will decide on Tuesday, whether to…
-
Just how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?
“The containers were loaded with “dolls and toys” and there are no chemical substances present.” That was the first explanation we heard after the fire that happened last Saturday, May 25, when containers from the KMTC Hongkong burst into flames at Laem Chabang Port, south east of Bangkok. The port area is just to the north of Pattaya on the eastern…
-
Two Pattaya pubs raided, 155 arrested over drug use
A total of 155 patrons have tested positive for drugs after raids on two popular Pattaya pubs early this morning. The pubs raided were Brazil Pattaya and 90’s Bar around 4am. Police say searches found a 9mm pistol with 16 rounds of ammunition, a knife, 62 packets of narcotics, including ecstasy, ketamine and crystal methamphetamine and drug-taking paraphernalia scattered over the…
-
British man beaten up by Thai thugs in Pai for ‘interfering’ in an argument
PHOTOS: Daily News 37 year old Luke Benjamin Thornton has ended up in hospital in Chiang Mai after trying to break up a fight in Pai, north of Chiang Mai, on May 20. Daily News reports that Luke was trying to stop a fight between locals and tourists and was beaten unconscious with a wooden club and kicks. They reported that…
-
Thailand’s export growth expectations revised down to just 3% in 2019
“Export trends are aligned with global sentiment and the outlook for other Asian countries, making export prospects murky because of the escalating trade war.” The government is massively revising down their export growth targets to just 3% this year from an earlier 8% growth estimate. Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is blaming the global economic slowdown, the ongoing trade spat between the…
-
Vote for new Thai PM on Wednesday – Democrats and Palang Pracharat still at loggerheads
The countdown is on to next Wednesday’s vote for a new Thai PM. With all odds pointing to a return term for Prayut Chan-o-cha, Palang Pracharat’s prime ministerial candidate, it’s now or never for the various parties to form workable, and sustainable MP blocs in the new parliament. Otherwise the new PM will be the head of a scrambled egg…
-
Bus plunges off mountain road in Phrae, Thailand, 17 injured
17 passengers have been injured after a bus crashed off a mountain road in Thailand’s north last night. The bus was travelling between Chiang Mai to Phrae in Thailand. The accident happened in Tambon Bor Leng Long, Phrae. The accident happened at 8.30pm on the Den Chai-Lampang road. Rescuers struggled to rescue the injured passengers from the bus that had fallen…
-
Thailand’s Phu Kradueng National Park to close until September 30
Chief of Phu Kradueng National Park, Sombat Phimprasit says that the park will be closed from now until September 30. The park is in north-east Thailand, near Loei and just south of the Laos border. The park chief says the annual closure, during Thailand’s rainy season, is because trekking and trailing will be too tough and risky due to the difficult…
-
Bali’s Mount Agung erupts again
PHOTO: Twitter/Phoebs A week after flights were cancelled in and out of Bali’s airport, Mount Agung has burst into life again today at 11:42am sending plumes of ash into the Balinese sky. Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center said the eruption lasted for 8 minutes Despite the renewed activity, Mount Agung remains on level alert level three, or “standby”…
-
Six vehicles damaged, one person injured, as truck swipes parked cars in Phuket
PHOTOS: เป็นปาก เป็นเสียง Six vehicles parked on Yaowarat Road, Old Phuket Town, have been damaged after a truck has swiped them as it was driving down the road. A pedestrian on the footpath was also injured in the incident. Phuket City Police report that they were notified of the incident at about noon today on Yaowarat Road in the island’s…
-
King Power wins duty free and shopping management contract for Suvarnabhumi
In Friday’s biggest surprise (please say in sarcastic tone whilst rolling eyes) King Power Suvarnabhumi has won the bidding to manage the commercial area at Suvarnabhumi International Airport with the highest offer, AOT senior executive vice president Vichai Bunyu said this morning. The winner will be approved on June 12, he said. Earlier this year the AoT (Airports of Thailand)…
-
Phuket light rail project blows out another two billion baht
PHOTOS: Post Today Changes have been made to the original light rail project design which will add two billion baht to the projected budget. The budget is now projected to be almost 40 billion baht. Post Today reports that the director of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand Phakkaphong Sirikantaramart says “the Phuket light rail design has been adapted.…
-
Another week of negotiations and still no clear coalition emerges
PHOTO: The Nation – Palang Pracharat pose for a show of unity amongst complete turmoil Democrats walking out of meetings, deals made then broken days later, pending court cases over MPs’ eligibility – it’s never a dull day in Thai politics as we stumble towards a new parliament. Here are the current important milestones you need to know about… •…
-
Coral bleaching off Koh Phi Phi
Corals at Koh Phi Phi near a famous driving point has started to bleach. Paranya Pantajit, a scuba expert in Krabi says, “Corals near a famous diving point at Koh Phi Phi is beaching. There are many marine lives living around this coral.” “The temperature at 8 metres deep in the sea is about 31 degree Celsius. Corals in in…
-
Five taken to hospital after tour bus air-con unit explodes in repair shop
PHOTOS: Daily News Five people are now recovering in hospital after a tour bus air-conditioning compressor exploded at a repair shop in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok. A woman walking by was injured along with four workers at the yard. The explosion happened at the Rattanakosin 200 Years housing estate in Thanyaburi. They were all hit by shrapnel as the unit…
-
Necklace and bag snatcher arrested in Hua Hin after train theft
PHOTO: Talk News Online A 66 year old is in custody, again, after being arrested for stealing a gold necklace and handbag from a female traveller on a train. ThaiVisa reports that the victim was heading southbound on a train coming from Bangkok. Police say Thadet Samran, from Phetchaburi, boarded the train and snatched the gold necklace and bag from the…
-
Phuket’s media shuffles – the news leaders
Phuket’s media is going through a minor revolution. A lot of work is going into spreading local news for an island of some 450,000 locals and 12 million annual tourists (who are unlikely to read any local news media anyway). Roll back 20 years and the local leader in the media was the Phuket Gazette which lasted as an English-speaking…
-
Bangkok tuk-tuk driver is caught after over-charging three American tourists
PHOTOS: Tourist Police A tuk-tuk driver, who charged three American tourists 1,500 baht for a trip in Bangkok, has apologised for his actions and admitted to over-charging them. He also faces a hefty fine. Lt Gen Terapon Kuptanond, commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau says, “tourist police had tracked down the accused driver after the JS100 Facebook page posted a…
-
Thai PM takes flack from social media over his Animal Farm recommendation
PHOTO: The Thai PM has never been comfortable around farm animals PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is taking a lot of flack after suggesting Thais read George Orwell’s dystopian novel, “Animal Farm”. And a government spokesperson’s explanation has dug the hole even deeper. Read The Thaiger story HERE. “The man who has run the country undemocratically for the past five years has…
-
Officials demolish 38 year old Kieat Tong Chai market in Bangkok
PHOTOS: Daily News Bangkok officials (BMA) have demolished a market built to occupy the middle of a road in Din Daeng district following 38 years of disputes. The Nation reports that Din Daeng district office director Panchapat Lakdee says they’ve demolished the Kieat Tong Chai market to make more space for motorists in the middle of Soi Pracha Songkroah 38…
-
Thai PM’s book recommendation backfires
Literature 1.01. Most people have read George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. It’s the tale of a ‘democratic’ and utopian farmyard until the pigs get hungry for power and end up running the place as a dictatorship, dressed up as a democracy. The book resonated the fears of a post-WWII Britain and the rise of Stalinism. “All animals are equal, but some…
-
From October you’ll have to pay your traffic fines before you can re-register your vehicle
PHOTOS: The Nation It’s official, sort of. From October 1, police have advised that car owners must pay all traffic fines or will be unable to re-register their vehicles and get a new annual registration sticker for their windscreen. Without these window stickers, they will have problems with traffic police while on the roads. Car licence registrations must be renewed…
-
Wanted Phuket man arrested over human trafficking charges in Krabi
A wanted Phuket suspect, in relation to alleged human trafficking charges, has been arrested in Krabi. Officers arrested 47 year old Suppachart Jirawattanakun, originally from Lampang, yesterday. He was arrested following the issuing of an arrest warrant from the Phuket Provincial Court on January 13, 2018 over human trafficking charges. In 2017 officers discovered that at ‘The Rich Massage’ shop…
-
Weather warnings issued for Thailand’s north, central, east and upper south
Residents from the upper south to the north of the country are being warned to brace themselves for heavy monsoonal rains over the next couple of days. The Thai Meteorological Department announced in an alert this morning that there is a monsoon trough across the North and the upper Northeast for Thursday and Friday. “The confluence of the southeasterly wind…
-
Burmese man arrested for doing stunts on his Honda around Chiang Mai roads – VIDEO
PHOTOS: Daily News | VIDEO: Jeep Jenjira Pansena A video posted by Jeep Jenjira Pansena has prompted the Chiang Mai police to arrest a Burmese man caught doing stunts on the city’s roads. 21 year old “Mai”, who lives in San Sai and works as a masseur, was standing up on his Honda Click, amongst other ‘moves’ while hurtling around the…
-
30 new cameras ready to catch traffic running red lights in Bangkok
PHOTO: Daily News 30 major intersections will be fitted with red-light cameras to fine people going through intersections and ignoring red traffic lights. Testing will take place during June and the cameras likely to be operational in July. The cameras will detect the registration plate number and send you an automatic fine through the post. Police say that despite rumours of…
-
Ship owner fined 50,000 baht for chemical fire at Laem Chabang port
The Port Authority of Thailand has slapped a 50,000 baht fine on the South Korean owner of a container ship which caught fire at the Laem Chabang deep-sea port on Saturday morning, causing a chemical fire and smoke blanketing surrounding communities. Laem Chabang is just north of Pattaya fronting the Gulf of Thailand. Meanwhile, Thai PBS reports that about 1,000…
-
Democrats walk away from coalition as bickering continues over ministerial portfolios
It was off, then on again. Now it appears that it’s off, but that could change as today continues. The Pro-army Palang Pracharat’s efforts to build a coalition to form a majority government in the new Thai lower house have reached a new stumbling block amid bickering over ministerial portfolios,. Just two days ago the Bhumjaithai and Democrat parties seemed…
-
Risland plans new developments in Bangkok and Phuket
PHOTO: Artist impression of the new Cloud Thonglor-Phetchaburi Hong Kong-based property developers Risland Thailand say they will spend 8 billion baht launching five residential projects in Bangkok and Phuket. The investment budget of 8 billion baht is an increase from 5 billion in 2018 and 3 billion in 2017, the first year Risland operated in the country. From June to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.