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  • UPDATE: Suspect in Swiss murder in Phuket is a “Thai man” | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Suspect in Swiss murder in Phuket is a “Thai man”

    UPDATE TO OUR PREVIOUS ARTICLE New details have just emerged in Thai media about the suspect detained today in the murder of the 57 year old Swiss traveller in Phuket found yesterday. The newly obtained information says the suspect is in fact a 27 year old Thai man, and not a 33 year old Burmese man as previously reported (in…

  • Lawsuit against Royal Thai Police filed by injured press members | Thaiger

    Lawsuit against Royal Thai Police filed by injured press members

    After getting shot with rubber bullets while covering the tumultuous protests on July 18, 2 members of the press have filed a lawsuit against the Royal Thai Police for the injuries. A reporter for Plus Seven and a photographer from The Matter filed the lawsuit yesterday with the Civil Court, naming the Royal Thai Police, along with the Commissioner, Metropolitan…

  • New internet freedom study lowers Thailand to 3rd to last | Thaiger

    New internet freedom study lowers Thailand to 3rd to last

    A new report on internet freedom and censorship around the world has placed Thailand in the third-lowest ranking, dropping 2 levels from last year. On a scale of 1 to 11, one being nearly unrestricted and 11 being fully locked down, Thailand is now ranked an 8, with the report declaring Thailand’s internet freedom 73% restricted. Comparitech, the company that…

  • UPDATE: Phuket police claim they have arrested a suspect in the murder of the Swiss Sandboxer | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Phuket police claim they have arrested a suspect in the murder of the Swiss Sandboxer

    UPDATE: In later reports today Thai media have variously described the suspect as a 33 year old Burmese, a 27 year old Thai and, with Thai PBS, not sure… but police will make a statement in a media conference later. “Police say there will be a press conference tomorrow about the murder of the Swiss tourist. They insist the suspect…

  • Man arrested for stealing just over 1,000 baht in Wichit, Phuket | Thaiger

    Man arrested for stealing just over 1,000 baht in Wichit, Phuket

    Recently, a man was arrested for allegedly stealing just over 1,000 baht from a wallet that was left on a counter in a “Super Cheap” store in Wichit, Phuket. 50 year old “Mr Sutchai” was arrested earlier week, around 2 pm, says Wichit Police. The police say Sutchai took the wallet out of a shopping trolley that had been forgotten…

  • PM calls for expedited probe into “Sandbox” traveller’s death; victim’s timeline released | Thaiger

    PM calls for expedited probe into “Sandbox” traveller’s death; victim’s timeline released

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered authorities to expedite the investigation into the case of the Swiss government official who was found dead, possibly raped and murdered, in a creek in Phuket after entering Thailand under the island’s new “Sandbox” reopening scheme. Thailand’s national police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk has flown down to Phuket and is now investigating the case along with detectives…

  • Group of teenagers arrested, police seize knives and explosives | Thaiger

    Group of teenagers arrested, police seize knives and explosives

    A group of around a dozen teenagers were arrested for possession of knives and explosives. The Mathayam level, or high school, students were approached by police as they were allegedly waiting to confront students from another school. The students, ages 15 to 18, were seen off Sukhumvit Road in Samut Prakan’s Pak Nam subdistrict, just southeast of Bangkok. Police searched…

  • Nonthaburi doctor arrested for allegedly collecting “commission fees” | Thaiger

    Nonthaburi doctor arrested for allegedly collecting “commission fees”

    Yesterday, the hospital director for Bang Kruai Hospital, which is located in central Thailand’s Nonthaburi province, was arrested for allegedly trying to supplement his income with a 35% “commission” from a contractor over the hospital’s 280,000 baht computer system. Counter Corruption Division police and the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission officials arrested 53 year old Dr Wichai Rattthanaphanphani for…

  • Body of Swiss national in Phuket identified as foreign government official | Thaiger

    Body of Swiss national in Phuket identified as foreign government official

    Officers have announced the identity of the Swiss national who was found dead in a Phuket creek as 57 year old Nicole Sauvain Weisskopf, a woman who entered Thailand last month under the new “Sandbox” reopening scheme. According to the Bangkok Post, Nicole is the assistant protocol chief of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. Another report in Thai media says…

  • Environmental groups urge government to ban the import of plastic waste | Thaiger

    Environmental groups urge government to ban the import of plastic waste

    The Thai government is being urged to push ahead with a ban on importing plastic waste, instead promoting the recycling of domestic plastic waste. Over 100 environmental groups say this is essential to protecting the environment, as well as creating a circular economy. According to a Bangkok Post report, 107 groups have released a joint statement calling for a ban…

  • Dr Boon, THG group must clarify Pfizer deal controversy | Thaiger

    Dr Boon, THG group must clarify Pfizer deal controversy

    Trouble is deepening for Dr Boon Vanasin, the President of Thonburi Healthcare Group, who has been accused of a large stock purchase before lying about his company procuring Pfizer vaccines that caused the stock to soar. The Chairman of the Crime Victims’ Assistance Club has filed a complaint with the CyberCrime Investigation Bureau against Boon for sharing that fake news…

  • Body found in Phuket of Swiss woman presumed murdered | Thaiger

    Body found in Phuket of Swiss woman presumed murdered

    The body of a 57 year old Swiss woman who arrived in the Phuket Sandbox July 13 was found stashed at the rocky base of a waterfall today, with authorities believing she was raped and murdered. Her body was found about 1 kilometre inside the Ao Yon waterfall area in Wichit, lying face down in the shallow, rocky water. Police…

  • Monarchy supporters claim protesters weaponising Covid-19 | Thaiger

    Monarchy supporters claim protesters weaponising Covid-19

    Pro-monarchy groups have requested military protection against a protest planned for Saturday, going so far as to claim protest organisers are weaponising Covid-19. The Centre of the People for the Protection of Monarchy submitted a petition today requesting military intervention from Army Chief General Narongpan Jittkaewtae in protecting the monarchy against protesters. The Free Youth movement is planning a large…

  • 5.7% of foreign residents in Thailand have received a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine | Thaiger

    5.7% of foreign residents in Thailand have received a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine

    Around 5.7% of foreign residents in Thailand have been injected with at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine from March 12 to July 30, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Out of the 280,075 foreign residents vaccinated, only 74,587 of them have received both doses of the vaccine. Only 20,903 foreign residents ages 60 and above, a…

  • Child pornography group run by Suphan Buri couple busted | Thaiger

    Child pornography group run by Suphan Buri couple busted

    A Suphan Buri couple has been arrested after police raided their home and charged them with running an online child pornography ring. The 52 year old man and his 45 year old wife in the province just north of Bangkok reportedly confessed to the crime and were taken into custody. The married couple is accused of running a group where…

  • Drugs found inside monk’s pillow at Suvarnabhumi Airport | Thaiger

    Drugs found inside monk’s pillow at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Today, crystal methamphetamine and opioid patches have been found inside packages destined for Australia. The crystal methamphetamine was found inside a monk’s pillow. The drug pillow and other drug package were discovered by Thailand’s Office of Narcotics Control Board at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The drugs were found in 2 parcels and contained 490 grams of crystal methamphetamine secreted away…

  • Officers surprise drug suspect with birthday cake in Nakhon Si Thammarat | Thaiger

    Officers surprise drug suspect with birthday cake in Nakhon Si Thammarat

    Officers in Nakhon Si Thammarat surprised a man who was detained on drug charges with a birthday cake. Police who arrested the man looked at his ID card and noticed it was his birthday. The 33 year old man claims says he had never blown candles on a birthday cake before. The man was driving his motorcycle when he noticed…

  • 20 year old arrested for online alternative vaccine scam | Thaiger

    20 year old arrested for online alternative vaccine scam

    A 20 year old man was arrested in Prachin Buri province after allegedly swindling at least around 50 people online in a fake vaccine scam. The man was arrested by the Technology Crime Suppression Division on Tuesday after using Facebook to collect orders for Covid-19 alternative vaccines that didn’t exist. This is the second vaccine scam in the province in…

  • Expat arrested on drug charges allegedly claims to be a local “Robin Hood” | Thaiger

    Expat arrested on drug charges allegedly claims to be a local “Robin Hood”

    A British national arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly selling drugs apparently claims to be a local “Robin Hood,” using money he obtained from the rich through illegal acts to give to those in need. Reports in Thai media say the man claims to have spent 1 million baht to buy things for children and villagers who have been affected…

  • Thailand’s national parks ban the use of some sunscreens containing particular chemicals | Thaiger

    Thailand’s national parks ban the use of some sunscreens containing particular chemicals

    Fair-skinned travellers beware – visiting Thailand’s beautiful natural parks just got a bit harder and may leave you literally seeing red. Get ready for sunburn, as a new law announced last night in the Royal Gazette has banned the use of some sunscreens that contain certain chemicals (below) within the grounds of Thailand’s national parks. The rule was enacted in…

  • 31 anti-government activists granted conditional release | Thaiger

    31 anti-government activists granted conditional release

    The Central Criminal Court has granted 31 anti-government protesters conditional release on the basis that they are not considered flight risks. The activists include Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, aka, “Pai Dao Din”, and have been in custody since their arrest in front of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok on Sunday and Monday. According to a Thai PBS World report, the protesters…

  • Ban on mass gatherings published in Royal Gazette ahead of anti-government protests this weekend | Thaiger

    Ban on mass gatherings published in Royal Gazette ahead of anti-government protests this weekend

    A new order has been published in the Royal Gazette banning all mass gatherings, including rallies, protests, and assemblies. The order was published last night, ahead of planned anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok this weekend. The order is being implemented under the Emergency Decree, which has now been extended 13 times since its introduction in March 2020. According to a Pattaya…

  • Phuket lays on Suvarnabhumi bus service for stranded sandbox tourists | Thaiger

    Phuket lays on Suvarnabhumi bus service for stranded sandbox tourists

    The governor of Phuket has announced that a special bus service will transport stranded sandbox tourists from the southern island to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. As a result of the cancellation of domestic flights, sandbox visitors who had plans to visit elsewhere in Thailand after their 14 days on Phuket now find themselves stuck. Governor Narong Wunsiew says a dedicated bus…

  • Transport Company announces bus services are suspended until August 31 | Thaiger

    Transport Company announces bus services are suspended until August 31

    The state-run Transport Company announced that all interprovincial bus services will be suspended until the end of the month. Under the recent order imposed by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, interprovincial public transportation out of the 29 “dark red” zones, including Bangkok, is not allowed. The CCSA’s order is in effect until August 16, but a spokesperson says the…

  • Phuket tourism sector calls for island to be “green-listed” for foreign tourists – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Phuket tourism sector calls for island to be “green-listed” for foreign tourists – VIDEO

    The executive chairman of the Banyan Tree Group is calling for Phuket to be given “green” status, promoting the island as a safe haven for foreign tourists. Singaporean KP Ho was addressing the Phuket Sandbox Summit via video-conference when he called on European airlines, business leaders, and officials to differentiate the southern island from the rest of Thailand. According to…

  • Thailand’s foreign tourist numbers expected to plummet during 2021 | Thaiger

    Thailand’s foreign tourist numbers expected to plummet during 2021

    Tourism officials have repeated a bleak prediction that international arrivals in Thailand are likely to drop to an all-time low this year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says foreign visitors to the Kingdom may only number 500,000 this year. “If the ongoing outbreak continues past September, the total number of foreign tourists this year might…

  • Phang Nga reopening and “Phuket Sandbox” island hop extensions postponed | Thaiger

    Phang Nga reopening and “Phuket Sandbox” island hop extensions postponed

    The Phang Nga’s reopening to travellers from overseas has been postponed until August 15, and the “7+7 Island Hopping” extension to the “Phuket Sandbox,” which includes a sealed route to Phang Nga, has been postponed indefinitely. The province’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Phang Nga Prompt” campaign was initially set for August 1, but the scheme has not yet…

  • Man arrested for allegedly robbing 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok to pay off gambling debt | Thaiger

    Man arrested for allegedly robbing 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok to pay off gambling debt

    A man was arrested for allegedly robbing 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok because he needed to pay off the debts from the money he had lost from gambling. He apparently painted his face to hide his identity and used a pocket knife to threaten the cashiers. The 30 year old man, identified as Sugipri, allegedly robbed two of the 7-Eleven convenience…

  • PM’s daughters get letter asking them to tell their father to resign | Thaiger

    PM’s daughters get letter asking them to tell their father to resign

    A joint letter was sent to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters Tanya and Nittha, asking them to relay the message to their father that he should resign because of his mismanagement of the Covid situation. The letter was sent by the daughters’ former classmates and was addressed to “Ms Ploy” and “Ms Ploen”. The former classmates’, Class 40 of the Communication…

  • Official detained after spreading rumour of planned coup to oust PM | Thaiger

    Official detained after spreading rumour of planned coup to oust PM

    Following a rumour that a military coup to remove PM Prayut Chan-o-cha from office was in the works, a state official has been detained, accused of spreading fake news. The Bangkok Post reports that deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen has confirmed that a man has been detained for questioning in the central province of Chachoengsao, where he has admitted to…