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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.

  • UPDATE: Cybercrime police charged in kidnap for ransom plot, 2 former officers suspected | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Cybercrime police charged in kidnap for ransom plot, 2 former officers suspected

    The Royal Thai Police arrested two officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, or CCIB, on Sunday for allegedly kidnapping a gambling couple and their child last week. The wife claimed that officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau kidnapped her and her family for ransom, after winning 2 million baht from online gambling. The woman said that she, her…

  • UPDATE: Police arrest Asoke gold necklace thief, trans woman wanted to pay gambling debt | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Police arrest Asoke gold necklace thief, trans woman wanted to pay gambling debt

    Police have arrested a transgender woman who allegedly stole a gold necklace off the body of a farang in Bangkok’s Asoke neighbourhood last week, after a video of the incident went viral. The thief reportedly said she stole the golden accessory because she’d lost her job and had to pay off a gambling debt. CCTV footage of the incident shows…

  • Tangmo: Suspect ‘Sand’ surrenders to police | Thaiger

    Tangmo: Suspect ‘Sand’ surrenders to police

    Police have arrested a third suspect in the death of drowned TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong. On Sunday, Wisapat Manomaikrat, aka “Sand” — a transgender woman — surrendered to police in Nonthaburi, after they issued a warrant for her arrest. Sand was taken into the police superintendent’s office for questioning. She was accompanied by her lawyer and prepared a surety…

  • Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran | Thaiger

    Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran

    Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who…

  • Spiking Songkran tourist demand on ferry services in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan | Thaiger

    Spiking Songkran tourist demand on ferry services in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan

    Ferry services in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are trying to meet an influx of tourist demands leading up to Songkran. Songkran will be between April 13 – 15 this year, followed up with a convenient weekend on April 16 and 17. A ferry port managing director at the Raja Ferry terminal at Don Sak told Nation Thailand that his…

  • Agriculture ministry to give one million farms in Thailand solar panels | Thaiger

    Agriculture ministry to give one million farms in Thailand solar panels

    Thailand’s agriculture ministry plans to install solar panels on at least one million of Thailand’s farms in a new pilot project aiming to reduce farms’ electricity bills by 20-30% in 15-20 years. The ministry plans to issue a non-fungible token named “Solar Panels NFT for Thai Farmers” worth around 697 billion baht to legally trade with international investors in Singapore.…

  • Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency, deploys army | Thaiger

    Sri Lanka president declares state of emergency, deploys army

    Following a week of turmoil and unrest in Sri Lanka, the country’s president has now declared a state of emergency. This week, Sri Lankan protestors tried to storm the president’s house following the country’s longest power blackout ever recorded. The protestors called on the president and his powerful family, who hold a number of prominent political positions in Sri Lanka,…

  • Phuket introduces new seafood and gastronomy “Tastival” festival | Thaiger

    Phuket introduces new seafood and gastronomy “Tastival” festival

    Following Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival last weekend, the island’s officials have come up with another seafood and gastronomy festival for the first time yesterday. The festival is called “Phuket Tastival Seafood and Gastronomy: Roi-Yok-Lo”. It will run until Monday, April 4. Phuket Deputy Governor Anupap and several other officials attended the opening at Saphan Hin, the huge public…

  • Thailand’s finance ministry closes 2 insurance firms due to Covid-19 claims | Thaiger

    Thailand’s finance ministry closes 2 insurance firms due to Covid-19 claims

    After an overwhelming number of Covid-19 claims caused 2 of Thailand’s insurance providers to owe billions of baht in compensation, Thailand’s finance minister has revoked the providers’ business licenses. The decision was made effective yesterday. One provider, Southeast Insurance, owes 13 billion baht in compensation, while the other, Thai Insurance, owes 4.6 billion baht. The Secretary-General of the Office of…

  • American arrested in Bangkok for alleged 3 million baht fraud | Thaiger

    American arrested in Bangkok for alleged 3 million baht fraud

    Bangkok police arrested an American national in Klong Toey district of Bangkok yesterday (reported as Nana in some media). The man arrested allegedly lured investors into fraudulent contracts. Thailand’s Economic Crime Suppression Division says the victims lost over 3 million baht altogether. The man allegedly offered victims options in energy and precious metals as well as futures contracts through 60…

  • Thai swimmer recovering after being ‘speared’ by Needlefish in Trat | Thaiger

    Thai swimmer recovering after being ‘speared’ by Needlefish in Trat

    Spearfishing is still a thing, but usually by humans hunting fish, not the other way around. Thai national Noppadol Sringam is now in a stable condition recovering from a freak marine accident. The Thai tourist was left in serious condition after a needlefish skewered him in the neck while he was swimming on the Trat coastal beach of Ao Tan…

  • Tangmo: 2nd autopsy report finds ’22 small wounds’ on legs | Thaiger

    Tangmo: 2nd autopsy report finds ’22 small wounds’ on legs

    Forensics experts have found “22 small wounds” on the legs of drowned Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, according to the report from a second autopsy, which was conduct several weeks ago at the request of her mother. However, pathologists did not find any face or head wounds, broken teeth or fractured bones, as was earlier reported by an emergency responder.…

  • Officers from Thailand’s cybercrime police allegedly involved in kidnap for ransom plot | Thaiger

    Officers from Thailand’s cybercrime police allegedly involved in kidnap for ransom plot

    A woman claims officers from the cybercrime investigations department were involved in a kidnap for ransom plot after she had won 2 million baht in gambling. The woman is seeking help from a celebrity lawyer and claims that she, her husband, and her 11 year old child were kidnapped by a group of 15 people, including police officers, and were…

  • Pantip admin seeks help from netizens, after scammers swindle bank account | Thaiger

    Pantip admin seeks help from netizens, after scammers swindle bank account

    After losing all of his money to a scam call centre, one unfortunate Pantip admin has sought help from the best source he knows: Thai netizens. The male admin — who goes by the alias “Latte” — recently shared his sorry story on Pantip’s official Facebook page, saying he had 0.00 baht left in his bank account after the scam…

  • Man allegedly pours oil on neighbour and sets his body on fire | Thaiger

    Man allegedly pours oil on neighbour and sets his body on fire

    A man poured oil over his neighbour and then set his body on fire while the victim was relaxing on a chair at home. Witnesses saw the man engulfed in flames running out of the house. He survived but was severely burned. One witness says the two men would often fight about the victim’s roosters making too much noise. 35…

  • Phuket anti-corruption director says corruption due to “lack of knowledge” | Thaiger

    Phuket anti-corruption director says corruption due to “lack of knowledge”

    The director of the Phuket office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission reported yesterday that corruption in procurement from some local government organisations was caused by a lack of knowledge in supplies and procedures. He said this was based on 2020 survey results about corruption. The director said the most common complaints to the NACC were about corruption involving land. He…

  • Expected computer shortage in Thailand, world | Thaiger

    Expected computer shortage in Thailand, world

    IT workers expect a shortage of computers for sale in Thailand to start between May and June due to Covid-19 impacting producers in China. The chief of sales and marketing at Advice, an IT distributor, told the Bangkok Post that if China’s lockdown continues, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, computer prices will likely rise. The chief of Advice said…

  • No pre-travel PCR test for travellers entering Thailand starting today | Thaiger

    No pre-travel PCR test for travellers entering Thailand starting today

    Starting today, travellers entering Thailand will no longer need to take a PCR Covid-19 test before their flight, but visitors will still need to take a PCR test once they land. All travellers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – no longer need to take the pre-departure test, but requirements after entry vary depending on the scheme. And there are still some…

  • Candidates for Pattaya mayor draw election numbers | Thaiger

    Candidates for Pattaya mayor draw election numbers

    Candidates for Pattaya mayor drew their election numbers today. A candidate with We Love Pattaya group is number 1, an independent candidate is number 2, a Move Forward Party candidate is number 3, and a Pattaya Ruam Jai group candidate is number 4. The election is scheduled for May 22, as are elections in Bangkok. The candidates drew their numbers…

  • Man arrested at Bangkok airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs | Thaiger

    Man arrested at Bangkok airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs

    A man was arrested at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok while he was allegedly about to bring illicit drugs onboard. He confessed that he tried to bring drugs from Bangkok to sell in Hat Yai District of southern province Songkla. The 31 year old alleged drug dealer, Noppawit “Kram” Nithipaiboonsarn, was arrested with various drugs, including 206.75 grams of…

  • Cockle Wars: Fishers sentenced to jail over clash with officers, freeing suspect | Thaiger

    Cockle Wars: Fishers sentenced to jail over clash with officers, freeing suspect

    Four fishermen involved in a clash with authorities back in 2019, where fishers ganged up to against officers to release a suspect and a boat full of shellfish the officers seized, have been sentenced to a year in jail. The fishermen were found guilty of operating a cockle farm illegally and violently threatening officers which led to the escape of…

  • Candidates for governor register in Bangkok | Thaiger

    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…

  • Phuket officer allegedly threatens woman with prostitution charges for money | Thaiger

    Phuket officer allegedly threatens woman with prostitution charges for money

    A woman in Phuket told the press yesterday that a police officer at Thalang Police Station threatened to charge her with prostitution if she didn’t pay 50,000 baht in monthly payments of 5,000 baht. The payment is allegedly for her car, which police threatened to seize as evidence of her committing prostitution. The woman claims the officer first contacted her…

  • Foreign man’s gold necklace stolen while filming video in Bangkok’s Asoke | Thaiger

    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…

  • Iran still bars women from football stadiums, officials express disagreement | Thaiger

    Iran still bars women from football stadiums, officials express disagreement

    Women in Iran still can’t enjoy watching football matches at the country’s stadiums. On Tuesday, about 2,000 women who bought tickets for the World Cup qualifier against Lebanon went to a stadium in Mashad, but couldn’t enter, according to Iranian media. The Islamic republic has banned women from sports stadiums since its government came to power in 1979. Since then,…

  • Songkran 2022: Bangkok allows “traditional water sprinkling” | Thaiger

    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…

  • Tangmo: Mom requests to end senate probe, sack Dr. Pornthip | Thaiger

    Tangmo: Mom requests to end senate probe, sack Dr. Pornthip

    The mother of drowned actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong isn’t happy with the conduct of a senate committee’s probe into the police investigation of her daughter’s death. She’s also doesn’t seem too pleased with the preliminary results of the second autopsy. The mourning mum has asked the Senate committee on human rights, liberty and consumer protection to withdraw her earlier request…

  • Pattaya fireworks festival named 1 of 3 top Asian marine festivals | Thaiger

    Pattaya fireworks festival named 1 of 3 top Asian marine festivals

    The International Festival and Event Association of Asia has named the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival one of three “major marine tourism festivals in Asia”. Pattaya’s city manager said yesterday that almost 20 countries participated in the international firework competition. The Pattaya festival was then selected for the final round. The festival is held every year in Pattaya, usually later in…

  • Phuket deputy governor appoints committee to fight dust pollution | Thaiger

    Phuket deputy governor appoints committee to fight dust pollution

    Phuket deputy governor Anupap appointed a committee on Monday to fight the severe dust pollution gripping the island province. In a meeting at city hall that he lead that day, Anupap stressed that forest fires are common during Thailand’s dry season, and they create fine particulate dust matter, PM2.5, in dust, soot, smoke, and liquid. He said with bad ventilation…

  • Cyber police raid Nonthaburi luxury house, 10 gambling suspects | Thaiger

    Cyber police raid Nonthaburi luxury house, 10 gambling suspects

    The Thai Police Cyber Taskforce raided a Nonthaburi luxury house yesterday, where they believe 10 suspects helped facilitate gambling activities. The suspects allegedly used the house as a base for four gambling websites, which made 20 million baht. The taskforce found that the house was connected to 16 other locations in Bangkok that police had raided earlier on the same…