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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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    What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • SUV driver flees crash scene after killing two on Bangkok ring road | Thaiger

    SUV driver flees crash scene after killing two on Bangkok ring road

    PHOTO: Sanook.com Police in Bangkok are looking for the driver of a Ford Everest who jumped over a wall and fled the scene after colliding with a Mitsubishi Mirage, killing two people. Witnesses told police that the collision happened when the driver of the black SUV was trying to pass on the left-hand shoulder of the road. According to Sanook.com,…

  • Clean the Beach Boot Camp takes on Nai Harn Beach on World Clean Up Day | Thaiger

    Clean the Beach Boot Camp takes on Nai Harn Beach on World Clean Up Day

    A very special Clean The Beach Boot Camp (CBBC) took place on last Saturday in support World Clean Up Day. In total, 170 people, including 120 students from the Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism at the Prince of Songkla University in Kathu headed to Nai Harn Beach, one of the island’s favourites in the island’s south. Involving some 18 different…

  • Shake-up at the top in Thai state enterprises – Transport Minister | Thaiger

    Shake-up at the top in Thai state enterprises – Transport Minister

    PHOTO: BTS station – YouTube In a major management shakeup in Thai state enterprises, the transport minister has now appointed a new chairmen to the boards of the Port Authority of Thailand, the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) and the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMA). The list of new chairmen has been…

  • Prayut meets up with Thai expats in New York ahead of UN meetings today | Thaiger

    Prayut meets up with Thai expats in New York ahead of UN meetings today

    PHOTOS: ศ.ดร.นฤมล ภิญโญสินวัฒน์ Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has been meeting Thai expats in New York before his attending the UN Climate Summit and other meetings this week. Prayut and his entourage, including Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, arrived at the Plaza Athenee Hotel on the 64th street yesterday around midday on a sunny New York day. Prayut was welcomed by Nipon…

  • UK travel giant Thomas Cook collapses leaving 150,000 holiday-makers stranded | Thaiger

    UK travel giant Thomas Cook collapses leaving 150,000 holiday-makers stranded

    PHOTO: Bye bye Thomas Cook – The Independent Thomas Cook, the iconic British travel and airline company, has collapsed after last-minute negotiations failed to find a solution for the debt-ridden company. The tour operator’s failure affects 22,000 jobs worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK alone. Thomas Cook had been operating for 178 years. The company is now bankrupt. The collapse…

  • Smoke-laced smog envelops Phuket | Thaiger

    Smoke-laced smog envelops Phuket

    MAIN PHOTO: Phuket International Airport – Phuket People’s Voice Phuket awakes today enveloped by an eerie sea of smoke-laced mist and smog – a combination of light winds, smoke blowing up the Malacca Strait from the Indonesian plantation fires and low seasonal cloud. The conditions have reduced visibility generally around the island to less than a kilometre. Planes have still been…

  • Salaries of more than 100k proposed for Thailand’s high-speed train drivers | Thaiger

    Salaries of more than 100k proposed for Thailand’s high-speed train drivers

    PHOTO: www.scmp.com The drivers of Thailand’s high-speed trains will need to be highly skilled, a ministerial level committee says, suggesting they be paid similar salaries to those of airline pilots. Thai Rath reports that drivers of high-speed trains will face the same amount of stress and responsibility as airline pilots do and in order to attract the most skilled drivers,…

  • 36 Thai provinces to be hit by heavy rain, sharp drop in temperatures | Thaiger

    36 Thai provinces to be hit by heavy rain, sharp drop in temperatures

    PHOTO: www.kohsamuisunset.com The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) says that between now and Thursday, 36 Thai provinces can expect to be hit by heavy rains, strong winds, and thundershowers, with a sharp drop in temperatures predicted in some regions. The rough weather is due to a monsoon trough currently sitting over the Central, the East and the lower Northeast, a low…

  • The youth are revolting. ‘Millions’ protest in kid-power global climate strike | Thaiger

    The youth are revolting. ‘Millions’ protest in kid-power global climate strike

    PHOTO: Greta Thunberg leads kids and adults from 150 countries in massive climate strike today – Sarah Silbiger by Peter Hutchison “We are the future and we deserve better,” 12 year old Lilly Satidtanasarn, known as “Thailand’s Greta” for her campaign against plastic bags in malls. Masses of children skipped school to join a global strike against climate change that teen…

  • Police arrest Chiang Mai couple over home-made CBD oil | Thaiger

    Police arrest Chiang Mai couple over home-made CBD oil

    PHOTO: Urine Drug Test Chiang Mai Police have arrested a husband and wife selling homemade CBD oil (Cannabidiol) online after receiving complaints that a cancer patient died after allegedly using the oil. Police entered the house with a search warrant and found 3.4 million baht cash along with quantities of the CBD oil they were selling online. Officials received information that…

  • Finance Ministry launches 100 billion stimulus package to kickstart sagging economy | Thaiger

    Finance Ministry launches 100 billion stimulus package to kickstart sagging economy

    PHOTO: thailandshoppingdining.com The Government is kicking off a new stimulus package valued at 100 billion baht to “stimulate the grassroots economy”. Prasong Poontaneat, permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry reported that the government is preparing a brand-new stimulus package. “The Finance Ministry and related agencies will spend more than 100 billion baht on approximately 30 million low-income households nationwide.” The…

  • Thai MP rich list | Thaiger

    Thai MP rich list

    PHOTO: The Nation The National Anti-Corruption Commission has published a who’s who list of Thailand’s richest politicians. The NACC has reported the personal finances of 80 MPs. The personal finances report is an addition to the NACC’s previous report of 415 MPs who had earlier submitted their asset lists in July. Notable MPs whose assets and debts have been revealed…

  • More arrest warrants issued over Bangkok’s August bomb attacks | Thaiger

    More arrest warrants issued over Bangkok’s August bomb attacks

    PHOTO: Voice of America The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for five more suspects yesterday over their alleged involvement in the simultaneous bomb and arson attacks in Bangkok back on August 2. Police presented evidence against them to the court yesterday to obtain warrants for their arrest. They are accused of being members of an unlawful syndicate and collaborating to carry…

  • Could you be a digital nomad in Thailand? | Thaiger

    Could you be a digital nomad in Thailand?

    Are you a digital nomad? Working online wherever you can find a seat and wi-fi? According to digital nomad websites, some of the most popular locations to work online around the world include Chiang Mai & Bangkok (Thailand), Budapest (Hungary), Belgrade (Serbia), Bali (Indonesia), Lisbon (Portugal) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). What do all these cities have in common? The main…

  • Thailand’s August exports fall further than expected | Thaiger

    Thailand’s August exports fall further than expected

    Some more lumpy economic news for Thialand as the focus is on the monthly customs clearances to provide a compass for the country’s economy. Customs-cleared exports dropped in August 4% compared to the same month a year earlier. Exports unexpectedly rose in July, according to the commerce ministry today. The decline in August has shown itself to be greater than…

  • Food delivery and online shopping apps are Thailand’s most used innovations | Thaiger

    Food delivery and online shopping apps are Thailand’s most used innovations

    PHOTO: iStock A poll conducted by The Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) at the Ministry of Energy has revealed Thailand’s most used technological innovations. The poll, carried out last July, studied innovation usage among Thai people from all age groups and professions, and was aimed at promoting the usage of energy-efficient innovations. It was divided into four categories: Frequently…

  • US vaping-related illnesses surpasses 500 | Thaiger

    US vaping-related illnesses surpasses 500

    The links between vaping and critical lung disease appear to becoming more frequent and obvious although health authorities are struggling to find the ‘smoking gun’ that is the actual cause of the current list of cases. More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses. An eighth death has also been reported. The US Food and Drug Administration says…

  • Interpol issues alert for Norwegian wanted for Phuket murder | Thaiger

    Interpol issues alert for Norwegian wanted for Phuket murder

    PHOTO: www.thaiexaminer.com Interpol has issued a red alert for Roger Bullman, the Norwegian wanted for allegedly killing British national Amitpal Singh Bajaj, at a resort in Karon last August. Pol Captain Taecsin Deethong-on of Karon Police Station says the alert was issued following a request from Thai police. Bajaj was on holiday with his wife and child and got into…

  • Man dressed as postman robs shop while claiming to be carrying a bomb | Thaiger

    Man dressed as postman robs shop while claiming to be carrying a bomb

    PHOTO: Bangkok Post A man has walked into a gold shop in Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok, dressed as a postman and claiming to be carrying a bomb. He then proceeded to rob the store. Thai Residents reports that the man entered the shop, located inside a Thai Watsadu store, carrying a Thailand Post delivery box. He threatened staff and…

  • Future Forward secretary-general floats idea of another debate | Thaiger

    Future Forward secretary-general floats idea of another debate

    PHOTO: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Party leader of Future Forward Party – AFP Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul says the Opposition will consider the option of holding another parliamentary debate over the next 3 months. His statement comes after what was generally considered an unsatisfactory response from the PM and other cabinet members during Wednesday’s debate. Piyabutr is not ready to let the matter…

  • Phuket university’s safe-sex campaign attracts 390 volunteers | Thaiger

    Phuket university’s safe-sex campaign attracts 390 volunteers

    Yesterday, saw the return of Prince of Songkhla University’s Safe Sex Campaign. Now in its third year, some 390 PSU students turned up to support the campaign by making safe sex packs, which are then distributed free to bars in Patong. The safe sex packs include a condom and lubricant. It was the biggest turn-out of students since this corporate social…

  • Robber steals Thailand Post van, then robs gold shop in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Robber steals Thailand Post van, then robs gold shop in Bangkok

    A man dressed up in a Thailand Post uniform has got away with gold necklaces valued around 70,000 baht. He robbed the gold shop in Bang Phli, Samut Prakan and then fled in a Thailand Post van. Samut Prakan includes the southern and south-eastern suburbs of greater Bangkok. It was revealed later that Thailand Post had reported the van stolen the night before…

  • PM leaves debate, refusing to answer Opposition queries on oath gaffe | Thaiger

    PM leaves debate, refusing to answer Opposition queries on oath gaffe

    PHOTO: www.bangkokpost.com PM Prayut Chan-o-cha didn’t stay until the end of yesterday’s Opposition debate, departing to attend a Royal religious ceremony at Dusit Palace. He left without answering MP’s questions about his incomplete oath-taking, saying he had the right not to respond. The PM says he asked Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngarm to respond to queries on his behalf, saying…

  • Voice TV report paints grim picture of Thailand’s tourism problems | Thaiger

    Voice TV report paints grim picture of Thailand’s tourism problems

    Natthapong La-orwong of the Sofitel group claims that Thai tourism is suffering, and the lack of European visitors is part of the problem. The comments were made in a Voice TV report that paints a grim picture of the Thai tourism outlook in 2019, according to ThaiVisa. Voice TV is unpopular withThai authorities with its forthright assessments and has been taken off…

  • “We could move the capital”, says Thai PM | Thaiger

    “We could move the capital”, says Thai PM

    PHOTO: Bangkok.com PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that one possible solution to overcrowding in Bangkok would be to move the capital. He floated the idea yesterday, while speaking at a seminar called, “Connecting Thailand with the World”, hosted by the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Council in Muang Thong Thani, just outside Bangkok. “There are two possible approaches…

  • New branding for the old town – tweaking Phuket’s Old Town | Thaiger

    New branding for the old town – tweaking Phuket’s Old Town

    PHOTO: Many renovated buildings and putting the crappy overhead cabling underground is bringing the old town alive Though Phuket remains among the world’s most popular tourist destinations, injecting some 477 billion baht to the Thai economy, with its “Pearl of the Andaman Sea” branding, its future status is being questioned due to competition from Indonesia and Vietnam. In response, Phuket…

  • Charter Court clears PM’s to be head of government | Thaiger

    Charter Court clears PM’s to be head of government

    The Thai Constitutional Court has ruled that the former head of the NCPO was not an “other official of the state”, clearing the way for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as head of the government. The ‘clarification’ comes as no surprise to political pundits who predicted the outcome long before it came to an official hearing with the country’s Constitutional Court.…

  • Thai Minister Manunya a lone voice to have 3 herbicides banned | Thaiger

    Thai Minister Manunya a lone voice to have 3 herbicides banned

    PHOTO: The Thaiger Deputy Agriculture Minister Manunya Thaiseth (the OTHER deputy, not the embattled Thannamat Prompeo) is complaining that she appears to be a lone voice amongst the bureaucrats and politicians to have three toxic agricultural chemicals – paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos – banned within this year, as promised. She says that she’s not receiving any cooperation from the Agricultural…

  • 2.5 million methamphetamine pills seized near Myanmar border | Thaiger

    2.5 million methamphetamine pills seized near Myanmar border

    PHOTO: The Nation Another big delivery of methamphetamine pills has been intercepted in Chiang Mai. This time the couriers were both female. Rangers from the Pha Muang Task Force intercepted 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and arrested two females in a pick-up truck that broke through a checkpoint in the Mae Ai district early yesterday. The arrest followed a tip-off that…

  • Obligatory travel insurance for visitors to Thailand? Don’t worry about it for now, says government | Thaiger

    Obligatory travel insurance for visitors to Thailand? Don’t worry about it for now, says government

    Chote Trachu, representing the Thai Ministry for Tourism and Sports, says tourists visiting Thailand don’t have to worry about the mandatory requirement for travel insurance at this time. Thailand’s tourism industry is currently experiencing some challenges, explains the Ministry’s spokesperson, and for this reason, the requirement for all visitors to have travel insurance is being postponed until 2020 – or…