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    Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes

    Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...

  • Paetongtarn vows Buddhism reboot after monk scandals | Thaiger

    Paetongtarn vows Buddhism reboot after monk scandals

    After a string of monk scandals that has left Thailand reeling, Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stepped into the spotlight, promising a bold revamp to rescue the tarnished image of Buddhism. In a public statement on social media, Paetongtarn, who also heads the ruling Pheu Thai Party, declared her mission to restore public confidence in the country’s dominant religion, warning that…

  • Contractor kills knife-wielding man in Trang shootout | Thaiger

    Contractor kills knife-wielding man in Trang shootout

    A knife-wielding man was shot dead in broad daylight on a village road in Trang province, after reportedly terrorising locals in a drug-fuelled outburst. The gunman was identified as a local contractor who claimed he was acting in self-defence. The incident unfolded yesterday, July 17, in Huai Yot district, when 40 year old Pathompong, a contractor, fatally shot 32 year…

  • Thai MPs accuse government of trading national security for tariff cuts | Thaiger

    Thai MPs accuse government of trading national security for tariff cuts

    Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MPs accused the government of concealing a significant deal with the United States from the public, claiming officials plan to allow the US to use a naval base in southern Thailand in exchange for a tariff reduction. A group of MPs from the Palang Pracharath Party, led by Phang Nga MP Chakaj Phatthanakitwibun, held a press…

  • Charges urged against 229 over Thai Senate vote-rigging scandal | Thaiger

    Charges urged against 229 over Thai Senate vote-rigging scandal

    An investigative panel has urged charges against 229 people, including executives from the Bhumjaithai Party, related to allegations of extensive vote-rigging during Thailand’s Senate election last year. The Election Commission (EC) must now evaluate these findings to decide on further action, which might involve petitioning the Constitutional Court to disband the Bhumjaithai Party. The group of accused comprises 138 sitting…

  • Chadchart warns 20 baht train plan could spark lawsuits | Thaiger

    Chadchart warns 20 baht train plan could spark lawsuits

    A feel-good fare cut could turn into a legal nightmare. Bangkok’s 20 baht train policy is under fire, again, not for what it promises passengers, but for what it could cost the city in court. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged the government to clarify its compensation plan under the second phase of the 20 baht maximum electric train fare policy.…

  • Kuwait ’til dark: Pattaya’s Middle Eastern night riders in firing line | Thaiger

    Kuwait ’til dark: Pattaya’s Middle Eastern night riders in firing line

    Young Middle Eastern night riders brought late-night mayhem to a Pattaya street this week, sparking a bust-up that had locals fuming and cops revving into action. A confrontation between two gangs of Middle Eastern youths on Soi Yen Sabai on July 16 sent tempers flaring and engines roaring, as the summer influx of Kuwaiti college kids hit Pattaya’s streets with…

  • Frenchman in Phuket claims he buried dog alive by mistake | Thaiger

    Frenchman in Phuket claims he buried dog alive by mistake

    A Frenchman in Phuket defended himself against accusations of animal cruelty, claiming he believed one of his three Siberian Huskies had already died, prompting him to bury it in his yard. A foreign woman yesterday, July 17, took to an online community to raise concerns about the welfare of her neighbour’s Siberian Husky. She reported hearing a distressing howl and later witnessed…

  • Trigger-nometry: Songthaew driver goes ballistic in Thai traffic tiff | Thaiger

    Trigger-nometry: Songthaew driver goes ballistic in Thai traffic tiff

    A hot-headed songthaew driver lost the plot during a road rage bust-up in Chumphon, pulling out a gun and blasting two men in broad daylight after a row over right of way. The chaos erupted at around 3pm yesterday, July 17, just 300 metres from Chumphon City Hall, when a red public taxi pickup suddenly cut in front of a…

  • Bangkok spa inferno guts building in early morning blaze | Thaiger

    Bangkok spa inferno guts building in early morning blaze

    Flames ripped through a Bangkok spa at dawn today, sending thick black smoke billowing into the skies above Siam Square and gutting parts of a four-storey building. At 6.40am today, July 18, the 199 emergency hotline received a report of a fire raging at a commercial property on Siam Square Soi 3, off Rama I Road in Pathum Wan district.…

  • Banking on trouble: SCB scales back as storm brews in Thailand | Thaiger

    Banking on trouble: SCB scales back as storm brews in Thailand

    Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) is battening down the hatches and scaling back its operations for the next 12 to 18 months, warning of tough times ahead as Thailand’s economy hits choppy waters. SCB Chief Executive Kris Chantanotoke painted a bleak picture of the months to come, blaming soaring household debt, sluggish growth, and the threat of US tariffs for the…

  • Heavy rainfall and strong winds sweep Thailand amidst storm | Thaiger

    Heavy rainfall and strong winds sweep Thailand amidst storm

    The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued a warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall across Thailand, with strong winds expected in the upper Andaman Sea and the upper Gulf of Thailand in the coming week starting tomorrow. This announcement coincides with Tropical Storm Vipa intensifying. The alert, announced today, July 18, highlights that numerous areas of Thailand are expected…

  • Failed escape: Korean, Chinese fugitives busted in Pattaya swoop | Thaiger

    Failed escape: Korean, Chinese fugitives busted in Pattaya swoop

    Thailand immigration police swooped on two foreign fugitives in a transnational crime crackdown in Pattaya, including a Chinese crook caught trying to escape over the roof and a Korean drug boss with a taste for crystal meth. Commissioner Panumas Boonyalak and his team swooped on suspects in separate raids across Pattaya this week as part of a major international sting.…

  • Thailand booms as Hat Yai steals budget travel spotlight | Thaiger

    Thailand booms as Hat Yai steals budget travel spotlight

    Thailand continues to attract record-breaking numbers of tourists in 2025, with Chinese, Malaysian, and South Korean travellers leading the way. Meanwhile, Hat Yai is gaining traction as one of Asia’s most affordable and exciting travel hotspots. Agoda, one of Asia’s top digital travel platforms, has released fresh data showing Thailand continues to dominate regional tourism in the first half of…

  • Thailand pushes China to fast-track fruit and rice exports | Thaiger

    Thailand pushes China to fast-track fruit and rice exports

    Thailand is turning up the heat on China to help fast-track its tastiest exports—from sweet tamarinds to juicy pomelos—in a high-stakes trade push aimed at cracking the world’s biggest consumer market. The Ministry of Commerce is pulling out all the stops to promote Thailand’s prized Geographical Indication (GI) products in China, urging Beijing’s top trade agency to speed up the…

  • Russian teen busted for Pattaya pier graffiti | Thaiger

    Russian teen busted for Pattaya pier graffiti

    A 16 year old Russian boy has been caught red-handed after launching a midnight graffiti attack on Pattaya’s iconic Bali Hai Pier Overpass. In the early hours of today, July 17, Pattaya City’s Special Affairs Unit swooped in on the teen, identified only as Dobrynia, as he vandalised the structure with spray paint. The sharp-eyed officer spotted the youth in…

  • NBTC to revise mobile tariffs, cheaper packages under 240 baht | Thaiger

    NBTC to revise mobile tariffs, cheaper packages under 240 baht

    The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is revising mobile phone tariffs, encouraging operators to introduce cheaper Blue Flag Packages from the current cap of 240 baht per month. Yesterday, July 16, acting Secretary-General of the NBTC Trairat Viriyasirikul announced that today’s NBTC meeting covered a total of 86 agenda items, with 25 items reviewed. These included business operation permits,…

  • Boom in the bin: Hua Hin rocked by live grenade and C4 find | Thaiger

    Boom in the bin: Hua Hin rocked by live grenade and C4 find

    Rubbish collectors got more than they bargained for when a pile of deadly military explosives was discovered beside a bin in Hua Hin, sparking a full-scale bomb squad operation and a police investigation that’s now gripping the quiet coastal town. At around 11.30am yesterday, July 16, police were alerted by a concerned resident who spotted a suspicious object dumped next…

  • Pattaya cops rescue Russians with highway bike push | Thaiger

    Pattaya cops rescue Russians with highway bike push

    Two stranded Russian tourists were left stunned—and grateful—after a team of Pattaya police officers came to their rescue in one of the city’s more unusual displays of public service: pushing a broken-down motorbike through traffic with nothing but a boot and big hearts. The drama unfolded around 9.40am yesterday, July 16, when the couple’s motorbike battery unexpectedly died right in…

  • Phuket governor wins top honour for anti-drug crusade | Thaiger

    Phuket governor wins top honour for anti-drug crusade

    Phuket’s top official just bagged a royal seal of approval—and a national spotlight—for leading the fight against drugs. Governor Sophon Suwannarat has been crowned with the coveted Outstanding Governor award for his role in championing the To be Number One campaign, a youth-focused anti-drug initiative that’s making waves across Thailand. The award was handed out during the star-studded To be Number…

  • Thai drug traffickers arrested in Myanmar, bounty 2.5 million baht | Thaiger

    Thai drug traffickers arrested in Myanmar, bounty 2.5 million baht

    Key drug traffickers who had fled arrest warrants with a combined bounty of over 2.5 million baht, were extradited from Myanmar to Thailand. The operation, yesterday, July 16, exemplifies enhanced cooperation between Thai and Myanmar drug enforcement agencies. The apprehension of the fugitives, Tachin Norawong and Chamung Kantawong, was facilitated by the collaboration between the Office of the Narcotics Control Board…

  • Teenagers steal 600 baht from gas station in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Teenagers steal 600 baht from gas station in Chon Buri

    Five teenagers riding motorbikes, locally referred to as dek waen, were captured on CCTV committing theft at a gas station along Highway 331 towards Chachoengsao, in Moo 4, in Chon Buri, Thailand. The incident took place at 2.18am on July 13, . The CCTV footage reveals the group arriving on two motorbikes after fleeing a police checkpoint and stopping at…

  • Bang out of order! Teen tearaways caught with grenades in Phuket | Thaiger

    Bang out of order! Teen tearaways caught with grenades in Phuket

    Two teen tearaways have been nabbed by police, who discovered them with four homemade grenades, allegedly intended for a revenge attack on rivals in the Wichit area of Phuket. The dramatic arrest unfolded during a routine patrol led by Police Lieutenant Sunthon Phetsangk, Deputy Chief of Investigation at Wichit Police, last night, July 16. While conducting crime suppression duties on…

  • Husband’s violent assault on wife in Samut Sakhon sparks outrage | Thaiger

    Husband’s violent assault on wife in Samut Sakhon sparks outrage

    In Samut Sakhon, social activist Guntouch Pongpaiboonwet, also known as Gun Jompalang, accompanied 32 year old Bua to Krathum Baen Police Station yesterday, July 16. The visit aimed to provide further testimony regarding the severe violence inflicted upon her by her husband. The victim sustained multiple injuries, including facial burns from a hot iron, and endured beatings and physical restraint.…

  • Thai man slits neighbour’s throat over mistaken phone theft | Thaiger

    Thai man slits neighbour’s throat over mistaken phone theft

    A Thai man slit his neighbour’s throat at a house in the northern province of Phetchabun in the early hours of this morning after wrongly suspecting her of stealing his mobile phone. Officers from Chondean Police Station received a report of the brutal attack at 12.30am today, July 17, and responded to the scene, a residence in Tha Kham subdistrict,…

  • Creamer crime! American nabbed with heroin ‘brew-tally’ hidden | Thaiger

    Creamer crime! American nabbed with heroin ‘brew-tally’ hidden

    In a dramatic sting at Phuket International Airport, an American man was arrested while attempting to smuggle over 6 kilogrammes of heroin out of Thailand. The jaw-dropping plot, uncovered by a coordinated operation involving the Tourist Police, Customs, and narcotics officers, has raised alarms throughout the region. The alleged suspect, Tyler Trong Luong, was intercepted yesterday, July 16 as he…

  • Van hits cyclist at Bangkok crossing, elderly man injured (video) | Thaiger

    Van hits cyclist at Bangkok crossing, elderly man injured (video)

    A van ran a red light and collided with a bicycle on a pedestrian crossing, leaving an 84 year old man with a fractured sacrum. The incident occurred near the Bueng Nong Bon Park in Prawet district, Bangkok, on July 13. The Facebook page Drama-addict shared CCTV footage of the accident, which showed the van hitting the bicycle at the…

  • Mute Thai man arrested for selling porn featuring young boys | Thaiger

    Mute Thai man arrested for selling porn featuring young boys

    Police arrested a mute Thai man in the southern province of Phattalung for tricking young boys into engaging in sexual activities with him and secretly recording explicit videos to sell on the Telegram app. Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) received a tip-off from the International Protection Alliance (IPA) that a 34 year old Thai man, Phuwadon, shared multiple…

  • Honey trap! Love-struck Pakistani youths kidnapped in Thailand | Thaiger

    Honey trap! Love-struck Pakistani youths kidnapped in Thailand

    In a shocking “honey trap” scandal, three young Pakistani men have fallen victim to a sly scheme set by Indian women in Thailand. Usman Amin, Muhammad Ahmed, and Tajammul Shehzad, hailing from Sahiwal, were swept off their feet by the women via phone conversations before jetting off on what was meant to be an exciting adventure. They departed on May…

  • Landmine blast injures 3 soldiers near Thai-Cambodian border | Thaiger

    Landmine blast injures 3 soldiers near Thai-Cambodian border

    A border patrol mission turned into a nightmare after three Thai soldiers were injured in a landmine blast in a former conflict zone near Hill 481 in the Chong Bok area in Nam Yuen district, Ubon Ratchathani province. Military sources say the men are lucky to be alive. At around 8pm yesterday, July 16, Lieutenant General Boonsin Phadklang, Commander of the…

  • Thai tourist attacked and robbed in Paris, 10,000 baht and documents stolen | Thaiger

    Thai tourist attacked and robbed in Paris, 10,000 baht and documents stolen

    A Thai tourist issued a warning after he was attacked and robbed in Paris, France, yesterday, July 16. He lost 10,000 baht in cash along with all his belongings. The victim, Krissana “Fai” Baowlor, shared photos of his injuries on his Facebook account, along with a caption detailing the robbery. The incident occurred at a public park near the Westfield…