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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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    Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?

    Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...

  • Thief steals Thai singer’s license plate to nick diesel in NE Thailand | Thaiger

    Thief steals Thai singer’s license plate to nick diesel in NE Thailand

    A Thai singer took to social media to appeal to fans to help find a number plate stolen from his car after an inventive thief used it to steal diesel from a petrol station in northeast Thailand. Buriram Police are on the lookout for the light-fingered tealeaf who stole the license plate and attached it to his vehicle before travelling…

  • Shortcut road between Kathu and Thalang in the works | Thaiger

    Shortcut road between Kathu and Thalang in the works

    Phuket authorities are planning to construct a shortcut road between Kathu and Sri Soonthorn in Thalang. The road is being built in hopes of easing traffic congestion in Koh Kaew. The move was announced by Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO) President, Rewat Areerob, who revealed that three prominent families in the region have donated land for public use to enable…

  • Tourism in Chiang Mai may be damaged by air pollution | Thaiger

    Tourism in Chiang Mai may be damaged by air pollution

    The Northern region of Thailand, especially Chiang Mai, is experiencing a hazardous level of ultra-fine PM2.5 dust particles in the air. This is causing concerns among tourism operators in the city that the situation will negatively impact the industry. Pallop Saejiew, the president of Chiang Mai’s Tourism Industrial Council, worries about the long-term effects on the province’s tourism industry. Demand…

  • Summer begins today with temperatures climbing | Thaiger

    Summer begins today with temperatures climbing

    Bring on the heat! Thailand will officially enter its summer season today with temperatures expected to soar as high as 43 degrees Celsius. The Meteorological Department (TMD) announced on Friday declaring the start of the summer heat. The onset of summer comes just as a monsoon in the upper regions of Thailand will cause temperatures to rise. The monsoon is…

  • Famous Thailand footballer jilted bride-to-be at altar, she files police complaint | Thaiger

    Famous Thailand footballer jilted bride-to-be at altar, she files police complaint

    A famous Thailand footballer jilted his bride-to-be at the altar and defrauded her family according to claims by the man’s fiancé. The jilted bride from Buriram filed a complaint with the police alleging that the man is a star from a well-known Surin football club, he swindled her family out of hundreds of thousands of baht and failed to show…

  • Drunk Thais claim knife-point robbery was self-defence | Thaiger

    Drunk Thais claim knife-point robbery was self-defence

    Police charged three drunk Thai men with robbery after they brandished a large knife and gun in an attempt to rob a foreign tourist in the Khao San area of Bangkok. The robbery attempt took place outside the Tang Hua Seng department store in Banglamphu. The victim was a Romanian tourist. The three are currently being held at Nang Loeng Police Station…

  • Committee proposes law legalizing prostitution over 20 | Thaiger

    Committee proposes law legalizing prostitution over 20

    Great news for punters, a committee drafting a new law governing prostitution has agreed that voluntary sexual service without criminal penalties should be allowed from the age of 20. Jintana Chanbamroong, head of the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development at the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, chaired the committee drafting the new law. The new law is a…

  • 4 guides arrested leading Chinese tour group without ID | Thaiger

    4 guides arrested leading Chinese tour group without ID

    Police have been cracking down on illegal tour groups and guides, recently arresting a Russian man mid-tour. Now four Thai female tour guides have been arrested around Bangkok while leading Chinese tour groups. The guides turned out to be licensed, but they did not have the proper documentation. The arrests took place in the tourist area of Tha Rua, Tha…

  • 3 new airlines of Thailand to be launched next year | Thaiger

    3 new airlines of Thailand to be launched next year

    Thailand is set to welcome three new airlines, P80 AIR, Really Cool Air, and Landarch Airline, this year. The ultra-low-cost airline from Malaysia, MYAirline, is also preparing a new route to the Land of Smiles. DailyNews reported today that the three new airlines have applied for operational licenses with the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the approval process is…

  • Officials raid counterfeit brand name shirt factory in Phuket | Thaiger

    Officials raid counterfeit brand name shirt factory in Phuket

    Officials raided a counterfeit brand name shirt factory in Phuket‘s Kathu district yesterday. The team of officials from the Intellectual Property Department said they found machines and equipment used for shirt production at a house in a housing district near Kathu Waterfall. The officials also raided two nearby houses where they found thousands of counterfeit brand name shirts, The Phuket…

  • Bangkok taxi driver flees hit-and-run, later stabs victim’s friend | Thaiger

    Bangkok taxi driver flees hit-and-run, later stabs victim’s friend

    A taxi driver involved in a hit-and-run incident at Soi Phahonyothin 52 in Bangkok on Wednesday also stabbed a man before fleeing the scene. However, guilt finally got the better of the driver and he surrendered himself to the police yesterday. The victim stabbed by a taxi driver is a man called Ra. He had surgery after the knife attack…

  • Indian and Russian busted without permits at Phuket Airport | Thaiger

    Indian and Russian busted without permits at Phuket Airport

    Immigration officers this week busted an Indian man and a Russian man, who entered and stayed in Thailand without permits, at Phuket International Airport. Phuket Immigration Checkpoint reported on Facebook that both men were arrested on the same day, February 28. The page said that officers arrested the Indian man, 28 year old Chaudhary Shubham, at the immigration checkpoint in…

  • Thai Airways profits nearly tripled in last year’s final quarter | Thaiger

    Thai Airways profits nearly tripled in last year’s final quarter

    Thai Airways International (THAI) had a strong financial performance in the final quarter of 2022, reflecting the gradual recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry. According to the national flag carrier’s annual financial statement filed with the Thai Stock Exchange on February 24, the net income for the fourth quarter of 2022 surged to 11.15 billion baht, almost triple the 4 billion…

  • 3 Thai transwomen attacked by group of taxi drivers near Soi Cowboy | Thaiger

    3 Thai transwomen attacked by group of taxi drivers near Soi Cowboy

    Three Thai transwomen reported they were attacked by a gang of taxi drivers near the popular nightlife spot, Soi Cowboy, in Bangkok at 4am on Tuesday, February 28. The victims also claimed that Thong Lor Police ignored their pleas for justice because they were transgender. One of the victims, 24 year old Watchaya, spoke to the media about the incident…

  • Aussie man apprehended in Phuket after taking erratic joy ride in stolen car | Thaiger

    Aussie man apprehended in Phuket after taking erratic joy ride in stolen car

    Thai police apprehended an Aussie man after he was found to have stolen a car at the Phuket International Airport and proceeded to take an erratic joy ride. The man reportedly stole the car at the airport’s car park, hit a parked vehicle and fled the scene. He then ran through two police checkpoints before he was apprehended. According to…

  • Hit-and-run crash kills Move Forward candidate in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Hit-and-run crash kills Move Forward candidate in northern Thailand

    A hit-and-run crash killed a Move Forward candidate in northern Thailand, who was expected to seek a constituency seat in Phrae province. The prospective candidate, Tiranon ‘Lawyer Ken’ Wiantham, was hit by a speeding truck in the province after campaigning on Sunday, February 26, according to witnesses. He died from his injuries yesterday morning. Tiranon was a volunteer lawyer known…

  • All bets off as MP faces gambling charge in Parliament | Thaiger

    All bets off as MP faces gambling charge in Parliament

    All bets are off according to spokeswoman Pongsri Tharaphume who revealed “an investigation will be launched” into an incident involving an unnamed MP who allegedly engaged in gambling activities at his office in Parliament. Parliament president Chuan Leekpai has requested an investigation to determine whether the MP violated the House’s code of ethics. The investigation was initiated in response to…

  • Thai Customs seizes 26,000 kg of opium seeds from Turkey | Thaiger

    Thai Customs seizes 26,000 kg of opium seeds from Turkey

    The Customs Department of Thailand last month seized 26,000 kilogrammes of opium seeds imported from Turkey at Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri. The seeds were worth about 30 million baht. The Thai Customs and other related departments revealed the details of the seizure at the customs office on February 12 during a press conference on Wednesday. Director-General of Thai…

  • China responds to Thailand’s crackdown on grey businesses by reaffirming support | Thaiger

    China responds to Thailand’s crackdown on grey businesses by reaffirming support

    China is responding to Thailand’s crackdown on grey businesses by reaffirming its support. The two countries say they have been cooperating closely in suppressing transnational crimes. The Chinese Embassy pledged to help bring such businesses to justice on its Facebook page today. Online gambling and call centre scams are among the Chinese businesses that were found to be illegally operating…

  • Thailand strengthens tourism ties with China in high-profile meeting | Thaiger

    Thailand strengthens tourism ties with China in high-profile meeting

    Thailand is strengthening its tourism ties with China after the two countries inked a letter of intent in a high-profile meeting. Chinese Culture and Tourism Minister, Hu Heping, and Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, signed the Letter of Intent between the TAT and China Tourism Group Travel Services. As 2023 marks 48 years of diplomacy between the two…

  • Motorbike crash kills Phuket man | Thaiger

    Motorbike crash kills Phuket man

    A motorbike crash killed a Phuket man in the early hours of this morning, while another two people were left injured. The fatal crash happened at 3am on Sri Soonthorn Road, in the Cherng Talay area of the Thalang district. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find the body of 51 year old motorbike rider Pomngnara. His female passenger had…

  • Two suspects in Tangmo case plead guilty to ‘recklessness causing death’ | Thaiger

    Two suspects in Tangmo case plead guilty to ‘recklessness causing death’

    More than one year after Thai actress Nida ‘Tangmo‘ Patcharaveerapong drowned in the Chaophraya River, two suspects in the ‘speedboat gang‘ have confessed to all charges including recklessness causing death. The four remaining suspects denied all charges. Tangmo’s mother Panida Siriyuthyothin said the confessions follow new evidence she submitted to the court on February 24. The new evidence is dashcam…

  • Thailand wins award for ‘Best Tourist Country’ in Sweden | Thaiger

    Thailand wins award for ‘Best Tourist Country’ in Sweden

    Thailand continues to make waves across the globe for its reputation as a tourist magnet. Thailand has been recognised as the Best Tourist Country at the 30th annual Grand Travel Awards 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Organised by TravelNews, the award is based on a survey conducted by research company Nordic Bench, which collected responses from 3,227 Swedish travellers and travel professionals…

  • Hong Kong launches free airline ticket giveaway to reboot tourism | Thaiger

    Hong Kong launches free airline ticket giveaway to reboot tourism

    Hong Kong’s government-supported “Hello, Hong Kong” ticket giveaway of half a million free airline tickets is swamping airline websites. Cathay Pacific, one of the carriers participating in the programme, said it had allocated all 17,400 round-trip tickets from Thailand to Hong Kong within the first hour of the giveaway, even though it was scheduled to last seven days. The airline…

  • 11 Thai police officers arrested for alleged gang rape of 14 year old | Thaiger

    11 Thai police officers arrested for alleged gang rape of 14 year old

    A children’s foundation is rallying for justice after a 14 year old girl was allegedly gang-raped by 15 men. Eleven of the men are reported to be serving Thai police officers and the teenage girl was supposedly raped on multiple occasions in Leoi province in northeast Thailand over a two-year period. Today, officials from the Children, Youth and Families Foundation…

  • Police arrest Cambodian for raging fire at Pattaya ‘secret’ beach (video) | Thaiger

    Police arrest Cambodian for raging fire at Pattaya ‘secret’ beach (video)

    Police arrested a homeless Cambodian national yesterday under suspicion of starting a raging fire at a secret beach in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, on Monday night, causing damages amounting to 300,000 baht. On Monday, 41 year old fisherman Teeraphat Iampinyo discovered a raging fire at a secret beach – mostly used by fishermen to sell fish and store equipment. The beach…

  • Frenchman pays the price for revving noisy motorbike in Phuket | Thaiger

    Frenchman pays the price for revving noisy motorbike in Phuket

    Police tracked down and fined a Frenchman yesterday for annoying residents by revving his loud rented motorbike along the Bangla Road in Phuket, southern Thailand, in the early hours of Monday morning. At 5am on Monday, Phuket traffic police were tipped off that a group of four to five ‘dek waen’ (motorbike racers) were causing a ruckus outside a convenience…

  • Blogger’s reaction to eating live shrimp salad in Thailand goes viral on Instagram | Thaiger

    Blogger’s reaction to eating live shrimp salad in Thailand goes viral on Instagram

    A blogger’s reaction to eating a live shrimp salad in Thailand has gone viral on Instagram. Popular blogger Sam Pepper, who is known for his bizarre travel videos, posted his reaction on the social media website. He called the salad a ‘LIVE Jumping’ Shrimp Salad.’ “This one is really out there. But when in Thailand! Live shrimp salad.” According to…

  • Over 7,000 Russians in Phuket apply for visa extensions | Thaiger

    Over 7,000 Russians in Phuket apply for visa extensions

    Over 7,000 Russians in Phuket are applying for visa extensions in a bid to stay in Thailand. Local immigration chief, Thanet Sukchai, says the great weather is one factor in their attempts to stay. “Phuket is a nice place to visit with delicious food and good weather. As word has spread about the island, Russian tourists keep coming to the…

  • Greta Thunberg detained twice during demonstration over Indigenous rights | Thaiger

    Greta Thunberg detained twice during demonstration over Indigenous rights

    Greta Thunberg has been detained twice during a recent demonstration over indigenous rights. The environmental campaigner was participating in the demonstration in Oslo, Norway, when police removed her and other activists. According to the Japan Times, Thunberg joined protesters on Monday in demanding the removal of 151 wind turbines from reindeer pastures used by Sami herders in central Norway. The…