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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...

  • Young student busted for big crimes | Thaiger

    Young student busted for big crimes

    The Narcotics Control Board have announced the arrest of an 18 year old student at a private college in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, for possession of 10,000 ecstasy pills. “The student ordered 35,000 ecstasy pills by airmail from The Netherlands, paying in Bitcoin via the internet. He was arrested when the first shipment of 10,000 pills arrived. The…

  • Thieving monkey safely caught in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Thieving monkey safely caught in Chon Buri

    A mischievous macaque, aka. rhesus monkey, has been caught after stealing food from local residents in Chon Buri province’s Banglamung district. Authorities of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation were notified of the monkey yesterday afternoon at a housing estate. They arrived at the scene to find the male monkey, estimated at around 2 years old, eating…

  • Naked man steals motorbike in Nakhon Si Thammarat – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Naked man steals motorbike in Nakhon Si Thammarat – VIDEO

    On Sunday a completely naked man seized a motorcycle from a shocked woman in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and rode away on it. Police found him yesterday at a nearby market, still without clothes. The incident occurred in broad daylight and in full view of witnesses. It was recorded and posted on Facebook and, predictably, went viral. The…

  • Gang leader arrested for fraud million baht scheme | Thaiger

    Gang leader arrested for fraud million baht scheme

    Police have caught the leader of a gang who stole millions posing as government officials to bribe contractors into handing over money for fake construction projects. The alleged boss of the scheme, 50 year old Rachasak Butpornprasert, was arrested at an Ayutthaya temple after being wanted by police for a year. Butpornprasert also goes by the name “Noppadol Srino” according…

  • Lightning kills one, injures another in northern Thailand storms | Thaiger

    Lightning kills one, injures another in northern Thailand storms

    One man was killed and another was injured in lightning storms in northern Thailand. Both were tending cows on their farms. 62 year old Prachuab Phunok died while he was working on a field in the northeastern Mukdahan province’s Nong Sung district, near the Laos border. Police say he was sitting under a tree when lightning struck and killed him. Meanwhile…

  • Newborn found dead in southern Thailand university pond | Thaiger

    Newborn found dead in southern Thailand university pond

    There was a tragic moment last Monday when the body of a newborn baby was discovered in a pond at a southern Thailand university. . A security guard at Walailak University in Nakhon Si Thammarat province saw a black plastic bag floating near the edge of the pond. He told police that “the smell was strong and foul”. Inside the…

  • 6 police officers face charges of extortion, assault | Thaiger

    6 police officers face charges of extortion, assault

    Further to a story reported earlier in The Thaiger, things are heating up in the central province of Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok. A surprise visit by national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda at the Klong Dan police station last week has exposed alleged acts of assault and extortion by a suspected gang of criminal policemen. The officers on duty…

  • Minister proposes 300 baht tourist levy | Thaiger

    Minister proposes 300 baht tourist levy

    It’s going to be challenging enough for both the Thai tourism industry and the travellers to get Thailand’s tourist wheels in motion again without a new levy being added as well. But now, the Tourism and Sports Ministry says they’re considering a new 300 baht tax from every foreign arrival. The reasoning is that the new levy would cover “pandemic…

  • Checkpoint-tech introduced at the Phuket road entry point | Thaiger

    Checkpoint-tech introduced at the Phuket road entry point

    Today 10 million baht was donated to the Tha Chatchai checkpoint (at the northern road entry on the island) for a new project called “Phuket Smart Check Point”. The project is aimed to support the islands’ reopening measures and help conduct screenings for high-risk groups. Not only will the project be used for Covid-19-related issues but the project will also…

  • Major slump in tourists expected this year | Thaiger

    Major slump in tourists expected this year

    It’s not looking to good for Thailand’s tourism industry. This year will have the lowest numbers the country has seen in over a decade, and that’s assuming there’s some reopenings for international travel sometime later in the year. With the coronavirus pandemic freezing up international travel, the number of foreign tourists are expected to fall by 65% this year, according…

  • Instant noodle exports increase as neighbouring countries stock up | Thaiger

    Instant noodle exports increase as neighbouring countries stock up

    Craving noodles? Seems like many people stuck at home want the cheap and quick meal. Preparation is quick, the price is low, there’s flavours aplenty and they’re easy to find. Thailand’s exports of instant noodles have gone up this year, the country’s Ministry of Commerce reported yesterday. With ridiculously low prices, a long shelf life and, let’s admit, some pretty…

  • Thailand receives 30 million baht shipment of medical PPE from China | Thaiger

    Thailand receives 30 million baht shipment of medical PPE from China

    Today at Don Mueang International Airport General Chanchan Changmongkol, the Deputy Minister of Defense represented the Thai government in receiving medical equipment and supplies from Mr. Yang Xin, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, to aid the people of Thailand during the Covid-19 outbreak. The shipment had a value of 6 million yuan or 30 million baht and…

  • “Bangkok’s tap water is safe for cooking” – Metropolitan Waterworks | Thaiger

    “Bangkok’s tap water is safe for cooking” – Metropolitan Waterworks

    When people travel to Thailand they’re always warned not to drink the tap water. Or cook with it. But improved sanitation over the past few decades has now improved the quality of tap water around parts of the country, especially in the capital. Now the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority say that it is safe to use tap water to cook rice.…

  • Bangkok police hunt activists who projected slogans onto landmarks of 2010 protests | Thaiger

    Bangkok police hunt activists who projected slogans onto landmarks of 2010 protests

    The slogan Seek the Truth (in Thai) has been projected onto several Bangkok landmarks in what appears to be a commemoration of the violent end to political demonstrations in 2010. That year, protests rocked Bangkok for 3 months between March and May, when over 100,000 supporters of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (known as the “Redshirts”) descended on the city, demanding elections.…

  • Fake survey promises gifts from the Thailand Post | Thaiger

    Fake survey promises gifts from the Thailand Post

    “Your chance to win… ” tends to be too good to be true, every time. Go with your gut if you come across a chance to earn a free gift from the Thailand Post. It’s fake. An internet scam, posing as the country’s mail carrier, is luring people in with gifts such as smartphones and vouchers. Thailand Post, for their…

  • 24 Patong police placed under quarantine | Thaiger

    24 Patong police placed under quarantine

    Today at around 1pm, 24 Patong police officers were placed under quarantine at a prominent three-star hotel on Rat U Thit Road, Patong. This was after a police officer was confirmed as one of the cases founded in Phuket yesterday. Read more HERE. While 20 tested negative, 4 are still waiting on the results from supervising medical staff. Thai media…

  • Thailand to introduce contact-tracing app in bid to constrain virus | Thaiger

    Thailand to introduce contact-tracing app in bid to constrain virus

    More news is expected today about a new contact-tracing app being launched as part of the Thai government’s latest efforts to constrain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. A report in Nation Thailand says authorities will shift their focus from location targeting to increased testing of six groups considered high-risk. They include healthcare workers, those in state quarantine and newly…

  • Phuket’s tourist-driven economy faces crisis – Phuket Chamber of Commerce | Thaiger

    Phuket’s tourist-driven economy faces crisis – Phuket Chamber of Commerce

    Phuket’s tourism-driven economy is facing what one city official calls a crisis, comparing the economic impact to what it was after the 2004 tsunami. Phuket’s economy has become increasingly focused on tourism and hospitality over the past 2 decades. The Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Thunusak Phungdet said at a meeting last Thursday that Phuket has no income right now.…

  • TMD announces storm warnings for 53 central and northern provinces | Thaiger

    TMD announces storm warnings for 53 central and northern provinces

    Today the Thai Meteorological Department has officially announced a warning for 53 upper Thailand provinces. The announcement says that from May 11-13, there will be high pressures winds from China covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea. In addition, southerly and southeasterly winds have brought humidity to cover upper Thailand, causing that area to have summer storms, thunderstorms, gusts…

  • Man kills Buddhist monk in a fit of anger in Lampang | Thaiger

    Man kills Buddhist monk in a fit of anger in Lampang

    A Buddhist monk was killed last week after he spoke up about a man’s drinking habits. Villagers in Lampang found the body of 69 year old Phra Bundhit Prom-iam over the weekend in his pick-up truck. His body was decaying and “gave off a strong smell”. As police investigated the incident, evidence led them to 44 year old Sakol Pumthong who eventually…

  • Summer storms, thunderstorms, hail – weather warnings | Thaiger

    Summer storms, thunderstorms, hail – weather warnings

    The Thailand Meteorological Department is predicting summer storms for vast areas of upper Thailand, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. Hail is possible in some areas of the North, the Northeast, the East, and the Central regions. Whilst any meaningful wet season rain is yet to transpire in much of the country, the summer storm systems usually bring sudden,…

  • Former deputy PM says government should focus on solutions, not threats | Thaiger

    Former deputy PM says government should focus on solutions, not threats

    Thailand’s former Deputy PM Chaturon Chaisang yesterday posted on his Facebook page and other social media that, in his opinion, the government is focusing on threats versus solutions during the current Covid-19 crisis. His post has been widely shared and gained a lot of traction in Thai-language media. Chaisang, a former Minister of Education in addition to being a Deputy…

  • Most Thais want restrictions lifted – NIDA poll | Thaiger

    Most Thais want restrictions lifted – NIDA poll

    The National Institute of Development Association recently conducted a poll that asked 1,259 Thais from various walks of life about their thoughts on lifting the current Emergency Decree restrictions, such as the closure of businesses and the national curfew. The poll was taken from Thursday to May 9 and comprised Thai nationals over the age of 18 from various backgrounds,…

  • Spaniard arrested for brutal Koh Phangan murder | Thaiger

    Spaniard arrested for brutal Koh Phangan murder

    Police in the southern Surat Thani province have arrested a Spanish man on the island of Koh Phangan for the stabbing death of a Chilean man. Authorities say the brutal murder took place at 1am yesterday. Officers say when they arrived at the scene of the murder, a rented house on Koh Phangan, they found 31 year old Chang San…

  • Multiple murder suspect nabbed after 6 years on the run | Thaiger

    Multiple murder suspect nabbed after 6 years on the run

    A suspect wanted for the murder of 4 people in Ayutthaya, just north of Bangkok, was arrested in neighbouring Suphan Buri today, 6 years after fleeing arrest. Officers of the Crime Suppression Division arrested 57 year old Charn Saisang in front of a house in tambon Phlabphlachai in the central province. Charn was wanted on a warrant issued by the…

  • Foreigners arrested for swimming at closed Pattaya beaches – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Foreigners arrested for swimming at closed Pattaya beaches – VIDEO

    Police in Pattaya arrested 3 foreigners who were violating public orders to stay off of public beaches at around noon today, at the back of a hotel in the province’s Pratumnak area. Pattaya City police officers told reporters they issued several soft warnings to the foreigners while they were in the water, but they refused to stop swimming and simply…

  • Prachinburi police chief updates the case of murdered German man | Thaiger

    Prachinburi police chief updates the case of murdered German man

    The stabbing death of a German man who taught English in the Central province of Prachinburi “has damaged the image of Thailand” according to provincial police, as reported in 77kaoded. But the provincial police chief says said he “expects good news soon” after he chaired a meeting of investigators looking into the case. Chief Naradech Klomthuksing was addressing reporters after…

  • 710 people caught violating curfew in one night, most in Phuket | Thaiger

    710 people caught violating curfew in one night, most in Phuket

    The Royal Thai Police Operations Centre has revealed that there were 710 arrests made on Thursday night for violators of the national curfew. Officials searched 27,011 individuals and 20,568 vehicles with a final arrest number of 710, on last Thursday night alone. The arrests consisted of… 612 suspects left their homes during the curfew with no valid reasoning, out of…

  • 5 charged over murder of Burmese man in Chiang Rai | Thaiger

    5 charged over murder of Burmese man in Chiang Rai

    After police officers from Maw Fah Luang in Chiang Rai received a tip-off from local residents to check a suspicious object floating in a swamp, a body was discovered in a 200 litre oil drum in Ban Thoet Thai. When police arrived they found a 200 litre steel drum floating around near the swamp’s shore. In the tank they found…

  • 6 police in Samut Prakarn accused of multiple kidnappings and extortion | Thaiger

    6 police in Samut Prakarn accused of multiple kidnappings and extortion

    6 police officers and 4 civilians stand accused of kidnapping more than a dozen people for ransom in the central province of Samut Prakarn. 15 victims gave their statements to police at Klongdan Police Station yesterday. Lawyer and president of the Crime Victim Assistance Association, Atchariya Reungrattanaphong, says he has informed the national chief of police. “The victims reached out…