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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...

  • Help is on the way: 100 billion baht stimulus package passed | Thaiger

    Help is on the way: 100 billion baht stimulus package passed

    Eyeing the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the nation’s already battered economy, the government yesterday approved a stimulus package, anticipated to cost more than 100 billion baht. The package was approved in a meeting of the Council of Economic Ministers, led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and will be forwarded to the cabinet for approval on Tuesday. After the…

  • Forecast: steamy in the North, stormy in the South | Thaiger

    Forecast: steamy in the North, stormy in the South

    The weather department’s forecast is for hot weather for upper Thailand today, as a high-pressure system from China covering the South China Sea weakens. Meanwhile southerly and the southeasterly winds will bring humidity from the South China Sea to the area. Thundershowers are likely in parts of the lower North, the Northeast and the Central and East regions. The weak…

  • Top of the Gulf Regatta cancelled over virus fears | Thaiger

    Top of the Gulf Regatta cancelled over virus fears

    Adding to a rapidly growing list, including Songkran celebrations around the nation, and dealing yet another blow to Thailand’s reeling tourism sector, the Top of the Gulf Regatta has become the latest event to fall victim to the coronavirus threat. Organisers Ocean Marina announced yesterday that this year’s race is cancelled. The Regatta was scheduled to run from May 1-5.…

  • No Songkran for Pattaya this year | Thaiger

    No Songkran for Pattaya this year

    Pattaya’s mayor today confirmed that Pattaya is cancelling virtually all official Songkran activities for this year due to concerns over the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. This includes the Wan Lai Festival scheduled for April 19, the single biggest event on the city’s calendar, which attracts up to a half million tourists, both Thai and foreign, in what many consider Thailand’s wildest…

  • Government launches “Have problems, consult the PM” charm offensive | Thaiger

    Government launches “Have problems, consult the PM” charm offensive

    Thailand’s government yesterday launched a new program, dubbed “Have Problems, Consult the PM,” to allow the public to voice grievances and problems directly to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Prayut welcomed groups representing farmers, civil society and independent entrepreneurs at Government House. The PM told them that the program is his own initiative at a time of challenges, including Thailand’s economic…

  • Major corporations join the fight against plastics | Thaiger

    Major corporations join the fight against plastics

    by Ghislaine Bovy Reduce. Re-use. Recycle. The public is now fully aware of the gigantic plastic pollution issue. They know it’s time to act and act now. Many of us have already “gone” into using reusable plastic bags, refillable bottles and buy fruits and vegetables in bulk instead of in individual plastic bags, small shops don’t give you a plastic…

  • North to see thunderstorms, rains predicted for Bangkok | Thaiger

    North to see thunderstorms, rains predicted for Bangkok

    Thailand’s Meteorological Department today says there is a possibility of thunderstorms, gusty winds and even hail in the North, the Northeast, the Central and East regions, due to a low pressure area covering the lower North and Central regions and a high pressure system from China in the Northeast. In the South, less rain is predicted. The department advises people…

  • Health minister won’t say why quarantine order deleted, Facebook account inactive | Thaiger

    Health minister won’t say why quarantine order deleted, Facebook account inactive

    Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday declined to explain why he removed an order requiring people arriving from 9 countries and 2 Chinese territories designated as high risk areas for the Covid-19 virus to be placed in self-quarantine. According to the quickly deleted document posted on his official Facebook page (now inactive), the nine destinations are “disease areas” and people arriving…

  • March 2020, the Thai month of cancellations | Thaiger

    March 2020, the Thai month of cancellations

    March will end up as the long month of cancellations. With Songkran looming, one of the busiest times for travel in Thailand, and increasingly one of the biggest annual tourist magnets to the Kingdom, cancelling Songkran would take Thailand into unchartered tourism and economic territory. Fears, real or imagined, are forcing companies and governments to assess their risks associated with…

  • Thailand’s Koh Phangan full moon party cancelled | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Koh Phangan full moon party cancelled

    …until further notice. The next Full Moon Party, scheduled for March 8, has been cancelled. The memo from the Mayor of Koh Phangan says that the hugely popular monthly party has been cancelled due to fears associated with the Covid-19 virus. The memo also says that there will no further monthly parties until fears over the outbreak pass. The cancellation…

  • Chon Buri’s Bangsaen district cancels all official Songkran activities | Thaiger

    Chon Buri’s Bangsaen district cancels all official Songkran activities

    Saen Suk Municipality in Chon Buri province, near Pattaya, has cancelled the Wan Lai (Songkran) Festival activities scheduled for April 16-17. Narongchai Khunpluem, President of Saen Suk Municipality, made the announcement today via social media. Khunpluem says the cancellation is due to concern about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the government’s general instruction to avoid mass gatherings. The…

  • Thai tourism ministry proposes 5 billion baht in tourist stimulus packages | Thaiger

    Thai tourism ministry proposes 5 billion baht in tourist stimulus packages

    Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he will propose new domestic travel stimulus packages valued at 5 billion baht this Friday. The Minister says the aim is to cushion the impact of the coronavirus for the tourism service sector across the country. The Minister says that domestic tourism is “the priority during this difficult time. The government should implement…

  • Chon Buri man kills neighbour with metal pipe after being refused a cigarette | Thaiger

    Chon Buri man kills neighbour with metal pipe after being refused a cigarette

    Police in Chon Buri province, near Pattaya, arrested a 32 year old Thai man on Monday for allegedly beating his 51 year old neighbour to death with a metal pipe, after the neighbor refused to give him a cigarette. Police were informed of an incident at a home in the Map Pong sub district at 9:30pm. Officers arrived along with…

  • Thailand News Today, March 4, 2020 | Thaiger

    Thailand News Today, March 4, 2020

    Man arrested with 44 kilograms of marijuana in Phuket A 60 year old man is in custody after he was found collecting 44 kilograms of dried marijuana, valued at about 400,000 baht, from a parcel delivery company in Phuket. Police told a press conference yesterday that officers were tipped off about a large shipment of marijuana arriving in Phuket via…

  • Teacher suspended for sexual abuse at Nakhon Pathom school | Thaiger

    Teacher suspended for sexual abuse at Nakhon Pathom school

    A teacher in Nakhon Pathom province just west of Bangkok, identified by students as a serial sexual predator, has been suspended an education official said yesterday. The teacher at Matthayom Than Bin Kamphaeng Saen School, whose name was not supplied, was transferred to an inactive post and placed under investigation, according to secretary-general of the Office of Basic Education Commission,…

  • Ayuttaya man arrested with pistol, planning to shoot wife and her lover | Thaiger

    Ayuttaya man arrested with pistol, planning to shoot wife and her lover

    Police in Ayuttaya, north of Bangkok, yesterday arrested a man carrying an unregistered handgun and ammunition, who told them he was on his way to shoot his wife and her lover a a nearby mall. 45 year old Somkhid Ruennangyaem was pulled over on his motorbike for a search near Naresuan bridge in tambon Pailing, about 11am on Tuesday. Police…

  • Man arrested with 44 kilograms of marijuana in Phuket | Thaiger

    Man arrested with 44 kilograms of marijuana in Phuket

    A 60 year old man is in custody after he was found collecting 44 kilograms of dried marijuana, valued at about 400,000 baht, from a parcel delivery company in Phuket. Police told a press conference yesterday that officers got a tip that a large shipment of marijuana would arrive in Phuket via a parcel company on February 29. On the…

  • Buri Ram MotoGP “postponed indefinitely” over virus fears | Thaiger

    Buri Ram MotoGP “postponed indefinitely” over virus fears

    In a shocking reversal, the Thai MotoGP 2020, scheduled for March 20-22 in Buri Ram province, has been “postponed indefinitely” due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement yesterday. Despite earlier reassurances the race would go on, Anutin said the decision to suspend the event was made at…

  • Bangkok motorbike taxi drivers attack Grab driver in broad daylight – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Bangkok motorbike taxi drivers attack Grab driver in broad daylight – VIDEO

    Three motorbike taxi drivers (‘win’ drivers) have been fined after attacking a Grab bike driver carrying a passenger in Bangkok’s Khlong Tan district. The Grab driver reported to police that at 8:30am yesterday, he was picking up a customer at a condominium in Phra Khanong. He says a local taxi motorbike driver in front of the condo allegedly stopped him…

  • Nong Nong forced to lift weights and perform for tourists at a Phuket zoo – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Nong Nong forced to lift weights and perform for tourists at a Phuket zoo – VIDEO

    A monkey has been filmed lifting weights and doing other ‘tricks’ for tourists at an unnamed zoo in Phuket. Footage was shot by people recording the video for PETA, the global animal rights group, of the monkey being forced to lift weights and do press-ups as entertainment for the island’s tourists. The monkey is an indigenous Macaque species and named ‘Ning…

  • Samui’s Banyan Tree Hotel acts to protect sea turtle nest | Thaiger

    Samui’s Banyan Tree Hotel acts to protect sea turtle nest

    Khun Veeraphat, a waiter at Sands beachfront restaurant on Koh Samui, made a startling discovery on February 13 when he spotted what appeared to be tracks coming from the sea. CCTV footage at Banyan Tree Samui clearly showed a giant sea turtle laying eggs on the beach the night before, then returning to the water. The luxury hotel, located on the…

  • Thai Moto GP in Buriram postponed over outbreak fears | Thaiger

    Thai Moto GP in Buriram postponed over outbreak fears

    Another casualty of the current coronavirus precautions, one of the biggest sporting events in Thailand – the MotoGP 2020 in Buriram. The event was scheduled for March 20-22 in Buri Ram province, north east Thailand, where it has started to gather a huge local and international following. The Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement this morning.…

  • What is 5G? Everything you should know about the next-gen mobile. | Thaiger

    What is 5G? Everything you should know about the next-gen mobile.

    So what is 5G? 5G literally means fifth-generation wireless technology. The successor to 4G, the biggest changes include higher speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices at once. The benefits of 5G aren’t limited to its use. Qualcomm is predicting a $12.3 trillion economic boost worldwide, with 22 million new jobs thanks to both the infrastructure and…

  • Pattaya ladyboy attacks American tourist with sodium hydroxide | Thaiger

    Pattaya ladyboy attacks American tourist with sodium hydroxide

    Pattaya police announced the arrest of a transgender suspect who allegedly attacked an American tourist with sodium hydroxide over the weekend. Sodium hydroxide, also called lye or caustic soda, is a highly corrosive chemical that decomposes proteins at ordinary ambient temperatures and can cause cause severe chemical burns. It’s used in making wood pulp for paper and is a primary…

  • Chiang Mai to see passenger numbers fall by 40% in wake of virus fears | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai to see passenger numbers fall by 40% in wake of virus fears

    The numbers at Chiang Mai’s international airport will fall 40% to 3.5 million in the first six months of this year if the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus drags on until the middle of the year. Chiang Mai airport deputy director Thananrat Prasertsri said late last week that flights to the airport during the period January 1 to February 25 dropped…

  • Chiang Mai has the world’s worst air quality for second straight day | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai has the world’s worst air quality for second straight day

    Virus or no, you may want to wear a mask if you’re in Chiang Mai today; as of 1:36pm, Airvisual.com has rated air quality there the worst in the world for a second day. Yangon, Kathmandu and Mumbai were close behind. The website showed Chiang Mai’s average pollution at 181, (down from 193 yesterday) meaning particulate matter less than 2.5…

  • Biker killed, 5 injured in bike/van crash south of Bangkok | Thaiger

    Biker killed, 5 injured in bike/van crash south of Bangkok

    One man is dead and another 5 passengers injured after a big bike the man was driving slammed into a van making a U-turn along Old Sukhumvit road in the main business district. The incident occurred at about 8pm in tambon Bang Pu Mai, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, south of Bangkok. 32 year old Paveena Ratpipop, a…

  • Man arrested for gunshots at Nontha Buri mall “to intimidate his wife” | Thaiger

    Man arrested for gunshots at Nontha Buri mall “to intimidate his wife”

    In a further development to a story the Thaiger reported earlier, a Thai man has been arrested for firing a gun on Friday at the Central Plaza shopping mall in Nontha Buri, just outside of Bangkok. Police responded swiftly to the shooting and no casualties were reported. “The suspect is 41 years old and he reportedly fired six shots while…

  • Students warned of limits on free speech, told not to threaten monarchy | Thaiger

    Students warned of limits on free speech, told not to threaten monarchy

    Deputy national police spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen yesterday issued an ominous warning to students participating in the wave of rallies and demonstrations sweeping school campuses across the Kingdom. He says they are free to exercise their right to assembly but cautions them against “touching the institution,” an apparent reference to the monarchy. “The young demonstrators have to decide for themselves whether…

  • Four Chinese men arrested for murder of compatriot in Kamphaeng Phet | Thaiger

    Four Chinese men arrested for murder of compatriot in Kamphaeng Phet

    Four Chinese nationals are in custody today for allegedly killing a Chinese businessman, stuffing his body in a suitcase and dumping it in a river in Thailand’s northern Kamphaeng Phet province, where it was found Tuesday. Krisana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, made the announcement this afternoon: “The body of Wang Jun, aged 30, was found doubled…