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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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    Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money

    Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...

  • Phuket officials seize baraku from restaurant | Thaiger

    Phuket officials seize baraku from restaurant

    There’s been another bust on a venue in Phuket. Officials in Phuket’s Thalang district seized baraku, also known as shisha, from a restaurant near a hotel in the town of Sakhu. The seizure followed anonymous complaints via social media. Thalang Distric Chief Bancha Tanuin said officials inspected a Sakhu hotel on Thursday. They found two sets of baraku being used…

  • 2 foreigners arrested while acting as illegal tour guides | Thaiger

    2 foreigners arrested while acting as illegal tour guides

    Two foreign nationals have been arrested by the Department of Employment (DoE) for illegally working as tour guides in Bangkok. They were caught near the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathumwan district. The suspects, a Chinese and a Vietnamese national, were detained after the Professional Tourist Guide Association of Thailand (PGAT) lodged complaints last week that foreign tour guides were stealing their…

  • Authorities warn of huge fines or jail for smoking on Hua Hin Beach | Thaiger

    Authorities warn of huge fines or jail for smoking on Hua Hin Beach

    Hua Hin authorities aren’t playing around about keeping Hua Hin Beach clean. Authorities have launched a new campaign to discourage smoking on the beach, warning that anyone caught lighting up could face a fine of up to 100,000 baht (roughly £2,200) or up to one year in jail. On Thursday, officials visited the beach and walked around with warning signs…

  • Foreign man caught stealing from exchange booth in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Foreign man caught stealing from exchange booth in Pattaya

    A foreign man was caught on surveillance footage stealing a coin box from a money exchange booth in Pattaya. The theft occurred at 7am yesterday Naewna reported. A 36 year old man named Kiattisak reported the incident to the Pattaya City Police Station at 3.30pm. Kiattisak said that the coin box was missing when he came to work at 8am.…

  • SRT adds 4 historic tourism train trips next month | Thaiger

    SRT adds 4 historic tourism train trips next month

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced that it will offer four special sightseeing train trips in April to stimulate domestic tourism and generate income for locals. The train trips will follow a historical theme next month and will meet the increasing passenger demand for cultural travel in the area. The train trips are a collaborative effort between the SRT,…

  • South Thailand island to be developed as world-class tourism spot | Thaiger

    South Thailand island to be developed as world-class tourism spot

    An island in South Thailand is set to be developed as a world-class tourism spot. Koh Adang, located in the southern border province of Satun, is set to become a world-class tourism destination like Langkawi in Malaysia, according to the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC). Satun province is renowned for its picturesque natural scenery, with jungles, mountains, and beaches.…

  • Pattaya Police says two women shot were wrongly targetted | Thaiger

    Pattaya Police says two women shot were wrongly targetted

    Pattaya Police believe the two women wounded in a shooting in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning were wrongly targeted. Pattaya Chief of Police Thanapong Photi reported a Thai woman and a Chinese woman were shot at about 2am today at the entrance of Soi Chalernprakiat 4/1 in Bang Lamung district. Forensic officers and police discovered a black…

  • Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand | Thaiger

    Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand

    An Italian man tragically died this morning after he was impaled by a forklift in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in central Thailand, near the factory where he worked as sales manager. He was riding a motorbike taxi when the incident happened, reports ThaiRath. At 10am, officers at Samrong Nuea Police Station were informed of a fatal collision between…

  • Phuket beach cleanup removes 100 kilograms of garbage | Thaiger

    Phuket beach cleanup removes 100 kilograms of garbage

    Thailand is facing a pollution crisis but many people in the kingdom are pitching in to fight the problem. Officials and volunteers cleaned up 100 kilograms of garbage from beaches in Phuket last week, The Phuket News reported yesterday. The cleanup at Mai Khao and Sai Kaew beaches was organised by the Sustainable Mai Khao foundation from March 15 to…

  • Foreigners complain they can’t swim at Koh Samui beach due to smelly oil spill | Thaiger

    Foreigners complain they can’t swim at Koh Samui beach due to smelly oil spill

    French and German tourists complained that a smelly oil spill prevented them from swimming at Maenam Beach yesterday in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. A German man told reporters that he went to the beach to sunbathe and play in the water. But when he tried to go swimming, he noticed a foul smell emanating from the sea.…

  • Chinese KOLs livestream their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises | Thaiger

    Chinese KOLs livestream their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises

    Chinese Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have been livestreaming their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently collaborated with Kuaishou Technology, a Chinese short video-sharing mobile app, to bring Chinese KOLs to Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga for a “Travel Adventures Thailand Episode” livestream series. The series began on Wednesday, March 15, and ends today (March…

  • Japan voted top sustainable country, Thailand ranked fifth | Thaiger

    Japan voted top sustainable country, Thailand ranked fifth

    Japan has been praised by fellow Asian countries for its sustainability and conservation efforts in a new poll with Thailand claiming fifth place, would you believe? Over 13,000 respondents from more than ten countries participated in the Sustainable Impact Survey 2023 conducted by the online travel agency Agoda. The respondents were asked to rank countries based on their sustainability efforts, and…

  • Police arrest 2 women in Buriram for alleged online child sexual exploitation | Thaiger

    Police arrest 2 women in Buriram for alleged online child sexual exploitation

    Police in Buriram arrested two women for alleged online child sexual exploitation in a raid on a bar-restaurant in the province this week. Officers reportedly uncovered two underage girls working in the establishment and two women were charged with exploiting the girls. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD Police) arrested the owner of the bar-restaurant, 35 year old Tuenjai ‘Kukkik’…

  • Thai police defend slow response to Phetchaburi gunman as victims’ families grieve | Thaiger

    Thai police defend slow response to Phetchaburi gunman as victims’ families grieve

    Thai police are defending what many say was a “delayed response” to a gunman who killed three people and wounded three others in Phetchaburi province. The police say the gunman was not considered an active gunman, with the deaths involved being those who were caught in the crossfire between police and the ex-ranger. Family members of the deceased persons are…

  • DNA from hair helps researchers determine Ludwig van Beethoven’s illnesses | Thaiger

    DNA from hair helps researchers determine Ludwig van Beethoven’s illnesses

    The DNA from Ludwig Van Beethoven’s hair is now being used to help researchers determine what made the famous composer ill. Nearly 200 years after his death, researchers say they pulled DNA strands from his hair to search for clues that would provide information about his known hearing loss and other health issues. Although they weren’t able to find out…

  • Thai hackers arrested for breaking into energy drink computer system to steal prize money | Thaiger

    Thai hackers arrested for breaking into energy drink computer system to steal prize money

    Two Thai hackers are now under arrest after police say they broke into an energy drink company’s computer system to fraudulently claim prize monies. Thailand’s Technology Crime Suppression Division officers say they hacked the system and obtained more than 300,000 code numbers that were printed on the backs of drink caps. Using that information, the hackers planned to claim prize…

  • Pattaya motorbike accident leaves two residents in grave condition | Thaiger

    Pattaya motorbike accident leaves two residents in grave condition

    A Pattaya motorbike accident has left two residents in grave condition as one’s head became trapped under a car. The two were rushed to a local hospital, after colliding in South Pattaya. According to the Pattaya News, Sawang Boriboon rescue services arrived at the scene and found an elderly man stuck with his head trapped under a sedan. The other…

  • Bangkok Airways to launch Koh Samui – Hong Kong route | Thaiger

    Bangkok Airways to launch Koh Samui – Hong Kong route

    Bangkok Airways revealed plans to launch a direct route between Koh Samui in Thailand and Hong Kong, aiming to “generate more revenue from foreign customers.” President of Bangkok Airways Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth revealed that a nonstop Koh Samui – Hong Kong flight is in the works and could launch sometime this year. The airline has also entered discussions to lease more…

  • Bangkok ranks 5th on Airbnb’s top trending global travel spots in 2023 | Thaiger

    Bangkok ranks 5th on Airbnb’s top trending global travel spots in 2023

    Airbnb‘s latest data shows that Bangkok has emerged as one of the top global travel spots for 2023, coming in fifth on its list of top trending destinations. The Thai capital is No.5 on Airbnb’s list of top trending global travel spots in 2023, however, this is a slight drop since it was No.1 in the third quarter of last year.…

  • Beachgoers find giant sea turtle carcass in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Beachgoers find giant sea turtle carcass in Pattaya

    While there’s been a lot of happy news about turtles in Phang Nga recently, there’s unfortunately been some sad turtle news in Pattaya. A giant sea turtle carcass washed up on Pattaya Beach on Tuesday. Beachgoers noticed the carcass and detected a foul odour in the early hours of the morning. They promptly informed the authorities of the discovery. Officials…

  • Thai pervert jailed for 2 years for hidden cameras in Australian Embassy, Bangkok | Thaiger

    Thai pervert jailed for 2 years for hidden cameras in Australian Embassy, Bangkok

    A Thai man was labelled “a serious threat to society” by a judge who sentenced the pervert to two years in jail for allegedly installing hidden cameras in women’s toilets at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. Nayot “Bank” Thamsongsana, a former IT worker at the Australian embassy in Bangkok, has been convicted in the Bangkok South Criminal Court after pleading…

  • 3 year old boy dies after being trapped in car for 2 hours | Thaiger

    3 year old boy dies after being trapped in car for 2 hours

    A three year old boy suffocated to death after being trapped in his mother’s car in the Isaan province of Buriram. A rescue team attempted to save the child’s life but he died on the way to the hospital. Baan Bua Municipality Rescue Team rushed to a local restaurant in the Baan Bua sub-district of Buriram yesterday at 3pm after…

  • Pattaya ping pong bomb hooligans injure 2 women | Thaiger

    Pattaya ping pong bomb hooligans injure 2 women

    A group of teenage hooligans in Pattaya threw ping pong bombs at two women in the early hours of this morning, leaving them with injuries. The victims, 30 year old Nantawan Kosakun and 20 year old Saowalak Kanpratuyod, were riding their motorcycles home on Sukhumvit Road in North Pattaya. At around 1am, a group of approximately 10 teenagers on five…

  • Loutish foreigner arrested for running amok in Pattaya restaurant | Thaiger

    Loutish foreigner arrested for running amok in Pattaya restaurant

    Another loutish foreigner did himself proud by running amok in a Pattaya restaurant in the early hours of this morning. One Thai eyewitness alleges that the half-naked man from the waist up was either under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Police were called and arrested the unruly man after he refused to calm down at an unnamed Isaan restaurant…

  • Recovered Caesium-137 cannister ‘not a threat to local Thai produce’ | Thaiger

    Recovered Caesium-137 cannister ‘not a threat to local Thai produce’

    Thai officials say the recently recovered Caesium-137 canister is not a threat to local produce, despite it being smelted. The concerns over the effects of the tube’s radioactive properties were raised as contaminated furnace dust was discovered at a steel plant in Prachin Buri’s Kabin Buri district this week. Out of fear, customers cancelled purchase orders of fruit from the province,…

  • More suspects arrested in phone scam duping Americans out of 3 billion baht | Thaiger

    More suspects arrested in phone scam duping Americans out of 3 billion baht

    More suspects are now in Thai police custody in relation to the phone scam that duped unsuspecting elderly Americans out of 3 billion baht. According to the Bangkok Post, 20 people have been arrested- 15 Thais and five Indian nationals- for their involvement in a phone scam that preyed on Americans. Police say they raided places in the provinces of…

  • Chinese netizens critisised Thai tourism for being expensive and dangerous | Thaiger

    Chinese netizens critisised Thai tourism for being expensive and dangerous

    Chinese netizens criticised Thai tourism for being expensive and dangerous. A Chinese male influencer who claims to be a psychiatrist added Thailand also traps Chinese women in prostitution and is a nation of organ trafficking. Thai tourism was a hot topic on Chinese social media last week. It began when a Chinese media agency published an article on March 13,…

  • After Patong bar bust, police on the prowl for human trafficking in Pattaya (video) | Thaiger

    After Patong bar bust, police on the prowl for human trafficking in Pattaya (video)

    After the Patong bar bust that made headlines last week, police are on the prowl for human trafficking in Pattaya. Police on Tuesday night carried out a joint operation in a bid to prevent human trafficking, illegal drugs, minors, and the carrying of weapons in nightspots in the area. The operation involved a police team comprised of officers from Pattaya…

  • Thai police shoot dead Phetchaburi gunman after 14 hour standoff, 3 dead, 3 injured | Thaiger

    Thai police shoot dead Phetchaburi gunman after 14 hour standoff, 3 dead, 3 injured

    UPDATE At 4am, SWAT police shot dead the ex-military ranger who went on a gun rampage yesterday killing three people and injuring three more in Petchaburi province in lower central Thailand. Pol. Lt. Gen. Thanayut Wuthiratanayong said that after 14 hours of failed negotiations, the gunman showed no signs of surrender so the police took decisive action to kill him…

  • ADB SEADS 2023: Imagining a Net-Zero ASEAN | Thaiger

    ADB SEADS 2023: Imagining a Net-Zero ASEAN

    Key Takeaways ADB’s fourth Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) will bring together decision-makers, innovators, and climate leaders from government, industry, academia, and the development sector to discuss practical ways to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. SEADS 2023’s plenary panel discussion, “Financing Net Zero,” will explore measures to bridge the gap in climate financing, and enable countries in ASEAN to attain…