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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 long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht

    Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...

  • Murder investigation launched, 2 arrested after dog carries human skull out of forest | Thaiger

    Murder investigation launched, 2 arrested after dog carries human skull out of forest

    Two suspects in a murder investigation have been arrested after a dog found the remains of a police officer’s missing brother in a forest in Thailand’s Isaan region. Officers are still searching for four other suspects. A farmer taking his cows out to feed near an abandoned shoe factory spotted a dog carrying a human skull out of a eucalyptus forest…

  • Convenience store employee attacked after telling a customer to wear a mask | Thaiger

    Convenience store employee attacked after telling a customer to wear a mask

    Four teenagers were arrested after they allegedly attacked a convenience store clerk who told customers to wear face masks before entering the shop over the weekend. Surveillance camera footage from the shop in the central province of Ratchaburi shows a group of teenagers gathering around the 19 year old employee before attacking him, punching and kicking until he fell on…

  • 45,000 counterfeit items seized nationwide in one month | Thaiger

    45,000 counterfeit items seized nationwide in one month

    Fake Gucci handbags, Nike shoes and Prada sunglasses with low price tags can be found around every corner of almost every market in Thailand and are easily identifiable from their real counterparts. Counterfeit items are popular with locals and tourists alike, but the Department of Intellectual Property wants to make an example that selling fake brand names in Thailand is…

  • Hua Hin motorbike taxi driver shot to death after fight over foreign passenger | Thaiger

    Hua Hin motorbike taxi driver shot to death after fight over foreign passenger

    A motorcycle taxi driver in Hua Hin allegedly shot and killed another win driver after a fight over a foreign passenger, Thai media reports. The 62 year old win driver was shot to death in Hua Hin’s nightlife area in Soi Ha Yaek in the southern province of Prachuap Kiri Khan. Officers from Hua Hin Police Station found the driver…

  • Pattaya police raid karaoke bar, some partygoers also test positive for drugs | Thaiger

    Pattaya police raid karaoke bar, some partygoers also test positive for drugs

    Police in Pattaya raided a karaoke bar open past the 11pm cutoff time set by the government under the Covid-19 preventative measures. Officers from the Mueng Pattaya Police Station went by the karaoke bar Casanova at 1:30am on Sunday. Many cars and motorcycles were parked out front and music could be heard coming from inside the bar. Customers dancing and…

  • Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap | Thaiger

    Tourism Council of Thailand calls for PCR testing on arrival to be dropped asap

    Tourism businesses in Thailand are struggling to survive and barriers to increasing the number of foreign visitors to the kingdom must be removed immediately. That’s the view of Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand, who says the Omicron variant, coupled with Russia’s war on Ukraine, has dealt a double blow to the sector. “Tourism operators are still struggling…

  • Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events | Thaiger

    Anutin tells Khao San Road operators to forego Songkran water-splashing events

    Business operators on Bangkok’s Khao San Road have been told they should forget about holding water-splashing events this Songkran. So says Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, ahead of a meeting of Bangkok’s communicable disease control committee today. This looks set to be the third Songkran in a row during which water splashing is banned, with the government ever-wary of triggering…

  • Body of Burmese fisherman found in oil tank in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani | Thaiger

    Body of Burmese fisherman found in oil tank in southern Thailand’s Surat Thani

    The body of a Burmese fisherman was found in an oil tank on a fishing boat docked in the southern province of Surat Thani. The tank was on a fishing boat where the man had worked which was found by a painter who was going to clean and paint the boat’s engine room. He tried to move the tank out…

  • Officers investigate death of elderly American expat in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Officers investigate death of elderly American expat in Pattaya

    Police in Pattaya are investigating the death of an 80 year old American man who was found lying in bed with a plastic bag covering his head. Officers also note that the door to the safe was left open. Investigators will review surveillance camera footage from the condominium to determine if anyone entered his room. The elderly expat had lived…

  • Finance Ministry expected to adjust 2022 economic forecast from next month | Thaiger

    Finance Ministry expected to adjust 2022 economic forecast from next month

    The Finance Ministry will adjust the 2022 forecast for Thailand’s economic growth to focus on the rise in both inflation and energy prices, from next month. According to an unnamed Bangkok Post source, the ministry is concerned about the impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have on overseas arrivals this year. At the start of the year, the ministry had…

  • In Thailand, Move Forward candidate more popular than Prayut in PM poll | Thaiger

    In Thailand, Move Forward candidate more popular than Prayut in PM poll

    While the largest percentage of Thais, 27.6%, said they were “yet to see anybody suitable for the post of Thai PM, Move Forward Party candidate 41 year old Pita Limjaroenrat is slightly ahead of current PM Prayut. 13.4% of respondents prefer Pita, while 12.7% prefer Prayut. This means that Pita is now the country’s most preferred candidate, followed by Prayut, then…

  • Getting a motorcycle taxi in Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand | Thaiger

    Getting a motorcycle taxi in Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand

    We’ll start off by stating that there is nothing quicker and more efficient than getting a motorcycle taxi around Bangkok, compared to just about any other form of transport. We’ll also admit that there are dangers involved with riding on a motorcycle or motorbike around Thailand, especially if you’re not wearing a helmet (which you can ask the rider for).…

  • Pattaya police arrest ‘restaurant’ manager who allegedly violated Covid-19 rules | Thaiger

    Pattaya police arrest ‘restaurant’ manager who allegedly violated Covid-19 rules

    Pattaya City Police reported yesterday that they arrested a ‘restaurant’ manager in Pattaya for allegedly selling alcohol without a permit, opening a venue without a permit, and breaking the Chonburi Disease Control Orders. Only former bars and clubs that have been converted into ‘restaurants’, and have proper certification, are approved by authorities are allowed to operate. Alcohol can be served…

  • 2 people per hour were killed in road accidents in Thailand in 2020 | Thaiger

    2 people per hour were killed in road accidents in Thailand in 2020

    A Thai health foundation has found that two people were killed in road accidents every hour in Thailand in 2020. The total number of people killed in road accidents throughout that year was 17,831. The foundation, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, said motorcycle drivers and riders made up the 74% of fatalities. The International Health Policy Program said in its report…

  • Punishment for ‘Joe Ferrari’ seven police will be decided June 8 | Thaiger

    Punishment for ‘Joe Ferrari’ seven police will be decided June 8

    Thailand’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases will decide punishment for the seven so-called ‘Joe Ferrari’ police on June 8. The seven former police officers allegedly suffocated a drug suspect to death with a plastic bag. They face four charges: malfeasance, abuse of authority, torture causing death, and coercion. The victim’s parents have demanded 1.55 million baht from…

  • British and Thai armies train in jungle together | Thaiger

    British and Thai armies train in jungle together

    The UK announced in a press release yesterday that 120 of its military’s Grenadier Guards are training in the jungle with Thailand’s army. The UK Defence Minister visited Thailand this week and met with Thailand’s deputy defence minister. The Minister signed the first Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, to continue building defence cooperation between the countries’ militaries. The…

  • Thailand, a yacht racing destination | Thaiger

    Thailand, a yacht racing destination

    It all started in 1986 when a select group from the elite Royal Varuna Yacht Club (RVYC) got together and decided to launch a regatta in Phuket in 1987 – as a special tribute for the 60th birthday of the then King of Thailand, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thus the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta (PKCR) was born. Royally connected…

  • Iran-backed Houthis attack Saudi petroleum storage facilities | Thaiger

    Iran-backed Houthis attack Saudi petroleum storage facilities

    Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi party says it struck Saudi petroleum facilities in Jeddah with missiles yesterday, just as Saudi Arabia prepares to hold a motor race on Sunday. The missiles caused fires in two storage tanks, however there were no casualties. A Houthi spokesman says they targeted ‘vital facilities’. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter. Saudi’s energy ministry said…

  • Officials debate Bangkok’s Sanam Luang public park | Thaiger

    Officials debate Bangkok’s Sanam Luang public park

    Thai officials are debating how much access the public should have to Sanam Luang, the historic public square in front of Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha. After a governor candidate running under the Move Forward Party advocated removing fences around Sanam Luang, another official has defended keeping them and restricting access to the ‘public’ park. The…

  • Two southern men accused of killing police officer arrested in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Two southern men accused of killing police officer arrested in Bangkok

    Police arrested two southern men in Bangkok today who are accused of killing a police officer. The two men are the prime suspects in the fatal shooting of a sergeant major in southern Phattalung province earlier this month. A police lieutenant general said the suspects were also linked to other cases involving drugs and attempted murder. The two men allegedly…

  • Bangkok man arrested for allegedly luring boys into porn, believed to be part of ring | Thaiger

    Bangkok man arrested for allegedly luring boys into porn, believed to be part of ring

    Today, police arrested a Bangkok man they believe is involved in a child pornography ring. The arrest was part of a raid in four spots today, which are Bangkok, Ang Thong, Chaiyaphum and Kanchanaburi. A police major general said police started investigating the ring when a child pornography suspect was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom in February.…

  • Two Thai women allegedly drug tourist at Bangkok hotel, steal US$4,000 | Thaiger

    Two Thai women allegedly drug tourist at Bangkok hotel, steal US$4,000

    A foreign tourist who took two Thai women back to his hotel room in Bangkok was reportedly drugged and robbed. The women allegedly took off with US$4,000 and 15,000 baht in cash as well as other belongings. It is believed that drugs were mixed in the man’s coffee cup. The tourist, who is a firefighter from Kuwait, travelled to Thailand…

  • Police in Isaan Thailand told to be lenient with cannabis growers after grandma’s arrest | Thaiger

    Police in Isaan Thailand told to be lenient with cannabis growers after grandma’s arrest

    Following the arrest of a 70-year-old woman and her relative for growing a cannabis plant at their home in the Isaan province Khon Kaen, local police have been advised to use common sense, and good judgment when enforcing the laws on cannabis as Thailand loosens laws to become more marijuana-friendly. The women spent the night in jail and were punished…

  • City Guide: How to open a bank account in Thailand 2022 | Thaiger

    City Guide: How to open a bank account in Thailand 2022

    Opening a bank account in Thailand is important if you’re going to stay here for the long run. Expats frequently have trouble opening a bank account or are uninformed about the process. This’s where we come in… Having a Thai bank account can help you manage your finances more effectively, including sending and receiving money from overseas. Obviously, it’s necessary…

  • Thai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions | Thaiger

    Thai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions

    The Thai government has approved a budget of 3 billion baht to subsidise the price of electric vehicles and has installed free-to-use EV charging stations at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to promote the shift to a low carbon society. The spokesperson for the prime minister, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, announced today that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha aims to promote electric vehicles and make…

  • Police in Isaan Thailand search for man allegedly caught skinning a cat | Thaiger

    Police in Isaan Thailand search for man allegedly caught skinning a cat

    Villagers in the Isaan province Udon Thani are being advised to look after their pets after a woman said she came across a man skinning a cat outside a nearby temple. The man fled, leaving only the cat skin at the scene. Police are now searching for the man. The village chief spoke with Thai media about the incident, saying…

  • Criminal Court acquits 6 over 2015 Bangkok terror plot, cites lack of evidence | Thaiger

    Criminal Court acquits 6 over 2015 Bangkok terror plot, cites lack of evidence

    Thailand’s Criminal Court acquitted six people yesterday over a Bangkok terrorism plot in 2015. The court cited a lack of evidence. The former suspects allegedly hired someone to bomb several spots including Lumpini Park, Chatuchak MRT station, and the Criminal Court. The person they allegedly hired didn’t go through with the attacks, according to prosecutors. The charges included running an…

  • Reward offered for reporting people who spread fake Covid news in Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Reward offered for reporting people who spread fake Covid news in Chiang Mai

    Chiang Mai tourism operators are offering gift vouchers to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of people spreading news about the city’s Covid-19 situation. Concerned that such false accounts could jeopardise Songkran tourism in the northern city, businesses have come together to offer vouchers worth up to 50,000 baht. According to a Nation Thailand report, tourism…

  • Thailand cuts quarantine for unvaccinated travellers to 5 days | Thaiger

    Thailand cuts quarantine for unvaccinated travellers to 5 days

    Starting April 1, the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced to five days. Travellers will also no longer need to take a pre-departure PCR Covid-19 test. The new requirements are pending publication in the Royal Gazette and the official announcement is expected to be published at the end of the month. Unvaccinated travellers can enter…

  • Four suspects allegedly smuggled fake tobacco in Chanthaburi | Thaiger

    Four suspects allegedly smuggled fake tobacco in Chanthaburi

    Officials seized 83,154 packs of fake tobacco worth more than 10 million baht from four suspects in Chanthaburi yesterday. A police investigation found they smuggled the tobacco via the Ban Laem Immigration Checkpoint in Pong Nam Ron district, and sold the tobacco online. Two of the suspects were charged with allegedly selling fake tobacco, while the other two were charged…