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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...

  • Gunman shot dead by armed civilian after killing 3 in US mall | Thaiger

    Gunman shot dead by armed civilian after killing 3 in US mall

    Four people were killed, and two were injured yesterday in yet another mass shooting in the US. A man with a rifle entered Greenwood Park Mall in Indiana at about 6pm last night, approached the precinct’s food court, and let rip with several rounds of ammunition. The gunman was eventually shot by an armed civilian who happened to be nearby.…

  • Koh Pha Ngan springs back into gear with the July Full Moon Party | Thaiger

    Koh Pha Ngan springs back into gear with the July Full Moon Party

    This holiday weekend hosted the largest Full Moon Party since February of 2019 before the pandemic, with the biggest crowd the beach and venues of Haad Rin on Koh Pha Ngan have seen since the party restarted tentatively in November 2021. Some estimated as many as 20,000 people flooded the island to take part in the festivities – the first…

  • Russian billionaire’s superyacht Samui visit spurs hope of wealthy tourists | Thaiger

    Russian billionaire’s superyacht Samui visit spurs hope of wealthy tourists

    The arrival of a few mega billionaires to the tourist island of Koh Samui and surrounding islands has sparked hope that Thailand will begin to see a rise in wealthy travellers again. Perhaps now that Covid-19 restrictions are finally mostly lifted, several luxury superyacht vessels have been spotted arriving on the shores of Samui. Most notably, Alexander Alexandrovich Svetakov, a…

  • Thailand isn’t the only place in the world that applies tourist taxes | Thaiger

    Thailand isn’t the only place in the world that applies tourist taxes

    Thailand is about to add an arrival ‘tourist’ tax of 300 baht. But it’s not really a tourist tax because it will apply to ALL foreigners entering Thailand, including YOU. No exemptions, not even your work permit or diplomatic status will help. The proposal, set to come into force in Q4, 2022, will be in the form of a 300…

  • PTT top revenue-earning company in Thailand in 2021 | Thaiger

    PTT top revenue-earning company in Thailand in 2021

    In news that is likely not surprising but probably very frustrating, amid soaring fuel prices, petrol company PTT has topped the list as the highest revenue corporation in Thailand for 2021. The national oil and gas conglomerate breakdancing 1 trillion baht over the last year no doubt thanks in part to huge inflation in the price of oil that has…

  • Phuket mayor asks public to stop throwing rubbish in canals | Thaiger

    Phuket mayor asks public to stop throwing rubbish in canals

    Phuket’s city mayor has asked residents in three target areas of the island province’s main city district to stop throwing rubbish in canals. The mayor, Saroj Angkanapilas, said that city officials have been working to solve flooding problems in the areas. He said… “We ask all residents to use the bins that the municipality has available to reduce the amount…

  • Phuket lifeguards save 2 tourists at same beach where another 2 drowned | Thaiger

    Phuket lifeguards save 2 tourists at same beach where another 2 drowned

    Lifeguards at Phuket’s Kata Beach saved two foreign tourists from drowning yesterday, the same day that another two people drowned there. The lifeguards rescued a man and a woman around 35 years old. They were choking on water before being taken to the Chalong Hospital in Phuket’s main city district. The tourists have both reportedly recovered in the hospital. They…

  • Full Moon Party in South Thailand Tonight, Bangkok Airways flights full | Thaiger

    Full Moon Party in South Thailand Tonight, Bangkok Airways flights full

    Another Full Moon Party in South Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan is happening tonight (Friday) amidst the country’s five-day holiday. Thai news outlet Naewna reported that all Bangkok Airways flights to Koh Samui Airport were filled to capacity today. Many tourists fly there before making their way to Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani province. The tourists are mainly…

  • Citizens party after Sri Lanka president resigns | Thaiger

    Citizens party after Sri Lanka president resigns

    Sri Lanka’s president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has now officially resigned, following mass protests against him. The now former president fled the country to Maldives on Wednesday, and flew from there to Singapore yesterday, an unnamed security source told CNN. After Gotabaya arrived in Singapore, parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena announced that Gotabaya had tendered his resignation. Mahinda said the country’s PM Ranil…

  • Former MP faces sedition charge against Thai government | Thaiger

    Former MP faces sedition charge against Thai government

    A former Pheu Thai Party MP faces criminal charges of sedition after a complaint was made to police saying he is whipping up hate against the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha government for suggesting the political climate in Thailand is similar to that of Sri Lanka and the UK. In a highly-charged week in global politics, anarchy broke out on the streets…

  • VIDEO: Rare footage reveals family of tigers feeding on prey in Thailand | Thaiger

    VIDEO: Rare footage reveals family of tigers feeding on prey in Thailand

    Rare footage of a family of wild tigers feeding on prey in Isaan’s Dong Phayayen – Khao Yai Forest Complex has been captured by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. With only 250 wild tigers estimated to be left in Thailand, the chances of capturing footage of tigers are next to none. The short clip shows a…

  • Thailand’s bottled palm oil price drops slightly | Thaiger

    Thailand’s bottled palm oil price drops slightly

    After Thailand’s price of bottled palm oil has kept surging and surging for months, it has now finally come down a bit. Prices in department stores and supermarkets on 1 litre bottles have dropped from 69-70 baht, to 64-65 baht. The director-general of Thailand’s Internal Trade Department, Udom Srisomsong, pointed out that prices may differ between stores, though. Udom stressed…

  • Thai political parties told to check candidates more carefully | Thaiger

    Thai political parties told to check candidates more carefully

    After a Move Forward Party Bangkok city councillor, Arnuparb Tarntong, was accused over sexual misconduct, a number of civil groups have ramped up their demandings for political parties to strengthen the candidate screening process. Arnuparb, a councillor for the Sathorn district, came forward to the police to reject the allegations of sexual harassment made by four young girls, who are…

  • Thailand’s strong rain expected to mellow out next few days | Thaiger

    Thailand’s strong rain expected to mellow out next few days

    The intense rain that has been causing chaos throughout Thailand is expected to mellow out from today (Friday), until Wednesday, July 20. According to the Thai Meteorological Department, the monsoon should be weaker from Friday to Sunday. The department’s director-general, Chomparee Chompurat, said the trough will move northwards to Myanmar, upper Laos, and upper Vietnam. Chomparee noted that there will…

  • Honeymooning British man drowns in Phuket, Thailand | Thaiger

    Honeymooning British man drowns in Phuket, Thailand

    A British man on his honeymoon refused to acknowledge a red-flagged no swim zone on the island of Phuket in southern Thailand and it cost him his life. Ali Mohammed Mian drowned only two days into his honeymoon after being swept out to sea when he tried to take a dip in choppy waters at Kata Noi Beach. The 34…

  • Ferry gets stuck on sand bar near South Thailand island | Thaiger

    Ferry gets stuck on sand bar near South Thailand island

    More than 100 ferry passengers in South Thailand were caught in a sticky situation on Wednesday- literally. A ferry got stuck on a sand bar in Koh Phang Ngan island in Surat Thani province. The ferry was heading to Don Sak district, when it got stuck on the sand bar 10 minutes after departing from Koh Phang Ngan, according to…

  • Say no to shark fin, says new WildAid video featuring Miss Universe Thailand | Thaiger

    Say no to shark fin, says new WildAid video featuring Miss Universe Thailand

    In honour of shark awareness day, WildAid launched a video entitled ‘Sea of Chaos’ to highlight the important role of sharks in the ocean and how the consumption of shark fin is disrupting the ecosystem. The video features activist Maria Poonlertlarp, who is also Miss Universe Thailand 2017, alongside actor Nawat ‘Pong’ Kulrattanarak, who is WildAid’s shark ambassador. In ‘Sea of…

  • UPDATE: Sri Lanka president reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Sri Lanka president reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia

    UPDATE Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa reportedly plans to fly to Saudi Arabia, after he flies to Singapore. The Associated Press reported the development today, citing an unnamed Maldivian official. An unnamed security official in Colombo told CNN that Gotabaya was flying from Maldives to Singapore, as Sri Lanka’s rage has grown over his refusal to formally resign. Gotabaya is expected to reach…

  • Hello Kitty Horror Story: Thieves return ‘haunted’ teddy bear stolen from scrapyard | Thaiger

    Hello Kitty Horror Story: Thieves return ‘haunted’ teddy bear stolen from scrapyard

    In a peculiar sequence of events, CCTV footage from a scrapyard in Kamphaeng Phet province, central Thailand, reveals a man and a woman stealing a giant Hello Kitty doll from a written-off car… and then coming back to return the doll in the middle of the night. In May, the driver of the car died in a road accident. The…

  • Bangkok governor looks for Chinese cash to create smart city | Thaiger

    Bangkok governor looks for Chinese cash to create smart city

    Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he had a working dinner with the Chinese Ambassador to discuss a number of projects beneficial to the capital, including the city’s upcoming outdoor film festival, Chinese teachers, and the development of a smart city. Developing Bangkok as a smart city comes hot on the heels of an announcement by the Eastern Economic Corridor…

  • E-ganja highly popular with Chiang Mai teens & govt officials | Thaiger

    E-ganja highly popular with Chiang Mai teens & govt officials

    Vendors in the northern province of Chiang Mai have revealed that their best e-ganja customers are either wealthy teenagers or government officials. E-ganja, like an e-cigarette, is a portable electronic device that simulates smoking. But unlike e-cigarettes, the e-ganja electronic device includes cannabis oil instead of tobacco. One of the positives of using an e-ganja electronic device is that it…

  • Police shoot grenade-yielding man holding woman hostage in northeast Thailand | Thaiger

    Police shoot grenade-yielding man holding woman hostage in northeast Thailand

    Police shot and injured a man who, armed with a grenade, held a woman hostage for three hours this morning in Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand. After hours of failed negotiation, a SWAT team was called in, who shot the man in his left shoulder and saved the hostage. At 9am, officers at Muang Khon Kaen Police Station received a…

  • Is the Thai Baht falling in value? | Thaiger

    Is the Thai Baht falling in value?

    Yes. And no. Depends on which currency you want to compare it to. Against the mighty USD, absolutely yes. In February this year, the USD was valued at 32.12 baht to the dollar. Now it’s 36.48 baht to the dollar. Good news if you’ve got USD and heading to Thailand. GRAPHIC: xe.com But the story isn’t the same against many…

  • Police search for 3 rogue cops & soldier involved in illegal gun trade | Thaiger

    Police search for 3 rogue cops & soldier involved in illegal gun trade

    Arrest warrants have been issued for three rogue cops and a soldier for selling illegal firearms to the criminal underworld in the southern province of Phattalung. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, reported a huge police investigation is still ongoing to determine the sources of firearms used by the different offenders. In the first…

  • Boat capsizes in eastern Thailand, survivors cling to buoy for hours | Thaiger

    Boat capsizes in eastern Thailand, survivors cling to buoy for hours

    A fishing boat capsized in eastern Thailand’s Trat province yesterday, forcing 7 crew members to cling to a buoy for about 10 hours. Amidst the stormy waves, a patrol boat finally came and rescued the exhausted survivors, and brought them to a nearby hospital. The boat’s skipper, Aswin, told officials that he had decided to drop anchor at the buoy,…

  • Nearly 1,000 hotels in Phuket are currently considered “illegal” | Thaiger

    Nearly 1,000 hotels in Phuket are currently considered “illegal”

    NB: The photo of this property bears no resemblance to the content of the following story. Phuket is home to 994 small hotels which are facing closure as a result of their unauthorised use on public property. The building control laws were discovered to have been broken by about 53% of the investigated properties. Environmental laws were found to be…

  • UPDATE: Mother who pimped out 9 year old daughter jailed alongside 2 pedophiles | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Mother who pimped out 9 year old daughter jailed alongside 2 pedophiles

    UPDATE The Criminal Court of Thailand yesterday jailed a mother of two, who pimped out her 9 year old daughter into prostitution, and two pedophiles. Under Thai indecency law, an offence to a child not yet over 15 years of age, shall be punished with imprisonment of 10 to 20 years, and fined between 20,000 to 40,000 baht, or imprisonment…

  • CAAT allows food and drinks to be served on domestic flights in Thailand | Thaiger

    CAAT allows food and drinks to be served on domestic flights in Thailand

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has given airlines the green light to serve food and drinks again on domestic flights in Thailand. Yesterday, the CAAT announced that director Sutthiphong Kongpool signed regulations to allow passengers on domestic flights in Thailand to be served food and drinks again, under strict Covid-19 prevention measures, effective immediately. The measures include that…

  • Wind plunges trees onto houses in Phuket | Thaiger

    Wind plunges trees onto houses in Phuket

    Thailand’s stormy season is raging on and causing some inconveniences to the people of Phuket. Earlier this week, strong winds plunged trees and cables onto houses in the island province’s Kamala district. Altogether, 5 different areas of the Kamala district were impacted. One tree fell into the middle of the road, and some trees brought down power poles. A large…

  • Ex British squaddie commits suicide at Pattaya shooting range | Thaiger

    Ex British squaddie commits suicide at Pattaya shooting range

    A former British Army soldier yesterday committed suicide at Pattaya Shooting Park & Adventure in the Huai Yai subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province. The man, reportedly named Ian Joseph, lowered his head, pointed the gun toward his right temple, and pulled the trigger of a 9-millimetre rented gun as staff stood nearby in shock. The 36 year old…