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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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    Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?

    Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...

  • Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)

    Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)

    Upon request of the FBI, Thailand yesterday extradited the prime suspect in a hit-and-run case that claimed the life of a young Michigan State University student back to the US to face prosecution. The accused, 57 year old Tubtim “Sue” Howson, is believed to have hit and killed 22 year old Ben Kable with her BMW 320i in Oakland Township…

  • Man swindled out of 5 million baht by a trusted friend

    Man swindled out of 5 million baht by a trusted friend

    A man filed a complaint with the local police department after being swindled out of 5 million baht by a friend. It was later revealed that this so-called friend of his had previously served a prison sentence for seven counts of theft and fraud. The 39 year old victim, Trirat “Bird” Liwsiri-anan, filed a complaint at Mueang Pattalung Police Station…

  • 50 year old case solved involving American murderer who became a monk in Thailand

    50 year old case solved involving American murderer who became a monk in Thailand

    American authorities have finally solved a case from 50 years ago involving an American man who murdered a teacher, before moving to Thailand to become a monk. Authorities in the eastern state of Vermont solved the case thanks to a discarded cigarette butt. The case involved the killing of Rita Curran, a 24 year old teacher who was strangled to death…

  • Thailand bans standing up on songthaews, drivers aren’t happy

    Thailand bans standing up on songthaews, drivers aren’t happy

    Thailand introduced a law on Friday which requires passengers to sit down when travelling on a songthaew, a popular form of public transport. However, songthaew drivers say the law is detrimental to their livelihoods and are worried it could lead to extortion. A songthaew is a passenger vehicle converted from a pickup truck with two rows of seats. Songthaews have…

  • Thailand to ban all plastic waste imports in 2025

    Thailand to ban all plastic waste imports in 2025

    Thailand has taken a significant step toward reducing its plastic waste by announcing a complete ban on plastic waste imports from January 1, 2025. The decision, made by the Thai Cabinet today, is part of the country’s ongoing efforts to tackle the escalating problem of plastic waste, which is contributing to environmental degradation and posing a threat to human health.…

  • 4 bodies with gunshot wounds found in southern Thailand

    4 bodies with gunshot wounds found in southern Thailand

    Residents in the southern province of Narathiwas found the lifeless bodies of three people with gunshot wounds in a sedan truck submerged in the Juerae Lake yesterday. This morning, another dead body was found near the scene. The authorities have reason to believe that the two incidents are interconnected. Buketa Police Station received distressing reports from residents who had discovered…

  • Thai Cyber Police nab 3 more suspects in macau888 case

    Thai Cyber Police nab 3 more suspects in macau888 case

    Thai Cyber Police nabbed three more suspects in the case involving the macau888 gambling network. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) raided two spots in Bangkok, and one in the northeast province of Sakhon Nakhon, Thai PBS reported yesterday. Police found two women in a room of a condominium in Bangkok’s Phahonyothin area. One of the women was…

  • Thailand’s sex industry was created for foreigners, right? Wrong! (video)

    Thailand’s sex industry was created for foreigners, right? Wrong! (video)

    Thailand’s sex industry was created exclusively for foreign tourists, right? Wrong! It is a myth Thailand’s sex industry was exclusively made for tourists. It was set up for Thai people. There are hundreds of “Love Motels” spread across the country, and it’s not foreigners who commonly go there. There’s even a term for a casual sex partner, “Gik,” which is…

  • South Korean human trafficking leader arrested in Pattaya

    South Korean human trafficking leader arrested in Pattaya

    A leader in the human trafficking trade from South Korea was arrested yesterday at a luxury condominium in Pattaya. He was charged with operating an illicit massage parlour in Busan and luring Thai women into sex work. The South Korean criminal boss, identified as 50 year old Cho, was arrested at a luxury condominium on Pattaya Sai Sam Road yesterday…

  • Thai Airways docks cabin crew’s salary over meal tray gate

    Thai Airways docks cabin crew’s salary over meal tray gate

    UPDATE Thai Airways is formally punishing cabin crew for not collecting meal trays from some passengers before landing on a Singapore – Bangkok flight after a viral TikTok exposed the cabin crew’s mishap. Yesterday, the airline’s PR team said… “Thai Airways International would like to announce the results of our investigation into the case of cabin crew not storing away…

  • Drunken Korean shot by local man in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy

    Drunken Korean shot by local man in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy

    A drunken Korean man was shot by a local in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy. According to witnesses, the Korean, Namil Kim, was making a nuisance of himself early this morning and the customer lost his temper as a result. The gunman withdrew his gun and fired two shots, one hit the allegedly irritating Korean in the…

  • TikTok bans political groups ahead of Thai election

    TikTok bans political groups ahead of Thai election

    TikTok announced that it will block all accounts linked to political groups in Thailand in the lead-up to and during the country’s upcoming general election. TikTok Thailand’s chief of public policy announced that the company would take measures to maintain a safe community by preventing the spread of fake news and hate speech sparked by political conflicts. TikTok, a short-form video…

  • Democrat Party announces anti-cannabis campaign platform

    Democrat Party announces anti-cannabis campaign platform

    While nearly every street corner in tourist areas of Thailand is selling cannabis legally now (a recent driver in Samui spotted nine shops in a two-block stretch), not everyone is in favour of it, especially politicians. Politicians believe the rushed legalisation and subsequent free-for-all is a strong talking point against the Bhumjaithai Party, who pushed for decriminalisation. Now, the Democrat…

  • More than 30 manhole covers in Bangkok stolen

    More than 30 manhole covers in Bangkok stolen

    Police launched an investigation into the disappearance of more than 30 manhole covers in the Thawi Watthana district of Bangkok. Officers conducted raids on a number of scrap dealer shops in the capital to recover the stolen items to no avail. The Director of Thawi Watthana district, Dicha Kongsi, filed a complaint with Thammasara Police Station after receiving reports of…

  • Thai tourism association says number of Chinese tour groups still unexpectedly low

    Thai tourism association says number of Chinese tour groups still unexpectedly low

    A Thai tourism association says the number of Chinese tour groups making their way to the Land of Smiles is still unexpectedly low. The president of the Thai Association of Tourism Businesses (ATTA), Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, said the number of Chinese tour groups travelling to Thailand remains unexpectedly low due to a lack of flights. Instead, most Chinese arrivals in Thailand…

  • British ice hockey player suffers life-threatening injuries after crash in Thailand

    British ice hockey player suffers life-threatening injuries after crash in Thailand

    A talented ice hockey player from Blackburn in northwest England sustained life-threatening injuries after a motorbike crash in Thailand. Former Bradford Bulldogs defenceman, 24 year old Josh Richardson, had an accident on a Thai island on Friday, February 3. Richardson sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to the intensive care unit at Bangkok Hospital, where he has undergone several…

  • Child harmed from mistakenly eating cannabis jellies

    Child harmed from mistakenly eating cannabis jellies

    Just because you are eating them like candy doesn’t mean children should be eating cannabis jellies. After a young patient was hospitalized for severe palpitations and irregular heartbeat, a Thai doctor issued a warning. He said that children should not be allowed to consume cannabis jellies. Dr Smith Srison, the director of the Medical Council of Thailand and president of…

  • Dead body of missing German man found in Chanthaburi canal

    Dead body of missing German man found in Chanthaburi canal

    The dead body of a German man, who went missing from Laem Sing Beach two days ago, was found in the Chanthaburi canal today. The Sawang Katanyu Rescue Team was notified today at 9am by local fishermen that they found the body of the missing German man, Sebastian, in the Chantaburi Canal near Don Pradu Temple in the Chanthaburi province. Rescuers…

  • Swedish man accused of running child porn network in Thailand

    Swedish man accused of running child porn network in Thailand

    A 23 year old Swedish man from Stockholm is being prosecuted for allegedly running a huge network selling pornographic images and videos of over 4,000 young girls and women in Thailand. Swedish news outlet SVT Nyheter did not name the man, who is charged with serious child pornography offences and gross illegal invasion of privacy. Yesterday, Sodertorn District Court in…

  • Police officer beheaded after crashing sedan into traffic barrier

    Police officer beheaded after crashing sedan into traffic barrier

    An officer from the Chainart Provincial Police Office was beheaded last night after he crashed his sedan into a traffic barrier. The stationary barrier ripped into his car and took his head off. The dead police officer was reported to be 30 year old Naphatrapee Worawongwaylarath. He was killed by the 10-metre traffic barrier. His damaged black Honda Civic sedan…

  • Fly direct from Bangkok to the ‘Hawaii of China’

    Fly direct from Bangkok to the ‘Hawaii of China’

    After a three-year pandemic hiatus, passengers can now fly direct from Bangkok, Thailand to Haikou – “The Hawaii of China” – thanks to resumed services by Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines flight HU7939 took off from Haikou Meilan International Airport in China’s Hainan province yesterday at 9.19am local time, bound for Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The resumed route’s inaugural flight was on…

  • Hundreds of cops dispatched to Pattaya’s Walking Street to reassure tourists

    Hundreds of cops dispatched to Pattaya’s Walking Street to reassure tourists

    Hundreds of cops were dispatched to Pattaya’s Walking Street on Friday night to reassure tourists of their safety. The deputy commander of Provincial Police Region 2, Pattaya Police chief Pol. Col. Thanapong Photi, and Deputy Mayor Wutisak Rermkitkarn dispatched 234 officers to the street. The officers walked through the street letting bar and club owners know that they were launching…

  • Man rejected by employer due to a police mistake

    Man rejected by employer due to a police mistake

    A 25 year old Thai man was rejected by an employer because a police officer in the Isaan province of Buriram mistakenly put his name on a criminal record sheet. Phichitchai Anansook filed a complaint with the Ministry of Justice, saying he was unemployed because of a mistake by Nong Song Hong Police Station. His name was listed as a…

  • MP Rangsiman asks police to seize PM Prayut’s party HQ

    MP Rangsiman asks police to seize PM Prayut’s party HQ

    The Ruam Thai Sang Chart political party headquarters is at the centre of a controversy with the Move Forward Party urging police to take action and seize the Bangkok building. Opponent Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward Party MP, alleges a senator who owns the building is a money-laundering suspect. MP Rangsiman called on the police chief to follow standard legal…

  • Thailand-Myanmar land border in Chiang Rai reopens after 3-year closure

    Thailand-Myanmar land border in Chiang Rai reopens after 3-year closure

    The Thailand-Myanmar land border at the Maesai Border Checkpoint in the northern province of Chaing Rai reopened yesterday after being closed for three years due to Covid-19. Thais and foreigners who want to visit Myanmar need to show a vaccine certificate or Covid test. Maesai Border Checkpoint and Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 1, which connect Chiang Rai province in Thailand with…

  • Thai whistleblowers file complaints to Big Joke about illegal Chinese associations

    Thai whistleblowers file complaints to Big Joke about illegal Chinese associations

    Illegal Chinese activities are once again causing a stir in Thailand. A Thai whistleblower met with Thailand’s deputy police chief Gen Surachet “Big Joke” Hakparn yesterday to file a complaint against unlicensed Chinese associations for their suspected vested interest, Bangkok Post reported. The whistleblower, Withan Sukkan, is an interrogative director of the Department of Provincial Administration. Withan said the director-general of the…

  • Thailand’s tourist entry fee to generate 3.9 billion baht this year

    Thailand’s tourist entry fee to generate 3.9 billion baht this year

    Thailand is expected to gain 3.9 billion baht (US$112 million) in revenue this year by charging tourists an entry fee beginning June 1, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said yesterday. Last week, Thailand’s Cabinet approved the collection of an entry fee from all foreign tourists, effective June 1. Foreigners arriving by air will be charged 300 baht (US$8.67) and those arriving…

  • TAT teams up with Netflix to create new Thailand travel guide

    TAT teams up with Netflix to create new Thailand travel guide

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has teamed up with Netflix to create an exciting new guide called Uncover Thailand: A Creative Travel Guide. The interactive guide will help tourists discover beautiful locations in Thailand that have been featured in popular films and shows on Netflix. The up-and-coming guide will also provide useful travel advice and fascinating facts to enhance…

  • 6 year old child flung from overpass in car accident

    6 year old child flung from overpass in car accident

    On Sunday, a family of four was travelling on the Bang Phli-Suksawat expressway in the Greater Bangkok area when tragedy struck. After losing control and crashing, the family’s 6 year old son was flung free of the car and off of the overpass to the road far below, killing the child. The horrific incident took place on the expressway in…

  • China’s home-grown cruise ship close to launch

    China’s home-grown cruise ship close to launch

    China plans to make a big splash with the launch of its first home-grown cruise ship later this year. It will be the nation’s first voyage into a sector dominated by European shipyards, and a critical step in reducing reliance on external sources. Lavish, unsinkable and afloat by May Known as the H1508, construction began in October 2019 and she…