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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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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Chiang Rai residents protest lignite coal pollution from Laos

    Chiang Rai residents protest lignite coal pollution from Laos

    Residents of Chiang Khong are facing severe distress due to pollution caused by a private company transporting lignite coal from Laos. Despite multiple complaints, the issue remains unresolved, prompting the district chief to order a temporary halt to the transportation. Mong Saenyai, a resident of Chiang Khong district, Chiang Rai Province, yesterday, July 2, revealed that villagers from Ban Mai…

  • Canadian military man confesses to gangster’s murder in Thailand

    Canadian military man confesses to gangster’s murder in Thailand

    A former Canadian soldier pleaded guilty in Bangkok for his role in the February 2022 murder of notorious British Columbia gangster Jimi Sandhu. Matthew Dupre, hailing from Sylvan Lake, Alberta, admitted his involvement on the trial’s opening day, June 27. The dramatic hit occurred at a beachfront resort in Phuket, captured on CCTV. Sandhu, staying in a private waterfront villa,…

  • Political turmoil and economic strife rock Thailand’s elite

    Political turmoil and economic strife rock Thailand’s elite

    The fate of Thailand’s business-friendly Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a former real estate mogul, hangs by a thread less than a year after taking office. Political turmoil has shaken investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, resulting in a 15% drop in the benchmark stock index since last year. Compounded by a weaker baht, the combined wealth of the nation’s…

  • Phuket: 4 foreigners arrested for overstaying visas by up to 5 years

    Phuket: 4 foreigners arrested for overstaying visas by up to 5 years

    Immigration officers in Phuket apprehended four foreign men for overstaying their visas, with periods ranging from 234 days to over five years, during random inspections yesterday morning. Police conducted passport checks at locations known for harbouring visa overstayers as part of the ongoing Operation X-ray, targeting individuals violating visa regulations. Among those arrested were two Egyptians, one Pakistani, and one…

  • Thailand’s economic growth forecast cut to 2.4% amid weak exports

    Thailand’s economic growth forecast cut to 2.4% amid weak exports

    Thailand’s economic growth is forecasted to slow to 2.4% this year, a decrease from the 2.8% projection made in April, primarily due to weaker-than-expected exports and public investment in the early months of the year, the World Bank announced. The World Bank today, July 3, highlighted that the growth of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy will be supported by consumer spending,…

  • Thai-ed up: British man’s terrifying prison ordeal in Thailand

    Thai-ed up: British man’s terrifying prison ordeal in Thailand

    A British man from Birmingham revealed the harrowing tale of his five-month ordeal in a Thai prison, labelling the conditions as inhumane and horrendous. Jamie Morton was teaching English in Thailand when he got entangled in the local drug and alcohol scene. In January 2019, Morton was accosted by eight individuals on a street corner, who then whisked him away…

  • Noodle vendor injured in Lampang motorcycle crash

    Noodle vendor injured in Lampang motorcycle crash

    A noodle vendor in Lampang suffered severe injuries after her motorcycle lost control and crashed while she was on her way to the market to buy ingredients. The accident left her unconscious with scattered ingredients on the road. Police from Thoen Police Station responded to a report of a self-inflicted motorcycle accident near Thoen Vocational College on the Thoen-Thung Saliam…

  • Thai monk defrocked for driving van and enjoying beach at midnight

    Thai monk defrocked for driving van and enjoying beach at midnight

    A Buddhist monk was defrocked after being discovered by concerned residents driving a van and enjoying seaside views at Na Jomtien Beach in Sattahip yesterday, July 2. Udom Suwankana, head of Na Jomtien Village 1, along with his assistants, inspected the beach area at 12.10am following reports of a monk in an old yellow Isuzu van. The residents questioned if the…

  • Builder beware: Scam artist nails deposits, leaves homes hanging

    Builder beware: Scam artist nails deposits, leaves homes hanging

    A notorious contractor has been wreaking havoc across Thailand, scamming homeowners by taking deposits and abandoning projects. A homeowner in Chiang Mai has lost hundreds of thousands of baht, ending up with nothing more than house pillars. A resident from Rong Wua Daeng, San Kamphaeng district, Chiang Mai, yesterday, July 2, reported that a contractor had absconded after receiving three…

  • Thai police arrest man for fatal shooting on Chao Phraya River

    Thai police arrest man for fatal shooting on Chao Phraya River

    Thai police apprehended a man responsible for the fatal shooting of a fisherman on the Chao Phraya River. The suspect confessed to holding a grudge for several years and expressed no remorse towards the victim’s family, stating he felt satisfaction from the act. The Pathum Thani Provincial police chief yesterday, July 2, ordered an investigation into the fatal shooting of…

  • Mysterious body found in Amnat Charoen pond sparks investigation

    Mysterious body found in Amnat Charoen pond sparks investigation

    A body was found floating in a pond in Mueang Amnat Charoen prompting an urgent investigation into the mysterious death. The deceased, identified as 64 year old Bunphieng Amlungphon, had been dead for approximately two to three days. Police officer Khajorn Phengpit yesterday, July 2, received a report about the body found in a pond located near the Saensawat Pattana…

  • Pattaya mandates better lighting after delivery rider falls into unlit pit

    Pattaya mandates better lighting after delivery rider falls into unlit pit

    A food delivery rider’s fall into an unlit excavation pit prompted immediate action in Pattaya. Banglamung District Chief Weekit Manarojkit visited the accident site today and mandated increased lighting to ensure such incidents do not happen again. The incident involved Nattanicha Owat, a 28 year old food delivery rider, who sustained injuries after her motorcycle fell into the pit on…

  • Thai woman escapes sexual assault at petrol station bathroom

    Thai woman escapes sexual assault at petrol station bathroom

    A Thai woman narrowly escaped being sexually assaulted by a drug addict in a petrol station bathroom in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. The suspect was identified after he was arrested for drug use by another police team. The story was shared on social media platforms to warn others, especially women, who use public bathrooms at petrol stations and…

  • Thai woman seeks police help after ex-brother-in-law’s violent acts

    Thai woman seeks police help after ex-brother-in-law’s violent acts

    A woman in Udon Thani urgently sought police help after her ex-brother-in-law, exhibiting delusional and violent behaviour due to drug abuse, attempted to abduct her daughter for a ritual sacrifice and vandalised her property. Today, July 3, 46 year old Nok, reported to Udon Thani City Police Station, asking for the arrest of 40 year old Ae, her former brother-in-law.…

  • Brewing trouble: Coffee brand percolates price hike due to costs

    Brewing trouble: Coffee brand percolates price hike due to costs

    A popular coffee brand plans to increase its prices by 5% to 10% this month, citing rising production costs. This follows the recent price adjustment by Ajinomoto for its monosodium glutamate (MSG) products, which saw a 4% to 5% increase for packages of 250 grammes, 500 grammes, and 1,000 grammes. Somsak Pornratanacharoen, honorary advisor of the Thai Wholesale and Retail…

  • Two brothers attacked over refusal to buy illegal fuel in Pattaya

    Two brothers attacked over refusal to buy illegal fuel in Pattaya

    Two brothers were brutally attacked by a group of men after refusing to purchase illegal fuel in Pattaya, Thailand. The assailants, including a cement truck driver, fled the scene before police arrived. The incident occurred yesterday, July 2, at 10.30pm outside a grocery store in Moo 5, Khao Mai Kaew, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri. Rescue volunteers and police responded to…

  • Catnapped calamity: Elderly owner’s purr-loved orange tabby taken

    Catnapped calamity: Elderly owner’s purr-loved orange tabby taken

    A beloved orange cat was allegedly stolen by an unknown woman, leaving its elderly owner distressed and unable to eat for two days. The incident occurred near a flower shop in the Prachaniwet 3 Market, Nonthaburi province. The flower shop owner, 40 year old Pui and the cat’s caretaker, shared the story. About two months ago, her partner, who drives…

  • Thailand cops raid five hideouts in Jesada murder case

    Thailand cops raid five hideouts in Jesada murder case

    Thai police conducted raids on five significant hideouts in connection with the murder of Jesada, also known as Tai Kolai, at the Lasalle intersection. Arrest warrants for two additional suspects have been issued, with heavy charges against them. The incident involved 23 people on a motorcycle who lured Woraset, known as Hurt, and Jesada out of a restaurant, leading to…

  • Chinese man fatally struck by pickup while crossing road in Rayong

    Chinese man fatally struck by pickup while crossing road in Rayong

    A Thai pickup driver hit and killed a Chinese man while the victim was crossing 3191 Road in the eastern province of Rayong. Pluak Daeng Police Station officers were alerted to the car accident on Road 3191 near Puang Malai Intersection in the Pluak Daeng district of Rayong at about 8.30pm on Monday, July 1. Officers passed the notification to…

  • Elderly man arrested for transporting nearly 300,000 meth pills

    Elderly man arrested for transporting nearly 300,000 meth pills

    A 77 year old man was arrested for transporting drugs for a Laotian network, with police seizing 288,000 methamphetamine pills. Police disclosed the man was paid to deliver the drugs, which were bought for 5 baht per pill and sold for 20 baht each. Police in Amnat Charoen, northeast Thailand announced the arrest of Atthapol Wanthaprom, who was found in…

  • Man tricked into scam call centre, ordains as monk in remorse

    Man tricked into scam call centre, ordains as monk in remorse

    A young man deceived into working for a call centre scam in a neighbouring country has expressed remorse and plans to ordain as a monk to dedicate merit to the scam victims. He endured eight months of abuse before seeking help to return to Thailand. Chairman of the Northern Star Foundation, Phim Mai Sakdipatpokin, reported that a 29 year old…

  • Engineering director found dead at home in West Thailand

    Engineering director found dead at home in West Thailand

    A director of the engineering department was found dead in his home in Ratchaburi. The dead man, identified as 53 year old Somkiat, was discovered by relatives after his wife, Boonrod, could not reach him on the phone and asked family members to check on him. Police were alerted yesterday, July 2, about the death at a residence in Ban…

  • Thailand rescue: Moroccan call centre scam victims freed

    Thailand rescue: Moroccan call centre scam victims freed

    Immigration Bureau officers in Thailand helped six Moroccans return to Morocco. They were released by a call centre scam gang in Myanmar after their families paid 300,000 baht in ransom. The release of the six Moroccan victims follows the previous release of two other Moroccan nationals. The first two victims paid 200,000 baht in ransom to the scam gang. The two…

  • Woman arrested for selling kratom tea to teens in Songkhla

    Woman arrested for selling kratom tea to teens in Songkhla

    Police in Rattaphum, Songkhla, arrested a woman for openly selling kratom leaf tea, with teenagers reportedly becoming addicted. The operation seized 500 bottled kratom teas, sold around the clock. Rattaphum District Chief Wilailak Rueangphon ordered Sub-Lieutenant Surasak Chanakit to lead a team, including local health officers, to apprehend a vendor selling kratom leaf tea from a rented house. The house,…

  • Thailand braces for heavy rain and thunderstorms

    Thailand braces for heavy rain and thunderstorms

    Heavy rainfall is expected across Thailand tomorrow, with Bangkok likely to be affected. Approximately 60% of the area in the capital will experience thunderstorms. The Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand will see wave heights of 1 to 2 metres, with marine travel in stormy areas advised against. The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a 24-hour weather forecast at…

  • Thai man sexually assaulted in car after accepting free ride

    Thai man sexually assaulted in car after accepting free ride

    A Thai man accused another man of sexually assaulting him after offering a free ride. The driver then touched his passenger inappropriately and masturbated in the car. The 23 year old man, identified only as To, filed the sexual assault complaint at Mueang Loei Police Station in the Isaan province of Loei at about 3.30pm on July 1. To identified…

  • Pickup driver caught at Phuket police checkpoint (video)

    Pickup driver caught at Phuket police checkpoint (video)

    A pickup truck driver revved his engine, causing thick black smoke to billow out, as he passed a police checkpoint in Phuket. Two officers on motorcycles immediately pursued and captured him, earning praise from netizens who commended their swift action. A video clip, one minute and four seconds long, was posted by the Choeng Thale Police Station in Phuket, accompanied…

  • Thailand considers alcohol ban lift to boost restaurant spirits

    Thailand considers alcohol ban lift to boost restaurant spirits

    The Government of Thailand is considering lifting the afternoon ban on alcohol sales to assist struggling restaurant operators amid an economic downturn. Representatives from the Restaurant Business Club submitted a letter to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, urging for measures to help restaurants survive the challenging economic climate. Restaurant operators highlighted rising operating costs and increasing prices of ingredients as major…

  • Phuket Bolt driver defends actions after entering passenger’s room

    Phuket Bolt driver defends actions after entering passenger’s room

    A Thai Bolt driver in Phuket turned himself into officers at Patong Police Station yesterday to defend himself. He insisted that the female passenger allowed him to enter her room and that he had no ill intentions towards her. The 25 year old Thai woman, Nan, filed a complaint at Patong Police Station after the Bolt driver, later identified as…

  • Phuket’s inadequate infrastructure development raises concerns

    Phuket’s inadequate infrastructure development raises concerns

    Inadequate infrastructure development in Phuket is struggling to match the island’s rapid urbanisation and severe flooding, tarnishing its reputation. The government’s failure to allocate sufficient budget and upgrade public facilities as promised is a significant concern. The President of the Phuket Tourist Association, Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, highlighted that 60% of tourists are first-time visitors who might not return if infrastructure issues…