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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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    Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Here’s your health checklist before the move

    Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Thailand is a popular choice for retirees because of its beautiful landscapes, warm climate, and affordable living. Cities like Chiang Mai and coastal areas offer a relaxed lifestyle with friendly communities. The country also...

  • Man accuses son of drugging him and killing his wife to steal 65 million baht

    Man accuses son of drugging him and killing his wife to steal 65 million baht

    A Thai millionaire accused his son and daughter-in-law of drugging him and killing his wife to steal 65 million baht. The millionaire claims that he was held captive over a two-year period before finally managing to escape in May last year. The 67 year old man, who was not identified, filed a complaint at Chanchoengsao Police Station on Saturday, February…

  • Thai man accuses Canadian man of murdering his sister in Phuket

    Thai man accuses Canadian man of murdering his sister in Phuket

    A Thai man accuses a Canadian man of murdering his younger sister who was found hanged in a nail salon in Phuket, southern Thailand, last week. He says the Canadian assaulted, held hostage, drugged, and blackmailed his sister just days before her death. She reported him to the police three days prior to being found dead. The Canadian allegedly offered…

  • Thai police swoop to close down another illegal Chinese operation

    Thai police swoop to close down another illegal Chinese operation

    Thai police swooped on yet another illegal Chinese business operation, leading to the arrest of one man. Officers from the Consumer Protection Division (CPD) in Thailand conducted searches in two different locations in Prawet District in Bangkok and Samut Prakan province and seized counterfeit cosmetics and low-quality medical supplies worth an estimated 14 million baht. During the raids, a Chinese…

  • Report finds most Thais don’t understand climate change

    Report finds most Thais don’t understand climate change

    A recent report by the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) has revealed that most Thais have a limited understanding of the impact of climate change on the planet. Only 35% of Thais believe that the use of fossil fuels should be reduced. This reflects a general lack of awareness about climate change and what causes it. Oddly, the…

  • German tourist snatches Russian woman’s pricey sunglasses at Thai immigration office

    German tourist snatches Russian woman’s pricey sunglasses at Thai immigration office

    A German tourist snatched a Russian woman’s pricey sunglasses at a Thai immigration office, Thai media reported on Saturday. The two holidaymakers were both getting their visas extended at the immigration office South Thailand’s Surat Thani province. CCTV footage caught the crook, 31 year old Marcel, grabbing the sunglasses that the woman left on a chair at the office while…

  • CIB arrest 15-year fugitive wanted for double murder

    CIB arrest 15-year fugitive wanted for double murder

    Justice has been finally served on an old open criminal case. After 15 years of being on the run, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Royal Thai Police Crime Suppression Division announced a man wanted in connection with the murder of a wealthy couple in Phuket has been arrested. The CIB in Bangkok confirmed an arrest in a cold…

  • Price of roses rise, but many express Valentine’s love online

    Price of roses rise, but many express Valentine’s love online

    Roses have been the traditional gift of love for Valentine’s Day for several centuries. But modern-day V-Day is bringing new trends in the way couples declare their love for one another, with social media platforms and applications offering creative and personalised digital options for expressing affection. Video calls, for instance, have seen a surge as more couples opt for private…

  • Elephant in Thailand dies after tourists feed it wrong food

    Elephant in Thailand dies after tourists feed it wrong food

    An elephant camp in Koh Chang, eastern Thailand, is warning tourists not to feed elephants food containing chemicals after an elephant died after eating chemically-contaminated bananas. A few weeks ago, a 20 year old male elephant at Kaebai Meechai Elephant Camp in Koh Chang, Trat province, fell ill with flatulence and indigestion after eating food brought in by some tourists,…

  • TAT takes part in major tourism exchange event in India

    TAT takes part in major tourism exchange event in India

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) took part in a major tourism exchange event in New Delhi, India last week. TAT participated in South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) for the 14th time, heading up a strong delegation of over 40 tourism suppliers. SATTE, which is India’s largest travel fair, was held from February 9 to 11 2023 at…

  • Police hunt for fake government officials after robbery in Pattaya

    Police hunt for fake government officials after robbery in Pattaya

    Police are on the hunt for three fake government officials after a robbery in Pattaya last week. The victim, 37 year old Prasit, claimed that on February 7, a group of people wearing what appeared to be government officials’ jackets broke into his house in Bang Lamung’s Naklue sub-district. Prasit said the suspects accused him of being a motorcycle thief,…

  • Thai police report over 400 romance scams last month

    Thai police report over 400 romance scams last month

    Thai police say there were over 400 reports of romance scams last month. Royal Thai Police (RTP) said yesterday that 403 police reports in January 2023 were related to love frauds, resulting in substantial financial losses of over 190 million baht. Valentine’s Day is coming up, and RTP is now urging the public to be aware of the issue of…

  • Thailand’s forest fires close Mae Hong Son Airport

    Thailand’s forest fires close Mae Hong Son Airport

    Thailand’s forest fires were so bad, with many parts of Mae Hong Son‘s Muang district covered in such dense smoke Sunday that several airlines rescheduled morning flights. The local pollution control department in Mae Hong Son reported that PM2.5 – particles of dust less than 2.5 microns in diameter – in the Muang and Pai districts reached 90 micrograms and…

  • Take the slow train to monkey city

    Take the slow train to monkey city

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is offering trips on a slow train to monkey city, from Bangkok to Lopburi in the Northeast Thailand, on the refurbished Kiha 183 diesel-powered trains from Japan. The trips this weekend and next will cost 599 baht. Only 200 seats will be available each day. The train leaves Bangkok’s historic Hua Lamphong Railway Station…

  • Axing for trouble in Nothanburi

    Axing for trouble in Nothanburi

    The family of a man killed by his neighbour over a parking dispute in Nonthaburi believes the murder scene was staged. Veera Prasitthong, 54 years old, was killed in his neighbour’s shop in Pak Kret last week. Veera was home when he found his path blocked by neighbour Visit Chanakul, who had parked outside his shop to unload some goods.…

  • Sufficient life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai – RTN

    Sufficient life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai – RTN

    The Naval Supply Department insisted that there were 130 life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai when it sank in December, more than enough for the 105 crew. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengpaet yesterday said that the RTN is finding out why some of the survivors claimed that there were not enough life jackets on HTMS Sukhothai. Regarding…

  • PLTO meets with taxis from outside Phuket over crackdown

    PLTO meets with taxis from outside Phuket over crackdown

    The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) and the Phuket Provincial Police have recently held discussions with a group of taxi drivers and tour operators from outside of Phuket who have been banned from working on the island. The talks were focused on finding a solution to the continual problem of green plate taxi operators facing difficulties, including arrests and bans…

  • Russian arrested acting illegally as tour guide

    Russian arrested acting illegally as tour guide

    In Thailand, many jobs are earmarked as being only for Thai people. Even if a foreigner or expat had a business visa and a work permit, they are barred from certain fields. But in Phuket this week, a Russian man was arrested working as a tour guide which is forbidden for foreigners without any visas or permits. Pavel Maslennikov, a…

  • British drug fugitive Richard Wakeling arrested in Bangkok

    British drug fugitive Richard Wakeling arrested in Bangkok

    British fugitive Richard Wakeling, wanted on narcotics trafficking charges, was arrested in Bangkok on Friday. The National Crime Agency of the UK requested cooperation from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in the arrest of the man from Brentwood, Essex. The 54 year old Wakeling had been sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempted amphetamine smuggling of product worth about 8…

  • Amsterdam institutes red light cannabis ban

    Amsterdam institutes red light cannabis ban

    While Thailand has turned into a cannabis-free-for-all, some have warned that legalisation leads to a destructive path to crime and degeneration. Those defending legislation have pointed to places where cannabis has been legal for years without becoming Sodom & Gomorrah, like some US states and, famously, Amsterdam. But now authorities in Amsterdam have announced plans to ban street smoking of…

  • Death Wish Thailand: Who is ‘Inspector Sua’?

    Death Wish Thailand: Who is ‘Inspector Sua’?

    Lt-Colonel Wasawat Mookarasakul, the senior police officer named as “Inspector Sua” in an explosive Facebook post last week, has been suspended from duty pending an investigation by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD). When the Central Investigation Bureau promises a straightforward investigation that is “strictly in line with the law,” questions have to be asked about what goes on during other…

  • Latest ambulance crashes in Thailand dismay researchers

    Latest ambulance crashes in Thailand dismay researchers

    The grim statistics on ambulance crashes in Thailand worsened on Friday night when a patient was badly injured in a horrific late-night crash. An ambulance smashed into the back of a truck in the Lom Sak district in the northern part of Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, close to midnight on Friday. The patient, who was being rushed from Khao Kho…

  • Great Wall Motor targets 50% growth in Thailand this year

    Great Wall Motor targets 50% growth in Thailand this year

    China‘s Great Wall will target 50% growth in Thailand this year. Great Wall Motor’s Ora Good Cat is already the top-selling electric vehicle in the kingdom. Great Wall Motor aims to increase sales in Thailand by 50% this year, the privately owned automaker said on Friday, while also planning to launch production of electric vehicles in Thailand in 2024. GWM…

  • Disability rights investigated for flyer in wheelchair

    Disability rights investigated for flyer in wheelchair

    In 2019, an Israeli tourist booked a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. He sent information about his wheelchair battery 48 hours before the flight, however, upon arrival at Chiang Mai airport, he was informed that the airline did not allow passengers with electric wheelchairs to fly. Now the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken up the…

  • Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’

    Victims of romance scams ‘at their wits end’

    Most victims of romance scams in Thailand are women in their 40s. Middle-aged women are the main targets of criminal gangs who prey on those who have taken the questionable step of seeking true love online. Online fraud, including romance scams, has become a serious problem in Thailand, judging by the number of complaints filed with the Royal Thai Police.…

  • Seahorse Ferry relaunches Pattaya to Samui route

    Seahorse Ferry relaunches Pattaya to Samui route

    After a four-month hiatus, the Seahorse Ferry Company is finally ready to set sail again, resuming its weekly service between Sattahip and Koh Samui from Thursday, February 16. After a temporary pause for essential repairs and maintenance shortly after launching, the ferry is now back in business and ready to welcome passengers on board once again. If you’re planning a…

  • Unhinged woman throws acid in court resulting in 3 injuries

    Unhinged woman throws acid in court resulting in 3 injuries

    An unhinged woman attacked a veterinarian with acid in court yesterday after blaming her for the death of her pet dog. The attack resulted in injuries to the vet and two other court officials. A disagreement between a pet dog owner and a veterinarian led to a horrific acid attack yesterday at the Chaiyaphum Provincial Court in the Mueang district…

  • Do fewer shark bites mean fewer sharks?

    Do fewer shark bites mean fewer sharks?

    Shark attacks worldwide fell in 2022, resulting in fewer shark bite incidents compared to the past decade. In 2020, travel restrictions and beach closures were thought to have resulted in fewer encounters between humans and sharks and fewer shark bites. The majority of the 57 unprovoked bites last year occurred in the USA and Australia. Five proved fatal, down from…

  • Chiang Mai tackles PM2.5 pollution with giant vacuum cleaner

    Chiang Mai tackles PM2.5 pollution with giant vacuum cleaner

    Thailand‘s Disaster Department is testing out a giant vacuum cleaner as a way to tackle the PM2.5 dust pollution problem that plagues the northern city of Chiang Mai every ‘burning season.’ Every year, farmers around Thailand send their forests and fields up in smoke because it’s the cheapest way to prepare to plant new crops causing PM2.5 levels to shoot…

  • Is Google chatbot smarter than a pigeon?

    Is Google chatbot smarter than a pigeon?

    Embarrassing stammering by Bard, the Google chatbot, has prompted the global public and stock markets to unreservedly rejected machine-generated garbage. The likes of Donald Trump and Elon Musk must be delighted that a talking Google chatbot is held in higher regard than talking billionaires. Google’s response to ChatGPT got off to an embarrassing start when its chatbot gave a wrong…

  • New Zealand authorities seize tonnes of cocaine floating in ocean

    New Zealand authorities seize tonnes of cocaine floating in ocean

    In a major drugs bust, New Zealand authorities seized over 3 tonnes of cocaine floating in the Pacific Ocean. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster stated on Wednesday that the amount of cocaine was enough to service the Australian market for a year and was more than what New Zealand would use in 30 years. The massive haul of 81 bales weighing…