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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...

  • China’s second-richest is an ex-Google employee | Thaiger

    China’s second-richest is an ex-Google employee

    Apparently, working for any kind of technology company in today’s world can reap massive wealth. That’s the case for one of China’s citizens who became the second richest person in the nation after previously working for Google. Colin Huang is valued at $45.4 billion by Forbes, placing him second in China after Tencent’s Pony Ma after his e-commerce company Pinduoduo…

  • Deputy PM to become leader of ruling Palang Pracharat party | Thaiger

    Deputy PM to become leader of ruling Palang Pracharat party

    In a widely anticipated move, 74 year old Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, dubbed Thailand’s “Rolex General,” has accepted the invitation to become the new leader of Thailand’s ruling Palang Pracharat party. The move is seen as a way of strengthening unity within the main coalition party, which has been plagued by factional conflicts, and to provide unity for the government…

  • 88th anniversary of Thailand’s constitutional monarchy commemorated | Thaiger

    88th anniversary of Thailand’s constitutional monarchy commemorated

    Today marks the 88th anniversary of Thailand’s transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy. Activists from several groups are staging peaceful gatherings across the country to mark the anniversary of the 1932 revolt, in what was then Siam. 30-40 demonstrators gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument and played a video reenactment of the speech made by People’s Party leaders after they…

  • July Songkran plans pushed back to later in the year | Thaiger

    July Songkran plans pushed back to later in the year

    People won’t be throwing or spraying water on each other next month. Celebrations for Thailand’s New Year – Songkran – were rumoured to be moved from April to July, but a 3 day soaking wet holiday might not happen until later this year. The large water celebrations could even be separated to be on non-consecutive days, according to a source in…

  • Supercomputer from Japan now tackling Covid-19 | Thaiger

    Supercomputer from Japan now tackling Covid-19

    The world’s fastest supercomputer from Japan is now being used to tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic. Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer claimed its spot this week as a global super-computer as it has been shown to process 2.8 times more data per second than an IBM computer in the US. Its name Fugaku is Japanese for Mount Fuji. The computer simulates how…

  • Pregnant woman dies in hit-and-run, police search for driver | Thaiger

    Pregnant woman dies in hit-and-run, police search for driver

    A pregnant woman was killed in a hit-and-run road accident over the weekend. Bangkok police are looking for the driver of a black Volvo that sped off after hitting a motorcycle from behind. The woman was 5 months pregnant. She was riding on a motorcycle with her boyfriend when the car hit them from behind. Thai media says the woman…

  • July 4-7 long weekend holiday | Thaiger

    July 4-7 long weekend holiday

    Be forewarned: the Buddhist holidays of Asarna Bucha Day and Buddhist Lent fall on July 4 & 5 this year, but because they fall on a weekend, the days before and after will also become holidays making it a 4 day long weekend. So the usual alcohol ban may be extended for the full 4 days but nothing official has…

  • Officials investigate the illegal logging of 36 rai in Narathiwat | Thaiger

    Officials investigate the illegal logging of 36 rai in Narathiwat

    In Southern Thailand, 36 rai (about 14 acres) of forest on the Sankalakhiri mountain range has been cleared illegally by encroachers. The incident happened in the Chanae district. Director of the intelligence office of the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, acting on information from concerned villagers, ordered soldiers and officials to check on the alleged encroachment high up in the mountain…

  • Police arrest man for running motorbike theft operation | Thaiger

    Police arrest man for running motorbike theft operation

    The leader of an alleged motorbike-stealing gang was arrested yesterday in Southern Thailand. Police also seized 16 motorbikes that had been stolen from various districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Udomchai Sukyoi, who went by the name Sua Om, was arrested at a hotel in the province. Police found vehicle registration books, which Sukyoi allegedly kept as collateral while gang members…

  • Thai doctor pours cold water on suggestion ‘bitter cucumber’ cures cancer | Thaiger

    Thai doctor pours cold water on suggestion ‘bitter cucumber’ cures cancer

    No, the popular bitter cucumber is not a cure for cancer, nor is any other vegetable, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Services. Dr. Somsak Akksilp has dismissed the suggestion that bitter cucumber can cure cancerous tumours and cysts, pointing out that currently, only 3 therapies have proven effectiveness in treating cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. A report in Nation…

  • Police arrest 5 allegedly involved in loan shark app | Thaiger

    Police arrest 5 allegedly involved in loan shark app

    Police have arrested 5 people who allegedly ran a loan shark business in Pattaya. The smart phone app “True Cash Pro” illegally gave out loans whilst imposing excessive interest rates. Authorities say the business had around 10,000 borrowers and over 100 million baht in circulation. Police started investigating the online scam after receiving complaints about the company demanding people pay…

  • Provincial employee arrested for allegedly stealing millions in government funds | Thaiger

    Provincial employee arrested for allegedly stealing millions in government funds

    A woman allegedly stole 33 million baht in government funds over the course of a year, using some of it support her gambling addiction. 28 year old Kanitha Hoythong, who worked in the finance and accounting section of the Prachuap Khiri Khan provincial offices, was arrested on charges of misappropriation and forging government documents. Hoythong allegedly forged signatures of authorised…

  • Bars and clubs can re-open soon, but with a list of 22 requirements | Thaiger

    Bars and clubs can re-open soon, but with a list of 22 requirements

    “Musicians and performers must wear face shields.” Well, there’s some good news and there’s some bad news if you’re the owner of an entertainment venue in Thailand. You CAN re-open… soon. BUT, the CCSA has put together a list of 22 requirements you’ll have to meet when you re-open your doors. Not surprisingly the owners and representatives are unhappy about…

  • CCSA officials plan to allow 7 groups of foreigners to enter Thailand | Thaiger

    CCSA officials plan to allow 7 groups of foreigners to enter Thailand

    Authorities are still trying to figure out who will be allowed to enter Thailand, and how it should be handled. But today the government narrowed it down to 7 groups of foreigners, some under the developing ‘travel bubble’ scheme, and others that may require quarantine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration still plans to discuss the proposed groups with government…

  • Thousands of curfew violators arrested in 72-day span | Thaiger

    Thousands of curfew violators arrested in 72-day span

    Police arrested more than 40,000 people for breaking the nightly curfew which lasted 72 days. An average of 582 people were arrested per day during the restriction period, police say. Many people intercepted simply didn’t have a good reason for being out of their home late at night, according to police. They say a common reason for breaching curfew was…

  • More sea turtles lay eggs on Koh Samui | Thaiger

    More sea turtles lay eggs on Koh Samui

    It’s been years since sea turtles have been seen laying eggs on Koh Samui beaches. But this year more than a dozen sea turtle nests have popped up around the island’s coast. Just over the weekend, 70 eggs were found by villagers at Laem So beach by the Ban Sai Ree Hotel. It’s rare for the turtles to come to…

  • Thailand’s entertainment venues and bars poised to reopen in July | Thaiger

    Thailand’s entertainment venues and bars poised to reopen in July

    Pubs, clubs and karaoke bars will be allowed to re-open in July. That’s a promise from the committee which has been rolling out Thailand’s gradual re-openings in staged phases. It will be the fifth phase of lifting the restrictions, originally imposed on all levels of business in Thailand in response to the threats from Covid-19. But, it should be stressed,…

  • Unemployed Chiang Mai teacher arrested for child pornography | Thaiger

    Unemployed Chiang Mai teacher arrested for child pornography

    Police in Chiang Mai province have arrested an unemployed teacher after finding child pornography on his computers. The 33 year old man had previously worked as a music and dance teacher at a private school. He was reportedly paying a LINE app group to download sexual images of children as young as 10. Chiang Mai police collaborated with the Thailand…

  • Baby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi | Thaiger

    Baby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi

    2 baby elephants have apparently been electrocuted in the Tha Mai district of the eastern province of Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border, when they touched an electric fence put up by an orchard owner to keep foraging animals out. A local police officer said he would summon the orchard owner for questioning about the electrified fencing. Authorities are awaiting the…

  • Russian charged with credit card fraud on Koh Samui | Thaiger

    Russian charged with credit card fraud on Koh Samui

    Police in Koh Samui, in the southern province of Surat Thani, have arrested a 35 year old Russian man for allegedly using counterfeit credit cards to buy goods on the resort island. When he was arrested there were 8 fake credit cards found on him. The arrest comes after a bank employee told police of suspected irregularities in the use…

  • Partial solar eclipse today, starts just after 1pm | Thaiger

    Partial solar eclipse today, starts just after 1pm

    A partial solar eclipse will be visible this afternoon, if your local weather allows. Bu in some other parts of Asia and Africa, residents will be treated to a spectacular total eclipse. If you miss this phenomenon today, the next solar eclipse, a total eclipse, on view in the Thai skies will be on April 20, 2023. For Bangkokians, the…

  • Ruling PP party denies coercing opposition parties to join | Thaiger

    Ruling PP party denies coercing opposition parties to join

    A source from the ruling Palang Pracharat party says that rumours that it was trying to “coerce and persuade” members of the opposition or current coalition member to join the party, were untrue. Over the past month, Thai politicians had been gossiping that the party has been allegedly syphoning cash from the 1.9 trillion baht “coronavirus relief fund” to recruit parliamentarians…

  • Over 100 arrested for illegal motorcycle night racing in Nonthaburi | Thaiger

    Over 100 arrested for illegal motorcycle night racing in Nonthaburi

    Over 100 teens and adults have been arrested for involvement in illegal night motorcycle racing in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok city, since yesterday. Those arrested include riders, passengers, and supporters of the illegal races. Nonthaburi police said today that 102 people have been arrested in a collaborative effort between 11 police stations in the province. The operation is in…

  • UPDATE: Kidnap/murder suspect Banyin in suicide bid | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Kidnap/murder suspect Banyin in suicide bid

    UPDATE: According to Thai PBS World, former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangphaporn tried to commit suicide at a maximum security prison last night, after prison officials uncovered alleged plots to kidnap the wife of the prison warden to hold hostage in return for his release, and to escape while being taken to the court on Monday, if that plan failed.…

  • Bangkok’s Skypark could inspire more green areas across the region | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s Skypark could inspire more green areas across the region

    “It is an example of how to repurpose an abandoned structure and increase green spaces in Bangkok through cost-effective design.” Bangkok’s new “Skypark,” built on an abandoned, never-completed Skytrain track, could become be a model for turning the capital’s unused spaces into much-needed green areas. Such an initiative would also boost public health and mitigate the impacts of climate change,…

  • Koh Samet will reopen next month | Thaiger

    Koh Samet will reopen next month

    The eastern Rayong province’s Koh Samet will reopen to the public on July 1, after being closed since the enactment of the Emergency Decree to halt the spread of Covid-19. The reopening follows with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s policy to reopen all national parks nationwide. Koh Samet is a part of the Khao Laemya – Koh Samet…

  • Finance ministry to consider incentives to stimulate shopping, retail sector | Thaiger

    Finance ministry to consider incentives to stimulate shopping, retail sector

    Thailand’s finance minister says his ministry is ready to consider retailers’ proposals for tax breaks on shopping to stimulate domestic spending. The ministry has assigned related agencies, including the Fiscal Policy Office, the Revenue Department and the Excise Department, to examine the possibilities, Uttama Savanayana said yesterday. His remarks come after retailers asked the government to apply a shopping tax break…

  • Police investigate alleged Banyin prison break, kidnapping plot | Thaiger

    Police investigate alleged Banyin prison break, kidnapping plot

    In yet another twist to a criminal case that stretches credulity, the Crime Suppression Division is investigating an alleged jailbreak plot by murder suspect Banyin Tangpakorn involving a threat to kidnap the wife of a prison chief. A source at the CSD told reporters of the investigation yesterday. Banyin, a former MP, deputy commerce minister and police lieutenant, is in…

  • U-tapao and Eastern Airport City deal officially signed | Thaiger

    U-tapao and Eastern Airport City deal officially signed

    The deal for a public/private partnership for the U-tapao International Airport and Eastern Airport City projects has been officially signed. The agreement is between the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand and U-tapao International Aviation Company. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony yesterday at Government House. The deal is for a major infrastructure project to upgrade U-tapao, which serves…

  • Health minister wants travel bubbles to begin in July, but not for tourists | Thaiger

    Health minister wants travel bubbles to begin in July, but not for tourists

    “No one will be allowed to arrive masquerading as a businessperson in order to go on holiday.” Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that businesspeople, international students and ‘experts’ will be the first groups of foreigners allowed to reenter Thailand next month under the travel bubble model. Anutin revealed the timetable after discussing a travel…