Thailand News
Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.
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Sponsored Working in Thailand: How expat health insurance protects your career and lifestyle
Starting a career in Thailand can be an exciting chapter, but it also brings unique challenges, especially when it comes to health and wellness. For expats, navigating Thailand’s healthcare system and meeting work permit requirements can be difficult. And while...
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Group closing in on Thailand ministers involved in Pegasus spyware scandal
The group behind the ground-breaking report revealing Thai democracy activists were targeted by the Israeli spyware Pegasus program, insists they are closing in on those behind the attacks. Citizen Lab, iLaw, and DigitalReach, revealed Monday that 30 activists and academics from Thailand had their Apple iPhones hacked between 2020 and 2021 by Pegasus’ advanced software program. Today the digital security…
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UPDATE: Thailand’s first monkeypox case goes missing
UPDATE: The 27 year old man who tested positive for the monkeypox virus in Phuket has been missing since Wednesday, July 20 at 9.05pm, according to Phuket police. Despite Thai media widely reporting that the man escaped from the private hospital in Phuket where he initially presented with symptoms, he was actually staying at Patong Princess hotel when he went…
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A Mission To Unchain And Rescue The Working Elephants With Digital Art – Unchained Elephants
Thailand has long been a prized tourist destination, with people travelling globally to visit. A popular bucket list activity for many of these people is a visit to an elephant camp. For the tourists, it is a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience, being so close to such a magnificent creature. For the elephant, however, it is a lifetime’s experience of torment, fear…
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Thai tourism ministry to get 2 billion baht ‘booster shot’
The Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, yesterday revealed his department expects to get a 2 billion baht “booster shot budget” to push Thai tourism this year after complaining to the prime minister. Phiphat revealed he approached PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and asked for the extra cash after being ignored by the man in charge of allocating additional funds, the Director…
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6.4 earthquake strikes Myanmar and northern Thailand, 47 tremors so far
A series of earthquakes struck Myanmar’s Shan State and Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand last night and throughout the early hours of this morning. The earthquakes began at around 11.30pm yesterday and as of 7am, a total of 47 tremors ranging in magnitude from 2.4 to 6.4 on the Richter scale had occurred. More earthquakes are expected today, according…
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Day Three – no confidence debate. Luxury watches, dodgy bomb detectors and the coup leader
Day three of the no-confidence motion and parliamentary debates revealed that then-General Prayut, the Commander in Chief of the Thai Army, was the brains and instigator behind the 2014 military coup that ousted the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra. It also had the Energy Minister defending the government’s current power development plan, fending off accusations of corruption. It was also…
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Bangkok aquarium owner faces backlash after hiring sexy mermaids to swim with his fish
A newly-opened aquarium at Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok has been criticized by netizens after the shop owner hired some sexy models to swim in the tanks with the exotic fish. The aquarium fish shop, Arowana Mall, hired 20 sexy models for its grand opening event on Wednesday. Each model wore a bikini while two of the sexy girls climbed…
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Elephant stabs mahout to death with its tusks in southern Thailand
An elephant stabbed its mahout – or elephant trainer – to death with its tusks yesterday morning in Nahkhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand. The elephant stood watch over the man’s corpse for hours, said police. Yesterday at 10.30am, officers from Chawang Police Station received a report that a man had died after he was pierced by his own…
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ICONSIAM to unveil ICS, a ‘Mixed-Use Lifestyle Town,’ featuring retail, office and hotel facilities linked to the BTS Gold Line
Press Release ICONSIAM, a world-class landmark located on the majestic Chao Phraya River – a joint-venture between three leading retail and real-estate developers: “Siam Piwat, Magnolia and CP,” is set to unveil ICS, a ‘Mixed-Use Lifestyle Town’ developed to amplify the thriving potential of the Thonburi area. ICS fosters an integration of urbanity and community that truly reflects today’s lifestyle…
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Thai doctor tells Covid-infected men not to fear shrinking penis
A urological surgeon from Thailand insists there is no hard evidence to suggest a man’s penis will shrink if he gets Covid-19 despite claims to the contrary. Dr Nantawat Siritanan, from Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, located in Khan Na Yao District, Bangkok, told men not to waste time worrying whether their manhood will shrivel if they catch the coronavirus. Nantawat was…
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Floods sweep pickup into dam in eastern Thailand, 1 survives and 2 missing
Floods swept an ice delivery pickup truck into a dam in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. The driver managed to escape and swim to safety but two Burmese labourers are still missing. Police from Bo Win Police Station received a call at 5.30am to say that two people were missing after a vehicle…
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Thaksin hints he lives rent free inside Thailand PM Prayut’s head
Exiled Thaksin Shinawatra poked fun at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hinting he is living rent free inside the Thai premier’s head. The former Thailand PM took a humorous swipe at the current prime minister on a social media platform saying he is “obsessed” with him after PM Prayut mentioned Thaksin on the first day of the censure debate on Tuesday.…
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‘Whiskey prevents Covid-19’ claims monk caught drink driving in northeast Thailand
Police caught a Buddhist monk as drunk as a skunk driving a pickup truck in Loei province, northeast Thailand, yesterday at 9.30am. The monk claims his concoction of rice whiskey and lemons prevents Covid-19. Yesterday morning, police from Loei Provincial Police Station received a report that a drunk monk was asking people for money and “causing mayhem” around the market…
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Thailand admits using surveillance to spy on democracy activists
Less than a day after police denied using the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to track Thai democracy activists a government minister admitted Thailand does use surveillance to monitor individuals. Successive Thai governments have been accused by Human rights groups of using broad definitions of national security as a pretext to prosecute or suppress the activities of their main rivals. And on…
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Four year old witness helps police catch gamblers in central Thailand
Police could not contain their laughter during an interview with a four year old witness to a crime in central Thailand yesterday. The innocent child gave police important information about a group of gamblers, including his parents, during a raid at a house in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province in central Thailand. Yesterday, police received a complaint that a group…
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Thailand’s Zipmex crypto exchange blocks transfers and withdrawals
Another cryptocurrency exchange is in trouble, blocking withdrawals of both cash and crypto from its platform as go 6pm last night. Zipmex Thailand, a crypto-trading platform, has announced that the withdrawal of baht and cryptocurrency on its platform “has been suspended temporarily”. In the announcement, the CEO outlined a number of difficulties and challenges facing the Thai crypto exchange. He…
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US upgrades Thailand to Tier 2 in human trafficking report, but…
The US has promoted Thailand from the “Tier 2 Watch List” up to “Tier 2” in their annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) Report, as confidently predicted by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan back in May. However, Thailand still has a long way to go, according to the report. The report praised Thailand’s “significant efforts” to eliminate human trafficking, which include…
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Thailand’s heavy rain is coming back
After a brief break, Thailand’s heavy rain is coming back with a vengeance for the rest of this week. The Thai Meteorological Department said there should be heavy to very heavy rain throughout most of the kingdom from today, July 20, until Sunday, July 24. This includes the North, Northeast, Central, East, and South regions. Those living near the coast…
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Labour minister warns Thai women of trafficking in UAE ‘jobs’
Thailand’s labour minister is warning women about sex trafficking in some fake job opportunities in the United Arab Emirates. The minister, Suchart Chomklin, said yesterday that many Facebook ads invite women to apply for jobs in a spa massage, marketing, personnel management, and gambling websites in the UAE. Surchart said that these ads offer high returns and payment for airfares,…
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Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…
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No confidence debate – Day 2. Transport minister asked to explain 5.7 trillion baht budget.
Opposition MPs have, so far, failed to lay a knockout punch on the Thai PM or any of his ministers, at this stage of the four-day censure debate. Today the opposition has been targeting Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob over one of Thailand’s mega projects – the MR Map. The MR Map is a list of mega projects around the country,…
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Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay – located on Koh Pi Pi Leh in Krabi province – will be off-limits to tourists for the duration of August and September for another period of environmental restoration. The bay, made famous by “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reopened to tourists on January 1 after a three and a half year closure. All tourist activities…
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Thai police deny ever using Pegasus spyware on dissidents
After a bombshell report revealed that dozens of Thai democracy activists were targeted by an Israeli spyware programme called Pegasus over the past two years, Thai police forces are denying that they ever had any hand in the spyware. The Deputy National Police Spokesman said that Pegasus spyware was not used to hack anti-government dissident’s mobile devices, despite claims in…
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US thug gets 5 years for brutal assault of Thai model in subway
The serial offender who launched a violent attack on a Thai model in a New York City Subway will be jailed for five years after pleading guilty. Thug Kevin Douglas admitted second-degree robbery for the brutal assault of Bew Jirajariyawetch while she waited at the 34th Street-Herald Square station for a train home on November 22 last year. Douglas struck…
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UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old
UPDATE: Two-faced kitten dies at 4 days old The newborn two-faced kitten who stole the hearts of Thai netizens yesterday sadly passed away at four days old. Tung Ngern and Tung Tong the Janus cat was born by a caesarian section in Lampang, northern Thailand, on Sunday afternoon. After a four-day fight, the kitten stopped breathing at 5.30am today. The…
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UPDATE: Couple narrowly escapes death as steel beam falls onto Bangkok expressway
UPDATE: The construction company responsible for the steel beam which fell onto a busy Bangkok expressway has agreed to pay 300,000 baht in compensation to the couple inside the pickup truck, which was flung into the air when it collided with the beam, as seen in the dashcam footage below. The couple – Sarawut Warapieng and Moree Warapieng – went…
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Lottery ticket vendors stage a protest against the new digital lottery app
With the rush to a digital, and more convenient form, of legal gambling in Thailand, the Government Lottery Office appears to have thrown the lottery ticket vendors under a bus. Now the ticket vendors are fighting back in a protest calling on the GLO board to resign and increase quotas for the thousands of private citizens and small street-side shops…
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Thai PM hits back at opposition “try and bring back Thaksin”
“I know you may admire some people who previously held this position and praise them for doing a better job than me. That’s fine. Just bring them back if you can.” The first day of the no confidence debate saw some fiery exchanges between the PM and the opposition MPs goading him on his record and time as premier. Prime…
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Poll shows nearly 2/3rds of Thais are tired of wearing masks
A new poll shows that Thais are tired of wearing masks and prefer to skip the inconvenience in many instances. The poll was conducted online by the Department of Health Service Support to judge people’s feelings about the relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in Thailand now. A total of 7,507 people responded to the opinion poll that was conducted between June 17…
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Two-faced kitten born in northern Thailand
A kitten with two faces was born in Lampang province, northern Thailand, on Sunday. Two-faced kittens – also known as “Janus cats” after the two-faced Roman god Janus – don’t generally live longer than a day. However, this tiny Janus kitten is doing considerably well so far and is drinking milk from both mouths, said the kitten’s owner. One side…
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