Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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Aussie dad gets into fistfight with monkeys on Ko Phi Phi in Thailand (video)
An Australian dad got into a fistfight with a gang of monkeys on a Thailand beach after they attacked his one year old son. No pistols at dawn followed but it got quite feisty. Riley Whitelum and his wife Elayna Carausu, along with their two sons, were on the Ko Phi Phi Islands when the incident occurred. While relaxing on…
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Officials in Thailand say radioactive caesium-137 is contained, scholars disagree
The radioactive caesium-137 cylinder that went missing from a power plant in Prachin Buri province, central Thailand, was found to have been melted and turned into red soot with other scrap metal at a smelting factory around 10 kilometres away from the plant, sparking major health concerns for people in the area. Whether the caesium-137 will cause health problems like…
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Thai soldier arrested for murder of delivery driver
A Thai soldier was arrested yesterday for the murder of the delivery driver reported in the central province of Lob Buri last week. The suspect soldier confessed that he killed the victim over a dispute that arose from a car accident that occurred last year. The 52 year old delivery driver, Akkaradate “Ek” Srisa-ard, was found dead in his pickup…
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Bail denied for Chinese gang accused of extorting 3.2 million baht from student in Thailand
A court in Bangkok denied bail to three Chinese nationals accused of kidnapping and extorting 3.2 million baht from a Chinese student studying for a Master’s degree in Thailand. The court cited the seriousness of the charges filed against them and their high flight risk. Two Chinese men and one Chinese woman are accused of four charges including detention and…
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Thai woman accuses RTP of kidnapping, extorting 1 million baht from her boss
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) are in the headlines once again for all the wrong reasons after a Thai woman accused RTP officers of kidnapping and extorting 1 million baht from her boss in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. Police reported that initial CCTV footage revealed that two of the men in the criminal group looked similar to Immigration…
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Thailand to build 7 new airports
The Department of Airports (DOA) plans to spend 50 billion baht on the development of seven new regional airports in Thailand, in Nakhon Pathom, Bueng Khan, Mukdahan, Kalasin, Phayao, Phatthalung and Satun provinces, reports DailyNews. The department wants to boost connectivity and provide more travel options for Thais and foreign tourists. New airports around Thailand’s lesser-known locations have been in…
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Thai MP accused of insulting the King of Thailand
Padipat Santipada, a member of the Move Forward Party (MFP), is facing a lese majeste charge in Thailand after being accused of insulting the king in a political speech delivered earlier this month. The charge against Padipat relates to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code. Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, filed a…
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Health officals urge caution after 2 people die from eating horseshoe crab
Health officials in the southeastern province of Trat issued warnings to the public after two people died from consuming mangrove horseshoe crabs. Five others have been hospitalized after eating the lethally poisonous crustaceans. Horseshoe crabs are a staple food in the region, but the mangrove variety, also known as the round-tail horseshoe crab, is highly toxic and has been blamed for…
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IDC predicts smartphone market in Thailand to remain stagnant
The Thai smartphone experienced a significant decline in 2022 and is expected to remain stagnant due to inflationary concerns, rising interest rates, and a lacklustre growth forecast for the Thai economy, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC). The IDC reported that 16.6 million smartphone shipments were made in 2022, marking a 21% decline from the previous year and the…
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14 teens arrested after woman killed in knife attack
Police officers arrested 14 teenage boys after one of them allegedly murdered a female motorcycle rider on a road in Nakhon Sawan, in the central part of Thailand, on Saturday night. Officers from Paisaree Police Station managed to arrest the teenage gang after they fled the scene separately on March 18. The students, aged 16 to 17, go to a…
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Thailand dissolves Parliament with immediate effect
UPDATE Thailand‘s Parliament has been dissolved with immediate effect upon an announcement published today in the Royal Gazette. His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand endorsed the dissolution of the House of Representatives, kicking off the election season. The Election Committee (EC) has tentatively set the date of the election for May 7, 2023, but this will be confirmed…
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Thailand’s phanaeng curry voted No.1 best stew in the world
Global cuisine website TasteAtlas awarded Thailand‘s phanaeng curry the top spot in their updated list of 100 “best-rated stews in the world,” followed by Japanese kare (No.2) and Sichuan Hot Pot (No.3). Massaman curry also gained a spot in the top 10, voted No.8 best-rated stew in the world. Many Thai dishes made the list, including collective “Thai Curry” (No.14),…
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BREAKING: Radioactive caesium-137 cylinder missing in Thailand was smelted, sparking health concerns
UPDATE The radioactive cylinder containing caesium-137 which went missing from a power plant in Thailand was smelted in a furnace at Chow Steel Industries Public Company Limited’s smelting factory in Prachin Buri province, the governor of Prachin Buri province admitted this morning. The radioactive implications of this incident are unclear right now. Officials from the Office of Atoms for Peace…
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Delivery riders want employee support and benefits
Delivery riders in Thailand are calling for the next government to provide them with the same benefits as employees in other fields. Riders deal with work hazards ranging from harassment to road accidents, often without support or backup from their employers, including health insurance. Food delivery riders are often classified as “partners” instead of “employees.” This distinction results in a…
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Sex worker prosecuted after 70 year old man found dead in southern Thailand love hotel
Police prosecuted a Thai sex worker after a 70 year old Thai man was found dead at a love hotel in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the southern part of Thailand. Officers from Tung Yai Police Station were alerted to the man’s death at around 10pm last night and immediately rushed to investigate the scene along with volunteers from the…
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Tour guides to ask PM to act on illegal foreign guides
Chinese-speaking tour guides in Thailand have called for the government to take action against illegal foreign guides who they claim are stealing their jobs. The Professional Guide Association of Thailand held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue and vow to escalate the issue all the way up to the prime minister. The association lamented that the number of…
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Foreign tourist drowns at Pattaya Beach
A foreign tourist of unknown nationality tragically drowned at Pattaya Beach in Chon Buri province in eastern Thailand yesterday. At 2pm, the Sawang Boriboon Thammasat Rescue Foundation was informed that a foreign tourist was pulled out from the water at Pattaya Beach in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. Rescue workers found a Western male estimated to be between 55…
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Thailand to dissolve Parliament today ahead of election
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has submitted a decree to dissolve Thailand’s Parliament before the upcoming election in May. The dissolution will come into effect upon its publication in the Royal Gazette, which is expected today. The decree requires approval from Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. At 9.20am today, government spokesperson Wissanu Krea-ngam said that the date for the election will be…
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Shameless Bangkok taxi driver swindles foreigner at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Another Bangkok taxi driver has brought shame to the capital by swindling a foreign customer at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The driver has been subsequently banned for life from picking up passengers at Bangkok’s premier airport and authorities say his license could be revoked. The unnamed taxi driver last week allegedly used a fake list of fares to cheat a Taiwanese…
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Tourists rescued from capsized boat headed for Phuket
Tourists were rescued from a capsized boat headed for Phuket from Koh Lanta yesterday. The boat capsized in the Andaman Sea near Koh Ma. Marine police and officials from the Hat Nopparat Thara National Park rushed to rescue the three tourists and four crew members after they received a distress call from the Andaman Adventure Company, the operator of the…
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New bill to legalise sex work proposed
The Thai government is drafting a bill to legalise sex work to protect sex workers from exploitation. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) has proposed the bill, which will also limit the minimum age to provide or buy the service. According to Narong Jaihan, a lecturer from the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, sex workers under…
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Low reserves of Rh negative blood raise concerns for foreigners in Thailand
Low reserves of Rh negative blood are raising concerns for foreigners in Thailand. While only 0.3% of the Thai population has Rh negative blood, around 15% of the UK and European population has the blood type. This shortage has resulted in concerning shortages of Rh negative blood in blood banks across Southeast Asia. Visitors to the region who have had…
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British navy paints Pattaya children’s home
The British navy recently lent a helping hand in Pattaya as part of a push to build relations and friendships in Thailand. The crew of the British offshore patrol vessel, HMS Spey, painted a children’s home in Pattaya during their visit to Thailand. The ship arrived at the Royal Thai Navy’s port in Sattahip as part of the UK government’s…
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Thai officials seek to promote Muslim-friendly tourism
Thai officials are seeking to promote Muslim-friendly tourism in the kingdom. In a recent focus group discussion on Islamic tourism in Phuket province, the Department of Tourism (DoT) and private sectors reviewed strategies to attract Muslim visitors, NNT reported yesterday. The DoT’s Tourist Attractions Development Division Director, Athuek Phrasenmoon, said the global tourism industry recognises Muslim tourists as a fast-growing…
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Exploring new cultures Ft.keis one | Thaiger Podcast EP.28
https://youtu.be/RcsbMPSATM4 Adam Jones aka. keis one This Youtube Creator from Sydney, Australia decided to give up the 9-5 grind and travel, to experience new cultures, travel and live in different countries around the world. One of the most recognizable and successful expat Youtubers in Thailand, you might have seen keis one around Youtube or simply just out on one of…
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Jealous Thai man shoots ex-girlfriend in the head when she refuses to take him back
A jealous Thai man shot his ex-girlfriend in the head this morning in Nakhon Pathom province, central Thailand after she refused to take him back. At 10am, officers at Kamphaeng Saen Police Station were informed that someone was shot and seriously injured at a house in Sa Si Mum subdistrict, reports KhaoSod. The victim, 27 year old Anuthida, was shot in…
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Thai siblings take framed picture of dead father to the cinema
Thai siblings recently went viral on TikTok after they took a picture of their dead father to the cinema to watch the third sequel of his favourite movie. Thai TikToker Naphat Thongsukdee posted a video of when she and her brother took their father’s framed picture to watch a movie on her TikTok account @papapat.p yesterday. She wrote in the…
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Fire ravages Pattaya scrapyard
A scrapyard in Pattaya was engulfed in flames this morning causing significant damage to the property but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The Pattaya Firefighter Unit dashed to the site, located on Soi Ko Phai in the Banglamung district of Pattaya, after being alerted to the blaze at 10.30am. According to eyewitnesses, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from…
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Debt plagues even Thailand’s lucky lottery jackpot winners
A Thai woman who sells eggs at a market in Prachin Buri province, central Thailand, won the first prize of six million baht in the government lottery yesterday, but it’s still not enough to pay off her 10 million baht debt. Upon realising she won the lottery, Siriphan aka “Amy” gave away 500 trays of chicken and duck eggs at Kong…
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Ricegate: China’s fake jasmine rice scandal rocks Thai Exporters Association
The Thai Rice Exporter Association recently raised concerns and demanded solutions after a rice mill in China was found to be producing fake jasmine rice and using a Thai brand name to deceive customers. The President of the Thai Rice Exporter Association, Chukiat Opassawong, revealed in an interview with KhaoSod that the rice mill in China had been producing fake…
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