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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Sponsored 12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Top 10 nationalities buying condos in Thailand
Thailand’s Real Estate Information Centre (REIC) revealed the top 10 nationalities buying condos in Thailand in the first six months of 2022, with Chinese and Russian investors leading the way. In Thailand, foreigners are permitted to own 49% of the units in any condominium building. The remaining 51% must have Thai ownership. The Inspector-General of the Government Housing Bank and…
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First AI crosswalk in Thailand installed in Nonthaburi
The very first artificial intelligence (AI) Smart Crosswalk was installed in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok. Plans for more AI smart systems at pedestrian crossings are in the pipeline at some high-risk spots in Bangkok. According to a study by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, almost 90% of vehicles don’t stop at a zebra crossing in Bangkok. Questions on road safety…
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200 policemen raid 6 entertainment venues in Bangkok
Over 200 police officers took advantage of the seasonal Halloween celebration to raid six entertainment venues in Bangkok to search for drugs, illegal guns, and underage partygoers. The raids weren’t as successful as they hoped with only two people testing positive for drugs. At the order of the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Torsak Sookwimon, and Surachate…
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Teacher from Thailand killed in Halloween stampede in Seoul
A 27 year old teacher from Phetchabun province, in north-central Thailand, was among the 156 people killed in a stampede in the Itaewon district in the South Korean capital Seoul on Saturday night. The South Korean nation is mourning the lives of hundreds of people killed in a crush in a nightlife area of Seoul on Saturday night. This morning,…
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Norwegian man arrested for stealing taxi from Krabi Airport in southern Thailand
Thai police did a double take yesterday afternoon when they saw a Norwegian man driving a taxi out of Krabi International Airport in southern Thailand. The thief made the police chase easy by stopping at a convenience store to buy a drink, where he was arrested and detained. At 3.30pm, officers from Huai Yot Police Station in Trang province received…
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Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend APEC summit in Bangkok, Thailand
Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed his attendance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok next month, according to Thai government spokesperson Don Pramudwinai. Don told the media today that President Xi had officially confirmed his attendance as a “special guest” at the summit as China is not an APEC member state. Other “special guests” who have confirmed…
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RTP to introduce QR code on police guns to prevent theft & misconduct
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) plans to introduce a QR code on all police guns so they can track payment and prevent theft and misconduct by officers. The Deputy Commissioner of the RTP, Torsak Sookwimon, revealed to Thairath that Thai police officers do not want to use guns provided by the government because the disbursement process is slow and complicated.…
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Plastic cup found in stomach of dead Bruda whale in Phuket, Thailand
A dead Bruda whale was found floating in Laem Sai Bay to the south of Koh Racha, Phuket province, southern Thailand, on Saturday. Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources conducted an autopsy on the 13 metre whale, which raised more questions than answers. On Saturday, the department sent out boats to inspect the carcass of a female Bruda whale.…
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Royal Caribbean Cruises to dock weekly in Phuket, Thailand
Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship docked in Phuket, southern Thailand, for the first time in several years. At an event in Phuket yesterday, Royal Caribbean revealed that the Spectrum would be visiting Phuket once a week in the coming months. Phuket is a ‘core destination’ on Royal Caribbean’s four- to seven-night Southeast Asia cruises,…
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Thailand to experience total lunar eclipse during Loy Krathong Festival
Thailand’s annual Loy Krathong Festival will be even more magical than usual this year as a total lunar eclipse will grace the sky on the same day, making the moon appear brick red, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT). The total lunar eclipse will take place on the same day as Loy Krathong Festival on November…
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5 security guards on drugs arrested for robbing army residence
Five security guards were arrested yesterday after they robbed an army residence in Bangkok. The thieves stole four lightning rods worth 200,000 baht but only received 16,000 baht for the stolen goods. The group also tested positive for drugs. A soldier in charge of the security of army condominiums, inside the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters in the Don Mueng district…
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Thai-Scottish man swims 30 kilometres to and from an island in southern Thailand
A half-Thai half-Scottish man made headlines in Thai media this weekend after swimming 30 kilometres from Ao Nang beach in Krabi province, southern Thailand, to Poda Island and back again. The 26 year old “merman,” Siranat, swam from Thailand’s West coast to Poda Island and back on Saturday. He said it took over six hours in total. Siranat posted pictures…
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Murderer surrenders after stabbing wrong man in Phuket
A murderer surrendered to police after stabbing a man to death in front of a grocery store in Phuket on Saturday. The killer claimed that he stabbed the wrong person, thinking that the man he murdered was his enemy. The alleged murderer, 35 year old Pannawit, stabbed 49 year old Charoen Panngen on Saturday morning in front of a shopping…
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Thailand is not ‘selling off’ the country by letting foreigners buy land, says govt
The Thai government is defending its plan to allow foreign investors to buy up to one rai of land after an opposition party claimed that they are “selling off” the country. Foreign land ownership in Thailand comes with strict conditions and the plan will benefit the country’s economy, a government spokesperson said yesterday. The Cabinet recently voted to allow four…
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The history of Thailand’s lottery
Almost all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand with one exception – the country’s lottery. The bi-monthly lottery draw has brought great fortunes to many people. The next draw is tomorrow, and you might be interested to learn some fun facts about its history. The lottery first began in 1874 on King Chulalongkorn’s birthday. The king had given the…
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Anti-graft agency to seize Joe Ferrari estate
Former chief of police Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon will have his assets seized after he was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for having riches beyond his pay grade. The NACC found Ferrari guilty of “being unusually rich” and proposed his estate worth 1 billion baht would be confiscated, reported Bangkok Post. The NACC will forward its finding to…
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Thailand hits 7 million international tourists
Thailand’s tourism has hit another milestone. As of October 26, the kingdom witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark. It’s put the country within its goal range set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) of 7 to 10 million visitors for 2022. The TAT announced that over 7 million tourists have arrived since January 1 in…
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Thailand ladyboy – Facts You Never Know about Ladyboy Culture in Thailand
Thailand ladyboy – Facts You Never Know about Ladyboy Culture in Thailand When looking for an exotic vacation, one of the countries that come to mind most often is Thailand. This Asian country has a lot to offer its guests: its abundance of magnificent temples with gigantic statues of the Buddha, the natural resources available for everyone to explore, its…
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Is Prayut quiet due to humbleness or unpopularity?
Is it his humbleness and humility, and his dedication to helping the people of Thailand? Or perhaps it’s because polls show that he is trailing other candidates in next year’s prime minister race. Either way, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has spent the month deflecting interviews and political questions. In recent weeks he’s managed to duck out of most questions from the…
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Puffing Israeli passenger puts Bangkok flight at risk
An Israeli passenger caused a small fire on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok yesterday. The plane was in mid-flight at the time of the incident and continued on its path as planned until it landed in Bangkok, despite the fire. The nicotine-addicted passenger had been unable to resist a fly puff on an illegal cigarette in…
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Thailand’s First Food Rescue App “Yindii” | Thaiger Podcast Ep.10
https://youtu.be/MZjQ480O7hI Welcome to Yindii Thailand food Nobody likes to see food wasted. Sadly, 33% of all food produced worldwide is either wasted or lost, amounting to around 1.5 billion tons of food squandered annually. Ecological disaster, really. Resources like labor, water, land, and energy used to make the food also go to waste in addition to the food itself. 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by waste! In an effort to assist on a local level, Yindii is on a mission to combat the issue of food waste. Here at Yindii, we deal with tasty, high-quality surplus food that supermarkets and restaurants must discard at the end of the day due to an oversupply of the item. This can be premium bakeries that must bake fresh every day or buffet restaurants that restock wholesome food right up to closing time. Make a difference for Thailand while taking advantage of the N.1 surplus food delivery with flash sales & unbelievably discounted prices!…
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World-Class Medical Hub for Regenerative Cellular Therapy Centre in Bangkok, Thailand
Press Release Thailand has been famous for its medical travel, and now it has become a social norm for many expats to come to Bangkok for regenerative medicine. With the change from medical travel to wellness travel, people nowadays are seeking to upgrade their health with minimally invasive therapy. Stem cell-based regenerative medicine is becoming an increasingly attractive approach to…
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Thai policeman & govt official arrested for selling personal info to scam call centre
A police officer and a government official have been arrested for selling the personal information of Thai people to scam call centre gangs. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, revealed today that two government officials were involved with a scam call centre gang, and have been prosecuted for their actions. The first officer is a police…
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Gamblers allegedly cheated & attacked at casino in Bangkok
Two gamblers filed complaints to police saying that they were attacked at a casino in Bangkok run by a Chinese man. One of the gamblers reckons Bangkok has more than 100 gambling dens in the city despite gambling being illegal in Thailand, and that police insist there are zero casinos in the city. The founder of the non-profit organisation Saimai…
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Thais in top 5 most anxious, stressed nations in the world, says Gallup book
A new book published by Gallup reveals confidence is falling and stress and anxiety are rising among the people of Thailand. The book, Blind Spot, highlighted the percentage of Thai people who said they were worried for much of the previous day doubled between 2012 (18%) and 2019 (36%). It then surged again after the COVID-19 pandemic, to 50% in 2020…
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Foreign diving instructor rescued off Phuket
A foreign diving instructor has been rescued near an island off Phuket’s town of Chalong after he suffered from decompression sickness. The 53 year old man told emergency responders that he had just recovered and started diving again after having a heart operation. The rescuers took the driving instructor back to Chalong and headed to a nearby hospital, The Phuket Express…
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Malaysian man arrested in Bangkok for smuggling liquor
A Malaysian man was arrested yesterday after police discovered he smuggled liquor from abroad and manufactured alcohol with fake brand-name labels to sell in Bangkok. Police from the Patrol and Special Operation Division discovered the illegal activities of a 55 year old Malaysian man named Chan when they raided his house in the Min Buri district of Bangkok yesterday at…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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Thailand to postpone new cash deposit machine rule after backlash
The implementation of Thailand’s new cash deposit machine (CDM) rule will be postponed after customers complained it would cause unnecessary inconvenience and extra fees for people who do not use credit/debit cards. The new rule will require anyone depositing money into their bank account using a CDM in Thailand to verify their identity with their debit/credit card and PIN. The…
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Two Singaporean men arrested in Bangkok for selling ‘Happy Water’ to nightclubs
Bangkok police arrested two men from Singapore yesterday for allegedly producing a drug known as ‘Happy Water‘ and selling it to entertainment venues around the capital. Happy Water is made by mixing various drugs with sweetened drinks. The drug cocktail is not for the faint-hearted: it typically contains ecstasy, methamphetamine, caffeine, diazepam, and tramadol all in one. Police arrested 63…
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