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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Bangkok man arrested for allegedly luring boys into porn, believed to be part of ring
Today, police arrested a Bangkok man they believe is involved in a child pornography ring. The arrest was part of a raid in four spots today, which are Bangkok, Ang Thong, Chaiyaphum and Kanchanaburi. A police major general said police started investigating the ring when a child pornography suspect was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom in February.…
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Two Thai women allegedly drug tourist at Bangkok hotel, steal US$4,000
A foreign tourist who took two Thai women back to his hotel room in Bangkok was reportedly drugged and robbed. The women allegedly took off with US$4,000 and 15,000 baht in cash as well as other belongings. It is believed that drugs were mixed in the man’s coffee cup. The tourist, who is a firefighter from Kuwait, travelled to Thailand…
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Police in Isaan Thailand told to be lenient with cannabis growers after grandma’s arrest
Following the arrest of a 70-year-old woman and her relative for growing a cannabis plant at their home in the Isaan province Khon Kaen, local police have been advised to use common sense, and good judgment when enforcing the laws on cannabis as Thailand loosens laws to become more marijuana-friendly. The women spent the night in jail and were punished…
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To splash or not to splash? Bangkok mulls Songkran parties on Khao San Road, after tourism industry rebuke
Fret not, splash happy expats. The tourism industry is fighting for your right to a Songkran water fight. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is mulling whether to allow Songkran water splashing festivities to be held on Khao San Road, after the CCSA’s unpopular announcement banning water splashing activities for a third consecutive year sparked much backlash from local businesses last…
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Owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa luxury resort crashes again, Bentley engulfed in flames
A year after a serious car accident, the owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa resort was in another accident where he lost control of his Bentley as he drove around a bend, causing it to flip multiple times. He and his friends were able to escape the car before it was engulfed in flames. No one was injured. The owner of…
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Phuket Governor Narong issues mandates on handling Covid-19 corpses
Phuket Governor Narong issued a provincial order with four mandates on Wednesday about how to deal with the dead bodies of Covid-19 victims. The mandates are: 1) It is forbidden to bathe the corpse. 2) It is forbidden to use injections to treat the corpse. 3) It is forbidden to open the corpse after it has been collected for the…
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Petrol station attendant in Bangkok loses leg after being hit by another car while servicing
A petrol station attendant in Bangkok had to get his leg amputated after a car slammed into him and another car while he was filling up the gas. A driver, who had little experience behind the wheel, lost control of her new car, crashing into another car and the attendant. She had just bought the car that day and Thai…
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Human rights official claims DNA tests infringe on Lahu hilltribe, Chiang Mai
In 2021, soldiers and police found large amounts of illegal drugs on the border in Fang district of Chiang Mai, according to a member of the National Human Rights Commission. The soldiers and police investigated nearby areas, which happened to be where 51 Lahu hilltribe members lived. The authorities then collected DNA samples from the 51 residents, suspecting they might…
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Thai government signs procurement deal for 2 million Paxlovid tablets
Thailand’s Department of Medical Services has signed a deal with Pfizer to purchase 2 million Paxlovid tablets for the treatment of Covid-19. This equates to 50 treatment courses of the anti-viral medication, with delivery expected next month, according to a Thai PBS World report. DMS director Dr. Somsak Akksilp says that clinical trials have shown the drug can reduce the…
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Criminal Court acquits 6 over 2015 Bangkok terror plot, cites lack of evidence
Thailand’s Criminal Court acquitted six people yesterday over a Bangkok terrorism plot in 2015. The court cited a lack of evidence. The former suspects allegedly hired someone to bomb several spots including Lumpini Park, Chatuchak MRT station, and the Criminal Court. The person they allegedly hired didn’t go through with the attacks, according to prosecutors. The charges included running an…
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Test & Go, Thailand Pass could be gone by June if no Covid surge after Songkran
Thailand’s tourism minister says if there’s no surge in Covid cases following next month’s Songkran holiday, entry restrictions could be eased further. According to a Bangkok Post report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says Test & Go and Thailand Pass could be scrapped from June 1, if there’s no spike in Covid cases or deaths after the Thai New Year holiday. Phiphat is…
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Thailand cuts quarantine for unvaccinated travellers to 5 days
Starting April 1, the mandatory quarantine period for unvaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced to five days. Travellers will also no longer need to take a pre-departure PCR Covid-19 test. The new requirements are pending publication in the Royal Gazette and the official announcement is expected to be published at the end of the month. Unvaccinated travellers can enter…
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Endangered tiger tracked by Thai wildlife officials dies aged 9
An endangered tiger known as ‘Thanakorn’ who lived in a national park in the northern province of Uthai Thani has died at age nine. The news was posted yesterday on Thailand Tiger Project’s Facebook page. On Tuesday evening, Thailand Tiger Project received an electronic notification saying “expiration detected” linked to an ID number belonging to Thanakorn the tiger. The team…
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Footage shows three pit bulls breaking into home, children run to safety
Three pit bulls from a temple broke into a family home on Tuesday in the western province Kanchanaburi causing two young boys to run to safety. The boys were not hurt but the pit bulls savagely killed one of their pet cats. In the footage posted by Santi Kasinthuram on Facebook, the pit bulls can be seen charging into the…
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Pattaya mayor donates 100,000 baht of his own money to fix children’s playground
The mayor of Pattaya attended a ceremony on Koh Larn on Monday to present a children’s playground on the island fixed and refurbished. The mayor donated 100,000 baht of his own money to the project, calling it a ‘gift’ to the children of Koh Larn. The mayor, Sontaya Khunpluem, said many children on the island don’t have the same entertainment…
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Bangkok sidewalk project focused on use and safety for those with disabilities
Bangkok officials are working on a project to make the sidewalks and pavement in the heart of the capital more functional and safer for those with disabilities as well as the elderly. The sidewalk design will incorporate ramps for wheelchair users as well as braille blocks, also known as tactile paving, for those with vision impairments. The project is focused…
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Massive water monitor lizard disturbs Southern Thailand home
Possibly one of the heaviest Asian water monitor lizards ever reported was found at a home in Southern Thailand. The massive lizard weighing around 100 kilograms was safely relocated by a rescue team yesterday after lying in front of the door at a house in Nakhon Si Thammarat. 29 year old Teerasuk Pudee returned from work to find what he…
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Siriraj Hospital announces Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant
Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant, where one of the intestines is replaced along with other abdominal organs, was completed by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital. The surgery is a simultaneous transplant of multiple organs, including the liver, small intestines and sometimes the stomach. For the patient in Thailand, surgeons transplanted the intestine, liver, pancreas, and stomach. The…
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Thailand’s Navy intercepts one of three Vietnamese fishing boats in Gulf
Yesterday, Thailand’s navy intercepted one of three Vietnamese fishing boats seen in the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday night. The navy first tried firing warning shots at three ships. The ships ignored the warning and fled. The navy managed to catch one of the ships yesterday, and arrested five people for illegally fishing in Thai waters. The five face charges…
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Thailand’s elephant crisis: 22 elephants die during pandemic at Chiang Mai camp
Another elephant from Maesa elephant camp in Chiang Mai died on Friday, making it the 22nd elephant to die at the camp in the past two years. Without almost no income from tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic, many camps and sanctuaries have been struggling to provide care and food for the animals. A 50 year old male elephant named Krung…
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Spotlight shines on more shady street lamp projects by local Thailand governments
In another street light corruption case involving local governments in Thailand purchasing fancy lamp posts at exorbitant prices, photos of the decorative lamps lining a dirt road in an Isaan province is raising questions from Thais about why the government is spending its funds on what’s considered to be lavish purchases instead of improving infrastructure. The lamp posts adorned with…
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Deltacron circulating in Thailand since December, all patients recovered
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences says the Deltacron mutation has been circulating in Thailand since at least December, but is not a cause for concern. According to a Thai PBS World report, Dr. Supakit Sirilak says 73 cases were detected during December and January, and all patients have recovered. Deltacron is thought to be a combination of…
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‘Deltacron’ in Thailand? Pft! We got this – Public Health Minister
Don’t fear new virus variants — we can handle it. That’s the main message from Thailand’s public health ministry, which says the country is well equipped to handle any new Covid-19 strains, including the so-called “Deltacron” variant, a possible combination of Delta and Omicron. Speaking at the Thailand International Health EXPO 2022 on Thursday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said…
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Tangmo: Boating buddies should take polygraph tests, again — says senator
The five boating buddies of the Thai actress Nida “Tango” Patcharavirapong should take lie detector tests — again. That’s the recommendation of Senator Somchai Sawangkarn, head of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, Rights, Liberties and Consumer Protection. Somachai made the statement to the media after a meeting on Monday, during which he heard reports from the police and…
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Motorcycle event organisers apologise for allowing father to carry baby during big bike test drive
Organisers from a recent motorcycle event are apologising for allowing a man to test drive a big bike while his baby was still in a carrier strapped to his back. An official from the event said people were allowed to test drive the big bikes on the track, but no one noticed the man was carrying a baby. The official…
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No Songkran water fights in Pattaya, mayor confirms
The mayor of Pattaya has approved the Songkran celebration but has changed the spotlight to traditional and religious activities instead. With fears and concerns about Covid-19, water and foam events, as well as alcohol consumption and celebrations will be prohibited for another year. Masks must be worn at all times, including outdoors. To meet with the “Covid Free Setting” guideline,…
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Family in Prachinburi find poisonous centipede in tin of fish
A family in Prachinburi, east of Bangkok, were put off their dinner on Sunday after opening a tin of fish to find a 2-centimetre long, poisonous centipede. The family never expected that such a creature would be found in the tinned fish, produced by a famous brand. The family, from Si Maha Phot district, ordered two tins of fish from…
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Cryptocurrency payments banned in Thailand, trading still okay
You can put your hopes to rest as Thailand will ban any use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. Officials believe that its widespread use will harm the country’s financial system and economy. The new rules that prevent using digital currencies as a form of payment will take effect from April 1. Businesses are given extra time until the…
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Blackpink’s Lisa heads back home, Buriram meatball vendors prepare to serve star’s favourite snack
Sales at meatball stalls in the Isaan province Buriram have shot up over the several months after the Thai star from the K-pop band Blackpink said it was her favourite place in her hometown. The meatball vendors in Buriram say they will offer free food to fans of Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal if the singer returns home to celebrate her 25th…
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Upcoming seafood festival at Nai Yang Beach this Friday and Saturday, Phuket
Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival will be hosted at Nai Yang Beach this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. The festival will start at 4pm on Friday, and end at 11pm on Saturday, March 25-26. The festival will host over 100 food stands, live ‘Luk Thung’ Thai folk music, and cooking competitions with chili paste and grilled seafood. The…
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