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.
-
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...
-
Electric vehicles may need long-term solar power plan
As popularity rises with electric vehicles (EVs), future charging options may include solar power. Long-term planning is being pushed by Delta Electronics (Thailand) Plc., as a result of the need to ensure adequate power supplies. One idea is that of using microgrids at charging stations. The electronics manufacturer is suggesting that each charging facility should act as a microgrid that…
-
Volunteers transform into superheroes for fair in northern Thailand
Look out, here comes the Spiderman! Or is it? Volunteers in Thailand’s northern province of Uttaradit are dressing up as superheroes for a fruit fair held in the main city district this week from September 13-22. The volunteers are working with police to entertain children in their Spiderman, Hulk, Venom, and Captain America costumes. They are also helping children and…
-
Woman gets death penalty for poisoning kids
A Thai woman was handed the death sentence after being found guilty of poisoning her two children and garnering donations by posting their sickness on social media. Nattiwan Rakkunjet, 29 years old, was charged with one count of murder with prosecutors recommending the death penalty. Nattiwan adopted one of her two children at the age of four in 2015. But,…
-
Teen accidentally shoots friend dead in a school near Bangkok
A 15 year old schoolboy was accidentally shot dead by his friend at a school in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok. The friend tried to conceal the truth by claiming his friend’s desktop computer exploded and killed him. The incident happened at 1.30pm today inside the Wat Lad Pla Dook School’s computer room in the Bang Bua Thong district of Nonthaburi.…
-
Thai YouTuber criticised after teaching rude word to foreigner
A transgender YouTuber, Nisamanee “Nat” Lertworapong, faced a backlash of negative comments from Thai netizens after she taught a naughty Thai word to a Singaporean friend and insulted the kingdom’s women with a sexist statement. Nisamanee is a famous Thai YouTuber and beauty blogger with about 1.84 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.7 million followers on her Facebook page. The…
-
Thai cabinet extends excise diesel tax cut for 2 more months
The Thai Cabinet is extending the country’s excise diesel tax cut for another two months after diesel prices hit Thailand hard this year. The cut of five baht per litre will be extended from September 21 to November 20. The elimination of excise tax on bio-diesel and bunker oil used to generate power will also continue from September 16 to…
-
Thai frog farmer says country music is his key to success
A 72 year old man from Trang province in southern Thailand says that Thai country music, or “Luk Thung,” is the key to a successful frog farm. Not only do frogs love country music, but it makes them healthier, stronger and grow faster, he claims. Rit Lomkong has been raising frogs for five years and he says they can’t live…
-
Family of Aussie cricket legend furious over Channel 9 bioseries
The daughter of cricketing legend Shane Warne slammed Australia’s Channel 9 network for commissioning a television series of her father. Warne’s eldest daughter, Brooke Warne, believes Channel 9 is being “disrespectful” to the memory of her dad. The 25 year old took to the social media platform Instagram yesterday to vent her feelings about the miniseries, called “Warnie” planned for…
-
9-month pregnant woman & husband arrested on drug charges
A 9-month pregnant woman and her husband were arrested in the Isaan province of Udon Thani yesterday for using and selling drugs. The woman confessed to being a habitual user even though she is pregnant. Officers from Baan Phue Police Station raided a cottage inside a rubber plantation in the None Thong sub-district, Baan Phue district in Udon Thani after…
-
Missing German/Finnish tourist leaves Thailand
UPDATE An investigation into Tim Pösel’s TM30 documents reveals that the he left Thailand and entered Laos via land border in Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand, on September 5. Spokesperson for the Tourist Police Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Apichart Suriboonya said that Pösel left Thailand tvia the fourth Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge at the Chiang Saen immigration checkpoint in Chiang Rai.…
-
Soldier allegedly sexually assaults woman on military premises
A woman sought help from a social media influencer after being allegedly sexually assaulted by a Sergeant in her home inside a military base in the central province of Kanchanaburi. The victim reported the attempted rape to the police but they told her to report the incident to her army senior. She did that but was told off by her…
-
Lightning strike sets car on fire in Bangkok
Cars being safe from lightning must be a myth, because a Sedan parked in the Rama 9 area of Bangkok burst into flames when it got struck by lightning during a thunderstorm last night. At 7.29pm, Rama 199 Radio Centre received a report that a car was on fire at the Government Housing Bank carpark in Huai Khwang district. Luckily,…
-
VIDEO: Python attacks Royal Forest Department officer in Bangkok
A huge python attacked a Royal Forest Department officer at the department’s Japan Building in Bangkok on Monday. Pythons are non-venomous snakes, but the officer still suffered a nasty bite. CCTV footage captures the woman walking towards the lift with two colleagues when the snake appears from nowhere and launches at her legs. After the incident, the Department of Disaster…
-
Celebrity Thai couple charged over Forex-3D scam
A Thai celebrity couple is being charged over their role in a Forex-3D online Ponzi scheme. Thailand’s Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Pattanapon “DJ Man” Minthakhin and his wife, singer Suteewan “Baitoey” Thaweesin. They reported to the Department of Special Investigation yesterday to acknowledge the charges. The three charges include public fraud, putting false information into a computer…
-
Cheap plane tickets go on sale today and tomorrow in Bangkok
Today and tomorrow discounted plane tickets will be on sale at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district at the event ‘Transport United for Happy Journey,’ hosted by Thailand’s Ministry of Transport. The ministry is hosting the event at Gate 1 from September 15-16 to stimulate tourism, exchange knowledge about transportation facilities and make travelling around in Thailand more…
-
Cannabis bill quashed by vote in House
A newly-proposed cannabis bill has been quashed as the Thai House of Representatives voted on its withdrawal. The bill was shot down after a 198 to 136 vote in the House. Lawmakers say the bill needs to be revised as its wording was regarded as “loose and could potentially expose youth to health risks.” The bad news is that if…
-
Swiss Student Alumni Association honours late King Bhumibol
The Swiss Student Alumni Association has honoured the late King Bhumibol’s memory with a life-sized, bronze bust. The statue is now overlooking Lake Geneva in the western city of Lausanne. Bhumibol studied and lived in the canton of Vaud for 18 years, with authorities saying that he helped establish a friendship between Thailand and Switzerland. The bust of the late…
-
Young German/Finnish man missing in Thailand
A 24 year old German man named Tim Pösel is missing in Thailand. Pösel is 198 centimetres tall (6’6) and his mother tongue is Finnish, but he also speaks German. Pösel arrived in Thailand on August 16 and last had contact with his family in Germany on August 20 when he texted his mother via Instagram messenger. A missing persons…
-
Khon Kaen Police give residents iron rods to protect themselves
Cash-strapped Khon Kaen Police launched a new initiative to help protect residents from violent drug addicts and psychiatric patients. They have supplied communities with long iron rods to control them. Khon Kaen Police admit they have been forced into the measures because the province lacks police officers. Pattaya Police introduced a similar initiative in June. The Commander of the Khon…
-
Standard taxi fee of 45-50 baht agreed but more at Thai airports
A taxi fare increase of about 45 to 50 baht was proposed by drivers in Thailand yesterday while standing or idling in traffic is expected to be fixed at about five baht per minute. The President of the Thai Public Taxi Association, Sadit Jaitiang, reported yesterday that the association met with the Deputy Director of the Land Transport Department, Sirirat…
-
Bangkok sex workers hold Q&A at Patpong Museum
Curious to find out more about the world’s oldest profession? Do sex workers enjoy their work? Do they have a partner outside of working hours, and do they think prostitution should be legalized? All of these questions and more will be answered by two Bangkok sex workers at the Patpong Museum on Saturday, September 17, from 5-8pm, where you are welcome…
-
Elephants kill 2 park rangers in Thailand in 3 days
Elephants have killed two park rangers in Thailand over a three-day period, with one incident on September 11, and the other on September 13. The first incident occurred in a village near the Thap Lan National Park in Thailand’s central Prachinburi province. Villagers tried to push a hungry elephant back into the park after it showed up in the village…
-
Pro-wakeskater gets fine & suspended jail term for surfing in Bangkok floods
UPDATE #2 Thanyaburi Provincial Court handed pro-wakeboarder and pro-wakeskater Daniel “Tao” Grant a 5,000 baht fine and a one-month suspended jail term for his wakeskating stunt in the Bangkok floods. The 24 year old watersports champion was found guilty of causing danger to and obstructing traffic for wakeskating on the flooded Phahon Yothin Road outside Bangkok University last week. After…
-
Court to decide fate of suspended Thai PM Prayut on September 30
On September 30 at 3pm, Thailand’s Constitutional Court will read the verdict on suspended Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s eight-year term limit. According to Section 158 of Thailand’s constitution, “The Prime Minister shall not hold office for more than eight years in total, whether or not holding consecutive term.” Prayut reached his eight-year limit serving as PM in August after becoming…
-
Teen escapes house fire in Pattaya by climbing balcony
A Pattaya teenager climbed down from his balcony to just barely escape a fire that broke out in his home in the early hours of Monday morning. The boy, 16 year old Poramet Soratavorn, sensed the smell of smoke when he was on the second floor of his house in Royal Park Village on Thepprasit Road. Poramet ran downstairs to find…
-
BREAKING: Shooting in Thai army building in Bangkok, 2 dead, 1 injured
At 8.45am, a Sergeant Major opened fire in the Royal Thai Army College on Thoddamri Road in Bangkok’s Dusit district, killing two soldiers and seriously injuring one more. The gunman has been arrested. The army chief shot one of his colleagues in the head who has since died at Vajira Hospital. The deceased have been identified as Sergeant Major Nopporat…
-
Earthquake strikes in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
At 1.03am today, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck Fang district in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province, according to the Meteorological Department. No injuries, deaths or damages have been reported. The earthquake’s epicentre in the Mae Kha subdistrict had a considerably shallow depth of 4 kilometres, causing people in the region to feel strong shaking. Strong shaking was reported in Mae…
-
China Airlines opens a new route to Chiang Mai
China Airlines yesterday announced the good news that it intends to launch flights to Chiang Mai in Thailand. The bad news is that it won’t happen until next year. The Taiwan-based airline revealed on the day it reopened its borders that flights to the northern city of Chiang Mai take off on January 20 next year. Flight CI851 from Taiwan…
-
Thai govt increase minimum wage by 5% starting on October 1
The Thai Cabinet today agreed to increase the minimum wage throughout the country by 5%. The highest rate is 354 baht per day in Chon Buri, Rayong, and Phuket. The new rate will come into effect on October 1. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin discussed the topic at today’s Cabinet meeting and it was approved. It is the first time in…
-
Crocodile rocks up on the dinner table in flooded Khon Kaen
Floods may be causing chaos in most parts of Thailand at the moment but to some residents in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen it is providing food for thought, or rather thoughts of food, crocodiles as food. A number of residents in the Non Daeng sub-district, Non Sila district, urged farm owners to take greater care of their crocodiles…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.