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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    Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained

    Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...

  • Thai govt warns drivers to keep a brake on road mishaps during ‘Seven Deadly Days’ of Songkran Festival

    Thai govt warns drivers to keep a brake on road mishaps during ‘Seven Deadly Days’ of Songkran Festival

    The Thai government has issued a warning to drivers who are travelling during the Songkran Festival, urging them to be careful on the road. This warning comes after the Thailand Road Accidents Data Centre for Road Safety Culture (ThaiRSC) reported 74 fatalities and 2,322 injuries on the first day of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran Festival. As of…

  • Speedboat explosion in southern Thailand kills 1, injures 1

    Speedboat explosion in southern Thailand kills 1, injures 1

    An explosion on a tourist speedboat docked at a pier in Phang Nga province in southern Thailand injured two people yesterday, one of whom later passed away in the hospital. At around 8pm, the Phang Nga Harbour Office was informed of a loud noise similar to an explosion on a speedboat at Ban Thap Lamu Pier in Lam Kaen subdistrict,…

  • Thai man goes on rampage: Attacks 6 people after married woman rejected his advances (video)

    Thai man goes on rampage: Attacks 6 people after married woman rejected his advances (video)

    A Thai man went on the rampage, attacking six victims, including a couple after a married woman rejected his advances in the central province of Kanchanaburi. The wife’s husband, 24 year old Adisak Wiatesing, filed a complaint with the police after the couple were attacked by a man named Pae on April 10. Adisak told police that he went to…

  • Latest Thai social media craze, sweet soy sauce soda, poses serious health risk, says health dept

    Latest Thai social media craze, sweet soy sauce soda, poses serious health risk, says health dept

    The Department of Health issued a warning to the public regarding the consumption of a trendy Thai social media beverage called sweet soy sauce soda. According to the department, the drink has unhealthy quantities of sodium and sugar, which surpass the recommended daily intake and can pose a health hazard. The drink is trending after a famous Thai sauce company,…

  • Pepsi Thailand introduces bottles made from 100% recycled plastic

    Pepsi Thailand introduces bottles made from 100% recycled plastic

    Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) will switch to 100% recycled plastic for its 550ml Pepsi bottles, expected to enter the market later this month, under the campaign “Appreciate Fizz: Dare to Change the World.” PepsiCo joined forces with Chulalongkorn University and ENVICCO Co., Ltd. to launch the project, “Pepsi Recycled PET Bottle Campaign.” Pepsi will be the first carbonated drink brand to…

  • Phuket Island: A Destination for Fitness, Health, and Wellness

    Phuket Island: A Destination for Fitness, Health, and Wellness

    Phuket island in southern Thailand is quickly becoming one of the world’s top destinations for fitness, health, and wellness. Athletes from around the globe are flocking to this tropical paradise to take advantage of its world-class training facilities, stunning natural landscapes, and warm climate. The Thaiger team recently had the opportunity to explore some of the top fitness, health, and…

  • Tourism Authority of Thailand pushing for 150,000 Saudi tourists this year

    Tourism Authority of Thailand pushing for 150,000 Saudi tourists this year

    Thailand continues to set new tourism goals. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is now pushing for 150,000 Saudi tourists this year, according to Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, TAT’s deputy governor of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The improved diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia have had a very positive impact on Thailand’s tourism sector, Siripakorn said. There…

  • Fruitless: Tourists they face jail time for bringing fruits to Thailand, govt warns

    Fruitless: Tourists they face jail time for bringing fruits to Thailand, govt warns

    The Thai government issued a warning to tourists that it would be fruitless to bring fruits into Thailand unless they wanted to go to jail. The Department of Agriculture specifically stated that transporting fresh fruit into Thailand without a phytosanitary certificate could result in a fine of 20,000 baht or a jail sentence of one year. The director-general of the…

  • Thai woman fined 5,000 baht for getting boobs out at erotic pre-Songkran party

    Thai woman fined 5,000 baht for getting boobs out at erotic pre-Songkran party

    Police fined a nightclub owner 20,000 baht and a sexy Thai woman 5,000 baht after she got her boobs out and danced erotically at a Songkran party in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok last week. Several entertainment venues in Bangkok have warmed up for the Thai New Year by hosting pre-Songkran events and parties before the official festival gets underway.…

  • Thailand seeks extradition of 3 men suspected of murdering Chinese student

    Thailand seeks extradition of 3 men suspected of murdering Chinese student

    Thailand‘s Deputy Police Chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn wants to see the three Chinese nationals suspected of abducting and murdering a Chinese student in Nonthaburi province, before fleeing to China, to be extradited to Thailand to face prosecution. On April 1, the body of 22 year old Thonburi University Student Jin Can was found dumped in a swampy ditch at a…

  • RTP warns public to be vigilant ahead of Songkran after 312 million baht stolen in online scams

    RTP warns public to be vigilant ahead of Songkran after 312 million baht stolen in online scams

    The Royal Thai Police (RTP) cautioned the public to be extra vigilant ahead of the Songkran Festival after scammers last week fraudulently stole over 310 million baht in online extortion. The RTP reported over 5,300 fraud cases were reported by victims last week, with most complaints related to online shopping and bank transfer scams. Yesterday, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sompong Chingduang,…

  • Tourists or illegal workers? Police raid Pattaya host club and arrest six

    Tourists or illegal workers? Police raid Pattaya host club and arrest six

    Police raided a host club in Pattaya in the early hours of yesterday morning and arrested the manager and five Lao men following a complaint about the employment of illegal workers. Four of the accused Lao men denied they were working at the bar and insisted that they were tourists. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station raided the host club,…

  • Thai man’s Emerald Buddha Songkran office party outfit is ‘inappropriate,’ monk says

    Thai man’s Emerald Buddha Songkran office party outfit is ‘inappropriate,’ monk says

    A Thai man won 5000 baht for ‘best outfit’ at his office’s Songkran party in Udon Thani province yesterday, but a senior Buddhist monk says that dressing like the Emerald Buddha is “inappropriate.” The Emerald Buddha is a statue of the historical Buddha in a meditative pose, made out of the semi-precious stone jasper and considered the “sacred palladium of…

  • Man sets fire to wife’s house and threatens to kill her family

    Man sets fire to wife’s house and threatens to kill her family

    A Thai man driven by jealousy, set fire to the house of his wife in Nakhon Pathom province near Bangkok after she left him and travelled to another province with her family. The man also allegedly threatened to kill his family and carried a gun with him at all times. The wife’s brother, a 35 year old man named Wanlop…

  • RTA suspends AWOL sergeant major turned cyberpunk after hacking 55 million Thais’ personal data

    RTA suspends AWOL sergeant major turned cyberpunk after hacking 55 million Thais’ personal data

    The sergeant major turned cyberpunk who was accused of hacking the personal data of 55 million Thais has been suspended by the Royal Thai Army (RTA). Police on Friday reported that the suspect and his wife were detained and questioned about the alleged crime, but the couple has since disappeared. Maj. Gen. Sirichan Ngathong, the deputy spokesperson, stated that “SM2…

  • Repeat offender arrested in Bangkok after drugging woman, swindling over 1 million baht

    Repeat offender arrested in Bangkok after drugging woman, swindling over 1 million baht

    The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau arrested a Thai man at a shopping mall in the Sukhumvit neighbourhood of Bangkok yesterday after he allegedly drugged and swindled over 1 million baht from a woman. He was twice arrested on the same charge last year. The scammer, 32 year old Phachara Ninjiasakun, was arrested inside the shopping mall following a complaint made…

  • Splash into Songkran! Silom Road to remain open for water fights in Bangkok

    Splash into Songkran! Silom Road to remain open for water fights in Bangkok

    Bang Rak District Office officially announced that Silom Road, a popular destination for water fights in Bangkok during Songkran, will remain open this year. Locals and tourists can take part in the water fights on the streets and sidewalks of each Soi. After three years of being affected by the pandemic, the Songkran Festival and its accompanying water fights will…

  • Mother and 8 year old son murdered in northern Thailand

    Mother and 8 year old son murdered in northern Thailand

    Police have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of a woman and her eight year old son – from Myanmar – were discovered yesterday in a rented room in Lamphun province in northern Thailand. At 7.15pm, officers from Mueang Lamphun Police Station were called to a rented room in Ban Hua Fai in Nong Chang Kwan subdistrict after locals…

  • South Korean Embassy in Thailand ‘boogies’ to celebrate Songkran Festival (video)

    South Korean Embassy in Thailand ‘boogies’ to celebrate Songkran Festival (video)

    The South Korean Embassy in Thailand got down and boogied in preparation for this week’s Songkran Festival. The embassy staff, including the South Korean Ambassador to Thailand, Moon Seoung-hyun, got into the Thai New Year festive spirit by taking part in the traditional “Ram Thai” dance. The two-minute video went viral, receiving over 400,000 views in just four days on…

  • Bangkok voted No.3 top destination for backpackers 2023

    Bangkok voted No.3 top destination for backpackers 2023

    Thailand‘s capital Bangkok sits among the top destinations for backpackers in 2023, according to UK retail company Cotswold Outdoor. Bangkok is a backpacker’s dream with cheap accommodation, delicious street food for a bargain, inexpensive beers, free activities, and a variety of public transport systems. While Thailand offers plenty of luxury travel options, it’s easy to have a blast in Bangkok…

  • Airline industry blames rising costs for expensive airfares, is this true?

    Airline industry blames rising costs for expensive airfares, is this true?

    Expensive airfares look set to stay for the foreseeable future according to the airline industry. The industry is trotting out the usual excuses that the recent spike in expensive ticket prices is attributed to a rise in operational costs, including surging fuel prices and other factors. Nok Air CEO, Wutthiphum Jurangkool, cited a surge in prices for aviation supply chain…

  • Thailand prepares for 14000+ flights this Songkran

    Thailand prepares for 14000+ flights this Songkran

    Thailand will facilitate 14,180 domestic and international flights over the Songkran holidays, from today until April 17, according to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai). This represents a 66% increase in flights compared with the same period last year. On average, there will be 2,026 flights per day, Aerothai President Nopposit Chakrapitak revealed yesterday. The president said Thailand’s aviation industry…

  • Thai woman attempts to commit suicide at a neighbour’s house in Bangkok

    Thai woman attempts to commit suicide at a neighbour’s house in Bangkok

    A Thai woman survived a suicide attempt at a neighbour’s house in Bangkok yesterday. The homeowner, a 70 year old woman named Kannika, alerted a rescue team after discovering a woman, later identified as 35 year old Bee, cut her own throat in her house in Soi Thoet Thai 21 in the Thon Buri district of Bangkok. Upon arrival, the…

  • Police capture one suspect in cop with a grudge killings in southern Thailand

    Police capture one suspect in cop with a grudge killings in southern Thailand

    UPDATE: Police managed to capture one of the two suspects on the run in the cop with a grudge killings in southern Thailand. Pol. Snr. Sgt. Maj. Atthaporn Wichian remains at large but police managed to arrest his accomplice Manop Wang-ngan at 2pm yesterday at a house in Thap Put district, Phang Nga province. Both men are wanted in connection…

  • Thai zoo successfully breeds Asian king vulture for the first time in Thailand in 30 years

    Thai zoo successfully breeds Asian king vulture for the first time in Thailand in 30 years

    Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo in the Isaan region of Thailand announced that their team has successfully bred a red-headed vulture, commonly known as the Asian king vulture. This is an important milestone as it signifies the first successful breeding of this species in Thailand in the last 30 years, and only the second instance worldwide. Korat Zoo announced today that a…

  • Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

    A 55 year old foreign man slipped on some mossy steps and “broke bones in his neck” at Cha-am Beach in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, his wife reported on Friday. On Friday, the Facebook page ‘Beach for life‘ was contacted by a Thai woman seeking justice for her foreign husband who is still being treated in hospital after an incident at…

  • Two more shot dead in tragic family dispute linked to southern Thailand massacre

    Two more shot dead in tragic family dispute linked to southern Thailand massacre

    Two more people have been found shot dead linked to the tragic family dispute which led to the killing of four people by a cop with a grudge in southern Thailand. The most recent victims identified are the wife and son of the main suspect, a police officer assigned to the Khirirat Nakhom Police Station in Surat Thani. Both individuals were…

  • RTA condemned after ordering bedridden patient to report for conscription

    RTA condemned after ordering bedridden patient to report for conscription

    Thai netizens criticised the Royal Thai Army (RTA) for their lack of empathy after a woman had to take her bedridden disabled son to report for conscription in the northern province of Lamphun. A former Thai actor, 21 year old Thanakit “Off” Wutthirothong, left the movie industry after a motorcycle accident rendered him disabled. A drunk woman crashed her car…

  • Thai man found dead in front of coffin shop due to extreme heat

    Thai man found dead in front of coffin shop due to extreme heat

    The owner of a coffin shop in the central province of Kanchanaburi found a dead man in front of the shop yesterday. It is believed the deceased died from the extreme heat as the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius on the day he was found. Officers from Tha Muang Police Station reviewed the area in front of the coffin shop,…

  • Turmoil as Koh Larn boat operators fight over tourists at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya

    Turmoil as Koh Larn boat operators fight over tourists at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya

    A brawl over passengers between two groups of Koh Larn speed boat operators at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya was reported on Saturday. One operator claimed he was attacked by over 10 members of a mafia speed boat gang. A 31 year old Thai man named Kongkot shared a video of the moment when the fracas sparked on Saturday, April…