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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Bangkok airport shames driver for parking in disabled bay
Thai netizens hailed an officer from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after he shamed a driver who selfishly parked a car in a disabled parking bay. Pictures of a white luxury Nissan 350Z in a disabled parking bay at Suvarnabhumi Airport were posted on Facebook by Chatree Sintateeyakorn yesterday. The pictures quickly went viral. The sign left on the illegally parked…
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Never forget Thailand’s October 6 massacre
No one has ever been held accountable for the tragic massacre of peaceful demonstrators at Thammasat University on October 6, 1976. On this day 46 years ago, Thai police, military, and ring-wing paramilitaries shot, lynched, and beat leftist demonstrators protesting the return of dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn to Thailand, who was ousted in 1973. The 1973 uprising restored democratic…
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Angry American man smashes up a Thai man’s car
An American man was arrested yesterday after smashing up a Thai man’s car and threatening his family in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Thai man, Sunthorn, notified officers from Kanom Police Station that an American man, 45 year old Andigo, threatened his mother and daughter and threw rocks at his pickup truck. The video of the incident…
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Rumours of tension between Prayut and Prawit over flood comments
Rumours are circulating of tensions between PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wonguwon. According to the rumours, Prawit was offended by Prayut’s comments during a teleconference call about the flood situation with provincial governors at the Interior Ministry. Prayut was quoted as saying that he did not want a welcoming committee when visiting provinces hit by floods. Prayut was…
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Thailand voted No.3 in list of ‘Top Countries In The World 2022’
Thailand was voted No.3 best country in the world to travel to in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. Europe dominated the list of 48 countries, with Thailand and Singapore the only Southeast Asian nations to make the top 10. Thousands of people voted in numerous ‘best of’ lists… best countries, cities, islands, resorts, hotels, etc.…
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100 elephants could be evacuated from camp in central Thailand due to floods
Thailand’s beloved national animal is another victim of the country’s floods. In the central province of Ayutthaya, officials are preparing to possibly evacuate about 100 elephants from a camp after a river overflowed. The Lopburi River had risen 30 centimetres as of yesterday morning, Nation Thailand reported. The flooding from the overflow impacted houses in Ayutthaya’s main city district, as…
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Fans stage simulation of Tangmo’s death in protest of law activist’s defamation case
Crime investigation activist Atchariya Ruangrattanapong travelled to Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station this morning to acknowledge accusations of defamation filed against him. He and two others are accused of making a blasphemous statement about the autopsy results of famous actress Tangmo, who died in suspicious circumstances in the Chao Phraya River in February. The 54 year old activist’s fans staged a…
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Thai road sweepers get safer new uniform for work
Thai road sweepers have been given smart new neon yellow uniforms in a bid to keep them safe from traffic accidents. A man, Van Warit, posted a picture of two road sweepers in their new and old uniforms on Facebook, today. The caption said… “Keeping this picture before the whole sweepers change their uniforms.” The old uniform is dark blue…
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Two lost children found on Pattaya’s Walking Street
Two lost children were found on Pattaya’s famous Walking Street yesterday. A Good Samaritan alerted Pattaya Tourist Police when he saw a three year old boy and five month old girl near a pumping station in front of the street. The children were alone with two bags of clothes. The police tried to find the children’s parents, but were unsuccessful,…
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Can foreigners legally grow cannabis in Thailand?
The Ministry of Public Health gave away one million cannabis plants to the people of Thailand in June for home cultivation. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul dished out the plants to celebrate the removal of all parts of the cannabis plant from Thailand’s list of Category 5 illicit narcotics on June 9. The plants were intended to be cultivated for medicinal…
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Ordination ceremony concert goes on despite flood
“The show must go on,” as the old adage goes, and this was certainly the case at a recent ordination ceremony under threat of flooding in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. The owner of a lighting and sound company, Moo, was hired to set up a concert stage for an ordination ceremony at Samakiyaram Temple in the central province of…
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Flooding may impact Thailand’s tourism recovery
Hopes for Thailand’s tourism industry to recover are being challenged by the worst flooding the kingdom has seen in years. With large areas of croplands being suffocated by seasonal storms and rising rivers, food prices are at risk of increasing while tourism recovery is undoubtedly being slowed. According to Bangkok Post, popular tourist destinations are now being flooded by heavy…
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Phuket taxis drivers promise to quit fighting rivals
Representatives of taxi drivers in Phuket met with provincial officials to acknowledge proposals to avoid fights recently reported in the media. Following a recent fight between a traditional taxi driver and an app-based driver in the Kamala district last weekend, Phuket authorities decided to host a meeting to urge local taxi drivers to focus on the reputation of the province.…
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Miss Ukraine slams Miss Grand International promoter
Ukrainian Beauty queen Olga Vasyliv slammed Miss Grand International 2022 promoters as politically insensitive after they assigned a hotel room for her to share with her Russian counterpart Ekaterina Astashenkova. The Thai-based beauty pageant, Miss Grand International, is promoted by famous Thai media celebrity Nawat Itsaragrisil. The pageant was founded in Thailand in 2013 amid a political crisis in the…
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Cracks in road to popular mountain in northern Thailand
Adventurers driving on the road to a popular mountain in northern Thailand might have a few obstacles ahead of them. Those obstacles include cracks in the road, along with possible mudslides. Highway officials warn drivers that the main road is fractured to the Phu Thap Boek mountain in Phetchabun province. The officials said there were cracks and subsidence on the…
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Thai chicken vendor fakes being a lawyer and wins in court
A Thai man who sells chicken for a living in Kamphaeng Phet province, central Thailand, has been arrested for pretending to be a lawyer for several years. He allegedly faked his license to practise law, fought several court cases, and even won a few. The chicken vendor, Pornthep Kachenpak, got away with it for years by “outsourcing.” His method was…
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Thai actress believes she was drugged on BTS train
Thai actress Chatchaya “Sara” Charoenchan filed a complaint with the police last week after she fainted on the Bangkok BTS train. Sara believes she was possibly spiked with a drug somehow. The 23 year old actress informed the media that the incident happened on the morning of Thursday, September 30 while she was on her way to take an exam…
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French President Macron accepts invitation to APEC meeting in Thailand
President of France Emmanuel Macron sent a letter to Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday confirming his attendance at the upcoming Asia Pacific Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok next month from November 18-19. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thanee Saengrat confirmed Macron’s attendance this morning. In the letter, Macron said he was looking forward to…
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Tangmo defendant repays vow with 5-metre Ultraman figure
A defendant from the Tangmo case, Tanupat “Por’’ Lerttaweewit, repaid a vow he made at a famous temple in the southern part of Thailand by offering a 5-metre Ultraman figure. Thai netizens believe he made a wish related to the Tangmo case after Tangmo’s mother agreed to accept compensation and dropped murder charges. The Kom Chad Luek platform reported that…
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Bangkok asks companies to let employees work from home until October 7
As the Thai capital prepares for another torrential downpour, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) requested that companies allow employees to work from home where possible from October 5 – 7. “City-dwellers prepare for another period of heavy rain. Be wary of certain areas which are prone to flooding. Heavy rain is expected from now until October 7. We ask for…
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Six-legged golden frog brings good fortune in northern Thailand
A six-legged golden frog hopped into a northern Thai man’s life in Phayao province just over a year ago and has brought him good fortune ever since, he told the media today. The special frog jumped into 50 year old Somboon Tuakrua’s house in the Mueang district around a year ago. Somboon said the amphibian was calm and docile, so…
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British Embassy Bangkok to hold a conference on tourism safety and security
This is a one-day conference bringing together the Phuket tourism industry, Thai government departments and the international community to discuss matters relating to tourism safety and security in Phuket. The following topics will be discussed: Security Awareness and Crime Prevention Protective Security Incident Response Panel Discussion: Emerging Consular Trends Post Covid-19 Tourism Industry Cyber Risks Engaging Embassies and Consulates Event…
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Bangkok ranked one of top 5 expat cities
Bangkok is one of the top five expat cities in the world, according to the language learning platform Preply. Thailand’s capital city came in at No.5 on a list of the 60 best cities for expats to live and work. The four cities that beat Bangkok, in order, were Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Tbilisi in Georgia, Lisbon in Portugal, and…
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Woman abandons home after police ignore four burglaries
A homeowner in the Lat Phrao area of Bangkok has abandoned her property after a spate of break-ins ignored by police left her fearing for her life. A picture of the thieves breaking into her house is currently circulating on social media. The Let Me Know If You Wanna Be Famous (อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้รีเทิร์น 5.2) Facebook account posted pictures of the thieving…
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Thai bank releases bizarre ‘apology’ for repossessing the wrong house
UPDATE After the story hit the media, Thailand’s Government Savings Bank (GSB) released a statement apologising for repossessing and renovating the wrong house in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, one month ago. The bank admits “full responsibility.” However, the apology has been met with disapproval from netizens (gaining 4 thousand angry reactions on Facebook) because it was accompanied by a…
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Thailand wants more tourists from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Thailand’s tourism officials are eyeing two Central Asian countries in hopes of more tourists. Those countries are Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Travellers from both countries are interested in visiting Thailand, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Monday. Phiphat said that Kazakh and Uzbek tourists started to show interest after Thailand extended its Visa on Arrival from 15 to 30 days on…
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Elon Musk angers Ukraine president with Russia tweets
Controversial tweeter and the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, stirred a new dispute, this time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Musk angered Zelensky, along with many top Ukrainian officials and the people of Ukraine, by proposing his solution for the Russian invasion. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX posted on Twitter that Ukraine should take part in new referendums overseen…
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Thai woman charged for selling fake discount vouchers
UPDATE A Thai woman has been charged with selling fake discount vouchers for hotels in Pattaya. The suspect denies all allegations. Last June, more than 700 victims filed a complaint with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Bangkok. They made known that they were lured into buying fake vouchers for 5-star hotels, pool villas, restaurants, and activities in Pattaya from…
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Prayut plans to contact citizens hit by power cuts via radio
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha suggests officials warn locals about flash floods via radio as Thailand did 11 years ago in flooding in 2011. The 68 year old wants to use the radio to update citizens on the news should they lose their electricity. The prime minister joined a meeting via zoom yesterday to discuss how to manage the flooding situation and…
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Submarine purchases could sink over engine debate
Controversy surrounds plans over the plan for three submarine purchases as officials debate which engine is suitable to power the subs. The S26T Yuan-class submarine that Thailand has been in the slow process of purchasing since April was originally planned to be powered by a German engine. Now, factions of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) are debating if a Chinese-made engine…
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