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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“I am not a security threat” – Thanathorn Joengrungruangkit
PHOTOS: The Nation Thanathorn Joengrungruangkit, the acting leader of the new Future Forward Party has reported to the Technology Crime Suppression Division to defend himself against allegation filed against him by the NCPO over a Facebook live streaming event, deemed to be critical of the military government. Colonel Burin Thongprapai of the NCPO’s legal affairs department has accused Thanathorn of…
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Thai officials make official request for Yingluck’s extradition
The Thai Government has made an official request to the UK for the extradition of fugitive former PM Yingluck Shinawatra for prosecution back in Thailand. The Thai Embassy in London sent a letter dated July 5 to the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office with attached copies of the Supreme Court verdict in the case against Yingluck along with her arrest…
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Young Thai man falls for the old 1000 baht penis enlargement scam
PHOTO: Sanook Ouch! Men, take note. Women, laugh at the stupidity of some members of the male sex. Thai media Sanook is reporting the topic of penis enlargement – a hot topic in Thai social media including some very dodgy methods of, ummm, increasing the dimensions of the penis. A picture, of what appears to be a school child undergoing…
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Why do Chinese tourists like coming to Thailand?
By Kanjana Lao Nation Graphics A Nielsen Survey has asked Chinese tourists why they like coming to Thailand. Thailand remains popular among Chinese tourists, of all ages, due to its relatively low costs. Despite the Phuket boating tragedy on July 6, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports expect the arrival of Chinese tourists in 2018 to exceed the 2017 total.…
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Thaksin claims election delays in birthday comments – UK
Thaksin Shinawatra, the fugitive former Thai PM, is still firing missives in exile – this time in comments his 69th birthday in London. A spokesman for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) yesterday insisted that there was no change in the schedule for the next election. Maj-General Piyapong Klinphan debunked speculation by former PM Thaksin Shinawatra about a change…
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Local rains in Nan and Trat cause devastation – seven killed two missing
Heavy rains in northern Thailand and on the Cambodian border in Trat are causing local emergencies. At least seven villagers have been killed and two others missing after heavy rains triggered a mudslide from a mountain into their valley village in the Bo Klua district of Nan province this morning Saturday). The landslide occurred at the Ban Huay Kham in…
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Clawing back the tiger population
(10 minute read) The plight of the Indochinese Tiger is a particular passion for The Thaiger. As a leading sponsor of SaveWildTigers.org we applaud all the work being done in Thailand and around South East Asia in support of the survival of the species. By Piyaporn Wongruang Ahead of the Global Tiger Day on Sunday, July 29, lead tiger researchers and…
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Two day booze ban finishes tonight at midnight
The sale or serving of alcohol will remain prohibited in Phuket until midnight tonight (Saturday) as part of a nationwide ban commemorating the start of Buddhist Lent. Yesterday (Friday) alcohol was banned for the main Buddhist annual holiday, Asanha Bucha Day. “Alcohol sales are prohibited from midnight Thursday until midnight Saturday.” Alcohol may be sold in only one location: hotels.…
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New Thai stamps to commemorate HM The King’s 66th birthday
HM The King is featured on a new set of stamps issued by Thailand Post. The national post office has issued the new stamp featuring His Majesty the King to commemorate his 66th birthday anniversary this Saturday. The stamp features the King in army uniform and is priced at 10 baht, or 20 baht including an envelope. Thai PBS reports that…
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60 year old German arrested for 19 year overstay
PHOTOS: Thai Tourist Police Pol Maj Gen Surachat Hakparn, deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau and the popular face of Thai crime-fighting, has announced the arrest of another 35 foreigners who were caught for visa offences, illegal entry and other crimes. This week’s roll out of the ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner crackdown’ has netted what is believed to be one…
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British PM meets divers who helped in the Tham Luang rescue
PHOTO: Independent Print Limited On Monday the Australian Governor General awarded the country’s highest accolades and medals to Aussie cave rescuers. Yesterday the British PM met with the UK contingent who were involved in the mammoth international rescue. The Evening Standard reports that PM Theresa May met the British divers who helped save the boys and their 25 year old…
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Joint Thai/Chinese crime bust nets 34 suspects in call-centre and online gambling gangs
The arrest of 34 suspects in major call centre scams and online gambling were announced yesterday. With cooperation from Chinese police, Thai officers checked 14 locations in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Chon Buri and Phuket on July 19 to make the arrests. The stings netted 34 suspects, including 26 Chinese nationals. The arrests were announced yesterday at a press conference at the Royal Thai…
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Pattaya’s “sex gurus” ordered to remain in detention as they continue fight
Ten Russian self-appraised ‘sex gurus’ at the centre of a sex-techniques course held in Pattaya in February have been ordered to remain in detention by the Pattaya Court. The Thai News Agency are reporting that eight of the ten involved in offering the course appeared in court at the end of last week. The Court asked if they admitted their crimes…
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Same-sex civil union bill ready for Cabinet in two months
A same-sex civil partnership law should be drafted and discussed before next year’s elections. Pitikarn Sitthidech, the Rights and Liberties Protection Department chief, saystThe law, allowing same-sex couples to formally register as life partners, should be drafted by September. It would then be submitted to Deputy PM and Justice Minister ACM Prajin Juntong, who would decide whether it should go to…
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Floods continue to cause havoc in the north, west and central
Floods are causing havoc across swathes of provinces across Thailand. From the north in Chiang Mai, to the west in Kanchanaburi and as far south as Prachuap Khiri Khan and Ranong. The Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation chief says that the flooding has been triggered by tropical storm Son-Tinh which still sits over Laos, so far affecting 13 Thai…
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Boeing says Asian region biggest growth area for aviation in next two decades
By Data Leads. PHOTO: Thai Airways Boeing 787 Asian countries are estimated to require 16,930 more airplanes by 2037, making the region the fastest growing aviation area in the world. Boeing’s annual forecast, the Commercial Market Outlook, reveals that the world fleet of jet planes would need 42, 370 new planes valued at US$6.3 trillion. The forecast predicts that the global…
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Elon Musk “should be put up against a wall and shot” – Mother of UK diver Unsworth
The UK ‘The Sun’ is reporting that the 88 year old mother of UK cave diver Vernon Unsworth says American tech billionaire Elon Musk should be shot for falsely branding her son a ‘pedo’. Musk twittered the insult towards the cave expert after Unsworth branded the tycoon’s offer to build a mini submarine to free the trapped Thai schoolboys a PR…
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Man ties up mother, abducts 18 year old daughter in Hua Hin
PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath is reporting that Police have arrested a man who tied up a Hua Hin cleaner then abducted her daughter from a foreigner’s house. The incident happened last Tuesday in Hua Hin. The mother and daughter were working as cleaners for the house but were confronted at knife point by the intruder. The man is reported to…
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Thai officials slam foreign media for interviewing Mu Pa boys
SCREENSHOT: ABC News report Whilst the opportunist American ABC TV reporter didn’t break any laws with his interview on Friday with the youngest of the Mu Pa Academy youngsters, he did break a pact between the Chiang Rai Governor, physicians and child psychologists who asked that the media leave the boys alone. Today CNN is reporting that Thailand is accusing…
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Singapore Airlines back on top. Thai Airways in 10th place.
PHOTO: Flyer Talk Singapore Airlines is back on top after a decade held out of the top airline position by middle-eastern competition. It’s their fourth win since the Skytrax World Airline awards started back in 2001. The island nation’s national carrier was named Airline of the Year at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline awards. Singapore Airlines was last top of the…
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The 21st century’s longest lunar eclipse next week
The moon is going to disappear for six hours next week in a mega lunar eclipse – the longest for the entire 21st century. In fact it will be this century’s longest lunar eclipse and will be able to be seen across Thailand on July 27-28 between 00.14-6.10 am. Thai PBS reports that the total phase of the eclipse –…
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Flooding ‘critical’ in Sangkhla Buri – Kanchanabui province
The flooding situation is now considered critical in the Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi province, situated on the Myanmar border, as Highway 323 is still about 1.2 metres under water, making it impassable to small vehicles. Thai PBS reports that the heavily-flooded Highway 323 has also made it difficult to deliver patients from Thong Pha Phum Hospital to Phahon Pholphayuhasena…
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Man douses young Thai woman in petrol, sets her alight and is given bail
Thai Rath has reported on the case of a Bangkok man who doused a 22 year old Thai woman from Ubon Ratchathani in petrol while she was eating with friends at a somtam stall. Thai Rath notes that the 23 year old Thai man, who committed the crime, was given bail by the court in Bangkok and is currently free. He has…
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Nong Khai woman hit by lightning – “Buddha amulet saved my life”
A woman in Nong Khai, right on the Laos border near Vientiane, claims the special power of her Buddha amulet helped her survive a lightning strike. The same lightning strike killed a worker. 50 year old Pornnipha Ratyothee says that she suffered a ‘mild burn’ on her neck when she was hit by lightning on July 12 and had to…
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Cambodian couple demand Thai police probe
A Cambodian couple, engaged in a legal battle with relatives, yesterday filed a complaint against two Thai police officers in Bangkok. Baby-clothing exporter 43 year old Sing Thea and his wife Chean Kallyan say their previous accusation – that their relatives had embezzled 18 million baht – had been handled by the Thai officers in question. This had resulted in…
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Foreign tourism eclipses 20 million for first 6 months of 2018
Revenue from tourism up 15%. Tourist numbers up 12%, year-on-year. Could Thailand exceed 40 million tourists for 2018? Thai Visa reports the the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand reached 20 million in the first half of 2018. This represents an increase on the same period last year of 12%, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Tourism revenue…
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Up to 20,000 fake Thai visas being issued to Burmese
PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath are reporting that an extensive network of fake visas for Thailand is emerging, being issued in Myanmar. Two men were arrested in Ayuthaya two days ago while attempting to extend their fake visas. They were found to have dodgy stamps but the two claimed it “was news to them”. They claim that they had gone to…
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National: War on plastic bags – Thai environment minister
If you go to any Thai market or even stop off at a street store selling a refreshing Thai iced-coffee, you will know that you end up with plastic bags, plastic containers and plastic carry-bags for everything. Thai Rath is reporting that the Thai environment minister, General Surasak Kanjanarat, is declaring war on plastic bags in the Kingdom. The Thai…
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Three dead in light aircraft crash in Khon Kaen
PHOTO: National News Bureau of Thailand A small privately-owned plane* has crashed in a field in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand, this morning (July 18). Three people are reported dead. Chonnabot Police in Khon Kaen were notified of the incident from locals saying that a small aircraft crashed into a field and burst into flames in Baan Hooling in Chonnabot district at…
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Tesla investors demand apology from Musk over ‘pedo’ comment
PHOTO: Fortune London’s Evening Standard is reporting that Tesla investors are demanding an apology from Elon Musk after he branded a British cave diver who rescued children from a cave in Thailand a “pedo”. The billionaire business magnate’s Twitter post sparked a huge backlash from shareholders in his firm, who later hit out further at Mr Musk in an open…
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