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 Where to travel in Thailand in July [2025]
This month, I want to invite you to wander through art spaces, misty hills, and garden paths, where the only thing on the itinerary is to linger. Let’s take a slower route, one for the dreamers, the journal keepers, and...
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10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring
Staff at a gold shop in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham praised a 10 year old girl after she bought a 4,000-baht gold ring as a birthday gift for her mother. The girl said… “Mom always throws birthday parties for others, but not for herself. I wanted to give her a gift because she always gives me gifts.” Staff…
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A cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t bank on it anytime soon
Looking for a cheap flight to Thailand? Don’t count on it just yet says airline industry executives. The world’s industry chiefs made known, as if we didn’t already know, that airfares are expensive and they expect to remain that way for the time being. Flights are pricey for a number of reasons, ranging from surging fuel costs, labour shortages, and…
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Thai medical experts hold seminar, warn of the risks of HPV
Several Thai medical experts discussed the country’s struggles with human papillomavirus (HPV) at a recent seminar. HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that causes several cancers, most commonly cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer kills 13 Thai women every day. It is the second deadliest cancer for working-age Thai women, after breast cancer. A shockingly high percentage of people…
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Hospital sends wrong corpse to funeral in central Thailand
The wrong corpse turned up at a funeral in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. Both the hospital and the deceased’s brother have taken responsibility for the mishap. Yesterday, relatives waited at Wat Sawang Arom temple in Kabin Buri district to receive the body of 58 year old Somnuk Kongto who sadly died in an accident. Somnuk’s brother picked…
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Some electric wires in Bangkok urgently buried for APEC meeting
Ugly electric cables in front of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok have been pulled down and buried to provide a more aesthetic scene for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting from November 16 to 19. The action evoked much mirth and merriment from the nation’s netizens. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) of Thailand’s Facebook page yesterday…
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Beagles sniff out bats in luggage from China at Bangkok airport
No bats or any other animal carcasses can get past the sharp noses of two hard-working beagles who fight crime at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. On Tuesday at 12pm, the sniffer dogs uncovered “smoked bats” and processed pork hidden inside the luggage that flew in from Kunming in China. The main duty of the beagles from the Quarantine and Inspection…
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Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks
The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…
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Thai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night
A man tragically drowned in Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya on Loy Krathong night on Tuesday, after he and his wife fell into a canal linked to the Rama VI Dam. The couple, a 44 year old wife and 51 year old husband had been invited to a Loy Krathong event after work. They decided to go and float their…
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A trip to Thailand: what to take and leave behind
Thailand or bust? If you are planning to move or travel to Thailand, we have a packing guide that can help you skip the headache of knowing what to bring to the country and what to leave behind. As Thailand is a tropical country which features hot, very hot, and rainy seasons, there is really no need to bring anything…
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Failed 14 million baht temple lighting system may quash UNESCO nomination
A failed 14 million baht lighting system isn’t helping southern Thailand’s temple of Phra Mahathat Woramahavihan’s bid to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The lighting system was installed around the main stupa of Phra Borommathat Chedi in 2014, but those responsible for the project have largely left it in disarray. The lighting is now in need of repairs due…
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Two Thai airlines among Top 10 most timely in the world
Thailand is not known for its timekeeping, yet two Thai airlines were among the most “on time” in the world in September 2022. The Top 10 Most On-time Airlines were ranked using real data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight database. OAG provides “the world’s most accurate and information-rich flight data.” Flights that leave within 15 minutes of their…
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MOPH to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk after drinking it
The Ministry of Public Health yesterday revealed it intends to investigate Krabi’s holy water after a disabled woman claimed she could walk again after drinking it. The holy water is prepared by putting a miracle rock in water that was found in the area. Locals believe the rock has magical qualities. A shaman then conducts a ceremony to conjure a spirit…
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Thailand is 1 billion baht short for World Cup 2022 broadcasting license
Thailand’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBTC) approved a 600 million baht budget today to purchase broadcasting rights so that Thais can watch the Fifa World Cup 2022 on TV. However, broadcasting rights cost 1.6 billion baht leaving Thailand one billion baht ($US27.2 million) short with just 11 days to go to kick-off. The NBTC committee sat down at 9.30am today and…
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Superstitious man arrested after stabbing friend to test his immortality
The superstitious man who stabbed to death a friend to test his immortality has been arrested in Chon Buri. Officers from Tha Ruer Police Station reported to Thai media today that 51 year old Withun Ochapon was arrested last night for the murder of 44 year old Auttapon on Sunday, November 6 at his wife’s house in the Phan Thong district of…
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Kush House: Bangkok’s most unique cannabis dispensary
You are invited to the grand opening of Kush House cannabis dispensary, in the heart of Bangkok, tonight at 9pm. Two things set Kush House apart from other cannabis stores in Thailand: Thai Traditional Medicine and art. The visually striking atmosphere at Kush House – conveniently located at the entrance of Sukhumvit 22 – has been carefully crafted to give…
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Teen boasts he escaped murder charge because his family is rich
An 18 year old allegedly boasted on social media that he escaped being charged with the murder of a 14 year old boy because his family is rich and powerful. Thai social media is outraged that 18 year old Dome killed 14 year old Fluck and bragged about it on Twitter. Netizens are furious after seeing the trending hashtag on…
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VIDEO: Billowing fire spoils Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai
Thousands of glistening paper lanterns lighting up the night sky in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, disappeared into a thick plume of smoke after a foam pagoda went up in flames in the middle of the Yi Peng Lantern Festival celebrations last night. Billowing smoke rose into the sky after a lantern fell on top of the flammable replica pagoda, made…
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Man stabbed to death by superstitious friend
A man was stabbed to death yesterday by a superstitious friend who believed an amulet the victim wore made him immortal. The delusional offender, who was only released from prison last year after murdering someone else, wanted to test the victim’s mortality by stabbing him. Police reported that 44 year old Auttapon Na Nakhon was stabbed to death by his…
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Thai women tricked into sex work in Nigeria seek help
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand is on a mission to rescue a group of Thai women stuck in Nigeria who claim they were offered work as masseuses but forced into prostitution instead. Last week, relatives of the women sought help from Paveena Hongsakul, who is a Thai women’s rights and children’s rights activist, ex-Minister of Social Development and…
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12 people injured by illegal fireworks in Loy Krathong event
A Loy Krathong festival celebration almost turned into a tragedy last night when 12 people were injured by illegal fireworks set off at the event in the northern province of Nakhon Phanom. The Meung Nakhon Phanom mayor announced the victims only suffered mild injuries. Nakhon Phanom provincial governor, other officers, and hundreds of residents joined the grand opening ceremony of…
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Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night
Hotels in Thailand should charge foreign tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery, suggests outspoken American-Thai hotel tycoon and billionaire Bill Heinecke. Heinecke is the founder of the Minor Group, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide. In an open letter addressed to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Heinecke said the…
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Teacher murders her 5 year old autistic son in southern Thailand
Today, a teacher at a famous school in Hat Yai murdered her autistic 5 year old son by smothering him with a pillow in Songkhla Province, southern Thailand. After the murder, she tried to commit suicide by drinking toilet cleaner but ended up critically ill in hospital. Officers from Hat Yai Police Station were called to the scene – a condo…
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Thai actress defies laws to build house on Koh Samui mountain
Locals in Koh Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani filed a complaint with authorities after a luxury house belonging to a Thai actress was built on a mountain area that belongs to the government. Officers from the Department of Land and Royal Forest Department yesterday investigated the house, and land around where the building is under construction, in…
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Over 3 million people in Thailand living below poverty line, census shows
Over 3 million people in Thailand were living below the poverty line as of January this year, according to a government census agency. The Thai People Map and Analytics Platform (TPMAP) surveyed 36.1 million people across Thailand and found that 3.44 million were living without their basic needs being met. This categorised them as poor. The survey found that 1.02…
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VIDEO: Bat-eating YouTuber sparks outrage in Thailand
Netizens in Thailand are outraged at a Thai YouTuber with 400,000 subscribers for eating bat soup – and encouraging others to eat bat meat – on her channel ‘Gin Zap Bep Nua Nua’ (“Eat spicy and delicious.”) The YouTuber confidently rips apart the bats, swimming in a mud-coloured soup with cherry tomatoes, and dips the meat in Nam Jim, a…
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Pubs, gas stations, 24-hour stores to close early to save energy
The Energy Ministry of Thailand plans to close pubs, gas stations, and 24-hour convenience stores early to save energy if the situation gets worse. The Permanent Secretary of the Energy Ministry, Kurit Sombatsiri, revealed the conclusions from the energy crisis meeting between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO) yesterday. Kurit explained that the increasing…
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British man sentenced for rape in UK flees to Thailand
A British man sentenced to eight years in jail for rape is believed to have fled to Thailand. A jury found Michael Foster unanimously found guilty of rape in absentia in September, reported Lancashire Police. Yesterday, he was found guilty once more at Preston Crown Court. The 35 year old man, formerly of Fishwick Parade, Preston, was given eight years…
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Thailand pulls the plug on foreign land ownership regulation
The Thai government has already pulled the plug on the draft ministerial regulation that would open up new foreign land ownership options in Thailand. The regulation proposed allowing foreigners who hold a 10-year Long Term Resident visa to buy a property and/or land of up to one rai in Thailand, given they invest a minimum of 40 million baht into Thailand…
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The ancient story behind Thai film coming in December
A Thai film depicting a beloved character from the ancient Ramayana story is coming up in December. The film, titled “White Monkey” will be in cinemas on December 5. The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic about Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from his enemies. In the story, the white monkey is a Hindu god known…
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Flying lanterns near airports in Thailand is punishable by death penalty, warns govt
Flying a lantern near an airport in Thailand is a very serious criminal offence carrying the harshest penalties, even the death penalty, according to government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The spokesperson gave the stern warning at a press conference yesterday while thousands of people prepare to float paper lanterns into the sky to celebrate both Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals…
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