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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Sponsored The 5 best luxury villa rentals in Koh Samui by The Luxury Signature
Koh Samui has long been known as one of the world’s finest luxury travel destinations. Its pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and crystal-clear waters create an idyllic setting that attracts travellers seeking an escape from the everyday grind. And opting to...
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100 million Baht drug bust. Krabi’s biggest drug network.
45 year old Somporn Ratchapibun, from Surat Thani, has been arrested with the enormous haul of 486,000 amphetamine pills and 10 kilograms of meth amphetamine. The whole lot has a combined value of more than 100 million Baht. He was arrested at a rented house in Krabi with 3 mobiles phones and a Toyota Vios car. Police found drugs hidden…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, August 31
Crocodile hunters on the trail | 43 year old from Phattalung arrested with drugs valued at 2 million Baht | DSI in town to check bonfides of Sor Koh 1 Title Deeds | 400,000 Rohingya in border camps as another 18,500 flee across Myanmar border | Phuket Hotels Association tackle mega beach clean.
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, August 30
UK National Crime Authority under fire for leaking sensitive information during Koh Tao murder investigation | More about THAT crocodile | Thai PM doesn’t believe Yingluck is seeking asylum in the UK | Man caught with 400,000 Baht value of stolen goods in Thalang | Fake goods raid on beach road in Patong
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FOX News UK pulls the pin
Fox TV News has pulled the pin in their venture to gather an audience in the UK TV market due to poor ratings. Former Australian, now US citizen and owner of the FOX empire, Rupert Murdoch, says the controversial US-based cable news channel was only attracting a few thousand viewers a day in the UK. The decision to jettison the…
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Thailand’s Best Beaches 2017. How many are in Phuket?
The results are in for Thailand’s annual ‘beach star rating’ study by the Pollution Control Department. 13 beaches around Thailand have been awarded five-star ratings. Not a single one of them is in Phuket, not even close. According to the Pollution Control Department, this year’s beach evaluation was based on four important criteria. The Department studied water quality that included…
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Go Team Phuket! Blitzing the waves in Bangkok
The Phuket team blitzed the Asia Flow Tour 2017 in Bangkok over the weekend. Asia Flow Tour is an annual surfing contest series around Asian countries and had its second stop in Bangkok last Saturday, August 26. The small but tightly knit Asian flow board riding community got together for the event to decide who gets to represent Asia…
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“She wasn’t here. It’s only rumour.” Cambodian officials.
From The Phnom Penh Post Cambodian officials Sunday dismissed media reports that former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country to Dubai via Cambodia ahead of a court decision, saying they had “no record” of such activity and calling the reports “rumours”. Yingluck was scheduled to appear at the Thai Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on…
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Kofi Annan and Aung San Suu Kyi condemn Rhakine violence
Former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan and Myanmar’s State Minister Councillor, Aung San Suu Kyi have roundly condemned the new upsurge in violence in the Rhakine state, to the north-west of Myanmar. “I strongly condemn today’s brutal attacks by terrorists on security forces in Rakhine State. “The actions threatened efforts to bring peace to the embattled state”, Aung San Suu Kyi said in…
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Krabi – Number One for growth on Trip Advisor
Krabi Town has ranked Number One for growth in year-on-year search results for Thai holiday destinations on TripAdvisor. According to TripAdvisor, searches rose 41% compared to the same time last year. The rising number of flights heading to the coastal town is being attributed as the main reason the growth has been so high over the past 12 months. To read…
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Back in Bangkok after Phuket court case dropped
Jonathan Head is back in Bangkok following his two day visit to Phuket. His case came to an abrupt conclusion when the man suing him, Phuket lawyer Pratuan Thanarak withdrew the charges. He was suing Mr Head over a story that appeared on the BBC in 2015 where the lawyer claimed he was defamed. Jonathan Head investigated foreigners being scammed…
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Yingluck is now a fugitive following non-appearance at Court
Thailand’s Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant against former PM Yingluck Shinawatra after she was a no-show at today’s verdict announcement in the negligence trial involving her Government’s rice-pledging scheme. The verdict has now been postponed to September 27. The Court has also ordered the seizure of the 30 million Baht bail. If Khun Yingluck doesn’t show up on…
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High drama in Bangkok with no-show from Yingluck
Yingluck did not show up at the Supreme Court today to hear the verdict over the Rice Pledging Scheme case. Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan confirms that he has been informed about Yingluck’s no-show in the court on a claim that she suffered from a disorder in the inner ear. He says the court has issued an arrest warrant against…
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Tech school student shot dead by rival-school students in Pak Kret
A vocational school student was fatally shot by a group of students from a rival school in Nonthaburi province on Wednesday evening, police said. The shooting incident happened at 5.30pm on Tiwanon Road in Tambon Bang Phood in Pak Kret district, said Pol Captain Supachoke Phorkhathai, deputy inspector of Pak Kret Police Station. Mongkol Khampradit, 20, a student of Pathum…
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The new, non-flammable, Samsung Galaxy Note 8
It’s impossible to appraise the sleek new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 without recalling it’s fiery predecessor, the Note 7. It got somewhat of a reputation for with catching fire or even exploding, being banned on aeroplanes and eventually just about everywhere else. It was a costly and embarrassing gaff for the South Korean electronics giant. The Galaxy Note 8 phablet…
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Severe Typhoon Hato bears down on Hong Kong and the Pearl Delta
Yesterday we were reporting about the threat of heavy rains in the Central and North-east of Thailand later this week. Today, the tropical storm Hato has been being renamed ‘Severe Typhoon Hato’ as it batters Hong Kong and communities in the Pearl Delta. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and the stock market has been closed as heavy rain and…
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HM Bhumibol Adulyadej commemorative coins popular at reservation locations
Specially minted coins, commemorating the forthcoming funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, are causing long queues at locations around the country. Long queues formed at various designated locations across the country on Tuesday morning as members of the public waited to reserve commemorative coins minted for the funeral of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. There…
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New traffic tickets, now in both Thai and English
New Gen traffic tickets are going to be printed in both Thai and English. Apart from a new barcode to assist in the paying of fines, there are a few other changes as well. The new approach would also allow accused motorists to object to the officers’ charges and explain themselves within 15 days. The new ticket would have a…
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Mother alleges her 21 year old son was beaten to death at military camp
A complaint has been lodged with Surat Thani police by the mother of a conscript who suspects her son was a victim of a beating at the 45th Military Circle based in Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp. The mother of 21 year old Private Noppadol, Mrs Malaiporn Worakitpan has told police that her son was brought home by two conscripts on Saturday.…
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14 injured in van and pick-up crash in Chiang Mai
Eleven Chinese tourists and three locals have been injured after a pick-up truck crashed into a van yesterday afternoon in Chiang Mai. Among the 11 Chinese tourists, five were severely injured and remain in a local hospital. The Chinese consulate general based in Chiang Mai says that the five severely injured tourists are still being treated at the hospital but…
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240,000 methamphetamine pills seized after northern car chase
Police have seized a huge haul of 240,000 methamphetamine pills after a hot pursuit of drug smugglers near Chiang Rai yesterday morning. Acting on a tipoff that a substantial shipment of ya ba was to be smuggled across from Myanmar into Mae Sai, heading south for the capital, police immediately set up road blocks to intervene. At about 1am yesterday…
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Southern violence moving further north. Former Minister recommends martial law in Songkhla.
In the aftermath of a truck robbery in which one hostage and one suspect were killed, officials are now floating the idea of reintroducing martial law in the southern provinces – specifically districts in Songkhla. Thavorn Senniam, former deputy interior minister and former member of Songkhla’s House of Representatives, says that the government should consider declaring martial law in some…
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New ‘smart visa’. No work permit, annual reporting.
We’ve just had the announcement of the new ten year ‘Geeza Visa’, the long-term ‘retirement’ visa. Now the Thai Cabinet has just announced plans for a new ‘Smart Visa’. Under the new Smart Visa, people can stay in Thailand, along with their spouse and children if applicable, for up to four years. The big change here is that you won’t…
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Two years and no convictions. Erawan Shrine bombing, Bangkok.
Only one person has been interrogated about the horrific Ratchaprasong bomb of August 2015 and it is now feared justice may not be reached for several more years. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the deadly bomb attack at the famous Erawan Shrine tourist destination in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and injured 125 others. Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw)…
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Vaping could get you ten years in a Thai prison
Vaping, the popular alternative to smoking cigarettes, might be OK where you come from, but in Thailand sucking on your favourite ‘vape’, or even bringing them into the country, could put put you in a Thai prison for ten years. It’s not a new law, with the import of electronic cigarettes and shisha being banned back in October 2014, but…
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Para-sailing ‘beat up’ in UK press
OPINION A story from metro.co.uk shows a ‘terrified toddler’ being ‘forced’ to take a parasailing flight on Patong Beach. The headlines blasts ‘Father forces terrified toddler to go paragliding with him in Thailand’. In the ‘Beat Up of The Day’, the Metro article has somehow turned a bad parenting story into a Patong Beach and Parasail Operator-bashing session. It might certainly…
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Air Asia under fire over racial discrimination at Don Mueang
A Bangkok expat has taken to social media to share an open letter to Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, after facing what he describes as “Racial Discrimination” by airline staff at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Philip Culbertson describes in detail how check-in staff questioned his group for an hour, demanding to see US$800 each from his wife and…
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Dramatic robbery of five pick-ups leaves two dead in Songkla
At least two people are dead after a daring robbery of five pick-up trucks in Songkhla yesterday which set off a dramatic series of events, including a hostage-taking, shootout, explosion and the safe disposal of a bomb. It started about 11am when a group of six or seven armed suspects raided the Wangto Car Centre in Tambon Na Thawi in…
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Ten year ‘Geeza Visa’ now available for Retirees in Thailand.
The 10-year visa for foreign retirees is now available at an Immigration office near you. Despite the top Immigration officer’s announcement today many offices are unaware of the change and new availability of the 10 year visa option. Lt. Gen. Natthathorn Prohsunthorn says the new visa comes in two installments, each lasting five years. Foreigners from 14 countries who meet…
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Supreme Court Judges under protection in lead up to Yingluck verdict
Security officers will be sent to guard judges in the high-profile case involving former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to maintain order ahead of the announcement of a verdict. The panel of nine judges hearing the case in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, and their residences, will be under guard until after the court delivers its verdict…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, August 15
Soggy start to Tuesday | Government pushing ahead with media controls | Bombardier Monorail coming to BKK | Activists urging Government to come up with long-term flood solutions | Belgian couple accuse ‘police’ of scam.
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