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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Bad 1stQ for Thai Media and Telecoms
BANGKOK: With but two exceptions, listed telecom and media companies in Thailand continued in the doldrums in the 1stQ this year, with stagnant revenue growth resulting in continued or worsening losses. According to Nielsen Thailand, ad spending in the first four months of 2017 dropped almost six percent, to 35 billion baht, from the same period last year. Analog TV…
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Nation Analysis: High defense spending at expense of education, welfare
THE CONTROVERSIAL submarine deal has sparked public debate about the way the Thai Defense Ministry spends tax money on military hardware and other national-security projects. Many question whether such projects should take priority over education, public healthcare or improving the lives of the country’s millions of poor. Since the coup in 2014, the budget allocated to the Defense Ministry has…
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Bomb blast at army hospital in Bangkok injures 25
BANGKOK: Twenty five people were injured in a bomb blast at an Army hospital in Bangkok yesterday morning. A police source said an unidentified bomber attached a green vase with artificial flowers to a wall in the reception room of Phramongkutklao Hospital before a homemade bomb exploded there at 10:40am. Investigators of the Metropolitan Police Bureau obtained a picture of…
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Another foreign couple wanted for committing sex acts in public
SAMUI: Police are searching for an unidentified foreign couple who were seen ‘getting intimate’ at the side of the road at Nathorn Beach in Samui this morning. A video of the incident, about a minute and 45 seconds long, was posted on a Facebook page titled ‘Ruam Pon Khon Mui‘. The couple were seemingly unconcerned about making a spectacle, as…
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His Majesty the King signs Thailand’s new constitution
BANGKOK: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday signed the country’s new constitution – the 20th – giving it royal endorsement and setting in motion a process for the next general election, which is expected late next year. Through a court secretary, HM proclaimed the new charter’s promulgation in a televised royal ceremony that included local and foreign dignitaries, including Prime…
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Two foreigners arrested in alleged extortion sting
CHIANG MAI: Police arrested an Australian and a Dutch national in Mae Rim district in Chiang Mai yesterday afternoon, for allegedly trying to extort an Australian restaurant owner out of 1.7 million baht. The chopper-riding suspects say they are innocent. The alleged victim, aged in his 50s, told police that the duo threatened to kill his family if he failed…
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Immigration sealed for fugitive monk
THAILAND: Immigration police have been ordered to prevent Phra Dhammachayo, the former abbot of Dhammakaya Temple, from fleeing to neighboring countries, Immigration Police Bureau commissioner Lt General Nuttathorn Proesunthon said yesterday. “The ‘modern’ system and technology of the bureau, which is linked to all exit points, will help block the fugitive monk from leaving the country,” he added. The monk…
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Swiss expat admits abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand
THAILAND: Swiss authorities yesterday confirmed that a man suspected of sexually abusing more than 80 boys in Thailand will be going on trial to face numerous allegations including molestation. It was reported that some of his victims were as young as nine years old. “The unnamed man has admitted to taking thousands of pornographic pictures of the boys, but denied…
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His Majesty strips fugitive monk of patriarch rank
THAILAND: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun has signed a royal command to strip Phra Dhammachayo of a senior monk rank, equivalent to a patriarch. The royal command, which was signed on Saturday, was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. The command stripped Phra Dhammachayo of the rank of Thep Yarn Mahamunee on grounds that he is wanted on a…
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Asian black bear’s fall to death ‘explained’
THAILAND: A member of the team responsible for sending an Asian black bear back into nature said yesterday that the animal’s fatal plunge from a helicopter was an “unavoidable accident caused by sudden turbulent weather”. Thanatip Chaiyos, a volunteer photographer, was part of a mission to move the five-year-old bear back to the forest, which ended tragically last month, sparking…
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Rescued black bear falls to death from chopper
THAILAND: A wildlife activist yesterday criticized Khao Yai National Park officials for allowing an Asian black bear to fall to its death from a helicopter earlier this month during a rescue operation to return it to nature. Thongchai Saengprathum, secretary of the Khao Yai Foundation, said the officials concerned should face legal action for negligence. The bear reportedly woke up…
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Thai expats in America fear Trump
THAILAND: Illegal migrants from Thailand are living in fear in the United States as the new administration under President Donald Trump issued a new order to crack down on 11 million undocumented foreigners. The Foreign Ministry yesterday also expressed concern about the new order, warning Thai people in the US to comply with the laws of the host country as…
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CIA executive unfit due to alleged torture links in Thailand, says Amnesty
BANGKOK: Amnesty International has called for the review of the appointment of Gina Haspel as deputy director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) because of her alleged torture links in Thailand. Erika Guevara-Rosas, Director of the Americas at Amnesty International, issued a press statement that Ms Haspel’s appointment could hamper investigations into alleged torture and enforced disappearance at…
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Thai PM receives death threats, orders manhunt
BANGKOK: Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan o cha today said that his government has launched a manhunt for people posting death threats against him and his Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. “I want to ask them [who posted] where they got the information. I think Thai expatriates overseas who regularly insult the Monarchy mentioned the assassination first,”…
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Police cadet orientation marred by exam-cheating arrests
BANGKOK: TEN people suspected to have cheated in a police entrance exam in December were arrested on Tuesday morning as they attended cadet orientation at a Police Club in Bangkok. Arrest warrants were issued for at least 51 students regarding the case last month (story here). “The 10 men, accused of copying exam answers from others, were wanted on charges…
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Govt denies digital surveillance as report alleges ‘spying’
BANGKOK: The government dismissed allegations yesterday that it had violated people’s privacy by conducting surveillance of telephone and Internet communications. Government spokesman Lt Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the government was too busy and did not have time to spy on people. He was responding to a report by the London-based organization ‘Privacy International (PI)’ regarding surveillance in Thailand. The organization,…
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Arrest warrants issued for university students in police scandal
BANGKOK: Dozens of medical and engineering university students now face arrest warrants for their alleged roles in cheating during police officer entrance exams last month at the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB). Criminal arrest warrants were issued today for about 51 university students and a Bangkok city regulation enforcement officer, after MPB Training Centre Chief Colonel Uthen Nuiphin filed cheating complaints…
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Police chief to probe entrance exam cheating scandal
BANGKOK: National police chief Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said yesterday he would await the results of an internal investigation into cheating before deciding whether to cancel the results of an entrance exam for applicants seeking to be police officers. Gen Chakthip’s comments were made after Col Uthen Nuiphin, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s Training Center, filed a complaint with the…
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Siriraj to boost breast cancer patient survival
BANGKOK: Siriraj Hospital aims to greatly boost the chances of survival for breast cancer patients within the next five years, one of its senior medical experts said yesterday. Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean and director of Mahidol University’s Siriraj Medical School, said the faculty aimed to ‘defeat’ breast cancer completely for first stage cancer patients with a 100-per-cent survival rate. “For…
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Van numbers to decrease by 2019
BANGKOK: As many as 40,000 inter-provincial passenger vans could be taken off Thailand’s roads by 2019 because they are not appropriate for public transportation, Deputy Prime Minister Wisanu Krue-Ngam said today. PM Wisanu said that the Transport Ministry’s proposal to use Article 44 of the interim charter to immediately tackle the problem with passenger vans did not solely stem from…
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Horrific Chonburi collision spurs talks of change
CHON BURI: The Transport Ministry plans to strictly control passenger vans and replace them with buses after the fiery accident in Chon Buri on Monday caused 25 fatalities. The Bangkok-bound minivan from Chanthaburi ran into a pickup truck loaded with passengers and both vehicles burst into flames, killing 14 people in the van and 11 in the pickup. Two passengers…
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American tourist reunited with stolen possessions
KOH SAMUI: A Thai couple was arrested on Sunday for the theft of an American tourist’s bag from a hotel room in Koh Samui the previous day. Christopher Rusciano, a pilot for American low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines, was staying at Ark Bar Beach Resort, where the incident occurred. “On Saturday night, Mr Rusciano left his room to meet his friend,…
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Demolition execs charged over 4 Bangkok deaths
BANGKOK: Police have charged the managing director and engineer of a demolition firm over the collapse of an eight-storey building in Bangkok that killed four workers on Friday. Boy Ocean Star Company had insisted that it subcontracted the job to another firm, Mega Tools.However, police have charged Boy Ocean Star managing director Mana Kaewmanee and the firm’s engineer Kittipong Yootairomboon…
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Two demolition workers killed in Sukhumvit building collapse
BANGKOK: Two construction workers were killed in Bangkok yesterday when an eight-storey building under demolition on Sukhumvit Soi 87 collapsed. Rescue workers, police and fire-fighters continue their search for the workers this morning, as they are believed to be trapped under the debris. It was initially reported that four workers were in the building, said Noppadol Chaipanya, head of the…
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King Rama X proclaimed
BANGKOK: HIS MAJESTY King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun was proclaimed yesterday as the 10th King of the Chakri Dynasty after he accepted the invitation made by the president of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in accordance with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s will, the Constitution and Palace Law. “I accept the invitation in order to follow His Majesty King Bhumibol’s will…
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EU ‘Green card’ for Thailand expected over IUU fishing
THAILAND: The Kingdom should expect to receive a ‘green card’ from the European Union for its efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, once the EU realizes the real progress the government is making in this regard, according to Steve Trent, executive director of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF). Mr Trent said the EJF had seen the progress…
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Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to become King Rama X
BANGKOK: The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai convened a special meeting today and has now announced acknowledgment of the Cabinet’s resolution to invite HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn to accede to the throne. “The NLA, which now functions as the Parliament, has received the Cabinet’s resolution. The NLA president will now invite the Crown Prince to accede to…
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Thailand visa fees to be reduced to B1,000
THAILAND: Visa fees for entering Thailand, including fees for visas on arrival, are to be reduced for three months starting on December 1. The move is intended to boost tourist arrivals, a key economic engine for the country. “The fees will be cut to Bt1,000,” the Tourism Ministry announced yesterday. The change was announced less than two months after visa…
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Bulletin issued on HM the King’s health
BANGKOK: The Bureau of the Royal Household has indicated His Majesty the King’s condition remains unstable and under close monitoring. In its 38th statement issued on the condition of HM the King, the Bureau of the Royal Household indicated that the team of doctors providing treatment to His Majesty on Tuesday diagnosed a further drop in his blood pressure, a…
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What’s different about The Thaiger?
The Thaiger is growing fast, reaching out beyond Phuket to cover the rest of Thailand as well. We will still be posting at least five stories a day for our Phuket readers but will be adding other regions of the Kingdom as well so we become a truly national portal. • In May 2018, alone, we grew our online audience…
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