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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TAT chief blames high baht for drop in tourists to Thailand
Thailand’s tourism numbers have been dropping over the past three months, against projections and when compared to year-on-year figures. And the blame game has started. TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) chief Yuthasak Suphasorn is blaming the high value of the Thai baht for the worse than expected tourist figures. He admits that European visitors are being more careful over their money and…
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Thailand tops the poll for countries offering travellers the ‘host’ factor
“The perfect destination for travellers seeking to experience a warm welcome and immerse themselves in the local culture.” A recent poll by booking.com across 29 countries has found Thai people to be among the top nationalities who consider their country to be more hospitable than others. Thailand, along with Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan and India, are the top five countries where…
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Students and driver injured in Petchabun bus incident
PHOTOS: Sawangbueang Sampan Thammasatan Rescue Eight people have sustained injuries after an incident between a motorbike and a bus carrying students in Petchabun, north-central Thailand. Emergency responders were notified of the accident in Baan Bueang Sampan, Petchabun this morning. Rescue workers arrived to find an overturned orange school bus on the road. Nearby was a damaged motorbike. Seven students and the…
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Thailand’s auto manufacturing expects to reach 2.2 million
PHOTO: Autoinfo Car sales for 2019 are likely to increase thanks to the improved purchasing power of Thais as the agricultural sector returns better prices. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Phasu Loharachun, say the automotive industry is the main economic activity generating revenue for the country. Meanwhile, the total number of cars to be manufactured this year is expected…
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A new beginning at 48 – The Nation prints its last newspaper today
The Nation daily newspaper, known for its independent and aggressive news reporting, publishes its last print edition today. After 48 years on the newsstands, one of Thailand’s only two English dailies, goes the way of many good banners before them. The Nation will continue as an online news source. The newspaper is the latest victim of the disruptive technology that…
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13 students injured in minivan/pickup collision in Chachoengsao – VIDEO
VIDEO: teenee8rews 13 students in a minivan have sustained injuries after a pickup truck, running through a red light, collided with their van in Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok. Chachoengsao Police were notified of the incident at the Nakoo Intersection, central Chachoengsao. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged pickup truck and the minivan. Passersby helped to right the…
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Somkid blames sluggish formation of Thai government for GDP downgrading
Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is saying the delay in forming Thailand’s next government caused the downgrading of the country’s GDP projections from 3.8% to 3.3%. The Bank of Thailand downgraded their forecasts at a meeting this morning. But Somkid noted that he was confident that Thailand’s GDP growth will pick up again once the new cabinet had been announced and…
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Constitutional Court orders investigation of 32 MPs in media share row
The Thai Constitutional Court has agreed to accept a petition against 32 MPs from the military-aligned coalition over alleged media share holdings. But the Court has allowed the MPs to continue their parliamentary duties. This dispensation was not offered to anti-junta politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit from the opposition Future Forward Party who is being investigated over the same allegations. The court…
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16,467 kilograms of drugs destroyed on International Day against Drug Abuse
PHOTOS: The Police Magazine Thailand 16,467 kilograms of drugs were destroyed on the annual International Day against Drug, valued around 20 million baht. The Police Magazine Thailand reported yesterday, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, that drugs has been destroyed by Ministry of Public Health at Bangpa, an Industrial Estate in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Drugs destroyed…
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Thai car manufacturers upbeat about sales
PHOTO: Chevrolet’s proposed SUV ‘Blazer’ to replace the Captiva Car sales for the first five months of this year stood at 437,722 equating to a year-on-year rise of just over 9%. Sales for May alone were 88,097 units, up 3.7%. But May’s growth slowed from the double-digit rise that the sector experienced between January and April, 2019. • By brand sales…
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Thai government announces hotel license amnesty
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com In a significant move by Thailand’s government, a hotel licensing amnesty program has been announced on a nationwide basis. Clearly pressure by hotel owners amidst an large-scale influx of non-licensed accommodation has spurred the action. Leading international legal advisors Baker McKenzie Thailand have issued an information alert on the program which we are publishing in full,…
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SURVEY – Do the Tourism Authority of Thailand invent their statistics?
The internet has spoken, well The Thaiger’s Facebook page anyway, and there is a strong distrust in the statistics about tourist arrivals issued by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 83% of people that voted said they didn’t believe the numbers quoted by the TAT. 17% believed the numbers were accurate. The reasons for people’s disbelief aren’t fully understood as their…
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Cloud looms over 41 Thai MPs in media-shares fiasco
PHOTO: Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit The Constitutional Court is sitting today to consider whether they’ll accept petitions against 41 newly elected MPs accused by the Future Forward party of breaching media shareholding rules. There are 41 Members of Parliament accused of breaching the rules – 26 from the Palang Pracharath Party, 11 from Democrats, and one from Bhumjaithai Party, Action…
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SURVEY: Do you tip in Thailand?
Yesterday we asked readers to tell us what they do when it comes to tipping in Thailand. We noted that a lot of people’s feelings about tipping was related to where they come from and the customs they had on tipping in their home country. The question was… To tip or not to tip? Whilst the custom of tipping is…
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Thailand Post’s no-go list
Twenty years ago postal services were thought to he going out of fashion as email and social media began to replace people sending letters in the post. But that’s all changed now as online retail services are making the world’s postal services busier than ever. Including Thailand Post. If you’re wishing to avoid problems with Thailand Post and would like…
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49 year old Israeli, deported after dismembering wife in Bangkok, arrested in eastern Thailand
PHOTO: INN News The immigration chief told media yesterday that an Israeli man convicted for dismembering his wife and dumping her body parts back in 2004, has been caught in Sa Kaew’s Aranyaprathet district, near the Cambodian border, at the Rong Kleua market. 49 year old Eli Cohen was sentenced to life in prison in December 2004 for murdering his wife,…
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Poll – Will the Thai Baht rise or fall (compared to other currencies)?
Yesterday The Thaiger polled our Facebook readers asking them… “Will the Thai baht continue to rise in value against many of the western currencies? Or has it peaked?” Your responses were very mixed but the result was a slight leaning towards the baht dropping, but only by 52% to 48%, from 585 votes. Thanks for participating! Here are few of…
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Tougher laws and bigger fines for taxi drivers who reject passengers
Mai dai! Taxi drivers who say ‘no’ to passengers will soon be liable to a fine of 5,000 baht. That’s up from 2,000 baht. Taxi drivers, especially in Bangkok, are notorious for rejecting fares when the passenger’s travel plans doesn’t suit the driver’s, especially at times near the change of shifts. The owner of the taxi will now face a…
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Polls show Thai voters sick of endless bickering over Cabinet posts
Exactly three months now since the national election for a new parliament and still no announcement of a parliamentary majority, government or ministries. But two surveys are a strong indication of Thai voter weariness over the drawn-out process of establishing a ministerial Cabinet. A NIDA (National Institute of Development Administration) poll shows most people (46.4%) complain that their elected representatives…
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Unregistered hotels and lodgings told to get their paperwork in order, or close down
At least 5,000 of the country’s estimated 23,000 unregistered small hotels are expected to get their paperwork in order. The rush to action follows the announcement by the current government to register and comply with the Hotel Act, or be closed down. Most of Thailand’s busy tourist spots are rampant with small and illegal lodgings for tourists. Whilst the growth…
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Thailand remains on Tier 2 for Trafficking in Persons
The Thai government doesn’t fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The US has released the 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report saying the Thai government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period so will remain on Tier 2. These efforts included identifying more victims, sentencing…
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Myth: Strong baht deterring western tourists to Thailand
The rise and rise of the Thai Baht, and it’s pushing through the 31.05 to the US Dollar barrier on Wednesday, tops off a turbulent decade of movement against some of the western currencies. The decade’s currency rise has also been matched by a meteoric explosion in tourism pushing Thailand into the top ten list of popular tourist locations in…
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Thailand’s Ayutthaya Elephant Palace says they will fight eviction orders
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, an elephant ride business at the Ayutthaya Historic Park north of Bangkok, says it will fight an order to leave the park. The business manager for the company, Ittiphan Khaolamai says the attraction is ‘nationally recognised’. “We will petition the Central Administrative Court next week. We can’t accept the order requiring us to…
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Private hospitals briefed on new drug prices and medical fee notifications
Internal Trade department officials have briefed representatives of 353 private hospitals around Thailand about the public notification of prices of drugs, medical supplies and medical services to patients are treated at their hospitals. Internal Trade Department Director General Wichai Phochanakit explained that the private hospitals need to notify the public of the prices of drugs separately, not including the hospital…
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Chinese tourist numbers to Thailand soften for second consecutive month
Some key figure for May show Thailand’s rise in tourism numbers faltering. The numbers represent a softening in Thailand’s popularity as the world’s fourth most popular tourist destination, following a decade of high growth in tourism across the country. The drop in Chinese visitors is the most visible change to the monthly figures. The tourism and sports ministry announced the…
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45 year old Swede arrested on Koh Chang over $11 million scam
SCREENSHOTS: Manager Online video 45 year old Swedish national, Roger Nils Jonas Karlsson, has been arrested in connection with a multi-million dollar fraud. He was arrested on Koh Chang, far eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border. Police seized electronic devices and computers, allegedly used in the fraudulent activities relating to his arrest. Thai police were acting on an Interpol red notice…
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478 mostly-illegal foreigners rounded up in immigration raid
FILE PHOTO – One of the regular round-up of illegal foreigners Police have netted another 478 mostly-illegal foreigners during surprise raids in more than 200 locations around Thailand yesterday (Wednesday) – most illegal immigrants. The assistant national police chief cited the 34th ASEAN Summit being held in Bangkok (that started today) as part of the security crackdown. Police and immigration…
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Thai DLT to look at legalising GrabCar and GrabBike
Thailand’s Department of Land Transport is toying with the idea of officially legalising the Grab ride-hailing services using private cars and motorcycles through the Grab App. The DLT say they are already aware of the issue but say amendments would be required to the Land Transport Act if it were to happen. Today they were unable to put a timescale…
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Norwegian man seriously injured after van collides with a truck in Lopburi
PHOTOS: Motorlance Lopburi A 50 year old Norwegian man has sustained serious injuries while four other Thai passengers sustained minor injuries when a van collided with a truck in Lopburi, north of Bangkok, this morning. Rescue workers say that they were notified of the accident this morning on the Saraburi – Lomsak Road in Chaibadan, Lopburi. The left hand side…
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Where to post all of your job positions: Completely free!
Recruitment can cost you more than you realize. You do not want to sacrifice candidate quality, but you don’t wish to spend too much time and money to find them. All types of employers are searching online for platforms they can use to post their job positions for free. From social networking websites to job boards, there are many ways…
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