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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Banned. Thai airports cracking down what you can take on board
Thailand’s CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) is urging airports to more strictly enforce security regulations that would prohibit a longer list of things being taken aboard. The upgraded ban covers foods, liquids and cosmetics that are now limited to containers that have a capacity of no more than 100 millilitres (a tenth of a litre). These items will be restricted and…
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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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Thailand’s exports plunge 5.8% in May
Thai exports have declined 5.8% for the month of May 2019. The value of May’s exports is 648 billion baht. The Commerce Ministry says in their report today that the contraction is mostly influenced by global factors including ongoing trade tensions between US and China and tighter global financial conditions, and specific factors of each country and region, political uncertainty…
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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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Thai Baht hits six year high – 31.05 to the US dollar
The Thai baht has hit a six-year high, reaching 31.05 to the US dollar yesterday after the US Federal Reserve signalled possible interest rates cuts. The US Fed says their monetary easing would be in response to increased economic uncertainty and a drop in inflation expectations. The Thai currency is forecast to keep trading in a range of 31.15 to 31.25…
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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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Bryde’s whale carcass washed up on Samut Prakan beach
PHOTOS: ThaiWhales / DMCR The carcass of a Bryde’s whale has been found near a mangrove forest in Samut Prakan today. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources report that they were notified by staff on an oil ship three days ago that the Bryde’s whale was found dead floating in the sea off Samut Prakan. The DMCR officers searched…
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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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Screws tightening on Non Immigrant visas for expats wishing to live in Thailand
SOURCE: ThaiVisa A decade ago there seemed to be various ways to stay in Thailand long-term. There was a bit of wriggle room in the interpretation of the guidelines and there was always ‘ways and means’ of securing a visa (nudge nudge, wink, wink). But the screws are being tightened on expats, retirees and long-stayers who are finding their options…
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How many tourists visit the real Thailand?
PHOTO: Sarah Lazarus – CNN Thailand is best known for its beaches, astonishing street food, markets and diverse south-east Asian culture. But how many people get out of the cities and tourist traps and get to experience the real Thailand? How many expats, living in Thailand, even get to experience the real Thailand? Thailand is the fourth most popular holiday…
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41 Thai MPs facing investigation over alleged media shares
… and 27 of them are from the pro-Junta Palang Pracharat Party. Latest rumblings out of Bangkok as rival parties ramp up the rhetoric in the lead up to an announcement of the new Cabinet. Meanwhile the current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is trying to keep the situation calm during this weekend’s ASEAN Summit being held in the capital. A Future…
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PM cannot legally attend cabinet meetings or ASEAN Summit – Future Forward
…but we bet he will. Future Forward’s secretary-general says the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has violated the Constitution by chairing cabinet meetings both last week and yesterday. He also cast doubt over Prayut’s capacity to host next week’s ASEAN Summit in Bangkok as Thailand’s PM. Piyabutr Saengkanokkul claims that PM Prayut was appointed the post-election prime minister by a Royal Command dated…
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Tesco looks to open 750 new convenience stores in Thailand
by James Davey, Editing by Paul Sandle Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, has announced that it could grow its business in Thailand by opening 750 new convenience-style stores. There are currently1,583 Tesco stores in Thailand. Tesco’s Asian investment plunge will likely target the Chinese and South Korean markets as well. The Thai subsidiary, Tesco Lotus, was the first western supermarket to set…
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Bus conductor fired, company fined for molesting ladyboy passenger
An inter-provincial Thai bus conductor has been fired and the bus company fined 5,000 baht after he allegedly molested a transgender passenger on-board. The bus was travelling to Nong Bua Lamphu, near Udon Thani, north-east Thailand, from Bangkok. The bus company, which Land Transport officials have declined to name, was fined 5,000 baht by his office for providing substandard bus…
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Seven arrested over trafficking of Burmese migrants into Thailand
by Suriye Patathayo Police have arrested seven Thai and Burmese suspects for allegedly luring at least nine Burmese nationals into forced labour in Thailand. The suspects ages ranged from 27 to 61. The first five face several charges including human trafficking, while a Thai couple have been charged with sheltering and helping illegal migrants evade arrest. Pol Lt-General Sanchai Sunthornburana,…
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Homeopathy ‘doctor’ forced to back down on Dengue-cure claims
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine has been forced to backtrack from its un-researched claims that its homeopathic formula is highly effective for dengue-fever protection. “It’s just a supplementary measure that needs further research,” Dr Sunpong Ritthiruksa admitted in his capacity as the chair of the department’s centre for herbal medicine, Thai traditional medicine, folk medicine and alternative…
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Thailand to sit on UN committee from 2020
PHOTO: Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai Thailand has been selected as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council from 2020 to 2022 on behalf of Asia and the Pacific region, alongside China, South Korea and Bangladesh. Thailand won 186 votes in the selection process. Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai also participated in the session. Last time…
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More internal bickering for Democrats over split of cabinet seats
Democrat party MPs find themselves again torn over important decisions.. This time the party is split over the sharing of eight cabinet posts allocated to them by their leading coalition partner, Palang Pracharat. Last week the decided to side with the pro-Junta Palang Pracharat party to vote Prayut Chan-o-cha into the PM position. They’d campaigned on ensuring that Prayut wouldn’t…
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Administrative Court rejects private hospitals’ plea to remove caps on pricing
Thailand’s private hospital sector has failed to win respite from an order controlling their medical prices, after the Supreme Administrative Court turned down their request. The court made the decision saying that the order will not cause irreversible damages to the hospitals even though an injunction has not been issued yet. The Private Hospital Association, together with 42 private hospitals,…
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Thai PM acts on illegal and unlicensed hotels and accommodation
Owners of shop-houses, rented properties, even entire floors of condos – running them as defacto hotels – are about to get the Article 44 treatment. The PM, acting in his capacity as the head of the NCPO (in the days before it is dissolved), says he will bring an estimated 20,000 illegal hotels and accommodations around the country under control…
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Complaints made over 41 pro-Junta coalition MPs over their alleged media shares
Just as it appeared the dust was settling on the fractious formation of a new parliament for Thailand, more than 40 MPs of the pro-junta bloc are now targeted in cases related to media shareholding after their names were submitted to the Constitutional Court. Should these MPs be suspended or disqualified, the pro-junta coalition’s narrow Lower House majority could vanish…
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Poll shows most respondents don’t believe Future Forward bribe claims
PHOTO: prachatai.com More than 53% of respondents to a recent poll don’t believe the claim that the Future Forward party made in the days before last week’s parliametrary vote for the PM, that they had been offered millions of baht for their supporting votes. At the time some Future Forward Ps went public claims they were offered amounts as high…
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Electric vehicles on the rise but the take up is slow in Thailand
“Two trends will develop in Southeast Asia. The first is new operators of EV taxi fleets such as cars and motorcycles, and the second is electric buses for public transport.” Justin Wu, head of Asia-Pacific for Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) says the electric vehicles (EVs) remain expensive and unaffordable for individual buyers in Thailand and ASEAN. Mr. Wu says…
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