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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  • Air Asia mea culpa over bike unloading

    Air Asia mea culpa over bike unloading

    AirAsia has apologised to cyclists whose bicycles were seen to be poorly handled by ramp staff in a viral video. As a gesture of goodwill the low-cost airline is waiving all fees to transport bicycles for April, said its CEO Riad Asmat. “As a cyclist myself, I was pretty disturbed when I saw the actions of our staff. Rest assured,…

  • “US-China trade war will hurt Thai exports” – Economist

    “US-China trade war will hurt Thai exports” – Economist

    By Wichit Chaitrong, The Nation The Government has been urged to brace for the impact from a possible trade war between the United States and China with US President Donald Trump planning to impose tariffs on many Chinese goods and China vowing to retaliate. Sompop Manarungsan, veteran economist and president of the Panyapiwat Institute of Management, yesterday said he was…

  • THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 23

    THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 23

    Another bus crash of students in Ayutthaya | Ladyboys behaving badly in Pattaya | Phuket to become foam-packaging free| Top 25 toast destinations in Asia | Land Transport office wants to crack down on double decker buses | Thailand’s tourist numbers on the rise and rise.

  • 14 Thai Provinces off Rabies ‘red zone’ list

    14 Thai Provinces off Rabies ‘red zone’ list

    The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) has taken 14 provinces off its list of rabies outbreak zones. Another 24 provinces remain on the list because they contain areas where rabies is still suspected. Originally, zones in 38 provinces were announced in January, with the observation period expiring on Tuesday (March 20). The DLD Deputy Director-General Jeerasak Pipattanapongsophon says that, as…

  • THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 22

    THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 22

    16 dead following bus crash in Nakhon Ratchasima | Prawit may be invited in for a ‘chat’, NACC | Pattaya attackers charged by police | No water splashing on main roads for Songkran this year | Another tour bus crash in Phang Nga and a fatal accident on notorious Patong Hill | Austrian drowns in Pattaya | Young British traveller…

  • Nakhon Ratchasima bus crash kills 16

    Nakhon Ratchasima bus crash kills 16

    At least 16 people were killed on Wednesday evening when their double-deck coach crashed with a 18-wheel truck before slamming into roadside shops in in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khieo district, 300 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, and ending up in a ditch. Witnesses say that the driver of the coach survived the accident and fled from the scene. The accident…

  • Soi Dog calls for probe after temple dog poisoning

    Soi Dog calls for probe after temple dog poisoning

    Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) today called for a full investigation into the poisoning of dogs and puppies in front of children at a school and on temple grounds in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, and called for an end to such atrocities. Video of the killings has gone viral on Facebook, with more than a million views by today. The SDF…

  • THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, March 21

    THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, March 21

    Soi Dog Foundation comments about Rabies ‘scare’ | HM The King visits exhibition of gifts celebrating 200 years of bilateral relations with the US | Phang Nha gunman rounded up by locals | PM calls for political parties to ‘tow the line’ with setting election date | Investigation continues into fatal Phang Nga tour bus crash | Premchai’s wife charged…

  • Rabies: Genuine outbreak or misinformed panic?

    Rabies: Genuine outbreak or misinformed panic?

    By Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation Over the past few weeks, rabies has dominated social media in Thailand. The debate has been covered – and in some cases inflamed – by the traditional print and broadcast media across the country. Some people are now advocating what has been described as “Set Zero”, a massive country-wide slaughter or impounding of all stray…

  • Australian engineer says he’s ‘found’ MH370 – Malaysian search team says ‘no’.

    Australian engineer says he’s ‘found’ MH370 – Malaysian search team says ‘no’.

    A report has emerged saying that Malaysia Airlines MH370 has been found. The official MH370 Response Team says the reports are ‘unfounded and baseless’. Malaaysia’s Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, also head of the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority, say the team has read the stories in a number of junk UK media, Daily Star, The Sun Daily and The Star, express.co.uk and…

  • THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 20

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 20

    MH370 has NOT been found | Bar owner in Pattaya bashed unconscious | 10 million baht worth of marijuana seized in Chumpon | Officials concerned over damage on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao | Nok Air being asked to ‘please explain’ over poor on-time record | 103 ‘practice bombs’ found near Vachira Hospital Bangkok.

  • THAIGER TODAY Monday, March 19

    THAIGER TODAY Monday, March 19

    Wrist band ID for tourists and facial recognition tech. for 7-11s | DNA results are in for the Premchai case | PM encourages Thais to wear traditional costumes when in public | Chiang Mai air pollution ‘sixth worst in the world’ | Fire in BKK factory | Scaffolding collapse on BKK worksite.

  • Dual pricing. Fair or price gouging?

    Dual pricing. Fair or price gouging?

    Photo TIT – This Is Thailand Facebook page Thailand’s dual pricing policy continues with, it seems, a completely random application of the system. In some places flashing your Work Permit might get you an exemption so you can pay local price but there is no consistency. What are your experiences with dual pricing? Do you think it’s fair? If we’re…

  • Chiang Mai – the sixth worst air pollution in the world

    Chiang Mai – the sixth worst air pollution in the world

    Air pollution in the North continues to be critical, with small dust particles of 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5) exceeding safe limits at almost every air-quality testing station. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) revealed on Sunday that although PM2.5 levels had dropped from the previous day at almost every station, the amounts were still higher than safe standards. On average,…

  • Tourism set to rise 18% for this year’s Songkran

    Tourism set to rise 18% for this year’s Songkran

    Songkran is on the way. That means water fights in the main tourist destinations around the country and Thais fleeing the cities and work locations to head back to their homes ‘upcountry’. With the official Songkran break starting on a Wednesday this year you can be assured that many will take the Monday and Tuesday off in that week and…

  • Now, a SEVEN metre python!

    Now, a SEVEN metre python!

    A video posted on YouTube shows Pathum Thani snake catchers round up a seven metre long, almost 100 kilogram, python from near the yard of a PTT gas depot in Khlong Luang district, just north of Bangkok. Amnat Saengsawang said it was the biggest snake he has captured in 30 years of doing the job. Click to watch the video…

  • 7-11 rolling out facial recognition in its 11,000 Thai stores

    7-11 rolling out facial recognition in its 11,000 Thai stores

    Smile, you’re on camera. Your friendly, neighbourhood convenience store, 7-Eleven store is rolling out facial recognition technology. The Japanese-owned franchise has 11,000 stores in Thailand. The convenience store chain says they’ll will roll out the technology in a number of different ways, including to identify regular and loyal customers, monitor stock levels of products and better analyse customer traffic trends.…

  • Porsche Panamera blaze during battery charge

    Porsche Panamera blaze during battery charge

    A 10 million baht Porsche Panamera caught fire while its battery was recharging in Bangkok’s Taling Chan district early Friday and the flames also damaged the owner’s luxury home. Police and firefighters were summoned at 6.30am and arrived to find the sports car already engulfed and fire in the living room of the house. After the blaze was extinguished, homeowner…

  • ‘Future Forward’ take their first steps

    ‘Future Forward’ take their first steps

    By Wasamon Audjarint With a promise of inclusive democracy to resurrect politics from its “lost decade”, the young-blood Future Forward Party was launched yesterday. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a scion of the Thai Summit business family, and law academic Piyabutr Saengkanokkul yesterday launched the party at a “Drinking Coffee with Thanathorn and Friends” event, ostensibly named to circumvent the junta’s ban on…

  • THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 16

    THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 16

    Six confirmed human deaths from Rabies | ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ crackdown | Prawit gets another extension to explain himself | Burmese man drowns off Maithon Island | Thais are discussing ‘final solution’ to stray dog problem | Storms flatten homes in north-east.

  • THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 15

    THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 15

    Dog and cat registration may become compulsory | Premchai shows up to acknowledge charges | ONE…BIG…SNAKE | BKK Japanese restaurants reject fish from Fukushima | Mercedes invests in local electric car plant | Thanathorn’s new ‘Future’ party launched this morning.

  • 21 year old arrested over assault on 82 year old following Facebook campaign

    21 year old arrested over assault on 82 year old following Facebook campaign

    A young motorcyclist surrendered to police last night (Wednesday) evening following a Facebook campaign, which saw a reward of 60,000 baht being raised for his arrest, after he was recorded on video kicking and hitting an elderly man in Bangkok. 21 year old Narathorn Sodetiyung reportedly admitted that he had assaulted 82 year old Jaroon Maneephan after the latter knocked…

  • Monster python caught and released in Nakhon Si Thammarat

    Monster python caught and released in Nakhon Si Thammarat

    Snake catchers in Nakorn Sri Thammarat have caught a monster python. The reptile was 5.5 meters long and weighed 100 kilograms. It took ten people to hold it for the video. As you can see the python wasn’t too happy about being in the selfie. It was spotted by a rubber worker who saw it curled up by a termite…

  • Pet registration on the way

    Pet registration on the way

    It looks like Thailand is going to get tough on people who abandon their pets and also provide better control for disease outbreaks like the current Rabies infections around the Kingdom. New laws are being proposed that will require pet owners to register and microchip their animals. This is common practice in most western countries and allows lost animals to…

  • THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, March 14

    THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, March 14

    Rabies situation ‘under control’ | Motorbike driver lucky to walk away from accident | No toilets at tsunami museum | BKK motor tollways free over Songkran | Prosecution case ready over Toyota Thai Football League match-fixing | FBI attempts to interview ‘sex-therapist’ couple who ‘know things’ | Indian man and Thai accomplice arrested over visa scam.

  • Pattaya police on the hunt for ‘amorous couple’

    Pattaya police on the hunt for ‘amorous couple’

    Tourist police are trying to locate and take legal action against a foreign couple who were caught on video having sex on Dong Tan beach in Pattaya City. The couple appear in a 31 second clip that was taken at 8am on Sunday and widely shared on social networks. The video shows an unidentified man, who looks like a westerner,…

  • “Your white handsome man is really a dark skinned scammer!” Tourist police warning

    “Your white handsome man is really a dark skinned scammer!” Tourist police warning

    The Thai tourist police have produced a Facebook warning for Thai women about Romance Scams. One of the frames shows a cartoon white man who they say is handsome and rich. But towards the end the police say that he is more than likely dark skinned and after your money. The advice says that middle aged and middle class Thai…

  • Kratom delivery kills two

    Kratom delivery kills two

    A car transporting Kratom leaves crashed into an innocent pedestrian then careered into a drain, killing both victim and driver this morning (March 13) in Krabi Province. A 31 year old man from Sadao, Songkhla, Kusol Kaewrattana, lost control of his Toyota Fortuner that was transporting 30 sacks of Kratom leaves and crashed into 68 year old Lek Sae-Iew, who…

  • THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 13

    THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 13

    National ban on darts boards | Premchai denied postponement to acknowledge his bribery charges | Daring escape by pick-up in Rayong | Air pollution returns to Bangkok | Boat sinks off Krabi | Disability campaigner threatens to sue BTS and BKK Authorities | Police nab a pick-up with 1,800 kg of beef; that’s one BIG BBQ!!

  • Banned! Dart board ban now in effect across Thailand. Bars urged to get boards registered.

    Banned! Dart board ban now in effect across Thailand. Bars urged to get boards registered.

    Thailand’s ban on bars and entertainment venues allowing punters to play darts is now in affect nationwide. In January, officials in Pattaya raided bars along Soi 6 to confiscate the ‘illegal’ dart boards.Bar owners and staff were told that venues must now have a dart board license if they wanted to be able to allow customers to play the popular…