News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
-
Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
-
Constitutional court turns down request to lift Thanathorn’s suspension
Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has hit another hurdle with the Constitutional Court rejecting his requests to rescind an earlier court order suspending him from performing his duties as an MP. According to yesterday’s Constitutional Court’s bulletin, the court had not found “any change in behaviour on the part of Mr. Thanathorn that would justify the court lifting the suspension”. The…
-
Thai school girls – longer skirts, bigger blouses
The Thai Education Ministry is telling teenage female students to dress “appropriately” and stop wearing dresses that are too skimpy. The Ministry has made amendments to the Child Protection Act to codify the length of dresses and the tightness of blouses, rather than leaving it up to school boards to come up with their own guidelines (you can imagine those…
-
American woman tries to smuggle 6 day old baby in carry on luggage – Philippines
A female US citizen remains in custody in the Philippines after allegedly trying to leave the country with a baby inside her hand luggage. She was flying out of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. The baby was alive and now in the care of Philippine officials. The 43 year old American woman was caught with the child in…
-
Thai public hospitals now have two-tiered pricing for their services
Foreigners who receive medical treatment or services at public hospitals in Thailand are set to pay more than locals or residents of neighbouring countries for the same services. The new multi-tiered pricing sets guidelines for services by the Thai public Health department. New government guidelines were announced in the Government Gazette at the end of August and include a new…
-
Release dates announced for Tom Waller’s ‘The Cave’
The first of a few productions about last year’s massive cave rescue at the Tham Luang caves in Chiang Rai is going to be released on November 28. It is a feature film called “The Cave” (Nang Non) and will be released in Thai theatres as well. The film focuses on the rescue itself as the director said working with…
-
HM the King offers relief to Khon Kaen flood victims
Privy Councillor Ampon Kittiampon and the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation have delivered nearly 3,500 relief kits to residents of flood-affected Khon Kaen in Thailand’s north-east. The kits were donations from His Majesty the King. In separate ceremonies, 1,997 kits were presented to flood victims at a hall in Ban Phai district and 1,497 at Wat Sai Thong in Muang district. His Majesty also…
-
Thai freight train derails near the Laos border
PHOTO: Prasit Tangprasert Trains running between Bangkok and Nong Khai (the north east province on the Laos border near Vientiane), had to be detoured this morning just after 6am after a freight train became derailed near Bua Yai junction station. According to the Bangkok Post, the train was carrying gravel for use on the construction and maintenance of rail tracks,…
-
Thai economic committee warns about stagnant growth in second half of 2019
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking says they’re concerned by threats to the performance of the Thai economy in the second half of this year. The office says the lack of stimulating factors and the project of an ever-stronger baht will stifle economic expansion and the economy will fail to reach targets. The JSCCIB President Preedee Daochai…
-
Court orders prison sentence for airline boss after 2007 Phuket crash
PHOTO: La-croix.com 12 years after a crash at Phuket airport that killed 89 passengers, a Paris court has sentenced the former chief of Thai budget airline One-Two-Go to four years’ imprisonment and a fine of 75,000 Euros. Udom Tantiprasongchai has been found guilty of voluntary manslaughter in a civil suit brought by the families of 9 French victims. However, despite…
-
Online gambling den in Pattaya raided, 19 Chinese arrested
PHOTO: Daily News Nineteen Chinese on tourist visas have been rounded up during a raid on two rooms at the ‘CC Condo’ in Pattaya early this morning. The gang were running an online gambling operation and, according to police, turning over 2 million Chinese Yuan, about 8 million Thai baht, a month. According to Daily News, the raid was led by local…
-
Thai street dog goes viral with “fake” injury
A clever street dog in Bangkok has gone viral on social media, with users joking that he is faking an injury for sympathy and food from passersby. Known as Gae, the dog drags his back leg behind him as if unable to walk, but once someone stops to give him attention, he’s quickly back on all fours and walking normally.…
-
Sick child rushed to Bangkok hospital by a passing Grab Food motorcycle rider
A Grab Food motorcycle came to the rescue and helped a frantic mother rush her sick child to hospital yesterday. Her car’s dash cam video (below) captures the mother’s desperate please as her son, Pla Wan, was foaming at the mouth and losing control of his movements. Daily News reports the the mother’s car was stuck in traffic and unable to…
-
Central Bank of Thailand voices concern over impact of economic slowdown
PHOTO: Thai PBS World The Bank of Thailand has expressed concern about the country’s rising household debt as a result of the sluggish economy. The bank’s assistant governor Titanun Mallikamas was speaking on Monday, in response to the National Economic and Social Development Council raising the matter at a press conference. “We are closely monitoring household debts, as Thai families…
-
Thai fisherman admit to killing up to 30 dolphins
SCREENCAPTURE: Sanook Royal Thai Police have responded to a video clip showing 30 dolphins caught in a fishing trawl in Malaysian waters, killing many of the mammals in the process. The clip was forwarded to them by the Command Centre for Illegal Fishing (CCCIF). The Thai PM ordered an immediate investigation which lead to the discovery that the boat in the…
-
Thailand’s high-speed railway will carry first passengers in 2023
The first section of the 873 kilometre high-speed railway running between Thailand and China should be operating by 2023. Thailand will now pay for the total cost of the 179 billion baht first section of the high speed rail line, but China is providing the design and will provide the train and carriages. The first 252 kilometre leg, from Bangkok to…
-
Missing Chinese swimmer’s body found off Freedom Beach in Phuket
The relatives of a 35 year old Chinese tourist, whose body was found floating off Freedom Beach in Phuket, have now been contacted. Chinese man Yin Lei was swept away by strong currents while swimming with six other friends off Freedom Beach last Sunday night around 7pm, resulting in an urgent search mission on Sunday night into Monday. After the…
-
AirAsia X orders 42 new long-haul Airbus jets
PHOTO: AirAsia’s new generation A330neo will be based at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport – Bernama AirAsia X, the long-haul part of the AirAsia Group, has now finalised a major order with Airbus for 12 more A330-900 and 30 A321XLR aircraft. The contract was signed today by Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, chairman of AirAsia X, along with Guillaume Faury, CEO…
-
Three Russians arrested over alleged property fraud in Pattaya
PHOTO: PattayaupdateNews Chonburi police have arrested three Russians in the car park of the Ocean Portofino Condo, next to Ocean Marina, in Na Jomtien, south of Pattaya yesterday. A 53 year old man and two women, 52 and 28 years of age. All were named in separate arrest warrants, each for fraud. They were taken to Pattaya police station after…
-
Mae Hong Son school inundated by flooding in Thailand’s north
The clean up is continuing today at a school for hilltribe children in Mae Hong Son’s Mae Sariang district in far north Thailand was hit by mountain runoff and floodwaters from last week’s heavy rain. The Ban Pho Sor School in Tambon Saohin was inundated by mountain runoff following heavy rains late Friday and into Saturday. The school provides education for…
-
The problems with Phuket’s lifeguarding, in plain sight
PHOTO: Patong Surf Lifesaving Club A personal view from a veteran ocean lifeguard After viewing the news and photos today of yet another body retrieval from Phuket’s ocean waters, this latest is unfortunately one in a long-line of such grisly episodes, for as many years as I can remember. And as Kee Lighting and Engineering Company, apparently the contract provider…
-
Massage parlour busted in Pattaya providing sexual services and underage staff
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Police have raided the Thong Dang Thai traditional massage parlour on Central Road, Pattaya. They allege that staff were offering sexual services to customers whilst employing underage girls. The sting operation was conducted by officers from the Centre for the Protection of Children, Women and Family and the Anti Human Trafficking, a division of the Royal Thai…
-
Thai police get tough on drivers at pedestrian crosswalks in Pattaya
Police in Pattaya have launched a campaign aimed at encouraging pedestrians to use crosswalks, and fining motorists who don’t stop at them. Speaking at the launch of the campaign, in front of Mueang Pattaya 8 School, Maj Arut Sapanon insists the 1,000 baht fine will be strongly enforced. “This campaign is to encourage pedestrians to use crosswalks in order to…
-
Large heroin bust announced in Bangkok
PHOTO: Naew Na The deputy national police has announced the arrest of two suspects in two large drug seizures. Heroin weighing 100 kilograms, plus one and a half kilograms of cocaine were seized. Deputy chief Pol Gen Chalermkiat Srivorakhan made the presentation to the media at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok. The media conference went through the long list of…
-
Pet leopard not a hit with neighbours in Chonburi, Thailand
A couple in Chonburi, eastern Thailand, have not ingratiated themselves with neighbours after it was revealed they’re keeping a pet leopard in their home. It’s understood that a Thai woman known as Nittiya, and her foreign husband, nationality unconfirmed, have just recently moved to the area from Chiang Mai, and news of their unusual pet has put neighbours very much…
-
The Thai charm-offensive on the South Korean President
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is inviting South Korean investors to increase their investment and trade with Thailand. The PM says Cabinet will consider offering incentives for South Korean businesses to invest in the country. South Korean President Moon Jae-in capped off an official two day visit to the Kingdom yesterday. The Thailand-Korea Business Forum was held yesterday in Bangkok with…
-
China sounds ominous warning to Hong Kong protesters
PHOTO: Vox.com Authorities in China have issued a stark warning to Hong Kong protesters, as reported by the country’s state-run Xinhua News. “The end is coming for those attempting to disrupt Hong Kong and antagonise China.” Beijing is also clear that its words are aimed not just at Hong Kong activists, but equally directed at Western governments attempting to undermine…
-
No direct hit from Kajiki, but heavy rain predicted for many parts of Thailand
PHOTO: My-thai.org The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) says tropical storm Kajiki will miss Thailand, but parts of the country are in for some very heavy rain over the next two days. With Kajiki moving west across the South China Sea in the direction of Vietnam, a TMD spokesman says there’s a good chance it may change direction, heading northward towards…
-
Chinese passenger detained on suspicion of theft at Suvarnabhumi airport
PHOTO: Bangkok.com Police and security officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport arrested a Chinese woman earlier this morning on suspicion of theft. The woman had picked up a money-belt dropped by an Iranian passenger, but failed to hand it in. It’s understood the bag contained US$1,441 in cash and a mobile phone. The Iranian passenger reported his bag missing to airport…
-
Final member of romance scam gang arrested after being on the run for 4 years
PHOTO: Daily News Immigration officials have announced the arrest of a Thai man who had been on the run for nearly four years after being allegedly involved with a romance scam gang. In the case, a Thai woman was ‘scammed’ to the tune of more than 17 million baht. ‘Suchart’ was named in a warrant issued in 2015 as one…
-
“No more gang violence and sexy short skirts”
PHOTO: Sanook Thailand’s new education minister Nataphol Teepsuwan is attempting to address the behaviour of teenage students – the girls from wearing provocative’y short skirts and the boys from joining student gangs. The Minister seems to believe that the issue of overt displays of teenage female sexuality and the fights between young male students, are linked. He wants the girls…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.