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.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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“Parading shrimp” the most unique yearly tourist attraction in Thailand
People talk about the big tourist attractions of Thailand – the temples, beautiful beaches, bustling cities, parading shrimp… wait, what? September brings one of the most unique spectacles in Thailand, and people flock to the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani each year to watch as shrimp climb out of a creek when heavy rains swell the shores. The naturally occurring…
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Domino’s Japan delivers pizza to summit of Mt. Fuji
A Domino’s Japan delivery driver went to extreme lengths to deliver a pizza to a hungry hiker at the summit of Mt. Fuji, the country’s tallest peak at 3,776 metres. The delivery fee amounted to the equivalent of almost 1,000 baht, which seems modest considering it took the Domino’s guy almost six hours to walk up the active volcano to…
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Saturday passport offices in Bangkok see a huge demand
The Covid-19 pandemic is winding down, or at least the travel restrictions that came with it are, and for Thai people, this means it’s time to get the heck out of the country, according to passport office statistics this weekend. Two Bangkok-area passport offices were open on Saturday and reported a huge demand for processing passports on the weekend. As…
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BTS offers assistance to victims but says escalator crush was “out of their control”
The BTS Skytrain is offering “assistance” to anyone who was injured in the escalator crush which occurred at BTS Surasak Station in Bangkok on Saturday night. The statement was made yesterday by the Chief Operating Director of the BTS Sumit Srisantithum, who said the incident was “beyond the BTS’s control.” As a crowd of people crammed into BTS Surasak Station…
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Free flu shot program for vulnerable people ends August 31
Before there was Covid and anti-vaxxers and controversy, there was the annual flu shot, a preventative health mainstay for nearly a century. The National Health Security Office campaign that has been administering free vaccinations against the yearly influenza is coming to a close on August 31. The campaign started on May 1 and aims to administer free flu shots to…
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Floods wreak havoc on northern India, killing over 30 people
Floods are wreaking havoc on two of India’s northern states, destroying homes and leaving people stranded. Since August 19, at least 32 people in Uttarakhand state and Himachal Pradesh state have been killed in floods and landslides, often due to houses collapsing in the floods. In the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, 27 people have been killed, and six were…
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Is time up for Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha?
Yesterday, several emotive but peaceful protests were held around Bangkok calling for Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to stand down. One protestor with a painted face stood outside Bangkok City Hall last night holding a sign that read… “Let it stop at 8 years. The Prime Minister is unconstitutional! Prayut, get out.” Protestors insist that Prayut’s time in office runs…
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Floods in Thailand claim 3 lives, affecting 14,657 households
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) revealed the floods in 28 of Thailand’s provinces between August 15 to 23 claimed the lives of three people and affected 14,657 households. The government department also warned that heavy rain and flash floods would continue in many areas. According to the report, the floods between August 15 to 23 killed three…
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Former Malaysia premier starts 12 years in the slammer
A federal court in Kuala Lumpur yesterday rejected an appeal by the former prime minister of Malaysia, that he had done no wrong, and sentenced him to a 12-year jail term for playing a part in a multi-million dollar graft. It was reported he was sent to Kajang prison, south of the Kuala Lumpur capital. Najib Razak, who served as…
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Phuket man rescued after falling overboard due to strong waves
A Phuket man was rescued earlier this week after a close call when he fell off his boat due to strong waves. The boat crew member, 43 year old Eakkarat Limsomboon, said he fell into the sea near Kaew Noi Island after the boat swayed and an ice box hit him. Luckily, the Royal Thai Navy sent out a search…
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Activists start days of protests urging Prime Minister to step down
With Government House fortified like a war post, covered in barbed wire and shipping containers, protesters gathered in heated but peaceful demonstrations vowing to camp out until PM Prayut Chan-o-cha steps down, ending his eight-year reign as prime minister. Hundreds gathered outside the building yesterday and the numbers are expected to grow as today marks what many believe is legally…
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Man trampled to death by wild elephants in Hua Hin, Thailand
Last night, a villager was trampled to death by wild elephants on a road just outside the boundary of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. This morning, Director of the National Park Pichai Watcharawongpaiboon was informed that a local man had been found dead and suspected to have been trampled on by wild elephants.…
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Bugatti in Bangkok: 1 of 20 limited edition sports cars spotted cruising in Thailand
One of only 20 Bugatti Chiron Sport 110 Ans in the world, valued at US$3.2 million, was spotted cruising around the mean streets of Bangkok on Sunday. Let’s just hope the driver has insurance. The Bugatti, which sports a Cambodian registration plate that reads ‘BOSS,’ is allegedly owned by a Cambodian businessman who is the son of a politician. The…
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Thailand’s motorists face jail time for splashing pedestrians
A Thai government warning that drivers face jail time and fines if they splash pedestrians has drawn an unusual response from the nation’s strollers – fix the roads! The threat is all the more bizarre given Thailand is in the midst of its monsoon season and it is almost impossible to drive on the kingdom’s roads without splashing through pools…
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Thailand govt to stop criminal online sales of date rape drug
The Thai government warned drug manufacturers illegally distributing Rohypnol that they face massive fines and prison if caught. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul revealed PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is concerned about the illegal sales of Rohypnol online and instructed the relevant departments to stop it after a recent trend of teenagers taking the drug for fun emerged. “Online trading is…
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Tourism Malaysia visits Songkhla and Bangkok to lure Thais
As Thailand has lured more and more Malaysian tourists across the border for short-haul holidays, Malaysia started marketing tourism to Thai people as soon as the borders began to open again after the Covid-19 pandemic. Thailand added more train services across the border at Padang Besar into the country and Malaysia welcomed tours sent by Thai travel agents. Malaysia overtook…
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Thailand’s Central Group finalises acquisition of luxury retail chain Selfridges
Thailand’s Central Group and Signa Holding have finalised their deal to acquire luxury retailer Selfridges Group from the Canadian Weston family. Selfridges is famous for its iconic luxury department store on London’s Oxford Street. The Central Group has been operating for 75 years and is owned by the billionaire Chirathivat family, who sits at No.5 on Forbes Thailand’s 50 Richest…
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Spokesman warns end of CCSA, Decree not guaranteed
Mark Twain is often (mis)quoted as saying, “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” And the same, it seems, may be said of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as a government spokesperson said yesterday that, despite an announcement Friday, the lifting of the Emergency Decree and dissolution of the CCSA will be closely evaluated and is not…
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Court denies bail to Thai policewoman who allegedly kept soldier as a slave
Ratchaburi Provincial Court yesterday denied bail to the policewoman who allegedly kept a female soldier as a “slave” and tortured her for two years in central Thailand. The 43 year old policewoman, who worked for the Special Branch Bureau, allegedly manipulated and tortured the 30 year old soldier by forcing her to work as a slave, hitting her with a…
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Angry woman taxi driver fined for racing a bus in Bangkok
An emotionally-charged taxi driver appeared to lose her mind and forget her responsibilities as she turned into a joyriding thrill seeker as she played a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a bus coach. A video of three university students in the back of the crazed taxi driver’s car was posted last Friday, August 19, and went viral on…
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Court grants bail to salon owner who murdered couple over haircut in central Thailand
The salon owner who murdered an unhappy customer and her husband – both TV stars – in front of their young daughter in Pathum Thani on Saturday has been released on bail for 500,000 baht. Pathum Thani Provincial Court decided to grant bail to 51 year old Prasart Rangyai yesterday afternoon on the condition he wears an electronic monitoring (EM)…
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Makhot scoops 50,000 baht in Miss LGBT Thailand heat
The winner of the Miss LGBT Chon Buri pageant announced she was proud to represent her community in the final of the competition next year. Makhot scooped first prize and 50,000 baht at the event yesterday hosted at the Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya by Miss LGBT Thailand. Miss LGBT Thailand 2023 provides an opportunity for all LGBT individuals to showcase…
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Woman takes poison & plunges to death from balcony in Pattaya
A woman who couldn’t face up to living alone took some rat poison and then threw herself off a fifth-floor balcony in Pattaya. It is believed the woman, Amphon Ersinger, was grief-stricken after recently losing her foreign husband so took some poison and jumped to her death from the balcony of her apartment in Soi Na Kluea 14, Moo (bloc)…
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Cambodia aims for 1 million tourists in 2022, has 740k already
As Southeast Asia reopens and scrambles to attract international tourists, Cambodia has announced triumphant numbers from the Ministry of Tourism, declaring over 740,000 tourists from abroad between January to the end of July this year. The swell of tourists is about 22.5% of the number of travellers pre-pandemic, but a 560% increase over figures for the first half of 2022.…
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Salon owner who stabbed 2 charged with premeditated murder
More details have emerged regarding the customers who were stabbed to death in a Pathum Thani shopping centre, as it was confirmed that the salon owner accused of the stabbing turned himself in and has been charged with premeditated murder. The horrific incident took place Saturday afternoon around 3pm at a Lotus superstore in tambon Bang Kadi in Muang district…
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Two cars plummet into enormous hole on ‘Friendship Highway’ in northeast Thailand
Two drivers were lucky to make it out alive as their cars plunged into a giant hole in the road in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand. The drivers said there were no indications of construction work as they sped along Mittraphap Road – or ‘Friendship Highway‘ – the 509 kilometre road linking Isaan to Bangkok. Both men were rushed…
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Transgender stabs boyfriend to death after he hit her with a ganja bong
A 19 year old man was stabbed to death by his transgender girlfriend yesterday after he hit her on the head with a ganja bong. Yesterday, police officers from the Bangkok Yai Police Station, and a rescue team, investigated a three-story machine shop building in Soi Petchkasem 4-6 in the Wang Tha Phra sub-district, Bangkok Yai district of Bangkok. There…
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Locals angry as Middle Eastern joyriders race through Pattaya
Middle Eastern joyriders have turned Sukhumvit Road in Pattaya into a racing track… again, and locals are sick of it. Locals urged police to use the full force of the law and impose serious measures as the number of racers on Sukhumvit Road has increased over the past two months. Last night, Thai media reported that a group of more…
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Cops tell Thai TikTokers to quit roadside dancing
The Royal Thai Police warned the nation’s TikTokers to stop dancing to a truck’s horn by the roadside. Truck drivers have also been threatened with a fine of up to 500 baht if they join in the activity. During the past couple of months, videos of people dancing by the roadside to a truck’s horn have become a viral trend…
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Is the 10-year visa attracting Europeans and others to Thailand?
Officials in Thailand have been heavily pushing the new 10-year golden visa options for digital nomads and rich expats, with Europeans as a primary demographic, but is it really a big draw? The government has predicted that one million wealthy tourists will jump at the chance to live long-term in Thailand over the next five years, but the programme that…
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