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 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....
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Health officials urged Pattaya teens to have safe sex on Valentine’s Day
In a city known as a sex hub, Pattaya’s health officials sent a message to the city’s teenagers on Valentine’s Day (yesterday). Health officials urged Pattaya teens to practice safe sex on Valentine’s Day. In a lecture to students at a school, the Public Health Department’s Nurse Na-anya Jantrakard urged sexually active teens to use condoms, to avoid sexually transmitted…
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Thai cave rescue survivor dies in accident in England
Dom, one of 12 boys saved in the Tham Luang cave rescue mission in northern Thailand almost five years ago, has died in an accident in England, UK, where he went to study football. A Buddhist monk and Dom’s former teacher, Supatpong Methigo, broke the news on Facebook this morning. The monk said he was informed by Dom’s grandmother, who…
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Activists in Thailand to sue government over alleged use of Pegasus spyware
Thailand activists are reportedly suing the government over its alleged use of Pegasus spyware to monitor dissidents. The case is the first of its kind in the country, with activists saying they hope it will raise awareness and help protect citizens. The activists say the government is increasingly using surveillance technologies to monitor such groups. The legal non-profit group iLaw…
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Experts argue that vaping should remain illegal
Several experts argued that vaping devices and e-cigarettes should remain illegal in Thailand. At a forum in Bangkok on Monday they say the devices are very harmful to people’s health and should remain prohibited items. The Director of the Office of Consumer Protection Board’s (OCPB) Legal Execution Division reminded that Thailand currently bans the import, sale, and use of any…
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Early Valentine’s Day Guinness World Record set for longest underwater smooch
Valentine’s Day did not go down without a record-breaking smooch. A couple sealed the holiday a bit earlier, on February 4, with an underwater kiss that broke the Guinness World Record for the longest underwater snog. The kiss lasted four minutes and six seconds, smashing the previous record by 42 seconds. An Italian couple held the previous record for the…
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Group of 33 Thais to return home from Turkey, one deceased as death toll surpasses 40,000
A group of 33 Thai nationals are scheduled to fly back from Turkey tomorrow with one deceased person also being returned home. The Thai USAR (search and rescue) team will continue to stay and help in Turkey until their 10-day mission is complete. The returnees and deceased person will arrive at Don Mueang Airport and will be sent to an…
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Singapore couple grossed out after finding worm on sashimi at Japanese chain restaurant
A Singapore couple says they are grossed out after finding a live worm wriggling around on their sashimi at a popular Japanese restaurant chain. The woman, Jayice Tan, says they were happily seated and had received their sashimi when they realised something wasn’t right. Horrified, she posted the video of the wriggling worm on Facebook last Wednesday to advise others…
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Thailand to charge foreign tourists entry fee from June 1
Thailand‘s Cabinet yesterday approved the collection of an entry fee from all foreign tourists. It is expected to come into effect on June 1. Foreigners arriving by air will be charged 300 baht (US$8.79) and those arriving by land/sea will be charged 150 baht (US$4.40), as proposed by the National Tourism Policy Committee two weeks ago. Holders of Thai passports,…
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Bangkok’s number of train passengers reaches all-time high
Bangkok‘s number of train passengers reached an all-time high on Friday, February 10. The number of people travelling by rail in and around Thailand’s capital city climbed to 1,577,330 that day, according to the Department of Rail Transport. The department’s numbers revealed that the BTS Green Line served the most passengers, with 916,390 people using the service, followed by the…
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Dream Big: Sleep Well Industries has the mattresses for you!
Press Release Sleep Well Industries is a group of bedding companies headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand. The company was founded by Mr Nirmal Chokwonganun in 1982 originally to produce and distribute jute and coconut fibre mattresses. Since then, Sleep Well Industries has expanded to become a leading end-to-end producer, supplier, and retailer of high-quality mattresses for hotels, housing developments, and condominiums…
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55% rise in infections and deaths from Covid virus
Scientists are making their regular plea to the public not to forget about and completely write off Covid-19 yet. While people worldwide have generally moved on from the stressful and fearful days of the height of the pandemic, the virus is still bringing infections and death and still mutating. A Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine doctor warns about a 55.6% increase…
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Man survives after falling 70 metres from cliff in central Thailand
A Thai man this morning was thanking his lucky stars and he plunged 70 metres from a dangerous clifftop at Phu Thap Burk, in the central province of Phetchabun, and survived. Khaosod reported this morning that a Thai tourist from Pathum Thani province fell from the Phu Thap Burk Mountain viewpoint while taking a picture in the early hours of…
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Thailand will punish migrants for stealing Thai jobs
Thailand will punish migrants with the full force of the law if they’re found to be stealing Thai jobs. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha directed the Department of Employment to promptly enforce the law against an increasing number of migrant workers who are occupying positions designated for Thai citizens. In response to this, the authorities conducted raids on 14,104 workplaces across…
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Young Englishwoman needs surgery after hit-and-run on Thai island
A 20 year old Englishwoman is seriously injured and awaiting surgery after she was struck and abandoned after a hit-and-run crash on Koh Phi Phi island in southern Thailand last week. Ruby Spry, from Penzance in Cornwall, was driving a motorbike through the small island last Wednesday when a motorbike coming the other way drove on the wrong side of…
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Tank accident kills sergeant and cadet in central Thailand
Tragedy struck when a tank accident killed a Thai sergeant and a cadet in the central Lop Buri province yesterday. The accident occurred during a joint military, police, and civilian exercise. According to Matichon, the Scorpion light tank carrying three military personnel was just a kilometre from its destination, Hill 129, when it collided with an FTX truck that was…
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Where you can get high-quality cannabis in Pattaya
Recently, Pattaya has become a popular destination for cannabis enthusiasts. With its relaxed laws, Pattaya has become a hub for cannabis tourism, offering an array of cannabis-related activities, products, and services. Whether you’re looking to relax with a puff of a joint, enjoy an edible, or explore the science behind cannabis, Pattaya has something for everyone. So, if you’re ready…
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Nearly 100 Pattaya couples register marriages while riding elephants on Valentine’s Day
Love was in the air in Pattaya on Valentine’s Day (yesterday) when nearly 100 couples registered marriages while riding elephants. A total of 99 lucky couples registered their marriages on elephants’ back at Pattaya’s Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens. Sattahip district Sunthorn Munawaro travelled to the garden to register the couples. The event, which has been held annually since 2010, was…
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Canadian placed on ‘watchlist’ over Thai girlfriend’s death in Phuket
UPDATE Deputy national police chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn said the Canadian man whose girlfriend was found hanged in Phuket, southern Thailand, last week has been placed on a “watchlist” and will be investigated. The deceased, 31 year old Wanvisa Riewklang, reported her boyfriend, 51 year old “Landy” to the police for alleged assault just days before her death. Wanvisa’s…
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Ignorant foreigner stops traffic to take pictures of a 10-wheel truck
An ignorant foreigner was caught on a TikTok video parking his pickup in the middle of the road just so he could take pictures of a full-decorated Thai 10-wheel truck on a road in the Isaan province of Sakhon Nakhon. The 10-wheel truck driver recorded a video of the foreigner, totally oblivious to his surroundings on a busy road, and…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand tells India ‘a million thanks’
Thailand’s tourism officials are expressing their gratitude to India for the high number of Indian tourists in Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has recently hosted an event in New Delhi, India, titled “A Million Thanks: Amazing Thailand Night Reception,” to express gratitude to the Indian travel industry for promoting Thailand as a top tourist destination. The event took…
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Jealous Pattaya man stabs girlfriend in neck in front of teenage son
Yet another grizzly incident of domestic violence has been reported in Pattaya. A jealous Pattaya man stabbed his girlfriend in the neck with scissors in front of their teenage son, after catching her texting another man. The incident happened last night in the Nong Prue sub-district of Bang Lamung district. Police and rescuers rushed to the couple’s apartment to find…
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English-born Buddhist monk Ajahn Jayasaro becomes Thai
HRH the King may have bestowed Thai nationality upon famous farang Buddhist monk Ajahn Jayasaro back in 2020 but it took almost three years to get his Thai ID card. On Sunday, Phra Ajahn Jayasaro took photos for his new Thai ID card in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand. On March 9, 2020, King Vajiralongkorn of Thailand bestowed Thai…
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Man walks over ‘500 miles’ and ‘500 more’ to marry his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day
The man who walked over “500 miles” and almost “500 more” and “to be the man who wakes up next to” his love, today arrived at his destination. Suthep “Maew” Prompjit walked 1,200 kilometres to prove true love still exists and met his girlfriend for the first time, after talking on social media for nearly six months. They start a…
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Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province sees large tourism rise in 2022
Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province saw a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting in 2022, with the number of both domestic and international tourists showing a substantial increase. The province is home to the world-famous, scenic seaside town and district of Hua Hin. The data, released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), reveals an almost five-fold increase…
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Phuket taxi busted gambling online while driving
In a tough economy, it’s not unusual for people to work two jobs to make ends meet, sometimes even overlapping and working both at the same time. But a van driver in Phuket learned that the two jobs that don’t mix are driving a taxi while gambling online. The Phuket van driver received a 2,000 baht fine and had his…
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Thai Vietjet to launch only direct Bangkok – Okinawa route
Budget airline Thai Vietjet is expanding its wings with new direct flights between Bangkok, Thailand, and Okinawa in Japan, in collaboration with leading Thai travel agency Tourladfah Co., Ltd. The new route is the only nonstop service between the two major Asian hubs. The route between Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Okinawa’s Naha Airport will fly twice per week on Thursdays…
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Pattaya Police and rescuers stop American man from jumping to death
A potential tragedy was averted in Pattaya as quick-thinking police and rescuers stopped an American man from jumping to his death. The 67 year old man was rescued from a 20th-floor ledge of the Arbour Hotel and Residence on Third Road on Saturday. Police and rescue volunteers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation spoke to the man for four hours…
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Pays to be single! Filipino single staff get bonuses
This Valentine’s Day, how much is your relationship worth? No really, exactly how much? Because employees of the town hall in one city in the Philippines are getting bonus pay for being single on Valentine’s Day. The incentive comes as a thank you from Mayor Matt Florido, a lifelong bachelor himself, who’s giving extra salary to single staff members of…
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China says the US, not them, are flying spy balloons
Tensions between China and the United States have increased following accusations from China that the US has been flying surveillance balloons into its airspace. The White House shot back that it is China, not them, launching spy balloons worldwide. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson responded on Twitter. “Any claim that the US government operates surveillance balloons over the PRC…
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A Valentine’s Day surprise: agency spots heart-shaped forest in Chiang Rai
Nature nerds will be delighted to learn on Valentine’s Day (today) that Thailand’s space technology agency has discovered a heart-shaped forest in the northern Chiang Rai province. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) added a unique touch to the celebration of Valentine’s Day by releasing an incredible aerial photo of the forest. The photo was captured by the…
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