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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National TrueMove ID data leak
The NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecom Commission) is seeking an urgent meeting with executives of TrueMove H, one of the country’s three major mobile phone operators, to inquire about a probable massive leak of customers’ personal data. The likely leak, including individuals’ ID cards and passport numbers, was first reported by Blognone, an online technology news service, when Niall Merrigan,…
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HIV positive Australian begged Thai woman for sex with two year old granddaughter
Howard Hawke outside Bendigo Magistrates’ Court, Victoria. PHOTO: Jason Walls A HIV positive Australian man repeatedly called a woman in Thailand begging to have sex with her two year old granddaughter, a court has heard. Pig farmer, 69 year old Howard John Hawke from Kangaroo Flat in Victoria, was arrested in 2017 after police intercepted phone calls of him talking…
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Russian suspect nabbed after million baht money-exchange robbery in Pattaya
A Russian man has been nabbed at Suvarnabhumi international Airport after Chon Buri police launched a manhunt to find the Russian who allegedly robbed a money exchange booth of nearly one million baht in cash. Police say the robbery took place at a booth in Jomtiem in Sattahip District, Chonburi yesterday morning (Saturday). After checking the CCTV on site, Police…
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Phuket was fatality-free after first three days of Songkran reporting period
Day Three official numbers are in and Phuket remains, as of Friday night, fatality free. The “Seven Dangerous Days” reporting period runs from last Wednesday through to this Tuesday night. But there were 15 accidents reported in Phuket and 16 people injured as a result of traffic incidents – 8 accidents in Muang District with 9 people injured, 4 accidents…
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Road toll keeps rising as authorities claim tight enforcement
Whilst the road toll is mounting and drunk drivers’ cars impounded at record numbers, authorities must be scratching their head wondering what they need to do to stem the disgraceful annual carnage on Thailand’s roads during Songkran. Even as police claimed to push stricter law enforcement to lower crimes during the Songkran Festival, the increase in the number of accidents,…
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Day Three – the carnage continues
The accumulated road death toll for the first three days (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday) of the so-called ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ over the Songkran holiday, rose to 188 at the end of Friday, the Road Safety Centre announced today. Pol Maj-General Ekkarak Limsangkart, commander of the Special Branch Police Division 3, said the first three days of the road accidents monitoring period…
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Criminal offences to avoid during Songkran.
Splashing water on people not wanting to get wet, or having asked you not to splash them, during the Songkran Festival can lead to imprisonment. This from a Thai lawyer, adding many common violations of laws during the festive period may carry severe penalties. Ratchapon Sirithaworn, a legal expert and owner of the Facebook fanpage “LawByRachaponsLawyer”, which provides knowledge on…
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Congratulations “Miss Elephant of Bang Nam Phueng”
So it’s not all about the splashing. Samut Prakarn’s Phra Pradaeng district has hosted a unique beauty pageant to celebrate this year’s Songkran festival in which contestants were required to be transgender and weigh at least 120 kilograms. This was the eleventh year that the authorities of Bang Nam Phueng district organised the contest for those ‘larger size’ entrants, but…
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PM Prayut says less compiling statistics, more action on the roads
The woeful road toll hasn’t gone unnoticed at Government House. The PM is instructing authorities to stringently monitor the safety of Songkran travellers and asking them to keep promoting safe driving. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has voiced his concern for citizens traveling during the Songkran holiday, especially those traveling to the north and northeast. He has instructed soldiers, police and administrative…
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Longer Songkran holiday break = more accidents
Extended celebrations for the 2018 Songkran Festival are being blamed for an increase in road accidents involving drunk driving, but the Interior Ministry is assuring that the country’s roads will be safer this year due to more traffic checkpoints and strict law enforcement. The Road Safety Centre yesterday reported the outcome of the second day of operations for the Thai…
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Fake notes and drugs found on passenger at Phuket Airport
Police have arrested a man carrying 53 counterfeit 1000 baht banknotes and drugs at Phuket Airport. Police say the 36 year old Nanawa Na Songkhla from Chiang Mai was acting suspiciously whilst going through a security checkpoint. When security staffed checked his carry-on luggage they found 800 methamphetamine pills, nearly 5 grams of crystal methamphetamine, marijuana and the fake 1000 baht…
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Day Two – Phuket reports no fatalities
Day Two (April 12) of the “Seven Dangerous Days” in Phuket ended without any fatalities keeping the island without any fatalities for the Songkran reporting period. The Department of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation is making daily announcements declaring the statistics for the last 24 hours. But there were five accidents on the island’s roads including three in the Muang District…
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Underwear thief arrested in Cherngtalay
Today some are throwing water. Others have been stealing underwear. The underwear thief, 38 year old Weera Jampada, was arrested yesterday (April 12) after stealing many locals underwear’s in the Bang Tao area. He was arrested at an apartment in Soi Bangtao 12 following a report about at least 15 robberies in March. Police tracked him down after reviewing CCTV…
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National airports coping with the inbound and outbound crowds
PHOTO: National News Bureau The country’s second largest airport, Don Muang International, is reporting a smooth operation despite the high volume of passengers for the Songkran holiday, heading out and arriving, in Bangkok. Deputy Minister for Transport Pailin Chuchotetaworn has affirmed a full deck of immigration officials has been dispatched to the airport to facilitate outbound travelers. “Despite a large…
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Songkran checkpoints launched in Phuket
The Road and Marine Accident Protection and Reduction Centre for the 2018 Songkran Festival was launched by Phuket’s Governor Norapat Plodthong. The centre brings together 33 government departments, non-profit organisations and volunteers such as local administration organizations, marine police, tourist police, individual enterprises, foundations and volunteers. “Even though the number of accidents has reduced during New Year season over the…
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Songkran launches around the country
Police continue to push public safety measures but traffic still poses challenge. As holidaymakers and locals heading home started to reach their destinations nationwide yesterday for the traditional Thai New Year celebrations this weekend, various sites confirmed their readiness to host impressive events and also implement public safety measures. At Bangkok’s Khao San Road Thai actors Chatchawal Phetchwisit, Wichan Meesom…
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Drug gang arrested in Krabi
This afternoon (April 12), Ao Luek Police met the media and presented them with the results of a local drug crackdown worth 500,000 Baht. The two drug dealers, 31 year old Pongthep ‘Pong’ Kongkaew and 29 year old Wasan ‘Tum’ Hemtanon, had been arrested with 3,110 amphetamine pills and 6.9 grams of methamphetamine. Ao Luek Police Station Superintendent, Pol Col…
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Thalang water meter robber arrested with Kratom
A 28 year old man from Satun, Alongkorn Iew-lek, has been arrested in Thalang with 2 bottles of Kratom water, equipment to make the Kratom drinks along with 14 blue-colour water meters and 2 gray-colour water meters. On March 23, there were many reports about water meter robbery in the same area of Thalang. Police checked the CCTV camera footages…
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Big crime crackdown before Songkran
Police Region 8 held a press conference yesterday (April 11) revealing a number of drugs and gun crackdowns during the lead up to this year’s Songkran. The targeted crimes including illegal ownership of guns, drugs, gambling, prostitution and the following up on the outstanding arrest warrant list. The Police region 8 revealed that among the police in provinces in region…
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39 die nationally on first day of Songkran Seven Days of Danger.
Whilst Phuket has had a clear Day One (Wednesday) for what’s called the ‘Seven Days of Danger’, the rest of the country has notched up 39 people killed as of last night. Police say that drunk driving remains the biggest problem and cause of death. Police report 477 road accidents on the first day of the Songkran holiday reporting period.…
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Samui jet ski operators scoop Russian tourist out of the surf
SCREENSHOT by Sanook.com A Russian tourist has been pulled out of the Samui surf by a Jet Ski. The female tourist was swimming at Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui when witnesses say she appeared to get caught in a rip and dragged out to sea. Jet Ski operators at the beach heard the woman’s screams but was was caught in…
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Songkran Day One: 2,700 charged for drunk driving
Songkran’s Seven Days of Danger is only into its second day (Thursday) and police have already nabbed nearly 3,000 motorists for drunk driving. A Government spokeswoman said this morning that 156 vehicles were seized Wednesday and 2,716 motorcyclists and other drivers were charged with drunk driving. Deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Ngathong said stepped-up spot checks on roads had identified 3,339…
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Another 81 foreigners arrested in the latest ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ sting
FILE PHOTO: X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner raid in Bangkok Tourist police joined forces with other police agencies nationwide to search 123 spots around the country and arrested 81 foreigners on several charges in the latest in its X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner operations. This was the seventh operation targeting illegal foreigners in the Kingdom, many working illegally for schools and language courses. The…
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Net idol DJ Katoy nabbed in Pattaya drug raid
Internet idol Kannikar “DJ Katoy” Namwicha was among six patrons who tested positive for illegal drug use after a raid on a Pattaya nightclub yesterday (Wednesday). Bang Lamung district police and municipal officials descended on the Burn Club on Soi Bua Khao at 4am checking for underage patrons and evidence of drug use. The event was called “Drink, Don’t get arrested”.…
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Songkran storms on the way for the Northern and Central regions
Songkran is the time to farewell the hot season and welcome in the forthcoming wet season but the actual weather is wasting no time getting in on the celebrations. The Thai Meteorological Department is warning people in the Central and Northern parts of the country to brace for another round of summer storms from April 15-18. In an announcement yesterday…
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Rayong supercharged by China’s ‘Belt and Road’
FILE PHOTO: U-Tapao Airport Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com reports… China’s massive outward bound economic expansion is now experiencing a massive impact on Thailand’s enormous infrastructure initiative, the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor). A clear example of this is in the country’s Rayong province, which last year hosted 7 million visitors. According to consulting group C9 Hotelworks newly released Rayong Hotel Market…
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Phuket’s Tom Howard RIP
One of the great characters of the Phuket boating community, Tom Howard, sadly passed away on Monday, April 9 just after midday, following a short illness. Tom’s partner Pang (Suppawan Buth-sen) and his brother John were at his bedside in Had Yai hospital when he slipped away peacefully. Tom had been a full time resident in Phuket since 2002, following his…
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Black water flowing freely onto Kamala beach
PHOTOS: The Phuket Sun “This is taken from the bridge by the Tsunami monument. It’s the main klong that flows through town. It starts out from the Kamala waterfall as crystal clear and by the time it makes it through town to the sea, it looks like this…black from sewage. “ The editor of online blog The Phuket Sun has…
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Speedboats ablaze at Khao Lak pier
Two speedboats caught fire at the Tub Lamu Pier in Tai Muang District, Khao Lak, Phang Nga, injuring 4 people. Lamkaen Sub-District’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Unit received a report about the fire early today (April 11). The fire trucks were sent from the unit to the pier to extinguish the fire on the 2 boats along with the Khao…
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Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand
PHOTO: Luke Miller (left) was found dead at the bottom of a pool in Koh Tao in 2016 Why is there a mounting toll of young Brits dying, often in mysterious circumstances, in Thailand? 60 or so unexplained, or poorly explained, deaths in just 24 months actually. Britian’s Daily Mail Online has dug deep into the vault of strange disappearances and…
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