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 Where to travel in Thailand in April [2025]
Travelling in Thailand is peak during April if you are looking for a real taste of summer. With high temperatures, amazing beaches, and exciting events, April is an amazing time to visit the country as a whole. Due to the...
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New Central Village luxury outlet opens for business at BKK
Wonder if anyone from Airports of Thailand were invited to this morning’s opening? The Central Pattana president and CEO Preecha Ekkunagul, and directors Suthikiatis Chirathivat and Sudhitham Chirathivat, presided at the official opening ceremony of Central Village next to Suvarnabhumi airport this morning. Central Village has cost more than 5 billion and was five years in the planning. The new…
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‘Podul’ batters Phrae as it weakens across northern Thailand
by Kanyasorn Thintip, Nisanart Kangwanwong – The Nation As former tropical storm “Podul” continued to weaken yesterday as it plodded westward across north -central Thailand, the Sun Men district in the northern province of Phrae was battered yesterday morning, with toppled trees and power poles, and roofs blown off houses. Provincial governor Pongrat Piromrat called an urgent meeting of all district…
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Elderly man killed by train north of Pattaya
An elderly man died after being crushed by a train in Nong Pangpuay, Chon Buri, early yesterday morning at 5.30am. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the elderly man, aged between 85-90 years, killed after he train ran over him. Locals told police that it was the body of an elderly man name ‘Huan’. They said he had lived alone…
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Pattaya motorbike repairman arrested over sexual harassment of a 14 year old
A 24 year old motorbike repairer was arrested early yesterday morning for the alleged sexual harassment of a 14 year old girl at a Nong Prue motorbike repair shop in Pattaya. The repair shop was located on Soi Khao Noi. A urine test turned up positive for drugs, according to local police. The arrest follows a tip-off from the Children Families…
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Happy Birthday PAWS Animal Shelter in Bangkok
PHOTO: Paws Bangkok “Saving lives one paw at a time.” On September 5, one of Bangkok’s much loved animal shelter, PAWS Bangkok, is throwing a celebration for its seventh birthday. It will a major fundraiser for the shelter to continue their great work. The cats and kittens from PAWS Bangkok will also be on site to provide some cuddles and thank…
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International acts coming to Bangkok soon
Here are some of the forthcoming gigs for international acts heading to the Big Mango for concerts in the next three months. Spoiled for choice now as Bangkok becomes a stop-over for most of the world’s big names these days. Jeremy Zucker September 10. Nakarin Space. New Jersey’s Jeremy Zucker will play his first ever Asian tour date September 10 at Bangkok’s Nakarin Space. Jeremy…
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Central Village at airport opens today after AoT told to remove entrance blockade
The AoT have been chastised by the Central Administrative Court after the court issued an injunction yesterday to stop their blockade at the entrance to the new Central Village luxury outlet at Suvarnabhumi. The controversial new shooting precinct, along the southern border of Bangkok’s largest airport, will open today as scheduled. All the obstacles blocking the entrance to the shopping outlet…
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Thai Army chief writing a thesis about the spread of ‘fake news’
Thailand’s Army Commander-in-Chief, General Apirat Kongsompong, says he has “serious concerns” over the spread of fake news in Thailand, “some of which seems intended to discredit the government and the military”. General Apirat is also finishing a thesis about the change of political behaviour in Thailand. He said that, while he did not want to describe the use of fake news as “mind manipulation”, he had observed that some people, when repeatedly exposed to fake…
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Pattaya Cricket Club competes in the Koh Chang Beach Cricket Tournament
Nine members of the PCC toured to Koh Chang to compete in the 5th International Beach Cricket Tournament from August 23-26, 2019. Simon Philbrook (Captain) and Dave Samways were already experienced beach cricketers, whilst Clive Rogerson, Bernard Lamprecht, Trevor Moolman, Ian Liddell (Reds), Gavin Perfect, Wesley Masterton and John Harvey were beach cricket virgins. Twelve teams from Koh Chang, Phuket,…
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Phuket’s Patong beach temporarily closed due to poor weather
PHOTO: Thai Meteorological Department The lingering remnants of tropical storm Podul passing through the north of Thailand, and currently making itself felt in Phuket, has lead Patong Chief Lifeguard Somprasong Sangchart to declare Patong beach closed for the day, with red flags posted the length of the beach. Mr Somprasong urges beach-goers to heed the warnings and stay out of…
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Canadian man found dead, with throat cut, in northern Thailand
A 60 year old Canadian man has been found with his throat slashed at a Chiang Mai guesthouse. The man’s body was discovered by the housekeeper, who alerted the police. The man, who has been named as Kevin Thomas, had been staying at the property in Suthep district for several months. It’s not yet known if the cut to his…
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Podul bringing rain and strong winds to the north and northeast of Thailand
Tropical storm Podul is weaken as it crosses into the north of Isaan and the north of Thailand today. The storm centre is currently north of Khon Kaen, heading westward. Podul crossed through Vietnam last night where it started to weaken. The low pressure system is now bringing rain and strong winds to parts of Thailand’s northeast and will affect…
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Man fakes being a nurse in Thai hospital – for 11 years
PHOTO: Sanook A male nurse who faked his qualifications has managed to get away with working in the emergency department of a hospital in Loei province, Isaan, for 11 years. The Sanook News team reports that the “nurse”, known as Kowit, was employed at the Pak Chom hospital, having used a fake graduation certificate and nursing licence from Khon Kaen…
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Vachira Phuket Hospital doctor calls for microscope donations
Boonlert Sripairotkul, a Neurologist at Vachira Phuket Hospital, has posted a call for donations in order to purchase a new microscope for the hospital as the current machine has been used since 2002 and “produces strange noises”. The 17 year old microscope has been used for brain, spinal cord and blood vessels operations. The doctor told TheBangkokInsight that hospitals in…
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Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong arrested ahead of planned rally
PHOTO: South China Morning Post Activist Joshua Wong from the Demosisto party has been arrested in Hong Kong, along with fellow campaigners. The arrests come ahead of a rally planned for this weekend. A statement on Demosisto’s Twitter account confirmed the arrests, adding that Wong was pushed into a minivan while on his way to an underground train station. “Our…
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Burmese restaurant workers arrested for murder of Chinese businessman
Police have arrested four Burmese migrant workers suspected of being involved in the murder of a Chinese businessman at a Bangkok restaurant which he was about to take over from the Thai owner. The four suspects were arrested in Pattaya last night and were handed over to the Wang Thong Lang police in Bangkok for questioning. At this stage Police…
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Thai tourist numbers recover mid-year after a shaky few months in Q2
After a few dips in April and May, tourists to Thailand flocked back, up 4.72% for July compared to a year earlier. Tourist arrivals in June were up a much more modest .89%. 3.33 million tourists visited the country during July and spent 167.3 billion baht (USD5.47 billion), up 3.11% from a year earlier. Visitors from China, where there’s been…
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More trains and more carriages for the Bangkok BTS fleet
Bangkokians will enjoy better services on the BTS Skytrain after the operator added an extra 27 trains into service, bringing the total number to 79. BTS Group Holdings MD Surapong Laoha-anya says they’ve taken delivery of 27 new trains out of a total of 46 it currently has on order, according to Thai PBS. He added that all the new…
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Museflower Life Festival – Holistic wellness weekend in Chiang Rai, October 11-14
Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is delighted to announce its fifth annual Museflower Life Festival, celebrating all things healing, holistic, and green with more workshops and classes than before, coming this October 11 – 14, 2019. Internationally known as northern Thailand’s first all-inclusive vegetarian holistic wellness retreat, Museflower Retreat & Spa Chiang Rai is especially known for its affordable, professional…
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Podul plods towards Vietnam’s coast and will bring rain to northern Thailand over weekend
Tropical storm Podul is still moving towards Việt Nam with the eye of the storm sitting to the south-west under China’s Hainan island, in the north of the South China Sea this afternoon. It is slowly moving westward towards Vietnam’s northern central coast. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister says the storm will cross the coast tomorrow and cross the country into…
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Burmese Koh Tao murder ‘guilty’ conviction upheld by Thai Supreme Court
The Thai Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences for two Burmese 26 year old men convicted of murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao in 2014. After spending two hours reading the 60 page verdict, the Judge upheld the rulings by two lower courts that found Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo guilty of killing Hannah Witheridge and David Miller…
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Thailand’s Supreme Court upholds ‘guilty’ death sentence of migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo
The Thai Supreme Court has handed down its verdict following an appeal lodged last year by Burmese migrants Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo against their death penalty sentence in the Koh Tao murder case. The judge has upheld the ‘guilty’ death sentence and conviction of Koh Tao murder case accused Rakhine migrant workers Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo. The pair…
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Google moves manufacture of Pixel phone from China to Vietnam
Google is shifting the manufacturer of their Pixel smartphone from China to Vietnam. The move is said to happen before the end of this year, as reported by Nikkei. Google cited increasing Chinese labour costs and added pressure from tariffs in the ongoing China-US trade spat. The US-based internet giant is reported to be moving both the manufacturer of its…
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Arrest warrants issued over Saturday’s Songkhla 85 million baht gold robbery
PHOTO: Facebook/Persatuan Pemuda Pemudi Pattani The Na Thawi Provincial Court in Songkhla has issued arrest warrants for two men suspected to be involved in the 85 million baht gold shop heist on Saturday. Authorities have already linked the robbery to the southern insurgency claiming militants would sell the gold to finance operations. The warrants have now been issued for Wae-useng…
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Four dogs rescued in north of Bangkok after being starved for a month
PHOTO: Thai PBS World Thai PBS World reports that four dogs have been rescued from a house in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, after being found locked in a cage with no access to food or water. It’s understood that the dogs had been there almost a month. An additional 9 dead dogs were also found at the property,…
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Bangkok motorcyclist lucky to be alive after water pipe falls right in his path
PHOTOS: Thai Residents and Chaimongkol Khantura A Bangkok motorcyclist is lucky to be alive after a long section of pipe fell from an overpass on Rama 9, directly into his path. Chaimongkol Khantura was clearly still shaken when he posted about his lucky escape on Facebook. “Who would have thought? Even in my dream, I’m still shaking. I saw Buddha…
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Koh Samui is looking to the skies, an island tethered to an airline
by Bill Barnett “I’m looking to the sky to save me. Looking for a sign of life” There is much to be said about the Thailand’s phenomenal rise in tourism over the past decade and that trend has eclipsed the borders of the Kingdom into other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Fueled by a rising Asian consumer…
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Bangkok Airways posts losses, Samui routes performing badly
Following the opening of its swanky new passenger lounges at the Phuket Airport last week, Bangkok Airways has just posted a net loss of 190 million baht for the first half of 2019. In posting the figures yesterday the company’s President promised to turn results around in the second half of the year to ensure an annual profit. The Koh…
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18 cases in one day for Patong’s lifeguards in Phuket
PHOTOS: Patong Surf Life Saving Busy day for Phuket’s local lifeguards as they saved 17 people from the waves off Patong, and one one the Beach Road. Yesterday (August 27), Patong Lifeguards reported that there were a total of 18 people rescued, all in a day’s work at Patong beach. They said the situation was very challenging, with limited manpower,…
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New hotel and condo developments flood Phuket’s property market
by Bill Barnett The continuing wave of developers bringing hotel investment grade real estate to the Phuket real estate market is escalating. Notable new entries include 74 units at the Melia Phuket Karon Residences that are now for sale. Pricing for one and two bedroom units starts at 8.4 million baht. A 7% three-year guarantee is offered with 30 days owner usage. Meanwhile,…
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