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 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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11 die in early morning passenger van collision in Sa Kaew
PHOTOS: The Nation Eleven people have been killed and four others seriously injured after a chartered van carrying Lao workers collided with an 18 wheel truck in Sa Kaew province, east of Bangkok on the Cambodian border, early today (map below). The Nation reports that they were travelling to the Chanthaburi immigration checkpoint to renew their visas. Police suspect the Thai…
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Chinese and Indians to be offered visa free arrival for 15 days in Thailand
The Tourism and Sports Minister says he’ll seek cabinet approval to offer visa exemptions to visitors from China and India for one year. Already Chinese tourists have a visa-on-arrival fees exemption. The current promotion is set to end on October 31 this year. If the new visa exemption is approved by cabinet it will start on November 1 and run…
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Department warns of possible floods and landslides for 12 provinces
FILE PHOTO Officials and emergency responders in 12 provinces have been instructed to be prepared, and put equipment on standby, to cope with possible floods and landslides until August 20 (Tuesday). Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation director-general Chayaphol Thitisak says the alert was issued because of heavy downpours in the North, the Central and southeastern coastal areas. Officials were…
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Mae Sa and Tad Mork waterfalls in Chiang Mai closed
PHOTO: Mae Sa waterfall Doi Suthep-Pui National Park officials in the north of Thailand have closed the Mae Sa and Tad Mork waterfalls after heavy rainfall have caused high water flows and slippery paths “that may endanger tourists”. Mae Sa waterfall is approximately 30 minutes drive north-west from Chiang Mai and Tad Mork waterfall about an hour drive north-west of…
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Phuket villager braves the surf to rescue tangled turtle
A local villager in Phuket’s north has risked his own life to retrieve a young sea turtle caught up in fishermen’s netting. The turtle was spotted, caught up in the branches of a fallen tree along the shores of Mai Khao beach. The monsoon was kicking up big waves and it’s unlikely the locals knew how to swim, especially in…
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Bank of Thailand relaxes Loan to Value to boost sluggish property market
PHOTO: booking.com The Bank of Thailand says it will relax the Loan to Value (LTV) for homebuyers purchasing residences together and that borrowers or co-borrowers applying for a loan under the first home buyers rule and who do not own any other residence would be given a 90% mortgage on a condominium and 95% for a single detached house and…
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Nine Chinese criminals rounded up for extradition back to China
FILE PHOTO: Thai Immigration Chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang Nine Chinese nationals have been taken into custody after seeking refuge in Thailand, wanted by Chinese authorities for alleged crimes in China. Thai Immigration officials report that the nine have caused damages valued around 5 billion baht to the Chinese government. Immigration police chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang said the Thai…
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Which flight route makes the most money in the world?
The world of aviation now has its first billion dollar route. That’s a flight route that makes more money for an airline than any other. And for the first time that route has breached the one billion dollar ceiling – British Airways’ service between London Heathrow and New York’s JFK. OAG has come up with a list of the routes…
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Sattahip drug addict arrested and jailed after threatening wife and children
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Sattahip police have arrested a person with drug problems who allegedly threatened to kill his wife and two children. 39 year old Jarat Injom was found hiding in the bedroom of his Moo 4 village house where he had barricaded himself after 34 year old wife Sangwein Prasannet called police. The wife told authorities she’d been married to…
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Habitat Group honoured with ten awards at 2019 PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards
PHOTO: Winners, the Habitat Group lead by CEO, Mr. Chanin Vanijwongse Thailand’s premium property-for-investment developer, Habitat Group, has received high acclaim at the 2019 PropertyGuru Thailand Property Awards being honoured with ten awards, including the highly coveted Best Boutique Developer. In addition, Habitat Group’s flagship Walden brand and its expertise in developing properties for investment were recognised with multiple awards…
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You’ve read the social media, now watch the TM30 debate in Bangkok – VIDEO
A panel of Thai and foreign experts and commentators came together yesterday to discuss the enforcement of immigration rules, government policies and concerns, and recent shifts in official procedures and attitudes. They attempted to clarify the TM30 reporting process, analyse its impact and discuss the future of this unpopular law. The speakers were… • Pol. Maj. Gen. Patipat Suban Na…
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Government MP receives death threats after exposing illegal condo project in Phuket
PHOTO: Sira Jenjaka MP, says he has received death threats A government MP for Bangkok says he has received death threats for revealing a Phuket condo project that allegedly sits on land without the proper documentation. The project, at this stage, remains un-named. Sira Jenjaka is an MP with the ruling Palang Pracharat Party and claims that two people had already…
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Korean auntie arrested in Chiang Rai and deported over company theft
PHOTO: INN News The Thai Immigration Policein Chiang Rai have reported the arrest of a Korean woman, Kyoungnam known as ‘Park’. She was prosecuted by the South Korean authorities on fraud charges and had an arrest warrant issued in her name by a court in South Korea. So Miss Park attempted to hide in Thailand and evade her arrest warrant…
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Thai GM’s diesel plant in Rayong builds 500,000th engine
GM Powertrain Thailand has produced its 500,000th four-cylinder Duramax turbo-diesel engine, a production milestone since production officially started in 2011. GM announced that the Rayong plant is the first GM facility in the world to produce the engine. Hector Villarreal, president of GM Southeast Asia says the Duramax engines serve as the heart of the company’s ‘Colorado’ and ‘Trailblazer’ models. “They…
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Tollway company says ‘no’ to Bangkok motorway discounts
PHOTO: Thai PBS Expressway and motorway operators say there will be no further discounting of the country’s toll fees. Bangkok Expressways & Metro Public Company says the proposal by the new Transport Minister for expressway tolls to be cut by an average of 5-10 baht is not going to happen. The company claims they have already helped the government over…
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Couple cry foul after ‘turbo switch’ found in Bangkok taxi – VIDEO
PHOTOS & VIDEO: Facebook/Kaew Nutnaree A Bangkok couple has complained to police about a taxi driver ‘turbo charging’ their fare with the flick of a switch. Their story was told on the Facebook page “Kaew Nutnaree”. The couple arrived at Don Muang International Airport on Tuesday and caught a cab to take them to On Nut (Sukhumvit Soi 77). They…
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Electronic monitoring bracelet probe told to report back by August 23
The Thai Justice Ministry permanent secretary Wisit Wisitsora-at has set a deadline of August 23 for a probe into allegations that the Chinese electronic monitoring ankle or wrist bracelets, rented by the Department of Probation, can be removed by the parolled offenders without the department being alerted. Wisit, who was assigned to set up a committee to check the EM…
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Turtle rescued on Nai Harn Beach, Phuket
PHOTO: Aroon Solos Today (August 15) at about 1pm, the lifeguard team at Nai Harn Beach rescued a small turtle, which had become stuck in a fertiliser sack. They found the turtle washed up ashore with the sack wrapped up around its neck. They tried to carefully remove the sack from the turtle’s neck but found that the turtle had…
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7 year old elephant dies after being hit by truck
PHOTO: Twitter/@fm91trafficpro A 7 year old wild elephant has died whilst it was being taken to an animal hospital in Nakhon Pathom after being hit by a truck in Chon Buri early this morning. The female elephant weighed about 3 tonne and was following her mother at the time, according to a message on social media. The elephant was hit…
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Compensation paid to victims of VIP Condo construction site collapse in Phuket
“Kraichitti Chensappakit, assistant MD of the project owner VIP Thailand, expressed sympathy and said the company will provide assistance to the affected workers.” The Labour Ministry has provided monetary assistance to the families of the three Burmese migrant workers killed and the eight others wounded from the collapse of a scaffolding at the VIP condominium construction site in Rawai on…
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Asian stock markets follow Wall Street’s lead downward this morning
Asian stock markets have followed Wall Street’s lead this morning falling sharply as investors made their concerns apparent about economic recessions in some of the larger economies. They also reacted to more threats of instability from the trade war between the US and China. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index dropped 1.6% during this morning’s trading. US markets led…
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Drunken tourist rescued at Karon Beach after swimming in red flag area
PHOTOS: Phuket HotNews Earlier today, the Karon Tourist Assistance Centre was contacted by a hotel reporting a tourist who was in trouble while swimming off the beach, near the Naga (snake) statue area. The area is notorious for dangerous rips on some days during the monsoon season. At the scene Foundation responders found two foreigners, whose nationality wasn’t clear. They…
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Malay tourist allegedly ploughs into roadside workers, killing five
“Five Thai workers were killed and another injured on the Asia Highway.” Khao Sod reports that a Malaysian tourist has been charged with reckless driving causing death and injury after her car allegedly ploughed into six Thai road workers in Songkhla, southern Thailand, on Tuesday. The workers were from the Kamphaeng Phet Highway District Office doing routine maintenance along the…
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Nation Multimedia Group aims to counter tech ‘disruption’
PHOTO: NMG group chief, Shine Bunnag Thailand’s media giant Nation Multimedia Group say they are poised to ride the new “digital wave” to tide over the industry disruption brought about by technology, group chief Shine Bunnag said while outlining his vision. Shine, who is chairman of NMG’s executive committee, said in an interview with Krungthep Turakij newspaper that with the…
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Thai woman threatens to strangle child on Facebook Live
PHOTOS: Manager Online Concerned provincial officials have visited a village in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand, after a woman posted on Facebook live threatening to kill her one year old child. 41 year old Suphaporn Prab-arin, threatened to strangle the child with a belt then hang herself. During the video the baby was crying in a hammock nearby. After the story…
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Indian and Pakistani rob foreigner on road trip to Pattaya
PHOTOS; INN News The Immigration Police have arrested a pair of foreign criminals after robbing a fellow foreigner on a road trip to Pattaya from Bangkok. The two men made friendly contacts with their victims before arranging to meet and robbing them. Mohammad, a man from Pakistan, and Kuldip, a man from India, have been charged with robbery. In this…
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Bangkok woman hospitalised after she falls over and a cucumber ended up inside her
A 51 year old Thai woman was recently sent to hospital complaining of vaginal pain because she had a cucumber stuck in her ‘lady parts’. She told hospital staff that she ‘fell’ on the cucumber. She says she fell down in her house and a cucumber just happened to be on the spot she fell and it “simply slipped inside…
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Lanterns grounded in Chiang Mai for Loy Krathong world record attempt
Enthusiastic enforcement of the TM30 form is one thing. Backing down on modern new public buses in Bangkok is another. But now the Thai government have gone too far! Officials in Chiang Mai have ordered the cancellation of a major sky lantern event, including a Guinness world record attempt, planned for the Loy Krathong festival in November, caving in to…
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55 year old New Zealand expat arrested on drug charges and working without work permit
PHOTOS: Chiang Mai News Chiang Mai Police raided a restaurant on Sam Lan Road last night at 10pm arresting a 55 year old New Zealand citizen. The man has been arrested on alleged charges of drug dealing and working without a proper work permit. According to the Chiang Mai News, police raided the restaurant after receiving reports that the New…
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Thailand, the land of festivals
Fireworks, colour, smoke, noise, costumes, absence of occupational health and safety. That could describe any of the many, many festivals held around Thailand each year. Different regions, different festivals. Some reflect an ancient culture and a rich history, other make absolutely no sense but we enjoy them anyway. We’ll go through some of the main ones and a few you’ll…
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