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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Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Volunteer teaching English to underprivileged children in Bangkok
Bangkok Community Help Foundation runs a weekly volunteer-led class that aims to teach English and improve the lives of underprivileged children in the Klong Toei area of the city. Children learn new English vocabulary, play games, dance Zumba, and do arts and crafts projects in a fun environment. At the end of each class, students are provided with a hot…
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Burmese migrant worker killed en route to Malaysia
A Burmese man was killed and six others were injured this morning when a Toyota Fortuner bound for the Malaysian border rear-ended a truck in the Tha Chana district in the north of Surat Thani province in the early hours. The accident occurred at the 120-kilometre marker on southbound Highway 4. Police and rescue workers arriving on the scene found…
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Cannabis in Thailand: A Guide for Tourists
Thailand’s crazy cannabis laws can be difficult to navigate so the Ministry of Public Health has issued a guide titled “10 Things Tourists Need to Know About Cannabis in Thailand” to help budding cannabis tourists stay out of trouble. Since the marijuana plant (“Gancha” in Thai language) was removed from Thailand’s list of Category 5 Narcotics on June 9 this…
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8 million MOPH webpages hacked by gambling websites
The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) closed approximately eight million official government-related webpages after they were hacked by illegal gambling websites. MOPH Information and Communication Technology Centre Director Anan Kanoksin told Thai media that illicit online gambling websites have been illegally squatting on government platforms after they sat idle for months. The illegal gambling websites were able to squat on…
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Protester jailed for burning King’s portrait
The food delivery rider who attempted to burn a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida during a protest in July 2021 has been sentenced to three and half years in prison. The court ruled that a portrait of the king is equivalent to the king’s person. Foodpanda delivery rider Sitthichok Sethasavet set fire to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn…
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Thaiger Unfiltered | Ask Us Anything
Here’s a chance for our viewers to ask Natty, and Jay any questions they have, and they will answer you with their honest responses unfiltered! Please be kind and appropriate.
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2 excise officers arrested in 300,000 baht ransom kidnapping case
Two excise officers and one of their friends were arrested yesterday after they kidnapped a phone shop worker and held her to a 300,000 baht ransom in the central province of Samut Prakarn. A Chinese man, Wu Yiwen, filed a complaint at Mueang Samut Prakarn Police Station yesterday at 3.30pm. The 31 year old said the kidnapping incident happened at…
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Himalayan cherry trees bring splash of colour to northeast Thai province
Himalayan cherry trees are bringing a splash of colour to Thailand’s northeast province of Loei. Over 100,000 of the trees are now brimming with blossoms, known locally as ‘tiger queens’ or ‘nang phaya sua kroang.’ A swarm of tourists is now visiting Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park to delight at the pink and red blossoms. The trees are spread…
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Walk-in driving license services now available in Thailand
Obtaining a new driving license or renewing an old one just got easier in Thailand. Walk-in services are now available at transport offices nationwide without the need to book an appointment, according to the Department of Land Transport (DLT). Anyone wanting to renew their Thai driving license can obtain an ‘eLearning’ theoretical training certificate through the DLT’s website, which also…
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‘Big Joke’ moves on Chinese passport forgers
The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, swooped on Chinese passport forgers hiding at the Bangkok residence of a Nauruan diplomat. Onassis Dame, consul-general to Thailand from the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru, and his family no longer live there, according to Radio Free Asia. Instead, the residence, which investigators raided on December 22,…
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Pet-loving couple accidently imprison themselves in a dog cage (video)
A hilarious video of a pet-loving couple from California locking themselves in a dog cage has gone viral. Hats off to Stephanie Ferrari for posting the priceless video on TikTok @stephanieiferrari and allowing the rest of the world to laugh at her mishap. Pet lover Stephanie and her husband are seen in their home with three dog cages. He husband,…
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Four Pit Bull mixes attack 76 year old grandma in northeast Thailand
Four Pit Bull mixed breed dogs attacked an elderly Thai lady in the Mueang district of Nakhon Phanom province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday leaving her seriously injured and in need of urgent hospital treatment. It is the fourth time the four dogs have injured people in the village. The victim, 76 year old Thongpoon “Grandma Yoon” Sasanasupin, was walking…
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Man arrested for stealing over 10 million baht in valuables at a fitness centre
A thief who stole over 10 million baht of valuables from a businessman at a fitness centre two weeks ago was arrested yesterday. The man pretended to be a fitness centre customer, stole safety box keys, and duplicated the keys to complete a series of thefts. On Tuesday, January 10, 35 year old businessman, Sathit, filed a complaint at Mueang Nonthaburi…
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Free shuttle bus from Yaowarat to Khao San for Chinese New Year
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is providing tourists with free shuttle buses between Yaowarat Road and Khao San Road from tomorrow until January 23 to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Deputy Bangkok Governor Wissanu Subsomphon announced yesterday that the BMA would temporarily operate a Yaowarat-Khao San Road BMA Feeder to facilitate tourists and reduce traffic jams during the Chinese Spring Festival,…
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Rescuers find Burmese migrant worker’s body near Chon Buri island
Rescuers and police found a Burmese migrant worker’s body off an island in Chon Buri province on Sunday night. The search team found the body floating five nautical miles north of Koh Si Chang. The dead man was a boat crew member reported to have fallen into the sea on the night of January 11, four days before his body…
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Famous Belgian murderer Robert Beijer arrested in Pattaya, Thailand
Convicted murderer and suspect in Belgium’s infamous ‘Brabant Killers‘ case of the 1980s – Robert Beijer – has been arrested in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. Robert Beijer, a former state policeman, was convicted of murdering and robbing an Antwerp diamond dealer in 1995 along with Madani Bouhouche. Beijer was sentenced to 14 years but was let out early…
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Kiwi PM Jacinda Arden to quit next month (video)
An emotional Jacinda Ardern announced she “has nothing left in the tank” and is standing down as New Zealand’s Prime Minister. The 42 year old revealed she will resign next month and will not take part in this year’s General Elections. A tearful Ardern told a press pack in the coastal city of Napier yesterday that Tuesday, February 7 will…
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Cambodian thieves snatch Japanese man’s bag on flight to Thailand
Two Cambodian thieves snatched a Japanese man’s bag on a flight to Thailand from Cambodia yesterday. His belongings included a luxury bag, Sennheiser, Sony wireless headphones, an Apple iPad, 11,240 baht, and 186,000 yen (about 47,000 baht). The unnamed victim said the thieves were seated in the same row as him on the flight to Suvarnabhumi Airport from Phenom Penh.…
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Ukraine helicopter crash kills Interior Minister, at least 18 others
A Ukraine helicopter crash reportedly killed Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky and at least 18 others. The crash occurred near a kindergarten in the town of Brovary, just northeast of the capital of Kyiv yesterday. Yehvheniy Yenin, Monastyrsky’s deputy, along with a state secretary, was also killed in the crash. According to the Interior Ministry, three children were killed among the tally…
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Vietnam’s National Assembly approves President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s resignation
Vietnam’s National Assembly is giving the green light for President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s resignation. The approval came late yesterday after Phuc stepped down as part of an anti-corruption clean-up. According to Bangkok Post, an extraordinary meeting saw 93% of National Assembly members voting to approve Phuc’s resignation. His abrupt departure comes as the country is experiencing significant political upheaval as…
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University student shot dead on a Bangkok footpath
Two unidentified gunmen shot dead a university student in a drive-by shooting while the victim was walking on a Phaya Thai Road footpath in Bangkok on Saturday. Police are still searching for the gunmen. A security camera in front of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Chulalongkorn University captured the shooting incident on Saturday, January 14 at about 8.40pm. Two men…
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Thai court denies bail to alleged Singaporean Forex-3D scammer
Today, Thailand‘s Criminal Court denied bail to the alleged Singaporean Forex-3D scammer who was nabbed by police at Phuket Airport as he tried to flee the country on Monday. He was taken straight to Bangkok Remand Prison. The accused, 32 year old Daryl Cai Yonghui, is charged with “public fraud” and “inputting false information into a computer system in a…
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Bank of Thailand blames dating app for phone hacking
The Bank of Thailand (BoT) denied a claim made on social media that a man lost money from his bank account after recharging his phone at a public outlet. BoT believes the theft occurred because the man was a victim of a malware attack. Police also attributed the theft to malware, stating that the user had downloaded an unsafe dating…
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YouTuber roasts Chef Gordon Ramsay’s Thai cooking skills
A YouTuber roasted world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay’s Thai cooking skills in a video posted on Sunday. The Malaysian YouTuber, known as Uncle Roger, has over 7 million subscribers and is based in London. Ramsay is known to the world as a super harsh critic of other people’s cooking, mainly through his reality show “Hell’s Kitchen.” On his show, he regularly…
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Oil tanker explosion in Thailand kills 8 people, 1 dog, injures 4, impacts 128
UPDATE Officials have recovered eight bodies from the wreckage of the oil tanker which exploded and caught fire at Ruammitr Dockyard in the Laem Yai district of Samut Songkhram province in central Thailand yesterday. Divers from the Dhammarasamimaneerat Foundation are no longer searching for bodies as the total number of people missing was believed to be eight. At least five…
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UNESCO reports spike in killings of journalists in 2022
On Monday, UNESCO reported a dramatic spike in the killings of journalists around the world in 2022. A total of 86 journalists and media workers were killed across the globe last year. This was after the number of journalists killed had been dropping in the previous years. In 2018, 99 journalists were killed, dropping to an average of 58 per…
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Five airlines launch direct flights between Phuket and China this week
Five airlines are launching direct flights between China and Phuket in southern Thailand this week. The services will connect Phuket to Shanghai, Nanjing, and Chengdu. Today, Phuket will welcome three direct flights from Shanghai on Spring Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, and Juneyao Airlines. All three services will fly daily. Juneyao Airlines’ inaugural daily direct service from Nanjing will also land on…
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66 year old monk accused of raping 12 year old novice
A 66 year old monk is on the run from a temple in the central province of Prachin Buri after being accused of raping and sexually abusing a 12 year old novice for more than six months. The scandal emerged after the novice visited a hospital due to a complaint about an anus infection. The 12 year old was sent to…
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Bangkok to gain more dog-friendly public parks
Finding a green area to walk your furry friend in Bangkok is difficult because pet dogs are not allowed in all but one of the city’s public parks. That is about to change thanks to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) “15-minute” park project. The BMA has acquired 107 plots of land, covering a collective 659 rai, which will be transformed…
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Northeast Thai farmer is ‘selling’ fresh air
One northeast Thai farmer is ‘selling’ fresh air. The farmer, 52 year old Dusit Kachai, charges visitors 1,000 baht per person for the first hour they stay at his farm. The farm is located on the edge of Chaiyaphum province’s Phu Laen Kha National Park, which has clean air, forests, and mountain streams. Dusit said… “The first hour costs 1,000…
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