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 Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Corrections Dept. to sue Thai talk show for creating fake news
A female talk show host faces up to a year in prison after insulting the Department of Corrections and spreading fake news about Thai prisons. On August 31, the Thai talk show, Unfold a Secret or Chae (แฉ), invited a female influencer, Leena Jangjanja, to host a discussion about the Forex-3D scam involving a leading Thai actress, Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej.…
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Bridge over troubled waters for Thailand-bound Russian snowbird tourists
Russian travellers have ritually sought out islands in the tropical sun since the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hellbent on escaping bitterly cold winters, these snowbirds in the lead-up years to the pandemic became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s mass market tourism surge. Now, coming out of the pandemic in the age of a return…
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Cat goes missing in Hat Yai, turns up 1000km away in Bangkok, Thailand
‘Moota’ the stripy cat turned up in Bangkok after going missing more than one month ago, almost 1000 kilometres away near the border of Malaysia in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, southern Thailand. On Wednesday, the Facebook page ‘Traffic on the Si Rat – Outer Ring Road Expressway of Bangkok‘ posted pictures of a beautiful striped cat with a red collar…
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Phuket hotels team up with HSMAI for digital tourism and travel marketing workshop
Phuket’s tourism industry continues to wait and wonder when Mainland Chinese will be allowed to travel overseas, in the wake of China’s zero-Covid policy. As Thailand’s leading resort island moves towards the high season, hoteliers are looking to bridge the China gap and look to new markets to replace the expected lower volume of travel-challenged Russian tourists. Addressing these challenges is…
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Machine invented to replace monkeys climbing coconut trees
Monkeys climbing coconut trees have been an icon in Thailand for years, but have also drawn the ire of animal rights groups like People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Now the Agriculture Department has invented a machine that can help farmers climb coconut trees themselves, eliminating the need to train and use monkeys to harvest coconuts. PETA released…
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UPDATE: Police superintendent transferred to “inactive” post after pub raid
UPDATE The saga continues around the pub that was raided in Thailand’s northern Chiang Rai province early yesterday morning. The police superintendent of Chiang Rai’s city district police, Colonel Kittipong Sukwattanapun, has now been transferred to an “inactive” post in the operations centre of the provincial police headquarters. The transfer is punishment for his alleged failure to control the operations…
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Nirvana naked baby album cover subject loses lawsuit
Perhaps the most famous naked baby of the 90s, the iconic photo that graced the cover of the seminal Nirvana album “Nevermind” has been the subject of a lawsuit that was just dismissed. Spencer Elden is not a household name, but most people who were teens or in their early 20s in the early 1990s remember the photo of him…
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Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media
Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…
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Teenage girl’s body found in northeast Thailand forest
The body of a teenage girl has been found on Friday in a forest behind her school in Thailand’s northeast province of Buri Ram. The girl, 17 year old Nichada Salangam, had reportedly skipped her last class of the day with two friends before her body was found. Nichada’s friend Chularat said the three friends had skipped class to eat…
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UPDATE: Governor rushing to feed over 800 Phuket flood victims
UPDATE Phuket Governor Narong is rushing to get food to over 800 victims of the island province’s recent floods. A total of 871 people, making up 372 households, have been affected by heavy floods that hit Phuket on Friday. Narong yesterday led officials in handing out 1,800 meals to people at Wat Nai Yang temple in the Thalang district. This…
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Hopefuls assess and prepare to run for prime minister
While the Constitutional Court is mulling over when Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term as prime minister officially ends, with the suspended PM submitting his defence on Thursday, several hopefuls eyeing the premiership have assessed their chances and taken steps in preparation. The Sang Anakhot Thai Party (translating to “Building Thailand’s Future”) intends to nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and has…
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Maid abuse case shines light on layers of corruption
On the surface, the policewoman who beat her maid is appalling enough, but as details unfold, they uncover multi-layered rotten corruption laying bare countless cases of abuse of power all the way to the top and connected to the acting prime minister. Not only did the maid endure the abuse in exchange for a pass into the Royal Thai Army,…
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Australian man kills 2 teens in Songkhla crash, another seriously injured
An Australian man hit and killed two teenage girls on a motorcycle with his car in the southern province of Songkhla, Thai media reported on Friday. Another teenage girl who was also on the motorcycle was seriously injured in the accident. The tragic accident happened on a road in front of a Royal Navy Shooting Range, and officers found the…
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Driver who blocked van at Phuket pier: “We are NOT taxi mafia”
A scuffle between taxi drivers at the Rassada Pier in Phuket on Friday, with three female and one male tourist trapped in the middle, has taxi drivers at the pier arguing that they are not mafia. The travellers had just returned from Koh Phi Phi just after 10am and chose not to use their transportation from the stand at the…
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Sri Lanka’s ex-president leaves Thailand, returns home
The ex-president of Sri Lanka finally left Thailand and returned to his home country. The former president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had initially planned to return to Sri Lanka on August 24, but his return date ended up being yesterday, September 2. Gotabaya has been on quite a journey ever since 100,000 angry protesters forced him to flee Sri Lanka on July…
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Pattaya hotel employee seriously injured after falling down elevator shaft
A South Pattaya hotel employee has been seriously injured after she fell down an elevator shaft last night. The hotel maid, 57 year old Daengtoi Makkhun, had been cleaning on the fourth floor of the Aya Boutique Hotel with another maid. She then tried to get to the first floor via a staff elevator that had manual doors, not automatic…
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UPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods
UPDATE After floods wreaked havoc in Phuket yesterday, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has today called in the Royal Thai Army for some backup to help the island province’s victims, and pump out flood water. Prayut has ordered army officers to pump out water in the area around the Phuket International Airport. He has also ordered to officers to help victims in…
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Traffic fines see a hefty price spike on Monday
Bad and disobedient drivers better get it out of their systems quickly over the weekend! On Monday, increased fines for traffic offences – some rather steep – will go into effect in Thailand after the Land Traffic Act is updated. Yesterday, the Director of the Traffic Management Center and Deputy National Police Chief laid out a list of hefty new…
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Officials bust hundreds of Chiang Rai teens drinking underage
A team of officials has busted hundreds of teenagers in the northern Chiang Rai province drinking under Thailand’s legal age of 20. The officials raided a pub in the main city district early this morning and found 325 people drinking underage, with some as young as 16 years old. Many of the youngsters dashed away on motorcycles when they saw…
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Should monks be fit? Pics of monks in gym stir online anger
Some buff Buddhist monks doing reps in robes have gone viral as images of them working out in a gym caused an uproar on the Internet. The photos were posted yesterday on the Buddhist News Facebook page by a man who refers to himself as an abbott and claimed he invited residents of his temple to get some exercise. “I…
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EDM music festival coming up in central Thailand
An electronic dance music festival with a Halloween theme is coming up in Thailand’s central province of Nonthaburi. The festival, called “Oh My Ghost: The Freakiest Music Festival,” will feature both Thai and international EDM DJs, including DJ Marshmello. According to the festival’s website, the festival will be held on Sunday, September 25, from 4pm-11pm at Thunder Dome Stadium in…
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23rd victim dies as a result of the Mountain B Pub fire
The tragedy continues from the horrific fire that consumed the Mountain B Pub in Sattahip, Chon Buri on August 5. The blaze claimed its 23rd victim nearly a month after the fire. This victim is the 10th person to die in the hospital following the catastrophe which initially claimed 13 lives inside the flaming pub. The latest victim is a…
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Elderly monk killed in Chon Buri temple fire
An elderly monk has been tragically killed in a fire that destroyed a temple yesterday in the Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province. The monk, 92 year old Phra Siang Achito Thongthammachart had been immobile due to his age, and couldn’t escape the unexpected fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the two-story temple engulfed in flames. The…
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Thai Racing Champions Journey to the Top feat. Sandy Stuvik | Thaiger Podcast Ep.5
https://youtu.be/T_h59UgizSs Sandy Stuvik, one of Thailand’s top auto racers, has a wealth of experience in karts, open-wheel cars up to F2, touring cars, and GT cars, and now he currently drives the Audi R8 for B-quick absolute racing team and is sponsored by big names such as Pizza Company, Thai Airways and many more. In this edition of our…
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How to plan a destination wedding in Phuket 2022 – Step by Step
If you are looking for how to plan a wedding in Phuket, you have come to the perfect place! Going to a foreign land to marry your love can offer you that amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, planning the perfect wedding can sometimes be a daunting task. But don’t worry as we are here to guide you through the steps of…
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North Korea throws shade at “US puppet” human rights leader
North Korea is up to its hate-mongering tactics again. Today, the country called a United Nations special rapporteur on North Korean Human Rights a “puppet of the US.” An unnamed spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an English statement on state-run media… “We had already made clear our principled stand that we neither recognize nor deal…
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Elephant invades home and steals fermented fish in eastern Thailand
An elephant with no respect for the law smashed its way into a home in Prachin Buri province at 4.40am today and helped itself to some fermented fish and other food items before fleeing into the jungle. The owner of the one-storey house, Pranee Saicharoen, says she was woken up by a loud bang in the middle of the night.…
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Deputy Mayor says Pattaya’s Walking Street makeover almost finished
Following an inspection this week, Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor Manoch Nongyai has announced that the resurfacing of the city’s famous Walking Street is almost finished. Manoch, along with other authorities, inspected Walking Street on Wednesday. He said the resurfacing is about 95% complete, with only the street art left to complete. He added that advertising signs obstructing the street must be…
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VIDEO: Phuket Airport and surrounding areas engulfed by floods
Floodwater is being pumped out of Phuket Airport and surrounding areas following heavy rainfall. No flights have been cancelled yet but the airport has requested passengers to arrive three to four hours before their scheduled departure time. “Heavy rain in Phuket province has resulted in flooding at Phuket Airport. Urgent remedial action is being taken in all flooded areas,” said…
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52 kilometre car chase for suspects with millions of meth pills in South Thailand
Highway Police were sent on a wild goose chase in South Thailand this week in a mission to catch three drug suspects. The police reported on Wednesday that they had chased a car from the Lang Suan district of Chumphon province, all the way to Than Chana district in Surat Thani province, totalling 52 kilometres. The police found two million…
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