Bangkok News
Bangkok news, politics, business, crime, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s capital. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Bangkok news source.
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PM orders Thai police to collaborate with Interpol to bring Boss back to Thailand
The Thai PM is ordering Thai police to work with Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organisation, to find Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and bring him back to Thailand for prosecution. The Red Bull heir has been on the run since 2017 and faces charges reckless driving causing death and using cocaine, charges which date back to the incident in 2012 in…
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Bangkok nightclub busted for underage drinking
A Bangkok nightclub was raided last night when police arrested numerous underage drinkers after city officials received a complaint about “unlawful assembly”. Police say many of the 50 people at the nightclub were under Thailand’s legal drinking age of 20 years old. They added that the patrons at the venue did not abide by Covid-19 prevention rules like wearing a…
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Protest leaders face charges for violating Thailand’s lèse majesté law and for installing the plaque
Leaders of the weekend’s pro-democracy protest in Bangkok are facing charges for violating Thailand’s lèse majesté laws and installing a symbolic plaque at a “registered historical site”. Police filed complaints against 10 to possibly more than 16 protesters. It’s unclear how many protesters will be charged, but the Royal Thai Police spokesperson Piya Uthayo says charges will be pressed against…
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Police officer allegedly shot and killed a woman at a Bangkok temple
A police officer allegedly shot and killed a woman making merit at a Bangkok temple yesterday. The 35 year old police officer, Siriwan Sumredsilpa, turned herself in to police. Siriwan allegedly approached the 39 year old woman from behind and shot her 4 times in the head. She was making merit that morning at the Nimmanoradee Temple in Bangkok around 7am…
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Woman shot and killed at Bangkok temple
A woman was shot and killed at a Bangkok temple today. Police say 39 year old Linlada Phattanphan was found inside the temple, covered in blood. Her head had been shot at 4 times. Linlada went to the temple this morning to make merit, according to her maid, 52 year old Maneerat Srithornrat. The maid told police that the 2 of…
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Protesters’ plaque damaged historical site – Thai Fine Arts Department
The Thai Fine Arts Department claim the pro-democracy protesters, who installed a symbolic brass plaque in an area next to the Grand Palace yesterday morning, broke the law. The department filed a complaint saying the installation of the plaque damaged a historic site, a violation of the Archaeological Site Act. Protesters cemented the plaque in the perimeter of the Royal Field,…
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Protesters’ symbolic brass plaque ripped out of the concrete this morning
Now you see it. Now you don’t. Although the replacement commemorative brass plaque was certain to be removed, even the protesters thought it might have stayed in place a bit longer than 24 hours. All that remains this morning is a space where the plaque had been laid yesterday morning – the concrete sealing it in place had barely dried.…
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Thai police seize 45,000 books and arrest students who were about to distribute them
Police were holding a group of Thammasat University students after seizing around 45,000 booklets about reform of the Thai Monarchy and politics, which were about to be distributed to demonstrators at Sanam Luang last night. The red-covered book, entitled “Stunning Phenomenon – August 10”, is a compendium of articles about the Thai Monarchy, written by human rights lawyer Anond Nampa,…
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Bangkok protest rally wraps up after a letter of demand is presented to officials
As yesterday and this morning’s major rally wraps up, protest organisers have already announced the next rally for October 14, the anniversary of the 1973 student uprising. Another gathering has been announced for this Thursday outside the Thai parliament. The growing tide of support for the student protesters, who government supporters are accusing of being puppets for “dark” opposition voices,…
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Bangkok SkyTrain offers free rides on Car Free Day for bike riders
Peddle your way to a free BTS train ride on Tuesday. Bangkok’s SkyTrain (BTS) is offering free rides to those who bring along a bicycle to celebrate Bangkok Car Free Day on September 22. The Bangkok Mass Transit System CEO says the cyclists can carry their bicycles into the Silom and Sukhumvit lines free of charge during the time periods of…
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Restaurant customer gets 60 baht discount after finding glass in food
A restaurant customer in Ayutthaya Province, just north of Bangkok, received a 60 baht discount on her bill after she found glass in her food when it cut her mouth. 60 baht for a potentially dangerous accident. Now, she is hoping to warn others by her Facebook account as she shares her story titled, “Jackpot, found glass that made my…
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Anti-government protest rally attracts massive crowd, continues today
And there it was, in full sight of the Grand Palace and shouted out across the royal parade grounds of Sanam Luang, a call to reform Thailand’s monarchy and the powers of the monarch. The protests, which started yesterday in the grounds of Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan Campus, will continue today with a number of symbolic gestures to claim a…
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Thai PM uses Covid fears to persuade protesters to postpone Saturday rally
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is rolling out his biggest weapon, fear, to try and persuade anti-government protesters to postpone tomorrow’s rally at the Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus. He asked them to consider putting off their plans to hold the rally at least “until the Covid-19 outbreak is over”. In a televised address, he asked Thais to unite in ending…
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Bangkok motorbike taxi driver rescues 2 year old from ledge
A 2 year old girl who managed to get out of her fourth storey room and onto a ledge was helped by a motorbike taxi driver who was parked below the Bangkok building. The motorbike taxi driver, known as a ‘win’ driver, was just playing on his phone, waiting for a customer when he heard someone crying. He looked up to…
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Woman arrested after attacking a passenger who ‘stole’ her van seat
Who doesn’t want a good seat when riding in a public van? But sometimes people get stuck a bad seat. One woman got so mad at a person for “stealing” her seat, that she attacked her. She’s been arrested and faces charges for causing bodily injury. On the van ride from Future Park Rangsit to Victory Monument in Bangkok, the…
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Bangkok family shot dead in possible murder suicide
Bangkok police found 5 family members, including a 9 year old boy, shot dead inside a Suksawat home this morning. Police suspect the incident was a murder suicide, or even a multiple suicide. Neighbours say they heard several gunshots coming from the house and called the police. Officers from the Thun Khru police station found 3 men, a woman and…
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Khao San Road to reopen for Halloween
The party is coming back to Khao San Road this Halloween. The once booming backpacker district went through a renovation during the lockdown period and now the Bangkok governor says they’re ready to reopen the street. Khao San Road has long been a district frequented by foreign backpackers. It’s known for it’s grungy and lively bar scene as well as…
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Protesters not “tough enough” – Thai security official
Thai security agencies are downplaying this weekend’s anti-government student rally, predicting that it will only attract 20,000 people and not the 50,000 predicted by the protest organisers. They’ve also said they’re confident it won’t become violent. The last big rally, early in this phase of opposition demonstrations, was on August 16 and was held at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. It attracted…
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Protesters continue their plans for weekend rally without anywhere to host it
Negotiations continue between officials at Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus, police and organisers of this Saturday’s proposed anti-government protest rally. Last week the University denied permission for the students and other protest groups to hold the event on the grounds of the high-profile university. Today it was speculated that the rally could be moved to the nearby Sanam Luang park,…
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7 charged with libel, allegedly spread false information about PM’s daughters
7 people turned themselves into police following a defamation lawsuit filed a few weeks ago by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters, Thanya and Nittha. The lawsuit was filed against more than 100 social media accounts for spreading false information about the women. 6 of the 7 who face charges were photographed at the police station, protesting their charges and holding…
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Global economics report expects Bangkok to have the highest tourist drop
International travel restrictions have crippled Thailand’s tourism industry so much that Bangkok might end up with the highest loss of tourists out of all the major cities in the world. A report from the global forecasting company Oxford Economics predicts Bangkok will lose about 14.5 million incoming foreign tourists by the end of the year. Cities across the world are…
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Silom Road tops as the most expensive area to buy land in Bangkok
Silom Road, Bangkok’s nightlife district, is the most expensive area to buy land in Bangkok, followed by Phloen Chit Road, according to data the Treasury Department gathered from 2016-2019. The pandemic may have fluctuated the prices, but no data on land value for 2020 has been reported by the department. They also say only asking prices were recorded, so it’s…
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Thailand’s prisons to release thousands monitored with ankle bracelet
Thailand’s prisons are overcrowded. To fix the problem, they’re sending some of the inmates home and monitoring them with ankle bracelets. Just 39 prisoners have been given the electric monitoring, or EM, ankle bracelets, but the Justice Minister says he expects the bracelets to be used on thousands of convicted criminals to free up space in the prisons. 2 former…
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Bangkok expo planned to fill 1 million job vacancies
Thailand has a lot of job opportunities. About a million. The Labour Ministry is hosting an expo to connect job seekers, especially recent university graduates, with companies. For recent graduates, a new government initiative co-payment system will take care of half the salary. Job Expo Thailand 2020 will run from September 26 to 28 at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre,…
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“Thai government refuses to acknowledge the red light economy”
OPINION Thanks to WB for sending us this response to earlier article. The views expressed by WB do not represent The Thaiger, its management or staff. Prostitution is not illegal in Thailand, although many activities associated with it are (brothels, pimping, causing a public nuisance, etc.). Nevertheless, it was estimated to be worth US$6.4 billion a year in revenue (2015),…
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Student’s demand Thammasat officials review ban on next Saturday’s demonstration
Students want to hold their rally at the Thammasat University’s Tha Prachan campus. The university’s officials have said no. So now the students are ‘protesting’ the decision of the university not to allow them to host the demonstration of the campus grounds. The demonstration’s planned date is only 1 week away. The school rejected a proposal by the group to…
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Bangkok DJ infected with more contagious, less severe Covid-19 strain
The Bangkok DJ who recently tested positive for Covid-19 was infected by the G strain, a more contagious, but less severe strain, according to the Department of Medical Sciences director general Opas Karnkawinpong. The strain is mostly found in those returning to Thailand from abroad and detected in quarantine. The G strain isn’t as severe as L strain and the…
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15 luxury cars destroyed in Bangkok garage fire
A fire that broke out overnight in a Bangkok garage has destroyed 15 luxury vehicles, with total damage estimated at around 40 million baht. The garage is located in the Saphan Sung district of the capital, around 13 kilometres from Suvarnabhumi Airport. The Bangkok Post reports that the fire started at around midnight at the SY Auto Technic garage. It…
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Kasetsart school bans use of name, logo, at political events on grounds of “neutrality”
A school forming part of Bangkok’s Kasetsart University has banned students from using its name or logo in any political activities. Anti-government protests have been ramping up around the country since mid-July, with a large rally set to take place at Thammasat University in the capital on September 19 (although Thammasat officials have currently denied permission for the demonstration to…
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Investigators deciding whether or not to pursue “Boss” charges
Officials at the Department of Special Investigation are considering whether to go after Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya on charges of reckless driving causing death and cocaine abuse. “The Department of Special Investigation is a department of the Ministry of Justice of Thailand. It operates independently of the Royal Thai Police and is tasked with the investigation of certain…
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