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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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UPDATE: Saudi teen barricades herself in Bangkok airport room to avoid deportation
PHOTO: Sophie McNeill A detained Saudi 18 year old Rahaf Mohhammed al-Qunun remains barricaded in her room at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok. She has locked herself in her room to avoid being deported, as earlier today as she was supposed to leave on a 11.15 am flight back to Kuwait this morning. Now she refuses to leave her room until…
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Warnings issued after hydrogen-filled balloon explodes in car
A six year old boy has been engulfed in flames and seriously injured in a hydrogen balloon accident in Nakhon Pathom, west of Bangkok. Three people were injured on January 2 when a single hydrogen-filled party balloon exploded inside a car. The incident has prompted the Disease Control Department (DCD) to issue a warning and guidelines for reducing the risk.…
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Saudi teen fleeing family abuse seeking asylum in Australia, detained in Bangkok airport.
PHOTO: Sophie McNeill (Twitter) A young Saudi woman is being held at Bangkok’s main international airport after she fled from her family and attempted to make it to Australia. The girl, 18 year old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, was on a family holiday in Kuwait when she decided to run away. She was on her way to Australia but has been…
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Six people, including a baby, killed in Pathum Thani bus accident
Six people, including a five month old baby, have died after their double-decker bus went out of control on a slippery road in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok. The bus overturned and ended up in a ditch early today. 50 other people have been injured in the incident. Polcie from the Khlong Luang precinct received a call at 3.30am. Officers and emergency…
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English teacher arrested after inner city organic marijuana farm raid
A 46 year old English language teacher has been arrested for allegedly operating an organic marijuana farm and selling the produce online. He was arrested today after a raid on a four level building in Bangkok’s Phayathai inner city district. Police say that on the third floor of the building, officers found five litres of cannabis oil, 50 plastic pots…
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Suicide at Bangkok’s Terminal 21 shopping mall as Italian man jumps from escalator
PHOTO: Living + Nomad 44 year old Federico Maistrello fell to his death yesterday after jumping from an escalator at Bangkok’s Terminal 21 shopping mall. CCTV footage of the incident shows the Italian man coming down the escalators from the sixth to the fifth floor when he decided to jump. He fell in full view of shoppers in the central…
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“Don’t go to Thailand” – another Chinese social media firestorm
PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath is reporting that officials from the Tourist Assistance Centre have made a visit to the female Chinese blogger who lost her left arm in a road accident on the way from Bangkok to Koh Chang. The story has produced another firestorm of criticism in Chinese social media with headlines like “Don’t go to Thailand”. The…
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Happy New Year Thailand!
PHOTO: The Nation The Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019 was held at the new riverside shopping hub Iconsiam last night as a “New Year present” for Thais and tourists. It was a joint venture between the capital’s newest luxury shopping mall and the TAT. Large countdown crowds and fireworks kicked off 2019 at dozens of venues around Thailand, and a bright…
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New Year weather around Thailand
It might be the middle of the annual high season but the ‘high season’ weather isn’t co-operating. Although generally fine weather has been the trend in the past few days there are a few unseasonal fronts coming to different parts of the country, according to the Thai Meteorological Department. In the central/southern provinces, including around Hua Hun and Gulf islands…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn offers New Year wishes
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has expressed her best wishes to the staff of the Thai Red Cross Society and members of the public after presiding over the offering of alms to 100 monks to mark the arrival of the 2019 New Year. Organised by the Thai Red Cross Society, the annual event was held in front of…
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Thai authorities visit airports following reports of thefts and food overpricing
PHOTO: King Power With over 3 million people expected to pass through Thailand’s airports during the new year, authorities are focused on ensuring safe and ‘fair’ travel conditions. A report by Channel 3 tv news says Thailand ombudsman, General Withawat Ratchatanan and airport authorities were seen inspecting Suvarnabhumi airport. The number of CCTV cameras at the airport has been increased…
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Ice-cream promotion ‘For Thai Customers Only’ – Huh?!
PHOTO: Thai Visa An ice cream company outlet in the new Icon Siam mall on the banks of the Chao Phraya in Bangkok, has received backlash after a ‘locals’ promotion was misunderstood by staff resulting in a ‘50% off For Thai Customers only’ sign which sparked great criticism on social media. Stick House (specialising in Italian gelato on a stick) …
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Hundreds of diseased cats & dogs living in Bangkok animal shelter
PHOTOS: Watchdog Thailand Animal rights group Watchdog Thailand have shared photos of dismaying condition in Bangkok’s Prawet animal shelter. The images and video show diseased and distressed animals crammed into metal cages, with the few healthy ones living in small dens. Khaosod English is reporting that ‘Watchdogs Thailand’ say that around 400 cats and dogs have died in their two weeks…
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Fire in Khlong Toei destroys a row of shops
By Kittipong Maneerit A 3am fire in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district has destroyed five shops but luckily caused no injuries. Fire-fighters spent an hour extinguishing the blaze that started in the four-room furniture shop next to the disused Pak Nam railway. Ten fire engines were engaged, but the flames had already engulfed the entire furniture shop full of flammable materials…
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Thailand shopping for Russian helicopters
PHOTO: forceindia.net Thailand has shown interest in Russian helicopter brand Ansat and their Mi171A2 and Ka-32 models, the CEO of the holding company Helicopters of Russia, Andrei Boginsky, told Russian news agency TASS yesterday. “As far as Thailand is concerned, the helicopters Ansat and Mi-171A2 have aroused great interest. Thailand’s police are interested in purchasing Ansats. Also, there has been…
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NACC wearing backlash on social media over Prawit luxury watch case
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is finding itself in the hot seat after it cleared Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon of wrongdoing in the luxury watch scandal, ruling by a majority vote that he did not make a false asset declaration. The Bangkok Post reports that the NACC secretary-general Worawit Sookboon said the commission ruled 5:3 there were no grounds to accusations…
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2 Year old Burmese boy found too late
Photo: Bangkok Post After 9 days of searching, a missing 2 year old Burmese boy has been found dead in a sugar can field in the U Thong district, Suphan Buri, north-west of Bangkok. Yesterday the Suphan Buri Governor ordered some 700 rescuers to meticulously search the plantation for any signs of the boy. The body was found around 4.30…
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Bangkok blanketed by smog for at least another day
Bangkok and inner city suburbs continue to be covered in smog for the fifth straight day. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) reported that the amount of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in 19 roadside areas exceeded the safety limit of 50 micrograms per cubic metre, while nine other places had levels that could negatively impact health. The BMA…
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Water cannons brought out to add humidity as authorities struggle with BKK smog
Bangkokians have at least another day to inhale unhealthy levels of air pollution after Sunday, the fourth consecutive day the city has been shrouded in smog. On Sunday morning the measure of particulate matter in Tambon Pak Nam in Muang Samut Prakan was 93 micrograms per cubic metres, approaching what the WHO describes as ‘unhealthy’. The Nation reported that Samut…
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AOT gives green light to new Suvarnabhumi terminal
Following a few hiccups, the board of the AOT has now given the green light for the construction of the second passenger terminal at Suvarnabhumi international Airport. In past months there have been demands from leading architects and engineers for the project to be scrapped. AOT managing director Nitinai Sirimatthakarn says that after the board’s approval of the project, the company…
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Orient Express luxury brand announces first hotel in Mahankhon
The King Power Mahanakhon Building in Bangkok, Thailand’s tallest, will have the world’s first Orient Express Hotel. At 78 storeys high, the Mahanakhon Building is currently the tallest building in Bangkok, pushing the slightly shorter Baiyoke Tower into second place. Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, CEO of King Power Group, said they spent over 100 million baht on the new hotel. The new…
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Authorities struggle to find solutions for the BKK smog
PHOTO: The Nation “Normal cheap face masks are useless to protect people from air pollution.” Bangkok is suffering some severe air pollution as authorities struggle to find a way to reduce the dangerous levels of particulate matter floating around the city. A lack of wind is allowing the pollution, mostly from vehicle emissions and local industry, to hang around the…
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Thai artist uses sex workers’ hair to make social critique in BKK installation
PHOTOS: Vivianne Chow Thai artist, Imahathai Suwatthanasilp new work at the Bangkok Biennale has brought attention to the prostitution industry in Thailand. Through her work the artist critiques preconceptions on sex workers while highlight their prevalence. Imahathai’s new work involved hair, specifically hair collected from a number of sex workers in Thailand. Her passion for hair started when her father was…
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The Chao Phraya lights up for new years eve
Heading to the capital for new years eve? Looking for some spectacular fireworks? The Tourism Authority of Thailand will host the longest fireworks display ever staged along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok as part of New Year celebrations at midnight on December 31. Called the “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2019”, the spectacular display will last five minutes and is expected to…
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537 more non-existent illegal foreigners found
The round-ups continue and, despite the claim that there are no more illegal foreigners in Thailand, Immigration officials have found another 537 to arrest, process and deport. Immigration police announced the latest toll after raids on 225 locations around the country targeting people living illegally in Thailand. Another early morning media conference was held in central Bangkok at 1.45am to…
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Thailand’s next football star may come from West Africa – VIDEO
Photo: Facebook/Look e san Al Jazeera has just released their new episode of ‘101 East’, their award winning TV program which gives an in-depth look at weekly current affairs and telling bold untold stories from Asia and the Pacific’. This week’s episode takes a look at Thailand’s football industry and how many West African players are travelling to our capital,…
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Natural birth son fathered by Thailand’s first test tube baby
PHOTO: The Nation Pavornit Srisahaburi a 31 year old engineer stands in the maternity ward at Chulalongkorn University waiting to visit ‘Delta’ his first baby. Unlike many fathers who have share the same magic moment, Pavornvit is special as he was born and created by artificial insemination, or intro-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in the very same ward. “In Vitro Fertilisation is…
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Another Thai interest rate hike predicted for next year
by Phuwit Limviphuwat and Wichit Chaitrong We’ve just had one .25 basis point interest rise to the base rate. Now there’s already talk of another in 2019 which will start to affect consumer spending, especially mortgage holders. Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) and Phatra Securities are predicting that the Bank of Thailand (BOT) is likely to implement a modest interest rate…
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Junta supporters, Palang Pracharat party, raises 650 million baht at banquet
The pro-military Palang Pracharat party had the first of their big fund-raisers last night and raised an estimated 650 million baht – 50 million baht more than their initial projection. The banquet was held last night at the Impact Muang Thong Thanee convention hall. Almost 2,000 guests, mostly business people and politicians from different parties, attended the event to fill…
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First satellite made-in-Thailand enters orbit
PHOTO: ABC Action news, Bangkok Post A Thai university has announced that the first domestically produced satellite has now entered orbit. Weighing in at 1 kilogram and measuring only 10 centimetres on each side, the tiny educational satellite was one of 64 on board the recent SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from California on Tuesday. Pongsatorn Saisutjarit heads the research…
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