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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Tourists complain about thin elephant being forced to do party tricks
PHOTOS: Mail Online dailymail.co.uk is reporting that an adult elephant has been photographed performing in front of deserted audience seating at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, just south of Bangkok. With its bones clearly visible, a female elephant is seen balancing on two wooden tables before being led down and forced to walk across a metal tight rope. She…
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Chinese charged over test-taking scam
by Khanathit Srihirundaj A scam of a different kind has been uncovered today. In this case no one was being harmed but the system was being cheated. The Nation reports that Thai police have arrested seven Chinese who were allegedly hired to take ACT (American College Testing) exams on behalf of other test-takers who wanted good results in order to…
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Two foreigners arrested over cannabis oil raid in BKK
PHOTO: The Nation A Canadian, a Brit and two Thais were arrested last week following a drug raid in Bangkok. 67 year old David Kulik from Canada was arrested last Monday in Chon Buri alongside 64 year old Brit, Joseph Toole. The Thai Narcotics Suppression Division raided the warehouse in the Bang Phli area of Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok,…
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Nude couple pictured on top of Egyptian pyramid sparks investigation
“Climbing pyramids is illegal in Egypt, with critics saying the incident shows a disregard for the nation’s laws and its conservative society.” The question of tourists and their behavior at national monuments and popular sites comes up again today. This time in Egypt… Read the report HERE. “A video that shows a foreign couple in a naked embrace at the…
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The wheels are rolling for today’s Bike Un Ai Rak around Thailand
Cyclists were enthusiastically preparing on Sunday morning for the “Bike for Love and Warmth” ride to be led in Bangkok by His Majesty the King and coinciding with other rides starting simultaneously around the country in the afternoon. Citizens are expected to line the King’s 39km route from Dusit Palace’s Royal Plaza to Lat Pho Park in Samut Prakan. The…
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Police hunt gunman after man watching road racing is shot
Police are searching for a gunman who has shot and critically injured a young man while he was watching motorcycle road racing on a Bangkok motorway. Prawet police say security camera footage shows the shooting incident at the outbound motorway in front of the Hua Mark mosque in Pattanakan subdistrict in Suan Luang district. 55 year old Somchai Pengthong filed…
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“Kayaking for Chao Phraya” – anti river-dumping campaign
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The vice rector of Thammasat University, Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, will lead other kayakers on a 400 kilometre long “Kayaking for Chao Phraya” campaign to collect trash and urge people to stop dumping their garbage in the river. The kayakers start their 14 day journey on December 10 from the point where Thailand’s major river flows. They will kayak…
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Free Wi-Fi available at 30 BTS stations in Bangkok
Alt Telecom has launched its free Wi-Fi service in 30 BTS stations and secured the management rights to all commercial areas on Bangkok’s skytrain stations. Future plans involve providing free Wi-Fi to all BTS stations in the capital. This follows on Alt Telecom’s new concession agreement with Spotwerks (Thailand), who are currently in charge of service delivery and income generation…
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Huge fire in Bangkok guts recycling plant
Residents from a next door four-storey apartment building have been evacuated as a result of a huge recycling factory fire in Bangkok. No one was injured in the major blaze which took fire-fighters more than three hours to get under control. Damage, including to several rooms in the apartment building, has been valued at more than 20 million baht. Pol…
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Even Chris Hemsworth hates Bangkok traffic
MONTAGE IMAGE: Coconuts Once again it seems that even the gods must succumb to one of life’s most dreaded challenges, traffic. Even worse, Bangkok traffic. Last month in a previous post from India, Chris Hemsworth is seen in his car trying to deal with the traffic of Ahmedabad, amazed the Australian actor and Marvel’s cinematic universe ‘Thor’ is heard saying “beautiful…
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Five dead and five injured from two families in head-on collision
PHOTO: The Nation A tragedy for several Chachoensao families last night ager a collision killed five. Chachoensao is just east of Bangkok. Five people were killed and another five critically injured after the pick-up truck of a family returning from a shopping trip collided head-on with an another pick-up truck just one kilometre before reaching the family’s home. Police and rescue…
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School van driver accused of raping two schoolgirls
A 29 year old school van driver, accused of raping two schoolgirls aged 12 and 14, has appeared at Bangkok’s Thon Buri Court as police apply for a detention order. Suspect Natthawut Chamroen, who was arrested in Thung Kru district this week, is denying charges of “taking away” girls under 15 from their parents for a lewd act, molesting and…
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Walking on air. 314 metres above Bangkok.
PHOTO: The Nation King Power International Group has opened what is being marketed as the world’s biggest glass-bottomed skywalk. The new tourist (and local) attraction is on the rooftop of the 78 storey Mahanakhon building on Narathiwat Road in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district. Mahanokon is Thailand’s tallest building at 314 metres. The glass skywalk has 360 degree panoramic view, vertically…
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SHOW DC launches new 60,000 capacity outdoor SHOW DC Arena
Latest event space establishes SHOW DC’s positioning as the events venue of choice in downtown Bangkok with combined capacity of 90,000 Large scale events have a new stage in downtown Bangkok at SHOW DC, which has launched the biggest outdoor event venue in the city. Named SHOW DC Arena, the 120 million baht investment in a 31,790 sqm outdoor entertainment space…
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Minister raises ethical concerns of private schools listing on the SET
PHOTO: Singapore International School of Bangkok Trading in the shares of SISB Company Limited, the manager of the Singapore International School, begins today in the SET’s (Stock Exchange of Thailand) Market for Alternative Investment. The Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin says that although the move does not violate the Private School Act 2007, there was a question of ethics. The Minister has assigned…
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Growing support for Royal bicycle tour
by Prasert Thepsri His Majesty the King had his secretary, Air Chief Marshal Sathitpong Sukwimol, formally presented royally decorated shirts to be distributed among participants in the “Un Ai Rak: Bike for Love and Warmth” bicycle tour that the King will lead on December 9. The Supreme Commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the governors of 76 provinces…
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Monks behaving badly, ending up in hospital
Two monks have become embroiled in a drunken brawl north of Bangkok last night. The two were injured in a skuffle and knife fight after they drank together at their temple in Ang Thong’s Pa Mok district. Local police were called to Wat Amphawan at 11pm. When police arrived they found 52 year old Phra Wannop Roengjai soaked in blood.…
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The Great Krathong Clean-up
PHOTO: The Nation A total of 841,327 krathong floats, most made with degradable materials, were collected in Bangkok after last night’s celebrations Bangkok Metropolitan Administration governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on Friday. Aswin said BMA workers finished sorting the collected floats at 5am. The floats were collected from the Chao Phraya River and canals and 30 public parks where Loy Krathong…
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Young man drowns searching for coins in krathong floats
FILE PHOTO A young man has drowned in a canal in Samut Sakhon’s central district early this morning (Friday) while searching for coins in krathong floats left after being launched last night. Police were informed around 1.30 am that the young man had gone missing in the Thahan Rua canal in front of Samut Sakhon provincial hall. A team of…
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Airbnb launches ‘Airbnb Plus’ in Bangkok and Phuket
Airbnb, the community-driven travel platform, welcomes its next stage of growth in Thailand with the launch of Airbnb Plus in Bangkok. Come December, Airbnb Plus will also be available for bookings in Phuket, Asia’s number one resort destination. Airbnb Plus is a selection of homes of the highest quality offered by hosts with great reviews and attention to detail. As…
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Walk on the wild side – the new Mahanakhon SkyWalk
YIKES! Is there anything more terrifying than a ride in a border visa-run passenger van? We think we’ve found it. The Mahanakhon SkyWalk – Thailand’s highest observation deck and rooftop bar at 314 metres high – offers spectacular panoramic views of Bangkok from Thailand’s tallest building. But that’s not the really scary bit. The new premium attraction, now open to…
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Three paper factory warehouses catch fire in Samut Prakan
Firefighters continued to tackle a huge fire at a recycled paper factory in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, into the early hours of this morning after flames destroyed three warehouses. Initially, some 100 fire engines were dispatched to the Thai Development Industrial Paper Company in Tambon Thay Ban in Muang district at 8pm last night (Wednesday). At first, firefighters…
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Bangkok all ready for tonight’s Loy Krathong
Yesterday, Governor Aswin Kwanmuang checked nine piers along the Chao Phraya river, from Tha Chang to Rama VIII Bridge in Bangkok’s Bang Plat district. to ensure the safety of revellers for today’s Loy Krathong festivities. People traditionally release flower-decorated floats in the country’s waterways on the day to pay homage to the River Goddess. “All piers have been checked for…
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New Suvarnabhumi airport terminal on hold
The AoT (Airports of Thailand) has put the new second terminal plans on hold awaiting reports and opinions from stakeholders and even the International Civil Aviation Organisation. Two key organisations have been fierce critics of the new terminal, well overdue to help take the load off the already-over-capacity main terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The Architects Council of Thailand…
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“Round up the BKK soi dogs and send them up-country” – Soi Dog Foundation responds
The scheme to control stray dogs recently announced in Bangkok is inappropriate and unlikely to be effective, according to Soi Dog Foundation (SDF). The Thapthan shelter in Uthai Thani, where it is proposed that captured dogs will be impounded, is one of the best shelters in the country, but it is already at or near capacity. The former Bangkok Governor and…
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British Airways sued after man is seated next to obese passenger on BKK flight
“Mr Prosser says he suffered nerve damage and a pelvic injury which has resulted in a permanent spasm in his back.” A tourist who visited Thailand is suing British Airways after claiming he suffered injuries and loss of earnings after being forced to sit next to an obese passenger on a 12 hour flight. ThaiVisa reports that 51 year old…
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Weakness in the BKK condo market
PHOTO: Nara 9 – www.nara9.net Property consultants, Edmund Tie & Company – South East Asia – report that the new condo supply for 2019 is ‘unlikely to increase’ and that sales rates are disappointing in Q3. Their report says that the take-up rate of newly launched condominium projects in Q3 in Bangkok’s CBD dropped from last year’s 58% to only…
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Don’t complain about the oranges. Market customer shot after complaint.
A Pathum Thani fruit vendor has been arrested today shortly after she allegedly shot and killed a customer who complained of “rotten oranges” at her market store, just north of Bangkok. Klong Luang police were alerted to the shooting at 8am inside the Iyara Market in Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang district. Police say 30 year old Saranya Saksaeng was shot…
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27 year old African arrested over romance scams
FILE PHOTO by Suriya Patathayo “The scam would usually involve using bogus white male identities to persuade women to wire money to pay an import tariff and fee for the delivery of overseas “gifts”. Romance scams are continually in the news and the government has been putting resources into rounding up the perpetrators and departing them, many from west African…
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Kitten rescued from wall space after being stuck for three days
A kitten was rescued last night after it got stuck in a narrow five-inch wall space behind a 7-11 convenience store in Samut Prakan’s city district. Staff of a 7-Eleven shop in Bang Pu Industrial Estate called the Bang Pu 811 Rescue Unit for help. The staff say they had heard a kitten’s faint meows behind the wall for three…
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