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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    Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand

    Moving to Thailand offers a prospect full of excitement and adventure, but in the same vein, if any injuries were to occur (and god forbid it does), the local healthcare system can be confusing at first glance for many expats...

  • Bangkok Marathon returns to city after 2 year pandemic absence | Thaiger

    Bangkok Marathon returns to city after 2 year pandemic absence

    The Bangkok Marathon returns to the city for the 33rd time on November 20 after a 2 year absence. Due to social distancing measures and other Covid-19 prevention-related restrictions, most big events and concerts in Thailand were cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. But now measures have been relaxed people in Thailand can look forward to enjoying more events and…

  • Bangkok’s new governor requests a year to study traffic solutions for the city | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s new governor requests a year to study traffic solutions for the city

    Bangkok’s newly elected governor has requested a year to study how best to solve the city’s traffic problems. In a meeting with metropolitan police today, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt outlined plans to set up a traffic command centre, which will cooperate with several other institutions. These include traffic police, the Transport Ministry, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, the metro system, and…

  • Bangkok motorcycle taxi rider arrested for attempted rape and kidnap of a teenage student | Thaiger

    Bangkok motorcycle taxi rider arrested for attempted rape and kidnap of a teenage student

    A motorcycle taxi driver, Somsak Jangsat, was arrested in the Phra Khanong area of Bangkok yesterday after he tried to rape a teenage girl. Somsak tricked the 17 year old student into using his taxi service saying he would take her home after school but instead kidnapped the girl and took her to a love motel where he tried to…

  • Work by convicts cleaning Bangkok’s sewage system starts next month | Thaiger

    Work by convicts cleaning Bangkok’s sewage system starts next month

    City Hall has cleared a request by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to work with the Department of Corrections to clean the sewers and improve flood irrigation management using prisoners with good behavioral records. City Hall insists human rights must be respected, use only volunteer inmates, pay wages, use protective equipment, and offer welfare benefits. Around 1,000 inmates from 10 of the…

  • Penny-pinching government owe 150 police officers more than 1 million baht in overtime | Thaiger

    Penny-pinching government owe 150 police officers more than 1 million baht in overtime

    Government House security police yesterday acknowledged they are still owed more than 1 million baht for special overtime services from last year. Some 150 police officers, from the Supervision Division 4 of the Special Branch Bureau 3, who take care of Government House security, say they informed their superiors in the relevant departments about their missing salary but claim that…

  • Wearing face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped | Thaiger

    Wearing face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped

    But no date announced yet…. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged there is a chance the Thai government will soon drop mask-wearing requirements in some public locations and allow night venues to stay open until 2am. Some restrictions were lifted at nightlife venues on June 1, well at least allowing them to “officially” stay open until midnight (including bars,…

  • SRT Red Line is experiencing a spike in commuters | Thaiger

    SRT Red Line is experiencing a spike in commuters

    The State Railway of Thailand yesterday revealed passengers using the new SRT Red Line is on the up. As of last week, 14,000 people have been using the SRT Red Line on a daily basis. Back in November 2021, there were only around 2,000 to 3,000 commuters taking the train. But since the beginning of the year it jumped from…

  • Bangkok taxi driver caught on video beating Chinese passenger with an iron bar | Thaiger

    Bangkok taxi driver caught on video beating Chinese passenger with an iron bar

    A dash cam video featuring a taxi driver who bludgeoning a man to the ground on a Bangkok road has emerged. A witness said the victim, a Chinese passenger, tried to negotiate a fair price for the service but became irate by the taxi driver and smashed his hand down on the hood of the car making the driver angry.…

  • Bangkok Governor to propose lifting of midnight close time and mask wearing | Thaiger

    Bangkok Governor to propose lifting of midnight close time and mask wearing

    The new Bangkok Governor is pushing the CCSA to consider easing the current closing times for the capital’s nightlife, as well as asking for a similar easing of the face mask requirements. His requests follow a botched easing of mask wearing by the Phuket Governor last week where he, one day, announced a variation of the CCSA guidelines for wearing…

  • Bangkok’s governor says officials will discuss easing outdoor mask requirement | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s governor says officials will discuss easing outdoor mask requirement

    After the confusing mask policy flip-flop in Phuket, Bangkok’s new governor Chadchart Sittipunt has announced plans to discuss easing mask requirements in Thailand’s capital. Chadchart stated late this week that Bangok Metropolitan Administration will meet with public health and medical departments to discuss the outdoor mask-wearing regulation. Chadchart did not, however, specify when the meeting will happen. The governor also…

  • Don’t forget Bangkok’s first real Pride parade tomorrow | Thaiger

    Don’t forget Bangkok’s first real Pride parade tomorrow

    In case you didn’t know, Bangkok will hold its first real Pride parade tomorrow (Sunday), Bangkok Naruemit Pride, as a celebration of Thailand’s LGBT+ community. The parade is set to start at 4pm at Maha Uma Devi Temple, a Hindu temple sometimes called ‘Wat Khaek’ or ‘South Asian temple’ in Thai slang. The temple is located on Pan Road and…

  • MP calls House sub-committees ‘dens of money extortion’ | Thaiger

    MP calls House sub-committees ‘dens of money extortion’

    A Democrat MP yesterday pointed the finger at closed-door meetings of House sub-committees and called them “dens of money extortion.” Rangsima Rodrasamee, Democrat MP for Samut Songkhram, insists all meetings of sub-committees vetting the 2023 budget bill, after it passes its first reading, should be televised live. The Democrat MP says broadcasting the meetings live would scrutinise how the bill…

  • Former Deputy Bangkok Governor says the city has already spent most of the 2022 budget | Thaiger

    Former Deputy Bangkok Governor says the city has already spent most of the 2022 budget

    The Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party and former deputy Bangkok governor, Samart Ratchapolsitte (2004 – 2006), said Bangkok has only of 94 million baht left in its budget, and it might be insufficient for the new Bangkok governor Chandchart Sittiphun to achieve his announced policies. According to the media, Bangkok receives a budget of around 80 billion baht per…

  • Bangkok named one of the world’s worst cities for work-life balance | Thaiger

    Bangkok named one of the world’s worst cities for work-life balance

    Bangkok is just barely above the bottom of a list of 100 cities across the globe ranked for their work-life balance. Thailand’s capital came in at 96th place on the list. The 4 cities in the world with a worse work-life balance than Bangkok are Sao Paolo, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and Cape Town. On the flipside, the cities with the…

  • Bangkok police arrest 6 Taiwanese nationals for crypto fraud | Thaiger

    Bangkok police arrest 6 Taiwanese nationals for crypto fraud

    Police in Bangkok have arrested 6 Taiwanese men following a raid on a house in the Prawet district of the capital. The men are accused of conning over 500 people, mostly fellow Taiwanese or Chinese nationals, through fraudulent online cryptocurrency investment schemes. According to a Bangkok Post report, the arrests happened when officers from the Police Cyber Taskforce, accompanied by…

  • ONESIAM skywalk features Universal Design concept to enhance convenience and accessibility | Thaiger

    ONESIAM skywalk features Universal Design concept to enhance convenience and accessibility

    Press Release The ONESIAM elevated skywalk connecting to the Pathumwan Intersection was designed with the concept of Universal Design to cater to the urban lifestyles of the elderly, the disabled, and the general public. Today, it has become an iconic landmark that enhances the positive image and reinforces the symbol of “Universal Design City” for the good quality of life…

  • Demonstrators storm UN building to protest NPO law | Thaiger

    Demonstrators storm UN building to protest NPO law

    Demonstrators swarmed around the United Nations Building to the Government House this morning to denounce a government bill on non-profit organizations. Hundreds of vociferous anti-NPO demonstrators avoided a number of barriers, including barbed wire on different sections of Ratchadamnoen Road leading to government house in Bangkok, but still managed to voice their opposition to a law that will affect the…

  • Bangkok’s Bang Khun Tien district offers free sanitary pads to students | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s Bang Khun Tien district offers free sanitary pads to students

    The Bang Khun Tien District Office, near the mouth of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river, has given away 20,000 sanitary pads to female students in 16 public schools, in line with the policies promised by the incoming Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittphun. Last Sunday, the Director of the Bang Khun Tien District Office, Pongjakarin Thawonpong, told the media that the district office…

  • Chadchart’s commitment to purging the metropolis of corruption | Thaiger

    Chadchart’s commitment to purging the metropolis of corruption

    Newly elected governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed he plans to stamp out corruption as part of his flagship “Bangkok’s Nine Good” policy. Corruption in Thailand has been a national issue for decades. The kingdom is ranked 110th out of 180 countries evaluated in Transparency International‘s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index. The index examines public sector corruption, countries whose public sectors are perceived to be…

  • Bangkok nightlife venues frustrated with June 1 re-opening rules | Thaiger

    Bangkok nightlife venues frustrated with June 1 re-opening rules

    The owners of bars, clubs, and other nightlife venues in Bangkok have expressed frustration with conditions governing the June 1 re-opening. From Wednesday, such businesses can re-open, provided they are located in the 31 blue or green zones, adhere to disease prevention measures, and close by midnight. It’s the midnight closure that most are finding frustrating, with several business owners…

  • Bangkok’s first ‘real’ Pride parade coming up June 5 | Thaiger

    Bangkok’s first ‘real’ Pride parade coming up June 5

    Pride month is approaching cities across the globe, including Bangkok! On June 5, the city is expected to host its first ‘real’ pride parade. Feminist activist Siri “Tata” Nilphruek said at a press conference yesterday that in the past, Bangkok’s pride parades were just street demonstrations. But this year, the organisers hope to make pride parade “an imporant event on…

  • Governor to drain the swamp with Bangkok’s criminal fraternity | Thaiger

    Governor to drain the swamp with Bangkok’s criminal fraternity

    Chadchart Sittipunt made over 200 pledges prior to his landslide election victory last Sunday with the economy, environment, and health, high on his list of priorities. And when the Bangkok governor-elect vowed to clean up the metropolis, he wasn’t kidding. The 56 year old’s four-year term as governor began in earnest this week and, his agreement to use criminals to…

  • Taxi’s brakes fail causing 10 vehicle accident in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Taxi’s brakes fail causing 10 vehicle accident in Bangkok

    A taxi driver’s brakes failed as he pulled up to a queue of traffic at a red light in Bangkok earlier today, causing a crash involving 10 vehicles. Four people are injured including a motorbike driver who is in a critical condition. Today, May 26, Pol. Col. Jeerasak Boonyuennan from Phaya Thai Police Station received a report of an accident…

  • Thai PM Prayut questions Chadchart’s 200+ policies for Bangkok | Thaiger

    Thai PM Prayut questions Chadchart’s 200+ policies for Bangkok

    He’s only been elected for 3 days and the sniping has already started. Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has told Thai media that he is ready to work with the incoming Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt. But the PM says he’s curious how Chadchart will achieve the 200 policies he promoted during the election campaign. The PM said Chadchart would be “more powerful…

  • Disability rights activist jailed for shaming a motorist parked in a disabled bay | Thaiger

    Disability rights activist jailed for shaming a motorist parked in a disabled bay

    A disability rights activist was jailed after posting a picture of a motorist occupying a parking spot reserved for disabled drivers and now faces up to two years in prison for libeling the man. Manit Intharapim uploaded a picture on his Facebook page of a Toyota Hilux Revo of what he thought was someone illegally occupying a disabled parking space…

  • Former air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Former air force officer murders ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in Bangkok

    A former Royal Thai Air Force officer murdered his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend at a house in Ratchathewi district in Bangkok yesterday morning. The perpetrator broke into the couple’s home and shot dead 24 year old Fah and 25 year old Korakot before fleeing the house. Fah was shot twice in the head and body and Korakot was shot…

  • Thai nurse arrested for conning the public out of millions of baht in flu vaccine scam | Thaiger

    Thai nurse arrested for conning the public out of millions of baht in flu vaccine scam

    A Thai nurse has been arrested, accused of defrauding the public in a flu vaccine scam that netted millions of baht. According to media reports, 38-year-old Thonglim Jitpeng was arrested in the Bang Na district of Bangkok. She has denied the charges against her. According to reports, Thonglim ran a business selling hand sanitiser during the pandemic, which enabled her…

  • Bangkok governor-elect calls for calm and unity to get through the political storm | Thaiger

    Bangkok governor-elect calls for calm and unity to get through the political storm

    Chadchart Sittipunt has called for the citizens of Bangkok to put their differences to one side and come together in unity. The Bangkok governor-elect celebrated his 56th birthday yesterday with twin brother, Dr Chanchai Sittipunt, an associate professor and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, but still made time to send out a positive message amid squabbling…

  • AirAsia plane lands on wrong runway in Bangkok | Thaiger

    AirAsia plane lands on wrong runway in Bangkok

    Today, Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority – or CAAT – reported a “serious incident” which took place earlier this month. On May 4, an AirAsia Airbus A320-200 landed on the wrong runway at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport. The Thai AirAsia aircraft departed Ranong city at 12:43 and landed on Don Muang’s unassigned 21L runway at 13:36, instead of the 21R runway…

  • Luxury Parliamentary Club open for Thai MPs with spa, karaoke and massage rooms | Thaiger

    Luxury Parliamentary Club open for Thai MPs with spa, karaoke and massage rooms

    The recently opened Parliament House of Thailand will have a new luxury Parliamentary Club for House of Representatives MPs and Senators to relax, with a spa, massage, karaoke room, fitness, gyms, ballroom dance and other recreation activities. Yesterday, the Chairman of the Senate committee to Organise Activities for Social Benefit and Recreational Activities of the Senate, Peerasak Porchit, took Thai…