Central Thailand News

Stay updated with the latest Central Thailand news at The Thaiger, your ultimate source for regional information.

Keep informed on local events, business developments, and lifestyle stories in popular locations outside the capital, like Ayutthaya, and Kanchanaburi. Our in-depth coverage includes famous monuments such as the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Whether you’re a resident or a visitor, The Thaiger’s Central Thailand news page is your essential guide to exploring this vibrant and diverse region. Dive into the dynamic community and rich culture with our expertly curated content, designed to keep you connected and well-informed.

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  • Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised

    Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised

    In Petchaburi, a central province, monkeys are breeding like rabbits. They might look cute at first, but the booming number of monkeys might threaten tourism since the monkeys often steal peoples’ belongings. Right now there are 1,000-1,500 per district, and this number is rising to 3,000 in Muang district. An adviser to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said…

  • Officers seize monitor lizards, monkeys from farm suspected of exporting to restaurants

    Officers seize monitor lizards, monkeys from farm suspected of exporting to restaurants

    A farm owner was arrested for allegedly raising and exporting water monitor lizards and macaque monkeys in the northern province of Phichit. Officers say they suspect the farm was exporting the animals to Cambodia, and then to Vietnam and China to be sold to restaurants, according to the commander of the National Resources and Environmental Crime Division. When officials arrived…

  • Missing man emerges from forest after 3 weeks dodging elephants

    Missing man emerges from forest after 3 weeks dodging elephants

    Like a scene out of an adventure movie, a 43 year old man stumbled out of a clearing in eucalyptus and rubber plantations to recount an incredible 21-day journey he spent lost in the wilderness and fleeing from wild elephants. The tale took place in Prachin Buri, the central province to the east of Bangkok after the man, Thongsa Wanthumma,…

  • Monks caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day say they were honouring ancestors

    Monks caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day say they were honouring ancestors

    Three Buddhist monks are facing expulsion from monkhood after they were caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day, which is a violation of their rules. Apparently, locals gave rice whiskey to the temple as an offering to their ancestors, but a monk says they drank the alcohol as a way to “deliver the alcohol to the dead people.” Residents called…

  • 9 prison escapees back behind bars, lotion the key to escape

    9 prison escapees back behind bars, lotion the key to escape

    The case of 9 prisoners who managed to escape a temporary detention centre has now been officially closed, with all inmates now back behind bars. The group had used a saw to hack through the bars of their room, then used their clothes to soften the barbwire atop the prison walls and climbed to freedom, albeit briefly. The governor of…

  • Two women arrested for allegedly running unauthorized Covid-19 laboratory

    Two women arrested for allegedly running unauthorized Covid-19 laboratory

    Two women were arrested for allegedly issuing unauthorised Covid-19 certifications when police raided the D Lab Inter Group clinic in Muang district of Pathum Thani province on Monday. According to the head of the Consumer Protection Police Division, Pol Maj Gen Anant Nanasombat, two women who identified themselves as Wasita and Pornnapa were reportedly charging 500 baht for each Covid-19…

  • Two killed in a military helicopter crash in Nakhon Sawan

    Two killed in a military helicopter crash in Nakhon Sawan

    A flight instructor and an aviation student were killed in helicopter crash during a training session for Thai military. The helicopter from Army Aviation Centre in Lop Buri caught fire and crashed in the neighbouring province Nakhon Sawan. According to a military source, the helicopter, which was made in the United States by Enstrom Helicopter Corporation and was worth 74 million…

  • 9 inmates escape temporary prison facility, 4 captured

    9 inmates escape temporary prison facility, 4 captured

    After a group of 9 prison inmates made a daring escape from a detention facility in Nakhon Pathom, 4 have now been rounded up while a manhunt is on for the remaining 5. The group of men – 6 drug offenders, 2 charged with theft, and 1 charged with physical abuse – broke free from a temporary prison in the…

  • Cha-am permitted to sell alcohol in restaurants from December 1

    Cha-am permitted to sell alcohol in restaurants from December 1

    While tourist areas all across Thailand are fighting to be allowed to sell alcohol, Cha-am will be the next tourist pilot area to get to sell drinks. The Phetchaburi Provincial Communicable Disease Committee is preparing to test allowing restaurants and shops to sell alcohol in the tourist city until 10 pm. The trial run of the new permission will be…

  • Thai man dies by flurry of bullets while going to get 2nd Covid shot

    Thai man dies by flurry of bullets while going to get 2nd Covid shot

    A 27 year-old Thai man has died after receiving a flurry of bullets from a gunman who had stopped the vehicle in which he was travelling. The man, Ampol Bunthong, a native of Phetchabun, was shot 10 times, according to police. The attack occured at about 8:20am this morning, at the Saraphi junction in Muang district. Ampol was riding with…

  • ‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty

    ‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty

    Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, along with 6 other police, will be indicted this week over 4 charges relating to the alleged torture and subsequent murder of a 24 year old drug suspect. The 7 police now facing official charges are… Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon (head of the station) Pol Maj Rawirot Ditthong Pol Capt Songyot Khlainak Pol Lt Thoranin…

  • Thailand’s oldest reclining Buddha partially submerged in flood waters

    Thailand’s oldest reclining Buddha partially submerged in flood waters

    Thailand’s oldest reclining Buddha at Wat Dhammachakra Sema Ram is the latest casualty from the country’s central flooding. Authorities say the statue was partially submerged as a result of flooding by mountain runoff yesterday. The 1,300 year old Buddha is located inside the Muang Sema Historical Park in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sung Noen district. The Dvaravati-style, sandstone image, which measures 13.3…

  • Nonthaburi protesters threw fermented fish at PM Prayut’s van

    Nonthaburi protesters threw fermented fish at PM Prayut’s van

    Yesterday’s visit to Nonthaburi may not have gone exactly as planned for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as he was met by a horde of disapproving local residents including some protesters that threw smelly fermented fish at his van. The Prime Minister was greeted by both supporters and opponents as he came to inspect the flood wall along the Chao Phraya River.…

  • Thailand’s largest field hospital closes as last Covid-19 patient discharged

    Thailand’s largest field hospital closes as last Covid-19 patient discharged

    Thailand’s largest Covid-19 field hospital has closed its doors as the number of seriously ill patients and new infections continues to fall. The Public Health Ministry closed Busarakham field hospital yesterday. The facility was located at the Impact exhibition and convention centre in the central province of Nonthaburi. According to a Bangkok Post report, the hospital opened on May 14…

  • Paramotor pilot flies supplies to flooded Sukhothai residents

    Paramotor pilot flies supplies to flooded Sukhothai residents

    A paramotor – similar to a paraglider with a fan-like propellor on the back – has been soaring above Sukhothai delivering essentials to flood victims in need. Like Santa in his sleigh, 38 year old Vichai Tiyasan glides above the rain drench flood plains swooping down to drop gift care packages to the stranded people below. The adventurous paramotor pilot…

  • Flood warnings below Chao Phraya Dam, and across Thailand

    Flood warnings below Chao Phraya Dam, and across Thailand

    Authorities are warning of possible overflows and floods downstream from the Chao Phraya Dam. The rate of flow that is allowed to pass through the dam will increase in anticipation of a surge in water from the North and Northeast of Thailand where the weather systems are expected to dump heavy rains. The Royal Irrigation Department of Thailand put out the…

  • Pathum Thani man allegedly lights building on fire, sticks around to laugh and smile

    Pathum Thani man allegedly lights building on fire, sticks around to laugh and smile

    Over the weekend, a man in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani allegedly lit a residential building on fire but rather than fleeing the scene after his criminal act, the man allegedly stuck around to laugh and smile at the destruction. The man allegedly started the fire in the early morning hours, around 2am in the Lam Luk Ka…

  • Bovine attack kills forest ranger in Khao Yai National Park

    Bovine attack kills forest ranger in Khao Yai National Park

    Over the weekend, a forest ranger was killed and another ranger sustained injuries after they were attacked by a gaur, an indigenous bovine also known as an Indian bison. The 2 rangers had been on patrol in the Khao Yai National Park at the time of the attack. There were 4 other rangers who had been conducting patrols with them…

  • Man allegedly poses as famous DJ on Facebook to get donations for Covid, keeps the money

    Man allegedly poses as famous DJ on Facebook to get donations for Covid, keeps the money

    A man who posed as a famous disc jockey, DJ Poom, on Facebook is being investigated by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau after 2 banks lodged complaints against him for allegedly soliciting donations for Covid and then allegedly pocketing the money. He is also accused of stealing data and cash after making a site that sells products. The 2 banks are the…

  • Samut Prakan man allegedly extorts residents for their registration plates

    Samut Prakan man allegedly extorts residents for their registration plates

    A man has allegedly been extorting people in the central Thai province of Samut Prakan to get their car registration plates back. The alleged criminal entrepreneur was exposed when a young woman posted on Facebook to say that a man had forced her boyfriend to hand over 100 baht to get his plate back after it came loose in floodwaters.…

  • Auto repair shop allegedly pawns cars instead of fixing them in Saraburi

    Auto repair shop allegedly pawns cars instead of fixing them in Saraburi

    An auto repair shop owner stationed out the central Thai province Saraburi, allegedly pawned cars that he was supposed to be fixing. Police say they have recovered 11 cars so far. The police were alerted to the alleged thefts after multiple victims filed police reports. Saraburi City Police say the owner, identified only as Bunnam, has pawned cars in 3…

  • Pathum Thani shopping centre apologises after overcrowded vaccination event goes viral

    Pathum Thani shopping centre apologises after overcrowded vaccination event goes viral

    A shopping centre in Pathum Thani, a central Thai province, has apologised for a vaccination event that went awry after large crowds packed into the shopping centre in anticipation of receiving a vaccine. The large crowds resulted in people standing right next to each other with no social distancing being observed. The vaccination event happened over the weekend at Future…

  • Police investigate 27 year old woman’s death in Samut Prakan

    Police investigate 27 year old woman’s death in Samut Prakan

    A 27 year old woman was found dead in an apartment yesterday in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. The woman was naked, lying on a bed. Dried blood was on her face and on the pillow. And around her neck were marks, which appeared to be bruises. Police suspect she had been dead for around 48 hours. The cause…

  • Another missing expat man found safe after being lost in forest

    Another missing expat man found safe after being lost in forest

    For the second time in as many days, an older expat man has been found after being lost in a forest for a few days. Yesterday a British man in Khon Kaen was found after being lost 3 days in a forest when he wandered off his motorbike for a stroll and couldn’t find his way back. Now today in…

  • Poacher arrested in Pathum Thani for allegedly catching and selling macaques

    Poacher arrested in Pathum Thani for allegedly catching and selling macaques

    An alleged poacher was arrested by the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department officials today. The suspect and another man would allegedly shoot wild macaque monkeys with tranquilising darts and later sell the monkeys for 1,000 to 1,500 baht each. Officers say 40 year old Pitak Thongsu was found with 6 macaques in his possession. Head of special operations for…

  • Man was burned to death after a fire broke out in his room in Pathum Thani

    Man was burned to death after a fire broke out in his room in Pathum Thani

    A 38 year old man was killed in a fire that broke out in his home in Pathum Thani, just outside Bangkok. Firefighters responded to the fire after midnight yesterday morning. It took around 30 minutes for firefighters to extinguish the flames. Udon Pulatabtang’s body was found in front of his room at around 2:30am. Firefighters from the Suan Phrik…

  • 7 year old living alone after whole family contracts Covid, officials ask neighbours to help out

    7 year old living alone after whole family contracts Covid, officials ask neighbours to help out

    A 7 year old is living by himself after his 8 family members who also lived with him tested positive for Covid. Since the boy, identified as Bass, is the only family member not to test positive for Covid, he got to stay behind in his home in Nonthaburi, the province just outside of Bangkok. A local rescue team, RX…

  • UPDATE: Resigning Samut Sakhon governor receives outpouring of support

    UPDATE: Resigning Samut Sakhon governor receives outpouring of support

    Earlier, the Thaiger wrote how the governor of the central province of Samut Sakhon, Veerasak Vichitsangsri, intends to resign, today. Now, it is being reported that social media is awash in an outpouring of support for the governor. Thai media reports that Veerasak, who has 1 foot out the proverbial door, has many on social media urging him to stay…

  • Man allegedly steal employer’s Mercedes in retaliation for mistreatment; family returns car later, Ayutthaya arrest still follows

    Man allegedly steal employer’s Mercedes in retaliation for mistreatment; family returns car later, Ayutthaya arrest still follows

    Yesterday morning in central Thailand, Ayutthaya Railway Police arrested a young man for allegedly stealing his employer’s Mercedes-Benz and driving off to Hat Yai to have it pawned for 40,000 Baht. However, the man’s family had second thoughts about the alleged theft and returned the car a few months later. Around 10:15 am yesterday, Channarong Zainid, the Commander in Chief…

  • Orphaned girls recover from Covid, enter Samut Prakan orphanage

    Orphaned girls recover from Covid, enter Samut Prakan orphanage

    Last month, the tragic story of the 2 young girls who lost their mother to Covid, and how before dying the mother said it was her hope the girls would go to an orphanage, rattled Thailand. Then came the news that the girls had contracted Covid. Now, it is being reported that both girls have made a full recovery and…