News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Van, baht bus and taxi drivers fight for passengers at Pattaya pier
PHOTO & VIDEO: Ruk Siam News Pattaya taxi, van and baht bus drivers, authorised and unauthorised, are fighting over tourists at the Bali Hai pier. Ruk Siam News says that efforts by the Pattaya City Council to sort out the issue at the south Pattaya port have been ineffectual and that there are often more drivers than passengers vying for…
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Number of passengers and flights drop slightly at 28 secondary Thai airports
28 airports under the Thai Airports Department have dropped traffic by 1% compared to the same time last year. The airports under the Airports Department don’t cover the largest airports at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Chiang Rai. Some 14.4 million passengers were recorded at the 28 airports under the department from October 2018 to June…
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Krabi skinny-dippers fined 500 baht, claimed they were ‘bored’
Police marched six naked tourists, aged between 17-20 years old, back on to the Ao Nang beach to get dressed after being caught on a midnight skinny-dip. A local, who didn’t appreciate their nudist antics, informed the local police late on Monday night about the groups’ late night seaside frolicking. metro.co.uk reports that the group included five women and one…
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Weerasak paints a rosy tourism picture as he steps down from Ministry
Weerasak Kowsurat, outgoing Tourism and Sports Minister In a final spin at the microphone as Sports and Tourism Minister, Weerasak Kowsurat made statements about Thailand’s tourism numbers and the Thai baht that differed from other published numbers and local anecdotal reports. Weerasak claimed, despite the appreciation of the baht, that Thailand has attracted as many as 21.08 million tourists in the…
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Singapore’s exports crash in June, the biggest drop in 6 years
Edited from The Straits Times – Asian News Network Singapore’s exports have crashed by double digits for the fourth straight month. June’s figures show shipments in the key electronics sector sinking by 32%. This is the biggest year-on-year drop since shipments sank 33.2 per cent in February 2013. It is also sharply below analysts’ expectations of a 9.6% plunge, according…
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Roadside bomb in Narathiwat critically injures three rangers
PHOTO: Waedao Harai Three paramilitary rangers have been injured in Narathiwat following the explosion of a bomb in a roadside stall this morning just after 8am. Security officials say the bomb had been detonated remotely as the three rangers were patrolling past the stall. The stall was under construction at the time. The bomb was encased in a cooking gas…
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One body recovered, search continues for another after collapse of pavilion in Samut Songkhram
PHOTOS: Thai PBS After more than 17 hours of searching, rescue workers have now recovered a female body from the collapsed pavilion that slid into the Mae Klong River in Thailand’s central province of Samut Songkram, west of Bangkok. The search continues for one other missing person believed to still be trapped under the submerged wreckage of the building. The…
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“Thailand shouldn’t have water problems” – a personal view
OPINION Post from a concerned Phuket resident who is worried about the future of the island’s most precious resource, fresh water. Despite being surrounded by water, potable water supplies are in peril for the forthcoming high season with lower-than-usual rainfall and the dams still at historically-low levels at the time of publishing this story. The person has asked to be anonymous……
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Phuket’s Banyan Tree celebrates 25 year anniversary with new Serenity Villas
2019 is a year of celebration for Banyan Tree Phuket, with the resort offering two brand new villa categories, as part of its year-long 25th anniversary celebration. In September this year, the iconic Banyan Tree Phuket, the flagship property for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, will celebrate 25 years as Phuket’s premier holiday resort. The festivities will include the release…
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Gary Stevens takes up head coaching at Black Mountain Hua Hin football academy
(contact details below) A former England, Totttenham and Brighton football player, Gary Stevens, will start coaching at the Black Mountain Hua Hin Football Academy this September. Gary is a 1984 UEFA Cup winner and 1986 World Cup veteran. He made 204 appearances for Tottenham between 1983 and 1990 but is excited to pursue a challenge outside of the professional game. He managed…
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Thai man electrocuted whilst laying on his bed in Pattaya
PHOTO: Thai Rath A man has died in Nong Prue, the suburbs behind Pattaya city, as a result of being electrocuted whilst his phone was charging next to his bed. Relatives believe the incident happened early sometime on Sunday. Police were called to an address in Soi 15, Thing Klom – Tan Man, Nong Prue on Sunday evening. 21 year old…
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Thailand keeping track of foreigners – the TM30 reporting form
The TM30 reporting procedure is a Thai immigration requirement. The form is designed to assist keeping track of foreigners – tourists and expats – whilst in Thailand. It must be completed by the owner or landlord to report the stay of guests within 24 hours of their arrival. As with many things in Thailand the enforcement will not be uniformly applied…
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Old food pavilion collapses dumping over 20 people into Samut Songkram river
PHOTO: Public Relations Department – Samut Songkhram Rescue workers are scouring the Mae Klong River in Samut Songkram, west of Bangkok, for four missing people after an old ferryboat shelter on a river bank collapsed yesterday, plunging more than two dozen people into the water. One person has died and at least 19 others injured when the riverside food pavilion…
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King urges new cabinet to solve problems for Thailand’s happiness and security
PHOTO: Thai PBS “In the process of doing a job, there will be problems, and that it was normal that they must be solved at the core so the administration of the country can proceed smoothly.” – HM The King His Majesty has offered moral support to PM Prayut and the newly sworn-in cabinet ministers, urging them to perform their…
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Thai Airways close to sale of used planes to US company
PHOTO: Thai Airways Airbus A340, Airplane Pictures Thai Airways International President Sumeth Damrongchaitham reports that the national airline expects to sign an agreement this month with a US logistics firm on the sale of eight used A340 aircraft worth between 4-4.5 billion baht. The company is in the process of examining the contract before closing the sale deal of Thai Airways…
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HM The King swears in new Prayut Cabinet
The new Palang Pracharat government, led by Prayut Chan-o-cha has been sworn in tonight by His Majesty The King. The ceremony heralding the return of civilian rule in Thailand after five years of military government. The ceremony took place at 6pm in the Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall with all 36 ministers were present. The historic occasion marked the first time…
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Dengue alert declared in The Philippines
PHOTO: Philippine Star Dengue cases have doubled in Thailand this year. And in The Philippines a similar situation is unfolding. Health authorities in The Philippines are declaring a national dengue alert after a spike in cases leaving more than 450 people dead since the start of 2019. Around 100,000 dengue cases were reported across The Philippines in the first six…
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Document agent nabbed in Pattaya for helping foreigners get driving licences
PHOTO: Naew Na A Thai female has been arrested for helping foreigners obtain Thai driving licences illegally and register their vehicles with fake stamps and documentation. Naew Na report that 44 year old Wikanda “Vicki” Munghangern was arrested in a sting outside her office which is, conveniently, located near the Bang Lamung Department of Land Transport. Polcie allege the woman…
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Thai couple walk away from dramatic road crash
PHOTOS: Sanook A blue sedan has split in two in a dramatic incident on a road leading to the Ngam Wong Wan Road in Bangkok’s northern suburbs. Sanook reports that a Thai couple have escaped totally unscathed after the man admitted to police that he lost control after hitting a rock and slammed into roadside barriers. The 29 year old…
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More currencies in Asia strengthen – Indonesian rupiah crosses major threshold
The Thai baht isn’t the only Asian currency performing well against some of the western currencies. The Indonesian rupiah has strengthened 0.54% to 13,932 to the US dollar yesterday (Monday) from 14,008 on Friday. It became the best performing currency in Asia, though other currencies in the region have also also strengthened: Yesterday there was improvement of 0.19% for the…
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Weather warning for southern and eastern Thailand
Five day forecasts for Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui below The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning to alert people to approaching heavy rains and strong winds in the South. The TMD predicts more rain from from today up to July 21 in the Southern and Eastern regions due to a tropical depression approaching westward from the Pacific,…
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Phantom V wins Multihull Solutions Regatta in Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket Yacht Club The 2019 Multihull Solutions Regatta has been run and won after the final day of excellent racing conditions off southern Phuket. The Stealth catamaran Phantom V with its boat builders Alan Carwardine and Roger Diggleman on board, as well as owner Andrew Hurford, won the Racing Multihull Division of the 2019 Multihull Solutions Regatta. Its four…
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Military relinquish power as the new Thai cabinet prepares to be sworn in today
“Thailand is now fully a democratic country with a constitutional monarchy, with a parliament whose members are elected.” Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha has formally stepped down as the head of the NCPO military junta saying Thailand will now function as a normal democracy after five years of army rule. Prayut’s “normal democracy” includes a loaded upper house of Senators all appointed…
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‘Irishman’ nabbed after 11 year overstay in north-east Thailand
PHOTO: Naew Na Nakhon Ratchasima Immigration, along with local tourist police, have arrested an Irishman,Samuel Caleb Birch, who has been on an overstay of 4,192 days. That’s nearly 11 years and six months! According to Naew Na, the man was arrested at a restaurant in Soi Moo Ban Yamo 5, Ban Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, north-east Thailand. According to his visa, he arrived…
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Vietnam pushing to be leading digital economy in ASEAN by 2030
Excerpts from Viet Nam News – Asia News Network Vietnam wants to be the leading digital economy in ASEAN by 2030. A draft project on national digital transformation by Vietnam’s Authority of Information Technology Application (AITA) is being submitted for approval in November. The project aims to develop the Vietnamese economy based on digital technologies. Speaking at a conference this week to review MIC’s…
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Another sea turtle saved from a random trawling net in Phuket
PHOTOS: Andaman Flying Tiger Today (July 15), local seniors have discovered a sea turtle trapped inside an old fishing net (trawl) at Mai Khao beach along the northern west coast of Phuket. The turtle was luckily uninjured and was rescued, then released back to the ocean. Excellent photos from Andaman Flying Tiger.
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Digging into the Phuket hotel data
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks As Phuket’s hotel operators and owners face a disruptive 2019, we thought it was time to do a deep dig into the island’s accommodation performance metrics. Global hospitality data and analytics group STR was the logical resource, so we spoke to their Area Director Asia Pacific, Jesper Palmqvist. The following are key takeaways from the highly focused…
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Thai farmers and residents from four provinces unhappy about proposed motorway
About 100 affected residents and farmers, from the Phetchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces, are demanding the Thai Department of Highways scrap their environmental impact statements and start again. The protests are over the 109 kilometre Nakhon Pathom to Cha-am Motorway. A seminar was held over the weekend called “The Future of Petchaburi and the Motorway to the…
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New Thai cabinet to be sworn in Tuesday in Bangkok
PHOTO: Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall The new Thai cabinet will be sworn in tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Amphorn Satharn Throne Hall in Bangkok near the Dusit Palace, 3 kilometres north of the Grand Palace. The announcement was made by the the Secretariat of the Cabinet over the weekend. All 36 Cabinet appointees will travel by shuttle leaving the Phakdee Bordin…
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Human bones found in Srisoonthorn, Phuket
Thalang Police were called to a site yesterday (Sunday), 150 metres from the Baan Ua Arthorn housing estate in Srisoonthorn, central Phuket, just before 3pm. There they found remains of a human skeleton. According to police reports, a local fruit vendor headed to the area to collecting papayas when he discovered the human skeletal remains under a tree. He then ran out…
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