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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Kudo Beach Club in Patong charged after allowing under-age entry
A lawyer of a night club in Patong and a representative of an event organiser yesterday presented themselves to police to face charges after allowing customers younger than 20 years of age to enter the venue. The incident was highlighted by the Spotlight Thailand’ Facebook page. At Patong Police Station last night, the lawyer for the ‘Kudo Beach Club’ and…
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Protests demand results and transparency from the EC
by Kai Chanwanpen and The Thaiger The Thai Election Commission has to keep fending off criticism after protests yesterday were staged over its performance and the number of people demanding its members’ resignations was approaching one million. A former EC commissioner Sodsri Satayathum is calling on the agency to clear up all issues immediately before citizens launch an impeachment process,…
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PM heads north tomorrow to tackle smoke and haze issues
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha flies to Chiang Mai tomorrow morning (Tuesday) to host a meeting of the upper northern provincial governors to discuss the haze and smoke which has enveloped the region for the past two months. A deputy spokesman for the Government, Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukondhapatipak, says the PM has been closely monitoring the haze situation and wants first-hand information…
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Poll shows Thais are wary about the new government’s potential to end conflict
A new Suan Dusit Poll shows 31.8% of the respondents believe that the political situation will worsen due to the lack of stability of the new government while 28.1% are more optimistic. Most Thais believe the new government, be it led by Palang Pracharat or Pheu Thai, will not be able to end political division that have lasted almost two decades. The opinion poll sampled 1,752 people across the country. Nearly half said that…
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“Easier, faster and more watertight” – Surachate’s vision for Immigration
Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, Thailand’s Immigration chief, has outlined a few new directions for visitor and expat visas in Thailand. Speaking to TNA MCOT, the chief acknowledged the 1979 Act was “out of date” and “not in line with modern countries” and travel procedures. Surachate said that Thailand was the third most visited country in the world and was a place…
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Canadian woman rescued from air-conditioning shaft at luxury Silom hotel
PHOTO: Daily News A 76 year old Canadian woman, missing since last Thursday in Bangkok, ended up spending 12 hours trapped in an air conditioning shaft at a luxury Silom hotel before she was finally found and rescued. Daily News reports that 76 year old Siona Aloni, who suffers from Alzheimers, went missing from her room at the hotel on…
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Bangkok Motor Show opens as Thai car sales move online
PHOTO: New Nissan all-electric LEAF, on display at the Bangkok Motor Show by Kingsley Wijayasinha “Despite the increase in sales online, including new automobiles, we’re not worried that fewer people will show up at the event to purchase vehicles.” More than 1.6 million visitors are expected at this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show, which kicks off today at IMPACT Muangthong…
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Child drowning cases – dramatic drop over two decades
The leading cause of death in Thai children, below the age of 15, is drowning. “Even though the cases have recently fallen to an all time low, it’s still not low enough.” “In nearly two decades there have been 22,700 drowning cases, that’s between the years 2000 and 2018. That averages nearly 1,300 child drownings every year.” These numbers from…
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King revokes royal decorations from former PM Thaksin
PHOTO: Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra welcomes Princess Ubolratana of Thailand as they arrive for the wedding of Thaksin’s daughter last weekend in Hong Kong. HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn has stripped the royal decorations of former PM and fugitive billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, alluding to his convictions and “extremely inappropriate” flight from the country. The statement in yesterday’s Royal Gazette from…
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Two killed in Songkhla after their pick-up is sprayed with bullets
by Santiparb Ramasuta A man and a woman riding in a pickup have been killed this morning after a group of assailants opened fire on them in Songkhla’s Sabaiyoi district. The victims were identified as 34 year old Preecha Phetkaewthng and 33 year old Sathiya Saisuwan. Both were residents of the Sabayoi district. They were rescued from the scene of…
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Will Young sells Brit Awards to raise money for Soi Dog Foundation
British singer Will Young sold two of his Brit Awards, highly-respected popular music awards for the British music industry, for a Phuket charity. But he says he only raised £800 (33,000 baht) for them. The singer told Chris Evans, a Virgin Radio Breakfast show presenter, he went through with his pledge to auction off the gongs after announcing he was…
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Thai rice exports facing strong regional competition
Rice exports are down in February’s sales figures, in both total volume and value. High prices and competition from Vietnam are being blamed, along with the ongoing strong baht. Rice farmers also say they are concerned how long the hot season will last which will also affect their planting schedules for this year. The Thai Rice Exporters Association says that…
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Thai businesses feeling pinch from china-US trade wars
Since the US China trade war kicked off in the middle of 2018, Thai businesses have begun to feel the pinch as indicated by a small downward trend in Thai export numbers. In the short run, some Thai export items may benefit from trade diversion as US and Chinese importers shifted to certain Thai products to avoid punitive tariffs. However, indirect…
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Future Forward’s 80 new parliamentary faces
The Future Forward Party, making an impressive debut in last Sunday’s election – finishing as the third-most popular choice with more than 6.2 million votes and more than 80 Lower House seats – is composed entirely of completely new faces. These fresh new political voices, partly fueled by the seven million new, young, eligible voters in this year’s poll, provides…
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Head to Chiang Mai for Songkran – getting wet with a northern touch
Thailand’s best-known regional Songkran celebrations take place in the northern city of Chiang Mai This year the Chiang Mai Songkran Festival runs from April 1-16 and with the theme “telling the story of the Lanna culture while celebrating the auspicious new year with safety and without alcohol.” In Chiang Mai, Songkran is often called Paweni Pi Mai Muang. Chiang Mai…
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Roll out the water trucks – Phuket’s water runs low
by Salinee Prap Many areas of Phuket have suffered a shortage of tap water, with inconsistent or no flow, prompting business operators and residents to buy water from the private sector. Phuket as an island, is usually self-sufficient with its water supply, with three large catchments on the island serving locals, expats and the 12 million annual tourists. Phuket governor…
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Darasamuth Underpass closing this Saturday and Sunday night
The Darasamut Underpass (adjacent to Central Festival) will temporarily close tomorrow and Sunday from 9pm until 5am (overnight). The Phuket Highways Chief Somwang Lohanut says, “Both the northbound and southbound lanes through the underpass will be temporary closed at those times.” “Workers will be carrying out repairs and replacing light bulbs and fans as part of the normal scheduled maintenance.”…
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Patong taxi driver suspects arrested after ganging up and beating a tourist
PHOTOS: Patong Police Six suspects have been arrested today following an assault by a group of taxi, tuk tuk and motorcycle taxi drivers. The incident was captured on video, as the drivers ganged together to beat up a tourist in Patong last night. The argument started over a taxi fee to take the family back to their hotel. Patong Police…
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Wife of ‘lovely motorcycle taxi driver’ has her say
There’s always two sides of a story. This time the wife of the ‘lovely’ motorcycle taxi driver who had his ‘heart-breaking’ story posted all over social media on Tuesday, is having her say. The man, at the time, claimed that he had paid the mortgage for eight years but the house was in her name and she now had another man. So…
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“No need to join coalition government” – Democrat politician
PHOTO: Facebook/Parit Wacharasindhu With around 55 seats won after Sunday’s election, the Democrats are one of a few political parties which will hold the balance of power. They will be able to choose between joining an alliance with a Pheu Thai-led bloc or siding with the Phalang Pracharat-led camp. But Parit Wacharasindhu, a new generation Democrat Party member, says he…
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Seven Chinese tourists injured in Pattaya tour bus crash
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Seven Chinese tourists have been injured after their tour bus overturned on Sukhumvit Road in Jomtien Beach, south of Pattaya. The victims were rushed to Pattaya Memorial Hospital after the Bangkok-registered tour bus careered into a traffic-island drainage canal in front of the Ambassador City Hotel. The Pattaya Mail reports that sixteen other passengers on the bus…
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Patong Police investigate taxi drivers beating up a tourist – VIDEO
Patong Police are investigating an assault on tourists from a group of Patong taxi drivers. Two video clips of taxi drivers attacking tourist in Patong have gone viral in social media today. The incident happened at Malin Plaza Market at the south end of Patong last night at 11pm. A male middle eastern tourist was attacked by taxi drivers in…
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Two day rescue of six baby elephants stuck in mud pool in Nakhon Ratchasima – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: DNP Six baby elephants have been rescued from mud pool in Nakhon Ratchasima following two days of delicate efforts from officials. The Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plants Conservation reports that they found the baby elephants on Wednesday while forest officers were patrolling in the forest in Sengsang, Nakhon Ratchasima, northeast of Thailand. During the afternoon they stumbled…
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Event Round-Up – April 2019
by The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) The first ever ASEAN Gastronomy Tourism Fair will kick off on April 9-10 at CW Tower Ratchadapisek Bangkok. Hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, it is the first time all 10 member states of ASEAN will come together to build a strong foundation for gastronomy tourism in the…
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Leopard cat found dumped in plastic box in Kathu
A leopard cat has been saved after being found dumped inside a plastic box in Kathu. The head of Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area Study Centre Pongchart Chueahom says he had received the healthy leopard cat kitten from a local. “After that we went to the Thalang Police Station to file a report about the dumping of a protected animal.”…
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Nine arrested for sharing ‘fake election news’
PHOTO: Thai News Agency A Thai official has announced that nine people have been arrested for allegedly sharing fake news on Facebook. In the posts they claimed two EC commissioners had been fired and that 600,000 illegitimate ballots were mixed into the vote count. If convicted, the accused could face up to five years in jail and a 30,000 baht…
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German tourist beaten over Chiang Mai karaoke bar bill
by Thanakorn Wongnang A German tourist in Chiang Mai has filed an official complaint with police, claiming he was assaulted by staff at an allegedly over-priced karaoke bar. The trouble started when he refused to pay the extortionate 10,000 baht bill. 35 year old Arthur Wojciechowski, who ended up with facial bruises from the assault, told Muang Chiang Mai deputy…
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Bus driver fined after dropping oil on Patong Hill – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Kathu Police / Law Enforcement 201 / Newshawk Phuket A bus driver has been fined after his bus dropped oil onto the road as it was coming down from Patong Hill. Motorbike drivers had been been injured after slipping on the oil slick. The CCTV footage shows the incident when the bus was going down from Patong Hill, dropping…
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Election results: Phalang Pracharat wins popular vote, Pheu Thai wins most seats
The Election Commission, acting on increased pressure from a number of political and NGO complaints, has released the general election popular vote count, saying the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat won the most popular votes at over 8.4 million, while Pheu Thai came second with 7.9 million votes. This afternoon’s media conference came as a surprise as the EC had been dodging…
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Nepali fugitive arrested in Nakhon Phanom for jobs scam
A Nepalese man has been arrested in Nakhon Phanom, on the far north-east Thai border with Laos, over alleged deception of 16 compatriots. He’s alleged to have scammed more than 5 million baht from them by promising jobs in a foreign country. Immigration Police chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn says 37 year old Prashu Rum Gurung was arrested under…
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