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.
-
Sponsored Best facial treatments in Bangkok for radiant skin
If urban life has left your skin feeling as stressed as the Friday evening rush hour, there’s no reason to let it dampen your spirits. The answer to your skin's prayers might just involve less commuting and more pampering. Thankfully,...
-
Persian cats perish in Bangkok apartment fire
Two Persian cats suffocated to death during a fire in a room at the National Housing Estate in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district yesterday. The two cats were found barely breathing in the flat after 10 fire engines took about 40 minutes to put out the blaze. The cats died shortly after they were taken out of the room despite attempts…
-
Anti-vaxers blamed for astonishing rise of Measles in 2018 – UNICEF
“Measles is more contagious than tuberculosis or Ebola, yet it is eminently preventable with a vaccine that costs pennies.” Thailand figures in the Top 10 countries in the world where measles cases rose alarmingly in 2018. Most of the rises of Measles cases in Thailand have occurred in the three southern-most provinces where a large Muslim majority live. In some…
-
Weather for March 1
Bangkok Generally clear. High 34ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. E winds shifting to SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Chiang Mai Partly cloudy. High 36ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 30 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 33ºC. Winds…
-
Foreign motorbike racer arrested in Patong
PHOTOS: Patong Police Patong Police yesterday arrested another foreign motorbike racer driving erratically around Patong’s roads. Police report that they arrested the man who was driving his motorbike at high speed and doing ‘wheelies’ (front wheel raised off the ground) yesterday. “He doesn’t care for other people’s safety and was annoying other road users. He was been taken to Patong…
-
Kim-Trump summit ‘fail’ over North Korea’s demands to lift sanctions
by Choi He-suk, Korea Herald – Asia News Network US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un’s summit ended abruptly with both sides failing to reach an agreement. The second day of talks kicked off at 9 am yesterday at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi but the event was cut short when Kim and Trump departed at 1:25 pm.…
-
Light at the end of the tunnel – Koh Samui’s mystery mountain tunnel
Officers have closed off access to the ‘mysterious’ tunnel on Koh Samui linking two sides of a small hill. They say they’re waiting for the company which owns the land, linked by the tunnel, to front up with a permit to build it. A tourist trekking in the Ban Tai area last week stumbled on the 84 metre long tunnel.…
-
American man and Thai woman arrested in Chiang Mai cannabis factory raids
PHOTOS: The Nation Narcotics police in Chiang Mai have arrested a 44 year old American man and a 37 year old Thai woman in separate raids on two houses in Mae Rim district. Police alleged the houses were used as cannabis production facilities. Police allegedly found cannabis in multiple forms – dried, liquid, tablets as well as plants. Inside one…
-
Alleged Bangkok money truck robber arrested
PHOTOS: The Nation Police have arrested a 19 year old man who allegedly stole 7.27 million baht from a Bangkok money truck last Saturday. His accomplice is still at large. At a press conference today police announced that suspect Jirayus Suanmi was arrested yesterday (Wednesday). He allegedly robbed a money truck outside the Big C Extra shopping mall on Phetkasem…
-
400 marauding macaques invade plantations in Surat Thani
PHOTO: Catch us if you can Surat Thani officials are coming up with a plan to sort out the 400+ long-tailed macaques who have been invading fruit orchards and oil palm plantations for months. Provincial governor Wichawut Jinto has made the order after receiving countless complaints from residents of the southern province’s Phunphin district saying that the monkeys have caused…
-
Flights delayed and cancelled at Phuket Airport – Closure of Pakistan airspace
Flights have been affected at the Phuket International Airport, a knock-on affect from the closing of airspace over Pakistan. Latest in the tensions between India and Pakistan HERE. Thai Airways resumes flights. Read about that HERE. The Phuket International Airport has announced flights that have been affected at the Phuket International Airport. Delayed flights… AEROFLOT airlines flight SU278/279 from Moscow…
-
UPDATE: Thai Airways resumes flights
Thai Airways has resumed flight between Bangkok and Europe today after cancellations due to Pakistan’s emergency closure of its airspace. The cancellations, announced late last night, have caused havoc for travellers hoping to fly between Bangkok and Europe on Thai Airways last night and today. Flights between Bangkok to Europe, in both directions, normally fly over Pakistan’s airspace but since…
-
1000s of passengers stranded at BKK over Pakistan emergency
More than 5,000 passengers have been stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport since last night night after many departure flights were cancelled due to the emergency closure of airspace in Pakistan. Many more passengers are ending up inconvenienced today as they learn about the cancellations. The debacle is causing another PR disaster for Thai Airways with passengers complaining about lack of any…
-
Go-Jek begins services in Thailand, challenging Grab
Indonesia’s Go-Jek ride-hailing service has now started up in Thailand under the banner ‘GET’. Nadiem Makarim, the founder and CEO says they will continue to move into the regional market currently dominated by Grab. Go-Jek, Indonesian for motorbike taxis (sort of), has launched in Thailand as ‘GET’ and will concurrently build presence in The Philippines through a recent financial-tech acquisition. The launch…
-
Two kindergarten students crushed under school bus
PHOTO: Thai Rath Two six year olds have died whilst heading home from kindergarten after their school bus reversed over them. Thai Rath reports that the 66 year old driver was in police custody charged with negligence causing death. Surachai Rakmanut had picked up 20 children in the truck used as school transport from the Mae Pang kindergarten in the…
-
Fire damages garage along main road in Rassada
A fire has damaged a garage on Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada early today. Fire fighters headed to the fire in Rassada, just north of Phuket Town, around 4am this morning. Emergency responders arrived at the scene with four fire engines to find the back of the garage well ablaze. It took about an hour to bring the fire under control.…
-
Future Forward leader Thanathorn spared detention, for now
The leader of a pro-democracy party, Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, and two of his colleagues were spared detention in a case involving criticism of the junta on TV last week. Dashing earlier speculation that the trio would be held in custody, the attorney-general ordered them freed for now, saying they had voluntarily turned themselves in. Bail bond was also…
-
Python rescued from water drain cover in Wichit
PHOTOS: Phurita Cho / Kusoldarm Foundation A two metre python has been rescued after getting stuck in a water drain cover in Wichit yesterday. Kusoldarm rescue workers heard from locals that the python was stuck in the water drain cover near the Wichit Police Station. A specialist snake catcher from Kusoldarm Foundation, Poonsab Saeueng, along with other rescue workers arrived at…
-
Weather for February 28
Bangkok Generally clear. High 34ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Phuket Partly cloudy. High 32ºC. E winds shifting to SSW at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h. pattaya Partly cloudy. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Partly cloudy. High 32ºC. Winds SSE…
-
Grass fire destroys motorbikes in Rawai
A localised grass fire has spread destroying four motorbikes parked in front of a rental house in Rawai. No injuries were reported. Chalong Police were notified of the fire in Soi Suksan 2 on Wiset road in Rawai yesterday afternoon. Seven fire engines arrived at the scene where the fire was ablaze. Strong easterly winds made the fire spread quickly.…
-
Missing some mail in Prachuap Khiri Khan?
PHOTOS: Facebook/ Santad Tad Dechgeud If you live in Prachuap Khiri Khan and are missing a bit of mail, or even a lot of mail, you’re not the only one. A newly hired mailman in the province simply decided he no longer wanted to deliver mail so started hoarding thousands of unopened letters in his house. Facebook user “Santad Tad…
-
Tham Luang cave diver John Volanthen awarded medal by Queen Elizabeth
PHOTO: Evening Standard One of the cave divers who helped to rescue the 13 Thai footballers has been awarded the George Medal by Queen Elizabeth II for showing “great courage”. John Volanthen was honoured in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London. Diver John Volanthen and his colleague Richard Stanton were the first to find the stranded team, which led to…
-
Firearms and drugs seized in southern provinces crackdown
A huge stash of iIllegal firearms and drugs have been seized this month in an upper southern province crackdown. There was a press conference held at the Police Region 8 headquarters in Mai Khao today to show and tell. Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Wanchai Eaksorapit says, “There has been a major crackdown this month in Surat Thani,…
-
Car-polish warehouse destroyed in Pattaya blaze
One person has been injured after a fires wept through a Pattaya warehouse full of car polish last night (Tuesday). Police say the fire at Pim Pattaya Company in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district got started around 7pm. Fire-fighters spent two hours bringing the blaze under control, but not before the roof of the warehouse collapsed. The injured man, an…
-
Attack of the macaques – Krabi’s monkeys invade school
PHOTOS: Srisuda Yongkit More than 20 long-tailed macaques raided a vocational college in Krabi’s Klong Thom district on this morning, apparently in search of food. The monkeys are said to have come down from the hills behind an army base in the district and searched through the garbage bins. But not content with that, they also ransacked teachers’ rooms and…
-
Phuket Police investigating attack on Chinese passengers by taxi driver
Phuket Police are investigating an incident where Chinese passengers were allegedly attacked by a taxi driver in Patong this morning. Cherng Talay Police report that they were notified from some Chinese tourists that they had been attacked by a taxi driver after they were unable to negotiate a taxi fee from Patong to Cherng Talay. They were staying at a…
-
Drunk British man with prosthetic arm responsible for Pattaya roadside crash – VIDEO
PHOTO: Sanook An allegedly drunk British man, with a prosthetic arm, was responsible for yesterday’s Pattaya incident when a black SUV plowed into motorbikes parked on the side of the road. Read The Thaiger story HERE. Sanook reports that the Toyota Fortuner that ran into the line of motorbikes, injuring many people along the way, was driven by a British man. 15 motorbikes…
-
74 year old German arrested for alleged murder of teenage Thai wife in 2010
A 74 year old German, accused of stabbing his much younger wife to death, has been arrested after nine years on the run. Siam Rath reports that Heinz Jurgen Theil has been arrested in Chiang Rai province and is now in custody, charged with murder. Police say Theil is accused of stabbing his 17 year old wife, Janjira Jantapool, in…
-
Pregnant wild turtle rescued from Lampang forest fire
PHOTO: Lampang PR Office Fire fighters have rescued a pregnant wild turtle which was trying to escape from a forest fire at Doi Prabat in Lampang yesterday. The Thai News Agency reports that fire fighters from the Royal Forest Department, who were fighting at the firefront on Doi Prabat in Lampang found the pregnant wild turtle which was doing its…
-
Foreign woman jumps into the water chasing ferry in Koh Lanta – VIDEO
A foreign woman has jumped into the sea in Krabi chasing a departing ferry. The boat captain Jennarong Srisuksai says, “The foreign woman was travelling with her boyfriend. They were too late for the car ferry.” “When the boat was already moving away from the pier at Koh Lanta, the woman leapt out of the car and jumped towards the…
-
Air quality in 9 northern provinces worse in March-April
Smog problems in nine of Thailand’s northern provinces is forecast to get worse during the next two months due to forest fires. This is despite a complete ban on the open burning of vegetation or trash. Chongklai Worapongsathorn, deputy director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation spoke to local fire fighters before they are sent to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.