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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
-
Testimony continues during poaching trial of Premchai Karnasutra
PHOTOS: The Nation The provincial court in Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum district heard testimony from three policemen yesterday. This was the seventh prosecution-witness session in the “black leopard” trial for alleged poaching against Italian-Thai construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta and three associates. With the court having set aside 10 sessions for the prosecution witnesses to take the stand, 15 witnesses had…
-
US ambassador shares concerns about tourism in Phuket
The acting US ambassador has met with Phuket’s Vice Governor to discuss long-term tourism and environment issues whilst visiting the island. Peter Haymond, the acting US Ambassador, met with Phuket’s Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung at the Phuket Provincial Hall today. The Phuket PR Office reports that Vice Governor Prakob says, “The ambassador is interested in Phuket as it is an…
-
Forest officials defend refusing trucks entry to wildlife sanctuary
PHOTOS: The Nation Various off-road truck enthusiasts haven’t been allowed to enter Kanchanaburi’s Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary during December 8-9 because they failed to adhere to the rules and conditions for gaining access. This revelation from sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong. Wichien has explained to the media by way of explanation about a recent Facebook post by Thi Lai Pa…
-
Motorcyclist crushed by truck in Thalang
PHOTO: Kusoldharm Foundation A motorbike passenger has died following an incident with a truck in Thalang this morning. Thalang Police were notified of the accident on Thepkasattri Road southbound in Mueang Mai, Thalang. Police and rescue workers arrived to find the body of a woman, identified by police as Boonnam Thepnui from Pattalung. Her body was taken to the Thalang…
-
BTS sweeps first night of Asian Music Awards
BTS did not attend the first night of the 2018 Mnet Asian Music Awards, but the group’s presence was still felt, as its team swept four awards at the event. The AMAs are being spread across three events in three countries this year. Held Monday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the first part of the three-day event saw awards…
-
Political ban lifted ahead of February 24 election
The Thai Junta, aka NCPO, has today lifted restrictions on political activities that have been in effect since the May 2014 military coup. The Nation reports the the lifts a previous prohibition on political parties holding meetings or organising political activities. The cancelled restrictions include the ban on political gatherings of five or more people. The Royal Gazette has published…
-
Phang Nga hotel ordered to stop holding weddings on the beach
PHOTOS: Manager Online The Damrongdhama Centre in Phang Nga Office has banned a ‘luxury’ hotel in Phang Nga for arranging a wedding event on Natai Beach after investigations over beach encroachment. After an inspection at Natai Beach in Kokkloi, Phang Nga officials, led by Phang Nga Governor Siripat Pattakun, found that a luxury hotel had put umbrellas and chairs on…
-
Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…
-
Tourists complain about thin elephant being forced to do party tricks
PHOTOS: Mail Online dailymail.co.uk is reporting that an adult elephant has been photographed performing in front of deserted audience seating at Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo, just south of Bangkok. With its bones clearly visible, a female elephant is seen balancing on two wooden tables before being led down and forced to walk across a metal tight rope. She…
-
Fire destroys wooden house in Wichit
A fire has totally destroyed a wooden house and storage area in Wichit yesterday. The estimate value of damages is around 300,000 baht. Wichit Police were notified of the fire in Soi Thep Anusorn in Wichit at 2pm yesterday. Police and rescue workers, along with firefighters with two fire engines, arrived at the wooden house which was already well ablaze.…
-
HM King provides funerals for two Un Ai Rak cyclists
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has agreed to sponsor the funerals for of two cyclists who collapsed while participating in the Bike Un Ai Rak bicycle ride on Sunday. One in Surat Thani and another in Ratchaburi the province rides. The two died following emergency medical attention. HM the King had a royal wreath sent to Wat Don Kathin, Poonpin…
-
“Post-poll government will lack legitimacy”
“…the junta government was now trying to buy votes using populist schemes, such as handing out cash as New Year gifts to low-income earners.” A former student activist and renowned scholar Thirayuth Boonmee has predicted that though junta leader General Prayut Chan-o-cha will be able to form the next government, it will lack legitimacy and this will only lead to…
-
Chinese charged over test-taking scam
by Khanathit Srihirundaj A scam of a different kind has been uncovered today. In this case no one was being harmed but the system was being cheated. The Nation reports that Thai police have arrested seven Chinese who were allegedly hired to take ACT (American College Testing) exams on behalf of other test-takers who wanted good results in order to…
-
Thanyapura hosts Phuket’s biggest cycling event
The fourth annual Classic Cycling Race took place at Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort on Sunday, 9 December 2018. The event is the biggest cycling race in Phuket with over 250 cycling professionals and enthusiasts arriving to test themselves on the challenging route mapped out by the resort. Cyclists had a choice of 2 distances: 45 km and 106 km. Both…
-
Officials warn motorists about road construction along Patak Road
PHOTO: The Phuket PR Office Phuket officials have followed up complaints after some motorists had been injured in various incidents on Road No 4028 (Patak Road). Signs in three languages and traffic lights have been installed to help warn motorists. Phuket’s Vice Governor Prakob Wongmaneerung inspected along Patak road and the new warnings today. Vice Governor Prokob says, “Some motorists…
-
Man found hanged in room in Koh Kaew
A Thai man has been found hanged inside a room in Koh Kaew over the weekend. Police and rescue workers arrived at the man’s accommodation to find the body of a man who was later identified as 27 year old Damrong Manjit from Ranong. He was found hanged inside his kitchen. His body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for…
-
Two die in Pattaya ferry engine room tragedy
by Theerawat Thongma and Dethawee Theewarangkool Two workers have died and another three remain in critical condition after allegedly inhaling toxic fumes when they were cleaning a boat-restaurant’s engine room. The vessel was anchored at a pier off Chon Buri province yesterday. Muang Pattaya precinct superintendent Pol Colonel Apichai Krobphetch led a rescue team to head tot he scene of the…
-
New book recounts Thai cave rescue of Wild Boars
PHOTOS: CNN.com, The National, Amazon.com On June 23 2018, the world first heard about the disappearance of 12 Thai boys, the young Mu Pa football team and their assistant coach, in a cave system in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand. “When the cave was unexpectedly flooded, the boys, aged between 11 and 16, and 24 year old Ekapol “Coach Ek” Jantawong,…
-
Two foreigners arrested over cannabis oil raid in BKK
PHOTO: The Nation A Canadian, a Brit and two Thais were arrested last week following a drug raid in Bangkok. 67 year old David Kulik from Canada was arrested last Monday in Chon Buri alongside 64 year old Brit, Joseph Toole. The Thai Narcotics Suppression Division raided the warehouse in the Bang Phli area of Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok,…
-
Nude couple pictured on top of Egyptian pyramid sparks investigation
“Climbing pyramids is illegal in Egypt, with critics saying the incident shows a disregard for the nation’s laws and its conservative society.” The question of tourists and their behavior at national monuments and popular sites comes up again today. This time in Egypt… Read the report HERE. “A video that shows a foreign couple in a naked embrace at the…
-
King leads the way in ‘Bike for Love and Warmth’ – PHOTOS
Yesterday’s Bike Un Ai Rak event proved again that Thai’s love getting onto their bikes and joining in a royally-sponsored cycling campaign. The event was held yesterday, in the capital and provinces. Hundreds of thousands of people across the country took part in the “love and warmth” cycle rides. The main event was held in Bangkok where the ride was…
-
Missing man found dead at Thalang dam
A missing man, who disappeared after heading out on a fishing trip, has been found dead at the Bang Neow Dum reservoir in Thalang. Police and rescue divers arrived at the reservoir yesterday morning to find a fishing net, a pair of shoes, clothes and motorbike keys near the reservoir. The wife of 40 year old Pharit Daorueang told police…
-
Tha Chin Canal gets a volunteer clean up
by Salinee Prap Over 200 residents and tourists rolled up their sleeves and joined forces yesterday (Sunday) collecting garbage that has swept into Khlong Tha Chin tambon Rassada of Phuket’s Muang district. Klonh Tha Chin is the waterway that separates Koh Sirae from the rest of Phuket, linked by a 80 m bridge. The volunteers, including local fishermen and members…
-
The wheels are rolling for today’s Bike Un Ai Rak around Thailand
Cyclists were enthusiastically preparing on Sunday morning for the “Bike for Love and Warmth” ride to be led in Bangkok by His Majesty the King and coinciding with other rides starting simultaneously around the country in the afternoon. Citizens are expected to line the King’s 39km route from Dusit Palace’s Royal Plaza to Lat Pho Park in Samut Prakan. The…
-
Phuket King’s Cup regatta wraps up
With good winds of about 15 knots returning for the final day of the 32nd Phuket King’s Cup Regatta yesterday, some exciting racing was held off the south-western tip of the resort island as one of Asia’s biggest sailing events came to a close. With almost 90 keelboats and multihulls as well as 107 dinghy sailors, the waters of the Andaman…
-
Government says inequality report is ‘unreliable’
The Thai government is dismissing the Credit Suisse Wealth Report 2018 as “inaccurate, incomplete and unreliable”. The report put Thailand at the top of the list of countries with the highest wealth gap between the rich and the poor putting the Kingdom in the company of Russia, India and Turkey leading the way in world financial inequality. In part, the report…
-
Police hunt gunman after man watching road racing is shot
Police are searching for a gunman who has shot and critically injured a young man while he was watching motorcycle road racing on a Bangkok motorway. Prawet police say security camera footage shows the shooting incident at the outbound motorway in front of the Hua Mark mosque in Pattanakan subdistrict in Suan Luang district. 55 year old Somchai Pengthong filed…
-
New Thai 1,000 baht note wins international award
The first new Thai 1,000 baht banknotes, featuring the image of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has won The Best New Banknote Award at the High Security Printing Asia 2018 international conference held in Hanoi, Vietnam. The banknote was awarded for its unique printing technology using the optically variable magnetic ink (OVMI), the first of its kind for Thai banknotes…
-
Asia’s struggle with democracy – Thailand ranks #107 in the world
by By DataLEADS In the wake of the confirmation from the Thai Government about a firm date for the next election, a survey has been released which measures the Asian democracies. Thais go to the polls to elect a new government on February 2019, the first time since they elected Yingluck Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai party in 2011. The report says that…
-
Thaiger Radio News – Sunday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…
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.