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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Thavorn Hotels & Resorts receives Thailand MICE Venue Standard Award
Thavorn Hotels & Resorts is proud to announce its certification of Thailand MICE Venue Standard (TMVS) by Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). The certification assesses venues in three key areas – physical, technological, and service requirements. Certified venues appear on an Approved List and are publicised worldwide as venues that meet international standards. MICE – Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and…
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Peaceful Pattani – the other side of the southern province
By Pattarawadee Saengmanee, The Nation Weekend The former capital of the ancient Langkasuka Kingdom, Pattani province in Thailand’s far south has traditionally been feted for its multiculturalism, though sadly the ongoing violence has kept it well off the tourist map for more than a decade. But his southern province bordered by Narathiwat, Yala, and Songkhla has plenty to offer the…
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Chinese tourist’s bag returned, but without the cash
“In another case, two other Chinese tourists had 60,000 baht stolen from a bag.” A 35 year old Chinese tourist in Pattaya had his bag returned after leaving it in a Pratamuk restaurant at a resort. The bag was found in the restaurant’s toilets. Only problem is he’d left the bag on the table of the restaurant. Zhou Zhangli was disappointed…
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Jobs for the boys – Women’s groups attack rampant gender bias
“Out of over 10,000 police officers in Thailand, only 400 are women.” Despite the country’s ‘sabai sabai’ attitude towards many issues, rampant sexism and gender-bias still exists across the board, especially in the higher levels of Thai army and police ranks. Three women’s rights groups are urging the Office of the Ombudsman to rule on the validity of a move…
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Krabi millipede invasion
Thousands of millipedes have invaded more than 30 houses in a Krabi community. Some locals are fearful of the plague as they say they’re allergic to millipedes. Locals in Klongtom, Krabi say that thousands of millipedes are being found around and inside their houses. The more rains, the more millipedes. Locals are trying to get rid of them with chemical…
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‘Big Joke’ stops to help Phuket hit and run victim
PHOTOS: Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn Deputy Commander of the Tourist Police Bureau based in Bangkok, Maj Gen Surachete Hakparn, ordered his team to stop they convey of official vehicles to help a student who had been hit in Phuket Town this afternoon (Aug 3). Maj Gen Surachete reported that he saw the accident while he and…
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Bangkok cat owner faces cruelty charges
WARNING: This story may be stressful for some readers The animal rights group Watchdog Thailand has filed a complaint with the police against a cat adopter for allegedly repeatedly abusing his pet by hanging it and beating it until it became “depressed”. Watchdog Thailand posted on Facebook that it has filed a complaint with Bueng Koom police, who had allowed…
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Indian man assaulted and killed in Krabi
An Indian man was killed by another Indian citizen after he was assaulted by his co-worker’s wife while she was taking a bath yesterday (Aug 2) in Krabi. The reenactment held this morning was led by Khao Panom Police Chief Col Kajit Kongprab. The attacker was 25 year old Indian, Prakart Natarang, who is a staff member of a biomass…
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Banyan Tree Samui hailed as eco-friendly leader in Thailand
The Banyan Tree Samui has become the first and only hotel in Thailand to be awarded “Gold Certification” at a single-property level by Earthcheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism. Although other hotel chains have received similar accolades from EarthCheck at a group level, Banyan Tree Samui stands alone as the sole property…
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Russia set to establish Consulate-General in Phuket
The Russian Federation is poised to open a Consulate-General in Phuket in response to the growing Russian expat community and consistent stream in Russian tourists coming to the island. Russian PM Dmitriy Medvedev signed the order last Saturday ratifying the new diplomatic mission on the island. There are no details in the letter about when the Consulate-General will open its doors…
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200 members of Line app under investigation for procuring U18 boys for sex
More details have emerged about the identities and activities of members of a Line App group who have been allegedly preying on underage boys for sex. The commander of the anti human trafficking police says the tourist police are also involved in the investigations. Daily News is reporting that on Wednesday a Thai university lecturer and “hi-so man” were among several arrests…
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Yingluck flies to Dubai – “Dubai flight was pre-planned”
“Yingluck reportedly flew from London on Wednesday, just a day after the media reported the Thai government’s extradition request to the UK government.” Former PM minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s flight from London to Dubai on Wednesday had nothing to do with the Thai government’s extradition request to the UK. This explanation from a Pheu Thai Party member yesterday. The flight was…
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Muslim father’s online petition inspires Thai anti-child marriage activists
In the wake of the ‘marriage of a 41 year old Malay man and an 11 year old Thai girl, Malaysia’s government and netizens are proposing ways to ban child marriages. Meanwhile, an online petition by a UK-based Malaysian Muslim father to ban child marriages has triggered an activist to begin a similar petition to ban them in Thailand too.…
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Suspect in Sattahip double murder surrenders to Patong Police
One of the suspects in Sunday’s Sattahip double murder case has surrendered himself to Patong Police yesterday (Aug 2). Chonburi police have already taken the man back to Chonburi province for further questioning. Read more about the double execution-style murders in the car park of Buddha Mountain in Sattahip HERE. The Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen says, “At about…
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7,000 pirated items seized in Samui sting
Thailand’s favourite neighbourhood crime buster, Big Joke and his tourist police taskforce, have been working the markets of Koh Samui – the distribution network selling pirated goods on the island. Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal says he was following orders from PM Prayut Chan-ocha to stamp out piracy. The deputy head of the tourist police was pictured on the Tourist Police…
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Tuk Tuk rally on August 18-19 with an Ayutthaya period costume twist
The Ayutthaya provincial administration is holding a tuk tuk rally on August 18 and 19 to promote tourism to the historical site. Ayutthaya governor Sujin Chaiyachumsak said up to 250 teams of contestants can take part in the rally, for which the application fee is 1,000 baht. At least one member of the team must be dressed in an Ayutthaya…
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NCPO ‘damaged the image of the country’ – Future Forward party
PHOTO: The Nation By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Amy Sawitta Lefevre In a tense stand-off between the establishment and the ‘new guard’, Future Forward party’s brash young leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, is firing verbal missives at the NCPO. Reuters is reporting that the new Thai party, headed up by auto-parts billionaire Thanathorn, and aiming to shake up politics, hit back at the ruling…
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Mekong breaks its banks flooding seven Thai provinces
Persistent heavy rain and the overflow of water from the Mekong River and its tributaries has caused severe flooding in seven provinces in the north-east, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department director-general Chayapol Thitisak said this morning (Thursday). The seven provinces are Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Amnat Charoen, Ubon Ratchathani, Bung Kan, Sakon Nakhon and Roi-et are all under flood-alert after the…
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Korat dog gets shot with an arrow
A poor dog in Korat had a bad day earlier but it ended up a better day thanks to some good Samaritans. The stray dog in Nakhon Ratchasima underwent emergency treatment this morning (Thursday) after it was found crying in agony with a fish-hunting arrow embedded in its side. 51 year old Natthawut Chuckling heard the dog in distress and…
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Man arrested after picking up drugs at Phuket Bus Terminal
The Phuket City Police have arrested a man who was picking up drugs delivered to the old bus terminal in Phuket Town yesterday (Aug 1). A team of the Phuket City Police led by Capt Teerasak Narasri arrested 25 year old Kanokpon ‘Pop’ Sripiboon from Songkhla at the bus terminal (Bus Terminal 1) on Phang Nga Road in Phuket Town. Police seized 4.36 grams of crystal methamphetamine.…
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Police search Patong bar owner’s rentals and home – Sattahip murder investigation
Police searched Patong Bar owner Panya ‘Sia Auan’ Yingdang’s accommodation for evidence that may link him to the Sattahip double murder over the weekend. Chonburi Police, investigating the double execution-style murders in the car park of Buddha Mountain in Sattahip, say their initial investigations revealed a number of key suspects. Read more about the issuing of a warrant for the…
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Australian travel media coming to BKK for annual conference
Thailand is hosting the AGM of the Australian Society of Travel Writers From August 16-19 , 2018. The ASTW has already held its AGM twice in Thailand (1999 and 2009). A total of 113 ASTW members have registered, to date, including writers, photographers, editors, bloggers, influencers, public relations officers, and representatives of various hotel groups and national tourism boards. The…
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The Thai internal security command steps in to take over marine safety in Phuket
PHOTOS: Government Public Relations Department, Phuket Branch. The Thai military’s Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), is now taking over the overhaul of boat safety for Phuket in the wake of the July 6 tragedy when 47 Chinese tourists died after their tour boat sank off Phuket. The Phuket branch of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), the political attaché of the…
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Up to 1000 foreign volunteers affected by Chiang Mai immigration work permit stand-off
The head of two foundations in Chiang Mai has revealed to ThaiVisa that a stand-off between the new head of the Chiang Mai labor office and the city’s immigration department is causing trouble for up to a thousand foreigners who are volunteering at charities around the province. Our source – who has asked not to be named – said that…
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Villagers try to lynch top policeman’s son in Phetchabun re-enactment
Re-enactments, where a person, who has admitted their guilt, is taken to the scene of the crime to re-enact it, often in public view, is a common practice in Thai police investigations. Video footage on the Thai Rath Facebook page shows the moments when a top policeman’s son was taken on one of these re-enactments, this time for a horrific…
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Officials file report about land encroachment on Naka Noi Island
Forest Department officers and soldiers yesterday (Aug 1) filed a report to police about alleged land encroachment on Naka Noi Island which is located next to Thai actor Puri Hiranpruk’s land plot. Yesterday, officers investigated the land plot on Naka Noi Island. The investigation came after they were notified about 10 men carrying construction equipment to the land area. They…
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Khao San Road vendors defy BMA’s ban on sidewalk trading
By Kornwaree Panyasuppakun “We will open and close our footpath stalls at the regular time.” Bangkok’s Khao San Road street vendors are defying the BMA’s ban on footpath stalls. City Hall has decided that the footpaths must be ‘returned to the people’ and that market traders are going to have to restrict their sales from 6pm – midnight, instead of…
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Villager headman dies in Krabi road accident, six injured
A Nakhon Si Thammarat village headman has died in a road accident in Krabi after heading from Phuket to Nakhon Si Thammarat. Krabi City Police were notified of the accident on Phet Kasem Road near the Macro store in Sai Thai at 7.30pm on Monday night. Police and rescue workers arrived at the scene to find a damaged pickup truck…
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University lecturer and ‘hi-so’ man arrested for soliciting sex with U18 males
The Royal Thai Police’s Anti Trafficking in Persons Division has arrested two men for allegedly buying sex from two males under 18 year of age. The two are said to be a ‘famous Thai university lecturer’ and a ‘hi-so man’. A police investigation concluded that the two men – who claim their innocence – were among some 200 members of…
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The Miss Universe pageant returns to Thailand this December
PHOTO: Tanachai Pramarnpanich Dust off the tiaras and sashes and try and contain your excitement! Miss Universe 2018 will be held in Thailand in December. This is the third time that Thailand will host the beauty contest. The Miss Universe Organisation president Paula Shugart and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters were present at a media conference in Bangkok yesterday. Former…
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