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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Tropical storm ‘Usman’ kills 22 in Philippines
Another tropical storm, this one called Usman has so far killed at least 22 people as it passed through several provinces. The storm has triggered floods and landslides forcing villagers to flee to safer areas. The death toll is expected to rise. More than 6,600 people have been stranded in various locations, while Cebu Air and national carrier Philippine Airlines…
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4.9 magnitude earthquake registered in Kanchanaburi
In the latest of a spate of earthquake reports for the region, principally in Indonesia and The Philippines, a report this morning from the Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi with a tremor registering 4.9 on the Richter scale. No casualties or damage has been recorded. Seismologists report that the quake was two kilometres underground and was sensed in Kanchanaburi, Chai…
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30% rise in drink driving incidents
FILE PHOTO Despite all the hoopla, promises, checkpoints on all major roads and extensive media campaign, drink driving remains the leading cause of accidents over the first three days of the New Year holiday road safety period – aka. The Seven Days of Danger. Police report a 30% rise in drink-driving arrests up to last Saturday. 6,000 breathalysers and radar…
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Malaysians citizens being warned about travelling to Thailand’s south
The Malaysian Foreign Ministry is advising Malaysians residing in Thailand or travelling to the Kingdom to “remain vigilant and exercise caution at all times”, in the wake of bomb explosions and shooting incidents in the country’s southern provinces. Officials say bomb explosions and shootings had been reported in different parts of Narathiwat and Songkhla. No Malaysians were affected by the…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn offers New Year wishes
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has expressed her best wishes to the staff of the Thai Red Cross Society and members of the public after presiding over the offering of alms to 100 monks to mark the arrival of the 2019 New Year. Organised by the Thai Red Cross Society, the annual event was held in front of…
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The Bay and Beach Club – Welcome to The Bay!
With a coveted location on Phuket’s infamous Patong Beach, The Bay and Beach Club is an elegant new resort which features 26 brand new luxury rooms. The resort boasts a prime beachfront location – The Bay and Beach Club is set right on the sands of Patong Beach in an area lined with towering palm trees. If tropical luxury is what…
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Security stepped up following multiple attacks in Narathiwat
PHOTO: Thai PBS Security in 14 districts of the Narathiwat has been stepped up after suspected militants attacked a tambon defence volunteer’s base in Ra-ngae district and detonated several home-made bombs targeting power poles and bridges in four districts on Friday night. Narathiwat is the Kingdom’s southern-most province, bordering Malaysia. Four motorcyclists and pillion riders were injured by bomb shrapnel…
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The unforgettable heroes of Tham Luang – 2018 in retrospect
The 18 day operation in July to rescue 12 young footballers and their coach trapped in a Chiang Rai cave was 2018’s most memorable event in Thailand. Most notable for the help that poured in from all around the world and the inventive means devised to extract the 13 young men. It was the assistance from the international community that…
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Two deaths in Phuket on Day Three of the ‘seven days of danger’
According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office the island saw six accidents on Day Three (yesterday) of the campaign, resulting in 4 injuries and two deaths. Of the 2 deaths, one was a one month old baby girl and the other a 23 year old Thai man in a difference accident. The…
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Sporting events, meetings and Indian weddings spur Phuket tourism in 2018
PHOTO: WeddingSutra.com by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com Phuket’s surging MICE market is now valued at 10.9 billion baht, as meetings, incentives and exhibitions attracted over 800,000 visitors to resort island in the last year. The islands increasingly prolific MICE market nearly doubled in year-on-year growth in 2017. As revenue for the segment skyrocketed from 5.9 billion baht to a record-high 10.9…
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Anak Krakatoa loses 220 metres of height
A section of the Anak Krakatoa’s crater (Child of Krakatoa) collapsed after an eruption and slid into the ocean, generating the tsunami last Saturday night. An analysis by the local volcanology agency found the volcano has lost more than two-thirds of its height. Anak Krakatoa, which used to stand 338 metres has now been whittled down to 110 metres tall.…
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Bomb and grenade attacks rattle Thailand’s southern provinces
The Thai PM has described the attackers as “opportunists” after a wave of coordinated bomb attacks by suspected insurgents hit Thailand’s “deep south” in the lead-up to new year and the resulting long weekend. The latest attacks occurred on Friday night in a series of seven separate incidents in three separate districts of Narathiwat province. Two bomb attacks occurred in…
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Tsunami advisory in Philippines after 7.1 quake off Davao Oriental
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has made a public warning to Filipinos on Saturday to temporarily stay away from beaches and not go to the coast after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Davao Oriental. In its Tsunami Information No. 1, Phivolcs said, “Minor sea level disturbances such as strong currents and rapid rise and fall of seawater…
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UK honours given to British divers for Thai cave rescue
PHOTO: CNN, The Nation The seven British cave divers who took part in the extraordinary Tham Luang cave rescue operation have been awarded during Britain’s traditional New Year Honours announced Friday. Out of the seven, four received awards of exceptional bravery, three were made Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE). The two divers who made…
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Foreigner woman caught on video spray painting road in Rawai
PHOTO: Patthama Bruno Facebook A video is being shared on social media of a Russian speaking woman caught red handed spray painting all across a road in Rawai, Phuket. Facebook user Patthama Bruno was out on her morning run when she saw something a little out of the ordinary and decided to share it online. In the video we see…
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The Top 10 news stories for Thailand in 2018
There are two Top Ten lists for the most popular stories of 2018. This list is voted by The Thaiger as Thailand’s most influential or important stories. We will also have the list of the stories YOU clicked on the most – coming next week. For now let’s see, in no particular order, which stories grabbed The Thaiger’s attention in…
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Top 10 party countdowns for new years eve in Phuket 2019
New years eve is just around the corner. Are you ready? There are lots of options for dinner around the island. But what are you doing after that on December 31?– when the kids go to bed and the adults can go out, where there is bubbly to be found and music to dance to. In case you’re not sure,…
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“Make the economy better” – NIDA poll
The December 24-26 National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) poll of 1,252 people across the country over age 18 and of various levels of education and occupations asked what they wanted from the government that will be formed after the election scheduled for late February. More than anything Thais want the government to improve the economy. More than 52 per cent…
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Phuket Day Two of ‘seven days of danger’
PHOTO: Newshawk Phuket As reports are tallied for the second full day of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ (December 28) road and marine safety campaign, no deaths were reported for the second day but eight people were injured. According to statistics issued by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Phuket Office the island saw 8 road accidents on…
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Watch leather back sea turtle eggs on Phang Nga beach via cams
PHOTOS: DMCR Fences have been set up on Kuek Kak Beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga to prevent thieves and animals from disturbing turtle eggs that were laid there earlier last week. There are now six CCTVs monitoring the area. A mother leather back sea turtle laid 93 eggs at the beach in Khao Lak, Phang Nga last week. The 89…
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More AirAsia flights into Krabi
Air Asia is increasing services to the Krabi in south Thailand to four daily flights starting January 9. Faced with declines in Chinese visitors to neighbouring Phuket island, mainland Krabi has also witnessed a decline in visits and advance bookings through to the end of January 2019. In addition to overnight stays at Krabi’s beach resorts, the province also relies…
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Buddhist blessings ring in the new year for ASEAN
by Phatarawadee Phataranawik With Thailand chairing ASEAN throughout 2019, the Culture Ministry is fostering unity among the bloc’s 10 members by bringing to Bangkok relics and statues of the Buddha from around Asia to be ritually blessed. “Thailand is for the first time hosting this grand annual New Year blessing ceremony,” said Kittiphan Phansuwan, director of the ministry’s Religious Affairs…
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42 die, 400+ injured on Day One of road safety campaign
Forty-two people were killed and 432 injured in 420 road accidents on the very first of the New Year “seven dangerous days” period (December 27-January 2). Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat told a press conference at the Thai RSC that Chiang Mai and Ratchaburi reported the highest number of road accidents with 19 cases each, while Khon Kaen and…
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6.1-magnitude earthquake jolts West Papua
by Ivany Atina Arbi – The Jakarta Post A 6.1 magnitude earthquake has jolted West Papua this morning. The news comes from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. The earthquake struck at around 10am local time, with its epicentre located some 55 kilometres southeast of South Manokwari and predicted to be 26 km deep. “It did not trigger a tsunami,”…
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Hundreds of diseased cats & dogs living in Bangkok animal shelter
PHOTOS: Watchdog Thailand Animal rights group Watchdog Thailand have shared photos of dismaying condition in Bangkok’s Prawet animal shelter. The images and video show diseased and distressed animals crammed into metal cages, with the few healthy ones living in small dens. Khaosod English is reporting that ‘Watchdogs Thailand’ say that around 400 cats and dogs have died in their two weeks…
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Fire in Khlong Toei destroys a row of shops
By Kittipong Maneerit A 3am fire in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei district has destroyed five shops but luckily caused no injuries. Fire-fighters spent an hour extinguishing the blaze that started in the four-room furniture shop next to the disused Pak Nam railway. Ten fire engines were engaged, but the flames had already engulfed the entire furniture shop full of flammable materials…
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Thai AirAsia launches new direct flights out of Chiang Rai
AirAsia has confirmed it will launch direct international flights, from Chiang Rai to KL, Macau and Singapore at the end of January, 2019. Operated by AirAsia Thailand, the Chiang Rai-Kuala Lumpur direct service will operate four times weekly from January 31. At the same time Thai AirAsia will launch a direct service from Chiang Rai to Phuket competing head-on with…
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Thailand shopping for Russian helicopters
PHOTO: forceindia.net Thailand has shown interest in Russian helicopter brand Ansat and their Mi171A2 and Ka-32 models, the CEO of the holding company Helicopters of Russia, Andrei Boginsky, told Russian news agency TASS yesterday. “As far as Thailand is concerned, the helicopters Ansat and Mi-171A2 have aroused great interest. Thailand’s police are interested in purchasing Ansats. Also, there has been…
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Ex-Mitsubishi executives confess to bribing Thai port officials
PHOTO: Nikkei Asian Review Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems former executives, 63 year old Fuyuhiko Nishikida and 57 year old Yoshiki Tsuji, have confessed to bribing a Thai public servant to ensure smooth treatment of cargo through a southern port of Thailand. This follows the scandal surrounding the construction of a power plant in Thailand in 2013 and allegations made towards…
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Two deaths in Krabi over first two ‘seven days of danger’
Two deaths have been reported on day two of Krabi’s New Year seven days of danger A Swedish tourist and a Thai have died in Krabi road accidents for the first two days of the ‘seven days of danger’ campaign. At 10am yesterday a 33 year old Swedish tourist big bike driver was crushed by a trailer after he collided…
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