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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Thailand Yacht Show – attracting Superyachts to the region
PHOTO: Andy Treadwell, CEO and Founder, Thailand Yacht Show At a Press Conference in Bangkok last week Prakob Wongmaneerung, Vice Governor of Phuket, Nithee Seeprae, Executive Director of Product Promotion Department of TAT and Andy Treadwell, CEO and Founder of the Thailand Yacht Show, along with numerous officials and key business leaders, gathered to re-confirm their commitment to promoting Thailand…
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Thailand’s opium cultivation “down by 40%”
The cultivation of opium is on the decline in Thailand, but the illegal practice persists in several northern districts, the Office of the Narcotics Control Board reported this week. Secretary-general Sirinya Sitdhichai cited remote rural highlands in Chiang Mai’s Om Koi, Mae Taeng and Chiang Dao districts and in Tak’s Umphang, Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang districts as places…
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Krabi palm oil plant given warnings after releasing waste water
A privately owned palm oil mill in Krabi is being told to close its doors by the Krabi Office of Industry after releasing waste water into a natural canal twice in a month. On January 22, Benyathip Tanti-Ariyasap, and her team from the Krabi Office of Industry, visited the palm oil mill belonging to the Lap Pakdee Palm Company Limited,…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, January 23
3 killed and many more injured in latest Yala bombing | Another bus with Chinese tourists ends up in a road ditch in Chiang Mai | Later on the Israeli mob hit on Samui | Central Pattana introduce cashless technology at 4,000 stores | Bullets flying in Hat Yai yesterday | Exports up 9.9% over past 12 months.
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, January 22
Israeli hit squad kills one in Koh Samui | ‘Taxi OK’ App and reforms launched this Thursday | Spot checks at Chalong Pier reveal shortcomings on some boats | Couple arrested at Don Mueang after alleged murder in Pichit | Total of four arrested over Phuket Airport baggage thefts.
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Driver runs away after flipping Mercedes at Samkong
What do you do when you flip your Mercedes E350 at 2am in the morning at the Samkong Underpass? You run away it seems. The driver flipped the car heading southbound into the Samkong Underpass. Some other drivers on the road at the time witnessed the crash and tried to use their own car extinguishers to control the blaze. By…
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Two Israelis arrested over suspected mob hit in Samui
Two Israeli men were arrested at Don Muang International Airport on Sunday night for allegedly stabbing to death a fellow Israeli and seriously injuring his girlfriend on Koh Samui earlier in the day. Police said 24 year old Dolev Zuarez and 26 year old Eval Bokal were arrested soon after arriving at the airport at 9.30pm. They had flown to…
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Ukrainian driver loses control of his car – two killed in Cherngtalay crash
A car driven by a Ukrainian man, Artem Chidoko, was travelling, allegedly at high speed, from Cherngtalay towards Phuket International Airport when he lost control while taking a curve on the road. He crashed into a van driving on the other side of the road in the opposite direction about 2pm yesterday afternoon (Sunday). He was driving with two passengers,…
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Phuket and Krabi province officials meet for marine safety meeting
Authorities from Phuket and Krabi provinces have met to discuss marine safety, boat management and the tourism situation on Koh Phi Phi. About 33 authorities plus media from Phuket led by Phuket Governor, Norapat Plodthong, left from Ao Po Pier on Saturday heading to Phi Phi to meet with Krabi authorities led by Krabi Governor, Second Lieutenant Apinan Puakpong and…
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12 infringements during random safety check at Chalong Pier
The Tourist Police, Marine Police and Phuket Marine Office headed to Chalong Pier yesterday (January 20) to conduct random inspections and found 12 boat operators in error over various safety issues. Two people held expired licenses, another one didn’t bring his license onboard and another 6 operators were not running boats in accordance with the conditions specified in their license.…
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Baggage handlers arrested over thefts at Phuket airport
Police arrested two worker at the Phuket International Airport and their alleged accomplice over the theft of passengers’ belongings, said Sakhu Police Station superintendent Pol Colonel Jirasak Siamsak on Sunday. 29 year old Nirut Saksri and 30 year old Manock Nakphojit, plus alleged accomplice 23 year old Chakrit Chanprasert, were arrested and some 100 stolen items recovered, including computer notebooks,…
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“Limit visits to marine national parks to six million”
A leading marine biologist has proposed to the government to limit visitors to marine national parks to 6 million a year to lessen impact on its ecological environment. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean at the Fisheries Faculty of Kasetsart University, made his proposal at the meeting of the Marine and Coastal Resources Policy Management Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Gen…
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Buggy crash at Ao Po Pier
A buggy with passengers crashed into Ao Po Long-tail Boat Club yesterday (January 19) resulting into 10 people being injured. All the injured are Chinese tourists who have already been sent to Thalang Hospital. The driver, 39 year old Pongthep Lawan, said that after he picked up his passengers from the boat returning from Naka Yai Island, the buggy stopped…
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Moto GP will generate 1 billion baht for Thailand
Sports Authority of Thailand Governor Sakon Wannapong says more than 1 billion baht will be generated by the PTT Thailand motorcycling Grand Prix at the Buri Ram International Circuit this October. The SAT boss said a huge income would be generated during the competition between October 5-7 in the northeastern province. Thailand has a three-year-contract to host the MotoGP and must pay around 400…
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Three foreigners, one Thai arrested for drug possession in Kamala
Kamala police arrested 27 year old Viktor Dvinsky from Russia and 22 year old Berezina Vladystava with 14.44 grams of cocaine, 2 amphetamine pills, 17.66 grams of marijuana. Police also seized an iPhone and $2,400 and 11,000 Baht in cash. They were charged for possession and trading of illicit drugs. After the two were arrested, police extended the investigation and…
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UK to shift visa approvals from Bangkok to New Delhi
United Kingdom Visa and Immigration (UKVI) will relocate its visa approval centre from Bangkok to New Delhi, starting in June this year. The move is part of UKVI’s longstanding global strategy to modernise its visa operations and consolidate visa decision-making in large regional hubs, said a press release issued by the British Embassy to Thailand on Friday. There will be…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, January 19
Chinese swimmer drowns off Karon Beach | Police raid of BKK pub over late 4am closing time | Prawit promises free airing of World Cup games in Thailand | Workers get a new minimum wage | Enormous drug/assets haul from 59 locations. Plus the weekend’s forecast.
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Another Chinese tourist drowns in Karon
Pol. Lt. Gen. Suwisit Kirirak received a report that a Chinese tourist had drowned at Karon Beach around 1pm yesterday (Thursday) near the Tsunami Alert Tower. He headed to the scene where Kusoldham foundation volunteers had already arrived. They found the body of 30 year old Pan Xin, a Chinese citizen who was on holidays on the island with his…
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Cops raid BKK pub, still open at 4am
Police raided a pub on Sukhumvit Soi 22 in Bangkok Thursday morning after it stayed open well past the mandated 2am closing time. Tally, on the ground floor of the Holiday Inn in Vadhana district, was still open at 4am when police arrived, about 200 patrons drinking and dancing. Twenty of them tested positive for illicit drugs and were taken…
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That was 2017. This is 2018. Thai Economy
by Patrick Cooke, Regional Editor for Asia. Rising overseas demand for goods and services pushed Thailand’s GDP towards five-year highs in 2017, with business-friendly fiscal policies and planned spending on infrastructure expected to support further expansion in 2018. The Thai economy improved over the course of 2017, recording year-on-year growth of 3.3% in the first quarter, 3.8% in the second…
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UPDATE: Blaze near Surakul Stadium damages local shops
The fire started in the electric cabling curled up on the electric pole in front of a motorcycle garage and damaged the shop, including many motorbikes. The total loss, according to police attending the scene, following discussions with the proprietors, is at least 300,000 Baht. (We counted more than 20 motorcycles and parts in the shops so the estimate appears…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, January 18
Fire destroys two motorbike shops near Surakul Stadium | Two Russians robbed of their Bitcoin in condo raid | Governor urges better supervision of boat safety by marine office | DSI dismiss their raid on Bangkok brothel is politically motivated | Thailand’s sex trade valued at over 200 billion baht | Krabi council calls for limit on numbers at Maya…
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Thomas Cook Airlines flight attendant dies in Phuket hotel room
PHOTO: The deceased was working as a flight attendant for Thomas Cook Airlines and was on a layover in Phuket Saku police received a report yesterday (January 17) that an airline staff member from Thomas Cook, a 28 year old Finnish woman, died in her hotel room. At the scene, police found her body wearing only a black bra without any trace…
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Fire destroys two motorbike shops near the Darasamuth intersection
There’s been a fire, on the opposite side of the road between the Darasamuth School at the Central Festival underpass (Darasamuth Intersection) and Surakul Stadium, around 9am this morning. Two adjacent motorbike shops caught fire – there was an electrical work truck working on the electrical pole in front of the shops at the time. Emergency responders attended the scene…
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Russian gang drain a couple’s Bitcoin account in a Phuket condo
A Russian couple have spoken to Thai police claiming that fellow-Russians, posing as Interpol, had entered their condominium and forced them to give passwords before stealing nearly 4 million baht in Bitcoin. 23 year old Maxsim Latsoka and 28 year old Anna Nikurina were returning home on Monday night. When they entered their fourth floor condo in Muang district they…
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“Careless captain may be the cause of boat explosion,” Krabi Police
The Krabi Governor held a meeting yesterday to discuss about marine safety with the boat companies and tourism companies in the wake of Sunday’s boat explosion off Koh Phi Phi Ley. The meeting agreed on measures to cover pre-incident, during the incident and post-incident, to improve the rescue efficiency and to encourage trust among tourists. An information ‘central HQ’ that…
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Krabi officials to limit the number of tourists to Maya Bay
Following thousands of tourists pouring into Maya Bay during the tourism high season and over-crowding the beach on a daily basis, the President of Krabi Industry Council, Aekawit Pinyothammanotai, said today (January 17) that the number of tourists will have to be controlled. “The number of tourists traveling to Krabi beaches keeps increasing while the resources remain the same; this…
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Future of money or a fraud? Deconstructing Bitcoin in the region.
By Asia News Network, NEW DELHI Bitcoin’s popularity in Asia has had a positive influence on other alternative cryptocurrencies such as ethereum and litecoin. Clearly there is a great demand for such digital money, even though its volatility hurts. Asia has reacted both warmly and violently to the rising interest and craze in cryptocurrencies. Asian regulators have either outrightly banned the…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, January 17
Second boat incident in three days | Prawit’s offering to resign if found guilty of ‘wrongdoing’ | Smart Visa details | Krabi and Thepa coal plants ‘still happening’ | PM puts hold on cannabis crops | Tax breaks for Thai families having babies.
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Bottlenose dolphin at Phuket dolphin show gives birth to ‘Nattya’
The General Manager of the Phuket dolphin show has revealed that the dolphin named Alice has given birth to her first baby bottlenose dolphin (calf) after about 10 months of pregnancy, on January 13. “Our team is very excited to see this very smart mammal give birth to a baby in our place. The baby is very healthy and playful…
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