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.

  • Sponsored

    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Sex worker prosecuted after 70 year old man found dead in southern Thailand love hotel | Thaiger

    Sex worker prosecuted after 70 year old man found dead in southern Thailand love hotel

    Police prosecuted a Thai sex worker after a 70 year old Thai man was found dead at a love hotel in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the southern part of Thailand. Officers from Tung Yai Police Station were alerted to the man’s death at around 10pm last night and immediately rushed to investigate the scene along with volunteers from the…

  • Tour guides to ask PM to act on illegal foreign guides | Thaiger

    Tour guides to ask PM to act on illegal foreign guides

    Chinese-speaking tour guides in Thailand have called for the government to take action against illegal foreign guides who they claim are stealing their jobs. The Professional Guide Association of Thailand held a meeting on Saturday to discuss the issue and vow to escalate the issue all the way up to the prime minister. The association lamented that the number of…

  • Man finds body with gunshot wound behind his house in central Thailand | Thaiger

    Man finds body with gunshot wound behind his house in central Thailand

    A Thai man filed a complaint with the police after he discovered a body with a gunshot wound in a banana plantation located behind his house in the central province of Ratchaburi, central Thailand. Officers from Baan Pong Police Station, medical workers from Baan Pong Hospital, and Ruam Jai Kan Kuson Rescue Team were alerted about the body and rushed…

  • Foreign tourist drowns at Pattaya Beach | Thaiger

    Foreign tourist drowns at Pattaya Beach

    A foreign tourist of unknown nationality tragically drowned at Pattaya Beach in Chon Buri province in eastern Thailand yesterday. At 2pm, the Sawang Boriboon Thammasat Rescue Foundation was informed that a foreign tourist was pulled out from the water at Pattaya Beach in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. Rescue workers found a Western male estimated to be between 55…

  • Shameless Bangkok taxi driver swindles foreigner at Suvarnabhumi Airport | Thaiger

    Shameless Bangkok taxi driver swindles foreigner at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Another Bangkok taxi driver has brought shame to the capital by swindling a foreign customer at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The driver has been subsequently banned for life from picking up passengers at Bangkok’s premier airport and authorities say his license could be revoked. The unnamed taxi driver last week allegedly used a fake list of fares to cheat a Taiwanese…

  • Phuket child prostitution scandal: Entertainment venues lose 100 million baht | Thaiger

    Phuket child prostitution scandal: Entertainment venues lose 100 million baht

    In the wake of a child prostitution scandal in Phuket, several entertainment venues have lost 100 million baht. Local authorities ordered the early closure of bars, restaurants, and adult entertainment establishments, following the discovery of underage girls being employed at Velvet bar in Phuket to engage in sexual activity with foreigners. The venues were ordered to close at 1am and…

  • Police arrest 2 “doctors” at 2 clinics without licenses | Thaiger

    Police arrest 2 “doctors” at 2 clinics without licenses

    Some things you might be able to fake without a proper license but two men were arrested for allegedly working as doctors without licenses in Bangkok and Pathum Thani. Their clinics were raided by Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) yesterday. The first clinic, located in the Lat Krabang district of Bangkok, was busted for operating without a permit. The clinic…

  • Police nab 3 Chinese nationals for kidnapping, extortion | Thaiger

    Police nab 3 Chinese nationals for kidnapping, extortion

    Police arrested three Chinese nationals in Thailand for allegedly kidnapping and extorting about 3.2 million baht from a Chinese woman. Officers arrested two men and a woman at a hotel in the Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province. A 23 year old Chinese woman studying for a bachelor’s degree filed a complaint with the Thong Lor police on Friday. In…

  • Sea turtle eggs continue to pop up across Phang Nga | Thaiger

    Sea turtle eggs continue to pop up across Phang Nga

    Nature and animal lovers will delight at the news that sea turtle eggs are continuing to pop up across Thailand’s Phang Nga province. On Friday, locals came across sea turtle eggs on Das Beach on the island of Koh Ra. The island is located in the Koh Phra-Thong sub-district of the Khura Buri district. Officials from the Department of Marine…

  • 2 severely burned by Pattaya Molotov coctail thugs | Thaiger

    2 severely burned by Pattaya Molotov coctail thugs

    A group of thugs in Pattaya severely burned two people by throwing a Molotov cocktail at them early yesterday morning. The attack occurred in front of a convenience store at the entrance of Soi Phothisan on Sukhumvit Road in the Na Klua sub-district of Bang Lamung district. Police received reports of the attack at about 2.30am. Police and rescuers arrived…

  • Donald Trump faces arrest, but is back on Facebook | Thaiger

    Donald Trump faces arrest, but is back on Facebook

    This weekend marked some highs and lows for former US President Donald Trump. Just one day after announcing his supposedly-triumphant return to Facebook, Trump claims that he expects to be arrested this coming Tuesday. It would mark the first time in US history that a president was arrested or faced criminal charges while occupying the White House or after leaving…

  • Healthy Station: improving Bangkok resident life | Thaiger

    Healthy Station: improving Bangkok resident life

    The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has expressed concern over the physical and mental health of Bangkok residents. They have launched the “Healthy Station” project which aims to promote a healthy lifestyle among Bangkok residents by utilizing public spaces. Bangkok is not the healthiest environment to live in, with toxic dust and pollution, eternal traffic jams and the high stress of…

  • Foreign owner of Patong bar in trafficking scandal flees thailand | Thaiger

    Foreign owner of Patong bar in trafficking scandal flees thailand

    UPDATE The foreign owner of the Patong bar at the centre of a recent sex trafficking scandal fled Thailand to Laos, according to the Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn. Big Joke arrived in Phuket yesterday to follow up on the case. He said the bar is related to a network of bars in Bangkok…

  • Tourists rescued from capsized boat headed for Phuket | Thaiger

    Tourists rescued from capsized boat headed for Phuket

    Tourists were rescued from a capsized boat headed for Phuket from Koh Lanta yesterday. The boat capsized in the Andaman Sea near Koh Ma. Marine police and officials from the Hat Nopparat Thara National Park rushed to rescue the three tourists and four crew members after they received a distress call from the Andaman Adventure Company, the operator of the…

  • Australian tourist dies at famous cave in Krabi | Thaiger

    Australian tourist dies at famous cave in Krabi

    An Australian tourist tragically died at a famous cave in Krabi yesterday. The 70 year old man died after his gruelling journey to the Tiger Cave, which involves a 1,260-step stair-climb. Rescuers and a doctor took over an hour to walk up the steps after they were alerted that a tourist was unconscious at the cave. The doctor who arrived…

  • New bill to legalise sex work proposed | Thaiger

    New bill to legalise sex work proposed

    The Thai government is drafting a bill to legalise sex work to protect sex workers from exploitation. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) has proposed the bill, which will also limit the minimum age to provide or buy the service. According to Narong Jaihan, a lecturer from the Faculty of Law at Thammasat University, sex workers under…

  • Samui Open Beach Volleyball Tournament boosts sports tourism | Thaiger

    Samui Open Beach Volleyball Tournament boosts sports tourism

    With tourism back in full swing, a variety of diverse events and activities are taking place in tourism hotspots, offering variety to tourists and locals alike. Koh Samui recently hosted a successful volleyball tournament that organisers hope will boost sports tourism to Thailand. The 5th annual Samui Open Beach Volleyball Tournament took place from March 10 to 12, at the…

  • British navy paints Pattaya children’s home | Thaiger

    British navy paints Pattaya children’s home

    The British navy recently lent a helping hand in Pattaya as part of a push to build relations and friendships in Thailand. The crew of the British offshore patrol vessel, HMS Spey, painted a children’s home in Pattaya during their visit to Thailand. The ship arrived at the Royal Thai Navy’s port in Sattahip as part of the UK government’s…

  • Thai officials seek to promote Muslim-friendly tourism | Thaiger

    Thai officials seek to promote Muslim-friendly tourism

    Thai officials are seeking to promote Muslim-friendly tourism in the kingdom. In a recent focus group discussion on Islamic tourism in Phuket province, the Department of Tourism (DoT) and private sectors reviewed strategies to attract Muslim visitors, NNT reported yesterday. The DoT’s Tourist Attractions Development Division Director, Athuek Phrasenmoon, said the global tourism industry recognises Muslim tourists as a fast-growing…

  • ICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Putin | Thaiger

    ICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Putin

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has been accused of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine as part of his invasion, and as a consequence, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant on war crimes charges. That means if Putin crosses into any territory belonging to the court’s 123 member states they are required to arrest him and…

  • Thai man killed in fight with wife’s lover outside police station | Thaiger

    Thai man killed in fight with wife’s lover outside police station

    In a tragic love triangle tale, a Thai man lost his life after getting into a fight with his wife’s lover in front of a police station in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on Wednesday night. According to the witnesses, 41 year old man named Suwat took his wife, 30 year old Bee, and her lover, 35 year old Wichai Phatyen to…

  • Big Joke to travel to Phuket following Patong sex trafficking bust | Thaiger

    Big Joke to travel to Phuket following Patong sex trafficking bust

    UPDATE The Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakpark, plans to travel to Phuket following the recent sex trafficking bust in Patong, ThaiRath reported yesterday. Yesterday, the deputy chief of Provincial Police Region 8, Pol. Maj. Gen. Wasan Techaakasen, went to Kathu Police Station to follow up and apprehend more suspects involved in the scandal. They were charged…

  • Exploring new cultures Ft.keis one | Thaiger Podcast EP.28 | Thaiger

    Exploring new cultures Ft.keis one | Thaiger Podcast EP.28

    https://youtu.be/RcsbMPSATM4 Adam Jones aka. keis one This Youtube Creator from Sydney, Australia decided to give up the 9-5 grind and travel, to experience new cultures, travel and live in different countries around the world. One of the most recognizable and successful expat Youtubers in Thailand, you might have seen keis one around Youtube or simply just out on one of…

  • Jealous Thai man shoots ex-girlfriend in the head when she refuses to take him back | Thaiger

    Jealous Thai man shoots ex-girlfriend in the head when she refuses to take him back

    A jealous Thai man shot his ex-girlfriend in the head this morning in Nakhon Pathom province, central Thailand after she refused to take him back. At 10am, officers at Kamphaeng Saen Police Station were informed that someone was shot and seriously injured at a house in Sa Si Mum subdistrict, reports KhaoSod. The victim, 27 year old Anuthida, was shot in…

  • Thai siblings take framed picture of dead father to the cinema | Thaiger

    Thai siblings take framed picture of dead father to the cinema

    Thai siblings recently went viral on TikTok after they took a picture of their dead father to the cinema to watch the third sequel of his favourite movie. Thai TikToker Naphat Thongsukdee posted a video of when she and her brother took their father’s framed picture to watch a movie on her TikTok account @papapat.p yesterday. She wrote in the…

  • Fire ravages Pattaya scrapyard | Thaiger

    Fire ravages Pattaya scrapyard

    A scrapyard in Pattaya was engulfed in flames this morning causing significant damage to the property but fortunately, no injuries were reported. The Pattaya Firefighter Unit dashed to the site, located on Soi Ko Phai in the Banglamung district of Pattaya, after being alerted to the blaze at 10.30am. According to eyewitnesses, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from…

  • Over 50% of Gen Z in Asia, and world, suffers with poor mental health | Thaiger

    Over 50% of Gen Z in Asia, and world, suffers with poor mental health

    The latest findings from the annual AXA Study of Mind Health and Wellbeing 2023 have revealed that over 50% of Gen Z (aged 18-24) suffer from poor mental health in Asia and across the globe. Around the world, 53% of Gen Z is experiencing poor mental health, according to the survey. The survey reported that half of Gen Z in…

  • Thai man ‘nearly dies’ from replacing water with kratom tea | Thaiger

    Thai man ‘nearly dies’ from replacing water with kratom tea

    A Thai man says he “nearly died” after replacing drinking water with kratom tea. Now, he’s warning others against abusing the formally-illegal plant. Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia. The leaves of the kratom tree are known for their opioid and stimulant-like effects. Leaves of the kratom tree have been used for centuries in Thailand,…

  • Debt plagues even Thailand’s lucky lottery jackpot winners | Thaiger

    Debt plagues even Thailand’s lucky lottery jackpot winners

    A Thai woman who sells eggs at a market in Prachin Buri province, central Thailand, won the first prize of six million baht in the government lottery yesterday, but it’s still not enough to pay off her 10 million baht debt. Upon realising she won the lottery, Siriphan aka “Amy” gave away 500 trays of chicken and duck eggs at Kong…

  • Ricegate: China’s fake jasmine rice scandal rocks Thai Exporters Association | Thaiger

    Ricegate: China’s fake jasmine rice scandal rocks Thai Exporters Association

    The Thai Rice Exporter Association recently raised concerns and demanded solutions after a rice mill in China was found to be producing fake jasmine rice and using a Thai brand name to deceive customers. The President of the Thai Rice Exporter Association, Chukiat Opassawong, revealed in an interview with KhaoSod that the rice mill in China had been producing fake…