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.
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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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Gin khao! Annual monkey buffet in Lopburi Province
PHOTOS: Travel Wire Asia | INN News Monkeys in the Lopburi province in central Thailand have enjoyed an annual buffet nicknamed the Tarzan Monkey Party. The is held at the War Phra Pang Sam Yot and is a traditional celebration of the monkeys and they ability to attract tourists. There is also a local legend of an ancient monkey saving the…
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Man found dead after falling from train in Surat Thani
PHOTO: Supapong Chaolan A man has been found dead under a railway bridge in the southern province of Surat Thani. Police say he is believed to have fallen to his death from a train. A train ticket was found with the man’s belongings when the body was discovered. The man’s body, wearing shorts and a green T-shirt, was found by…
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British man found dead in Thailand’s north east
Authorities have reported the death of 33 year old British national, Timothy Hoffman, who was found dead in a bathroom at a house the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani on Saturday night. Police and a doctor from a local clinic were called to the man’s home shortly after midnight. They found Hoffman face down in the bathroom, wearing a short-sleeved…
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Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dies
The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died after a battle with cancer. The rhino, named Iman, died at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Sabah on Saturday afternoon Malaysia’s cultural and tourism minister announced that it was “…with great sadness that the Sabah Wildlife Department announces the death of Iman, the last Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia.” “The death was natural and…
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Representative of the owner of collapsed building visits the victims in Phuket
PHOTOS: Phuket Hotnews On November 23, the owner of the petrol station project, where the concrete structure collapsed on Thursday, killing 7 people and injuring two, sent a representative of the project to visit the injured and the families of the deceased. The incident occurred on November 21 at about 1pm. The victims were the contractors and workers of the…
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Motorcycle thieves arrested in Patong
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Patong Police arrested three men in the seaside city with motorbikes that had been stolen. It appears the group has been stealing motorcycles around Patong since November 20. The group was spotted stealing a motorcycle on Phra Metta Road in Patong. After further investigation and inspection of CCTV it was discovered that the gang conducted their thefts…
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British fugitive extradited to the UK after being nabbed in Thailand last month
A British fugitive, who caused 140,000 pounds (GBP) of damage in a ram-raid in Devon, UK , has been extradited back to Britain after 18 months on the run in Thailand, following an arrest late last month. 43 year old Dylan Taylor or Torquay was found guilty of burglary in June 2018. After he absconded to Thailand, he was sentenced…
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Arrest warrants issued over Phuket building collapse which killed seven
PHOTO: Matichon Online Thalang District police yesterday issued an arrest warrant for the owner of a construction company responsible for the collapse of a building under construction in Thalang, Phuket, according to online news portal Matichon. Seven Thai and Burmese workers were killed and another two injured following the collapse of the single story concrete structure at a new petrol…
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Child porn website based in Chiang Mai busted
Chiang Mai police have arrested the operator of a child pornography website in a raid on his condominium in the northern city. Police and the Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children unit apprehended 24 year old Thai national Korakot Chulthong on Saturday. They also seized seized three mobile phones, a laptop computer, two portable disk drives, bank passbooks and ATM cards.…
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Thailand improves marine pollution ranking
Thailand’s ranking among the 20 biggest marine plastic plastic polluters has improved by four places, from sixth to tenth, as ranked by Mass of Mismanaged Plastic Waste. The permanent secretary for natural resources and environment says the improvement is largely thanks to government initiatives and the efforts of the public and the private sector in reducing single-use plastic bags and…
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Two suspects in Yala’s November 5 deadly attacks, shot and killed
Authorities have shot and killed two men suspected in deadly attacks in southern Thailand earlier this month. Fifteen people, mostly volunteers, staffing a security checkpoint in Yala province were shot and killed when it was ambushed by gunmen. A day after the attacks, PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha authorised curfews in nine districts of Southern Thailand. The two suspected leaders of local insurgent cells…
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Nium partners with Visa for new instant money transfers in SE Asia
‘Nium’, a new digital cross-border payments platform, will now enable users to make real-time money transfers to Visa debit cardholders across Southeast Asia including Viet Nam. It is based on Visa’s real-time push payments solution called Visa Direct. Nium is the first fintech-based money transfer service provider in Southeast Asia to offer instant money transfer through recipients’ 16-digit Visa debit…
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Paralyzed Canadian hockey player moves legs after experimental Thai surgery
A Canadian hockey player paralyzed in a tragic bus crash has begun moving his legs after receiving experimental spinal surgery in Thailand. Ryan Straschnitzki was one of 13 injured when a truck ran a stop sign and collided with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team’s bus in Saskatchewan in 2018. Sixteen others died in the incident. Straschnitzki was paralyzed from…
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‘The Cave’ – covers a lot of ground but misses some key details
The Thaiger went to the first session of Tom Waller’s ‘The Cave’ and loved it. It’s frenetic, it’s very busy and it covers a lot of territory regarding the scope of the saga. But it also lacks focus, a lot of the actors play themselves with varying success and, well, we already know the (mostly) happy ending. But the overall experience…
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Tourism authorities refurbish old klongs as new tourist attractions in Bangkok
Bangkok’s old nickname “Venice of the East” is slowly coming back to life as tourism and local municipal authorities aim to make-over some of the city’s famous klongs (canals) as new tourist attractions. Khlong Prawet Burirom runs east from the city towards Suvarnabhumi Airport. In May this year one of the old klongs, the King Lord Klong,was extensively refurbished and…
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British tourist locked up in ‘horror’ prison, fellow inmate dies in his arms
PHOTO: mirror.co.uk A British father of two has shared his horror story after being locked up in a Thai jail. Imprisoned for overstaying his visa, 35 year old Kai Isaacs claims a fellow inmate died in his arms following a brutal beating. The incident happened back on May 21 in the International Detention Centre, situated next door to the swanky…
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Indian man posing as a pilot bought fake Lufthansa ID in Bangkok
PHOTO: DNA India “The passenger disclosed that he used to shoot YouTube videos on aviation and had obtained the Lufthansa fake ID card in Bangkok.” It was all going so well, until he was eventually caught. An Indian man who regularly pretended to be a pilot, in order to get free upgrades and impress women, has been arrested in Delhi…
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Security forces kill two suspected insurgents in Thailand’s south
Two men suspected of being Islamic insurgents have been shot dead by security forces in Pattani, southern Thailand. The two militants were believed to be members of the National Revolutionary Front, Thai PBS World reports that officials received a tip-off that the men were hiding out at a property in Khlong Tan Yong. The house was surrounded by the military…
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Fossils of new dinosaur species discovered in Isaan
The fossils of a new species of dinosaur, named the Siam Raptor Suwati, have been discovered in Nakhon Ratchasima province (commonly known as Korat) in north-east Thailand. The discovery has been confirmed by the Director-General of the Mineral Resource Department, Sommai Techawan, and former Deputy PM Suwat Liptapanlop (after whom the dinosaur has been named). Thai Residents reports that the…
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No more plastic bags at some 7 Eleven stores starting Monday
137 branches of 7 Eleven across Thailand will stop providing plastic bags from Monday as part of a trial before a nationwide ban comes into force in at the start of 2020. The Nation reports that the step is being taken in support of a government policy to reducing the use of single-use plastic. 137 branches out of 10,300 stores in…
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Pattaya’s Walking Street is “heaving with tourists”. But…
PHOTOS: Pattaya City Law Enforcement Walking Street is “heaving with tourists”. Pictures posted on the “Pattaya City Law Enforcement” site indicate an encouraging sign for tourism in Thailand’s ‘sin city’ seaside resort. According to the post, it appears Pattaya’s famous soi of ‘boom boom’ is having a boom in tourism numbers. But Thai netizens say there is a backstory. Whilst…
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Chinese medical tourism on the rise in Thailand
FILE PHOTO Despite Thailand’s current sluggish tourism intake, along with a strong baht, Chinese medical tourism continues to grow. From rhinoplasty to liposuction, eye-surgery to heart bypasses, Thailand’s reputation for affordable and reputable cosmetic surgery, and specialty clinics, draws tourists from all over the world. As of 2019, with 64 accredited hospitals, Thailand is currently among the top 10 medical…
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UPDATE: Police investigate building collapse in Phuket, killing seven
PHOTOS: Phuket Hotnews UPDATE: Kritsana Pattanachareon, deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police, says that an initial investigation into the collapse of a petrol station being built in Thalang, Phuket on Thepkasattri Road, resulting in seven deaths, indicated that poor construction standards were to blame. “We were informed by police from the Thalang district station that a concrete slab being…
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Laguna Phuket Triathlon returns to the island November 23 & 24
PHOTO: lagunaphukettri.com The Laguna Phuket Triathlon returns next week with a strong pro athlete line up vying for US$20,000 (605,500 baht) prize money on Sunday, November 24. The 26th Laguna Phuket Triathlon, will comprise a 1.8 kilometre swim, a 50 kilometre bike event and a 12 kilometre run in Asia’s Laguna Phuket resort area as well as various scenic locations in…
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Four Cambodian monks to be deported after raising funds around Krabi
FILE PHOTO: Bigstock Police in Krabi have arrested four monks from Cambodia after complaints from Krabi locals that the monks were attempting to raise funds at different venues as they travelled around the south. Krabi Police chief Sompong Chingduang confirmed that the four were found to have entered Thailand a week ago without the correct paperwork. The monks will now…
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British tourist nabbed in Pattaya after overstaying visa by 26 days
PHOTO: Naew Na A British man has been arrested at an apartment in the Pattaya suburb of Nong Prue after overstaying his visa by 26 days. Naew Na news says the man, named as 45 year old Stellios Shakallis, was arrested as part of a random check carried out by Immigration police in the area. It’s understood he will now…
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China slams US bill on Hong Kong rights
PHOTO: Reuters China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemns the passing by US Congress of a bill designed to protect the rights of Hong Kong citizens, accusing the US of “trying to destroy Hong Kong”. The Daily Star quotes the minister as saying the bill “indulges violent criminals” and seeks to “muddle or even destroy Hong Kong” with China vowing to…
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Severe drought predicted for Thailand and neighbouring countries
FILE PHOTO Experts are warning that over the next two to three months, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam can all expect severe drought conditions which will affect agricultural production. Of the four countries, Thailand and Cambodia are expected to suffer the most, according to the report. A statement issued by the Mekong River Commission confirmed that water levels in the…
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‘False killer whale’ rescued after being washed ashore in Pattaya
PHOTO: Chaiyot Pupattanapong – Bangkok Post (enhancement – The Thaiger) A large dolphin species called the False Killer Whale, resembling a black killer whale, is undergoing treatment after it was found washed ashore on a Pattaya beach on Wednesday. The Bangkok Post reports that the whale was found by a fisherman on a beach in the Bang Lamung district of…
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Thai exports down 4.5% in October, 2.35% for the year
PHOTO: Commerce Ministry Thai exports have crashed 4.5% for October 2019, compared with the same month last year. The total contraction in first 10 months of this year has now averaged 2.35%, and things don’t look like improving any time soon, according to the Commerce Ministry, as reported in the Bangkok Post. The director-general of the ministry’s Trade Policy and…
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