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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Sponsored 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Police request AI assistance for crime solving
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) are urging for an enhancement of the Immigration Bureau’s biometric identification systems using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to aid in the tracking and monitoring of international criminals. This recommendation comes in the wake of recent abduction incidents involving Chinese victims. In one case, officers from the Bang Phong Phang Police Station successfully rescued a Chinese…
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Nok Air makes final flight to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand
Nok Air flew from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son Airport in northern Thailand for the final time yesterday, bidding farewell to the route for good. The province, home to the popular backpacker town Pai, is now only accessible by road since Nok Air was the only airline servicing the airport commercially. Governor of Mae Hong Son province Chettha Mosikarat, Tourism Authority…
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Migrant workers fill gap in Thailand’s tourism and service sectors due to labour shortage
Migrant workers are increasingly filling roles in Thailand‘s tourism and service sectors, due to a chronic manpower shortage, according to Tanit Sorat, deputy chairman of the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT). The labour shortage is the result of new Thai graduates choosing freelance jobs and the country’s ageing population. Sorat explained that with many graduates preferring a slower lifestyle over…
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Temporary Covid-19 surge may result in 10,000 daily cases
A new wave of Covid-19 infections is expected to bring daily cases to 5,000-10,000, but a swift decline in numbers is predicted thereafter, according to Dr Nitipatana Chierakul, Head of the Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis Division at the Faculty of Medicine in Siriraj Hospital. In a statement on his Facebook page, Dr Nitipatana noted a rise in infections caused by…
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Bomb attack in southern Thailand injures 8 police officers
Eight police officers from Sai Buri Police Station in Pattani province, southern Thailand, were injured in a bomb attack while on patrol last night. Two police vehicles were damaged. Before the incident, 11 officers went out on patrol in two pick-up trucks in the Sai Buri district. Assailants detonated a hidden bomb as the officers drove along the Ban Pa…
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Thief steals nearly 500,000 baht of gold necklaces in Rayong
Police are hunting for a thief who stole 15 gold necklaces valued at almost 500,000 baht from a gold shop in a Robinson shopping mall in the Baan Chang district of Rayong, in the eastern part of Thailand. According to Piyanoot, an employee at Premium Gold Yaowarat on the mall’s first floor, the robbery took place around 3pm yesterday when…
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Promises of a corruption-free Thailand: Will political parties deliver their election pledges?
For more than a century, corruption, graft, kickbacks, and bribery have been entrenched in the culture of Thailand. However, political parties in anticipation of the upcoming May 14 General Election are promising to eradicate these issues in their election pledges. But will they? Mana Nimitmongkol, the secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), said that despite the implementation of…
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Following stormy seas, rescuers find fisherman’s body near Koh Samui
Following the stormy seas that wreaked havoc on many coastal areas of Thailand this past weekend, rescuers found the body of a fisherman near Koh Samui. According to the Samui Public Relations Department, several local fishing boats capsized on Sunday. One fisherman reported missing was 51 year old Wiroj Srifah. Wiroj had been fishing alone. Marine Police, tour boat operators,…
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British man accused of setting fire to hotel in Chiang Mai
A British man last night was accused of starting a fire at The Y Smart Hotel in Chiang Mai after having a heated argument with a receptionist. Fortunately, six Thai and foreign guests were rescued from the building unharmed. The fire broke out at 12.10am at The Y Smart Hotel on Kaeo Nawarat Soi 5 Road in the Wat Kate…
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American man tragically drowns at Krabi island cave
Another drowning has struck one of Thailand‘s vacation paradises. An American man tragically drowned in a cave near the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in Thailand’s Krabi province. The 51 year old tourist drowned in front of the Viking Cave in a coral diving area on Tuesday, The Phuket Express reported last night. A tour guide, whose identity was withheld,…
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Chinese actress finds relief as blackmailer arrested after threats to expose upskirt photos
After facing threats to ruin her career by sharing upskirt pictures on social media, a Chinese actress can now breathe a sigh of relief as her blackmailer has been arrested. Jiang Mengjie contacted the police after discovering that upskirting footage of her had been circulated on social media. The Chinese actress informed her eight million followers on the social network…
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Touchdown in Asia: football’s growth in an unexpected place
The hint is in the name – American Football. It is a sport deeply rooted in American culture and for decades its popularity has been predominantly confined to the United States, parts of Canada and to a lesser extent, parts of Mexico. Over the course of the past two decades, however, the people in charge of the NFL have been…
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Opposition builds to the magic of Khaosan 420 on World Cannabis Day
In celebration of World Cannabis Day on April 20, an event called Khaosan 420 is scheduled to take place on Khao San Road and Ram Buttri Road in Bangkok. The event intends to bring together cannabis users to smoke ganja together. However, Thai netizens and the Bhum Jai Thai Party have expressed their opposition to the event and are urging…
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Thai activists pursue change despite legal threats
Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew is taking her campaign to the streets, going door-to-door to garner support for the upcoming May 14 General Election. However, she faces the possibility of imprisonment due to charges of sedition and royal defamation from protests in 2020. The 30 year old activist is among over a dozen representatives from the student-led protest movement who are shifting…
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Thavisin’s strategy: Replace conscription for economic growth
Conscription should be replaced with voluntary enlistment to provide economic benefits, according to Srettha Thavisin, prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. Thavisin expressed his disappointment with a particular politician’s staunch support for maintaining conscription in the name of national defence and patriotism. He asserted that compulsory military service is harmful to the economy, as it diverts skilled professionals…
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Teen thieves arrested after brutal petrol station robbery in Pathum Thani
Police arrested two teenage thieves after they stabbed a petrol station attendant and stole 3,840 baht from him in the central province of Pathum Thani on Friday. The incident occurred at a PT Petrol Station on Khlong Jet Thanyaburi-Wang Noi Road in the Khlong Luang district of Nonthaburi on Friday, April 14 at 1.18am. Security camera footage showed the two…
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Pheu Thai Party candidate rejects collaboration with coup leaders
Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate, stated that the party has no intention of collaborating with those involved in the two previous coups. Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, outlined the party’s election campaign strategy along with other key members during a press conference. When questioned about her dip in…
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Beijing hospital fire claims 21 lives
A devastating fire at the Beijing Changfeng Hospital has tragically claimed the lives of 21 people, according to reports on Tuesday. The blaze reportedly began just before 1pm local time at the private hospital, located in the Fengtai district of the Chinese capital. It took emergency crews about half an hour to put out the inferno, with frantic rescue efforts…
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British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast
Video footage and photographs have emerged of a British tourist who came close to losing his life while swimming off the coast of Pattaya last month. The tourist, who remains unidentified, got into trouble while swimming and was able to make his way to a buoy, where he was eventually rescued by a passing fisherman in his boat. The young…
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Frenchman accused of lese majeste in Thailand
A pro-royalist group in Bangkok, Thailand, filed a lese majeste case against a well-known French critic of the Thai monarchy yesterday, reports SiamRath. The Centre for People Protecting the Thai Monarchy alleges that Yan Marchal posted a 41-second-long clip on social media of him and some Thais singing a song containing lyrics that the group says are defamatory of the…
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Thai EC members travel to Africa for May 14 election prep
The Election Commission (EC) stated that it was essential for all of its members to travel overseas during the Songkran holiday period in order to organise advance voting for the May 14 election, particularly in the three African countries where a significant number of Thai residents now live. Following his return from visits to South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco, EC…
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Phuket anticipates 60% hotel occupancy after Songkran
Thailand’s tropical paradise of Phuket anticipates a hotel occupancy rate of around 60% now that the Songkran Festival is over. There’s been a jump in the number of Chinese arrivals, even as the low season approaches, Bangkok Post reported. According to Sueksit Suvunditkul, president of the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, hotel bookings were at 86% occupancy in the…
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Record high Netflix subscriptions, imminent password crackdown
Netflix Smashes Records with 232.5 Million Subscribers, and Ad-Supported Tier Going Brilliant Ace stuff from Netflix as they revealed that the number of subscribers reached a staggering 232.5 million in the first quarter, setting some serious records. Not only that, their swanky new ad-supported tier is getting a thumbs up from tv lovers. The streaming titan flexed those financial muscles…
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Musk’s Twitter activities contribute to spreading misinformation
Elon Musk vowed to make Twitter the “most accurate source of information about the world,” yet he has repeatedly used his own account to amplify false claims from some of the internet’s most notorious disinformers, as demonstrated by an AFP analysis of his online activity. Musk’s posts display a penchant for drawing attention to misinformation on topics ranging from the…
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Wildlife officials capture photos of rare bird in South Thailand
Thailand has captured another rare and exciting animal on camera less than a week after a similar incident was reported. Wildlife officials in South Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat province have captured photos of a rare bird, the great argus. The officials at Kathun Wildlife Sanctuary captured the images with camera traps, according to the Department of Parks, Wildlife, and Plant…
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Python hiding in toilet bites Thai man’s buttocks
A man from Nonthaburi in central Thailand was taking a Number 2 in his bathroom yesterday when he felt a sudden agonising pain in his tushy. He leapt up to see a python slithering back down the toilet bowl. The snake bit his buttocks. The victim, 62 year old Witoon Sonapoon, said he was so shocked that he ran out…
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New Zealand bans feral cat hunting competition, animal advocates rejoice
A feral cat hunting competition has been given the boot in New Zealand, following a flurry of public complaints. And it seems animal welfare advocates are breathing a sigh of relief at the news. Rotherham School in the country’s South Island put a spanner in the works by announcing the introduction of a novel children’s category for this year’s annual…
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Tensions rise in Pattani province following defence volunteer’s murder
A local defence volunteer faced a tragic end in a cold-blooded ambush at a village in the Panare district on Tuesday night. Authorities reported that the unfortunate attack happened around 7.30pm when Ahamad Teh was making his way to the mosque at Ban Surao in tambon Tha Nam to attend prayers. The unsuspecting victim was shot in the head by…
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Where to get the finest cannabis in Phuket
Seeking a taste of the vibrant cannabis culture in Phuket? Following the decriminalization of weed in Thailand, cannabis dispensaries have popped up all over the nation, and Phuket is no exception. While you could just waltz into any old cannabis store and buy weed in Phuket, not all of them offer high-quality products. But don’t worry because we’ve got the…
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Thai woman arrested for forging New Zealand ambassador’s credit card 14 years ago
After 14 years on the run, a woman was arrested in Sing Buri province in central Thailand yesterday for her alleged role in the forging of the New Zealand ambassador to Thailand’s credit card in 2008, with damages exceeding 10 million baht. Police arrested 44 year old Ketkanya Khantawee at a house in Moo 10, Don Phot subdistrict, Mueang district,…
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