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.

  • Sponsored

    5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)

    Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...

  • Hong Kong cancels screening of 2008 Batman flick over Chinese antagonist

    Hong Kong cancels screening of 2008 Batman flick over Chinese antagonist

    Hong Kong is scrapping the screening of The Dark Knight after government censors “recommended” against showing it. The concerns stem from the film’s Chinese antagonist as he is portrayed as being violent. According to the Hong Kong Free Press, parts of the film were shot in Hong Kong, but as Batman arrives in the city to pursue a corrupt Chinese…

  • In it together – Floods around the world

    In it together – Floods around the world

    Hardly a day goes by without more news of death and destruction in Thailand as the monsoon season resolutely refuses to end. We are not alone. It seems like the whole world is underwater, with people washed out of their homes from Australia to Zambia. Here are some images of different people facing similar problems around the world.   Australia…

  • Events today in BKK

    Events today in BKK

    Today in Bangkok, there are a couple of exciting things to do. Namely, the Tomorrow X Together World Tour 2022 will commence marking the first time the five-member K-pop boy band performs in the kingdom. The concert spans today and tomorrow and is drawing K-pop fans from all around. The band will perform at the Thunder Dome Stadium in Tamon…

  • From Retro Blogger to Modern-day Vlogger in Thailand feat. Jeroen Maduro | Thaiger Podcast Ep.9

    From Retro Blogger to Modern-day Vlogger in Thailand feat. Jeroen Maduro | Thaiger Podcast Ep.9

    Owner of Real Estate company Sukhumvit Homes and YouTube channel Global Travel Mate. Jaroen can show you some of the best and hottest properties in Bangkok Thailand, as well as be your guide to where and how to travel around the city. Jaroen is a prime example of a foreigner travelling to Thailand, starting and running a successful business while…

  • New details emerge on Pattaya pool villa shooting, more suspects caught

    New details emerge on Pattaya pool villa shooting, more suspects caught

    More details have emerged on the shooting at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday, and more suspects have been caught. After Pattaya Police intensely interrogated the five suspects who surrendered themselves earlier, it was revealed that two of the suspects were hired as scapegoats for another three men. The police have now busted the three new suspects at an unnamed…

  • School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand

    School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand

    Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption sentenced the former principal of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, to 50 years imprisonment. The defendant Somchaow Sittichen confessed to stealing lunch money and serving kindergarten children plain rice noodles with fish sauce for lunch. The court found Somchaow guilty of 77 counts of corruption, each carrying a five-year…

  • Soldier arrested for stabbing 15 year old at a nightclub

    Soldier arrested for stabbing 15 year old at a nightclub

    A soldier has been charged with attempted murder after he stabbed a 15 year old boy at a nightclub in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last weekend. The teenager was stabbed in the back with a chisel in front of a nightclub in the Tung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat at about 2.45am last Sunday, October 16.…

  • Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    Official says Patong road will need seven days of temporary repair work once rain stops

    UPDATE A Phuket official said yesterday that it would take seven days of temporary repair work before the road to Patong Hill is ready to use again. The official said the repair work can start once the rain stops. This news comes after the road suffered two landslides on Wednesday and Thursday. Phuket Highway Director Yutthana Pitak told The Phuket…

  • Malaysians plan ‘Cannaverse’ on Sukhumvit Road

    Malaysians plan ‘Cannaverse’ on Sukhumvit Road

    Malaysian investors want to build a cannabis entertainment centre in Bangkok to open next year. “Cannaverse” will be a private, members-only club with a hotel, swimming pool, weed dispensary, spa, restaurant, and karaoke room on Soi Sukhumvit 33, according to Coconuts. Cannaverse director Aric Ng said that food and beverages will be sold, including both cannabis-infused and weed-free beer. Ng said……

  • Why is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    Why is Diwali important to Indians? The mythology behind the festival

    You might have heard of India’s “festival of lights” known as Diwali. Many photos show people who celebrate by holding colourful lanterns, or lighting candles. But what exactly is the festival celebrating? What do the lights symbolise? This year’s Diwali festival is coming up on Monday, October 24, and if you have Indian friends, it might be helpful to understand…

  • Bangkok shopping mall will free Bua Noi the captive gorilla for 30 million baht

    Bangkok shopping mall will free Bua Noi the captive gorilla for 30 million baht

    As famous gorilla Bua Noi nears the end of her expected lifespan inside a decrepit Bangkok shopping mall, Thai government officials are making renewed attempts for her to be released. However, the gorilla’s owner said he will only give her up for 30 million baht. Bua Noi (“Little Lotus”) was brought to Thailand from Germany as a one year old…

  • The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue

    The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue

    A thief with mental health problems stole a Brahma statue from a shrine at a school, in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province in the west of Thailand, painted it blue, before returning it to where he stole it from. Why? His favourite colour is blue. A teacher, Nu-sajee Kornrawee, posted CCTV footage and pictures of a thief on Facebook…

  • This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you

    “We hope to put Pattani on the world tourist map,” tour operator Fareeda Abdullah told Bernama. South Thailand’s Pattani province is not the first place people usually imagine for a holiday getaway. The province often makes headlines for sectarian tensions. But Pattani has an up-and-coming tourism industry. The province boasts breathtaking nature, including a beautiful mangrove forest in the Yarang…

  • WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse

    WHO boss in Syria under investigation for fraud, corruption, abuse

    The World Health Organisation Syrian branch representative has been accused of fraud, corruption, and abuse by coworkers. Akjemal Magtymova is now under what seems to be one of the most extensive investigations by the organisation as at least a dozen personnel have accused her of mismanaging millions of dollars, giving gifts to government officials and acting frivolously when the Covid…

  • Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts

    Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts

    A police sergeant with a gambling addiction faces time in prison after he was arrested for selling state guns to pay off his debts. Senior sergeant major, Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested at 3pm yesterday in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling about 160 police guns to pay…

  • true-dtac merger will increase mobile tariffs by 240%, warns watchdog

    true-dtac merger will increase mobile tariffs by 240%, warns watchdog

    In a controversial move, Thailand’s telecom regulator has approved the merging of two key mobile operators in Thailand: true and dtac. A consumer watchdog says the five-member committee “failed to use its authority to protect the public interest” by turning the market into a duopoly with reigning operator AIS. After an 11-hour meeting, the five-member board of the National Broadcasting…

  • Building in Phuket collapses due to heavy rain

    Building in Phuket collapses due to heavy rain

    A two-storey building in Phuket collapsed last night due to heavy rain. Fortunately, tenants left the property a day before the incident so no injuries were reported. The demolished building, located in Soi Prayoon 2 in the Talad Yai sub-district, Mueng district, in Phuket, offers 30 rental rooms. Only eight of the rooms were rented at the time of the…

  • Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Officials to seek approval for late closing times in Phuket

    Are later closing times finally coming to Phuket? Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports plans to test a 4am closing time on several tourist hotspots, including Phuket’s Bang La Walking Street in Patong, Nation Thailand reported. The ministry will soon seek approval from the Thai Cabinet for the pilot project there, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn announced yesterday. Other…

  • Kind Thai woman takes in homeless ladyboy who robs all her stuff

    Kind Thai woman takes in homeless ladyboy who robs all her stuff

    A kind-hearted woman from Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, took in a homeless ladyboy who had nowhere else to go. After two weeks, the ladyboy left in the middle of the night stealing a car, a motorbike, a TV, an iPhone, gold, and even an electric fan. The victim, 27 year old Nawarat, posted on Facebook offering a big cash…

  • Major road in Phang Nga flooded

    Major road in Phang Nga flooded

    A major road in Phang Nga was heavily flooded on Wednesday, with the flooded area almost 1 kilometre long. The flood on Petchkasem Road stretched from the fresh market in Takua Pa district to Khao Lak Medical Centre, with small cars unable to pass, Naewna reported. Phang Nga’s governor visited the flooded area, and said he had ordered Takua Pa’s…

  • Border cop accused of drug, weapon offences transferred to non-job

    Border cop accused of drug, weapon offences transferred to non-job

    The police chief of Narathiwat province has been reportedly transferred to an inactive position at Royal Thai Police (RTP) Headquarters, pending a disciplinary probe into his alleged connections to drug networks operating in the deep south and Malaysia. Pol Maj-General Waesamae Salae is under suspicion of aiding suspects in drug and weapons cases, a news source said on Wednesday. Narathiwat…

  • Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism

    Irish MEP accuses West of state sponsored terrorism

    In yet another robust day of geopolitical debate in the European Parliament, another Irish MEP called out the hypocrisy of the West, this time for its state-sponsored terrorism. Following in the footsteps of her MEP colleague Mick Wallace, who on Wednesday slammed the double standards of the West, Clare Daly gave a refreshing account of geopolitics far from the usual…

  • Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around

    Pattaya pool villa suspect’s girlfriend claims boyfriend just came to look around

    UPDATE The girlfriend of one of the five Pattaya pool villa suspects claims her boyfriend was just there to look around. The unnamed girlfriend told Pattaya Police that her boyfriend “Rang,” was not involved in the shooting or assault, but was only there to look around because he was a friend of the suspects. Rang’s girlfriend claimed that Rang had…

  • Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle

    Jobs and shelter for Bangkok’s homeless an uphill battle

    Providing shelter and jobs for Bangkok’s homeless population is being quoted as an “uphill battle.” According to Thai PBS World, Deputy Bangkok Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon made such comments after meeting with city officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations on Wednesday. The meeting was to discuss homelessness in Thailand’s capitol and to develop ways to find shelter and jobs for them.…

  • Liz Truss quits as UK PM after only 44 days

    Liz Truss quits as UK PM after only 44 days

    Liz Truss has resigned as UK Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party after less than five weeks in charge. The 47 year old only yesterday said she “was a fighter and not a quitter” at Prime Minister’s Questions but she has resigned after only 44 days as the UK PM. Truss said she could not deliver the mandate…

  • PM 2.5 pollution is on the rise in Thailand, warns health official

    PM 2.5 pollution is on the rise in Thailand, warns health official

    Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 pollution is on the rise in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, warns Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health Dr Opas Karnkawinpong. PM 2.5 particulates are tiny dust particles so small that thousands of them can fit into one full stop. Inhaling PM 2.5 is detrimental to human health as the minuscule particles travel deep into…

  • Pattaya pool villa gunmen surrender

    Pattaya pool villa gunmen surrender

    UPDATE The five gunmen who allegedly opened fire at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday last night surrendered to police, The Pattaya News reported. The first three men to turn themselves in were 23 year old Saralan “Top” Yodthat, 24 year old Boonrit “Chooi” Chitma, and 29 year old Jirarot “Rang” Wattana. Police seized a Glock 19 handgun and two…

  • Court clears THAI for takeoff, as it doubles Aussie flights

    Court clears THAI for takeoff, as it doubles Aussie flights

    Thai Airways (THAI) received a much-needed boost today when the Central Bankruptcy Court approved the airline’s request to overhaul its recovery plan. The news comes on the back of a THAI announcement that passengers increased by 80% this month and plans to double flights to Melbourne, Australia, in December. Thailand’s national flag carrier was told by the court to carry…

  • Thailand to combat its methamphetamine crisis with cannabis

    Thailand to combat its methamphetamine crisis with cannabis

    Thailand is going to attempt to fix its methamphetamine crisis with another formally-illegal drug, cannabis. In a recent study, meth addicts in Thailand were given CBD oil under their tongues to treat withdrawal symptoms, and the results were promising. Today, acting Director General of the Medical Department Dr Thongchai Kiratthihathayakhon said that methamphetamine is “Thailand’s biggest problem.” Meth-induced psychosis is…

  • Iran making moves to help train Russian forces, US sources say

    Iran making moves to help train Russian forces, US sources say

    US intelligence sources say Iran is making moves to help train Russian forces in Crimea, CNN reported. The Islamic Republic sent military personnel to Crimea, a territory occupied by Russia, according to two intelligence sources. The sources say Iran’s military personnel are training Russia’s military on the use of Iranian-made drones. This news comes after Russia launched “kamikaze drones” into…