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 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...
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Worshippers wade through floods to get to temple in central Thailand
Buddhist worshipers in central Thailand are journeying through massive floods to get to their temple. The water level around the Wat Ban Phat temple in Ayutthaya province’s Bang Pa-in district is up to 1.5 metres. Worshippers are taking boats to get to the temple. Photos by Nation Thailand show temple-goers crossing a rather rickety-looking wooden walkway. The water level in…
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PM Prayut declares war on drugs to prevent mass shootings in Thailand
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a war on drugs and a clampdown on gun control laws after a massacre at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand sparked urgent calls for change on Thursday. A former police sergeant facing trial for drug charges murdered 37 people – including 24 children under six years old – at a daycare centre in…
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Pickup driver arrested after killing Bangkok road sweeper
UPDATE Police arrested a pickup driver involved in the hit-and-run incident that killed a Bangkok road sweeper yesterday morning. Officers managed to get the man after the driver took his vehicle to get repaired at a local garage in the area. Police revealed three pieces of evidence were left at the scene, a black bumper bar and broken parts from…
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Flights from Myanmar arrive in Phuket
A Burmese airline launched a new flight from Yangon to Phuket International Airport. The flight will run on Thursdays and Sundays. Myanmar Airways International introduced the flight at a press briefing, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday. The new flight aims to help migrant workers and long-stay tourists. Migrant workers in Phuket who wish to return home can purchase a one-way ticket…
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5 survivors of northeast Thailand massacre on road to recovery
Five survivors of the horrific daycare centre massacre in northeast Thailand last week are on the road to recovery. These include three children and two adults. Four of the survivors are in intensive care units at Nong Bua Lam Phu Hospital, while one is at Udon Thani Hospital. One boy, Kanpong Suana, or Nong Kan, is moving after he underwent…
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Thais arrested for making 9,000 fake US$100 bills
Cyberpolice today reported that a Thai man and a Thai woman were arrested for making fake US$100 bills worth US$900,000 or 34 million baht. A United States Secret Service officer from the US Embassy in Bangkok ran a check over the bills and reported that they were very realistic. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, reported…
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Flooding in Ubon Ratchathani province is dangerous
Thai media today reported the flood situation in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani is deadly serious and dangerous. The flood situation in Ubon Ratchathani is getting worse said reports. The water level is quickly increasing and almost the whole province is affected. Agricultural areas, roads, and bridges have been destroyed while some houses are underwater. Yesterday, one of the…
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VIDEO: Police officer reprimanded for laughing during interview on daycare centre massacre
The Royal Thai Police have taken away a senior police officer’s spokesperson duties after he burst out laughing while giving an interview on the death toll of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, on Thursday. On Thursday afternoon – just hours after the gun and knife rampage that claimed the lives of 37 people, including…
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Island in eastern Thailand listed in ‘Top 100 Green Destination Stories’
A small island in eastern Thailand has been listed in the Green Destination Foundation’s Top 100 Green Destination 2022 Stories. The island of Koh Mak is located off Trat province. The Green Destinations Foundation is based in the Netherlands, and is dedicated to sustainable tourism. Koh Mak’s story is titled, “Koh Mak, the journey to becoming the first low carbon…
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Room to shroom on Bangkok public buses
A fungi picture of mushrooms growing out of the seat of a public bus in Bangkok has gone viral on Thai social media. Some netizens made fun of pictures saying shitake happens while others were more serious saying enough is enough, time to refurbish Thai public buses. Political activist Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng posted the picture of the mushrooms growing out…
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Thai man arrested for posing as police officer
A Thai man was arrested on Friday after he tried to fulfil his dream job – impersonating a police officer. The 30 year old man, Kamfon Kunlachart, in full police uniform, reported himself ready for work to the superintendent at a police station in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok at 9.30am on Friday, October 7. Kamfon met with the…
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Phuket ‘ready’ to open nightclubs until 4am
The Phuket Tourism Association is pushing for later closing times in nightclubs. Entertainment venues in Phuket, southern Thailand, are “ready” to open until 4am, according to the Chairman of the Phuket Tourism Association Thanet Tanipirayakit. The association hopes to extend the closing times of entertainment venues on Patong beach’s Bangla Road from 2am to 4am in a Phuket Sandbox-style pilot…
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Indian tourist in Pattaya reportedly missing over US$6,000
An Indian tourist in Pattaya is reportedly missing over US$6,000 after staying at a hotel in the city for just two days, The Pattaya News reported yesterday. The man, 45 year old Vivek Singhal, told Pattaya officials that he had arrived at his hotel on October 5. Two days later he realised that the US$6,600 he had left in the…
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Alcohol sales ban in Thailand today to mark end of Buddhist Lent
Thailand celebrates an auspicious Buddhist holiday today known as ‘Awk Pansa‘ (exit Pansa) to mark the final day of Buddhist Lent. Being one of Thailand’s five major Buddhist holidays, alcohol sales are banned for 24 hours nationwide. Saffron-robed monks and white-robed maechis exit their temples today for the first time since July 14, upon completion of a period of focussed…
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“Black Sunday” flash mob protest on Bangkok BTS
Protesters staged a flash mob against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on a Bangkok BTS train yesterday, The Standard reported. The demonstrators held placards with messages including “Prayut may be some people’s hope but he is the despair of the nation.” The protesters were dressed in black, and some also wore black sunglasses. The flash mob’s leader, Sombat Boonngamanong, said the “Black…
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‘Give China some control of Taiwan,’ says Elon Musk
United States business magnate Elon Musk embroiled himself in the politically sensitive One China-Taiwan debate over the weekend. Unsurprisingly, the Tesla CEO’s controversial comments in the Financial Times caused a backlash and, even more surprisingly, drew praise. The world’s richest man endeared himself to China, but not Taiwan, suggesting the mainland should have some control over the island to resolve…
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Police let off CNN reporters with 5,000 baht fine over invasive massacre reporting
Deputy police chief ‘Big Joke‘ has done a 180 degree turn on CNN, letting off reporters with just a 5,000 baht fine (US$132) each for their invasive coverage of the daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand. On Saturday, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn insisted on prosecuting two members of CNN staff for breaking into the crime…
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Bangkok road sweeper dies in hit-and-run
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to pay 1.6 million baht in compensation to the family of a road sweeper who died in a hit-and-run incident on Kanchanapisek Road in the capital yesterday. The driver is on the run and there was no CCTV camera footage at the scene. The 59 year old woman road sweeper, Somsi Yimchalam, was hit…
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Bangkok taxi driver miraculously unharmed after tree falls on his car
A Bangkok taxi driver miraculously escaped unharmed after a tree came crashing down on his taxi during a storm, Sanook reported on Friday. The driver parked his car along the gate at Chulalongkorn University, as he waited for his girlfriend who worked there. The driver was in his car during the heavy rainstorm when suddenly, he heard the loud sound…
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How to donate to families of victims of daycare centre massacre in Thailand
The Thai government has opened a channel for the public to donate money to families impacted by the massacre of 37 people, mostly young children, at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, last Thursday. If you would like to donate to the injured or the families of those who lost their lives, you can transfer your…
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Man shot dead near airport in northeast Thailand
A man was shot dead yesterday near an airport in northeast Thailand. The man, 40 year old Phanom Thipratanamongkol, had worked as a mobile phone businessman. He was shot on the road leading to the entrance of Khon Kaen Airport. Police found Phanom with a gold chain in one hand, and a pendant in the other. He had two bullets…
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Legendary Spain custodian causes social media storm with ‘I’m gay’ tweet
Former Spain international goalkeeper Iker Casillas caused a social media storm yesterday when he allegedly announced he is “gay” on Twitter. Casillas, who played his club football for Real Madrid and Porto tweeted… “I hope you respect me: I’m gay,” in Spanish. His former Spain colleague Carles Puyol replied on Twitter… “It’s time to tell our story.” The tweet was…
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Phuket International Airport predicts 30,000 passengers daily
High season is starting this month in Phuket, and the airport is predicting up to 30,000 travellers per day. The increase in air traffic to the popular tourist destination coincides with the airport’s 34th anniversary. And to celebrate, passengers and flights – both domestic and international – are ramping up. International carriers such as Aeroflot from Russia, Pegasus Airlines from…
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Andaman Sea coast set for UNESCO recognition
Three conservation areas on the Andaman Sea are to be nominated for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognition by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa. As the islands prepare to welcome tourists on October 15, Varawut was inspecting a maintenance and waste collection project on Koh Miang of the Similan Islands in Phangnga province. Reports in…
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CNN to be prosecuted for invasive daycare massacre coverage
[UPDATE: Thai news source CatDumb Has reported on Facebook that police have now taken two reporters and a photographer from CNN immigration to have their visas revoked. It was suggested that they did not have the correct type of paperwork and were using a tourist visa instead of a work visa. At any rate, police informed the Immigration Department about…
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Gun laws in Thailand to be discussed by House committee
An upcoming meeting of the House Committee on Police Affairs will address gun control measures in the wake of the daycare centre massacre just days ago. The vice chairman of the committee who serves as the deputy secretary-general of the Democrat Party announced plans to consider several actions to allow more responsible gun ownership in Thailand. One idea on the…
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Rare pink diamond sells for US$57m in Hong Kong auction
A rare diamond, described in the auction catalogue as “fancy vivid pink” has been sold for 453 million Hong Kong dollars (US$57 million) – more than double its estimate – a world record for a diamond sold at auction. The UK’s Guardian newspaper reports that the 11.15-carat Williamson Pink Star is named after another pink diamond, simply “the Williamson” given…
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Myanmar border monastery destroyed in air raid
A monastery in the Karen State village of Mekatha was turned to rubble in an attack by fighter jets on October 6. Airstrikes by the Myanmar air forces on Thursday destroyed the monastery and several houses in a village near the border with Thailand. The attack on the village began at around 2.30am and lasted about half an hour. At…
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Man accidentally crushes 2 year old daughter with tractor
An unspeakable tragedy stuck in Chon Buri, as a father driving a tractor accidentally ran over and killed his 2 year old daughter. The horrific accident happened on a farm in the Bowin district of the Eastern province on Thursday. Police responded to the accident to find the distraught 27 year old father mourning his dead little daughter. He told…
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Phuket and Chon Buri Governors enact school safety measures
Following the tragic daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu, governors around Thailand are legislating tougher safety measures. They hope to prevent the next extreme incident before it can happen. Both Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and Chon Buri Governor Thawatchai Srithong signed orders to put strict protocols into place. The mass shooting that spurred the governors to action took place…
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