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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Storms cancel ferry service for Koh Samui, Pha Ngan, and Tao
While Surat Thani has been gearing up for a huge holiday weekend, the weather has other plans. Scattered storms with extremely high winds have disrupted power as well as ferry schedules, with Surat Thani Governor Wichawut Jinto ordering the cancellation of all ferry services today until at least tomorrow, including to the popular tourist islands of Koh Samui, Koh Pha…
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Bangkok gov’s ’15 Minute Pocket Parks’ set to bloom
Chadchart Sittipunt’s dream of Bangkok being a lean, green, sustainable machine picked up more momentum at the weekend when promoting his “15 Minute Pocket Parks” policy. The Bangkok governor last month invited the public to plant 1 million trees in the metropolis as part of his campaign to make the city greener. Now, the 56 year old intends on expanding…
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Pattaya wants to enact city’s own cannabis-control law
Pattaya’s council is already fed up of waiting for a national cannabis act to be passed, so the city has started to draft its own cannabis-control law. Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor Thitiphan Phettrakul chaired a meeting on Friday to discuss rules and regulations needed to control and prohibit the use of cannabis and hemp, especially in schools. Cannabis was delisted as…
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Thailand flies flags at half-mast today in memory of Shinzo Abe
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered all government agencies and state enterprises to fly their flags to half-mast today in memory of former-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated while campaigning in the city of Nara in western Japan on Friday. The request was announced this morning by government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. PM Prayut has asked all government agencies…
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“Corpse” floating in Bangkok canal turns out to be old man meditating
Onlookers rightly called the police when they saw a stiff body floating along a murky Bangkok canal. In a frenzy, dozens of people were shouting from the canal side, but the floating man did not respond. Everyone thought he was dead. Until… A brave man jumped into the canal and waded through the mud to check whether the floating man…
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Weather warning in Patong urges people not to go swimming
With storms and high winds around Thailand, lifeguards at the popular Patong Beach in Phuket are warning people of the dangerous surf on the shores of the storm-blown ocean. They urge all swimmers at the beach to only use the safe swimming zones where yellow-red flags are posted and warned that swimming outside the safe areas can be very perilous…
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Driver critical after collision involving 5 vehicles in Phuket
A driver is in critical condition after a collision on a road toward Phuket International Airport involving five vehicles. The 26 year old pickup driver now in a critical state, Inyat Kendphet, tried to overtake a taxi on Don Chom Thao Road in Moo 4, Thepkrasattri, but was unable to move back into his own lane in time to avoid…
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Chatuchak Market revitalisation planned by BMA and SRT
Once a bustling centre of commerce and socialising, Chatuchak Market has been much quieter since reopening after being closed down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the State Railway of Thailand is cooperating with local authorities in Bangkok and City Hall to try to revive the famous market back to its previous thriving glory. As with most of the tourism…
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Father & 7 year old son shot as gang warfare erupts in Pattaya
A 7 year old child and his father were shot as gang warfare erupted on the streets of Banglamung district at the weekend. The father and son were caught in the crossfire as two rival gangs of teenagers clashed in a Pattaya neighbourhood on Saturday night. The neck of the boy, Nong Moodaeng, was grazed by a bullet while his…
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Woman’s corpse “naked and covered in bite marks” found in northeast Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after a 55 year old woman’s body was found “naked and covered in bite marks” at a house in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, yesterday. The prime suspect in the case so far is the woman’s husband, who mysteriously disappeared around the time of the murder. Officers from Phuttaisong Police Station rushed to a two-story…
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Khao San scam: Tourists forced to pay for returning lost wallet
A new warning has gone out as yet another scam is being perpetrated on foreigners in the tourist backpacker mecca that is Khao San Road. This scam targets would-be do-gooders trying to help return a lost wallet. A man recently reported to local media that he had been leaving a bar late at night when all the clubs and nightlife…
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Driver allegedly drunk in fatal car crash in Pattaya
One man died and another was seriously injured yesterday in an alleged drunk-driving incident in the Sri Racha district, between Chon Buri and Pattaya. Driver Somsak Phuchanha was killed instantly after his car crashed into a road barrier causing an electricity pole to collapse onto his vehicle while driving home from a music concert yesterday morning in the Sri Racha…
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Thailand happy to be pawn in US, China economic war
Thailand still appears to be a pawn in the ongoing economic war between the US and China – or is it? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Thailand PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, on Sunday, as part of his Southeast Asia tour. The Thai PM welcomed the US diplomat and stated his happiness in…
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Flash flood warning issued for 22 provinces of Thailand
Thailand’s Office of the National Water Resources warns that 22 provinces of Thailand are at risk of heavy rain and flash flooding this week, from July 11 – July 15. Areas at risk of flooding include… Northern Thailand Phayao Province, especially Chiang Kam District, Pong District, Pu Sang District and Ngao District. Lampang Province, especially Chae Hom District, Mueang Pan…
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Mobile phone growth to increase 400% in next 3 years across Asia Pacific
Over the next three years, the expansion of 5G connectivity in the Asia Pacific region is expected to increase by 400%. GSM Association, a conglomerate of telecom operators worldwide, says the ‘metaverse’ and greater uptake in the latest generation of smartphones is fuelling the growth. The GSM Association is an industry organisation that represents the interests of mobile network operators…
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Raising King and Queen Pillars Ceremony near Lieb Tang Rodfai Road in Pattaya
On Friday morning, July 8th, a traditional Thai ceremony took place near the Lieb Tang Rodfai Road in Pattaya to celebrate the rise of eight pillars of a new Eastern Economic Corridor development project (EEC), where five luxury villas and a hotel are scheduled to be constructed. The architect responsible, Mario Kleff, and his construction company Wandeegroup Asia Co. Ltd.,…
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Man who shot former Japanese PM reveals hateful motivation
The man who shot former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has told investigators that he thought Abe was linked to a group that he hated. The man, 41 year old Tetsuya Yamagami, shot Abe during a campaign speech in Nara, western Japan, on Friday. Police have not yet named the group that Yamagami says he hates. Japanese media reported, however, that…
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A jump in Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index
Thailand’s economy is slowly but surely making a comeback after being devastated by Covid-19 restrictions. Last week, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce reported that Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index had risen. The country’s CCI rose from 40.2 to 41.6 in June, the UTCC said. This news comes after Thailand’s CCI had been in decline for several months. April’s…
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Poll: 92% don’t earn more than their expenses, oil price main factor
A new poll revealed that over 90% of people are not earning more money than their expenses, and that, of all the expenses people are grappling with in the current economy, oil prices are the main factor they say has the greatest effect on their daily lives. The new poll, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, saw the…
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Thaiger Charity feat. Bangkok Community Help Foundation
We had the wonderful opportunity to join Bangkok Community Help Foundation to distribute 300 survivor bags that contained food essentials to a community very much in need in On Nut Bangkok. We also had a look into the current living conditions and the garbage re-cycling work they do to make ends meet. With the help of our Thaiger members, viewers…
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Sri Lanka PM offers to resign amidst enraged protests
Sri Lanka’s PM offered to resign yesterday, even though he only took office in May, 2 months ago. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s offer to resign comes after protestors set his home on fire yesterday. Neither the PM nor the president were inside the house when the protestors set the fire. Meanwhile, over 100,000 enraged protestors also stormed the presidential palace yesterday.…
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Prachin Buri shocked by suicide of local official’s wife
The wife of a local Prachin Buri official was found dead in a car of an apparent suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The chairman of the Tambon Administration Organisation’s wife was found lifeless inside a vehicle that was in the car park of a department store on Saturday afternoon. The gunshot and death were reported to police in Muang…
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Indian man arrested for tearing out passport pages to hide Thai trip
We all have secrets from our past, and some may go to great lengths to hide them, especially from their family or their mates. But a man in Pune, India went a little too far when he was arrested for tearing out pages from his passport before getting married to hide trips to Thailand from his wife. The man was…
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Buddha Days, Full Moon Party brings 5-day holiday surge to Surat
The Southern Thailand province of Surat Thani – home to Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao – is set to see a money-making surge of travellers during next week’s 5-day holiday. The Surat Thani office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand is estimating over 70,000 visitors generating about 833 million baht in tourism revenue for the province. The…
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Thai woman thought she had found true love, only to end up behind bars.
Fifty year old Chamanun Phetporee thought she had found the love of her life. A man claiming to be a doctor in Afghanistan messaged her on Linkedin in 2019, and sparks flew, at least for Chamanun. She and her new long-distance love, who called himself ‘Dr Andrew Chang’ began to message each other for hours every night. Little did she…
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“I strongly urge the Health Minister to reveal the actual number of new Covid cases” – Thai doctor
A Thai physician is calling out Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, claiming they are not publishing accurate data on the actual number of Covid-19 infections. He claims that there is a cover up of the real numbers currently being disclosed to the public. The Deputy Minister of Health Dr Sathit Pitutecha claims that the actual number of current infections is…
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Petrified tree in Tak certified as Guinness World Record largest
Ah, Thailand: famous for its tropical beaches, delicious food, wild nightlife, and… giant wood? Thailand recently gained a Guinness World Record after unearthing the longest petrified tree trunk log ever found anywhere in the world. The world record was verified on Friday in Tak, a Northern province of Thailand lying on the Burmese border. The gigantic fossilised log was measured…
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Elon Musk goes cold on Twitter buy-out
After announcing in April that he planned to buy Twitter, the richest person on earth has once again sent the world reeling. Elon Musk has now announced that he is ditching his plan to buy Twitter. Musk alleged that the change in plan is due to Twitter making several breaches of the agreement. Musk said Twitter did not provide enough…
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Extradition for Nigerian wanted for alleged murder of Thai woman on hold
A Nigerian man wanted for the murder of a Thai woman has been told he must remain in detention until Canada gets assurances from Thailand he won’t face the death penalty if extradited. The Nigerian, allegedly identified as John Odoemenam but using a fake South African passport with the name, Mzwakhe Memela, and also known as Prince Michael Obi, last…
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Thailand tourism: India No.1 country sending tourists
The government has been extremely focused on tourism numbers and recovery in the post-pandemic world and the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration reported that 2.2 million visitors have entered Thailand so far this year, over 10% of them from India. More travellers have come from India in the first half of this year than any other country in the world.…
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