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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Healthcare in Thailand is much cheaper than in Western countries, making it a great choice for expatriates looking for affordable medical care. Both public and private healthcare options offer high-quality services, with savings of up to 80% on procedures like...
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Bus crashes off the road in Khon Kaen
PHOTOS: Pudtayan Banphai Rescue Foundation Many passengers have been injured following a bus crash in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand this morning. The Pudtayan Banphai Rescue Foundation reports that the bus was traveling from Bangkok to Nongkhai in northeast Thailand. The bus, which was full of passengers, hit a tree and a light pole on the road before ending up on its…
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Pattaya’s LONG Songkran comes to an end today
Whilst most of us have hung up our water pistols last Saturday or Sunday following Songkran revellry, punters in Pattaya have been hard at it all week. But after 9 days of water wastage and Songkran celebrations, the annual festivities come to a close in parades and official festivities today and tomorrow. Officially, according to the Pattaya Mail, April 19…
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Fake 500 baht banknote found in Krabi store
A fake 500 baht banknote has been discovered at a convenience store in Krabi. Police headed to the store in Mueang Krabi District after they were notified of the dodgy 500 baht note. 43 year old Maimunoh Somsa, the store manager, was waiting for police with the item in question – a very good copy of a 500 baht Thai…
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Phuket’s water lords confident of supplies and back-up plans
PHOTO: Welcome to the moonscape – Bang Neow Dum off Srisoonthorn Road Well in to the second half of April in Phuket and the water situation is still dire, despite repeated assurances from the Provincial Irrigration Office and the Phuket Water Authority. The most recent assessment of the island’s three main catchments were that there was 2.8 million cubic metres of…
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Italians, Thais and Burmese arrested for illegally fishing in Phang Nga national park
Two Italians, three Thais and a Burmese man have been caught fishing illegally in the Mu Koh Similan National Park area off the Phang Nga coast yesterday. Private fishing is illegal inside the marine national park area. The head of the Mu Koh Similan National Park Ruamsin Manajongjaroen says that officers were notified that the boat had been spotted catching…
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Twitter shares the Songkran experience – 2.8 million tweets
Thais flocked to Twitter during this year’s Songkran to share their experiences. This year’s #Songkran’s festivities generated 2.8 million Tweets from April 12-16 and the conversation peaked on April 13, around 6pm, with 71,000 Tweets per minute. The celebration of the Thai Buddhist New Year, Songkran, is a time for family. It’s the time for reflection on the past year, for…
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Man charged after stabbing Australian tourist in Phang Nga
A man has been charged after stabbing an Australian tourist who sustained serious injuries in Phang Nga yesterday. The Khao Lak Police were notified that the Australian man sustained injuries after being stabbed at a bar in Takua Pa, Phang Nga last evening. The injured man is 44 year old Australian tourist William Mark Wayne. He was rushed to Takua…
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Central and north swelter with threats of summer storms
The mercury shot up to 40C in Bangkok yesterday and 35 other provinces in north and north-east Thailand also experienced hot to very hot weather amid brewing summer tropical storms. The Thai Meteorological Department pointed to the hot low pressure cell covering upper Thailand and the southerly and southeasterly winds prevailing over the North, the Northeast, the Central, the East,…
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Surachate on holiday in the US
PHOTO: Bangkok Biz News Former Immigration Chief and high-profile crime-buster, Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, has been laying low since being dramatically sidelined two weeks ago, being demoted to ‘office duties’ at the Police HQ in Bangkok. Now he’s on holiday in America. Thairath says that government spokeswoman Patcharaporn Inthiang revealed that the Lt Gen Surachate had put in a request for…
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Reservations now open for ‘Twinpalms MontAzure’ with enticing promotions
Celebrate the grand opening of Phuket’s newest beachside hotel by booking now to snap up fantastic deals. Twinpalms MontAzure in Kamala is offering irresistible packages ideal for both short and long-haul getaways for those who book directly from their website. Guests may choose to enjoy three nights and pay for just two and for those who are looking to book…
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Suspect arrested for sexually assaulting British tourist on Koh Phi Phi
PHOTO: ejan.co A man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a British tourist on Koh Phi Phi. Police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen says that the Thai suspect’s name is Trairat Changsanan, a local ferry worker who was arrested yesterday. He has been accused of sexually assaulting the 21 year old British tourist on Koh Phi Phi Don on April 15.…
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Burmese man stabbed to death in Thalang, Phuket
A Burmese man has been stabbed to death whilst drinking alcohol with friends in Thalang last night. Police are investigating to identify and prosecute a suspect. The Thalang Police were notified of the incident at a worker camp in the Panason housing estate on Bang Jo – Khao Lan Road in Thalang at 11.30pm last night Police and emergency responders…
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“The Thai military wants us dead” – Phuket Seastead owner
by Kimberly Craig (WXYZ Detroit), Tim Newton, ocean.builders American Chad Elwartowski and his Thai partner, Nadia Supranee Thepdet, say they are on the run from police in Thailand after the government has accused the couple of trying to lay claim to Thai maritime territory with their ‘seastead’, a maritime house considered to be a permanent dwelling at sea off Phuket.…
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Junta warned to be careful targeting rivals with petty litigation
PHOTO: Piyabutr Sangkanokkul reports to police yesterday using the, now popular, anti-government three-finger salute – The Nation by Kai Chanwanpen While members of pro-democracy parties continue to be targeted with politically-motivated lawsuits, a political scientist is warning this tactic of eliminating political rivals through trivial matters of law could backfire and lead to a legitimacy crisis down the track. In…
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UPDATE: Visa revoked of American who funded the Phuket ‘seastead’
The Visa of the Michigan-based American man, who funded the ‘seasteading’ structure off the coast of Phuket, has been revoked while investigations continue into the legality of the matter. The factory that built the ‘seastead’ has been found with no license to build such a structure. The Phuket Immigration Chief Col Katathorn Kamthieng says, “The American man who has invested…
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Opening of a rail service between Thailand and Cambodia in Sa Kaew
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is leading a delegation to officiate at the opening of a new rail service between Thailand and Cambodia at Klong Luek railway station in Sa Kaew province. The Thai government funded the maintenance and restoration of the two kilometre rail track between Klong Luek station and Poipet station in Cambodia. Rail services between Thailand and…
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Officers inspect Karon Beach following complaints of sun lounge zoning
Officers inspected Karon Beach after they have received a complaint that beach sun lounges were creeping back and taking more than the 10 percent regulation zoning. The ubiquitous white plastic lounge chairs, that used to cover up vast swathes of Phuket’s popular beaches were all but banned when the NCPO took over government in 2014. Since, 10 percent zones have…
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Rattanakosin Island roads closed for royal coronation rehearsals
PHOTO: Royal funeral procession for the Late King Bhumibol on Rattanakosin Island by Jessada Chantharak Forty roads around Bangkok’s Rattanakosin Island are being closed this afternoon (Wednesday) for rehearsals leading up to the May coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The 4pm to 9.30pm closures will allow a test run for security and traffic-directing measures. To minimise congestion, Rajadamnoen Avenue,…
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HM Queen Sirikit advised to stay in hospital for treatment
Her Majesty Queen Sirikit has been admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok suffering cystitis, which is an inflammation of the bladder, according to the Bureau of the Royal Household today. Queen Sirikit is the ‘Queen Mother’ of Thailand, the mother of the current King Maha Vajiralongkorn and was married to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Queen’s doctors examined her at 6pm…
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Village leader killed in Yala in an insurgent ambush
FILE PHOTO An assistant village headman has been ambushed and shot dead in Yala’s city district just after midnight today (Wednesday). 53 year old Sakariya Waemamah was killed on the main village road in Ban Taseh village at about 12.05am while riding home on his motorcycle. Police found 23 spent shells from an M16 assault rifle and two spent shells…
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Dolphins playing off Phang Nga – VIDEO
VIDEO/PHOTOS: Wow Andaman Lots of dolphins have been sighted near the Koh Similan group in Phang Nga. The Wow Andanman tour manager says, “the tour was on a speedboat with tourists yesterday morning near Koh Similans yesterday. They say they sighted lots of dolphins which were playing around the boat.” Those dolphins were heading to the north at Koh Tachai…
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58 year old British man found dead in Patong apartment
PHOTO: Google Maps A 58 year old British citizen has been found dead at an apartment in Patong. His body was found in the rented room yesterday morning (Tuesday). Police report that they found no signs of a struggle around the room or on the man’s body. He was found in a rented room at at the ‘You and Me’…
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Burglar drowns Pomeranian puppy before stealing computer and cash
A 21 year old Udon Thani tertiary student has returned from Songkran to find her Pomeranian puppy drowned in a water bin and her boyfriend’s laptop computer and cash stolen. Muang Udon Thani police were contacted lunchtime yesterday (Tuesday). The dog’s owner was Monthira Anthapanya who told police she had locked the four month old puppy in her rented room while she…
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Day Six: Total remains at three deaths in Phuket – ‘Seven Day of Danger’
PHOTOS: Kathu Police As reports are tallied for the sixth full day (April 16) of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road and marine safety campaign, there was only 1 road accident, including 1 injury. The injured person was 23 year old Pantira Tansom, a motorbike passenger. She was travelling on the motorbike on Chao Fah West Road. When the motorbike…
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Boeing investigation continues as attention turns to the engines
Within the past six months, two Boeing 737 Max 8 have fallen out of the sky, both during the early climbing phase of the flight. In October, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed just off Jakarta, killing 189 people. And in March, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in Bishoftu, Ethiopia, killing 157 people. Whilst the investigations continue into the two horrifying…
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Central Thailand hit by Songkran storms
Over 300 houses have been damaged after thunderstorms lashed seven districts of Kamphaeng Phet province, in central west Thailand, at about 8pm last night. Officials have visited the districts this morning and found 25 damaged houses in six tambon of Muang district. The storms also damaged 162 houses in seven tambon of Phran Kratai district and 92 more damaged in…
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Hundreds of dead jelly fish wash up on a Krabi Beach
Many dead jelly fish have been washed up on a beach in Krabi. Hundreds of the jelly fish washed up on a kilometre-long stretch of Laempong Beach in Krabi today. Most of them were dead jelly fish, about 15-20 centimetres in diameter. They were not poisonous jelly fish. Locals say these jelly fish washed up over the past week. They…
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‘Boonrod’ plucked out of the Gulf of Thailand, 220 kilometres offshore
The story of a lucky dog. But how did he get there? by Nicola Stow via VIRAL PRESS Workers onboard a Thai oil rig noticed a dog’s head poking above the ripples as she was paddling around the Gulf of Thailand on Friday. The rig was 22o kilometers off the coast of Songkhla. It’s understood the Aspin dog, named Boonrod (Thai for…
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Stateless Thais can now apply for birth certificates and Thai ID
PHOTOS: The Nation “Rootless” people, born in Thailand but abandoned at birth – so without any Thai identification number or household documents – are now permitted to file for a birth certificates and apply for Thai nationality. The new laws have been published in the Royal Gazette, effective this week. The new edition of Civil Registration Act also allows these…
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Day Five: Total three deaths in Phuket – ‘Seven Days of Danger’
As reports are tallied for the fifth full day (April 15) of the ‘Seven Days of Danger’ road and marine safety campaign, there were a total of 4 road accidents, including 3 injuries and 1 death on the day. The dead woman was 20 year old Kunwaree Hemmin who has died at the scene after a motorbike accident in Pakhlok…
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