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 arrest 2 men, 1 woman for overpass threesome in Thailand
Police in Phitsanulok province arrested two Thai men and one Thai woman for engaging in public sex on an overpass in broad daylight after a local media outlet exposed them on Facebook yesterday. Local news Facebook page named Esor News 2 posted a picture yesterday of what appears to be a couple having sex on a bridge with the caption… “Young…
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J-Hope of BTS to begin mandatory military service
J-Hope of BTS has become the second member of the K-pop group to begin his mandatory military service in South Korea. J-Hope, a member of K-pop supergroup BTS, has cancelled his request to delay enlistment, the group’s agency said Sunday, in a move to join the country’s military service. The 29 year old singer had previously applied for a postponement…
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New meth pills under 10 baht each flooding market
If you’ve been thinking of dabbling in meth but found the pills cost-prohibitive, drug cartels are here to help. They’ve been flooding the Northeast of Thailand with cheap methamphetamine pills, costing under 10 baht each, causing concern among authorities. How do manufacturers manage to keep the cost of pills so low? The answer is insecticide. Drug makers use insecticide as…
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English tourist seriously injured after fall from hotel balcony in Thailand
A 23 year old English tourist is seriously injured after falling three floors from a hotel balcony on Koh Phi Phi island in southern Thailand two weeks ago. Kieran Martin, a personal trainer from Castleford in England, sustained an open-book pelvic fracture which caused internal bleeding when the accident happened ten days into his three-week dream holiday to Thailand with…
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‘Dilbert’ dropped from hundreds of papers after racist remarks
After “Dilbert” comic strip creator Scott Adams made derogatory remarks about Black people in a video he posted online, hundreds of US newspapers have announced that they will no longer publish the popular comic strip. The iconic comic strip that lampooned office life became massively popular in the 1990s, even spawning a TV show briefly. But, in recent years, Adams…
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Electrical short circuit closes runway at Krabi Airport, Thailand
Thai and foreign passengers were left stranded at Krabi International Airport in southern Thailand yesterday evening after the runway was closed due to an electrical short circuit, causing disruption to several flights. Facebook page Krabi Provincial Public Relations Department announced at 8.30pm that the airport sent out a Notice to Airmen (NOTEM) announcing the temporary closure of the airport from…
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Phuket police bust another bar over legal closing time
Phuket police busted another bar over the legal closing time. Officers from Mueang Phuket District and Wichit Police raided Phuket a bar in the Wichit sub-district of the main city district in the early hours of Friday morning. This was after concerned citizens complained that the bar was opened past the legal closing time. The cops arrested the bar’s manager,…
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Mother of missing baby ‘Nong Tor’ confesses
The mother of the eight month old baby who went missing from Nakhon Phatom province in central Thailand on February 5 has confessed to dumping her son’s body in the Tha Chin river, reported Deputy National Police Chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn this morning. According to Thai Rath, the baby’s 17 year old mother “Nim” confessed to the police that Nong…
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Udon Thani thief with a heart of gold, and head of lead
What happened to an Udon Thani thief last week could so easily happen to any of us. You are strolling down the street – or cycling – and something in a shop window catches your eye, shiny and glittery. You pause to admire some random treasure beyond the glass and you think: “That’s beautiful. I’d love to own that.” But…
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10,000 baht offered for missing stray dog in Kathu
While Thailand is riddled with stray dogs roaming the street, one lost dog could net you 10,000 baht. That’s the reward a devoted pet owner has offered in Phuket for the safe return of a dog that has gone missing. Residents of Kathu in Phuket are being asked to help find an ex-stray dog that has been missing for three…
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Viral video shows Khao San club guard slapping tourist
A video clip showing a foreign tourist being handcuffed and slapped in the face by a security guard in a popular pub in the Khao San Road area of Bangkok has gone viral on social media. The victim is thought to be a well-known YouTuber. The incident has sparked outrage among commenters and led to the guard being fired. In…
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Krabi homeowner shocked by 5-metre king cobra snake
If you were a giant king cobra snake, where would you live? The answer is apparently “anywhere you want.” A homeowner in Krabi got a major surprise when they discovered a five-metre-long king cobra relaxing at their house this week. A team of snake handlers successfully caught the king cobra that was hiding under a chair in front of their…
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Officials warn against Phuket flight price gouging
If you are frustrated at the rising costs of airfare to Phuket, you’re not the only one. The popular resort island has been facing complaints from tourists regarding rising airfare prices during the high season. In response, the Provincial Public-Private Joint Economic Development Committee has warned airlines against overcharging customers for flights to Phuket, especially during long holidays. The warning…
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Where’s our money? Chiang Mai bank loses farmers’ 100 million baht
More than 200 angry members of an agricultural cooperative laid siege to Chang Phueak Police Station in Chiang Mai on Friday demanding to know where their farmers‘ 100 million baht has gone. Members of the San Pa Tong Agriculture Cooperative claim that more than 100 million baht (US$2.8 million) deposited with a “reputable bank” has vanished from their account. Police to…
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2-hour flight becomes 16-hour nightmare in Japan
Sometimes a few minutes makes all the difference. After a delayed takeoff, a 2-hour flight across Japan became a 16-hour nightmare when it was denied permission to land because it was 10 minutes late. The 335 passengers aboard Japan Airlines (JAL) flight JL 331 were caught in limbo between their departure from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Fukuoka International Airport who…
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Thai Airways to merge with Thai Smile to ‘reduce losses’
Thai Airways is to merge with Thai Smile to “reduce losses.” The plan is expected to be approved by the end of this year. Piyasvasti Amranand, chairman of THAI’s committee overseeing the airline’s rehabilitation, said the restructuring had been on the cards for a while and had always been part of the plan. “A study about the merger plan is…
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Hong Kong socialite Abby Choi’s ex-husband accused of dismembering her
Police in Hong Kong search for the ex-husband of socialite Abby Choi after her headless body was discovered in a village house. The home in Tai Po had been rented by her ex-husband’s father recently. The 28 year old model was reported missing on Tuesday. Parts of her dismembered body were found to have been cooked and stored in a…
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Drunk Saudi tourist steals jet ski on Patong Beach
A drunk foreign tourist caused a commotion on Patong Beach in Phuket yesterday after he was caught trying to steal a jet ski. The tourist, who was described as anxious and intoxicated, also attacked a jet-ski caretaker and tried to escape. The incident was reported to the Patong Police at noon yesterday, and when they arrived at the scene, they…
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Changing Social Norms & Sex Education in Thailand feat. @TichaKanticha | Thaiger Podcast Ep.25
Kanticha Chumma Model, Actress, Youtuber, entrepreneur and TV host has taken Thailand by storm! Daring, Energetic, provocative and with an iron-clad confidence, Ticha is one of the most recognisable and rising stars in Thailand. As a Swedish Thai personality, she has changed the social norms of what it means to be a ‘celebrity’ in Thailand. A multi-talented individual. Ticha also…
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Federal baht bus standing ban puts drivers in a pickle
A new law has been published in the Royal Gazette, stating that passengers are no longer allowed to stand on the back of baht buses, also known as songtaews. But drivers are also obligated to pick up all passengers, leaving drivers with the dilemma of either illegally not picking up passengers when full or illegally overcrowding and allowing passengers to…
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Thai drug lord ‘becomes Korean’ with plastic surgery to evade the law
Thai police arrested a “handsome Korean man” in Bangkok today who is in fact a wanted Thai drug lord who underwent loads of plastic surgery and changed his name to present as a Korean man to avoid prosecution. Police arrested 25 year old “Jimin Cheong,” formerly Sarahat Sawangjaeng, at a condominium in the Bang Na district of Bangkok under an arrest…
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Pattaya teen motorcyclist seriously injures pedestrian
A Pattaya teen motorcyclist seriously injured a pedestrian on Wednesday night. Rescuers rushed to the scene on Soi Bun Samphan 13 to find the victim, a 49 year old woman named Pornthip Kiatkamonchai, lying in the middle of the road. The rescuers found the rider, a 15 year old boy, with only very slight injuries. The rescuers said the boy…
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Loan shark claims debtor shot herself in the head at his house in Thailand
A loan shark in northern Thailand informed the police on Tuesday that a debtor – who is also his ex-girlfriend – committed suicide in front of him by shooting herself in the head due to financial stress. Her relatives are not convinced by the claim and insist that she never had a gun. At 8.30pm, 58 year old Somkiat rang…
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Thai-Bangladeshis commemorate International Mother Language Day in Pattaya
Thai-Bangladeshis gathered on Wednesday to commemorate International Mother Language Day in Pattaya. The community commemorated the day at the Unique Regency Hotel on Pratumnak Soi 5. Dozens of residents, esteemed guests, and other members of the Pattaya Thai-Bangladeshi Community attended the event. International Mother Language Day is globally observed and formally recognised by the United Nations. The day aims to…
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Malware and ransomware biggest threat to Thai businesses
Malware and ransomware continue to be just as much of a threat to businesses this year as last, according to a cybersecurity firm FortiGuard Labs. The global cyber threat study and research team, found malware and ransomware with sophisticated attack patterns and delivery remain the main threats to Thai organisations. Vulnerability will increase During the fourth quarter of 2022, FortiGuard…
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Officials find illegal houses encroaching on Phuket mangrove area
Officials found illegal houses encroaching on a protected mangrove area in Phuket. The team of officers from the Mangrove Resource Conservation Division of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) found the six illegal houses on Wednesday. The team found the illegal houses on Soi Rong Foam in Moo 1 in Ratsada. The houses had been built in an…
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Video of foreign children playing with dangerous tokay gecko shocks Thai netizens
Netizens in Thailand are baffled by a clip posted by a Thai TikToker of three foreign children playing with a tokay gecko, an aggressive lizard feared most by Thais. Tokay geckos are not venomous but are known for being aggressive, territorial and inflicting strong, nasty bites that draw blood and get infected easily. Once a tokay gecko bites, it locks…
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TAT expects roadshow to help bring 5 million Chinese tourists to Thailand this year
Earlier this week, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) launched its ‘Amazing Thailand Amazing New Chapters Roadshow to China 2023.’ The roadshow began on 21 February in Shanghai and later moved to Chengdu and Guangzhou. TAT expects the roadshow to help it reach its goal of welcoming 5 million tourists to Thailand this year. The roadshow aimed to create business…
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Oman Air announces network expansion for 2023 summer schedule
Continuing its ambitious and dynamic strategy of fleet and network expansion, Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has unveiled its summer schedule for 2023. The schedule specifies significant frequency increases on existing routes, and the addition of four destinations—representing a 60% increase in the number of flights from its hub in Muscat compared to the previous…
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Big Joke to visit America to discuss Thailand’s human trafficking ranking
Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn, aka ‘Big Joke,’ is set to visit America to discuss Thailand’s human trafficking ranking. Big Joke is answering questions from American officials about Thailand’s efforts to tackle human trafficking, before the US releases its annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report in July, Nation Thailand reported. Countries are ranked on their efforts to fight…
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