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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A forgetful husband tests marriage after accidently abandoning his wife on a road trip after taking a quick leak
For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part, and in an emergency toilet break situation, every marriage is tested to some degree. And, an absent-minded husband truly tested the strength of his marriage on a road trip last week. He pulled over by the roadside to quickly take a leak before climbing back into…
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Thailand encourages coffee farming to meet growing demand in Asia
Palm and rubber farmers in Krabi are being encouraged to grow coffee, as demand rises faster in Asia than in other parts of the world. On a visit to a community coffee enterprise in Krabi’s Khlong Thom Nua, Deputy Commerce Minister Sinit Lertkrai said on Tuesday…. “Krabi’s coffee is gaining international attention thanks to its certification as a GI product.”…
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Road safety campaign spells disaster for Chiang Mai rescue services
A rescue service in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, is receiving the same “false alarm” phone call over and over again thanks to a controversial road safety campaign. Thailand sees a surge in road accidents and road deaths every year between December 29 – January 4, gaining the nickname “Seven Days of Danger.” Road safety campaigns aim to remind motorists to take…
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Thailand to offer free Covid-19 booster shots to foreign tourists
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports Ministry (MOTS) announced its plans to provide free Covid-19 booster shots for foreign tourists entering Thailand next year. The disclosure will be welcomed by many who fear another Covid wave after China announced it will open its borders and relax quarantine measures. The MOTS also briefed the press that the government will introduce the…
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Police track down suspect in murder of woman dumped in garbage bin
Police believe the person responsible for the death of the woman dumped in a garbage bin in the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani is her boyfriend. Police reported they found evidence in the boyfriend’s home related to the murder of the woman, Suphattra Yodkaew, and is now on the run. Police identified…
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Bangkok Kempinski renames bar after US Hindu protest
THE Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok renamed its bar after US Hindus protested, calling it “highly inappropriate.” “Hanuman Bar” is now called “1897 Lounge.” A martini called the “Hanumantini” has also been renamed, the “1897tini.” Self-described “distinguished statesman” Rajan Zed, an “acclaimed” US Hindu activist according to his website, previously led many such self-aggrandising campaigns. In a statement Zed thanked Kempinski…
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Thailand prepares to welcome infected tide of Chinese tourists
As Thailand prepares to welcome an infected tide of Chinese tourists, in the US, the Biden administration is changing its policy for arrivals from China, including Hong Kong, and Macau. Washington is scared. Coronavirus infections running rampant in Beijing could spawn new and more dangerous variants. From January 5, all travellers from China, including Hong Kong, and Macau, must present…
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Patani Colonial Territory not played in Chiang Mai
Law students at Chiang Mai University cancelled a game night during which they planned to play the card game Patani Colonial Territory, following a visit by a mysterious “officer.” Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) report that a plainclothes “officer,” visited the Faculty of Law and other university administrators on December 26 after a student group announced that they were…
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Thai police rescue pregnant woman walking 600 kilometres from Isaan to Bangkok
With just 50 baht to her name, a pregnant woman attempted to walk from Ubon Ratchathani in northeast Thailand to Bangkok yesterday in search of a new start. She decided to undertake the arduous journey after she was betrayed by her Thai boyfriend of five years. Yesterday, officers from Warin Chamrap Police Station stopped to help a woman of Tai…
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American man dies after jumping from 3rd floor of Phuket Airport
An American man died yesterday after he reportedly jumped off the 3rd floor of the Phuket Airport passenger terminal. The 35 year old American, who was later identified as Jason, jumped from the 3rd floor smoking area of Phuket Airport at about 3pm yesterday. The airport rescue team and medical workers rushed to the scene to provide first aid and…
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At least 10 dead & 30 injured in fierce casino fire in Cambodia
At least 10 people died in a fierce fire incident in the early hours of this morning at the Grand Diamonds City and Casino in Poipet city in Cambodia, on the border with Thailand. According to a report on Channel 3, the blaze started on the 7th and 8th floors of a 17-storey building in the Grand Diamonds City at…
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Pattaya Police fine Norwegian tourist 5,000 baht for public lewdness
Police tracked down, arrested, and fined the foreign tourist who made headlines on Monday for fornicating with a Thai woman against a power pole on the mean streets of Pattaya in eastern Thailand. Yesterday, the Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station Pol Col Kulchat Kulchai detained a 49 year old Norwegian man under suspicion of public lewdness. The scandalous Scandinavian…
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VIDEO: air rage incident on Thai Smile Airways flight from Bangkok to Kolkata
Footage of an air rage incident emerged yesterday of two Indian passengers swapping punches on a flight from Bangkok to Kolkata in India. A passenger recorded footage of the fracas and uploaded it to social media where it quickly went viral. It captures two men swapping insults, then punches after boarding a Thai Smile Airways flight that was set to…
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Thailand should impose restrictions on Chinese tourists, says Pheu Thai MP
News that China is opening its borders to foreigners and relaxing Covid-19 restrictions was widely welcomed by Thailand yesterday as it looks to further boost its tourist economy. Today, MPs are warning that Thailand should tread lightly and impose restrictions on potential Covid-carrying Chinese tourists otherwise the kingdom could face another potential catastrophic pandemic. Former Deputy Prime Minister Chaturon Chaisang,…
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Chinese tourists may bring growing pains to the Thai travel industry
While people in the tourism and entertainment sector are celebrating China’s announcement to reopen and allow outgoing travel, others have raised fears about the potential problems that could come with an influx of Chinese tourists. Some fear an overwhelming surge of Chinese tourists flooding Thailand’s hotspots. Others worry that the healthcare systems in Thailand could be overburdened by the influx…
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Anarchic passenger causes chaos on bus trip from Phuket to Bangkok
An anarchic passenger caused chaos for other travellers on a journey from Phuket to Bangkok today. The nuisance man annoyed his fellow passengers, illegally smoked, insulted staff members, and smashed a window with a fire extinguisher before leaping from the bus into busy oncoming traffic on Rama II Road in Bangkok. The driver of a Phuket-Bangkok coach bus, 51 year…
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Coach bus driver praised after giving free rides from central Thailand to Isaan
Thai netizens hailed a bus driver for offering free rides to anyone wishing to spend the festive season with their families in the Isaan province of Sa Kaeo. The free trip was from Samut Prakarn province in central Thailand which was nearly 200 kilometres long. The Facebook page Spotlight Bangpoo (สปอร์ตไลท์บางปู) announced the free rides from Samut Prakarn to Sa Kaeo…
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Thai woman hides 400 yaba pills in vagina to cover for drug-dealing husband
A Thai woman hid 402 pills of yaba (methamphetamine) inside her vagina in an attempt to cover for her drug-dealing husband during a raid at his house in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand on Monday. As the sun rose on Monday, officers from Ban Had Police Station raided the home of a suspected drug trafficker. Police were met by…
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Amateur gunmaker learned how to make guns on YouTube
An amateur gunmaker confessed to police that he bought gun parts through a Lazada app and learned how to make the weapons on YouTube after officers swooped to make an arrest following a tip-off. Police raided the gunmaker’s house in the Sattahip district in Chon Buri at 11pm yesterday and arrested him on charges of illegally making guns and selling…
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Rawai residents shocked by baby crocodile
Residents in the Phuket district of Rawai got a bit of a shock yesterday when they encountered a baby crocodile. The little croc was hanging out at a local lotus pond in the neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours called city officials to report the unnerving visitor. The Rawai Municipality began receiving reports yesterday about a baby crocodile on the loose…
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Top 5 foreign nationalities buying condos in Thailand in 2022
Chinese nationals bought the most condos out of any foreign nationality in Thailand this year despite the difficulties posed by Beijing’s strict Covid-19 restrictions, which are finally easing up after three years. In Thailand, foreigners are permitted to own 49% of the units in any condominium building. The remaining 51% must have Thai ownership. Although fewer Chinese bought condos in…
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South Koreans can carry on bonking sex dolls after import ban is lifted
South Koreans have been told to carry on bonking their adult-sized sex dolls after an import ban on the inflate-a-mates was lifted. The Korea Customs Service gave the green light on Monday to allow adult-shaped dolls through customs but added that child-like dolls resembling minors are still prohibited and will be confiscated. There are no laws or regulations prohibiting the…
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Pace Launches Media Campaign on Tuk-Tuks – Buy Now Pay Later With 0% Interest
SPONSORED Pace is a Buy Now Pay Later service from Singapore which helps consumers split payments into 3 months with 0% interest. Since late 2017, there are now more than 100 participating stores and 2000 points of sale across Thailand. Popular brands such as Nike, Superdry, Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Bath & Body Works, EVEANDBOY, Mango, Aldo, Boardriders, OWNDAYS and…
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Ceremony launches “Seven Days of Danger” for Phuket roads
The yearly road safety campaign for the holiday week called “Seven Days of Danger” was officially launched in Phuket yesterday. The week is from December 29 to January 4, when each year the rush of holiday travellers on the roads leads to an increase in accidents and road deaths. A ceremony hosted at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday, led by Phuket…
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Survey reveals which Thai provinces drink the most alcohol
On Monday, a doctor gave an interesting lecture about provincial alcohol consumption in Thailand at a conference held by the Centre of Addiction Studies in Bangkok. Dr Athip Tan-Aree, M.D., from Srithanya Hospital in Nonthaburi province, revealed the results of a nationwide survey that asked 84,000 Thai respondents questions about their alcohol drinking habits. The survey found that 28% of…
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Police arrest man high on drugs in Koh Chang after high-speed chase
In a scene reminiscent of a Quentin Tarantino movie, Thai police embarked on a high-speed car chase with a man high on drugs driving dangerously. The scene culminated in a man’s arrest after a two-hour standoff where shots were fired and police were threatened by a knife in Koh Chang in Trat, eastern Thailand. Koh Chang Police Station and Tourist…
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Destitute man walks 1,000 kilometres over 11 days with 2 daughters to find job
The heart-wrenching story of a destitute man who walked 1,000 kilometres over 11 days to find work to feed his two starving children has a happy ending. The jobless man, Norraphat, and his two daughters, aged 10 and 12 years old, began their long arduous journey from a relative’s house in the Tung Wa district of Satun on December 11.…
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Thai DCD: you probably won’t die of a brain eating amoeba
The Disease Control Department (DCD) in Thailand is reassuring people that the chances of dying from a brain-eating amoeba are very, very small. The statement comes after news got out that a man returned to South Korea from a trip to Thailand and died of Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba. The DCD director-general reported that only 17 infections have been…
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Royal Thai Police ordered to find Red Bull Heir and deliver justice
The Thai prime minister wrapped up the government’s last Cabinet meeting of 2022 by demanding the Royal Thai Police (RTP) find Red Bull Heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and prosecute him. The 37 year old fled Thailand over ten years ago after a hit-and-run incident killed a police officer, Wichian Klanprasert, in Bangkok, on September 3, 2012. Boss, then 27, was…
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CNN selects Bangkok and ICONSIAM’s firework shows as one of world’s 10 ‘Great Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve’
CNN has selected Bangkok as one of the world’s 10 ‘Greats Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve and listed ICONSIAM’s magnificent fireworks display at the “Amazing Thailand Countdown” as an ‘amazing fireworks show’ and place at which to ring in the New Year. The recognition reinforces ICONSIAM as Thailand’s premier ‘Global Countdown Destination’ after many years of standing out…
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