Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai Airways accused of favouring foreign passengers over Thais
A Thai passenger who recently flew from Paris to Bangkok in Thai Airways business class accused the airline of favouring foreign passengers over Thais after a flight attendant provided services exclusively to a foreign passenger. The attendant told the Thai man that the foreigner was a Gold Status member. Thai consultant doctor Watcharaphol Alexandre Kamnerdsiri, who works in Brussels, Belgium,…
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Police arrest Mongolian thieves preying on tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Police arrested Mongolian thieves repeatedly preying on and stealing from tourists at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Yesterday at 3pm, the Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Kittipong Kittikachorn, held a joint press conference with Suvarnabhumi Airport Police to announce the arrests of three members of a Mongolian gang operating at Thailand’s largest airport. Under arrest warrants from Samut Prakan Provincial Court,…
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Thailand set to be the location of White Lotus season III
The location for the next series of the award-winning HBO drama White Lotus is Thailand, according to Variety magazine. Series creator, writer, and director Mike White was seen in Thailand at a Four Seasons location late last year setting media tongues wagging that the Land of Smiles would be the destination for series three of the gripping drama. Series one…
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Indian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days
Immigration police arrested an Indian national in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, found to have overstayed his visa by 2,048 days (more than five and a half years). Police believe he is part of a call centre gang, reports KhaoSod. The police stopped 38 year old Jatinder Singh – who resides in the Na Jomtien area of Sattahip district –…
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Aussie man and Thai wife say politicians’ letter saved them from death penalty in Thailand
A free Aussie man and his Thai wife who spent four years in prison in Thailand for a crime they did not commit say that a 15-page letter from politicians in Australia is the reason they were spared the death penalty after being convicted of trafficking half a tonne of crystal meth in 2018. Luke Cook, his wife Kanyarat Wechapitak and…
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Motorists in Thailand warned to pay outstanding fines this week or else!
Motorists in Thailand have been warned that they will not receive their annual vehicle registration tax sticker if they have outstanding traffic fines by this weekend. The government today announced that motorists have until Saturday, April 1 to settle any unpaid traffic fines otherwise they will not receive their annual vehicle registration tax sticker to display on their windshields. Furthermore,…
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10 people injured after drunk crashes car into ordination ceremony
A drunk driver crashed his car into an ordination ceremony at a temple in the central province of Lopburi on Saturday because of an alleged grievance with the event host. Ten people were injured at the scene with two suffering serious injuries. Officers from Koke Samrong Police Station and the Koke Samrong Hospital rescue team rushed to the Khao Saphan…
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Government addresses public complaints
Here’s a story for the comments section. Got a complaint? The government is listening… probably. The Cabinet recently addressed the complaints submitted by the public and feedback submitted to state agencies and enterprises during the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal year. And while it often feels like complaints to higher authorities fall on deaf ears, the government claim that…
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People in Thailand spend too much time on their backsides, a new report reveals
People in Thailand spend too much time sitting on their backsides, a new study reveals. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) revealed that 76% of Thai people spend seven hours or more sitting down, underlining the need for the nation’s population to get off their arses and engage in more physical activity to improve their health and wellbeing. MOPH director-general…
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Frenchman lost in Thailand forest has been found
UPDATE The missing Frenchman lost in the forest around Khao Eto Mountain in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand was found this morning. The search party scoured the forests all night for Sierra Gamache – who NationTV reports as 73 years old and not 70 years old as reported by DailyNews – after he got lost on his way down the…
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Pervy man caught on CCTV sniffing woman’s underwear and licking her shoes
A Thai woman in the southern province of Songkhla filed a complaint with the police after a CCTV camera captured footage of a perverted man climbing over a wall into her house, sniffing her underwear and licking her shoes before leaving. The 28 year old victim, Raenu, posted videos of the incident on a Facebook group named HATYAIZ to warn residents…
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Election results reporting to be aided by media alliance
Thai media outlets have teamed up to form an alliance that will provide live reporting of unofficial election results during the country’s upcoming General Election. This move was prompted by the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to use a non-real-time official reporting format, which sparked concerns about transparency and fairness. Rather than piecemeal independent reporting from various polling stations, The Association…
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Online pranksters warned they could face time in jail ahead of April Fool’s Day
The Royal Thai Police issued a warning to online pranksters ahead of April Fool’s Day that their tomfoolery could land them in jail and a heavy fine. The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) urged the nation’s natural jokers to be careful that their shenanigans on April Fool’s Day, also known as “Wan Dek Foo” in Thailand, do not break the…
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Police accused of raping and blackmailing woman
A 21 year old woman accused a Khlong Ha Police Station sergeant major of getting her drunk before raping her. The woman also alleged that the police officer recorded the rape to blackmail her into having sex with him again. The co-founder of the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive, Acharn Opasthanakorn, accompanied the victim, Bee, to file a complaint against the…
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Thailand weather forecast: Hot and stormy
Much of Thailand can expect hot weather and summer storms in the next 24 hours, with temperatures hitting highs of 39 degrees Celsius in Bangkok, according to the Meteorological Department. Northern Thailand is expected to be hot and hazy today. In Chiang Mai, the air quality index (AQI) was measured at a ‘very unhealthy’ 220 this morning, 33.9x higher than…
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Not all trips to a police station in Thailand end in tragedy, with some there’s a happy ending
Heard the joke about the police officer in Thailand offering massages, soothing herbal sweets and a cold drink instead of a cuff around the ear and a night in the slammer? No? Well, that’s because it’s not a joke. A visit to a police station in Thailand is usually a daunting exercise for most whether you’ve committed a crime, filed…
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Thai vendor banks 10,000 baht on a traditional Thai pattern pancake
A skilled pancake vendor at Srinagarindra Train Night Market in Bangkok who created a magnificent piece of art from a pancake managed to bank 10,000 baht. Shop owner and pancake artist extraordinaire, Wiwat “Singto” Janecharoen, posted a video of a pancake with a traditional Thai pattern on the shop’s TikTok account, nirinartyummy. In the caption he wrote… “More detailed than…
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Tourist spots dead body near Pattaya park
A tourist spotted a dead body near a Pattaya park yesterday. Rescuers were alerted of the discovery of the decaying body at around 6pm. The body was found near a park on Soi Chaiyaphruek 4 in the Bang Lamung district. The dead man was not carrying any identification documents. He was wearing a blue shirt, shorts, and sandals. Officers said the…
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Outrage as energy bills rise for households, drop for industry
The government has come under fire for its latest revision of electricity pricing, with accusations that it will reduce energy bills for various industries but raise those of households. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has decided to increase power bills for households from 4.72 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit) to 4.77 baht. Industry will also be charged 4.77 baht, but that’s…
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Thailand expected to have a hotter summer this year
Thailand is bracing for a hotter summer this year, with the Meteorological Department forecasting an average temperature increase of one degree Celsius from last year. The hottest weather this week has been recorded in the North of the country, with temperatures peaking at 41.5°C in Phetchabun’s Mueang district on Thursday. Closer to Bangkok, the highest temperature was recorded at 38.5°C…
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Murky water at Koh Samui beach caused by plankton bloom, not oil spill: officials
UPDATE The smelly, murky water putting off tourists from swimming in the sea at Maenam Beach in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, is not an oil spill but caused by a plankton bloom, which is a natural phenomenon, according to the Director of Koh Samui Harbour Authority, Arun Buppako. The photos circulating of green murky water at the beach show dead…
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Strikes in Germany force Thai Airways to cancel 6 flights
Strikes in Germany have forced Thai Airways International (THAI) to cancel six flights. The strikes, called by German labour unions Verdi, and EVG, representing transport workers, are related to wage disputes, Reuters reported. The strikes are expected to cause widespread disruption to railways and airports. Operations at Frankfurt and Munich airports are at a standstill. The cancelled THAI flights are: •…
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Don Mueang Airport expansion planned, while U-Tapao stalls
Airports of Thailand (AOT) has announced its plans to expand Don Mueang International Airport’s low-cost terminal, while U-Tapao Airport’s expansion faces delays. The expansion of Bangkok’s secondary airport aims to increase passenger capacity and bolster tourism income for the country. Don Mueang’s expansion project has a budget of 36.8 billion baht and is set to begin this year. But the…
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SRT adds 4 historic tourism train trips next month
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced that it will offer four special sightseeing train trips in April to stimulate domestic tourism and generate income for locals. The train trips will follow a historical theme next month and will meet the increasing passenger demand for cultural travel in the area. The train trips are a collaborative effort between the SRT,…
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Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand
An Italian man tragically died this morning after he was impaled by a forklift in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in central Thailand, near the factory where he worked as sales manager. He was riding a motorbike taxi when the incident happened, reports ThaiRath. At 10am, officers at Samrong Nuea Police Station were informed of a fatal collision between…
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Foreigners complain they can’t swim at Koh Samui beach due to smelly oil spill
French and German tourists complained that a smelly oil spill prevented them from swimming at Maenam Beach yesterday in Koh Samui, Surat Thani province, southern Thailand. A German man told reporters that he went to the beach to sunbathe and play in the water. But when he tried to go swimming, he noticed a foul smell emanating from the sea.…
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Chinese KOLs livestream their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises
Chinese Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have been livestreaming their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently collaborated with Kuaishou Technology, a Chinese short video-sharing mobile app, to bring Chinese KOLs to Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga for a “Travel Adventures Thailand Episode” livestream series. The series began on Wednesday, March 15, and ends today (March…
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Porsche celebrates 30 years in Thailand with multi-coloured 911 model (video)
Porsche Asia Pacific is celebrating 30 years of its high-performance sports car in Thailand with a new multi-coloured bespoke Porsche 911 Carrera GTS in honour of the importance of colours in the kingdom. The German luxury car was first introduced to the Thai market in 2002 with the establishment of Porsche (Thailand) Limited, a subsidiary of Porsche Asia Pacific Pte…
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Japan voted top sustainable country, Thailand ranked fifth
Japan has been praised by fellow Asian countries for its sustainability and conservation efforts in a new poll with Thailand claiming fifth place, would you believe? Over 13,000 respondents from more than ten countries participated in the Sustainable Impact Survey 2023 conducted by the online travel agency Agoda. The respondents were asked to rank countries based on their sustainability efforts, and…
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Thailand: Check your 20 baht bills, they might be worth more than you think…
A Thai coin and banknote collector is offering big cash for a rare kind of 20 baht bill that could be in anyone’s wallet in Thailand. Some of the new plastic polymer 20 baht bills which entered circulation last year were printed without a vertical line on the left-hand side, as seen in the picture. “Gig” the rare money collector…
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