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 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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Thai AirAsia resumes Bangkok – Macau flights
Budget airline Thai AirAsia has resumed direct flights between Bangkok and Macau in China, operating the route four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Thai police may have busted the macau888 gambling website, but never mind, Thais can now gamble legally by flying direct to Macau on Thai AirAsia. Thai AirAsia is the only airline servicing the…
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Aeroplane makes emergency landing in Phuket
An aeroplane made an emergency landing in Phuket yesterday. The Thai Smile Airways Airbus A320 made the landing at Phuket International Airport at 1pm due to engine problems. The Phuket Info Center, which operates under the Phuket Provincial Office, confirmed the incident today. According to the centre’s report, the A320 made a “hard landing” with a tailstrike on the runway.…
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Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability
The restoration of Maya Bay, Thailand, balances tourism with sustainability. Phi Phi Islands’ tropical paradise, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach, has drastically reduced visitor numbers, and sea life is flourishing. The beach was closed in 2018 and before the pandemic hit, and in many respects, the past two years without pressure from great numbers of visitors have…
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Survey finds Thai tourism enterprises unprepared for foreign tourists
A nationwide survey has revealed that most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand are not prepared for the return of foreign tourists this year. Conducted by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP), the survey questioned 572 business owners from six regions on their readiness for the upcoming tourist season and found that many are more reliant…
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Thai rubber should tap into the sex toy market, says agriculture minister
Thailand could make a killing if the country’s world-class rubber industry tapped into the sex toy market, according to Minister of Agriculture Chalermchai Sri-on. The minister posted a compelling argument on Facebook which would require a big revision of Thailand’s archaic laws if it came to fruition. The kingdom’s illegal sex industry is hiding in plain sight, sex toys included.…
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3 Thais arrested for smuggling of 14 Chinese citizens
Police yesterday arrested two Thai men and a Thai woman on Phahonyothin Road in the central province of Nakhon Sawan for people trafficking. The group were spotted using three vehicles to smuggle 14 Chinese citizens without passports from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Traffic officers from Mueang Nakhon Sawan Police Station stopped three sedans for a random alcohol test at 4am…
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Experience luxury at these 8 Bangkok riverside hotels
Bangkok has some of the most amazing hotels in the world, and those located near the Chao Phraya River are amongst the best. Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable stay or a memorable experience, Bangkok’s riverside hotels offer something for everyone. From luxurious resorts with breathtaking views to chic boutique hotels with incredible amenities, let’s take a look at the…
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Thai woman says human skull’s teeth belong to her missing husband
A fisherman pulled a human skull from a canal in Buriram province in northeast Thailand yesterday. A local woman says she knows the skull belongs to her missing husband because she clearly remembers his teeth. Yesterday, officers at Ban Dan Police Station received a call from a fisherman who found a human skull submerged in the Lam Takhong canal to…
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Tubing in northern Thailand bustling with foreign tourists
A Thai TikToker recently shared a video of foreign tourists enjoying a tubing adventure along the Pai River in Mae Hong Son, a northern province of Thailand. Thai netizens were overwhelmed by the video, saying it was a sign the kingdom is well on the way to economic recovery and tourism is booming once more. @roritarkratair posted the video yesterday…
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Thai Airways to trial biometric check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airports of Thailand (AOT) chose flag carrier Thai Airways to trial a new biometric check-in service at Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting on their Bangkok – Singapore route. AOT hopes that bolstering facial recognition technology will streamline the check-in process and reduce waiting times. From now until April 30, passengers on daily THAI flight TG409 from Bangkok to Singapore can check in…
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Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)
Upon request of the FBI, Thailand yesterday extradited the prime suspect in a hit-and-run case that claimed the life of a young Michigan State University student back to the US to face prosecution. The accused, 57 year old Tubtim “Sue” Howson, is believed to have hit and killed 22 year old Ben Kable with her BMW 320i in Oakland Township…
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Man swindled out of 5 million baht by a trusted friend
A man filed a complaint with the local police department after being swindled out of 5 million baht by a friend. It was later revealed that this so-called friend of his had previously served a prison sentence for seven counts of theft and fraud. The 39 year old victim, Trirat “Bird” Liwsiri-anan, filed a complaint at Mueang Pattalung Police Station…
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Thailand bans standing up on songthaews, drivers aren’t happy
Thailand introduced a law on Friday which requires passengers to sit down when travelling on a songthaew, a popular form of public transport. However, songthaew drivers say the law is detrimental to their livelihoods and are worried it could lead to extortion. A songthaew is a passenger vehicle converted from a pickup truck with two rows of seats. Songthaews have…
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Rare trees bloom with beautiful flowers on Thai-Lao border
Rare trees are blooming with beautiful flowers at a national park on northern Thailand’s border with Laos. The Doi Phukha National Park in Nan province is currently a sight to behold as the rare Chompoo Phu Kha trees have burst into bloom. The trees display white-pink flowers that grow in long bunches once a year from the end of February…
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Grab taxi driver accused of stealing 50,000 baht cash bouquet
A Grab taxi driver has been accused of stealing a valuable cash flower bouquet by a woman who hired him to deliver the gift to her boyfriend. The bouquet was reportedly worth 50,000 baht, a significant sum of money. The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, vehemently denies the allegations and insists that he delivered the bouquet to its…
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Blind circus crocodile caught after 5 day chase in Thailand
A blind show crocodile escaped on its way to the circus and made a break for it into the Ping River in Nakhon Sawan province in central Thailand on Friday. Crocodile catchers were hot on the croc’s heels but the 2.8-metre-long beast just wouldn’t surrender. Five days later, the female croc – who is nicknamed “Blindy” – was finally caught and marched…
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Thai Cyber Police nab 3 more suspects in macau888 case
Thai Cyber Police nabbed three more suspects in the case involving the macau888 gambling network. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) raided two spots in Bangkok, and one in the northeast province of Sakhon Nakhon, Thai PBS reported yesterday. Police found two women in a room of a condominium in Bangkok’s Phahonyothin area. One of the women was…
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Thailand’s sex industry was created for foreigners, right? Wrong! (video)
Thailand’s sex industry was created exclusively for foreign tourists, right? Wrong! It is a myth Thailand’s sex industry was exclusively made for tourists. It was set up for Thai people. There are hundreds of “Love Motels” spread across the country, and it’s not foreigners who commonly go there. There’s even a term for a casual sex partner, “Gik,” which is…
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‘Eat more rice!’ Thai officials tell youth
“Eat more rice!” Thai officials are telling the country’s youth. The Thai Commerce Ministry wants young people to eat more rice. The ministry launched a campaign after a study showed that Thailand’s consumption of rice had fallen. The department launched the “Thai Kids Enjoy Thai Rice” roadshow, visiting 10 schools and weekend markets, Nation Thailand reported yesterday. The Thai Rice…
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South Korean human trafficking leader arrested in Pattaya
A leader in the human trafficking trade from South Korea was arrested yesterday at a luxury condominium in Pattaya. He was charged with operating an illicit massage parlour in Busan and luring Thai women into sex work. The South Korean criminal boss, identified as 50 year old Cho, was arrested at a luxury condominium on Pattaya Sai Sam Road yesterday…
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Drunken Korean shot by local man in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy
A drunken Korean man was shot by a local in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy. According to witnesses, the Korean, Namil Kim, was making a nuisance of himself early this morning and the customer lost his temper as a result. The gunman withdrew his gun and fired two shots, one hit the allegedly irritating Korean in the…
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TikTok bans political groups ahead of Thai election
TikTok announced that it will block all accounts linked to political groups in Thailand in the lead-up to and during the country’s upcoming general election. TikTok Thailand’s chief of public policy announced that the company would take measures to maintain a safe community by preventing the spread of fake news and hate speech sparked by political conflicts. TikTok, a short-form video…
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No more fines for vaping in Thailand, claims Chuwit
Smoking E-cigarettes, or vaping, is illegal in Thailand. But the crime will no longer carry fines or penalties following recent news of police extorting vapourising tourists, said controversial Thai politician and “tub tycoon” Chuwit Kamolvisit after a phone call with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Police will continue confiscating E-cigarettes, but the vapouriser will not be punished, said Chuwit. Vaping, which…
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Democrat Party announces anti-cannabis campaign platform
While nearly every street corner in tourist areas of Thailand is selling cannabis legally now (a recent driver in Samui spotted nine shops in a two-block stretch), not everyone is in favour of it, especially politicians. Politicians believe the rushed legalisation and subsequent free-for-all is a strong talking point against the Bhumjaithai Party, who pushed for decriminalisation. Now, the Democrat…
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Thai tourism association says number of Chinese tour groups still unexpectedly low
A Thai tourism association says the number of Chinese tour groups making their way to the Land of Smiles is still unexpectedly low. The president of the Thai Association of Tourism Businesses (ATTA), Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, said the number of Chinese tour groups travelling to Thailand remains unexpectedly low due to a lack of flights. Instead, most Chinese arrivals in Thailand…
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German tourist complains about 5,000 baht traffic fine
A German tourist is questioning a 5,000 baht traffic fine for riding a motorbike through the Chalong Underpass in Phuket when he saw no traffic signs indicating that it was illegal. The tourist was riding northbound through the tunnel on his way to visit the Big Buddha viewpoint on Monday when he was pulled over by traffic police after exiting the…
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British ice hockey player suffers life-threatening injuries after crash in Thailand
A talented ice hockey player from Blackburn in northwest England sustained life-threatening injuries after a motorbike crash in Thailand. Former Bradford Bulldogs defenceman, 24 year old Josh Richardson, had an accident on a Thai island on Friday, February 3. Richardson sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to the intensive care unit at Bangkok Hospital, where he has undergone several…
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Russian invasion spreads to Thailand’s paradise islands
Ukraine isn’t the only nation suffering from a Russian invasion, Thailand is facing it too. Since Russia took exception to Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO and the European Union thousands of Russian citizens have fled to avoid conscription to set up camp in Thailand. Russian roubles may have been welcomed by Thai businesses as the Covid-19 ravaged kingdom looks to…
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New bridge will connect 2 sub-districts in Phuket
A new bridge will connect two sub-districts in Phuket‘s main city district. The bridge will connect the Wichit and Chalong sub-districts. On a visit to Phuket last week, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn stopped by Mudong Canal, where the bridge is set to be built. Phiphat said the bridge will be 8 metres wide, and 280 metres long. Phiphat…
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Child harmed from mistakenly eating cannabis jellies
Just because you are eating them like candy doesn’t mean children should be eating cannabis jellies. After a young patient was hospitalized for severe palpitations and irregular heartbeat, a Thai doctor issued a warning. He said that children should not be allowed to consume cannabis jellies. Dr Smith Srison, the director of the Medical Council of Thailand and president of…
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