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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    Why health insurance costs more each year and how expats in Thailand can save more money

    Each year, many expats living in Thailand see their health insurance premiums go up and often without a clear reason. This can be frustrating, especially when you're trying to plan your budget. But by understanding why prices rise and learning...

  • Thai Airways soars with 12 billion baht profit in Q2 | Thaiger

    Thai Airways soars with 12 billion baht profit in Q2

    Thai Airways (THAI) is flying high again, racking up a staggering profit of more than 12 billion baht in the second quarter of 2025, fuelled by cheaper jet fuel and strong passenger growth. The flag carrier and its subsidiaries reported revenue of 44.83 billion baht (excluding one-time items) for the quarter, up 1.9% on last year. Passenger numbers climbed 4.2%…

  • Bangkok toll booths go free for Mother’s Day travel | Thaiger

    Bangkok toll booths go free for Mother’s Day travel

    Drivers in Greater Bangkok can look forward to a free ride next Monday, as the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) scraps toll fees at 63 booths for the day in celebration of Mother’s Day. The toll waiver will run from 12.01am on Monday, August 11, to midnight on Tuesday, August 12, giving motorists a 24-hour break from charges on three…

  • Cambodia delays Thailand’s call for landmine clearance and scam crackdown | Thaiger

    Cambodia delays Thailand’s call for landmine clearance and scam crackdown

    Despite a ceasefire agreement aimed at bringing peace to the border between the two countries, Cambodia reportedly rejected proposals for landmine clearance and a crackdown on call centre scams, suggesting instead that the issues be postponed to the next discussions. Representatives from Thailand and Cambodia attended an extraordinary session of the General Border Committee (GBC) in Malaysia yesterday, August 7, to…

  • Furious dad drags Chon Buri tattoo shop to cops | Thaiger

    Furious dad drags Chon Buri tattoo shop to cops

    A furious father marched his teenage son into a Chon Buri police station this week to accuse a local tattoo parlour of illegally inking the 14 year old boy without parental consent. The drama unfolded yesterday, August 7, at Phlu Ta Luang Police Station, where Dr Thirawat Weerawat, better known as Attorney Ice Sai Lui, accompanied the boy’s parents to…

  • Jet ski heroes drag tourist from Phuket rip current (video) | Thaiger

    Jet ski heroes drag tourist from Phuket rip current (video)

    A dramatic jet ski rescue unfolded off Phuket’s Bang Tao-Surin Beach on Wednesday when two quick-thinking lifeguards hauled an unconscious foreign tourist from a deadly rip current. Footage of the daring save, posted by Facebook user Witsarut Saman yesterday evening, August 7, shows the moment the lifeguards tore through pounding surf on a jet ski to reach the struggling swimmer.…

  • Thailand tempest: Heavy rain set to drench Bangkok | Thaiger

    Thailand tempest: Heavy rain set to drench Bangkok

    The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued a weather warning, predicting thunderstorms across 36 provinces, with Bangkok expected to be particularly affected, experiencing heavy rainfall in 60% of its area. Residents have been advised to exercise caution due to potential hazards from these conditions. The weather forecast for the next 24 hours indicates that thunderstorms will be prevalent throughout Thailand, driven…

  • Tough times hit Thai cinema as viewers cut back | Thaiger

    Tough times hit Thai cinema as viewers cut back

    Box office blues could be looming for Thai cinemas as cash-strapped moviegoers become pickier about what’s worth their ticket money. That’s the concern from top Thai studio GDH 559 Co Ltd Content Director Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn, who said the sluggish economy is making audiences more selective—possibly reducing their cinema visits from several times a month to just once. “Viewers may think…

  • Tomorrowland confirmed for Pattaya’s Wisdom Valley in 2026 | Thaiger

    Tomorrowland confirmed for Pattaya’s Wisdom Valley in 2026

    The Tourism and Sports minister confirmed the location for Tomorrowland, a world-class music festival, which will be held at Wisdom Valley in Pattaya. Thailand expects the event to generate 21 billion baht over a five-year contract. Hopes among Thai EDM fans were raised last year when former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had dinner with the organiser of the world-renowned Belgian music…

  • Pattaya empowers teens with ‘Happy School’ workshops | Thaiger

    Pattaya empowers teens with ‘Happy School’ workshops

    Forget boring lectures—Pattaya’s young leaders got hands-on with happiness this week in a workshop-driven celebration of National Youth Day 2025. Yesterday, August 6 at 9am, the city kicked off its official youth programme at Le Bali Resort & Spa, with Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet presiding over the opening ceremony. Themed Happy School, the event encouraged student leaders from 11 local…

  • 3 Chinese and 2 Laotian arrested for livestreaming sex from Pattaya pool villa | Thaiger

    3 Chinese and 2 Laotian arrested for livestreaming sex from Pattaya pool villa

    Police today, August 7, arrested three Chinese men and two Laotian women while they were livestreaming sexual activities on a Chinese-based social media platform from a pool villa in Pattaya. Officers from the Immigration Bureau received a tip-off about Chinese nationals broadcasting explicit videos on social media using a property in Thailand as the backdrop for the lewd content. Following…

  • Chinese steel surge pressures Thai manufacturers | Thaiger

    Chinese steel surge pressures Thai manufacturers

    China’s continued surge in steel exports is putting growing pressure on Thai steelmakers, according to Tata Steel (Thailand), a subsidiary of India’s largest steel producer. In the first half of this year, China exported 58.2 million tonnes of steel, marking a 9.2% increase from the same period last year. Asia remained the largest recipient of these exports, with Thailand among…

  • Busted: Korean-Chinese call centre gang raided in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Busted: Korean-Chinese call centre gang raided in Chon Buri

    A South Korean man’s report of assault led officers to uncover an alleged Korean-Chinese call centre operation in Chon Buri, resulting in multiple arrests and the seizure of electronic equipment. In a late-night operation yesterday, August 6 at 11.06pm, Thai Tourist Police, Chon Buri Immigration, and the South Korean Embassy launched a coordinated raid targeting a cross-border call centre scam…

  • Thailand and Cambodia strike border truce in Malaysia | Thaiger

    Thailand and Cambodia strike border truce in Malaysia

    Peace talks prevail, for now, as Thai and Cambodian military leaders strike a truce to cool tensions on their volatile border. At 1.30pm today, August 7, senior officials from Thailand and Cambodia met in Malaysia for an emergency session of the General Border Committee (GBC), where both sides agreed to implement a 13-point ceasefire agreement aimed at ending rising hostility…

  • Daughter seeks accountability after mother injured by shattered glass door | Thaiger

    Daughter seeks accountability after mother injured by shattered glass door

    A Thai woman is seeking accountability from the owner of a condominium after a glass door unexpectedly shattered while being opened, severing a tendon in her mother’s finger. The daughter shared CCTV footage of the incident on the Facebook page Jmoi V+ to seek justice for her mother. The video shows the victim opening the glass door, which then suddenly…

  • Phang Nga worker’s leg mangled in shrimp pond horror (video) | Thaiger

    Phang Nga worker’s leg mangled in shrimp pond horror (video)

    A shrimp farm turned into a horror scene yesterday after a worker’s leg was mangled by a water aerator in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district. Emergency responders from the Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation (Loma Khok Kloy) and a medical team from Takua Thung Hospital rushed to the scene at 11.57am yesterday, August 6, following a report of a man trapped in…

  • Fire at Phetchaburi plastic factory causes damage worth millions baht | Thaiger

    Fire at Phetchaburi plastic factory causes damage worth millions baht

    A fire erupted at a plastic bag manufacturing factory early today, August 7, causing significant damage worth millions of baht. Emergency services battled the blaze for over two hours at the Universal Flexible Packaging Company in Phetchaburi province, marking the third such incident at the site. Police Lieutenant Colonel Sompong Khamtawee of Khao Yoi Police Station in Phetchaburi province received…

  • Malaysian man accuses Thai ex-girlfriend of 4 million baht fraud and assault | Thaiger

    Malaysian man accuses Thai ex-girlfriend of 4 million baht fraud and assault

    A Malaysian man accused his Thai ex-girlfriend of swindling 4 million baht from him and physically assaulting both him and his current partner in the Isaan province of Kalasin. The 27 year old Malaysian man, identified only as Yap, shared his story with the local news agency Kalasin News in an appeal for justice for himself and his current Thai girlfriend. Yap…

  • Chinese Tourist robbed after night with Pattaya bar girl | Thaiger

    Chinese Tourist robbed after night with Pattaya bar girl

    A Chinese tourist’s night out in Pattaya turned sour after he woke up alone in his hotel room to discover that 8,000 baht had vanished, along with the woman he had brought back from a local beer bar. At around 11.06pm yesterday, August 6, Jiang Peng, a 38 year old Chinese national, filed a complaint with Police Sub-Lieutenant Kittipong Thalaengkan…

  • Tourist thrown into palm tree in Pattaya bike crash | Thaiger

    Tourist thrown into palm tree in Pattaya bike crash

    A high-speed motorbike crash in Pattaya left a foreign tourist critically injured after being flung into a palm tree during a shocking late-night collision. The incident occurred at around 10pm on Tuesday, August 5, on Jomtien Second Road, prompting an emergency response from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Unit. At the scene, emergency personnel discovered a red-black Yamaha Finn overturned…

  • Thailand splashes billions on freight train mega-upgrade | Thaiger

    Thailand splashes billions on freight train mega-upgrade

    Thailand’s freight trains are about to get a serious upgrade—to the tune of 2.46 billion baht. The Cabinet has approved a massive procurement plan for 946 brand-new container flatcars for the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), aimed at modernising the country’s outdated rail freight infrastructure and keeping pace with booming logistics demands. SRT Governor Veeris Ammarapala confirmed the project will…

  • Thailand video news | Thailand tables bold 8-point peace plan in high-stakes Cambodia talks, Thailand ranked #1 worldwide for marital cheating | Thaiger

    Thailand video news | Thailand tables bold 8-point peace plan in high-stakes Cambodia talks, Thailand ranked #1 worldwide for marital cheating

    In Thailand video news, Alex and Jay cover news stories from across Thailand. The stories include Thailand tables a bold 8-point peace plan in high-stakes border talks with Cambodia, while a controversial war prediction lands a fortune teller in legal trouble. The government approves a $602 million deal for new Gripen fighter jets, and a man narrowly escapes an ambush…

  • Cops bust Pattaya kratom shop in drug den raid | Thaiger

    Cops bust Pattaya kratom shop in drug den raid

    A Pattaya kratom shop turned out to be a front for a drug den—with methamphetamine (meth), ketamine, and ecstasy uncovered during a late-night raid. At around 10.30pm yesterday, August 6, Bang Lamung district officials and police launched a coordinated operation at a suspicious kratom shop in Soi Naklua, following repeated complaints from residents about dodgy gatherings and suspected drug activity.…

  • Police bust major drug gang seizing 336 kg of narcotics | Thaiger

    Police bust major drug gang seizing 336 kg of narcotics

    Police apprehended a major drug trafficking gang, seizing 314 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine and 22 kilogrammes of ketamine, intended for distribution in Bangkok. The network is linked to a previously arrested gang from Wang Thonglang in May. At 1pm yesterday, August 6, at the Metropolitan Police Bureau Division 8, several high-ranking officers, including Police Lieutenant General Siam Boonsom and Police…

  • Thai woman’s ‘fat belly’ was 8kg cyst shock | Thaiger

    Thai woman’s ‘fat belly’ was 8kg cyst shock

    What looked like a bulging belly from too much food turned out to be an 8-kilogramme tumour—and the woman had no idea. A 31 year old Thai woman named Ratchanaporn from Satun province lived for years with a massive ovarian cyst growing inside her abdomen, completely unaware of its presence. Her family assumed she was overweight due to her eating…

  • Illegal cigarette trade in Songkhla cripples local businesses | Thaiger

    Illegal cigarette trade in Songkhla cripples local businesses

    The Thai Tobacco Trade Association has raised alarms over the rampant distribution of illicit cigarettes in Songkhla province, which has impacted over 4,000 legal tobacco retailers and forced the closure of about 200 small shops. Thanyasaran Sangthong, the association’s executive director, revealed that Songkhla ranks second in the country for illegal cigarette infiltration, severely affecting local tax revenue. The president…

  • Phuket police go high-tech to slash road chaos | Thaiger

    Phuket police go high-tech to slash road chaos

    Phuket police are going digital in a bold new bid to tackle the island’s growing traffic nightmare—and reckless drivers are firmly in the crosshairs. The Safer Road Connect initiative, launched yesterday, August 6, promises to revolutionise traffic enforcement in the province, using integrated vehicle data and real-time monitoring of road violations. The high-tech pilot programme was unveiled at The Pago…

  • Mystery surrounds death of woman in Samut Prakan apartment | Thaiger

    Mystery surrounds death of woman in Samut Prakan apartment

    In Samut Prakan, neighbours were shocked to discover the body of a 59 year old woman in her apartment after she failed to send her usual morning greetings for two consecutive days. Police are currently reviewing CCTV footage and awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. Today, August 7, Police Lieutenant Colonel Phatthakorn Chainoi of Bang Phli Police…

  • Thai worker loses life in explosion at oil tank factory in Kanchanaburi | Thaiger

    Thai worker loses life in explosion at oil tank factory in Kanchanaburi

    A male worker lost his life in an explosion at a factory in Kanchanaburi province. Two other workers were injured in the incident. A rescuer from the Khun Rattanawut Foundation, Persia Jongtawon, shared a video of the incident on his Facebook page yesterday, August 6. The explosion occurred at the Taspow oil tank production factory. In the caption, he wrote,…

  • Scottish expat loses legs in Bangkok lorry crash | Thaiger

    Scottish expat loses legs in Bangkok lorry crash

    A British man living in Thailand had both legs amputated after a horror motorbike crash with a lorry in Bangkok. Willie Braid, a 54 year old expat from Scotland, was hit while riding his motorbike in the capital on July 27. The driver of the lorry is alleged to have fled the scene in what appears to be a hit-and-run…

  • Influencer arrested with drugs and vehicles in Suphan Buri raid | Thaiger

    Influencer arrested with drugs and vehicles in Suphan Buri raid

    A prominent influencer has been arrested along with the seizure of methamphetamine and several vehicles after being linked to a major drug network in Suphan Buri. The operation was conducted by Suphan Buri police and the Region 7 investigative team yesterday, August 6. Under the direction of Police Major General Wacharin Prasopdee and Police Colonel Peera Atsawapiboonphon, the police apprehended…