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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Thai mother reunites with missing son after 5-year search
A Thai mother was reunited with her son yesterday, January 23, after he had been missing for five years, thanks to the efforts of the non-profit organisation, the Mirror Foundation. The Mirror Foundation released a missing person poster of the 13 year old Thai boy, Turnpong “Aut” Dokbuaban, on December 24, 2019. He disappeared from Sub Jarun Villa in Soi…
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Delivery rider snared by low-hanging cable in Pattaya horror
A Pattaya delivery rider suffered painful injuries after being caught by a low-hanging communication cable while riding through Soi Kho Phai, South Pattaya, yesterday, January 23. The victim, 44 year old Koson Kongsila, has urged local officials to take action, warning that similar hazards could put others at risk. Recounting the shocking incident, Koson explained he was riding his motorcycle…
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Thai man returns home to find his funeral after police error
A Thai man shocked his family when he arrived home in the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon to find they were holding a funeral for him. The confusion stemmed from a police error in identifying a dead body. Officers from Borrabue Police Station investigated the death of an unidentified man on January 18. The man was suspected to have died…
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Bangkok ranks 4th worst for air quality as haze chokes city
Bangkok’s air quality took a nosedive today, earning it the grim title of the fourth worst city in the world for air pollution, according to Swiss-based monitoring platform IQAir. The capital’s air quality index (AQI) hit a hazardous 188 as of 9.40am, with toxic PM2.5 levels far exceeding safe thresholds. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) declared 48 out of 50…
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Rock singer offers compensation after fatal Bangkok van crash
Rock singer Manaswin Nuntasane, also known as Tik Shiro, and his family have expressed their willingness to compensate the family of two people who died in a van accident in Bangkok on October 10 last year. They offer to pay 4 to 5 million baht, although the victims’ family is seeking 24 million baht. Tik Shiro, aged 63, addressed the…
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7 Thai suspects arrested for abduction and robbery in Chiang Mai
Yesterday, January 23, police arrested seven suspects, aged between 16 and 20 years old, for abducting a 25 year old woman from a condominium in the northern province of Chiang Mai, brutally assaulting her, and stealing her cash and mobile phone. The 25 year old victim, Worrada, filed a complaint against seven suspects at Mae Ping Police Station. The incident occurred…
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Phuket’s future: Seminar tackles bold new environmental rules
Phuket’s business leaders and environmental experts gathered yesterday, January 23 at the Royal Phuket City Hotel for a pivotal seminar titled Unlocking the Phuket Environment: Crisis or Opportunity? Organised by the Phuket Chamber of Commerce and presided over by Chamber President Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, the event focused on the sweeping new environmental regulations announced by the Ministry of Natural Resources and…
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Thai woman arrested for stealing 120,000 baht from Russian man in Pattaya
Police arrested a Thai woman for stealing 120,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone from a Russian victim in Pattaya on January 8. She confessed to spending most of the money on a holiday trip with her family. The 37 year old Russian man, Xavier, filed a complaint with officers at Bang Lamung Police Station on January 8, reporting that his…
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Chinese duo nabbed in Phuket café lion cub photo scam
Two Chinese nationals were arrested in Phuket after allegedly using lion cubs to lure tourists to The Glass House Cafe and Space, charging them for photo sessions with the animals. The café, located on Ratsada-Anusorn Road in Ratsada, has a history of similar wildlife abuse scandals, including last year’s notorious incident involving a cub named Nong Kiwi. Armed with a…
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Thai transwoman busted at Nonthaburi hotel for explicit content
A Thai transgender influencer with nearly 30,000 followers on social media has been arrested for operating a secret group distributing explicit content. The 22 year old suspect reportedly confessed to running the scheme for two years, raking in tens of thousands of baht per month. Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), revealed details…
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Lamborghini driver flees scene, leaving his valuables and injured pickup driver
A Lamborghini collided with a pickup truck in Phitsanulok province yesterday, January 23, leaving the pickup driver injured. However, the exotic car driver was nowhere to be seen, reportedly fleeing the scene and leaving behind tens of thousands of baht in cash inside his wrecked vehicle. Officers from Mueang Phitsanulok Police Station responded to the incident on Singhawat Road, outside…
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Lawyer criticised for opposing equal marriage in Thailand
Lawyer Thammarat Sarapanya has faced a wave of criticism following his comments on equal marriage, which he described as a violation of the universe’s laws. The remarks came after the new Marriage Equality Act, amending the Civil and Commercial Code, took effect yesterday, January 23. Thammarat expressed his views through his Facebook page “The Lawyer of Legality,” stating, “Equal marriage…
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AMLO combats fraud by closing 680,000 mule accounts
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has listed 72,031 persons for electronic transaction monitoring and closed over 680,000 mule accounts. AMLO’s Assistant Secretary-General, Witya Neetitham, yesterday reported on the Transaction Committee’s actions from December 2024 to January under the leadership of AMLO Secretary-General Tepsu Bowonchodidara. The committee has targeted assets linked to drug offences, fraud, and online gambling. In drug-related offences,…
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Thai man survives 8 days in forest with broken hip
A 30 year old Thai man survived after being lost for eight days in a forest in the central province of Kanchanaburi, despite suffering from a broken hip. Locals in Ban Matang Soo, located in the Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi, sought assistance from rescuers at the Khunnadham Kanchanaburi Foundation to search for the missing man, identified as Jao. He…
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Bangkok fights smog with free public transport for a week
The Thai government is taking bold action to tackle Bangkok’s persistent smog problem by offering free rides on the BTS, MRT, and BMTA buses for seven days, starting tomorrow, January 25. The initiative aims to reduce vehicle usage and ease air pollution in the capital. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Juangroongruangkit announced the measure today. “From January…
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4 schoolboys injured in class science experiment gone wrong at Phetchabun
Four schoolboys suffered severe burns from sparks igniting during a science experiment gone wrong in their classroom at a school in the central province of Phetchabun. The local news Facebook page, Phet Variety, reported the unexpected accident at Na Chaliang Pittayakom School in Phetchabun yesterday, January 23, along with pictures of 14 year old students whose faces and hands were…
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Phuket hosts landmark event for equal marriage registrations
Phuket hosted a groundbreaking event yesterday, January 23, marking a significant advance in the recognition of equal marriage registrations in Thailand. This event was part of the nationwide initiative, DOPA-Day One: Beating the Gong to Win All Love, and was held at the Bay Arena in Jungceylon shopping mall, Patong. The event saw 24 couples, including seven male-male and 14…
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Bangkok hospital confirms no elderly death in foreign man rampage
A hospital in Bangkok confirmed that no elderly patient deaths were reported following a rampage caused by a foreign man on Wednesday, January 22. The identity of the foreigner remains under investigation. A video showing a foreign man going on a rampage at what was later confirmed to be Sirindhorn Hospital in Bangkok was shared on the Facebook page AggressiveDoctor. The…
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Massive 6-metre python snatched from condo ceiling in Pattaya
Terrified residents of a South Pattaya condo were left clutching their hearts after a massive 6-metre python was found slithering through the ceiling panels, prompting an intense rescue operation yesterday, January 23. The drama began when a housekeeper spotted the snake’s tail dangling from the bathroom ceiling near the swimming pool area. Initial attempts to capture the slippery giant failed,…
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7 rangers injured in Narathiwat monastery bomb blast
In Narathiwat’s Ra-ngae district, seven military rangers sustained injuries following a bomb explosion at a Buddhist monastery pavilion yesterday, January 23. The rangers, from Ranger Company 4511, were patrolling to ensure the safety of local officials attending a subdistrict administrative organisation meeting. The improvised explosive device was concealed in the pavilion and detonated during the rangers’ rest stop, according to…
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Russian man throws son overboard in Phang Nga, leaving boy dead
A Russian man allegedly threw his 13 year old half-Thai, half-Russian son out of a speedboat in the sea off the southern province of Phang Nga on Wednesday, January 22, resulting in the boy being struck by a propeller and subsequently losing his life. Workers on the speedboat alerted officers from Kuraburi Police Station to the pier in the Kuraburi…
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Wildlife trafficking: Birds and red pandas seized in Thailand
The National Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) searched a property in Nakhon Pathom where rare birds were being kept, after seizing two red pandas valued at millions of baht in Nonthaburi. Deputy commander Police Colonel Arun Wachirasrisukanya announced yesterday that police obtained a court warrant to search the premises in Thap Luang subdistrict, Mueang district. This investigation followed the…
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Temperatures drop as cold air mass covers Thailand
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued its first warning of a cold air mass that will result in significant temperature drops across upper Thailand. The southern region should also brace for heavy rainfall due to a monsoon. The notice outlines the impact from January 26 to 28. A new surge of high pressure or a cold air mass from China…
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Airport arrest: Chinese murder suspects nabbed in Thailand
Two Chinese nationals wanted for murder in Hong Kong were arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday evening, January 22, as they attempted to flee justice. The suspects, identified as Yau Shu-Ko Enoch and Shimeobi Chinedu Nelson, are accused of committing a fatal crime in Hong Kong earlier that day. According to Police Major General Choengron Rimphadee, commander of Immigration…
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Burmese man tries to rape 9 year old Thai boy and, kills him for resisting
A Burmese man killed a nine year old Thai boy and abandoned his body in a pond in Samut Prakan province, near Bangkok, after the young victim resisted his rape attempts. The family of the nine year old boy took to social media to search for him after he went missing from their community in the Phra Samut Chedi district…
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British tourist busted in Patong for cocaine possession
A 20 year old British man was arrested on Tuesday night, January 21, in Patong for possession of cocaine, as police crack down on drug-related offences in Phuket’s popular tourist hotspots. The arrest occurred near Yona Pier on Thawewong Road, commonly known as the Beach Road, around 10.45pm. Patong Police confirmed the man, whose identity remains undisclosed, was found carrying…
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Thai man with disability loses motorcycle to woman he met online
A Thai man with a disability lost his motorcycle to a woman he met on Facebook during a meeting at his accommodation in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on Monday, January 20. The 32 year old victim, Thanathat Sisarikorn, shared his story of the theft with a local news Facebook page, Khao Nonthaburi, last night, January 22, at around 10pm, hoping…
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Cyber Crime Division probes legality of Jagat coin app
Thailand’s Cyber Crime Division has identified the Jagat coin as potentially illegal, uncovering three bank accounts linked to player transactions, and has summoned account holders for questioning. Players are warned of possible legal repercussions. Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiewpan, commander of the Cyber Crime Division, yesterday highlighted concerns about the Jagat coin hunt app. Initial investigations suggest it may involve…
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Pattaya Beach: Drunken vendor launches attack over stolen mat
A heated argument over a stolen beach mat erupted into violence on Pattaya Beach in the early hours of yesterday, January 22, leaving a 59 year old vendor injured. The dramatic confrontation has shocked witnesses and raised questions about the fierce competition among vendors on the bustling beach. Suphanee, a veteran beach mat vendor, accused a fellow vendor of stealing…
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Thai soldier has 4 mistresses, divorces leukaemia driven wife
A Thai woman with leukaemia is seeking justice after her soldier husband sued her in order to file for divorce and live with his four mistresses. The 42 year old legal wife, Ying, travelled from the central province of Sing Buri to meet members of the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive to seek help. Ying revealed that she initially turned a…
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