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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Thailand to issue one-year visas for medical tourists
Thailand is trying to attract more rich tourists by promoting itself as a destination for medical treatment, with hospital operators such as Bangkok Dusit Medical Services and Bumrungrad Hospital among the companies expected to profit the most from the new visa. The latest attempt to lure so-called high-quality visitors comes with just as many unfathomable restrictions as previous attempts to…
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British sex offender extradited from Thailand imprisoned in Scotland
UPDATE The British man who fled to Thailand after being convicted of possessing over 60,000 indecent images of children in 2014 has been imprisoned in Scotland. On Monday, Hamilton Sheriff Court jailed 46 year old William Dempster, from Tayside, for 18 months and placed him on the sex offenders’ register. Dempster was found guilty in 2014 but absconded to Thailand…
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Residents furious 20 million baht rest area on Thailand Riviera Road abandoned
Residents are up in arms about a motorway services station and rest area that has been abandoned on the Thailand Riviera Road in the southern province of Chumphon. The Riviera Road was part of a government project in 2009 which tried to level up the coast of the southern provinces of Thailand and make it a must-visit destination for tourists…
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HelloFresh accused of using coconut milk made using monkey labour in Thailand
PETA Asia urges HelloFresh – a global meal-kit company – to “do the right thing” and stop using coconut milk made using monkey labour in Thailand. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says HelloFresh’s coconut milk is supplied by Suree and Aroy-D, two brands that PETA says have admitted to using monkey labour in their coconut milk production.…
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Fisherman finds dead dugong in Krabi
In a tragedy for Thailand’s animal lovers, a fisherman found a dead dugong in the southern Krabi province on Sunday. The fisherman found the dugong in the sea and pulled it up onto a pier. A consultant of the Krabi Fishermen Association said the dugong was a male, and around three years old. He said it weighed 100 kilograms and…
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Police search for naked tourist riding a motorcycle in public
Police officers in the north-central province of Phetchabun are searching for a Thai tourist who was featured on a viral video riding a motorcycle naked on a public road. Local News Phetchabun (ข่าวท้องถิ่นเพชรบูรณ์) posted a video of two male tourists on a motorcycle last night. The male rider wore clothes but his passenger was naked aside from a helmet and…
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Police seize four tiger cubs in northeast Thailand
Police and national park officials arrested a Thai couple and seized four tiger cubs worth 2 million baht this morning in Mukdahan province in northeast Thailand. Despite officers luring the couple to arrest by posing as interested customers, they panicked and told police they planned on raising the tigers themselves. Just a few months ago, the mastermind behind the seizure,…
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Rude passport office director blames customers for system failure making them miss flights
A furious Thai woman complained at one of the nation’s passport offices in Bangkok after she paid 3,000 baht for a special express passport service but still missed her flight. More than 100 people queued at the Department of Consular Affairs in Bangkok until 7pm yesterday with several customers missing their flights because they could not get a passport on time.…
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House fire kills family of 3 and 12 pets in central Thailand
A blazing fire engulfed a house in Pathum Thani province in central Thailand last night killing a couple, their one year old child, and 12 pets. At 1am today, officers from Thanya Buri Police Station were informed of a house fire in Pruksa Village Khlong 8 in Thanya Buri district. Police, firefighters, and rescue workers from the Por Teck Thung…
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Joe Ferrari revealed to have 1.3 billion baht in assets
By now, it is well known that disgraced and murderous Pol Col Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon amassed a fortune in luxury cars and suspicious wealth. But today, the National Anti-Corruption Commission put a price tag on it: 1.3 billion baht. The staggering net worth was announced as the NACC argues a court appeal should be allowed to confiscate and liquidate his…
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Rare Asian golden cat spotted in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary posted photos on Facebook of a rare Asian golden cat spotted strolling through a road in Chaiyaphum province in northeast Thailand. In the Thai language, the Asian golden cat is called Suea Fai (Fire Tiger). The species is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to habitat loss and…
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Woman warns others after being stalked by creepy taxi driver
A woman driver issued a warning to others after she was stalked by a taxi driver to her home in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. The cab driver denied the accusation saying he was hired by an unknown person to follow her. The woman, Thitichaya (surname reserved), said she was stalked by a taxi driver for over 10 kilometres. The…
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Wrong spelling of ‘Welcom’ spotted on APEC banners
Thailand has made great efforts to ensure this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting goes smoothly, unfortunately, a double gaff by one of the government departments has left the nation red-faced. Dignitaries, VIPs, and visitors to the APEC Summit yesterday were greeted by banners along the Chalong Rat Expressway which read “Welcom to APEC 2022.” But that’s not all. If…
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Small earthquake shakes Chiang Rai in northern Thailand
A small earthquake struck along the Thai – Myanmar border in the Chiang Rai province in northern Thailand in the early hours of this morning, according to the Meteorological Department. No injuries or damages have been reported. At 3.38am, the department‘s Earthquake Surveillance Division reported that a 3.2 magnitude earthquake with a depth of 3 kilometres occurred in the Mae Salong…
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Thai FDA warns against drinking erectile dysfunction coffee
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned the public against consuming “Gomax Coffee,” a product advertised as treating erectile dysfunction. The FDA said consuming the coffee risks blindness and heart failure. Today, the FDA reported the results of their product testing on “Gomax Coffee” – serial number 122046610023 – produced by PY Intergroup Col, Ltd., in Nonthaburi province and distributed…
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3 teen boys kidnapped, tortured, and forced to perform oral sex by sadistic gang
Three teen boys were kidnapped, tortured, and forced to engage in gay sex against their will at gunpoint by a sadistic gang of teenagers at a house in the Hua Mark area of Bangkok. The victims suffered burns on their penises, were forced to drink urine, take part in oral sex, and fight with each other. Only one offender has been…
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SpiceJet launches new direct flight between Thailand and India
Budget Indian airline SpiceJet launched direct flights between Pune in India and Bangkok in Thailand operating four days per week. SpiceJet also flies directly from Bangkok to Delhi and Kolkata. A Boeing 737 will operate the Pune – Bangkok service on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Flight SG 82 will depart from the sprawling Indian city of Pune, just south of…
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Over 200 outlaw motorcycle riders arrested in Phetchabun
More than 200 touring motorcycle riders on a philanthropic mission to help poor schoolchildren were arrested while travelling in the north-central province of Phetchabun after they broke several traffic laws and caused a public nuisance. The altruistic group, called the No Shower Trip (ทริปน้ำไม่อาบ), revealed they gathered to ride to a school in a rural area and deliver classroom equipment…
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Airlines ask passengers to arrive early for flights during APEC Summit in Bangkok
Passengers flying out of Don Mueang Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport between November 14-20 should arrive earlier than usual to facilitate delays caused by the APEC Summit which will be held in Bangkok this week. Nok Air requests that passengers arrive at least three hours ahead of their departure time for international flights and two hours ahead of their scheduled departure…
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TAT promotes Thailand on London bus
Tourism officials launched a new campaign promoting sunny Thailand in cloudy London as winter approaches. A London double-decker bus now has the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s “amazing THAILAND” logo written across it in pink. Beneath the logo are images of boats in the sea, with the hashtags #AmazingThailand and #AlwaysWarm, as seen in photos by Pattaya Mail. TAT’s new…
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Thailand’s water buffalo raising declared as global agricultural heritage system
Raising water buffalo at the Thale Noi Waterfowl Park in the southern province of Pattalung has been declared a Global Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives proposed a water buffalo raising system at the Thale Noi Waterfowl to the FAO in October last year.…
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PM calls on Thai citizens to help APEC delegates have a smooth summit
Thailand’s Prime Minister is calling on Thais to help APEC delegates have a smooth summit by being good hosts. Prayut Chan-o-cha says the kingdom is ready to host the special summit on November 18. According to Thai PBS World, Prayut asked all parties to ensure orderliness throughout the summit and its related meetings. “This is an event of national importance.”…
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Thai baht soars against US dollar
The volatile Thai baht made a fierce comeback against the weakening US dollar, soaring to 35.93 against the greenback over the weekend. Just a few weeks ago, the baht depreciated to 38.35 against the dollar. At the end of September, the Thai baht plunged to 38 against the US dollar for the first time in 16 years amid aggressive interest…
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FIFA says no to Thailand’s TV World Cup discount request
Thailand’s embarrassing Dickensian-like cap-in-hand approach to getting the FIFA World Cup 2022 television broadcasting license at a discounted price was met with a resounding no from FIFA. Three private companies stepped up to the plate to chip in another 400 million baht to add to the government’s 600 million baht subsidy to round up the pot to make 1 billion…
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Russian tourist drowns in Phuket, Thailand
A Russian tourist drowned yesterday morning while swimming at Karon Beach on the west coast of Phuket island in southern Thailand. At 9.20am, lifeguards at Karon Beach called the Karon Municipality Rescue Foundation and informed them that a tourist had lost consciousness and did not have a pulse. The rescue team arrived and gave him CPR but it was not…
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Fire guts abandoned Pattaya sports club
A fire gutted an abandoned Pattaya sports club on Saturday. The huge blaze destroyed the Pattaya Land and House Village in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Firefighters took about half an hour to put out the flames. Most of the objects in the one-storey club were destroyed, but luckily there were no injuries. Firefighters said the blaze was believed to…
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Young travellers spend locally, raise tourism awareness
While Thailand has based their tourism strategy solely on attracting wealthy, mostly older tourists, an official with Tourism Australia has cautioned the world not to underestimate the value of young travellers. At the 2022 World Travel Market in London, the regional general manager for the UK and Northern Europe of Tourism Australia spoke about the importance of young backpackers. She…
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The Best Place for the Finest Foods | Tops Fine Foods Sukhumvit 49
If you are someone who lives to eat and enjoys the finer things in life, then TOPS Fine Food is exactly the place for you to go and stock up your fridge. It can be difficult sometimes to find one place that has it all. With more than 8,000 items across various products, such as cheese, cold cuts, meat, seafood,…
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4am curfew proposal protested by drunk driver victims
Entertainment venue and nightlife operators are fervently pushing for a 4am closing time and have gained support from many key government officials. But a protest outside Government House pushed back against a later curfew, fueled by victims of drunk drivers and a coalition of anti-drink driving activists. The 4am curfew extension is expected to be officially proposed to the Cabinet…
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The Journey to Legalizing Cryptocurrency in Thailand ft.Topp Jirayut | Thaiger Podcast
Topp Jirayut Srupsrisopa, Founder and Group CEO of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd., — the LARGEST blockchain and digital asset group of companies in Thailand. He is one of Thailand’s youngest leading bitcoin and open blockchain experts with more than 8 years of experience in the blockchain industry. Topp is also an Executive Board Member and Vice President at…
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