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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Thailand & China fighter jets take off on Falcon Strike drills
The Royal Thai Air Force yesterday reported it will resume a fighter jets exercise with China this weekend. The Falcon Strike exercise between Thailand and China was an annual event until it was postponed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The drill has taken place four times since 2015 and takes flight once again on Sunday, August 14. It…
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Fans flock to free entry Pattaya Music Festival held every weekend of August
Tens of thousands of music fans are flocking to Pattaya Music Festival this month in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The festival is held every Friday and Saturday of the month at stages in several locations in Pattaya, kicking off at 5pm. Entry is free. Festival goers are more than ready to party after the festival was postponed in…
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Police raid Chinese porn studio in Chon Buri, 4 arrested
A computer fraudulently bought by a Chinese man led police from Sattahip and Na Jomtien to raid a Chinese porn studio in mid-set in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. Four suspects were arrested during the raid at the porn studio hidden in a pool villa in Sattahip district on Friday, August 5, including the 33 year old Chinese director Li, 24…
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Aussie man plunges to death from 17th floor of Pattaya hotel
A 41 year old Australian man fell to his death from the 17th floor of his hotel balcony in Pattaya yesterday. The man, believed to be Matthew Leigh Plant from Adelaide, checked into the View Talay 6 in central Pattaya just before 7am, and an hour later his body was found dead face down in the car park. Police and…
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UK student conquers mountain in Thailand blindfolded
A Cambridge philosophy student conquered a Thai mountain blindfolded in tribute to his blind sister and to raise money for charity. The 21 year old scholar climbed the treacherous Doi Suthep, near Chiang Mai, with his girlfriend, as he embarked on a three-day journey on July 11 blindfolded to fundraise for a charity that supports his sister Harriet, who was…
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Red Shirts lead rally against Thailand PM on August 23
The leader of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, or Red Shirts, yesterday invited people to protest against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on August 23, the day before he officially stands down as Thailand’s PM. The 68 year old prime minister is expected to resign on August 24 after two concurrent four year terms. In Section 158 of…
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Netizens slam cannabis firm for encouraging underage users
Thai netizens raised questions about the easy accessibility of a cannabis vending machine that has mysteriously appeared in Bangkok. Last Saturday, a Thai Twitter user, C.Veasarach, posted a picture of a cannabis vending machine in Bangkok, although did not state its exact location, named This Machine Is Green, with a caption that said… “Here it is… This is a vending…
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Thai man dies of suspected heart attack in love motel
The dead body of a 62 year old Thai man was found yesterday in a love motel near Khlong Ta Ket community in tambon Paknam in Muang district. Police believe he died of a heart attack. Hotel staff found the dead body of the man, named only as Thawi, lying on the floor of the motel room at about 9.30pm.…
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Karen woman stabbed to death in central Thailand
A Karen woman was found dead lying in a pool of blood outside of a condo building in Nonthaburi province yesterday at 11pm. Police said she had been stabbed in the neck with a knife. Officers from Bang Bua Thong Police Station, doctors from the Institute of Forensic Sciences, and rescue workers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation were called to the…
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Anutin: “If I have to be the prime minister, I will be.”
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that, if people want him, he is willing to step in as the next prime minister of Thailand. Anutin, who also has been serving as the Minister of Public Health throughout the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic and response, said that if the citizens of Thailand want him to be their next leader, he is willing…
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New app to help migrant women in Thailand facing abuse
UN Women and Thai non-government organisations (NGOs) have collaborated to create a new app for migrant women in Thailand facing sexual abuse and violence. The app has been named “Smart Domestic Workers.” Smart Domestic Workers provides information on ways that migrant women can protect themselves from violence, in four languages: Thai, English, Burmese, and Khmer. Users can search for hospitals,…
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NIDA Poll: PM Prayut should not extend term after August 24
A new poll from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) showed that the majority of people want PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to finish his role as prime minister at the end of his eight year term on August 24. There have been different interpretations of the current constitution and whether the prime minister is eligible to continue his role or…
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Thailand’s hotels are short on workers
The majority of Thai hotels surveyed recently admitted they are short on workers, according to the Thai Hotels Association. About 68% of 118 hotels surveyed said they are short-staffed. The workers needed include maids, receptionists, cleaners, cooks, waiters, and technicians. The survey was conducted from July 17-25. The reason not enough people are seeking hotel jobs may likely have to…
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“Captain Condom” Mechai spent decades normalising condoms
A pivotal figure in battling both Thailand’s overpopulation problem of the 1970s and the AIDS epidemic beginning in the 80s, Mechai Viravaidya earned his title of Captain Condom. The controversial but charming man is now 81 years old, but Mechai famously battled for decades for birth control and sexual health so fervently that his adversaries pushed to popularise calling condoms…
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Why stay at a serviced apartment in Thailand? | Ascott ThongLor
Now that Thailand has fully reopened its doors to travellers and tourists, the Kingdom is now expecting more foreign expats to come back. But with the abundant choices of where to stay, be it hotels, condominiums or serviced apartments, many guests find it hard to select the proper accommodation that fits their needs. In this episode, Natty Warisa deep dives…
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Thai officials help restore Australia’s Koala habitats
Thai officials from several different bodies are helping to save the homes of a beloved Australian animal, the koala. On Australia’s National Tree Day on July 31, the officials pitched in to help plant 1,000 trees in Australia’s You Yangs Regional Park. The groups rolling up their sleeves to help included the Royal Thai Embassy and the Tourism Authority of…
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TAT says Thailand drew 3.3 million foreign tourists from January-July
Thailand has drawn 3.3 million foreign tourists between January and July this year, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. While about 1.9 million tourists travelled through Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport, about 600,000 travelled through Phuket International Airport. About 190,000 people travelled through Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport. As tourism officials had predicted in June, Malaysia has now beat India as…
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Thailand to exploit the mini trade war between Taiwan & China
Thailand is looking to exploit the strained relationship between China and Taiwan exacerbated by the visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taipei on Tuesday. Reports circulating in the media say that China is to embark on a mini-trade war with Taiwan to economically punish them because of Pelosi’s visit, and plans to suspend the import of 35 foodstuff categories from the…
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The return of the most important coffee event in Thailand
Press Release Kavin Intertrade is organizing “The 16th Thailand Coffee, Tea & Drinks, and Thailand Bakery & Ice Cream to support the industry’s growth. The event is expected to generate purchase orders of 500 million baht in 4 days and have 17,000 visitors from 20 countries. The tradeshow will take place on 25 – 28 August 2022, at Hall 99, BITEC, Bangkok, between 10:00 a.m. –…
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Disgraced cop Joe Ferrari hasn’t repented says lawyer
The lawyer who leaked the video of disgraced cop Joe Ferrari murdering a drug suspect does not believe he has repented. The claim is in response to an announcement by Ferrari’s family yesterday who said the former high-profile police officer has acknowledged his part in the death of the drug suspect and accepted he will spend the rest of his…
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2 Thai activists released on bail after 64-day hunger strike
Two Thai female political activists were released on bail yesterday after a 64-day hunger strike. They had been jailed under the Section 112 charge of defamation of the Thai royal family. The political activists, Natchanit “Baipor” Duangmusit, and Netiporn “Bung” Sanesangkom were imprisoned in May under the lèse majesté laws. The court had refused bail many times during their imprisonment…
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Thai university students to hold protest on August 10 despite government ban
Students of Thammasat University will hold a protest on August 10 at the university’s Rangsit campus, just north of Bangkok in Pathum Thani province, despite the Thai government’s ban on protests. A new ban on public gatherings was published in the Royal Gazette on Monday to “prevent the spread of Covid-19.” The controversial ban on protests is permitted under the…
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Thai man dies from electrocution after friends warn him against electrofishing
A man from Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand was found dead in the forest this morning clutching pliers, electric wires, and a fishing net. The body of 49 year old Montien [surname reserved] was found next to a pond in the forest behind a worker’s camp on Malaiman Road in the Mueang district in the early hours of this…
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VIDEO: European tourist roams around Pattaya stark naked
Just another day in Pattaya. Onlookers were dismayed when a European man wearing nothing but a bum bag casually strolled down a busy street in Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district at around midnight last night. The naked tourist had nothing on but a fanny pack and a camera slung over his shoulder. South Pattaya police said the naked man spat on…
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Man goes fishing in the road to prove a point in northeast Thailand
A man from Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast Thailand, sarcastically grabbed his fishing rod and launched it into a pond-sized pothole this morning in an attempt to bring attention to the sorry state of road affairs in Non Man Thet village. The village has been waiting over 10 years for the road to be repaired and he has had enough. The…
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Survey names Lat Phrao as most desired district in Bangkok
A recent survey by Kaidee Property makes interesting reading for those interested in Bangkok’s real estate market. The online buying and selling platform revealed that during the first six months of this year Lat Phrao district was the most searched residential area in the capital, followed by Chatuchak, Bang Khae, Suan Luang, and Lat Krabang. Turns out these five areas…
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Chiang Rai Airport to stay closed until August 6 following Nok Air incident
The Nok Air plane which skidded off Chiang Rai Airport’s runway during landing on Saturday night was finally lifted out of the mud and removed at 4am today, but the airport will remain closed until August 6 due to poor safety standards. The incident sparked a safety inspection by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), which found that the…
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Undercover policeman arrested for selling meth to teenagers in northeast Thailand
Police in Maha Sarakham province in northeast Thailand arrested a man yesterday for selling Yaba (“crazy drug”) – branded methamphetamine pills cut with caffeine – to teenagers in the Kantharawichai district. Turns out the drug dealer is an undercover policeman. Yesterday, officers from the Royal Thai Police and Maha Sarakaham Provincial Special Operations Unit closed in on a hut in…
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Thailand backs ‘One China’ policy amid US Taiwan PR disaster
Thailand called for restraint between China and the United States amid Nancy Pelosi’s brief visit to Taiwan on Tuesday. It is unclear why the US House of Representatives Speaker met with Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-Wen in Taipei, other than yet another shit-stirring exercise by the US to provoke China into doing something rash. It almost had the desired effect. China’s…
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5 slurp worthy bowls of ramen in Bangkok for 2022
Slurpable noodles, savoury broth, and flavourful toppings – nothing comforts the soul quite like a steaming bowl of ramen. Thankfully for those looking to slurp down delicious noodles in a flavourful soup, Bangkok is dotted with fantastic ramen restaurants. From high-end joints to chain restaurants, you’ll find lots of spots to enjoy this Japanese comfort food. Whether you like lean…
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