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.
-
Sponsored Best facial treatments in Bangkok for radiant skin
If urban life has left your skin feeling as stressed as the Friday evening rush hour, there’s no reason to let it dampen your spirits. The answer to your skin's prayers might just involve less commuting and more pampering. Thankfully,...
-
WARNING: Don’t buy fingers online!
If you could count on your hands how many people were ripped off in a recent online scam, you are probably not their target victim. A couple went public to the press to expose what they believe is a scam they encountered when trying to buy replacement fingers online. Yes, fingers. While this is a fairly specific scam targeting a…
-
Elephant’s back caves in after 25 years of tourist rides in Thailand
Pai Lin the elephant spent over 25 years in Thailand’s trekking industry, where she was forced to give rides to up to six tourists at a time. Now, her back is visibly deformed. She now lives free at Thailand’s biggest wildlife rescue centre where she can roam chain-free and engage in natural behaviours. Photographs show that Pai Lin’s spine, which should naturally be rounded…
-
Phuket dwellers run for Turkey and Syria
The people of Phuket are stepping up for victims of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Early yesterday morning, hundreds of Phuket dwellers gathered to participate in a charity fun run to raise funds for earthquake victims. The run was organised by the Phuket Tourism Association (PTA), and supported by more than 16 local private businesses and government agencies. The…
-
Woman’s body found floating in waters of Koh Tao, Thailand
A boat driver found a woman’s body floating in the waters of Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Centre (MECC) reported this morning. The woman was discovered floating among 20 200-litre oil barrels around 12 nautical miles northwest of Koh Tao island in the Koh Pha Ngan district. Speedboat operators from Koh…
-
Australian drug trafficker breaks silence on hellish 7 years in Thai prison
An Australian woman convicted of drug trafficking has broken her silence about her hellish seven years behind bars in a maximum-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand. Holly Deane-Johns was spared the death sentence and handed 31 years in prison in 2003 after pleading guilty to attempting to post 10.6 grams of heroin from Thailand to Australia in 2000 when she was…
-
New hospital aims to boost Samui medical tourism
A new hospital hopes to boost medical and wellness tourism on the popular holiday island of Koh Samui. Wattanapat Samui Hospital has just opened its doors, marking the fifth medical facility on the island. The hospital has 380 beds, specialist personnel, and modern equipment that are expected to boost confidence in Koh Samui as a wellness destination. Dr Somchai Chansawang,…
-
Government websites mostly hacked to promote gambling
When a government website gets hacked, one might assume it’s an act of cyber warfare or a government opposition protest group. The truth is far less nefarious. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) announced that, out of about 500 cyberattacks on government websites last year, two-thirds of the hacks were to promote online gambling websites. According to the…
-
Thai cop resigns citing ‘protection of the guilty’
A Thai cop who said he was a sergeant in the central Suphan Buri province resigned from his job. His resignation letter is making waves on social media. In the letter, which a fellow police officer posted on Facebook on Saturday, the officer cites “protection of the guilty” as one of the reasons for the loss of morale among police.…
-
Chiang Mai mother pays 400 baht (plus extras) for husband’s murder
A Chiang Mai mother trapped in a loveless marriage of more than 20 years, last week decided that she had taken enough beatings and abuse. Living in the village of Khun Yuam, Kanda Cheewasawat was exhausted by the brutality of her vicious, drunken husband Phetchaburapa Meesri many years before. She had often tried to leave, but he wouldn’t let her.…
-
Thailand’s Q4 economy slows as exports decline
Thailand’s Q4 economy grew by 1.4% in the final quarter of 2022 with hopes high for a tourism-led recovery. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew slower than expected in the fourth quarter of 2022 as exports and manufacturing declined. The much-anticipated rebound in tourism will continue to boost the recovery this year as global demand for manufactured goods declines. On a…
-
Russian brotherhood stealing Phuket jobs
Hotels are unwelcoming. In the massage parlours, everyone is tense. Down Walking Street, in the girly bars, excitement is high and the air is filled with fearful chatter. The girls are aquiver in anticipation. The Russian ‘brotherhood’ (bratva) stealing Phuket jobs is bringing a whole new style of beatings and rapes to Thailand’s peaceful brothels. How will the new regime…
-
Single Russian roulette bullet kills two men
A single irresponsible bullet ended the life of two men playing a game in Ayutthaya in the early hours of yesterday morning. While playing a game of Russian roulette, a 30 year old man fired a .38 calibre pistol at his head and lost the game. The bullet passed through his head and hit his 23 year old friend who…
-
Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research
Thailand’s cheating lecturers are under investigation as eight of the kingdom’s universities claim that a third of lecturers have submitted research papers that they bought on the Internet and claimed as their work. Sirirurg Songsivilai, permanent secretary of the department of higher education, told the media that… “Thirty-four universities have conducted separate investigations into research papers submitted by more than…
-
The Importance of Wellness ft. Niels Steeman | Thaiger Podcast Ep.24
Click the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/WaQ-gHWE1NA Niels Steeman. Health, Fitness & Life Coach. A former senior executive in the travel and tourist industry turned health and wellness expert. Throughout his transformative journey he has gained an extensive amount of knowledge that has led into providing sustainable success stories for many of his clients using The Thrive Approach. A…
-
All the single ladies… Unmarried Thai women sick of being bad-mouthed
As a foreigner who is not married and has no intention of ever marrying, unmarried Thai women are not happy with me, and neither is anyone else. It seems to me that Thai society is composed of everyone knowing their own place and knowing everyone else’s place too. There actually is a place for a “man like me” – it’s…
-
Cloud Nine Celebrates their “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening Wednesday March 1st, 2023
Press Release Cloud Nine has officially opened its doors, offering a fun and immersive space where guests can find a highly curated selection of the finest cannabis and head shop accessories throughout Thailand. On March 1st, Cloud Nine will celebrate by hosting a “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening extravaganza. The exciting atmosphere of Cloud Nine lures guests in by offering comfortable…
-
SRT insists 96.3 million baht robots are worth the dosh
The Thai public demanded clarification regarding the benefits and quality of the UV-C light disinfection robots after the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) splashed 96.3 million baht on the equipment. Many have claimed that they have yet to witness the costly robots in operation despite the SRT’s purchase of them. According to a report from the Public Relations Department of…
-
Thai monk starring in sex clip claims he was drugged by German man
A Thai monk is in the spotlight after a video of him performing oral sex on a German man circulated on the Internet. The Buddhist monk admitted it was him in the clip but claims it was filmed two years ago when he temporarily left the monkhood. Not only that, he claims that the German man drugged him with a…
-
Thai Airways cancels flights to Germany due to strikes
Thai Airways announced the cancellation of all flights from Bangkok to Frankfurt and Munich and vice versa today – February 17 – due to labour strikes at airports all over Germany. Airport workers at major hubs in Germany are taking part in a day-long strike today over pay disrupting airline operations. Public sector workers and ground handlers are striking at…
-
Thai Parliament authorises lese majeste law changes, including the word ‘monarchy’
In a move that could see even more people prosecuted for insulting the Thai monarchy, the far-right Thai Pakdee Party has been given the green light to gather signatures for proposed changes to the lese majeste laws. The changes would expand the definition of those protected by the law to include former Thai kings of the current Chakri Dynasty, princes…
-
Big Joke says Canadian businessman didn’t murder Thai girlfriend in Phuket
UPDATE 2 Deputy national police chief “Big Joke,” says that a Canadian businessman did not murder his Thai girlfriend who was found hanged in her nail salon in Phuket, southern Thailand, on February 8. Landy came into the spotlight when the deceased’s elder brother Kriengsak accused him of murdering his younger sister Wanvisa Riewklang. Surachat “Big Joke” Hakparn said that…
-
Govt confident new programme will stamp out illegal drugs in Thailand
Thailand has long been plagued by a history of drug abuse. The kingdom has harsh penalties for those caught possessing, taking, or selling illegal drugs. The Thaiger writes story after story of Yaba-fuelled chaos, drug busts and the illicit trafficking of narcotics dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited pharmaceuticals. The government, however, is optimistic that it…
-
Elderly Thai market vendor wins 12 million baht lottery jackpot
An elderly Thai lady says she will continue her career selling fried chive cakes at the market despite winning 12 million baht in the government lottery yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, 72 year old Phuangphet Pelacheun from the northern province of Uttaradit forgot to check the lottery results. When her colleagues started talking about the winning numbers, Grandma Phuangphet leapt up, screamed…
-
Thailand’s smartphone market poised for revival
As the world starts to emerge from the pandemic, Thailand‘s smartphone market is expected to see a resurgence in the second half of 2023. Despite a decrease in smartphone sales last year, the premium smartphone segment remains strong and is less affected by economic woes. According to Wansiri Fitschen, a senior category manager at Thai Samsung Electronics, pre-orders for the…
-
Thai ecologist sounds alarm on declining shark numbers
A Thai ecologist is sounding the alarm on the decline in the number of sharks in the country’s waters. The marine ecologist, Assistant Professor Thon Thamrongnawasawat, the deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University, presented some worrying facts about the situation. Dr Thon said that around 75 of the 87 shark species in Thai waters are endangered.…
-
75 Foreign lives lost by road accidents in 2023 | GMT
In today’s episode, Thailand’s plastic bag use plunges by 148,000 tonnes in 3 years, Phuket health spa slams travel agency for ripping off foreigners, 400 people fall victim to Japan tour scam resulting in 14 million baht loss, Massive fire breaks out in front of Pattaya massage parlour, and Thailand’s perilous roads claim the lives of 75 foreigners so…
-
Body of Thai woman killed in Turkey earthquake returns home
The body of the young Thai woman who was killed by the recent earthquake in Turkey has been returned to her family in Chaiyaphum province in northeast Thailand. At 4am this morning, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs returned the body of 29 year old Chamaiphon “Dao” Homsanthia to her home town in Nong Bua Rawae district in Chaiyaphum.…
-
Thai woman protests agains Polish husband’s deportation in Bangkok
UPDATE A Thai lady and her relative staged a two-person protest at the United Nations HQ in Bangkok to appeal for “justice” for her Polish husband, who says that forcing him to return to Poland is a certain death sentence for him, reports SiamRath. Sornsiri Khittook’s 37 year old husband Michal Kamil Wielebinski, was arrested and detained in Koh Samui…
-
400 people fall victim to Japan tour scam resulting in 14 million baht loss
Representatives from 10 travel agencies filed a complaint with the Central Investigation Bureau after being lured into buying 14 million baht worth of fake tour packages to Japan. Over 400 victims have been duped by the scam so far. Representatives for the group claimed to have purchased tour packages from a major company based in the central province of Pathum…
-
Thai Airways expands into 5 Chinese cities
Thailand‘s flag carrier Thai Airways (THAI) is ramping up flights to China to facilitate increased demand from the Chinese tourist market since the country recently reopened its borders for the first time in three years. Thai Airways will operate 14 nonstop services per week to five hot destinations, the earliest departing on March 1, 2023… Bangkok – Kunming Twice per…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.