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 See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Soldier murders teacher, dumps her body in pond in central Thailand
Yesterday, police found the body of a 40 year old teacher who had been missing for 15 days. Ning’s body was found tied down with bricks at the bottom of a pond at a soldier’s house in Phetchaburi province, central Thailand. “Teacher Ning”, and her gray Toyota Reva 4X4, went missing on May 26. Police from Kaeng Krachan Police Station…
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Pink pineapple is illegal in Thailand, smugglers face jail time
A type of genetically-modified pink pineapple is being illegally sold in Thailand, according to a warning issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture yesterday. The ministry urges the public to keep a vigilant eye out for unusual fruit and report anyone involved in the illicit pink pineapple trade. Costa Rican company Fresh Del Monte has been cultivating ‘Pinkglow’ pineapples, which are…
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Landmark Thai booze bill passes 1st reading
Smashing the hold of corporate Thai brewery conglomerates in the booze business moved one step closer last night after the Move Forward Party’s Progressive Liquor Bill sailed through its first reading in the Lower House. The landmark bill, originally rejected by the cabinet in February, seeks to break the monopoly of corporate brewers and provide business opportunities for small-scale brewers…
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Thailand’s Cabinet votes in favour of revolutionary alcohol brewing act
Yesterday, Thailand’s Cabinet voted in favour of an act which will allow Thais to brew and sell their own alcohol. The law it still in its first stages, but if it goes ahead it will be revolutionary for Thailand’s alcohol industry. The “Progressive Liquor Act” aims to amend Section 153 of the Excise Tax Act which requires alcohol producers to…
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Thailand Pass could be dropped on July 1
‘Thailand Pass’ could be scrapped completely on July 1, according to Thailand’s tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan. The fate of Thailand Pass will be decided at the next meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, next Friday on June 17. Thailand Pass was already dropped for Thai nationals on June 1, but foreigners flying into the kingdom are…
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More than 100,000 people register to grow cannabis at home in Thailand
Today is cannabis decriminalisation day, and the people of Thailand have wasted no time in registering to grow their own cannabis plants at home. Thailand’s FDA revealed that, so far, more than 100,000 budding cannabis growers have registered via the ‘Plook Ganja’ website and mobile application. To legally grow cannabis or hemp at home, Thai people do not need to…
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Employment at Thailand’s venues slowly picks up following nightlife reopening
Aspiring bartenders can dream again, because now that Thailand’s nightlife is ‘officially’ back on, venues are slowly employing again. The country’s pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlors and other venues are picking up the pieces after having to lay off employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. This news comes after Thailand stopped requiring such venues to call themselves ‘restaurants’ on June…
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Swedish men get more time with the kids thanks to new ‘Paternity Pledge’
Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand says he is delighted 12 companies from his native homeland have promised to give male employees one month’s paid paternity leave. Twelve Swedish firms in Thailand, including ABB, Astra Zeneca, IKEA, Electolux, and Volvo, have agreed to give 30 days’ paid paternity leave to all male staff. Jon Astrom Grondahl, was speaking at the opening ceremony…
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Joe Ferrari: From high profile police chief and luxury vehicle collector to a life in prison
Former Nakhon Sawan provincial police chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, was in the media spotlight today after he was sentenced to a life in prison for the torture and murder of an alleged drug trafficker. The 41 year old, along with six of his colleagues, was caught torturing a man to death on a CCTV camera leaked on Thai…
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Thai police arrest 6 suspects for 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam
Police from Thailand’s Consumer Protection Police Division announced today that 6 suspects have been arrested for a 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam. The suspects allegedly offered to sell ATK tests on 4 Facebook pages, charging about 10,000 people 900 baht per box when there was a shortage of test kits, according to Police Major General Anant Nanasombat. After the…
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Thailand: Don’t buy multicoloured axolotls, warns experts
Multicoloured Mexican amphibians are Thailand’s latest trend, but experts are begging people not to buy them. Brightly coloured axolotls might be cute, but they die after just one week, according to a group of axolotl breeders in Thailand. Axolotls are a type of critically endangered Mexican salamander popularised among the Thai youth through the game Minecraft. The animal has become…
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New tax law could provide spark to Thailand’s global EV hub dream
A new tax law introduced today could provide the spark to realize Thailand’s global electric vehicle hub dream. The Excise Department in Bangkok revealed a law governing the reduction of the EV tax from 8% to 2% will be published tomorrow in the Royal Gazette and come into effect on Friday, after the Council of State finished vetting the law,…
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Alleged child rapist/murderer attacked during re-enactment in central Thailand
A man who allegedly raped and murdered two children in 2008 was attacked during a crime re-enactment in Khao Yoi district in the central province of Phetchaburi on Monday, reports Sanook. The suspect, 53 year old Chert Srijoon, went on the run for 14 years after allegedly raping and murdering 13 year old June and 16 year old Naen in…
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Even Thailand’s monkeys don’t have monkeypox
Thai officials have now run tens of thousands of tests for monkeypox on monkeys throughout Thailand (we’re not quite sure why). There have so far been 25,000 tests, out of 50,000 monkeys in 222 locations across the country. Yesterday, a veterinarian at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Phattarapol Mee-on, announced that all the tests have turned…
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Thailand exempts entry visa for Saudi tourists allowing 30-day stay
Thailand yesterday moved a step further to its future relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it announced a 30-day visa exemption will be available to all Saudi citizens. Saudis can now enter Thailand and stay for 30 days without applying for a visa before departure. The move comes as both nations step up to restore diplomatic relations which…
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New Civil Partnership Bill in Thailand passed by the cabinet
Now the Bill needs to survive its first reading in the lower house of the Thai parliament. Out of nowhere, but perhaps inspired, or prompted by the Pride Month activities around Bangkok, the Thai cabinet has approved what is considered the next step towards same sex marriage in Thailand, a Civil Partnership Bill. This bill will allow same-sex couples to…
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Policeman attacked as former Sgt major causes mayhem at a Pattaya housing project
A Pattaya policeman was seriously injured after a former senior sergeant major went on a violent rampage. Jetsadabhon Reungrit was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment after a number of anti-social incidents at a Na Jomtien housing government project, in Chon Buri. Residents alerted security guards to a scene after Jetsadabhon began hammering on residents’ doors and…
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What makes Supalai Icon Sathorn the ideal property choice
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UPDATE: GT200 bomb detectors only good enough to be used as a ‘cat poop scoop’
UPDATE Royal Thai Army spokesperson, Santipong Thammapiya, yesterday announced that the investigation into GT200 bomb detectors has officially ended. Santipong says the NSTD had completed its examination of 320 devices, and the budget spent investigating it, and concluded that the Royal Thai Army would have to return around 3 million baht from the 7.5 million baht budget allocated to the…
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“Beware, shakedowns in Thailand’s property market” I Lawyers, Guns and Money
There are great opportunities in Thailand’s real estate and property markets. Plenty of people buy, live in and sell, sometimes for a profit. Some live in their properties and some purchase them for investment. But there are well-publicised problems and even scams that have blunted the image of Thailand’s property industry, particularly the tourist magnets where beaches and a…
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Underwater utopia being created out of decommissioned oil rigs
An Aquaman-type underwater utopia is being developed near Koh Pha Ngan island in Surat Thani province, out of redundant oil and gas rigs. Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment department revealed plans are well underway to utilise decommissioned oil rigs to develop a new diving destination for tourists located around 7.5 nautical miles north east of Koh Pha Ngan island. The…
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Cannabis penalties to be quashed from Thursday
Thailand’s Courts of Justice announced that suspects and prisoners on charges related to cannabis use and possession would be freed after cannabis and hemp are removed from the Public Health Ministry’s Category 5 drug list. But as we slowly learn the details of cannabis in Thailand, post June 9, we are learning that it’s not all clear and plain sailing…
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Another tourism goal for Thailand – 3,000 Indian tourists a day
Thailand’s tourism authorities seem to announce a new goal every day. While the Tourism Authority of Thailand is aiming for Saudi and Australian tourists in Phuket, TAT has also announced a goal last week for Thailand as a whole: 3,000 Indian tourists a day. The TAT is aiming to meet its goal through various promotional campaigns and special travel incentives.…
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Suspected monkeypox infections in Thailand turn out negative
Thailand’s DDC has announced that the country still has no confirmed cases of monkeypox as of Friday. Six suspected infections in the country ended up with negative lab test results on the same day. Even though there are no confirmed cases, a DDC spokesperson said health officials are now monitoring arrivals from countries where monkeypox has been detected. The latest…
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Check-in mayhem for Thai Airways flights last Friday
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered airlines and airports to make urgent adjustments after acknowledging long queues for Thai Airways flights at Suvarnabhumi airport. The early morning flight check in delays at the Thai Airways counters in Suvarnabhumi Airport was caused by a lack of check-in staff at the Thai Airways counters, according to the Civil Aviation…
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“Cases could reach 10,000 a day again”. Thai Public Health Minister.
Thailand’s party-pooper-in-chief, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, has made another spurious claim to Thailand’s media. He’s predicted that Thailand’s Covid infections could soar to 10,000, a day, now that Thailand’s nightlife has ‘officially’ reopened. He said that the numbers of new coronavirus cases could “soar” within 3-5 days after the country’s entertainment venues were given the official nod on June…
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Who will be Thailand’s PM by the end of 2022?
There are clear and present challenges ahead for the current Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. His hands on the levers controlling the hearts and minds of Thais, and south east Asia’s second largest economy, is in peril. The next general election in Thailand has to be called before March next year. It’s the prerogative of the sitting PM to call…
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How Thailand is shifting to aged care in the home
Thailand’s ageing society is growing rapidly, with a quarter of Thais who are 60 years and older forecasted to account for one-third of the population by 2040. Despite expectations that the country would see a rapid escalation of assisted living and nursing homes being developed, COVID-19 became a game-changer. While traditionally many Thais have lived and grown up in multigenerational…
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Illegal Burmese immigrants arrested in connection with local man’s death
Police arrested more than 100 illegal immigrants yesterday as they ramped up an investigation into the murder of local man Maddol Binson. The 40 year old, from Hat Yai district in Songkla, was found in a freshly dug shallow grave in a forest beside a golf course near his home on Wednesday morning. His hands were tied behind his back,…
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Ancient gold Buddha artifact comes home
Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome hailed the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security after a 500 years’ old antique gold crown was returned to Thailand from the US. The 48 year old minister revealed the department was set up by the government around five years ago to track artefacts, which have been smuggled out of the kingdom, and thanked the…
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