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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Chiang Mai: Virtual Stadium coming to Central Festival
A Virtual Stadium is coming to Chiang Mai for World Cup fans. The Central Pattana Group, together with Kasikorn Bank and Chang, are bringing what is described as the Virtual Stadium to Central Festival in Chiang Mai for just two days according to a press release. To satisfy the thirst of Thai football fans, the three organisations are transforming the…
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National: How many days over-stay?!
PHOTOS: Thai Tourist Police Bureau A 70 year old British pensioner has been named as the foreigner with the longest over-stay in the 15th round of “X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner”. the weekly national immigration crackdown. In cooperation with other agencies, Tourist Police announced the arrest of 110 foreign undesirables in 83 raids. People were busted for running romance scams, skimming operations, drug…
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Politics: Yingluck’s first public message in 10 months
Former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra has spoken out for the first time since she fled Thailand nearly 10 months saying thank you to her supporters for their birthday wishes. Khaosod English reports that Yingluck, who remains immensely popular among ‘red shirt’ supporters, despite her exile, said her influential brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, also treated her to two meals on the…
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Songkhla: Army recruit, high on methamphetamine, shoots friend
CCTV footage from Songkhla in southern Thailand shows an army recruit, on leave, in an apparent drug fueled rampage. 22 year old Jetsarin Siri was back home from Kanyaniwatana Camp in Narathiwat and was taking methamphetamine pills with his friend 26 year old Janthaya Chumchart when an argument allegedly broke out. Thai Rath reports that the man drew a gun on…
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Loose plastic chairs and locked exit door – Krabi-Phi Phi ferry
There is no doubt a lot of infrastructure is at critical ‘overload’ stage where tourist attractions are struggling to cope with the sheer number of tourists and visitors coming to the region. This applies to the transport infrastructure getting people here and there as well. While there has been an announcement about new ferry services linking the golden tourist triangle…
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Chiang Mai: Thai shoe thiefs caught red-handed at Wat Doi Suthep
Uproar yesterday following video showing a Thai man and woman stealing a Chinese tourist’s expensive shoes at Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Daily News reports that the mum and dad, with their child, were caught on CCTV at the temple. Mum takes off her shoes and these are put in a bag by the father. Then they come back and…
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Krabi: Chinese tourist drowns at Railay Bay
After all the heavy monsoonal weather along our coasts in recent days, we’re lucky we haven’t had more reports of risky swimmers getting into difficulty. Sadly, Krabi has reported a drowning. Thai Rath reports that a 32 year old Chinese tourist staying in the Railay Beach area drowned after ignoring officials’ warnings not to go into the water. The report says…
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Pretties, 500 World Cup punters and ‘influencers’ arrested over illegal betting
It was only a matter of time before we’d have some arrests related to illegal betting during the World Cup. Among 500 suspects being rounded up, police are also summoning 20 ‘influencers’ who have been posting on Facebook about the ‘Net Idol’ betting page and attempting to persuade youth to engage in soccer betting. Police have arrested 484 suspects – including…
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British fraud gangs in Thailand – Pattaya, Porsches and prostitutes
Living the high life in Pattaya whilst funding the Porsches, champagne and girls with money stolen by cloning people’s credit cards. That was the life of just one of several Brits covered in a The Sun report. A vicious turf war between British gangs over stolen millions burst into the open last year when one was gunned down in cold…
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Chiang Mai: 33 year old found hanged in Nong Pa Khrang
A man has hung himself in a Chiang Mai apartment. On June 19, police were informed about a body found at a residence in Nong Pa Kerang, to the east of the Chiang Mai city centre. The deceased, later identified as 33 year old Worawut Srichaiwong, was found hanged from window bars. There was reportedly no sign of assault injury…
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Summer solstice – the longest day of the year in Thailand
It’s a special day of the year and we’re glad the sun is out so we can enjoy it. And, if all is well, we’ll see more sunshine today than any other day of 2018. So what will you do with all the extra daylight? The summer solstice is today (June 21) – the longest day in the northern hemisphere.…
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Chiang Rai: Province tackling pineapple oversupply
It’s not only Phuket where the popular fruit crop, pineapple, is in oversupply. A glut is causing prices to drop, but not only in the southern provinces. In Chiang Rai the provincial government is taking a pro-active approach to try and support farmers through the short-term supply/demand problem. Chiang Rai Governor, Narongsak Osotthanakkorn has told Thai media that both short-term…
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Bank of Thailand braces for trade war fallout
By Wichit Chaitrong “The trade row has increased the uncertainties for Thailand’s economy because it could have a negative impact on Thai exports, businesses, employment, consumption and investment.” Central bank keeps policy rate unchanged to facilitate growth; forecasts for GDP and export growth revised upwards amid weakening of the baht. Protectionism, stirred by the trade disputes between the United States…
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Executed 26 year old had grilled chicken and rice for final meal
In the wake of Thailand’s first execution in nine years, a few more details have emerged about the prisoner’s last moments and of his family. According to witnesses, the first man to be executed in Thailand in nine years was calm during the last few moments of his life. Identified only as Thirasak by authorities, the 26 year old remained…
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mu Space wants to send your name to space
Space and satellite company mu Space is sending its first experimental payload beyond the Earth’s atmosphere and it wants to include a list of space fans’ names on it. The Thai-based company is encouraging the public to write their names on a signature board installed at mu Space’s booth (Experiencing Zone 4) during the Techsauce Global Summit. The event is…
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Sadvertising: The art of making us cry and selling stuff
“Sadvertising is a consumer advertising trend in which ad creators are using a certain set of strategies to play on people’s emotions and touch off feelings of sadness, melancholy or wistfulness. Touching or emotional advertising has become increasingly popular in recent years as companies work to create strong emotional ties around their products. This is based on a belief that…
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Krabi bridge washed away in heavy rain
Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) Krabi Office brought in machinery to Tupprik Sub-District yesterday (June 19) to fix the Huay To Bridge after it was damaged by flash flooding yesterday. The damage of the bridge blocked a local community of 30 houses near Khao Panom Benja National Park as well as officers at the national…
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Khon Kaen: 5 year old girl dies after being left in a locked pick-up
Khon Kaen Governor Somsak Jangtrakul is assisting with aid and grief counselling to the family of five year old Kabinta “Nong Yam” Kehphuang, who died last Monday after being inadvertently left inside a locked pickup truck in sweltering heat outside a school for eight hours. The girl’s death – the eighth such fatality since 2012 – prompted her teacher, 32…
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Measures to control the use of herbicides being developed
The Biotechnology Alliance Association (BAA) recently held a meeting to develop measures to control the use of certain herbicides before proposing them to the Department of Agriculture (DOA). The BAA meeting looked into the use of paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate herbicides and how to use them in the farming industry. Experts from educational institutions, health and agriculture-related organizations also participated…
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Missing Ranong woman found after Saturday’s flash floods
The Thaiger reported about a woman who went missing on Saturday night amongst the torrential rain when the pick-up truck she was in got caught in a flash flood. Sadly, she was found dead. Searchers have recovered the body of the Ranong woman who was a passenger in a pickup truck that had been swept into a canal. The four-day…
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Pattani: Suspected insurgent shot by southern troops
The Nation is reporting that suspected Muslim insurgent has been killed during a gunfight with Army troops from the Pattani Taskforce in the Kapor district on Wednesday morning. Troops from the Pattani Taskforce surrounded a house in Moo 3 village in Tambon Karubee after they learned that the suspect, Sulaiman Muhammad, was hiding there. Troops claimed that the suspect shot at…
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Hua Hin: Bomb squad called in to check suspected grenade
A bomb disposal crew in Hua Hin was called to the Soi 6 area on Monday following the discovery of an object which locals said looked like a grenade and could have been an explosive device. Local police and military officials attended the scene next to the railway line on Soi 6 where they found an M18 smoke grenade, as…
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Pattaya: How police tracked down Aussie ‘boat orgy’ operator
So what can you buy for 3,000 baht in Pattaya these days? A 49 yer old Australian was offering trips on a boat, including x-rated side-show for entertainment, 40 baht beers, and you can film it as well. More details are emerging of the events leading to the arrest of Stephen Carpenter, an Australian national who, along with a few…
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Beijing: Kim, Xi discuss denuclearisation and closer cooperation
PHOTO: Yonhap As historic as last week’s summit between the leaders of the US and North Korea was, this week’s meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un was far more important to the long-term stabilisation of the Korean Peninsula. The Korea Herald reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping has voiced his strong support for North Korea’s commitment to…
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Announcement by Thai PM casts doubt on poll date
PHOTO: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn “Today, the NCPO gives importance to the preparation of the coronation. Every Thai must not forget. This is important.” – PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha The Thai PM yesterday broke with tradition by mixing politics with the forthcoming coronation saying the government would need to prepare for the important royal ceremony before calling the long-awaited election.…
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Krabi to be developed as a ‘Tourism for All’ city
Relevant tourist and municipal organisations are working together to develop Krabi as a city of ‘Tourism for All’ by developing facilities for the disabled and elderly persons. Today (June 19) officials, led by the Krabi Governor Lt Col ML Kittibodee Prawit, were inspecting a pier at Pak Klong Ji Lard in Muang Krabi where tourists depart on boats to Koh Phi…
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Hat Yai: 18 students injured after school van crashes into ditch
Eighteen students were slightly injured when their school van crashed into a roadside ditch about one kilometre from their school in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district this morning (Tuesday). The accident occurred on the Hat Yai-bound Asia highway in Tambon Khor Hong. The van driver, 35 year old Yongyut Thongsalalluan, told police that he was driving the students from Songkha’s Chana…
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Pattaya: Re-invented destination? Not everyone is convinced.
PHOTO: Oriental Escape “Pattaya has reinvented itself for upscale travellers.” In recent years, Pattaya has been striving, perhaps even struggling, to show itself to be more of a upscale and family-orientated destination. Pattaya was under the spotlight again as this year’s host for the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+), with organiser, Tourism Authority of Thailand placing an emphasis on romance…
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Pattaya: Australian arrested for selling sex tours on yachts
“On December 31, under the name of “AUSTHAI TOURS”, he advertised a boat trip with women supplied in the waters off the coast of Pattaya.” An Australian man has been arrested who police say offered a sex tour in Pattaya. They also say they believe 49 year old Stephen Allan Carpenter is mixed up in smuggling cocaine into Australia hidden in…
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Chiang Mai: Court asked to halt Doi Suthep construction and kick out the residents
Residents living in the controversial judicial buildings constructed on the slopes of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai will have to drive past signs saying it’s a ‘NO MAN’S LAND’ every time they enter the property. The Doi Suthep Forest Reclamation Network is asking the Court of Appeals Region 5 to stop the ongoing construction at the controversial site. “We will…
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