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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Dead body of unidentified transwoman found in canal near Bangkok
A local fisherman found the dead body of a transwoman floating in a canal in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok. Her identity is unknown. Officers from Klong Luang Police Station were notified of the dead body in Song Canal in the Klong Luang district of Pathum Thani yesterday at 2pm. The body was spotted floating under a wooden house along…
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PTSD cat seeks new home following Narathiwat terror blast
A PTSD cat seeks a new home following the Narathiwat terror blast. Apart from the tragic loss of life and destruction of property, the car bomb that destroyed Narathiwat police apartments on Tuesday left one former resident homeless and hungry. A cat that was owned by one of the Narathiwat police officers lost in the blast is suffering from PTSD.…
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Keeping it ‘reel’ as giant catfish season casts of in Thailand
Local fishermen were keeping it “reel” this week as the annual giant catfish catching season cast off at the Kaeng Krachan Dam in Phetchaburi province in the central part of Thailand. Giant catfish season in Thailand lasts two months and the nation’s fishermen are allowed to set their reels going from November 20 to January 20. But it isn’t open…
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Thailand bans recreational use of cannabis inside cafes
Cannabis shops and cafes in Thailand are no longer allowed to let customers smoke the plant recreationally on the premises anymore. On-site consumption of cannabis for medical purposes is still permitted if the cannabis is sold by a medical practitioner. The announcement was made in the Royal Gazette yesterday and is effective immediately. The announcement states that the Ministry of…
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One-third of adult Thai citizens applied for welfare
Applications for welfare have seen a huge jump, with 22 million Thai people requesting a state welfare card in the latest round of registration. That massive figure equates to about one-third of the entire adult population of Thailand. It is a huge jump from the current 13.5 million people now carrying welfare cards in the country. The figures come after…
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Venomous snake rescued from beer in Australia
Australian reptile rescuers have come to the rescue of a thirsty snake found with its head wedged inside the ring-pull opening at the top of a beer can. Photos and video posted to Facebook by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show rescuers responding to a report of a snake trapped in a beer can in Brighton, Queensland. The rescuers arrived to…
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Hotel loan program extended through June 2023
Hotels trying to recover from closing down for the Covid-19 pandemic are getting a little extra financial help. The Thai Cabinet has decided to extend low-interest soft loans until June 2023. The loans were created to help hotels address property repairs after many opted to close when customers dried up because the borders closed amid the pandemic. The announcement was…
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FIFA warns Thailand World Cup broadcast will be cut off after illegal access spotted
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) urged Thailand to tighten its security system on its FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 broadcast after the kingdom’s transmission access was spotted being used in other countries. FIFA warned Thailand that its broadcast will be cut off if the country cannot follow its rules and tighten its security problems. The Sports Authority of…
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Man crashes car into elephant at Khao Yai National Park
A Thai man risks a charge of violating the National Park Act after he crashed his sedan into an elephant at Khao Yai National Park in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. The driver was hurt in the collision and sent to Pak Chong Nana Hospital to have his injuries looked at. Officers reported that they are still looking for…
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Police arrest transgender Thai women for filming and disseminating child porn online
On Monday, Thai police arrested a transgender woman in Bangkok for filming and disseminating child pornography on the LINE and OnlyFans platforms. Thailand’s Anti-Trafficking In Persons Division announced the results of their investigation today. Officers from Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau arrested 29 year old transgender woman named Saranrak – aka “Bee” – who filmed herself having sex with minors and…
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Business is booming on Khao San Road thanks to the World Cup
Business is booming on Khao San Road in Bangkok thanks to the FIFIA 2022 World Cup. The President of the Khao San Road Business Association, Sa-nga Rueangwattanakun, revealed that businesses on Khao San Road increased by 50%. Sa-nga said visitors flocked to entertainment venues and restaurants in the area to watch the World Cup matches providing a welcome boost to…
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Chinese woman stabs Russian boyfriend’s Chinese mistress to death in Bangkok
UPDATE The Chinese woman who murdered a fellow Chinese woman in a Bangkok shopping mall toilet yesterday told police that the deceased was in a secret relationship with her Russian boyfriend. The foreign killer was found to have overstayed her visa in the kingdom, said police, adding that 36 year old Tang Jun entered Thailand on a tourist visa which…
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AirAsia Thailand passenger data allegedly leaked after ransomware attack
AirAsia group allegedly fell victim to a ransomware attack that leaked the personal data of five million passengers and all staff of AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Malaysia, and AirAsia Indonesia. The Daixin Team, a ransomware and data extortion group, allegedly leaked the data after the airline refused to pay a ransom. On Monday, the Daixin Team was the focus of a…
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2 Russian men fight after one insults his Thai girlfriend
Two Russian men attacked each other with a hammer and a brass knuckle on a beach in Pattaya after one of the men insulted his Thai girlfriend. Channel 7 reported that the incident happened yesterday at 11pm on Yinyom Beach on the Phra Tamnak Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. Police officers from the Mueng Pattaya Police Station…
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Fate of Thai baht depends on return of Chinese tourists, economists say
The Thai baht has been flying recently but its upward trend could draw to a standstill unless Chinese tourists return to the Kingdom of Thailand, according to economists. In the past month, the baht appreciated almost 6% against the US dollar as reports indicated the US Federal Reserve (Fed) would slow down its aggressive interest rate hikes. Despite inflation, a reinvigorated…
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Thai woman accused of faking her death to escape loan sharks
A debt-ridden Thai woman has faked her death to get out of paying her debtors, says a local loan shark. A 37 year old woman from the central province of Lopburi, called Lookpad, ran up millions of debt and then hoped to escape paying her arrears by pretending to be dead. The woman’s family allegedly backed her plan, says the…
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Multiple rapist known as the ‘Bondi Beast’ finally named
It may be too late for the many victims of the man the press labelled the “Bondi Beast” but police finally managed to link DNA samples to the serial rapist. Unfortunately, the multiple sex offender, Keith Simms, died in February aged 66 before justice could be served. Simms was known as the “Centennial Park rapist” in the 1980s, the “Bondi…
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Cathay Pacific boosts flights to Thailand
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways and its budget subsidiary Hong Kong Express are boosting flights to three major tourist destinations in Thailand: Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. Cathay’s Hong Kong – Bangkok route will be increased from twice to four times per day next month, according to Chairman of Cathay Pacific Patrick Healy. In January, the airline will…
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Ponzi schemes in the crosshairs for DSI, Finance Ministry
Sometimes cracking down on scam crimes just creates smarter criminals. The Ministry of Finance and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) are teaming up to crack down on new forms of the classic Ponzi scheme. The director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office announced that the ministry was meeting with the DSI to discuss updates on the laws regarding new scams.…
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Chinese woman stabs fellow Chinese woman 27 times in Bangkok, Thailand
A Chinese woman stabbed a fellow Chinese woman to death in the bathroom at a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, this afternoon. Text messages reveal that the perpetrator had accused the deceased of “messing with” her “man” prior to stabbing her 27 times. At 1pm, officers from Thong Song Hung Police Station were informed that a Chinese woman was stabbed…
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Bungling thief borrows 500 baht from victim and asks for sex before escaping
An incompetent thief broke into a woman’s house in the early hours of yesterday morning and asked for sex and 500 baht. The victim managed to persuade the wannabe thief to give up on the sex idea and leave her in peace on the promise she transfers the 500 baht to him through an app. The bungling thief thanked the…
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Two Czech tourists seriously injured in road accident in southern Thailand
A pickup truck crashed into two Czech tourists crossing a dimly lit road in Phang Nha province in southern Thailand last night. Both of the tourists are seriously injured. At 7.30pm, officers from Khao Lak Police Station were informed that a car hit and injured pedestrians in front of Pee Ann’s restaurants on the Phetchakasem Road in the Khuk Kak…
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Cannabis fate discussed today by Narcotics Control Board
Today is the day the future of cannabis in Thailand will be decided. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board is meeting to discuss proposals calling for the plant to once again be classified as a Type 5 drug. But some powerful political figures insist that the board is powerless to stop the legalised proliferation of cannabis. Minister of Public…
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Good citizens return lost leopard cat to national park in northern Thailand
A baby leopard cat who strayed away from Nam Nao National Park in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, has returned home with the help of some good citizens. Yesterday, the Office of Conservation Area 11 posted photos of an adorable, tiny, striped leopard kitten on Facebook with the caption… “We appreciate the good citizens who brought the #leopardcat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a…
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Farang man brutally assaults Thai girlfriend in Pattaya, Thailand
A farang man stamped on his young Thai girlfriend until she was seriously injured in the early hours of the morning in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. At 4.30am, staff from Sawang Boriboon Thammsat Rescue Foundation received a report of an assault at a house in Nong Prue district in Bang Lamung district. At the scene, rescue workers found…
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BTS Skytrain demands 40 billion baht debt is paid
The BTS Skytrain, under the BTS Group Holdings Public Company, launched a video yesterday to demand their money back! BTS says the government owes them 40 billion baht and they want the debt paid. The BTS revealed it intends to shame the government by airing the debt-collection message on every screen inside BTS trains and station platforms along Sukhumvit, or…
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Foreigner repeatedly scams petrol stations in central Thailand
A fearless foreigner of unidentified nationality is touring the small province of Nakhon Nayok in central Thailand and scamming staff at petrol stations over and over again. Yesterday, staff at a PT Station in the Mueang district opposite a Toyota shop complained that a foreigner deceived them into giving him money. At around 9pm, an English-speaking man wearing a red shirt…
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Chinese man operates illegal hairdressers in plain sight in Pattaya, Thailand
Immigration Police arrested a Chinese man and four foreign employees for operating an illegal hairdresser’s shop in the middle of Pattaya city in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. The Chinese owner claims he didn’t know that hairdressing was a career strictly reserved for Thai people. Under the Foreign Business Act, certain occupations in Thailand are strictly prohibited for foreigners and…
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More heavy rain and flash floods expected in Thailand
More heavy rain and flash floods are expected in Thailand this week, the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) said today. The low pressure will cover the Gulf of Thailand while the monsoon will pass through the southern parts of Thailand from November 23-24. Those in the eastern and southern regions have been warned about the possibility of flash floods. The country’s…
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Meth addict kills and cooks pet dog that ‘ate his thoughts’ in northeast Thailand
A meth addict killed and cooked his pet dog which he said was “eating his thoughts” yesterday in Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand. In a Yaba (“crazy drug”)-induced psychotic episode, 24 year old Manat [surname withheld] beat his dog’s head with a shovel until it was dead, chopped up its body into pieces, and cooked it into a stew.…
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