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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Phuket ‘ready’ to open nightclubs until 4am
The Phuket Tourism Association is pushing for later closing times in nightclubs. Entertainment venues in Phuket, southern Thailand, are “ready” to open until 4am, according to the Chairman of the Phuket Tourism Association Thanet Tanipirayakit. The association hopes to extend the closing times of entertainment venues on Patong beach’s Bangla Road from 2am to 4am in a Phuket Sandbox-style pilot…
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Thai man robbed by cannabis dealer at knife-point in Pattaya
A Thai man filed a complaint with police after he was allegedly forced to strip naked as he was being robbed at knife-point by a cannabis dealer in Pattaya. The suspect was arrested but denied all allegations, saying they were friends and he would never rob a friend. Anukun Sichan filed the complaint at Mueng Pattaya Police Station yesterday at 8pm.…
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Alcohol sales ban in Thailand today to mark end of Buddhist Lent
Thailand celebrates an auspicious Buddhist holiday today known as ‘Awk Pansa‘ (exit Pansa) to mark the final day of Buddhist Lent. Being one of Thailand’s five major Buddhist holidays, alcohol sales are banned for 24 hours nationwide. Saffron-robed monks and white-robed maechis exit their temples today for the first time since July 14, upon completion of a period of focussed…
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ICONSIAM joins forces with BMW to provide EV charging station-equipped exclusive car park
Press Release ICONSIAM and BMW Group Thailand have extended privileges to BMW motorists with exclusive parking at Bangkok’s world-class riverside landmark. The collaboration between the two parties sees an easily accessible section of ICONSIAM’s UG floor set aside for reserved parking and an advanced electric vehicle charging station. The space can serve five vehicles at one time with two slots…
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Bangkok road sweeper dies in hit-and-run
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is to pay 1.6 million baht in compensation to the family of a road sweeper who died in a hit-and-run incident on Kanchanapisek Road in the capital yesterday. The driver is on the run and there was no CCTV camera footage at the scene. The 59 year old woman road sweeper, Somsi Yimchalam, was hit…
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How to donate to families of victims of daycare centre massacre in Thailand
The Thai government has opened a channel for the public to donate money to families impacted by the massacre of 37 people, mostly young children, at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, last Thursday. If you would like to donate to the injured or the families of those who lost their lives, you can transfer your…
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Andaman Sea coast set for UNESCO recognition
Three conservation areas on the Andaman Sea are to be nominated for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognition by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa. As the islands prepare to welcome tourists on October 15, Varawut was inspecting a maintenance and waste collection project on Koh Miang of the Similan Islands in Phangnga province. Reports in…
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Gun laws in Thailand to be discussed by House committee
An upcoming meeting of the House Committee on Police Affairs will address gun control measures in the wake of the daycare centre massacre just days ago. The vice chairman of the committee who serves as the deputy secretary-general of the Democrat Party announced plans to consider several actions to allow more responsible gun ownership in Thailand. One idea on the…
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Finnish CEO detained for alleged mistreatment of 1,100 Thai berry pickers
Finnish police have arrested and detained the CEO of berry company “Polarica” under suspicion of human trafficking. CEO Jukka Kristo allegedly “deceived” 1100 Thai berry pickers and housed them in “poor conditions.” This year, Kristo’s company flew around 1100 Thais to Finland to work as berry pickers – an industry that heavily relies on a foreign workforce. The CEO has…
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Thai woman & foreign men charged for child sex trafficking in Pattaya
Police arrested a Thai woman and three foreign men for rape and sex trafficking teenagers aged under 15 years old in Pattaya. Officers from Mueng Pattaya Police Station reported yesterday that the teenagers, aged between 12 and 15, were trafficked from Beer Bar in Soi Bua Khao on September 11. According to a Police TV report, Beer Bar secretly offers…
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Love rat Thai soldier threaten’s Israeli husband of adulterous wife
An Israeli man sought help from a famous Thai lawyer after getting no satisfaction from the police after a Thai soldier threatened and fired shots at him after he discovered the soldier was having an affair with his wife. The 53 year old Israeli Rudy Bahar, his children and a lawyer, Sittra Beerbangkird, held a press conference to make the…
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Pattaya dwellers want public restrooms built faster at pier
Pattaya dwellers want public restrooms at one pier to be built faster. Construction on the restrooms at the Bali Hai Pier has reportedly stalled. The restrooms were supposed to be built on June 14, 2021, after the construction began in December 2020. The budget for the project had been 3.88 million baht, according to local media. But the 32 restrooms…
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AI upgrade planned for pier in Phuket
A new renovation is being planned for a pier in Phuket, complete with an AI system. The Deputy Chief of the Phuket Provincial Administration (OrBorJor) said they aim to improve service and safety for tourists. The chief, Thiwat Sridokbua, said… “One of the plans is to include an AI System and add more CCTV cameras with security control rooms. Long…
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Massacre in Thailand: No drugs detected in system of daycare centre killer
It comes as a great shock that no drugs were detected in the body of the ruthless killer who massacred 37 people – including 24 children under 6 years old – yesterday at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand. The former policeman was dismissed from the force for failing a drug test. He appeared in…
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Massacre in Thailand raises questions on gun control
In the aftermath of the horrific massacre at a daycare centre in northeast Thailand yesterday, questions have been raised about the kingdom’s gun control laws. The murderer, 34 year old former police officer Panya Kamrap, had been fired due to his addiction to drugs. Many Thai people have been unimpressed with Deputy PM Prawit’s response to tackling gun and drug…
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More than 1 million baht payout to massacre victims
The families of the adult victims of the daycare centre massacre in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu will receive up to 1 million baht in compensation. Kom Chad Luek news agency reported the Rights and Liberties Protection Department under the Ministry of Justice is investigating the loss from the Nong Bua Lamphu massacre and will offer compensation to…
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Thais unhappy with Prawit’s response to daycare centre massacre
The Thai people were not impressed with the insensitive statement delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan about the daycare centre massacre yesterday. Thai reporters asked Deputy PM Prawit how he planned to prevent a similar scenario in the future. He said… “What can I do about it? He is a drug addict.” Prawit offered his condolences to the victim’s…
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Thailand lowers flags to half-mast to mourn daycare centre massacre victims
Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha asks government agencies nationwide to fly their Thai flags at half-mast today to mourn the victims of the tragic daycare centre massacre in Nong Bua Lamphu province yesterday. The spokesperson for the PM’s office, Anucha Burachaisri, said the prime minister was deeply saddened by the news yesterday. He requested that state agencies raise flags…
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Colleagues reveal daycare killer prone to mood swings
Former colleagues of the daycare centre killer revealed Panya Khamrap had a long history of drug use, behavioural problems and bad mood swings and was not popular at work. The 34 year old disgraced cop reportedly armed with a shotgun, pistol and meat cleaver murdered 37 people, including 24 children, butchered while they slept at the nursery in Nong Bua…
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King, Queen and PM Prayut to visit mass shooting victims in northeast Thailand
Today, H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, H.M. Queen Suthida and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will travel to Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, to visit injured victims in hospital and to offer support to the families of those who lost their lives in yesterday’s tragic daycare centre massacre. The gunman killed 37 people in total, most of them young children under…
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British CEO arrested at Bangkok Airport over 40 million baht fraud accusations
Police arrested a British man at Suvarnabhumi Airport today who has been wanted by police in Thailand since December last year. The CEO allegedly defrauded victims of over 40 million baht (almost £1 million). On December 22, 2021, South Bangkok Criminal Court issued arrest warrant 671/2564 for 57 year old Mark Edward Kirkham of British nationality. The warrant states that…
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Thailand’s 5 national parks raise entry fees for foreigners by 100%
Thailand’s five national parks announced new entry fees to their attractions and they’re stinging foreigners in the pocket, increasing entrance costs by 100%. Entry fees for Thai people remain the same. The Department of National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Facebook page posted a two-page document about the new entry fees last Friday, September 30. Khao Yai National Park in…
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Reported Bangkok VIP casino vanishes into thin air
A Thai television news channel yesterday reported that a VIP casino was throwing dice in an entertainment building on Ratchada Road in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok. The police raided the building on the back of the breaking news but said there was no casino when they got there. The story was reported on several Thai news agencies after…
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Mass shooting in Thailand: 36 dead, including 24 children, 12 injured
The death toll of the mass shooting at a nursery in Nong Bua Lamphu province, northeast Thailand, this afternoon is 36 in total, including 12 adults and 24 children. The gunman opened fire at a nursery in Na Klang district where most of the victims were shot. He fled in a pickup truck and shot more victims from inside the…
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Meditation retreat in lush garden setting coming up in central Thailand
A world-renowned Buddhist author and teacher will guide a Vipassana meditation retreat coming up in central Thailand. The teacher, Supawan Green, will lead the retreat at the Bring Your Mental Self Back Home (BMSBH) Centre in Nakorn Pathom on Thursday, October 27. The retreat will be conducted in English from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The retreat will be held in a…
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BREAKING: at least 32 dead in massacre at daycare centre in northeast Thailand
This story has been updated. A man killed at least 32 people, mostly young children, in a gun and knife attack at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand this afternoon. Many more are injured. The perpetrator escaped and police are attempting to track him down. Police identified the attacker as 34 year old Panya Khamrap,…
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Bangkok airport shames driver for parking in disabled bay
Thai netizens hailed an officer from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok after he shamed a driver who selfishly parked a car in a disabled parking bay. Pictures of a white luxury Nissan 350Z in a disabled parking bay at Suvarnabhumi Airport were posted on Facebook by Chatree Sintateeyakorn yesterday. The pictures quickly went viral. The sign left on the illegally parked…
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Never forget Thailand’s October 6 massacre
No one has ever been held accountable for the tragic massacre of peaceful demonstrators at Thammasat University on October 6, 1976. On this day 46 years ago, Thai police, military, and ring-wing paramilitaries shot, lynched, and beat leftist demonstrators protesting the return of dictator Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn to Thailand, who was ousted in 1973. The 1973 uprising restored democratic…
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Rumours of tension between Prayut and Prawit over flood comments
Rumours are circulating of tensions between PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wonguwon. According to the rumours, Prawit was offended by Prayut’s comments during a teleconference call about the flood situation with provincial governors at the Interior Ministry. Prayut was quoted as saying that he did not want a welcoming committee when visiting provinces hit by floods. Prayut was…
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Jealous husband allegedly kills wife
A man was arrested yesterday after he allegedly murdered his wife with a hammer at a house in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok. Officers from the Nonthaburi Police Station were notified about the death of 31 year old Sararat Ratchasin on Monday, October 3, and immediately connected the murder to her missing husband, 44 year old Pairoj Singthong. Pairoj’s sister, 68…
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