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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    Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025

    Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....

  • Get your own car without buying or leasing with Carzuno

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    Sponsored Are you tired of squeezing your way in and out of public transport during rush hours? Do you waste a lot of time transiting between different modes of transportation? We can all agree that having your own car comes with unparalleled convenience, flexibility and freedom. However, there is a catch. Purchasing a vehicle can be a tedious process with…

  • Policeman shot dead on duty in central Thailand

    Policeman shot dead on duty in central Thailand

    A group of teenagers on motorbikes fatally shot a policeman on duty in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, in the early hours of yesterday morning. One 18 year old man admits to firing a gun in the direction of the policeman, but isn’t sure if it was the shot that killed him. Commander-in-chief Anan Orsuwan went to Soi Erawan 12…

  • Brother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice

    Brother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice

    The brother of a Thai woman murdered in Taiwan is calling on police to catch the killer. Thirty-eight year old Yingyot Sae Li said the man who murdered his sister and her husband had been very close to his family, and grew up in the same village as them. His sister, Potjanee, had been 5 pregnant with twins when the…

  • Government to temporarily waive TM6 immigration forms

    Government to temporarily waive TM6 immigration forms

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha briefed media yesterday after the cabinet’s weekly meeting and revealed the government has agreed to temporarily scrap the Tor Mor 6 immigration form. The TM6 form is the arrival/departure card foreigners fill in providing passport details, name and address, etc., on their entry and exit from Thailand. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul says scrapping the TM6 would…

  • Commerce Ministry promise to keep consumer products under control during high inflation

    Commerce Ministry promise to keep consumer products under control during high inflation

    The Commerce Ministry says it will work hard to keep consumer goods as affordable as possible without neglecting the demands of manufacturers. The ministry believes it has created a “win-win” strategy in which consumers, businesses, manufacturers, and farmers can all benefit, according to commerce minister, Jurin Laksanawisit. “If manufacturers suffer huge losses, they will stop producing. We ask for cooperation…

  • Man finds corpse in abandoned house in eastern Thailand

    Man finds corpse in abandoned house in eastern Thailand

    On Sunday, a Thai man walked into an abandoned house in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, to find a skull in the middle of the living room and a decomposed, headless body in the bathroom lying next to the toilet. The man who discovered the corpse was 60 year old Charlie Pairotsorn, who was planning on buying the house and surrounding…

  • US Defense Secretary visits PM Prayut in Bangkok

    US Defense Secretary visits PM Prayut in Bangkok

    Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a bid to “reinforce” longstanding military ties between the two nations, which date back to 1818. Austin and PM Prayut, who is also Minister of Defence, “shared perspectives on regional security issues, and discussed opportunities to strengthen the US – Thai alliance,” according to the US Defense…

  • Court upholds 8-month suspended jail sentence for ex Thai MP

    Court upholds 8-month suspended jail sentence for ex Thai MP

    Former Palang Pracharath MP for Ratchaburi province, Pareena Kraikupt, yesterday says she is undecided whether she will challenge the Appeal Court decision to uphold a lower court sentence of an 8-month jail term, suspended for 2 years, and a 66,666 baht fine for defamation. A defamation case was filed against the 46 year old by former Future Forward MP Pannika…

  • The best sea-view villas in Phuket

    The best sea-view villas in Phuket

    Sponsored We spend much of our time glued to our screens, and sometimes we just need to step back and relax in an environment ideal for unwinding. Just imagine waking up to the blue sea and the skies in your private villa surrounded by nature. Phuket, home to the stunning turquoise sea and lush greenery, boasts beautiful villas that are…

  • Thailand warms to drop temperature checks

    Thailand warms to drop temperature checks

    The Ministry of Public Health will suggest to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to remove temperature measurement devices and checkpoints from all the country’s airports and other locations throughout Thailand because there is no evidence proving that the checks prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Head of the Health Technical Office from the Ministry of Public Health, Rungruang Kitphati,…

  • Fire jellyfish warning in Krabi, southern Thailand

    Fire jellyfish warning in Krabi, southern Thailand

    Red flags were raised to warn tourists not to swim on one beach in Krabi, southern Thailand, after large numbers of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shore yesterday. Morbakka fenneri, known as the “fire jellyfish,” doesn’t get its name from its pinkish-red colour but from its potent sting. Thousands of small but venomous fire jellyfish washed up on Hong…

  • Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department

    Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department

    Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM. Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a…

  • Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers

    Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers

    The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…

  • Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days

    Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days

    An elderly couple from Phetchabun, northern Thailand, got married yesterday after knowing each other for a total of 10 days. The lovebirds met on the ridge of Pak Huay Dam in Khon Kaen and it wasn’t long before they decided to get married and live with each other in their old age. The 72 year old groom Nuan Mala did…

  • Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand

    Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand

    Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…

  • Police step up search for minister’s missing father

    Police step up search for minister’s missing father

    Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…

  • Take your pet on board Bangkok – Chiang Mai flights with Nok Air

    Take your pet on board Bangkok – Chiang Mai flights with Nok Air

    Nok Air have launched a “Pet On Board” scheme for holidaymakers who wish to take their animal on board the airline’s domestic Bangkok – Chiang Mai flight route. The airline is offering round trips from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Chiang Mai for 12,999 baht, which includes airfare for 2 people and 1 pet. In a statement posted on Facebook,…

  • Thailand’s Digital Economy Minister ‘clarifies’ about the posting of crime pics or videos online

    Thailand’s Digital Economy Minister ‘clarifies’ about the posting of crime pics or videos online

    Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, is warning crime witnesses that spreading pictures or videos of the incidents via online channels ‘could’ violate the new Personal Data Protection Act or PDPA. The minister says the safer way to help victims is to hand the evidence to the police officers. Thailand officially operated the PDPA or the Personal Data…

  • Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain

    Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain

    Two Indian tourists have died in a motorbike incident yesterday evening on the Thai Gulf island of Koh Samui, southern Thailand. The pair were driving down the Khao Pom mountain on a rented motorbike when they crashed into a barrier on a curved road. The men’s bodies were found on the mountainside. At 6:30pm yesterday, Koh Samui Police Station received…

  • Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable

    Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable

    Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt called for “cooperation” after he pledged to make the city better after chairing a task force meeting designed to help improve lives of the city’s most vulnerable. The 56 year old city chief met with several associations on how best to promote the rights and interests of those most vulnerable in the metropolis. Attendees included associations…

  • Thai nightlife midnight closing time under pressure this week

    Thai nightlife midnight closing time under pressure this week

    The current ‘official’ closing time for nightlife venues, in 31 provinces around Thailand (yellow and blue zones), is midnight. That all kicked in at the start of this month. But, hey, it’s Thailand and there’s also been plenty of venues, particularly in the tourist zones, where the midnight close time has been stretched a bit. But some netizens have noticed…

  • How can parents keep kids busy during Bangkok summer holidays

    How can parents keep kids busy during Bangkok summer holidays

    Summer holidays for Bangkok international schools are nearly here. For working parents who are trying to balance work, and family, and will be spending at least some of the summer in the city, the question is how to keep their children busy and engaged? One of the best online resources for expat parents looking for activities is BKK Kids. With…

  • Nightlife closing times, revised mask requirements and more land border re-openings

    Nightlife closing times, revised mask requirements and more land border re-openings

    Thailand’s Covid taskforce are meeting this week to consider three proposals made from around various Ministries and industry stakeholders. It’s going to be a pivotal week for the CCSA. Announcements are expected by this Friday. One of them is to remove the requirement to wear face masks in public, although it is widely considered that, even if this concession is…

  • UN to take high ground on Thailand’s decision to delist cannabis

    UN to take high ground on Thailand’s decision to delist cannabis

    The United Nations is likely to take the high ground following Thailand’s controversial decision to delist cannabis, says an adviser to the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board. Thai-born Viroj Sumyai, who served as president of the UN’s INCB from 2017 to 2018, says Thailand will have to answer to the UN, and added that if it decides the bill violates…

  • 2 monks questioned about temple fund embezzlement scheme

    2 monks questioned about temple fund embezzlement scheme

    Two senior monks have been released without charge after answering questions in connection to a temple fund embezzlement and money-laundering scheme. The monks, one from Lop Buri province in central Thailand, and the other from Nonthaburi province, deny any wrongdoing. Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, commander of the police Anti-Corruption Division and police investigators, yesterday met with the abbot of…

  • Thais favour dropping masks & extending nightlife curfew

    Thais favour dropping masks & extending nightlife curfew

    Nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate. New tourist visa waivers being proposed to CCSA for next week’s meeting. Concerns over the recreational use of cannabis have been raised following the plant’s decriminalisation. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.

  • Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges

    Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges

    An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Phetchaburi in connection with human trafficking, child exploitation and production, and the distribution of child pornography. Nitikorn Manop was arrested by police on Thursday at a house in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, in central Thailand, bordering Myanmar, after gaining a warrant by the Criminal Court. Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamnarn, head of the Anti-Trafficking…

  • Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA

    Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA

    Amateur crime sleuths have been warned they could be prosecuted under the Personal Data Protection Act despite their good intentions. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, head of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, urged the nation’s unofficial detectives against posting video clips or pictures of others on social media, regardless of their good intentions, as it may violate the PDPA. A new…

  • Gunman with a grudge murders 3 members of a Thai village fund committee

    Gunman with a grudge murders 3 members of a Thai village fund committee

    Three members of a village fund committee were murdered yesterday by a man allegedly holding a grudge in Loei, northeast Thailand, near the Laos border. The gunman, Pitakchai Chairaksuk, was arrested for shooting and killing three members of a village fund committee during a meeting in Muang district. The 62 year old man was caught at the provincial prosecution office after…

  • Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour

    Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour

    The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases yesterday sentenced a cop to 50 years in prison for taking bribes, totalling 641,000 baht, from a Bangkok massage parlour. The unnamed police officer was indicted on 65 counts of bribe-taking after turning a blind eye to illegal activities at the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. The ruling was published in…