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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Tropical Storm Noru is about to hit Thailand
Tropical Storm Noru has been brewing in the Pacific Ocean and is on its way to Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. Noru is expected to cause isolated and heavy rainfall in northern and northeastern Thailand from Tuesday to Thursday (September 27-29). A tropical depression just east of the Philippines intensified into a tropical storm on Friday at around 1pm.…
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Thai man ‘does not regret’ death of ‘crazy’ son who stabbed grandma in the genitals
A Thai man says he does not regret the death of his “crazy” son, who allegedly tried to rape his aunty and grandmother in Samut Prakan in central Thailand last night. The perpetrator stabbed his elderly grandmother in the neck and genitals. Neighbours ran inside and tied him to a pole. After that, he started having seizures, fell unconscious and…
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Schoolgirl raped in a school dormitory in front of friends
A 17 year old girl was raped in front of her friends by a 15 year old boy while she was in a Covid-19 quarantine dormitory at Rajaprajanugroh 57 School in the central province of Phetchabun. When the teenager filed a complaint to the school’s director, he allegedly told her to accept compensation, agree the sex was consensual, and move…
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Former MP jailed after casting votes for colleagues
A former Member of the House of Representatives from the Pheu Thai Party, Narisorn Thongtirat, was sentenced to 16 months in jail after he was found guilty of signing and casting votes for colleagues. The Criminal Division for Politicians under the Supreme Court yesterday sentenced Narisorn, the former MP of the northeastern province of Sakon Nakhon. An investigation found Narisorn…
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Wallaya Villas is back with its new pool villas in Phuket
The first established real estate developer in Phuket’s Kamala neighbourhood is Wallaya Villas. They have more than 17 years of experience in the local real estate industry. They have worked on a variety of projects, including The Nest and The Harmony Phase II, as well as in hotels, commercials, and residential properties. As a result, Wallaya Villas is one of…
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Thailand’s ‘state of emergency’ finally draws to a close
Thailand’s Emergency Decree will finally come to an end on October 1 after being extended 19 times since the beginning of the pandemic. As a result, Thailand’s Covid-19 task force – the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) – will be dissolved. The decision to end the state of emergency has been in the pipeline for some time and was…
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Pro vaping group calls on govt to legalise e-cigarettes
The director of a pro-e-cigarette group in Thailand believes legalizing the activity would not only lead to more control over vaping amongst the kingdom’s youth but make it safer than the dreaded cancer stick. A survey conducted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand last year found more than half of the kingdom’s 80,000 e-cigarette smokers were people aged between…
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BMTA bus driver brawls with motorcycle rider in Bangkok
A bus driver and a motorcycle rider got into a brawl on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok last week after the former honked his horn at him. A video of the scrap between the driver from the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and the motorcycle rider started circulating on Thai social media last Tuesday, September 20. The video shows a male…
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Ambulance runs a red light and kills a motorcycle rider
A 60 year old man was killed after a speeding ambulance run a red light and wiped out his motorcycle causing a huge ball of fire in Mahasarakham, northeastern Thailand. The ambulance from Yang Talad Hospital smashed into the motorcycle at the Chiang Yuen Intersection in Mahasarakham province yesterday at 6am. Video footage from a vehicle behind the motorcycle captures…
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TAT looks to draw more Japanese tourists to Thailand with new campaign
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is looking to draw in more Japanese tourists. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn announced that TAT will introduce a new partnership campaign in the last three months of the year called “It’s Time to Go To Thailand”. The campaign aims to increase Japanese tourists’ average spending per trip, which right now is only 6,400 baht, the…
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Motorcycle taxis & app-based riders fight over passengers
An ongoing row over passengers between motorcycle taxi riders and app-based riders erupted into a brawl on Sunday on Soi Ratchada 18 in Bangkok. One motorcycle taxi rider demanded that the app-based riders give them more respect and stop random pickups on the street when motorcycle taxi services are nearby. The first fight started last Sunday, September 18. One motorcycle taxi…
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Thai army saves man walking 1350 kilometres from Songkhla to Buriram
A man who lost his job in the southern province of Songkhla decided to walk back home to Buriram in northeast Thailand. After 12 days of walking on Sunday, the 42 year old man stumbled across an army barracks in Phatthalung province, the next province along. The soldiers took care of him and paid for his train ticket back to…
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Thai navy buys pilotless aircraft from Israel for 4 billion baht
Thailand has signed a contract to buy Hermes 900 “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV) from an Israeli defence company, according to an announcement made today by the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The purchase will cost 4 billion baht ($US107,003,360). The pilotless aircraft will patrol Thailand’s seas to “protect the sovereignty of Thailand’s waters and shipping routes.” The drones will also assist…
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Lamborghini driver scrambles from scene of egg seller crash
A Thai woman has sought the help of a lawyer to help track down a reckless foreigner who crashed his Lamborghini into her pickup truck full of eggs worth nearly 200,000 baht before he scrambled from the scene, leaving a Thai man to take the blame. Kamlai Sisaengchan had just picked up 1,400 trays of eggs, worth 190,000 baht, when…
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Thailand’s repeat drink driving offenders will be jailed
New legislation in Thailand means that people caught drink driving more than once will go to jail. First time offenders could go to jail or get a fine. The harsher punishments are intended to act as a DUI deterrent to reduce the overall number of deaths on Thailand’s dangerous roads. Thailand’s roads are the deadliest in Southeast Asia and among…
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Chemical leak forces school closures in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Residents of Nakhon Pathom province are warned to stay indoors as a major chemical leak occurred at the Indorama Polyester Industries factory in Nakhon Chai Si district at 6.15am this morning. People from miles around reported a “foul, burning stench” emanating through the sky, originating from the plastic production factory on Petchkasem Road in Khun Kaew subdistrict. Several schools including…
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Corrupt police chief’s 137 million baht fortune nabbed
A former deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8 found guilty of fraudulent activity has had his 137 million baht fortune confiscated by Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption. Pol Lt Gen Somchai Nitayabowornkul was found guilty by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NAAC) on August 10 for having assets worth more than he could ever afford in relation to his rank…
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Weakening baht is in focus as meeting called to discuss its impact
The Bank of Thailand is scrambling to find the sources behind the weakening baht as a meeting is called to discuss its impact. Finance Minister, Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, says the depreciating currency is adding to the inflationary pressures and is vowing to determine whether the decline is linked to the country’s economic fundaments. The Finance Ministry is set to hold talks…
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Thailand schedules general election for May 7, 2023
The Office of the Election Commission of Thailand (EC) tentatively scheduled the day of the general election next year for May 7. Registration for all candidates will be open from April 3 to April 7, 2023. The general election plan was announced by the EC today as the government’s four-year term of office is expected to end on March 23,…
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Security guard stabs woman who spurned his advances
A security guard was stabbed to death by her colleague today after she spurned his advances at Rajamangala University of Technology Krungthep in the Sathon district of Bangkok. The pair’s work colleagues revealed that the alleged murderer fell in love with the victim but she rejected him. The rescue team tried to save the 30 year old Anitta Yoosothana, who…
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Tangmo: ‘Speedboat gang’ to pay 2 million baht plus salary to Tangmo’s mother
Seven months after famous actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong fell from a speedboat and drowned in the Chaophraya River, the court has ordered all six defendants in the case to pay damages to Tangmo’s mother. Today, Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered all six defendants – the “speedboat gang” – to pay a collective upfront sum of 2 million baht in damages to…
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2 Vietnamese pickpockets arrested in Bangkok
Two Vietnamese pickpockets were arrested after stealing money and credit cards from a Singaporean tourist at the Erawan Shrine near CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok. They deny the allegations. The Commissioner-general of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Samran Nuanma, gave an update on the development of the pickpocket case at a press conference yesterday. Samran made public that three Vietnamese pickpockets…
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Foreigner’s ad looking for highly paid Thai girlfriend attracts hundreds of applicants
A Thai woman posted a job advertisement online last week on behalf of her two Chinese friends who are looking to hire Thai girlfriends. The positions come with a 100,000 baht salary per month with a chance to earn even more if the girlfriends do a good job. Facebook user ‘Ok Mai Mai’ posted the following message last week… “Looking…
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212 million baht budget for foreign films shot in Thailand
The Thai Cabinet approved a budget of 212 million baht to support the foreign film industry in Thailand. The Cabinet revealed that six movie crews, four from the United States, one from France, and one from Singapore, will benefit from the 2023 budget. Prime Minister Office spokesperson Trisuree Trisanakun announced to the Thai press yesterday that the Cabinet approved the…
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Agoda: Thailand leading Asia bookings post-pandemic
Popular booking website Agoda says Thailand is one of the first Asian countries to see tourism rebound after the Covid-19 pandemic. Omri Morgenshtern, Agoda’s chief executive says even though the inbound search rate for Thailand on the website was 39% lower than in the same period in 2019, it has begun to rise since the beginning of 2022. “Thailand is…
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Former Thai deputy PM Suthep cleared of corruption charges by Supreme Court
Former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuwan has been cleared by Thailand’s top court of corruption charges. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions also acquitted five co-defendants in the case over a decade-old incident. The charges stemmed from Suthep’s alleged involvement in a project to construct 396 police stations and living quarters while he was deputy PM.…
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THAI expects bankruptcy court to approve revised rehabilitation plan
Thai Airways International (THAI) is expecting its revised rehabilitation plan to be approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The submitted revision comes after the ailing carrier bounced back better than expected after its Covid-19-induced downfall. But, its rehab plan hasn’t come without pushback from some creditors. Chai Eamsiri, the airline’s acting chief financial officer and senior chief, says once the…
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Top 5 reasons why servicing aircon is important (Thailand 2022)
SPONSORED It is humid most time of the year in Thailand and therefore having a functioning aircon is important. Cleaning and maintaining the air conditioning system are part of the air conditioning servicing process. Now, many of you who live in Thailand might believe that aircon maintenance is not required. However, it is important to keep in mind that servicing…
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Thailand News Today | Thai airlines discounts on domestic flights
You can get 300 baht off domestic flights in Thailand under the project “Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand. ” The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Thai Airlines Association jointly launched a special offer to stimulate the economy through domestic tourism this season. Six airlines joined the scheme to offer 300 baht discounts on 500,000 seats on…
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Woman falls down hole while walking on a pavement near Bangkok
Walking on pavements in Thailand is a hazardous affair at the best of times. Pedestrians have a number of dangers to look out for such as speeding motorcyclists, scooters, cars backing up or even street vendors with their carts. One woman fell down a hole after the paving gave way while walking in the central province of Nonthaburi in Bangkok.…
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