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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Bangkok taxi driver brawls with passenger in the street (video)
A fight broke out between a Bangkok taxi driver and a passenger in the middle of the street last night. The passenger allegedly tried to steal from the driver. In a clip circulating on social media, the cameraman shouts ‘Muay Thai!’ as a taxi driver, wearing a face mask throughout the whole fight, swings at the passenger and pushes him…
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Thai woman alleges ex-husband kidnapped her daughter
A Thai woman alleges that her ex-husband kidnapped her two year old daughter. The woman, 25 year old Pornapha ‘Pim’ Thankew told The Thaiger that on Sunday, January 1, her ex came to her house in the northeast Surin province to pick up their daughter. He told her that he was taking their daughter, Apichaya ‘Ung-Ing’ Thankew, to an ordination…
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Princess Sirindhorn to be named Goodwill Ambassador
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will be named Goodwill Ambassador again by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for her contributions to the empowerment of minority children and the preservation of intangible heritage. The princess was first appointed Goodwill Ambassador in March 2005 by then UNESCO director Sheldon Shaeffer, who recognised her decades of work…
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Thailand Cabinet approves emergency decree to crackdown on Internet fraud
The Thailand Cabinet revealed its commitment to cracking down on Internet fraud by approving a draft emergency decree. Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn revealed the Cabinet approved the draft emergency decree to combat Internet fraud, which will allow financial institutions to temporarily halt suspicious transactions for scrutiny. The draft, titled “the prevention and suppression of technology crime,”…
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President of Thailand’s Udon Thani FC ‘Madam Wi’ accused of fraud
“Madam Wi,” the president of Thai League 2 team Udon Thani FC in northeast Thailand, has been accused of fraud after allegedly deceiving people into paying her money to find them work in South Korea. Nine people filed a complaint at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station accusing 41 year old Arisara “Madam Wi” Chamun of fraud and violating the Employment…
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Thai activists warn that new hair guidelines will allow schools to be more strict
A Thai student activist group warns that Thailand’s new guidelines for schools will allow schools to be stricter on students. This news comes after Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong signed an order cancelling the ministry’s 2020 regulation on student hairstyles on January 16. This week, Treenuch said she was preparing a guideline for schools on hairstyles. The draft guideline says that…
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What changes did Google notice in Thailand’s web searches last year?
US multinational Google last year identified a substantial change in consumer trends in Thailand based on web searches conducted last year. The world’s favourite web browser discovered a change of direction in Thailand’s search engines which were split into three categories or trends in Google’s “Year in Search 2022 – Thailand” report, which opened a window into consumers’ behaviour. They…
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Foreigner claims suspected Thai monk in sex clip is actually him
A Vietnamese man claims that it is he featured in a clip of two men having sex and not the accused famous Thai monk ‘Kru Ba Gai.’ Four former students of Kra Ba Gai, a well-known abbot of a temple in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand, accused the monk of having sexual relations with a man which is against the…
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Thai navy rescues tourists caught in large Phuket waves
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) rescued a group of tourists in distress who were caught in large waves on a fishing boat off Phuket. The RTN Third Area Command said they rescued the seven foreign tourists in the south of Phuket on Wednesday. The boat’s navigator was broken, leaving the captain unable to bring the boat back to the shore.…
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Thai founder of stray animal shelter featured on Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper
A Thai woman who founded a shelter for stray animals and invested over 100 million baht in its care is featured on a Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. Hershey’s, one of the world’s biggest chocolate manufacturers, releases new chocolate bar wrappers to honour inspirational women on International Women’s Day. In recent years, the…
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Australia returns 9 ancient Buddha statues to Thailand after 112 years
Nine wooden Buddha statues have returned to Thailand after being in Australia for 112 years. Murray Upton, an Australian man from Canberra, contacted the Royal Thai Embassy that he was in possession of nine ancient Buddha statues from Thailand. The Australian said he received the Buddha statues from his father. He said they were in his father’s possession since 1911.…
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Arrested drug dealer says he got narcotics from police
Police arrested a drug dealer and four addicts yesterday in the central province of Rayong. The dealer, while being arrested, alleged that the Thai police were involved in drug distribution and claimed that he had received the drugs as a reward for acting as a secret agent for the police in the province. The drug dealer and his four customers…
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Thai bride-to-be falls to death from Pattaya condo
A Thai bride-to-be fell to her death from a condominium in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning. Her friend told police that she and her foreign fiancé had just left her bar five minutes before she died. Mueang Pattaya Police Station officers and a rescue team were notified of the incident and rushed to the condo on Southern Pattaya…
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Drain collapses beneath Chinese tourist’s feet in Thailand
A Chinese tourist was walking on a pavement near the Ancient City in Samut Prakan near Bangkok yesterday when a drain cover collapsed beneath his feet. Luckily, the tourist only sustained minor injuries. The Facebook page ‘Samut Prakan News v2’ posted a photo of the distressed tourist sitting on the side of Sukhumvit Road next to a broken sewage drain…
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Victim loses over 10 million baht in Thai Lion Air ticket scam
Thai Lion Air issued a warning to passengers to be cautious of a ticket scam, after a person lost over 10 million baht by visiting a fraudulent website to claim a free ticket. Trang Police Station posted a warning on its Facebook page of how the victim was grifted 10.2 million baht after trying to claim a free flight from…
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FTI warns foreign businesses will invest elsewhere unless govt makes energy cheaper
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) warned the government that foreign businesses will not invest in Thailand if it maintains its unsustainable utility bills. The FTI insists investors will look to their more competitive Asian neighbours and set up camp there if the government does not make its energy cheaper. FTI Vice President Sompote Ahunai said the government needs to…
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Bolt vs Win motorbike taxi gang violence continues in Pattaya
Violence between rivalling motorbike taxi operators continues in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, where three ‘Win‘ drivers were injured after being beaten with a baseball bat and an iron bar, allegedly by Bolt drivers. Yesterday evening, a brawl broke out between three Bolt drivers and three Win drivers at Thappraya Soi 7, South Pattaya, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province, near Jomtien…
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Huge waves in the southern Thai sea destroys beach and 200 palm trees
Thap Sakae Beach and 200 palm trees in the southern province of Prachup Khiri Khan were devastated as huge waves battered its shoreline yesterday morning. According to Thap Sakae sub-district chief Maria Phaopratarn, the waves and wind at Thap Sakae Beach in the southern province of Prachup Khiri Khan were unusually strong yesterday morning and began to subside around 4pm.…
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Fugitive Thaksin reveals his forthcoming return to Thailand, again
Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister, fugitive from justice and dynastic overlord, has spoken of his coming return to Thailand, and how it will happen without help from Pheu Thai or the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. The saviour’s coming will be announced by daughter Paetongtarn, herself an aspirant PM. The latest of many declarations on his forthcoming return to Thailand came…
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Thai man mistakes friend for wild boar and shoots him dead
A Thai man shot dead his best friend in the forest in Lampang province in northern Thailand yesterday morning. Distraught, the gunman said he thought his friend was a wild boar. At 7am, officers from Mae Tha Police Station were informed of a fatal shooting in the forest on the mountain in Wan Ngern subdistrict. At the scene, officers found…
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Longtail boat sinks in Thailand: Pregnant Malay woman and child die, 2 survive
A longtail boat carrying a family of Malaysian tourists sank off the coast of Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday. A 36 year old pregnant woman and her six year old child died while the father and Thai boat operator survived with the help of a local fisherman. A young fisherman, 21 year old Warit Changmin, went out fishing for…
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Bank of Thailand increases interest rates, again!
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of Thailand insists that it had to hike its policy interest rate by 0.25% to 1.50% yesterday for the fourth consecutive time to curb high inflation. MPC Committee Secretary Piti Disyatat reported that the committee was unanimous in its decision. “Under a gradual policy normalisation, rate hikes could take place for a…
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Thai livestock department hits back at rumours of fake Chinese eggs
Thailand’s Department of Livestock is hitting back against rumours that the country is importing fake eggs from China. This is after a video went viral on social media showing a factory in China that makes ‘century eggs.’ The video’s text says the Chinese delicacy can be made with a variety of eggs including duck, chicken, or quail eggs. It then…
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Thailand beats foreign arrivals goal for 2022
Thailand has reportedly beaten its goal for foreign arrivals in 2022 after seeing a total of 11.15 million tourists enter the country last year. Initially, the kingdom had set a goal for 10 million tourists to arrive in 2022. But, as the world opened up after the Covid-19 pandemic, the country saw a significant jump in arrivals compared to 2021’s…
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Thai police swiftly arrest thief who robbed German tourist
Netizens are praising the work of police in Sukhothai in central Thailand for tracking down and arresting a thief who robbed a German tourist in just 30 minutes and reuniting her with all of the stolen items. Not only did police crack the case, but one investigating officer interrogated the thief and posted the video on his TikTok account earlier today.…
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2 Chinese tourists injured after fight at bar in Chiang Mai
Two Chinese citizens were injured after two groups of Chinese tourists brawled at the end of a boxing match at a bar in Chiang Mai. The fight also caused a heavy backlog of traffic near Tha Phae Gate. Members of the Ruamlanna Chiang Mai Rescue Association rushed to the bar on Loi Kroh Road near Chiang Mai Old City after…
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Thailand promotes tourism with subsidies, vouchers nationwide
Thailand is promoting tourism by offering rate subsidies on hotels and food vouchers at participating businesses nationwide. According to Bangkok Post, the Thai Cabinet approved a budget of 3.95 billion baht to stimulate tourism, which includes 2.02 billion baht set aside for food-tour vouchers and room discounts of up to 40%. Under the government’s “We Travel Together” campaign, 560 hotel…
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Thai netizens predict lucky lottery numbers based on diamond eye cat
Thai netizens are predicting lucky lottery numbers based on an unusual cat with a diamond eye. TikTok clips that went viral today show the cat’s peculiar, piercingly bright left eye. Some netizens predicted lucky numbers for the February 1 lottery based on the TikTok user’s name, @user3026088746242. They have also predicted numbers associated with cats, mainly four, eight, and seven. Many…
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Leopard undergoes successful surgery in Thailand
Veterinarians successfully removed a large tumour from a leopard‘s face in Suphan Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. The big cat is recovering well from the surgery. Officials from the Bueng Chawak Non-Hunting Area reported that a 15 year old male leopard named Tree, weighing 51.5 kilogrammes, was operated on yesterday at the Bang Chawak Wildlife Management Centre. Tree was…
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Mother drowns in Pattaya pond where she previously ‘heard a voice’ (video)
A mother tragically drowned in a Pattaya pond on Monday night. The woman, 49 year old Amnuay Khemram, had gone into the pond twice in the past after she heard a voice telling her to walk into it, according to her son, 26 year old Thammarong Khemram. Thammarong said his mother went missing from their home at 11am on Monday.…
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