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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Exiled Chinese Christians arrive safely in US from Thailand
A group of exiled Chinese Christians, who feared persecution if they were sent back to China, arrived safely in the United States. The group had been detained for overstaying their visas in Thailand, where they had been trying to arrange formal passage to the US. The group arrested included 63 members of China’s Mayflower Church. The group believed that Chinese…
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British tourists to Thailand: Are you really covered? Travel insurance warning for medical emergencies
British tourists travelling to Thailand are being warned that their travel insurance policies may not cover them in the event of a medical emergency. Most travel insurance is not designed to cover life-saving operations or expensive repatriation. The Association of British Insurers pointed out that 17% of all overseas claims are rejected due to lack of documentation, and the average…
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Officials work with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Officials are working with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in the Kaiburi district of Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province. The Community-Based Tourism Promotion Project is a collaborative effort between the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Administration Organization, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and Agoda. Agoda will be promoting community-based tourism products and activities to its customers, including local homestays, cultural…
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Thai man stabs wife 21 times before driving into Chao Phraya River
A Thai man stabbed his wife to death in Lopburi province, central Thailand, today before attempting to commit suicide by driving his Chevrolet pickup truck into the Chao Phraya River in Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya province. However, the killer was saved by one of his relatives who happened to be fishing at the riverbank. This morning, officers at Ban Kum…
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Koh Samui: The secret island gem of Southeast Asia’s hospitality scene
Over the past week, we have been compiling our latest hospitality, tourism, and hotel research on Thailand’s second-largest island, Koh Samui. The island remains a bit of a ‘little-big’ anomaly in Southeast Asia’s massive resort island arsenal. Despite hosting famed global hotel brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, W, InterContinental, and Banyan Tree, its smallish private airport capacity has somehow…
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Cyberpunk data thief allegedly an army sergeant
The cyberpunk who hacked into a government database and threatened to release the personal data of 55 million Thai people is believed to be an army sergeant. Police held the unnamed army sergeant and his wife this morning in relation to hacking the personal data of 55 million Thais and putting the information up for sale on April 5 under…
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Thailand: Don’t leave a lighter in your car during extreme heat
A pickup truck parked in the sun all day burst into flames in Buriram province in northeast Thailand after a lighter exploded on the front seat yesterday. Summer is in full swing in Thailand, with peak “feels like” temperatures shooting up to 50 degrees Celsius yesterday in Bangkok. Every region is sweltering with heat. At 3.30pm, officers at Nang Rong…
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18 year old man dies after two hooligans threw stones at him in southern Thailand
An 18 year old man died in hospital yesterday after two hooligans threw stones at him while he was riding a motorcycle on a road in the southern province of Satun. The teenage victim, Kullatat “Folk” Tohem, was rushed to hospital on Sunday, April 2 with a serious head injury after two hooligans threw stones at him. The young man…
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Early morning raid captures illegal foreign workers at a Pattaya market
An early morning raid at Amon Nakhon fresh market in Pattaya by Chon Buri Immigration officials and Bang Lamung Police Station led to the capture of seven illegal foreign workers. Police reported the surprise raid was conducted at 6am on Wednesday and seven illegal migrants were arrested. Officers searched the market and nearby shops which saw workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam,…
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Woman arrested for security guard murder and attempted murder of 2 others
A Thai woman was arrested by police officers this morning for the alleged murder of a security guard and the attempted murder of two others at a dormitory located in the Thanya Buri district of Pathum Thani, situated in the central part of Thailand. Pratunam Chulalongkorn Police Station was notified about the stabbing incident and swiftly responded to the scene…
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Woman driver’s reckless reversal on motorway leads to horrific crash with lorry
A six-wheel lorry smashed into the back of a reckless woman driver who reversed over 1 kilometre down a busy motorway in Samut Prakarn because she missed her exit. A rescue service team sent the injured woman to hospital after the incident. The incident occurred yesterday at 6am on the Bang Na-Chon Buri or Burapha Withi Expressway in Samut Prakarn…
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German woman injured after falling at Koh Samui waterfall
A tourist from Germany sustained injuries while visiting Koh Samui, one of Thailand‘s beautiful tropical destinations. The incident occurred when a German woman fell at a waterfall on Koh Samui, Na Mueang 2 Waterfall, and it took rescue teams and officials over 20 minutes to reach her location on foot. The team found the woman, 38 year old Sina Dahmann,…
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Thailand’s Koh Kradan voted best beach on earth
Thailand’s unspoiled Koh Kradan island off the coast of Trang province was ranked the best of the ‘Top 100 Beaches on Earth 2023‘ by the UK website World Beach Guide. Four other Thai beaches made the top 100 including Railay Beach in Krabi province (9), Freedom Beach in Phuket (18), Laem Beach on Koh Yao Yai island in Phang Nga…
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Big Oil Majors production cuts, what this means to airfares
The recent move by the Big Oil Majors to cut production by over one million barrels a day as a “precautionary” measure to stabilize the oil market will have a domino effect on airfares, according to industry experts. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) yesterday announced plans to lower oil production by 1.16 million barrels per day, starting…
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Assets seized and suspects arrested after large-scale online gambling chain uncovered
Last Friday, 63 locations were raided by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to investigate relevant evidence suggesting they were connected to “Inspector Sua.” Ordered by CIB commissioner Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, the raids took place in Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Pathum Thani, and Chanthaburi. 6 suspects were arrested for their alleged links to Pentor Group, a prominent online gambling…
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Crooked trail of corruption uncovered after cops arrest bent revenue director for soliciting bribes
Royal Thai Police (RTP) yesterday uncovered a crooked trail of corruption worth 7 million baht following the arrest of an alleged bent government revenue director. RTP officers arrested, Pramual Saengkaewsri, a director in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok on Wednesday in a hotel carpark as part of a police sting. The 57 year old was apprehended for soliciting bribes amounting to 3 million baht from a…
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Power struggle: JSCCIB takes on govt to lower electricity prices
Tensions are running high in Thailand as the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) has declared war on the government in a bid to bring down the nation’s soaring electricity prices. The committee, comprised of representatives from major business groups, is asking Prime Minister Prayut Chan o cha to reconsider the electricity bill calculation and reduce the…
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Rogue cop with gambling addiction jailed for 50 years for gun theft
A rogue cop with a gambling addiction was sentenced to 270 years in prison for theft and illegal possession of 160 firearms. He will only serve 50 years as allowed under Thai law. Senior sergeant major Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested in October in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling…
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Thailand’s billionaire trio makes Forbes’ 2023 list of world’s richest
Forbes yesterday released its annual list of the world’s billionaires, and Thailand has its hands in the till with 28 billionaires, three of whom are ranked in the top 150. The list includes Dhanin Chearavanont, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi, and Sarath Ratanavadi, whose net worths range from US$12.3 billion to US$14.9 billion. Despite this achievement, the year 2023 proved challenging for the…
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Surviving a sinister husband and a Thai cliff fall: A Chinese woman’s incredible resilience
A Chinese woman is finally on her feet and on the road to recovery after the trauma of being pushed off a cliff in Thailand in 2019 by a sinister ex-con husband only interested in her wealth. Wang Nan spent the past four years of her life trying to survive her life-threatening ordeal and rebuilding and rehabilitating her life after…
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10-wheelers banned on six roads to reduce Songkran traffic and accidents
In an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and prevent accidents, the use of large vehicles with ten or more wheels has been prohibited on six roads during the Songkran holidays. The national police chief, Damrongsak Kittiprapas, announced his role as head of the traffic police after it was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday, reported The Nation. The restricted…
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Agoda reveals top 5 cheapest tourist destinations in Thailand
Khon Kaen – the capital of Isaan – is the cheapest tourist destination in Thailand, offering the most competitive room rates, according to online travel giant Agoda. The average going room rate in Khon Kaen on Agoda’s platform is 1,030 Thai baht (US$30). Joining Khon Kaen in the top five most affordable tourist destinations in Thailand – based on average room…
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Bangkok official arrested for demanding bribes from real estate company
The revenue department director in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok was apprehended for soliciting bribes amounting to 3 million baht from a real estate firm in exchange for a tax exemption worth more than 40 million baht. The director, identified as Pramuan, was arrested yesterday at a hotel located in the Ratchathewi area after he arranged a meeting with the…
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Thai man holds 9 year old son hostage on overpass and threatens to jump
A stressed Thai man held his nine year old son hostage and threatened to jump off an overpass over the Phetchkasem Road in Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand yesterday, reports MGROnline. Radio Centre 191 received a report that a stressed man holding his nine year old son hostage might jump off an overpass in front of Ban Nong Hin…
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Thai woman finds rat claw in chilli paste (video)
A Thai woman was eating jaew bla ra (chilli paste with pickled fish) that she bought from a market in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday when she noticed a mysterious foot – with fingernails – floating in the sauce. She didn’t know what it was until netizens informed her that it looked like a rat claw. In a…
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Tragic suicide at Noi Bai Airport: Thai man jumps off third floor amid abnormal behaviour signs
A Thai man yesterday committed suicide after he jumped off the third floor of Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam. The man was reportedly showing abnormal behaviour signs before the incident. Noi Bai Airport spokesperson reported that at 1.25pm yesterday the Thai man, aged about 40 to 45 years old, climbed over the railing near the escalator in the T2…
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Forest fire kills another firefighting volunteer in northern Thailand
A firefighting volunteer was tragically caught in the flames while extinguishing a forest fire in Nan province in northern Thailand yesterday, where a thick layer of smog continues to blanket the region. The body of 62 year old Sriwan Mirayot was found in the forests surrounding Doi Sa-ngud mountain in the Bor Suak subdistrict in Mueang Nan district. His fellow…
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Murder of Chinese student in Thailand was reportedly over rejection
The murder of a 22 year old Chinese student in Thailand was motivated by rejection, media reported yesterday. New information has come to light in the case of Jin Can, a Chinese student who was reported kidnapped for ransom, and her body was later found in a banana plantation in the Bang Yai district in the central Nonthaburi province. According…
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‘He survived the Boxing Day tsunami’: Family grieves for Australian resort owner killed on his birthday in Krabi
UPDATE The Australian man who was tragically stabbed to death at the resort he owned in Krabi, southern Thailand, on his 57th birthday has been identified as Peter Heppell from Perth. The fatal attack happened on Sunday at Heppell’s resort in Khao Thong district, Melina’s Monkey House and Whale Bar, which he named after his daughter Melina who was swept away…
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Australian resort owner stabbed to death in Krabi, Thailand
An Australian man was stabbed to death at his resort in Krabi province, southern Thailand, on Sunday. The Thai husband of one of the victim’s former employees has confessed to the crime, police say. On Saturday evening, officers at Ao Nang Police Station were informed by staff at Krabi Hospital that a foreigner was stabbed to death at a resort…
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