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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    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...

  • Thai woman hangs panties out in protest over luxury housing project

    Thai woman hangs panties out in protest over luxury housing project

    A Thai woman got her knickers in a twist after builders flooded her land with toxic wastewater in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok. It made her so angry she hung her panties out in protest. A video was posted on the Thai TikTok account, @songthaow, showing over 30 pairs of panties and shoes hung over electric cables. The caption said……

  • Thai govt launches mouth-watering e-guidebook for foreign foodies

    Thai govt launches mouth-watering e-guidebook for foreign foodies

    Hold on to your buckled belts foodies, because the Thai government has just cooked up something delicious – a mouth-watering e-guidebook aimed at promoting gastronomy tourism for Muslim and foreign visitors alike. The guidebook is so good, it’ll have travellers licking their lips in no time! So, whether you’re foodies seeking new culinary adventures or a traveller looking to spice…

  • Regents International School Pattaya students reach peak of Mt Kilimanjaro

    Regents International School Pattaya students reach peak of Mt Kilimanjaro

    It was a moment of joy, pride, and accomplishment for the Kili ’23 Expedition Team as they reached the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro on March 1st, 2023. After six days of arduous hiking and scrambling, the team of eleven students from Regents International School Pattaya and their leader, Mr Fabia, successfully made it to the top of the highest freestanding…

  • Thai Airways profits nearly tripled in last year’s final quarter

    Thai Airways profits nearly tripled in last year’s final quarter

    Thai Airways International (THAI) had a strong financial performance in the final quarter of 2022, reflecting the gradual recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry. According to the national flag carrier’s annual financial statement filed with the Thai Stock Exchange on February 24, the net income for the fourth quarter of 2022 surged to 11.15 billion baht, almost triple the 4 billion…

  • Thai woman caught performing oral sex on foreign man in Pattaya (video)

    Thai woman caught performing oral sex on foreign man in Pattaya (video)

    Pattaya has once again gained notoriety for its reputation as a “Sin City” after a video went viral of a Thai woman performing oral sex on a foreign man near the Pattaya Music Festival location. The Pattaya Online News Facebook page reported today that a witness sent a two-minute video to Thai media yesterday. In the video, a woman wearing…

  • All bets off as MP faces gambling charge in Parliament

    All bets off as MP faces gambling charge in Parliament

    All bets are off according to spokeswoman Pongsri Tharaphume who revealed “an investigation will be launched” into an incident involving an unnamed MP who allegedly engaged in gambling activities at his office in Parliament. Parliament president Chuan Leekpai has requested an investigation to determine whether the MP violated the House’s code of ethics. The investigation was initiated in response to…

  • Thailand strengthens tourism ties with China in high-profile meeting

    Thailand strengthens tourism ties with China in high-profile meeting

    Thailand is strengthening its tourism ties with China after the two countries inked a letter of intent in a high-profile meeting. Chinese Culture and Tourism Minister, Hu Heping, and Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, signed the Letter of Intent between the TAT and China Tourism Group Travel Services. As 2023 marks 48 years of diplomacy between the two…

  • Ladyboy steals English tourist’s gold necklace in Phuket

    Ladyboy steals English tourist’s gold necklace in Phuket

    Police managed to reunite an English tourist with his gold necklace after it was snatched by a ladyboy in the Patong area of Phuket, southern Thailand, in the early hours of this morning. At 4.30am, officers at Patong Police Station were informed that a tourist’s gold necklace was stolen in front of the Central Department Store in Patong. Police rushed…

  • Two suspects in Tangmo case plead guilty to ‘recklessness causing death’

    Two suspects in Tangmo case plead guilty to ‘recklessness causing death’

    More than one year after Thai actress Nida ‘Tangmo‘ Patcharaveerapong drowned in the Chaophraya River, two suspects in the ‘speedboat gang‘ have confessed to all charges including recklessness causing death. The four remaining suspects denied all charges. Tangmo’s mother Panida Siriyuthyothin said the confessions follow new evidence she submitted to the court on February 24. The new evidence is dashcam…

  • Thailand wins award for ‘Best Tourist Country’ in Sweden

    Thailand wins award for ‘Best Tourist Country’ in Sweden

    Thailand continues to make waves across the globe for its reputation as a tourist magnet. Thailand has been recognised as the Best Tourist Country at the 30th annual Grand Travel Awards 2023 in Stockholm, Sweden. Organised by TravelNews, the award is based on a survey conducted by research company Nordic Bench, which collected responses from 3,227 Swedish travellers and travel professionals…

  • 11 Thai police officers arrested for alleged gang rape of 14 year old

    11 Thai police officers arrested for alleged gang rape of 14 year old

    A children’s foundation is rallying for justice after a 14 year old girl was allegedly gang-raped by 15 men. Eleven of the men are reported to be serving Thai police officers and the teenage girl was supposedly raped on multiple occasions in Leoi province in northeast Thailand over a two-year period. Today, officials from the Children, Youth and Families Foundation…

  • Thai men condemed for inappropriately touching Taiwanese YouTuber

    Thai men condemed for inappropriately touching Taiwanese YouTuber

    Thai and Taiwanese netizens condemned two Thai men for inappropriately touching a Taiwanese YouTuber, Ar Yuan, while she was travelling in Bangkok. The Taiwanese YouTuber, Ar Yuan ( 一隻阿圓) runs a YouTube channel called I am CIRCLE (一隻阿圓) which promotes travel and lifestyle videos and draws over 762,000 subscribers to her channel. According to the Taiwanese news agency, ETtoday, Ar…

  • Thai Model, Ticha Kanticha, promotes sex-ed and positivity in Thai society

    Thai Model, Ticha Kanticha, promotes sex-ed and positivity in Thai society

    Kanticha Chumma, also known as Ticha Kanticha, has become a prominent figure in Thailand due to her impressive win as the best model in the reality show, The Face Thailand Season 2. However, her influence extends beyond the modelling industry, and she has become an advocate for sex education and challenged social norms in Thailand. The 28 year old model,…

  • Police arrest Cambodian for raging fire at Pattaya ‘secret’ beach (video)

    Police arrest Cambodian for raging fire at Pattaya ‘secret’ beach (video)

    Police arrested a homeless Cambodian national yesterday under suspicion of starting a raging fire at a secret beach in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, on Monday night, causing damages amounting to 300,000 baht. On Monday, 41 year old fisherman Teeraphat Iampinyo discovered a raging fire at a secret beach – mostly used by fishermen to sell fish and store equipment. The beach…

  • Transgender actress marries wealthy Thai businessman

    Transgender actress marries wealthy Thai businessman

    Transgender actress, model, and beauty queen Poyd Treechada Petcharat yesterday tied the knot with wealthy Thai businessman Oak Bhavagha Hongyok. The ceremony, held at Phuket’s Baan Ar-Jor, followed the traditional Peranakan style, which originated with the wave of Chinese immigrants to the region six centuries ago, reported The Straits Times. The 36 year old Poyd gained international recognition after winning…

  • Frenchman pays the price for revving noisy motorbike in Phuket

    Frenchman pays the price for revving noisy motorbike in Phuket

    Police tracked down and fined a Frenchman yesterday for annoying residents by revving his loud rented motorbike along the Bangla Road in Phuket, southern Thailand, in the early hours of Monday morning. At 5am on Monday, Phuket traffic police were tipped off that a group of four to five ‘dek waen’ (motorbike racers) were causing a ruckus outside a convenience…

  • Lion cub escapes Chinese man’s house in Pattaya

    Lion cub escapes Chinese man’s house in Pattaya

    Residents of a luxury village in Pattaya called on the authorities to investigate the home of a Chinese man after they witnessed a white lion cub roaming around the community. The 39 year old Chinese man named Shen Tai contacted Pattaya authorities on Tuesday night that his three month old female white lion cub had gone missing. Later, he informed…

  • Meatball seller wins 6 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    Meatball seller wins 6 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand

    A meatball seller from Buriram province in northeast Thailand won the first prize of 6 million baht in the government lottery yesterday. She says she won’t stop selling meatballs. The newfound millionaire, 53 year old Champa Sumahungphan, revealed how she chose the winning numbers. Champa explained that she was riding around the Thai Samakkadi subdistrict on her motorbike and attached…

  • German woman injured in Krabi cave

    German woman injured in Krabi cave

    A German woman was injured in a cave in Thailand’s Krabi province on Tuesday. The 61 year old tourist fell while walking inside the cave at Ka Narb Nam Mountain in the main city district. She was left unable to walk. The rescue mission was arduous due to the cave’s location. A rescue team had to get to the cave…

  • US Army officer dies during Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

    US Army officer dies during Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

    UPDATE The US Army officer who was found dead at a Thai army camp in Lop Buri province, central Thailand, on Tuesday morning has been identified as 37 year old Maj. Andrew Cotter. Cotter was taking part in the multinational military exercise Cobra Gold. Yesterday, US and Thai officials said that no foul play was suspected. Superintendent of Mueang Lop…

  • Taiwanese tourist tragically drowns while snorkeling off Krabi

    Taiwanese tourist tragically drowns while snorkeling off Krabi

    A Taiwanese tourist tragically drowned while snorkelling off an island in Thailand’s Krabi province. The tourist, 36 year old Yueh Lee, had been snorkelling off the island of Koh Hong on Tuesday, according to his friend. The unidentified friend said they had been looking at coral reefs. Lifeguards then noticed that Yueh had been lying face down in the water…

  • UK YouTuber’s video on Thai boy racers praised by netizens

    UK YouTuber’s video on Thai boy racers praised by netizens

    Thai netizens hailed UK YouTuber JimmyTheGiant for his documentary-style video “Thailand’s Most Hated Subculture,” which sheds light on the persistent issue of boy racers in the kingdom. Many have called on Thai authorities to take the issue seriously and sort it out. The term “Dek Waen” is used to describe teenage boy racers who ride motorcycles or drive cars, very fast. However,…

  • Expensive flights to Thailand too hot for Chinese mainland mainstream

    Expensive flights to Thailand too hot for Chinese mainland mainstream

    Expensive flights to Thailand from bigger cities in China are delaying Thailand’s tourism recovery. Most tariffs are still one and a half times more than pre-pandemic prices, while for smaller cities, fares are more than double previous levels According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn, while most tickets are cheaper than last year, prices for March…

  • American soldier dies at Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

    American soldier dies at Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand

    An American soldier attending the annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand was found dead in the bathroom at an army camp in Lop Buri province, north of Bangkok, yesterday at 9.40am. Officers from Mueang Lop Buri Police Station travelled to the 31st Infantry Regiment to find the soldier deceased in the bathroom in a pool of blood. There was…

  • Chinese businessman allegedly behind 10 million baht worth of fake auto parts in Thailand

    Chinese businessman allegedly behind 10 million baht worth of fake auto parts in Thailand

    A Chinese businessman allegedly ran a warehouse with counterfeit auto parts in Thailand. Yesterday, police and officials seized about 200,000 counterfeit auto parts worth around 10 million baht in Thailand’s central Nakhon Pathom province. Local police, economic crime suppression police, and other officials raided a warehouse in the Nakhon Chaisi district. The team arrested the building’s caretaker, 24 year old…

  • 50 elephants ‘addicted to sugarcane’ destroy 2000 rai of crops in Thailand

    50 elephants ‘addicted to sugarcane’ destroy 2000 rai of crops in Thailand

    A herd of around 50 wild elephants has migrated into farmland in Loei province in northeast Thailand, destroying 2000 rai of crops so far. There is no sign of them retreating into the forest. Recently, around 50 elephants migrated into agricultural land in the Phra Kradueng district from the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary. No wonder the elephants moved away from…

  • 4 police officers and 3 men arrested for smuggling motorcycles

    4 police officers and 3 men arrested for smuggling motorcycles

    Authorities arrested four police officers, one Thai man, and two Cambodian men yesterday at a pier in the southeastern province of Trat for smuggling six motorcycles into a neighbouring country. The Marine Special Unit 182 received a tip-off from an authority spy that the smuggling was to take place at a pier in the Mai Root sub-district, Khlong Yai district…

  • 2 men arrested for animal trafficking, over 100 carcasses seized

    2 men arrested for animal trafficking, over 100 carcasses seized

    Two men were arrested yesterday in the central province of Suphan Buri for trafficking protected animals. The authorities seized over 100 carcasses of monitor lizards and turtles, making the largest number on record. Authorities from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division, or Greencop, and U-Thong Police Station were notified that a house owner, later identified as 73 year old…

  • Venus and Jupiter to be visible in Thai skies for the next few nights

    Venus and Jupiter to be visible in Thai skies for the next few nights

    Stargazers will be happy to hear that Venus and Jupiter will be visible in Thai skies for the next few nights, according to the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT). NARIT said the two planets will almost touch each other in the night sky on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Nation Thailand reported. The institute said Venus and Jupiter will…

  • Faith-based businesses: Your good luck is their bad luck

    Faith-based businesses: Your good luck is their bad luck

    There’s big money in misery. In times of economic downturn and instability, many Thais turn to spiritual practices such as prayer, amulets, and fortune telling for support. As a result, many faith-based businesses have emerged to offer solutions to people’s problems. But as the economy grows stronger and more stable, faith business profits are falling. With the onset of the…