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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Woman delivers healthy baby in rescue van in Samut Prakan
A pregnant woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl in a rescue vehicle in Samut Prakan yesterday, January 15, after going into labour unexpectedly. Her husband, who was driving at the time, pulled over and called for help. Rescue volunteers from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, at around 2.20pm, were alerted by the Samut Prakan emergency command centre about a 29…
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Thailand video news | Construction crane collapse on Rama II road kills two, Thailand introduces muay Thai visa to support international students
Today we’ll be talking about the two crane collapses in as many days and the company behind these disasters, plus, leading Thai political parties are vowing to reclassify cannabis in an effort to make the plant medical use only, and later on we’ll talk about the pea soup pollution that is currently plaguing the country. Don’t worry though, still some…
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PM Anutin orders termination and blacklisting of Italian-Thai Development
Thailand’s Prime Minister (PM) Anutin Charnvirakul ordered the Ministry of Transport to terminate construction contracts with Italian-Thai Development (ITD) and blacklist the contractor, following a series of deadly infrastructure accidents that sparked intense public backlash. The decision comes in the wake of two high-profile tragedies: the crane collapse onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima and the crane accident on Rama…
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35 Thais detained after allegedly being forced to work in Cambodia
Thai police yesterday, January 15, detained 35 Thai nationals near the Aranyaprathet border in Sa Kaeo province after they illegally crossed back from Cambodia, claiming they had been unknowingly taken out of the country and forced into online scam operations. The Burapha Task Force, along with rangers from the 12th unit’s Company 1206, found the group walking along a forested…
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Bangkok air quality hits dangerous levels, but what’s causing the PM2.5 surge?
Air quality in Bangkok was once again hazardous this morning, January 16, with PM2.5 levels across the capital soaring above safe standards, prompting health warnings and calls to limit outdoor activities. At 7am, the Bangkok Air Quality Information Centre reported the average PM2.5 level in the city was 57.3 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), well above the national safety threshold…
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Bangkok ranked 3rd best city to visit by New York Times
Bangkok was named the third best city to visit in the world today, January 16, in The New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2026 list, praised for its green spaces, vibrant art scene, and recent innovations in public transport. According to Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesperson Aekvarunyoo Amrapala, the city is proud to see its urban development and…
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South Korean man and Thai wife die in crane collapse one day after marriage
A South Korean man and his Thai wife lost their lives in the Nakhon Ratchasima crane disaster on Wednesday, January 14, one day after their marriage. Authorities confirmed that a German national and a South Korean man were among 32 people killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a moving passenger train in Korat on Wednesday. While the German man’s…
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Outrage over illegal sex products and cigarettes sold in Pattaya
Tourists and locals are demanding a crackdown from authorities after spotting vendors blatantly selling sex pills, sex toys, and contraband cigarettes in plain sight along Pattaya beach road yesterday, January 15. The complaints highlight the sale of illegal items in crowded tourist areas across Pattaya. Several vendors were spotted parking motorcycles along the beachfront and displaying their goods in full…
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Phuket unveils ‘Dheveena’ sea goddess sculpture as new landmark
Phuket unveiled a new landmark, “Dheveena,” a large-scale public sculpture installed along the seafront at Saphan Hin Park in the Wichit sub-district, as part of the Thailand Biennale 2025. The fourth edition of the Thailand Biennale returned to Phuket on November 29 last year and will run for five months until April 30 this year. Under the theme “Eternal Kalpa,”…
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Train-crane crash claims woman en route to father’s funeral
A woman travelling home for her father’s funeral was among those killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani express train in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sikhio district. The woman, identified as 31 year old, Chanan, was returning to her hometown in Surin province to attend her father’s funeral, scheduled for January 17. She had worked in Bangkok for over…
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Justice finds Khon Kaen man after brutal attack on wife and child
A man in Khon Kaen was arrested today, January 15, after video footage of him violently assaulting his wife and two year old son at home surfaced online earlier this week. The incident came to light on January 12 after video footage circulated on social media showing a man, known as Jakkrit, physically assaulting his young child and partner at…
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Chinese man spotted roaming around Pattaya after robbing real estate agent
Pattaya police are continuing their manhunt for a Chinese man wanted for robbing a fellow Chinese woman, after the suspect was spotted on CCTV at a convenience store near Jomtien Beach today, January 15. The victim, 35 year old Chinese real estate agent Yang Wang, filed a complaint with Nong Prue Police Station after the robbery occurred at around midnight…
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Suicide suspected after Canadian man dies in Pattaya condo fall
Police are investigating the death of an elderly Canadian man who fell from a condominium in Pattaya today, January 15, with officers suspecting the incident to be a suicide. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to investigate the death of 86 year old Canadian national George Eugene at a condominium located along Jomtien Beach this morning. Rescuers from…
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China steps in with 90 million baht aid after Thai train tragedy
China has reaffirmed its close diplomatic ties with Thailand today, January 15, by donating 20 million yuan, approximately 90 million baht, in humanitarian aid, in the wake of a crane collapse at a high-speed rail construction site. At 11am today, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianwei met with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul at the Government House to formally deliver the assistance. The…
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Elusive crested jayshrike spotted on Kaeng Krachan forest trail
A rare crested jayshrike made a surprise appearance yesterday, January 14, on a forest trail in Phetchaburi’s Kaeng Krachan National Park, stunning birdwatchers and park officials. Mongkol Chaiphakdi, chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, said the elusive bird was seen near the 18-kilometre forest trail known as Ban Chang Yieb, which leads up to Panoenthung mountain. The encounter was captured…
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Thai man shares final moment with girlfriend killed in Korat crane collapse
A Thai man shared heartbreaking footage of the final moments he spent with his girlfriend before she was killed when a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, January 14. The woman, Chananya Wongchan, was among 32 victims who lost their lives after a crane from the elevated Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway construction fell onto a…
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Thai foreign minister seeks clarity on US immigrant visa halt
Thailand’s foreign minister met with a top United States diplomat in Bangkok today, January 15, to seek clarification over Washington’s recent decision to suspend immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Thailand. Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said he had summoned the US chargé d’affaires in Thailand to discuss the move, after Thailand appeared on a newly released list of…
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Royal Thai Army admits 8 drunk soldiers beat conscript to death
The Royal Thai Army admitted that eight soldiers physically assaulted three conscripts at Sura Dham Pithak Military Camp in Nakhon Ratchasima, resulting in the death of one of the victims. The case came to public attention after the family of a 21 year old private, Krittanon Phonchantuek, spoke out on social media to condemn the abuse inside the military camp.…
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Thailand’s conservative parties push back on charter rewrite
Yesterday, January 14, three of Thailand’s conservative political parties reaffirmed their opposition to replacing the current constitution, warning that the move could be costly and politically risky. Key figures from the Rak Chart Thai Party, Thai Pakdee Party, and the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party voiced their stance during campaign activities in Nakhon Ratchasima and Surat Thani, stating they would…
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UAE tourist loses 14,500 baht to foreign pickpockets in Pattaya
A tourist from the United Arab Emirates lost around 14,500 baht in cash after being pickpocketed by two foreign men in Pattaya yesterday, January 14. The victim, 45 year old Mohamed Abdelkaliq Abdalla Khadim Almaazmi, filed a complaint with Mueang Pattaya Police Station at around 7am on Tuesday, January 13, after realising that cash had gone missing from his trouser…
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Nonthaburi police arrest Myanmar woman for teaching hairdressing
A Myanmar woman was arrested in Nonthaburi yesterday, January 14, for allegedly running an unlicensed hairdressing school for fellow Myanmar nationals in Bang Bua Thong, violating Thai labour laws that reserve the profession for citizens. The arrest followed an investigation by Nonthaburi immigration officers after video evidence emerged showing the woman teaching hairstyling at a house in Bua Thong…
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People’s Party MP candidate arrested over alleged online gambling links
Police arrested a Member of Parliament (MP) candidate from the People’s Party yesterday, January 14, at his home in Bangkok over alleged involvement in an online gambling network and money laundering. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) raided the residence of 32 year old Ratchapong “Pond” Soisuwan at around 5.30pm. The property is located in Nuan Chan Village,…
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Search underway for missing TikTok fishing star in Chon Buri
A popular fishing content creator went missing yesterday, January 14, after his boat was found drifting unmanned in Mabprachan Reservoir, Chon Buri. Rescue teams launched an urgent search following reports that he had vanished while testing the boat. Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Pattaya Rescue Centre received a report of a possible drowning at Mabprachan Reservoir in Pong subdistrict, Bang Lamung district,…
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2 killed as crane collapses onto 2 vehicles on Rama II Road
At least two people were killed after a construction crane collapsed onto two vehicles travelling along Rama II Road in Samut Sakhon province near Bangkok this morning, January 15. The fatal incident occurred at around 9.25am outside the Paris Garden Hotel in the Tha Chin sub-district. The crane was part of a bridge construction project above Rama II Road, one…
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SRT to sue contractor after 100m baht Korat train damage
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to sue the contractor responsible for a crane collapse that struck a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday, January 14, causing more than 100 million baht in damages and resulting in multiple casualties. The incident occurred at approximately 9.30am yesterday in Sikhio district and involved a high-speed rail construction site for the…
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Thailand among 75 nations hit by US visa processing suspension
The United States will temporarily suspend immigrant visa processing for Thailand and 74 other countries, effective January 21, 2026, as part of tighter immigration screening under its America First policy, the US State Department announced on January 14. The immigration visa freeze targets applicants from countries where migrants are said to disproportionately rely on public assistance after settling in the…
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German and South Korean among 32 killed after crane collapses onto train in Korat
A German man and a South Korean national are among 32 people killed after a construction crane collapsed onto a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province yesterday morning, January 14. The devastating incident occurred at around 9am on a railway track in the Baan Thanon Kot community in Sikhiu district, also known as Korat. The area is located beneath the…
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ITD accepts responsibility after crane collapse kills 31 in Korat
Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited (ITD) issued an official statement expressing condolences and accepting responsibility following a crane collapse that struck a passenger train in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Tuesday morning, January 14. The fatal incident occurred at around 9am when a construction crane from the elevated Bangkok–Nong Khai high-speed railway project collapsed onto the Bangkok–Ubon Ratchathani passenger train as…
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Longman’s beaked whale found in Thailand for first time
A rare deep-sea whale has been confirmed in Thai waters for the first time after a carcass washed ashore in Chanthaburi yesterday, January 13, prompting marine experts to investigate its exact species and cause of death. The whale was later identified as a Longman’s beaked whale, also known as Indopacetus pacificus, one of the least commonly observed cetaceans in the…
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Bus passengers clash after woman criticises driver over delays in traffic jam
A heated argument broke out between two passengers on a public bus in Bangkok after a woman repeatedly complained about slow driving during heavy traffic congestion, sparking irritation among fellow commuters. A witness shared a video of the incident on TikTok account @gotobedwithnext yesterday, January 13. The footage showed a woman dressed entirely in black engaging in a verbal confrontation…
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