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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Myth: Strong baht deterring western tourists to Thailand
The rise and rise of the Thai Baht, and it’s pushing through the 31.05 to the US Dollar barrier on Wednesday, tops off a turbulent decade of movement against some of the western currencies. The decade’s currency rise has also been matched by a meteoric explosion in tourism pushing Thailand into the top ten list of popular tourist locations in…
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Thailand’s Ayutthaya Elephant Palace says they will fight eviction orders
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, an elephant ride business at the Ayutthaya Historic Park north of Bangkok, says it will fight an order to leave the park. The business manager for the company, Ittiphan Khaolamai says the attraction is ‘nationally recognised’. “We will petition the Central Administrative Court next week. We can’t accept the order requiring us to…
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Private hospitals briefed on new drug prices and medical fee notifications
Internal Trade department officials have briefed representatives of 353 private hospitals around Thailand about the public notification of prices of drugs, medical supplies and medical services to patients are treated at their hospitals. Internal Trade Department Director General Wichai Phochanakit explained that the private hospitals need to notify the public of the prices of drugs separately, not including the hospital…
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Thai Baht hits six year high – 31.05 to the US dollar
The Thai baht has hit a six-year high, reaching 31.05 to the US dollar yesterday after the US Federal Reserve signalled possible interest rates cuts. The US Fed says their monetary easing would be in response to increased economic uncertainty and a drop in inflation expectations. The Thai currency is forecast to keep trading in a range of 31.15 to 31.25…
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45 year old Swede arrested on Koh Chang over $11 million scam
SCREENSHOTS: Manager Online video 45 year old Swedish national, Roger Nils Jonas Karlsson, has been arrested in connection with a multi-million dollar fraud. He was arrested on Koh Chang, far eastern Thailand near the Cambodian border. Police seized electronic devices and computers, allegedly used in the fraudulent activities relating to his arrest. Thai police were acting on an Interpol red notice…
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478 mostly-illegal foreigners rounded up in immigration raid
FILE PHOTO – One of the regular round-up of illegal foreigners Police have netted another 478 mostly-illegal foreigners during surprise raids in more than 200 locations around Thailand yesterday (Wednesday) – most illegal immigrants. The assistant national police chief cited the 34th ASEAN Summit being held in Bangkok (that started today) as part of the security crackdown. Police and immigration…
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Thai DLT to look at legalising GrabCar and GrabBike
Thailand’s Department of Land Transport is toying with the idea of officially legalising the Grab ride-hailing services using private cars and motorcycles through the Grab App. The DLT say they are already aware of the issue but say amendments would be required to the Land Transport Act if it were to happen. Today they were unable to put a timescale…
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Bryde’s whale carcass washed up on Samut Prakan beach
PHOTOS: ThaiWhales / DMCR The carcass of a Bryde’s whale has been found near a mangrove forest in Samut Prakan today. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources report that they were notified by staff on an oil ship three days ago that the Bryde’s whale was found dead floating in the sea off Samut Prakan. The DMCR officers searched…
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Where to post all of your job positions: Completely free!
Recruitment can cost you more than you realize. You do not want to sacrifice candidate quality, but you don’t wish to spend too much time and money to find them. All types of employers are searching online for platforms they can use to post their job positions for free. From social networking websites to job boards, there are many ways…
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Screws tightening on Non Immigrant visas for expats wishing to live in Thailand
SOURCE: ThaiVisa A decade ago there seemed to be various ways to stay in Thailand long-term. There was a bit of wriggle room in the interpretation of the guidelines and there was always ‘ways and means’ of securing a visa (nudge nudge, wink, wink). But the screws are being tightened on expats, retirees and long-stayers who are finding their options…
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Ayutthaya Elephant Palace to be relocated for park make-over
Ayutthaya Historical Park has sent a notice to the popular Ayutthaya Elephant Palace, located on Pa Ton road, to vacate the area within 30 days to allow for improvements of the park’s landscape. The elephants, keepers and mahouts are still providing services to tourists visiting the park. Laithongrient Meephan, owner of the Elephant Palace, told Thai PBS that he is…
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How many tourists visit the real Thailand?
PHOTO: Sarah Lazarus – CNN Thailand is best known for its beaches, astonishing street food, markets and diverse south-east Asian culture. But how many people get out of the cities and tourist traps and get to experience the real Thailand? How many expats, living in Thailand, even get to experience the real Thailand? Thailand is the fourth most popular holiday…
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PM cannot legally attend cabinet meetings or ASEAN Summit – Future Forward
…but we bet he will. Future Forward’s secretary-general says the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has violated the Constitution by chairing cabinet meetings both last week and yesterday. He also cast doubt over Prayut’s capacity to host next week’s ASEAN Summit in Bangkok as Thailand’s PM. Piyabutr Saengkanokkul claims that PM Prayut was appointed the post-election prime minister by a Royal Command dated…
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Tesco looks to open 750 new convenience stores in Thailand
by James Davey, Editing by Paul Sandle Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, has announced that it could grow its business in Thailand by opening 750 new convenience-style stores. There are currently1,583 Tesco stores in Thailand. Tesco’s Asian investment plunge will likely target the Chinese and South Korean markets as well. The Thai subsidiary, Tesco Lotus, was the first western supermarket to set…
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Owner of boarding school arrested for allegedly killing 15 year old student
PHOTO: Tapakorn “Chaidaen” Sapsin, who died on June 13 by Wasukit Lao-in Police have arrested the 27 year old owner of a boarding school in Nakhon Sawan, his wife and his mother-in-law, for their alleged role in the assault of a 15 year old schoolboy earlier this month which led to his death five days later. The school owner has…
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Bus conductor fired, company fined for molesting ladyboy passenger
An inter-provincial Thai bus conductor has been fired and the bus company fined 5,000 baht after he allegedly molested a transgender passenger on-board. The bus was travelling to Nong Bua Lamphu, near Udon Thani, north-east Thailand, from Bangkok. The bus company, which Land Transport officials have declined to name, was fined 5,000 baht by his office for providing substandard bus…
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Homeopathy ‘doctor’ forced to back down on Dengue-cure claims
The Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine has been forced to backtrack from its un-researched claims that its homeopathic formula is highly effective for dengue-fever protection. “It’s just a supplementary measure that needs further research,” Dr Sunpong Ritthiruksa admitted in his capacity as the chair of the department’s centre for herbal medicine, Thai traditional medicine, folk medicine and alternative…
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Thailand to sit on UN committee from 2020
PHOTO: Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai Thailand has been selected as a member of the UN Economic and Social Council from 2020 to 2022 on behalf of Asia and the Pacific region, alongside China, South Korea and Bangladesh. Thailand won 186 votes in the selection process. Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Don Paramudwinai also participated in the session. Last time…
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Russian tourist drowns in red flag swimming zone in Trat
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News | Siam Rath A Russian tourist has drowned at a beach on Koh Chang in Trat, far east Thailand, in the red-flagged, no swimming zone yesterday. Navy officers on Koh Chang are warning tourists going to beaches with red flags along the shore to stay out of the water when there are high waves in the…
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More internal bickering for Democrats over split of cabinet seats
Democrat party MPs find themselves again torn over important decisions.. This time the party is split over the sharing of eight cabinet posts allocated to them by their leading coalition partner, Palang Pracharat. Last week the decided to side with the pro-Junta Palang Pracharat party to vote Prayut Chan-o-cha into the PM position. They’d campaigned on ensuring that Prayut wouldn’t…
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Thai PM acts on illegal and unlicensed hotels and accommodation
Owners of shop-houses, rented properties, even entire floors of condos – running them as defacto hotels – are about to get the Article 44 treatment. The PM, acting in his capacity as the head of the NCPO (in the days before it is dissolved), says he will bring an estimated 20,000 illegal hotels and accommodations around the country under control…
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Complaints made over 41 pro-Junta coalition MPs over their alleged media shares
Just as it appeared the dust was settling on the fractious formation of a new parliament for Thailand, more than 40 MPs of the pro-junta bloc are now targeted in cases related to media shareholding after their names were submitted to the Constitutional Court. Should these MPs be suspended or disqualified, the pro-junta coalition’s narrow Lower House majority could vanish…
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45 year old British man found dead at Koh Chang luxury hotel
PHOTO: Tourist Police Bureau A British man has been found dead in front of his hotel room on Koh Chang. Koh Chang is in Thailand’s far east, off the coast of Trat. The 45 year old tourist died near a swimming pool at the Sea View Koh Chang Hotel, according to tourist police. Police say the man was lying in…
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Poll shows most respondents don’t believe Future Forward bribe claims
PHOTO: prachatai.com More than 53% of respondents to a recent poll don’t believe the claim that the Future Forward party made in the days before last week’s parliametrary vote for the PM, that they had been offered millions of baht for their supporting votes. At the time some Future Forward Ps went public claims they were offered amounts as high…
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Prayut sworn in as 29th Thai PM. Cabinet appointments remain unresolved.
PHOTOS: The Nation Prayut Chan-o-cha was sworn in as the 29th Thai Prime Minister in a ceremony at Government House yesterday. Key points… • PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has received royal endorsement as the new prime minister in a ceremony at Government House, a week after winning a vote in Parliament. • The ceremony was attended by the leaders of the…
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Huawei running 5G testbeds in Thailand
China phone-giant Huawei, along with Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry and interested partners, is now turning the much-awaited 5G Testbed into a reality. As the first and only vendor so far to deliver the 5G network to Thailand’s 5G Testbed in the Eastern Economic Corridor in Sri Racha, Huawei is providing a platform that will be used for end-to-end…
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Thai Medical Council warns local men against penis enlargement scams and bogus treatments
WARNING: This story may make men squirm and some women laugh. The Thai Medical Council on Facebook is warning Thai men to stop trying to enlarge their penises, especially with DIY treatments. They report that there thousands of Thai men, mostly between 20-30 years, who are injecting themselves with various substances in the hope of ending up with a larger…
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Preparing for the floods and Thailand’s wet season
The current deputy PM and Defense Minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, has instructed administrative, military and police officers to better prepare for flooding in all regions of the country this wet season. The call went out following severe flooding around the capital last Friday afternoon. Authorities have been instructed to prepare for the prevention and containment of torrential waters, landslides and flooding…
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More prison time for Premchai over poaching case
Thailand’s construction tycoon Premchai Karnasutra has been sentenced to another year in jail after being found guilty of trying to bribe officials while being arrested at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi in February last year. The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases Region 7 acquitted Premchai’s aide Yong Dodkhruea of bribery, defined in law as inducing…
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Thai PM receives royal endorsement. Negotiations on hold for today’s ceremonies.
Thailand’s new Prime Minister, the old one but now elected by the new parliament last Wednesday, is reported to have agreed to the ministerial post quotas Palang Pracharath promised to the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties. Prayut Chan-o-cha has reportedly invited all coalition partners to stop squabbling and attend the swearing-in ceremony for him to formerly take the post of PM in…
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