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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Cabinet seems to have ignored 4am nightlife proposal
It seems that the push for 4am closing times for nightlife venues is meeting stiff opposition. But entertainment venues aren’t giving up, offering new arguments and proposing plans to solve the points of contention. Meanwhile, the briefing released after a Cabinet meeting yesterday that was expected to discuss the curfew extension did not make any mention of the 4am proposal.…
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Tuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash
Tuhao the alleged Chinese drug tycoon and his gang of “businessmen” bought 50 houses in a luxury village in Bangkok – with cash, police say. The gangs’ constant partying drove all 16 remaining Thai households out of the village. Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to search an entire village in Bangkok’s Soi Laselle area after finding evidence…
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Intoxicated Pattaya woman left uninjured after overturning car
An intoxicated Pattaya woman escaped injury after overturning her car in the early hours of this morning. The woman, Nantakan Surinthorn, remarkably walked away from the vehicle with little more than a few minor scrapes and bruises after she crashed her car into a parked truck, before overturning it. The 26 year old bar owner admitted to Pattaya police that…
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Police put brakes on car rental thief in Bangkok
A car rental thief was arrested in Bangkok today after twocking more than 100 motors from car rental shops throughout several provinces of southern Thailand. Members of the Haad Yai Airport Car Rental Business Association in the southern province of Songkhla, and car rental shops in Pattalung, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Krabi, Phuket, Yala, and Narathiwat filed complaints with police that…
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Iran promises Thailand it won’t attack Israeli tourists
Iran promised Thailand that it won’t attack Israeli tourists on Thai soil. The Thai government informed Israel’s government yesterday that it had received a commitment from Iran not to attack Israeli targets in Thailand, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials. Iran, and Iran-backed forces, are believed to have been behind attacks on Israelis and Jews…
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Parents seek justice after 4 year old child dies after mysterious fall at school
The parents of a four year old kindergarten student are seeking justice following the death of their child who died in a mysterious accident at a private school in Bangkok. The teacher said the child fell in the classroom but the mother believes her child might have been abused by the teacher. Well-known Thai lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet posted on Facebook yesterday,…
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Violent criminals in Thailand to be tagged for 10 years after release to protect women
Soon, criminals put away for violent crimes against women in Thailand will have to wear an electric monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet for up to 10 years after their release. The new law – Measures for the Prevention of Repeat Offenses in Sexual or Violent Crimes Act – aims to reduce the chance of reoffending, prevent violence against women and make…
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Chiang Mai farmers ordered not to move pigs to prevent African Swine Fever spread
Livestock officials ordered farmers in a district of Chiang Mai to not move their pigs off farms. This measure in the Doi Saket district is meant to prevent the possible spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). The order comes after a pig in the district died on November 21. Livestock officials visited the farm to test another pig that was…
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Driver surrenders to police after hit-and-run in Pattaya
The reckless pickup driver who knocked down a British man on a pedestrian crossing in a hit-and-run incident surrendered to police and visited the victim to apologise. The driver, 61 year old Maethanat Leeliang, gave himself up to the police after the hit-and-run incident in Pattaya. Maethanat told police he was unaware he had hit the foreigner and only found…
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Stock market share trades to be taxed in Thailand after being exempt for past 30 years
After being exempt for the past 30 years, the Thai cabinet has decided to make stock market share trades taxable. According to Thai PBS World, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says that now all stocks that are traded on the market, whether at a profit or loss, will be subject to a financial transaction tax of .1%. He furthered that the…
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CBD nutraceuticals market emerging in Thailand and globally
Press Release Thailand’s legalization of cannabis makes it the region’s leader and a pioneer for cannabis liberalization. According to the latest figures from Prohibition Partners’ recently released Asian Cannabis Report: 2nd Edition, medical and non-medical cannabis sales in Asia could skyrocket to more than 10 times their current size by 2026 to an estimated $140 million. Thailand is well-poised to strengthen its cannabis…
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Police seize 400 million baht in assets from shady group of Chinese businessmen
Bangkok police reportedly seized 400 million baht in assets from a group of Chinese businessmen who are allegedly involved in shady dealings. Thai police say they impounded three luxury homes, a penthouse and 10 luxury cars yesterday. According to Thai PBS World, the assets were seized in Soi La Salle in Bangkok’s Bang Na area, after police discovered they were…
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Angry Thai man condemns foreigner for not wearing a mask on BTS
An angry Thai man, claiming to be a police officer, gave a foreign man a mouthful of abuse for not wearing a mask on the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok. The irate man blamed the unflustered foreigner for bringing Covid-19 into the country. The angry exchange was recorded and uploaded to the Twitter account @kinnifers. The video was recorded by a…
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Thai man commits suicide due to mass govt corruption
A young engineer tormented by government corruption committed suicide in the Isaan province of Nong Bua Lamphu. The 27 year old man, who worked as an engineer for a local government office in Nong Bua Lamphu left a suicide note saying that he could not take any more corruption in the organization. The body of the engineer, Phanumate Wasasoha, was…
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Hapless Bangkok gold thief gets caught at a bus stop
The award for this year’s worst gold neckless thief goes to the hapless opportunist who grabbed jewellery from a Bangkok store and tried to make a quick getaway on a slow-moving public bus. The hopeless thief was apprehended about ten minutes after the robbery at a bus stop as he waited for the bus. The thief’s relatives defended the luckless…
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Police seize board game after claims it could cause insurrection in Thailand
Police officers in Yala yesterday seized a fun board game called Patani Colonial Territory from a coffee shop after a government official claimed that it could cause insurgency throughout the kingdom. For conspiracy theorists, this is up there with Elvis still lives. Officers in the southern Thailand province confiscated the offending game at the Life Coffee Slow Bar in the…
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Thai govt to crackdown on cybercrime & handout free laptops to poor kids
The Thai government yesterday pledged to crackdown on cybercrime and to hand out 13 million free laptops to students from poor or low-income families. The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry announced plans to administer free laptops to children from underprivileged families over the next four years starting next year under the Smart Thailand scheme. The Smart Thailand scheme is…
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Thai officials plan to nominate historic park for World Heritage status
Thai officials are continuing to seek recognition for the kingdom’s rich heritage. The country’s World Heritage Convention Committee is collecting information for an application for the Phu Phra Bat Historical Park to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is located in Thailand’s northeast province of Udon Thani. The site demonstrates Thailand’s prehistoric beliefs, according to Lieutenant…
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British man injured in hit-and-run incident in Pattaya
A 74 year old British man was injured in a hit-and-run incident on the zebra crossing in Pattaya. The driver is on the run. Peter Palmer was hit by a wreckless pickup driver as he crossed Jomtien Sai Song Road at 11am yesterday. Fortunately, the British man survived and is appealing to the Thai media to spread his story so…
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Airports of Thailand streamlining procedures, adding staff
With the first real High Season since the Covid-19 pandemic getting underway, Airports of Thailand is streamlining procedures and adding staff. Minister of Transport Saksayam Chidchob inspected Thailand’s main hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, to evaluate how prepared the airport is for a sharp increase in tourists. One major focus for airport readiness for an influx of tourists is crowd bottlenecking at…
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Buddhists and Muslims rally for peace together in South Thailand
In one South Thailand province plagued by violence, Buddhists and Muslims are overcoming religious differences to fight for peace. Buddhist and Muslim leaders conducted demonstrators in a rally for peace in Narathiwat province’s city district this morning. Islamic leaders led prayers for peace. Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Federation of Buddhist Thais in Narathiwat led the demonstrators in shouting demands…
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Murderer offers 100,000 baht to netizens to cut off his EM ankle bracelet
A man found guilty of murder and tagged with an electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet appealed on social media for someone to remove the EM tag and he would reward them with 100,000 baht in cash. He also alleges he bribed the police and his attorney. The murderer’s Facebook post briefly circulated on Thai social media before he took it…
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TAT holds Amazing Thailand Fest 2022 in India
Thailand’s tourism officials held another event to draw visitors to the Land of Smiles, this time in India. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in cooperation with Team Thailand in India, held the ‘Amazing Thailand Fest 2022’ in New Deli from November 25-27. The event was part of TAT’s campaign Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters. The festival displayed…
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New direct flight between Muscat and Bangkok
The Sultanate of Oman today announced the introduction of a direct flight between Muscat and Bangkok. From Sunday, December 18, Oman’s budget airline SalamAir will fly directly between Muscat and Bangkok three times per week. Flights from Muscat depart on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, while return flights from Bangkok are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Bangkok is SalamAir’s second…
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Boobs ban! Macro-textured implants outlawed in Thailand
Are big boobs bad? Thailand has become famous for being a country where girls get big boobs and the ladyboys get even bigger boobs. But now, after fears of a rare cancer risk, macro-textured breast implants have been banned in Thailand. The new declaration was originally signed on October 20 by Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha. But on Friday…
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Bank of Thailand to raise interest rates on Wednesday
Bank of Thailand (BOT) Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput today announced interest rates will be raised on Wednesday to deal with potential inflation increases. Governor Sethaput is expected to raise interest rates by a modest quarter-point to take the benchmark rate to 1.25% underscoring ongoing worries about growth in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy. Thailand’s economy lagged its Southeast Asia contemporaries and is…
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Naked Thai woman under influence of kratom rescued from Bang Pagong River
A naked Thai woman, reportedly drunk from a kratom drink, was fished out of the Bang Pagong River in the central province of Chachoengsao after she took the plunge to do some meditation. Residents, who witnessed the incident, told the rescue team that they saw a woman taking off her clothes before she jumped into the Bang Pagong River near…
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Thai gold necklace thief escapes arrest by swimming to Myanmar
A thief stole a gold necklace worth about 150,000 baht from a shop near a police station in Chiang Rai and then escaped arrest by embarking on a death-defying swim across a snake-infested river to Myanmar. Khaosod reported that the theft happened on Saturday, November 26, at a gold shop named Seri Phan in the Mae Sai district of Chiang…
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Poll examines sexual violence causes, definitions
A new NIDA Poll has shed some light on what modern Thai society believes is sexual violence and what causes it. The poll, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), asked about what people thought were the major root causes of sexual violence. They also asked whether a variety of scenarios would be considered to fall under that…
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Masks recommended in crowds amid Covid increase
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Covid-19 pandemic it’s that people just absolutely love wearing masks. They can’t wait to start wearing them when outbreaks occur, and they look forward to wearing them regularly for the foreseeable future. For those of you who love wearing masks, the Ministry of Public Health advised yesterday that, in crowded places, wearing…
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