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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Thailand’s interior minister unveils strategies to combat air pollution
The Secretary to Thailand’s Minister of the Interior, Traisulee Traisanakul, unveiled strategies to counteract forest fires, smog, and PM 2.5 smoke yesterday, December 6. These policies came as an initiative from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul and were addressed to provincial governors. Every year, during the cold and drought season, Thailand grapples with air pollution…
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Survivor of fatal bus accident recounts harrowing experience
Mattikan, a recent graduate also known as King, narrowly escaped a fatal bus accident that claimed 14 lives in Huay Yang, Thap Sakae, Prachuap Khiri Khan. She was travelling home from Bangkok to Thung Song, Nakhon Si Thammarat, intending to give her graduation gown to her father as a National Father’s Day gift. At the time of the accident, she…
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Surge in gold prices today as announced by Gold Traders Association
The Gold Traders Association (GTA) announced a surge in gold prices today, after a significant drop. As of today, December 7, the gold bullion was sold for 34,300 baht per baht, showing a 100 baht increase compared to the closing price yesterday. According to the GTA’s website, as of 9.04am local time, the selling rate for 96.5% gold bar was…
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Drunk Thai man stabs 7-Eleven worker for refusing to sell alcohol after hours
Police used a stun gun to subdue a drunk Thai man after he stabbed a 7-Eleven convenience store worker with a pair of scissors in the central province of Lop Buri because the victim refused to sell him alcohol. The incident occurred at a 7-Eleven store next to the Lop Buri Provincial Police Office on Phra Piya Road in the…
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Lorry crash in Pathum Thani injures 15 Burmese workers
A lorry carrying 15 Burmese workers collided with a container truck in Pathum Thani province, injuring all the passengers. The incident occurred around 6am today. The Isuzu pickup truck, driven by an unidentified man, lost control and crashed into the container truck, leading to multiple casualties. According to the initial investigation by Warut Poomsak, a duty officer at the Khlong…
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Thai woman mistaken for foreigner and charged 100,000 baht more by hospital
A Thai woman asked a hospital located in the Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, to explain a 250,000 baht bill related to her four-day medical treatment. The hospital later returned 100,000 baht, acknowledging it had mistaken her for a foreigner. The woman in question was 66 year old Jamlong Ninlakorn, the owner of a Thai restaurant in…
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UNESCO recognises Songkran festival as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Thursday witnessed a series of events commemorating the Songkran Festival’s recent recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The official declaration was made yesterday during UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee meeting for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Botswana. The Culture Ministry’s application for the inclusion of the Songkran Festival was approved by…
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Phuket extends pub and bar hours to boost tourism and employment
Phuket is set to extend the operating hours of its pubs and bars till 4am, with the new timing being tentatively scheduled to start on December 15. This decision was reached following a public hearing conducted by the Phuket Provincial Administration Office. The new operating hours are to be implemented in six zones on Bangla Road in the Patong area…
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Thai provincial governors gain CEO-like powers under new decentralisation policy
Thai provincial governors have been granted the authority akin to a company’s CEO, following a Cabinet agreement. This move forms part of the government’s decentralisation policy. However, the main opposition party, the Move Forward Party (MFP), and various critics question if this action truly aligns with accepted international standards of decentralisation. The Cabinet-approved proposal, submitted by the National Economic and…
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Blackpink ink: K-Pop queens sign on the dotted line, ending fan fears of a split
Months of suspense for fans of K-pop sensation Blackpink have finally come to an end as the quartet officially renewed their agency contract, putting to rest fears of a potential split. YG Entertainment, the powerhouse behind Blackpink, announced today, December 6, that a groundbreaking exclusive contract for group activities based on strong trust has been inked. This deal is rumoured to…
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Amata abrupt: Rayong company sends new employees packing with a one-day notice
A prominent company situated in Amata City Industrial Estate, Rayong, dismissed its newly recruited employees, providing only a single day’s notice. But the regular employees have not been spared either – they’ve been ordered to take a long leave of up to three months, receiving only 75% of their normal pay. This incident came to light today, December 6, when…
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Taiwanese man arrested for animal smuggling at Bangkok airport
Officers from Suvarnabhumi Animal Quarantine at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok arrested a Taiwanese man for animal smuggling yesterday, December 5. Suvarnabhumi Animal Quarantine chief Phakkapong Phathong said officers received a report of a suspicious Taiwanese man at 9.05am that day. Officers suspected that the 22 year old Taiwanese man was concealing live animals in his clothing when he passed…
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Pop goes the drama: Wat Arun scoops up Love Destiny flavoured 3D ice cream
Social media has been abuzz lately with the newest delicacy at Wat Arun, the Arun Amarin temple, which is a Bangkok landmark. The Pop Icon 3D Ice Cream, a Thai and foreigner favourite, has now been reinvented into two new flavours, highlighting Thai culture and the historical drama, Love Destiny, or Prom Likit. The latest innovation from Pop Icon is…
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Altitude alert: Flight attendant spills beans on why plane coffee gets a turbulent reaction (video)
A flight attendant sparked a heated discussion on social media by revealing why passengers should avoid drinking coffee served on planes. The video clip was posted on the TikTok account @ichbinvin, responding to a query initially raised on the website Reddit about the dirty little secrets of working on an aircraft. The flight attendant, Kevin, agreed with another netizen’s comment,…
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Slumber or blunder? Underwear-clad party entertainer crashes and kills motorcycle rider
A female party entertainer from Thailand claimed she was sleepy, not drunk, after crashing her car into a motorcycle rider and killing him on Phetchakasem Road in Cha-am district in the southern province of Phetchaburi. Officers from Cha-am Police Station were notified of the car accident at an ice factory on Phetchakasem Road at 7am today, December 6, and rushed…
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Singaporean duo’s slam dunk scandal: Basketball match fixing duo hits the court
A 30 year old Singaporean man found himself facing an eight-month jail term for his involvement in match fixing basketball matches in Thailand. The scandalous case, unravelling in the heart of the Singaporean sports scene, involves illicit bets, secret Facebook conversations, and a plot to rig matches in the Thailand Basketball League (TBL). Poh Wei Hao and Koa Wei Quan,…
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Bark and brawl: 2 families engage in physical altercation after conflict over dog pee (video)
Two families living in the Yannawa district of Bangkok engaged in a physical bout of fisticuffs after a pet dog peed on a car. Two Thai women named Ya and Phat shared footage of the brawl with the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive of Ya being physically assaulted by a neighbour called Pop at 9pm on November 29. Ya and Phat…
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Thai students’ performance dips in PISA rankings, calls for educational reform
Fifteen year old Thai students faced a significant setback in their performance in maths, science, and reading, according to the recent rankings by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which conducted the assessment, revealed that these students scored 394 in maths, a sharp fall from 419 in the previous year. A similar…
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Bus crash victims in Thailand can claim up to 500,000 baht
A devastating accident involving a public passenger bus travelling from Bangkok to Nathawi, operated by Srisiam Tour Company Limited, resulted in the tragic loss of 14 lives and left 35 injured. The incident occurred on Petchkasem Road, between kilometres 331 and 332, in Huay Yang, Thap Sakae, Prachuap Khiri Khan yesterday. The Consumer Organisation Council clarified the rights of those…
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Veggie vendetta: Foreign workers in hot water for dumpster diversions in Thai market
A group of foreign workers sparked controversy after being accused of selling vegetables picked from dustbins in a local Thai market. The incident prompted calls for the authorities to investigate whether these actions contravene the law. The issue, widely debated on social media, emerged when a Facebook user exposed the problem by sharing pictures along with a caption that questioned…
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Northeast Thailand: Woman fatally stabbed during Ngiew celebration in Khon Kaen
A shocking incident unfolded at a festive event in the Phon District of Khon Kaen when a woman was fatally stabbed by an unknown assailant. The incident occurred in the early hours of today, December 6, during the Ngiew celebration, a traditional festive event. The fatally stabbed woman suffered from severe injuries, succumbing to the wounds later in the hospital.…
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Thai village in chaos as wild elephant wreaks havoc
A wild elephant, known as Rod Tang, wreaked havoc in a village in Buriram province, damaging a house and sending the inhabitants into a state of fear. The incident occurred yesterday in Nong Samet village, Non Din Daeng district, resulting in significant property damage and leading to pleas for assistance from relevant authorities. The house, a single-storey concrete property numbered…
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Prime minister’s grand almsgiving spectacle in honour of late king
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and a star-studded entourage gathered for a regal religious ceremony in Bangkok. The grand affair, coinciding with National Father’s Day, paid homage to the revered late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. As dawn broke, the 61 year old Thai PM, accompanied by his wife and an illustrious assembly of Cabinet ministers, Privy Council members, and military commanders, graced Sanam…
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Golden Buddha statues draw crowds to Phayao’s Wat Phra That Chom Sin
The Wat Phra That Chom Sin in Ban Tham, Dok Khamtai district, Phayao province, now stands out with 108 golden meditating Buddha statues. These statues, each measuring 2.5 metres wide and 3.5 metres tall, are majestically arranged around the temple’s mountainous landscape, attracting a stream of tourists and worshippers. These statues, made from concrete, are a unique attraction in the…
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RTP safety play: Thai tourist police launch ‘i lert u’ app for foreign visitors
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has unveiled a new tool to ensure the safety and well-being of foreign visitors in Thailand. The Tourist Police Office has launched a new mobile application, dubbed Tourist Police i lert u. This innovation in public safety caters to tourists who find themselves in need of immediate assistance. Leveraging the power of the Global Positioning…
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High depreciation of EVs raises loan concerns says National Credit Bureau
The National Credit Bureau (NCB) raised concerns about the high depreciation rates of electric vehicles (EVs) and the associated loan risks. As the popularity of EVs, particularly Chinese brands, continues to rise, so does the volume of loans attributed to their purchase. However, EVs depreciate faster than traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, which has heightened the risk for auto…
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Iranian boxer allegedly steals over 20 million baht assets from Burmese woman in Bangkok
A Burmese woman filed a complaint against an Iranian boxer accusing him of stealing more than 20 million baht from her condominium in Bangkok before fleeing Thailand. The victim’s brother accompanied his 25 year old younger sister, Nang Mwe Hlaing, to file the complaint at Phra Khanong Police Station yesterday, December 4. The brother revealed that the Iranian man, 21…
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Umphang Hospital appeals for unexpired medication donations amid supply shortage
A call for public assistance has been issued by Umphang Hospital, a state-run facility located in the border district of Tak’s northern province. As supplies dwindle, the hospital is appealing for donations of unexpired medication, previously prescribed for other illnesses. Dr Worawit Tantiwattanasap, the director of Umphang Hospital, shared the situation yesterday, December 5. According to him, the hospital is…
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Thailand’s revised GDP growth forecast met with caution due to global slowdown risks
Analysts expressed caution over the Bank of Thailand’s revised GDP growth forecast of 3.2 to 3.8% for the upcoming year, highlighting potential risks from an economic slowdown in China and the US. Doubts have also been raised about the efficacy of government stimulus to revive the economy. Nattaporn Triratanasirikul, the deputy managing director of Kasikorn Research Centre (K-Research), deemed the…
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Roi Et: Pickup truck’s fatal crash was fatigue-induced
A fatal crash involving a pickup truck occurred yesterday on Route 202, in Suwannaphum District, Roi Et Province, where a family was travelling back from a relative’s ordination ceremony. The 51 year old driver, Suriya, who was behind the wheel of the pickup truck, briefly fell asleep, which resulted in a fatal accident that claimed the life of his 72…
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