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.

  • Sponsored

    Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever

    Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...

  • Changing Social Norms & Sex Education in Thailand feat. @TichaKanticha | Thaiger Podcast Ep.25

    Changing Social Norms & Sex Education in Thailand feat. @TichaKanticha | Thaiger Podcast Ep.25

    Kanticha Chumma Model, Actress, Youtuber, entrepreneur and TV host has taken Thailand by storm! Daring, Energetic, provocative and with an iron-clad confidence, Ticha is one of the most recognisable and rising stars in Thailand. As a Swedish Thai personality, she has changed the social norms of what it means to be a ‘celebrity’ in Thailand. A multi-talented individual. Ticha also…

  • Federal baht bus standing ban puts drivers in a pickle

    Federal baht bus standing ban puts drivers in a pickle

    A new law has been published in the Royal Gazette, stating that passengers are no longer allowed to stand on the back of baht buses, also known as songtaews. But drivers are also obligated to pick up all passengers, leaving drivers with the dilemma of either illegally not picking up passengers when full or illegally overcrowding and allowing passengers to…

  • Thai army punishes 5 soldiers and their commanders for gunfight in Bangkok

    Thai army punishes 5 soldiers and their commanders for gunfight in Bangkok

    The Royal Thai Army (RTA) punished five non-commissioned officers and their commanders after residents living near the premises in Bangkok complained about a gunfight and loud party at night. Locals living near an army premise in the Chaeng Watthana district of Bangkok have recently released a video of soldiers engaging in violent behaviour. The caption said… “The gunfight on February…

  • Pattaya teen motorcyclist seriously injures pedestrian

    Pattaya teen motorcyclist seriously injures pedestrian

    A Pattaya teen motorcyclist seriously injured a pedestrian on Wednesday night. Rescuers rushed to the scene on Soi Bun Samphan 13 to find the victim, a 49 year old woman named Pornthip Kiatkamonchai, lying in the middle of the road. The rescuers found the rider, a 15 year old boy, with only very slight injuries. The rescuers said the boy…

  • Thai-Bangladeshis commemorate International Mother Language Day in Pattaya

    Thai-Bangladeshis commemorate International Mother Language Day in Pattaya

    Thai-Bangladeshis gathered on Wednesday to commemorate International Mother Language Day in Pattaya. The community commemorated the day at the Unique Regency Hotel on Pratumnak Soi 5. Dozens of residents, esteemed guests, and other members of the Pattaya Thai-Bangladeshi Community attended the event. International Mother Language Day is globally observed and formally recognised by the United Nations. The day aims to…

  • Thai Airways Q4 loss narrows

    Thai Airways Q4 loss narrows

    Thai Airways Q4 profit almost tripled as tourists started to return to the holiday kingdom. The carrier’s net income for the three months ending December 31 rose to 11.2 billion baht (US$300 million) from 4 billion baht a year earlier, chief executive officer Chai Eamsiri said on Friday. Thai Airways Q4 profit to support strong growth in 2023 Operating income…

  • Malware and ransomware biggest threat to Thai businesses

    Malware and ransomware biggest threat to Thai businesses

    Malware and ransomware continue to be just as much of a threat to businesses this year as last, according to a cybersecurity firm FortiGuard Labs. The global cyber threat study and research team, found malware and ransomware with sophisticated attack patterns and delivery remain the main threats to Thai organisations. Vulnerability will increase During the fourth quarter of 2022, FortiGuard…

  • Video of foreign children playing with dangerous tokay gecko shocks Thai netizens

    Video of foreign children playing with dangerous tokay gecko shocks Thai netizens

    Netizens in Thailand are baffled by a clip posted by a Thai TikToker of three foreign children playing with a tokay gecko, an aggressive lizard feared most by Thais. Tokay geckos are not venomous but are known for being aggressive, territorial and inflicting strong, nasty bites that draw blood and get infected easily. Once a tokay gecko bites, it locks…

  • Romance scam: Dutchman files 4 million baht lawsuit against Thai ex-girlfriend

    Romance scam: Dutchman files 4 million baht lawsuit against Thai ex-girlfriend

    In another romance scam case, a Dutchman is trying to get 4 million baht from his former girlfriend, a woman from Sakhon Nakhon province in northeast Thailand, who he says deceived him into sending her millions for land and a house before abandoning him. The Thai woman says it’s the Dutchman who is in the wrong for starting a relationship…

  • Oman Air announces network expansion for 2023 summer schedule

    Oman Air announces network expansion for 2023 summer schedule

    Continuing its ambitious and dynamic strategy of fleet and network expansion, Oman Air, the national airline of the Sultanate of Oman, has unveiled its summer schedule for 2023. The schedule specifies significant frequency increases on existing routes, and the addition of four destinations—representing a 60% increase in the number of flights from its hub in Muscat compared to the previous…

  • Big Joke to visit America to discuss Thailand’s human trafficking ranking

    Big Joke to visit America to discuss Thailand’s human trafficking ranking

    Deputy National Police Chief General Surachate Hakparn, aka ‘Big Joke,’ is set to visit America to discuss Thailand’s human trafficking ranking. Big Joke is answering questions from American officials about Thailand’s efforts to tackle human trafficking, before the US releases its annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report in July, Nation Thailand reported. Countries are ranked on their efforts to fight…

  • Four suspects arrested over murder of 4 men in southern Thailand

    Four suspects arrested over murder of 4 men in southern Thailand

    Police arrested four suspects in connection with the murder of four men whose bodies were found in Juerae Lake and the Kolok River in the southern province of Narathiwat two days ago. Residents found three dead bodies with gunshot wounds in a sedan truck submerged in Juerae Lake. Then another lifeless body who was also shot dead was found in…

  • Driving instructor intentionally crashes into and kills Thai police officer (video)

    Driving instructor intentionally crashes into and kills Thai police officer (video)

    A driving instructor crashed his sedan into the motorbike of a highway police officer in Pathum Thani province in central Thailand yesterday, instantly killing him. The crash was captured clearly by the camera attached to the highway police officer’s helmet. After inspecting the footage, police believe the crash was intentional. At 4.30pm, the Highway Police received notification of an accident…

  • The healing power of cannabis in Thai herbal medicine

    The healing power of cannabis in Thai herbal medicine

    Want to explore new ways to heal your body and mind? Then Thailand’s thriving medical cannabis clinics is your answer. Since the legalization of cannabis in 2022, these clinics have popped up all over the country, offering innovative treatments for a variety of ailments. But wait, what exactly is Thai herbal medicine, and how does cannabis fit in? Well, let’s dive…

  • Dozens of luxury cars stolen from UK seized in Thailand

    Dozens of luxury cars stolen from UK seized in Thailand

    Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) seized 29 of 35 luxury cars reportedly stolen from the UK and smuggled to Bangkok, Thailand, reports ThaiRath. The seizures follow a request from England’s National Crime Agency for the DSI’s help in locating 35 luxury cars collectively worth more than £2.4 million (more than 100 million Thai baht), believed to be illegally imported…

  • Get your groove on at Thailand’s biggest reggae festival

    Get your groove on at Thailand’s biggest reggae festival

    Get your groove on at Thailand’s biggest reggae festival, coming up next month in the beach town of Cha-am. The Sunset Beach Music Festival 2023 will feature some of the biggest names in the industry, Thailand’s reggae and ska fans can expect to have a blast. The festival will be held at the Baan Mai Bon Hat resort on Bang…

  • Thai woman searches for missing dog ‘Lucky’ for 143 days and counting

    Thai woman searches for missing dog ‘Lucky’ for 143 days and counting

    A dedicated Thai woman is searching nonstop for her beloved dog ‘Lucky’ who went missing after being hit by a motorbike in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand, 143 days ago. The dog was most recently spotted one week ago in the Bang Khae district of Bangkok. On October 30, 2022, 51 year old Supatchayanin Sinnapornphakdee’s one year old male dog Lucky…

  • Forest encroachment at Thap Lan puts tigers at risk

    Forest encroachment at Thap Lan puts tigers at risk

    Forest encroachment at Thap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri – the heartland of Thailand’s tiger population – has become so severe that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa is considering the possibility of new borders being drawn up. Varawut said… “I’m confident the government won’t be disadvantaged by using forest borderlines to solve this problem inside the park.…

  • Wanted Fraud Frenchman Arrested in Pattaya | Thailand News Today

    Wanted Fraud Frenchman Arrested in Pattaya | Thailand News Today

    Researchers from the Prince of Songkla University have discovered a new species of orchid in the Paribatra waterfall in the southern province of Songkhla, Thailand. Led by Sahut Chantanaorrapint, a professor from the Department of Biology of the Faculty of Science at Prince of Songkla University, the team identified the new species and published their findings in an international botanical…

  • Superintendent accused of running gambling website

    Superintendent accused of running gambling website

    A superintendent from the Provincial Police Region 2 has been accused of being the mastermind behind the gambling website saipay69 which has 16,000 gamblers registered and a turnover of over 50 million baht. The Police Cyber Taskforce conducted raids on three gambling website offices yesterday, two in the Bang Khun Thian and Phetcha Kasem neighbourhoods of Bangkok, and another in…

  • Aeroplane makes emergency landing in Phuket

    Aeroplane makes emergency landing in Phuket

    An aeroplane made an emergency landing in Phuket yesterday. The Thai Smile Airways Airbus A320 made the landing at Phuket International Airport at 1pm due to engine problems. The Phuket Info Center, which operates under the Phuket Provincial Office, confirmed the incident today. According to the centre’s report, the A320 made a “hard landing” with a tailstrike on the runway.…

  • Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability

    Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability

    The restoration of Maya Bay, Thailand, balances tourism with sustainability. Phi Phi Islands’ tropical paradise, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach, has drastically reduced visitor numbers, and sea life is flourishing. The beach was closed in 2018 and before the pandemic hit, and in many respects, the past two years without pressure from great numbers of visitors have…

  • Survey finds Thai tourism enterprises unprepared for foreign tourists

    Survey finds Thai tourism enterprises unprepared for foreign tourists

    A nationwide survey has revealed that most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand are not prepared for the return of foreign tourists this year. Conducted by the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP), the survey questioned 572 business owners from six regions on their readiness for the upcoming tourist season and found that many are more reliant…

  • Thai tea ranked 7th in the world’s best non-alcohol drinks’ list

    Thai tea ranked 7th in the world’s best non-alcohol drinks’ list

    TasteAtlas ranked Thai tea in seventh place in the travel guide platform’s top 100 Best Rated Non-alcoholic Beverages in the World. TasteAtlas website is an online food atlas or food guide that provides information on traditional and authentic dishes from all over the world. Users can search for interesting dishes by region, country, or ingredient, and users can suggest dishes…

  • 3 Thais arrested for smuggling of 14 Chinese citizens

    3 Thais arrested for smuggling of 14 Chinese citizens

    Police yesterday arrested two Thai men and a Thai woman on Phahonyothin Road in the central province of Nakhon Sawan for people trafficking. The group were spotted using three vehicles to smuggle 14 Chinese citizens without passports from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Traffic officers from Mueang Nakhon Sawan Police Station stopped three sedans for a random alcohol test at 4am…

  • Experience luxury at these 8 Bangkok riverside hotels

    Experience luxury at these 8 Bangkok riverside hotels

    Bangkok has some of the most amazing hotels in the world, and those located near the Chao Phraya River are amongst the best. Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable stay or a memorable experience, Bangkok’s riverside hotels offer something for everyone. From luxurious resorts with breathtaking views to chic boutique hotels with incredible amenities, let’s take a look at the…

  • Thai woman says human skull’s teeth belong to her missing husband

    Thai woman says human skull’s teeth belong to her missing husband

    A fisherman pulled a human skull from a canal in Buriram province in northeast Thailand yesterday. A local woman says she knows the skull belongs to her missing husband because she clearly remembers his teeth. Yesterday, officers at Ban Dan Police Station received a call from a fisherman who found a human skull submerged in the Lam Takhong canal to…

  • Man accidently shot and killed cousin and injured 2 year old niece

    Man accidently shot and killed cousin and injured 2 year old niece

    In a tragic incident, a man accidentally shot his cousin and her two year old daughter, mistaking them for intruders. The shooting resulted in the death of the woman, while the child was critically injured and is currently receiving treatment in intensive care. The shooting incident occurred last night at 9.30pm in a longan plantation in the central province of…

  • Thai Airways to trial biometric check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Thai Airways to trial biometric check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport

    Airports of Thailand (AOT) chose flag carrier Thai Airways to trial a new biometric check-in service at Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting on their Bangkok – Singapore route. AOT hopes that bolstering facial recognition technology will streamline the check-in process and reduce waiting times. From now until April 30, passengers on daily THAI flight TG409 from Bangkok to Singapore can check in…

  • Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)

    Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)

    Upon request of the FBI, Thailand yesterday extradited the prime suspect in a hit-and-run case that claimed the life of a young Michigan State University student back to the US to face prosecution. The accused, 57 year old Tubtim “Sue” Howson, is believed to have hit and killed 22 year old Ben Kable with her BMW 320i in Oakland Township…