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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ERC’s tariff cut to benefit households
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is anticipated to reveal a decrease in fuel tariffs (Ft) from May to August today, resulting in a drop in power tariff rates for households to 4.70 baht per kilowatt-hour unit from the current 4.77 baht per unit. This decision comes in response to public outcry over surges in electricity bills during the summer months,…
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Cannex Asia 4/20, the ultimate cannabis community event is happening in Bangkok
“Join the ultimate cannabis celebration of the year – the Cannex Asia 4/20 event this 20th – 22nd of April 2023 at Emquartier, Bangkok” Get ready to attend the Cannex Asia 4/20 festival, an idea proposed by the Cannex Asia team, a group of business professionals and actual experts in the marijuana industry. The event will feature various aspects of…
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Khao San’s ‘420’ celebrations cancelled
The 420 cannabis celebrations planned for Khao San Road were cancelled following criticism that the event would breach Thailand’s laws that prohibit smoking cannabis in public places. A local group of vendors intended to organise the Cannabis Day Showcase event with a parade along the street, as cannabis has been removed from the narcotics list. However, the event was met…
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Officials working to get Thai nationals out of Sudan amidst clashes
Thai officials are working to get Thai nationals out of Sudan amidst violent clashes currently plaguing the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) plans to meet with the military today to plan the evacuation of Thai nationals from Sudan, Bangkok Post reports. The international airport in Khartoum has been closed, making it difficult for the Thai nationals to leave the country.…
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Construction accident at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok injures 4
A construction accident occurred at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, today at 4pm. Four people were injured and one emergency police vehicle was damaged. Workers were hoisting materials to the upper floors of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital opposite Lumpini Park with a rope this afternoon when 40-50 metal sheets suddenly fell onto the footpath below on Ratchadamri Road. Four people…
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Scat woman: Thai taxi drivers warn of female passenger who poops in car
A Thai taxi driver in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok took to Facebook to warn fellow drivers of a female passenger who has been known to poop in cars and then flee without paying. The driver shared dashcam footage and his story on a Facebook group called Taxi Drivers (Thailand) on Friday, April 14 with a caption that said… “Warning…
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Royal treatment: Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle most requested as sex dolls
A sex doll manufacturing company has revealed that members of the British royal family are the most requested by its consumers. Inferno Dolls, a China-based company known for producing realistic dolls and toys, reports that their most popular celebrity sex doll requests include Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle. However, the company’s CEO states that he declines these requests…
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Thailand’s Som Tam voted 6th best salad in the world
Northeast Thailand’s “som tam,” aka spicy papaya salad, was voted sixth best salad in the world by online food guide TasteAtlas. Another Thai dish, phla kung, also won accolades, coming in ninth place. Sanook pointed out that Thailand’s som tam was ranked higher than Cambodia’s green papaya salad, bok l’hong, voted 30th best salad. TasteAtlas’s Top 10 Best Rated Salads in…
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Volunteer rescuer dies after attempting to save life in Ayutthaya
A member of the Ayutthaya Ruam Jai Rescue Team died after performing CPR on a patient in the early hours of this morning. The cause of his death is currently under investigation. A fellow member of the rescue team, Panya Choomanee, spoke to Channel 7 today about the death of his friend, 45 year old Somsak Sisue. At 3am today,…
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Decapitated dugong washes up on beach in southern Thailand
A decapitated dugong with wounds all over its body washed up on a beach on Koh Sriboya island in Krabi province in southern Thailand yesterday. It’s a tragic event considering that dugongs are protected by Thai law and there are only an estimated 200 of them left in Thailand’s waters. The carcass of a 2-metre-long male dugong weighing no less…
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Tourism to Thailand’s Koh Kradan jumps sixfold after winning title as best beach on earth
Thailand’s Koh Kradan island in Trang province is welcoming more than 2000 tourists per day since the island was voted ‘best beach on earth‘ by the UK website World Beach Guide last month, according to Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. “After Koh Kradan was ranked the best beach on earth, the number of tourists has jumped to 2000…
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Police request AI assistance for crime solving
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) are urging for an enhancement of the Immigration Bureau’s biometric identification systems using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to aid in the tracking and monitoring of international criminals. This recommendation comes in the wake of recent abduction incidents involving Chinese victims. In one case, officers from the Bang Phong Phang Police Station successfully rescued a Chinese…
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Migrant workers fill gap in Thailand’s tourism and service sectors due to labour shortage
Migrant workers are increasingly filling roles in Thailand‘s tourism and service sectors, due to a chronic manpower shortage, according to Tanit Sorat, deputy chairman of the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT). The labour shortage is the result of new Thai graduates choosing freelance jobs and the country’s ageing population. Sorat explained that with many graduates preferring a slower lifestyle over…
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Temporary Covid-19 surge may result in 10,000 daily cases
A new wave of Covid-19 infections is expected to bring daily cases to 5,000-10,000, but a swift decline in numbers is predicted thereafter, according to Dr Nitipatana Chierakul, Head of the Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis Division at the Faculty of Medicine in Siriraj Hospital. In a statement on his Facebook page, Dr Nitipatana noted a rise in infections caused by…
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Thief steals nearly 500,000 baht of gold necklaces in Rayong
Police are hunting for a thief who stole 15 gold necklaces valued at almost 500,000 baht from a gold shop in a Robinson shopping mall in the Baan Chang district of Rayong, in the eastern part of Thailand. According to Piyanoot, an employee at Premium Gold Yaowarat on the mall’s first floor, the robbery took place around 3pm yesterday when…
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Promises of a corruption-free Thailand: Will political parties deliver their election pledges?
For more than a century, corruption, graft, kickbacks, and bribery have been entrenched in the culture of Thailand. However, political parties in anticipation of the upcoming May 14 General Election are promising to eradicate these issues in their election pledges. But will they? Mana Nimitmongkol, the secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), said that despite the implementation of…
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Net idol found dead in Bangkok condo abused by air force cadet ex-boyfriend
UPDATE A close friend disclosed evidence that “Gigi,” the Thai net idol who was found dead in her rented condo room in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday, was physically abused by her ex-boyfriend – the air force cadet found dead lying next to her. Both were shot once in the head. Police found a gun near their bodies. Yesterday at 3.20pm, Makkasan…
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British man accused of setting fire to hotel in Chiang Mai
A British man last night was accused of starting a fire at The Y Smart Hotel in Chiang Mai after having a heated argument with a receptionist. Fortunately, six Thai and foreign guests were rescued from the building unharmed. The fire broke out at 12.10am at The Y Smart Hotel on Kaeo Nawarat Soi 5 Road in the Wat Kate…
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American man tragically drowns at Krabi island cave
Another drowning has struck one of Thailand‘s vacation paradises. An American man tragically drowned in a cave near the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in Thailand’s Krabi province. The 51 year old tourist drowned in front of the Viking Cave in a coral diving area on Tuesday, The Phuket Express reported last night. A tour guide, whose identity was withheld,…
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Thai net idol and air force student found dead in Bangkok condo
The bodies of a Thai net idol known as “Gigi” and a Thai air force student were found inside a condo room in Bangkok, Thailand, this afternoon. Both were shot in the head, according to the police. Lt. Gen. Thiti Saeng said that a friend of the deceased called officers from Makkasan Police Station to Gie’s condo room at the…
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Thai activists pursue change despite legal threats
Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew is taking her campaign to the streets, going door-to-door to garner support for the upcoming May 14 General Election. However, she faces the possibility of imprisonment due to charges of sedition and royal defamation from protests in 2020. The 30 year old activist is among over a dozen representatives from the student-led protest movement who are shifting…
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Thavisin’s strategy: Replace conscription for economic growth
Conscription should be replaced with voluntary enlistment to provide economic benefits, according to Srettha Thavisin, prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. Thavisin expressed his disappointment with a particular politician’s staunch support for maintaining conscription in the name of national defence and patriotism. He asserted that compulsory military service is harmful to the economy, as it diverts skilled professionals…
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Teen thieves arrested after brutal petrol station robbery in Pathum Thani
Police arrested two teenage thieves after they stabbed a petrol station attendant and stole 3,840 baht from him in the central province of Pathum Thani on Friday. The incident occurred at a PT Petrol Station on Khlong Jet Thanyaburi-Wang Noi Road in the Khlong Luang district of Nonthaburi on Friday, April 14 at 1.18am. Security camera footage showed the two…
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Prayut: Conscripted soldiers can benefit from opportunities
Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also holds the position of defence minister, has emphasised his commitment to offering army conscripts chances for educational, occupational, and character development, in order to become contributing members of society. Sharing his thoughts with the press following a Cabinet gathering yesterday, PM Prayut expressed satisfaction upon discovering that certain areas of the military had…
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British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast
Video footage and photographs have emerged of a British tourist who came close to losing his life while swimming off the coast of Pattaya last month. The tourist, who remains unidentified, got into trouble while swimming and was able to make his way to a buoy, where he was eventually rescued by a passing fisherman in his boat. The young…
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Frenchman accused of lese majeste in Thailand
A pro-royalist group in Bangkok, Thailand, filed a lese majeste case against a well-known French critic of the Thai monarchy yesterday, reports SiamRath. The Centre for People Protecting the Thai Monarchy alleges that Yan Marchal posted a 41-second-long clip on social media of him and some Thais singing a song containing lyrics that the group says are defamatory of the…
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Thai EC members travel to Africa for May 14 election prep
The Election Commission (EC) stated that it was essential for all of its members to travel overseas during the Songkran holiday period in order to organise advance voting for the May 14 election, particularly in the three African countries where a significant number of Thai residents now live. Following his return from visits to South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco, EC…
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Woman survives kidnapping near her house in Bangkok
A Thai woman survived a kidnapping near her house in the Tao Poon neighbourhood of Bangkok on Sunday. Police officers managed to arrest the suspect, although his motive was not reported. The victim took to social media to warn people of the unexpected incident, sharing a video on TikTok. The suspect is seen in the video pulling her hand and…
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Tensions rise in Pattani province following defence volunteer’s murder
A local defence volunteer faced a tragic end in a cold-blooded ambush at a village in the Panare district on Tuesday night. Authorities reported that the unfortunate attack happened around 7.30pm when Ahamad Teh was making his way to the mosque at Ban Surao in tambon Tha Nam to attend prayers. The unsuspecting victim was shot in the head by…
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Thai govt postpones tourism tax due to airlines’ complaints
The Thai government has announced the postponement of the planned 300-baht (US$9) tourism tax from June to September due to complaints from airlines. The fee was proposed to help the Thai tourism sector recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, with a 150 baht sum for overland visitors and a 300-baht fee for airline passengers. However, airlines raised concerns about the implementation…
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