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

    Answers to the most common questions about international health insurance

    If you’ve been thinking of staying in Thailand long-term, you’ve probably already asked the big question, “Do I actually need international health insurance?” It’s a question that often comes up among expats, digital nomads, retirees, and even frequent travellers. Sure,...

  • Longer Songkran holiday break = more accidents

    Longer Songkran holiday break = more accidents

    Extended celebrations for the 2018 Songkran Festival are being blamed for an increase in road accidents involving drunk driving, but the Interior Ministry is assuring that the country’s roads will be safer this year due to more traffic checkpoints and strict law enforcement. The Road Safety Centre yesterday reported the outcome of the second day of operations for the Thai…

  • Day Two – Disgraceful road statistics from the first two days of Songkran

    Day Two – Disgraceful road statistics from the first two days of Songkran

    In just the first two days of the Songkran “seven days of danger” from April 11-17, a total of 99 people have already been killed in traffic accidents, with another 1,085 injured. The road accident count for the beginning days of the notorious Songkran accident period have increased compared to the same period last year, while nearly 60,000 drunk drivers…

  • National airports coping with the inbound and outbound crowds

    National airports coping with the inbound and outbound crowds

    PHOTO: National News Bureau The country’s second largest airport, Don Muang International, is reporting a smooth operation despite the high volume of passengers for the Songkran holiday, heading out and arriving, in Bangkok. Deputy Minister for Transport Pailin Chuchotetaworn has affirmed a full deck of immigration officials has been dispatched to the airport to facilitate outbound travelers. “Despite a large…

  • Songkran launches around the country

    Songkran launches around the country

    Police continue to push public safety measures but traffic still poses challenge. As holidaymakers and locals heading home started to reach their destinations nationwide yesterday for the traditional Thai New Year celebrations this weekend, various sites confirmed their readiness to host impressive events and also implement public safety measures. At Bangkok’s Khao San Road Thai actors Chatchawal Phetchwisit, Wichan Meesom…

  • 39 die nationally on first day of Songkran Seven Days of Danger.

    39 die nationally on first day of Songkran Seven Days of Danger.

    Whilst Phuket has had a clear Day One (Wednesday) for what’s called the ‘Seven Days of Danger’, the rest of the country has notched up 39 people killed as of last night. Police say that drunk driving remains the biggest problem and cause of death. Police report 477 road accidents on the first day of the Songkran holiday reporting period.…

  • Samui jet ski operators scoop Russian tourist out of the surf

    Samui jet ski operators scoop Russian tourist out of the surf

    SCREENSHOT by Sanook.com A Russian tourist has been pulled out of the Samui surf by a Jet Ski. The female tourist was swimming at Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui when witnesses say she appeared to get caught in a rip and dragged out to sea. Jet Ski operators at the beach heard the woman’s screams but was was caught in…

  • Songkran Day One: 2,700 charged for drunk driving

    Songkran Day One: 2,700 charged for drunk driving

    Songkran’s Seven Days of Danger is only into its second day (Thursday) and police have already nabbed nearly 3,000 motorists for drunk driving. A Government spokeswoman said this morning that 156 vehicles were seized Wednesday and 2,716 motorcyclists and other drivers were charged with drunk driving. Deputy spokeswoman Col Sirichan Ngathong said stepped-up spot checks on roads had identified 3,339…

  • Another 81 foreigners arrested in the latest ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ sting

    Another 81 foreigners arrested in the latest ‘X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner’ sting

    FILE PHOTO: X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner raid in Bangkok Tourist police joined forces with other police agencies nationwide to search 123 spots around the country and arrested 81 foreigners on several charges in the latest in its X-Ray Outlaw Foreigner operations. This was the seventh operation targeting illegal foreigners in the Kingdom, many working illegally for schools and language courses. The…

  • Nearly one million meth tablets seized in police sting in Songkhla

    Nearly one million meth tablets seized in police sting in Songkhla

    Police have intercepted an enormous shipment of almost one million methamphetamine tablets with a street value of 48 million baht from a pick-up truck in Songkhla. Police say they were acting on a tipoff. They headed to Tambon Jataen to wait for a pickup truck they were told would be delivering the illicit cargo to southern provinces. A pickup up…

  • Songkran storms on the way for the Northern and Central regions

    Songkran storms on the way for the Northern and Central regions

    Songkran is the time to farewell the hot season and welcome in the forthcoming wet season but the actual weather is wasting no time getting in on the celebrations. The Thai Meteorological Department is warning people in the Central and Northern parts of the country to brace for another round of summer storms from April 15-18. In an announcement yesterday…

  • Rayong supercharged by China’s ‘Belt and Road’

    Rayong supercharged by China’s ‘Belt and Road’

    FILE PHOTO: U-Tapao Airport Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com reports… China’s massive outward bound economic expansion is now experiencing a massive impact on Thailand’s enormous infrastructure initiative, the EEC (Eastern Economic Corridor). A clear example of this is in the country’s Rayong province, which last year hosted 7 million visitors. According to consulting group C9 Hotelworks newly released Rayong Hotel Market…

  • Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand

    Murder, rape, dead bodies in pools – The toll of dead young British tourists visiting Thailand

    PHOTO: Luke Miller (left) was found dead at the bottom of a pool in Koh Tao in 2016 Why is there a mounting toll of young Brits dying, often in mysterious circumstances, in Thailand? 60 or so unexplained, or poorly explained, deaths in just 24 months actually. Britian’s Daily Mail Online has dug deep into the vault of strange disappearances and…

  • Two fatal accidents in the same spot within 12 hours – Tak

    Two fatal accidents in the same spot within 12 hours – Tak

    Two fatal bus accidents have taken place at exactly the same spot in Tak province within a 12 hour period topping off a horror two weeks for buses and passenger vans on Thai roads. And Songkran starts tomorrow, the most dangerous time on Thailand’s roads each year. Victims of the second tragedy were actually officials inspecting the scene of the…

  • Foreign embassies pass on their best wishes for Thailand’s Songkran

    Foreign embassies pass on their best wishes for Thailand’s Songkran

  • Manhunt on for six suspects in the Sungai Golok attacks

    Manhunt on for six suspects in the Sungai Golok attacks

    Army offices and local police are now hunting down six men for suspected involvement in last night’s attacks in Narathiwat. The six men are suspected of being involved in bomb explosions at three residential areas in Sungai Golok district, injuring 13 people. (Sungai Golok is the last town in Thailand before you cross over the Malaysian border) Police also note…

  • 6 killed, 44 injured in another bus crash in Tak

    6 killed, 44 injured in another bus crash in Tak

    Another crash, again involving a bus carrying Burmese workers back home for Songkran. Six Burmese migrants have killed and 44 others were injured when a bus taking them from Tak to Chachoengsao lost control and crashed down a roadside hill last night (Monday). Pol Capt Kiarttisak Boonplong, deputy inspector of Mae Thor police station, said 28 of the injured workers…

  • EU set to change its tune on Thai fishing

    EU set to change its tune on Thai fishing

    Yesterday southern fishermen in Songkhla, Pattani and Trang were threatening to go on strike if the Thai government didn’t lift restrictions imposed on them to help satisfy demands by the EU over illegal fishing practices. Today a representative from the EU is pouring praise on the Thai government for its actions to clean up the industry. Smells fishy!? The Nation…

  • Southern violence injures four – attacks in Sungai Golok and Pattani

    Southern violence injures four – attacks in Sungai Golok and Pattani

    Violence continues in two deep southern provinces last night (Monday), injuring at least four people. Initial reports said that at least four people were injured when bomb attacks hit Narathiwat’s Sungai Golok district and Pattani provinces. In Sungai Kolok, the bomb attacks took place in two areas, injuring at least three. In Pattani, the explosion seriously injured a volunteer, identified…

  • Thailand’s zoo horrors captured by British photographer | Thaiger

    Thailand’s zoo horrors captured by British photographer

    PHOTO: Aaron Gekoski A British photographer has had a sickening series of photos published in thesun.co.uk after witnessing what he described as “a wildlife house of horrors”. 37 year old environmental photojournalist Aaron Gekoski says he witnessed the shows on a tour of Thailand’s zoos and will now campaign for more restrictions over the industry. In the article he claims……

  • “100% interest in 15 days.” Fraudster rips off students.

    “100% interest in 15 days.” Fraudster rips off students.

    22 year old Bangkok student ‘Tanya’, along with a Phuket friend who’s still at high school, have made a complaint with crime suppression police to complain about a Thai woman who has ripped them off in a fake loan scheme. They claim that they’ve been conned out of 24,500 baht but say they believe there are 200 victims involved in…

  • Insurgents fire on police checkpoints in Narathiwat

    Insurgents fire on police checkpoints in Narathiwat

    Southern insurgents have fired at roadside checkpoints in two locations and a marine post in Narathiwat’s Bacho district last night (Sunday). No one was injured in the three attacks. Police and a unit of marines went to inspect the location of the attacks this morning (Monday). Police say that insurgents fired at the road checkpoint in Ban Batu village in…

  • 656 homes damaged by Spring storms

    656 homes damaged by Spring storms

    The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation are reporting that the summer storms in the north, north-east and central regions have created damage across 17 provinces during April 2-April 6. The Department’s Director-General reports that storms caused damages to a total of 656 homes in 34 districts. Bangkok was hit by summer storms on Saturday night with torrential rain in…

  • Take an air-conditioned rest on Songkran roads this year

    Take an air-conditioned rest on Songkran roads this year

    Police have prepared air-conditioned accommodation for motorists who might feel tired after a long drive during the Songkran holidays, a police chief said on Monday. Highway police commander Pol Maj Gen Chut Sukkaewnarong says toilet facilities would also be made available for motorists but added that since the number of temporary accommodation spots was limited, motorists were advised to check…

  • 100 million worth of heroin seized at Bangkok shipping port

    100 million worth of heroin seized at Bangkok shipping port

    PHOTO: Thai Customs Department You can’t accuse Thai Customs officials of sleeping on the job. Yesterday (Sunday) they seized 28 kilograms of heroin with a street value of around 100 million. The heroin was hidden in rubber pillows bound for Hong Kong. Customs officials staffing X-Ray machine at the Klong Toey port say they noticed something suspicious amongst the shipment…

  • Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit – Risk-taking billionaire pursuing social justice

    Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit – Risk-taking billionaire pursuing social justice

    New blood politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit may have led his family auto-parts business to international success but he remains a socialist in his economic philosophy and a political liberal, with a passion for social justice. The 40 year old has been in the spotlight for less than two months since he announced the formation of the new Future Forward Party. But…

  • Kids from around Asia head to Pattaya for Thai Optimist National Championships

    Kids from around Asia head to Pattaya for Thai Optimist National Championships

    PHOTO: Thailand Optimist National Championships – Guy Nowell By Duncan Worthington Thailand’s premier youth sailing event is just around the corner. The Thailand Optimist National Championships, held as part of the Top of the Gulf Regatta, will see more than 100 youngsters from around Thailand and Asia compete over three days (April 29 to May 1, 2018) in Pattaya. First sailed…

  • Cooler weather surprises central & northern Thailand

    Cooler weather surprises central & northern Thailand

    PHOTO: The Pinoy Legacy Thais in many provinces are surprised about the sudden cool spell that has brought them relief from the sweltering summer heat. According to the Meteorological Department, Thailand’s summer officially began on March 3 (we admit to being totally unaware how they arrive at this date). But instead of experiencing almost unbearable heat, as they expect to,…

  • We’re in for a bumper Songkran this year

    We’re in for a bumper Songkran this year

    Economists are predicting a bumper Songkran festival this year due to a number of factors. he University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting says surveys indicate that Thai new year revellers are showing greater willingness to spend more this year. They estimate there will be 3-5% growth in spending which they predict will bring…

  • Merging Thailand’s emergency phone numbers to 191

    Merging Thailand’s emergency phone numbers to 191

    Gen. Chakthip Chaijindra, chief of Thai Police, says they are setting up a new emergency service centre to bring together all the nation’s mergence hotlines into just one. The whole of Thailand will have just a single emergency hotline – 191. The call centre and emergency response system will co-ordinate responses to all distress calls for crimes, emergencies, fires or traffic…

  • Customs scraps order requiring Thai travellers to declare valuables

    Customs scraps order requiring Thai travellers to declare valuables

    The Thai Customs Department says it will scrap an order that requires Thais leaving the country to declare their personal belongings they take out of the country so that they won’t be taxed when they return. The requirement was heavily criticised when it was announced because the procedure of declaration at the international airports would be complicated and time consuming adding…