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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Koh Pha Ngan nominee raids target 32 suspected companies
More than 300 police officers raided 32 companies on Koh Pha Ngan this morning, May 13, as part of a crackdown on suspected foreign nominee businesses allegedly using Thai nationals to hold land on behalf of foreigners. Deputy national police chief Samran Nualma led the operation at 9am alongside officers from multiple police units, including the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau,…
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Singha heir releases voice recording as evidence of sexual abuse by brother
A renowned environmentalist and heir of the Singha beer brand released a voice recording as evidence today, May 13, in response to a denial issued by his older brother over allegations of sexual abuse during their childhood. The former national park ranger and conservation activist, Siranudh “Psi” Scott, first addressed the issue publicly in a video shared on his social…
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Foreign man filmed provoking Thai man before street fight
A video of a confrontation between a foreign man and a Thai man has gone viral after footage appeared to show the foreigner slapping the Thai man before a street fight broke out. The clip, posted by a user named “Mai Tong Pood,” showed a brief altercation and included a caption claiming the foreign man had tried to provoke the…
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Chiang Rai man shoots neighbour over noise from livestream videos
A Thai man shot his neighbour at a house in Chiang Rai province on the evening of Monday, May 11, after a previous argument over noise from livestream videos. The incident took place at a house in Thoeng district. The victim, 24 year old Siwakorn, was taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to his right arm and significant…
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PM Anutin monitors crackdown on foreign-operated businesses using Thai nominees
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Samui in Surat Thani today, May 13, following investigations into more than 10,000 businesses operated by foreigners through Thai nominees. The Department of Business Development (DBD) and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) recently launched a nationwide crackdown targeting illegal foreign-operated businesses using Thai nationals as nominees, particularly in major tourist…
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Thailand alcohol ban takes effect in eight public areas
Eight updated alcohol control notices took effect in Thailand yesterday, May 12, banning the consumption or sale of alcohol in designated public transport, state, and government-related areas. The Royal Gazette published the eight notices under alcohol control regulations. The measures update rules first introduced in 2008 to make them more suitable for current conditions. The updated rules ban alcohol sales…
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Bolt strengthens safety measures after Bangkok schoolgirl case
Bolt Thailand announced stricter safety measures on May 11, including AI monitoring and expanded facial recognition checks, after a rider impersonation case involving a schoolgirl in Bangkok late last month. The company said that it continues to operate as usual in Thailand while working with relevant agencies on its platform certification process. The new measures are intended to strengthen checks…
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Thai woman flees detention and abuse by police boyfriend
A Nakhon Ratchasima police officer admitted to using drugs and abusing his girlfriend by attacking her, forcing her to take crystal meth, and distributing her explicit images online. The suspect, identified only as 30 year old Police Sergeant Man, reported himself to the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Police Office after allegations were filed by his girlfriend, 28 year old Nueng. The woman…
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Thailand tightens Hantavirus screening for South America arrivals
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) has tightened screening for travellers arriving from 13 South American countries as part of Hantavirus surveillance, although no cases have been found in Thailand. Today, May 12, DDC director-general Montien Khanasawat inspected the international disease control checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The visit followed screening measures introduced for travellers arriving from South America yesterday, May…
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Elderly Thai woman confesses to fake robbery after gambling losses
An elderly woman in Nong Bua Lamphu admitted staging a robbery at her home after selling gold jewellery gifted by her daughter to fund gambling activities. The case came to public attention after the woman’s daughter, who lives overseas, contacted Channel 8 to complain about delays in the police investigation into the robbery at her mother Pranee’s home. According to…
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Honey collector fatally stung by bees in Maha Sarakham forest
A man died after being stung by a swarm of bees while hunting for wild honey with a relative in a forest near a school in Ku Thong subdistrict, Chiang Yuen district, Maha Sarakham, yesterday, May 11. The man, identified as 62 year old Noo Ken, had gone into the area with his 59 year old relative, Narong, who climbed…
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Bear mauls Thai man while collecting food ingredients in Ratchaburi forest
A Thai man suffered serious injuries and required 40 stitches after a bear attack while searching for food in a forest near his home in Ratchaburi province on Sunday, May 10. The victim, 48 year old Surachai, was admitted to Pong Namron Hospital following the incident, which took place at around 2pm. According to Surachai, he entered the forest to…
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Thai woman caught in Oman with over 4.4 koligrammes of cannabis
Omani Customs officials arrested a Thai woman for smuggling cannabis weighing more than 4.4 kilogrammes through Muscat International Airport. The Oman Customs Department shared footage of the arrest on its official X account on May 5. In the accompanying statement, officials stated… “Customs officers at Muscat International Airport thwarted an attempt to smuggle 4,384 grammes of marijuana, which was found in…
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EV charging station fire damages truck at Samut Prakan factory
An EV charging station fire in Samut Prakan damaged a small electric truck at a factory in Bang Sao Thong district yesterday, May 11, with no injuries reported. At 2.10am, officers at Bang Sao Thong Police Station received a report of a fire at an electric vehicle charging station inside a company in Bang Sao Thong subdistrict, Bang Sao Thong…
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Krabi official registers marriage for drug suspect before arrest
A district chief in Krabi allowed a suspected drug dealer to register his marriage before the man was sent to prison following his drug arrest yesterday, May 11. Officials in Mueang Krabi district said the suspect, known as “Dome Koh Klang,” was arrested during an operation targeting small-scale drug dealers in Khlong Prasong subdistrict. Officers allegedly found 399 methamphetamine pills in his…
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3 Chinese men held for turning Pattaya house into Pod K production
Police arrested three Chinese nationals after uncovering a luxury house in Pattaya, Chon buri, being used to produce ketamine-laced e-cigarettes, locally known as Pod K. Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) and Chon Buri Provincial Police raided the property in Bang Lamung district at around 4.30pm yesterday, May 11. The operation followed reports that a group of Chinese nationals…
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Foreign man remains at large after injuring Phuket teenager in hit-and-run
A Thai mother is seeking public assistance in identifying a foreign motorcyclist after her teenage son was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Phuket on May 10. The crash occurred at around 2.30pm in Rawai subdistrict. According to the mother, who shared details on her Facebook account, Rainbow Sarnrach, a foreign man riding a motorcycle with two passengers, suddenly changed lanes…
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Bolt driver accused of conning Chinese tourist with 1,000 baht ‘fine’
A Chinese tourist has warned other travellers after claiming a Bolt driver in Bangkok tried to charge her 1,000 baht for an alleged seatbelt fine during a ride, despite her saying she saw no police officers. The tourist shared the story on Threads, saying it was the first time she had encountered such a driver despite visiting Bangkok many times.…
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Chinese weapon suspects suffers seizure after 4-day hunger strike in Pattaya prison
The Chinese weapon suspect, Mingchen Sun, was rushed to the hospital last night, May 11, after reportedly suffering seizures and severe exhaustion following a four-day hunger strike while being detained at Pattaya Remand Prison. The 31 year old suspect has been in custody since his arrest in Chon Buri on May 8 after a car crash in Sattahip district led…
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Foreign rider damages rental motorcycle in Phuket during off-road riding
A foreign motorcyclist, believed to be a Russian national, drew criticism online after a video showed him damaging a rental motorcycle while attempting to ride off-road in Phuket. The footage was shared today, May 11, by the Phuket Times Facebook page, which claimed the incident involved a foreign rider using a rented motorcycle on an off-road track in Phuket. The motorcycle…
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6 Vietnamese and Uzbek women arrested in Bangkok prostitution crackdown
Police arrested six foreign women for prostitution in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok on May 7 following complaints from residents and the circulation of videos on Thai social media. The arrests took place in Soi Sukhumvit 4 after officers launched an investigation into suspected prostitution activities in the neighbourhood. According to reports, several residents complained that groups of foreign women…
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Bangkok transwoman reportedly forced to shave hairs for insulting Quran
A group of Muslims gathered outside a restaurant in Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok allegedly to pressure a transwoman to issue an apology and shave her hairs for insulting the holy Quran during a livestreaming video on social media. The transwoman, identified only as Lor, reportedly grew up in a Muslim community in Narathiwat before later moving to Bangkok for work.…
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5 Russian nationals held after viral altercation in Phuket night market
Five Russian nationals were arrested following a violent altercation at a night market in Phuket after footage of the incident circulated widely on Thai social media yesterday, May 10. The Phuket Times Facebook page shared videos from the disturbance at Midtown Phuket Night Market with a caption alleging, “A drunk foreign man caused trouble in the city centre by assaulting…
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Chinese tourists filmed with protected parrotfish and starfish in Phuket
Phuket locals are calling for legal action against a group of Chinese nationals after videos circulated online showed them hunting protected parrotfish and handling starfish at Kata Beach. The footage, which spread widely on Thai social media, prompted criticism from residents and environmental supporters concerned about the treatment of marine wildlife and the lack of immediate enforcement action by officials.…
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Thaksin returns home from prison with EM bracelet after parole release
Former Thai Prime Minister (PM), Thaksin Shinawatra, was released from Khlong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok with electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet this morning, May 11, and returned to his family home. Speculation about Thaksin’s release had circulated on Thai social media since April. The former PM was sentenced to a year in prison following his controversial stay at Police General…
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Hong Kong activist Zhang Xinyan arrested in Thailand
Hong Kong activist Zhang Xinyan, a wanted member of the overseas group Hong Kong Parliament, has been arrested in Thailand for overstaying her visa and is reportedly set to be deported to mainland China. According to the South China Morning Post, Hong Kong Parliament is an overseas pro-democracy activist group mainly founded and run by self-exiled Hong Kong activists. Sunai…
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Police gun linked to Chinese suspect and C4 explosives traced
A police-issued firearm from Sai Mai Police Station passed through four officers’ hands before ending up with a Chinese suspect found in possession of C4 explosives and a weapons cache, police revealed yesterday. Following a meeting called by the police chief to discuss the case of 31 year old Ming Chen Sun, the suspect told officers he purchased the weapons…
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Singha heir rejects family name, alleges teenage sexual assault
A prominent conservation activist and member of one of Thailand’s most powerful business families has gone public with allegations of sexual assault and a bitter inheritance dispute, sparking widespread discussion on social media. Siranudh “Psi” Scott, a fourth-generation member of the Bhirombhakdi family, owners of the Singha beer brand, posted a video to his Facebook account, which has 625,000 followers,…
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Bangkok road collapse linked to siphon pipe works
A road collapse near Bangkok’s Fai Chai intersection disrupted traffic yesterday, May 9, and caused a passing motorcyclist to fall, with officials linking the damage to siphon pipe installation beneath the road. The collapse reportedly happened at about 2.42pm on Charan Sanitwong Road outside Vichaivej Hospital in Bangkok Noi district. Witnesses said one traffic lane collapsed as a motorcycle was…
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McLaren 570S wedged under pickup truck in Sai Mai crash
A McLaren 570S worth up to 24 million baht collided with a pickup truck at the end of Chatuchot Alley in Sai Mai district yesterday, injuring one person and drawing widespread attention online. At 4.36pm, the supercar and a pickup truck collided at the end of the alley. One man was left with right arm pain and was transported to…
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