Thailand News
Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.
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Sponsored Phuket workcation: paradise with a side of productivity (is it worth it?)
Dreaming of working remotely under swaying palm trees with the sound of the ocean waves as your background music? Phuket, the "Pearl of the Andaman," beckons digital nomads with its stunning beaches, vibrant culture, and surprisingly good infrastructure for remote...
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Thailand welcomes new controversial Chinese-built amphibious assault ship
Thailand yesterday welcomed a new Chinese-built amphibious assault ship to its naval fleet. The HTMS Chang, a Type 071E landing platform dock, arrived at its homeport in southern Thailand a week after its official handover at the Chinese shipyard. The ship, which left Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s facility in Shanghai on Tuesday, April 18, travelled through the Taiwan Strait before arriving at…
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New Balance kicks out of Thailand
American sports footwear brand New Balance closed all of its stores in Thailand after the contract with its importer and distributor in Thailand, CRC Sports, expired. CRC Sports, a retail company under the Central Group, was established on December 26, 1996, with a registered capital of 370 million baht. It operated under the Supersports brand and offered sports products. According…
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Girlfriend of Australian tourist found dead in Thai police custody suspects foul play
UPDATE The girlfriend of the Australian man who was found dead inside the detention room at a police station in Phuket, southern Thailand, on Monday says her boyfriend was “not suicidal” and had every intention of returning to his family. Police arrested 31 year old Matthew Michael Winder for being drunk and disorderly at around 5.45am and detained him at…
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Kanit Sangsubhan joins Palang Pracharath Party to boost southern Thailand’s economy
The Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) recently announced the appointment of Kanit Sangsubhan, previously a special adviser to the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Office, as a member of its economic team. This move is intended to bolster the economy in Thailand’s southern border provinces. PPRP leader Prawit Wongsuwon expressed his delight at welcoming Kanit as a key member of the party,…
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Suspected serial killer arrested for the deaths of 8 victims
Suspected serial killer Sararat “Am” Rangsiwuthaporn, believed to be responsible for the deaths of eight victims, was arrested by Police yesterday. The suspect, Am, denied all allegations, despite the mountain of evidence provided by the victims’ relatives. The arrest of Am was made following the death of Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong on Friday, April 14. Koy collapsed and died while releasing…
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Thailand’s Supreme Court upholds death penalty for school director who killed 3 in gold shop robbery
The Supreme Court of Thailand ruled today that the death penalty will be upheld for the former primary school director who shot dead three people – including a two year old child – and wounded another during a gold shop robbery in Lop Buri province three years ago. On January 9, 2020, then-39 year old Prasitthichai “Golf” Khaokaew entered the…
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Thailand detects 6 new cases of Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant and one XBB.1.16.1
Thailand‘s Department of Medical Sciences announced yesterday that it has identified six new cases of the Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, as well as one case of the closely related XBB.1.16.1 subvariant. This brings the total number of people in the kingdom infected with the XBB.1.16 subvariant to 34. The department’s director-general, Supakit Sirilak, confirmed that XBB.1.16 is responsible for 9.8% of…
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Thai Senate committee discusses foreign satellite regulations
The Thai Senate committee yesterday met to focus on information technology, communication, and telecommunications and convened to discuss the proposed changes by the state telecommunications regulatory body regarding the regulations governing the utilisation of foreign-owned satellites to offer domestic telecommunications services. The gathering presided over by General Anantaporn Kanchanarat, focused on assessing concerns and suggestions raised by the National Broadcasting…
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Thai man stumbles upon human skeleton near Pattaya reservoir
A Thai man stumbled upon a human skeleton at the rim of a reservoir near Pattaya yesterday morning. The man, 48 year old Praphat Namsuphat, was walking along the edge of the Chak Nok Reservoir with his child when he spotted what he at first thought was a canine skeleton. But after looking closely, Praphat was shocked to discover that…
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Democrat Party plan to transform Hat Yai into major economic hub
The Democrat Party in Thailand recently revealed its intentions to rejuvenate its previous plan to turn the commercial district of Hat Yai, located in Songkhla province, into a significant economic centre. This attempt aims to attract more investors to the area. Democrat Party officials mentioned that they are considering the enactment of a special law that would promote the growth…
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Thailand offers 11 billion baht subsidy for low-income electricity bills
The Thai government announced plans to allocate over 11 billion baht to support low-income earners with their electricity bills over the next four months, with the subsidy set to begin in May. However, the proposal needs to be reviewed and approved by the Election Commission (EC) before it becomes official. Following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha addressed the…
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Vietnamese woman performs ritual for sacred objects in Thailand
A Vietnamese woman who sells sacred items and amulets with a Thai cult leader performed a ritual on some sacred objects in Supha Buri province, much to the chagrin of some Buddhists. The foreign woman revealed that the items were very popular among her customers in Vietnam. The Vietnamese woman, Thut Tam Che, travelled from Hanoi in Vietnam to join…
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US Navy aircraft carrier arrives in Pattaya, Thailand
The USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier belonging to the US Navy, anchored at Laem Chabang Port just north of Pattaya in Thailand yesterday accompanied by the Nimitz Strike Group for a five-day visit that aims to strengthen Thai – US security relations. The Nimitz Strike Group includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and guided-missile…
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6 Chinese men arrested for 10 million baht fake gold scam in Thailand
Police arrested six Chinese men for selling fake gold to rich Thai people resulting in a profit of more than 10 million baht. The suspects were reported to be former members of a scam call centre gang based in Indonesia. The gang confessed that their criminal act was inspired by a television series about scammers. One victim, a Chinese man…
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Thai YouTuber reveals 25 million baht online gambling loss during police questioning
Today, a Thai YouTuber and celebrity Sodor Style, whose real name is Pimlada Wewvitsong, visited the Royal Thai Police’s Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) in response to a summons. She was there to give her side of the story regarding her live TikTok broadcast where she revealed her experience with online gambling. According to her account, she lost more than…
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MFP secretary-general confident of securing at least 100 seats in General Election
Chaithawat Tulathon, secretary-general of the Move Forward Party (MFP), expressed confidence that his party is on track to secure a minimum of 100 House seats in the upcoming General Election. Speaking at a major campaign rally in Samyan Mitrtown, which drew attendees of all age groups, Chaithawat was optimistic about the MFP’s chances of surpassing the now-dissolved Future Forward Party’s…
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Bangkok and surrounding provinces to experience scattered summer storms, gusty winds, hail
Scattered summer storms, gusty winds and hail are predicted for Bangkok and the provinces of north, northeast, east and central plains today and tomorrow. A moderate high-pressure system is expected to cover northeastern Thailand and the South China Sea during the two-day period, the local weather office announced. The upper regions are predicted to experience hot to extremely hot weather,…
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Thai woman arrested for allegedly killing 5 with cyanide
A Thai woman has been arrested for the alleged poisoning and killing of five people using cyanide. The arrest was made after the sudden and unexplained death of the alleged murderer’s most recent victim, Siriporn “Koy” Khanwong, a 32 year old Thai woman from the central province of Ratchaburi, on Saturday, April 1. Koy was found dead at the Baan Pong…
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Ft set to decrease next month, says Thailand’s ERC
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is set to reduce the fuel tariff (Ft) next month, following a recommendation by the subcommittee responsible for its calculation. The decision comes in response to concerns regarding the rising cost of living, with water rates also marked for an increase after 23 years of stagnation. As reported by Khomgrich Tantravanich, the ERC’s secretary-general, the…
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Thai man fined and sentenced to prison over craft beer review
A court in central Thailand fined a man 150,000 baht and handed him a six-month suspended prison sentence for posting a picture and review of a craft beer on Facebook. He paid an additional 150,000 baht to be released on bail. In 2020, Artid Sivahansaphan posted a review on the Facebook page “Daek Beer Hai Plia Kaem,” a beer review…
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Democrats in Thailand get naughty: Pledge to legalize sex toys for the greater good
The Democrat Party pledged its commitment to the legalisation of sex toys in Thailand, arguing that such a move would bring about numerous benefits beyond the realm of sexual pleasure. This stance highlights the party’s determination to establish a thriving and regulated sex toy industry within the country. Deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek, also an executive of the Democrat Party, clarified…
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Covid-19 inpatients and deaths surge by 150% in Thailand after Songkran celebrations
In the aftermath of the Songkran celebrations, which concluded on April 15, the number of Covid-19 inpatients and related deaths has seen a significant increase of 150% in just one week. According to the Department of Disease Control, there were 1,088 Covid inpatients from April 16 to 22, compared to the previous week’s figure of 435. Furthermore, the number of…
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Experts unite to oppose govt’s cannabis legalisation
A collective of medical professionals, academics, and civil organisations have released yet another open letter to express their opposition to the government’s decision to legalise cannabis. This marks their seventh open letter on the matter, urging the public to vote for political parties that do not support the removal of cannabis from the list of narcotics, as well as its…
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Two hunters injured in shootout with rangers and arrested for possession of dead langur monkeys
Two hunters in Phetchaburi have been left with injuries following a clash with forest rangers, leading to their arrests. They were found to have six dead grey langurs, local authorities reported today. Forest rangers had been conducting a patrol in Huay Kum forest, close to Phu Sai in the Moo 3 village, situated in tambon Huay Mae Phriang of the…
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Elderly Swedish man attempts to smuggle 3kg of heroin into Thailand
An elderly Swedish man who was arrested at an airport in Zimbabwe with 3 kilogrammes of heroin bound for Thailand earlier this month appeared in court yesterday. On April 8, detectives from Zimbabwe’s CID Drugs and Narcotics Harare received information that 71 year old Hans Arne Ingemar Pettersson was in possession of drugs that he intended to smuggle to Thailand…
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Australian man dies in police detention in Phuket, Thailand
An Australian man died inside the detention room at Patong Police Station in Phuket, southern Thailand, yesterday. Police say that he hanged himself with the rope from his shorts, reports KhaoPhuket. Police said that 31 year old Matthew Michael Winder of Australian nationality was found dead inside the detention room at 12.45pm, having been arrested for being loud and disorderly on Sunday…
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Three Chinese nationals fined for missing 90-day immigration check-in in Thailand
Three Chinese nationals have recently been fined as part of an ongoing crackdown on immigration violations in Thailand. Acting under the instructions of national deputy police chief Pol. Gen. Surachet “Big Joke” Hakparn, officers in Banglamung and Sattahip have been carrying out weekly checks on Chinese nationals and other foreigners who may be involved in illegal activities or overstaying their…
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Transwoman arrested for stealing 189,000 baht from Sri Lankan tourist
Bangkok Police arrested a Thai transwoman for stealing US$5,500 (189,000 baht) from a Sri Lankan tourist two weeks’ ago. The Sri Lankan victim, 30 year old Suras, filed a complaint at Huay Kwang Police Station on Sunday, April 9 after discovering that his money was missing. Suras said that he drank alcohol at a bar in the Asoke neighbourhood with…
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Chinese ambassador expresses confidence in Belt and Road Initiative benefiting Thailand and China
Chinese Ambassador Han Zhiqiang expressed his confidence yesterday that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) would foster mutual growth and provide numerous benefits to both Thailand and China. Speaking at a seminar titled “Contemporary China with the World: An Exchange of a New Generation between Thailand and China,” the ambassador highlighted the BRI’s role in guiding and advancing bilateral relations…
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Just clicked: Snap-happy photographer captures Wiki Loves Monuments Launch in Thailand
A snap-happy photographer from Thailand got the picture at the launch of Wikimedia Thailand’s Wiki Loves Monuments (WLM) photography contest. The winning snap, by photographer Kriengsak Jirasirirojanakorn, features the eight stupas located in Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. The WLM is an annual competition that focuses on cultural heritage monuments and sites in…
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