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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  • Woman bitten by cockroach suffers allergic reaction in Thailand

    A Burmese woman suffered a serious allergic reaction to being bitten by a cockroach while she slept in Kanchanaburi province, in the central part of Thailand. The 40 year old Burmese woman, Minor, woke with a start, nudging her sleeping husband saying she felt as if she had been bitten. He husband switched on the light to find a big…

  • Proposal would allow small hotels to operate as a homestay

    The Ministry of Interior’s proposal for relaxing regulations on small homestay hotels has been met with opposition from the Thai Hotels Association. The plan would expand a “homestay” exemption in the Hotel Act for small businesses with no more than 20 guests in no more than four rooms, increasing the maximum size and occupancy to 10 rooms and 30 guests.…

  • Truck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand

    UPDATE The 50 year old male elephant who was badly injured in a road accident in Chiang Mai yesterday finally made it to the elephant hospital in Lampang province, 20 hours later. At around 9am yesterday, the truck transporting “Pooh Kham” from Mae Chaem to an elephant camp in Mae Wang overturned on the windy roads. At first, Pooh Kham…

  • Hike on traffic fines delayed, but ticket prices will be consistant

    Writing news in Thailand frequently means announcing something and then the next day announcing the opposite. And true to form, the new major hike in penalty fines for traffic violations announced before the weekend and scheduled to go into effect yesterday… have been retracted. But when they do go into effect, repeat offenders will be further penalised, and a new…

  • Sweary tuk tuk driver tries to rip off tourists in Bangkok

    A sweary Thai tuk tuk driver who tried to rip off a Singaporean couple on holiday in Bangkok has been fined by police and ordered to take a good driving awareness programme. The tuk tuk driver, Thongkham Cherdchai, picked up John Chen and his girlfriend on Sunday at about 2.45pm at Central World. The couple wanted to go to their…

  • Thailand’s caretaker PM caught sleeping on the job

    Caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was caught sleeping on the job this afternoon. The 77 year old was in Krabi province today overseeing a joint meeting with several water and land use agencies to discuss water management issues when he dozed off. The image quickly went viral on Thai social media and drew a number of cheeky comments. Suthaporn Suriyakarn…

  • Constitutional Court may make prime minister decision Thursday

    The decision on Prayut Chan-o-cha’s future and the prime ministership may be decided this week as the Constitutional Court scheduled a special meeting on Thursday to discuss it. Last Thursday his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. The court will review this document,…

  • Truck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand

    A rescue mission has been launched for a badly injured elephant after the truck transporting it overturned in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, this morning. The elephant could not get up due to its injuries. At 10.23am today, Thai Elephant Alliance posted a picture of the injured elephant, named ‘Pooh Kham’ on its Facebook page. Thai Elephant Alliance said they…

  • Royalists in Thailand target one-man German activist

    Police are under pressure from royalists to prosecute the German activist who staged a one-man protest against the government of Thailand. The founder and leader of the King Protection Group, Songchai Nienhorm, filed a complaint against the activist, Moritz Pfoh, at Nua Khlong police station in Nua Khlong district of Krabi on Saturday. Songchai is urging police to take action…

  • Thailand provides over 600,000 free cancer treatments in 9 months

    Under the universal healthcare ‘Gold Card’ scheme, the government of Thailand provided 603,060 free cancer treatments in nine months. The free cancer treatments were provided by the National Health Security Office between October 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, according to Deputy Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The number exceeded the government’s expectations by almost double. The government initially predicted that the…

  • Corrections Dept. to sue Thai talk show for creating fake news

    A female talk show host faces up to a year in prison after insulting the Department of Corrections and spreading fake news about Thai prisons. On August 31, the Thai talk show, Unfold a Secret or Chae (แฉ), invited a female influencer, Leena Jangjanja, to host a discussion about the Forex-3D scam involving a leading Thai actress, Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej.…

  • Bridge over troubled waters for Thailand-bound Russian snowbird tourists

    Russian travellers have ritually sought out islands in the tropical sun since the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hellbent on escaping bitterly cold winters, these snowbirds in the lead-up years to the pandemic became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s mass market tourism surge. Now, coming out of the pandemic in the age of a return…

  • Phuket hotels team up with HSMAI for digital tourism and travel marketing workshop

    Phuket’s tourism industry continues to wait and wonder when Mainland Chinese will be allowed to travel overseas, in the wake of China’s zero-Covid policy. As Thailand’s leading resort island moves towards the high season, hoteliers are looking to bridge the China gap and look to new markets to replace the expected lower volume of travel-challenged Russian tourists. Addressing these challenges is…

  • Machine invented to replace monkeys climbing coconut trees

    Monkeys climbing coconut trees have been an icon in Thailand for years, but have also drawn the ire of animal rights groups like People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Now the Agriculture Department has invented a machine that can help farmers climb coconut trees themselves, eliminating the need to train and use monkeys to harvest coconuts. PETA released…

  • Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media

    Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…

  • Ice Woman: Interview with the world’s first Thai Wim Hof Method instructor

    Kam Waritsara, aka ‘Thai Ice Woman,’ is the first Thai-certified Wim Hof Method (WHM) instructor in the world. Once Kam tried and tested the WHM, it became such an important part of her life that she vowed to make the technique accessible to Thai people. The WHM – discovered by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof – comprises three pillars: breathwork,…

  • Hopefuls assess and prepare to run for prime minister

    While the Constitutional Court is mulling over when Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term as prime minister officially ends, with the suspended PM submitting his defence on Thursday, several hopefuls eyeing the premiership have assessed their chances and taken steps in preparation. The Sang Anakhot Thai Party (translating to “Building Thailand’s Future”) intends to nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and has…

  • Maid abuse case shines light on layers of corruption

    On the surface, the policewoman who beat her maid is appalling enough, but as details unfold, they uncover multi-layered rotten corruption laying bare countless cases of abuse of power all the way to the top and connected to the acting prime minister. Not only did the maid endure the abuse in exchange for a pass into the Royal Thai Army,…

  • Trying the Wim Hof Method Workshop in Bangkok

    Thailand is one of the most popular countries for medical tourism in the world. In fact, Thailand ranks 5th among 195 countries in the global health security index released in 2021. Before the lockdown, about 5 million international travelers entered the kingdom to get medical procedures done. That’s over 600 million USD entering the country from medical tourism alone. And…

  • Prayut submits 30-page defence to court to remain PM

    In the ongoing battle for Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as prime minister of Thailand, the suspended PM and current Minister of Defence had his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. While the Constitutional Court is still considering whether Prayut can remain as…

  • Traffic fines see a hefty price spike on Monday

    Bad and disobedient drivers better get it out of their systems quickly over the weekend! On Monday, increased fines for traffic offences – some rather steep – will go into effect in Thailand after the Land Traffic Act is updated. Yesterday, the Director of the Traffic Management Center and Deputy National Police Chief laid out a list of hefty new…

  • LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?

    The new 10-year long-term resident visa was launched on Thursday to convert visitors into expats by offering benefits and tax breaks to attract foreigners from around the world. Though, they’ve made clear that they’re looking only for the top-tier wealthy travellers to move to Thailand and take advantage of the LTR visa. The new visa is only offered exclusively to…

  • Thai Racing Champions Journey to the Top feat. Sandy Stuvik | Thaiger Podcast Ep.5

    https://youtu.be/T_h59UgizSs   Sandy Stuvik, one of Thailand’s top auto racers, has a wealth of experience in karts, open-wheel cars up to F2, touring cars, and GT cars, and now he currently drives the Audi R8 for B-quick absolute racing team and is sponsored by big names such as Pizza Company, Thai Airways and many more. In this edition of our…

  • How to plan a destination wedding in Phuket 2022 – Step by Step

    If you are looking for how to plan a wedding in Phuket, you have come to the perfect place! Going to a foreign land to marry your love can offer you that amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, planning the perfect wedding can sometimes be a daunting task. But don’t worry as we are here to guide you through the steps of…

  • Virus expert tells Thailand’s masses to top up for pandemic fight

    One of Thailand’s top virologists last night insisted that it is vital everyone in the kingdom tops up on their vaccination jabs with a booster shot to defeat Covid-19. Dr Yong Poovorawan likened getting vaccinated to training the body’s immune system to become a frontline soldier in fighting off invading diseases. “The Covid-19 virus does not just invade our body…

  • VIDEO: Phuket Airport and surrounding areas engulfed by floods

    Floodwater is being pumped out of Phuket Airport and surrounding areas following heavy rainfall. No flights have been cancelled yet but the airport has requested passengers to arrive three to four hours before their scheduled departure time. “Heavy rain in Phuket province has resulted in flooding at Phuket Airport. Urgent remedial action is being taken in all flooded areas,” said…

  • Thai woman forced into prostitution in Dubai seeks help for 3 imprisoned friends

    A 40 year old Thai woman who claims she escaped forced prostitution in Dubai is pleading for help for her three friends, who are still imprisoned in Dubai, UAE, by a gang of Thai brokers. Ms. A (pseudonym), originally from Sri Saket province in northeast Thailand, says she and three other Thai women were tricked by the brokers. The men…

  • Officers face 50 years in jail for soliciting bribes from erotic massage parlour

    Four police officers were sentenced to 50 years in prison after they solicited bribes from an erotic massage parlor in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. Officers from the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) raided Nataree Massage after being notified the establishment was using women under the age of 18 that had been trafficked. The raid took place…

  • Thai influencer tells fans to use green light DLT taxis for safer ride

    A famous Thai influencer recommends that people should only take taxis that display a green vacant light because they are registered with the Department of Land Transport (DLT) and provide a safer service for passengers. The Thai influencer, Beam, who runs a Facebook page Beam’s Story (เรื่องของบีม), told her fans to use only taxis with a green vacant sign because…

  • Inaugural Vietnam Airlines flight lands in Phuket, Thailand

    Yesterday at 11am, Vietnam Airlines’ inaugural flight from Ho Chih Minh City landed at Phuket International Airport with 161 tourists on board. Passengers on flight VN9625 were given a warm welcome from the Director of Phuket Airport Monchai Tanod, and the Deputy Director of Phuket Airport’s Business Support Line Kanyarat Suthipatanakit. With Thailand’s monsoon season in full swing, all passengers…