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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    Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand

    Moving to Thailand offers plenty of excitement and adventure, but the local healthcare system can be complex to navigate as an expat. From unique health risks to high costs at private hospitals, having a comprehensive health insurance plan is essential....

  • Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand

    Managing blacktip reef sharks in Maya Bay, Thailand

    The National Parks Department of Thailand aims to enhance the management of the country’s popular tourist conservation areas following the return of blacktip reef sharks to Maya Bay. Maya Bay was closed for four years, from 2018 to 2022, to facilitate the recovery of the island’s wildlife. The bay’s popularity surged after the release of the 2000 movie The Beach,…

  • Tourists in Thailand urged to download ‘Tourist Police i lert u’ app

    Tourists in Thailand urged to download ‘Tourist Police i lert u’ app

    Foreign tourists in Thailand are advised to download the app “Tourist Police i lert u” which they can use to quickly and conveniently contact the police in case of an emergency, according to government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek. Not to be confused with the Thai version of the app, “police i lert u,” the tourist version of the app is available…

  • British and Korean men arrested for robbing cannabis shop in Pattaya

    British and Korean men arrested for robbing cannabis shop in Pattaya

    Officers from Mueng Pattaya Police Station arrested a British and Korean man yesterday after they stole 175,000 baht from a cannabis shop in Pattaya on Saturday. Another suspect, an Irishman, is being questioned by police under suspicion of being involved in the robbery. The two thieves were identified as 47 year old Englishman Markus Powell and 52 year old Korean…

  • Thai Airways accused of favouring foreign passengers over Thais

    Thai Airways accused of favouring foreign passengers over Thais

    A Thai passenger who recently flew from Paris to Bangkok in Thai Airways business class accused the airline of favouring foreign passengers over Thais after a flight attendant provided services exclusively to a foreign passenger. The attendant told the Thai man that the foreigner was a Gold Status member. Thai consultant doctor Watcharaphol Alexandre Kamnerdsiri, who works in Brussels, Belgium,…

  • Thailand set to be the location of White Lotus season III

    Thailand set to be the location of White Lotus season III

    The location for the next series of the award-winning HBO drama White Lotus is Thailand, according to Variety magazine. Series creator, writer, and director Mike White was seen in Thailand at a Four Seasons location late last year setting media tongues wagging that the Land of Smiles would be the destination for series three of the gripping drama. Series one…

  • Indian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days

    Indian man overstays visa in Thailand by 2,048 days

    Immigration police arrested an Indian national in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, found to have overstayed his visa by 2,048 days (more than five and a half years). Police believe he is part of a call centre gang, reports KhaoSod. The police stopped 38 year old Jatinder Singh – who resides in the Na Jomtien area of Sattahip district –…

  • TAT and Tinder team up to launch Single Journey tours for single travellers

    TAT and Tinder team up to launch Single Journey tours for single travellers

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Tinder dating app have teamed up to launch “Single Journey Season 2” tours for single travellers who want to find a travel partner and make their trip more meaningful. The first season of Single Journey was launched in December 2020. It offered three different trips for 100 single travellers who won free…

  • Aussie man and Thai wife say politicians’ letter saved them from death penalty in Thailand

    Aussie man and Thai wife say politicians’ letter saved them from death penalty in Thailand

    A free Aussie man and his Thai wife who spent four years in prison in Thailand for a crime they did not commit say that a 15-page letter from politicians in Australia is the reason they were spared the death penalty after being convicted of trafficking half a tonne of crystal meth in 2018. Luke Cook, his wife Kanyarat Wechapitak and…

  • 10 people injured after drunk crashes car into ordination ceremony

    10 people injured after drunk crashes car into ordination ceremony

    A drunk driver crashed his car into an ordination ceremony at a temple in the central province of Lopburi on Saturday because of an alleged grievance with the event host. Ten people were injured at the scene with two suffering serious injuries. Officers from Koke Samrong Police Station and the Koke Samrong Hospital rescue team rushed to the Khao Saphan…

  • Government addresses public complaints

    Government addresses public complaints

    Here’s a story for the comments section. Got a complaint? The government is listening… probably. The Cabinet recently addressed the complaints submitted by the public and feedback submitted to state agencies and enterprises during the first quarter of the 2023 fiscal year. And while it often feels like complaints to higher authorities fall on deaf ears, the government claim that…

  • Brawl erupts between foreign staff and foreign tourists at Phuket restaurant (video)

    Brawl erupts between foreign staff and foreign tourists at Phuket restaurant (video)

    A violent brawl erupted between three foreign staff members at a restaurant in the Patong area of Phuket, southern Thailand, and five drunk foreign tourists in the early hours of this morning. Partygoers notified Patong Police Station that a group of foreign tourists and a group of foreign restaurant staff were attacking each other with chairs at Atlas Restaurant on…

  • People in Thailand spend too much time on their backsides, a new report reveals

    People in Thailand spend too much time on their backsides, a new report reveals

    People in Thailand spend too much time sitting on their backsides, a new study reveals. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) revealed that 76% of Thai people spend seven hours or more sitting down, underlining the need for the nation’s population to get off their arses and engage in more physical activity to improve their health and wellbeing. MOPH director-general…

  • Pervy man caught on CCTV sniffing woman’s underwear and licking her shoes

    Pervy man caught on CCTV sniffing woman’s underwear and licking her shoes

    A Thai woman in the southern province of Songkhla filed a complaint with the police after a CCTV camera captured footage of a perverted man climbing over a wall into her house, sniffing her underwear and licking her shoes before leaving. The 28 year old victim, Raenu, posted videos of the incident on a Facebook group named HATYAIZ to warn residents…

  • Election results reporting to be aided by media alliance

    Election results reporting to be aided by media alliance

    Thai media outlets have teamed up to form an alliance that will provide live reporting of unofficial election results during the country’s upcoming General Election. This move was prompted by the Election Commission’s (EC) decision to use a non-real-time official reporting format, which sparked concerns about transparency and fairness. Rather than piecemeal independent reporting from various polling stations, The Association…

  • Thai man sets ‘high’ score for fastest joint roller at Phuket’s Cannabis Cup

    Thai man sets ‘high’ score for fastest joint roller at Phuket’s Cannabis Cup

    As cannabis remains one of the nation’s hottest political issues in Thailand prior to the election in May, one Thai man won 5,000 baht for rolling a perfect one-gramme joint in just 43 seconds at the first-ever Cannabis Cup in Phuket on Saturday, reports Reuters. Hailed the fastest joint roller in all of Phuket, 30 year old Phuketian Ativat Janmuangthai won…

  • Online pranksters warned they could face time in jail ahead of April Fool’s Day

    Online pranksters warned they could face time in jail ahead of April Fool’s Day

    The Royal Thai Police issued a warning to online pranksters ahead of April Fool’s Day that their tomfoolery could land them in jail and a heavy fine. The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD) urged the nation’s natural jokers to be careful that their shenanigans on April Fool’s Day, also known as “Wan Dek Foo” in Thailand, do not break the…

  • Thailand weather forecast: Hot and stormy

    Thailand weather forecast: Hot and stormy

    Much of Thailand can expect hot weather and summer storms in the next 24 hours, with temperatures hitting highs of 39 degrees Celsius in Bangkok, according to the Meteorological Department. Northern Thailand is expected to be hot and hazy today. In Chiang Mai, the air quality index (AQI) was measured at a ‘very unhealthy’ 220 this morning, 33.9x higher than…

  • Not all trips to a police station in Thailand end in tragedy, with some there’s a happy ending

    Not all trips to a police station in Thailand end in tragedy, with some there’s a happy ending

    Heard the joke about the police officer in Thailand offering massages, soothing herbal sweets and a cold drink instead of a cuff around the ear and a night in the slammer? No? Well, that’s because it’s not a joke. A visit to a police station in Thailand is usually a daunting exercise for most whether you’ve committed a crime, filed…

  • Elderly Frenchman missing in Thailand forest

    Elderly Frenchman missing in Thailand forest

    A search party has been mobilised to locate a 70 year old Frenchman lost in the forest around Khao Eto Mountain in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand since yesterday afternoon, reports DailyNews. The Frenchman, 70 year old Sierra Gamache, set off early yesterday morning and climbed to the highest point on the Mount Eto trail. At 12 noon, Gamache…

  • Thai vendor banks 10,000 baht on a traditional Thai pattern pancake

    Thai vendor banks 10,000 baht on a traditional Thai pattern pancake

    A skilled pancake vendor at Srinagarindra Train Night Market in Bangkok who created a magnificent piece of art from a pancake managed to bank 10,000 baht. Shop owner and pancake artist extraordinaire, Wiwat “Singto” Janecharoen, posted a video of a pancake with a traditional Thai pattern on the shop’s TikTok account, nirinartyummy. In the caption he wrote… “More detailed than…

  • Outrage as energy bills rise for households, drop for industry

    Outrage as energy bills rise for households, drop for industry

    The government has come under fire for its latest revision of electricity pricing, with accusations that it will reduce energy bills for various industries but raise those of households. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has decided to increase power bills for households from 4.72 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit) to 4.77 baht. Industry will also be charged 4.77 baht, but that’s…

  • Thailand expected to have a hotter summer this year

    Thailand expected to have a hotter summer this year

    Thailand is bracing for a hotter summer this year, with the Meteorological Department forecasting an average temperature increase of one degree Celsius from last year. The hottest weather this week has been recorded in the North of the country, with temperatures peaking at 41.5°C in Phetchabun’s Mueang district on Thursday. Closer to Bangkok, the highest temperature was recorded at 38.5°C…

  • What are those tattoos Thais get in temples?

    What are those tattoos Thais get in temples?

    For centuries, men have been visiting the Bang Phra Temple in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, to receive traditional tattoos known as “sak yant.” The temple, built in the 17th century during the Ayutthaya era, has become a pilgrimage site for those seeking good fortune, protection, and a deeper spiritual connection. Monks at the temple use fine point needles to create the…

  • Murky water at Koh Samui beach caused by plankton bloom, not oil spill: officials

    Murky water at Koh Samui beach caused by plankton bloom, not oil spill: officials

    UPDATE The smelly, murky water putting off tourists from swimming in the sea at Maenam Beach in Koh Samui, southern Thailand, is not an oil spill but caused by a plankton bloom, which is a natural phenomenon, according to the Director of Koh Samui Harbour Authority, Arun Buppako. The photos circulating of green murky water at the beach show dead…

  • Don Mueang Airport expansion planned, while U-Tapao stalls

    Don Mueang Airport expansion planned, while U-Tapao stalls

    Airports of Thailand (AOT) has announced its plans to expand Don Mueang International Airport’s low-cost terminal, while U-Tapao Airport’s expansion faces delays. The expansion of Bangkok’s secondary airport aims to increase passenger capacity and bolster tourism income for the country. Don Mueang’s expansion project has a budget of 36.8 billion baht and is set to begin this year. But the…

  • SRT adds 4 historic tourism train trips next month

    SRT adds 4 historic tourism train trips next month

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) announced that it will offer four special sightseeing train trips in April to stimulate domestic tourism and generate income for locals. The train trips will follow a historical theme next month and will meet the increasing passenger demand for cultural travel in the area. The train trips are a collaborative effort between the SRT,…

  • Thai buffalo becomes beauty influencer | Thaiger News Weekly

    Thai buffalo becomes beauty influencer | Thaiger News Weekly

    Thailand election to be held May 14 Thailand’s Election Committee (EC) confirmed today that Thailand’s general election will be held on May 14, 2023. While the vote will be held on May 14, early ballots cast on May 7. Over 52 million people are required to vote. The election follows Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s dissolution of the House of Representatives, endorsed by…

  • Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand

    Italian man impaled and killed by forklift in Thailand

    An Italian man tragically died this morning after he was impaled by a forklift in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in central Thailand, near the factory where he worked as sales manager. He was riding a motorbike taxi when the incident happened, reports ThaiRath. At 10am, officers at Samrong Nuea Police Station were informed of a fatal collision between…

  • Chinese KOLs livestream their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises

    Chinese KOLs livestream their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises

    Chinese Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have been livestreaming their adventures in Thailand’s tropical paradises. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently collaborated with Kuaishou Technology, a Chinese short video-sharing mobile app, to bring Chinese KOLs to Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga for a “Travel Adventures Thailand Episode” livestream series. The series began on Wednesday, March 15, and ends today (March…

  • Porsche celebrates 30 years in Thailand with multi-coloured 911 model (video)

    Porsche celebrates 30 years in Thailand with multi-coloured 911 model (video)

    Porsche Asia Pacific is celebrating 30 years of its high-performance sports car in Thailand with a new multi-coloured bespoke Porsche 911 Carrera GTS in honour of the importance of colours in the kingdom. The German luxury car was first introduced to the Thai market in 2002 with the establishment of Porsche (Thailand) Limited, a subsidiary of Porsche Asia Pacific Pte…