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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Sponsored What is the 5 year visa for the digital nomad in Thailand?
The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a great option for digital nomads, remote workers, and freelancers who want to stay in Thailand for a long time. This multiple-entry visa is valid for five years, allowing stays of up to 180...
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Thai police officers face lengthy prison spell after large-scale corruption
Some of Thailand’s most notorious police officers face time in prison due to charges of large–scale corruption. Eight police allegedly took advantage of their positions of power to assist PCC Development and Construction in winning a bid to build 163 five–storey flats worth 3.7 billion baht. The accused included Pol. Lt. Gen. Theerayut Kittiwat, Pol. Maj. Gen. Satja Khachahiran, Pol.…
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WMP slams Bangkok Gov’s ban on sexy dresses at Songkran Festival
The Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP) criticized Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt over his recent Songkran Festival policy which bans women from wearing sexy dresses. The WMP believes the policy is victim-blaming and protects sexual offenders. Chadchart announced the policy for the Songkran Festival in Bangkok on Monday, March 27 after a meeting with his team. The team has banned…
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Studio Ghibli co-founder accused of spending company funds on Thai girlfriend
Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is caught up in a scandal after being accused of spending the Japanese animation studio’s money on his Thai girlfriend “Kanyada,” who he has been seeing since 2013. The current president of the company, Koji Hoshino, said he is retiring from the company at the end of June due to Suzuki’s misappropriation of company funds…
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Police raids uncover gambling network tied to Thai actress’ husband
A luxury home belonging to the husband of Thai actress Yardthip Rajpal was among 17 locations raided by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) police and police commandos in Bangkok and surrounding provinces today. The raids were part of a crackdown on suspected online gambling networks. Phuket hotelier and businessman Mek Rama, who owns the targeted home in Soi Yothin…
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Woman exposes mother’s alleged abuse toward a bedridden patient
A woman who exposed her mother’s alleged abusive actions toward a bedridden patient on social media suffered repercussions. The patient may have got help from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, or M-Society, but she was evicted by her mother despite being seven months pregnant. Pinyaphat revealed the story of her mother and her bedridden cousin on Tuesday,…
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Rare display of Bryde’s whales wows tourists in Andaman Sea
Tourists enjoying a boat trip yesterday were treated to a rare display of a pair of Bryde’s whales showing off in the Andaman Sea off Phang Na province. According to Lertsak Ponklin, the president of Phang Nga Tourism Business Association, the two giant sea mammals were spotted frolicking in the Similan Islands National Park. The tourists aboard the Wow Andaman…
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Shake Shack opens for business in Thailand
World-famous New York burger joint Shake Shack opened its flagship Thailand store at CentralWorld in Bangkok at 10.30am today. The first 500 customers at the store this morning were given handcrafted bamboo Shake Shack fans woven by a community enterprise in Ayutthaya, ready for the summer season. The restaurant’s menu offers American classics like burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fries and also…
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Flip flop thief suspected to be former offender with a foot fetish
A security camera at a rental house in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok captured footage of a man with a foot fetish stealing six pairs of flip flops on Monday. The thief was reported to be a former offender who was arrested three years ago. Wiroj Suvanrnkrue, a 52 year old resident of the Bang Bua Thong district in Nonthaburi, asked…
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MP and former officer among 18 suspects accused of cheating in police exam
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) made a major breakthrough in the police entrance exam cheating case by arresting 17 out of 18 suspects. A Member of Parliament (MP) from Palang Pracharath Party, a future MP candidate from Move Forward Party, and a former police senior sergeant major who is now on the run, were among the 18 suspects. Yesterday,…
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‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced plans to promote traditional Thai culture with a series of events for Songkran under the “Water Festival 2023” banner in four regions between April 13 and 16. The event is a collaborative effort between TAT, Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd (ThaiBev), and several other partners, including the Culture Ministry, the Royal Thai Navy,…
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Body of loan shark found in Thailand river, 7 baht of gold jewellery missing
The body of a Thai woman missing for three days was recovered from a river in Chumphon province in southern Thailand yesterday. The gold jewellery she usually wears, worth 220,000 baht, was missing. The deceased – 32 year old Chadathip – ran a loan business and never returned from an appointment she made to chase money from a debtor on…
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Painting stolen by Nazi Party to be returned to Jewish decendants
A painting from the 19th century that was once owned by Hermann Goering, a high-ranking member of the Nazi Party, is going to be returned to the descendants of its original Jewish owner. The Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University in Britain agreed to return a painting by French artist Gustave Courbet to the descendants of its original Jewish owner, who…
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Thai woman loses 100,000 baht to online dating scammer
A 42 year old Thai woman warned others about the danger of online dating scams after she lost valuables worth 100,000 baht to a man she met on social media on Tuesday. The victim, Natthamon reached out to Channel 3 urging the media to spread her story to warn other people searching for a partner through online dating applications or…
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Thai woman dies 6 hours after breast surgery, lawyer says clinic doesn’t have license
UPDATE Police have launched an investigation into Marichche Clinic in Pak Kret district of Nonthaburi province near Bangkok in central Thailand after a customer lost consciousness and died just six hours after her breast augmentation surgery was completed on March 23. Chatri Pinyai, a lawyer of the Department of Health’s legal division, says that breast augmentation is considered a major…
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Pregnant woman allegedly abused by soldier husband
A pregnant woman sought help from a Thai influencer claiming that her soldier husband repeatedly abused and beat her. The Royal Thai Army (RTA) ignored the woman’s claims. The Thai influencer, Guntouch “Gun” Pongpaiboonwet, aka Gun Jom Palang, today accompanied the 30 year old pregnant woman, A, to the RTA Headquarters to seek justice. The victim visited the army headquarters…
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Swedish man sentenced to prison for running child porn network in Thailand
UPDATE A 23 year old Swedish man that controlled a network of underage girls in Thailand into sending pornographic pictures and videos of themselves from his parent’s home in Stockholm has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison, reports ScandAsia. The material was sold to thousands of people via social media. Most of the thousands of victims…
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Man arrested for raping 18 year old sister over 4 year period
A man was arrested yesterday after his 18 year old sister accused him of raping her. The victim reported that her brother had repeatedly raped her over the past four years and decided it had to stop so recorded the sexual assault before seeking help from a friend. The victim, A, sought help from Thai influencer, Guntouch “Gun” Pongpaiboonwet, aka…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport immigration police accused of using spoils system
A police officer from the Immigration Bureau accused Suvarnabhumi Airport Immigration Office of using the spoils system to benefit some officers. He claims that a large number of airport immigration police have been transferred to other posts despite the airport being crowded and understaffed. One immigration police officer reached out to a Facebook page, Moon Rabbit V3 (พระจันทร์ ลายกระต่าย V3),…
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Bangkok’s Le Du the toast of Thailand after scooping ‘Best Restaurant in Asia’ award
Bangkok’s Le Du was the toast of Thailand last night after being crowned “The Best Restaurant in Asia 2023” at the exclusive culinary award ceremony, climbing three places to No.1 from No.4 last year. According to new rankings released by the 50 Best Organizations, Japan is the top destination in Asia for gastronomes this year, with 17 of the “best”…
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Foreigner deported from China for using cannabis in Thailand
A foreigner of unknown nationality was allegedly deported from Shanghai, China, for testing positive for cannabis upon returning from Thailand, where marijuana is legal, according to That’sMag. Getting high is normal in Thailand since cannabis was decriminalised almost a year ago. But China doesn’t share Thailand’s liberal stance on the psychoactive plant. According to the British Consulate-General Shanghai… “Police drug…
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Perverted knicker thief arrested in central Thailand
Police arrested a perverted knicker thief yesterday following a complaint from local women in the northern province of Kamphaeng Phet, who spotted nearly 100 pairs of their missing underwear hanging on a clump of bamboo in the community. KhaoSod reported yesterday that local women who live near Khlong Klung Hospital filed a complaint about their missing underwear with the community…
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Thailand releases pad kaprow flavoured condoms
Holy basil lovers, condom brand myONE Thailand has released a special edition “chicken kaprow” flavoured condom. With April 1 just around the corner, it’s not easy to trust that myONE Thailand is serious about their pad kaprow-flavoured contraceptive. But it looks like the holy basil chicken condom is not a hoax. The product is really available to buy through the…
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Man charged for spray-painting on Wat Phra Kaew wall
A Thai man was arrested yesterday after he protested against the lese majeste law by spraying the number 112 and an anarchy symbol on the wall of Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. A 14 year old girl who operated the camera while livestreaming the man’s graffiti on social media was also detained.…
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Dutch woman arrested at Phuket Airport for illegally entering Thailand
A 28 year old Dutch woman was arrested at Phuket International Airport on the weekend for entering and staying in Thailand without permission or a visa. The unnamed woman was taken to Sakhu Police Station to face charges of entering and staying in Thailand illegally. It’s not clear how she managed to enter the kingdom. Under Phuket Immigration’s new yellow…
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Thai man beheads his uncle
A Thai man murdered and beheaded his biological uncle yesterday in Songkhla province in southern Thailand. At 8am, officers at Rattaphum Police Station received a report of a murder behind a house in Khao Phra subdistrict. Police found the body of 56 year old Wasana [surname withheld] lying on his side. The deceased’s head was missing and nowhere to be…
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Police swoop on 2 loan shark gangs in 4 provinces of Thailand
Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) swooped on two loan shark gangs operating in four provinces in Thailand and arrested four crooks. Money worth over 1 billion baht was in circulation as the racketeers collected interest from debtors at an extortionate rate of 547.5% per year. The ECD targeted two illegal money-lending gangs: Burin-credit and Memoney-Credit and raided…
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Thai aunty sends underground lottery numbers to police group chat by mistake, gets arrested for gambling
Police arrested a 69 year old aunty from Trat province, eastern Thailand, for gambling after she sent her desired underground lottery numbers to the wrong group chat on Line. She sent the picture to the police. On Friday, the Line group “Smart Safety Zone Mueang Trat Police Station” – which has 439 members – received a suspicious message from 69…
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Get soaked in fun, frolics and Thailand’s Songkran Festival
Filled full of festivals, fun and frolics, April is one of the most celebrated months of the year in Thailand with the traditional Thai New Year of Songkran one of the most culturally important celebrations in the kingdom. The Songkran festival is known worldwide and is celebrated to honour family values, pay respect to seniors, and participate in traditional ceremonies…
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Koh Chang Karp emerges as southern Thailand’s stunning new diving spot
Koh Chang Karp has recently emerged as the most stunning scuba diving destination in Trang, in the southern part of Thailand. Local tour boats hailed the island as the most beautiful scuba diving site in the province. Koh Chang Karp, also known as Koh Reur Rop (battleship island), is a hidden gem located between two popular attractions in Trang: Koh…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand partners with Agoda, Alipay, Klook and KKDay
Tourism Authority of Thailand has joined forces with Agoda, Alipay, Klook and KKDay in a new joint marketing initiative aimed at increasing tourism in the kingdom. Each of the platforms will launch promotions and campaigns to boost tourism in Thailand and enhance awareness of experience-based tourism activities in major and secondary Thai destinations. Representatives from the four online platforms joined TAT…
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