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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Following stormy seas, rescuers find fisherman’s body near Koh Samui
Following the stormy seas that wreaked havoc on many coastal areas of Thailand this past weekend, rescuers found the body of a fisherman near Koh Samui. According to the Samui Public Relations Department, several local fishing boats capsized on Sunday. One fisherman reported missing was 51 year old Wiroj Srifah. Wiroj had been fishing alone. Marine Police, tour boat operators,…
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Net idol found dead in Bangkok condo abused by air force cadet ex-boyfriend
UPDATE A close friend disclosed evidence that “Gigi,” the Thai net idol who was found dead in her rented condo room in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday, was physically abused by her ex-boyfriend – the air force cadet found dead lying next to her. Both were shot once in the head. Police found a gun near their bodies. Yesterday at 3.20pm, Makkasan…
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British man accused of setting fire to hotel in Chiang Mai
A British man last night was accused of starting a fire at The Y Smart Hotel in Chiang Mai after having a heated argument with a receptionist. Fortunately, six Thai and foreign guests were rescued from the building unharmed. The fire broke out at 12.10am at The Y Smart Hotel on Kaeo Nawarat Soi 5 Road in the Wat Kate…
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American man tragically drowns at Krabi island cave
Another drowning has struck one of Thailand‘s vacation paradises. An American man tragically drowned in a cave near the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in Thailand’s Krabi province. The 51 year old tourist drowned in front of the Viking Cave in a coral diving area on Tuesday, The Phuket Express reported last night. A tour guide, whose identity was withheld,…
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Opposition builds to the magic of Khaosan 420 on World Cannabis Day
In celebration of World Cannabis Day on April 20, an event called Khaosan 420 is scheduled to take place on Khao San Road and Ram Buttri Road in Bangkok. The event intends to bring together cannabis users to smoke ganja together. However, Thai netizens and the Bhum Jai Thai Party have expressed their opposition to the event and are urging…
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Thai activists pursue change despite legal threats
Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew is taking her campaign to the streets, going door-to-door to garner support for the upcoming May 14 General Election. However, she faces the possibility of imprisonment due to charges of sedition and royal defamation from protests in 2020. The 30 year old activist is among over a dozen representatives from the student-led protest movement who are shifting…
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Thavisin’s strategy: Replace conscription for economic growth
Conscription should be replaced with voluntary enlistment to provide economic benefits, according to Srettha Thavisin, prime ministerial candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. Thavisin expressed his disappointment with a particular politician’s staunch support for maintaining conscription in the name of national defence and patriotism. He asserted that compulsory military service is harmful to the economy, as it diverts skilled professionals…
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Teen thieves arrested after brutal petrol station robbery in Pathum Thani
Police arrested two teenage thieves after they stabbed a petrol station attendant and stole 3,840 baht from him in the central province of Pathum Thani on Friday. The incident occurred at a PT Petrol Station on Khlong Jet Thanyaburi-Wang Noi Road in the Khlong Luang district of Nonthaburi on Friday, April 14 at 1.18am. Security camera footage showed the two…
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Pheu Thai Party candidate rejects collaboration with coup leaders
Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate, stated that the party has no intention of collaborating with those involved in the two previous coups. Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, outlined the party’s election campaign strategy along with other key members during a press conference. When questioned about her dip in…
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British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast
Video footage and photographs have emerged of a British tourist who came close to losing his life while swimming off the coast of Pattaya last month. The tourist, who remains unidentified, got into trouble while swimming and was able to make his way to a buoy, where he was eventually rescued by a passing fisherman in his boat. The young…
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Frenchman accused of lese majeste in Thailand
A pro-royalist group in Bangkok, Thailand, filed a lese majeste case against a well-known French critic of the Thai monarchy yesterday, reports SiamRath. The Centre for People Protecting the Thai Monarchy alleges that Yan Marchal posted a 41-second-long clip on social media of him and some Thais singing a song containing lyrics that the group says are defamatory of the…
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Thai EC members travel to Africa for May 14 election prep
The Election Commission (EC) stated that it was essential for all of its members to travel overseas during the Songkran holiday period in order to organise advance voting for the May 14 election, particularly in the three African countries where a significant number of Thai residents now live. Following his return from visits to South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco, EC…
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Python hiding in toilet bites Thai man’s buttocks
A man from Nonthaburi in central Thailand was taking a Number 2 in his bathroom yesterday when he felt a sudden agonising pain in his tushy. He leapt up to see a python slithering back down the toilet bowl. The snake bit his buttocks. The victim, 62 year old Witoon Sonapoon, said he was so shocked that he ran out…
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Tensions rise in Pattani province following defence volunteer’s murder
A local defence volunteer faced a tragic end in a cold-blooded ambush at a village in the Panare district on Tuesday night. Authorities reported that the unfortunate attack happened around 7.30pm when Ahamad Teh was making his way to the mosque at Ban Surao in tambon Tha Nam to attend prayers. The unsuspecting victim was shot in the head by…
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Thai govt postpones tourism tax due to airlines’ complaints
The Thai government has announced the postponement of the planned 300-baht (US$9) tourism tax from June to September due to complaints from airlines. The fee was proposed to help the Thai tourism sector recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, with a 150 baht sum for overland visitors and a 300-baht fee for airline passengers. However, airlines raised concerns about the implementation…
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Where to get the finest cannabis in Phuket
Seeking a taste of the vibrant cannabis culture in Phuket? Following the decriminalization of weed in Thailand, cannabis dispensaries have popped up all over the nation, and Phuket is no exception. While you could just waltz into any old cannabis store and buy weed in Phuket, not all of them offer high-quality products. But don’t worry because we’ve got the…
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Thailand’s beloved giant panda at Chiang Mai Zoo dies at 21 years old
Famous female giant panda Lin Hui passed away at Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand this morning at the age of 21 years old. The beloved panda brought joy to the Thai nation for over two decades. The panda’s cause of death is awaiting confirmation from Chiang Mai Zoo. Reports say that Lin Hui fell ill and displayed “abnormal symptoms”…
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Adoptive father found dead and buried at his home near Bangkok
The adoptive father of a woman was discovered dead and buried at his house located in Nonthaburi province, which is near Bangkok. The individual responsible for the murder is suspected to be the victim’s employee, who fled the location upon the arrival of the woman and her relatives. The victim was identified as a 53 year old Bangkok Bank manager…
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PM Prayut vows to unearth new sources of alternative energy, lower summer bills
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that the government is intensifying its efforts to discover new sources of alternative energy in response to complaints about rising electricity bills during the summer months. His statement comes in reaction to social media outrage and calls for the government to take further steps to reduce people’s energy expenses. He said… “It is crucial…
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Thailand’s DDPM reveals total traffic accident results of ‘Seven Deadly Days’
Thai officials have now revealed the results of traffic accidents from April 11 to 17. This period is known as the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran Festival. Data from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) revealed that there were 2,203 road accidents, 2,208 injuries, and 264 deaths during this period. On April 17, the last day of…
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Thai man drags girlfriend 1 kilometre down road in motorcycle attack
A Thai man attacked his girlfriend at a restaurant before dragging her 1 kilometre down a road while riding a motorcycle in the central province of Pitsanuloak. The victim’s mother, 56 year old Kingkarn, spoke to KhaoSod about the incident yesterday. Kingkarn revealed that the attack took place on Friday, April 14 while her daughter, 33 year old Nanthiya “Hong” Atchayutpokin,…
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Police detain 2 men over RCA Songkran shooting in Bangkok
UPDATE Two men have been arrested for allegedly committing the shooting at the busy RCA entertainment venue in Bangkok during a Songkran celebration on Sunday. Four people were injured by gunfire and four others were injured trying to flee the scene. Today at 3pm, police escorted the two suspects – 41 year old Natthanon and 19 year old Natthaphon –…
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Thai man saves girlfriend from ex’s acid attack, suffers severe injury
A Thai man suffered a severe injury after he bravely protected his girlfriend from an acid attack carried out by her ex-boyfriend. The incident happened at the victim’s house in the Si Maha Pho district in the central province of Prachin Buri at midnight, on April 17. The female victim, Roongrat Towong, recounted that she heard a knock on her…
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Castaway farang rescued from Thailand’s waters (video)
In a TikTok clip that looks like a sequel to the movie Castaway, a group of Thai tourists on a fishing trip found a foreigner floating on a makeshift wooden raft in the middle of the sea off the coast of Koh Kood in Trat province, southern Thailand, yesterday. The woman who filmed the clip chartered a boat to go…
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Man murders ex-girlfriend, friend plays dead to survive in Pattaya
A man murdered his ex-girlfriend in front of Mantra Pura Resort in Pattaya in the early hours of this morning. The victim’s friend pretended to be dead to save her own life. Officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station and a rescue team were informed of the shooting incident and rushed to the resort at 4.30am. Upon reaching the site, officers…
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Driver falls asleep at the wheel in Thailand, 27 pigs dead
A driver fell asleep at the wheel while driving a 10-wheel truck carrying pigs through Suphan Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. He drove into a canal and 27 of the pigs died. Officers at Nang Buat Police Station were notified that a lorry carrying pigs had fallen into the canal on the Chainat – Suphan Buri Road in Khao…
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Kanchanaburi Songkran Festival tragedy: 1 dead, 1 injured in shooting
Police arrested two gunmen following a shooting at a Songkran Festival celebration in the central province of Kanchanaburi on April 17. The incident resulted in the death of an 18 year old man and injury to a 17 year old man. The shooting broke out while many people were splashing water on the road near the War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi…
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Daring heist as Thai man steals four necklaces from gold shop
Local police reported that a man, posing as a customer, entered a gold shop located in a department store in the Bang Sao Thong district. The man showed interest in multiple necklaces before stealing four of them in a daring heist. The stolen necklaces have an estimated value of around 230,000 baht. Security camera footage revealed a man aged between…
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Chartpattanakla Party reveals bold economic development plan for northeast Thailand
The Chartpattanakla Party recently unveiled an economic development policy aimed at boosting the economy and fostering growth in Nakhon Ratchasima and the northeastern region of Thailand. Tewan Liptapanlop, the party’s secretary-general and an MP candidate for Nakhon Ratchasima’s Constituency 1, stated that the policy, dubbed “Korat-nomics,” would assist in transforming the region into a new economic corridor. Liptapanlop emphasised that…
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Endocube: a greener way to save millions of baht in electricity bills
Press Release The Patented Endocube offers huge savings (up to 33%) on monthly Commercial and Industrial refrigeration energy bills. What is an Endocube? An endocube is a revolutionary energy-saving product from the UK that has been specifically designed as food safe and to reduce the long-term running costs for hotels, resorts, large frozen-food warehouses, convenience stores, refrigerated display units,…
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