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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Get your groove on at Thailand’s biggest reggae festival
Get your groove on at Thailand’s biggest reggae festival, coming up next month in the beach town of Cha-am. The Sunset Beach Music Festival 2023 will feature some of the biggest names in the industry, Thailand’s reggae and ska fans can expect to have a blast. The festival will be held at the Baan Mai Bon Hat resort on Bang…
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Elderly couple attacked by over 10,000 wild bees in northern Thailand
An elderly couple in the northern province of Tak suffered a terrifying attack by a swarm of over ten thousand wild bees. The couple, both around 70 years old, was sitting in front of their house near the Ping River in the Baan Tak district when the bees descended upon them without warning. The couple endured multiple stings all over…
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Thai woman searches for missing dog ‘Lucky’ for 143 days and counting
A dedicated Thai woman is searching nonstop for her beloved dog ‘Lucky’ who went missing after being hit by a motorbike in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand, 143 days ago. The dog was most recently spotted one week ago in the Bang Khae district of Bangkok. On October 30, 2022, 51 year old Supatchayanin Sinnapornphakdee’s one year old male dog Lucky…
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Forest encroachment at Thap Lan puts tigers at risk
Forest encroachment at Thap Lan National Park in Prachin Buri – the heartland of Thailand’s tiger population – has become so severe that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa is considering the possibility of new borders being drawn up. Varawut said… “I’m confident the government won’t be disadvantaged by using forest borderlines to solve this problem inside the park.…
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Superintendent accused of running gambling website
A superintendent from the Provincial Police Region 2 has been accused of being the mastermind behind the gambling website saipay69 which has 16,000 gamblers registered and a turnover of over 50 million baht. The Police Cyber Taskforce conducted raids on three gambling website offices yesterday, two in the Bang Khun Thian and Phetcha Kasem neighbourhoods of Bangkok, and another in…
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Thai AirAsia resumes Bangkok – Macau flights
Budget airline Thai AirAsia has resumed direct flights between Bangkok and Macau in China, operating the route four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Thai police may have busted the macau888 gambling website, but never mind, Thais can now gamble legally by flying direct to Macau on Thai AirAsia. Thai AirAsia is the only airline servicing the…
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Aeroplane makes emergency landing in Phuket
An aeroplane made an emergency landing in Phuket yesterday. The Thai Smile Airways Airbus A320 made the landing at Phuket International Airport at 1pm due to engine problems. The Phuket Info Center, which operates under the Phuket Provincial Office, confirmed the incident today. According to the centre’s report, the A320 made a “hard landing” with a tailstrike on the runway.…
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Restoration of Maya Bay balances tourism, sustainability
The restoration of Maya Bay, Thailand, balances tourism with sustainability. Phi Phi Islands’ tropical paradise, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie The Beach, has drastically reduced visitor numbers, and sea life is flourishing. The beach was closed in 2018 and before the pandemic hit, and in many respects, the past two years without pressure from great numbers of visitors have…
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Thai tea ranked 7th in the world’s best non-alcohol drinks’ list
TasteAtlas ranked Thai tea in seventh place in the travel guide platform’s top 100 Best Rated Non-alcoholic Beverages in the World. TasteAtlas website is an online food atlas or food guide that provides information on traditional and authentic dishes from all over the world. Users can search for interesting dishes by region, country, or ingredient, and users can suggest dishes…
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Thai rubber should tap into the sex toy market, says agriculture minister
Thailand could make a killing if the country’s world-class rubber industry tapped into the sex toy market, according to Minister of Agriculture Chalermchai Sri-on. The minister posted a compelling argument on Facebook which would require a big revision of Thailand’s archaic laws if it came to fruition. The kingdom’s illegal sex industry is hiding in plain sight, sex toys included.…
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3 Thais arrested for smuggling of 14 Chinese citizens
Police yesterday arrested two Thai men and a Thai woman on Phahonyothin Road in the central province of Nakhon Sawan for people trafficking. The group were spotted using three vehicles to smuggle 14 Chinese citizens without passports from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Traffic officers from Mueang Nakhon Sawan Police Station stopped three sedans for a random alcohol test at 4am…
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Experience luxury at these 8 Bangkok riverside hotels
Bangkok has some of the most amazing hotels in the world, and those located near the Chao Phraya River are amongst the best. Whether you’re looking for an unforgettable stay or a memorable experience, Bangkok’s riverside hotels offer something for everyone. From luxurious resorts with breathtaking views to chic boutique hotels with incredible amenities, let’s take a look at the…
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Man accidently shot and killed cousin and injured 2 year old niece
In a tragic incident, a man accidentally shot his cousin and her two year old daughter, mistaking them for intruders. The shooting resulted in the death of the woman, while the child was critically injured and is currently receiving treatment in intensive care. The shooting incident occurred last night at 9.30pm in a longan plantation in the central province of…
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Tubing in northern Thailand bustling with foreign tourists
A Thai TikToker recently shared a video of foreign tourists enjoying a tubing adventure along the Pai River in Mae Hong Son, a northern province of Thailand. Thai netizens were overwhelmed by the video, saying it was a sign the kingdom is well on the way to economic recovery and tourism is booming once more. @roritarkratair posted the video yesterday…
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Thai Airways to trial biometric check-in at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Airports of Thailand (AOT) chose flag carrier Thai Airways to trial a new biometric check-in service at Suvarnabhumi Airport, starting on their Bangkok – Singapore route. AOT hopes that bolstering facial recognition technology will streamline the check-in process and reduce waiting times. From now until April 30, passengers on daily THAI flight TG409 from Bangkok to Singapore can check in…
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Thailand extradites fatal hit-and-run suspect to the US (video)
Upon request of the FBI, Thailand yesterday extradited the prime suspect in a hit-and-run case that claimed the life of a young Michigan State University student back to the US to face prosecution. The accused, 57 year old Tubtim “Sue” Howson, is believed to have hit and killed 22 year old Ben Kable with her BMW 320i in Oakland Township…
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Where to Find Trendy Plus Size Clothing in Thailand (For Men and Women)
Finding fashionable, plus-size clothing can be a challenge no matter where you live. However, if you’re looking for trendy plus-size clothes in Bangkok, there’s one place that stands out from the rest: Krungthong Plaza. Known for its high-quality and stylish offerings for both men and women of all sizes (up to 8 XL!), this mall is your go-to destination for…
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Thailand bans standing up on songthaews, drivers aren’t happy
Thailand introduced a law on Friday which requires passengers to sit down when travelling on a songthaew, a popular form of public transport. However, songthaew drivers say the law is detrimental to their livelihoods and are worried it could lead to extortion. A songthaew is a passenger vehicle converted from a pickup truck with two rows of seats. Songthaews have…
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Rare trees bloom with beautiful flowers on Thai-Lao border
Rare trees are blooming with beautiful flowers at a national park on northern Thailand’s border with Laos. The Doi Phukha National Park in Nan province is currently a sight to behold as the rare Chompoo Phu Kha trees have burst into bloom. The trees display white-pink flowers that grow in long bunches once a year from the end of February…
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Grab taxi driver accused of stealing 50,000 baht cash bouquet
A Grab taxi driver has been accused of stealing a valuable cash flower bouquet by a woman who hired him to deliver the gift to her boyfriend. The bouquet was reportedly worth 50,000 baht, a significant sum of money. The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, vehemently denies the allegations and insists that he delivered the bouquet to its…
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4 bodies with gunshot wounds found in southern Thailand
Residents in the southern province of Narathiwas found the lifeless bodies of three people with gunshot wounds in a sedan truck submerged in the Juerae Lake yesterday. This morning, another dead body was found near the scene. The authorities have reason to believe that the two incidents are interconnected. Buketa Police Station received distressing reports from residents who had discovered…
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Thai Cyber Police nab 3 more suspects in macau888 case
Thai Cyber Police nabbed three more suspects in the case involving the macau888 gambling network. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) raided two spots in Bangkok, and one in the northeast province of Sakhon Nakhon, Thai PBS reported yesterday. Police found two women in a room of a condominium in Bangkok’s Phahonyothin area. One of the women was…
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Thailand’s sex industry was created for foreigners, right? Wrong! (video)
Thailand’s sex industry was created exclusively for foreign tourists, right? Wrong! It is a myth Thailand’s sex industry was exclusively made for tourists. It was set up for Thai people. There are hundreds of “Love Motels” spread across the country, and it’s not foreigners who commonly go there. There’s even a term for a casual sex partner, “Gik,” which is…
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‘Eat more rice!’ Thai officials tell youth
“Eat more rice!” Thai officials are telling the country’s youth. The Thai Commerce Ministry wants young people to eat more rice. The ministry launched a campaign after a study showed that Thailand’s consumption of rice had fallen. The department launched the “Thai Kids Enjoy Thai Rice” roadshow, visiting 10 schools and weekend markets, Nation Thailand reported yesterday. The Thai Rice…
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Thai Airways docks cabin crew’s salary over meal tray gate
UPDATE Thai Airways is formally punishing cabin crew for not collecting meal trays from some passengers before landing on a Singapore – Bangkok flight after a viral TikTok exposed the cabin crew’s mishap. Yesterday, the airline’s PR team said… “Thai Airways International would like to announce the results of our investigation into the case of cabin crew not storing away…
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Drunken Korean shot by local man in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy
A drunken Korean man was shot by a local in a Pattaya grocery store for being too noisy. According to witnesses, the Korean, Namil Kim, was making a nuisance of himself early this morning and the customer lost his temper as a result. The gunman withdrew his gun and fired two shots, one hit the allegedly irritating Korean in the…
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TikTok bans political groups ahead of Thai election
TikTok announced that it will block all accounts linked to political groups in Thailand in the lead-up to and during the country’s upcoming general election. TikTok Thailand’s chief of public policy announced that the company would take measures to maintain a safe community by preventing the spread of fake news and hate speech sparked by political conflicts. TikTok, a short-form video…
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No more fines for vaping in Thailand, claims Chuwit
Smoking E-cigarettes, or vaping, is illegal in Thailand. But the crime will no longer carry fines or penalties following recent news of police extorting vapourising tourists, said controversial Thai politician and “tub tycoon” Chuwit Kamolvisit after a phone call with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Police will continue confiscating E-cigarettes, but the vapouriser will not be punished, said Chuwit. Vaping, which…
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More than 30 manhole covers in Bangkok stolen
Police launched an investigation into the disappearance of more than 30 manhole covers in the Thawi Watthana district of Bangkok. Officers conducted raids on a number of scrap dealer shops in the capital to recover the stolen items to no avail. The Director of Thawi Watthana district, Dicha Kongsi, filed a complaint with Thammasara Police Station after receiving reports of…
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Thai tourism association says number of Chinese tour groups still unexpectedly low
A Thai tourism association says the number of Chinese tour groups making their way to the Land of Smiles is still unexpectedly low. The president of the Thai Association of Tourism Businesses (ATTA), Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn, said the number of Chinese tour groups travelling to Thailand remains unexpectedly low due to a lack of flights. Instead, most Chinese arrivals in Thailand…
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