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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  • VIDEO: Thai husband chases wife and male friend in car, car crashes

    VIDEO: Thai husband chases wife and male friend in car, car crashes

    A Thai husband chased his wife and her male friend in his car on Friday, and the wife and friend ended up crashing. The incident happened in the central Chachoengsao Province. The Thai husband, 42 year old “A,” said he secretly installed a GPS in his wife’s mobile phone. A then saw that his wife, 33 year old “Ying,” was…

  • Russian tourist drowns in Phuket, Thailand

    Russian tourist drowns in Phuket, Thailand

    A Russian tourist drowned yesterday morning while swimming at Karon Beach on the west coast of Phuket island in southern Thailand. At 9.20am, lifeguards at Karon Beach called the Karon Municipality Rescue Foundation and informed them that a tourist had lost consciousness and did not have a pulse. The rescue team arrived and gave him CPR but it was not…

  • Fire guts abandoned Pattaya sports club

    Fire guts abandoned Pattaya sports club

    A fire gutted an abandoned Pattaya sports club on Saturday. The huge blaze destroyed the Pattaya Land and House Village in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Firefighters took about half an hour to put out the flames. Most of the objects in the one-storey club were destroyed, but luckily there were no injuries. Firefighters said the blaze was believed to…

  • Young travellers spend locally, raise tourism awareness

    Young travellers spend locally, raise tourism awareness

    While Thailand has based their tourism strategy solely on attracting wealthy, mostly older tourists, an official with Tourism Australia has cautioned the world not to underestimate the value of young travellers. At the 2022 World Travel Market in London, the regional general manager for the UK and Northern Europe of Tourism Australia spoke about the importance of young backpackers. She…

  • Cannabis flower bud now a controlled substance with restrictions

    Cannabis flower bud now a controlled substance with restrictions

    The walk-backs have begun for the unrestricted cannabis swell in Thailand. In a new edict coming into effect today, the Ministry of Public Health has tightened the rules on who can grow and sell cannabis, and where. The new edict, already published in the Royal Gazette making it official, now supersedes the original announcement legalising and decriminalising cannabis on June…

  • 4am curfew proposal protested by drunk driver victims

    4am curfew proposal protested by drunk driver victims

    Entertainment venue and nightlife operators are fervently pushing for a 4am closing time and have gained support from many key government officials. But a protest outside Government House pushed back against a later curfew, fueled by victims of drunk drivers and a coalition of anti-drink driving activists. The 4am curfew extension is expected to be officially proposed to the Cabinet…

  • The Journey to Legalizing Cryptocurrency in Thailand ft.Topp Jirayut | Thaiger Podcast

    The Journey to Legalizing Cryptocurrency in Thailand ft.Topp Jirayut | Thaiger Podcast

    Topp Jirayut Srupsrisopa, Founder and Group CEO of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd., — the LARGEST blockchain and digital asset group of companies in Thailand. He is one of Thailand’s youngest leading bitcoin and open blockchain experts with more than 8 years of experience in the blockchain industry. Topp is also an Executive Board Member and Vice President at…

  • Thai Airways considers reviving stored A380s to meet rising demand

    Thai Airways considers reviving stored A380s to meet rising demand

    Thailand’s flag carrier Thai Airways International is considering expanding its fleet by reviving two Airbus A380 aircraft stored away for years to meet the rising demand for flights. The airline is “studying closely” the cost-effectiveness of restoring the planes and has not yet committed to a decision, says Airline Commercial Chief Korakot Chatasingha. “As you know, to bring them…and return…

  • Greenpeace Thailand activists jump in lake to protest against greenwashing in APEC

    Greenpeace Thailand activists jump in lake to protest against greenwashing in APEC

    At 9.15am, activists from Greenpeace Thailand jumped into the lake at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to protest against “greenwashing” in APEC. Protestors held up signs saying “APEC STOP GREENWASHING” from the lake outside the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the APEC 2022 Summit will be held next week from November 14-19. The protest happened as Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan…

  • Wife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan

    Wife survives husband’s murder-suicide plan in Isaan

    A murder-suicide attempt by a man who shot his wife before shooting himself failed. The man’s suicide attempt was successful but his wife survived being shot. She had to remain near her dead husband’s body for five days until help arrived. The mother of the woman shot, 62 year old Sompit (surname reserved), called the police after learning that her…

  • Thailand welcomes 50,000 foreign tourists in one day

    Thailand welcomes 50,000 foreign tourists in one day

    Nearly 50,000 foreign tourists arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand yesterday. Reassuring statistics reported by immigration indicate a revival of Thailand’s tourism industry, although arrivals are still nowhere near close to hitting pre-pandemic levels. Today, Commander of the Immigration Bureau Pol. Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimphadee confirmed that the picture of a giant queue at immigration posted on social media is…

  • Wife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis

    Wife’s ex-husband shoots new husband in the penis

    A man was arrested yesterday after he shot his ex-wife’s husband in the penis. The man claims that the shooting was an accident. Officers from Mueng Chumporn Police Station investigated a shophouse on Klomma Luang Road in the Mueng district of Chumporn province in southern Thailand after being notified of a shooting. A shophouse can be used as a shop…

  • 2 injured hikers face prison for illegal access

    2 injured hikers face prison for illegal access

    The two Thai hikers who fell from a cliff in the central province of Nakhon Nayok yesterday have been rescued. The downside is that they could face up to two years in prison and a fine of 200,000 baht because they entered the area without permission. Officers from Haew Krathin Waterfall Tourist Assistance Command Centre found the two hikers, 50…

  • Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects invitation to APEC Summit in Thailand

    Russian President Vladimir Putin rejects invitation to APEC Summit in Thailand

    Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Bangkok next week, despite Thailand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs confirming the Russian leader’s attendance last month. Yesterday, the Russian Embassy informed Thailand’s foreign ministry that Putin would no longer be attending the meeting on November 18-19. Instead, he is sending First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei…

  • MPs accused of corruption after report reveals 100 million baht a year spent on subsidised meals

    MPs accused of corruption after report reveals 100 million baht a year spent on subsidised meals

    Members of the Committee for the Selection of Catering Operators for MPs and Senators have been accused of corruption after a report revealed over 100 million baht a year is spent on subsidised meals. Former Democrat Party MP, Watchara Phetthong, revealed that there is corruption between the catering company and some MPs and Senators. Watchara claims that because the committee chose…

  • Thai woman accuses couple of forcing her to have threesome in exchange for debt forgiveness

    Thai woman accuses couple of forcing her to have threesome in exchange for debt forgiveness

    A woman contacted police after she says a couple forced her to have a threesome with them in exchange for forgiving a 500,000 baht debt. But, the husband of the couple says the woman was actually having an affair with his wife. The 32-year-old woman’s lawyer took her to the complaint centre at the Central Investigation Bureau to seek legal…

  • Paypal shuts out foreigners in Thailand

    Paypal shuts out foreigners in Thailand

    Foreigners in Thailand will no longer be able to use personal Paypal accounts from December 15 to send and receive money and pay for goods online. Thais may continue using their personal accounts if they verify their identity through the National Digital ID (NDID) platform before November 30. Paypal is making big changes to comply with Thailand’s crackdown on money…

  • VIDEO: Train splits 18-wheel trailer clean in half in northern Thailand

    VIDEO: Train splits 18-wheel trailer clean in half in northern Thailand

    A train hit an 18-wheel trailer, splitting it cleanly in half, in Lamphun province in northern Thailand yesterday morning. No deaths or injuries were reported. Train No. 51 from Bangkok to Chiang Mai crashed into the articulated vehicle carrying 30 tonnes of rice husk at the Tha Chak – Tasop Sao railway crossing. At 11.30am, Mae Tha Police Station officers…

  • Man takes 4 Ya Ba pills and rides motorbike with no hands in Thailand

    Man takes 4 Ya Ba pills and rides motorbike with no hands in Thailand

    Police arrested a man in Nakhon Phanom, northeast Thailand, yesterday after a video of him riding his motorbike and swerving all over the road went viral on social media. He admitted that he was high on four pills of Ya Ba (“crazy drug”) – a type of methamphetamine – when the clip was taken. Officers from Nakhon Phanom Provincial Police…

  • 2 Thai hikers fall from cliff, 1 seriously injured

    2 Thai hikers fall from cliff, 1 seriously injured

    Two stranded Thai hikers are waiting for help from a rescue team after they fell about 60 metres from a cliff at Haew Krathin Waterfall in the central province of Nakhon Nayok. One of the hikers is seriously injured. Fifty-year-old Pirom Chansuwan alerted Nakhon Nayok Provincial Administration at 10am today to ask for help after he and his friend, 37…

  • Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin

    Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin

    Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach. The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than…

  • A fish tale: thousands of fish jump onto bridge on Krabi island

    A fish tale: thousands of fish jump onto bridge on Krabi island

    A fish tale has come to light on an island in Thailand’s iconic southern province of Krabi. On the island of Koh Lanta, thousands of fish jumped onto a bridge. A Krabi resident came across the massive pile of small jumping fish while docking his boat at the pier. The breed of fish is known as “Ta Maew,” or cat-eye…

  • Two children drown during Loy Krathong festival in northern Thailand

    Two children drown during Loy Krathong festival in northern Thailand

    Two brothers, studying in Grades 4 and 5, fell into the Ping River and drowned during the Loy Krathong festival in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand on Tuesday. A family of four went to the banks of the Ping river, near the bridge in the Tha Kham subdistrict, sometime after sunset to float their krathongs (decorative baskets). Mr A and…

  • 10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring

    10 year old girl saves 4,000 baht to buy mother gold ring

    Staff at a gold shop in the Isaan province of Maha Sarakham praised a 10 year old girl after she bought a 4,000-baht gold ring as a birthday gift for her mother. The girl said… “Mom always throws birthday parties for others, but not for herself. I wanted to give her a gift because she always gives me gifts.” Staff…

  • Thai medical experts hold seminar, warn of the risks of HPV

    Thai medical experts hold seminar, warn of the risks of HPV

    Several Thai medical experts discussed the country’s struggles with human papillomavirus (HPV) at a recent seminar. HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that causes several cancers, most commonly cervical cancer in women. Cervical cancer kills 13 Thai women every day. It is the second deadliest cancer for working-age Thai women, after breast cancer. A shockingly high percentage of people…

  • Hospital sends wrong corpse to funeral in central Thailand

    Hospital sends wrong corpse to funeral in central Thailand

    The wrong corpse turned up at a funeral in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday. Both the hospital and the deceased’s brother have taken responsibility for the mishap. Yesterday, relatives waited at Wat Sawang Arom temple in Kabin Buri district to receive the body of 58 year old Somnuk Kongto who sadly died in an accident. Somnuk’s brother picked…

  • Pattaya tourists enjoy the beauty of Loy Krathong and eclipse on beach

    Pattaya tourists enjoy the beauty of Loy Krathong and eclipse on beach

    Pattaya tourists got to enjoy the beauty of the Loy Krathong festival, combined with the lunar eclipse, on Tuesday night at Pattaya Beach. The crowd of thousands gathered on the beach to float their krathongs in the sea. A video shows students from nearby schools wearing traditional Thai clothing, and assembling their krathongs for contests. At the beach, there were…

  • Some electric wires in Bangkok urgently buried for APEC meeting

    Some electric wires in Bangkok urgently buried for APEC meeting

    Ugly electric cables in front of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) in Bangkok have been pulled down and buried to provide a more aesthetic scene for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting from November 16 to 19. The action evoked much mirth and merriment from the nation’s netizens. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) of Thailand’s Facebook page yesterday…

  • Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks

    Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks

    The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…

  • Thai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night

    Thai man drowns after falling into canal on Loy Krathong night

    A man tragically drowned in Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya on Loy Krathong night on Tuesday, after he and his wife fell into a canal linked to the Rama VI Dam. The couple, a 44 year old wife and 51 year old husband had been invited to a Loy Krathong event after work. They decided to go and float their…