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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Tour bus collides with concrete truck in Khon Kaen
20 passengers on a Nakorn Panom-Bangkok bus are shaken but unharmed following a tour bus crash with a concrete truck. A report from MCOT shows CCTV footage from an intersection in Khon Kaen of the two vehicles colliding. The footage shows cars coming through the intersection then the cement mixer. The cement mixer didn’t appear to give way to the right…
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Singapore on top, Laos on the bottom – English proficiency
PHOTO: talkpoverty.org The EF English Proficiency Index is out for the past 12 months, the seventh overview of countries where English is not the native language. Ranked from top to bottom and broken up into specific demographics. And Thailand doesn’t fare well. Bad news, it’s #53 in the world this year. The good news, it’s risen from #56 last year…
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Pilot whale beaches itself in Songkhla
PHOTOS: ThaiWhales’ Facebook page A pilot whale has died in Songkhla after being cared for by a team of vets and villagers over four days. What they found in a subsequent autopsy shocked everyone. The 4.5 metre pilot whale beached itself on the shore in the Chana district of Songkhla on May 29. Villagers and veterinarians from the local marine and…
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Southern monsoon has arrived – rain predicted around the country
All parts of Thailand are likely to see heavy rains this week with the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) ordering its offices to prepare accordingly. During June 4-7, according to the Thai Meteorological website, the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand. They say this will cause more rain and isolated heavy showers. “The…
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Thai teen pregnancy education gets real
The Education Ministry will include a test on sex education and life skills in the Ordinary National Educational Test (Onet) from this year forward as a part of efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. “We will soon inform all students about this decision via their schools,” Deputy Prime Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said on the weekend. The decision was reached at…
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The closure of Maya Bay and Boracay island in The Philippines is part of a brave new management strategy to save these, and other, mass tourism magnets from long-term vandalism – to a point where they are beyond reclamation and salvation. Maya Bay closed on June 1 for four months. During this time tour boats will be able to travel…
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New business model proposed for elephant attractions
Canadian-based World Animal Protection has released details of their plan to sign a MoU that will “remove all physical interaction between tourists and elephants” at the Chiang Mai elephant camp. The Happy Elephant Care Valley is about to launch into a landmark agreement that will transform it into a “truly elephant-friendly” tourist attraction. The animal welfare charity says changing the…
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“Don’t arrest us. We just work here.” Activists call for ban on sting operations targeting sex trade
By Pratch Rujivanarom Stings and raids staged to crack down on human trafficking in the sex industry violate human rights, and lead to stigmatisation and discrimination against women who are working as sex workers of their own volition, an activist organisation said yesterday. Empower Foundation yesterday exposed the problems of discrimination and rights violations faced by women working in the…
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’11 months’ until the next election. Do the maths….
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Kreangam election will take place about 11 months from now after the Constitutional Court ruled the organic bill on the election of MPs as ‘constitutional’. The 11 month timeline puts next years election around April, at least two months after PM Prayut promised the next general election for Thai voters. Bu the deputy PM assured that…
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Draft plan to allow foreigners to work in 11 ‘reserved’ occupations
A plan by the Labour Ministry would allow foreigners to enter 11 of the 39 occupations that are currently reserved for Thais. If the plan goes ahead, foreigners will be able to work as civil engineers, accountants and architects in Thailand under certain conditions. “For example, we won’t allow them to work independently or become business owners,” Labour Minister Police…
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Durian being sent into space. Yes, really.
PHOTO: Thai Residents Thais are set to send durian into outer space in July. The fruit – that has people either delighted or revolted by its smell and taste – will be sent into space in what scientists say will be the first Thai food to leave earth. (We can confirm that there have been no Pad Thai or Som…
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Phra Phromsitti surrenders over alleged embezzlement of temple funds
The former abbot of Wat Sa Ket has become the latest senior monk to become a guest of the Bangkok Remand Prison after surrendering to police yesterday. Previously known as Phra Phromsitti (Thongchai Sukhayano), the former abbot had absconded for nearly one week before he contacted police. “He claims he did not report himself to police earlier because he wanted…
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Three arrested with drugs and firearms in Phang Nga
More than 10 police from the the Phang Nga Provincial Police raided a house in the Muang Phang Nga District. Police arrested 47 year old Wirat, 44 year old Aditep and 47 year old Kamon. Police seized 378 methamphetamine pills, 21.6 grams of crystal methamphetamine, nine firearms and some ammunition. “Wirat and Aditep have been charged with illegal possession of…
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Five injured in Phayao bang fai rocket explosion
A bang fai bamboo rocket exploded inside a temple compound in Phayao’s Chiang Kham district last night (Tuesday), injuring five villagers. Police report that the explosion occurred at 10.30pm at the Wat Phra That Sobwaen in Tambon Yuan after villagers performed a candle procession around the chapel to mark Visakha Bucha Day after the procession. Witnesses told police that the…
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Police poised to introduce new points demerit system
Police are getting closer to linking their computer networks to marry speed and traffic cameras, and traffic tickets with vehicle registration data, making it possible to start automating fines in the hope of having a more thorough and accurate penalty system. The Royal Thai Police say they plan to introduce a penalty point system to deal with traffic offences in…
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Coral bleaching found off Krabi
On Monday (May 28) divers from Local Diving Krabi Company posted a video clip of coral bleaching underwater at Koh Ya Wa Sam (Koh Koo) near Separated Sea (Thale Waek) which is one of Thailand’s lesser-known highlights in the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Dive instructor Parinya Pantajit says, “We found that coral has been ‘bleaching’ since the beginning…
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Long-tail boats at Koh Phi Phi damaged by storm
Yesterday (May 29) Nitipat Mongkolpradit, director of Krabi Tourist Assistance Centre was notified that strong wind waves had damaged eight long tail boats which were parked along Ton Tai Beach on Koh Phi Phi. Some equipment on the boats has also been damaged. Mr Nitipat says, “the incident happened yesterday (May 29) at 6 am. Strong winds swept in and…
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Nipah Virus. What is it?
What is the Nipah virus and why do we need to know more about it? Whilst there are no recorded cases of the virus in Thailand but an outbreak in India has experts concerned. Thailand is not safe from a Nipah virus outbreak, as fruit bats in Thailand are a natural host for the deadly infection that can cause encephalitis…
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Illegal hostel crackdown in Krabi
Administrative officers, soldiers, police and land officers in Krabi have conducted another raid in efforts to crackdown on illegal hotels and hostels. They measured the boundaries of some hostels after receiving complaints that public areas have been encroached. Officers found that a few of the hostels checked were using traffic cones to block public areas such as car park areas…
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UPDATE: Coral bleaching around Thailand waters
By Pratch Rujivanarom PHOTO: Save Coral Reefs More coral reefs in Thailand’s seas are suffering from mass bleaching as the result of continuous warm seawater. A special task force to tackle coral bleaching has been set up by the Marine Science Association of Thailand to monitor the bleaching problem and suggest mitigating measures. Many reports of coral bleaching have been shared…
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Property report tips Phuket property boom
According to Knight Frank Thailand’s research, the Phuket condo market is expected to perform better in line with the brighter economic situation and the growing population of the island. Increasing supply and higher selling prices will be the key drivers, while demand is forecast to improve slightly. The number of launches in Phuket is predicted to increase and Thai developers…
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Landlords petition PM to kill off the new tenant protection laws
Business operators are urging PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to cancel a Consumer Protection Board measure implemented at the start of May1 to protect customers from being overcharged on utility fees by hostels, apartments or rented rooms in residential buildings. Another measure in the new Consumer Protection Board legislation prohibits landlords from removing the belongings of a tenant alleged to have breached…
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Future Forward’s Thanathorn vows to dump 2017 charter
Thanathorn Juangroongru-angkit was predictably chosen yesterday to be the leader of the Future Forward Party, which he co-founded with the agenda of not only becoming the prime minister but also dumping the current, junta-written 2017 Constitution. The scion of the Thai Summit Group won 473 votes with one abstention during the party’s first official meeting, attended by more than 700…
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Tuesday, public holiday for Visakha Bucha Day
It was a long weekend, interrupted by a day of work on Monday. Tuesday, May 29, in Visakha Bucha Day and will be commemorated as a public holiday around Thailand. There are a quite a number of important Buddhist holidays throughout the year, but the most significant is Visakha Bucha Day. This day commemorates three defining events in the life…
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Whale sharks threatened with extinction
SPECIAL REPORT By Piyaporn Wongruang, The Sunday Nation Its head was down, while its tail was up to the air, after being tied up tightly with a rope attached to a big reel on that trawler. Once in a while, the three-metre-long whale shark jerked, prompting its tail to sway, suggesting that it was still alive. “See! It’s still alive!…
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New airports in Phuket and Chiang Mai will ‘ease congestion’.
There’s been mainly positive response to the news that the AoT have approved the construction of two new airports – one in Phuket and one in Chiang Mai. The Director of the Thai tourism department says the decision is an important part of the support needed for ever-growing tourist arrivals. Yuthasak Supasorn, says it is a good sign for the industry,…
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Ten boys set to face gang rape charges after attack on 15 year old
Ten boys are facing charges of rape after a 15 year old school girl was attacked in Ratchaburi. The story received wide coverage after it was featured on Amarin TV. Following the TV show, Bang Pong police spoke to the victim and her family. Now armed with evidence they are set to charge ten boys with rape, abduction, illegal detention and obscenity.…
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Mass protest planned after toxic agro-chemicals not banned
PHOTO: cnchemicals.com A mass protest at Government House is being organised to protest a decision by the government’s Hazardous Substance Committee on Wednesday not to ban reportedly dangerous agricultural chemicals paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos in Thailand. Agro-chemical opposition networks, led by BioThai Foundation and Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), yesterday called on citizens to mark the upcoming World Environment Day.…
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Pro-election activists released on bail
Fifteen political activists have been granted bail shortly after the Criminal Court ordered their 12 day detention following charges resulting from participation in last Tuesday’s pro-election assembly in the capital. The activists were released yesterday on 100,000 baht bail each with the condition that they must not take part in political gatherings that will “break laws and put society at…
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Asian boat shows merge
The local boating industry’s been calling for it for years – a single boat show to showcase the best of Phuket and Thailand’s boating opportunities, destinations and marine lifestyle. In a joint statement issued today by Andy Treadwell, CEO of Verventia, owner of the Singapore and Thailand Yacht Shows, and Gael and Olivier Burlot, owners of Asia RendezVous, organisers of…
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