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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Motorbike taxi driver wins 12 million baht lottery jackpot in Thailand
A “win” motorbike taxi driver from Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in Thailand, won 12 million baht (US$345,050.76) in the lottery yesterday. Ek – who works in the King Kaew area of Bang Phli district – revealed that he chose the winning lottery number 375805 using the age of his ex-wife who sadly passed away just one week ago.…
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9 year olds smoke cannabis on Pattaya Beach in Thailand
Netizens are concerned about the safety of children after pictures of a group of 9 and 10 year olds smoking cannabis from a bamboo bong on Pattaya Beach in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, went viral on social media. Thailand delisted cannabis as an illicit narcotic in June to allow the public to utilise the plant’s medicinal properties. But without…
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Woman allegedly steals winning lottery ticket from friend
The wife who ran off with her lover and 6 million baht lottery winnings belonging to her husband is not the only lottery ticket scandal in Thailand. A lottery winner in the central province of Chachoengsao filed a complaint against her friend saying she stole her 20,000 baht prize-winning lottery ticket. The lottery winner, 54 year old Paradee Chanwat, told…
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Thailand’s Board of Investment unveils transformation plans
Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) has come up with new ways to attract more investment into Thailand. The board’s target is an easy-to-swallow group of companies dubbed “smart and sustainable” according to Bangkok Post. The government’s effort to create a “new” economy in Thailand is focused, like almost every other Asian nation, on buzzwords. The board’s chosen buzzwords are “innovation”…
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Big Joke seizes Tuhao’s private jet in Hua Hin
A private jet is the latest addition to the Thai police’s shiny collection of assets seized from Tuhao the notorious Chinese gangster. Thai police – led by Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn – seized Tuhao’s private jet at Bo Fai Airport in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province, western Thailand, yesterday. Police found that the “HS-HAO” plane was owned by Modern…
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Phuket officials once again report finding no human trafficking on fishing boats
Phuket officials reported once again they found no evidence of human trafficking on fishing boats. Officials conducted a series of random interviews at Rassada Pier in the main city district yesterday. They inspected a total of seven boats with 249 workers. Some 117 workers were Thai, and 130 were from Vietnam and Laos. Officials confirmed that they did not discover…
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South Korea increases quota of Thai workers next year
South Korea is increasing its quota of Thai workers next year from 2,500 to 15,000, but there’s a catch. Thais interested in filling the positions must learn Korean and pass a language test. Prime Minister Office spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisiri reported today that the Thai Labour Minister, Suchart Chomklon, discussed the quota of Thai workers in South Korea with the Korean…
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Teen girl’s ID card request denied as she doesn’t look like her mother
Officials in the Nong Hong district office of the Isaan province of Buriram rejected a 14 year old girl’s request for a Thai ID card because they said she does not look like her mother. The teenager’s disillusioned mother asked why it was a lot easier for foreigners running entertainment venues to claim their ID cards than people from Thailand.…
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Chinese gangs in Thailand take another hit as “Tony” falls
Chinese gangs in Thailand are in more trouble as police arrested another suspected gang boss in Bangkok Wednesday. Teams of police raided 34 locations in eight provinces, at the behest of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn. Big Joke, as Surachate is playfully known, said that in Samut Prakan, a company was identified as owning a private aircraft…
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Pattaya Police warn city’s taxi riders to behave after sexual assault case
Pattaya Police warned the city’s motorcycle taxi riders to behave or else lose your taxi permits and driver’s license. The warning comes on the back of a taxi rider sexually harassing a customer who turned out to be a Thai TV talent show singer. Pol. Col. Kullachart Kullachai summoned a meeting with the city’s motorcycle taxi drivers to make them…
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Thai-Italian Business Summit highlights the importance of a shared vision
The Thai-Italian Chamber of Commerce (TICC) held the “Thai-Italian Business Summit” on November 29 at the Four Seasons Chao Phraya Hotel. The event was attended by over 200 attendees who were welcomed by TICC President Federico Cardini, who highlighted the importance of cooperation in promoting Italy in Thailand. The opening address was followed by the speech of HE Paolo Dionisi,…
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Percentage of HIV infections rising among young Thais
In a worrying new trend, the percentage of AIDS infections has been rising among young Thais. According to the director of the Disease Control Department’s Division of AIDS, nearly two-thirds of new HIV infections are in young people. The director, Dr Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, said this was much higher than the global average of around 30%. One HIV/AIDS prevention organisation, M…
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Unexploded MK-82 bomb found in Songkhla forest
Rangers found an unexploded MK-82 bomb in the forest of Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary in the southern province of Songkhla. The authorities believe the bomb was left over from the Communist insurgency in Thailand over 40 years ago. The Communist insurgency in Thailand was a guerilla war lasting from 1965 until 1983, fought mainly between the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) and…
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Thai police seize 8 businesses in Phuket owned by Chinese gangster Tuhao
Tuhao‘s can of criminal worms continues to open as police revealed they seized eight businesses in Phuket, southern Thailand, owned by the notorious Chinese gangster. Yesterday, police seized eight businesses each spanning 10 rai of land in Phuket’s Mueang district, including a jewellery company featuring a snake farm, two real estate companies, a latex company, a herbal medicine company, and…
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Planning a small conference? Try Thailand’s super-luxury villas
If you are planning an international get-together, or a training conference for local staff, why waste your time and money on a decaying Bangkok hotel meeting room with ugly furniture, toxic air conditioning and a buffet prepared by the kitchen intern? Try a super-luxury villa. Thailand is home to some of the most spectacular meeting spots in the world. And…
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50 crypto mines raided for stealing Thai electricity
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) raided about 50 crypto mines in Bangkok and Nonthaburi province yesterday for stealing electricity amounting to 325 million baht per year. The cybercrime department of the DSI, under the codename Electrical Shock, investigated 40 buildings in Bangkok, and Nonthaburi that they suspected of illegally using electricity without an electric digital multimeter. Officers raided one…
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‘Pinky’ the alleged Forex 3D scammer released on bail after 3 months behind bars
UPDATE Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej was released on bail for 5 million baht yesterday after being detained for over three months inside Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok. Thailand’s Criminal Court granted bail to Pinky on the condition that she does not leave the country, must inform the court within seven days if she changes her address, and must report to…
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Cabinet seems to have ignored 4am nightlife proposal
It seems that the push for 4am closing times for nightlife venues is meeting stiff opposition. But entertainment venues aren’t giving up, offering new arguments and proposing plans to solve the points of contention. Meanwhile, the briefing released after a Cabinet meeting yesterday that was expected to discuss the curfew extension did not make any mention of the 4am proposal.…
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Tuhao’s Chinese gang buys 50 homes in Bangkok luxury village with cash
Tuhao the alleged Chinese drug tycoon and his gang of “businessmen” bought 50 houses in a luxury village in Bangkok – with cash, police say. The gangs’ constant partying drove all 16 remaining Thai households out of the village. Bangkok South Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant to search an entire village in Bangkok’s Soi Laselle area after finding evidence…
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Intoxicated Pattaya woman left uninjured after overturning car
An intoxicated Pattaya woman escaped injury after overturning her car in the early hours of this morning. The woman, Nantakan Surinthorn, remarkably walked away from the vehicle with little more than a few minor scrapes and bruises after she crashed her car into a parked truck, before overturning it. The 26 year old bar owner admitted to Pattaya police that…
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Driver furious with Bangkok shopping mall after foreigner accidently causes damage to her car
A foreign man accidentally damaged a car after he tripped on the pavement in front of a Bangkok shopping mall, pulling a large, heavy advertising board onto the vehicle. The car owner thanked the foreign man for paying for the damage to the car but she condemned the shopping mall because she believed they should cough up. Premvadee Bunchatherawate shared…
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Iran promises Thailand it won’t attack Israeli tourists
Iran promised Thailand that it won’t attack Israeli tourists on Thai soil. The Thai government informed Israel’s government yesterday that it had received a commitment from Iran not to attack Israeli targets in Thailand, according to an Israeli Foreign Ministry cable and two Israeli officials. Iran, and Iran-backed forces, are believed to have been behind attacks on Israelis and Jews…
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Parents seek justice after 4 year old child dies after mysterious fall at school
The parents of a four year old kindergarten student are seeking justice following the death of their child who died in a mysterious accident at a private school in Bangkok. The teacher said the child fell in the classroom but the mother believes her child might have been abused by the teacher. Well-known Thai lawyer Ronnarong Kaewphet posted on Facebook yesterday,…
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Violent criminals in Thailand to be tagged for 10 years after release to protect women
Soon, criminals put away for violent crimes against women in Thailand will have to wear an electric monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet for up to 10 years after their release. The new law – Measures for the Prevention of Repeat Offenses in Sexual or Violent Crimes Act – aims to reduce the chance of reoffending, prevent violence against women and make…
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Truck overturns carrying 2,560 crates of beer in central Thailand
A beer delivery truck overturned on the Rangsit – Pathum Thani Road in central Thailand last night, strewing 30 tonnes of booze across the busy road. A forklift was needed to clear up the mounds of bottles and broken glass. Around 61,440 small bottles of a leopard-themed beer, which shall not be named due to Thailand’s archaic and strictly enforced…
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Driver surrenders to police after hit-and-run in Pattaya
The reckless pickup driver who knocked down a British man on a pedestrian crossing in a hit-and-run incident surrendered to police and visited the victim to apologise. The driver, 61 year old Maethanat Leeliang, gave himself up to the police after the hit-and-run incident in Pattaya. Maethanat told police he was unaware he had hit the foreigner and only found…
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Qatar officials insist camel beauty contestants are cosmetic surgery free
The FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar is not the only prestigious competition taking place in the Arab state. Camels from several Gulf states are strutting their stuff on the catwalk at the Qatar Camel Mzayen Club beauty contest in Ash-Shahaniyah. But tournament officials in Ash-Shahaniyah, Qatar, are on the alert over alleged cheating after a similar competition in Saudi Arabia last…
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Stock market share trades to be taxed in Thailand after being exempt for past 30 years
After being exempt for the past 30 years, the Thai cabinet has decided to make stock market share trades taxable. According to Thai PBS World, Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says that now all stocks that are traded on the market, whether at a profit or loss, will be subject to a financial transaction tax of .1%. He furthered that the…
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Police seize 400 million baht in assets from shady group of Chinese businessmen
Bangkok police reportedly seized 400 million baht in assets from a group of Chinese businessmen who are allegedly involved in shady dealings. Thai police say they impounded three luxury homes, a penthouse and 10 luxury cars yesterday. According to Thai PBS World, the assets were seized in Soi La Salle in Bangkok’s Bang Na area, after police discovered they were…
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Unhinged gunman fires 18 shots into school because kids were too noisy
Another unhinged madman with a gun was arrested by police and charged with attempted murder after he fired shots into a Thai primary school because the kids were too noisy. The 44 year old gunman, Wuttipong Chaloemwuttanon, was arrested last night after he fired 18 shots into Ming Sin School in the southern province of Ranong on Sunday, November 27.…
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