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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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The dark and twisted history of Thailand’s “haunted” brothel in Kanchanaburi
Halloween is coming up, and you may be wondering what sort of spooky places exist in Thailand. One notorious spot is an abandoned house of disrepute, called ‘Brothel 35’, in Kanchanaburi province. The brothel was open from the mid-1960s until it closed in 1986. It has been nicknamed the ‘Prostitute Cemetary.’ The brothel is believed to be haunted due to…
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2022 World Cup will be free to watch in Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan confirmed that every football fan in Thailand would be able to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for free. The Deputy PM had meetings with the Sports Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund yesterday. Discussions took place on how to develop Thai sports over the next three years, the latest…
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Man arrested for selling fake car license plates
A man was arrested today for selling fake car license plates to Thai drivers. The man, who earned more than 50,000 baht a month, said it was the easy way to make a living. The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Damrongsak Kittiprapas ordered a special investigation into the fake license plates after a drug trafficking gang was spotted using…
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Chiang Rai opens skywalk with panoramic views of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
A new skywalk has opened in the northern province of Chiang Rai at the meeting point between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar – also known as the ‘Golden Triangle.’ The “Three Lands Skywalk” stands about 486 feet above sea level and offers panoramic views of mountains, forests, and the Mekong River. The new attraction is located about 400 metres away from…
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Thailand to officially enter winter on October 29
Thailand will officially enter winter on Saturday, October 29, reports the Meteorological Department. The department says winter will last until the end of February 2023 and is expected to be colder than usual this year. Up in the mountains, temperatures will reach lows of 8 degrees Celsius, said the department. Earlier this month, the department said that Bangkok could reach…
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Poverty in Thailand has been halved says govt
The Ministry of Interior insists that 1.9 million poor families have been rescued by the Thai government and that the state has halved the poverty problem in Thailand. The Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Suttipong Juncharoen, said poverty is a problem residents have to face and that the government cannot solve the problem by itself. Suttipong announced that the…
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Bangkok man loses lots of weight after wife promises him PS5
One Bangkok man really, really wanted a PS5 so badly that he was willing to go on a grueling weight-loss journey in order to earn it. The man’s wife promised that she would buy him a PS5 if he lost 10 kilograms. Prab rose to his wife’s challenge and followed an intermittent fasting plan for four months to lose 10…
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Thai-Brit teen returns home from millionaire’s harem
UPDATE The 14 year old Thai-British girl who ran away from home and turned to prostitution has returned to her mother after a month of staying inside a millionaire’s harem. The millionaire refused all allegations even though police found four young girls, used condoms, and pornographic filming equipment inside his house. The 50 year old mother, Naruemon (surname reserved), appealed…
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Officials drug stray dogs for visit of PM Prayut in Sing Buri
Animal rights activists and Thai netizens were outraged after learning stray dogs in the central province of Sing Buri were drugged so that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could visit the area without any drama. PM Prayut visited Sing Buri on Monday, October 24, to check the province’s flood situation and offer his support to victims affected by the floods. The…
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Thaksin libel case to touch on Krue Se, Tak Bai massacres
President of the National Assembly of Thailand Chuan Leekpai has acknowledged a libel charge he made about former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chuan, who also serves as Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, gave a lecture to members of the Democrat Party on October 28, 2012, blaming Thaksin for making “mistakes” regarding the Krue Se, and Tak Bai…
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Nature lovers seduced by waterfalls at Koh Rok in Krabi
Nature lovers were treated to the rare sight of waterfalls cascading down the mountains at Koh Rok, one of the island groups of Mu Koh Lanta National Park in the southern province of Krabi. It’s a rare sight because it happens only once a year. The Head of Mu Koh Lanta National Park, Chaiyaphruek Weerawong, revealed that two waterfalls flowed…
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Spiderman spins web to promote Thai tourism
A Thai tour guide has found a novel way of attracting tourists into his web of activities – by dressing as Spiderman. But, not only that, Spiderman has recruited a superhero sidekick to help him out – Superman. Kasidet Juthamas aka Spiderman recruited an Australian TikToker, Mitch Muscle Lagos, in a Superman uniform to join him on a rock climbing…
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Drink driving Chonburi FC goalie released on bail for 100,000 baht after fatal crash
UPDATE The Royal Thai Police released 22 year old Worawut “Bank” Sakuna, the Chonburi FC goalkeeper, on bail for 100,000 baht. At 4.30am this morning, Bank was drink driving when he struck and killed a woman and seriously injured a man in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. Another Chonburi FC player, Chalermpong “Ball” Kerdkaew, arrived at the scene shortly after…
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PICTURES: Soi Dog delivers food to animals in flood-hit provinces of Thailand
Soi Dog Foundation delivered over 210 tonnes of food to over 26,000 animals affected by floods in Thailand this month alone. Soi Dog helped animals affected by severe flooding in Sing Buri, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Sukhothai, and Ang Thong provinces. The foundation was able to deliver 7,750 bags of dog food and 2,785 bags of cat food in six…
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61 year old man beaten to death at Bangkok train station
A 61 year old man was brutally beaten to death while waiting for a train at Bang Sue Grand Train Station in Bangkok. The murderer is still at large and the motive behind the murder remains unclear as the police investigate. The man, Sujin (surname reserved), was found dead on a bench on platform number two at Bang Sue Train…
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Tourists in Surat Thani & Trat warned to beware of jellyfish
Tourists have been warned to beware of jellyfish while swimming in the sea off the beaches at Koh Samui, and Koh Pha Ngan in Surat Thani, and Koh Mark, and Koh Kood in Trat. The Director of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Auttapon Charoenchansa, reported that it is venomous jellyfish season in Koh Samui, and Koh Pha Ngan…
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Thailand scoops best costume at Miss Grand International
Miss Grand Thailand, Engfa Waraha, scooped the best national costume prize at the Miss Grand International 2022 final in Indonesia yesterday. Unfortunately, the Thai beauty queen had to make do with the first runner-up prize in the overall competition after being edged out by Miss Grand Brazil, Isabella Menin, who was crowned Miss Grand International 2022. Beauty queens from 72…
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Police seize 263 guns in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month. Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province earlier this month. Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police…
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Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites
Thailand’s recent three-day weekend drew tourists to some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites. Over 10,000 people ventured to Thailand’s highest mountain peak, Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, according to officials there. Tourists visited a number of other natural sites as well. In the western Kanchanaburi province, a tourism business operator said the tourist influx in Sangkhla Buri district over the…
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9 year old boy shot dead while working in cornfield
A nine year old boy was shot dead while working in a cornfield in the north-central province of Phetchabun. The boy’s heartbroken mother revealed he was working to save up for a toy the family could not afford. A funeral ceremony is being held for the nine year old boy, Chaiyakorn “Seven” Niamklai, at Huay Toom Sutthawas Temple, according to…
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A rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand
Researchers have found a rare flowering plant species in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province. A team of biology researchers from Chiang Mai University found the plant in an evergreen forest in Janae and Sukhirin districts. The rare flowering plant belongs to the Annonaceae family, with the scientific name Phaenthuspiyae Wiya, Aongyong & Chaowaskul. The organisation Thailand Science Research and Innovation described…
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Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
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Bangkok police give motorists 30 days to fix up noisy, illegally modified vehicles
Bangkok police want to fight noise pollution in the capital by cracking down on loud, illegally modified vehicles. Police said they will give car and motorbike owners 30 days to ensure their cars are no louder than the legal limit before imposing fines. According to Thai law, exhaust pipes cannot produce a sound exceeding 95 decibels. Superintendent of Prachachuen Police…
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PE teacher faces prison for alleged rape of teen student
A school teacher accused of raping a teenage student handed himself in to police today in northeast Thailand. If found guilty, the 45 year old physical education teacher faces up to 20 years in prison. Wachira Phanomkaen, a PE teacher at a school in the Kuchinarai district, is accused of raping a 13 year old girl. The 45 year old…
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Drunk SWAT policeman shoots man 9 times at nightclub in southern Thailand
A drunk Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police officer shot dead a man inside a nightclub in Trang province, southern Thailand, at around 1am today. The SWAT officer fired 11 shots in total with a 9mm gun. Two more nightclub revellers caught in the gunfire were injured. At 1.13am, officers from Mueang Trang Police Station received a report that a…
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Thai doctor kidnapped in Africa returns home
A well-known Thai doctor who was kidnapped in Mali last month returns home today after being released by his captors. The 49 year old surgeon, Nopparat “Song” Rattanawaraha, was kidnapped while travelling near the Republic of Mali border in West Africa and held captive for 25 days. His captives let him go yesterday after he raised six million baht (US$156,000)…
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Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces
The Thai holiday of Loy Krathong is coming up, and tourism officials are planning events in six provinces. Known as Thailand’s festival of lights, Loy Krathong is one of the biggest celebrations on the Thai calendar. This picturesque festival is a time for people to gather around rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts…
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Refrigerator saves fisherman’s life in southern Thailand
A refrigerator saved a young fisherman’s life when his boat sank off the coast of Krabi province, southern Thailand, on Sunday. He lay in the fridge and floated for six hours until he was rescued by a passing fishing boat. On Sunday, 33 year old Anat Massoyot from Village 3, Nong Thale subdistrict, Mueang district took his long-tail boat out…
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Tragedy as parents drown saving their two children
The parents of two young children died in a drowning tragedy yesterday afternoon while trying to save their kids from a similar fate in southern Thailand. Witnesses revealed the family of five, 38 year old father Teerawut Phaosen, his 38 year old wife Piyanut, her 10 year daughter Kewarin, 8 year old son Phumpat, and Piyanut’s 40 year old sister…
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Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
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