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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Carl’s Jr. says goodbye to Thailand, stores in Bangkok and Pattaya close next week
The American fast-food chain, Carl’s Jr., is saying goodbye to Thailand. All six of its stores in Bangkok and Pattaya will close by the end of the month. The R&R Restaurant Group, which owns the franchise rights to run Carl’s Jr. chains in Thailand, says that it can no longer afford to operate it. The group says it was forced to…
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Thailand’s power will be more expensive in May
From May until August, Thailand’s electricity price will rise to four baht per kilowatt hour, going up by 0.23-1.3 baht per unit. The country’s Energy Regulatory Commission is raising fuel tariffs following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. An ERC spokesman said another reason for the price surge is the declining supply of natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand. Russia’s…
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Spicy som tam vendor in Thailand brings in 10,000 baht a day after posing in lingerie
It’s all about the som tam. One spicy som tam vendor in Buriram is bringing in 10,000 per day in sales… but how? Her unique marketing campaign. She posts photos of herself wearing a bikini top and lingerie while making the spicy papaya salad and posing by her shop. Her sign for her shop is even a cartoon of a curvy…
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Club Med Phuket reopens after over 2 years
After closing its doors for over two years since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Club Med Phuket is now back in business. The resort reopened yesterday following efforts to clean up the area and bring back tourists. The island province’s Vice Governor Pichet, who attended the reopening, said the reopening should help Phuket’s disheveled tourism economy. “Club Med is known around…
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3 teenagers missing in Kanchanaburi’s Kwai Noi river
Three teenagers are missing after they went swimming in a river in the western province Kanchanaburi and were dragged out by the strong current. The teenagers along with a seven year old child were swimming in the Kwai Noi River when they were swept out far from the shore. A woman jumped into the water and managed to save the…
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Young homeless man in Bangkok reunited with family after TikTok video goes viral
A young homeless man in Bangkok was reunited with his family after a motorbike taxi driver shared a video of the man on social media. The driver said the homeless man in the capital’s Asoke area was “handsome, just like a Chinese leading actor.” The video went viral on Thai social media, reaching the man’s family. His father travelled to…
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Thursday Covid Update: 25,456 new cases; provincial totals
77 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,995 with 2,297 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,456 new Covid-19 cases and 22,217 recoveries. There are now 225,134 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Police crack down on alleged network selling forged documents, fake Covid test results
Thai police cracked down on the sales and production of fake PCR Covid-19 test results as well education certificates and other documents needed for jobs overseas. Three people, who police suspect are part of a large network, were arrested for allegedly posing as medical practitioners selling the forged documents. The Department of Health Service Support received complaints about the sales…
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“Ganja-naburi”: Kanchanaburi is becoming Thailand’s medical marijuana capital
Kanchanaburi… more like “Ganja-naburi.” The western province is becoming a hub for medical marijuana, aka ganja, with more and more community enterprises getting licences to grow the once-criminalised plant. 260 kilograms of cannabis were harvested for the second time at a medical marijuana event in Kanchanaburi yesterday. The cannabis was planted six months ago by eight community enterprises that are…
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Man accidentally kills wife with backhoe at railway construction site
A man accidentally killed his wife when he ran over her with a backhoe in a tragic incident at a railway construction site in Ratchaburi in central Thailand on Monday, according to a report in Thai media. 45 year old Kaikaew Thongkham worked as a team with his 40 year old wife Amphon Pima at the double-railway construction site. Kaikaew…
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Park officials ordered to detain dangerous elephant after it killed a villager, damaged farms
A dangerous wild elephant that killed a woman and damaged farms is being tracked down in the central province of Prachin Buri. The 25 year old elephant has caused so much damage and disruption that an order has been issued for park officials to immediately find and detain the elephant. They’ve also been advised to take extreme care for their…
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Official assigned to “investigate” anyone who shares Lisa Blackpink’s whisky ads
The director of Thailand’s Office of the Alcohol Control Committee has been assigned to investigate anyone who shares photos of a famous Thai celebrity promoting a whisky brand. He was assigned by the Department of Disease Control, according to reporters. The celebrity, Lisa from Blackpink, is a brand ambassador for the Scotch whisky company Chivas. In Thailand, it’s illegal to…
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Aircraft wreckage washes up on Nakhon Si Thammarat beach in Southern Thailand
Aircraft wreckage washed up on a beach in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat and provincial officers have called in aircraft specialists to investigate. A local official says locals found similar wreckage six years ago. A 3.16 metre long, 1.80 metre wide metal piece, weighing around 70 to 80 kilograms, was found on Tha Phraya beach. There were two spots…
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1,000 Thais register to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia
Thai and Saudi officials say labour relations between their countries are strengthening following renewed relations. Thailand’s labour minister said over 1,000 people have registered online with the Department of Employment to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia. He claimed the final remaining step is signing a bilateral labour agreement, which is expected to occur soon. The agreement will allow Thailand…
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Nightlife operators hope to be given green light at CCSA meeting tomorrow
The owners of entertainment venues across Thailand have reacted with cautious optimism to reports they could soon be allowed to re-open. According to a Bangkok Post report, the resumption of the country’s nightlife is thought to be on the agenda at tomorrow’s meeting of the government’s Covid-19 task force. Wirawit Kruasombat from the Patong Entertainment Business Owners Club in Phuket…
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CCSA meets tomorrow to decide fate of pre-departure PCR test
The requirement for overseas arrivals to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure from their home country could soon be scrapped. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA will discuss dropping the requirement when it meets tomorrow. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says international arrivals would still be required to take a PCR test…
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All Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening
Less than 24 hours after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the first flight into Betong International Airport to chair the opening ceremony, all scheduled flights in and out of the airport have been suspended. At present, it is not possible to book flights in or out of Betong and it is not yet known when flights will resume. The Tourism…
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Market vendor runs stray dog programme, colour-coded collars to indicate friendliness
Stray dog populations have been a longstanding issue in Thailand, but a flower seller at a market in the central province Samut Songkram saw a way to make the dogs part of the community and created a project to help take care of the dogs in the area. Now each dog has a name and is marked with a collar…
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Phuket police on the hunt for alleged shoplifting foreigner
A foreign man reportedly stole snacks from a Phuket shop on two separate occasions. The shopkeeper alleges the foreigner first stole snacks back in January, after he came to the store with a Thai woman. The woman paid for her items, while the man allegedly stole 228 baht worth of snacks. The man reported the alleged theft to Phuket City…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 23,945 new cases; provincial totals
70 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,918 with 2,220 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,945 new Covid-19 cases and 23,339 recoveries. There are now 221,972 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Siam Piwat brings home 7 awards at The Best of SHA Awards 2021
Press Release Siam Piwat’s properties and world-class convention centres received the plaque of honour and won first place at The Best of SHA Awards 2021, an award given to the best establishments that strictly comply with SHA standards Siam Paragon received the plaque of honour and won first place at The Best of SHA Awards 2021 in the department store…
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Famous Thailand monk caught drink driving, carrying methamphetamine
A famous Thailand monk, known for his predictions and visions, was reportedly caught drink driving with methamphetamine pills hidden inside his robes after a 20-kilometre police chase yesterday in eastern province Mukdahan, which borders Laos. Police followed a pickup truck after it ran a red light in Mukdahan city. Turns out a famous monk was behind the wheel. Officers chased…
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7 students at Thailand university face charges for allegedly beating a student to death
Since 19 year old student Padyos “Prem” Chonpakdi was beaten to death, allegedly by university students in a violent initiation ceremony on Sunday in Nakhon Ratchasima, seven upper-level students have confessed to using excessive violence against Prem which lead to his death. Prem was forced to undress, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, sing and was punched in the stomach and…
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Thailand football player could face lifetime ban for elbow strike to opponent
A Bangkok Football Club player who struck his opponent with a Muay Thai-style elbow strike to the face could receive a lifetime ban. Aitsaret Noichaiboon slammed his elbow into the player’s face, fracturing his cheekbone. He received 24 stitches on his upper lip and doctors say he also suffered a blood clot in his nose. The football club terminated Aitsaret’s…
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Officers find suspected hideout for alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list
Officers found a camp at a mountain in the southern province Songkhla where they suspect an alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list was hiding. The 45 year old who is wanted on multiple charges involving murder allegedly shot an M16 rifle during a police chase, killing an officer. Following the gunfire exchange, the alleged hitman Chamrat “Chui Chaochan” Rakchan,…
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Murderer of Swiss tourist in Phuket sentenced to life imprisonment
The Thai man who murdered the Swiss tourist at a Phuket waterfall last year has been sentenced to life in prison by the Phuket Court. 28 year old Teerawat Thothip was initially sentenced to death, but it was then reduced to life imprisonment given that Teerawat confessed to investigators. The body of 57 year old victim Nicole Sauvain Weisskopf, the…
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Esteemed Thai monk dies at the age of 85 after cancer battle
One of the most revered monks in the kingdom has died at the age of 85. The Bangkok Post reports that Somdet Phra Wannarat, who was abbot of Wat Bowonniwet Vihara, a major Buddhist temple in Bangkok, died yesterday after losing his battle with gall bladder cancer. He had served as abbot at the temple since 2015. According to the…
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Thailand marine officials look into building cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui
Marine officials in Thailand are looking into building a cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui, a popular Gulf of Thailand island off the Surat Thani coast. A terminal is considered to be more convenient and safe for travellers as, at the moment, cruise ships must anchor by the island and smaller boats transfer travellers to the island and back to…
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Lèse-majesté charges against political activist dismissed due to lack of evidence
A political activist charged with lèse-majesté offences and violating the Computer Crimes Act has had the charges against him dismissed. Security officials brought the lawsuit against 31-year-old Harit Nahaton in 2016, claiming he committed lèse-majesté offences while chatting to 48-year-old Nattharika Warathanyawit on Facebook Messenger between January and April 2016. Lèse-majesté, or section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits criticising,…
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Police continue search for forest ranger in Isaan Thailand who allegedly killed ex-wife’s son
Officers in the Isaan province Buriram are still searching for the senior forest ranger who allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife’s son Sunday night. The victim’s family says the ranger called them after the shooting, saying he threatened to murder the entire family. He is believed to be hiding in a forest near the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary. The 45 year…
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