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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    9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand

    Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...

  • Love is in the air at these 5 most romantic restaurants in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Love is in the air at these 5 most romantic restaurants in Bangkok

    Looking for a romantic dining experience in Thailand? Look no further. Bangkok is known for its exceptional cuisine, and the country boasts a diverse range of romantic restaurants, each with its own unique charm. From European style fine dining to luxurious city rooftops, Thailand’s capital has something to offer every type of couple. Join us as we explore the most…

  • Blaze damages tour boats in central Thailand | Thaiger

    Blaze damages tour boats in central Thailand

    A blaze damaged three electric tour boats in Thailand‘s central Samut Prakan province this morning. The boats were recharging at a pier on the Chao Phraya river in the Phra Pradaeng district. A security guard at the pier, 64 year old Somdet Sae Ueng, stated that the fire began when a battery on one of the tour boats exploded, and…

  • Thai man finds soulmate in sex doll after wife leaves him for another man | Thaiger

    Thai man finds soulmate in sex doll after wife leaves him for another man

    A Thai man is advising single men to consider starting a relationship with a sex doll instead of dating real women. He has lived with his silicone soulmate for four happy years so far. After 54 year old Kim’s wife divorced him to be with her new husband in 2011, he was afraid to start a new relationship in case…

  • MP Rangsiman asks police to seize PM Prayut’s party HQ | Thaiger

    MP Rangsiman asks police to seize PM Prayut’s party HQ

    The Ruam Thai Sang Chart political party headquarters is at the centre of a controversy with the Move Forward Party urging police to take action and seize the Bangkok building. Opponent Rangsiman Rome, a Move Forward Party MP, alleges a senator who owns the building is a money-laundering suspect. MP Rangsiman called on the police chief to follow standard legal…

  • Over 50% of Bangkok’s population are fatties! | Thaiger

    Over 50% of Bangkok’s population are fatties!

    According to health experts, more than 50% of Bangkok’s population are fatties and believe there is a pressing need to address the health of lard-arsed residents not only in the capital but throughout the Kingdom of Thailand. Fortunately, there are people out there who care and want to prevent the fat people of Bangkok, and Thailand, from getting fatter and…

  • Thailand-Myanmar land border in Chiang Rai reopens after 3-year closure | Thaiger

    Thailand-Myanmar land border in Chiang Rai reopens after 3-year closure

    The Thailand-Myanmar land border at the Maesai Border Checkpoint in the northern province of Chaing Rai reopened yesterday after being closed for three years due to Covid-19. Thais and foreigners who want to visit Myanmar need to show a vaccine certificate or Covid test. Maesai Border Checkpoint and Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge 1, which connect Chiang Rai province in Thailand with…

  • Thai whistleblowers file complaints to Big Joke about illegal Chinese associations | Thaiger

    Thai whistleblowers file complaints to Big Joke about illegal Chinese associations

    Illegal Chinese activities are once again causing a stir in Thailand. A Thai whistleblower met with Thailand’s deputy police chief Gen Surachet “Big Joke” Hakparn yesterday to file a complaint against unlicensed Chinese associations for their suspected vested interest, Bangkok Post reported. The whistleblower, Withan Sukkan, is an interrogative director of the Department of Provincial Administration. Withan said the director-general of the…

  • Thailand’s tourist entry fee to generate 3.9 billion baht this year | Thaiger

    Thailand’s tourist entry fee to generate 3.9 billion baht this year

    Thailand is expected to gain 3.9 billion baht (US$112 million) in revenue this year by charging tourists an entry fee beginning June 1, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said yesterday. Last week, Thailand’s Cabinet approved the collection of an entry fee from all foreign tourists, effective June 1. Foreigners arriving by air will be charged 300 baht (US$8.67) and those arriving…

  • Thailand rules out travel ban from Equatorial Guinea despite deadly MVD outbreak | Thaiger

    Thailand rules out travel ban from Equatorial Guinea despite deadly MVD outbreak

    Thailand has not imposed a travel ban on tourists from Equatorial Guinea despite the outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), a deadly virus similar to Ebola. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported the first-ever outbreak of MVD on Monday, February 13, in Equatorial Guinea. Nine people have died and 200 high-risk people have been quarantined, reported Thai…

  • TAT teams up with Netflix to create new Thailand travel guide | Thaiger

    TAT teams up with Netflix to create new Thailand travel guide

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has teamed up with Netflix to create an exciting new guide called Uncover Thailand: A Creative Travel Guide. The interactive guide will help tourists discover beautiful locations in Thailand that have been featured in popular films and shows on Netflix. The up-and-coming guide will also provide useful travel advice and fascinating facts to enhance…

  • Body floating near Koh Tao identified as Myanmar woman | Thaiger

    Body floating near Koh Tao identified as Myanmar woman

    UPDATE The deceased woman found floating in the sea near Koh Tao in southern Thailand yesterday has been identified as 39 year old Aye Pa Pa Khaing from Myanmar. A fisherman found Aye Pa Pa Khaing floating among gallon drums about 12 nautical miles northwest of the island yesterday morning. Her body was recovered by the Royal Thai Navy. Aye…

  • Severed crocodile head crocs up in eastern Thailand | Thaiger

    Severed crocodile head crocs up in eastern Thailand

    A fisherman made a jaw-dropping discovery on Friday when he found a crocodile head at the Bang Phra reservoir in Si Racha district, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. The fisherman posted a photo of the bodyless croc in the Facebook group ‘Bang Phra Reservoir Fishing Club’ with the caption… “It was bitten by a local god? Or, how else did…

  • Taxes up, bribes down – Palang Pracharath Party wants venues to operate legally | Thaiger

    Taxes up, bribes down – Palang Pracharath Party wants venues to operate legally

    The ruling Palang Pracharath Party’s Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn wants to make it easier for entertainment venues to operate legally. The Minister for the Digital Economy would like to see bars and clubs operate within the tax system, bringing in fiscal revenue and administration fees while reducing the scope for bribery. Chaiwut said on Sunday that Palang Pracharath members had agreed that…

  • Nok Air to launch Bangkok – Korat route | Thaiger

    Nok Air to launch Bangkok – Korat route

    Low-cost carrier Nok Air plans to connect Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok to northeast Thailand in the coming months with a new direct flight to Nakhon Ratchasima, aka “Korat.” Chief Executive Officer of Nok Air, Wuttipoom Churankun, said the Bangkok – Korat route should begin after Songkran Festival in April 2023. The date of the route’s inaugural flight hasn’t yet…

  • WARNING: Don’t buy fingers online! | Thaiger

    WARNING: Don’t buy fingers online!

    If you could count on your hands how many people were ripped off in a recent online scam, you are probably not their target victim. A couple went public to the press to expose what they believe is a scam they encountered when trying to buy replacement fingers online. Yes, fingers. While this is a fairly specific scam targeting a…

  • Elephant’s back caves in after 25 years of tourist rides in Thailand | Thaiger

    Elephant’s back caves in after 25 years of tourist rides in Thailand

    Pai Lin the elephant spent over 25 years in Thailand’s trekking industry, where she was forced to give rides to up to six tourists at a time. Now, her back is visibly deformed. She now lives free at Thailand’s biggest wildlife rescue centre where she can roam chain-free and engage in natural behaviours. Photographs show that Pai Lin’s spine, which should naturally be rounded…

  • Woman’s body found floating in waters of Koh Tao, Thailand | Thaiger

    Woman’s body found floating in waters of Koh Tao, Thailand

    A boat driver found a woman’s body floating in the waters of Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand, the Thai Maritime Enforcement Centre (MECC) reported this morning. The woman was discovered floating among 20 200-litre oil barrels around 12 nautical miles northwest of Koh Tao island in the Koh Pha Ngan district. Speedboat operators from Koh…

  • Thailand schools and colleges banned from expelling pregnant schoolgirls | Thaiger

    Thailand schools and colleges banned from expelling pregnant schoolgirls

    Thailand has implemented a new directive to prohibit schools, colleges and education institutions from expelling, banning or transferring pregnant schoolgirls. Previously, it was easy for an institution to get rid of pregnant students but the new directive, published in the Royal Gazette on Friday, has put a stop to all that. The mandate was jointly signed by the Education Ministry…

  • Australian drug trafficker breaks silence on hellish 7 years in Thai prison | Thaiger

    Australian drug trafficker breaks silence on hellish 7 years in Thai prison

    An Australian woman convicted of drug trafficking has broken her silence about her hellish seven years behind bars in a maximum-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand. Holly Deane-Johns was spared the death sentence and handed 31 years in prison in 2003 after pleading guilty to attempting to post 10.6 grams of heroin from Thailand to Australia in 2000 when she was…

  • New hospital aims to boost Samui medical tourism | Thaiger

    New hospital aims to boost Samui medical tourism

    A new hospital hopes to boost medical and wellness tourism on the popular holiday island of Koh Samui. Wattanapat Samui Hospital has just opened its doors, marking the fifth medical facility on the island. The hospital has 380 beds, specialist personnel, and modern equipment that are expected to boost confidence in Koh Samui as a wellness destination. Dr Somchai Chansawang,…

  • Thai cop resigns citing ‘protection of the guilty’ | Thaiger

    Thai cop resigns citing ‘protection of the guilty’

    A Thai cop who said he was a sergeant in the central Suphan Buri province resigned from his job. His resignation letter is making waves on social media. In the letter, which a fellow police officer posted on Facebook on Saturday, the officer cites “protection of the guilty” as one of the reasons for the loss of morale among police.…

  • Thai Airways cabin crew forgets to collect meal trays before landing on Singapore-Bangkok flight | Thaiger

    Thai Airways cabin crew forgets to collect meal trays before landing on Singapore-Bangkok flight

    Thai Airways is ‘”urgently investigating” why cabin crew failed to collect meal trays on a Singapore – Bangkok flight before landing on the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport after an irked passenger recorded the incident on TikTok. TikTok user Praewa Nang Mana (@Praewa_panicha) posted a clip of food trays sitting on the foldable tables of three seats. As the plane lands,…

  • Chiang Mai mother pays 400 baht (plus extras) for husband’s murder | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai mother pays 400 baht (plus extras) for husband’s murder

    A Chiang Mai mother trapped in a loveless marriage of more than 20 years, last week decided that she had taken enough beatings and abuse. Living in the village of Khun Yuam, Kanda Cheewasawat was exhausted by the brutality of her vicious, drunken husband Phetchaburapa Meesri many years before. She had often tried to leave, but he wouldn’t let her.…

  • Thailand’s Q4 economy slows as exports decline | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Q4 economy slows as exports decline

    Thailand’s Q4 economy grew by 1.4% in the final quarter of 2022 with hopes high for a tourism-led recovery. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew slower than expected in the fourth quarter of 2022 as exports and manufacturing declined. The much-anticipated rebound in tourism will continue to boost the recovery this year as global demand for manufactured goods declines. On a…

  • Single Russian roulette bullet kills two men | Thaiger

    Single Russian roulette bullet kills two men

    A single irresponsible bullet ended the life of two men playing a game in Ayutthaya in the early hours of yesterday morning. While playing a game of Russian roulette, a 30 year old man fired a .38 calibre pistol at his head and lost the game. The bullet passed through his head and hit his 23 year old friend who…

  • Thailand’s new lotteries sold via Pao Tang app | Thaiger

    Thailand’s new lotteries sold via Pao Tang app

    The Government Lottery Office approved a plan for Thailand’s new lotteries – the six-digit (L6) and three-digit (N3) lotteries. The move was proposed by the Finance Ministry. Entry into the L6 lottery will be 80 baht (US$2.30), the same as lotteries currently available. The L6 lottery will only be available in digital format. Tickets will be sold via the Pao…

  • Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research | Thaiger

    Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research

    Thailand’s cheating lecturers are under investigation as eight of the kingdom’s universities claim that a third of lecturers have submitted research papers that they bought on the Internet and claimed as their work. Sirirurg Songsivilai, permanent secretary of the department of higher education, told the media that… “Thirty-four universities have conducted separate investigations into research papers submitted by more than…

  • The Importance of Wellness ft. Niels Steeman | Thaiger Podcast Ep.24 | Thaiger

    The Importance of Wellness ft. Niels Steeman | Thaiger Podcast Ep.24

    Click the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/WaQ-gHWE1NA Niels Steeman. Health, Fitness & Life Coach. A former senior executive in the travel and tourist industry turned health and wellness expert.  Throughout his transformative journey he has gained an extensive amount of knowledge that has led into providing sustainable success stories for many of his clients using The Thrive Approach. A…

  • Cloud Nine Celebrates their “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening Wednesday March 1st, 2023 | Thaiger

    Cloud Nine Celebrates their “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening Wednesday March 1st, 2023

    Press Release  Cloud Nine has officially opened its doors, offering a fun and immersive space where guests can find a highly curated selection of the finest cannabis and head shop accessories throughout Thailand. On March 1st, Cloud Nine will celebrate by hosting a “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening extravaganza. The exciting atmosphere of Cloud Nine lures guests in by offering comfortable…

  • Chuwit stirs up nest of triad rats | Thaiger

    Chuwit stirs up nest of triad rats

    The pied piper of Bangkok, Chuwit Kamolvisit, is whistling out another nest of triad rats. King Rat, toots Chuwit, is none other than a certain Chinese national known as Yu Xinqi. Triads show up in Thailand under the protection of Yu’s “Shaanxi Association of Thailand,” nothing more than a trafficking ring that allows the wrong sort of Chinese people to…