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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    What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • Khao San’s ‘420’ celebrations cancelled | Thaiger

    Khao San’s ‘420’ celebrations cancelled

    The 420 cannabis celebrations planned for Khao San Road were cancelled following criticism that the event would breach Thailand’s laws that prohibit smoking cannabis in public places. A local group of vendors intended to organise the Cannabis Day Showcase event with a parade along the street, as cannabis has been removed from the narcotics list. However, the event was met…

  • Officials working to get Thai nationals out of Sudan amidst clashes | Thaiger

    Officials working to get Thai nationals out of Sudan amidst clashes

    Thai officials are working to get Thai nationals out of Sudan amidst violent clashes currently plaguing the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) plans to meet with the military today to plan the evacuation of Thai nationals from Sudan, Bangkok Post reports. The international airport in Khartoum has been closed, making it difficult for the Thai nationals to leave the country.…

  • Thailand warns against public cannabis use, imposes fines and jail time | Thaiger

    Thailand warns against public cannabis use, imposes fines and jail time

    The Department of Health (DOH) under the Ministry of Public Health has issued a stern warning to the public about the legal ramifications of smoking cannabis in public spaces. The DOH has also notified local authorities to prepare for stricter enforcement against unsubstantiated casual events. Additionally, the public is encouraged to report any nuisance incidents to local officials immediately. Dr.…

  • Construction accident at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok injures 4 | Thaiger

    Construction accident at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok injures 4

    A construction accident occurred at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, today at 4pm. Four people were injured and one emergency police vehicle was damaged. Workers were hoisting materials to the upper floors of King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital opposite Lumpini Park with a rope this afternoon when 40-50 metal sheets suddenly fell onto the footpath below on Ratchadamri Road. Four people…

  • Royal treatment: Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle most requested as sex dolls | Thaiger

    Royal treatment: Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle most requested as sex dolls

    A sex doll manufacturing company has revealed that members of the British royal family are the most requested by its consumers. Inferno Dolls, a China-based company known for producing realistic dolls and toys, reports that their most popular celebrity sex doll requests include Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle. However, the company’s CEO states that he declines these requests…

  • Thailand’s Som Tam voted 6th best salad in the world | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Som Tam voted 6th best salad in the world

    Northeast Thailand’s “som tam,” aka spicy papaya salad, was voted sixth best salad in the world by online food guide TasteAtlas. Another Thai dish, phla kung, also won accolades, coming in ninth place. Sanook pointed out that Thailand’s som tam was ranked higher than Cambodia’s green papaya salad, bok l’hong, voted 30th best salad. TasteAtlas’s Top 10 Best Rated Salads in…

  • Gun used to shoot dead net idol in Bangkok belongs to ex-boyfriend’s military officer father | Thaiger

    Gun used to shoot dead net idol in Bangkok belongs to ex-boyfriend’s military officer father

    UPDATE #2 The gun used to shoot dead “Gigi” the net idol and her air force cadet ex-boyfriend “Ikkyu” in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday is licensed and belongs to Ikkyu’s father, who is a high-ranking military officer, according to a spokesperson for the National Police Agency Pol. Lt. Gen. Archayon Kraithong. Police have completed their assessment of the CCTV footage and confirm…

  • Volunteer rescuer dies after attempting to save life in Ayutthaya | Thaiger

    Volunteer rescuer dies after attempting to save life in Ayutthaya

    A member of the Ayutthaya Ruam Jai Rescue Team died after performing CPR on a patient in the early hours of this morning. The cause of his death is currently under investigation. A fellow member of the rescue team, Panya Choomanee, spoke to Channel 7 today about the death of his friend, 45 year old Somsak Sisue. At 3am today,…

  • Tourism to Thailand’s Koh Kradan jumps sixfold after winning title as best beach on earth | Thaiger

    Tourism to Thailand’s Koh Kradan jumps sixfold after winning title as best beach on earth

    Thailand’s Koh Kradan island in Trang province is welcoming more than 2000 tourists per day since the island was voted ‘best beach on earth‘ by the UK website World Beach Guide last month, according to Minister of Tourism and Sports Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. “After Koh Kradan was ranked the best beach on earth, the number of tourists has jumped to 2000…

  • Police request AI assistance for crime solving | Thaiger

    Police request AI assistance for crime solving

    The Royal Thai Police (RTP) are urging for an enhancement of the Immigration Bureau’s biometric identification systems using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to aid in the tracking and monitoring of international criminals. This recommendation comes in the wake of recent abduction incidents involving Chinese victims. In one case, officers from the Bang Phong Phang Police Station successfully rescued a Chinese…

  • Nok Air makes final flight to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Nok Air makes final flight to Mae Hong Son in northern Thailand

    Nok Air flew from Bangkok to Mae Hong Son Airport in northern Thailand for the final time yesterday, bidding farewell to the route for good. The province, home to the popular backpacker town Pai, is now only accessible by road since Nok Air was the only airline servicing the airport commercially. Governor of Mae Hong Son province Chettha Mosikarat, Tourism Authority…

  • Migrant workers fill gap in Thailand’s tourism and service sectors due to labour shortage | Thaiger

    Migrant workers fill gap in Thailand’s tourism and service sectors due to labour shortage

    Migrant workers are increasingly filling roles in Thailand‘s tourism and service sectors, due to a chronic manpower shortage, according to Tanit Sorat, deputy chairman of the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT). The labour shortage is the result of new Thai graduates choosing freelance jobs and the country’s ageing population. Sorat explained that with many graduates preferring a slower lifestyle over…

  • Thief steals nearly 500,000 baht of gold necklaces in Rayong | Thaiger

    Thief steals nearly 500,000 baht of gold necklaces in Rayong

    Police are hunting for a thief who stole 15 gold necklaces valued at almost 500,000 baht from a gold shop in a Robinson shopping mall in the Baan Chang district of Rayong, in the eastern part of Thailand. According to Piyanoot, an employee at Premium Gold Yaowarat on the mall’s first floor, the robbery took place around 3pm yesterday when…

  • Promises of a corruption-free Thailand: Will political parties deliver their election pledges? | Thaiger

    Promises of a corruption-free Thailand: Will political parties deliver their election pledges?

    For more than a century, corruption, graft, kickbacks, and bribery have been entrenched in the culture of Thailand. However, political parties in anticipation of the upcoming May 14 General Election are promising to eradicate these issues in their election pledges. But will they? Mana Nimitmongkol, the secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), said that despite the implementation of…

  • Following stormy seas, rescuers find fisherman’s body near Koh Samui | Thaiger

    Following stormy seas, rescuers find fisherman’s body near Koh Samui

    Following the stormy seas that wreaked havoc on many coastal areas of Thailand this past weekend, rescuers found the body of a fisherman near Koh Samui. According to the Samui Public Relations Department, several local fishing boats capsized on Sunday. One fisherman reported missing was 51 year old Wiroj Srifah. Wiroj had been fishing alone. Marine Police, tour boat operators,…

  • Net idol found dead in Bangkok condo abused by air force cadet ex-boyfriend | Thaiger

    Net idol found dead in Bangkok condo abused by air force cadet ex-boyfriend

    UPDATE A close friend disclosed evidence that “Gigi,” the Thai net idol who was found dead in her rented condo room in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday, was physically abused by her ex-boyfriend – the air force cadet found dead lying next to her. Both were shot once in the head. Police found a gun near their bodies. Yesterday at 3.20pm, Makkasan…

  • American man tragically drowns at Krabi island cave | Thaiger

    American man tragically drowns at Krabi island cave

    Another drowning has struck one of Thailand‘s vacation paradises. An American man tragically drowned in a cave near the island of Koh Phi Phi Leh in Thailand’s Krabi province. The 51 year old tourist drowned in front of the Viking Cave in a coral diving area on Tuesday, The Phuket Express reported last night. A tour guide, whose identity was withheld,…

  • Thai net idol and air force student found dead in Bangkok condo | Thaiger

    Thai net idol and air force student found dead in Bangkok condo

    The bodies of a Thai net idol known as “Gigi” and a Thai air force student were found inside a condo room in Bangkok, Thailand, this afternoon. Both were shot in the head, according to the police. Lt. Gen. Thiti Saeng said that a friend of the deceased called officers from Makkasan Police Station to Gie’s condo room at the…

  • Opposition builds to the magic of Khaosan 420 on World Cannabis Day | Thaiger

    Opposition builds to the magic of Khaosan 420 on World Cannabis Day

    In celebration of World Cannabis Day on April 20, an event called Khaosan 420 is scheduled to take place on Khao San Road and Ram Buttri Road in Bangkok. The event intends to bring together cannabis users to smoke ganja together. However, Thai netizens and the Bhum Jai Thai Party have expressed their opposition to the event and are urging…

  • Thai activists pursue change despite legal threats | Thaiger

    Thai activists pursue change despite legal threats

    Chonthicha “Lookkate” Jangrew is taking her campaign to the streets, going door-to-door to garner support for the upcoming May 14 General Election. However, she faces the possibility of imprisonment due to charges of sedition and royal defamation from protests in 2020. The 30 year old activist is among over a dozen representatives from the student-led protest movement who are shifting…

  • Teen thieves arrested after brutal petrol station robbery in Pathum Thani | Thaiger

    Teen thieves arrested after brutal petrol station robbery in Pathum Thani

    Police arrested two teenage thieves after they stabbed a petrol station attendant and stole 3,840 baht from him in the central province of Pathum Thani on Friday. The incident occurred at a PT Petrol Station on Khlong Jet Thanyaburi-Wang Noi Road in the Khlong Luang district of Nonthaburi on Friday, April 14 at 1.18am. Security camera footage showed the two…

  • Prayut: Conscripted soldiers can benefit from opportunities | Thaiger

    Prayut: Conscripted soldiers can benefit from opportunities

    Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also holds the position of defence minister, has emphasised his commitment to offering army conscripts chances for educational, occupational, and character development, in order to become contributing members of society. Sharing his thoughts with the press following a Cabinet gathering yesterday, PM Prayut expressed satisfaction upon discovering that certain areas of the military had…

  • Pheu Thai Party candidate rejects collaboration with coup leaders | Thaiger

    Pheu Thai Party candidate rejects collaboration with coup leaders

    Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, a Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidate, stated that the party has no intention of collaborating with those involved in the two previous coups. Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, outlined the party’s election campaign strategy along with other key members during a press conference. When questioned about her dip in…

  • British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast | Thaiger

    British tourist miraculously survives near-fatal swimming mishap off Pattaya coast

    Video footage and photographs have emerged of a British tourist who came close to losing his life while swimming off the coast of Pattaya last month. The tourist, who remains unidentified, got into trouble while swimming and was able to make his way to a buoy, where he was eventually rescued by a passing fisherman in his boat. The young…

  • Thai EC members travel to Africa for May 14 election prep | Thaiger

    Thai EC members travel to Africa for May 14 election prep

    The Election Commission (EC) stated that it was essential for all of its members to travel overseas during the Songkran holiday period in order to organise advance voting for the May 14 election, particularly in the three African countries where a significant number of Thai residents now live. Following his return from visits to South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco, EC…

  • Woman survives kidnapping near her house in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Woman survives kidnapping near her house in Bangkok

    A Thai woman survived a kidnapping near her house in the Tao Poon neighbourhood of Bangkok on Sunday. Police officers managed to arrest the suspect, although his motive was not reported. The victim took to social media to warn people of the unexpected incident, sharing a video on TikTok. The suspect is seen in the video pulling her hand and…

  • Python hiding in toilet bites Thai man’s buttocks | Thaiger

    Python hiding in toilet bites Thai man’s buttocks

    A man from Nonthaburi in central Thailand was taking a Number 2 in his bathroom yesterday when he felt a sudden agonising pain in his tushy. He leapt up to see a python slithering back down the toilet bowl. The snake bit his buttocks. The victim, 62 year old Witoon Sonapoon, said he was so shocked that he ran out…

  • Tensions rise in Pattani province following defence volunteer’s murder | Thaiger

    Tensions rise in Pattani province following defence volunteer’s murder

    A local defence volunteer faced a tragic end in a cold-blooded ambush at a village in the Panare district on Tuesday night. Authorities reported that the unfortunate attack happened around 7.30pm when Ahamad Teh was making his way to the mosque at Ban Surao in tambon Tha Nam to attend prayers. The unsuspecting victim was shot in the head by…

  • Where to get the finest cannabis in Phuket | Thaiger

    Where to get the finest cannabis in Phuket

    Seeking a taste of the vibrant cannabis culture in Phuket? Following the decriminalization of weed in Thailand, cannabis dispensaries have popped up all over the nation, and Phuket is no exception. While you could just waltz into any old cannabis store and buy weed in Phuket, not all of them offer high-quality products. But don’t worry because we’ve got the…

  • Thai woman arrested for forging New Zealand ambassador’s credit card 14 years ago | Thaiger

    Thai woman arrested for forging New Zealand ambassador’s credit card 14 years ago

    After 14 years on the run, a woman was arrested in Sing Buri province in central Thailand yesterday for her alleged role in the forging of the New Zealand ambassador to Thailand’s credit card in 2008, with damages exceeding 10 million baht. Police arrested 44 year old Ketkanya Khantawee at a house in Moo 10, Don Phot subdistrict, Mueang district,…