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 hospitals in Thailand digital nomads trust most
Thailand is still one of the best places for digital nomads, thanks to its low cost of living, comfortable lifestyle, and good healthcare system. For remote workers living far from home, having access to a trusted hospital is very important....
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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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Govt set up complaints hotline about pricey veggies
Noticed an increase in the price of vegetables? So has the government and that is why a complaints hotline has been set up for consumers to log their gripes. The Commerce Ministry’s Department of Internal Trade (DIT) yesterday made known it will monitor increases in the nation’s vegetable prices and promises to come up with measures to control prices. DIT…
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Thailand’s 45-Day Visa Exemption Stamp & 30 days for VoA
https://youtu.be/t37I2Bwf3K8 Thailand brings back the 45-Day Visa Exemption stamp that was briefly in place from mid-2021 and has now been put into place for entries effective October 1, 2022. Thailand’s Visa Starting October 1, 2022, until March 31, 2023, travellers will be allowed to stay for 30 days or 45 days without prior approval of a Thai visa. During this…
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Moving to Thailand checklist – What you need to know before your move
There are several reasons why Thailand is one of the most desirable locations for ex-pats. Here, you can get affordable access to modern conveniences and year-round sunny weather. With its laid-back way of life, delectable cuisine, and vibrant culture, it’s certainly a remarkable place to call home. Plus, being close to nature is easy here, with everything from beautiful waterfalls…
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Flaming hot: toxic spicy noodles recalled
Some people like their noodles as spicy as possible. But there’s such a thing as to0 flaming hot, as the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall on Mie Sedaap brand Korean Spicy Chicken noodles due to contamination with a flammable pesticide. The instant noodles are being recalled by the FDA after traces of a pesticide called…
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Forever flooded – how do we break the disastrous cycle?
As part of the south braces for expected seasonal floods, a vast area of the lower north, including Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, and Isaan, remains inundated. An editorial in this morning’s Bangkok Post asks what we can do to prevent ourselves from being washed away in the tide. Many people have drowned over the past two months, and yesterday, an…
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Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved
Thai Airways International’s revised business reorganisation plan was approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The plan was submitted last month and the airline will now start on a course of financial restructuring. Does this mean everyone waiting for a refund from the Covid-19 pandemic and before Thailand’s flagship airline declared bankruptcy will finally get their money back? It is reported…
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Secrets of Silicon Valley’s underground Mercedes
California cops are investigating why a person or person unknown buried a Mercedes stuffed full of unused bags of cement in the yard of a US$ 15 million (570 million baht) home in the 1990s. The car was discovered Thursday morning by gardeners in the affluent town of Atherton about 30 miles south of San Francisco, with unused bags of…
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School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand
Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption sentenced the former principal of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, to 50 years imprisonment. The defendant Somchaow Sittichen confessed to stealing lunch money and serving kindergarten children plain rice noodles with fish sauce for lunch. The court found Somchaow guilty of 77 counts of corruption, each carrying a five-year…
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Soldier arrested for stabbing 15 year old at a nightclub
A soldier has been charged with attempted murder after he stabbed a 15 year old boy at a nightclub in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last weekend. The teenager was stabbed in the back with a chisel in front of a nightclub in the Tung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat at about 2.45am last Sunday, October 16.…
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Reimagine with Anantara unveiling the new face of Anantara Chiang Mai Resort
Press Release Anantara Chiang Mai Resort welcomes back travellers from around the world with renovated accommodations and exciting new dining experiences in a prime riverfront setting. With COVID-19 waning, travel to Thailand now back to normal, and Chiang Mai ready to celebrate life once again. Anantara Chiang Mai Resort recently hosted a glamorous evening reception for Lanna royalty, foreign diplomats,…
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The Brahma statue thief who wants to paint the world blue
A thief with mental health problems stole a Brahma statue from a shrine at a school, in the Cha-am district of Phetchaburi province in the west of Thailand, painted it blue, before returning it to where he stole it from. Why? His favourite colour is blue. A teacher, Nu-sajee Kornrawee, posted CCTV footage and pictures of a thief on Facebook…
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Gambling addict sergeant steals 160 guns to pay off debts
A police sergeant with a gambling addiction faces time in prison after he was arrested for selling state guns to pay off his debts. Senior sergeant major, Chaowarit Phumkajorn, from Pak Kret Police Station in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, was arrested at 3pm yesterday in the Isaan province of Nong Khai after reportedly selling about 160 police guns to pay…
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true-dtac merger will increase mobile tariffs by 240%, warns watchdog
In a controversial move, Thailand’s telecom regulator has approved the merging of two key mobile operators in Thailand: true and dtac. A consumer watchdog says the five-member committee “failed to use its authority to protect the public interest” by turning the market into a duopoly with reigning operator AIS. After an 11-hour meeting, the five-member board of the National Broadcasting…
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Building in Phuket collapses due to heavy rain
A two-storey building in Phuket collapsed last night due to heavy rain. Fortunately, tenants left the property a day before the incident so no injuries were reported. The demolished building, located in Soi Prayoon 2 in the Talad Yai sub-district, Mueng district, in Phuket, offers 30 rental rooms. Only eight of the rooms were rented at the time of the…
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Court clears THAI for takeoff, as it doubles Aussie flights
Thai Airways (THAI) received a much-needed boost today when the Central Bankruptcy Court approved the airline’s request to overhaul its recovery plan. The news comes on the back of a THAI announcement that passengers increased by 80% this month and plans to double flights to Melbourne, Australia, in December. Thailand’s national flag carrier was told by the court to carry…
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Thailand to combat its methamphetamine crisis with cannabis
Thailand is going to attempt to fix its methamphetamine crisis with another formally-illegal drug, cannabis. In a recent study, meth addicts in Thailand were given CBD oil under their tongues to treat withdrawal symptoms, and the results were promising. Today, acting Director General of the Medical Department Dr Thongchai Kiratthihathayakhon said that methamphetamine is “Thailand’s biggest problem.” Meth-induced psychosis is…
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Thai baht plummets even further against US dollar
The Thai baht depreciated even further against the strengthening US dollar. Last month, the baht plunged to 38 to the dollar for the first time in 16 years. Today, US$1 is worth 38.35 baht. Market strategist at Krungthai Bank Poon Panitphiboon revealed that the baht weakened from 38.25 yesterday to 38.35 against the dollar this morning. As US bond yields…
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Ganja galore: Over 1,000 cannabis clinics have opened this year in Thailand
It is ganja galore as Thailand has seen over 1,000 cannabis clinics open this year alone. According to Bangkok Post, the public health ministry noted that out of 1,026 clinics opened this year, 929 are run directly by the ministry. But, to prevent unwanted consequences of the plant’s legalisation, the ministry says such clinics are also doubling as research units.…
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Residents shocked by fire on Pattaya soi
Residents and tourists were shocked by a fire that broke out in Pattaya yesterday. The fire started after an excavator got tangled with cable wires on Soi Buakhao 15, The Pattaya News reported. A witness said the excavator had been working on a drainage project on the soi when its arm got tangled in the wires above it. Firefighters managed…
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Builders uncover corrupt Thai Army practices
Construction workers say they fear for their lives after stumbling over corrupt Royal Thai Army practices while building army premises. The builders employed the help of a lawyer after they discovered shady dealings while working on army housing loan projects, reported Bangkok Post. They are frightened they will be linked to these corrupt practices. The builders lodged a complaint, via…
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Where to buy cheap cannabis in Bangkok
Where to buy cheap cannabis in Bangkok Bangkok is brimming with cannabis cafes and dispensaries selling high-quality, imported buds of every strain of marijuana under the sun, which can often come with a hefty price tag. Hidden away, there are some lesser-known spots selling decent quality, Thai-grown cheap cannabis in Bangkok. The major cannabis cafes in Bangkok are appealing as…
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Attack on master complainer was wrong says Deputy PM
The violent attack on Thailand’s master complainer, Srisuwan Janya, by another activist was denounced yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon. The well-known publicity-seeking Srisuwan was attacked at a press conference he organised outside the Central Investigation Bureau announcing he was going to file a complaint with the police against comedian Udom “Nose” Taepanich. Srisuwan believes Nose Udom’s remarks,…
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VIDEO: 4.2 magnitude earthquake shakes Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
Residents of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand were awoken at 4.26am today by a 4.2 magnitude earthquake. No injuries or deaths have been reported. The tremor lasted about three seconds and no aftershocks have been felt so far. Many felt strong shaking as the epicentre had a shallow depth of only two kilometres in the Mae subdistrict in the…
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Drug cartel steals seized drugs, car, and guns from red-faced police
In a scene more reminiscent of the Keystone Cops, narcotics suppression police were left red-faced after drugs they seized from a trafficker in the southern province of Songkla were stolen back by a drug cartel. And, just for good measure, the drug cartel stole their police car, guns and phones as well. The Deputy Chief of the Songkhla Provincial Administrative…
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Brand Shinawatra – choice of a new generation?
In today’s Bangkok Post, former senator and member of the National Reform Council Prasarn Marukpitak looks forward to the forthcoming election with still more than six months to go. According to Prasarn, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest daughter of Thaksin, is increasingly popular, far more so than ageing veterans such as Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Pheu Thai is now loudly protesting that…
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Top 5 Beauty procedures to keep in mind when in Thailand
In the past decade, Thailand has become an important hub for the beauty industry in Southeast Asia. Thanks to its innovative and advanced medical centres, people from all around the globe flock to the Land of Smiles to go under the knife. A wide range of cosmetic procedures is available in Thailand, from hair transplants to liposuction. But if you’re…
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Missing 50 million baht is a misunderstanding, says govt
UPDATE The Thai government says there has been a misunderstanding about the missing 50 million baht promised to tobacco farmers. The money is still in government coffers and would be distributed to tobacco farmers as promised by May next year. Last week, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and relevant departments to investigate the missing 50…
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Amazon Web Services to invest billions of dollars in Thailand
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on Monday that it plans to invest billions of dollars in Thailand over the next 15 years. AWS, Amazon’s cloud computing division, plans to invest $US5 billion (about 190 billion baht) in Thailand during that time. AWS will carry out the investment in phases. In the first phase, 20 billion baht will be invested immediately,…
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