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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2 Russian women caught on CCTV taking pet cat from Phuket man
A Thai man in Phuket accused two Russian women of stealing his pet cat from his home, while the women denied the accusation, saying they only carried it back to feed it before returning it. The cat’s owner, Veerapong Santanoon, posted a video on his Facebook account yesterday, March 8, showing him confronting one of the women and demanding the…
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Foreign minister welcomes first group of Thai evacuees from Iran
Thailand’s foreign minister met the first group of Thai nationals evacuated from Iran at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday, March 9, as the government continued assisting citizens affected by the situation in the Middle East and prepared further evacuations. Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow welcomed the group on arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where 29 Thai nationals landed at 3.02pm on Turkish Airlines…
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Two arrested after luxury watches stolen in Pattaya home break-in
Two Thai men were arrested today, March 9, over a burglary at a home in Pattaya’s Phra Tamnak area after a break-in reported on March 2, with luxury watches worth more than 6.4 million baht reported stolen. The suspects, identified as 26 year old Kritsaphong and 28 year old Nakarin, were taken into custody by Pattaya City Police. The pair…
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Motorcycle crash victim dies after taken to police station instead of hospital
A family is seeking accountability after a rescue team took a Thai woman to a police station instead of a hospital following a motorcycle crash in Bangkok, leaving her to die at the station in February last year. The case resurfaced after the family of Warissara approached the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive for assistance. The family said the motorcycle accident…
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Surgery case under scrutiny after conflicting accounts over post-op condition
A Thai plastic surgeon defended himself after the patient’s family complained that a man remained unconscious for four days and his condition worsened following nose and chin surgery on March 4. The complainant, 34 year old Jiraphat, contacted the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive, saying his older brother, 37 year old Ittiphat, is still in critical condition after undergoing surgery at…
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CIB finds 124,200 gecko carcasses at Pathum Thani warehouse
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday, March 8, searched a warehouse in Lam Luk Ka district, Pathum Thani, leading to the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of dried gecko carcasses and restricted wood. The CIB’s Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division said investigators had developed information that the site was being used to hide wildlife carcasses and…
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Pattaya bar worker reports foreign man steals mobile from cashier counter
A foreign man was seen in a CCTV footage, stealing a mobile phone of a Thai worker at a bar in Pattaya at about 8pm yesterday, March 8. The victim feared that the images and personal information on the phone would be leaked and misused. The worker of Utopia bar in Soi Pattaya 6 filed a complaint with Mueang Pattaya…
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British man attacks Thai police in convenience store before being restrained
A video circulating online showed a British man attacked a Thai police officer inside a convenience store, before the officer and store staff restrained him. The footage was posted by an X user, @JamesPGoddard90, yesterday, March 8, with the caption, “British tourist attacks a Thai police officer in 7-Eleven and instantly regrets it. It’s behaviour like this that gives all Brits…
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Bangkok man kills ex-wife after she refuses to have sex with him
A Thai man fatally stabbed his ex-wife at a rented room in Bangkok yesterday, March 8, after she refused to have sex with him. The suspect, 58 year old Samorn, contacted a friend, who is a police officer, to confess that he murdered his ex-wife, 49 year old Wanatda. Samorn also told the officer he planned to commit suicide, prompting…
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Hungry monkeys swarm Hat Yai park, snatching food from visitors
A group of tourists in Hat Yai complained today, March 9, that hungry monkeys are coming down from a nearby mountain to snatch food and, in some cases, try to bite people at Hat Yai Municipality Public Park in Songkhla province. The complaint was raised after visitors said a large troop of monkeys was targeting people carrying meals inside the…
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Pattaya transwomen claim self-defence after stabbing Japanese man
Two Thai transwomen allegedly stabbed a Japanese man with scissors at a hotel in Pattaya in the early hours of today, March 9, with both sides giving conflicting accounts of what happened. Sawang Borriboon Dhammastan Rescue Foundation and officers from Mueang Pattaya Police Station were called to a hotel in central Pattaya after a reported fight in a second-floor room.…
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Thailand News | Thailand expands fuel buffer as regional risks rise, Phuket moves to untangle work permit backlog
Today we’ll be talking about Thailand’s plans to create a fuel buffer as the fallout continues from Israel and America’s conflict with Iran, the government is simultaneously tightening visa scrutiny at the border while trying to expedite more than 100,000 work permits, and a little later cocaine, heroin, and scams oh my! As police crackdown on illegal activities that cross…
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British bar manager slashed in Pattaya, one suspect at large
Police are investigating a Pattaya knife attack in which two British men assaulted a British bar manager on Saturday, March 7. One suspect was arrested at the scene, while the second fled and remains at large. A security team of a bar in Soi Pattaya 13 contacted rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Dhammastan foundation after the manager, a 62 year old…
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Teen saved from drowning after wrestling underwater in Pattaya
A birthday gathering on Pattaya Beach ended with a boy being rushed to the hospital yesterday, March 8, after friends pulled him from the sea and saved him from drowning following play-fighting in the water. The Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation received a call at 12.30am about a person in trouble in the water in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri.…
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Foreign transwoman sought over 500,000 baht haul from Thai family
Police in Sing Buri are searching for a foreign transwoman accused of stealing about 500,000 baht worth of assets from a Thai family after they allowed her to stay at their home out of sympathy. The homeowner, 32 year old Wachiraporn, filed a complaint with Mueang Sing Buri Police Station after discovering that several belongings and valuables had gone missing…
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Seven earthquakes shake Surat Thani, no damage reported
A series of small earthquakes was recorded in Khao Phang subdistrict, Ban Ta Khun district, Surat Thani province, yesterday, March 8, and into early today, March 9, with residents reporting the tremors were clearly felt near Rajjaprabha Dam. The tremors were recorded seven times in one day, with epicentres about one kilometre underground near Rajjaprabha Dam. Five of the earthquakes…
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Russian DJ arrested on Koh Pha Ngan after drug sales to tourists
Tourist police on Koh Pha Ngan arrested a Russian man described as a DJ on March 9 after uncovering an AI drug operation that allegedly arranged sales to tourists through an automated Telegram ordering system. Police received information from an informant that a foreign man living in the Koh Pha Ngan area, Surat Thani province, was selling several types of…
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Supreme Court reviews 18 election and referendum cases
Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court is currently reviewing 18 election and referendum-related cases, with one dismissed, two rejected, and another withdrawn, a court official said. Prawit Boonthiem, the court’s vice president, explained that the 2018 organic law on elections divides authority over election disputes across several courts, including the Constitutional Court, the Administrative Court system, and the courts of justice. The…
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Students discard cash outside Bangkok school over strict entrance exam item ban
Strict rules at a prestigious Bangkok school’s entrance exam have drawn controversy after students were seen throwing away cash and other belongings, raising concerns about how they would get home afterwards. The admissions exam for Triam Udom Suksa School for the 2026 academic year took place at Impact Muang Thong Thani, Nonthaburi, with 13,895 students competing for 1,520 places. A…
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British man arrested in Bangkok for cocaine sales to tourists
A 64 year old British national was arrested in Bangkok on Friday for allegedly selling cocaine to tourists in the Sukhumvit area, police say. Phillip Thomas Lingwood, identified as a key distributor, was apprehended around 10.30pm on March 6 on Sukhumvit 13 road, Watthana district, after a tip-off led officers to conduct a surveillance operation in the area. Police had…
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Thailand boosts oil reserves to last 95 days amid Middle East tensions
Thailand’s oil reserves have risen to a 95-day supply, up from 60 days, following additional procurement efforts by domestic traders, the Ministry of Energy confirmed on Thursday, March 6. Oil traders have been directed to expedite deliveries to regions experiencing shortages, while a directive from the prime minister requires traders to gradually raise the legal reserve proportion from 1% to…
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Thai nationals in Iran to begin return journey amid Middle East tensions
Thailand’s government has confirmed that 125 Thai nationals in Iran have requested repatriation, with the first group of 69 set to depart on March 7 by land to Van, Turkey, before flying home. The update came following a meeting of the Centre for Administration and Monitoring of Situations in the Middle East (CAMSME), with details shared at a briefing at…
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DSI uncovers billion-baht online gambling network linked to politician
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has stated it has not issued an arrest warrant for a Member of Parliament (MP), even as investigators uncovered significant evidence linking him to a network of ten online gambling websites with funds circulating in the billions of baht. On March 5, police seized an additional 12 million baht in assets at 2pm. This…
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Thailand braces for summer storm with thunderstorms and strong winds
Thailand’s Meteorological Department has forecast that upper Thailand will continue to experience thunderstorms and strong winds tomorrow, with 41 provinces, including Bangkok, expected to be affected. On March 6, the department released its weather forecast for the next 24 hours, warning that a summer storm will bring thunderstorms, strong winds, and isolated lightning strikes to upper Thailand. The conditions are…
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Brazilian drug delivery suspect arrested on Koh Pha Ngan
Yesterday, March 5, immigration police in Surat Thani arrested a Brazilian man accused of running a drug delivery service on Koh Pha Ngan. A controlled buy led to the seizure of multiple drugs and more than 106,000 baht in cash. The arrest was made after investigators received information that a foreign suspect, later identified as Brazilian national Pedro, was allegedly…
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MEA suspends communications system after remote key motorbike failures
The Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) issued a statement yesterday, March 5, saying it had temporarily shut down its network communications system after reports that remote key motorbikes in Wang Thonglang, Bangkok, were failing to start due to suspected signal interference. On its official Facebook account, the MEA said that it had been made aware that residents in Intharaphon Road, Soi…
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Foreigners sought after dodging fuel bill in Koh Lanta, Krabi
A fuel dispenser owner on Koh Lanta in Krabi is seeking two foreign men who refuelled a motorcycle and left without paying yesterday, March 5. The owner, Sirilak Kasikun, posted CCTV footage of the incident in the Koh Lanta Jobs Facebook group and asked members to help identify the two men. She said the pair served themselves at the dispenser…
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Octopus ride malfunction in Nakhon Ratchasima injures two girls
An octopus ride malfunction at the annual Thao Suranari Victory Celebration in Khon Buri district, Nakhon Ratchasima, left two 14 year old girls injured on March 4, leading local officials to stop ride operations while inspections and repairs are carried out. The incident happened at about 8pm, at the fairground area in front of the Khon Buri District Office, where…
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Two Brits injured after fight with muscular foreign man in Pattaya
Police were called to a brawl in Pattaya early this morning, March 5, after reports that foreign tourists had been involved in a physical altercation, leaving two British men injured. Pattaya City Police received the report at 6.30am today about a fight in an alley off Pattaya Walking Street in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung, Chonburi. Patrol officers and rescuers from…
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How UOB is aiming to close Thailand’s education gap with three connected programmes
Seventeen students sharing a single computer. This is not a scenario from decades past, but the current reality in many Thai schools today. While technology creates unprecedented learning opportunities, access remains deeply unequal across Thailand’s education system, and this digital divide is just one piece of a larger challenge facing the country’s youth. Dhornratana Olanhankij, Country Head of Brand, Media…
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