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 See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Thai customs end intrusive frisking of designer-brand wearers at airports
The Thai Customs Department has officially put an end to the embarrassing and intrusive practice of frisking travellers passing through border control with designer-brand items at airports. The department said the searches were a burden for travellers. According to the deputy director of the Customs Department, Phanthong Loykunlanan, the department has abolished frisking tourists to make travel more convenient. However,…
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Thai police can’t find alleged ‘macau888’ kingpin’s rare Lamborghini
UPDATE Police searched three locations in Thailand but the super rare Lamborghini they planned to seize from alleged macau888 gambling kingpin Benz Daemon today is nowhere to be found. Police did however seize other luxury cars belonging to various suspects in the case including Benz Daemon, who is believed to be in hiding in Hong Kong. Netizens are criticising the…
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Pattaya restaurant blamed for taking over public beach
A restaurant manager confessed to using public spaces at Na Jomtien Beach in Pattaya without permission to provide seating for their customers. Facebook page, PattayaWatchdog, posted a picture of nearly 30 tables on the beach, complete with decorative lamps to create an ideal romantic dinner setting. The caption said… “This is Na Jomtien Beach under the care of the Na…
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American tourists spend more money in Thailand than Europeans, survey says
American tourists spend more money in Thailand on average than European tourists, according to a survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT). The TCT polled 200 Western tourists about their holiday spending habits during Q4 of last year. On each trip to the kingdom, Americans said they spend 96,269 baht on average per person (US$2,887) and Europeans said…
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Thai police to seize rare Lamborghini from alleged ‘macau888’ gambling network kingpin
Thailand’s cyber police say they will seize a super rare Lamborghini owned by the alleged owner of the illegal online gambling network ‘macau888‘ today. The Lamborghini Mad Bull Liberty Walk Aventador V2 is one of only 50 in the world with an estimated value of 37 – 44 million baht. It is the only one in Thailand. The ‘Liberty Walk’…
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GLO under fire after refusing to pay jackpot winner 12 million baht
An out-of-work, heartbroken Thai Lottery jackpot winner who won 12 million baht couldn’t claim her prize from the Government Lottery Office (GLO) because she bought her tickets from an online lottery platform that the government shut down for overcharging customers. Phanthawat “North” Narkwisut, the CEO of Kong Salak Plus, was ordered to close his platform by the Department of Special…
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Marketing in Thailand as a Foreigner: Volume #5 The Best Practices, really?
Foreign marketers sometimes need to be bold enough to wear socks and sandals in a tropical country like Thailand to stand out. If you wonder why: READ HERE. Volume#5: The Best Practices, really? Anyone working for brands big enough is always approached with ‘THE PLATFORMS’. They will let you know all the best practices in the world that could rocket…
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Move Forward Party vows to take down ‘Three Por’ generals
Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat vows to end the powerful Three Por clique and rewrite Thailand‘s constitution. The 42 year old MP announced at a campaign event in Chiang Mai on Saturday that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, and Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, were the root cause of Thailand’s problems and they need to…
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Thailand’s taxi troubles: Tourists slam overpriced rides and shoddy service
Thailand‘s taxi services have received a poor rating in a recent survey conducted by the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), with foreign tourists slamming the country’s taxis for overpriced fares and shoddy service. The survey, which was conducted on 200 foreign tourists during the final quarter of 2022, showed a rating of just 3.5 out of 5 for taxi services…
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“Transfer to an inactive post’ – punishment or paradise?
Bangkok’s recent spate of police “embarrassments” (cops caught committing crimes) has led to a spate of “transfer to an inactive post” (paid vacation) notices. If most of us commit a crime, we can expect the cops to show up and – very basically – throw us in jail. But rich people rarely go to jail, and cops, even less so.…
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Speedboat engulfed in flames sinks off Koh Samui, Thailand
A speedboat engulfed in flames sank off Thailand’s island of Koh Samui last night. According to the Thailand Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC), the boat caught fire near the Bang Rak boat pier in tambon Bo Phut of Koh Samui district, at around midnight. The emergency response team arrived at the scene and found the two-engine speedboat, named the Silver…
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Former Thai lawyer allegedly involved in romance scam
A former Thai lawyer was allegedly involved in a romance scam. Police in the central Samut Prakan province caught the suspect, 43 year old Pongsakorn Supakornmongkolchai, in front of a gold shop on Sukhumvit Road in the main city district on Friday. The arrest was made by a joint effort of the Police Cyber Taskforce unit 5 and the Metropolitan…
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Tourist Police and Good Samaritan rescue American lost on Phuket trail
Phuket Tourist Police, with the help of a Good Samaritan, rescued an American man lost on a trail near the Krating Cape in Karon. According to the Phuket Tourist Police, the man, who has not been identified, called the Tourist Police call centre for assistance at 1155. He reported that he was walking along the trail and was unable to…
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Raging fire at Pattaya condo sends hundreds evacuating
A raging fire at a Pattaya condo sent hundreds evacuating in the early hours of this morning. Over 200 residents of the Amazon Residence Condominium were evacuated, and at least five people were injured. The condo is located on Soi Wat Boon Kanjanaram 5 in the Nong Prue sub-district of Bang Lamung. Four people suffered smoke inhalation, and one foreign…
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Police on trail of “Four Brothers” gambling ring
Police raided properties across the country yesterday and arrested a prominent member of the “Four Brothers” gambling ring. Police were gathering evidence on the “four brothers” who have been accused by a TV actor of operating the gambling website macau888. Police led by Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Kamchamnan, deputy commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, raided eight premises with…
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Thai parks boss sacked in corruption scandal
The head of Thailand’s national parks was sacked on Friday as an investigation into a cash-for-placement scandal engulfs the environmental body. Thai parks boss Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya has been removed from his post to “pave the way for a transparent investigation” into corruption, at least according to Jatuporn Buruspat the Ministry permanent secretary. Any kind of thorough investigation is…
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The top games to play in Thailand
One of the countries that has the most amount of game-loving players in the world? It’s Thailand! There are approximately 32 million video gamers in Thailand – a figure that seems to grow every single year and accounts for (almost) half the population. And the most popular genre of these games are role playing games, otherwise known as RPGs. In…
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Thai celebrities duped out of 20 million baht in online toy scam, 300 victims speak out
Leading Thai celebrities were scammed out of over 20 million baht in a massive online toy scam, joining more than 300 other victims. Twenty representatives filed a complaint to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) yesterday. The group of 20 victims were led by 40 year old Phiphitpon Pookkanasood, a famous Thai singer from the band named Jetset’er. Phiphitpon revealed that…
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Desperate father vanishes with son after falling for 100,000 baht job scam in Isaan
A man in the Isaan province of Burriram disappeared with his three-year-old son after the family fell victim to a 100,000 baht overseas job scam. The man’s wife, 34 year old Wassana yesterday filed a complaint at None Suwan Police Station after her 35 year old husband Autthapon, and their three year old child, Arkon, vanished into thin air. Wassana…
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Laws and regulations of online casino in Thailand
The online gambling industry is booming all over the world. But what about Thailand? Here’s a look at the laws and regulations surrounding online casinos in Thailand. Despite the fact that gambling is technically illegal in Thailand, there are still many ways to gamble online. There are no laws exactly barring online gambling, so Thai residents are free to gamble…
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New RTN frigate to cost 15 billion baht
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) wants 15 billion baht (about US $460 million) over the next five years to buy a new frigate. The new RTN frigate is to be built in Thailand. A previous RTN frigate, HTMS Sukhothai, is under 50 metres of water off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan. The ship sank on December 18 last year.…
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Water buffalo gores farmer to death in northeast Thailand
A female water buffalo in heat gored a farmer to death in Nakhon Nayok province in northeast Thailand yesterday. Officers at Ban Na Police Station were informed that a buffalo chased and killed a man at Village No. 7 in Ban Phrao subdistrict. Police and rescue workers from the Sawang Ariya Foundation travelled to the scene to investigate. Police found…
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Protestors have EM tags removed
A Bangkok court agreed to the request of five anti-establishment protesters Wednesday to have their electronic monitoring (EM) tags removed. The protesters are all currently out on bail pending trials on lèse majesté and sedition charges. The group sought the court’s permission to have the EM tags removed after the court decided that one could be removed from actor Savika…
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Famous TiKTok star arrested for dangerous hitchhiking
A famous TikTok star was arrested today after putting his life at risk dodging in and out of moving cars as he hitchhiked on the Ang Thong-Sing Buri Road in the central province of Ang Thong. Aun is a local celebrity due to his widely shared funny videos on social media but despite his fame, he has struggled with mental…
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Thai police return 6.5 million baht Richard Mille watch to Vietnamese tourist
Not all Thai police are bad eggs as proven by Lumpini Police officers who managed to reunite a Vietnamese tourist with an expensive Richard Mille wristwatch that he lost in Bangkok on Wednesday night. A Vietnamese tourist took a taxi from a hotel in the Lumpini area of Bangkok to Asiatique on the river. Later on, he ordered a private…
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Appeal of Petr Donatek heard in Paris
The appeal of Petr Donatek, a 46-year-old Czech man accused of hiring thugs to attack Thai refugees in Paris, has finally opened and closed. In his testimony, Donatek pleaded that he did not plan the attack. He was convicted in absentia for having hired two Czechs – Jakub Hosek and Daniel Vokal – to attack Thai trans activist Aum Neko…
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Woman accuses police of seizing her car for personal use
A Thai woman accused officers from Sathon Police Station in the southern province of Songkhla of confiscating her car for personal use. The unnamed woman said her car was seized by the police two years ago despite not being involved in a crime. The woman reported that the police arrested her boyfriend in 2021 for possessing Kratom and two tablets…
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French ‘mafia’ boss extorts money from foreigners in Pattaya, claims ties with Big Joke
Police arrested a wanted French ‘mafia’ boss in Bangkok on Tuesday after a group of farangs in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, claimed he extorted money from them in exchange for police protection. The fraudster claimed to have ties with “Big Joke.” Yesterday, high-profile police officer Pol. Lt. Gen. Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn revealed that police arrested 58 year old Herve Christian…
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Murderer transports woman’s corpse to landfill site via motorbike in central Thailand
UPDATE After a woman’s corpse wrapped in a yellow blanket was found dumped at a landfill site in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand yesterday, police uncovered important CCTV footage of the murderer transporting her body via motorbike. Police believe the murder to be a result of a love triangle. At 4.39am on January 27, a man is pictured driving…
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Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister says e-cigarettes should be legalised
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister says it’s about time that e-cigarettes be legalised. The Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, thinks Thailand should amend the law to reflect the lives of many people in developed countries. According to Thai PBS World, Chaiwut added that Thailand’s neighbouring countries of Singapore and Malaysia have already legalised electronic smoking devices. “The key issue is to…
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