Thailand News

Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.

Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.

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    A healthy tomorrow starts today: Celebrate the great American Smokeout day

    The Great American Smokeout, held this year on November 17, is a nationwide event that encourages smokers to take their first steps towards a smoke-free life. If you’re an expat in Thailand, this day could be a timely reminder to...

  • Public hearings now on for Thais to discuss the new same-sex marriage bill

    Public hearings now on for Thais to discuss the new same-sex marriage bill

    PHOTO: BK Magazine The Thai Justice Ministry has kicked off public hearings on the proposed same-sex marriage bill that is scheduled to be submitted to the cabinet this month. So far the online survey has had no direct objections. The public hearings were officially opened to at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel today in Bangkok. The Justice Vice Minister Pongsatorn…

  • Dates clarified for new smoking bans and regulations

    Dates clarified for new smoking bans and regulations

    The Thai Public Health Ministry official announcement has been issued for smoking bans from no smoking zones. The fine will be 5,000 baht. Khaosod is reporting that the deputy general director of the Department of Disease Control, Doctor Kajonsak Kaewjaras, says the first announcement states the list of types or name of public places, work places and vehicles. The list…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Monday

    Thaiger Radio News – Monday

    Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…  

  • Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

    Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

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  • Narcotics Control Committee seek advise over legalisation of medical cannabis

    Narcotics Control Committee seek advise over legalisation of medical cannabis

    The rather drawn out and tortuous trek of the process to legalise medical marijuana through the Thai parliamentary system has hit a bit of a hurdle. The Narcotics Control Committee will seek further input before deciding whether to reclassify marijuana, which is now a prohibited narcotic, to enable its use for medical purposes. “We have resolved to consult the Council…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Saturday

    Thaiger Radio News – Saturday

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  • Thai Air Asia posts losses in Q3 citing huge drop in Chinese tourists

    Thai Air Asia posts losses in Q3 citing huge drop in Chinese tourists

    A drop in Chinese tourism, along with higher fuel prices, is being blamed for a loss in the third quarter for Thai Air Asia. Asia Aviation Plc, the operators of the budget carrier, has reported a net loss of 358 million baht for Q3 (third quarter 2018). This compares with a profit of 260 million baht for the same low-season…

  • E-cigarettes and vaping to be legalised in Thailand

    E-cigarettes and vaping to be legalised in Thailand

    Even more changes afoot for smokers in the ever-changing landscape of Thai smoking laws. Earlier this week laws were passed forbidding smoking in most public areas, including outside public buildings, restaurants and bars. That report HERE. Now Sanook reports that there are major changes are on the way regarding the use of electronic cigarettes (vaping) in Thailand. The excise department…

  • The 2019 election clock is revealed

    The 2019 election clock is revealed

    The countdown is now ticking as the pieces click together for next year’s election – the first since the Thai army took control in a peaceful coup in May 2014, ousting the elected Yingluck Shinawatra government. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngarm has presented the clearest political timeline yet that will lead to a general election on February 24, 2019, the appointment…

  • Frenchman and Thai girlfriend convicted over gruesome murder of Italian expat

    Frenchman and Thai girlfriend convicted over gruesome murder of Italian expat

    A Thai court has sentenced a French man and his Thai girlfriend to 29 years in jail for the brutal murder of an Italian expat in rural Thailand. Thaivisa is reporting that 34 year old Amaury Rigaux and 38 year old Rujira Eiumlamai admitted murdering 61 year old Giuseppe de Stefani in January this year. Read the original report about…

  • 7-Eleven stores to reduce the use of plastic bags

    7-Eleven stores to reduce the use of plastic bags

    If you ever want to see Thailand’s one-use plastic problem in stark view, head on down to any convenience store and see how much plastic marches out the door with each customer. But that might be about to change… Thai PBS reports that CP All Public Company, the sole operator of 7-Eleven convenience stores in Thailand has announced its declaration…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Thursday

    Thaiger Radio News – Thursday

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  • Thailand’s Seniors are world’s most active Airbnb hosts and guests

    Thailand’s Seniors are world’s most active Airbnb hosts and guests

    Seniors (hosts and guests aged 60 and older) have been a growing and integral part of the Airbnb community for many years – they are growing fast, earning important extra income, and continue to be the most-loved of any age group. They are fast growing, are booking on Airbnb in increasing numbers, and leading a new trend of multi-generation family…

  • ‘Maldives’ style resort in Chanthaburi closed down after raid

    ‘Maldives’ style resort in Chanthaburi closed down after raid

    Officials have raided and shut down a popular island resort that was advertised as “the Maldives of Chanthaburi”, saying it encroached on the sea. Chanthaburi is south east of Pattaya, about an hours drive from the Cambodian border. Pongpat Wongtrakul, the Provincial deputy governor, led marines of the Chanthaburi and Trat Protection Taskforce, marine park officials and harbour officials in…

  • Chumphon man admits to repeatedly raping daughter

    Chumphon man admits to repeatedly raping daughter

    Police in Chumphon report that a 43 year old man has confessed to repeatedly raping his daughter from the time she was attending Mathayom 1, the first grade in Thai secondary school – approximately 12-13 years old. The man’s name has been withheld to protect the identity of the rape victim, who is now a 20 year old vocational-college student,…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday

    Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday

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  • I am not racist – Surachete Hakparn

    I am not racist – Surachete Hakparn

    by Kornkamon Aksorndech The acting Immigration Police chief Pol Maj-General Surachate Hakparn, who recently was promoted to the job because of his relentless crackdowns on foreigners, is vowing to continue with his mission of removing overstaying or illegal foreigners. But netizens are raising questions of racism, as a large proportion of the foreigners nabbed in recent months were of African…

  • Taxi operators want new rates to apply to all taxis

    Taxi operators want new rates to apply to all taxis

    Taxi companies are urging Thailand’s Department of Land Transport (DLT) to apply a new taxi fare to all taxis, not just members of the TAXI OK program. According to DLT Deputy Director General, Kamol Buranapong , a meeting was recently held between the DLT and taxi companies which are facing rising operating costs. The DLT proposed that either a 3 baht…

  • Facebook adds income stream for Thai gamers

    Facebook adds income stream for Thai gamers

    Geek alert. Facebook is going to allow gamers in Thailand to earn income off their ‘livestreams’. Facebook currently has 51 million users in Thailand, the Kingdom’s favourite social media platform At the Thailand Game Show this year, the social media giant said it will allow viewers to send “stars” to the gamers as the livestream progresses. Each star is worth 0.99 baht…

  • Public hearings planned for bill to legalise transgender cohabitation

    Public hearings planned for bill to legalise transgender cohabitation

    PHOTO: Coconuts BKK Public hearings are to be held in the capital and other provinces on November 12-16 to gauge opinions from stakeholders about the ‘partnership bill’. The Bill would, for the first time in Thailand, legalise the cohabitation of transgenders. In Bangkok the hearing will be held at the Miracle Hotel while in the provinces, hearings are to be…

  • BKK Conference tackles rising road toll

    BKK Conference tackles rising road toll

    by Pratch Rujivanrom Country can learn from Vietnam on promoting safety, say who experts Leading international road safety experts are urging Thai authorities to follow Vietnam’s example by setting up a central agency to directly mitigate the country’s severe accidents problem as well as create a digital traffic database to enhance traffic-law enforcement. Some of the world’s top experts and…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Monday

    Thaiger Radio News – Monday

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  • UPDATE: Man dies during Thai massage

    UPDATE: Man dies during Thai massage

    Relevant authorities are investigating a massage parlour where a client died during a massage. The Health Establishment Bureau director Dr Pattarapon Jungsomjatepaisal said they are checking the business. “We will check if it is operating with a proper licence and if its masseur or masseuse is certified.” He noted that the victim’s wife has not filed a complaint with police…

  • Rap song, a reflection of Thai society – Survey

    Rap song, a reflection of Thai society – Survey

    More than 51 percent of respondents in the latest Nida Poll said the song “Prathet Goo Me” (My Country Has These…) simply reflected some truths in Thai politics and society, according to results of the survey released yesterday. The song has been viewed more than 28 million times. Most people say that a controversial rap song, criticising Thailand, as a…

  • 7/11 to add laundry and dry-cleaning

    7/11 to add laundry and dry-cleaning

    PHOTO: Spring News 7/11 are rolling out another new service in Bangkok from this week. You’ll be able to get a raspberry slurpie, hot toastie and drop off your laundry and dry cleaning at the same time. The 24 hour service is expected to expand to the rest of the country’s 7/11 stores in the middle of 2019. Netizens have…

  • Customer dies during Thai massage

    Customer dies during Thai massage

    Questions are being posed on social media, “how safe is a Thai massage?” Thai media is sharing the story after a video was posted of a Thai man who died while having a massage. “Ton”, the younger brother of the victim, explained what happened to Sanook. Ton says that his brother had been playing football with friends and suffered a twisted…

  • Thailand drops in English proficiency levels

    Thailand drops in English proficiency levels

    English proficiency in Thailand is getting worse. The latest EF English Proficiency Index ranks Thailand in 64th place out of 88 countries, with an overall ranking of ‘low proficiency’. In 2017, Thailand ranked in 53rd place out of 80 countries and in 2011 Thailand was #42. The rating has been seesawing over the past six years but the trend has been…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

    Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

    Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…  

  • Rap raising debate in the lead up to February election

    Rap raising debate in the lead up to February election

    “As artists, we want to reflect the truth of the society we are living in under dictatorship,” a RAD member identified only as Hockhacker told The Nation Weekend. “Thailand seems to be caught in a loop of dictatorship. We want to voice what the majority cannot say directly. The lyrics were based on information we collected on social media, reflecting…

  • Australia joins UK and USA with withdrawal of income verification

    Australia joins UK and USA with withdrawal of income verification

    The Australian Embassy in Thailand has declared that from January 7, 2019 it will NOT witness Statutory Declarations for proof on income for Thai Visa extensions. Here’s the official announcement…