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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9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Proposal would allow small hotels to operate as a homestay
The Ministry of Interior’s proposal for relaxing regulations on small homestay hotels has been met with opposition from the Thai Hotels Association. The plan would expand a “homestay” exemption in the Hotel Act for small businesses with no more than 20 guests in no more than four rooms, increasing the maximum size and occupancy to 10 rooms and 30 guests.…
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Truck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand
UPDATE The 50 year old male elephant who was badly injured in a road accident in Chiang Mai yesterday finally made it to the elephant hospital in Lampang province, 20 hours later. At around 9am yesterday, the truck transporting “Pooh Kham” from Mae Chaem to an elephant camp in Mae Wang overturned on the windy roads. At first, Pooh Kham…
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Hike on traffic fines delayed, but ticket prices will be consistant
Writing news in Thailand frequently means announcing something and then the next day announcing the opposite. And true to form, the new major hike in penalty fines for traffic violations announced before the weekend and scheduled to go into effect yesterday… have been retracted. But when they do go into effect, repeat offenders will be further penalised, and a new…
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British tourist hospitalised after accident at the Grand Canyon in northern Thailand
A 21 year old British tourist ended up in hospital after a backflip gone wrong off a giant inflatable at the notoriously dangerous ‘Grand Canyon’ water park in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. The Grand Canyon – somewhat less spectacular than its American counterpart but still beautiful – is located in a once-deserted quarry in the Hang Dong district. The park…
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Thailand’s caretaker PM caught sleeping on the job
Caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was caught sleeping on the job this afternoon. The 77 year old was in Krabi province today overseeing a joint meeting with several water and land use agencies to discuss water management issues when he dozed off. The image quickly went viral on Thai social media and drew a number of cheeky comments. Suthaporn Suriyakarn…
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Constitutional Court may make prime minister decision Thursday
The decision on Prayut Chan-o-cha’s future and the prime ministership may be decided this week as the Constitutional Court scheduled a special meeting on Thursday to discuss it. Last Thursday his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. The court will review this document,…
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Truck carrying elephant overturns in northern Thailand
A rescue mission has been launched for a badly injured elephant after the truck transporting it overturned in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, this morning. The elephant could not get up due to its injuries. At 10.23am today, Thai Elephant Alliance posted a picture of the injured elephant, named ‘Pooh Kham’ on its Facebook page. Thai Elephant Alliance said they…
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Thai minister quits post to fight alleged impropriety charge
Nipon Boonyamanee today quit his position as Deputy Interior Minister to fight an alleged corruption and misconduct case. Nipon is to face trial in the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on a charge of malfeasance, or impropriety, for refusing to pay about 52 million baht to Ponlavit Tech Plus Company for the purchase of two multi-purpose trucks while…
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Thailand provides over 600,000 free cancer treatments in 9 months
Under the universal healthcare ‘Gold Card’ scheme, the government of Thailand provided 603,060 free cancer treatments in nine months. The free cancer treatments were provided by the National Health Security Office between October 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, according to Deputy Spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The number exceeded the government’s expectations by almost double. The government initially predicted that the…
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Corrections Dept. to sue Thai talk show for creating fake news
A female talk show host faces up to a year in prison after insulting the Department of Corrections and spreading fake news about Thai prisons. On August 31, the Thai talk show, Unfold a Secret or Chae (แฉ), invited a female influencer, Leena Jangjanja, to host a discussion about the Forex-3D scam involving a leading Thai actress, Savika “Pinky” Chaiyadej.…
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Bridge over troubled waters for Thailand-bound Russian snowbird tourists
Russian travellers have ritually sought out islands in the tropical sun since the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hellbent on escaping bitterly cold winters, these snowbirds in the lead-up years to the pandemic became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s mass market tourism surge. Now, coming out of the pandemic in the age of a return…
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Cat goes missing in Hat Yai, turns up 1000km away in Bangkok, Thailand
‘Moota’ the stripy cat turned up in Bangkok after going missing more than one month ago, almost 1000 kilometres away near the border of Malaysia in Hat Yai, Songkhla province, southern Thailand. On Wednesday, the Facebook page ‘Traffic on the Si Rat – Outer Ring Road Expressway of Bangkok‘ posted pictures of a beautiful striped cat with a red collar…
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Machine invented to replace monkeys climbing coconut trees
Monkeys climbing coconut trees have been an icon in Thailand for years, but have also drawn the ire of animal rights groups like People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Now the Agriculture Department has invented a machine that can help farmers climb coconut trees themselves, eliminating the need to train and use monkeys to harvest coconuts. PETA released…
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Thai officials warn of fake news and financial schemes on social media
Thai officials are warning the public that several fake news reports, including about financial schemes, are still going viral on social media. The Digital Economy and Society Ministry said today that from August 26 to September 1, it examined 266 social media posts. Of those posts, 141 contained fake news. Even though fake news on Covid-19 has dropped off the…
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Ice Woman: Interview with the world’s first Thai Wim Hof Method instructor
Kam Waritsara, aka ‘Thai Ice Woman,’ is the first Thai-certified Wim Hof Method (WHM) instructor in the world. Once Kam tried and tested the WHM, it became such an important part of her life that she vowed to make the technique accessible to Thai people. The WHM – discovered by Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof – comprises three pillars: breathwork,…
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UPDATE: Governor rushing to feed over 800 Phuket flood victims
UPDATE Phuket Governor Narong is rushing to get food to over 800 victims of the island province’s recent floods. A total of 871 people, making up 372 households, have been affected by heavy floods that hit Phuket on Friday. Narong yesterday led officials in handing out 1,800 meals to people at Wat Nai Yang temple in the Thalang district. This…
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Maid abuse case shines light on layers of corruption
On the surface, the policewoman who beat her maid is appalling enough, but as details unfold, they uncover multi-layered rotten corruption laying bare countless cases of abuse of power all the way to the top and connected to the acting prime minister. Not only did the maid endure the abuse in exchange for a pass into the Royal Thai Army,…
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Trying the Wim Hof Method Workshop in Bangkok
Thailand is one of the most popular countries for medical tourism in the world. In fact, Thailand ranks 5th among 195 countries in the global health security index released in 2021. Before the lockdown, about 5 million international travelers entered the kingdom to get medical procedures done. That’s over 600 million USD entering the country from medical tourism alone. And…
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Prayut submits 30-page defence to court to remain PM
In the ongoing battle for Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as prime minister of Thailand, the suspended PM and current Minister of Defence had his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. While the Constitutional Court is still considering whether Prayut can remain as…
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UPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods
UPDATE After floods wreaked havoc in Phuket yesterday, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has today called in the Royal Thai Army for some backup to help the island province’s victims, and pump out flood water. Prayut has ordered army officers to pump out water in the area around the Phuket International Airport. He has also ordered to officers to help victims in…
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LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?
The new 10-year long-term resident visa was launched on Thursday to convert visitors into expats by offering benefits and tax breaks to attract foreigners from around the world. Though, they’ve made clear that they’re looking only for the top-tier wealthy travellers to move to Thailand and take advantage of the LTR visa. The new visa is only offered exclusively to…
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Thai Racing Champions Journey to the Top feat. Sandy Stuvik | Thaiger Podcast Ep.5
https://youtu.be/T_h59UgizSs Sandy Stuvik, one of Thailand’s top auto racers, has a wealth of experience in karts, open-wheel cars up to F2, touring cars, and GT cars, and now he currently drives the Audi R8 for B-quick absolute racing team and is sponsored by big names such as Pizza Company, Thai Airways and many more. In this edition of our…
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How to plan a destination wedding in Phuket 2022 – Step by Step
If you are looking for how to plan a wedding in Phuket, you have come to the perfect place! Going to a foreign land to marry your love can offer you that amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, planning the perfect wedding can sometimes be a daunting task. But don’t worry as we are here to guide you through the steps of…
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Elephant invades home and steals fermented fish in eastern Thailand
An elephant with no respect for the law smashed its way into a home in Prachin Buri province at 4.40am today and helped itself to some fermented fish and other food items before fleeing into the jungle. The owner of the one-storey house, Pranee Saicharoen, says she was woken up by a loud bang in the middle of the night.…
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VIDEO: Phuket Airport and surrounding areas engulfed by floods
Floodwater is being pumped out of Phuket Airport and surrounding areas following heavy rainfall. No flights have been cancelled yet but the airport has requested passengers to arrive three to four hours before their scheduled departure time. “Heavy rain in Phuket province has resulted in flooding at Phuket Airport. Urgent remedial action is being taken in all flooded areas,” said…
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Thai woman forced into prostitution in Dubai seeks help for 3 imprisoned friends
A 40 year old Thai woman who claims she escaped forced prostitution in Dubai is pleading for help for her three friends, who are still imprisoned in Dubai, UAE, by a gang of Thai brokers. Ms. A (pseudonym), originally from Sri Saket province in northeast Thailand, says she and three other Thai women were tricked by the brokers. The men…
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Officers face 50 years in jail for soliciting bribes from erotic massage parlour
Four police officers were sentenced to 50 years in prison after they solicited bribes from an erotic massage parlor in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. Officers from the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) raided Nataree Massage after being notified the establishment was using women under the age of 18 that had been trafficked. The raid took place…
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Several bars and nightclubs fail fire safety inspections in Pattaya, Thailand
Authorities ramped up fire safety inspections at entertainment venues in Pattaya following the tragic Mountain B nightclub fire in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district last month. The tragedy claimed the lives of 22 people, 13 on the night of the fire and nine more who died in hospital in the weeks that followed. The tragedy would have been avoided if the…
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Inaugural Vietnam Airlines flight lands in Phuket, Thailand
Yesterday at 11am, Vietnam Airlines’ inaugural flight from Ho Chih Minh City landed at Phuket International Airport with 161 tourists on board. Passengers on flight VN9625 were given a warm welcome from the Director of Phuket Airport Monchai Tanod, and the Deputy Director of Phuket Airport’s Business Support Line Kanyarat Suthipatanakit. With Thailand’s monsoon season in full swing, all passengers…
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VIDEO: Foreign driver causes horror crash in southern Thailand, 2 killed, 1 injured
Thai media reports that a “foreign man” – whose nationality is unknown – has been arrested after he pulled out into oncoming traffic and collided with a motorbike in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, yesterday afternoon. Two teenage girls died from their injuries and another teenage girl is seriously injured. Yesterday at 2.34pm, a “foreign man” driving a Mitsubishi Pajero pulled…
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