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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Sponsored 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...
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The cheapest places in the world to live – Is Thailand on the list?
PHOTO: Sam Kittner Compared to what you’re paying in the west, in some countries you can have a palatial house, a maid, personal chef, good health care and a driver for the same cost of a struggling life in your home country. Thailand has long been seen as a retirement haven with its low cost of living, great food and…
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Trawler captains face fines after catching whale shark
By Pratch Rudijanarom and Salinee Prab The captains of two trawlers accused of having fished an endangered pregnant whale shark off the coast of Phuket potentially face a heavy fine of up to 3 million baht and confiscation of their vessels, according to authorities. Fisheries Department and Marine and Coastal Resources Department yesterday promised to take swift action against the…
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Maya Bay – let the healing begin
By Piyaporn Wongruang – The Sunday Nation It was around 10 in the morning. There was peace and tranquility at Maya Bay and its beach with just a few speedboats docking in front of the bay. The crystal clear deep blue turquoise sea water filled the vision of Plianprasop Khaonual, a long-time park ranger and among the first who explored…
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Emerald Development Group addresses accusations of fraud and mismanagement
CEO of the Emerald Development Group Sawit ‘Mai’ Ketroj held a press conference yesterday (Saturday) at the Dara Hotel to address accusations of fraud and mismanagement. In reports to the Court the amounts involved in the alleged fraud case mount up to more than a billion baht with more than 300 buyers filing complaints with the Emerald Development Group. He opened…
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4-month breathing space – DNP officially closes down Maya Bay
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has officially announced that Maya Bay in Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park will not allow visitors during a much-needed four-month rejuvenation period from June 1 to September 30 this year. The DNP announced at a press conference held on May 15 that access to Maya Bay will…
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April tourist arrivals in Thailand up nearly 10%
Thailand’s tourism racks up 13,701,411 visitors arriving in the first four months of 2018 – a 14% increase, year on year. For the same four months last year the passenger arrivals increased 3.35%. In April alone arrivals were 3,092,725. This is up 9.38% year on year according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Permanent Secretary, Pongpanu Svetarundra. The top ten…
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73% of Thais are buying online – Experian
Three quarters of Thai consumers are making online purchases, with Beauty and Fashion, and Electronics being the top categories. However, as consumers continue to look towards convenience, fraud exposure will likely increase – these are the findings of the Digital Consumer Insights 2018 by the world’s leading information services company Experian, co-authored with leading ICT market research and advisory firm…
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Suspect arrested with over 100,000 meth pills after road accident in Krabi
Krabi Police have arrested 36 year old Supat ‘Bao’ Pueaksom. Police seized 115,150 methamphetamine pills along with a handgun and 10 bullets. The arrest came after Tuesday (May 5) when Plai Phraya Police in Krabi were notified of that a car collided with a kilometre marker on the side of the Route 44 Southern Seaboard road in Krabi. The car…
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EU maintains yellow card over Thai fishing
Continuing systemic flaws in the protection of the rights of workers and sustainable fishing policies has kept Thailand on the European Union’s “yellow flag” watch list for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A source at the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry revealed that the EU has decided to maintain Thaialnd’s yellow flag for on IUU fishing. Activists from the Civil…
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Army denies orders to shoot down drones in South
The fourth Army Region is denying there is a standing order for aerial drones to be shot down in the southern border provinces but it pointed out there were rules governing drone flights. Colonel Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the forward command at Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, said drones could not be flown in aviation zones or near military…
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The Andaman’s first artificial seaweed installation in Khao Lak
An installation of ‘artificial seaweed’ took place at Bang Neang Beach in Takua Pa, led by Phang Nga Vice Governor Pakpoom Intarasuwan yesterday (May 16). There were 25 volunteer conservationists across different occupations such as teachers, doctors, soldiers, police, local politicians and foreigners joining in the installation which is happening over four days. Diving instructor Songwut Kwongming, who is the…
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Five ‘Monkey Islands’ to be established
Five uninhabited small islands off Phuket have been chosen as possible monkey colonies. Public hearings for the plan to release wild monkeys from various provinces that are overcrowded with monkeys to these small islands will be held later this month. “Surveys show there are five islands off Phuket that should be able to serve as monkey colonies. These islands have…
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Companies like AirBnB ‘illegal’ for daily and weekly rentals in Thailand
PHOTO: Wan Vayla Condos in Khao Tao A court ruling handed down in Hua Hin effectively confirms that people who rent out their rooms via companies like AirBnB on a daily and weekly basis are acting illegally. A letter has been sent to the Wan Vayla condos in Khao Tao from the local authorities outlining the court’s decision in two…
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Access to Maya Bay, from the front, permanently closed
The closure of Maya Bay has come about after profound changes by chiefs of Thailand’s marine national parks. It’s been revealed that, far from being a knee-jerk reaction, the plan to close the famous tourist magnet is just the start of an entire new approach to marine conservation. The closure is seen as an entry point for new tourism management…
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COMMENT: What does it take to change driving habits?
Yesterday we had to report the sad news of 12 year old Chinnarat Kajatroka who fell off the motorbike he was driving whilst his 12 year old passenger had to watch in horror as his friend’s head was crushed by a tour bus which was following behind. On his own admission the two were travelling very fast, apparently racing another…
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No more beatings, and turn off your cameras – Royal Thai Army
In a tacit admission of the extent of the mistreatment and systemic hazing of Royal Thai Army recruits, the Army has instructed its conscript trainers to mete out punishment strictly in accordance to regulation and to prohibit photos and videos during training. But the recommendation to ‘prohibit photos and videos during training’ suggests that, rather than being open and accountable in the…
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Three houses flattened in Nakhon Ratchasima by storms
A total of 209 houses in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang Yang district have been damaged by thunderstorms. Surveying the scene yesterday, authorities found 209 houses in seven villages in Tambon None Udom were damaged. Three houses in Ban None Sa-ard village and Ban Muang Chak village were completely flattened by the storms, said Siwasek Sinthorum, assistant district chief of the district.…
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Some psychiatric medications, plus too much water, can be deadly in summer heat
Health officials are warning people taking medication for psychiatric problems, particularly schizophrenia, to limit their water intake in the summer heat. Mental Health experts are advising that the thirst resulting as a side effect of commonly prescribed medications could prompt people to drink too much water and leave them at risk of contracting potentially deadly hyponatremia. There are 2.6 million…
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Will Thailand pass the Life Partnership Bill?
PHOTO: World Nomads As Thai legislators mull the passing of a Life Partnership Bill, allowing LGBT people to not-quite-get-married but have a legally-binding civil partnership, the attitudes of what Thai people really think about the issue remains unclear. Like much Thai-thinking, the issue has nuances that non-Thais would find difficult to fathom. Unlike other countries there hasn’t been a lot of…
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Worries arise over full dams, even before start of rainy season
Despite the Royal Ploughing Day, all the water-throwing at Songkran and the annual rocket festival – all trying to encourage water from the skies for the forthcoming wet season – we still have to hope mother nature plays along and delivers the rain needed for the nation’s agricultural areas. But, rolling into wet season this year, most of the main…
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Speaker-equipped drone repels wild elephants
Phetchaburi Rajabhat University academics have used, on a trial basis, a drone equipped with speakers blaring a recording of bee sounds to drive away wild elephants from the La Au forest in Hua Hin district, Kaeng Krachan National Park official Mana Phermpoon said on Sunday. The test at the Phu Sai-Sai En area and some farmland around Anant School in…
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Descendants gather for Siamese Twins Chang & Eng Bunker’s 207th birthday
By Phatarawadee Phataranawik PHOTOS: Chalinee Thirasupa If “Siamese twins” Chang and Eng Bunker, Thailand’s most famous twin entertainers, were alive today, they would no doubt be impressed to see their descendants making their first official visit to the Kingdom to celebrate their 207th birthday on Friday in Samut Songkhram province, the birthplace of the twins. “This [birthday celebration] is so…
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Alleged cop killer gunned down in Kalisan
Police chased down and then shot dead a drug suspect in Kalasin province yesterday just hours after a “shoot to kill” order was given following the recovery of the body of a police officer allegedly killed by the suspect. Police say drug suspect, Saurian Lekphet, was shot and killed at 1.30am on Ban Promlee Road in Moo 12 village in…
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Six arrested in child-porn crackdown
Six suspects have been arrested in nationwide crackdowns on child pornography websites. Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpal says five suspects from three networks carrying online child pornography have been arrested under warrants and their accounts led to an arrest of another suspect. He said the suspects were arrested in Samut Prakan, Surat Thani and Ubon Ratchathani. Surachet said police learned…
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Chang and Eng’s descendants arrive for birthday celebrations
by Phatarawadee Phataranawik Chang and Eng Bunker (May 11, 1811 – January 17, 1874) were Thai-American conjoined twin brothers whose condition and birthplace became the basis for the term “Siamese twins”. Dozens of descendants of Chang and Eng Bunker yesterday arrived in the hometown of the famous Siamese conjoined twins to celebrate the anniversary of their birth today in Samut…
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Kanchanaburi man arrested in 25 million baht crayfish scam
Beautiful crayfish. Imported fresh. Pay now, delivered soon. Sounds good, but it was all a scam. A 25 million baht scam. A Kanchanaburi man has been arrested for disguising himself as a Singaporean to deceive people into handing over some 25 million baht in exchange for beautiful crayfish that never arrived. Pol Colonel Thongchai Yuket, commander of the Crime Suppression…
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ASEAN addresses ‘fake news’
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has acknowledged that “fake news” is one of the new challenges its member-countries must grapple with now that digital media are citizens’ primary sources of information. False and misleading news was among the chief topics at the 14th meeting of the Asean Ministers Responsible for Information today (Thursday). The ministers issued a Declaration…
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Recharge Your Batteries at Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin
Holiday Inn Vana Nava Hua Hin, Asia’s first integrated Holiday Inn hotel and water park, has demonstrated its commitment to innovation and sustainability by installing Hua Hin’s first electric car charging station. Launched in partnership with leading renewable energy company Energy Mahanakhon, the new ‘EA Anywhere’ charging station is a state-of-the-art facility that meets IEC international standards and can support…
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Rain expected in many provinces in Thailand up to the weekend
PHOTO: Colin Gallagher All regions in Thailand are expecting increased rainfall from now until the weekend while officials in many provinces are mopping up the damage left behind by recent storms. TMD has issued weather warnings for thunderstorms and heavy rain up to May 13 as a high-pressure trough from China extends across the upper part of Thailand while southeasterly…
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Stunning Malaysian election result ousts Barisan Nasional
FILE PHOTO Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition has crossed the minimum threshold of 112 seats needed to form government in Malaysia. The Election Commission continue to count a few remaining votes this morning but have confirmed the win of the Pakatan Harapan party and coalition members. The result brings to an end the rule of Barisan Nasional (BN) and…
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