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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Keeping track of foreigners in Thailand – new e-passport data to be used
The Immigration Bureau and the Interior Ministry have been instructed to speed up the implementation of a single-platform online database of foreigners entering and leaving the Kingdom. The order was given by Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan when he chaired the meeting of the fifth government committee in charge of bureaucratic reforms at Government House. “The single platform database would…
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Yingluck lobbying for a chat with Japanese PM
National Legislative Assembly whip Somchai Sawangkarn has revealed that a diplomatic source in Japan told him Yingluck Shinawatra has been trying to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The source also told Somchai that the fugitive former premier was also seeking to meet old business and political connections in Japan and planned to call a press conference in late February…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 14
Another Chinese tour bus crash on the notorious Patong Hill | Pollution levels starting to fall in BKK | UN Refugee Chief speaks out about repatriation of Rohingya | Thai Education Minister apologises to Prawit | British government questions Thailand over prison conditions | Three white tiger cubs get their first public outing | And where do all the Valentine’s…
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Going Gold – Thai/US Cobra Gold military exercises kick off
FILE PHOTO: Cobra Gold The biggest U.S. force in years has joined thel military exercise in Thailand on Tuesday despite controversy over the Thai junta’s invitation to neighboring Myanmar’s army – the Tatmadaw army has been accused of ethnic cleansing in the Rhakine state of Myanmar. The US scaled back attendance at Cobra Gold, Asia’s largest multilateral military exercise, after…
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Thaksin and Yingluck in Japan – Deputy PM
Deputy PM, Defence Minister and luxury watch enthusiast, General Prawit Wongsuwan, says that former PMs Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra are currently in Japan. Without further elaboration, Prawit added that he has ordered responsible agencies to look into the matter. He was speaking in Vientianne during his official visit to the country at the invitation of Lao government. Photos of Thaksin…
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Education Minister asked to answer for his comments over the Prawit ‘watch’ scandal
A close aide of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has expressed shock over a remark by Education Minister Teerakiat Jareonsettasin that apparently attacks his boss. The aide, who asked not to be named, was referring to a remark by Teerakiat that apparently criticised the country’s response to the Prawit watch scandal. Teerakiat said he would step…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 13
American hands himself into police over Pattaya ‘manslaughter’ | Phuket market bans smoking | UK’s Foreign Secretary visits Thailand | Road death statistics continue to rise | Coal plant protestors go on hunger strike | Greenpeace says stop BKK smog at the source.
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Anti-coal protestors start hunger strike
A hunger strike was started today by two groups of protestors who say they will not eat until the government permanently cancels the coal-fired power plants in the South. A total 19 activists from Save Andaman from Coal and the Network of Songkhla-Pattani Residents Against Coal-Fired Power Plants kicked off their hunger strike in front of the United Nation headquarters…
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Seeding the skies over Bangkok to ‘make’ rain to help with smog
The Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department is preparing to seed clouds above Bangkok in an attempt to ease the capital’s smog problems. Haze has spread over the capital over the past few days, causing a health hazard for vulnerable people, and leading Agriculture and Cooperatives minister Grisada Boonrach to order that rainmaking operations be carried out. Two of the…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, February 12
‘Kra Canal’ project “not a priority” | Officals jump into action over black sludge washing into Ao Nang and Patong beaches | Student intern uncover 6.9 million baht alleged embezzlement | Student protests ‘must be handled carefully’ | Boris Johnson visits Myanmar | Cloud seeding being used to help settle last week’s BKK smog.
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Southern power plant demonstrators vow to continue their protest in Bangkok
Opponents of coal-fired power plants have vowed to fight on after the Metropolitan Police designated a protest ban within a 50 metre radius of Government House, forcing the demonstrators to end their prolonged protest in front of the premises. Coal-fired power plant opposition groups yesterday insisted on their rights to stage peaceful protests and said they would appeal to the…
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The man who uncovered the watch scandal
The wristwatch scandal undermining the government can be credited to one man who wrote posts on his “investigative” website about all the 25 luxury watches allegedly worn by Deputy Premier and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan in recent years. The online portal CSI LA provided convincing information that led to public uproar, including photos of Prawit wearing the watches alongside details of…
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Two Shinawatra former PMs spotted shopping in China
Photo from Instagram @ingshin Fugitive ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra was seen in a photo with her brother Thaksin, also a fugitive ex-PM, buying chestnuts in Beijing, China. The photo was published on Matichon Online website on Saturday afternoon. The two siblings were buying chestnuts in a mall in Beijing as part of Chinese New Year celebrations on February 16, Matichon…
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The new Airbus 350-1000 on tour in Thailand
The new Airbus A350-1000 has landed in Bangkok for the first time for a demonstration flight and a ground display. Following its arrival at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, the aircraft took off for a special one-hour flight yesterday afternoon with representatives from the government, airlines, aviation authorities and members of the press on board. The jet’s visit to Bangkok is part…
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Thung Yai sanctuary chief files bribery complaint against Premchai
Chief Forest Ranger Wichian Chinwong has filed a bribery complaint against the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD), Premchai Karnasuta, who is accused along with three companions of poaching and possessing wildlife at the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province. The four entered the sanctuary last Saturday before being captured by wildlife rangers on Sunday after they were…
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Lost tusk in pachyderm punch-up
Officials at Khao Yai National Park are standing by with medical gear in case more elephant bulls engage in combat over grazing rights – or over a female, as happened on Wednesday morning. Male elephants Plai Duan and Plai Sa-ard were duelling over a female from 7am Wednesday into the afternoon in the Pong Thung Kwang area. Plai Duan sustained…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, February 8
Premchai house raids reveal weapons and ivory / infamous Tiger Temple to re-open / Krabi Governor says Phi Phi completely unprepared for fires / National police chief orders changes following shooting of on-duty policeman / UN will sit next week to discuss Roningya crisis.
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A raid at alleged poacher Premchai’s house in BKK nets weapons, ivory
Police have uncovered a cache of weapons as well as four pairs of ivory tusks as they searched a residence belonging to Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta yesterday as part of their investigation into the tycoon’s alleged poaching in a wildlife sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province. The search was conducted simultaneously in six locations, including in the capital at a residential compound…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, February 7
Big fire on Phi Phi injures nine / 111 year old ‘fit and well’ in Krabi / head of Ital-Thai arrested for poaching / 11 year old girl dies after running race at school / Two youth arrested over murder at correctional facility / Police nab Hells Angel Damon Wait.
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Two charged with murder over Surat Thani Detention Centre murder
The case of a 17-year-old juvenile found strangled to death in a Surat Thani juvenile detention centre today (Tuesday) stemmed from a pre-existing dispute between two rivals, according to Sahakan Phetnarin, director general of the Juvenile Observation and Protection Department. The two teenage rivals, whose names have been withheld due to their age, have already been charged with the juvenile’s…
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Taxi OK project in Krabi
Following its implementation in Bangkok last month, ‘Taxi’ OK’ is now coming closer to Phuket. The latest taxi ‘Taxi OK’ campaign has been launched in Krabi, aiming to ensure that no passenger would be rejected no matter where they request to travel to, amongst other new improvements to taxi services. Krabi Land Transport Office Chief, Laddawan Chinnasatian, said today (January…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, February 6
Chinese year brings 18% rise in tourists year-on-year | A new ban from the ‘fun police’ | Tokyo Stock Market opens down 4% today | Smog a problem for Central and Northern Thailand | Woman survives awful crash in north-east | Van and pick-up crash in Krabi kills one, injures 10.
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Facebook page reveals soldiers were ordered to distort online poll
The Junta could have shot itself in the foot after an online information operation targeting websites and social media has been revealed. Analysts say “this casts the Government’s credibility in a bad light, which could eventually lead the public to lose trust in the military government”. The military has been thoroughly embarrassed in its attempt to distort a poll held…
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Property boom – firms acquire land worth nearly 100 billion baht
Twelve listed property firms have announced investment budgets worth between 98.04 and 99.04 billion baht to acquire land to develop residential projects worth between 385.15 billion and 385.64 billion baht during 2018, according to a survey by The Nation. Over half of the investment budget from the firms will come from their initial cash while others will issue debentures worth…
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Saucy coffee shop PR stunt backfires
Police are considering pressing charges against the owner of a coffee shop in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district, who posted a video clip and photos of two models wearing not much more than a barista apron and underwear while serving coffee to customers. The photos and video clip, meant as an advertisement to attract more visitors to the coffee shop, have…
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Coal power plants shelved for at least three years
The Thai Ministry of Energy has decided to put on hold two coal-fired power plant projects in Krabi and Thepa district of Songkhla for three years pending additional environmental and health impacts assessments and environmental impact studies. Energy Minister Siri Chirapongphan says the ministry would inform the cabinet its decision to put off the two controversial projects and, at the…
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Students satirise Thai politics in annual pre-game parade
Chulalongkorn and Thammasat University students took the opportunity at the traditional football match between the country’s two oldest universities this afternoon (Saturday) to mock prominent political figures. The students used the pre-game parade to satirise the luxury watch scandal involving Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. They also targetted what they saw as double standards in the judicial system and the…
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January’s national road carnage up 65% – year on year
With the Christmas/New Year road madness out of the way it’s now time to assess the road toll numbers for the first month of the year. After all the publicity leading up to the Christmas/New Year period the numbers are sure to drop. Right? No. In January 2017, 947 died on Thailand’s roads. For January 2018 the number jumped to…
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Woman escapes an alleged sexual assault in a BKK mall
A woman escaped an alleged sexual assault by a Bangkok mall security guard on Thursday morning thanks to the timely aid by passers-by, according a Thai user of Facebook, who shared a video clip of the incident and told the story as a precautionary tale. A Facebook user named “Atom Kamolphu” warned that women should beware going alone to public-access…
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Southern police uninjured as Narathiwat bomb detonates
By Narong Nuansakul Police patrolling an area in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district to safeguard teachers narrowly escaped injury on Thursday morning when a roadside bomb exploded near them. Only the wooden planks of a kerbside stall, which absorbed the force of the blast, prevented serious harm. Ethnic Malay insurgents are suspected of detonating the bomb at 8am on Highway 4084…
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