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.
-
Sponsored Enjoy sunset cocktails at the iconic AIR BAR in Koh Samui
AIR BAR is one of the InterContinental Koh Samui Resort's crown jewels, a must-visit spot that perfectly captures the island's beauty. In addition to its stunning vistas, AIR BAR offers an impressive selection of craft cocktails, premium spirits, and refreshing...
-
Paralyzed Canadian hockey player moves legs after experimental Thai surgery
A Canadian hockey player paralyzed in a tragic bus crash has begun moving his legs after receiving experimental spinal surgery in Thailand. Ryan Straschnitzki was one of 13 injured when a truck ran a stop sign and collided with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team’s bus in Saskatchewan in 2018. Sixteen others died in the incident. Straschnitzki was paralyzed from…
-
No more plastic bags at some 7 Eleven stores starting Monday
137 branches of 7 Eleven across Thailand will stop providing plastic bags from Monday as part of a trial before a nationwide ban comes into force in at the start of 2020. The Nation reports that the step is being taken in support of a government policy to reducing the use of single-use plastic. 137 branches out of 10,300 stores in…
-
Chinese medical tourism on the rise in Thailand
FILE PHOTO Despite Thailand’s current sluggish tourism intake, along with a strong baht, Chinese medical tourism continues to grow. From rhinoplasty to liposuction, eye-surgery to heart bypasses, Thailand’s reputation for affordable and reputable cosmetic surgery, and specialty clinics, draws tourists from all over the world. As of 2019, with 64 accredited hospitals, Thailand is currently among the top 10 medical…
-
Thai exports down 4.5% in October, 2.35% for the year
PHOTO: Commerce Ministry Thai exports have crashed 4.5% for October 2019, compared with the same month last year. The total contraction in first 10 months of this year has now averaged 2.35%, and things don’t look like improving any time soon, according to the Commerce Ministry, as reported in the Bangkok Post. The director-general of the ministry’s Trade Policy and…
-
Spaniard will now apply for pardon after murder conviction upheld by Supreme Court
PHOTO: EPA/Narong Sangnak A Spanish man found guilty of the 2016 murder of a fellow citizen in Bangkok has failed in his bid to have his conviction overturned. The Nation reported that Artur Segarra Princep will now apply for a royal pardon after the Supreme Court upheld the conviction on Wednesday. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the death sentence…
-
Future Forward Party will replace Thanathorn within a week
PHOTO: prachatai.com A new face will soon be seen in Thailand’s parliament, following the Constitutional Court’s ruling against Future Forward Party’s maverick leader Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit, disqualifying him as an MP. Thanathorn was disqualified after being accused of holding shares in a media company at the time of his application to run as a candidate in the general election last March.…
-
Drop your excise tax on jet fuel, or we’ll pull out – Airlines
The Thai Excise Department is proposing local airlines increase the number of flights to the Kingdom’s second-tier provincial airports in return for a reduction in the excise tax on jet fuel. The Department’s aim is to increase tourism into Thailand’s lesser-known tourist areas and attractions. Nok Air, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile Airways, Thai Airways International, Thai VietJet Air…
-
Thanathorn disqualified as Member of Parliament – Thai Constitutional Court
Leader of the Future Forward Party, 41 year old Thanathorn Jungroongruangkit, has been disqualified as a Member of Parliament following the handing down of a guilty verdict by the Thai Constitutional Court today. The Court’s findings say Thanathorn was still holding shares in a media company when he registered to run in the March 24 national election. Thanathorn presented evidence…
-
No Chim-Shop-Chai deadline for over 60s
The third phase of the government’s “Chim-Shop-Chai” (Eat-Shop-Spend) program has a special quota of 500,000 reserved for the Thai elderly, in addition to the already fully subscribed 1.5 million. A spokesman says the Finance Ministry has not set a time frame for elderly people to subscribe so they won’t feel pressured to meet a deadline. More than 90,000 seniors subscribed…
-
Deputy Thai PM: “Don’t mention the economy”
“If we keep talking about it, it’ll make good things look bad, and this will have wide repercussions.” Thailand’s Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak is urging the public not to discuss Thai economic problems too much, saying it could affect investor confidence. Somkid says he’ll explain the economic slowdown if the opposition raises it at the censure debate against the government, which…
-
Two-timing husband returns with winning lottery ticket. Everyone’s happy…hmmmm
PHOTO: Daily News Couple win lottery. Man flees with the winning ticket. Wife files report with police. Now the couple are back together again and smiling for the media. The original story HERE. After Saturday’s lottery draw 34 year old Wijak and his 23 year old wife Pornthida ended up with a 6 million baht prize. But an argument ensued…
-
“He comes in peace”, Thai bishop says pope’s visit will build bridges
Pope Francis will begin a three-day trip to Thailand tomorrow, with the deputy secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand declaring the visit a pilgrimage of peace. Thai PBS World reports that Monseigneur Wissanu Thanya-anan says the visit is not just for Thai Catholics but for people of all religions. “Pope Francis is a bridge-builder, a prophet who is…
-
Thai government might buy private pot – Health Minister
After years of speculation, some members of the coalition Thai government are pushing efforts to allow Thais to grow up to six cannabis plants for sale to the government for medical marijuana. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he is pushing for the Government to change laws to allow the medical use of marijuana freely. “We have confidence that marijuana will be…
-
Wedding bus burns, passengers unharmed in Chai Nat
A chartered bus from a wedding was gutted by fire on Sunday in central Chai Nat Province. All 46 bus passengers escaped unharmed, according to police. The bus caught fire on the highway in Chai Nat, forcing all the passengers and the driver to urgently evacuate. One passenger told Thai media the bus had taken the groom and guests to the…
-
Thai Airways says it won’t get into a price-war with other airlines
PHOTO: YouTube National carrier Thai Airways says it won’t head down the ‘price-cutting’ route to be competitive in 2020. The struggling airline says, instead, they will focus on building a solid customer base and tap specific route segments. Airline president Sumeth Damrongchaitham says the carrier will continue to recruit stronger marketing partners and estimated that the aviation industry would continue…
-
Thailand and the US sign new defence treaty
PHOTO: Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper with the newly-signed defence alliance treaty yesterday in Bangkok – The Nation The US-Thailand Joint Vision Statement 2020 advances the 2018 US National Defence Strategy and Thailand’s 20 Year National Strategy objectives “by reaffirming our shared commitment to the long-standing defence alliance.” This statement was issued by the…
-
Sexually transmitted dengue case reported in Spain
A senior Thai medical official is passing on information that it is possible to contract dengue fever through sexual contact after Spanish authorities reported a 41 year old patient was found to have contracted the disease from his homosexual partner. Deputy governor of the Department of Disease Control says that it was possible for dengue to be contracted through sexual…
-
Deputy PM claims US tech giants eager to invest in Thailand
The Deputy Thai PM and government ‘Finance Tzar’ Somkid Jatusripitak claims that Amazon and an unnamed American digital company are both keen to invest in the Kingdom. Somkid says both organisations have enquired about meeting the relevant ministers and have been advised to hold talks with the Finance Ministry and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society. The Deputy PM…
-
Bank of Thailand scammers arrested
“If it appears too good to be true, it probably is.” Ten individuals are now in custody, after being arrested, accused of scamming investors by claiming to be from the Bank of Thailand and persuading them to invest in a fake foreign currency transfer business. The Nation reports that victims were each invited to invest 1,000 baht in the business…
-
“Does Thailand plan to continue swinging between military coups and civilian rule?” Thanathorn
PHOTO: asia.nikkei.com “It is about time we make some noise and guide our society out of this cycle.” Appearing at the Thai Constitutional Court, in defence of his media shareholding case, Future Forward’s party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit used his written closing statement to ask judges if they were happy for Thailand to continue swinging back and forth between civilian rule…
-
Facebook hackers steal 34 million baht in online scam
PHOTO: INN News “…never set your password with your phone number or personal information that is easy to hack.” Thais Wuttiwat Chuenmanoh and Chawan Kornraknugpai have now been arrested after many victims filed complaints that the pair had been stealing their identities. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Puttaphong Punnagun, and Police Colonel Ek Siriwat from the Technology Crime Suppression…
-
Thai PM will sit down with rebel members of coalition
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is again being forced to sit for chats with leaders of the 20 coalition parties to patch up differences ahead of a no-confidence debate being brought against the fragile government. The no-confidence debate is likely to happen early next month. Given the close numbers between the multi-party government and the opposition, a full quorum for the…
-
Thai Airways’ losses reach 11 billion baht this year
Thai Airways International has announced the turnover of the company and its affiliates for Q3 of 2019, reporting net losses of 4.68 billion baht, a full 27% higher than last year’s result, an additional loss of 994 million baht. In the third quarter of 2019, the company and its affiliates generated revenue of 45.016 billion baht, which is 6.1% or…
-
Police net haul of crystal meth and yaba valued at 360 million baht
PHOTOS: INN News Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division of the Royal Thai police have carried out three separate busts across the country, confiscating over a tonne of crystal methamphetamine and 40,000 yaba pills. They say the haul is valued at 360 million baht. Thai Residents reports that the first arrests took place in Phichit province, central Thailand, where a…
-
Thailand ranks in top five economies for salary increases
PHOTO: iglu A report in Thailand Business News says Thailand is among the top five countries in the world for salary increases. The Annual Salary Trends Report, carried out by ECA (Employment Conditions Abroad) International, looked at salary trends for 60 countries and forecasts a 2020 salary increase of 4.1% for Thailand, up from 3.9% this year. In general, Asian nations…
-
The curious tale of the second-hand BMW – Future Forward MP winds back the clock on events
PHOTO: For sale. One slightly used BMW Series 7 – SiamRath It won’t be the first time a dodgy second-hand car dealer has wound back the clock on a car. But this deal involved a sitting Future Forward MP as well, who is now trying to ‘wind back the clock’ on the series of events. A Swedish businessman has filed…
-
Thailand’s beaches now more expensive than European resorts – report
PHOTO: Ministry of Villas The cost of a holiday in popular Thai beach resorts is now on par with, or even higher than those in Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Egypt – all closer to home for Europeans with lower flight costs and less travel time. Diethelm Travel Group report that the cost of a five-star resort in Koh Samui,…
-
Anti-corruption commission says government officials guilty of taking bribes in power plant agreement
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is accusing the Thai government of accepting bribes from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, the Japanese company awarded the contract to build a power plant in the southern Thai city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. NACC secretary-general, Worawit Sukboon, alleges that four government officials accepted a 20 million baht bribe from the Japanese firm in exchange for…
-
University to allow transgender students to wear female uniforms
Chulalongkorn University has finally agreed to allow transgender students to the wear female uniforms. For Ince Jirapat, a transgender student, it was a dream come true. In November 2018, Jirapat, a student at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Education, was forbidden to wear a female uniform in class and was insulted by a lecturer. Jirapat turned to human rights activists, a…
-
Utopia Music Festival: Dare to Dream!
On November 11, 2019, Utopia Corporation arranged the Utopia Music Festival at their condominiums in Nai Harn Beach, using a theme of superhero. The concept of ‘Dare to Dream’ showcases the outstanding and unique properties under Utopia Corporation. The music festival started with a speech from Utopia CEO Hachi Yin and Vice President Leo Li, who explained their various…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.