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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Couple arrested over Facebook luxury goods scam
A couple has been arrested for allegedly stealing an ID card which they used to set up a fake retail business selling luxury goods through a Facebook page without delivering the goods. The arrest of 34 year old Napat Jun-anporn and 24 year old Suthiwat Mansathit was announced yesterday (Thursday) after they were apprehended at their home in Pathum Thani’s…
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Journalists urge NCPO to revoke orders that curb press freedom
The Thai Journalists Association (TJA) is calling on the ruling NCPO to revoke at least three of their absolute orders which have hindered freedom of the press and people’s liberties for almost four years since it came to power. The TJA demand came as it commemorated World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated worldwide on May 3, to reiterate the…
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French man killed trying to stop a fight in Bangkok
PHOTO: Thai Visa Sanook website is reporting today (May 3) that police were notified that a foreign man had been stabbed to death at a bar in a guesthouse in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok. See story here Sanook Witness at the scene told police that a Thai man named only as ‘Pae’ was drinking alcohol with his girlfriend last evening until…
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Homesick Chaiyaphum worker (and his dog) bikes 500 kilometres
A homesick Chaiyaphum man was spotted cycling home from Sattahip in Chon Buri with his pet dog. In a viral video clip and Facebook post by a reporter in Prachin Buri, 39 year old Kaen Homsanthia, is seen riding his bicycle on the Kabin Buri-Pak Thong Chai road in Prachin Buri, just to the north-east of Bangkok, yesterday (Wednesday) with…
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Six Kalasin state officials sacked over alleged drugs involvement
The governor of Kalasin province, north-east Thailand, Kraisorn Kongchalard, has terminated the employment of six state officials and employees while proceeding with serious disciplinary charges against them involving drugs. A monthly meeting of Kalasin kamnans and village headmen on Wednesday also saw participants undergo urine tests for substance abuse as a proactive measure. Kraisorn instructed all 18 district chiefs and…
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Panwa Boonak crowned 2018 Thailand Optimist National Championship
131 Optimist dinghies competed at the 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta in Pattaya, all vying for top honours in the Thailand Optimist National Championships, and the three-day competition was fierce, with reigning champion Panwa Boonak (THA) looking to hold off strong challenges from fellow Thai juniors and many of the best young sailors from around Asia. Thailand’s premier youth…
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British man dies in fall from Pattaya condo
A British man has fallen to his death from the 18th floor of a Pattaya condominium early today (Wednesday), in what is believed to have been a suicide. Pol Lt Col Kamol Uppakarat was alerted at 1am about the death at a luxury condominium in Tambon Na Klua in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. The body of 68 year old…
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Bryde’s whales thrill tourists off Chumpon coast
People along the shore of Pathiu district in southern Chumphon province have been treated to the sight of a pair of Bryde’s whales today (Tuesday). The whales – commonly referred to as Bruda whales because of the pronunciation of the Norwegian name Bryde – surfaced repeatedly for about an hour near Koh Ran Ped and Koh Ran Kai, about…
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Not this year – PM rejects activists calls for a 2018 election
The Thai PM is playing down rallies by pro-democracy groups planned for this month to press the NCPO to hold the long-delayed election this year. Prayut Chan-o-cha is insisting that the election would have to be held next year following a conclusion by the junta-appointed legislative assembly to delay the implementation of the MP election laws. “I have told the…
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Pattaya tour boat operators continue to use beachfront
Many boats have continued to use the beachfront area to pick up and drop off tourists despite being ordered to resume using Chon Buri’s Southern Pattaya Pier (Laem Balihai) from today (Tuesday). Boat owners had been using the beach temporarily during the restoration of the pier. They claimed they could not switch back to using the pier as they were…
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Lights, camera, MONEY – Thailand’s earnings from foreign film makers
PHOTO: PRLog.org. Behind the scenes, filming The Hangover Part II on Phang Nga Bay. Figures are out from the Department of Tourism showing that revenue from foreign film productions shot in Thailand generated 799 million baht in only first quarter of 2018. The Director-General of the Department of Tourism, Anan Wongbenjara, Department Director General Anan Wongbencharat, says that a total…
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Tenants and landlords. Things change from today.
If you rent property in Thailand there are new guidelines for tenants and landlords that come into effect from today. Mostly good news but there are a few exceptions that you will need to be aware of. The days of the unscrupulous landlord may be partly over. With thanks to Thailandproperty.news and Tilleke & Gibbons, leading south east asian lawyers, here’s a…
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Seven year old Trang Twins marry in a big ceremony
Translated from Thai Tharaporn and Tharapong – seven year olds – are the children of Natthapong and Pilanthana Pankhong who own a big agricultural equipment supply firm in the southern Thai town. The twins were married in a lavish ceremony. Some 1000 guests turned up for the ceremony that is held to satisfy old beliefs that by so doing the…
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Brits behaving badly
British nationals are more likely to be arrested in Thailand than in any other overseas country, official figures reveal. However, it’s in Spain and the USA where the highest number of arrests of British nationals were recorded. According to the most recent stats available, which record the period from 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016, a total of 194…
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Day Three: Top of the Gulf Regatta 2018
PHOTOS: Guy Nowell All the fleet are playing catch-up in their respective series after two days of unseasonal weather in the Gulf of Thailand and race officers on the keelboat and multihull, dinghy and Optimist courses were eager to get going today. Two quick windward/leewards for all in classes 1-6 (keelboats, multihulls) and two quick races for the dinghies (classes…
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Peeling back the red tape – Thailand 4.0
A committee tasked with propelling needed reforms under the Thailand 4.0 policy on Monday heard progress updates from state bodies in a meeting chaired by PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha. A series of measures must be implemented to aid in the nation’s digital transformation including, this August, cancelling state agency requirements for photocopies of the Thai national ID card and household…
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Police look into deaths linked to Lyn-brand weight-loss products
Fresh on the heels of an investigation into Magic Skin beauty products, police are now looking at another well-known brand, Lyn, after its weight-loss products were allegedly found to contain two dangerous substances. Deputy national police chief Pol General Weerachai Songmetta says the products might contain the appetite suppressant Sibutramine and the laxative Bisacodyl. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)…
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20 injured after bus flips over near Surat Thani
A Bangkok – Khanom bus has ran off Highway 41 and crashed into a tree alongside the road injuring about 20 passengers this morning (Monday). (UPDATE: 19 confirmed injured) Thai PBS reports that the bus was heading from Bangkok on the way to Nakhon Si Thammarat with 36 passengers when it ran off the highway in Chaya district of Surat…
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Dutch tourist falls from ladyboy’s condo balcony
PHOTO: Ivy Residence Pinklau, Hipflat.co.th A Dutch tourist has fallen to his death from a condo room of a ladyboy he had just met at a drinking party on Khao San Road, Bangkok early this morning. The tourist has been identified by his driving licence as 21 year old Salmans Rik W F. Police say he fell from the room of 37…
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Huge rally in Chiang Mai protesting judges’ homes on Doi Suthep mountain
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times Around 1,000 people have rallied in Chiang Mai yesterday to protest the homes being built for Thai judges on forested land on Doi Suthep mountain. The protest is one of the largest protests against the government ever staged. Public frustration has been mounting over the project since aerial images started circulating on social media earlier this…
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Half a ton of marijuana seized in Mekong sting
A total of 490 kilograms of dried marijuana worth 15 million baht in street value has been seized by Thai authorities in Bung Kan province in the far north-east of Thailand on the Mekong River, Saturday, but the suspected Laotian smugglers managed to flee. Bung Kan Customs checkpoint head Prasongsak Boonma said the four Laotian smugglers, who were bringing sacks…
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Day 1 of 2018 Top of the Gulf Regatta
PHOTOS: Guy Nowell The blue skies and tropical conditions for which the Top of the Gulf Regatta is known failed to show up on Day 1 as a downpour which started the evening before never let up all day, making it a grey and wet start to the regatta. That, however, didn’t dampen spirits as the Race Officer kept the…
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Chinese man arrested with 57 fake ATM cards in BKK
FILE PHOTO A Chinese man has been arrested for allegedly stealing ATM card identities to make fake ones and steal from bank accounts. Pol Maj-General Surachet Hakpal, the deputy commissioner of the Tourist Police Bureau (and earning a reputation as an International Crime Terminator), said the 27 year old Chinese man, named as Xen Dazui, was arrested while he was…
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Who’s keeping Thailand’s beaches clean?
PHOTO: Daily News Every week there are volunteers heading to the beaches of Phuket to pick up rubbish, mostly washed ashore and landing on the beaches. Some of it has washed out Phuket’s drains and just making its way back to shore. Other rubbish comes from passing boats and fishing fleets. One group, Clean The Beach Bootcamp, organised bi-weekly by…
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Storms hit Bangkok and Central regions
The Big Mango got a battering last night whilst rains are expected sometime on Phuket during Saturday and Sunday, but not the torrential rains that hit Bangkok. Heavy rains and strong winds hit several areas of the capital last night. A bus stop on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, outside the head office of petroleum giant PTT, collapsed as a result of strong…
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Police interview Magic Skin ‘spokespersons’ and ‘influencers’
Four Thai actresses have testified “as witnesses” to police about their role in product review advertisements for the Magic Skin cosmetic and food-supplement brand at the centre of allegations of fraudulent and misleading product labelling and marketing, according to national police deputy chief Pol General Weerachai Songmetta. Pitchanart “May” Sakhakorn, Napapa “Patt” Tantrakul, Orapan “Aoffy Maxim” Dansiriwattanakun, and Nonthaporn “Ying…
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Boat propeller strike suspected death of baby dolphin – Samut Prakan
A rotting carcass of a baby dolphin was found on the seashore near a temple in Samut Prakan’s Muang district, south east of Bangkok, this morning (Friday). Monks living at the Asokaram Temple in Tambon Taiban noticed a stench coming from the direction of the erosion prevention dam at the seaside behind the temple. Laymen sent by the monks to…
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Heavy penalties on the way for drivers blocking ambulances
Motorists failing to get out of the way for ambulances may face harsher punishments for “endangerment to others” as netizens join with the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the police to get tough on offenders. The fine for blocking an ambulance could be raised from the current 500 to 10,000 baht or as high as 20,000 baht if the NLA…
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Fake food and cosmetic products in Thai markets
Thai PBS is reporting that the FTI’s food supplements industry club is coming under scrutiny following police and officials from the Food and Drugs Administration raided several major manufacturing plants and found huge quantities of substandard and fake cosmetic and food supplements. The Federation of Thai Industries is claiming that 40% of food supplements and cosmetic products sold in markets…
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Korean summit kicks off tomorrow
The Korea Herald is reporting that a momentous meeting is about to take place, tomorrow in fact, between the leaders of two (technically) warring nations – North Korea and South Korea. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet at the Military Demarcation Line in Panmunjeom at 9:30am Friday, Moon’s chief of staff Im Jong-seok…
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