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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Sponsored 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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Songkran back-flip
Songkran revellers are welcoming news the government will relax its ban to allow them to splash water from the beds of pickups this year – just one of a number of back-flips on previously announced prohibitions for the 2018 Thai New Year celebrations. The water festival in mid-April, the hottest month of the year, is known worldwide. One tradition sees…
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Police junior officers revolting over AC contributions
A junior policeman is crying foul over his supervisors’ demand that he contribute money for the purchase of a new air-conditioner at their police station. Pol Sgt-Major 3rd Class Lersak Nonkhuntod, who works at the Phaholyothin Police Station in Bangkok, lodged a complaint with both the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Office of Public-Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). Due to the…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 29
NACC hands down decision on Prawit case today | Patong and Kamala are #1 in international affordable 5 star hotel survey | Snake under a taxi | French tourist dies after visit to Emerald Cave | Woman push back on calls for females to ‘dress appropriately’ during Songkran | Police juniors complain about their wages being docked for boss’s air…
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Sexual harassment isn’t our fault, it’s mens’ – Sirinya “Cindy” Bishop
A well-known model has launched a social-media campaign to tackle the widespread and erroneous belief that sexual harassment stems from a woman’s choice of clothes. Sirinya “Cindy” Bishop, who is also an actress, has used social media to counter recent messages propagated by authorities that sexual harassment can be stopped by urging women not to dress in a revealing way.…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, March 28
Dos and Don’ts for Songran this year | Red Cross calling for blood donations leading up to the Thai New Year holiday | PM confident of the election road-map timing | 2 drown off Songkhla | Report card for Phuket Airport, and it’s not good | Charges against bus company for last week’s Nakhon Ratchasima crash | Human rights campaigner…
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Thai disability sailing gets a boost
In exciting news for the disabled sailing community worldwide, the S\V14 organisation are proud to announce that FarEast Yachts will produce the S\V14 at their production base in China and in a remarkable offer, will supply the first one thousand S\V14’s at a subsidized price of US$ 3,000 for the base boat ex works Shanghai. FarEast Yachts have also agreed…
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Torching hornets nest causes 20 rai forest fire in Mae Hong Son
Two men from Myanmar have been arrested for inadvertently causing a forest fire that damaged some 20 rai of forest in the Khun Yuam district of Mae Hong Son province. Firefighters, district officials and rangers of the Ranger Company 3605 rushed to the forest in Moo 1 village in Tambon Khun Yuam, Khun Yuam district at 4.30pm after they saw…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 27
Premchai being sued in civil case | New type of ‘start up’ visa on the way | Amorous Russians have left the country | Grab taking over Uber in South East Asia | Underwater gamblers in hot water | New Mae Hong Son flights from DMK | Arsonist lit fires on 10 vehicles in Chonburi | Road resurfacing magic in…
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Thailand Number 14 in road accident ratings. Which is the most dangerous country on the roads?
Compiling data from the World Health Organisation, World Bank and UNESCO, here is the latest ranking for road deaths around the world. Of course the situation changes every day but Thailand is in very poor company indeed with countries having a rate of more than 30 deaths per 100,000 people from road accidents. Thailand is, today, in 14th position around…
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Four Malaysians arrested over alleged call-centre scam
Tourist police have arrested four Malaysian men who allegedly worked for a call-centre scam gang by transferring victims’ money to Dubai. The arrests were announced today at the Phaholyothin police station in Bangkok today (Monday). Police say the four suspects collaborated with Thai accomplices to steal Internet banking account details and OTPs (one-time passwords) from three Thai victims. They allegedly…
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New ‘Start Up Camp’ visas on offer soon
The Thai government is to offer ‘Start-up Camp’ visas to foreign IT and tech experts, this from the PM’s Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool. Areas affected will include Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok and the Eastern Economic Corridor. The government will also revamp the tax law to encourage start-ups to stay here instead of later moving to low-tax regime countries such as…
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Earth Hour saves power, lowers emissions – Bangkok
Bangkok saved 2,002 megawatts of electricity as a result of observing the 2018 Earth Hour last night (Saturday). Deputy Bangkok Governor Chakkapan Phewngam revealed the results, explaining further that the figures meant savings of 7.9 million baht and the reduction of 1,026 tonnes of carbon monoxide emissions. In the capital, the Earth Hour event was held at Central Plaza Grand…
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Bus driver admits taking methamphetamine before fatal journey
The 44 year old driver (reported to be 45 in other media) of the bus which crashed in Nakhon Rachasim on Wednesday night, killing 18, was arrested in roadside buses where police found him hiding after he fled the crash-scene as emergency responders dragged the dead bodies from the wreckage. Krissana Juthachuen has admitted that he used methamphetamine to keep…
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Air Asia mea culpa over bike unloading
AirAsia has apologised to cyclists whose bicycles were seen to be poorly handled by ramp staff in a viral video. As a gesture of goodwill the low-cost airline is waiving all fees to transport bicycles for April, said its CEO Riad Asmat. “As a cyclist myself, I was pretty disturbed when I saw the actions of our staff. Rest assured,…
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“US-China trade war will hurt Thai exports” – Economist
By Wichit Chaitrong, The Nation The Government has been urged to brace for the impact from a possible trade war between the United States and China with US President Donald Trump planning to impose tariffs on many Chinese goods and China vowing to retaliate. Sompop Manarungsan, veteran economist and president of the Panyapiwat Institute of Management, yesterday said he was…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, March 23
Another bus crash of students in Ayutthaya | Ladyboys behaving badly in Pattaya | Phuket to become foam-packaging free| Top 25 toast destinations in Asia | Land Transport office wants to crack down on double decker buses | Thailand’s tourist numbers on the rise and rise.
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Livestock Department promises NO “Set Zero”
The Department of Livestock Development (DLD) is giving assurances to the Soi Dog Foundation that the department will not follow a policy of “Set Zero” – wiping out all stray dogs in Thailand. The assurance that there will be no countrywide slaughter came from the DLD’s Director of the Division of Veterinary Quarantine and Inspection, Dr Burin Sorasithisooksakul. It came…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, March 22
16 dead following bus crash in Nakhon Ratchasima | Prawit may be invited in for a ‘chat’, NACC | Pattaya attackers charged by police | No water splashing on main roads for Songkran this year | Another tour bus crash in Phang Nga and a fatal accident on notorious Patong Hill | Austrian drowns in Pattaya | Young British traveller…
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Nakhon Ratchasima bus crash kills 16
At least 16 people were killed on Wednesday evening when their double-deck coach crashed with a 18-wheel truck before slamming into roadside shops in in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khieo district, 300 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, and ending up in a ditch. Witnesses say that the driver of the coach survived the accident and fled from the scene. The accident…
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Soi Dog calls for probe after temple dog poisoning
Soi Dog Foundation (SDF) today called for a full investigation into the poisoning of dogs and puppies in front of children at a school and on temple grounds in Nakhon Sri Thammarat province, and called for an end to such atrocities. Video of the killings has gone viral on Facebook, with more than a million views by today. The SDF…
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Whoops. Billboard faux pas in The Philippines.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. This time someone snapped the OMG moment so we can all share the embarrassment of the Executive Building Centre in The Philippines. A pornographic video was aired on one of the digital billboards flagging the Executive Building Centre in Makati Avenue, Makati City yesterday, around 2 p.m. The spectacle was captured by a…
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Rabies: Genuine outbreak or misinformed panic?
By Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation Over the past few weeks, rabies has dominated social media in Thailand. The debate has been covered – and in some cases inflamed – by the traditional print and broadcast media across the country. Some people are now advocating what has been described as “Set Zero”, a massive country-wide slaughter or impounding of all stray…
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Australian engineer says he’s ‘found’ MH370 – Malaysian search team says ‘no’.
A report has emerged saying that Malaysia Airlines MH370 has been found. The official MH370 Response Team says the reports are ‘unfounded and baseless’. Malaaysia’s Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, also head of the Malaysian Civil Aviation Authority, say the team has read the stories in a number of junk UK media, Daily Star, The Sun Daily and The Star, express.co.uk and…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, March 20
MH370 has NOT been found | Bar owner in Pattaya bashed unconscious | 10 million baht worth of marijuana seized in Chumpon | Officials concerned over damage on Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao | Nok Air being asked to ‘please explain’ over poor on-time record | 103 ‘practice bombs’ found near Vachira Hospital Bangkok.
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Migrant workers registered with iris scan technology
Five southern coastal provinces with large numbers of migrant workers have pioneered the use of iris scans in the registration procedure, the governor of Samut Nakhon announced today (Monday). Prapas Malakan said labourers on fishing trawlers, at fish and seafood processing factories and at related industrial establishments had undergone the scans in his province and in Samut Prakan, Rayong, Ranong…
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Dual pricing. Fair or price gouging?
Photo TIT – This Is Thailand Facebook page Thailand’s dual pricing policy continues with, it seems, a completely random application of the system. In some places flashing your Work Permit might get you an exemption so you can pay local price but there is no consistency. What are your experiences with dual pricing? Do you think it’s fair? If we’re…
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Chiang Mai – the sixth worst air pollution in the world
Air pollution in the North continues to be critical, with small dust particles of 2.5 microns in size (PM2.5) exceeding safe limits at almost every air-quality testing station. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) revealed on Sunday that although PM2.5 levels had dropped from the previous day at almost every station, the amounts were still higher than safe standards. On average,…
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Tourism set to rise 18% for this year’s Songkran
Songkran is on the way. That means water fights in the main tourist destinations around the country and Thais fleeing the cities and work locations to head back to their homes ‘upcountry’. With the official Songkran break starting on a Wednesday this year you can be assured that many will take the Monday and Tuesday off in that week and…
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Storm warning for central and north-east next week
After storms battered parts of the north-east at the start of this week, affecting more than 200 homes, the Thai Meteorological Department has issued another summer storm warning. They say storms are expected to hit northeastern and eastern regions from next Tuesday followed by the central and northern regions, including Bangkok, on Wednesday. They say the forecast bad weather is…
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7-11 rolling out facial recognition in its 11,000 Thai stores
Smile, you’re on camera. Your friendly, neighbourhood convenience store, 7-Eleven store is rolling out facial recognition technology. The Japanese-owned franchise has 11,000 stores in Thailand. The convenience store chain says they’ll will roll out the technology in a number of different ways, including to identify regular and loyal customers, monitor stock levels of products and better analyse customer traffic trends.…
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