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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If you hold a certain amount of bitcoin or whether you’re planning to buy some soon, you must be wondering what impact the US tariffs have on the coveted crypto’s price. A market analysis by Inky Cho, Financial Markets Strategist...
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Where’s Yingluck? CNN report contradicts Thai PM
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is in London and seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom, a source in her Pheu Thai Party told CNN on Thursday. The Supreme Court convicted Yingluck on Wednesday of dereliction of duty over a controversial rice subsidy program and sentenced her to five years in prison. The scheme cost Thailand billions of dollars.…
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Suspect confesses to fatal Pattani bombing
One of the six detainees who were allegedly involved in a bomb attack that killed fours rangers in Pattani’s Sai Buri district last week, has confessed to the crime, Pattani Taskforce commander Maj-General Jatuporn Klampasut told a press conference on Friday. Following the September 22 attack that also wounded six others including a civilian, Jatuporn led a 500-strong manhunt at…
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250,000 expected to attend the Royal Cremation next month
About 250,000 Thai citizens are expected to attend the Royal Cremation of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on October 26, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said on Friday. If Sanam Luang becomes overcrowded, the authorities will seek the cooperation of mourners to place funeral flowers at replicas of the royal crematorium at…
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Punching above its weight – Rayong, Thailand
Singapore has been crowned as the Asia-Pacific city of the future by the Financial Times. The city/state was able to attract the largest share of investment in the region in the period 2012 – 2016, putting on top of the Economic Potential category. Asia-Pacific Cities of the Future, by Economic Potential: 1. Singapore 2. Tokyo 3. Shanghai 4. Hong Kong 5.…
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Thailand unfurls National Flag Day
Citizens across the country united in singing the national anthem at 8am on Thursday to celebrate the centenary of the national flag. At 7.45am at Government House in Bangkok, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha formally presented the flag to a guard of honour to be flown in front of the Santi Maitree Building. He then led officials and members of…
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Yingluck says she’ll stay out of politics
Fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is in Dubai and has promised not to be involved in any political activities, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said on Thursday. Authorities in Dubai have also promised the Thai Foreign Ministry that they would keep an eye on Yingluck and ensure she did not take part in any political campaigns, Prawit said. Prime…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, September 28
PM says Yingluck is in Dubai | Polish man suspected of blowing up an ATM ‘planning more attacks’ | Crisis meeting in Pattaya to sort out Taxi/Uber turf wars | UN Aid agencies visiting Rhakine State today
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Unanimous verdict against Yingluck Shinawatra
Update from The Nation The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled unanimously to sentence fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to five years in prison. The fugitive politician was convicted of negligence in preventing corruption and irregularities in her government’s rice-pledging scheme prior to the 2014 coup. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders ruled that Yingluck had acknowledged…
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Crisis unfolding on our doorstep
PHOTO: Voice of America A significant regional humanitarian crisis is underway only a few thousand kilometres from our tropical island. Whilst the situation for the Rohingya has been parlous for decades, it’s only recently become acute after a group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked several Myanmar Army outposts on August 25 – the Myanmar Army has…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, September 27
Awaiting the BIG verdict | Another parasail accident at Patong beach | A Polish man arrested over the 300,000 Baht ATM theft | HM the Thai King grants extra days for paying respects at the Grand Palace | Lifeguards determined to boycott next year’s beach lifeguard contract.
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Thai PM promises to shorten his weekly Friday night address
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says he’s going to continue with his weekly “Returning Happiness to the People” address on Friday nights, but is promising to cut the speech down by 50%, to around 20 minutes. In a rather candid speech at a seminar in Pattaya, the Thai PM apologised for “not talking politely sometimes with the media”. General Prayut has…
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HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn extends time to pay respects at Grand Palace
His Majesty the King has ordered an extension of the final day Thais can pay their last respects to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the Grand Palace from this Saturday to next Thursday, October 5. The Royal Household Bureau had initially set this Saturday as the last day people could pay their respects before the late King’s…
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Buddha decorations cause outcry in Chiang Mai
An American and his Thai wife on Tuesday agreed to remove 36 Buddha-head images from the fence at their Chiang Mai house following a Facebook uproar. With tears in her eyes, 34 year old Nualchan Sonchanthuek says she and her American husband, 68 year old Paul Blum did not expect the images would generate a commotion and they simply wanted…
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UPDATE: Another 17 bodies found in mass graves – Rhakine State
Update from Voice of America Mass graves of dozens of slain Hindus have been found in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state, according to government officials. Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Minister Dr. Win Myat Aye told VOA’s Burmese Service he witnessed another 17 bodies recovered Monday, after 25 bodies were found in two mass graves a day earlier. Aye said most…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 26
Phuket Lifeguards taking a stand against OrBorTor budget | Yingluck’s verdict from Supreme Court handed down tomorrow | Mass grave of 28 Hindus found in Rhakine | TaT reveal August tourist arrivals | Mt. Agung showing signs of erupting.
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R-Rated BKK fast-food snack gets moral attention
The world’s coming to an end, according to the morally-inclined-online. To quote Khaosod’s story… “A woman who makes penis-shaped waffles stuffed with sausage and cheese is experiencing brisk sales – and a public scolding – for her phallic food.” And that’s about it. The preparation and cooking video from Ketnita Prasertsomboon’s indy market snack store has been watched more than 18…
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Krabi couple need your help
66 year old Jiam Chusuan and 52 year old Prasert Akabut have been found in a small decayed shack in a palm plantation and are in dire need of help. The couple also have about 40 dogs and the lady is disabled from a car crash. The couple live in a shack on the plantation that belongs to Chalerm Kerdsuk,…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, September 25
Truck crash in Saraburi kills four | Aussie detained at BKK airport for trying to smuggle 26 new iPhones | Weather warning out for southern provinces | Police on the hunt for third suspect in San Buri bombing | Thai Air Asia adds more HKT flights | Phuket’s Car Free Day, report from yesterday.
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Hi So Hill in Chiang Mai ends up being an expensive scam
Story from Thai language ‘Manager Online‘ The enticing advertisement online promised a dream: quiet retirement in the beautiful hills of Chiang Mai. Many foreigners thought this was what they deserved after a life of saving so they eagerly signed up to buy houses in the luxurious, quality development. Now they are left with illegal properties that they can’t sell and their dreams are over.…
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Five die – Truck crashes into electricity workers in Saraburi
https://www.facebook.com/516059381928376/videos/751343475066631/ A truck crashed into a vehicle carrying four on-duty electricity authority employees who were changing high-voltage transmission lines in Saraburi province, two hours north of Bnagkok, at 11.40am on Sunday, causing five deaths. Killed at the scene on the Paholyothin Road were four electricity authority workers and the truck driver. Witnesses said the driver lost control of the truck…
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Alleged US pedo arrested in Samui
Breaking news from The Nation Samui police Saturday arrested an alleged American paedophile while he was buying a ticket for a ferry boat to travel to Bangkok, said Surat Thani Immigration Police Chief Pol Col Wanchana Borwornboon. Wanchana said 28 year old Jackson Mathew Hall was apprehended under US arrest warrants and a letter from the US embassy. He was…
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“Show us the evidence” – Pheu Thai Party
Update from The Nation The caretaker secretary-general of Pheu Thai Party, Phumtham Wechayachai, on Friday urged authorities to show clear evidence whether policemen who were interrogated on Thursday night were involved in the flight of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. He asked for evidence such as pictures showing Yingluck in the suspected car or the detained suspect, a police Colonel,…
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BREAKING NEWS – Another Pattani bomb attack
Violence continued in the southern province of Pattani on Friday, the holy day observed by Muslims, when insurgents detonated a roadside bomb to ambush a patrol unit of rangers in Sai Buri district, killing six and injuring another ranger and a civilian. The attack occurred on highway No 42 ion Ban Tabing road in Tambon Tabing at 6.40am. The rangers…
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UPDATE – Three police questioned over Yingluck’s disappearance
At of this morning (Friday), three police officers, including a deputy commander, appear to have been involved in helping the former PM Yingluck Shinawatra flee Thailand, two days before she was set to appear to hear the verdict of the Supreme Court over her and her Government’s involvement in the failed rice-pledging scheme. A police colonel, who hasn’t been named…
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PAD told to pay damages for 2008 Airport sit-in protests
File photo: Former People’s Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul speaks on stage during the yellow-shirt protest at Suvarnabhumi Airport in 2008. The Nation Damages linked to airport takeovers in 2008 as former yellow shirts hit for political action. The Civil Court yesterday (Thursday) ordered 13 yellow-shirt leaders of the now-defunct political movement the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to collectively…
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Policeman being interrogated over Yingluck escape
A Police Colonel was detained for interrogation last night (Thursday) on suspicion of helping fugitive former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra flee the country. The policeman, a deputy commander, was said to be close to a former Metropolitan Police Bureau chief, was brought to Royal Thai Police headquarters along with a bronze Toyota Camry with Chor Khor 5323 license plate. The…
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Buddhism Office ex-chief found with gold bars, lots of them.
From The Nation Phanom Sornsilp, former director of National Office of Buddhism, faces two corruption-related charges after 80-baht weight of gold bars and other valuables were found in his house. Counter Corruption Division police raided Phanom’s house on Buddhamonthon 4 Road in Nakhon Pathom’s Samphran district on Thursday, one of 14 locations in seven provinces searched as part of an…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, September 21
Jet Airways bomb-scare in BKK | Ofo launching share-bike around Phuket Town on October 1 | PSU safe sex project packs 25,000 condoms | Orange is the new black… Toyota | Chinese FM backs Myanmar at UN | Krabi’s prosecutor files case over July’s Krabi massacre.
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Phuket share-bike kicks off
The bicycle provider for the share bikes project, Ofo, announced today (September 20) that their company, with the help of Phuket local government, are ready to release the first phase of 1,000 bicycles for the project. From October 1 for one month, Ofo will also offer free rides as a starting gift promotion for the project. Noppadol Tujinda, General Manager…
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Roll out of Royal Commemorative Banknotes
Citizens on Wednesday began exchanging old banknotes for new commemorative ones honouring His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The commemorative notes will continue to be available at banks for exchanging and will also be automatically issued in ATM cash withdrawals. The Bank of Thailand has produced a sufficient number of the notes to keep them in general circulation. There…
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