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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Chon Buri hospital simulates mass crash ahead of Songkran chaos
With the deadly Songkran road rush just around the corner, one hospital in Chon Buri isn’t taking any chances—staging a mass casualty drill to brace for the holiday’s inevitable accident surge. Samitivej Sriracha Hospital recently ran a full-scale emergency exercise simulating a horrific collision between a passenger truck and a motorcycle that left 15 people “injured.” The high-intensity drill, though staged,…
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Steel firm faces axe over Bangkok quake collapse
A steel manufacturer under fire for producing substandard materials linked to the collapse of a Bangkok government building is now facing the axe—Industry Minister Akanat Promphan demands that their investment privileges be revoked. In a fiery Facebook post yesterday, April 4, Akanat announced he had signed a letter seeking the removal of benefits granted to Xin Ke Yuan Steel, accusing…
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Earthquake fears rattle Songkran hotel bookings by 25%
Thailand’s most festive time of year is shaping up to be a major letdown—hotel bookings for Songkran have taken a nosedive, thanks to shaky nerves over last month’s earthquake. The Thai Hotels Association (THA) revealed on Thursday, April 3 that reservations across seven major tourist destinations have dropped by 25% compared to last year’s festival, spelling bad news for the…
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Teen racers busted in Phuket midnight police crackdown
Reckless teen bikers got a rude awakening this week as Wichit Police swooped in on a notorious Phuket racing hotspot, hauling in 17 underage riders and seizing 10 souped-up motorbikes in a late-night sting. The crackdown, carried out in the early hours of yesterday, April 4 in the Laem Dinso area, was part of an intensified campaign to tackle illegal…
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Mass grave unearthed at Bangkok train station site
Construction workers got more than they bargained for while digging near Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital—a chilling discovery of dozens of human skeletons beneath the ground, believed to be victims of a mass execution over two centuries ago. The remains were found during a survey at the future site of the MRT Orange Line’s Siriraj Station, which will link Bang Khun Non…
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Mild earthquake shakes Pai as Myanmar tremors surge nearby
Tourists in Thailand’s popular northern getaway Pai woke up to an unexpected jolt after a mild earthquake struck the area early this morning, April 5—part of a cluster of tremors shaking nearby Myanmar. At around 6am, a 2.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded in Pai district, Mae Hong Son province, at a shallow depth of just 1 kilometre. While the quake was…
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Mo Chit 2 gets flashy facelift ahead of Songkran holiday rush
Travellers heading out of Bangkok this Songkran are in for a big surprise—Mo Chit 2 just got a multimillion-baht makeover, and it’s looking slicker than ever. Chatchawan Prommoratham, Acting President of Transport Company Limited (BorKorSor), announced a major renovation to the Bangkok Bus Terminal (Chatuchak), popularly known as Mo Chit 2, aimed at improving passenger convenience, safety, and service speed.…
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Pattaya driver accused of misconduct by intoxicated passenger
A 24 year old woman reported being coerced by a driver into a non-consensual act after she was heavily intoxicated while returning home from a host bar in Pattaya in the early hours. Despite filing a complaint with Pattaya Police Station, she was initially told to gather her own evidence, causing considerable distress. Yesterday, Police Colonel Arut Saphanon and Pol.…
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Fugitive thief and hit-and-run suspect captured in Pattaya
A sleepy fugitive’s midday snooze turned into a rude awakening after Pattaya police busted a 23 year old man wanted for theft and a fatal hit-and-run. The arrest unfolded while the suspect was dozing off beside a motorcycle repair shop. At 1pm on Thursday, April 3, officers from Pattaya Police Station arrested Mintada, who had been on the run from…
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Trat city opposes Koh Chang expressway, fears economic impact
Residents and business owners in Trat city have expressed strong opposition to a proposed 5.9-kilometre expressway connecting Laem Ngob district to Koh Chang. They contend that this new route, which bypasses the city, could adversely affect the local economy. A second public consultation for the expressway project took place at Trat City Hotel in Mueang district on Wednesday, April 2.…
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Slippery crash: Oil spill causes 7-vehicle collision in Pathum Thani
An oil spill on Phahon Yothin Road led to a seven-vehicle collision, resulting in injuries to six people, comprising three men and three women. Emergency personnel promptly responded to the scene to manage the cleanup and transport the injured to nearby hospitals. At 3am today, April 5, Police Lieutenant Warut Phumipak received a report of a multi-vehicle collision on the…
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US academic slapped with lese majeste charges in Thailand
A 58 year old American lecturer is in hot water after Thai authorities issued a rare lese majeste arrest warrant against him—sending shockwaves through the country’s academic and expat communities. The suspect, Paul Chambers, a long-time resident of Thailand and special adviser on international affairs at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, is facing charges under Thailand’s strict royal defamation laws, known…
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Barking mad! Thai woman finds dog heartworm wriggling inside her
A Thai doctor issued a public warning after a patient discovered a dog heartworm in her body, believed to have been transmitted from pets to humans via mosquito bites. The doctor from FMC Thailand Clinic in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima shared a video of a white worm moving on a tissue on the clinic’s official Facebook page. The…
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Phuket trials emergency alert system after earthquake failures
In the wake of the March 28 earthquake that rocked Thailand, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has swiftly rolled out a trial run of a new Cell Broadcast alert system in Phuket, aiming to overhaul the country’s emergency alert infrastructure. During the trial, the system showed promising results on Android devices, providing real-time alerts without delays. However,…
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Pattaya hotels surge as Hua Hin struggles for tourists
Last weekend, local travellers flocked to Pattaya in the aftermath of the earthquake, causing hotel occupancy rates to soar to full capacity. However, the impact of the quake had a very different effect on Hua Hin, where concerns over road safety led to a sharp decline in bookings. “Travellers seeking refuge from the tremors in Bangkok drove a spike in…
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Warning: Sinkholes emerge in Mae Hong Son after earthquake
In a startling post-earthquake discovery, six sinkholes have appeared in Mae Hong Son’s Khun Yuam district, leaving locals on edge. The sudden appearance of these giant holes has prompted a warning from the Mineral Resources Regional Office 1, advising residents to exercise extreme caution. The sinkholes, which range in size from 2 to 30 metres in diameter, were first discovered…
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Thailand goes shadowless: Sun overhead phenomenon begins
Get ready to look up because Thailand is about to go shadowless. The rare and dazzling astronomical event known as the sun overhead phenomenon is sweeping across the country, starting today in Yala’s Betong district and continuing through to May 22 in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) confirmed that this solar spectacle…
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Meth, mayhem and the macabre: Pattaya man busted
In a twisted tale straight out of a crime thriller, a Pattaya man was arrested after police caught him using methamphetamine (meth) in a junkyard, surrounded by stolen human remains. The shocking discovery left locals stunned and police scrambling for answers. At around 10.30pm on Wednesday, April 2, officers from Bang Lamung Police swooped in on a notorious abandoned area…
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Battery blast injures crewman off Phuket’s Cape Panwa
A fishing trip turned into a terrifying ordeal yesterday evening when a battery exploded on board a trawler off the coast of Cape Panwa, leaving one crew member injured and sparking a coordinated rescue mission. The incident occurred aboard the vessel L. Thanakorn, which was approximately 7.3 nautical miles south of Cape Panwa at the time. The Thai Maritime Enforcement…
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Brit son’s race against time to save dying dad in Thailand
A heartbroken British man is fighting to bring his dying dad home from Thailand for life-saving treatment, before it’s too late. Reginald Leo had been chasing his retirement dreams in Pattaya but now he’s clinging to life after a foot wound spiralled into a catastrophic medical crisis. Leo’s devastated son, Jonathan, who moved to Thailand in 2017, has given up…
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Thai mother fights for baby taken by ex-husband and his mother
A Thai mother is fighting to regain custody of her daughter after her ex-husband and his mother took the baby from her before physically assaulting her at her home in Bangkok last month. The victim, identified only as A, sought help from the non-profit organisation Be One, hoping it would offer her a chance to see her daughter again. The organisation shared…
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Miss Tourism Myanmar found dead as quake toll rises
The body of Miss Tourism Myanmar 2018 was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed condo in Mandalay, Myanmar, as the country continues to reel from the catastrophic earthquake that struck on Friday, March 28. The death toll has now surged to 3,145, with more than 4,600 people injured and over 220 still missing. Rescue operations remain underway in multiple…
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Grim discovery: Pattaya vendor finds bloated corpse in jungle
In a chilling twist that sounds straight out of a horror flick, a papaya salad vendor stumbled across a bloated corpse while relieving herself in a remote thicket in Pattaya. What was meant to be a routine break from work quickly turned into a nightmare she’ll never forget. The grisly discovery was made yesterday, April 3 at 3.06pm. Police Lieutenant…
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Bangkok builder rapes teenage worker, threats to kill her
A lecherous Bangkok builder has been arrested for raping a 14 year old employee at a construction site, threatening to kill her unless she kept his vile deed a secret. He later confessed to the rape because he was drunk and horny. Police swooped to apprehend the 52 year old suspect, Arong (surname withheld) today, April 4, after a warrant was…
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Rice and fall: Thai fragrant rice at risk as US tariffs give Vietnam edge
Thailand’s Hom Mali fragrant rice faces a major threat in the US market as new reciprocal tariffs imposed by the US could see the country lose its competitive edge to Vietnam. The Thai Rice Exporters Association has raised concerns after the US imposed a steep 36% tariff on Thai rice, which will push prices up to US$1,400 per tonne from…
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Thai politician’s teenage son arrested for murder of girlfriend
Police yesterday arrested the 19 year old son of a local politician for the murder of his girlfriend in the central province of Chai Nat. The politician vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that his son was a good boy. The victim’s mother, 33 year old Jeranan, was called to a rice field in the Hankha district of Chai Nat yesterday, April…
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Bullet banquet: Politician’s son shot dead at market feast
A politician’s son was shot dead and two others were injured in a brutal daylight attack during the grand opening of a new market in Samut Prakan. The gunman, a man with a grudge, unleashed a hail of bullets at a Chinese banquet, sending guests fleeing in terror. The lunchtime bloodbath erupted at around midday today, April 4, at Ton…
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Indian PM meets Thaksin to strengthen India-Thailand ties
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a significant meeting with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday, April 3, sparking discussions aimed at strengthening India-Thailand relations in key areas such as defence, trade, and culture. Modi, who was in Thailand for a two-day visit to attend the sixth BIMSTEC summit, described the meeting as a “delight” and praised Thaksin’s vast…
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2 Thai teenagers admit to homemade bombs that kill boy
Police yesterday arrested two Thai teenagers for making bombs that led to the death of a nine year old boy in the Isaan province of Phichit. The young boy lost his life after picking up an unidentified object he found on the road, which turned out to be a homemade bomb that exploded immediately upon contact. The fatal explosion occurred…
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Bangkok’s ‘Ghost Tower’ survives 7.7-magnitude earthquake
The Sathorn Unique Tower, a 49-storey building abandoned for over three decades, has gone viral after surviving a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar on March 28. The earthquake, which struck as Myanmar’s strongest in 100 years, sent shockwaves throughout Southeast Asia, including Bangkok, over 1,000 kilometres away from the epicentre. While the tremors caused significant damage, including the collapse of a…
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