News

Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.

  • Ex-con released from jail recalled to finish his porridge after gaff | Thaiger

    Ex-con released from jail recalled to finish his porridge after gaff

    An ex-con legally released seven months ago has been recalled to the jail in the northern province of Payao after a gaff by the Department of Corrections (DOC). He refuses to return. The DOC admitted they made a mistake and wrongly calculated the years of imprisonment so recalled the former convict to finish his porridge. Teeraphat Sophon was originally jailed…

  • Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights | Thaiger

    Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights

    Thai VietJet announced the addition of flights to both the Bangkok – Fukuoka route to Japan and the Bangkok – Taipei route to Taiwan. The airline commenced the Bangkok – Fukuoka route, their only service linking Thailand and Japan, back in July. Initially, the route between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport operated three times a week. The route turned out…

  • Thai woman hires delivery driver to investigate her boyfriend’s alleged affair | Thaiger

    Thai woman hires delivery driver to investigate her boyfriend’s alleged affair

    Yesterday, A LINE Man driver working in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand, revealed how he ended up working as a spy for a customer who thought her boyfriend was having an affair. LINE Man provides food, grocery, parcel delivery, messenger and taxi services – and in this case, detective services. Back in July, Mr A (pseudonym) was working a normal night…

  • Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War | Thaiger

    Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War

    Thailand yesterday was urged to maintain its neutrality as tensions between the globe’s two economic giants, China and the United States, continue to gather pace. Thailand last week was criticized for maintaining a neutral stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the West continues to impose sanctions on the former Soviet state. The kingdom has been also condemned in the past…

  • Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia | Thaiger

    Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia

    A Thai national detained in Sydney, Australia, for allegedly committing “romance fraud” was denied bail yesterday. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee is accused of stealing from men she met online through a dating app. She is facing trial for over 100 charges of fraud. Police say 30 year old Siriluck allegedly pretended to be a registered remitter and charged customers steep inflation…

  • Thailand’s largest group of foreign tourists come from Malaysia | Thaiger

    Thailand’s largest group of foreign tourists come from Malaysia

    In July, Malaysians made up the largest portion of Thailand’s foreign arrivals, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Thailand welcomed 220,554 Malaysian tourists in July, most of them arriving via the land border crossing in Songkhla province. In a post-pandemic world, Malaysian travel to Thailand has never been easier, with the removal of Thailand Pass and insurance requirements. The…

  • The return of the begpacker sparks online debate | Thaiger

    The return of the begpacker sparks online debate

    While the Covid-19 pandemic brought tourism to a screeching halt in Thailand much to the detriment of millions of people’s livelihood and the country’s economy, one thing that the majority of people did not seem to miss has now reared its ugly head again. Social media erupted over the return of the much-maligned begpacker trend as photos of one in…

  • Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings | Thaiger

    Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings

    The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today announced another day of heavy downpours, flooding, and traffic chaos throughout the country and told the kingdom to brace itself. The Interior Minister on the other hand played it down and said there was nothing to worry about. The TMD made known it is 70% likely that the nation will be hit by another…

  • Kiwi PM admits her country will ditch British crown in her lifetime | Thaiger

    Kiwi PM admits her country will ditch British crown in her lifetime

    New Zealand will become a republic Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admitted today, but not any time soon. The 42 year old New Zealand PM believes the southwestern Pacific Ocean Island country will ditch the UK monarchy in her lifetime but added she wasn’t going to rush into it at the moment. “There’s been a debate, probably for a number…

  • Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen | Thaiger

    Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen

    A 23 year old Thai activist has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for royal defamation, under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, for attending a protest in traditional Thai attire. Her catwalk show was interpreted by royalists as “mocking” H.M. Queen Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand. Bangkok South Criminal Court read the verdict of Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng’s sentence…

  • Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him | Thaiger

    Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him

    An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes. The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares. The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang,…

  • 4 billion baht budget to tackle HIV & STDs in Thailand’s teens | Thaiger

    4 billion baht budget to tackle HIV & STDs in Thailand’s teens

    Thai teenagers are more at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infection than adults says the Thai government and that is why it has approved a budget of nearly four million baht to tackle the issue. The Deputy Spokeswoman of the PM Office, Ratchada Thanadirek, revealed that people aged between 15 to 24 years old are more likely…

  • Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite son to look after her dear dogs | Thaiger

    Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite son to look after her dear dogs

    A Buckingham Palace spokesperson announced that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson are to look after Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved corgis. The corgis, Muick and Sandy, were given to the Queen by the Duke of York and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, last year. The 62 year old prince wanted to cheer up his mother while her…

  • VIDEO: Elephant kills monk in eastern Thailand | Thaiger

    VIDEO: Elephant kills monk in eastern Thailand

    A 66 year old Buddhist monk was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chanthanaburi province in eastern Thailand on Saturday. The terrifying moment was captured by CCTV. At 5am yesterday, a monk came out of his hut and discovered the body of Phra Prachon Suksingh outside on the temple grounds. It was clear that he had been trampled…

  • Chiang Mai hosts Thai style Halloween to make merit for ghosts | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai hosts Thai style Halloween to make merit for ghosts

    Thai people in the Mae Jo Town Municipality of the San Sai district in Chiang Mai province joined the northern Thai-style Halloween event and parade on Saturday to make merit for ghosts and souls from hell. People in the northern part of Thailand believe that ghosts and souls rise from hell to visit their relatives and ask for merits on…

  • Helicopter crash in Malaysia reported pilot alive, then dead | Thaiger

    Helicopter crash in Malaysia reported pilot alive, then dead

    Yesterday above the skies of Malaysia, a helicopter mysteriously disappeared as air traffic control lost all contact. This morning the helicopter’s pilot was reportedly found alive in the wreckage only to be declared dead later on. At 11.37am yesterday, the helicopter took off from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, also known as Subang Airport – a secondary airport of the…

  • UPDATE: Kanchana Buri skywalk opens and closes on River Kwai | Thaiger

    UPDATE: Kanchana Buri skywalk opens and closes on River Kwai

    [UPDATE: After just one day of opening, the skywalk over the River Kwai has been closed already. It seems that having a glass bottom allows for spectacular views but also requires special shoes not to damage the bridge, and they were in short supply. All visitors are required to purchase these special shoes and wear them when walking across the…

  • Floods leave cars underwater at Bangkok condo | Thaiger

    Floods leave cars underwater at Bangkok condo

    In the relentless flash flooding ravaging Thailand, the water level at a car park at a condominium in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok reached new heights on Saturday night. In eerie photos posted by the Facebook page ‘Survive – Sai Mai must Survive,’ the roofs of cars in the basement car park on the Theparak – Phahon Yothin Road…

  • Two oarsmen drown in race practise on the Mekong River | Thaiger

    Two oarsmen drown in race practise on the Mekong River

    Two oarsmen tragically drowned on Friday while practising for the Thailand-Laos-Vietnam Long Boat Race last weekend. Their bodies were found yesterday washed ashore on a Mekong River bank in the Isaan province of Bueng Kan. More than ten boat racers were practising on the Mekong River on Friday morning in preparation for the race from Friday, September 9 to Sunday,…

  • Japan may eliminate Covid visa requirements for tourists | Thaiger

    Japan may eliminate Covid visa requirements for tourists

    As countries around Asia and worldwide have dropped Covid-19 restrictions, Japan is finally set to follow suit. The country has maintained strict border controls, with special Covid visas required for visitors to enter, even from countries that had previously never required any sort of visa. It is reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering easing those restrictions as soon…

  • Cannabis bill goes to House today for urgent consideration | Thaiger

    Cannabis bill goes to House today for urgent consideration

    A new bill is set to be proposed to the House of Representatives today for urgent consideration to bring some regulation to the decriminalising of cannabis in Thailand. The bill took its lead from the best parts of several related laws and will propose restrictions on the growth and usage of the plant in the kingdom. Under the rules proposed…

  • Unfinished MRT Pink Line causes a road to collapse in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Unfinished MRT Pink Line causes a road to collapse in Bangkok

    Commuters, pedestrians, and drivers had a lucky escape yesterday morning when torrential rain and floods caused part of the Chaeng Wattana Road in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok to collapse. The finger of blame was pointed toward the unfinished MRT Pink Line for the second time in a week. A part of the Chaeng Wattana Road, near Central Chang Wattana, dropped…

  • Thai health service stops Covid vaccine reaction pay outs | Thaiger

    Thai health service stops Covid vaccine reaction pay outs

    Only gold card scheme members and universal healthcare members can claim reimbursement for any reaction to coronavirus jabs, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO). Deputy Secretary General Atthaporn Limpanyalert announced the NHSO has reviewed the situation regarding Covid-19 and concluded that because the problem is easing it will no longer compensate those suffering from side effects of the vaccine…

  • The Funny Man Behind Improv Comedy in Thailand | Thaiger Podcast Ep. 6 | Thaiger

    The Funny Man Behind Improv Comedy in Thailand | Thaiger Podcast Ep. 6

    Drew McCreadie, Canadian based actor, playwright and award winning improvisor. Drew is the creative director and co-founder of Thailand’s only dedicated English language comedy venue, the Comedy Club Bangkok. He has won numerous comedy awards, such as Best Male Improvisor in Canada and his play The Cat Who Ate Her Husband won five Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards including for best…

  • 2 female Thai party leaders emerge as strong PM candidates | Thaiger

    2 female Thai party leaders emerge as strong PM candidates

    While King Charles III effortlessly ascended to the throne upon the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II this week, the path to the prime ministership in Thailand will be a bit more protracted and messy. Two women have emerged as top candidates for Prime Minister, with Thai Sang Thai Party’s Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan so far polling above Pheu Thai Party…

  • Hong Kong speech therapists jailed over children’s books | Thaiger

    Hong Kong speech therapists jailed over children’s books

    Five speech therapists in Hong Kong have been accused of brainwashing children after they wrote children’s books involving sheep and wolves. The five therapists, who are all between 25-28 years old, have been sentenced to 19 months each in prison. The books tell stories about a village of sheep trying to stop a pack of wolves from invading their home.…

  • Patong: 100m profits with 4am curfew for venues, Chiang Mai residents oppose it | Thaiger

    Patong: 100m profits with 4am curfew for venues, Chiang Mai residents oppose it

    The pressure has been mounting for the government to raise the curfew to help entertainment venues boost earnings as tourism returns to Thailand. But some residents disturbed by noise living near bars in Chiang Mai are calling for the opposite. The Patong Entertainment Business Association estimates that extending closing hours from 2am to 4am for nightlife entertainment venues could raise…

  • Major floods hit hundreds of houses in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district | Thaiger

    Major floods hit hundreds of houses in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district

    Hundreds of houses and buildings were flooded last night in the Sri Racha district of the eastern Chon Buri province. Water levels reportedly reached almost 30 centimetres in some areas, causing traffic problems, particularly for small vehicles. In one village, the water level reached 50-60 centimetres, since the area was located near a canal. On top of the heavy rain,…

  • With Maya Bay closed to tourists, a group of dolphins shows up | Thaiger

    With Maya Bay closed to tourists, a group of dolphins shows up

    Krabi’s iconic Maya Bay has been closed for the past few months to help its wildlife recover, and it appears to be working. On Friday, a group of about 10 bottlenose dolphins were spotted in the south of the Maya Bay by Hat Noppharat Thara – Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park staff. Maya Bay has been closed since August…

  • Rice farmer accuses Bangkok authorities of flooding his field | Thaiger

    Rice farmer accuses Bangkok authorities of flooding his field

    A rice farmer accused the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) of releasing water into his field. The farmer, Dacha Nutalai, is the vice president of the Bangkok Agriculturalist Association. Dacha made a video of his rice field in Nong Chok district on Friday, showing viewers that the water in the field was up to his waist. The angry farmer said that…