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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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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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Malaysian PM receives honorary doctorate from Rangsit University
PHOTOS: Facebook/Rangsit University Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Rangsit University President Arthit Ourairat during the convocation ceremony on Sunday. – Picture from Rangsit University Facebook Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad has been in Bangkok over the weekend, his second trip to the Kingdom in the past three months. But this time it was mostly social and to receive an award.…
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Southern provinces battered by heavy rains and floods
PHOTO: Flooded Samui roads – Facebook/Thunder Road Reporters “The city Mayor says the municipality had arranged for medical staff to be on stand-by to help patients at evacuation centres already set up to deal with potential flood crisis in Nakhon Si Thammarat.” Heavy rain has been battering the southern regions of the Gulf coast for the past few days and…
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UK backpacker needs 1.5 million baht for hospital bills and to fly home
24 year old Sophie Wilson, who has broken her neck in an accident, remains in a Chiang Mai hospital and has to pay £60,000 for hospital bills and to fly back to the UK. inews.co.uk reports that Sophie was injured after diving into a swimming pool and misjudging the depth. She was fished out of the water on December 1…
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PTT Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram voted best of 2018
“The race weekend at Buriram was the most attended and has been voted the best of the season on its debut.” There was a lot of expectation but the Thai GP was an incredible success and has now been named the best of the season by the MotoGP Paddock and the decision communicated to the Grand Prix Commission. The event…
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Sedan careers into family food shop in Tak
PHOTO: The Nation A couple running a roadside family food shop in Tak’s Mae Sot district have been injured following a car making an unexpected ‘drive thru’ attempt. Tak is on Thailand’s western border with Myanmar. The incident occurred last night when a car driven by a Burmese man slammed into it. Police were seeking to determine whether Aung So,…
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Heavy December rain hits Nakhon Si Thammarat this morning
by Krissana Thiwatsirikul Several areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat province have experienced heavy flooding this morning following sudden downpours over Saturday night and into the early hours of the morning. Southern provinces facing the Gulf of Thailand have all experienced some rain the last 24 hours. Water drainage systems were overwhelmed, sending excess volumes across the surface of many of…
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Narcotics officers arrest three with 370 kg of ‘ice’ and heroin in Chiang Rai
Three Hmong men from Tak province have been arrested in Chiang Rai while allegedly attempting to smuggle 300 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (ice) and 70 kilograms of heroin from Myanmar into Thailand. The arrest was made by Army troops from the Pha Muang Taskforce with cooperation from Chiang Rai’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) on Friday night. A…
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Calls for sacking of multi-tasking bus driver
SCREENCAPTURE: Facebook/Mango Maimai A last minute booking for a Phuket to Phattalung bus has turned into a scary video record of an inter-provincial bus driver’s habits. The driver is coming under fire after being caught on video, whilst responsible for a bus full of passengers, with his son sitting on his lap and making, what appears to be, live video…
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Suspect arrested over grenade attacks during Bangkok protests in 2014
PHOTO MONTAGE: Thai PBS Back in early 2014 the street protests were in full swing on selected streets in the capital. In the midst of the sometimes violent protests a hand-grenade attack. Now, four and a half year’s later, a man suspected of throwing the hand-grenades into the anti-Yingluck government protests at the Victory Monument and on Banthadthong road has…
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Toxic free school lunches
“Meat balls and sausages used in student lunches were also found to be contaminated with borax and formalin.” A major study has been released researching contaminants in vegetables used in the state-sponsored school lunch program. You’d hope that the lunches were fresh and nutritious, right? Instead, they were dangerous. Vegetables and fruits found in lunches for students under the government’s…
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Phichit collision kills three, injures four
A pick-up has flipped, throwing workers off the back tray, killing them when they crashed into another pick-up in Phichit this morning, in central Thailand. Three people were killed and four others injured when the pick-up smashed into another pick-up truck transporting construction workers. The accident happened at 8.30am on highway No 115 linking Sam Ngam and Muang district in…
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Leonid meteor shower displays across the early morning skies
“…at some times, about three to four meteors per minute.” PHOTO: Nexter.org More than 500 stargazers, many from Bangkok, camped out at the Prachinburi Observatory last night and early this morning to witness the annual Leonid meteor shower. The Bangkok observatory set up 12 large telescopes for the stargazers to watch the meteor shower. By 5am, over 500 people were…
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No tickets. No travel agents. Back in 2001 the new Air Asia was a gamble.
Stepping onto an Air Asia plane these days, or one of its regional affiliates, it’s hard to imagine that back in 2001, ex-music business executive had to mortgage his house and raise venture capital to buy a failed airline. That new airline would revolutionize the aviation business. Re-lanching it as Air Asia, the airline has re-shaped the Asian aviation industry…
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Freak needle-fish accident kills Thai Navy cadet
Photos: Khaosod, Wassana Nanuam / Facebook Thai navy special forces have reported the tragic loss of one of its cadets during a ‘freak’ training accident on Thursday. While in training to join an elite Navy unit, 22 year old Navy trainee Kriangsak Pengpanich was struck in the neck by a needlefish moving at high speed. The carnivorous shallow water fish are…
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Diamond thief captured on Thai border
by Kittipong Maneerit He read about a gem-seller wanting to sell a diamond valued at 10 million baht. So he set up a fake gem shop in Bangkok for the sole purpose of preparing a sting to lure the seller into his ‘shop’. The man fell for it and was robbed of his precious stone. The 59 year old thief…
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Blood is thicker than water. But not always in Thai politics.
PHOTOS: The Nation, Thai PBS The Juangroongruangkit family may share genes and parts of the family empire. But there’s one thing they can’t agree on. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the young and charismatic leader of the new Future Forward party, has tow members of his immediate family show have teamed up with the pro-government Palang Pracharat party. In an interview, Thanathorn says he regretted…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…
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Saman Kunan’s bronze statue arrives in Chiang Rai
The bronze statue made in commemoration of Lieutenant-Commander Saman Kunan, aka. Ja Sam, a former Navy SEAL member who died in the dramatic rescue operation at Tham Luang caves, has arrived at Wat Rongkhun. The wat is a famous temple of the Chiang Rai province. The statue arrived on a truck from a foundry in Ayutthaya province where it was…
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10 million baht gem heist getaway motorcycle belonged to dead Thai man
The getaway motorcycle used in the theft of a 10 million baht diamond from a fake jewelry store, set up for the heist, in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district on Tuesday belonged to a long-deceased Thai man. The motorcycle, which the two suspects abandoned at Soi Wat Doung Khae in Pathumwan district, was found yesterday. Police are now investigating how it…
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“Meute” House/Techno marching band at Wonderfruit
PHOTO: Steffi Rettinger Just drums and brass, that’s all they need. Hailing from Hamburg, Germany this modern take on the marching band concept is comprised of eleven musicians and, boy, are they good! With their iconic red jackets this group dares to rearrange house and techno music to bring it to the street. Started in 2015 by trumpet player Thomas Burhorn, this…
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‘Wonderfruit’ so far – in pictures
Photo: Monocle.com Wonderfruit music festival is taking place right now in Pattaya, and you should be there. Founded by Pranitan “Pete” Phornprapha alongside musician friend Montonn “Jay” Jira in December 2014 the festival prides itself in its go green attitude and pledge to social responsibility and raising awareness. Photo: Mont LD Watanasiriroch (Facebook) Photo: Instagram/Bitoeysiam A blend of burning man and…
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506 more people rounded up and arrested in latest immigration sting
PHOTO: The Nation Police have rounded up and arrested another 506 foreigners in their X-Ray Outlaw campaign, mostly for living illegally in the Kingdom. The results of the recent operations, checking foreigners nationwide, were announced at another late night media conference at the Grace Hotel on Soi Sukhumvit 3 at 1:30 am today by the deputy Immigration Bureau chief. He said…
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Krabi man arrested after shooting his friend with an M16 rifle
The Plai Praya Police in Krabi have been notified that a man has sustained serious injuries after being shot at a house in Plai Praya. Police and emergency responders arrived to find blood all over the floor. Bullet holes were found in the windows and doors of the residence. Four M16 rifle cartridges were found on the ground 23 year…
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Thaiger Radio News – Friday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…
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Vietnam’s sixth airline takes off on December 29
The local airline business in Vietnam is hotting up with Bamboo Airlines poised to take to the skies. The new airline says it intends to fly its first domestic service on December 29. The first flight will depart Hanoi for the resort town of Quy Nhon where the airline’s parent company operates a hotel. ttrweekly.com is reporting that Vietnam’s fifth…
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Fake goods seized in Patong and Central Festival
Officers have raided shops near Patong Beach and the Central Department Store. Officers seized counterfeit goods and arrested suspects yesterday. In Patong, the team of officers raided shops near Patong Beach and Soi Bangla. 468 counterfeit items were seized from 11 shops. All seized items have now been taken to the Patong Police Station. Officers also raid shops at the Central Department…
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PM comes under attack after political bans lifted
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and his governmental coming under attack from politicians taking advantage of the junta’s lifting of political restrictions. The ban was officially lifted on Tuesday allowing commentary about politics, including criticism of other politicians and parties. Most of the parties who have been speaking up so far are linked to fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin has…
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Thailand’s Islamic council bans children under 17 from marrying
by Kornrawee Panyasuppakun The Central Islamic Council of Thailand (CICOT)’s has passed a new regulation banning children under the age of 17 from marriage. But there is a loophole in the new regulation. Thailand’s Islamic council has, for the first time, issued a ban on child marriage nationwide. This follows public anger sparked by the marriage back in July of…
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Noodle sellers dodging police bullets in Chiang Mai
PHOTOS: Manager Online When people fire guns, the bullets that miss still end up somewhere. Like into the cooking pot of a surprised noodle seller in Chiang Mai! The man selling noodles was working the late night shift on a road leading to Mae Rim, according to Manager Online. He had a very lucky escape after a bullet shell-casing hit…
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17 year old student arrested for running porn site
PHOTO: The Nation A young male university student has been arrested over charges of running a pornographic photo website in which paid members were given access to some 300,000 pictures of net idols and other celebrities. Using VK, Line and Facebok the 17 year old (name withheld due to age) uploaded the pictures to the “Kodwarp” page which could then…
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