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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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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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Who dares stamp out the practice of child marriage in southern Thailand?
When an 11 year old married a 41 year old at a mosque near the Golok river on the border between Thailand and Malaysia, no locals thought much of it. Child brides are legal in Malaysia, if Islamic sharia law grants approval for the marriage. The 11 year old was the 41 year old Malaysian’s third wife. At the time…
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Ladyboys nabbed for picking tourist’s pockets in Pattaya
Pattaya police have arrested two ladyboyss for allegedly stealing cash and a credit card from a British tourist and then using the card to buy t120,000 baht worth of gold ornaments. 31 year old Brit tourist James William Jack Mason had filed a complaint saying he was on Walking Street late on the night of August 31 when the two…
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1.3 billion baht of fakes destroyed, overseen by Army chiefs
by Jitraporn Senwong The Army has overseen the destruction of more than two million seized counterfeit items worth a combined street value of 1.3 billion baht. The ‘ceremony’ was held at an army base in Bangkok’s Don Mueang district today (Monday). Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwon oversaw the event and watched as fake “brand-name” clothing, bags, shoes, sunglasses, cell phones,…
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Autopsy results reveal German tourist died from drowning on Koh Phi Phi
The result of an autopsy reveals that the German tourist who died on Koh Phi Phi in Krabi died of drowning after falling from rocks last week. The body of 50 year old Markus Steibach was found lying near a rock formation on the beach next to a sea gypsy graveyard in the Ban Laem Dong village. Read the original…
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Meeting this month to consider lifting political restrictions
Deputy PM and Defense Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan says he’s confident the election roadmap will not be altered as the NCPO ponders the possibility of lifting political restrictions. Gen Prawit says the NCPO will hold a meeting this month to discuss the withdrawal of its order outlawing political movements and activities. Deputy PM for Legal Affairs Wissanu Krea-ngam, will be…
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Bangkok laundry explosion – 8 injured
Eight people have been injured after gas leaking from tumble dryers in a 24 hour laundromat in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district exploded early today (Monday). Sutthisarn police station was alerted at 2.30am to the explosion at the laundromat, which is located in a shophouse at the front of Soi Inthamara 36. The eight injured were rushed to Paolo Memorial Hospital,…
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Men-only police academy riles rights groups
Rights advocates are raising concerns over the Royal Thai Police’s new policy of banning female applicants from the police cadet academy, saying the move undermines women’s rights and affects the prosecution of sex crimes. The women’s rights supporters said the national police office order of August 28 was backward and discriminatory. It didn’t only undermine women’s rights and violate the…
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Chinese setting up shop in Chiang Mai
by Jintana Panyaarvudh The charm and beauty of Chiang Mai, the capital of northern Thailand, has made the province not only a must-see destination but also a golden nest for foreign investors – especially Chinese seeking business opportunities. Take Chinese entrepreneurs like Cherry and Zong Dan, for example. Having fallen for Chiang Mai’s charms, they opted to start their first…
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Tourist seriously injured in ATV accident
A Saudi Arabian tourist has sustained serious injuries after driving an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle – Dune Buggy) off the side of a 10 metre hillside yesterday (Sunday). Narenthorn Rescue workers were notified that two tourist injured in the accident on Nark Kerd Hill in Chalong at 4pm were taken to the Chalong Hospital. A male Saudi Arabian who has…
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Police suspect insurgents involved in double shooting in Songkhla
by Santiparp Ramasut An elderly couple have been shot dead at their furniture shop in Songkhla’s Thepa district this afternoon (Sunday) and police suspect it might be linked to the insurgency in the southern provinces. Police say the shop was among 10 locations of arson or bomb attacks targeted by insurgents back in 2013. An unknown attacker, or attackers, stormed…
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Woman ploughs SUV into Bangkok police checkpoint
A 57 year old woman has ploughed her Toyota SUV into a police checkpoint in Bangkok’s Rat Burana district last night, injuring two officers and four motorcyclists. She was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. She couldn’t have chosen a worse target to crash her car into. The incident took place near the mouth of Soi Suksawat 35 around 11.30pm.…
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Bike rider killed near the Heroines Monument
PHOTO: Newshawk Phuket A female bicycle rider has died at the scene after colliding with a car in Thalang last night (September 1). The Thalang Police were notified of the accident at a U-turn near the Heroines Monument on Thepkrasattri Road southbound at 9.40pm. Rescue workers and Thalang Police arrived at the scene to find the body of a woman…
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Phoenix salvage moves into its second month – Videos
PHOTO AND VIDEOS: The Phuket Marine Office It’s already been a month since the Phoenix salvage operation began. So far the wreck remains resting on the bottom of the Andaman Sea, 45 metres underwater. All attempts, so far, to bring the Phoenix to the surface and be used as critical evidence in the forthcoming court case, has failed with divers and salvage contractors…
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She gambled. She lost.
The Belarusian self-proclaimed seductress, nabbed by police last February in Pattaya running ‘sex classes’ for Russian tourists in the party town, remains in a Thai prison. In the days after her arrest, her relatively minor immigration transgression ramped up into an international scandal when she claimed she could dish dirt on US President Trump and some of his alleged Russian…
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Thaiger Radio News – Sunday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere.
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I’ve got a little list – Thai PM
Article 44 of the interim Thai charter is the NCPO’s open cheque to pass any laws it wishes. And many have been directed from the PM’s office over the course of his over four years at the head of the nation’s military government. But it appears he’s lost count of how many have been passed and ordered his deputy PM…
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Thailand emerging as a regional blockchain leader
While United States regulators are still trying to figure out how to think about cryptocurrencies, Thailand’s government is already mapping out its own central bank digital currency. Tech Crunch says this is just one of numerous examples how Thailand has emerged as one the most interesting cryptocurrency and blockchain countries in Southeast Asia during 2018. The Thai government has become increasingly…
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80,000 still affected by August floods
Eight of the 18 provinces hit by floods caused by recent tropical storms and seasonal monsoons remain under water according to the chief of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. Flooding was a problem in 18 provinces from August 17 to the end of the month due to influences of Tropical Storm Bebinca and the southwest monsoon. During the period, 162,711…
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Chinese tourist badly injured in hit and run
PHOTOS: Hamima Kahapana / Newshawk Phuket A Chinese tourist was hit by a pick-up after running onto the road near a hotel behind the Factory Outlet on ByPass Road, Phuket. The driver of the pick-up sped away even though it would have been completely obvious that they had hit the tourist, albeit an accident caused by the running tourist. A…
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Responsible property purchases – do your homework and seek a second opinion
Many times prospective buyers of property in Thailand search online for legal information in regards to their purchase. They soon discover that online legal advice varies depending on the law office, lawyer or advisor providing the information. In some cases advice is given which recommends that to secure an investment in property a Thai company should be incorporated to hold…
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Hello Bangkok Christian College – It’s the 21st century
PHOTO: Bangkok Christian College In a sign that the Thai education system still has a way to go, the Bangkok Christian College has been forced to backtrack on using the phrase “sexual deviation” to describe transgenders and other shades of the GLBT spectrum. But the college insists it will still host a controversial seminar in Bangkok as planned. The seminar,…
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Pattaya police told to clean up their act
PHOTOS: Pattaya News Pattaya police are being told to clean up their act, stop hiding behind masks and try harder to communicate better with tourists. The directive has come from Bangkok HQ. Pattaya News is reporting that the local Pattaya police chief Pol Col Apichai Krobpetch is passing on the directive to officers on the beat. He said that “This…
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Tourist arrivals up again – 11 percent rise year on year
Thailand welcomed 22,657,730 visitors over between January-July 2018, up by 11 percent over the same period in 2017, according to preliminary figures collected by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Estimated visitor expenditure also rose significantly, up 14.44 percent to 1.18 trillion baht. The top ten source markets of visitors to Thailand in January – July 2018: SOURCE: Ministry…
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National police ask to be updated on death of German tourist on Koh Phi Phi
A top national police spokesman has commented on the, as yet, unsolved death of a German tourist found on rocks at Koh Phi Phi. The national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda has asked to be kept informed of any developments in the case. Daily News reports that 50 year old Markus Steinbach was found on Tuesday evening in a sandy crevice on…
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Kanchanaburi mother and her lover arrested over 2015 murder
A three year old crime has eventually caught up with a woman and her lover in Kanchanaburi. Police have arrested a 47 year old woman implicated in conspiring with her 36 year old plantation worker lover in the murder of her 56 year old plantation owner husband in Kanchanaburi’s Sai Yok district back in August 2015. Supatchaya Sirisuk was arrested…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere.
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Australian filmmaker gets 6 years in a Cambodian prison for ‘espionage’
PHOTO: cambodiadaily.com 69 year old Australian filmmaker James Ricketson has been sentenced to six years in prison by the Phnom Penh municipal court in Cambodia. The Court found James guilty of ‘espionage’ for flying a drone over an opposition party’s political rally, this according to Reuters. Thai PBS reports that the Australian was arrested last June after he was photographed…
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Police uncover a major farm scam
It works a bit like the famous Nigerian scam when you have to deposit money into an account to unlock promised million (that never arrive of course). But this one was in Thailand… Police have arrested an alleged fraudster who claimed that his company was contracted by the UN to provide 1 million baht financial support to Thai farmers. 56…
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British yacht catches fire – rescued off Phuket
Five boat crews on a British yacht have been rescued by Thai fishing boat after caught fire off Panwa Cape yesterday (August 30). The Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command (NAC 3) officers were notified from Sanit Woranut who was on the British national yacht Philkade which caught fire at 9pm yesterday (August 30) south-east of Cape Panwa. The Royal Thai Navy reported…
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Traditional motorbike taxis vs Grab rival
The old will always try and block the inevitable progress of the news. And so it is with the newer Grab and Uber-stye transport services vs the ‘old guard’. The latest battle in the war between traditional motorcycle-taxis and the upstart Grab service ended with no one getting a ride. A Facebook user posting as “Enfant Tunglamae” live-broadcast the Thursday…
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