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. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored Thailand vs. the West: What expats save on healthcare each year
Healthcare in Thailand is much cheaper than in Western countries, making it a great choice for expatriates looking for affordable medical care. Both public and private healthcare options offer high-quality services, with savings of up to 80% on procedures like...
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Thai officials plan to nominate historic park for World Heritage status
Thai officials are continuing to seek recognition for the kingdom’s rich heritage. The country’s World Heritage Convention Committee is collecting information for an application for the Phu Phra Bat Historical Park to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is located in Thailand’s northeast province of Udon Thani. The site demonstrates Thailand’s prehistoric beliefs, according to Lieutenant…
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British man injured in hit-and-run incident in Pattaya
A 74 year old British man was injured in a hit-and-run incident on the zebra crossing in Pattaya. The driver is on the run. Peter Palmer was hit by a wreckless pickup driver as he crossed Jomtien Sai Song Road at 11am yesterday. Fortunately, the British man survived and is appealing to the Thai media to spread his story so…
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Airports of Thailand streamlining procedures, adding staff
With the first real High Season since the Covid-19 pandemic getting underway, Airports of Thailand is streamlining procedures and adding staff. Minister of Transport Saksayam Chidchob inspected Thailand’s main hub, Suvarnabhumi Airport, to evaluate how prepared the airport is for a sharp increase in tourists. One major focus for airport readiness for an influx of tourists is crowd bottlenecking at…
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The WHO rename monkeypox to avoid racist stereotypes
In a bid to avoid racism and stigmatisation, the World Health Organization (WHO) is renaming monkeypox, mpox. The WHO will use mpox as a synonym for monkeypox. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while monkeypox is phased out altogether. The move comes after the United Nations voiced concerns over the way the virus was being reported by…
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Pattaya’s Walk and Eat food festival coming up
Foodies in Pattaya have something to look forward to. The city’s Walk and Eat food festival is coming up, after being cancelled or restricted for years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The long festival will run from December 10 to January 29 at the Naklua fish market in Old Town Naklua. Attendees can sample tasty local dishes, and enjoy concerts…
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Sea turtle choked to death on plastic waste
The Sea Turtle Conservation Centre revealed the dead turtle that washed ashore on a Chon Buri beach yesterday choked to death on plastic waste. Veterinarians at the centre said more than two kilogrammes of waste was found inside the marine reptile when they examined it. About 100 grammes of fishing net, nylon filament, plastic and small nails and other rubbish,…
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Buddhists and Muslims rally for peace together in South Thailand
In one South Thailand province plagued by violence, Buddhists and Muslims are overcoming religious differences to fight for peace. Buddhist and Muslim leaders conducted demonstrators in a rally for peace in Narathiwat province’s city district this morning. Islamic leaders led prayers for peace. Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Federation of Buddhist Thais in Narathiwat led the demonstrators in shouting demands…
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Cowardly rapist arrested for a fifth time in Isaan
A serial rapist was arrested for the fifth time on Friday for attacking and sexually assaulting two women in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani. The 41 year old man, named Pathanin Jen, an ex-convict, is also guilty of several thefts in the Isaan province. Footage emerged of Pathanin conducting a cowardly attack on a teenage girl on Sunday, November…
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Murderer offers 100,000 baht to netizens to cut off his EM ankle bracelet
A man found guilty of murder and tagged with an electronic monitoring (EM) ankle bracelet appealed on social media for someone to remove the EM tag and he would reward them with 100,000 baht in cash. He also alleges he bribed the police and his attorney. The murderer’s Facebook post briefly circulated on Thai social media before he took it…
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TAT holds Amazing Thailand Fest 2022 in India
Thailand’s tourism officials held another event to draw visitors to the Land of Smiles, this time in India. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in cooperation with Team Thailand in India, held the ‘Amazing Thailand Fest 2022’ in New Deli from November 25-27. The event was part of TAT’s campaign Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters. The festival displayed…
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Gus, 7, youngest Thai person to reach Everest Base Camp
At the same time as two Thai women died trekking in the Himalayas, a 7 and a half year old boy from Phuket became what is believed to be the youngest Thai person ever to reach Mount Everest Base Camp. Young Gus made the trek along with his parents earlier this month. The team reached Mount Everest Base Camp 5,340…
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New direct flight between Muscat and Bangkok
The Sultanate of Oman today announced the introduction of a direct flight between Muscat and Bangkok. From Sunday, December 18, Oman’s budget airline SalamAir will fly directly between Muscat and Bangkok three times per week. Flights from Muscat depart on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, while return flights from Bangkok are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Bangkok is SalamAir’s second…
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Man arrested in South Thailand for attempted murder in Phuket
A man has been arrested in South Thailand’s Phatthalung province for attempted murder in Phuket four years ago. The man, 23 year old Thanakorn Phontha, was wanted on arrest warrants issued in January and August 2018. Officers found Thanakorn in his house on Moo 7 in the Srinakarin district, after finding through an investigation that he had been hiding in…
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Pattaya motorcycle taxi rider arrested for sexually harassing Thai singer
A motorcycle taxi rider in Pattaya was arrested today after he allegedly sexually harassed his passenger, a Thai singer named Yanawut “Pearja” Jarearnartiput. The taxi rider denied the allegation claiming he touched the woman in an attempt to keep her from falling off his motorcycle. Last Saturday, November 26, 31 year old singer Pearja posted videos of the incident on…
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Boobs ban! Macro-textured implants outlawed in Thailand
Are big boobs bad? Thailand has become famous for being a country where girls get big boobs and the ladyboys get even bigger boobs. But now, after fears of a rare cancer risk, macro-textured breast implants have been banned in Thailand. The new declaration was originally signed on October 20 by Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha. But on Friday…
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Pattaya International Fireworks Festival meets goal of over 100,000 spectators
The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2022 has come to a close, and officials say the festival was a success. Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches said the festival met its goal of bringing back tourists to boost Pattaya’s economy. As expected, the festival drew over 100,000 spectators. Although there were some major traffic delays, there were no reports of other issues during…
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North Korea aims to be world’s top nuclear power after missile test
After recent missile tests, Kim Jong-un says that he aims to make North Korea the biggest nuclear power on the planet according to state media reports. Yesterday the dictator of the isolated country promoted many military officers that worked to launch North Korea’s largest ballistic missile test to date. Kim previously vowed to respond to perceived nuclear threats from the…
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Naked Thai woman under influence of kratom rescued from Bang Pagong River
A naked Thai woman, reportedly drunk from a kratom drink, was fished out of the Bang Pagong River in the central province of Chachoengsao after she took the plunge to do some meditation. Residents, who witnessed the incident, told the rescue team that they saw a woman taking off her clothes before she jumped into the Bang Pagong River near…
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Cruise brings 600 tourists to Koh Samui
After three years of pandemic-induced quiet, Koh Samui welcomed back its first major cruise ship. Viking Cruises included Koh Samui in their Secrets of Southeast Asia cruise, stopping on Sunday for some 600 passengers to come ashore and explore the Thai tourist island. The large vessel was welcomed as it docked at Nathon Pier on the west coast of Koh…
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Bangladeshi-Burmese border conference offers model for Thailand
A Bangladeshi-Burmese border conference between security forces finishes today in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw. Does Thailand have anything to learn from the Bangladeshis who face perhaps greater problems dealing with the kakistocracy across the river? The situation on the border is tense, due to internal conflict in Myanmar, violations of airspace, terrorism, cross-border crime and the Rohingya refugee problem.…
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Thai gold necklace thief escapes arrest by swimming to Myanmar
A thief stole a gold necklace worth about 150,000 baht from a shop near a police station in Chiang Rai and then escaped arrest by embarking on a death-defying swim across a snake-infested river to Myanmar. Khaosod reported that the theft happened on Saturday, November 26, at a gold shop named Seri Phan in the Mae Sai district of Chiang…
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People of China protest on streets over mainland’s zero-Covid policy
The people of China appear to have had enough of the mainland’s zero-Covid policy. Incredibly, the usually deferential Chinese people were on the streets calling for their nation’s leader, President Xi Jinping, to stand down. It wasn’t anarchy on the mainland streets over the weekend but it wasn’t far off as hundreds of people in several major cities clashed with…
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Iranian Kurdish football player arrested after speaking out
Iranian authorities arrested a former member of the country’s national football team on November 24. Voria Ghafouri was arrested for “insulting the national soccer team and propagandising against the government,” Iranian media reported. Ghafouri, who was not chosen to go to the World Cup, is a member of Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority. He recently called for an end to the…
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What makes Tops Fine Food the ideal place to shop for premium food in Bangkok
Grocery shopping is usually considered a chore, but it doesn’t have to be! Tops Fine Food Thailand is changing the game by making grocery shopping an exciting experience. Tops Fine Food is Central Retail’s newest food destination that’ll enhance your shopping experience. According to Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer of Food Group, Central Retail, the launch of Tops Fine Food…
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Poll examines sexual violence causes, definitions
A new NIDA Poll has shed some light on what modern Thai society believes is sexual violence and what causes it. The poll, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), asked about what people thought were the major root causes of sexual violence. They also asked whether a variety of scenarios would be considered to fall under that…
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Four members of drug gang arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Four members of a drug gang were arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat Friday carrying 1.2 million meth pills. The four had brought the pills from the north of the country, according to Pol Maj Gen Somchai Suetortrakul. Police arrested members of the drug gang Somyos Jaidee, 57 years old, and Supiwa Ratsupha, 20 years old, in Khuan. The pair had…
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Military mum calls for justice over slain son
A military mum called for justice over the death of her son, an army private from Uthai Thani province. She called for a full investigation, accusing 11 other soldiers of beating her son to death in a punishment cell. The funeral of Pvt Kajornsak, 24, of the Fourth Infantry Division, took place at Thung Luang temple in the Nong Chang…
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Why aren’t tourists returning to Khao San Road?
The past few years have been dark for tourism in Thailand and around the world. The Covid-19 global pandemic closed borders and killed tourism in so many crucial areas. Khao San Road, the vibrant, bustling backpacker haven of Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok quickly fell into a desolate ghost town. Now, the last pandemic restrictions have been lifted, and the…
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World Cup to be shown in Thai prison
If you’re a huge fan of crime, but also a huge fan of football, you may have been discouraged from pulling off any heists for fear of missing the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar. Don’t worry, now you can go out and commit that crime! The director-general of the Corrections Department has announced the World Cup will be shown in…
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UK exports to Japan slump after ‘landmark’ free trade deal
UK exports to Japan have slumped after a “landmark” free-trade deal exacerbated an already awful situation. Sold as Britain’s first major free-trade agreement since Brexit, the deal with Japan has been an abject failure. Trade between Britain and Japan has actually declined since the deal was signed. Trade secretary at the time, Liz Truss – then still believed by some…
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