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.
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Sponsored The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand
The Thaiger key takeaways Not declaring pre-existing conditions can result in denied claims, high costs, or visa problems. Cigna provides coverage for common chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis with high limits and direct billing. Honest disclosure ensures proper coverage,...
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Fire breaks out at Phuket condo site, no injuries reported
A fire broke out at a Phuket condo construction site at night, prompting a swift response from firefighters who contained the blaze before it spread. The fire erupted around 9.30pm on Sunday, October 19, at The Origin Kathu-Patong project on Phra Phuket Kaew Road, approximately 3 kilometres from the eastern base of Patong Hill. The building, currently unoccupied, is part…
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Bangkok police reunite Sri Lankan beauty queen with lost crown
Bangkok police officers successfully tracked down and returned the crown to Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2025, who is set to attend the final of the competition in Thailand in November. The manager of Miss Universe Sri Lanka, Eksith Sachin Seneviratne, filed a complaint with Pathumwan Police Station at 1.38pm on Sunday, October 19, after the beauty queen, Lihasha Lindsay-White, lost…
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Thailand announces second phase of co-payment scheme
The Thai government prepares to launch the second phase of its popular co-payment consumer subsidy scheme in January in a bid to jumpstart domestic spending and bolster economic growth. The announcement was made yesterday, October 20, by government spokesperson Siripong Angkasakulkiat who confirmed that the upcoming phase will be financed from the 2026 fiscal budget. However, the total budget allocation…
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Thai immigration: Belarusian model not abducted in Bangkok
Thai immigration released the last photo of a Belarusian model who was later murdered in Myanmar, denying claims she was abducted while in Thailand. The final CCTV image of Belarusian model Vera Kravtsova before she left Thailand was released by the Immigration Bureau, following reports of her murder in Myanmar and claims she had been abducted from Thai soil. The…
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Thai defence minister warns Cambodia: No deal, no summit
Thailand’s defence minister warned Cambodia that if border talks fail, there will be no peace deal, no ASEAN summit signing, and no further negotiations. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia escalated as Defence Minister General Nattapol Nakphanit issued a firm ultimatum over ongoing border negotiations. Speaking at Government House at 9.35am today, October 21, General Nattapol declared that the upcoming Thai-Cambodian…
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Thai man arrested for car-based penis enlargement services
Bangkok police arrested a Thai man for illegally offering penis enlargement services to clients. He was found advertising his services on the TikTok application and performing illegal procedures inside his car. The Consumer Protection Police Division (CPPD) had been monitoring unlicensed medical service advertisements online and discovered a TikTok account under the name “ช่างใหญ่ โมดิฟาย” (Yai Modify) offering penis enlargement injections…
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Teen bikers arrested in Pattaya street racing crackdown
Police raided a group of teenage street racers in Pattaya after residents complained about late-night noise, reckless riding, and dangerous stunts. The pre-dawn operation took place at around 2am on Sunday, October 19, after fed-up residents reported the noisy, dangerous antics of illegal motorbike racers disrupting their sleep and threatening public safety. Led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Suchat Dusadee and…
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‘Cocktails in Bangkok’: Will Scott returns with expat tales of love, scams and chaos
Nearly a year after publishing The Entertainers 1992–1997: Kevin Keegan’s Legacy, former Thaiger Editor-in-Chief Will Scott returns to the world of fiction with Cocktails in Bangkok, a sharp and darkly comic collection of short stories set in Thailand’s expat underbelly. This latest release marks Scott’s first fictional work since Scoop – The Truth Only Gets in the Way of a Good Story (2016). In Cocktails in…
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Krabi pickup driver claims blocking ambulance due to concerns about mother’s illness
A Thai pickup truck driver blocked an ambulance at Plai Phraya Hospital in the southern province of Krabi, resulting in the death of a 69 year old heart attack patient. The patient, identified as Somkuan, was admitted to Plai Phraya Hospital with respiratory failure at around 11.10pm on October 16. His condition deteriorated, prompting the medical team to arrange for…
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Myanmar crewman dies in boat accident off Phuket coast
A 36 year old Myanmar national has died after suffering a fatal head injury while working aboard a fishing vessel caught in rough seas off Koh Racha Yai. The tragic accident occurred yesterday morning, October 20, while the crewman, identified as Tin Maung Htwe, was on duty as a mechanic aboard the Kiang Chai 3 fishing boat. He reportedly slipped…
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British ex-consul killed by speeding bike in Pattaya crash
A retired British author and former honorary consul has died after being hit by a speeding motorbike while crossing a busy road in Pattaya. Barry Kenyon from Lancashire was on his way to meet friends for dinner on Saturday evening, October 18, when he was struck by a motorbike while walking across Thappraya Road, near the Pattaya intersection. Kenyon had…
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3 Japanese men harass Pattaya hairdresser, lifting her skirt during service
A Thai hairdresser filed a complaint against three Japanese men for lifting her skirt while she was providing a service to their friend at a salon in Pattaya. The victim, 34 year old Kanokkarn, shared CCTV footage of the incident on social media. She revealed that the incident occurred at 1.58pm on Sunday, October 19, at her salon on Soi Pattaya…
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Cool winds up north, flash floods lash Thailand’s south
Thailand braces for shifting weather as cool winds sweep northern Thailand and storms pound the southern regions, prompting flood and marine warnings. A high-pressure system from China is sweeping across upper Vietnam and is expected to reach Laos and northeastern Thailand today. This will bring cooler mornings and strong winds to the north and northeast, with a slight dip in…
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Foreign man criticised for dangerously filming video on Phuket road
Thai netizens questioned a foreign driver’s awareness of Thai traffic laws after a man was caught on a viral TikTok video performing push-ups in the middle of a Phuket road. The Thai TikToker shared the video on his account, @abudawut, yesterday, October 19, with a caption reading, “Everybody is crazy. A thousand strange things are possible in Phuket.” In the…
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Foreign driver sparks outrage with dangerous speeding on Phuket road
A foreign man was caught on a viral video driving his luxury car dangerously on a crowded road in Phuket on Saturday, October 18. The video circulated on Thai social media yesterday, October 19, after a local motorist witnessed the incident and shared it with news agencies. The road in the video was reported to be located in the Patong…
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Foreign man allegedly takes over public mooring and threatens boat drivers with knife
A local boat operator called on relevant government officials to take action against a foreign man who allegedly took control of a public mooring near Koh Hey in Phuket and threatened other boat drivers with a knife. The local boat operator, who claimed to be threatened by the foreign man, shared a video of the encounter with the Facebook news…
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Nigerian man arrested for drug dealing in Bangkok nightclub raid
Police raided a nightclub in the Ratchaprarop area of Bangkok early on Saturday, October 18, and arrested a Nigerian man on charges of drug dealing. Twenty-two partygoers later tested positive for drugs. At around 5am, officials from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) and the Insee 19-69 unit inspected the entertainment venue in the Ratchathewi district. The operation…
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3 Indian men arrested for jealous attack on fellow countryman in Pattaya
Police arrested three Indian men at a rented room in Pattaya on Saturday, October 18, following a gang attack on a fellow countryman over jealousy. Another suspect remains at large. The victim, Narendra Tamta, filed a complaint with the Chon Buri Provincial Immigration Bureau on October 17 after suffering a serious head injury during the assault by four suspects. The…
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Chinese man stabs Pattaya officer with pen during roadside rampage
A Chinese man stabbed an officer from the Pattaya City Law Enforcement with a pen on a roadside on Saturday, October 18, when officials attempted to calm him down following his rampage. Pattaya City Law Enforcement officials responded to a complaint from locals and approached the suspect, a Chinese man aged between 35 and 40, in order to take him…
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Pattaya woman slashes her own throat after argument with foreign boyfriend
A Thai woman slashed her own throat at a bar in Pattaya yesterday, October 19, following an argument with her foreign boyfriend. The self-harm incident was reported to rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Dhammastan Foundation at 1.36am, prompting the team to rush to a bar on Soi Pattaya Beach 13/2, Nong Prue sub-district, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri. Upon arrival,…
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Navy officer jumps off dormitory to escape alleged rape attempt by senior officer
A young navy officer jumped from the fourth floor of a dormitory in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri, claiming he was escaping a rape attempt by a senior officer. Rescuers from the Sawang Rojanathamsathan Sattahip Foundation were alerted to a serious fall at a dormitory within the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) premises in Sattahip, Chon Buri, at about 3am…
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Body of Thai hostage killed in Israel-Hamas conflict identified and returned
Israeli officials confirmed that one of the bodies returned by Hamas on Saturday, October 18, is that of a Thai hostage who was abducted and killed last year. Israel’s local media outlet, i24News, reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced yesterday, October 19, that one of the bodies handed over by Hamas the previous night was identified as a…
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American woman wins 3 million baht using AI for lottery numbers
A 45 year old American woman has won a lottery prize worth 3 million baht after using ChatGPT to choose her numbers, enabling her to pay off her mortgage. Today, on October 19, international media reported that Tammy Carvey, from Wyandotte, Michigan, emerged as the fortunate winner of over 2.6 billion Vietnamese dong (approximately 3 million baht) after employing ChatGPT…
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Chinese tourist falls from hotel balcony in Pattaya
In the early hours of today, October 19, the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Rescue Unit was alerted to an incident involving a man injured after a fall from a hotel near Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya. The rescue team joined forces with the Pattaya City Police and dispatched a team to the location. Upon arrival, they encountered a Chinese tourist, believed…
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Illegal gambling and e-cigarette URLs surge in 2025
Over 400,000 URLs associated with illegal gambling, e-cigarettes, and alcohol advertisements have been detected this year, according to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES). Chomparee Chompurat, inspector-general of the DES, stated that a survey was conducted on websites potentially breaching the law from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2025. The findings revealed a significant increase in illegal…
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Homeless couple’s indecent act in Pattaya bar causes local concern
A video lasting 37 seconds depicting a homeless couple involved in inappropriate conduct at a beer bar in Pattaya has circulated widely, with the Pattaya incidents causing concern among residents and bystanders. The incident took place at a bar on Soi Buakhao and gained traction on social media, prompting swift intervention from the city’s rapid response team. The video, uploaded…
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Police seize 4.4 million meth pills at Thailand-Myanmar border
Police have confiscated 4.4 million methamphetamine pills and detained two individuals suspected of smuggling the drugs near the border between Chiang Rai and Myanmar. According to officials on Saturday, the suspects 41 year old Sira and 34 year old Seri are residents of Mae Fah Luang district in Chiang Rai province. Authorities revealed that the arrest followed intelligence reports indicating that…
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Phuket pushes for stricter cannabis rules to protect tourism image
Phuket’s authorities are advocating for more stringent cannabis regulations after a rise in incidents involving foreign tourists displaying erratic behaviour has negatively impacted the island’s tourism image. Sarayut Mallum, vice-president of the Phuket Tourism Association, highlighted that many instances of foreign visitors behaving unusually have been linked to excessive cannabis consumption. He noted, ‘Some tourists smoked multiple joints consecutively, resulting…
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Boy with ADHD taken to police after toy gun incident
An 11 year old boy, who aimed a toy gun at a shop owner, was taken to Hat Yai police by his mother, who revealed that he suffers from severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has short-term memory loss. The mother has decided to stop allowing him to sell boiled peanuts. This incident gained attention after a Facebook user…
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Monk killed in pet dispute at Nakhon Pathom temple
A 70 year old man attacked a monk with a knife, leading to the monk’s death at a temple. The incident, believed to be linked to a dispute over pets, occurred at 6.30pm yesterday, on October 18. Police Lieutenant Veeralak Khornchom of Pho Kaew Police Station received a report of the assault on a monk at Wat Om Yai in…
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