News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Sponsored 5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Singapore megachurch suspends services, goes online
Facing a burgeoning crisis in the southeast Asian island-state, Singapore’s biggest megachurch, with a congregation of 16,000, will stop holding services this weekend due to the rising number of coronavirus cases and instead broadcast its lively, gospel-style message online. City Harvest Church is one of the most profitable churches in Asia, but has been embroiled in a corruption scandal in…
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Families of 27 Korat victims to get 1 million baht
Families of 27 of the people killed in last Saturday’s mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima will receive a million baht in compensation from the government. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who chairs a committee to decide such settlements, said today that no money has been earmarked for two of the fatalities, over which there is a “dispute,” or for the…
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Coronavirus UPDATE: Vietnam village quarantined, worldwide cases reach 64,448
Latest coronavirus stats Infected patients worldwide reaches 64,448 whilst the death toll from the coronavirus has plateaued in the past 24 hours to 1,383. According to the Chinese National Health Commission, the current number of infections of coronavirus (aka. covid-2019) in mainland China is 63,8591, up some 5,000 from the day before. 7,101 patients have now full recovered. There are at…
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Bangkok “auntie” arrested for robbing cabbies
An “auntie” in Bangkok has finally been arrested after stealing money from numerous taxi drivers. Police arrested 55 year old Nongnuch Pimsuan of Kanchanaburi province at around 5pm yesterday. The suspect had an arrest warrant in her name from the Taling Chan Court. Police were notified as early as February 4 that a passenger had stolen 1,400 baht from a…
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UPDATE: Shooter arrested. Shots fired around Chulalongkorn University this morning
UPDATE Police say that a 40 year old man has now been caught after a series of shots, more than 20 according to eye witnesses this morning. Shots were fired from a sports clothing store in Sio Chula 10, close to Chulalongkhorn University, in Bangkok’s Pratumnam district. No one was injured. (Video of the stand-off below from the Bangkok Post)…
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Slurpees, phonecard top-ups, snacks and now you can do your washing
…well, in one store anyway. Maybe more to come. You can pay your bills there, buy a Slurpee, get a good coffee and, now, do you washing too. A Bangkok 7-Eleven store has rolled out its own laundry service, not that anyone is going to be actually doing your laundry, but they will provide the washing machines. The laundromat at a…
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Chonburi immigration introduces “smart car” to check foreigners’ visa status
Overstayers and ne’er-do-wells beware: Thai media are reporting that Chon Buri immigration sent a brand new BMW “smart car” into action, with state of the art electronics onboard, to verify the status of foreigners in and around Pattaya. By “smart’ it’s basically some Pattaya cops riding around in an expensive car with a laptop. We presume that if the car…
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Bangkok cross-border surrogacy gang busted
Two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, have been arrested after coordinated raids on illegal assisted-reproduction clinics in and around Bangkok. The pair are suspected of involvement in a major cross-border surrogacy racket. Police found at least seven Thai surrogate mothers in the raids. In a raid on a house in Lat Phrao district, police found seven pregnant Thai…
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German man saved from 2nd-floor jump in Pattaya
A German man was saved after trying to jump from a second floor room in South Pattaya yesterday. Pattaya police were notified of the incident at 12:30pm yesterday. Police, emergency responders and local media rushed the scene. The 60 year old German man, identified as Nolte Uwe, was sitting on the balcony of a room on the second floor of a…
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Terminal 21 Korat, scene of mass shooting, reopens with prayers
Four days after the mass shooting that left dead and more than 50 injured, the public turned out this morning to reopen Terminal 21 shopping centre in Nakhon Ratchasima, the scene of the carnage, in hope of raising spirits. Terminal 21 in Korat reopened its doors today to thousands of people who came to pray and make offerings to more…
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Coronavirus UPDATE – sharp increase in cases, UK officials battle to contain a new threat
There’s been a sharp spike in new cases of coronavirus, principally in the central Chinese province of Hubei. There are now 60,373 world cases, 59,805 in China. 1,369 people have died and over 6,000 recovered. 242 new deaths were recorded yesterday, the deadliest day since the start of the outbreak. So what’s behind the big rise? It’s not actually a spike…
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Khon Kaen monk arrested, disrobed after bomb threat
A monk in the northeastern province of Khon Khaen has been arrested and disrobed after giving false information to police. The monk called the 191 emergency line and stated that a bomb had been placed inside a hotel. He later claimed that the information was to make officers “more aware.” Police arrested 30 year old monk “Santisuk” in the province’s…
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Teen kills friend with homemade gun
A 17 year old boy is dead after he was accidentally shot by a friend with a homemade hand gun in the western province of Kanchanaburi. His teenage friend was showing off the gun to a group of friends early Wednesday morning. Police say the shooting was reported about 4:20am and occurred in a rented room in Kanchanaburi. Police and…
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From Star Trek to the Galaxy Z Flip phone – a new foldable comes to Thailand
The $1,500 Motorola RAZR flip phone, a sort of ‘smartphone’ version of its original 2004 market favourite, was twice the cost of an iPhone 11, looked cool but had a small battery and plastic screen. It was a throwback to the earlier design but with a foldable screen, the latest ‘thaeng’ in the smart-phone world. Now there’s the new Galaxy…
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Dead infant discovered in Pattaya
Police are investigating the death of a newborn boy after his body was found dumped in front of a house in Pattaya. Barking dogs alerted neighbors. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 8pm yesterday. Police, rescue workers and reporters rushed to the scene to find the body of a male infant. Its umbilical cord was also found…
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“Forgotten tourists” enjoy Pattaya
Pattaya’s Chinese golden goose has officially flown the coop, and hotels are cheaper, traffic is better and maybe even the service has improved a bit. With China’s group travel ban to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Pattaya has the feel of low season even though the calendar says otherwise. But while business owners moan, ask any of the Indian,…
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MICE sector to get 200 million baht in relief funding
Thailand’s government will provide relief funding for the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions) sector after it declined by half due to the coronavirus outbreak. The cabinet approved the extra budget last week. The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), together with the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and listed companies, will provide 200 million baht in cash incentives to promote…
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Third unidentified foreigner found dead in Pattaya
The body of an unidentified foreign man was found floating in Pattaya Bay yesterday with an 8 kilogram rock tied to his neck. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 1pm. It is the third case of an unidentified foreigner’s death in a week in the resort town Police, divers and reporters rushed into the sea off Koh…
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UPDATE: 12 year old boy shoots friend dead in Kalasin
A thirteen year old boy is dead in the northeastern province of Kalasin, after being shot by a friend playing with his father’s gun. Police and medical services were called to a house in Nong Kung Sri district on Sunday morning after the boy was shot, local media report. Police say that three boys were playing when one boy, aged…
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Myanmar tourism increases a massive 40% in 2019
Myanmar has ranked highest among the world’s 20 quickest-growing travel destinations over the past 12 months. The report from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Vietnam and The Philippines are also regional winners over the past year that made it into the top 10 best performing emerging travel destinations. Myanmar Tourism Marketing, part of the Myanmar Tourism Federation, reports that…
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Jordanian man arrested for charging “protection money”
Immigration Police have arrested a Jordanian man in Bangkok for extortion, according to local media. 24 year old “Ali” collected protection money from other Jordanians and Middle Eastern foreigners staying illegally in Thailand, claiming to have government connections and “friends in high places.” Foreigners working or staying illegally paid him in the belief that they were protected. The suspect was…
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You’re not welcome here! Thai Health Minister refuses request to berth in Thailand
The Holland-US “MS Westerdam” cruise ship has been refused docking permission at Laem Chabang Port in Chonburi, south east of Bangkok, after having been turned away by three other countries who were concerned about the spread of coronavirus. Referring to the company’s website, which stated that Thailand would allow the ship to dock at Laem Chabang Port last Thursday, Deputy…
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Slain policemen honoured in Royal ceremony
The two policemen who died ending the shooting rampage in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima were honourably received in a royally sponsored bathing ceremony in Bangkok yesterday. The bodies of Captain Trakul Tha-asa and Senior Sergeant Major Petcharat Kamchadpai, both 35 years old, were transported on ceremonial trucks from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok, their coffins covered with the national…
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Land mine severs man’s foot in Phrae
A man in the northern province of Phrae had his foot blown off by a land mine yesterday morning while cutting bamboo. Police say the incident occurred at about 8am in a community forest. A medical team and a bomb squad were sent to the scene to investigate. 21 year old Yossakorn Chuchart told police that he and his father,…
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HM The King offers condolences, grants royal patronage of funerals
“The government is profoundly saddened by the mass shooting and would like to extend its moral support to all Thais and the people of Korat.” This morning the Thai PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha made a statement across the Thai television pool. He passed on a message from His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida who expressed their…
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Government officials wear black today, Korat residents grieve
Thailand’s cabinet ministers and officials at Government House will be wearing black clothing today as the Kingdom wakes to the first full work day since the Korat massacre – a mass shooting that has left at least 30 people dead, including the gunman. Government officials will officially mourn the innocent people killed in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and…
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Irishman found dead in Pattaya
An Irish man has been found dead in a room at a condominium in Pattaya. Police were notified of the discovery Sunday night. Police, emergency responders and reporters rushed to the room, which was locked from the inside. Inside they found the naked body of an Irish man around 50 years old, identified as Peter Alexander Campbell, on the bed.…
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UPDATE: Phuket speedboats crash: 2 children dead, 22 injured – VIDEO
“…both boat drivers have been charged with reckless driving causing death and injury.” Two Russian children have died and some 22 people were injured following a high-speed speedboat collision off Phuket’s east coast just before 8am this morning. The incident occurred in the channel linking Phuket’s two main east coast marinas with the Phang Nga Bay on the east side of…
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PM orders security review for nation’s armouries in wake of mass shooting
The death toll from the weekend’s shooting rampage in Korat has climbed 30, with 57 others injured. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, himself a general, yesterday ordered a review of security at the nation’s armouries. “If we had fully followed the standard security procedure, we would have been able to mitigate the degree of violence in this incident. Even if we insisted…
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Thai PM orders tighter controls on guns at military bases – 30 dead, 57 injured
“He was able to broadcast, unhindered, for nearly 5 hours before his stream was eventually taken down.” 30 people are now confirmed dead (including the gunman) as a result of Saturday’s Korat massacre, 57 people were injured. Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayut Cha-o-cha listed the sad toll when facing the media yesterday. He also ordered a review of security measures…
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