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.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
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...
-
New traffic laws come into force for Thailand today
PHOTO: ThaiVisa From today, an amendment to the Land Transport Act means traffic police can no longer confiscate driving licences. Police can still record the details of a driver’s licence but must then return it. The new system will also remove the risk of licences being lost while in the care of the police, as has happened in the past.…
-
Our oceans are key to fighting climate change
by Amélie Bottollier-Depois and Marlowe Hood “There are at least three types of actions humans can take to help repair the damage and ensure that oceans don’t turn from friend to foe.” Humanity must heal oceans made sick by climate change and pollution to protect marine life and to save itself, experts warned days before the release of a major…
-
US vaping-related illnesses surpasses 500
The links between vaping and critical lung disease appear to becoming more frequent and obvious although health authorities are struggling to find the ‘smoking gun’ that is the actual cause of the current list of cases. More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses. An eighth death has also been reported. The US Food and Drug Administration says…
-
Future Forward secretary-general floats idea of another debate
PHOTO: Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, Party leader of Future Forward Party – AFP Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul says the Opposition will consider the option of holding another parliamentary debate over the next 3 months. His statement comes after what was generally considered an unsatisfactory response from the PM and other cabinet members during Wednesday’s debate. Piyabutr is not ready to let the matter…
-
Immigration overhaul – TM6 disappearing and TM30 App being launched
“We made the decision last Friday. Within two to three months, life will be much easier for foreign tourists and expats.” In what appears to be a major overhaul of immigration procedures, dare we say ‘modernisation’, foreign visitors will soon no longer have to fill out the “TM6” arrival forms. The white and blue form has been a source of…
-
Phuket university’s safe-sex campaign attracts 390 volunteers
Yesterday, saw the return of Prince of Songkhla University’s Safe Sex Campaign. Now in its third year, some 390 PSU students turned up to support the campaign by making safe sex packs, which are then distributed free to bars in Patong. The safe sex packs include a condom and lubricant. It was the biggest turn-out of students since this corporate social…
-
14% of condos around Bangkok are empty – good time to buy
Looking for a condo around Bangkok? Now might the right time to take the plunge with the head of the Appraisal and Estate Agents Foundation saying some areas have between 8-14% vacancy rates, some areas of Bangkok up to 17.5%. Dr Sophon Pornchokchai made the remarks at a news conference yesterday. “Adding developer price wars, plus inducements to purchase, this…
-
Chinese netizens want to know what caused panda Chuang Chuang’s death
PHOTO: Mourners leave flowers outside the panda enclosure where Chuang Cuang died this week The “suspicious circumstances” of Chuang Chuang’s demise drew more than 260 million views on social media platform Weibo.” Chinese experts have now arrived in Chiang Mai to investigate the death of a beloved giant panda Chuang Chuang, who died at the Chiang Mai Zoo earlier this week at…
-
Bangkok shophouse partially collapses in the rain
An abandoned shophouse in Bangkok’s Bang Plat district partially collapsed last night. No one was injured as the three-unit shop house, spread over four floors on Soi Charansanitwong 96/2 in Bang Or subdistrict, had been empty for a while. Officials said the fourth and third floors collapsed onto the lower floors, causing glasses and pieces of wood, and concrete, to fall…
-
British Instagrammer locked up in “filthy Bangkok cell’ over missing passport pages
A British model has had a “misunderstanding” with Thai immigration officials after being locked up for 24 hours when it was discovered there were two pages missing from her passport. The model departed Scotland last Sunday for a flight to London before heading to Bangkok. According to mirror.co.uk, Lacey Montgomery-Henderson, from Glasgow, says she was treated ‘like an animal’ during…
-
Phu Quoc Cable Car – Build it and they will come
PHOTO: templesandtreehouses.com “It’s the best value tourist attraction you’ll find almost anywhere in the world!” The cable-car ride from Vietnam’s Phu Quoc island to Hon Thom, aka. Pineapple Island, is a breathtaking experience. It’s an astonishing tourist attraction on an island that has ambitions to be one of south east Asia’s most popular tourist attractions. The actual cable car ride, the…
-
Voice TV report paints grim picture of Thailand’s tourism problems
Natthapong La-orwong of the Sofitel group claims that Thai tourism is suffering, and the lack of European visitors is part of the problem. The comments were made in a Voice TV report that paints a grim picture of the Thai tourism outlook in 2019, according to ThaiVisa. Voice TV is unpopular withThai authorities with its forthright assessments and has been taken off…
-
Public toilets going underground in Pattaya
PHOTO: Bangkok.com Plans are afoot to build new public toilets underground on Pattaya beaches, according to a report in The Pattaya News. Deputy Mayor Pattana Boonsawad says 4 underground facilities will be built along Pattaya Beach Road initially, with additional amenities being opened on Jomtien and Dongtan beaches. It’s understood the washrooms need to be built below street level to…
-
Indonesia’s President Jokowi says he is “embarrassed” by fires
PHOTO: Singapore, days before the 2019 Grand Prix – DL Dozens of people have now been arrested over their alleged involvement in Indonesia’s massive forest fires. Thousands of hectares of rain forest and plantations have been burned, with the smoke and haze drifting in neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand. Dedi Prasetyo, Indonesia’s National Police spokesman has confirmed 185 people…
-
New branding for the old town – tweaking Phuket’s Old Town
PHOTO: Many renovated buildings and putting the crappy overhead cabling underground is bringing the old town alive Though Phuket remains among the world’s most popular tourist destinations, injecting some 477 billion baht to the Thai economy, with its “Pearl of the Andaman Sea” branding, its future status is being questioned due to competition from Indonesia and Vietnam. In response, Phuket…
-
UAE boycott bites – Qatar Airways reports $639 million loss
Qatar Airways has hit turbulence posting a net loss for the year to March 2019 of $639 million. The airline blame the losses on key markets closing their airspace to Doha. Qatar Airways currently operates flights to three destinations in Thailand, with services 35 times a week to Bangkok, 14 times a week to Phuket and daily to Krabi. The…
-
Pattaya down the drain – big rains hit the city
PHOTOS: 77kaoded Hours of torrential rain that hit Pattaya yesterday caused flooding and made some roads impassable. But that didn’t stop some adventurous drivers giving it a red-hot shot! The road by the railway, heading towards Sattahip, was under half a metre of water in places. The area is prone to flooding when the monsoonal rains kick in, according to the…
-
2.5 million methamphetamine pills seized near Myanmar border
PHOTO: The Nation Another big delivery of methamphetamine pills has been intercepted in Chiang Mai. This time the couriers were both female. Rangers from the Pha Muang Task Force intercepted 2.5 million methamphetamine pills and arrested two females in a pick-up truck that broke through a checkpoint in the Mae Ai district early yesterday. The arrest followed a tip-off that…
-
Tragedy strikes Hannah Witheridge family again as sister dies from serious illness
ThaiVisa shares a tragic report from the BBC today that the sister of Hannah Witheridge, murdered on Koh Tao in 2014, has passed away after battling a serious illness. It’s understood that Laura Daniels, aged 30, died in hospital on Monday. The nature of the illness has not been disclosed. The family say they have had their “hearts broken” following…
-
Can Hamilton pull off a Singapore hat-trick in the haze?
“Hamilton has taken four of Mercedes’ five victories at the demanding 23-turn city street circuit and is looking for a third consecutive triumph.” by John O’Brien Lewis Hamilton is hoping his march towards a sixth Formula One world title Singapore this week won’t be affected by smoke from wildfires raging next door in Indonesia. The city state has been plagued…
-
Talks with the community will begin next week, says Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam
Thai PBS World shares a Reuters story that reports on planned talks between the Hong Kong government and the community, set to begin next week. The reports says Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has repeated her calls for the violence to end, with the city having been gripped by protests for over three months now. The demonstrations began in…
-
Damp in the south, drier in the north – Thailand’s fickle weather
There is a reasonably high chance of rain in many of the country’s busiest locations, over the next five days (forecasts below). According to the TMD (Thai Meteorological Department), there will be an increased chance of rain in the south but less in the north and north-east, where many areas are still recovering from extensive flooding. “The monsoon trough lies…
-
Minimum age for marriage raised to curb child brides – Indonesia
PHOTO: eNCA “14% of girls in Indonesia are married before the age of 18, and 1% are married before their 15th birthday.” – UNICEF Indonesia’s parliament will raise the minimum age for marriage to 19 in a ruling aimed to curb child marriage in the south east Asian nation. Indonesia’s House of Representatives passed the revision to the country’s existing…
-
Another 300 Chinese rounded up in Philippines fraud crackdown
PHOTO: rya.org Aliens were reportedly rounded up in eight hotels and establishments where they were caught in the act of doing their illegal activities.” Philippines immigration officials, backed by army troops, have arrested more than 300 Chinese over alleged cyber crimes, a week after a similar number were detained during a raid linked to investment fraud. The Bureau of Immigration late…
-
More industry groups line up calling for TM30 abolishment
More industry and NGO groups are lining up with criticism or calls for abolishment of the embattled TM30 and TM28 immigration forms. Most of the criticisms focus on the draconian nature of the forms, confusion around interpretation and the problems with inconsistent implementation. Trade and commerce organisations are saying it flies in the face of the government’s wishes for Thailand…
-
15 killed after truck plummets into ravine in T’boli, Philippines
“Based on eyewitness accounts, the truck lost its brakes.” Fifteen people, including children, have been killed in the southern Philippines after their flatbed truck plummeted into a ravine. The vehicle was carrying around 30 people home from a trip to the beach when the driver lost control near the town of T’boli in the latest deadly crash on the nation’s dangerous…
-
Thailand’s favourite giant panda dies in Chiang Mai Zoo aged 19
A beloved male giant panda, on permanent loan to Thailand from China, has died aged 19 in Chiang Mai. Thais are morning the death of the hugely popular black and white mammal whose sex life captivated the kingdom. Chuang Chuang, a resident of the northern city’s zoo since October 2003, arrived with female Lin Hui, where the pair lived in…
-
68 year old Australian hangs himself after alleging Pattaya police failed to take a missing passport report
A 68 year old Australian has been found hanged in a room in Buriram, north east Thailand. Buriram police were called to the hotel near the city bus station after receiving reports about the deceased foreigner on the third floor room. The man was hanging from a nylon cord and had been dead for an estimated three hours. Attached to the…
-
No impact on PTT’s imports from Saudi oil refinery attack: Thai minister
Thai energy minister Sontirat Sontijirawong claims that last Saturday’s attacks on two major oil-processing facilities run by the Saudi-owned company Aramco will not affect oil imports of the Thai petro-chemical giant PTT group. He added that he had learnt from Aramco and related parties that the situation there was under control and the damage was being assessed. The incident would…
-
Smoke from Indonesian illegal plantation burn-offs causing acute problems for south east Asian neighbours
PHOTO: Visibility down to less than a kilometre at KL airport yesterday Flights cancelled, schools closed and regional environmental ministers trading insults. The minister’s fiddle whilst Indonesian islands burn. Parts of Indonesia are now opening temporary clinics to treat thousands of people suffering from acute respiratory illnesses in the smoke haze stricken regions around Sumatra island as authorities stepped up…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.