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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Miracle at Tham Luang – The Thailand cave drama unfolds, a year on
On June 23, a year ago, only a few northern Thai locals and serious cave enthusiasts knew much about the Tham Luang Caves in Mae Sai district, about an hour’s drive from Chiang Rai. But on that sunny afternoon, following their regular football practice, a group of 12 players and their coach, decided to have a quick excursion to the…
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Phuket’s perfect plane-spotting selfie
Mai Khao Beach, any day day of the year. People are assembling, not to swim, but to take photos of planes taking off from the Phuket International Airport. Every 5-10 minutes planes will come and go making Mai Khao Beach one of Asia’s top plane spotting locations. For now, you can still capture your special moment with a plane, taking…
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ASEAN agrees on common ground for world’s largest trade bloc, RCEP
ASEAN members reached common ground on the mega economic trade bloc, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) during their meeting in Bangkok yesterday. RCEP will cover nearly half of the global economy. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam –…
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Summit this afternoon, banquet tonight – ASEAN leaders assemble in Bangkok
The 34th ASEAN Summit got down to the main agenda today Saturday as leaders from various ASEAN countries arrived in Bangkok for the regional talk-fest. This morning leaders who were in attendance at the Athenee Hotel were Malaysian PM Mahathir Bin Mohamad, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President of The Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, Laos PM…
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ASEAN’s main conferences on today in Bangkok
The 34th ASEAN Summit started yesterday with various break-out meetings before the main leaders’ meeting takes place today and tomorrow. Wireless Road (Witthaya Road) is closed Saturday and Sunday as part of the weekend’s security arrangements. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered a speech at the opening of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network Meeting, one of the important…
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Thai Airways sneaks into Top Ten. Skytrax World’s Best Airlines Awards 2019.
PHOTO: A Thai Airways Airbus A380 Qatar Airways is the world’s best airline in the 2019 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Last year’s winner Singapore Airlines, has been relegated to second place. Asian airlines have taken six of the top ten spots with Thai Airways, despite their local woes, just sneaking into the Top Ten. The Skytrax awards are the most prestigious…
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73 Burmese and 4 ethnic Rohingya intercepted on their way to Malaysia
PHOTO: Thai PBS Two passenger vans have been intercepted by police along the Asian Highway in Surat Thani, southern Thailand. There were 42 illegal Burmese migrant workers travelling in the two vans. The vans were transferring the migrants, including three women, from the Prachuap Khiri Khan border crossing to Yala in Thailand’s deep south on the border of Malaysia. The…
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Water shut-off along parts of Phuket’s west coast
The Phuket Provincial Waterworks Authority says the mains water supply will be shut off around Patong, Karon and Kata from today until next Friday (June 28). Areas mostly affected will be homes and residences in elevated areas. Works are being carried out on the water-treatment plant in Karon. The water supply to the affected areas will be shut off from 9am to…
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Australian goes off the rails after being arrested by Pattaya Police – VIDEO
PHOTO: 77JOWO An abusive Australian has been filmed resisting arrest after being stopped by police in Pattaya. Police intervened and arrested Constantine Anagnostou for his ‘chaotic behaviour’ at an intersection on Pratumnak Hill. A 5 minute video shared by Pattaya News showed Mr. Anagnostou swearing at police officers after claiming that one of the officers had assaulted him. It starts off…
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Thailand’s exports plunge 5.8% in May
Thai exports have declined 5.8% for the month of May 2019. The value of May’s exports is 648 billion baht. The Commerce Ministry says in their report today that the contraction is mostly influenced by global factors including ongoing trade tensions between US and China and tighter global financial conditions, and specific factors of each country and region, political uncertainty…
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Thailand remains on Tier 2 for Trafficking in Persons
The Thai government doesn’t fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The US has released the 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report saying the Thai government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period so will remain on Tier 2. These efforts included identifying more victims, sentencing…
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BKK taxi driver arrested after scamming British tourist with ‘turbo-charged’ meter
PHOTO: 77kaoded Tourist Police have arrested a Bangkok taxi driver who charged a British tourist nearly 4,000 baht for a trip from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Khao San Road in Bangkok. Mr Loakes was taking the taxi from Suvarnabhumi Airport on June 19, a journey of about 34 kilometres. James Alexander Loakes made a formal complaint to the Tourist Police that he…
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Two Nigerians arrested in Phuket over romance scam
Two Nigerian men have been arrested in Patong over an alleged romance scam. Police have arrested 25 year old Nigerian man Okoro Ifeanyi Daniel. He is facing charges of possession or use of an electronic bank card of another person wrongfully in a manner likely to cause detriment to other persons (fraud), and being an alien who has stayed in…
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Myth: Strong baht deterring western tourists to Thailand
The rise and rise of the Thai Baht, and it’s pushing through the 31.05 to the US Dollar barrier on Wednesday, tops off a turbulent decade of movement against some of the western currencies. The decade’s currency rise has also been matched by a meteoric explosion in tourism pushing Thailand into the top ten list of popular tourist locations in…
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Thailand’s Ayutthaya Elephant Palace says they will fight eviction orders
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, an elephant ride business at the Ayutthaya Historic Park north of Bangkok, says it will fight an order to leave the park. The business manager for the company, Ittiphan Khaolamai says the attraction is ‘nationally recognised’. “We will petition the Central Administrative Court next week. We can’t accept the order requiring us to…
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Suspect arrested over British International School Phuket theft
A suspect has been arrested yesterday after breaking into the British International School in Koh Kaew, Phuket. The Phuket City Police have arrested 26 year old Tanakarn Tongprapai. He was taken to the Mueang Phuket Police Station to face charges of night theft. The arrest follows an alert to patrol police from a security guard at the British International School,…
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Four Chinese passengers injured in Phang Nga as wheel comes off tour bus – VIDEO
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket Four Chinese tourists have sustained minor injuries after a tour bus accident in Kok Kloi, Phang Nga, just north of Phuket, yesterday afternoon. Newshawk Phuket reported that emergency responders headed to the scene of the accident at 4pm . They arrived to find the tour bus in the centre-road ditch. A bus wheel was found near where the…
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Private hospitals briefed on new drug prices and medical fee notifications
Internal Trade department officials have briefed representatives of 353 private hospitals around Thailand about the public notification of prices of drugs, medical supplies and medical services to patients are treated at their hospitals. Internal Trade Department Director General Wichai Phochanakit explained that the private hospitals need to notify the public of the prices of drugs separately, not including the hospital…
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Thai Baht hits six year high – 31.05 to the US dollar
The Thai baht has hit a six-year high, reaching 31.05 to the US dollar yesterday after the US Federal Reserve signalled possible interest rates cuts. The US Fed says their monetary easing would be in response to increased economic uncertainty and a drop in inflation expectations. The Thai currency is forecast to keep trading in a range of 31.15 to 31.25…
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Chinese tourist numbers to Thailand soften for second consecutive month
Some key figure for May show Thailand’s rise in tourism numbers faltering. The numbers represent a softening in Thailand’s popularity as the world’s fourth most popular tourist destination, following a decade of high growth in tourism across the country. The drop in Chinese visitors is the most visible change to the monthly figures. The tourism and sports ministry announced the…
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478 mostly-illegal foreigners rounded up in immigration raid
FILE PHOTO – One of the regular round-up of illegal foreigners Police have netted another 478 mostly-illegal foreigners during surprise raids in more than 200 locations around Thailand yesterday (Wednesday) – most illegal immigrants. The assistant national police chief cited the 34th ASEAN Summit being held in Bangkok (that started today) as part of the security crackdown. Police and immigration…
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Thai DLT to look at legalising GrabCar and GrabBike
Thailand’s Department of Land Transport is toying with the idea of officially legalising the Grab ride-hailing services using private cars and motorcycles through the Grab App. The DLT say they are already aware of the issue but say amendments would be required to the Land Transport Act if it were to happen. Today they were unable to put a timescale…
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Bryde’s whale carcass washed up on Samut Prakan beach
PHOTOS: ThaiWhales / DMCR The carcass of a Bryde’s whale has been found near a mangrove forest in Samut Prakan today. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources report that they were notified by staff on an oil ship three days ago that the Bryde’s whale was found dead floating in the sea off Samut Prakan. The DMCR officers searched…
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26 year old Thai gored to death by wild elephants in Buri Ram
FILE PHOTO: Expert Vagabond A Buri Ram man has been gored to death by a wild elephant in his tapioca plantation. The incident happened late yesterday (Wednesday). His wife told police she “played dead” to escape harm from the marauding elephants. None Din Daeng police were informed that 26 year old Surasak Phijaranakhonburi had been fatally gored on his left side…
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Where to post all of your job positions: Completely free!
Recruitment can cost you more than you realize. You do not want to sacrifice candidate quality, but you don’t wish to spend too much time and money to find them. All types of employers are searching online for platforms they can use to post their job positions for free. From social networking websites to job boards, there are many ways…
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Eight arrested with drugs and firearms in Phuket
Eight suspects have been arrested, along with the seizure of 700 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 12,000 methamphetamine pills, guns and ammunition, in Phuket. Police have arrested suspects – 29 year old Natakorn Tanlim, 21 year old Katareeya Kenkaew, and 27 year old Lapatsarada Kaewkong. Police seized the drugs, a handgun and 27 bullets. 30 year old Aritchai Suangsiri and 24…
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Screws tightening on Non Immigrant visas for expats wishing to live in Thailand
SOURCE: ThaiVisa A decade ago there seemed to be various ways to stay in Thailand long-term. There was a bit of wriggle room in the interpretation of the guidelines and there was always ‘ways and means’ of securing a visa (nudge nudge, wink, wink). But the screws are being tightened on expats, retirees and long-stayers who are finding their options…
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34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok – preview
South-east Asian leaders will assemble for the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok this weekend to discuss a range of hot topics. Bangkok’s busy Wireless Road will be closed during the Summit. The event is being held at The Athenée Hotel. Intersections on Wireless, Phloen Chit and Sarasin roads will be closed over the weekend to facilitate the movements and security…
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How many tourists visit the real Thailand?
PHOTO: Sarah Lazarus – CNN Thailand is best known for its beaches, astonishing street food, markets and diverse south-east Asian culture. But how many people get out of the cities and tourist traps and get to experience the real Thailand? How many expats, living in Thailand, even get to experience the real Thailand? Thailand is the fourth most popular holiday…
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Thai woman’s body found in home six months after her death
The body of a woman has been found in her house in Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. Police estimate she has been dead for at least six months. Khukot police were alerted last evening (Wednesday) that the body of 46 year old Thiphaphat Phaksuk, who lived alone in the Lam Luk Ka district, had been found at the door…
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