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.
-
Ron Howard to direct cave rescue feature film ‘Thirteen Lives’ in Australia
The Australian Government is putting up A$13 million to Imagine Entertainment and film giant MGM to shoot a live-action feature film called Thirteen Lives, based on the Chiang Rai Tham Luang cave rescue story. The film will be shot in Queensland, Australia in the hinterland areas behind the Gold Coast. The film will be directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind,…
-
Thai woman tests positive for Covid in Chiang Mai, 72 people found to be in close contact
A 29 year old female Thai returnee from Myanmar has tested positive for Covid in Chiang Mai, after visiting the hospital with flu-like symptoms. She was the only local case reported, out of 5 other positive tests, with officials saying she is believed to have contracted the virus in Myanmar. The positive test on November 27, came after she was…
-
Pro-democracy rally leaders questioned over usage of donated funds after injuries
Pro-democracy rally leaders are being questioned by followers over the usage of donation funds after a volunteer protest guard was shot and injured. Netizens took to social media to ask what “fairy godmother” Inthira “Sine” Charoenpura and Pakorn “Hia Bung” Pornchewangkurn were buying with the donation money, prompting them to make an announcement on Thursday. The announcement came after the…
-
No vaccine, no entry – the next Covid challenge
OPINION UPDATE: Australia’s national airline Qantas has already said it will impose “proof of vaccine” on all inbound and outbound international flights, a situation that IATA says they will follow. Read more HERE. ORIGINAL POST: The approval of a reliable Covid-19 vaccine will be a game-changer. Over the past 2 weeks there has been several announcements, and a few bumps,…
-
Protesters suing Thai PM, police and officials over State of Emergency in October
Protesters and human rights lawyers are officially suing the Thai PM, a deputy PM and other members of the government and police for 3.5 million baht in damages. The lawsuits cover the declaration of a state of emergency that was imposed for a week during October following a major protest where a royal motorcade drove into the path of a…
-
More protest rallies today and tomorrow around Bangkok
If you think the current spate of rallies are ruling out of steam, think again. Yesterday’s large protest around the Lat Phrao intersection on Phahon Yothin Road was just the first of 3 days of planned protests around Bangkok and Samut Prakan. Protesters yesterday described their action as an “anti-coup drill”, claiming that the coup “chatter” continued and that they would…
-
Monk found hanged at Chon Buri temple in apparent suicide
A 68 year old monk has been found hanged at a temple in the eastern province of Chon Buri, in an apparent suicide. The Pattaya News reports that police and rescue workers were called to a temple in the sub-district of Baan Suan at around 7.30am yesterday. The body of the dead man was found hanging near the monk’s housing…
-
Shooter from Bangkok SCB protest surrenders to police
A man accused of shooting at anti-government protesters at a rally in Bangkok on Wednesday has admitted the charge and surrendered to police. Peerawut Kunamonkan delivered his 25 year old son, Passapong, to police at Phaholyothin station in the capital yesterday. He faces charges of attempted murder, shooting in public, and illegally carrying a gun and ammunition. According to a…
-
Health Ministry teams up with Agoda to offer quarantine hotel packages
Anyone planning a visit or a return to Thailand can now book their quarantine stay through Agoda, following a deal between the Public Health Ministry and the hotel booking platform. Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha announced the agreement yesterday, at a launch event at the Mövenpick Hotel BDMS Wellness Resort in Bangkok, in the company of Tares Krassanairawiwong from…
-
Thousands gather in Bangkok for “anti-coup” protest picnic
Around 5,000 pro-democracy activists gathered at the Lat Phrao intersection in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok last night, to oppose any potential coup, a situation continually denied by the current PM. Last night’s gathering took the form of a picnic, at which mainly north-eastern dishes were served. Protesters described it as a rehearsal against military intervention, with one 18 year…
-
Thailand News Today | Army deny Twitter spin, “Don’t Reopen”, English proficiency low | Nov 27
Last day of the week. Thought we’d go outside. Bad idea! Welcome to Friday’s Thailand News Today. Royal Thai Army denies claims about Twitter campaign to spread pro-government propaganda Following a shutdown of 926 Twitter accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, documents were leaked of what appears to be a contract between the Army and a private company supposedly…
-
Local singer dies after crashing his car while on a video call
A Thai singer died after crashing his car into a lamppost while on a video call with his girlfriend. Thai media did not report on the estimated speed, but photos of the wreckage show severe damage. The roof ripped off the Toyota Altis and the car is almost unrecognisable. 23 year old Akkarachai, known as Ice, was found dead at…
-
Protected hornbill dies from gunshot wound, 2 suspects in police custody
A protected great hornbill died after 5 days of medical treatment for a severe gunshot wound. 2 suspects are now in police custody and officers have seized a .22 calibre rifle, according to Thai PBS. A tourist found the injured bird near the Khiriphet waterfall on Koh Chang. The hornbill, known in Thai as a nok nguek, was treated at…
-
Phuket workshop helps residents cope with high stress brought on by the economic crisis
Hundreds of residents in Phuket’s Wichit subdistrict attended a workshop focused on reducing stress from to the pandemic-induced economic crisis. A psychologist was even on site to help those who had extreme mental stress and a Buddhist monk taught meditation techniques to reduce physiological effects of stress. The event was planned in response to an online survey conducted by the…
-
Bangkok woman arrested for allegedly stealing 1 million baht
A Bangkok woman was arrested on fraud charges for allegedly stealing a company checkbook and withdrawing 1 million baht. The 29 year old woman, identified as Krissadee, worked in accounting for a clothing design firm in the city’s Ekkamai area. Apparently, shortly after she was hired, Krissadee suddenly stopped showing up for work. The company then noticed the checkbook was…
-
Rare sighting of an endangered clouded leopard at Isaan mountain range
An endangered clouded leopard was spotted at a mountain range in the Isaan province Si Sa Ket. The rare sighting, captured using a camera trap, was the first time in about 20 years the wildcat has been seen in the Phnom Dongrak mountain range which borders Cambodia. Since the park rangers stepped up patrol against poaching and made efforts to…
-
International travel in 2021 is unpredictable – Tourism Authority of Thailand
The future of Thailand’s travel industry is “opaque”, according to Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn. For once the usually over-optimistic TAT has made a completely honest assessment of the current situation. “There are unpredictable factors that come into play when trying to determine how 2021 will pan out, like the availability of a Covid-19 vaccine, the number of…
-
Deputy PM refutes claim that using lèse majesté law damages Monarchy
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam has dismissed claims that invoking Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law is damaging to the Monarchy. He insists the law has been in use for years and can be applied in the case of current protesters who violate it through their public speeches. Wissanu was responding to a claim from renowned academic Sulak Sivaraksa, who has slammed…
-
Thai government to sign vaccine contract with Oxford University, AstraZeneca, today
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has confirmed that Thailand will today sign a contract with Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, for the procurement of their Covid-19 vaccine. The PM says the agreement will mean Thais can access the vaccine once it goes into production. This contract is in addition to the agreement signed for the transfer of vaccine technology…
-
Thailand’s English level drops for the third year – English Proficiency Index
English skills in Thailand have dropped for the third year in a row with an English language proficiency score considered to be “very low.” In the past year, Thailand’s ranking dropped from 74 out of 100 countries to 89, according to the 2020 English Proficiency Index by EF Education First. The index is based on test results from 2.2 million…
-
Thailand News Today | Shots fired, the yellow ducks, “no coup” promise | November 26
Today’s news includes some live footage of the explosion and chaos at last night’s rally outside the Siam Commercial Bank building. Here we go with today’s Thailand news. An explosion and gunshots fired at last night’s protest outside the Siam Commercial Bank HQ There were reports of shootings and the throwing of an explosive device, caught on video at last…
-
Royal Thai Army denies claims about Twitter campaign to spread pro-government propaganda
Following a shutdown of 926 Twitter accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army, documents were leaked of what appears to be a contract between the Army and a private company supposedly hired to spread pro-government propaganda. Army chief Narongphan Jitkaewtae denies the claims and says the Army never hired a company to spread pro-government propaganda through the Twitter accounts. Last…
-
Thai officials approve transfer of 3 Iranians involved in 2012 botched bomb plot in Bangkok
Thai authorities are transferring 3 Iranian inmates to Tehran. The inmates were involved in the 2012 failed bomb plot, which Israeli and Thai officials say, was targeted at Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. According to Iranian state TV, the transfer was a swap. The report says 33 year old British-Australian Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who was incarcerated for the past 2 years on…
-
Whale skeleton around 3,000-5,000 years old found in Samut Sakhon
A whale skeleton estimated to be around 3,000 to 5,000 years old was found in Samut Sakhon, just west of Bangkok, about 12 kilometres inland from the coastline. The bones will be carbon dated to determine a more precise age. The Natural Resources and Environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa says the bones resemble the Bryde’s whale. About 50 Bryde’s whales live…
-
10 passengers injured after Bangkok-Chiang Khong bus crashes into tree
10 people were injured and sent to the hospital after a bus driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree early this morning. The double-decker passenger bus on the Bangkok-Chiang Khong route was passing through the Phitsanulok province in Central Thailand when the driver lost control and crashed into a tree on the side of the road.…
-
Thai-American US senator says women need to break through the glass ceiling
Thai-American United States Senator Ladda “Tammy” Duckworth says women – in both Thailand and the US – need to take on leadership roles and break through the glass ceiling. Her speech, recorded in Illinois and played back at the Bangkok Post International Forum 2020, comes at a time where groups of Thai women attending the ongoing pro-democracy protests are expressing…
-
Thief makes off with over 500,000 baht in Bangkok bank robbery
A man who robbed a Bangkok branch of the Government Housing Bank at gunpoint has escaped with over 500,000 baht. Nation Thailand report that the robbery took place yesterday afternoon, at the bank’s Bangbon branch on Soi Ekachai 86 in the capital. A security guard at the branch told police that the thief jumped over the counter, before grabbing the…
-
City officials plan to demolish abandoned Pattaya condo project
After years of talks, threats, and complaints, the abandoned Waterfront condo development at Pattaya’s Bali Hai pier looks set to be demolished. The Waterfront Suites and Residence is a half-finished condo project that was stalled in 2014 after safety inspectors discovered that the building’s fire escapes and elevator systems designs varied from the already approved construction designs. Read an earlier…
-
Cannabis with very low THC content to be allowed in cosmetics and herbal products
The Food and Drug Administration is drafting a new regulation to allow cannabis and hemp to be used in cosmetics and food products… just not the parts of the plant like the buds that are known to cause euphoric effects. The move is intended to allow cannabis and hemp to be used for production of textiles, garments, medicines and herbal…
-
Yellow ducks dominate at Bangkok pro-democracy rally
Yesterday’s anti-government protest at the headquarters of the Siam Commercial Bank in Bangkok was dominated by one prominent symbol – the yellow duck. Having been used at protests in Hong Kong earlier this year, the rubber duck has also become a regular feature at the Thai protests, a symbol of mutual support between both pro-democracy movements. At yesterday’s rally outside…
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.