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 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
-
Bank of Thailand scammers arrested
“If it appears too good to be true, it probably is.” Ten individuals are now in custody, after being arrested, accused of scamming investors by claiming to be from the Bank of Thailand and persuading them to invest in a fake foreign currency transfer business. The Nation reports that victims were each invited to invest 1,000 baht in the business…
-
“Does Thailand plan to continue swinging between military coups and civilian rule?” Thanathorn
PHOTO: asia.nikkei.com “It is about time we make some noise and guide our society out of this cycle.” Appearing at the Thai Constitutional Court, in defence of his media shareholding case, Future Forward’s party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit used his written closing statement to ask judges if they were happy for Thailand to continue swinging back and forth between civilian rule…
-
Phuket scores #2 in Asia’s most popular destination list – Trip Advisor survey
PHOTO: Bangkok Cheap Hotels Phuket has scored the second position in the list of Asia’s Top 25 Destination in a Trip Advisor survey. The survey is done across the travel website’s million of users. Bali scored the #1 position in the extensive reader survey. Three other destinations in Thailand made the Top 25 list – Bangkok at #11, Chiang Mai…
-
Prostitution, the CIA, David Bowie and Patpong – Undercover in Bangkok infamous red light district
PHOTO: patpongmuseum.com Let’s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start. Where did Bangkok’s Patpong get its name? It actually goes back to a Chinese immigrant named Luang Patpongpanich. He purchased the land when it was just a banana plantation (I can hear the Benny Hill theme already). During World War II, so the story goes, Patpongpanich’s son and…
-
Facebook hackers steal 34 million baht in online scam
PHOTO: INN News “…never set your password with your phone number or personal information that is easy to hack.” Thais Wuttiwat Chuenmanoh and Chawan Kornraknugpai have now been arrested after many victims filed complaints that the pair had been stealing their identities. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society’s Puttaphong Punnagun, and Police Colonel Ek Siriwat from the Technology Crime Suppression…
-
Thai PM will sit down with rebel members of coalition
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is again being forced to sit for chats with leaders of the 20 coalition parties to patch up differences ahead of a no-confidence debate being brought against the fragile government. The no-confidence debate is likely to happen early next month. Given the close numbers between the multi-party government and the opposition, a full quorum for the…
-
Thai Airways’ losses reach 11 billion baht this year
Thai Airways International has announced the turnover of the company and its affiliates for Q3 of 2019, reporting net losses of 4.68 billion baht, a full 27% higher than last year’s result, an additional loss of 994 million baht. In the third quarter of 2019, the company and its affiliates generated revenue of 45.016 billion baht, which is 6.1% or…
-
85 year old Swiss man drowns off Mai Khao Beach, Phuket
An elderly Swiss man drowned yesterday at a beach in Thalang district of Phuket on Thursday afternoon. Paul Brunner, who would have turned 86 next month, was found dead at Mai Khao beach in the northern section of the island around 5.30pm, according to Tha Chatchai police. Police report that he was wearing black swimming shorts. His body was discovered…
-
Man arrested over armed robberies in Bang Lamung
PHOTO: Re-enactment of the alleged crimes held yesterday – The Pattaya News A suspect is now in custody following a series of armed robberies in the Bang Lamung area. Bang Lamung police arrested 33 year old Weerayut ‘Aun’Keandee earlier this week. According to the police report, on November 7 the suspect robbed local residents in Soi Plaifan in Nong Plalai. The…
-
5 million baht vanishes from Samut Prakan bank account
PHOTO: Sanook A well-known restauranteur in Samut Prakan, south east of Bangkok, 61 year old Ekkaphat, has filed a report with the Samut Prakan Police over a missing 5 million baht from his bank account. Ekkaphat told police that he had previously deposited 5 million baht into a bank in the Bangpoo Industrial Estate. He went to update his bankbook…
-
Inaugural Thailand Charter Week in Phuket opens tomorrow
PHOTO: Phuket Yacht Haven, ready for the inaugural Thailand Charter Week – asia-marine.net The Tourism Authority of Thailand has signed up as a Supporting Sponsor of the first Thailand Charter Week in a huge boost for the inaugural six-day event, held at Phuket Yacht Haven from tomorrow to November 21. Organisers were also facing the ‘good problem’ of over demand for berths,…
-
Police net haul of crystal meth and yaba valued at 360 million baht
PHOTOS: INN News Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division of the Royal Thai police have carried out three separate busts across the country, confiscating over a tonne of crystal methamphetamine and 40,000 yaba pills. They say the haul is valued at 360 million baht. Thai Residents reports that the first arrests took place in Phichit province, central Thailand, where a…
-
Two Thai companies caught producing banned agri-chemicals
PHOTO: INN News The Department of Special Investigations has discovered two companies producing toxic chemicals, including the recently banned Paraquat and Glyphosate agri-chemicals. Thai Residents reports that production was taking place across five different sites, with the companies mixing the banned substances with organic fertilisers without informing customers. The result was products that were not registered or approved by any…
-
Bangkok’s office rental hot spots
PHOTO: brandinside.asia And the winner is…? A survey carried out by Colliers International (Thailand), a global commercial real estate organisation, reveals that the highest office rent in Bangkok is at Gaysorn Tower on Ratchaprasong Road. The Nation reports that premium office space in the building is leased for 1,600 baht per square metre per month. Coming in at slightly less are spaces…
-
Thailand ranks in top five economies for salary increases
PHOTO: iglu A report in Thailand Business News says Thailand is among the top five countries in the world for salary increases. The Annual Salary Trends Report, carried out by ECA (Employment Conditions Abroad) International, looked at salary trends for 60 countries and forecasts a 2020 salary increase of 4.1% for Thailand, up from 3.9% this year. In general, Asian nations…
-
The curious tale of the second-hand BMW – Future Forward MP winds back the clock on events
PHOTO: For sale. One slightly used BMW Series 7 – SiamRath It won’t be the first time a dodgy second-hand car dealer has wound back the clock on a car. But this deal involved a sitting Future Forward MP as well, who is now trying to ‘wind back the clock’ on the series of events. A Swedish businessman has filed…
-
Russian nabbed for 7 year overstay in Samui
PHOTO: Matichon Online A Russian man has been arrested for overstaying his visa by 2,861 days, 7 years and 9 months. The man was arrested on Koh Samui. In a completely serendipitous inspection, immigration and tourist police were doing spot inspections on the island hen they were checking a man on Soi 3, off Maenam Road, in the north of…
-
MP removed after murder conviction
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has ruled that convicted murderer Nawat Tohcharoensuk is no longer a member of Parliament, effective as of October 16. Nawat was found guilty in Khon Kaen in September of arranging the murder of a local official six years ago. He was sentenced to death and ordered to pay 300,000 baht for the victim’s funeral. His request for…
-
Thailand’s beaches now more expensive than European resorts – report
PHOTO: Ministry of Villas The cost of a holiday in popular Thai beach resorts is now on par with, or even higher than those in Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Egypt – all closer to home for Europeans with lower flight costs and less travel time. Diethelm Travel Group report that the cost of a five-star resort in Koh Samui,…
-
Anti-corruption commission says government officials guilty of taking bribes in power plant agreement
The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is accusing the Thai government of accepting bribes from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, the Japanese company awarded the contract to build a power plant in the southern Thai city of Nakhon Si Thammarat. NACC secretary-general, Worawit Sukboon, alleges that four government officials accepted a 20 million baht bribe from the Japanese firm in exchange for…
-
“Be water” and “Blossom everywhere”: Hong Kong protesters’ attempts to outsmart police
As the protests that have brought Hong Kong to a standstill show no signs of ending, demonstrators are employing new tactics in an attempt to overcome the police. AFP reports that flash-mobs are springing up across different parts of the city since Monday, as 7½ million people attempt to create as much chaos as possible. Shops continue to be ransacked,…
-
Immigration nabs foreign criminals
Three foreign nationals have been arrested, as well as a Thai man supplying fake documents. The Immigration Bureau held a press conference Tuesday giving details of the arrests. The first suspect is 45 year old Chen Ying, a Chinese national who allegedly used forged documents to get bank loans. Chen is wanted by Chinese authorities for using fake documents in…
-
University to allow transgender students to wear female uniforms
Chulalongkorn University has finally agreed to allow transgender students to the wear female uniforms. For Ince Jirapat, a transgender student, it was a dream come true. In November 2018, Jirapat, a student at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Education, was forbidden to wear a female uniform in class and was insulted by a lecturer. Jirapat turned to human rights activists, a…
-
Court clerk arrested for shooting shooter
Police have arrested a legal clerk for shooting a defendant who opened fire in a courtroom, killing a plaintiff and his lawyer. Police say 22 year old Thanakorn Theerawaradom, a clerk to the plaintiff’s lawyers, was arrested Wednesday after he used a police officer’s gun to shoot and kill former police general Thanin Chantratip. This contradicts earlier reports that Thanin…
-
Hong Kong’s stocks drop amongst jittery sentiment and continued violence
Hong Kong’s government has closed down kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools for the first time yesterday in the wake of escalating violence on Monday and Tuesday this week. Classes at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which was the scene of protests and serious damage this week amid fires and petrol bombs thrown by protesters, is also cancelling classes…
-
Utopia Music Festival: Dare to Dream!
On November 11, 2019, Utopia Corporation arranged the Utopia Music Festival at their condominiums in Nai Harn Beach, using a theme of superhero. The concept of ‘Dare to Dream’ showcases the outstanding and unique properties under Utopia Corporation. The music festival started with a speech from Utopia CEO Hachi Yin and Vice President Leo Li, who explained their various…
-
Driver of gas tanker falls asleep, ploughs into building in Chiang Rai
A driver of a gas tanker carrying nearly 50,000 litres of fuel had a lucky escape after he managed to plough the vehicle into a three-storey building in Chiang Rai province. The story, reported by Thai news outlet 77kaoded and shared by ThaiVisa, says the man fell asleep at the wheel of the tanker before crashing into Mekong View Plaza,…
-
Pattaya mayor visits site of drainage work following complaints about traffic problems
Following numerous complaints about the effect of various work projects on city traffic, Pattaya’s mayor has visited one of the construction sites where a water drainage project is being completed. The Pattaya News says Mayor Sonthaya Khunplueam inspected the site on Sawang Fah Road in the Naklua area of the city, where the drainage project is taking place over an…
-
Sugar industry expert says banning of 3 agri-chemicals will severely damage business
The president of the Thailand Society of Sugarcane Technologists has criticised the recently- implemented ban on three agri-chemicals that were commonly used in the industry. The Nation reports that Dr Kitti Chunhawong insists the ban on Paraquat, Chlorpyrifos and Glyphosate will cripple business. “Currently Thailand is the world’s fifth sugar producer and second biggest exporter with more than 11 million…
-
Foreign criminals apprehended in Thailand in two separate arrests
Immigration police have made two more arrests, apprehending a Burmese man and a Chinese man, both of whom are wanted in their own countries. Thai Residents reports that Myanmar authorities issued an arrest warrant for Soe Htun, although it’s unclear on what grounds. He was subsequently found to be staying in Thailand illegally with Immigration police unable to find any record…
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.