News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourismāstay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Whatās not covered by health insurance in Thailand?
Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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Dramatic video shows high speed impact, eight British tourists injured on their way to Pattaya – VIDEO
Dramatic highway CCTV has now been released of the crash of the passenger van, injuring eight British tourists travelling from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya. Three were seriously injured in the high speed crash which scattered contents of the van over the road and grassed verge between the two sides of the motorway. Eight British tourists are in hospital after their…
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Eight British tourists injured in Thai passenger van crash – VIDEO
Eight British tourists are in hospital, three seriously injured, after their passenger van crashed into the median railing on the Bangkok-Chon Buri motorway. The incident occurred about 10:30am on the Pattaya-bound side of the road. The driver, 53 year old Thanakorn To-iam, said he picked up the passengers at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and was taking them to Pattaya when…
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Base jumper rescued after dangling from cliff in Phattalung – UPDATE
The Austrian BASE jumper was dangling a cliff for eight hours in Phattalung province, 175 metres above Ā the ground when his open parachute snagged on a rocky outcrop of a mountain before being rescued. ‘BASE’ stands for building, antenna, span, and earth. The base jumper, 28 year old Johannes Klauser, is safe after a harrowing rescue on Monday afternoon, when…
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61 year old Chinese tourist being treated for new coronavirus in Thailand
A 61 year old Chinese tourist, found to be infected with the new strain of coronavirus dubbed “Wuhan or Chinese pneumonia” when she arrived in Thailand last week, is being treated in hospital and is expected to be discharged in a few days. This is from the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The woman is recovering at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases…
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Taiwanese husband arrested over death of Sri Racha woman in a suitcase
Just days after the body of a foreign woman washed up in a travel bag on Sri Racha Beach near Pattaya, police say they’ve arrested a Taiwanese man for the murder of the woman, his Chinese wife. The gruesome discovery was made by an officer from the nearby naval base. Police yesterday arrested 38 year old Lu Ji Yang ofĀ …
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Poor air quality in Bangkok and northern Thailand today
Poor air quality and persistent haze is plaguing much of Thailand’s north today, with the worst pollution in Lampang province, just south of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand.Ā Meanwhile, a bit further south, Bangkok residents had more of the fine-dust particles, aka. 2.5 microns, in eight of the city’s districts yesterday. The Pollution Control Department in the north has reported unsafe…
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First case of New Coronavirus Pneumonia detected arriving in Bangkok
A first case of ‘New Coronavirus Pneumonia’ has been identified in Thailand, but the Public Health Ministry is assuring the public there is no wider outbreak of the virus. The mystery virus has now been identified by Chinese scientists and was earlier nicknamed as the mystery Wuhan pneumonia. Anuthin Charnvirakul, the Thai Public Health Minister Ā has informed the media that…
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Gold shop gunman could have fled to Chon Buri
The armed gunman who shot and killed three people, injuring another four during an apparent gold shop robbery in Lop Buri last week, could have fled to Chon Buri.Ā Police are raising the possibility after the Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong met with the heads of Provincial Police Regions 1 (Bangkok) and 2 (Chon Buri) in Bangkok yesterday. Some media and…
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New rules for Royal road motorcades around Thailand
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has expressed concern about the motorcades of Royal Family members inconveniencing public road users. Around Thailand, when a member of the Royal Family travels by road, the roads are routinely closed off and hundreds of police stationed along the well-planned route to hold off traffic until the motorcade has passed through. Now HM The King…
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75 year old tourist ‘attacked’ by small unidentified shark in Phang Nga
A Phang Nga swimmer was was bitten and attacked by a mystery beastie…. thought to be a shark, and probably a small bull shark. The A 75 year old German tourist says he was swimming in the sea off the southern Thailand beach with his wife on Sunday. The incident occurred only 6 ā 7 metres from the shoreline. He…
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Community volunteer jumps out in front of two out-of-control motorbikes
A member of the Krabi Civil Defence organisation in Krabi has become a real-life hero after jumping in front of two motorbikes carrying 2 adults and 2 children. The motorbike was hurtling down a hill and was unable to slow down (you guessed it, brake failure), as it was getting to the bottom of the hill. One of drivers showed…Ā āIt…
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Court rejects Premchaiās request to remove electronic monitoring ankle bracelet
Premchai Karnasuta, the fallen business tycoon who was sentenced last year over a case of hunting and killing protected species in a Kanchanaburi national park, has been trying to get his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet removed by the court. But the Thong Phaphum provincial court today rejected Premchaiās application for the removal of his electronic ankle bracelet. The request was…
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One dead, two wounded in Narathiwat insurgent attack
An insurgent is dead and two defence volunteers wounded after a clash in the the southern border province of Narathiwat on Sunday. Police reports indicate a group of insurgents attacked a defence volunteer outpost in the Sukhirin district just before noon, injuring two. Reinforcements rushed to the scene and fired on the fleeing gunmen who headed for the nearby woods.…
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Restaurant owner returns 700,000 baht to tourist
Imagine discovering you’ve left close to three quarters of a million baht in cash at a Thai restaurant. That’s exactly what happened to a tourist from Ubon Ratchathani on Sunday.Ā Fortunately for him, the money was in good hands.Ā Pariwat Thangtham was horrified to discover he’d left a bag with 700,000 baht in cash at a restaurant in Petchabun province, central Thailand.…
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Central Thailand woman battles snake that appears from the toilet
You go to the toilet, you sit on the toilet, you don’t expect a snake in the toilet. But that’s what happened to a woman in central Thailand. “We all think that itās something that wonāt happen to us, I thought that was too until now when this happened in my own home. How can a snake this size be…
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Thousands join the pro and anti government protests in Bangkok
Protesters, from both sides of the political camp Ā turned up in two different parts of the capital yesterday for their respective political rallies. Organiser of the anti-regime “Wing Lai Lung” (Run to Oust the Uncle), Tanawat Wongchai, Ā told the crowds at Suan Rot Fai in Chatuchak, a northern suburb of Bangkok, that the run marked the start of the campaign…
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Two young girls swept out to sea in Narathiwat, search continues
Search and rescue volunteers and officials in Thailand’s south spent all yesterday searching for two young girls who went missing. At this stage the two are believed to have drowned. The pair were swept into deeper waters by a series of large waves in the Gulf of Thailand seas off Naratat Beach in Narathiwat province on Saturday. Strong winds and…
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Police doubt gold robbery was the motive for deadly Lopburi attack
Police and authorities now suspect that the motive for Thursday’s brutal and deadly attack, which killed three, including a toddler, may not have been robbery. The lone gunman stormed into a gold shop at a Robinson’s Shopping Centre in Lopburi, Central Thailand, and systematically shot and killed customers and shop staff. The Crime Suppression Division is running background checks on…
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Murdered foreign woman’s body found in travel bag on a Sri Racha beach
Chon Buri police are seeking a suspect after the body of a foreign woman washed up in a travel bag atĀ Bang Phra BeachĀ in the province’s Sri Racha district, north of Pattaya. The victim was stuffed inside a black travel bag with red patterns. Her nationality remains unknown. The woman was dressed in a camouflage shirt, black shorts, and white running…
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Drought prompts Tesco Lotus to increase bottled water production
Tesco Lotus, the Thai division of Britain’s biggest retailer, is boosting bottled water production to help customers cope with drought.Ā The chain says it will increase production of its own branded bottled water and also increase orders of other brands to sell at its branches nationwide, in response to this year’s drought and water shortages, which is predicted to be the…
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Bangkok man charged with girlfriend’s brutal murder
Bangkok police say they finally have enough evidence to charge a man in a murder case dating back to last year.Ā Police arrested a Mr. Apichai, also known as “Ice,” at his home in Bangkokās Phetkasem district. He’s charged with killing his girlfriend, allegedly hitting her in the head and stuffing her body in a chest. Police found the body of…
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Two motorbike thieves nabbed in Phuket
Two men have been arrested in Phuket last night. They’ve been charged with stealing motorcycles and then reselling them. One of the arrested men is an unemployed 36 year old tour bus driver. According to police, he was able to convince a 21 year old accomplice, who was his neighbour, to help him steal the motorcycles,. The stolen motorbikes were…
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Thousands gather for this morning’s protest running event in Bangkok
This morning’s fun run/rally/political event/marathon/jog/protest at Suan Rot Fai park in Chatuchak, a northern Bangkok suburb, attracted thousands of runners. The run was organised as a protest against Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government. The āRun Against Dictatorshipā was organised by opposition political parties and activists calling for greater political freedom. The event was held less than 10…
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Guns, tanks and political speeches. Just another Children’s Day in Thailand.
Children’s Day has come and gone for another year. As usual, the media like to follow the Thai PM in the hope of a perfect photo of him and an unsuspecting Thai child. The prime minister certainly enjoys the annual interaction and appears more comfortable surrounded by children than performing in Parliament. It’s also a day that the Thai armed…
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5 dead, 8 injured as tourist passenger van slams into rear of broken down truck in central Thailand
Five tourists have died and another eight injured after their passenger van slammed into the rear of a parked ten wheel truck that had broken down. The incident happened outside the Ban Noi PTT petrol station in Nong Phai district on the Saraburi to Lomsak Road. The van was on its way from the south to Khao Khor in Petchabun,…
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Iran military admits ‘unintentionally’ shooting down the Ukrainian passenger jet
Iranian officials have announced that its military āunintentionallyā shot down the Ukrainian Boeing 737 jet that crashed earlier this week, killing all 176 aboard. Earlier the Iranian government had repeatedly denied accusations that it was responsible. The plane was “accidentally”shot shot out of the sky on Wednesday, just hours after Iran had launched a retaliatory missile attack on two US…
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Thailand is the leading ASEAN nation in annual suicide rates
“Thailand, which ranks in 32nd place with 14.4 of suicides per 100.000 population – or nearly 10,000 suicide deaths last year.” Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide and nearly 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, according to the World Health Organisation.Ā In Thailand, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds, after…
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Senior police double down with their praise of the new Biometrics system at Thai airports
Police are doubling down with their overt support of the new biometrics system at airports. A high-level disagreement over the 2.1 billion baht contract for the biometrics equipment and installation, is emerging as the reason for last yea’s mystery side-lining of the former head of Thailand’s immigration Bureau, Surachat Hakparn. Ever since the introduction of the systems at airports across…
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New survey shows Thai kids are subject to excessive levels of bullying
Thai students are suffering from high levels of bullying – physical, verbal and online. Two years ago aĀ Department of Mental Health survey indicated that Thailand had the second highest rate of bullying in the world. The most recent survey shows things have not improved and remain alarming. 92% of Thai school kids have been exposed to physical or psychological abuse…
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100s of pages of damaging documents about the 737 Max released by Boeing
Boeing has released more than 100 pages of internal company documents to the House and Senate committee, and media, further casting doubt about the company’s goodwill around the troubled 737 Max jet. The latest incarnation of the Boeing 737 was grounded last year after two fatal crashes which exposed weaknesses in the design development process and software systems. 400 of…
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