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.
-
Sponsored
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...
-
10 billionaires among Thailandās 500 MPs
Thailand has 10 billionaire MPs, while the poorest MP has just 5,064 baht in his bank account, according to reports from the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. Of the 10 billionaire MPs, Mrs. Nathee Ratchakitprakarn, of the Bhumjaithai Party, wife of Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat, is the richest, with declared assets of about 4.675 billion baht. The other…
-
Whale freed by drilling team in Gulf of Thailand
On Saturday six drilling team members at Erawan offshore field spent about 30 minutes cutting a rope tied to the tail of a Bryde’s whale that apparently swam towards the structure seeking help, according to the Bangkok Post. The rope was believed to have been tied to its tail by fishermen after the whale became trapped in a net, but…
-
3 killed as car skids into canal
A man and two women were killed after a car skidded off a road and plunged into a roadside canal in Phimai district of Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday afternoon, according to police. Police and rescuers rushed to the scene after being informed of the accident, which occurred at about 2.50pm. At the scene, they found Toyota car submerged upside down…
-
Phuket hotels slashing the price of rooms
byĀ Sophie Deviller Hotels on Thailandās most popular holiday island are being forced to slash prices, with rooms left vacant and beaches sparse as Thailand’s tourism chiefs struggle with a plunge in Chinese visitors caused by the US trade war and a stronger baht.Ā Phuket was the most visited destination in the country last year, after Bangkok, and a good gauge of…
-
Survey – Thais not taking sides and 66% prioritise health care
The majority of respondents to a Super Poll survey, say that they are still waiting to see where they will put their future support. For now they’re saying they neither support the Government or Opposition, preferring to wait to assess their performance. Super Poll conducted the survey on 1,069 people from a wide range of occupations nationwide between October 15–19.…
-
The 15th Mai Khao Marine Turtle fun run attracts more than 4,000 runners
4,000 runners from Thailand and overseas took part in the 15th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2019 yesterday, starting from the Phuket Gateway. The event is expected to raise 700,000 baht for the charity, now in its 15th year. The money raised goes towards to The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which is committed to protecting…
-
‘Phang Nga Bay and Beyond’ exhibition by Marilyn Band at Mom Triās WOK Gallery Kitchen in November
The Art exhibition “Phang Nga Bay and Beyond” by Marilyn Band is being held at Mom Triās WOK Gallery Kitchen, Chalong, Kata Hill, Phuket from November 30, 2019 – January 31, 2020. The opening will take place on Saturday November 30, 2019 at 6.30 pm. Artistās Statement āFor the current exhibition, I am presenting recent work, a more abstract expression…
-
Thai app will ease expat immigration woes and make 90 day reporting simple
The āOSS Foreignerā app is coming, and you will be able to use it for 90 day reporting, according to the Secretary-General at the office of the PM. Dr Kobsak Pootrakool says the planned app can be used for all immigration reporting, including 90 day reports, adding that typing in the required data and uploading a selfie will accomplish the…
-
Earthquake could hit Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
A magnitude 4.1 tremor shook seven districts of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai on Friday night, prompting the Department of Mineral Resources to warn that the two northern provinces could face a magnitude 5 earthquake within ten years. The prediction is based on analysis of movements in the Mae Tha fault lines, including the 5.1 ML quake in December 2006,…
-
Russian wanted by Interpol arrested in Thailand
A Russian man wanted by Interpol was arrested in Chonburi on Saturday. 52-year-old “Sergey” is wanted in relation to a case involving fraud amounting to more than 20 million baht. Immigration police were notified on 25 September by an anonymous citizen, who claimed that there was a Russian man with an arrest warrant in his name in Russia. Thai Police…
-
Crystal meth worth 500 million baht seized
Acting on a tip-off, police and narcotic suppression officers in Tak province on 18 Oct seized 1.5 tons of crystal methamphetamine, better known as ice, worth more than 500 million baht, according to the Thai-language Khao Sod newspaper. The drugs were hidden under metal sheets in the back of an 18-wheel truck. Photo : SAQ News The truck driver and…
-
Foreigner arrested for exchange counter robbery
A foreign man was arrested after robbing a currency exchange counter in a Bangkok bank on 16 October. Police worked with Immigration officers and the tourist police to arrest the man, whose nationality has yet to be confirmed. The man walked to a Government Savings Bank Currency Exchange Counter before pulling out a knife and threatening a clerk. He then…
-
Thalang Police arrest local Phuket drug dealer with amphetamine pills
PHOTOS: ą¹ąø«ąø¢ąøµą¹ąø¢ąø§ąøą¹ąø²ąø§ ąø ąø¹ą¹ąøą¹ąø Newshawk Phuket Thalang Police have arrested a local drug dealer with more than 192 amphetamine pills. Thalang police in Phuket arrested 29 year old Wimon Songkong from Nakhon Si Thammarat with 192 amphetamine pills that he was carrying when they nabbed him in front of a 7-Eleven store inside a PTT gas station on Thepkasattri Road, in…
-
Another illegal concrete structure has to be removed from Thai national park
PHOTO: ąøąø”ąø£ąø”strong-ąøąø“ąøąøąøą¹ąøąøµąø¢ąøąøą¹ąø²ąøąøąøøąøąø£ąø“ąø ąøąø±ąøąø«ąø§ąø±ąøąøąøąø£ąøØąø£ąøµąøąø£ąø£ąø”ąø£ąø²ąø A website run by anti-corruption activists has posted a picture of a concrete platform built into a Nakhon Si Thammarat waterfall by food vendors, accusing authorities of failing in their duty to prevent such encroachment. This is the second pouring of concrete encroaching into the creek pointed out by police for immediate removal over the past week.…
-
The stakes are high, the deliberations continue – Parliamentary Brexit vote
Call it Super Saturday, call it Deal or No Deal, call it the most important day in recent UK history. Today (Saturday) the UK House of Commons will gather on a Saturday, the first time for decades. Golf games have been postponed, polo sticks will have to gather dust and the cleaner’s been told to come back on Sunday. Earlier…
-
The body of an unidentified foreigner found floating south of Pattaya
A fisherman has recovered a body, thought to be a foreigner, from the Gulf of Thailand off Sattahip. Na Jomtien Police were notified of the body by 24 year old Teerapong Boonwat, a fishing boat captain plying the waters around Sattahip, south of Pattaya. Mr. Boonwat had recovered the body found floating near Koh Ped (Duck Island), about three nautical…
-
Academics warn of high cost of Thai ban on agri-chemicals
The chairman of the Thai Sugarcane Farmers Association, Thongkam Cheongklad, says a ban on the weed-killer paraquat would have a severe impact on production costs. Academics and Thai sugarcane farmers have also expressed their concern over the ban, saying it could cost the industry up to 570 billion baht. The Nation reports that up to 1.2 million people working in…
-
Southern Thailand braces for rough weather and rain
The Thailand Meteorological Department issued a weather warning for southern Thailand with torrential rain forecast to hit the region throughout the weekend.Ā The heavy monsoon over the Gulf of Thailand and south of the country is being blamed for the rough weather, with the TMD predicting flash flooding in many areas. (Phuket, Hat Yai and Hua Hin’s forecast below) “Waves are…
-
Thailandās swift response to the ‘fall armyworm’ pest
OPINION: Somsak Samanwong –Ā Regional Technical Educator for APAC, Corteva Agriscience. PHOTO: East-East Seed In Thailand, corn is an indispensable staple crop, used as an important source of feed for a thriving poultry and livestock industry. About 1.04 million hectares of our land is used to produce corn, with this yearās yields estimated at a record high of 5.3 million tonnes.…
-
Thai Abbot accused of sexually abusing teen novice
A 51 year old Buddhist monk is accused of detaining a 13 year old novice monk and sexually abusing him, allegedly forcing him to give oral sex. The novice monk’s father accompanied the teenager to file a complaint at the Nong Khao police station in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand, this week. The novice, identifying himself only as Nat, claims the abbot…
-
China has the most atheists, Indonesia and Philippines the most believers
“According to the survey there is a connection between religiosity, beliefs and socio-demographic characteristics like age, income and education level.” China is the least believing country in the world but belief in a God gets 100% mention in countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh and Philippines, according to the survey by Gallup International. According to the survey exploring religious tendencies of 66,000…
-
Pattaya City’s Police Chief dies from sudden heart attack on way to Bangkok
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News The Pattaya City Police Chief Col. Atinan Nuchanart has died from a heart attack yesterday morning (Friday) while he was on the way to a meeting.Ā 59 year old Col Atinan was the Pattaya City Police Acting Chief, new in the position, and died at the Chonburi Hospital from a heart attack. Yesterday morning he and his…
-
Local residents and vendors demand action on Pattaya Beach erosion
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News Recent heavy rains over the past week in Pattaya have caused significant deep erosion and gaping holes on Pattaya Beach that have now been sitting in plain view for nearly a week. The situation is an unsightly embarrassment and a potential hazard for tourists, according to local residents and beach vendors. The Pattaya News reports that,…
-
Charter court will hand down ruling on Thanathorn share case on November 20
PHOTO: Thai PBS World The Thai Constitutional Court is set to issue a ruling in Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkitās media share ownership case on November 20.Ā The court wrapped up its inquiry yesterday with the questioning of ten defence witnesses, including Thanathorn who arrived at the court greeted by well-wishers. Thanathorn, who held 675,000 shares in V-Luck Media, has…
-
Opinion: Retirees and medical insurance in Thailand
By Barry Kenyon of The Pattaya Mail Thai government spokespeople, in recent years, have emphasised that that Thai hospitals are not free for foreigners. They have cited examples of sick and crowd-funded aliens desperate to get back to their home countries, or annual reports from public hospitals bemoaning the unpaid bills of foreign nationals. So far not a lot has…
-
Future Forward’s Thanathorn in court over alleged media share holdings
by Dene-Hern Chen The charismatic frontman of Thailand’s anti-military parliamentary bloc appeared in court today accused of breaching election rules by holding media shares. The case could see him barred from politics and jailed for up to 10 years. 40 year old Thai billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has rattled Thailand’s arch-royalist establishment since seizing the political limelight with his caustic take…
-
Local investor sentiment dampened by Brexit woes and slump in Chinese economy
The British pound fell today as investors fret over PM Boris Johnson’s chances of pushing his Brexit deal through the British parliament, while Asian markets were mostly down after data showed China’s economy expanded at its slowest pace in nearly three decades. The pound rallied almost to US$1.30 yesterday following news that negotiators had hammered out an agreement that would…
-
Study shows most Thai people live hand to mouth
PHOTO: eTamping Nearly half of Thailand’s citizens aged 18-65 are spending everything they earn on monthly bills and living expenses, leaving them with nothing to put aside as savings.Ā A study carried out by GoBear, an international financial comparison site, reveals that the highest percentage of people living paycheck to paycheck (53%) are those in the 36-45 age group. 51% of…
-
Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn hospitalised for infection
The Bureau of the Royal Household confirms that Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is being treated for an infection and inflammation of the digestive tract at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok. The Palace has reported that the princess was admitted yesterday on the recommendation of a medical team caring for her. She had been suffering with stomach…
-
Convicted human traffickers ignore 99% of court orders in Thailand
Human traffickers in Thailand have ignored court orders to pay compensation to victims in more than the 99% of convicted cases in recent years. The flouting of the court orders is fuelling fears that many survivors could be victimised again. Thai courts have ordered traffickers to pay their victims more than $4.3 million for damages caused in about 1,335 cases…
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.