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.
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One injured in Patong Hill collision between two minivans & two sedans
PHOTOS: Newshawk Phuket A minivan driver has sustained injuries in a collision on Patong Hill this morning. The incident was between two minivans and two sedans. Newshawk Phuket reports that they were notified of the crash in front of Suwankiriwong Temple at 5.02am this morning. The temple is at the bottom of Patong Hill, coming from Kathu. Emergency responders arrived…
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Four suspects arrested after body found in Wichit forest, Phuket
Four men have been arrested after the body of 24 year old man was found in Wichit in a central Phuket forest last weekend. Wichit Police note that 24 year old Sataphon Yindee was reported missing since April 12. The body was found on Sunday. His family identified Mr Sataphon’s body as they recalled the ring on his finger and…
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Last minute deal secures Prayut’s PM vote in today’s Thai parliamentary sitting
Leaving it to the last moment, the Democrats dramatically capitulated and decided to join the pro-junta Palang Pracharat coalition. The move gives the current PM, Palang Pracharat’s sole prime ministerial candidate, an easy walk into the PM job during today’s parliamentary vote. General Prayut Chan-o-cha and Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit will face off in the 11am vote. Until yesterday’s…
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Future Forward candidates say they’ve been offered up to 120M baht to vote for Prayut as PM
The big vote for Thailand’s next PM starts tomorrow at 11am. The lead up to the vote, a flurry of desperate offers and deals, has seen the Pro-Junta Palang Pracharat party fall short of a majority, fall WELL short of a majority. Meanwhile, Future Forward party members claimed today that some of their MPs have been offered between 30 million and…
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Security stepped up for the end of Ramadan in Songkhla, Thailand
FILE PHOTO Police and troops are stepping up security in Songkhla and the southern province, especially the town of Hat Yai, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival – the end of the annual Ramadan – tomorrow (Wednesday). Today is the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. A security source said intelligence agencies believed Muslim insurgents would…
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Phalang Pracharat unable to form Thai coalition – Democrats and Bhumjaithai sitting it out, for now
Close. But no majority. The black suits seemed appropriate for the dismal situation Thai politics faces. Phalang Pracharat, after more than two months of wrangling and negotiations, have been forced to concede that they don’t have the numbers to form a coalition as of this afternoon, repeating that their aim was to set up a stable government. As of this…
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Blacklisted Russian gets fake passport, returns to Thailand as Romanian, caught again
The case of the Russian who was blacklisted, deported from Thailand, then flies back to Thailand as a Romanian and moves to Koh Pha Ngan. It all seemed so clever, but was easily detected. The new chief of the Immigration Bureau, Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang, announced the arrest of the man yesterday. Sergey Milentiy was previously based on the southern Gulf of…
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British man loses 20K baht to an alleged ladyboy pickpocket in Pattaya – VIDEO
PHOTOS/VIDEO: Pattaya Message Pattaya police are hunting for a ladyboy who allegedly stole money from the pockets of a British man in Pattaya City this week. Pattaya Message reports that 49 year old Anthony O’Malley, a British national, yesterday presented a video clip from a CCTV camera to the Pattaya Police. He told police he had 20,000 baht in his…
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Twitter’s Thailand Top Ten – Q1 2019
Twitter continues to grow as a popular social App in Thailand. Now Twitter have announced their first ever brand index for Thailand – Top 10 Brands on Twitter in Thailand. Measured by engagement over the first quarter of the year (January 1 – March 31, 2019), here are the Top 10 Brands on Twitter in Thailand… 1. AIS (@AIS_Thailand) 2.…
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Bangkok’s Governor says Chatuchak is safe and repairs underway
PHOTO: TNA MCOT Bangkok’s governor says Chatuchak Weekend Market is safe and that there will be no damage to tourism at the Bangkok icon. Chatuchak, aka ‘JJ Market’, has more than 15,000 stalls and 11,500 vendors, divided up into 27 sections. It is the world’s largest and most diverse weekend market, with over 200,000+ visitors every weekend. A fire on Sunday…
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Goodbye iTunes, hello new dedicated Apps
In January 2001 Apple announced iTunes. It changed everything in the music industry and has gone on to spawn other more modern forms of music purchases and sharing. It was a true ‘disrupter’ for the time. Then, just eight months later would come the iPod which fundamentally changed the way we listen to music as well. Now Apple is introducing…
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One dead, seven injured as car collides with bus in Chon Buri
PHOTOS: Pattaya Message A female driver has died and seven others sustained injuries after a sedan collided with a shuttle bus in Chon Buri last night. A snake was also a victim of the incident. Banglamung Police were notified of the incident on Rong Poa Road in Banglamung, Chon Buri last night. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged…
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Airports of Thailand open bidding for new duty free contracts at three airports
Airports of Thailand (AoT) says they will finalise the bidding process to announce who will manage the commercial areas at three provincial airports – Phuket, Had Yai and Chiang Mai – on June 10. King Power Duty Free has had a stranglehold on the duty free concession areas of the country’s four main airports but are having to bid for…
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Thailand’s Maya Bay settles into an extended period of rest – VIDEO
You can look but you can’t touch. Maya Bay’s beach, closed last year to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, is likely to remain closed to visitors for many years, even up to five. The famous Koh Phi Phi Ley beach and bay, made famous in the 2000 movie The Beach, needs time for its ecology to fully recover years…
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Gunman shoots and kills village head in Narathiwat mosque
PHOTO: Nation Channel A gunman walked into the Ban Arware Mosque and shot dead the village head in Narathiwat’s Ra Ngae district last night, in southern Thailand. Stray bullets also injured a man praying next to the man at the mosque. Police report that 48 year old Pakruding Tohdeng, the village head of Ban Arwar in Tambon Mareubotok, was killed inside…
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Truck collides with power pole in Krabi, driver injured
A truck has collided with a power pole after the driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel in Krabi today. The truck, carrying palm tree trunks, collided with a power pole on Phetkasem Road in Krabi city. The power pole was broken and cables had been pulled down. The truck driver also sustained injuries and was taken to Klongtom Hospital.…
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30 False killer whales sighted of Koh Tao – VIDEO
PHOTO: DMCR VIDEO: Ban’s Diving Resort (Official Fan Page) About 30 of false killer whales sighted off Koh Tao, Surat Thani over the weekend. The Department of Marine and Coast Resources reported that they were notified from Ban’s Diving tours operator on Koh Tao that that they were on a speedboat with tourists just off the coast of Koh Tao.…
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UPDATE: Chatuchak Weekend Market fire, Bangkok
Bangkok’s governo, along with forensic officers, visited the world- famous Chatuchak market this morning to inspect damage caused by last night’s huge blaze that destroyed a total of 120 shops and damaged lots of others (revised up from 30 shops as reported earlier by The Thaiger). Meanwhile witnesses report that an explosion in an electrical transformer could have caused the…
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Thailand Events – June 2019
with The Sponsorship Experts – Paul Poole (South East Asia) There are no shortage of food related events in Bangkok in June but if you’re only going to go to one, the third installation of Taan Bangkok’s Chef Table series will see Khun Kanaporn “Aum” Chancherdsak, the owner of Trang’s renowned restaurant Trang Ko’e, showcase her meticulous cooking on June…
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Runners run into a herd of Thai wild elephants, two injured
Runners in a Chon Buri trail running event over the weekend ran into a herd of wild elephants. One of the runners was injured during yesterday’s encounter. Volunteers revealed that the injured runner was among those participating in the 25 kilometre run along the Ploung Thong Trail in Chon Buri’s Bo Thong district. A volunteer told national park officials that…
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Thai Smile joins Star Alliance as ‘connecting partner’
Thai Smile Airways, the budget offshoot of Thai Airways, will become the “Connecting Partner” in the Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline network. Customers travelling on an itinerary which includes a transfer between a Star Alliance member airline and a Connecting Partner will be offered standard alliance benefits, such as the issue of a boarding passes for connecting flights at…
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Bangkok apartment-broker arrested for fraud
PHOTOS: Tourist Police Bureau A female apartment broker has been tracked down and arrested on fraud charges for swindling prospective tenants, both Thais and foreigners, and landlords out of 2.5 million baht. Tourist Police Bureau this weekend reports that 31 year old Pawinee Krainoonsing was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court on April 30.…
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Russian injured after falling from rock taking selfie on Patong beach, Phuket
PHOTOS: Patong Surf Life Saving A female Russian tourist has been injured after falling from a rock on Patong beach while trying to take selfie-photo over the weekend. Patong Surf Life Saving report that they arrived at the scene to find the Russian woman laying on the beach. There were quite a few scratches on her body. Her friends said…
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Body of 24 year old found in Wichit forest, Phuket
The rotting body of a man, believed to have been murdered, has been found in a forest in Wichit, central Phuket, over the weekend. The body was found in the forest off Borrae – Khao Kard Road in Wichit. A rope was found tied around his feet. It is believed that the man died at least two weeks before the…
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2019 Dengue cases soar as Thailand enters monsoon season
Dengue fever cases have doubled in Thailand compared to the same time last year. 20,000 cases have been reported since January 25 this year. And health officials are wary as Thailand heads into the annual monsoon, the traditional peak period for dengue cases. The Chief of the Disease Control Department says the number of infections has doubled since figures for…
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Fire at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market destroys 30 shops
PHOTO: JS 100 radio Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak weekend market caught fire near the Gate 1 area last night. Traffic Police and JS 100 traffic radio stations first reported the blaze around 9.15pm at the sprawling Chatuchak market, north of Bangkok’s main city area. The intense blaze took about an hour to bring under control. Many people reported on their social media…
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Five senior Pattaya police shuffled to desk jobs
PHOTO: “Surprise!” – Brazil Nightclub in South Pattaya Five police officers in Pattaya City have been unceremoniously transferred after two early morning raids on entertainment venues in their area. The pubs had been operating beyond legal hours, tolerated illicit drug use and allowed underage patrons on their premises. Here’s the Pattaya police walk of shame… Muang Pattaya Police Station superintendent…
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Wildlife groups call for reviews on elephant export regulations
“Before elephants are allowed to be exported, he suggested a check is made to find out how many Thai elephants had been exported and how many of them have been smuggled out.” Wildlife conservation groups and an MP Nikorn Chamnong, representing the Chart Thai Pattana party, is opposing the export of Thai elephants and demanding that the Commerce Ministry review…
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Democrats meet one day before PM election to decide who to support
PHOTO: Democrat party spokesperson, Ramet Rattanachaweng Three sleeps to go before the Thai parliament meets to elect a new PM. The result of that vote is expected to favour the Palang Pracharat prime ministerial candidate, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the man who has been Thailand’s PM for the past five years. The Democrat party say they will decide on Tuesday, whether to…
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Just how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?
“The containers were loaded with “dolls and toys” and there are no chemical substances present.” That was the first explanation we heard after the fire that happened last Saturday, May 25, when containers from the KMTC Hongkong burst into flames at Laem Chabang Port, south east of Bangkok. The port area is just to the north of Pattaya on the eastern…
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