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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Sponsored Travel insurance vs digital nomad insurance: What’s the difference?
Travel insurance and digital nomad insurance protect travellers but cater to different needs. Travel insurance is for short trips, like vacations or business trips. It covers things like medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and lost bags. It works best for people...
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Thai economy’s growth in 2018 projected at 4.5% – World Bank
Things are looking up for more economic smiles in the Land of Smiles with more positive news coming out of the World Bank. Projections are being revised upward, again. The World Bank says it’s adjusted its projections for Thailand’s economic growth upward, for the whole of 2018, to 4.5%, from the previous projection of 4.1%. The announcement comes from Kiattiphong…
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Vegetarian Festival price gouging arrives ahead of tomorrow’s festival
Vegetable prices have climbed up by a few baht per kilo ahead of the Chinese Vegetarian Festival, which will officially kick off tomorrow, principally in Phuket and Bangkok. Vendors at a fresh market in Bangkok believed vegetable prices would soar even higher during the festival, which runs up to October 17.The price of a kilo of celery, which cost around…
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Marquez beats Dovizioso in Buri Ram MotoGP thriller
PHOTOS: Naratip Golf Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images by Lerpong Amsa-ngiam Marc Marquez of Honda narrowly beat arch-rival Andrea Dovizioso of Ducati to win the inaugural MotoGP Thailand at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram this afternoon (Sunday). Over 100,000 fans were treated with neck-and-neck battle between the two current leaders on the Championship standing but in the end it was the talented…
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Floods sweep away bridge in Mae Hong Son
by Tossapon Boonpat A bridge in Mae Hong Son crucial to tourism and trade was swept away in a flash flood on Sunday. “We urgently need a Bailey bridge [to replace it temporarily], or else the flow of tourists and goods into Myanmar will be disrupted,” said Trairat Wanasirisuk, chief executive of the Tambon Mae Sam Lab Administrative Organisation. The…
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Pattaya’s hotel performance rebounds as EEC drives positive market sentiment
Domestic tourism growth outshines Mainland China and Russia source business Thailand’s second largest tourism market, Pattaya has pushed through the glass ceiling from the volatility hangover of the 2014 era, with its hotel sector now showing strong signs of rising stability. According to the latest available data, strong demand from the Thai domestic sector accounted for 38% of hotel guests…
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Two Vietnamese return to the scene of the crime and get arrested
Two Vietnamese men have been arrested at a Bangkok shopping mall for allegedly pickpocketing a German tourist and stealing 2,300 Euro (87,000 baht) back in July. Police said the two men, aged 38 and 36, were arrested while apparently looking for more easy targets at the Terminal 21 shopping mall in Bangkok’s Vadhana district. The two have been accused of…
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MotoGP Day Two – Marc Marquez grabs pole position
Johann Zarco (5) of France and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 in Turn 3 during FP3 at the MotoGP PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018, Chang International Circuit, Thailand on October 06, 2018. PHOTO: Naratip Golf Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez grabbed pole position in the inaugural Thailand Grand Prix Saturday, just ahead of Italian great Valentino Rossi. The…
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Satellite timelapse – Palu devastated by land liquefaction
by The Jakarta Post – Asia News Network The earthquake and tsunami caused enough damage in Palu. But few people have seen or understand the process of liquefaction, here caught on satellite in a time lapse. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP) spokesperson in Indonesia, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, overseeing the relief and rescue efforts in Sulawesi, shared a time-lapse of satellite imagery on…
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Ranong Ranger killed in suspected grenade blast
A Ranong ranger has been killed by a grenade blast at his official residence in the Muang district last night. Ranong is a five hour drive, north of Phuket, and borders Myanmar. 35 year old Sgt Supatthanachai Makprasit from the Narathiwat-based 48th Ranger Regiment, died from his injuries after being taken to Ranong Hospital. He had been involved in maintaining…
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Japan tops Thailand as Chinese tourists’ top choice for Golden Week
Watch out Thailand. Japan is stealing our tourists. Japan has now overtaken Thailand as Chinese vacationers’ top choice for the 2018 Chinese Golden Week holiday. This according to Ctrip.com, one of the biggest travel websites in China. This is the first time Thailand has lost its top destination status to Japan during the holiday season which expect at least 7…
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Three alternatives to Maya Bay
“Stop complaining and take tourists somewhere else – National Park officials.” National parks officials, looking after the Phi Phi islands, say there are plenty of other great locations to visit besides just Koh Phi Phi Ley’s Maya Bay. They were responding to complaints from both tourists and tour operators. Tour operators say that the move to indefinitely close the famous…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
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Thailand MotoGP starts today in Buri Ram
PHOTO: Jorge Lorenzo (99) of Spain and Ducati Team in Turn 7 during FP2 at the MotoGP PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018, Chang International Circuit, Thailand on October 05, 2018. Naratip Golf, Srisupab/SEALs Sports Images The ‘PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018’ MotoGP is being held from today until Sunday, October 7, at the Chang International Circuit in Buri Ram, north-east Thailand.…
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No vegetables are safe – Phuket Vegetarian Festival
The most colourful and vibrant celebration of the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2018, is held from October 9-17. It also coincides with the Nine Emperor Gods Festival. In accordance with tradition, many religious devotees will strictly adhere to a vegetarian diet to ensure purification of the mind and body. They also traditional abstain…
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Foreigners nationwide being checked as visa changes being considered
PHOTOS: INN The new immigration chief Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn is making his presence felt promising to investigate 60,000 migrants in a crackdown on illegal workers. He is also promising changes in the way visa extensions are done. INN reports that the crackdown began mid week, with media in tow, in the Huay Khwang, Nana and Khao San areas with the arrest…
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Koh Tao rape investigation team returns from UK tomorrow
Thai police expect to finalise their investigations next week into the alleged rape of a British tourist on Koh Tao a few months ago. The immigration police chief Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn has been leading the investigation. Representatives of the Royal Thai Police team travelled to the UK last month to interview the 19 year old British woman who claimed to…
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Delayed Phuket provincial hall construction expected to resume soon
Phuket Governor Pakkapong Tawipat yesterday visited the new Phuket provincial city hall, still under construction following numerous delays and contract failures, but now expected to be finished by June 2020. Governor Pakkapong says, “The budget for the new provincial city hall was 450 million baht. The previous construction contract has been cancelled and the construction stopped. “The contract was cancelled…
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Faulty warning systems worries locals – Phuket
Since the deadly tsunami struck Phuket in 2004, local people have trained their ears to listen to any alerts from the local warning towers only to learn that the system does not work properly. “I don’t have much confidence in the warning towers system,” Kantima Datthuyawat, a masseuse on the Kamala Beach in Phuket province, lamented. She said she always…
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Thaiger Radio News – Friday
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Thailand donates to the Indonesian relief effort whilst thousands flee the region
Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Kingdom of Thailand has made a donation of 5 million baht to the relief program to assist victims of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami. International efforts to assist the Indonesian government to deal with the devastating natural disasters gathered pace amidst concerns over hundreds of thousands of survivors with little food and water. Thai…
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Tsunami risk is statistically very low
by Pratch Rujivanarom The chances of an imminent repeat tsunami in the Andaman Sea is remote, while the tsunami risk in the Gulf of Thailand is even smaller to nearly impossible chance, say leading seismologists in the wake of public tsunami fears triggered by the recent devastation in Palu, Indonesia. Nevertheless, say experts, the authorities, business sector and citizens in…
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Everything is OK – KCon 2018 comes to Bangkok
In case you’ve been living under a rock, K-Pop, the garish, highly-produced pop/RnB/hip-hop fusion coming out of South Korea, is the biggest ‘thing’ in international pop music sales at the moment. And KCon – a celebration of everything K-Pop – has just swept through Bangkok. No fewer than 40,000 devoted fans of the Korean Wave massed at Impact Arena and…
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No more ‘tips’ at Immigration
The new Thai immigration chief, Maj-General Surachate Hakparn, has implemented his first promise at immigration stations. The signage going up nationwide is clear and unequivocal. No Tips. That means no more payments to corrupt immigration officials or the agents who collect the tea money from tourists and either pass it on or keep it for themselves. It’s also a tacit…
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Shoot out at the Tesco Lotus
Drama at a local Tesco Lotus in Nakorn Pathom, west of Bangkok, yesterday. Sanook reports that a Thai father, who had repeatedly warned a man to stay away from his daughter, shot him then fired into the man’s pick-up in the parking lot of a Tesco Lotus in Nakorn Pathom. Police captain Wasan Tangtham found a lot of blood in…
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Phuket Governor assures Phuket “we’re ready to handle any tsunami”
The Phuket Governor Pakkapong Tawipat is assuring Phuketians and tourists of the island’s readiness to handle any tsunami. Governor Pakkapong says, “It’s not only Phuket that is paying attention to the recent tsunami in Sulawesi, but also the nation. We are totally ready to help people and tourists if any similar event was to occur.” “We are keeping an eye…
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Three Krabi districts hit with flash floods
FILE PHOTO: nationmultimedia.com A canal running through three districts in Krabi burst its banks and inundate several villages early on Thursday after hours of heavy rain overnight. Officials said the Klong Sin Poon canal that runs through Klong Thom district, Nua Klong district and Khao Phanom district overflowed at about 4am, causing widespread flooding in three districts. The canal receives…
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You’re in the drivers seat, in your BKK hotel
The MeStyle Garage Hotel Bangkok, a new themed boutique hotel, is taking guests on an offbeat journey to experience a new dimension in design – ‘garage funky’ – inspired by its founder’s passion for cars. The hotel is the latest project from MeStyle Property Co, based in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok. About 800 metres from Huay Kwang MRT…
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Bridge over troubled floodwaters – Kamala to Patong Road
Clean up efforts are well underway following damage to the Patong-Kamala coast road on Tuesday. A damaged bridge was checked yesterday. The Kamala Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) has issued a temporary ban for the use of some damaged areas which are part of a hotel adjacent to the road’s main bridge. A team of officials, led by the Phuket Vice Governor…
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Rotary Club of Bangkok and Rotary Thailand celebrate 88th anniversary
PHOTO: The Board of Directors and members of the Rotary Club of Bangkok The Rotary Club of Bangkok, the first Rotary Club in Thailand, celebrated its 88th anniversary on September 21, 2018 with a major gathering of members and dignitaries from across Asia. Led by Khun Maleeratna Plumchitchom, the current President of the Rotary Club of Bangkok, the anniversary event was…
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Thai public hospital system under stress
Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai yesterday admitted that the country’s hospitals were overwhelmed, following an outspoken doctor’s comments that the system was “close to collapse”. Sukhum told a press conference in Nonthaburi province yesterday that crowded conditions were a reality and the bed occupation rate in many big hospitals was beyond full capacity. To tackle this long-standing…
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