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.
-
Sponsored
What’s 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...
-
UPDATE – Phang Nga gang rape case
Two more men have been arrested yesterday (September 16) after Phang Nga Provincial Court issued 3 additional arrest warrants after 8 of them were issued earlier over the Phang Nga rape case. The village has also been found to play an important part in transporting various drugs to Phuket, according to police. Phang Nga police, led by Pol Maj Gen…
-
Doksuri dumping on north-east Thailand
From The Nation Tropical storm Doksuri has weakened into a depression and unleashed heavy downpours in several North-eastern and Northern provinces on Friday night, resulting in floods in many provinces yesterday morning. Other provinces were making preparations yesterday in expectation of more rain. The Thai Meteorological Depart-ment reported that Doksuri was downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm when…
-
The Thai Canal – cutting through the project’s hype
(Photo from mothership.sg) September 11, 2017 was the latest gathering of minds related to the challenges in establishing the much-discussed Kra Canal (now referred to as the Thai Canal) in Bangkok. The canal, if it happens, would slice a new shipping canal through the the slimmest section of the Malay Peninsula, anywhere from Chumpon to south of Phuket. The Thai…
-
UPDATE – What the new tax increases mean for you
Update from The Nation New excise taxes have affected prices across industries ranging from beverages to cars, with the new tax regime causing higher prices for some items but lower prices for others. The Excise Department expects to collect additional tax revenue of 12 billion Bt from the changes. New excise taxes will cause “moderate” rises in the prices of…
-
Major tax hike for alcohol and cigarettes
A new excise tax rates effective starting Saturday, September 16, hits alcoholic beverages hard. The rates, published in the Royal Gazette, adjust the tax rate for beer to 22 per cent of retail price and 430 Bt per litre of alcoholic content For wine made from grapes, the tax rate is 1,500 Bt per litre of alcoholic content for a…
-
Intrepid beach cleaners head out into the storm
Gloves on and umbrella up, Phuket’s Governor Noraphat Plodthong does his bit to help clean Karon Beach Despite the postponement of the mega Phuket Hotels Association organised beach clean today, due to the inclement weather, many Phuketians still rolled up their sleeves to make a difference on Phuket’s beaches. The Governor and representatives from local municipalities, police and the US…
-
September 30 – Final day to pay respects
The Royal Household Bureau is allowing people to pay their respects to HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej before his Royal Urn inside the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall only until the end of this month. The bureau announced the decision yesterday, citing the need to prepare for the Royal Cremation Ceremonies that will be held next month. Reigning over…
-
The mopping up starts in the wake of ‘Doksuri’ in Vietnam
Typhoon Doksuri battered the central coastal areas of Vietnam with strong winds and heavy rains today, causing electrical blackouts, damage to houses and trees being uprooted and thrown around like toothpicks. The high winds prompted mass evacuations after officials had predicted it could be the ‘most powerful storm in a decade’ to hit Vietnam. The typhoon made landfall on the…
-
THAIGER TODAY Friday, September 15
Flooding around Phuket whilst Typhoon ‘Doksuri’ slams into Vietnam | Patong Tunnel underway next year – maybe | Bomb attacks in Yala kill two | And Thais welcome the ‘departure’ of the TM6 Immigration Form.
-
UPDATE – Phuket town and Karon Beach also flooded
In Phuket town, areas along the Bypass Road (in front of Vinich House), in front of the Super Cheap store on the lane towards Koh Kaew, in front of the Muslim Wittaya School in Koh Kaew on the lane towards Phuket Town, Yaowarat Road in Soi Paniang and Dibuk Road, Old Phuket Town – at the beginning of Soi Rommanee…
-
Wet feet at Patong Police Station again – Photo essay
Patong traffic police are warning people to avoid traveling on Patong’s roads following the floods and small landslide across the road to Kalim after a sustained downpour. The Patong Police station has been inundated by 60 cm of water. The roads affected include Phra Metta Road in front of Patong Hospital up to Banzan Market, Rat Uthit 200 Pee Road…
-
4 year old Chinese boy drowned in Patong Beach
Family and friends assist The Rawai Municipality Rescue Team at Nai Harn in another near-miss yesterday One drowning and two other ‘near misses’ in the past 24 hours. A 4 year old Chinese boy, Wu Muyang, was taken to hospital from Patong beach last night (September 14) after he was washed into the rough seas by a big wave near…
-
UPDATE – Typhoon ‘Doksuri’ about to hit Vietnam’s coast
DATELINE: 8.50am Thai Time • Typhoon Doksuri reaching the coast of Vietnam around midday today. Gusts up to 125 kph. • At least 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate in Vietnam as Typhoon Doksuri approaches. • A quarter-million soldiers are on standby for what may be Vietnam’s worst storm in a decade. • Doksuri killed four and left six…
-
Thais – goodbye TM6 Immigration Form. Foreigners – new form on the way.
From The Nation Good news for travellers: starting Saturday, September 16 Thai nationals do not need to fill out the TM6 immigration form when leaving or returning to Thailand, said Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd on Thursday. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, as head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) used Article 44 to order the policy…
-
‘Boonrod’ – the only survivor of the Racha Island turtle hatching
After the first turtle hatched on Racha Island last week, STORY HERE, officers have now found the other 86 eggs, which unfortunately didn’t make it. After the first hatch on September 8, officers from Marine Endangered Species Unit (MESU) and locals on Racha Island have waited for four days but there was no sign from the other baby turtles. The MESU…
-
Tiger Muaythai instructor dies from an apparent electric shock
Last night (September 13), Chalong police found 37 year old Nipon Jaiwangchana (Taweesak Sit-O) dead in his room in Soi Nakok on Chaofa West Road. He was found laying down next to a small rice cooker wearing black and orange Muaythai pants with the Tiger Muaythai logo. Police initially checked his body and assumed that he had died at least…
-
Double bomb attack in Yala injures nineteen
Nineteen rangers, soldiers and police officers were injured this morning (September 14) when insurgents in southern Yala province launched a double bomb attack. Rangers patrolling Moo 1 village in Tambon Katong in Yaha were ambushed in the first attack at 9.26am and briefly exchanged gunfire with the assailants. Two rangers – Sgt Thanet Puttho and Pvt Avudh Uppapong – were…
-
1200 athletes heading to the Laguna Phuket Triathlon
During the Governor’s Meet Press event yesterday (September 13), the annual Laguna Phuket Triathlon race updated its progress before the big race day on November 19. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Laguna Phuket this year, Laguna Phuket has arranged the 1st Laguna Phuket Tri Charity Fun Run on the day before the triathlon. The charity run will feature a…
-
THAIGER TODAY Thursday, September 14
New eco-tourism area for Phuket | AMLO chasing ex-PM Thaksin’s son | Bangkok ATM exploded opened with TNT | Radio Free Asia silenced in Cambodia | Tropical storm Doksuri heading our way affecting our weather this weekend.
-
US Ambassador Glyn Davies gives his support for this weekend’s beach clean
US Ambassador to Thailand, Glyn Davies Phuket’s biggest beach clean up is on this weekend with hotels around the island hosting many of the beach cleaning efforts along with locals and expats. You’re invited. Keep Phuket Clean “ภูเก็ตสวยด้วยมือและใจเรา” has been initiated by the Phuket Hotels Association’s Environmental & Sustainability Working Group members and supported by Phuket’s Governor and TAT Phuket:…
-
The AMLO files complaints against Thaksin’s son, Panthongtae
The Anti Money Laundering Organisation is filing a complaint with the Department of Special Investigation against Panthongtae Shinawatra, the son of fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, in a money-laundering case connected with the multi-billion-baht loan fraud linked to the state-owned Krungthai Bank. The AMLO says Panthongtae allegedly received a 10 million Baht cheque from a staff member of the Krisada Mahanakorn…
-
Khao Phra Theao – Phuket’s new eco-tourism destination
Phuket’s Governor, Noraphat Plodthong, has announced today (September 13), that after surveying the non-hunting area of Khao Phra Theao, he has planned to make it a destination for eco-tourism and a nature study route. The 22.28 square kilometers of lush rainforest mountain features a long list of wildlife such as gibbons, mouse deer, wild boar, wild fowl, green pit viper…
-
Truck driver killed in Surat Thani crash
A drive was killed after his 18 wheel trailer truck went off the road and crashed into a palm tree in Surat Thani’s Phra Saeng district early Wednesday, police said. Police said the accident happened on a road in Ban Khuan Sawang village in Tambon Sai Khueng. The truck driver was identified as 44 year old Eng Muangkaew. Police said…
-
Share-bike comes to Phuket Town
Phuket’s Governor chaired a meeting with Phuket City Development (PKCD), the Phuket Municipality and two bicycle companies who are sponsoring the initiative, aiming to launch the bicycle sharing project on September 20. The project hopes to help reduce the crowded traffic and parking space issues around Phuket Town. “The project is organised by PKCD, a joint venture between government and…
-
Sai Yuan crash – a flipped car and one motorcyclist injured
Last night (September 12), at Soi Saiyuan in Rawai, a Russian man named as 35 year old Julian Ranmer crashed his Honda Jazz into the back of a car parked on the side road before flipping it and hitting a motorcycle riding in the opposite lane. The injured, 36 year old Ampa Noo-on who rode the bike, was found with…
-
California’s Fresno Police release video of the difficult recovery
Fresno County has released video clip of the September 1 operation to retrieve bodies of two Thai students who died in a road accident at the King River in California. The 5 minute video shows different stages of the recovery operation conducted by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team. They say it took a total of eight hours…
-
Major narcotics sting reveals 27 drug networks
A crackdown on 27 drug-dealing networks across Thailand has delivered 734 arrests and the confiscation of a huge amount of illicit drugs. This, according to the Royal Thai Police’s Narcotics Control Coordinating Center. The stings all took place between September 2 – 11. The suspects included 15 alleged narcotics producers, 52 alleged drugs distributors and 256 persons accused of having…
-
Show and tell – Governor in BKK to promote Phuket Street Food
Phuket’s Governor attended a press conference regarding the Phuket Street Food Festival 2017 in Central World Mall, Bangkok. The events will take place during the green season on September 16 and 17 at the 72nd Anniversary Commemoration of Queen Sirikit Public Park in Phuket Town. Phuket is one of 18 cities across the globe that are given the special title…
-
17 year old using BB gun to rob locals and tourists
Last night (September 11), Phuket police arrested a 17 year old from Had Yai, Songkhla, in Soi Hongyok-Utit, Phuket Town. He’d already committed 4 or 5 robberies and claimed that he robbed people after taking drugs. At the scene police found a black BB gun, a red plate, green and grey Yamaha motorcycle, a helmet, two mobile phones, a shoulder…
-
THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 12
32 year old in custody after seizure of 200 Kg of Kratom in Had Yai | ‘Fight of God’ video game ‘disrespectful’ | UN claim ‘ethnic cleansing’ in Rohingya crisis | 6,000 chicken dead in Krabi | 500 students protest in Phuket Town.
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.