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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The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Heir today, gone tomorrow. Tracking down Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya.
The disappearance of difficult-to-find Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is not a simple police conspiracy to ‘protect’ the hi-so heir to the Red Bull fortune. There is a complex web of strategies by the Yoovidhya family to make sure he is difficult to track down – not just Boss but the whole family, and their money. The Bangkok billionaire family responsible for…
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New traffic tickets, now in both Thai and English
New Gen traffic tickets are going to be printed in both Thai and English. Apart from a new barcode to assist in the paying of fines, there are a few other changes as well. The new approach would also allow accused motorists to object to the officers’ charges and explain themselves within 15 days. The new ticket would have a…
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Mother alleges her 21 year old son was beaten to death at military camp
A complaint has been lodged with Surat Thani police by the mother of a conscript who suspects her son was a victim of a beating at the 45th Military Circle based in Vibhavadi Rangsit Military Camp. The mother of 21 year old Private Noppadol, Mrs Malaiporn Worakitpan has told police that her son was brought home by two conscripts on Saturday.…
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14 injured in van and pick-up crash in Chiang Mai
Eleven Chinese tourists and three locals have been injured after a pick-up truck crashed into a van yesterday afternoon in Chiang Mai. Among the 11 Chinese tourists, five were severely injured and remain in a local hospital. The Chinese consulate general based in Chiang Mai says that the five severely injured tourists are still being treated at the hospital but…
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NIDA poll shows 81 percent of Thais admire Prayut
The majority of respondents in a NIDA poll are giving PM Prayut Chan-o-cha good poll numbers for his administration’s performance over the past three years following the 2014 coup. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan was also named the most impressive Cabinet member in the same survey. The poll by the National Institute of Development Administration says that 49 per cent of…
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Southern violence moving further north. Former Minister recommends martial law in Songkhla.
In the aftermath of a truck robbery in which one hostage and one suspect were killed, officials are now floating the idea of reintroducing martial law in the southern provinces – specifically districts in Songkhla. Thavorn Senniam, former deputy interior minister and former member of Songkhla’s House of Representatives, says that the government should consider declaring martial law in some…
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Ratsada drug purge continues
A 21 year old man from Ratsada sub-district, Wanchana Saelim, was arrested yesterday (August 19) with 589 amphetamine pills plus 50 grams of meth amphetamine. The arrest follows a report from an undercover officer in the Ratsada area who had followed Khun Wanchana for a while and discovered he was trafficking drugs to the locals on a regular basis; the…
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Baggage handler nabbed at Phuket Airport over thefts
Attachai Kaewduang, a 25 years old Baggage Handler working at Phuket Airport, was caught and arrested for stealing a mobile phone and other valuables. Police found that he had repeatedly stole belongings from passengers. Following a complains left on the AOT (Airports of Thailand) Facebook page by an Indian passenger who travelled to Dubai from Phuket International Airport on April…
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Three metre python caught snacking on chickens
A 3 metre python weighing around 20 kilos has been caught in the act swallowing two small chickens near a salvage yard of Mr. Poonsap Sae Ngang at 8am. A Kusoldharm rescue team tried to catch it using a rope lasso but the snake headed for a nearby tree. After a few attempts the team finally got the snake with nobody…
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New ‘smart visa’. No work permit, annual reporting.
We’ve just had the announcement of the new ten year ‘Geeza Visa’, the long-term ‘retirement’ visa. Now the Thai Cabinet has just announced plans for a new ‘Smart Visa’. Under the new Smart Visa, people can stay in Thailand, along with their spouse and children if applicable, for up to four years. The big change here is that you won’t…
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Animal shows in Phuket. ‘Not in my back yard’!
OPINION by Tim Newton Three years ago the issue came into sharp focus in Phuket when a Ukraine company established ‘Nemo’, the first dolphinarium in Phuket, right next door to the Chalong Zoo. The dolphinarium drew a lot of kick-back from locals who took the NIMBY approach – Not In My Back Yard. They were applying their western values about the…
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New domestic terminal arrival & departure changes from tomorrow.
Heading to the airport? To the domestic terminal? Changes for traffic flow kicks in from tomorrow (Saturday). Check our story here so that you don’t get caught out. Some changes for traffic flow at Phuket International Airport
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Two years and no convictions. Erawan Shrine bombing, Bangkok.
Only one person has been interrogated about the horrific Ratchaprasong bomb of August 2015 and it is now feared justice may not be reached for several more years. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the deadly bomb attack at the famous Erawan Shrine tourist destination in Bangkok, which killed 20 people and injured 125 others. Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw)…
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Fire in Patong Mexican restaurant
A Mexican restaurant, Coyote, caught fire late this morning. The restaurant owner, Matthew Warton, said the cause of the fire is believed to be an electric shortcircuit from the air-conditioning system. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties reported. The second storey of the 4-storey Mexican restaurant, located on Thaweewong Road in Patong could be seen on fire from the street. Fire…
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“It was a Barracuda”. Phuket Provincial Fisheries investigate the mystery bite of Japanese man.
Phuket’s Governor, with the help of a local specialist, says that the mystery fish attacking 36 year old Japanese man, Keira Kosigoe, while surfing 15 metres offshore in Kamala, wasn’t a shark but a barracuda. Following the incident yesterday (August 16), Governor Norapat Plodthong says that after asking the specialist from Phuket Provincial Fisheries Office to investigate the wound, the…
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Vaping could get you ten years in a Thai prison
Vaping, the popular alternative to smoking cigarettes, might be OK where you come from, but in Thailand sucking on your favourite ‘vape’, or even bringing them into the country, could put put you in a Thai prison for ten years. It’s not a new law, with the import of electronic cigarettes and shisha being banned back in October 2014, but…
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Police arrest two men with a kilo of meth-amphetamine
Border Patrol Police are searching for a third man, named only as “Gong”, implicated by one of the two suspects, after the arrest of 23 year old Teerasak “Dome” Somwang and 33 year old Non Rittichai, a Nakohn Si Thammarat resident, with one kilogram of crystal meth valued at 2 million Baht. The arrests follow an investigation by an undercover…
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Para-sailing ‘beat up’ in UK press
OPINION A story from metro.co.uk shows a ‘terrified toddler’ being ‘forced’ to take a parasailing flight on Patong Beach. The headlines blasts ‘Father forces terrified toddler to go paragliding with him in Thailand’. In the ‘Beat Up of The Day’, the Metro article has somehow turned a bad parenting story into a Patong Beach and Parasail Operator-bashing session. It might certainly…
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Air Asia under fire over racial discrimination at Don Mueang
A Bangkok expat has taken to social media to share an open letter to Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia, after facing what he describes as “Racial Discrimination” by airline staff at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok. Philip Culbertson describes in detail how check-in staff questioned his group for an hour, demanding to see US$800 each from his wife and…
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Dramatic robbery of five pick-ups leaves two dead in Songkla
At least two people are dead after a daring robbery of five pick-up trucks in Songkhla yesterday which set off a dramatic series of events, including a hostage-taking, shootout, explosion and the safe disposal of a bomb. It started about 11am when a group of six or seven armed suspects raided the Wangto Car Centre in Tambon Na Thawi in…
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Ten year ‘Geeza Visa’ now available for Retirees in Thailand.
The 10-year visa for foreign retirees is now available at an Immigration office near you. Despite the top Immigration officer’s announcement today many offices are unaware of the change and new availability of the 10 year visa option. Lt. Gen. Natthathorn Prohsunthorn says the new visa comes in two installments, each lasting five years. Foreigners from 14 countries who meet…
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THAIGER TODAY @ Ao Sane Beach. Wednesday, August 16
We headed down to Ao Sane Beach today to check out the controversial villa | Red-light cameras are working TOO well | Security officers will be protecting Supreme Court Judges leading up to the Yingluck verdict.
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Rocks ain’t clams! Phuket man complains after finding stones in his seafood.
39 year old Kittiphon Chuensrinuan, from Phuket, headed to the Phuket Office of Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) yesterday to complain about overpriced clams sold in a seafood shop in front of the Rawai Sea Gypsy village. The display of clams also contained stones. He took photos and brought some of the stones as evidence. “First of all, the price at…
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Krabi snatch and run thief arrested in Phuket
Phuket police have managed to arrest 35 year old Panuwit Pakamas, a Krabi resident, after he snatched a bag with 10,000 Baht in cash and other valuables from a Chinese tourist and fled the scene. Pol. Lt. Col. Naruebadin Banglisen explained that 40 year old Ms. Yi Weihong reported to the police on August 12 that a Thai man on…
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Supreme Court Judges under protection in lead up to Yingluck verdict
Security officers will be sent to guard judges in the high-profile case involving former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to maintain order ahead of the announcement of a verdict. The panel of nine judges hearing the case in the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, and their residences, will be under guard until after the court delivers its verdict…
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Luxury property on the hillside of Ao Sane to be partially demolished
The 12-meter high beach villa project on the cliff at Ao Sane has been proven to be illegal according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The owners have been instructed to demolish the upper structure to meet the legal height of 6 meters. Meanwhile, Phuket’s Governor has set up a committee to investigate the Rawai Municipality who issued…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, August 15
Soggy start to Tuesday | Government pushing ahead with media controls | Bombardier Monorail coming to BKK | Activists urging Government to come up with long-term flood solutions | Belgian couple accuse ‘police’ of scam.
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Patong and Rawai worst hit from floods
DATELINE: 1pm, August 15. The torrential rain in Phuket is affecting several at-risk areas including Patong and the Sea Gypsy Village in Rawai. Several hours of heavy rains have resulted in some parts of Patong to be underwater, especially on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road where smaller vehicles and motorbikes could barely move through. More than a meter-high floods were a…
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Government ramping up its plans to control Thai media
The military government’s so-called “agreement of truth” will likely include a mechanism to oversee media in the name of ensuring the press “act responsibly to society” by following an imposed code of conduct and professional morality. The agreement will likely require approval from major political parties before being put into practice. But the same mechanism will also help protect media…
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Send in the cavalry. Extra immigration staff being sent to Don Meuang and Suvarnabhumi
About 200 immigration officials from immigration offices around the country are being rallied and sent to the beleaguered Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang international airports in the hope of coping with the incoming traffic. Both airports have been shamed into action after social media posts have snapped photos of hordes of unprocessed incoming tourists waiting to be processed by Immigration officials.…
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