News

Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.

The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.

  • Sponsored

    This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand

    The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...

  • Tourist Police call for Songkran volunteers | Thaiger

    Tourist Police call for Songkran volunteers

    PHUKET CITY: Phuket Tourist Police have appealed for Swedish- and Russian-speaking volunteers as the force prepares for Songkran.“There are now many Swedish and Russian tourists in Phuket, so we should be prepared to take care of them,” said Phuket Tourist Police Inspector Col Sathaporn Sangaunsuk.“We have about 100 officers, including 18 foreigners,” he added.With the holiday period looming, about 100 Tourist Police…

  • Trang man executed on Koh Sireh | Thaiger

    Trang man executed on Koh Sireh

    KOH SIREH: A man was fatally shot by a single bullet to the mouth as he was riding his motorbike on Koh Sireh early yesterday morning. Phuket City Police Inspector Lt Col Sarit Butnongsang identified the victim as Reab Paothong, 46, of Kantang district, Trang province. The murder happened on Theppratan Rd near the Koh Sireh Community Health Office about…

  • Frenchman crushed under cement truck | Thaiger

    Frenchman crushed under cement truck

    PHUKET CITY: French national Dominique Jules Valery Bagus, 46, died instantly when he was crushed under the wheels of a cement mixer truck on Sunday.Capt Supachai Petchsakul of Phuket City Police told the Gazette that Mr Bagus was driving a Suzuki motorcycle on Thepkrasattri Rd when the accident happened.“He was overtaking a cement truck being driven by 31-year-old Yutthana Promwiset, who was on…

  • Gov Niran vows to stamp out “underage prostitution’ | Thaiger

    Gov Niran vows to stamp out “underage prostitution’

    PHUKET: Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit has ordered Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak, Kathu District Chief Khantee Silapa and Patong Municipality officials to work together to immediately put a stop to underage girls working as prostitutes on the island.The order follows recent sweeps of nightlife entertainment venues in Phuket as part of a crackdown ordered by Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobumrung.…

  • Hilton staff bus overturns on Karon Hill

    Hilton staff bus overturns on Karon Hill

    KATA: A bus carrying 32 staff of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa to work yesterday morning overturned after its brakes failed.Lt Rattaket Manmuang of Karon Police Station said, “The bus driver, 34-year-old Paitoon Panbuddee, said that he lost control of the bus after the brakes failed as he was driving down the hill.”The accident happened about 7:40 am, he…

  • Sweden mulls issuing travel warnings | Thaiger

    Sweden mulls issuing travel warnings

    PHUKET CITY: The Swedish Consulate in Phuket and the Swedish Embassy in Bangkok are considering posting warnings on their official websites, advising Swedish women of potential dangers when traveling in Thailand.The move follows sexual assaults and killings of female foreign tourists in recent years, most recently the stabbing murder of 26-year-old Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund on March 15 at Mai…

  • Bar owners bamboozled by 30-day booze ban | Thaiger

    Bar owners bamboozled by 30-day booze ban

    PHUKET: In a hastily arranged press conference, the Ministry of Interior has announced a month-long ban of alcohol sales throughout Phuket, effective today.Vice Minister Dumwrong Raknaa told the Gazette that the booze ban will, in one clean swoop, further the Ministry’s dual aims of celebrating the nation’s return to democracy and promoting traditional Thai values.As Thailand’s face to the world,…

  • “Bogus cops’ slay Burmese in failed extortion bid | Thaiger

    “Bogus cops’ slay Burmese in failed extortion bid

    KATHU: A Burmese laborer was executed by a shotgun blast to the face last night after refusing to pay money demanded by two Thai men posing as undercover police officers, Tung Tong’s police chief told the Gazette today.Tung Tong Distict Police Superintendent Col Arayapan Pukbuakhao identified the victim as So Sung, 25, a construction worker living at a workers’ camp…

  • Gov flames MNRE for lack of environmental protection | Thaiger

    Gov flames MNRE for lack of environmental protection

    PHUKET: Citing examples of deforestation and encroachment across the island, Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit yesterday criticized the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) for failing to report any encroachment or make arrests, despite evidence that encroachment was continuing in some areas.At the monthly meeting of the Phuket Provincial Security Committee at Phuket Provincial Hall, Gov…

  • Fugitive arrested in Patong | Thaiger

    Fugitive arrested in Patong

    PATONG: Kathu Police took into custody on Thursday night a fugitive wanted for murder and other crimes committed in Samut Prakan in December 2006.Kathu Police Inspector for Investigations Lt Col Chalermchai Hernsawat identified the suspect as Kriengkrai “Krieng” Saelee, 26, a native of Tambon Paknam, Muang District, Samut Prakan.Kriengkrai was arrested about 10:30 pm while selling clothes at a stall…

  • Marriott’s Courtyard ablaze

    Marriott’s Courtyard ablaze

    PATONG: Crowds gathered on Ruamjai Rd this afternoon as flames engulfed the corner section of The Courtyard hotel, formerly known as the Grand Tropicana Phuket and now owned by Marriott.“The fire started about 2 pm and took firefighters about 30 minutes to put out,” Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak told the Gazette.“We believe that a spark from workers carrying…

  • Heartbroken man commits suicide | Thaiger

    Heartbroken man commits suicide

    PHUKET CITY: A young Thai man was found dead early this morning after falling from his 19th floor room at the Royal Phuket City hotel.Maj Wicharn Suwannasit, Inspector at Phuket City Police Station, said that police received a call at 2 am from hotel staff reporting that a man had been found dead on the fourth-floor outdoor deck of the hotel.Police…

  • Police net 10,000 ya bah pills in post office sting | Thaiger

    Police net 10,000 ya bah pills in post office sting

    PHUKET: Phuket Police intercepted a package containing 10,000 ya bah (methamphetamine) pills with an estimated street value of 5 million baht at the Phuket City Post Office on March 21. The drug seizure followed the arrest the day before of two men in Phuket City for possession of illegal firearms, Region 8 Police commander Lt Gen Thanee Thawisri announced at a…

  • Police nab motorcycle thief | Thaiger

    Police nab motorcycle thief

    PHUKET CITY: A prolific motorcycle thief was arrested on Sunday after stealing four motorbikes in Phuket within about four weeks.About 5 pm on March 23, a passing police officer spotted Nakhon Ratchasima native Sankom Krai-am, 21, by the side of the road outside Soi Tawee Sup in Wichit removing a number plate from a Honda Click motorcycle, said Phuket City Police…

  • 60 candidates register for OrBorJor election | Thaiger

    60 candidates register for OrBorJor election

    PHUKET: A total of 60 candidates have registered with the Phuket Election Commission in the race for seats on the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) council. Of the 60 candidates, 21 are aligned with former OrBorJor president and Democrat Party member Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra, while 18 are from the OrBorJor Kon Baan Rao party led by former Phuket Senator Paiboon…

  • The CCTV firm and the house of Porn | Thaiger

    The CCTV firm and the house of Porn

    SAMUT PRAKAN: A man was arrested March 15 after police found a wire leading from his house to a tiny camera hidden in the ceiling of the bathroom of the house next door where six women lived. The camera, which had apparently been in place for five months, was discovered only when the voyeur was overcome with desire and rang…

  • Seized land earmarked for botanical gardens | Thaiger

    Seized land earmarked for botanical gardens

    PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Land Reform Office plans to establish botanical gardens on plots of agricultural reform (SorPorKor) land previously held by three Phuket tycoons.The land was returned to the state last year in three separate Supreme Court rulings that found the tycoons did not qualify to occupy the land because they were not poor farmers.Land Reform Office Chief…

  • Phummisak named Austrian Consul for the South | Thaiger

    Phummisak named Austrian Consul for the South

    PHUKET: Phuket Senator Phummisak Hongsyok, a former Phuket City Mayor and a major businessman on the island, has been appointed Austrian Honorary Consul for Southern Thailand. K. Phummisak replaces his younger brother Chuchai Hongyok, who has held the position for more than 10 years. “K. Chuchai just wants to retire,” K. Phummisak told the Gazette. “I’m very happy that the…

  • Ice dealer arrested at Big C | Thaiger

    Ice dealer arrested at Big C

    PHUKET: Police on Sunday arrested a man found in possession six grams of ya ice (crystal methamphetamine), Phuket City Police Superintendent Col Nos Svettalekha told a press conference yesterday.After a tip-off from undercover police, plain-clothes officers searched Phuket native Chalermrat “Chai” Thongwong in front of the MK Suki restaurant at the Big C shopping mall on the bypass road at…

  • Vanity plates auction raises B14m

    Vanity plates auction raises B14m

    PHUKET CITY: The Phuket Provincial Transport Office (PPTO) held its fourth annual vanity car-registration plate auction over the weekend, raking in 14 million baht from 301 special plates auctioned off at the two-day event.Bidding kicked off at 9:30 am Saturday in the Phrapitak Grand Ballroom of The Metropole hotel, where a line of professional presenters – attractive young women in…

  • Hanna Backlund memorial

    Hanna Backlund memorial

    MAI KHAO: About 50 people gathered at Mai Khao Beach this morning to attend a memorial service for slain Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund, who would have been 27 yesterday.Akkaradej “Chon” Tankae, 31, has confessed to stabbing Miss Backlund to death on the morning March 15, less than 500 meters from the Mai Khao Bungalows where she had been staying with…

  • Patong to expand CCTV surveillance | Thaiger

    Patong to expand CCTV surveillance

    PATONG: Kathu Police plan to install about 10 more closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Patong to increase security and fight crime there, the police chief has announced.Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnak told the Gazette that more CCTV cameras are needed in Patong, as the 16 cameras that went into operation there in early 2007 are effective for traffic control,…

  • Murder case reward money under review

    Murder case reward money under review

    PHUKET CITY: Following widespread criticism, the Phuket Provincial Police will set up a panel to reconsider plans to give the family of confessed murderer Akkaradej “Chon” Tankae the 100,000 baht in promised reward money for their help in his capture.Akkaradej was arrested in Ranong last Wednesday and charged with the murder of 26-year-old Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund.Miss Backlund was stabbed…

  • Patong vendors nabbed in counterfeit goods raid | Thaiger

    Patong vendors nabbed in counterfeit goods raid

    PATONG: Kathu Police on Wednesday afternoon arrested several vendors caught selling counterfeit goods, seizing 300 items of clothing and handbags illegally bearing designer labels including Chanel, Burberry and Prada.Kathu Police Crime Suppression Inspector Lt Col Worawat Sitthinoon led the sweep along the beach road and Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, accompanied by Pol Maj Serm Kwannimit and four officers from the…

  • Trash or treasure? | Thaiger

    Trash or treasure?

    NAKHON SRI THAMMARAT: The heady days of “Jatukham Fever” last year, when sale of the over-sized Jatukham Ramathep medallions hit a record high, are clearly over.The large amulets – particularly beloved by tuk-tuk drivers, gunmen and others in dangerous professions – were reputed to bring good fortune. Some individual medallions sold for millions of baht and one woman was literally…

  • Police arrest Hanna’s suspected killer

    Police arrest Hanna’s suspected killer

    PHUKET CITY: After a regional manhunt for the killer of Swedish tourist Hanna Charlotta Backlund, 26, whose body was found at Mai Khao Beach on Saturday, police have arrested and charged with murder their prime suspect after he gave himself up in Ranong province early this morning.Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Tavat Boonfueng led a team to Ranong…

  • Phuket pets to require microchips | Thaiger

    Phuket pets to require microchips

    PHUKET: From April 24 every cat and dog arriving on Phuket must be microchipped, Phuket Provincial Livestock Office Chief Dr Sunart Wongchawalit has announced. He has also announced that with no reports of cats or dogs on Phuket being infected with rabies since 2003, Phuket is the first province in Thailand to be declared “rabies free” by the Ministry of…

  • Unsolved murders and drug arrests on the rise | Thaiger

    Unsolved murders and drug arrests on the rise

    PHUKET: According to monthly crime statistics released by Phuket Provincial Police, four murders committed in February remain unsolved, while the number of drug-related arrests was about 30% higher than the same period last year.There were also four attempted murders reported in February, with two related arrests made, and 15 reports of assault. One arrest was made for rape.There were 109…

  • Candidates register for OrBorJor election | Thaiger

    Candidates register for OrBorJor election

    PHUKET CITY: Two of Phuket’s top political heavyweights yesterday morning registered their candidacies for presidency of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor), along with 50 other candidates for the 24 council seats available.The two rival candidates for the presidency, Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra and Paiboon Upatising, both arrived at Phuket Community Hall before its 8:30 am opening with supporters estimated at…

  • Police launch manhunt for prime suspect in Hanna murder

    Police launch manhunt for prime suspect in Hanna murder

    MAI KHAO: Police have been issued an arrest warrant for Phuket native Akkaradej “Chon” Tunkae, 31, a local resident in Mai Khao, for the murder of Swedish tourist Hanna Backlund, 26.Hanna was found stabbed to death on Mai Khao Beach about 300 meters from where she was staying. Her body was discovered by Emma Stenman, who Hanna was holidaying with…