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
5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
-
Thailand’s Cabinet votes in favour of revolutionary alcohol brewing act
Yesterday, Thailand’s Cabinet voted in favour of an act which will allow Thais to brew and sell their own alcohol. The law it still in its first stages, but if it goes ahead it will be revolutionary for Thailand’s alcohol industry. The “Progressive Liquor Act” aims to amend Section 153 of the Excise Tax Act which requires alcohol producers to…
-
Former police inspector in North Thailand scammed, loses retirement funds
A scam gang, pretending to be police, have tricked a former police inspector in North Thailand into handing over all of his retirement money, totalling 1.8 million baht. The former inspector, who lives in Lampang province, said the scammers called him on June 1, claiming to be from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission. The scammers told the former inspector…
-
Thailand’s tourist entry charge delayed until Q4
Tourist tax, tourist surcharge, call it what you want. The Tourism and Sports Ministry yesterday said that they need more time before the 300 baht tourism “fee” is introduced. The tourism fee was penciled in for discussion at this week’s cabinet meeting but the ministry withdrew the proposal. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Tourism and Sports Minister, says fee collection for tourists arriving…
-
Thailand Pass could be dropped on July 1
‘Thailand Pass’ could be scrapped completely on July 1, according to Thailand’s tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan. The fate of Thailand Pass will be decided at the next meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, next Friday on June 17. Thailand Pass was already dropped for Thai nationals on June 1, but foreigners flying into the kingdom are…
-
Employment at Thailand’s venues slowly picks up following nightlife reopening
Aspiring bartenders can dream again, because now that Thailand’s nightlife is ‘officially’ back on, venues are slowly employing again. The country’s pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlors and other venues are picking up the pieces after having to lay off employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. This news comes after Thailand stopped requiring such venues to call themselves ‘restaurants’ on June…
-
Swedish men get more time with the kids thanks to new ‘Paternity Pledge’
Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand says he is delighted 12 companies from his native homeland have promised to give male employees one month’s paid paternity leave. Twelve Swedish firms in Thailand, including ABB, Astra Zeneca, IKEA, Electolux, and Volvo, have agreed to give 30 days’ paid paternity leave to all male staff. Jon Astrom Grondahl, was speaking at the opening ceremony…
-
Woman beats 3 year old step daughter to death in Phuket
A 3 year old girl was beaten to death by her step mother in Phuket on Sunday evening. The child’s father was present when the incident happened but did not intervene. Both the step mother and the child’s father have now been arrested. On Sunday evening, Chalong Police Station received a call from Chalong Hospital to say a 3 year…
-
Chon Buri teacher allegedly injures student with forced exersises
A teacher in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri province has allegedly injured a 12 year old student by forcing her to do 60 squat jumps. The girl’s father says she was hospitalised for 6 days for “a very bad fever and leg pain”. He said his daughter was discharged from the hospital on May 31. The father, 36 year…
-
Bangkok Marathon returns to city after 2 year pandemic absence
The Bangkok Marathon returns to the city for the 33rd time on November 20 after a 2 year absence. Due to social distancing measures and other Covid-19 prevention-related restrictions, most big events and concerts in Thailand were cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. But now measures have been relaxed people in Thailand can look forward to enjoying more events and…
-
UPDATE: Phuket hospital director speaks at press conference on baby’s broken arm
UPDATE The director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, where a newborn baby mysteriously suffered a broken arm, has spoken at a press conference on the incident yesterday. The director, Dr. Weerasak Lorthongkam, said the baby was in a normal state after she was born (on May 23). He said that on June 5, she was able to move her arms and…
-
Joe Ferrari: From high profile police chief and luxury vehicle collector to a life in prison
Former Nakhon Sawan provincial police chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, was in the media spotlight today after he was sentenced to a life in prison for the torture and murder of an alleged drug trafficker. The 41 year old, along with six of his colleagues, was caught torturing a man to death on a CCTV camera leaked on Thai…
-
Bangkok’s new governor requests a year to study traffic solutions for the city
Bangkok’s newly elected governor has requested a year to study how best to solve the city’s traffic problems. In a meeting with metropolitan police today, Governor Chadchart Sittipunt outlined plans to set up a traffic command centre, which will cooperate with several other institutions. These include traffic police, the Transport Ministry, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, the metro system, and…
-
Thai police arrest 6 suspects for 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam
Police from Thailand’s Consumer Protection Police Division announced today that 6 suspects have been arrested for a 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam. The suspects allegedly offered to sell ATK tests on 4 Facebook pages, charging about 10,000 people 900 baht per box when there was a shortage of test kits, according to Police Major General Anant Nanasombat. After the…
-
Thailand: Don’t buy multicoloured axolotls, warns experts
Multicoloured Mexican amphibians are Thailand’s latest trend, but experts are begging people not to buy them. Brightly coloured axolotls might be cute, but they die after just one week, according to a group of axolotl breeders in Thailand. Axolotls are a type of critically endangered Mexican salamander popularised among the Thai youth through the game Minecraft. The animal has become…
-
Locals complain of people having sex at Pattaya Train Station
Get a room! Locals are complaining of used condoms left around the tracks of Pattaya Train Station in Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri. There have been complaints about the issue as far back as December, however, police claim they have not slacked off on patrolling the station. Instead, officers from Bang Lamung Police Station say the troublemakers are having…
-
Bangkok motorcycle taxi rider arrested for attempted rape and kidnap of a teenage student
A motorcycle taxi driver, Somsak Jangsat, was arrested in the Phra Khanong area of Bangkok yesterday after he tried to rape a teenage girl. Somsak tricked the 17 year old student into using his taxi service saying he would take her home after school but instead kidnapped the girl and took her to a love motel where he tried to…
-
Dengue fever breaks out in Singapore
Dengue fever has broken out in Singapore, as the number of cases has already climbed to more than double the number throughout all of 2021. The city-state’s peak dengue season usually begins on June 1. A spokesperson for Singapore’s Ministry of Health told CNN that on May 28 this year, Singapore already had about 11,670 cases. Throughout all of 2021,…
-
New tax law could provide spark to Thailand’s global EV hub dream
A new tax law introduced today could provide the spark to realize Thailand’s global electric vehicle hub dream. The Excise Department in Bangkok revealed a law governing the reduction of the EV tax from 8% to 2% will be published tomorrow in the Royal Gazette and come into effect on Friday, after the Council of State finished vetting the law,…
-
On, off, on, off: PM Prayut rips off face mask mid-speech in Phuket
On Monday, just days after the requirement to wear face masks outdoors was re-imposed in Phuket province, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dramatically ripped off his face mask mid-speech at a tourism event in Phuket, asking the crowd, “Are you ready?” On June 1, Thailand’s Ministry of Health announced that it was no longer a requirement to wear a mask…
-
Man dies after being swept out to sea in Phuket
A man in Phuket’s Thalang district has died after being swept out to sea when he went fishing near a beach earlier this week. Rescuers found the man’s body between several giant rocks near Banana Beach on Monday (June 6). The man’s girlfriend said he had been fishing on a rock on Sunday as she accompanied him. When a huge…
-
Alleged child rapist/murderer attacked during re-enactment in central Thailand
A man who allegedly raped and murdered two children in 2008 was attacked during a crime re-enactment in Khao Yoi district in the central province of Phetchaburi on Monday, reports Sanook. The suspect, 53 year old Chert Srijoon, went on the run for 14 years after allegedly raping and murdering 13 year old June and 16 year old Naen in…
-
Even Thailand’s monkeys don’t have monkeypox
Thai officials have now run tens of thousands of tests for monkeypox on monkeys throughout Thailand (we’re not quite sure why). There have so far been 25,000 tests, out of 50,000 monkeys in 222 locations across the country. Yesterday, a veterinarian at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Phattarapol Mee-on, announced that all the tests have turned…
-
Thailand exempts entry visa for Saudi tourists allowing 30-day stay
Thailand yesterday moved a step further to its future relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it announced a 30-day visa exemption will be available to all Saudi citizens. Saudis can now enter Thailand and stay for 30 days without applying for a visa before departure. The move comes as both nations step up to restore diplomatic relations which…
-
Cambodia officially becomes ‘Covid-Free’
Cambodia now claims it is now completely free of Covid-19, according to a statement released by the country’s health ministry yesterday. The last recorded case has recovered and Cambodia has entered a state of “Covid Zero.” The southeast Asian nation – which has a population of 16.7 million – recorded a total of 136,262 cases, 133,206 recoveries and 3,056 Covid-19…
-
Angry central Thai locals go bananas over poor road conditions
Residents in Ang Thong, in central Thailand, are so angry with officials in the Department of Rural Roads about the treacherous state of their roads that they have planted banana trees in the cracks of the tarmac in protest. Ang Thong locals have reported the dangerous conditions of their highways, roads and thoroughfares, to officials on a number of occasions…
-
5 million Indian tourists in Pattaya this year?
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is making optimistic predictions about Indian tourists arriving in the Kingdom, this time in Pattaya! TAT officials announced yesterday that TAT expects 5 million tourists to visit Pattaya by the end of this 2022. Just last week, TAT said that its goal for the number of Indian tourists in Thailand overall was 3,000 per day…
-
Work by convicts cleaning Bangkok’s sewage system starts next month
City Hall has cleared a request by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to work with the Department of Corrections to clean the sewers and improve flood irrigation management using prisoners with good behavioral records. City Hall insists human rights must be respected, use only volunteer inmates, pay wages, use protective equipment, and offer welfare benefits. Around 1,000 inmates from 10 of the…
-
New Civil Partnership Bill in Thailand passed by the cabinet
Now the Bill needs to survive its first reading in the lower house of the Thai parliament. Out of nowhere, but perhaps inspired, or prompted by the Pride Month activities around Bangkok, the Thai cabinet has approved what is considered the next step towards same sex marriage in Thailand, a Civil Partnership Bill. This bill will allow same-sex couples to…
-
Quarantine waivered allowing 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand
In an effort to stop illegal border crossers looking for work, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will allow more than 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand without having to go through the quarantine procedure. Workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have been given a free pass from tomorrow through the MoU signed if they have been fully vaccinated with…
-
French Thai kickboxer makes a dick of himself
French Muay Thai Kickboxer, Jimmy Vienot, unintentionally made a bit of an idiot of himself after his recent triumph over Petchmorakot Petchyindee at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. The Frenchman, who defeated Petchmorakot on May 20, wanted, มวยไทย, meaning Muay Thai, inked on his arm, but the result came back not just wrong, but terribly wrong. Instead, a communication…
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.