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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12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Swedish man arrested for alleged sexual assault on Bangkok-Mumbai flight claims mental health issues
The lawyer of a Swedish man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a member of the cabin crew on a Bangkok to Mumbai flight claims he has mental health problems and did not mean to touch the woman. Klas Erik Harald Jonas Westberg reportedly molested a stewardess on IndiGo flight 6E-1052 from Thailand to India on Thursday, the Indian Express reported.…
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Thai police find body believed to be kidnapped Chinese woman
In the central province of Nonthaburi, Thai authorities discovered a body that they suspect to be that of a Chinese woman who was abducted, inside a banana plantation. The body was found in the Bang Yai sub-district of Bang Yai district yesterday. The victim, believed to be a Chinese student named Jin Can, had reportedly been kidnapped for ransom before…
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Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back to 30 days
Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back down to 30 days for visitors to the kingdom from a list of around 60 countries. Starting from April 1 (yesterday), visitors from mainland Europe, the UK, the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries will only be granted a 30-day stay in Thailand if they choose to enter the country without obtaining a…
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Pattaya bar fight injures more than 6 people
There’s been another late-night bar fight in Pattaya. Two groups of young adults brawled in the early hours of this morning at the YES Pattaya pub on Third Road. The bar fight, which injured more than six people, took place at 3.20am. The youths started throwing punches and bottles at each other. When police officers and rescuers arrived at the…
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Phang Nga arsonist unashamed after burning down floating restaurant
A shameless arsonist showed no compassion after destroying a floating restaurant in Phang Nga on Friday. Takua Thung Police arrived at the restaurant located on a canal in Baan Chong Nuea in Kalai sub-district of Takua Thung district and found it engulfed in flames, with the suspect, 31 year old Wanat Looklek, watching it burn. Wanat admitted to police that…
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Chiang Mai national park fire kills firefighting volunteer
A forest fire at a Chiang Mai national park tragically killed a firefighting volunteer on Friday. The volunteer, 39 year old Wichai Thimakham from Mae Rim district, was found dead in Khun Khan National Park. His death was apparently due to suffocation, Thai PBS reported. The acting director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, said Wichai…
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Pattaya motorcyclist crashes and dies after talking on phone with girlfriend
A tragic incident occurred in Pattaya on Thursday night when a motorcyclist talking on the phone with his girlfriend crashed into the rear of a parked sedan and died. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find the victim, 30 year old Chavanin Treesakorn, seriously injured on Road No. 331 in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district, inbound to Sattahip district. The…
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Songkran celebrations to be held at Bangkok City Hall
After a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced plans for major Songkran festival celebrations in the Thai capital. The event will feature a water-splashing celebration in front of City Hall in the Phra Nakhon district, which has been designated as the main venue for the festivities. In addition, all 50 district offices across Bangkok will…
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Uptick in prosecutions against Asian foreign workers in Thailand
Thailand has seen an uptick in prosecutions of Asian foreign workers for illegal employment in the country, according to a report by the Department of Employment (DoE). The report covered the period from October 2022 to March 2023. The report revealed that 685 employment venues were prosecuted and a total of 1,550 people prosecuted. The majority of people prosecuted were…
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Thai cops indicted over extortion case with Taiwanese actress
Six Thai cops have been indicted by public prosecutors in the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases for allegedly extorting money from a Taiwanese actress in exchange for dropping charges against her, Thai PBS reported yesterday. The officers are from Bangkok’s Huai Khwang Police Station. According to Kosonlavat Intujunyong, deputy spokesman for the Office of the Attorney-General, the six…
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Life on the road as a stand-up comedian ft. Rich Shultis | Thaiger Podcast EP.29
https://youtu.be/cPyLW6QLQyI Rich Shultis Starting stand-up at a relatively advanced age, Rich Shultis quickly became a regular at NYC comedy clubs due to his vast life experience, hard work, professionalism and most importantly, his outrageously funny material. Rich now performs at clubs and venues throughout the United States as well as internationally, leaving the audience in stitches and wanting more. Rich…
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Three foreigners in Patong restaurant brawl fined 2,000 baht each
Three foreigners who were involved in the Patong restaurant brawl this week have been fined 2,000 baht each, according to an update from the Phuket Provincial Police. Yesterday, it was reported that a customer, 34 year old Australian national ‘Karen,‘ admitted that he started the dispute by throwing a water bottle at two restaurant staffers because he thought they were…
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World’s most visited Van Gogh Alive exhibition comes to Bangkok
Van Gogh Alive, the most visited exhibition in the world, is now open at the Chao Phraya riverside shopping mall, ICONSIAM, in Bangkok from today until July 31. Yesterday (March 30) marked the birthday of the world-renowned impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh, who spent ten years crafting artworks that went on to influence some of the most influential figures in…
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Phuket officials swoop on encroaching beach beds, umbrellas, and restaurants
Phuket officials swooped on encroaching beach beds, umbrellas, and restaurants on a beach in the Thalang district yesterday. A team of officials led by Thalang District Chief Bancha Tanuin inspected Lay Phang Beach in Cherng Talay. The officials asked operators to remove beach beds and umbrellas from the beach. Even though many tourists enjoy these things, authorities say they lead…
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Russian tourist to be deported from Bali for naked pic on sacred mountain
A Russian man is to be deported from Indonesia after posting a photo of himself on social media standing on a sacred mountain in Bali with his pants around his ankles. Mount Agung – an active volcano – is the highest point in Bali and is especially sacred to Hindus, who believe it to be a replica of Mount Meru,…
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Swedish man accused of swindling money charged for overstaying
Police arrested a Swedish man who overstayed his visa in Chon Buri by over seven years. He was also accused of swindling money from Thai people. The Immigration Bureau Division 3 arrested the 50 year old Swedish man, Lennart Alexander, at a rental house in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri. He was initially charged with overstaying his visa…
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Wire mesh impales Pattaya tourist’s ankle
A wire mesh impaled a Pattaya tourist’s ankle on Tuesday night. The tourist, 42 year old Rayong resident Sirima Khummode, said she was walking to buy food on Thepprasit Road at around 9pm. She said she accidentally stepped on some protruding iron wire mesh on the footpath. The wire penetrated Sirima’s ankle, and she screamed for help from passersby. Rescuers…
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Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)
A Thai Buddhist monk ascended into the air on a crane and threw 150,000 baht cash to attendees of his birthday party at a temple in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday. To celebrate his 46th birthday and 24th year in the monkhood, Phra Khru Phot Suwannarat – aka Luang Phor Kaen – hired a crane to hoist him…
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Phuket crash kills foreigner, the 35th road death on island this year
Phuket’s number of road deaths reached 35 this year after a motorcycle crash killed a foreigner early this morning. The accident happened on Karon Beach Road on Phuket’s west coast at about 2.28am, according to Ruamjai Rescue Foundation. Rescuers and emergency medical service teams arrived on the scene to find a garbage truck parked on the side of the road.…
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Horny Thai man fined 200 baht for having sex in public under Bangkok bridge
A horny Thai man was fined 200 baht after being caught on a video having sex with his 20 year old girlfriend near a public park under the Bhumibol Bridge 2 in Bangkok yesterday. A witness, 65 year old Tawee, recorded the lustful couple having sex near the Bhumibol Bridge’s foundation pillar and shared the video on social media yesterday…
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Tragic end to love affair: Thai man commits suicide after murdering girlfriend
A Thai man allegedly murdered his girlfriend and hid her body inside a sauna tent in their shared house in the central province of Nakhon Pathom before committing suicide. Investigating officers from Mueang Nakhon Pathom Police Station arrived at the Nakhon Pathom Hospital at 4pm on Wednesday, March 29 and identified the deceased as 29 year old Kiattichai Wichaita. He…
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French woman missing in dense jungle on Koh Adang, southern Thailand
A search party has been launched after a French woman went missing in the jungle on Koh Adang island in Satun province in southern Thailand yesterday, reports the Phuket Express. The tourist, 29 year old Claire Maire Theophane Drapeau, was last spotted veering off the trail into the jungle near a viewpoint on the island sometime yesterday. Satun Police were notified…
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Chinese Christians seeking asylum in Thailand fear repercussions if they’re deported to China
Members of a Chinese Christian church seeking asylum in Thailand fear they will be jailed if they are deported back to China. Thai immigration officials yesterday detained 63 members of the Mayflower Church, a Chinese Christian church seeking asylum in Thailand. The group, including men, women, and children, had been attempting to relocate to the United States since August of…
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Phuket rescuers find body of man who jumped from bridge
Phuket rescuers on Wednesday found the body of a man who jumped from the Thep Krasattri Bridge. Kusoldharm rescuers recovered the body, and the man’s wife confirmed that the body was her husband’s. The rescuers found the body floating about 1 kilometre away from the bridge, The Phuket Express reported. The names of the man and the wife were being…
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Hacker threatens to publish data of 55 million Thai citizens
A hacker, who goes by the pseudonym of 9Near, threatened to publicly release the personal data of 55 million Thai citizens unless the government contacts the cyberpunk by April 5. 9Near announced on the dark website BreachForums that he had stolen the personal data of 55 million Thai citizens from a government department and was going to sell them. The…
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3 foreign men arrested in Thai police crackdown on child prostitution in Phuket
Following the crackdown on child prostitution at Velvet bar in the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket two weeks ago, the Royal Thai Police (RTP) discovered six more foreign men also bought sexual services at the bar and through its network. Out of the six, three foreign men were arrested while three are on the run. The Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) and…
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British expat dies from allergic reaction to bee sting in Phuket
A 69 year old British man died from a severe allergic reaction to a single bee sting yesterday in Phuket, southern Thailand, reports KhaoSod. Volunteers from Rawai Rescue Unit rushed to a house in Soi Kit Prasarn 1 in Rawai district after they were informed that a foreigner was in critical condition after being stung by a bee. Upon arrival,…
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Intoxicated Bangkok man steals and crashes ambulance
An intoxicated Bangkok man stole and crashed an ambulance on Wednesday night. The suspect, 21 year old Jirasak, allegedly stole the ambulance from Ratburana Police Station and drove it to a gas station. There, he unsuccessfully attempted to steal a pickup truck before returning to the ambulance. Jirasak drove away, and was involved in a collision, Thai PBS reported. Jirasak…
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Thai police officers face lengthy prison spell after large-scale corruption
Some of Thailand’s most notorious police officers face time in prison due to charges of large–scale corruption. Eight police allegedly took advantage of their positions of power to assist PCC Development and Construction in winning a bid to build 163 five–storey flats worth 3.7 billion baht. The accused included Pol. Lt. Gen. Theerayut Kittiwat, Pol. Maj. Gen. Satja Khachahiran, Pol.…
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WMP slams Bangkok Gov’s ban on sexy dresses at Songkran Festival
The Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP) criticized Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt over his recent Songkran Festival policy which bans women from wearing sexy dresses. The WMP believes the policy is victim-blaming and protects sexual offenders. Chadchart announced the policy for the Songkran Festival in Bangkok on Monday, March 27 after a meeting with his team. The team has banned…
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