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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Gold mine reopens in northern Thailand to the dismay of residents
A gold mine has reopened in northern Thailand shocking locals who say the mine had poisoned their livestock, produce, and themselves. According to the Straits Times, the Chatree complex in Pichit province was closed more than six years ago due to health and environmental concerns. Now, despite legal disputes and protests by villagers, the controversial gold mine is back in…
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Pattaya motorbike accident leaves two residents in grave condition
A Pattaya motorbike accident has left two residents in grave condition as one’s head became trapped under a car. The two were rushed to a local hospital, after colliding in South Pattaya. According to the Pattaya News, Sawang Boriboon rescue services arrived at the scene and found an elderly man stuck with his head trapped under a sedan. The other…
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Bangkok Airways to launch Koh Samui – Hong Kong route
Bangkok Airways revealed plans to launch a direct route between Koh Samui in Thailand and Hong Kong, aiming to “generate more revenue from foreign customers.” President of Bangkok Airways Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth revealed that a nonstop Koh Samui – Hong Kong flight is in the works and could launch sometime this year. The airline has also entered discussions to lease more…
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Thailand lottery winner thanks Buddha with 100 pig’s heads
A Thai lottery winner today laid out 100 pig’s heads in front of the famous 30-metre-tall Buddha statue at Wat Klang Bang Phra Temple in Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand. The lucky winner, Panu Nawisamphan from Samut Prakan province, did not reveal how much money he won in the government lottery. Panu said his offering of 100 pig’s heads…
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16 Chinese tourists accuse Thai tour guides of abandoning them in Pattaya
Sixteen Chinese tourists complained to Pattaya Tourist Police yesterday after they were abandoned at an elephant village in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya by their Thai tour guides. One tour guide, however, denied the accusation. The Pattaya Tourist Police received a complaint from Chinese tourists via the 1155 hotline yesterday and rushed to the Chiang Mai Elephant Village to investigate…
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Beachgoers find giant sea turtle carcass in Pattaya
While there’s been a lot of happy news about turtles in Phang Nga recently, there’s unfortunately been some sad turtle news in Pattaya. A giant sea turtle carcass washed up on Pattaya Beach on Tuesday. Beachgoers noticed the carcass and detected a foul odour in the early hours of the morning. They promptly informed the authorities of the discovery. Officials…
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Taiwanese woman wins 3kg chicken rice eating challenge in Bangkok
A Taiwanese woman shrugged aside the well-worn slogan “pleasure on the lips, lifetime on the hips” to emerge victorious in a food challenge at a restaurant in Bangkok. The foodie devoured 3 kilogrammes of chicken and rice in just 35 minutes, making her the 37th winner of the challenge since it was launched 10 years ago. The chicken rice shop,…
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Airports of Thailand to invest 37 billion baht in Don Mueang Airport
Airports of Thailand (AOT) is ready to invest US$1 billion (36.8 billion baht) to improve and expand the capacity of the low-cost terminal of Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, AOT announced yesterday. AOT plans to increase capacity from 30 million to 40 million passengers per year by 2029, with construction beginning this year, according to a statement from AOT. The project…
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Thai pervert jailed for 2 years for hidden cameras in Australian Embassy, Bangkok
A Thai man was labelled “a serious threat to society” by a judge who sentenced the pervert to two years in jail for allegedly installing hidden cameras in women’s toilets at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok. Nayot “Bank” Thamsongsana, a former IT worker at the Australian embassy in Bangkok, has been convicted in the Bangkok South Criminal Court after pleading…
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Thailand’s ‘The Pizza Company’ launches mango pizza
Move over pineapple, mango is the hottest pizza topping in Thailand this summer thanks to a special edition launch from nationwide pizza chain The Pizza Company. Everyone loves pizza, and everyone loves mango. But do they belong together? More specifically, does mango belong on a pizza with mozzarella cheese, croutons, mango sauce, cream cheese and coconut sauce? If your brain…
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Tour bus crash on Patong Hill seriously injures driver
A tour bus crashed into a power pole on Patong Hill early this morning, with the driver suffering serious injuries to his leg. The bus slammed into a power pole on the final curve heading into Patong on Phra Baramee Road at around 5am, The Phuket News reported. Police and rescuers arrived on the scene to find the red Phiphairat…
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3 year old boy dies after being trapped in car for 2 hours
A three year old boy suffocated to death after being trapped in his mother’s car in the Isaan province of Buriram. A rescue team attempted to save the child’s life but he died on the way to the hospital. Baan Bua Municipality Rescue Team rushed to a local restaurant in the Baan Bua sub-district of Buriram yesterday at 3pm after…
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Loutish foreigner arrested for running amok in Pattaya restaurant
Another loutish foreigner did himself proud by running amok in a Pattaya restaurant in the early hours of this morning. One Thai eyewitness alleges that the half-naked man from the waist up was either under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Police were called and arrested the unruly man after he refused to calm down at an unnamed Isaan restaurant…
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Pattaya Zumba lovers raise 100,000 baht for disabled boy
Zumba is a fun activity to stay in shape, but this week, Zumba lovers in Pattaya also used the activity to raise money for a good cause. The street food market The Smile Land Pattaya, located on Phettrakul Road in Bang Lamung District, hosted an event, ‘Zumba Charity Party,’ on Monday. The Muscle Factory Pattaya gym sponsored the event, Pattaya…
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Thai buffalo becomes beauty influencer
Social media is full of influencers reviewing makeup and cosmetic products, but one Thai beauty queen, Kalaya, is set apart from the rest. She’s a buffalo and she’s taking the Internet by storm. Kalaya’s owner Mod doesn’t raise any old buffaloes, but pageant buffaloes, which are specially bred to be strong and beautiful. In one video gaining nearly 90,000 likes…
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6 Vietnamese timber smugglers arrested in Isaan wildlife sanctuary
Wildlife rangers and officers from Chaiyaphum Police Station arrested six Vietnamese timber smugglers at the weekend at Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary in Chaiyaphum province in the Isaan region of Thailand. The suppression of the Vietnamese timber smuggling gangs started last year after Phu Khiao Wildlife Sanctuary wildlife rangers were notified that a group of Vietnamese men entered the sanctuary to…
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UNICEF urges Thailand to invest in its children’s education or suffer
UNICEF urges Thailand to invest in its children’s education for the socioeconomic prosperity of the country. The humanitarian organization made the plea on the back of a report which revealed a large majority of Thai students drop out of education halfway through. Kyungsun Kim, director of UNICEF Thailand, said the number of Thais who are “not in education, employment or…
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Burmese migrant worker killed by fallen lamppost in Thailand
A lamppost toppled onto and killed a young Burmese migrant worker at a worker’s camp in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok in central Thailand, yesterday morning. At 11.30am, officers at Bang Phli Police Station, doctors from Bang Phli Hospital and rescue workers from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation were called to a construction site in the Bang Phli Yai…
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More suspects arrested in phone scam duping Americans out of 3 billion baht
More suspects are now in Thai police custody in relation to the phone scam that duped unsuspecting elderly Americans out of 3 billion baht. According to the Bangkok Post, 20 people have been arrested- 15 Thais and five Indian nationals- for their involvement in a phone scam that preyed on Americans. Police say they raided places in the provinces of…
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Chinese netizens critisised Thai tourism for being expensive and dangerous
Chinese netizens criticised Thai tourism for being expensive and dangerous. A Chinese male influencer who claims to be a psychiatrist added Thailand also traps Chinese women in prostitution and is a nation of organ trafficking. Thai tourism was a hot topic on Chinese social media last week. It began when a Chinese media agency published an article on March 13,…
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Prominent French retiree and Rotarian passes away in Pattaya
A prominent French retiree and former Rotarian has reportedly passed away in Pattaya at the age of 85, leaving his loved ones to pen an online obituary. The Frenchman, Pierre Yves Francois Andre Eraud, was born on October 16, 1938. He was described as being a great humanist and as being attached to the respect and benevolence characteristics that are…
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Thai police shoot dead Phetchaburi gunman after 14 hour standoff, 3 dead, 3 injured
UPDATE At 4am, SWAT police shot dead the ex-military ranger who went on a gun rampage yesterday killing three people and injuring three more in Petchaburi province in lower central Thailand. Pol. Lt. Gen. Thanayut Wuthiratanayong said that after 14 hours of failed negotiations, the gunman showed no signs of surrender so the police took decisive action to kill him…
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TST pledge to reform military, abolish conscription, a voter winner with Thailand’s youth
The Thai Sang Thai Party (TST) pledges to reform Thailand‘s military and abolish conscription if they are elected in the upcoming General Election on May 14. This move appears to be aimed at attracting young voters who are often reluctant to undergo military service due to the fear of losing productive years, harsh training, poor welfare, and hazing. Under the…
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Potential Thai scammers race to close mule bank accounts as new cybercrime law enacted
Potential Thai scammers, particularly in Nakhon Phanom province, are racing to close suspected mule bank accounts after a new cybercrime law was enacted. According to the Pattaya Mail, the new law took effect on March 17, deeming that those who open a bank account or register a SIM card for a third party for illegal use will face jail time…
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‘Thai Hot Guys’ Malaysian nightclub event during Ramadan cancelled after intense backlash
A Malaysian nightclub has cancelled a ‘Thai Hot Guys’ event after receiving massive backlash from the public as the event was scheduled to occur during the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. Apparently, juicy Thai men parading around half-naked in lingerie wasn’t what those celebrating Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, had in mind. As Ramadan is a…
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Thailand’s leading Fintech “DeeMoney” unveils new strategy “Owndee” with better rates, faster, and easier transfers
DeeMoney is Thailand’s No 1 money transfer service licensed by BoT DeeMoney aims to be NeoBank offering comprehensive cross-border payment and money transfer services on digital platforms that best address target customers’ demand In 2022, DeeMoney emerged as a dominant fintech player in the non-bank money transfer sector, with overall transactions exceeding 3 million transactions with a volume over 50…
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Safari park in Thailand responds to bungee cord incident that nearly killed Hong Kong tourist
UPDATE Today, staff from Chang Thai Thappraya Safari Park in Pattaya, Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, commented on the broken bungee cord incident that nearly killed a tourist from Hong Kong last month. The bungee jump operator, 41 year old Natthaphon Yokcharoen, took reporters to see the scene of the incident, a platform about 30 metres high above a lake. Nattaphon…
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Angry Thai man stabs wife to death after dispute over saving water
An angry Thai husband stabbed his wife to death at their home in the northern province of Mae Hong Sorn. The man was reportedly angry after the woman advised him to conserve the water for the upcoming dry season. Police officers and locals are now on the hunt for the murderer who fled into the forest after the incident. Officers…
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Ex-military ranger opens fire in central Thailand, 2 dead 3 injured, standoff with police continues
A frenzied gunman who is an ex-military ranger opened fire in Phetchaburi province in lower central Thailand this afternoon, killing two people and injuring three more. Gunfire continues to erupt from the house where he is hiding in an ongoing standoff with police. More than 40 young children have been evacuated from a nearby daycare centre. Over 100 police officers…
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PM Prayut cuts ribbon on new ferry service to boost tourism in Thailand
Caretaker Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha celebrated his 69th birthday in style yesterday by cutting the ribbon to officially open a new river ferry service to connect Thailand and Malaysia. The ferry service will transport passengers, cargo and vehicles across the Ko Lok River, connecting Tak Bai Customs House in Thailand with Pengkalan Kubor Customs House in Malaysia. The Narathiwat…
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