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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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FBS celebrates 16 years with an adventurous Birthday Quest
Leading global broker FBS is marking its 16th anniversary with a special campaign — FBS Birthday Quest. Over the past 16 years, FBS has been on an incredible journey alongside its clients. Now, as a way to give back, the...
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Myanmar’s junta growing more opium than ever
Myanmar has been growing more opium since the 2021 coup, reversing a six-year decline between 2014 and 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said. During the first full opium growing season since the military took power in February 2021, Myanmar saw a 33% increase in poppy cultivation and an 88% increase in potential opium yield…
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Princess Sirindhorn to be named Goodwill Ambassador
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will be named Goodwill Ambassador again by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for her contributions to the empowerment of minority children and the preservation of intangible heritage. The princess was first appointed Goodwill Ambassador in March 2005 by then UNESCO director Sheldon Shaeffer, who recognised her decades of work…
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Thailand Cabinet approves emergency decree to crackdown on Internet fraud
The Thailand Cabinet revealed its commitment to cracking down on Internet fraud by approving a draft emergency decree. Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn revealed the Cabinet approved the draft emergency decree to combat Internet fraud, which will allow financial institutions to temporarily halt suspicious transactions for scrutiny. The draft, titled “the prevention and suppression of technology crime,”…
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Tourist numbers up, positive Covid-19 tests down
Positive Covid-19 tests, hospitalisations and deaths dropped substantially in the third week of January. The much-needed return of tourists to the kingdom in substantial numbers has not produced the much-feared spike in Covid cases or deaths. All the metrics were down in the third week of January, with only a handful of foreigners testing positive. The Department of Disease Control…
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Thai activists warn that new hair guidelines will allow schools to be more strict
A Thai student activist group warns that Thailand’s new guidelines for schools will allow schools to be stricter on students. This news comes after Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong signed an order cancelling the ministry’s 2020 regulation on student hairstyles on January 16. This week, Treenuch said she was preparing a guideline for schools on hairstyles. The draft guideline says that…
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What changes did Google notice in Thailand’s web searches last year?
US multinational Google last year identified a substantial change in consumer trends in Thailand based on web searches conducted last year. The world’s favourite web browser discovered a change of direction in Thailand’s search engines which were split into three categories or trends in Google’s “Year in Search 2022 – Thailand” report, which opened a window into consumers’ behaviour. They…
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Foreigner claims suspected Thai monk in sex clip is actually him
A Vietnamese man claims that it is he featured in a clip of two men having sex and not the accused famous Thai monk ‘Kru Ba Gai.’ Four former students of Kra Ba Gai, a well-known abbot of a temple in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand, accused the monk of having sexual relations with a man which is against the…
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California man accused of shooting seven farmworkers admits guilt, blames mental illness
The man accused of shooting seven of his fellow farmworkers in California blamed his mental illness after confessing to the crime. Zhao Chunli says he endured years of bullying and overwork and says his complaints were never addressed. According to The Straits Times, NBC News visited the man and spoke to Zhao in Mandarin. An NBC reporter told what Zhao had…
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Foreign tourist under investigation for free climbing in southern Thailand
A foreign tourist is under investigation for free climbing up a limestone cliff on an island off the coast of Krabi province in southern Thailand within national park boundaries. The Chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Teekhawut Sriburin, is investigating a foreign tourist and a Thai boat operator after photos of a foreigner climbing up a limestone…
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Thai navy rescues tourists caught in large Phuket waves
The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) rescued a group of tourists in distress who were caught in large waves on a fishing boat off Phuket. The RTN Third Area Command said they rescued the seven foreign tourists in the south of Phuket on Wednesday. The boat’s navigator was broken, leaving the captain unable to bring the boat back to the shore.…
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‘Bastard police’ deny extorting 27,000 baht from Taiwanese actress
Bangkok Police refuted allegations of extorting 27,000 baht from a famous Taiwanese actress and her friends. Police said the actress was drunk, did not have a passport, and was carrying an illegal vaporizer. The Perfect Girl actress 安于晴 (An Yu-Qing), also known as Charlene An, posted about her nightmare trip to Thailand yesterday where she warned foreigners not to come…
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Singapore to examine Nepal plane crash flight recorders
Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau flight recorder readout facility is performing the data retrieval of the black box in the Nepal plane that recently crashed. According to Channel News Asia, the data retrieval from the black boxes of Yeti Airlines flight 691 will help Nepalese authorities in their investigation of what caused the plane to go down. The crash on…
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Thai founder of stray animal shelter featured on Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper
A Thai woman who founded a shelter for stray animals and invested over 100 million baht in its care is featured on a Hershey’s chocolate bar wrapper to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. Hershey’s, one of the world’s biggest chocolate manufacturers, releases new chocolate bar wrappers to honour inspirational women on International Women’s Day. In recent years, the…
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Five US police officers charged with murder over fatal beating of black man
Five US police officers working in the state of Tennessee are charged with second-degree murder over fatally beating a black man. The officers were found to have beaten 29 year old Tyre Nichols, during a traffic stop on January 7, in which they pulled him over for reckless driving. According to The Straits Times, Nichols’ family attorney, Ben Crump, says…
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Australia returns 9 ancient Buddha statues to Thailand after 112 years
Nine wooden Buddha statues have returned to Thailand after being in Australia for 112 years. Murray Upton, an Australian man from Canberra, contacted the Royal Thai Embassy that he was in possession of nine ancient Buddha statues from Thailand. The Australian said he received the Buddha statues from his father. He said they were in his father’s possession since 1911.…
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Israeli troops kill 9 Palestinians in a West bank military operation
Palestinian officials reported today that nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, were killed in a raid by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian health minister stated that the situation in Jenin was dire, with numerous injuries and ambulances unable to access the affected area. Additionally, the children’s ward of a local hospital was hit with Israeli…
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Bangladeshi child plays hide and seek, turns up in Malaysia five days later
A young boy turned up in Malaysia after becoming trapped inside a shipping container for five days while playing hide and seek in Bangladesh. On January 17, a 45 year old shipping operator opened a container at Port Klang, Malaysia’s largest port, to find a confused, weak Bangladeshi boy named Farim who had travelled over 1,000 miles from home. A…
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China Airlines launches direct flights from Chiang Mai to Taiwan
Taiwan-based China Airlines commenced nonstop flights between Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to Taiwan on Friday. A 180-seat Airbus A321neo will service the four-hour route four days a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Flight CI851 from Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), servicing Taipei City, to Chiang Mai will take off at 08.05am and touch down in Chiang Mai…
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Arrested drug dealer says he got narcotics from police
Police arrested a drug dealer and four addicts yesterday in the central province of Rayong. The dealer, while being arrested, alleged that the Thai police were involved in drug distribution and claimed that he had received the drugs as a reward for acting as a secret agent for the police in the province. The drug dealer and his four customers…
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Russian man found hanged in Phuket
A Russian man was found hanged in his rented room in Phuket yesterday. The man, 36 year old Roman Melnik, was found hanged by a strap attached to the balcony door behind his room in Rawai, The Phuket Express reported. Police said Melnik is believed to have died some 12 hours before his body was found. Chalong Police Captain Charat…
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American clinic says nutrient in eggs could increase risk of blood clots
An American clinic says that a nutrient found in eggs could make people more prone to blood clotting. Cleveland Clinic conducted a study suggesting that the nutrient choline could increase the risk of blood clots when consumed in high concentrations. According to Medical News Today, the body makes some choline, but most of it comes from dietary sources. The nutrient supports…
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Drain collapses beneath Chinese tourist’s feet in Thailand
A Chinese tourist was walking on a pavement near the Ancient City in Samut Prakan near Bangkok yesterday when a drain cover collapsed beneath his feet. Luckily, the tourist only sustained minor injuries. The Facebook page ‘Samut Prakan News v2’ posted a photo of the distressed tourist sitting on the side of Sukhumvit Road next to a broken sewage drain…
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Royal arsonist goes on hunger strike
The royal arsonist convicted of setting fire to a portrait of King Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida has gone on a hunger strike while awaiting an appeal. Food delivery rider Sitthichok Sethasavet was found guilty of defaming the royal family, arson, destruction of property, and violation of the Emergency Decree. He was sentenced to two years and four months in prison.…
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Victim loses over 10 million baht in Thai Lion Air ticket scam
Thai Lion Air issued a warning to passengers to be cautious of a ticket scam, after a person lost over 10 million baht by visiting a fraudulent website to claim a free ticket. Trang Police Station posted a warning on its Facebook page of how the victim was grifted 10.2 million baht after trying to claim a free flight from…
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Japanese firm sells whale meat from vending machines
Whale meat is not to everyone’s taste, but a Japanese whaling company has enraged millions by selling whale meat from vending machines to boost consumption. Kyodo Senpaku led Japan’s whaling fleet during its controversial expeditions to the Southern Ocean. The company has now opened its first kujira (whale meat) “stores” at two locations in Tokyo. The machines sell a variety…
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FTI warns foreign businesses will invest elsewhere unless govt makes energy cheaper
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) warned the government that foreign businesses will not invest in Thailand if it maintains its unsustainable utility bills. The FTI insists investors will look to their more competitive Asian neighbours and set up camp there if the government does not make its energy cheaper. FTI Vice President Sompote Ahunai said the government needs to…
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Thailand to spend US$250 million on private VIP jets
The Cabinet approved an 8.8-billion-baht (US$270 million) budget to procure private VIP jets for members of the Thai royal family, ministers and honoured guests. Proposed by the prime minister’s secretariat and approved on Tuesday, the plan includes the procurement of new aircraft and components and the training of personnel. It’s just the latest of many curious budget decisions we can…
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Bolt vs Win motorbike taxi gang violence continues in Pattaya
Violence between rivalling motorbike taxi operators continues in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, where three ‘Win‘ drivers were injured after being beaten with a baseball bat and an iron bar, allegedly by Bolt drivers. Yesterday evening, a brawl broke out between three Bolt drivers and three Win drivers at Thappraya Soi 7, South Pattaya, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province, near Jomtien…
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Fugitive Thaksin reveals his forthcoming return to Thailand, again
Thaksin Shinawatra, former prime minister, fugitive from justice and dynastic overlord, has spoken of his coming return to Thailand, and how it will happen without help from Pheu Thai or the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. The saviour’s coming will be announced by daughter Paetongtarn, herself an aspirant PM. The latest of many declarations on his forthcoming return to Thailand came…
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Koh Samui welcomes first Taiwanese tour group in 3 years
Thailand’s tropical holiday island of Koh Samui welcomed its first Taiwanese tour group in nearly three years on Tuesday. The group of 142 tourists enjoyed Koh Samui’s nature tourism, as well as its temples and shrines. The group also plan to travel to Koh Ang Thong, Koh Tao, and Koh Nang Yuan for four days. The group had a three-night…
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