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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Royal Thai Police ordered to find Red Bull Heir and deliver justice
The Thai prime minister wrapped up the government’s last Cabinet meeting of 2022 by demanding the Royal Thai Police (RTP) find Red Bull Heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya and prosecute him. The 37 year old fled Thailand over ten years ago after a hit-and-run incident killed a police officer, Wichian Klanprasert, in Bangkok, on September 3, 2012. Boss, then 27, was…
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CNN selects Bangkok and ICONSIAM’s firework shows as one of world’s 10 ‘Great Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve’
CNN has selected Bangkok as one of the world’s 10 ‘Greats Places for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve and listed ICONSIAM’s magnificent fireworks display at the “Amazing Thailand Countdown” as an ‘amazing fireworks show’ and place at which to ring in the New Year. The recognition reinforces ICONSIAM as Thailand’s premier ‘Global Countdown Destination’ after many years of standing out…
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Gold thief begs for freedom after being trapped by security door
All that glitters is not gold, so the aphorism goes, as an ex-con found out when he returned to his old ways and tried to steal a gold necklace. He got trapped by the shop’s security door trying to steal the precious item and was sent back to jail despite pleading with the shop owner for his freedom. The owner…
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Italian man fined 3000 baht for showing genitals to children
Police nabbed an Italian man who was attempting to flee Thailand after being accused of showing his genitals to children in Pattaya. Police caught up with him just as he was boarding a flight out of Thailand and took him into custody. But he was let go after he paid a 3,000 baht fine and was told not to come…
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Govt official allegedly caught red-handed accepting bribes
Police today allegedly caught a government official red-handed accepting a bribe when they swooped to arrest the man at his Bangkok office. Officers raiding the premises also confiscated 5 million baht from the official’s office, reported Bangkok Post. Counter Corruption Division (CCD) commander Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew, and his team, arrested Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya, the head of the…
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New Zealander falls to death from train in Thailand
A man from New Zealand fell to his death from a train in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand this morning. The tourist, 45 year old Patrick Ward, was taking a video of the view on Thailand’s most scenic railway route, the “Death Railway,” when he fell at 11.50am. Ward used the train’s toilet before standing in the doorway between carriages.…
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Woman arrested for keeping protected birds as pets
A woman in the southern province of Chumphon faces up to five years in jail and a fine of up to 500,000 baht for keeping 37 protected birds as pets without permission. The woman insisted that she did not buy or obtain the birds illegally, the birds came to her of their own free will so decided to care for…
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Sam Smith’s ‘Thrill of it All’ Koh Samui motorcycle tour
English popstar Sam Smith caused quite a stir among his Thai fans after pictures emerged of his recent holiday in Koh Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani. The singer, famous for his breakthrough single “Latch,” was snapped on a motorcycle around the island where it appeared he is in Thailand for more than just “The Thrill of it…
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South Korean man dies from ‘brain-eating amoeba’ upon return from Thailand
Health officials in South Korea confirmed that a Korean national died from a disease known as “brain-eating amoeba.” He had not long returned from Thailand. In the first case of its kind in South Korea, a man “in his 50s” died from a Naegleria fowleri infection, commonly known as brain-eating amoeba, according to a report released by the Korea Disease…
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Downhill cycling banned in Doi Inthanon National Park
Fearing a string of preventable injuries and deaths, authorities have banned all downhill cycling in the mountainous Doi Inthanon National Park. The park, located in the Chom Thong district of Chiang Mai province, is popular for its scenic nature and picturesque mountains. But slippery roads and dangerous driving conditions have the potential for deadly accidents for those riding their bicycles…
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Bridge connecting Koh Samui to mainland Thailand to open in 2029
Travelling to Koh Samui from mainland Thailand will be cheaper and more convenient in the future once a bridge connecting the island to Khanom in Nakhon Si Thammarat province reaches completion. The bridge is expected to open for service in 2029. Consulting companies are currently bidding on the huge project which is estimated to cost 25 billion baht. The winner will…
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China opening up a boost for Thailand tourism
China yesterday announced it will reopen its borders and abandon its strict Covid-19 quarantine for travellers and mainland citizens on January 8. The announcement signals great news for Thailand as the kingdom continues to prosper from the worldwide relaxation of Covid restrictions. Chinese visitors topped the nation’s No.1 tourist charts before the pandemic outbreak in 2020. From 2014 there had…
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Bangkok hailed one of the top 10 places in the world to spend New Year’s Eve
Bangkok has been hailed as one of the top 10 places in the world to spend New Year’s Eve while riverside shopping mall ICONSIAM is recommended as the No.1 spot to enjoy a fireworks display and countdown to the upcoming new year. US multinational news channel CNN produced a list of 10 Great Places to Spend New Year’s Eve. The…
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Pattaya’s New Year’s Eve fireworks extravaganza is back on!
Pattaya reversed its decision to cancel a three-day new year fireworks event at Bali Hai Pier. The city Mayor Poramet Ngampichet confirmed the fireworks extravaganza will now go ahead. Pattaya last week cancelled the New Year’s Eve fireworks event, which was scheduled to take place from Thursday, December 29 to Saturday, December 31 without providing any specific reasons. Thai netizens…
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Fireworks and sky lanterns still illegal in Phuket
Officials in Phuket have issued another reminder to the public that releasing fireworks and sky lanterns in public areas is illegal. The warning put out yesterday is a reminder of a rule passed earlier this year on May 6 that called for a crackdown on all illegal fireworks. Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrambam made that original proclamation on behalf of…
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Thai man fakes his own death in unique marriage proposal
Love filled the emergency room at a hospital in Chachoengsao province in eastern Thailand on Christmas Day as a dead body came back to life as part of an elaborate marriage proposal. During his lunch break on Sunday, rescue service volunteer Thammathat “Khao Oat” Saekhow lay on a stretcher under a white cloth and was wheeled from an ambulance into…
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King and Queen cleared of Covid-19 infection
His Royal Majesty King Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana have now recovered after being infected with the Covid-19 virus. The Bureau of the Royal Household had originally reported their infection on December 17. They now report that Their Majesties can now safely return to their royal duties after a full recovery. The original statement was issued on December 17 after the king and queen were…
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Bangkok court grants bail to Tuhao’s wife for 2 million baht
Southern Bangkok Criminal Court granted bail to Pol. Col. Wanthanaree Kornchayanan – the wife of Chinese gangster Tuhao – for securities of 2 million baht this afternoon. Yannawa Police arrested and detained Wanthanaree and nine others yesterday on transnational drug and money laundering charges. The court does not usually grant bail to those accused on such serious charges in case…
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Phuket remembers anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami
Today marks the anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to befall mankind. The Indian Ocean Tsunami, also known as The Boxing Day Tsunami, struck Phuket and the surrounding areas at 10am on December 26, 2004. In the province and neighbouring provinces, religious ceremonies were held today to mark the 18th anniversary of the deadly tsunami. Religious ceremonies…
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Corpse wearing Royal Thai Navy shirt is a fisherman, not a HTMS Sukhothai sailor
The dead man wearing a Royal Thai Navy shirt found washed up on a beach in Songkhla province this morning was a fisherman and not a sailor from the HTMS Sukhothai, which sank in the Gulf of Thailand just over a week ago. Many thought the man may be one of the 11 HTMS Sukhothai sailors still missing. However, a…
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Mall of America shooting: one dead, five arrested
A shooting at the largest shopping centre in the United States is the latest in the unrelenting gun violence epidemic in the country. Police have now arrested five suspects in connection with a shooting inside the Mall of America, a massive shopping centre that draws tourists nationwide to Bloomington, Minnesota. The shooting occurred on Friday evening when apparently two groups…
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Hongkongers to pay 4.5 baht for plastic bags
Hongkongers are to pay HK$1 (4.5 baht, US$0.13) for each plastic bag at supermarkets from next week, according to the South China Morning Post. It’s the first increase in 13 years. Hongkongers will pay for plastic bags for chilled or frozen items, but not for takeaway food or loose fresh goods. All operators, including major chains such as ParknShop and…
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Pope calls for peace in Ukraine, Russians support Putin
The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, gave his traditional Christmas Day address in St Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Rome, which was broadcast throughout the world. The Pope used the opportunity to urge an end to the “senseless” war in Ukraine. Calling for peace is a standard message in the Pope’s Christmas address. This year he gave his address…
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Christmas Eve raid finds 40 underage pub patrons drinking
Many children eagerly await a visit from Old Saint Nick on Christmas Eve. They hang their stockings and set out cookies and milk for Santa Claus. But for one club in Sisaket province, and its underage patrons, without a chimney for Santa to come down, they instead got a late-night Christmas Eve visit from someone a bit less welcome. Police…
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Petrol pump blown up in Yala terrorist attack
A petrol pump was blown up by suspected insurgents at a PTT petrol station in the southern province of Yala on Saturday night. There were no casualties. Shortly before midnight on Saturday, an explosion was heard at the PTT petrol station by Highway 410 in tambon Thanto, according to Pol Capt Palakorn Srichai. Police were dispatched to the scene to…
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Foreign man fornicates with Thai woman on Pattaya street ‘for 30 minutes’
A foreign tourist and a Thai woman were spotted fornicating against an electricity pole near a busy intersection in Pattaya “for 30 minutes” early this morning. At 4am, reporters received explicit video evidence of a foreign man and a Thai woman having sex on the roadside in central Pattaya’s Bang Lamung district in Chon Buri province. Locals are urging police…
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Meteorological Department head, corruption, blamed for navy ship sinking
In the wake of the devastating navy ship sinking last month, someone needs to take the blame. Yesterday, the Pheu Thai Party declared that the person accountable for the tragedy of the HTMS 442 Sukhothai is the weatherman. The director-general of the Meteorological Department of Thailand is being blamed for not providing a more accurate report of the dangerous weather.…
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Body of tattooed man wearing Royal Thai Navy shirt washes up in southern Thailand
The body of an unidentified man wearing a Royal Thai Navy shirt washed up on a beach in Songkhla province in southern Thailand early this morning, reports KhaoSod. It is not yet confirmed whether the man is one of 11 sailors still missing from the HTMS Sukhothai, which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province just over one…
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HRH Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand treated for irregular heartbeat
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand is resting after receiving hospital treatment for heart arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat), according to a statement issued by the Bureau of the Royal Household yesterday. The 67 year old princess was admitted to King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital on November 22, 2022, where she received radiofrequency ablation treatment to treat her abnormal heartbeat.…
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British man falls from waterfall cliff on Koh Samui
In Koh Samui, a British man was rescued after slipping from a dangerous waterfall. The man was part of a group of eight international tourists who were holidaying on the island of Koh Samui. They had climbed to the top of Na Muang Waterfall despite warnings not to when the man fell off the cliff. The group of hikers said…
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