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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If you hold a certain amount of bitcoin or whether you’re planning to buy some soon, you must be wondering what impact the US tariffs have on the coveted crypto’s price. A market analysis by Inky Cho, Financial Markets Strategist...
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Body of dead woman dumped in garbage bin in southern Thailand
Kura Buri Highway Department officers in the southern province of Phang Nga found a dead woman’s body dumped in a garbage bin on the roadside near the Khao Sok National Park at the border of Phang Nga and Surat Thani yesterday. The murderer is still on the run. Highway department officer Makesuwan Suphannamok told the media that he and his…
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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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Screening for drunk driving to reduce new year holiday road deaths
Drunk driving is a fairly constant problem in Thailand, like many other places worldwide. It’s so prevalent during the holiday season, that Phuket holds an annual road safety campaign known as ‘Seven Days of Danger.’ The campaign is held around the new year holiday from December 29 to January 4. The government announced new strict screening of drivers over the…
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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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Thailand offers free entry to museums and parks during new year holiday
Indulge in Thailand’s history, art, and culture for free this new year’s holiday. As a holiday gift to the public, Thailand’s Fine Arts Department is opening all national museums and historical sites in the kingdom for free between December 30, 2022, to January 2, 2023. In a new exhibition opening on December 30, centuries-old gold jewellery from the ancient Ayutthaya…
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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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Thaiger Cage hospitality digital pitch event to debut at Thailand Tourism Forum 2023
BANGKOK, THAILAND Leading Thai digital media outlet The Thaiger is launching a new start-up technology pitch event ‘The Thaiger Cage’ on 16th January 2023 at the Conrad Bangkok. It is a special prequel to the Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) 2023, now in its twelfth year and widely considered to be the country’s leading annual hospitality event The special one-hour pre-event…
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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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Golden gunmen set to repel crime wave in Thailand’s Wild West
In the lawless shopping malls of Mae Sot – Thailand’s Dodge City – golden gunmen are set to a repel crime wave. Gold shop owners in the western border province are being given firearms training, as an epidemic of armed robberies grips the Thai side of the frontier with Myanmar. Three gold shops in the province have been held up…
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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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Death toll of sunken Thai navy ship rises to 18, 11 sailors missing
The Royal Thai Navy recovered the bodies of three more missing HTMS Sukhothai sailors from the Gulf of Thailand yesterday, December 25, bringing the total death toll from the tragedy to 18, according to a navy spokesperson. Of the 105 crew members aboard the warship when it sank over a week ago, 76 have been rescued, 18 died and 11…
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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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Police ordered not to name nationalities, arrest Swedish man with gun and meth
The Royal Thai police have given foreign troublemakers a bit of a Christmas gift. In an order put out late on Christmas Eve, the RTP told all provincial police bureaus to no longer release to the media the nationality of any foreigner arrested in Thailand. A spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police said that people accused of a crime in…
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Road accidents involving motor bikes on the rise in Phuket
As we head into what has become known in Thailand as the “Seven Days of Danger” – the holiday period from December 24 to January 4 that always sees an increase in road deaths – a new report initiative is shedding light on an increase in motorbike accidents in Phuket. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation has begun releasing a report…
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Knifed in the neck for disrespecting mum
A cantankerous Rayong grandmother has worn out her welcome in her village and now her fed-up family and friends are conspiring to ship her off to a home. Ban Khai police were called to an address last week where they found Laemthong, aged 52, bleeding from a wound in his neck. According to the Bangkok Post, Kai Sawanmongkol, better known…
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Backpack found on Koh Tao from sailor on HTMS Sukhothai
As search and rescue efforts enter their seventh day after the wreck of the HTMS Sukhothai, a tourist on Koh Tao found a grim relic of the tragedy. A Norwegian tourist on holiday on the tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand stumbled upon a backpack on the beach belonging to one of the missing sailors from the shipwreck. The…
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Dern Rim Lay Festival on Kata Beach today
Phuket is celebrating the holiday with the launch of a number of Christmas and New Year’s events, starting with the Dern Rim Lay @ Kata Festival. The festival began yesterday and continues now in Karon on Kata Beach. Street stalls line the beach and around 150 vendors are offering food and shopping to the thousands of locals, residents, expats, and…
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Taiwan to ration paracetamol after bulk-buying for China
Authorities are debating whether Taiwan will ration paracetamol, as the Covid situation across the strait deteriorates and concern grows following Taiwan’s reopening for travel. Taiwan may impose buying limits on all kinds of painkillers as people buy up local supplies to ship them to China where the pandemic has put a strain on supplies. Hsueh Jui-yuan, Taiwan’s minister of health…
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Record number of Thai people travelling abroad
Most tourism discussions in Thailand centre around incoming international travellers to the kingdom. But Thai people are also travelling abroad in record numbers, the highest in three years. In the last quarter of 2022, an average of 28,000 Thai people are travelling outbound each day to other countries. That average has already climbed a bit in the first 20 days…
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