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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Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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5 police officers transferred over child prostitution ring at Patong bar
Five officers from Patong Police Station were transferred after they were connected to the child prostitution scandal at a bar in the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket. The Operation Underground Railroad anti-trafficking organisation, the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA), found evidence to implicate the officers involved in the child prostitution racket at the Velvet bar, which saw the eventual rescue of…
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Thailand to celebrate 241st anniversary of Bangkok as its capital around Rattanakosin Island
Thailand will celebrate the 241st anniversary of Bangkok serving as its capital around Rattanakosin Island. The Ministry of Culture and more than 30 other agencies are teaming up to hold the event between April 21 and 25, just a week after the Thai New Year of Songkran. Organisers are hoping to promote tourism and create awareness of the history of…
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SRT on right track to lead Thailand’s green recovery
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is on the right track after announcing plans to build a hospital and develop land around Thon Buri Railway Station into an environmentally friendly zone, to lead the way in Thailand’s green recovery. The transit-oriented development (TOD) project is the first of its kind in the country, designed to bring people, human activities, residential…
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Tourist bitten by Krabi dog donates 20,000 baht worth of food for strays
UPDATE Despite being bitten by a stray dog on Krabi’s Ao Nang Beach, one tourist is now trying to help stray dogs. Media reported yesterday that the man, 60 year old Thai national Daniel Sudjai Kutrakun, donated 20,000 baht worth of food for stray dogs to the Ao Nang Administrative Organisation Office. This is after a stray dog bit Daniel’s…
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Human skeleton found in sewer near Bangkok
A human skeleton was found in a sewer along a motorway in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, in central Thailand yesterday. Police believe the skeleton belonged to a man who died at least seven months ago. At 11pm, officers at Mueang Nonthaburi Police Station were informed that a human skull and other human bones were discovered by employees inside…
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Man arrested after robbing 6 convenience stores in 90 minutes
A 22 year old man was arrested yesterday after robbing six convenience stores in the Thon Buri neighbourhood of Bangkok. The suspect spent only ten minutes in each shop and managed to steal 3,500 baht. Officers from three police stations, Ratburana, Bukkhalo, and Wat Praya Krai, worked together to track down the suspect, later identified as 22 year old Thawee…
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Koh Samui needs more direct flights to boost post-pandemic recovery
Koh Samui Tourism Association chief is urging authorities to enhance the island’s tourist infrastructure and increase flight capacity to boost a full post-pandemic recovery of the popular holiday resort. Association president Ratchaporn Poolsawadee revealed that only 70% of independent hotels with three or four-star have resumed operations following the pandemic. This is due to slow cash flow in comparison to…
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Russian aircraft takes big fat fuel dump on US drone in newly-released footage
The US Pentagon has released the footage of a Russian aircraft taking a big fat fuel dump on a US surveillance drone. The footage shows the drone’s propeller was also clipped leaving it to come crashing down into the Black Sea. According to Khaosod English, the incident took place in international airspace. The 42-second video shows a Russian Su-27 coming…
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Power plant in Thailand ups reward for missing radioactive cylinder to 100,000 baht
UPDATE A power plant in Prachin Buri province in central Thailand has upped the reward for information on the whereabouts of a missing radioactive cylinder containing Caesium-137 from 50,000 to 100,000 baht. The Office of Atoms for Peace have checked CCTV and scoured second-hand shops in the Si Maha Phot district to no avail. The radioactive cylinder was noticed missing…
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Thai OnlyFans star arrested after posting explicit image with monk
A Thai OnlyFans creator was arrested today after she posted an explicit picture with a monk on Twitter and promoted a pornography video of herself having sexual intercourse with the monk. However, she later revealed that the video was fake and had just posted it to promote her platform. On March 3, the Twitter account, juniijune6969 posted a picture taken…
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Thai AirAsia boosts flights from Chiang Mai to 6 international destinations
Low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia will soon boost flights daily from Chiang Mai Airport in northern Thailand to six international destinations including Hanoi and Da Nang in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Flights will run to these Asian tourist hotspots every day starting Sunday, March 26, 2023. The budget airline is celebrating the boost in flights…
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Taxi driver abandons illegal migrants after blowout
A taxi driver in West Thailand panicked and fled after a tyre on his pickup burst carrying 33 illegal migrants. Police reported they want to talk to the driver and have launched a search for him. The Thai driver fled after a left rear tyre burst leaving 33 illegal migrants from Myanmar abandoned in a pickup truck in Muang district…
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TAT welcomes inaugural Chinese flight, with tour groups headed to Phuket and Phang Nga
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) welcomed an inaugural flight from Guiyang to Phuket on Tuesday, on the Chinese airline 9 Air. The flight was almost full with 172 people, a good sign for TAT’s goal of drawing five million Chinese tourists to Thailand this year. The airline is carrying tour groups headed to Phuket and Phang Nga. The airline is…
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Malaysia bans foreign male performers from cross-dressing on stage
Performing artists who are male and foreign are no longer allowed to “cross-dress” or dress up like women while performing in Malaysia, according to updated guidelines on live shows and concerts. The Central Agency for Application for Filming and Performing by Foreign Artistes (PUSPAL), under Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital, recently published some stricter rules regarding live performances by…
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Monk & nun squat in protest for world peace near Russian Embassy
A Buddhist monk and a nun squatting on a pavement in front of the Russian Embassy in Bangkok in protest over the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, hope President Vladimir Putin will acknowledge their world peace vigil from space. The couple’s campaign may be seen as honourable in the eyes of many citizens but the same can’t be said of…
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Swedish and Brazilian overstayers busted in South Thailand this week
A Swedish man and a Brazilian man were busted in South Thailand’s Surat Thani province for overstaying their visas in Thailand this week. Surat Thani Immigration officers arrested the Swedish man in Koh Samui, on Chaweng Beach Road in front of Central Samui, in the Pho Phut sub-district. The man, 34 year old Christopher Tony Setfors, overstayed his visa by…
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Investigation reveals Narathiwat police protected weapon and drug suspects
An investigation into the southern Narathiwat provincial police department has revealed its police chief and subordinates protected weapon and drug suspects. According to the Bangkok Post, the commander of police, Waesamae Salae, and his subordinates are accused of taking bribes in exchange for helping drug and weapon suspects. The national police chief, Surachate Hakparn announced the news yesterday. Surachate says…
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Krabi officials catch stray dog on Ao Nang beach after attack on tourist
UPDATE Krabi officials caught a stray dog on Ao Nang Beach on Tuesday, following a vicious dog attack on a tourist on March 11. The tourist, 60 year old Thai national Daniel Sudjai Kutrakun, had been walking on Ao Nang Beach when a stray dog ran over to him and bit his left leg. Daniel’s medical expenses cost over 20,000…
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Phuket hit with petty crime after money boxes stolen
Petty crime has hit Phuket as police charge a couple for stealing a tip box from a Karon resort. According to a report by the Phuket Info Centre, the tip box was stolen from the Kata Tranquil Villa Hotel reception desk on Soi Patak 12, Karon, at around 11pm last Friday. The Phuket News reported that Karon police checked CCTV…
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Family of illegal Thai worker who died in South Korea sues employer
The family of an illegal Thai worker who tragically died at a pig farm in South Korea travelled to the country to seek compensation from the employer. The 67 year old worker, named Boonchu, lost his life while working at a farm owned by 60 year old Kim, who reportedly attempted to conceal the death by leaving the worker’s body…
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In Phang Nga, 165 baby sea turtles hatch and venture into the sea
In a heartwarming event, 165 baby hawksbill sea turtles hatched and ventured into the sea in Phang Nga on Tuesday. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) reported that a mother hawksbill sea turtle had laid a total of 190 eggs on January 15 this year. The successful hatching of the baby turtles took place at Chong Khao Kad…
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Tourist police crackdown on overcharging on Khao San Road
Bangkok Tourist Police on Khao San Road yesterday were approached by several angry foreign tourists after they had been ripped off. The victims told officers that tuk tuk and taxi drivers in the area had tricked them into buying expensive products and services. According to the Bangkok Tourist Police, some tuk tuk and taxi drivers near Khao San Road reportedly…
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Three suspected Burmese migrants found brutally murdered in southern Thailand forest
Police have launched a murder investigation after the bodies of three men were found dumped in a forest in Songkhla province in southern Thailand yesterday. Police suspect the men were migrant workers, possibly from Myanmar. At 7.30am, officers at Bang Klam Police Station were informed that three men were found dead at a fly-tipping spot in the forest, around 200…
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Thailand’s voters say no to legalisation of casinos and e-cigarettes
A recent survey conducted by the Center of Alcohol Studies (CAS) across 12 provinces in Thailand revealed that the majority of citizens do not want the government to gamble on their health and fortune, rejecting the legalisation of casinos and e-cigarettes. The CAS yesterday held a meeting in Bangkok to discuss the report’s findings with family and youth networks urging…
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Nigerian catfish arrested for romance scamming Thai women via Facebook
Police arrested a Nigerian man in Pattaya, eastern Thailand, yesterday under suspicion of catfishing and romance scamming several Thai women online, with damages amounting to 300,000 baht. The catfish, 34 year old Ndubuisi, posed as someone else on Facebook and convinced several Thai women that he was in love with them. He deceived the women into thinking he was in…
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Patong bar raided for child prostitution, 6 teenagers rescued
The special operation unit from the Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) conducted an undercover raid on Velvet bar on Bangla Walking Street in the Patong neighbourhood of Phuket yesterday after being notified of child prostitution involving teenagers under 18 years old. The international anti-trafficking organisation, Operation Underground Railroad, complained to the DOPA that Velvet bar on Bangla Walking Street lured…
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Windsurfing and paddleboarding competition coming up in Pattaya
An exciting windsurfing and stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) competition is coming up in Pattaya from March 16 to March 26, in a bid to promote tourism and boost the economy. The competition will take place in Jomtien near the Beach Sports Service Center. The event is divided into two categories, with windsurfing taking place from March 16 to 19, and SUP…
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SUV crashes into motorcycle killing 4 including 2 young children
A tragic accident involving a sidecar motorcycle and SUV occurred on a road in the central province of Suphan Buri on Monday, resulting in the deaths of four people, including two young children, a four year old girl and eight month old baby. The SUV driver blamed the motorcycle rider for cutting off his car but a witness reported a…
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Bangkok police officer shot by SWAT team dies in hospital
UPDATE #4 The mentally disturbed police officer who was shot by SWAT officers at his home in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok after a 27-hour standoff passed away from his injuries in hospital yesterday. After firing more than 50 shots over the course of the siege, Pol. Lt. Col. Kitikarn Sangboon was shot three times by the SWAT team…
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Pod of dolphins makes an appearance in Phang Nga
A pod of dolphins made an appearance in Phang Nga‘s Mu Ko Surin National Park in the Khura Buri district, much to the delight of tourists. A tour boat was travelling through the park when the captain spotted the dolphins. The captain slowed the speedboat to let the tourists admire the creatures. The dolphins stayed to hang out around the…
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