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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Russia, Myanmar, Belarus not invited to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
While countries all over the world mourned the loss of Queen Elizabeth II since she passed away last week at the age of 96, not all countries were invited to the state funeral. The UK government will fund a lavish funeral next Monday with heads of state from around the world invited, but no representatives have been invited from Russia,…
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Former Thai PM slams govt’s miserly 5% minimum wage rise
A day after the Thai government announced a nationwide 5% salary increase the kingdom’s former prime minister condemned it as “not enough.” The Thai Cabinet yesterday agreed to increase the minimum wage throughout the country by 5%. The highest rate is 354 baht per day in Chon Buri, Rayong, and Phuket while it is 328 baht per day in places…
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Cocktail? Bangkok hotel sets Guinness Record for largest Negroni
Bottom’s up! A hotel in Bangkok can now claim a boozy new Guinness World Record after their bar mixed up the world’s largest Negroni cocktail. The ambitious Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok Hotel built a huge container to house the popular Italian cocktail and pumped over 630 litres into it to break the record. Made of equal parts gin, vermouth, and Campari,…
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Teen escapes house fire in Pattaya by climbing balcony
A Pattaya teenager climbed down from his balcony to just barely escape a fire that broke out in his home in the early hours of Monday morning. The boy, 16 year old Poramet Soratavorn, sensed the smell of smoke when he was on the second floor of his house in Royal Park Village on Thepprasit Road. Poramet ran downstairs to find…
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UK police condemed for arresting anti-monarchy activists
Labour MP Zarah Sultana and a number of civil liberties campaigners have conveyed their dismay after heavy-handed police officers this week cracked down on anti-monarchy activists following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Several peaceful protestors were seen holding up placards with “Not my King” and “Abolish the Monarchy” written on them in Edinburgh, London, and Oxford causing police to…
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Earthquake strikes in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
At 1.03am today, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck Fang district in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province, according to the Meteorological Department. No injuries, deaths or damages have been reported. The earthquake’s epicentre in the Mae Kha subdistrict had a considerably shallow depth of 4 kilometres, causing people in the region to feel strong shaking. Strong shaking was reported in Mae…
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Phuket school director denies assault allegations
UPDATE The Phuket school director who last week was accused of physically assaulting an eight year old is denying the allegations. This news comes after a relative of the boy claimed that on September 8, the director pushed the boy’s head into a wall. He also allegedly used his hands to forcefully open her nephew’s mouth. The Phuket Provincial Educational…
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China Airlines opens a new route to Chiang Mai
China Airlines yesterday announced the good news that it intends to launch flights to Chiang Mai in Thailand. The bad news is that it won’t happen until next year. The Taiwan-based airline revealed on the day it reopened its borders that flights to the northern city of Chiang Mai take off on January 20 next year. Flight CI851 from Taiwan…
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Thai govt increase minimum wage by 5% starting on October 1
The Thai Cabinet today agreed to increase the minimum wage throughout the country by 5%. The highest rate is 354 baht per day in Chon Buri, Rayong, and Phuket. The new rate will come into effect on October 1. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin discussed the topic at today’s Cabinet meeting and it was approved. It is the first time in…
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Top 5 reasons to hire a professional driver in Thailand
SPONSORED Looking for a professional driver? If yes then you have come to the perfect place! Aside from the feeling of sitting comfortably in a car and being driven to the destination of your choice, hiring a professional driver in Thailand can benefit you in many ways. Some of the reasons include flexibility, safety and not getting lost on the…
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Thailand to build another bridge to Malaysia
The Thai government has reiterated its plan to build a new bridge over the narrow Golok River, which will serve as another border crossing. The Thai and Malaysian governments hope that the bridge, which will connect Sungai Golok district in Narathiwat province to Kelantan in Malaysia, will boost tourism and trade ties between the bordering countries. The new bridge will…
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Bangkok taxi drivers protest fuel increases outside the Ministry of Energy
Furious Bangkok taxi drivers today protested against the price hike of autogas, LPG and NGV, in front of the Ministry of Energy. The President of the Thai Taxi Association, Witune Naewpanich, urged the government to support them after the recent price increases. Witune announced taxi drivers’ income decreased because of the pandemic because no one used them during Covid-19. He…
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Pro-wakeskater charged with causing danger for surfing in Bangkok floods
UPDATE Pro-wakeskater Daniel Grant has been charged with causing danger to traffic – violating Thailand’s Traffic Act and Highway Act – for his surfing stunt in the Bangkok floods on Friday. The 24 year old half-Thai, half-English watersports champion was summoned to Khlong Luang Police Station this morning to acknowledge the allegations made against him by police after they saw…
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VIDEO: Police seek alleged lover who splashed woman with acid
A shocking video has gone viral on Thai social media showing the moments just after an alleged jealous lover splashed acid on a woman’s face outside of the salon where she worked. The security camera video shows a startled shopkeeper rushing to open the door followed by the woman running blindly across the shop screaming and stumbling as she lunges…
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Residents urged to stop clogging Bangkok’s sewers & canals
The Drainage and Sewerage Department appealed to Bangkok residents, street food vendors, restaurants, and construction sites to stop clogging up the capital’s drains after fatbergs, concrete blocks, mattresses and furniture were found in the city’s sewers. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also urged residents to stop throwing household items into the city’s rivers and canals, saying the garbage is blocking…
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Businesses encroaching Layan Beach in Phuket get final eviction notice
Phuket officials handed a final eviction notice to four businesses illegally occupying Layan Beach. Their patience finally snapped after a string of notices were ignored dating back to 2017. They now have to remove all structures from three kilometres of public land by the end of the month. Several businesses have been operating along 178 rai of beachfront land for…
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Ex-con released from jail recalled to finish his porridge after gaff
An ex-con legally released seven months ago has been recalled to the jail in the northern province of Payao after a gaff by the Department of Corrections (DOC). He refuses to return. The DOC admitted they made a mistake and wrongly calculated the years of imprisonment so recalled the former convict to finish his porridge. Teeraphat Sophon was originally jailed…
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Thai VietJet to increase frequency of Japan and Taiwan flights
Thai VietJet announced the addition of flights to both the Bangkok – Fukuoka route to Japan and the Bangkok – Taipei route to Taiwan. The airline commenced the Bangkok – Fukuoka route, their only service linking Thailand and Japan, back in July. Initially, the route between Suvarnabhumi Airport and Fukuoka Airport operated three times a week. The route turned out…
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Thai woman hires delivery driver to investigate her boyfriend’s alleged affair
Yesterday, A LINE Man driver working in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand, revealed how he ended up working as a spy for a customer who thought her boyfriend was having an affair. LINE Man provides food, grocery, parcel delivery, messenger and taxi services – and in this case, detective services. Back in July, Mr A (pseudonym) was working a normal night…
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Thailand’s nonpartisan stance sensible in China-US Cold War
Thailand yesterday was urged to maintain its neutrality as tensions between the globe’s two economic giants, China and the United States, continue to gather pace. Thailand last week was criticized for maintaining a neutral stance regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the West continues to impose sanctions on the former Soviet state. The kingdom has been also condemned in the past…
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Alleged Thai ‘love scammer’ denied bail in Australia
A Thai national detained in Sydney, Australia, for allegedly committing “romance fraud” was denied bail yesterday. Siriluck Fatima Chimmalee is accused of stealing from men she met online through a dating app. She is facing trial for over 100 charges of fraud. Police say 30 year old Siriluck allegedly pretended to be a registered remitter and charged customers steep inflation…
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Thailand’s largest group of foreign tourists come from Malaysia
In July, Malaysians made up the largest portion of Thailand’s foreign arrivals, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Thailand welcomed 220,554 Malaysian tourists in July, most of them arriving via the land border crossing in Songkhla province. In a post-pandemic world, Malaysian travel to Thailand has never been easier, with the removal of Thailand Pass and insurance requirements. The…
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The return of the begpacker sparks online debate
While the Covid-19 pandemic brought tourism to a screeching halt in Thailand much to the detriment of millions of people’s livelihood and the country’s economy, one thing that the majority of people did not seem to miss has now reared its ugly head again. Social media erupted over the return of the much-maligned begpacker trend as photos of one in…
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Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today announced another day of heavy downpours, flooding, and traffic chaos throughout the country and told the kingdom to brace itself. The Interior Minister on the other hand played it down and said there was nothing to worry about. The TMD made known it is 70% likely that the nation will be hit by another…
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Kiwi PM admits her country will ditch British crown in her lifetime
New Zealand will become a republic Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern admitted today, but not any time soon. The 42 year old New Zealand PM believes the southwestern Pacific Ocean Island country will ditch the UK monarchy in her lifetime but added she wasn’t going to rush into it at the moment. “There’s been a debate, probably for a number…
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Activist sentenced to 2 years in prison for wearing Thai dress that ‘mocks’ H.M. Queen
A 23 year old Thai activist has been sentenced to two years imprisonment for royal defamation, under Section 112 of the Criminal Code, for attending a protest in traditional Thai attire. Her catwalk show was interpreted by royalists as “mocking” H.M. Queen Sirikit, the queen mother of Thailand. Bangkok South Criminal Court read the verdict of Jatuporn “New” Saeoueng’s sentence…
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Man complains after 23 taxi drivers in Bangkok refuse to serve him
An angry Thai man slammed Bangkok taxis on his TikTok account for favouring foreigners after 23 cab drivers refused to take him on a journey that was less than 15 minutes. The man said that taxi drivers in the Asoke area only wanted to serve foreign passengers because they can rip them off with expensive fares. The Thai TikToker, @iceprapadang,…
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4 billion baht budget to tackle HIV & STDs in Thailand’s teens
Thai teenagers are more at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infection than adults says the Thai government and that is why it has approved a budget of nearly four million baht to tackle the issue. The Deputy Spokeswoman of the PM Office, Ratchada Thanadirek, revealed that people aged between 15 to 24 years old are more likely…
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Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite son to look after her dear dogs
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson announced that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson are to look after Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved corgis. The corgis, Muick and Sandy, were given to the Queen by the Duke of York and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, last year. The 62 year old prince wanted to cheer up his mother while her…
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VIDEO: Elephant kills monk in eastern Thailand
A 66 year old Buddhist monk was trampled to death by a wild elephant in Chanthanaburi province in eastern Thailand on Saturday. The terrifying moment was captured by CCTV. At 5am yesterday, a monk came out of his hut and discovered the body of Phra Prachon Suksingh outside on the temple grounds. It was clear that he had been trampled…
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