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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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Chinese man falls to death from Pattaya hotel
Tragedy struck Pattaya when a Chinese man fell to his death at a hotel late last night. Police and rescuers found the body of 33 year old tour agent Chen Pu Lin in a pool of blood on a walkway of the Mantra Pura Hotel in Bang Lamung district. Lin was dressed only in his underwear. Investigators also found blood…
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DCD predicts a fourfold jump in dengue and malaria victims in Thailand this year
The government’s Disease Control Department (DCD) reckons Thailand will see a huge jump in malaria and dengue fever cases this year. The Director-General of the DCD, Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, believes the number of malaria and dengue fever sufferers will increase significantly by at least three or four times more than last year. “There were 10,174 cases last year, three times…
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Shootout involving police ends with 1 dead, 2 injured
A fatal incident involving police officers occurred at a night restaurant in Songkhla. A shootout at the restaurant between a group of police officers and another group of customers left one dead and two injured. The incident took place in the early hours of the morning of Sunday, January 15 at a late-night diner next to the fire station of the…
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Mentally ill Bangkok man allegedly brutally murders his mother
A mentally ill Bangkok man allegedly brutally murdered his mother, Thai media reported. Lat Krabang Police arrested the suspect, 37 year old Noi Chanprem, on Sunday. Police were alerted about the incident and rushed to the victim’s four-story apartment building. Officers found the body of Noi’s mother, 61 year old Chai Chanprem, covered in blood in a room on the…
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Oil tanker explosion in Thailand kills 1, 4 missing
At 9.30am, a large oil tanker docked in Samut Songkhram province, southwest of Bangkok, exploded and caught fire. At present, one person has been confirmed dead and four people are still missing. Firefighters from Mueang Samut Songkram Fire Station have got the fire under control at the shipyard Laem Yai subdistrict on the Mae Klong River. As the tanker was…
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Android users urged not to charge phones in public in case they get hacked
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) is advising the public to exercise caution when charging their smartphones in public after a Thai man’s Android phone was hacked at the weekend. The CIB believe hackers have found a way of altering charging cables to steal personal information from phone users. Wisanusan Sam-pok revealed in a Facebook post on Sunday that 101,560 baht…
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American TikTok star sues Porsche dealer in Thailand
An American TikTok star and his Thai girlfriend filed a lawsuit against a Porsche dealership in Thailand showroom claiming that the used car they paid 13 million baht for is not only a different model than they ordered but it doesn’t work. Yesterday at 4.30pm, 39 year old Sam [psuedonym] and his wife [name reserved] met with celebrity lawyer Decha…
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Shakhtar president donates £22 million of Mudryk Chelsea transfer fee to Ukraine war effort
The president of Shakhtar Donetsk announced he is to give £22 million (886 million baht) to the Ukrainian war effort after the transfer of Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea. Shakhtar chief Rinat Akhmetov sold Mudryk to the London club over the weekend for a record transfer fee in Ukrainian football of £89m. The donation serves as a financial boost for Shakhtar,…
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Shinawatra’s daughter declares intention to be Thailand’s next prime minister
In one of the worst-kept secrets in Thai politics, Paetongtarn Shinawatra announced her intention to be Thailand’s next prime minister over the weekend. The 36 year old declared her interest to run for premier under the Pheu Thai Party (PTP) in May’s General Election. The PTP was founded by Paetongtarn’s father Thaksin and is now in its third incarnation, Thaksin and…
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Cops catch alleged Singaporean scammer at Phuket airport
Cops caught an alleged Singaporean scammer at Phuket International Airport yesterday, who was accused of involvement in Thailand’s ‘Forex-3D scam’ that grabbed headlines in the kingdom last year. Immigration police busted the suspect, 32 year old Daryl Cai Yonghui, as he was about to fly to Singapore, according to the head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI)’s financial business…
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Thailand’s Chiang Mai Zoo to open -10°C snow dome
Chiang Mai Zoo revealed plans to open a -10°C snow dome to offer guests a chilly winter experience normally unavailable in sweltering Thailand. Zoo director Wuttichai Muangman revealed today that the zoo will gain a winter wonderland named “Snow Buddy Winter Land” in collaboration with Frost Management Company Ltd. Wuttichai said that zoo guests can get a real ‘winter’ feeling inside the…
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Thailand among 25 countries with least paid leave days
Thailand is among a list of countries offering the least amount of days of paid leave and paid public holidays in the world, according to a new study by Resume.io. No East/Southeast Asian country whatsoever made it into the top 25 countries with the most amount of paid public holidays and paid annual leave days. Resume.io‘s study found out how…
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Mafia chief nabbed by Carabinieri after three decades on the run
After 30 years on the run, Italy’s most-wanted mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has been arrested in Sicily by the Carabinieri police. The 60 year old was detained in a private clinic in the Sicilian capital Palermo, where he was reportedly receiving treatment. Denaro is believed to be a leader of the notorious Cosa Nostra mafia and has been sentenced…
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National Park officers in Koh Samet accused of extortion
A member of Parliament accused Mu Koh Samet National Park officers of extorting nearly 2 million baht per year from public transport drivers and business owners on Samet Island in the eastern province of Rayong. Khaosod reported yesterday, that Okas Thai Party MP (or Thai Opportunity Party), Damrong Pichate, recently gave an interview to a news programme about money extortion…
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Southern Thai man strikes gold with rare cobra encounter
A rare golden cobra slithered into a rubber plantation in Satun province in southern Thailand on Thursday. Sitthinai Soisuwan was walking in the rubber plantation behind his house in Satun province when he spotted an unusual golden snake. Sitthinai said the snake flared its hood and threatened him. Captivated by its beauty, Sitthinai didn’t think about the snake’s potentially deadly…
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Pattaya’s dignified image remains after police report no sex workers found in inspection
Pattaya’s ever-so-dignified image is here to stay since Tourist Police reported finding no illegal sex workers in an inspection on Saturday. The inspection came after residents claimed that sex workers were illegally operating. At midnight, cops patrolled high-risk areas such as Beach Road and Walking Street, on the prowl for suspects. Tourist Police identified risky spots as crowded tourist attractions, dark…
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Norwegian lessons for Thai shipwrecks
A Norwegian naval officer is on stand trial, accused of negligence that led to a 2018 collision between the frigate he commanded and an oil tanker. The warship sank and has since been salvaged for scrap. A replacement for the lost Helge Ingstad frigate will cost up to US$1.3 billion (40 billion baht). The case demonstrates that strange things do…
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Bus hits overpass injuring student footballers aboard
A school football team and their coaches were left reeling after their bus met with a shocking accident while transporting them from the Nong Chok district of Bangkok to a field in the Bang Sao Thong district, Samut Prakan. The bus slammed into the top of a motorway overpass, causing the roof to cave in and injuring 13 of the…
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Phuket launches lantern festival ahead of Chinese New Year
Phuket’s main city district launched the ‘Phuket Lantern Festival 2023’ last night ahead of Chinese New Year, which falls on January 22. The lantern festival will run from January 15 to February 5. During this time, all government offices in Phuket will be decorated with lanterns. Phuket’s city municipality has decorated tourist attractions and the area around Chartered Bank Intersection. …
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Thailand 3rd choice of red carpet for Chinese ‘friends’
China and Indonesia are best of friends again, and it’s all thanks to Beijing’s optimised Covid-19 response policy. Thousands of Chinese people are now welcome to flood into Bali on a daily basis. Likewise, in Tanzania, unlimited thousands of happy Chinese shoppers are now welcome to flood up and down Kilimanjaro. Third of the tourism triumvirate – friendly countries with…
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Thai man’s android phone hacked to the tune of 101,000 baht
A Thai man was hacked to the tune of over 100,000 baht last week. The victim insists he had not accessed any suspicious websites, taken any call centre calls or filled in any online forms but says his android phone was targeted by hackers. A number of Thai netizens revealed they too had become victims of a scammer gang and…
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Thai man hails taxi from female-only app and murders driver
A 21 year old Thai man has been arrested under suspicion of murdering a female taxi driver in central Thailand on Saturday. On Saturday, officers from Chaiya Phruek Police Station were notified about the discovery of a female body in the Khlong Khoi subdistrict of Nonthaburi province. Police and volunteers from the Phor Teck Tung Foundation went to the scene, some…
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China top source of Thailand investment in 2022
Thailand’s main source of investment in 2022 was China, for the first time in three years. The world’s second-largest economy poured US$2.3 billion (75 billion baht) into electronics, automotive and data centres. The figures, of course, do not include the tide of Chinese investment in grey areas such as drugs and gambling. China last held the No.1 position in 2019,…
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Five men fatally injured as pickup hits tree in N Thailand
Police reported that five men were fatally injured and four sustained serious injuries after a pickup truck veered off a rural road at a bend and collided with a tree in the Non Thai district, Northern Thailand yesterday morning. According to police, Sergeant Major Phayungkiat Waisanthia, who is based at the 11th Infantry Division in Bangkok, was driving eight friends…
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Thailand is most searched travel destination for Chinese New Year
Online searches for flights to Thailand during the approaching Chinese New Year holidays beat searches for flights to all other countries in the region, according to travel marketing company Sojern. China’s borders are open for the first time in three years and Chinese travellers are looking to get away to celebrate the upcoming two-week Chinese New Year – or Lunar…
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A bungling low-flying helicopter pilot injures eight people of Children’s Day
A bungling Royal Thai Navy (RTN) helicopter pilot caused chaos on Children’s Day by flying too low. The helicopter pulled down tents on top of people, injuring eight people including five children and three adults. The incident happened at a Children’s Day event on Saturday in the central province of Chantaburi. According to a report on Khaosod, RTN officers flew…
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Raging Russian tourist wreaks havoc on two Pattaya 7-Eleven stores
A Russian tourist smashed his way through the door at a 7-Eleven convenience store on Walking Street in Pattaya in Chon Buri province early this morning, injuring himself and others. He continued to vandalize a second 7-Eleven branch before being detained by police. An employee explained that a Russian man, estimated to be 35 – 40 years old, came into…
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Koh Samui parking dispute leads to violent brawl and gunshots
Koh Samui parking dispute leads to violent brawl, photo by Naewna. A Koh Samui parking dispute lead to a violent brawl and gunshots on Friday, Thai media reported. This was after two brothers reportedly refused to move their pickup truck so that a man could leave an auto accessories shop. The two brothers, Phisit and Panuwat, parked their truck in…
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Death row convict chokes to death
The Japanese Justice Ministry reported that a female convict on death row for the murder of two men choked to death. The Justice Ministry announced Miyuki Ueta lost consciousness while eating some food at the Hiroshima Detention Centre at about 4.20pm on Saturday. The cause of death by suffocation was confirmed by a doctor who examined her body after she…
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Bangkok kids suffer food poisoning after eating free noodles for Children’s Day
Bangkok kids suffered food poisoning, photo by Amarin TV. A group of Bangkok kids suffered food poisoning after eating free noodles on Friday for Children’s Day. Over 10 ambulances rushed to Wat Naknimit School on Soi Suksawat 14, Suksawat road, to help the 30 kids. Reports said the children suffered nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and headaches. One female student said someone…
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