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 10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department
Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM. Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a…
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Man changes surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate cannabis decriminalisation
A Thai man in the Isaan province of Buriram has changed his surname to “Ganjaram” to celebrate the decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand. He says his pregnant wife had already checked the surname’s meaning and found it had a good essence, and added his newborn baby, expected to born on June 22, will be proud of him. On Friday, one…
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China opens naval base in Cambodia, officials go swimming together to celebrate
Despite experts predicting that ASEAN nations would not pick sides between the US and China, Cambodia seems to be cozying up to its powerful Chinese neighbour, with officials even going for a dip in the sea together. Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Tea Banh and Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian were spotted bathing in the sea together after the opening ceremony of…
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Chaokoh deny any monkey business amid PETA investigation
Thai coconut-milk producer Chaokoh say there is no monkey business going on in the production of their products, in response to a PETA investigation. The US-based animal rights non-profit organisation conducted an investigation in 2019 singling out Chaokoh for the abuse of young monkeys in Thailand. PETA’s report alleged monkeys are “chained, abused, and forced to climb trees to pick…
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Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers
The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…
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Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days
An elderly couple from Phetchabun, northern Thailand, got married yesterday after knowing each other for a total of 10 days. The lovebirds met on the ridge of Pak Huay Dam in Khon Kaen and it wasn’t long before they decided to get married and live with each other in their old age. The 72 year old groom Nuan Mala did…
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Thai couple murdered in Taiwan by a Thai man
Thai police is expecting a call from Taiwan officials to help find a man accused of killing a Thai couple last week. The bodies of the couple were discovered in a parked car outside the Taoyuan high-speed train station on Friday. The killings are believed to be linked to a disagreement over money lending. The bodies of the couple were…
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Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand
Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…
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Police step up search for minister’s missing father
Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…
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CCSA to consider more suggestions on lifting Covid restrictions
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday will consider more suggestions in regards to lifting Covid restrictions, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insisting that public safety is still a priority. Adjusting the colour-coded Covid concept and relaxing the rules for nightclubs will be among the recommendations discussed. The CCSA is open to any new ideas and recommendations from different parties…
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Take your pet on board Bangkok – Chiang Mai flights with Nok Air
Nok Air have launched a “Pet On Board” scheme for holidaymakers who wish to take their animal on board the airline’s domestic Bangkok – Chiang Mai flight route. The airline is offering round trips from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Chiang Mai for 12,999 baht, which includes airfare for 2 people and 1 pet. In a statement posted on Facebook,…
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Mae Sot district proposed as site of Thailand’s 1st official casino
An Entertainment Complex Committee, set up by the government, has proposed Mae Sot district in the northern province of Tak as an ideal location for Thailand’s first legal entertainment complex, with a casino. The committee has announced that they’ve gathered all information from their survey, both negative and positive, and is ready to submit the findings to the Thai cabinet.…
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Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain
Two Indian tourists have died in a motorbike incident yesterday evening on the Thai Gulf island of Koh Samui, southern Thailand. The pair were driving down the Khao Pom mountain on a rented motorbike when they crashed into a barrier on a curved road. The men’s bodies were found on the mountainside. At 6:30pm yesterday, Koh Samui Police Station received…
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Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt called for “cooperation” after he pledged to make the city better after chairing a task force meeting designed to help improve lives of the city’s most vulnerable. The 56 year old city chief met with several associations on how best to promote the rights and interests of those most vulnerable in the metropolis. Attendees included associations…
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How Thailand plans to transition into the endemic phase
Thailand will begin to “relax” Covid-19 restrictions in the coming weeks as the country shifts into the “endemic phase.” “U2” and “3Por” measures will be implemented to ensure public health and safety during the transition, according to Thailand’s Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA. The next CCSA meeting will be held on Friday, June 17. The Ministry of Public Health will…
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Thai nightlife midnight closing time under pressure this week
The current ‘official’ closing time for nightlife venues, in 31 provinces around Thailand (yellow and blue zones), is midnight. That all kicked in at the start of this month. But, hey, it’s Thailand and there’s also been plenty of venues, particularly in the tourist zones, where the midnight close time has been stretched a bit. But some netizens have noticed…
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Nightlife closing times, revised mask requirements and more land border re-openings
Thailand’s Covid taskforce are meeting this week to consider three proposals made from around various Ministries and industry stakeholders. It’s going to be a pivotal week for the CCSA. Announcements are expected by this Friday. One of them is to remove the requirement to wear face masks in public, although it is widely considered that, even if this concession is…
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UN to take high ground on Thailand’s decision to delist cannabis
The United Nations is likely to take the high ground following Thailand’s controversial decision to delist cannabis, says an adviser to the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board. Thai-born Viroj Sumyai, who served as president of the UN’s INCB from 2017 to 2018, says Thailand will have to answer to the UN, and added that if it decides the bill violates…
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Bangkok’s giant drainage tunnel ready for ‘rainy season’
Bangkok deputy governor Wissanu Sapsompol says the city’s giant drainage tunnel will be fully operational for the “rainy season.” The new Bueng Nong Bon drainage tunnel, which began construction in January 2016, was not expected to be finished until March next year. But the city’s deputy governor insists it will be ready just in time for the kingdom’s rainy season…
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2 monks questioned about temple fund embezzlement scheme
Two senior monks have been released without charge after answering questions in connection to a temple fund embezzlement and money-laundering scheme. The monks, one from Lop Buri province in central Thailand, and the other from Nonthaburi province, deny any wrongdoing. Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, commander of the police Anti-Corruption Division and police investigators, yesterday met with the abbot of…
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Thais favour dropping masks & extending nightlife curfew
Nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate. New tourist visa waivers being proposed to CCSA for next week’s meeting. Concerns over the recreational use of cannabis have been raised following the plant’s decriminalisation. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.
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Thai special envoy to Myanmar warns not to ‘cancel’ Burmese military
Thailand’s new special envoy has spoken out as an apologist for the Myanmar military by urging the international community not to “get stuck in cancel rhetoric” when dealing with the Burmese Junta that seized power 16 months ago. She spoke in support of ‘moving on’ from the past and towards a different style of engagement with the military leaders. Pornpimol…
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Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges
An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Phetchaburi in connection with human trafficking, child exploitation and production, and the distribution of child pornography. Nitikorn Manop was arrested by police on Thursday at a house in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, in central Thailand, bordering Myanmar, after gaining a warrant by the Criminal Court. Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamnarn, head of the Anti-Trafficking…
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Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA
Amateur crime sleuths have been warned they could be prosecuted under the Personal Data Protection Act despite their good intentions. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, head of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, urged the nation’s unofficial detectives against posting video clips or pictures of others on social media, regardless of their good intentions, as it may violate the PDPA. A new…
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Motorists urged to avoid 9 major routes in Bangkok
Motorists in Bangkok have been advised to avoid using 9 routes around the city’s Democracy Monument, and Victory Monument, today because of political protests. Deputy Metropolitan Police chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-Ake revealed pro-democracy protesters have announced on social media that they will start gathering at Democracy Monument at 2pm and will march towards Victory Monument at around 3.30pm. “We…
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Gunman with a grudge murders 3 members of a Thai village fund committee
Three members of a village fund committee were murdered yesterday by a man allegedly holding a grudge in Loei, northeast Thailand, near the Laos border. The gunman, Pitakchai Chairaksuk, was arrested for shooting and killing three members of a village fund committee during a meeting in Muang district. The 62 year old man was caught at the provincial prosecution office after…
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Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases yesterday sentenced a cop to 50 years in prison for taking bribes, totalling 641,000 baht, from a Bangkok massage parlour. The unnamed police officer was indicted on 65 counts of bribe-taking after turning a blind eye to illegal activities at the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. The ruling was published in…
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Famous Thai cyclist killed in road accident in Thailand
Famous Thai cyclist Nirantra Phramthong was killed yesterday in a road accident in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The 53 year old was struck by a 10-wheel truck at 8.10am at the construction site of an elevated road junction on the special highway linking Bang Pa In with Nakhon Ratchasima and died instantly. The 41 year old truck driver,…
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Survey reveals Thais want to drop outdoor mask rules and extend nightlife to 2am
A National Institute of Development Administration survey revealed nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate, and nearly 50% of those polled agreed to extend nightlife hours from 12am to 2am. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday informed Thai media that he thought many Thai people were still scared of catching the…
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Former Thai pop star reveals his new business – collecting the faces of dead people
A former famous Thai pop star may not be making hit records anymore but he’s fine with that now he has a new line of business – collecting the faces of dead people. Jakkapong “Jill” Karnsomphot, one half of the 90s pop combo, Jack-Jill, with his twin brother Jakkaphan “Jack” Karnsomphot, collect the dried facial skins of dead people who…
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