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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Russian tourist dies in Phuket motorcycle accident
A Russian tourist lost his life when his motorcycle crashed into a roadside barrier in Srisoonthorn, Phuket, during the early hours of yesterday, January 24. Police responded to the incident on Srisoonthorn Road, located behind the Thai Watsadu store in Village 3, Srisoonthorn, around 12.10am. Thalang Police reported that the 35 year old man was riding a motorcycle registered in…
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Chilly weather: Heavy rainfall warnings with temperature drop
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has issued its second warning regarding a strong new cold air mass affecting Thailand, causing temperatures to drop by 5 degrees Celsius (°C) and heavy rainfall. The warning, released at 5pm yesterday, January 24, states that from January 26 to 28, a high-pressure system or cold air mass from China will cover northern Thailand and…
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Thai mother reunites with missing son after 5-year search
A Thai mother was reunited with her son yesterday, January 23, after he had been missing for five years, thanks to the efforts of the non-profit organisation, the Mirror Foundation. The Mirror Foundation released a missing person poster of the 13 year old Thai boy, Turnpong “Aut” Dokbuaban, on December 24, 2019. He disappeared from Sub Jarun Villa in Soi…
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Delivery rider snared by low-hanging cable in Pattaya horror
A Pattaya delivery rider suffered painful injuries after being caught by a low-hanging communication cable while riding through Soi Kho Phai, South Pattaya, yesterday, January 23. The victim, 44 year old Koson Kongsila, has urged local officials to take action, warning that similar hazards could put others at risk. Recounting the shocking incident, Koson explained he was riding his motorcycle…
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Bangkok ranks 4th worst for air quality as haze chokes city
Bangkok’s air quality took a nosedive today, earning it the grim title of the fourth worst city in the world for air pollution, according to Swiss-based monitoring platform IQAir. The capital’s air quality index (AQI) hit a hazardous 188 as of 9.40am, with toxic PM2.5 levels far exceeding safe thresholds. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) declared 48 out of 50…
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Pattaya gears up for influx of 5,400 US Navy troops
Pattaya is set to host 5,400 US Navy personnel from January 27 to 31 as they take a break from military training exercises, prompting Chon Buri police to roll out comprehensive safety and traffic measures. The troops will arrive on four US Navy ships, docking in areas managed by Sattahip and Laem Chabang police stations. Police Lieutenant General Yingyos Thepchamnong,…
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Rock singer offers compensation after fatal Bangkok van crash
Rock singer Manaswin Nuntasane, also known as Tik Shiro, and his family have expressed their willingness to compensate the family of two people who died in a van accident in Bangkok on October 10 last year. They offer to pay 4 to 5 million baht, although the victims’ family is seeking 24 million baht. Tik Shiro, aged 63, addressed the…
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7 Thai suspects arrested for abduction and robbery in Chiang Mai
Yesterday, January 23, police arrested seven suspects, aged between 16 and 20 years old, for abducting a 25 year old woman from a condominium in the northern province of Chiang Mai, brutally assaulting her, and stealing her cash and mobile phone. The 25 year old victim, Worrada, filed a complaint against seven suspects at Mae Ping Police Station. The incident occurred…
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Thai woman arrested for stealing 120,000 baht from Russian man in Pattaya
Police arrested a Thai woman for stealing 120,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone from a Russian victim in Pattaya on January 8. She confessed to spending most of the money on a holiday trip with her family. The 37 year old Russian man, Xavier, filed a complaint with officers at Bang Lamung Police Station on January 8, reporting that his…
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Raging inferno in Naklua destroys 5 homes, injures 1
A large fire erupted in Naklua, Pattaya, destroying five homes and injuring one individual. Bang Lamung police received a report about a severe fire in a residential area of Naklua at 6pm on Wednesday, January 22. Officers promptly coordinated with Pattaya City and nearby municipal fire departments to address the situation. The blaze occurred in a row of two-storey houses…
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Chinese duo nabbed in Phuket café lion cub photo scam
Two Chinese nationals were arrested in Phuket after allegedly using lion cubs to lure tourists to The Glass House Cafe and Space, charging them for photo sessions with the animals. The café, located on Ratsada-Anusorn Road in Ratsada, has a history of similar wildlife abuse scandals, including last year’s notorious incident involving a cub named Nong Kiwi. Armed with a…
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Thai transwoman busted at Nonthaburi hotel for explicit content
A Thai transgender influencer with nearly 30,000 followers on social media has been arrested for operating a secret group distributing explicit content. The 22 year old suspect reportedly confessed to running the scheme for two years, raking in tens of thousands of baht per month. Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiwpaen, Commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), revealed details…
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Lawyer criticised for opposing equal marriage in Thailand
Lawyer Thammarat Sarapanya has faced a wave of criticism following his comments on equal marriage, which he described as a violation of the universe’s laws. The remarks came after the new Marriage Equality Act, amending the Civil and Commercial Code, took effect yesterday, January 23. Thammarat expressed his views through his Facebook page “The Lawyer of Legality,” stating, “Equal marriage…
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Pattaya police raid Chinese gang boss’s luxury home
Pattaya police raided the lavish home of an alleged Chinese gang leader yesterday, January 23, as part of an ongoing investigation into the brutal assault of a Chinese businessman. The attack, which occurred on September 14 last year, left the victim seriously injured after he refused to sell his pub shares to the gang. The raid, conducted by over 10…
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AMLO combats fraud by closing 680,000 mule accounts
The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) has listed 72,031 persons for electronic transaction monitoring and closed over 680,000 mule accounts. AMLO’s Assistant Secretary-General, Witya Neetitham, yesterday reported on the Transaction Committee’s actions from December 2024 to January under the leadership of AMLO Secretary-General Tepsu Bowonchodidara. The committee has targeted assets linked to drug offences, fraud, and online gambling. In drug-related offences,…
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Thai man survives 8 days in forest with broken hip
A 30 year old Thai man survived after being lost for eight days in a forest in the central province of Kanchanaburi, despite suffering from a broken hip. Locals in Ban Matang Soo, located in the Sai Yok district of Kanchanaburi, sought assistance from rescuers at the Khunnadham Kanchanaburi Foundation to search for the missing man, identified as Jao. He…
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4 schoolboys injured in class science experiment gone wrong at Phetchabun
Four schoolboys suffered severe burns from sparks igniting during a science experiment gone wrong in their classroom at a school in the central province of Phetchabun. The local news Facebook page, Phet Variety, reported the unexpected accident at Na Chaliang Pittayakom School in Phetchabun yesterday, January 23, along with pictures of 14 year old students whose faces and hands were…
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Thailand video news | Escaped elephant sparks chaos, Charity event in Phnom Penh turns deadly
In today’s Thailand video news, Alex and Jay bring you a range of compelling stories from Thailand and Southeast Asia. From an escaped elephant causing chaos in Phuket to a crackdown on open burning aimed at combating PM2.5 pollution, the team dives into key local issues. They also explore regional highlights, including Indonesia’s deadly floods and Singapore’s PM warning of…
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Phuket hosts landmark event for equal marriage registrations
Phuket hosted a groundbreaking event yesterday, January 23, marking a significant advance in the recognition of equal marriage registrations in Thailand. This event was part of the nationwide initiative, DOPA-Day One: Beating the Gong to Win All Love, and was held at the Bay Arena in Jungceylon shopping mall, Patong. The event saw 24 couples, including seven male-male and 14…
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Bangkok hospital confirms no elderly death in foreign man rampage
A hospital in Bangkok confirmed that no elderly patient deaths were reported following a rampage caused by a foreign man on Wednesday, January 22. The identity of the foreigner remains under investigation. A video showing a foreign man going on a rampage at what was later confirmed to be Sirindhorn Hospital in Bangkok was shared on the Facebook page AggressiveDoctor. The…
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7 rangers injured in Narathiwat monastery bomb blast
In Narathiwat’s Ra-ngae district, seven military rangers sustained injuries following a bomb explosion at a Buddhist monastery pavilion yesterday, January 23. The rangers, from Ranger Company 4511, were patrolling to ensure the safety of local officials attending a subdistrict administrative organisation meeting. The improvised explosive device was concealed in the pavilion and detonated during the rangers’ rest stop, according to…
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Google to build new cloud data centre in Chon Buri
Google is set to enhance its footprint in Thailand by constructing a new cloud data centre in Chon Buri, announced Google’s president and chief investment officer, Ruth Porat. Porat engaged with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday, January 22. The Google executive expressed gratitude towards the Thai government for its support in…
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Russian man throws son overboard in Phang Nga, leaving boy dead
A Russian man allegedly threw his 13 year old half-Thai, half-Russian son out of a speedboat in the sea off the southern province of Phang Nga on Wednesday, January 22, resulting in the boy being struck by a propeller and subsequently losing his life. Workers on the speedboat alerted officers from Kuraburi Police Station to the pier in the Kuraburi…
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Wildlife trafficking: Birds and red pandas seized in Thailand
The National Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) searched a property in Nakhon Pathom where rare birds were being kept, after seizing two red pandas valued at millions of baht in Nonthaburi. Deputy commander Police Colonel Arun Wachirasrisukanya announced yesterday that police obtained a court warrant to search the premises in Thap Luang subdistrict, Mueang district. This investigation followed the…
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Airport arrest: Chinese murder suspects nabbed in Thailand
Two Chinese nationals wanted for murder in Hong Kong were arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday evening, January 22, as they attempted to flee justice. The suspects, identified as Yau Shu-Ko Enoch and Shimeobi Chinedu Nelson, are accused of committing a fatal crime in Hong Kong earlier that day. According to Police Major General Choengron Rimphadee, commander of Immigration…
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Mammoth madness: Runaway elephant sparks chaos in Phuket
Panic swept through Cherng Talay in Phuket this morning as an escaped elephant roamed the village streets, prompting an urgent response from police and handlers. The drama began at around 10am when the elephant bolted from its camp, heading towards Cherng Talay Wittayakom School, with a scaffolding pole tangled around its neck. Witnesses reported minor damage to property, including a…
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Burmese man tries to rape 9 year old Thai boy and, kills him for resisting
A Burmese man killed a nine year old Thai boy and abandoned his body in a pond in Samut Prakan province, near Bangkok, after the young victim resisted his rape attempts. The family of the nine year old boy took to social media to search for him after he went missing from their community in the Phra Samut Chedi district…
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British tourist busted in Patong for cocaine possession
A 20 year old British man was arrested on Tuesday night, January 21, in Patong for possession of cocaine, as police crack down on drug-related offences in Phuket’s popular tourist hotspots. The arrest occurred near Yona Pier on Thawewong Road, commonly known as the Beach Road, around 10.45pm. Patong Police confirmed the man, whose identity remains undisclosed, was found carrying…
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Cyber Crime Division probes legality of Jagat coin app
Thailand’s Cyber Crime Division has identified the Jagat coin as potentially illegal, uncovering three bank accounts linked to player transactions, and has summoned account holders for questioning. Players are warned of possible legal repercussions. Police Lieutenant General Trirong Phiewpan, commander of the Cyber Crime Division, yesterday highlighted concerns about the Jagat coin hunt app. Initial investigations suggest it may involve…
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Thai couple arrested in Bangkok condominium raid for producing Pod K
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau raided a luxury condominium in Bangkok’s Thon Buri neighbourhood on Tuesday, January 21, and arrested a Thai couple for producing and distributing a new narcotic known as Pod K. Pod K, a substance similar in appearance to e-cigarettes, contains e-liquid laced with ketamine. This new drug gained popularity among Thai teenagers due to its accessibility,…
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