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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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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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Instant noodles replace flowers at unusual Thai funeral
Bouquets of instant noodles replaced flowers at an unusual funeral today at a temple in Phitsanulok province, northern Thailand. In a magnificent display, hundreds of sachets of Mama noodles and other dried foods were arranged like flowers around the coffin. Prabhali Konghoon, who died peacefully at age 68, had unique wishes for his funeral which his relatives carried out for…
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UPDATE: Daughter has contacted missing family, police suspect economic hardship
Following the report on the missing family in the central province of Sukhothai, Thai media has updated the story that the daughter has been able to contact her family today and everyone was safe. However, she didn’t share more details about where her family was or why they had been impossible to contact. Police speculate that it may have been…
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Southern Thailand province gets a wave of income from Full Moon Party, Songkran
Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani saw a wave of tourism income generated during the Songkran holiday. Many tourists came to the province for the famous Full Moon Party on Kho Pha Ngan, among other tourist attractions. Tourism officials said the province gathered up a total of 895.7 million baht from 83,000 visitors between April 13-17. The income is up…
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“Phuket taxis are fantastic”, and other unlikely headlines – OPINION
‘Dog bites man’ would rarely be a headline. ‘Man bites dog’ however IS a headline. In the same way ‘a taxi driver provided customer with a good experience’ isn’t a headline. That’s unless it’s in Phuket Thailand. The Thaiger could pave the road, all the way from Bangkok to Phuket, with stories of the southern island’s faltering attempts at public…
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Thailand’s diesel price expected to spike starting May 1
Even though Thailand’s energy minister vowed last month to keep the 30 baht per litre cap on diesel prices until the end of May, officials now expect the diesel price to start pushing 35-36 baht per litre by the start of May. The director of the Energy Policy and Planning Office says all agencies have been instructed to plan how…
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Police seize 100 fake visa documents and work permits offered for Thais to work aboard
The Immigration Bureau reports that they raided a Bangkok company that allegedly offered fake documents and visas for Thai people who wanted to work aboard. The officers say they found counterfeit documents for submitting to the embassy and fake work permits for applying for work with more than 60 companies in foreign countries. Yesterday, the immigration police reported that their…
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Half a million travellers passed through Suvarnabhumi Airport during Songkran
During the Songkran holiday, the number of travellers passing through Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) more than doubled. Between April 9 to 18, the main airport saw 585,100 people, a 119% increase compared to 2021 (when there was very little international travel). Some million passengers were expected to pass through the country’s 6 Airports and Thailand airport turnstiles during Songkran. The numbers…
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200,000 Covovax vaccines from India expected to arrive in Thailand today
The Ministry of Public Health reports that Thailand will receive 200,000 Covovax vaccines from India today. Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, will be on call to receive the vaccine delivery personally. The Director-General of the Disease Control Department, Dr. Opas Kankawinpong says that the Covovax vaccines were donated by the QUAD, or the countries that agreed on Quadrilateral Security Dialogue…
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Thai man’s testicles burst after fight with water buffalo
A buffalo breeder in Buriram province, northeast Thailand, has been rushed to hospital this morning with ‘burst testicles’ after one of his water buffaloes attacked him. The man tried to break up a fight between 2 of his buffaloes when one rammed into him leaving him with torn testicles, a wounded thigh and a bruised chest. He was found lying…
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Manhunt continues for escaped Rohingya refugees in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities are still on the hunt for 130 illegal Rohingya migrants, who escaped barefoot from a temporary immigration depot near the Kedah-Penang border on Wednesday, after a riot broke out at the facility early yesterday morning. The refugees were reportedly protesting overcrowding at the facility when the situation escalated into a riot. The undocumented migrants, still on the run,…
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Another Phuket event to draw tourists will have mini hot air balloons
Phuket officials plan yet ANOTHER event to draw in tourists and rake in cash for locals devastated by the government’s reaction to Covid-19. This upcoming event, called “Phi Muang Nong’s House” will be held Friday through Sunday, April 22-24, from 5pm onwards, at Sarasin Bridge… the 300 metre bridge which connects mainland Phuket and Phang Nga. What’s the event’s main…
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Thai policemen accused of faking crimes to advance their careers
A woman has claimed a group of 17 police officers in the Isaan province of Amnat Charoen invented a ‘fake crime’ involving her to advance their careers. She claimed she had been working as a ‘spy’ for the local police for more than 20 years. But the officers wanted to get promoted, so they conspired with her, insisting that the…
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New west-side Bangkok hospital rail lines delayed
Thailand’s transport ministry announced yesterday that two new Bangkok rail lines have been delayed. The lines are the SRT’s Light Red Line, and the MRTA’s Orange Line, both of which will connect with Siriraj Hospital. The ministry’s permanent secretary said the two transit lines have not yet been built as the ministry is still working on a feasibility study. He…
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Death penalty for Thai man who killed high school student
A Thai man has been sentenced to death over the murder of a high school student in Trang province, southern Thailand, in 2018. The man shot and killed a 16 year old boy and shot and wounded another man who was the only witness to the murder. The victims’ families are satisfied with the Supreme Court’s ruling after fighting for…
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Cost to repair Don Mueang damage estimated at 20 million baht
Thailand’s Transport Ministry has given an initial estimate of 20 million baht to repair the damaged passenger hall at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport. The area sustained severe damage when a violent storm earlier this week caused the partial collapse of its roof and walls. Transport ministry spokesman Pisak Jitviriyavasin has stressed that the 20-million-baht figure is only an initial estimate,…
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Thai PM endorses India travel bubble in bid to boost international tourism
A travel bubble arrangement between Thailand and India has received the backing of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, as officials look to revive foreign tourism in the kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the travel pact between the 2 countries has also been endorsed by Thailand’s public and private sectors. In the pre-Covid days, Thailand welcomed nearly…
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Low demand, supply surplus leads J&J to suspend sales forecast of Covid vaccine
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson says it’s currently unable to provide a sales forecast for its Covid-19 vaccine. According to the firm, vaccine hesitancy in low-income countries, coupled with existing low demand in wealthier nations, has led to a surplus of stock. J&J had previously forecast sales of up to US$3.5 billion for this year, according to a Reuters report.…
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Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard saga continues
The legal saga between Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard continues in court. Depp filed a lawsuit against Heard after she wrote a column in 2018 describing herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. Even though Heard never named Depp explicitly, he is suing for implying he was a domestic abuser. Depp delivered a roughly three-hour testimony on…
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Political activist and Move Forward member found hanged in north-east Thailand
A member of the Move Forward political party, who disappeared on Monday, has been found hanged in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. Thai PBS World reports that the body of 27 year old activist Anan Lokate, aka “Boy”, was found hanged by a police kiosk in the district of Chaloem Phra Kiat yesterday. The secretary-general of the Move Forward…
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Thailand’s anti-corruption commission says website hacked, key info leaked
The website of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has become the latest Thai site to fall victim to hackers, as confirmed by the NACC itself yesterday. According to the commission, key data has been leaked in the cyberattack. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency alerted the NACC to the attack, advising it that information published by…
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Thai activist writes about his sex life behind bars, gets put back in prison
A Thai activist is facing one year behind bars for writing about his sexual experiences in prison on his Facebook account. Ekachai Hongkangwan was sentenced to one year in prison without parole yesterday. The activist’s relatives have applied to get him out on bail and are awaiting the Supreme Court’s final decision, which is expected to take two to three…
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Rohingya refugees in Malaysia killed trying to cross highway
Cars hit and killed six Rohingya refugees on a Malaysian highway today. 582 Rohingya refugees had escaped a temporary immigration detention centre, when two men, two woman, and a boy and a girl were hit and killed trying to cross a highway in Kedah state. Before the escape, a riot had broken out in a detention centre in Penang state.…
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Daughter searches for her family after they went missing 10 days ago in central Thailand
A 19 year old daughter is searching for her missing family. Her parents and two siblings disappeared from their house in the central province of Sukhothai ten days ago, since April 10. Thai netizens and Facebook pages from various rescue teams are spreading the story of the 19 year old teenager around to try and re-unite her with her missing family.…
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10 more women accuse embattled politician Prinn of sexual abuse in Bangkok
Ten more women have come forth to accuse former Democrat Party deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi of sexual abuse, as the sex scandal involving a senior politician continues to grow. The latest accuser, who has been described as a “well-known” 30 year old woman, alleged that Prinn had sexually assaulted her 14 years ago, about four months after they first met.…
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Hua Hin Jazz Festival returns next month
Sunshine and the sound of saxophones is expected to draw tourists to Hua Hin next month for the return of the city’s annual jazz festival. The International Jazz & Blues Festival 2022 will take place on May 9 at the True Arena, a two to three hour drive south of Bangkok. The festival will feature a 90-minute performance from Jazz…
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Thai tourist praises Phuket’s taxi for offering perfect city tour at only 50 baht
A Thai tourist has praised a taxi driver in Phuket for the “perfect city tour at a reasonable price of only 50 baht for a round trip”. The glowing praise might confirm that Phuket still welcomes domestic tourists with affordable services. Or perhaps the tourist got lucky! At the beginning of this year, one Phuket taxi driver became an unwilling…
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Pattaya Christian organisation to give food, support to Russians and Ukrainians
As various sectors of Thai society step forward to help stranded Russians and Ukrainians, a Christian organisation in Pattaya plans to provide mink, instant noodles, 5 kilogram bags of rice. The organisation, Hand to Hand Foundation, invites Russians and Ukrainians to come to their centre in Banlamung district from 2pm – 4m on April 21, April 26 and April 28.…
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Sri Lanka’s police shoot and kill protestor
Sri Lankan police shot and killed a protestor yesterday in an incident that quickly spread across social media. Police had opened fire on a crowd in the central town of Rambukkana, and at least three others were injured. Police said the protestor killed, a man, had refused to move from a railway line and had parked a fuel truck across…
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Royal Thai Police issue their own report card – solving more than 600 cases this year
The Royal Thai Police have announced that they have successfully solved 631 crime cases and other ‘issues’ for residents this year. 147 more cases are still waiting to be solved or ‘fixed’. Some of the outstanding cases would be transferred to the relevant departments as they were beyond the police’s abilities and responsibilities. Yesterday, the Assistant Commission General, Prachuap Wongsook,…
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