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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The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Thais being trafficked to Myanmar rescued from house on “No Man’s Land”
Eleven Thais were reportedly lured into work for a call centre scam and were rescued by Thai authorities, with some of them being held at a home on a small, isolated island known as “No Man’s Land” near Myanmar. Two Chinese men were arrested for allegedly luring the Thais to work for illegal call centres in Myanmar. Four of the…
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2022 schedule for Thailand’s famous Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan
Koh Phangan’s renowned full moon parties are back in full swing after a long break due to the pandemic. The next beach party aligns with the Thai new year, or Songkran festival, so even more foreign revellers than usual are expected to attend. The rules on water splashing are a little murky this year… but we doubt the Full Moon…
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Friday Covid Update: 28,379 new cases; provincial totals
92 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,222 with 3,524 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 28,379 new Covid-19 cases and 23,843 recoveries. There are now 251,214 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Police in Thailand warn that some April Fool’s Day jokes break the law
It’s no joke. April Fools jokes could land you in Thai jail. The Royal Thai Police is warning the public to be careful with their pranks today, saying that any jokes that cause danger or widely spread fake news can lead to jail time. The Deputy Spokesperson of The Royal Thai Police, Suwat Deepor, warned residents about the jokes and…
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Thailand’s navy captures 3 Vietnamese fishing boats off Songkhla
Thailand’s navy captured three Vietnamese fishing boats off Songkhla this morning. A commander admiral from the navy said a total of 15 people were arrested and charged for illegally fishing in Thai territorial waters without fishing licenses, using unregistered boats, and being immigrants working in Thailand without a work permit. The boat skippers were charged with directing fishing without skippers’…
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Ukrainian coordinator calls on Thais to donate to Ukrainians
A Ukrainian coordinator in Bangkok requested yesterday that Thais help provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian victims of Russia’s invasion. At a Bangkok hotel, the coordinator said anyone interested can make a donation, and the Ukrainian embassy will give it to the location in need. On Sunday, 9,729 tourists said they wished to stay longer in Phuket, including 8,545 Russians and…
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Asia News Today | China under lockdown & South Korea upholds ban on tattooing
Tens of millions of people in China are under lockdown, including in the largest city Shanghai. Thailand’s infection numbers continue to creep up, already much higher than at their peak last year. Hong Kong morgues are overwhelmed and patients are being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea, health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world.…
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Thailand to host 2022 Global Summit of Women
30 March 2022: The Global Summit of Women 2022, the world’s major international business and economic forum for women leaders, is set to be held in Thailand in June, announced by the Summit President and the Thailand Host Committee in a press conference at ICONSIAM. Thailand is honoured to host the Summit in its 32nd year, which is an excellent opportunity…
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Tourist impaled in the neck by needlefish while swimming at Thailand beach
A needlefish impaled a tourist in the neck while he was swimming at a popular beach in Thailand on Thursday. Careful not to remove the needlefish from his neck, lifeguards gave the man first aid on Ao Tan Khu beach in the eastern province of Trat by Cambodia before taking him to a local hospital at around 1pm. Local officials…
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Angry protestors try to storm Sri Lanka president’s house following blackout
Following Sri Lanka’s longest power blackout ever recorded, enraged protestors tried to storm the president’s house in Colombo yesterday. Unidentified activists had called for a rally against the president and his family on social media. One resident who lives nearby told AFP he cannot return home because his area is barricaded. The resident said the protestors are “shouting for the…
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Expected computer shortage in Thailand, world
IT workers expect a shortage of computers for sale in Thailand to start between May and June due to Covid-19 impacting producers in China. The chief of sales and marketing at Advice, an IT distributor, told the Bangkok Post that if China’s lockdown continues, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war, computer prices will likely rise. The chief of Advice said…
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Thailand doctors question ATK test accuracy, after alarming spike in positive cases
If you’ve ever questioned the accuracy of an antigen testing kit, aka ATK test, then you’re in good company. Thailand’s Rural Doctor Society, or RDS, has pointed out an alarming spike in ATK-detected cases of Covid-19 collected by the CCSA for it’s daily Covid count, raising questions about how accurate the nifty testing kits really are. In a post on their…
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No pre-travel PCR test for travellers entering Thailand starting today
Starting today, travellers entering Thailand will no longer need to take a PCR Covid-19 test before their flight, but visitors will still need to take a PCR test once they land. All travellers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – no longer need to take the pre-departure test, but requirements after entry vary depending on the scheme. And there are still some…
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Police catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube
Police have caught the man who allegedly made nine bombs and left them strewn across a main road in Rayong on Tuesday night. One of the bombs exploded and eight were defused by Rayong police on Wednesday. The police used CCTV to figure out the criminal behind the operation, who said he used YouTube to learn how to make the…
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Candidates for Pattaya mayor draw election numbers
Candidates for Pattaya mayor drew their election numbers today. A candidate with We Love Pattaya group is number 1, an independent candidate is number 2, a Move Forward Party candidate is number 3, and a Pattaya Ruam Jai group candidate is number 4. The election is scheduled for May 22, as are elections in Bangkok. The candidates drew their numbers…
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Surgeons find gauze inside woman’s body from breast augmentation 10 years ago
A woman has been suffering from pain in her breast and found out gauze fabric had been left inside her body from a breast augmentation a decade ago. She sought help from a celebrity lawyer who is now calling for the beauty clinic to take responsibility. The lawyer, Sittha Beerbangkird, shared the case on his official Facebook page to warn…
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Phuket to become world class medical tourism hub by 2028
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to turn Phuket into a world-class hub of medical tourism by 2028, according to a spokesperson for the prime minister. An international medical and public health service centre called “Medical Plaza” is planned, complete with an international elderly care centre, a palliative care centre and a rehabilitation centre. Thailand’s medical and public health services have been…
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Dog owner winning first ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital in Thailand
The owner of a labrador named ‘Journey’ who died on the operating table filed Thailand’s first-ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital and is winning. Journey’s owner, who is claiming financial and emotional damages, has won the first of three court hearings. 11 year old Journey was suspected to have a tumour in her lung and walked into the operating room…
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Diesel no longer for sale across Sri Lanka, massive blackout
Diesel was unavailable for sale at stations across Sri Lanka today. Petrol is on sale but in short supply, forcing drivers to abandon their cars in long queues. Private business owners say they have already run out of fuel, and even skeleton services may not be possible after Friday. Now, the country is grappling with a 13-hour power blackout, its…
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Phuket Sandbox generates 50 billion baht revenue, PM Prayut happy with outcome
While some called it a failure, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is pleased with the outcome of the Phuket Sandbox programme, which generated 50 billion baht in tourism revenue for the local economy, according to a spokesperson for the prime minister. In light of the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic presented to the Thai tourism industry, the spokesperson says Prayut has emphasised that…
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Southern Thailand officials allocate 252 baht for Sadao connection with Malaysia
Now that Thailand’s Sadao border with Malaysia will finally reopen tomorrow, officials in southern Thailand have approved nearly 252 million baht to connect the two countries there. Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Interior announced today that the development committee of the southern border provinces approved construction of the road to connect the new Sadao Customs House and Bukit Kayu Hitam border…
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Police seize nearly 1.4 billion baht assets from alleged drug network in Chiang Rai
The Department of Special Investigations seized nearly 1.4 billion baht in assets after searching three houses in Chiang Rai province yesterday. The houses belong to suspected members of a drug network. The assets included 246 bank accounts, 155 cars and motorcycles worth about 130 million baht, and land title deeds for 232 blocks of land worth about 1.3 billion baht.…
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Thai-Malaysian border checkpoint reopens tomorrow, Test & Go travellers welcome
After being closed for around two years due to the pandemic, the major checkpoint along the Thai-Malaysian border will reopen tomorrow. Those travelling from Malaysia will be able to enter Thailand’s Songkhla province through the Sadao Border Checkpoint. Reports say the residents and businesses in the region hope reopening the border will benefit the local economy. Vaccinated travellers entering Thailand…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Putin ‘misled’; Russia ‘misjudged’ war, Zelensky warns of Donbass regrouping
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues into a second month, here’s the latest headlines… • Russia has “massively misjudged the situation” in Ukraine and the truth of the situation is being kept from President Vladimir Putin, as generals have been reluctant to tell the full extent of Russia’s failures in Ukraine. That’s according to Jeremy Fleming, the head of…
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Candidates for governor register in Bangkok
Candidates for Bangkok started registering at City Hall 2 yesterday. Registration will last until April 4, and polling will be on May 22. The candidate to arrive earliest was an independent candidate who showed up at City Hall at 6am. Other candidates represented several different parties including Thai Sang Thai, the Democrat Party, and Move Forward Party. The independent candidate…
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Isaan province Surin steps back plans to declare Covid-19 an endemic
The Isaan province of Surin is stepping back on plans to be the first area in Thailand to declare Covid-19 as an endemic. The provincial government planned to announce Covid-19 as an endemic on April 1, but pushed back the plans with concerns that the infection rate could spike after Songkran, the Thai New Year. Yesterday, Surin’s official public relations…
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Surin authorities on alert for fake ‘Cambodian princess’
Border guards in the eastern province of Surin are on the lookout for a “Cambodian princess” imposter, after catching wind that she plans to travel to Bangkok to attend private parties with police. Well, sort of… Surin Provincial Governor Suwapong Kittiphatpibul issued an alert on Tuesday about the princess’s doppelgänger, requesting local authorities to enforce the rules if she attends…
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Phuket officer allegedly threatens woman with prostitution charges for money
A woman in Phuket told the press yesterday that a police officer at Thalang Police Station threatened to charge her with prostitution if she didn’t pay 50,000 baht in monthly payments of 5,000 baht. The payment is allegedly for her car, which police threatened to seize as evidence of her committing prostitution. The woman claims the officer first contacted her…
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Foreign man’s gold necklace stolen while filming video in Bangkok’s Asoke
A western man’s gold necklace was stolen as he was taking a video of himself walking in Bangkok’s Asoke area off Sukhumvit Road. As he was walking by the BTS station at night, a person who appeared to be a transgender woman approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug and unclasping the necklace. The foreigner didn’t…
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Phuket police raid Blue Dragon Lottery scammers, as nationwide crackdown continues
Police raided the operations of lottery ticket scammers in Phuket on Wednesday, as the government continues its nationwide crackdown on overpriced lottery tickets sold on the country’s popular Blue Dragon Lottery website. Three homes on the island were raided for selling overpriced lottery tickets. Armed with search warrants, police raided three homes on the island and arrested people who were…
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