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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.

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    9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand

    Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...

  • Christian Atsu’s body returns home to Ghana | Thaiger

    Christian Atsu’s body returns home to Ghana

    The body of former Newcastle United footballer Christian Atsu has been returned to his native Ghana. He died in the earthquake that hit Turkey two weeks ago, The transportation of the 31 year old’s coffin was carried out by members of Ghana’s armed forces after the flight arrived in Accra last night. Atsu was discovered dead beneath his residence in…

  • Thai cop resigns citing ‘protection of the guilty’ | Thaiger

    Thai cop resigns citing ‘protection of the guilty’

    A Thai cop who said he was a sergeant in the central Suphan Buri province resigned from his job. His resignation letter is making waves on social media. In the letter, which a fellow police officer posted on Facebook on Saturday, the officer cites “protection of the guilty” as one of the reasons for the loss of morale among police.…

  • Thai Airways cabin crew forgets to collect meal trays before landing on Singapore-Bangkok flight | Thaiger

    Thai Airways cabin crew forgets to collect meal trays before landing on Singapore-Bangkok flight

    Thai Airways is ‘”urgently investigating” why cabin crew failed to collect meal trays on a Singapore – Bangkok flight before landing on the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport after an irked passenger recorded the incident on TikTok. TikTok user Praewa Nang Mana (@Praewa_panicha) posted a clip of food trays sitting on the foldable tables of three seats. As the plane lands,…

  • Young Polish woman claims to be Madeleine McCann, citing rare eye defect (video) | Thaiger

    Young Polish woman claims to be Madeleine McCann, citing rare eye defect (video)

    A 21 year old Polish woman has made an extraordinary claim that she may be Madeleine McCann, the four year old British girl who went missing while on holiday with her parents in Portugal in 2007. The woman posted a six-minute video on the Instagram account @iammadeleinemcann, stating that she has the same rare eye defect as Madeleine and wants…

  • Thai cops bust Chinese man over counterfeit electronics worth 20 million baht | Thaiger

    Thai cops bust Chinese man over counterfeit electronics worth 20 million baht

    Thai cops busted a Chinese man in Bangkok over counterfeit electronics that cost over 20 million baht. Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) found fake phones and electronic devices in a raid at a warehouse in the Don Mueang district on Friday. The team searched three buildings and found Huang Yiqun, a 56 year old Chinese national, working…

  • Chiang Mai mother pays 400 baht (plus extras) for husband’s murder | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai mother pays 400 baht (plus extras) for husband’s murder

    A Chiang Mai mother trapped in a loveless marriage of more than 20 years, last week decided that she had taken enough beatings and abuse. Living in the village of Khun Yuam, Kanda Cheewasawat was exhausted by the brutality of her vicious, drunken husband Phetchaburapa Meesri many years before. She had often tried to leave, but he wouldn’t let her.…

  • ASEAN to rescue trafficking victims from Chinese gangs | Thaiger

    ASEAN to rescue trafficking victims from Chinese gangs

    Thailand is a key destination country for migrant workers, human trafficking, and forced labour. Many IT jobseekers who end up in Thailand look to ASEAN to rescue trafficking victims recruited by Chinese gangs as slaves in cybercrime factories. ASEAN is now to help rescue these trafficking victims reeled in with promises of high-paying jobs overseas which turn out to be…

  • Thailand’s Q4 economy slows as exports decline | Thaiger

    Thailand’s Q4 economy slows as exports decline

    Thailand’s Q4 economy grew by 1.4% in the final quarter of 2022 with hopes high for a tourism-led recovery. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy grew slower than expected in the fourth quarter of 2022 as exports and manufacturing declined. The much-anticipated rebound in tourism will continue to boost the recovery this year as global demand for manufactured goods declines. On a…

  • 2 monkeys dead as police catch smugglers red-handed | Thaiger

    2 monkeys dead as police catch smugglers red-handed

    We’re not going to make a “monkey business” pun, but there’s big business in smuggling monkeys. Two men were apprehended attempting to catch long-tailed macaques and were expecting to receive up to 100,000 baht per monkey. Police arrested the two men at the Wat Khao No tourist attraction in Nakhon Sawan. A 23 year old man and a 37 year…

  • Meatball factory shut down for illegal meat production | Thaiger

    Meatball factory shut down for illegal meat production

    Do you really know if the meatball you are eating is legit? An unregistered meatball factory in the Khlong Luang district of Pathum Thani Province was raided by officials from the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Central Investigation Bureau, due to alleged violations of food safety regulations. The factory had been producing low-quality meatballs without the necessary…

  • AoT increasing airport services to meet tourist demand | Thaiger

    AoT increasing airport services to meet tourist demand

    Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok’s global gateway, plans to increase services to deal with the influx of arriving passengers. Thailand saw a swift surge in travellers after China’s recent decision to reopen its borders. The Airports of Thailand (AoT) announced Friday that the measures will help tackle delays in passenger servicing time, particularly during peak hours. They say they have already…

  • Russian brotherhood stealing Phuket jobs | Thaiger

    Russian brotherhood stealing Phuket jobs

    Hotels are unwelcoming. In the massage parlours, everyone is tense. Down Walking Street, in the girly bars, excitement is high and the air is filled with fearful chatter. The girls are aquiver in anticipation. The Russian ‘brotherhood’ (bratva) stealing Phuket jobs is bringing a whole new style of beatings and rapes to Thailand’s peaceful brothels. How will the new regime…

  • Chinese billionaire tech banker Bao Fan is missing | Thaiger

    Chinese billionaire tech banker Bao Fan is missing

    Chinese billionaire tech banker Bao Fan is missing. The disappearance of the China Renaissance renegade chair is not a huge surprise but raises fears of a fresh crackdown on China’s finance industry With billionaire boss either banged up or on the lam, Renaissance, one of the country’s top investment banks has plunged into turmoil. ‘Do not believe the rumours’ Bao…

  • Tear gas used again in Indonesian football stadium | Thaiger

    Tear gas used again in Indonesian football stadium

    Indonesian police apparently have not learned their lesson about the use of tear gas in football stadium crowds. Yesterday they used a water cannon and tear gas to disperse a large crowd of football fans trying to get into a sold-out match. Officials decided to bar spectators after security concerns. The game was between PSIS Semarang and Persis Solo. Fans…

  • Thailand’s new lotteries sold via Pao Tang app | Thaiger

    Thailand’s new lotteries sold via Pao Tang app

    The Government Lottery Office approved a plan for Thailand’s new lotteries – the six-digit (L6) and three-digit (N3) lotteries. The move was proposed by the Finance Ministry. Entry into the L6 lottery will be 80 baht (US$2.30), the same as lotteries currently available. The L6 lottery will only be available in digital format. Tickets will be sold via the Pao…

  • Singapore sees first Covid vaccine death | Thaiger

    Singapore sees first Covid vaccine death

    The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore announced the death of a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man, likely related to a Covid-19 vaccine. He died away 21 days after receiving the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine. The State Coroner has confirmed that the cause of death was myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. The MOH has also stated that the man’s death was a “medical…

  • Independent Chinese travellers demand freedom | Thaiger

    Independent Chinese travellers demand freedom

    Independent Chinese travellers are set to shake up expectations in Thailand and across all of Southeast Asia. More than 10 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand in 2019. Almost all of them were on a strict schedule overseen by a terrifying tour guide. Almost all spent most of their money on Chinese-owned operations. Many were riding around in buses provided by…

  • Minister Pipat gets earful about Phuket tourism issues | Thaiger

    Minister Pipat gets earful about Phuket tourism issues

    Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakarn visited Phuket yesterday to listen to the range of critical infrastructure issues harming the local tourism industry. These issues include mafia-run hotels, problematic taxi drivers, heavy traffic, and a shortage of tap water. The meeting was held at the Andaman Health Promotion Coordination Center Conference Room at the Prince of Songkhla University Phuket…

  • Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research | Thaiger

    Thailand’s cheating lecturers – the lazy academics faking their research

    Thailand’s cheating lecturers are under investigation as eight of the kingdom’s universities claim that a third of lecturers have submitted research papers that they bought on the Internet and claimed as their work. Sirirurg Songsivilai, permanent secretary of the department of higher education, told the media that… “Thirty-four universities have conducted separate investigations into research papers submitted by more than…

  • The Importance of Wellness ft. Niels Steeman | Thaiger Podcast Ep.24 | Thaiger

    The Importance of Wellness ft. Niels Steeman | Thaiger Podcast Ep.24

    Click the link to watch the video: https://youtu.be/WaQ-gHWE1NA Niels Steeman. Health, Fitness & Life Coach. A former senior executive in the travel and tourist industry turned health and wellness expert.  Throughout his transformative journey he has gained an extensive amount of knowledge that has led into providing sustainable success stories for many of his clients using The Thrive Approach. A…

  • All the single ladies… Unmarried Thai women sick of being bad-mouthed | Thaiger

    All the single ladies… Unmarried Thai women sick of being bad-mouthed

    As a foreigner who is not married and has no intention of ever marrying, unmarried Thai women are not happy with me, and neither is anyone else. It seems to me that Thai society is composed of everyone knowing their own place and knowing everyone else’s place too. There actually is a place for a “man like me” – it’s…

  • Cloud Nine Celebrates their “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening Wednesday March 1st, 2023 | Thaiger

    Cloud Nine Celebrates their “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening Wednesday March 1st, 2023

    Press Release  Cloud Nine has officially opened its doors, offering a fun and immersive space where guests can find a highly curated selection of the finest cannabis and head shop accessories throughout Thailand. On March 1st, Cloud Nine will celebrate by hosting a “GET LIFTED” Grand Opening extravaganza. The exciting atmosphere of Cloud Nine lures guests in by offering comfortable…

  • Chuwit stirs up nest of triad rats | Thaiger

    Chuwit stirs up nest of triad rats

    The pied piper of Bangkok, Chuwit Kamolvisit, is whistling out another nest of triad rats. King Rat, toots Chuwit, is none other than a certain Chinese national known as Yu Xinqi. Triads show up in Thailand under the protection of Yu’s “Shaanxi Association of Thailand,” nothing more than a trafficking ring that allows the wrong sort of Chinese people to…

  • Russian man rushed to hospital after being found in stolen pickup truck in Phuket | Thaiger

    Russian man rushed to hospital after being found in stolen pickup truck in Phuket

    A Russian man was rushed to a hospital after police found him in a stolen pickup truck parked at a Phuket beach. Sakhu police found the man, 27 year old Egor Andriesh, in the truck parked on Nai Thon Beach, The Phuket News reported.  The doors of the pickup were locked, and officers had to call a locksmith to open…

  • Thai monk starring in sex clip claims he was drugged by German man | Thaiger

    Thai monk starring in sex clip claims he was drugged by German man

    A Thai monk is in the spotlight after a video of him performing oral sex on a German man circulated on the Internet. The Buddhist monk admitted it was him in the clip but claims it was filmed two years ago when he temporarily left the monkhood. Not only that, he claims that the German man drugged him with a…

  • Patong Police arrest 5 over fight involving foreign motorbike racers | Thaiger

    Patong Police arrest 5 over fight involving foreign motorbike racers

    UPDATE Patong Police have arrested five people in connection with the recent fight involving foreign motorbike racers on Bangla Road earlier this week. Police said they used CCTV footage to hunt down two Swedish nationals and three Thais. One of the men arrested admitted that he got involved in the fight after he warned a group of foreign motorbike racers…

  • Phuket beaches issue jellyfish warning after increase in stings | Thaiger

    Phuket beaches issue jellyfish warning after increase in stings

    Phuket beaches now have signs warning swimmers of jellyfish after an increase in the number of beachgoers being stung by the marine creatures. According to the Phuket News, officers from the Phuket Marine Resources Conservation Centre and local administrative organisations have been stocking lifeguard stations with extra bottles of vinegar and other medical supplies to help treat stings. The west…

  • Thai Airways cancels flights to Germany due to strikes | Thaiger

    Thai Airways cancels flights to Germany due to strikes

    Thai Airways announced the cancellation of all flights from Bangkok to Frankfurt and Munich and vice versa today – February 17 – due to labour strikes at airports all over Germany. Airport workers at major hubs in Germany are taking part in a day-long strike today over pay disrupting airline operations. Public sector workers and ground handlers are striking at…

  • Researchers launch first cultural map of Thailand | Thaiger

    Researchers launch first cultural map of Thailand

    Culture enthusiasts will be excited to learn that researchers launched the first cultural map of Thailand, featuring more than 2,000 cultural sites from across the country. The map provides cultural details that are categorized into 11 archetypes, which are: artefacts, architecture, historical sites, cultural spaces, languages, folk literature, knowledge and practices concerning nature and cosmology, performance arts, folk sports games…

  • Chiang Mai school director shocked by former student and Wild Boar football captain’s sudden death | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai school director shocked by former student and Wild Boar football captain’s sudden death

    The director of a school in Chiang Mai says he is shocked by his former student and Wild Boar football team captain’s sudden death.  Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep was a Mathayom Suksa 5 (Grade 11) student at Vachiralai School in Chiang Mai’s Saraphi district before he received a scholarship from the Zico Foundation to play football at an academy in England.…