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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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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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Decriminalisation of cannabis in Thailand: Can I get high or not?
As “Ganja Day” approaches on June 9, Thailand’s Ministry of Health wants to be clear about one thing: Smoking cannabis recreationally in public is a criminal offence punishable by three months imprisonment and a fine of up to 25,000 baht. However, smoking cannabis in private is a different story. Cannabis smoke has been written into new legislation as a “public…
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Government official expects Thailand’s first monkeypox case to happen at Pride Parade
A government official expects Thailand to record its first monkeypox case on Sunday at the nation’s first official Pride Parade in Bangkok. The Bangkok Naruemit Pride Parade, which will traverse the length of Silom Road, starts at Maha Uma Devi Temple on Pan Road, at 4pm. The parade plans to bring together the LGBTQ community, activists and allies, and help further…
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Thai authorities say 12 people who were in contact with monkeypox are low-risk
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control says 12 people who came into contact with a confirmed monkeypox patient earlier this week are low-risk, since they don’t have symptoms. A passenger with monkeypox was in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for 2 hours before he caught a flight to Australia, where he was confirmed to have the virus. The DDC said today that there…
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Energy crisis will continue for 2 years says Bangkok Bank VP
The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to be a political football as energy prices rise throughout the world. Russia is the world’s second highest exporter of crude oil after Saudi Arabia and accounts for around 10% of global petroleum production. International Energy Agency figures for December 2021 reveal the former Soviet state’s oil exports were 7.8 million barrels a day. But since…
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Thai police and organisations award people money for videos of traffic violators
As part of a road safety campaign, Royal Thai Police collaborated with several organisations and companies to award people with cash for video clips of traffic violations. During the “7 Dangerous Days” of Thailand’s Songkran holiday, when the number of road deaths usually spikes, drivers took dashboard videos of other drivers violating traffic laws. The winners earned prize money from…
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Woman feared prison if she took photos of burglary due to new PDPA law
A Thai woman witnessed thieves break into a neighbour’s house but didn’t take any pictures of the burglars for fear of going to prison under the new Personal Data Protection Act. The 23 year old admitted she was too scared to take photos of the criminals’ faces because she was afraid of being sued under the new PDPA law which…
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Foreign tourist breaks into bank, goes on rampage in northern Thailand
A foreign tourist broke into a Bangkok Bank branch in Pai in the northern province of Mae Hong Son yesterday evening. He smashed his way through several glass doors with rocks and proceeded to cause significant damage to the bank’s property. Police detained him and discovered he was illegally residing in the kingdom. A foreigner named Kent Douglas Meades –…
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Shooting in Oklahoma kills 4
After a school shooting in Texas rocked global headlines last week and destroyed the lives of the victim’s families in Uvalde, Texas, there’s been another shooting in the neighbouring state of Oklahoma in the US. The shooter shot and killed 4 people in a medical building on a hospital campus in Tulsa yesterday before shooting himself dead. Tulsa Police Department…
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MP calls House sub-committees ‘dens of money extortion’
A Democrat MP yesterday pointed the finger at closed-door meetings of House sub-committees and called them “dens of money extortion.” Rangsima Rodrasamee, Democrat MP for Samut Songkhram, insists all meetings of sub-committees vetting the 2023 budget bill, after it passes its first reading, should be televised live. The Democrat MP says broadcasting the meetings live would scrutinise how the bill…
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After Middle East, Thailand’s TAT brings tourism road show to Europe
After the Tourism Authority of Thailand travelled to Saudi Arabia in a roadshow last month, the TAT has now brought its tourism campaign to Europe. From May 23-25, the TAT travelled to 3 European countries to promote its campaign “Visit Thailand Year 2022: Amazing New Chapters”. The campaign promotes medical tourism, beaches, and shopping in Thailand. In the European roadshow,…
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5-year action plan signed by Thailand and Laos
A 5 year action plan was signed yesterday between Thailand and Laos to enhance bilateral ties between the two nations . Both governments signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to work together on a wide range of issues including economic development, the prevention of drug trafficking, and boosting tourism in the regions. The MoU signing was announced at a joint…
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Government asked to postpone PDPA law
The government has been asked to postpone the Personal Data Protection Act because some of the laws remain unclear. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking yesterday asked the government to delay the bill as some of the PDPA laws remain vague and need to be clarified. They also insist clear directions must be issued and 20 organic…
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Police investigate whether killing in South Thailand was insurgency related
Police in southern Thailand are investigating whether a recent killing was related to a personal conflict, or the ongoing ‘South Thailand Insurgency’. Officers in Bannang Sata district Yala province found a man’s body in a fruit orchard yesterday. The body, identified as 43 year old Buraheng Roya, was lying near a motorcycle among the fruit trees. The police said Buraheng…
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Popular tourist island off Pattaya adds hundreds of security cameras
Officials on Koh Larn, a popular tourist island off Pattaya, are stepping up security measures. The municipality has installed 200 CCTV security cameras at 7 beaches around the island. Meanwhile, authorities are working on renovating a pier on Koh Larn. Pattaya Deputy Manager Kiattisak Sriwongchai said the installation is almost finished, and the cameras will be fully working early this…
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US sends advanced weapons to Ukraine, as Kyiv promises not to target inside Russia
The US Secretary of State says Ukraine has given an undertaking not to use long-range rocket systems to target inside Russia. Antony Blinken was addressing a news conference with NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg, after the US agreed to supply Ukraine with the weapons. “The Ukrainians have given us assurances that they will not use these systems against targets on Russian…
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Thai government shuts down Mor Chana contact-tracing app
The Mor Chana contact-tracing app is no more, with the Public Health Ministry confirming it has been shut down. Officials say the app is no longer required and therefore was closed yesterday, in light of Thailand’s improving Covid-19 situation. Unlike the Mor Prom app, which was created to record an individual’s vaccination status, track vaccine side-effects, and provide data on…
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More Laotians travelling to Thailand for business, travel, and fuel?
More Laotians have been travelling to Thailand ever since the Nong Khai border checkpoint reopened. Before travel restrictions lifted, there were about 300 Laotians visiting Thailand per day. Now, that number has soared to about 2,000 Laotians per day, according the the head of customs control at Nong Khai Customs House, Pakin Tiabkam. Pakin said 30,000 foreigners crossed the Nong…
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Phuket drops outdoor face mask requirement
Wearing a mask in outdoor public spaces will no longer be a requirement in Phuket province, effective from yesterday, June 1. Medical or cloth face masks will still be required to be worn indoors, in crowded spaces and in badly ventilated spaces. The mask requirement – indoors and outdoors – is still in effect in all other provinces around the…
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Johnny Depp awarded over US$10 million in defamation case victory against ex-wife
Hollywood actor Johnny Depp has won a near-total victory in a defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard. After a trial that lasted 6 weeks, with detailed testimony of the toxic nature of the marriage, the 7-person jury ruled in Depp’s favour for the most part, although it ruled in Heard’s favour on one counter-claim. According to a Reuters report, Depp…
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Thai health ministry says downgrading Covid-19 will take some time
Thailand’s health ministry says the government needs more time before downgrading Covid-19 to a communicable disease requiring close surveillance. In February 2020, the virus was classified as a dangerous communicable disease, in order to enable the Thai authorities to react swiftly to contain the spread. Now, with the situation beginning to ease nationally and globally, officials are working towards downgrading…
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Woman accuses Thai politician of sending her unsolicited pictures of his genitals
A Thai woman accuses a famous political party spokesperson of sending her unsolicited photos of his genitals and threats via Facebook. The woman filed a police complaint, with evidence, at Sutthisan Police Station in Bangkok today. She accused the spokesperson of violating the Computer Crimes Act by disseminating obscene material online. The 40 year old victim said the man sent…
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Car shot by unidentified gunman on road near MBK in Bangkok
A motorist is in shock today after an unidentified teenage gunman shot at him while he was driving near MBK shopping mall in Bangkok. Chawinroj Ritmangkornsook travelled from Samyan, down Phaya Thai Road, and stopped to park his white Toyota Yaris at the Rajamangala Institute of Technology Uthentawai Campus, when he witnessed the teenager walking close to the institute’s fence…
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5 million baht fine and 1 year jail sentence for those breaking new data laws
People who break the new data laws face a fine of up to 5 million baht and a 1 year jail sentence. The Royal Thai Police issued this warning ahead of the new Personal Data Protection Act which came into effect today. Under the new law, people can post pictures and video clips of themselves with others for personal purposes…
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As Thailand opens more, police prepare for more international crime
A senior Thai police inspector told Thai media that Royal Thai Police plans to redouble its efforts to fight international crime as the country opens up more and more with the ease in Covid-19 restrictions. The inspector, General Wisanu Prasatthongosot, told Daily News that Thailand is located at a crossroads in the region that makes it an ideal spot for international crimes…
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Thai industry gets high on government’s green hemp policy
The controversial plan to use hemp in the Thai textile industry is part of the government’s green policy. Business plans are already underway by the Commerce Ministry to promote hemp fibre in the Thai textile arena as it offers high potential in the global market. Hemp and cannabis were classified as drugs under Category 5 the Narcotics Act of Thailand,…
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Phuket authorities close Covid-19 field hospital
In a grand ceremony yesterday, Phuket authorities closed up a field hospital set up for people who tested positive for Covid-19. The field hospital was at Phuket Rajabhat University in the island province’s main city district. The deputy director of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, Padungkiat Utokasenee, led the closing ceremony. Between August 2021 and March 2022, the field…
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Former Deputy Bangkok Governor says the city has already spent most of the 2022 budget
The Deputy Leader of the Democrat Party and former deputy Bangkok governor, Samart Ratchapolsitte (2004 – 2006), said Bangkok has only of 94 million baht left in its budget, and it might be insufficient for the new Bangkok governor Chandchart Sittiphun to achieve his announced policies. According to the media, Bangkok receives a budget of around 80 billion baht per…
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Pattaya, the land of sex, drugs, and film production?
Pattaya is known for a lot of things- drug busts, violent fights, and other various scandals. But one Thai government agency is hoping to make Pattaya a “City of Film” in the next 5 years, between 2022 and 2027. Can Thailand’s Sin City become a movie-making destination? Thailand’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration is promoting the tourist hotspot as…
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Bangkok named one of the world’s worst cities for work-life balance
Bangkok is just barely above the bottom of a list of 100 cities across the globe ranked for their work-life balance. Thailand’s capital came in at 96th place on the list. The 4 cities in the world with a worse work-life balance than Bangkok are Sao Paolo, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, and Cape Town. On the flipside, the cities with the…
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4 Thai Police under investigation after sending woman to jail for growing 1 cannabis plant
Four Thai police officers from Sri Racha Police Station in Chon Buri have been sidelined from their present positions as senior police conduct an investigation. The 4 police arrested a woman who grew one cannabis plant at home and sent her to jail for a night. 56 year old Pornpimon Prakobpon was arrested at a rented house in the Sri…
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