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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Health officials call for more elderly Thais to get their Covid-19 boosters
According to the Department of Disease Control, around 6 million elderly Thais have yet to receive a booster dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Dr. Taweesap Siraprapasiri says the reason for this is that people are either worried about potential side-effects or they feel they don’t need a booster. However, he adds that 43% of elderly people have received 3 doses,…
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Thais in Japan protest in front of PM Prayut’s hotel
Thais from a group named UDD Japan gathered in front of a hotel where Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was staying to protest. The group demanded that the PM resign and release the young political activists out of jail. PM Prayut is in Japan to join the 27th International Conference on the Future of Asia or Nikkei Forum, held until the…
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Driver cheats death after flying object smashes through windscreen
A 43 year old man driving in Chon Buri has escaped with his life after a steel bar crashed through his car windscreen. Motorist Tatsana Panon was knocked out unconscious after being struck in the head by a flying piece of steel approximately 50 centimetres before crashing his Nissan Navara on the Chon Buri bypass in Nong Maidang subdistrict of…
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Thailand’s authorities launch donation campaign to feed rescued animals
Thailand’s wildlife department has launched a campaign called “Foster Parents” for people to donate money to feed rescued wild animals. This news comes as the department is having a tough time feeding thousands of wild animals on a tight budget. While the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation used to receive 80 million baht each year to care…
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Government urges bars, nightlife venues to remain safe on re-opening
The Thai government is warning nightlife operators to remain safe and to continue to adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures once they re-open next month. The warning comes following a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration last Friday, when it was agreed that nightlife in designated parts of the country could re-open. The businesses in question include bars, nightclubs,…
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Tourism officials ramp up marketing campaigns to target short-haul markets
Tourism officials are looking to short-haul markets to attract holidaymakers during the off-peak season, with a number of marketing events planned. Thanet Phetsuwan from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says places like India, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia are the target markets. “This strategic push for short-haul markets aims to create a quick win, attracting both repeat and first-time visitors all…
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Thailand’s monkeys are starving due to fear of monkeypox
Monkeys in Lopburi, central Thailand, are starving because tourists have stopped feeding them in fear of the “monkeypox epidemic,” despite no cases being recorded so far in the kingdom. The atmosphere of Lopburi city, famous for its monkey population, has been significantly disrupted since the monkeypox epidemic began, despite the epidemic being centred in Europe, the USA and Australia. Usually,…
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Deep Week in Phuket – The world’s largest open freediving festival
Phuket recently hosted ‘Deep Week’, a huge freedive training event, which sold out in just 5 days. This was certainly Asia’s, and probably the world’s, biggest ever participation of freediving held in open water. The recent reopening of Thailand certainly enabled this first-of-a-kind freediving event to take place from May 14 – 21. Freediving, free-diving, free diving, breath-hold diving, or…
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Phuket looks for new groundwater sources to cope with acute water shortages
The Department of Groundwater Resources started a project to explore new groundwater sources in Phuket to cope with the ongoing water scarcity problem in the province. The project is also expected to be a model for other Thai islands to study groundwater resources and water management. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Varawut Silpa-Archa, assigned the Groundwater Resources Department…
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Chon Buri garage owner found dead after alleged misunderstanding over bike
The owner of a motorbike garage in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri has been found dead at his home yesterday. The man’s brother says the garage owner, 49 year old Duen Chukampang, had a spat with an excavator driver about a bike the day before he was found dead. Duen’s brother, 65 year old Chaichong Chukampanga, says Duen moved…
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Taxi’s brakes fail causing 10 vehicle accident in Bangkok
A taxi driver’s brakes failed as he pulled up to a queue of traffic at a red light in Bangkok earlier today, causing a crash involving 10 vehicles. Four people are injured including a motorbike driver who is in a critical condition. Today, May 26, Pol. Col. Jeerasak Boonyuennan from Phaya Thai Police Station received a report of an accident…
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Leicester City travel to Thailand for post-season holiday
The Leicester City squad are currently in Bangkok celebrating the conclusion of the English Premier League on Sunday. Chairman of the club Aiyawatt ‘Top’ Srivaddhanaprabha is taking the City squad on a tour of his homeland, who were pictured at Bangkok’s Temple of the Golden Buddha on Tuesday. The temple’s abbot Chao Khun Thongchai warmly welcomed the team by presenting…
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Road rage incident leaves truck driver traumatised
A male truck driver has been left traumatised after a road rage incident. Chan Duangkratok says he suffers from sleepless nights since he was attacked by 10 men in the Nong Hong sub-district, Phan Thong district in Chon Buri, last weekend. A construction materials store security camera captured footage of the young men physically attack the truck driver with what…
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Mayor says more changes to come at Pattaya’s Jomtien beach
The Na Jomtien municipality mayor says authorities are planning several more fixes to Jomtien Beach in the south of Pattaya. The mayor, Rapeepan Rattanakluang, inspected a footpath at the beach following a request by tourists and locals. Rapeepan said authorities plan to revamp the deteriorated footpath, as well as the road surfacing. She added that there are spots where street…
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UPDATE: French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand
UPDATE: The Toyota sedan’s dashcam footage confirmed that the traffic lights were on green when the driver struck and killed 26 year old Camille, who was riding a bicycle across a zebra crossing in Ayutthaya in central Thailand yesterday evening. The driver tried to break and swerve out of the way but couldn’t stop in time. Police arrested the driver…
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Man arrested for smuggling durian trees valued at 1 million baht to Laos
A Thai man has been arrested at the Customs Department’s border checkpoint in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani. He was caught trying to deliver durian trees, valued at around one million baht, to a customer in Laos. The Head of Chongmek Customs House at the border of Thailand and Laos, Wanlop Suiraksa, told Thai media that they received leaked…
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Deadly Afghanistan blasts target mosque and car
A series of blasts in Afghanistan yesterday targeted a minivan, and a mosque. An explosion targeting the minivan happened in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province. The blast killed at least 4 people and wounded over 10, according to the province’s spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri. Another explosion happened a short time later in the same area. Another blast happened at a mosque…
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Bomb blasts in southern Thailand heard from Malaysia
A series of bomb blasts and gunshots occurred in the border town of Tak Bai in Narathiwat on Thailand’s southern border last night. Assailants launched a series of attacks at 2 police stations, a military unit and a market, injuring three police officers. The bombs could be heard in Pengkalan Kubor in Kelantan on the Malaysian side of the border.…
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Prayut says government wants to cut Thailand’s road deaths by 2 thirds
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday announced another major goal in reducing Thailand’s infamous problem with road deaths. At a Bangkok forum titled “New Decade, New Normal, Safe Driving Is Priority”, Prayut said the government aims to cut the number of road deaths by almost 2 thirds by 2027. Thailand has the ninth highest road death rate in the world, with…
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Thailand will not starve, says Commerce Minister
Deputy PM, and Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit, yesterday moved to ease fears of food shortages in Thailand on the back of recent protectionism measures introduced by neighbouring countries, export bans, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict threatening to worsen world food supplies. Jurin declared Thailand has an “abundance of food” produce and there will be no shortages despite the recent embargos.…
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UPDATE: Cafe serves drinks in “penis” bags in southern Thailand
UPDATE: After the eye-catching penis-tea-bag went viral on social media, Chadeen cafe in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, have announced that they are discontinuing the bag moving forward… “We have to apologise to all customers. We will not sell the [penis] bag anymore. It involves many sensitive issues. Thank you everyone for all your interest and support.” Chadeen might not be…
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Thailand gives Malaysians one month to collect stranded vehicles free of charge
Thailand is giving Malaysians one month to collect their stranded vehicles free of charge from June 1 – June 30. Hundreds of cars with Malaysian number plates got stranded in Thailand when the border closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, over two years ago. After June 30, Thailand will impose a fee to collect stranded vehicles. Vehicles can be brought…
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Prepare for rain and floods in Thailand (again)
Thailand’s wet season is still alive and well. From tomorrow, May 27, until May 31 (Tuesday), expect heavy to very heavy rains in the country’s northeast, central, east, and southern regions. The current Monsoon in Thailand’s southwest is expected to get stronger. As has been the case in Thailand for the past month, expect strong winds and high waves in…
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French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand
A young French woman was killed in a road accident in Ayutthaya province in central Thailand yesterday evening. The 26 year old tourist got confused at an intersection when a green and red light shone at the same time, leading her to drive into oncoming traffic. A man driving a sedan through the green light couldn’t break in time, striking…
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Teenage girl, ‘client’ arrested as Police rescue 2 minors in sex trafficking swoop
Undercover police yesterday swooped to arrest a teenage girl and her customer for procurement and engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor at a short-time hotel, in Muang district of Kanchanaburi, western Thailand. Police also rescued a teenage old girl held against her will as part of the investigation, who was allegedly forced to take illicit drugs and engage in…
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Things looking up in Phuket following return of international tourism
Provincial officials on the southern island of Phuket say the return of tourists has raised income levels and created more jobs. According to a Bangkok Post report, the return of international tourists has started to revive the island’s economy and reduced unemployment across Phuket. Data shared by Phuket governor, Narong Wunciew, reveals that since the launch of the Phuket sandbox…
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UPDATE: German tourist who went missing in Phuket is headed home
THE LATEST Barbara Lange, the 76 year old woman who went missing from her Phuket hotel earlier this month, is now headed back home to Germany. Yesterday, a team from the Phuket Tourist Assistance Center helped Barbara and her family at the Phuket International Airport. This news comes after Barbara was released from the hospital earlier this week. Barbara and…
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Government says the WHO will use Thailand as a role model for Covid-19 management
The Thai government is patting itself on the back again, with a spokesperson saying officials have been praised by the World Health Organisation. Traisuree Taisaranakul says the administration has been cited as a “role model” for its management of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was speaking after a meeting between the health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus, and…
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Pattaya officials say Walking Street should be repaired by August
After Pattaya’s famous Walking Street welcomed back visitors last month for the first time since Covid-19 broke out, the city’s officials have put in a big budget to give the street a ‘makeover‘. Pattaya city officials announced yesterday that the city has now spent 13 million baht on road repairs for the street, and these repairs are expected to be…
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Health ministry clarifies lifting of mask mandate in “designated areas only”
Not so fast, says the Public Health Ministry, responding to news that Thailand’s mask mandate could be lifted next month. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit has issued a clarification that this could apply in certain areas only. According to Kiattiphum, Thailand’s Covid-19 situation has improved quicker than expected and officials believe the virus can be downgraded to endemic as planned. At that…
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