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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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    Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes

    Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...

  • Dogs abandoned by foreigner in Chiang Mai are adopted | Thaiger

    Dogs abandoned by foreigner in Chiang Mai are adopted

    UPDATE The two Thai ridgeback dogs, which were said to have been abandoned by a foreign owner in Chiang Mai, were adopted by a Thai family. The dogs will be moved to a new home in the nearby province of Lampang. Thai dog lovers who live in the same village, Nam Pueng Village, contacted the owner of the house where…

  • Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway, avoid firecrackers | Thaiger

    Phuket Vegetarian Festival underway, avoid firecrackers

    The Phuket Vegetarian Festival officially kicked off and will last for nine days. The festival launched yesterday with Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul in attendance at the opening ceremony. The ceremony began the festival which will run daily until October 4. Anutin, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister and is considered a potential Bhumjaithai Party candidate for prime…

  • Burmese beauty queen granted safe haven in Canada | Thaiger

    Burmese beauty queen granted safe haven in Canada

    The former Burmese beauty queen denied entry to Thailand last week has been granted a safe haven in Canada. The 23 year old Han Lay tried to seek asylum in Thailand last Thursday when she landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport from Vietnam after being allegedly targeted by the Myanmar ruling military junta following a speech she made during the Miss Grand International 2020…

  • Tropical Storm Noru to hit northeast Thailand on Thursday | Thaiger

    Tropical Storm Noru to hit northeast Thailand on Thursday

    UPDATE Tropical Storm Noru is forecast to hit Thailand on Thursday, two days later than initially expected. The typhoon will cause rainfall all over Thailand but is expected to directly impact Mukdahan and Amnat Charoen provinces in northeast Thailand. The typhoon will bring heavy rain and flooding similar to the Dianmu storm that hit Thailand in September last year, according…

  • 13 murdered, including 7 kids by Russian neo-Nazi | Thaiger

    13 murdered, including 7 kids by Russian neo-Nazi

    Thirteen people were murdered by a terrorist wearing a balaclava and a black t-shirt sporting a Nazi symbol today at a school in Russia. Seven children were among the 13 dead while another 21 were injured before the gunman shot and killed himself. The shooting took place in Izhevsk, the capital of the Udmurtia region about 600 miles east of…

  • Vegetarian Festival on Yaowarat Road starts today | Thaiger

    Vegetarian Festival on Yaowarat Road starts today

    Great news for those living on the veg, the Vegetarian Festival is back on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok after a two-year pandemic absence. Vegetarians from all over “vegiverse” can get down to the “beet” and “shake the mushroom” from today until October 4. Thai-Chinese people all over the country celebrate the vegetarian festival, or Kin Jay in Thai, every year…

  • VIDEO: Fire falls like rain from communication cables in Bangkok | Thaiger

    VIDEO: Fire falls like rain from communication cables in Bangkok

    Fire fell like rain onto the road in Bangkok this morning in yet another communication cable fire. The clip was filmed near the entrance of Nidhiprinya School in Din Daeng district at around 4am. Burning plastic dripped from the amass of glowing cables onto the and onto a lorry parked below. The Twitter user who posted the clip said the…

  • Father allegedy kills daughter’s cat for stealing his meatballs | Thaiger

    Father allegedy kills daughter’s cat for stealing his meatballs

    A Thai father faces up to three-years in prison for allegedly killing his daughter’s cat for stealing his meatballs. The man’s daughter filed a complaint with the Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT) to teach her father a lesson. The 25 year old May accused her father, 69 year old Paisarn, of killing her cat last Saturday, September 24. The young woman…

  • Thai court overwhelmed with evidence in Forex-3D fraud case | Thaiger

    Thai court overwhelmed with evidence in Forex-3D fraud case

    UPDATE #2 Thailand’s Criminal Court summoned famous actress “Pinky” and 23 other defendants in the Forex-3D fraud case to court today. Defendants gave testimony and the court examined evidence submitted by victims. However, there are so many documents from victims that the court will need to reconvene on November 29, 2022, to make further progress in the case. Among the…

  • Airport expansion plans hastened across Thailand | Thaiger

    Airport expansion plans hastened across Thailand

    With High Season approaching and the Thai government predicting big numbers, airport expansion plans are being fast-tracked. One of Thailand’s goals as international travel begins to return in greater numbers is to become a transport hub for Southeast Asia. To help realise the goal and make room for an influx of travellers, facilities are being expanded in both domestic and…

  • Viral video: American man joins Thai dance in Isaan rite | Thaiger

    Viral video: American man joins Thai dance in Isaan rite

    A TikTok video has gone viral of a twinkle-toed American man taking part in a traditional Thai dance routine at a religious ceremony in the Isaan province of Sisaket. Thai netizens hailed his nimble footwork, dancing skills, and endeavour. A Thai TikToker, Ryansdiary, posted a video of the 36 year old American man, Scott Spyway, taking part in the parade…

  • China backs Thailand to make APEC a success | Thaiger

    China backs Thailand to make APEC a success

    Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai met up with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last weekend and took time out to talk about the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in November. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi underlined China’s support for Thailand delivering a successful APEC meeting and…

  • Foreigner allegedly using dogs to scam Chiang Mai locals | Thaiger

    Foreigner allegedly using dogs to scam Chiang Mai locals

    Residents in Chiang Mai alerted Thai media to a foreigner who abandoned and starved his two pet dogs to scam money from people in the community. Thai residents from the Nam Pueng Village in the Saraphi district of Chiang Mai reported to the media that a foreigner renting a house in their village cruelly left two dogs outside his home…

  • Tourist breaks Singaporean law by consuming cannabis in Thailand | Thaiger

    Tourist breaks Singaporean law by consuming cannabis in Thailand

    A Singaporean tourist says she didn’t mean to consume cannabis in Thailand in July. Weed might be legal in the Land of Smiles, but it is still a crime for Singaporeans to consume cannabis at home and abroad. Sueanne said she ate a “very nice bowl of noodles” in Chiang Rai, northern Thailand, that were so delicious that she ordered…

  • Large, endangered Indochinamon Bhumibol crab spotted | Thaiger

    Large, endangered Indochinamon Bhumibol crab spotted

    Officials stumbled upon a nearly-extinct freshwater crab this week in Phetchabun. The Indochinamon Bhumibol crab is the second one that has been found in the northern province in the last year. And it’s just in time, as September is believed to be mating season for the two rare crabs. The crab close to extinction was found in the Wang Pong-Chon…

  • Foreigner caught stealing luggage at Bangkok airport | Thaiger

    Foreigner caught stealing luggage at Bangkok airport

    A foreign woman stole a Thai woman’s luggage with about 300,000 baht worth of luxury items at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The 45 year old Thai woman, Pornrat, shared the story of her stolen suitcase with Thai media because it still hasn’t been returned. Pornrat was travelling from Dubai and arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on September 11 at 4pm. She…

  • Rail operators deny passengers were trapped for 4 hours | Thaiger

    Rail operators deny passengers were trapped for 4 hours

    UPDATE Asia Era One’s Public Relations team denied any passengers were trapped in an Airport Rail Link train after a power failure last month. Asia Era One, who is responsible for the operation of the Airport Rail Link train, wants to clarify what happened when the power went down on Saturday, September 24. There were no passengers trapped inside the…

  • Prices plummet on cannabis, farmers ask for regulation | Thaiger

    Prices plummet on cannabis, farmers ask for regulation

    Who could have seen it coming? With the decriminalisation and deregulation of cannabis, prices have plummeted and farmers are asking for price regulation from the government. Now people can grow the plant on their own and sell the crops. The original farmers with government contracts have seen an 80% to 90% reduction in the value of their crops. In many…

  • Heavy rain warning in 48 provinces of Thailand | Thaiger

    Heavy rain warning in 48 provinces of Thailand

    Heavy rainfall is expected all day today until 6am tomorrow in 48 provinces of Thailand, according to the Meteorological Department. Rain and potential flash flooding is expected in Bangkok and surrounding areas and also in northern, northeastern, central, eastern, and southern western regions. North Thunderstorms are expected in 70% of the following provinces: Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Tak,…

  • Unlikely Biden will make APEC meeting in Thailand | Thaiger

    Unlikely Biden will make APEC meeting in Thailand

    Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson reported that they are trying to find a way for US President Joe Biden to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in Bangkok after he made it known it clashes with a family wedding. The US President will attend the G20 conference in Bali on November 15 and November 16 but will probably…

  • Thai Airways releases details of winter flights itinerary | Thaiger

    Thai Airways releases details of winter flights itinerary

    Thai Airways (THAI) announced its winter flights schedule from October 30 to March 25, 2023, with 34 flights slated to take off from Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok for destinations to Asia, Europe, and Australia. Thailand’s flag carrier has endured a tough time since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world over two years ago. But THAI recently announced a restructuring plan to…

  • Phuket real estate shifts tide in wake of urban flight | Thaiger

    Phuket real estate shifts tide in wake of urban flight

    Urban flight and a continuous stream of incoming lifestyle residents to Phuket are dramatically shifting Southeast Asia’s leading resort real estate market landscape. The new island property mantra is dominated by surging demand for single-family homes and larger condominiums. Phuket has witnessed a sharp change from 2019 when over 9 million tourists sought a place in the sun, highlighted by…

  • Dead woman in car pulled out of Kanchana Buri canal | Thaiger

    Dead woman in car pulled out of Kanchana Buri canal

    Police made a grisly discovery in the Tha Muang district of Kanchana Buri yesterday. A car was pulled out of an irrigation canal and, inside, the body of a school director was found. Investigators identified the body as a 45 year old Thai woman who was the director at Ban Nong Ya Plong School in tambon Chorakhae Phuak in Dan…

  • As Iran revolts, president vows to deal with protests | Thaiger

    As Iran revolts, president vows to deal with protests

    As the people of Iran continue to rise against the country’s Islamic regime, authorities are making some remarks. On Friday, the Iranian army said that it will confront “the enemies” behind the protests. Meanwhile, Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi yesterday vowed to “deal decisively” with the protests. Raisi noted that it was necessary to differentiate between protests and disturbing security. He…

  • No word from China on Xi military coup whispers | Thaiger

    No word from China on Xi military coup whispers

    Media reports from India last night claimed China President Xi Jinping is under house arrest after a military coup. TFI Global and the Times of India both speculated that the Chinese premier is under house arrest after Beijing Airport cancelled more than 6,000 domestic and international flights, and suspended the nation’s high-speed rail. The Indian media outlets also went as…

  • Intoxicated Pattaya tourist allegedly punches elderly Australian man in face | Thaiger

    Intoxicated Pattaya tourist allegedly punches elderly Australian man in face

    Another intoxicated Pattaya tourist has reportedly caused mayhem. On Friday night, a tourist allegedly punched an elderly Australian man in the face as the man was trying to stop him from fighting with a motorcycle taxi driver. A witness said that the Australian man, 70 year old Tony, had seen the tourist in a feud with the motorcycle taxi driver…

  • Thai TikTok star detained at Singapore airport over huge amount of cash | Thaiger

    Thai TikTok star detained at Singapore airport over huge amount of cash

    A Thai TikTok star ran into trouble at a Singapore airport for not declaring that he was carrying a huge amount of cash. The star, whose TikTok name is Sungstarwin, has 2.4 million followers on TikTok, and two million subscribers on Youtube. Sungstarwin was detained at Changi Airport on September 10 for carrying 610,000 baht, or 23,254 Singapore dollars. The…

  • Kanchanaburi school director found dead in canal | Thaiger

    Kanchanaburi school director found dead in canal

    Rescue divers discovered the body of a Kanchanaburi school director in a canal in Tha Muang district yesterday. The woman, 45 year old Nipaporn Wongwilai, was the director of the Ban Nong Ya Plong School in Makham Tia district. The divers started a search yesterday morning after locals found the front bumper and license plate of a car beside the…

  • Heavy rains collapse part of Chiang Mai’s ancient city wall | Thaiger

    Heavy rains collapse part of Chiang Mai’s ancient city wall

    With continued heavy rainfall, part of the ancient city wall of Chiang Mai collapsed. A section of the wall near the Chang Phuak Gate partially crumbled in last night’s storm. The ancient wall stood in Chiang Mai for about 750 years before collapsing in the rain. The Chiang Mai municipality was joined by authorities from the Fine Arts Department who…

  • 6-hour whiskey drinking contest draws criticism | Thaiger

    6-hour whiskey drinking contest draws criticism

    A contest to drink booze straight for six hours? Maybe not the best idea. A rice whiskey drinking competition is drawing criticism online from readers questioning the safety of such an event. The contest was advertised online on Friday and is scheduled to take place on October 11. The location appears to be Donna Kham House farm, in Ban Thaen…