Bangkok News
Bangkok news, politics, business, crime, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s capital. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Bangkok news source.
-
Sponsored Limited-time deal: Save 20% on Cigna's expat health plans forever
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...
-
Bangkok governor under pressure to limit crowds over rising Covid infections
Conversations are hotting up between Thailand’s public Health Ministry and the new Bangkok governor over rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, mostly fuelled by the recent BA.4 and BA.4 sub-variants of Omicron (a variant of SARS-Cov-2). The call comes at a time when the variant is causing a new surge of Covid infections in Europe, the UK and US, also Brazil,…
-
Elderly woman near Bangkok dies of Covid-19 after request declined
An elderly woman near Bangkok has died of Covid-19 after a hospital allegedly declined her family’s request for an ambulance. The incident happened in Nonthaburi, a province bordering Bangkok. A foundation that tried to help the 82 year old woman said that she had several health other conditions as well. These included diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease…
-
Bangkok doctor warns of lung infections from new Covid-19 sub-variant
One Bangkok doctor is warning the public of lung infections associated with the new sub-variant of Covid-19. The doctor, Nithipat Jearakul, is the head of Siriraj Hospital’s Department of Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis. Nithipat says that the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is as harmful to the lungs as the previous Delta variant. However, most people with lung infections are part…
-
130 statues unearthed on display at Emerald Buddha temple
While digging to build a water drainage system just outside the Emerald Buddha temple in Bangkok, workers uncovered about 130 statues made out of stone that are over 100 years old. The sculptures were stumbled upon and the area was excavated by the Fine Arts Department with the treasure trove of lost art recovered and put on display nearby the…
-
VIDEO: Bangkok taxi driver pulls out knife on Singaporean tourists
Video evidence reveals a Bangkok taxi driver pulling a knife out from the pocket of the driver’s seat door to intimidate two Singaporean tourists, who had accused him of not giving them enough change. Although Bangkok taxis are supposed to be metered, the tourists said they had agreed a price of 400 baht for their journey to Suvarnabhumi airport. However,…
-
Bangkok governor looks for Chinese cash to create smart city
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he had a working dinner with the Chinese Ambassador to discuss a number of projects beneficial to the capital, including the city’s upcoming outdoor film festival, Chinese teachers, and the development of a smart city. Developing Bangkok as a smart city comes hot on the heels of an announcement by the Eastern Economic Corridor…
-
4 day coffee festival near Bangkok starts today
Bangkok’s coffee lovers have something to look forward to for the next few days. A 4-day coffee festival starts today at Impact Exhibition Hall 5-7, located in Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok’s city centre. According to Thailand Coffee Fest’s Facebook Page, the event will be held from today until July 17 (Sunday) from 10am-8pm. The festival, titled Thailand Coffee Fest…
-
Move Forward MP accused of sexually assaulting 4 teen girls
Move Forward city councillor Arnuparb Tarntong has been released on 100,000 baht bail today after reporting to the police to recognise charges of sexual assault have been made against him by four teenage girls. Police informed Arnuparb last night that two 16 year olds and two 18 year olds had accused him of inappropriate behaviour and had to appear at…
-
Bangkok plans to give city’s hawkers a roof over their heads
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has turned his attention toward the city’s cluttered street vendors as his never-ending crusade to clean up the capital continues. The 56 year old city chief revealed the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is preparing to set up hawker centres as a permanent solution to the chaotic street vendor stalls strewn throughout the city. Hawker centres are…
-
Chuwit all but names Bangkok ‘drug pub’ and illegal soapy massage joint
“It’s full of young people partying, owned by a Chinese man who operates without a care in the world thanks to connections in the Land of Smiles.” That’s the description of former Thai politician and soapy massage king Chuwit Kamolwisit as he waxed lyrical about a fully operational soapy massage and ‘drug pub’ joint in central Bangkok that he claims…
-
Motorbike burns to a crisp in Bangkok road accident
A teenager is injured after crashing his motorbike into the barrier on the Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok at around 1am. The young man said he bounced off the barrier and was flung more than 10 metres through the air. His red Honda PCX instantly set on fire and burned to a crisp. At around 1am, officers from Vibhavadhi Police…
-
Football fans scramble for FREE Liverpool – Man U tickets in Bangkok
So many seats were available for tonight’s Liverpool versus Manchester United match in Bangkok that Rajamangala Stadium announced via Facebook that they would hand out free tickets to “The Match” at 3.30pm today. Football fans who forked out up to 25,000 baht per ticket are furious. Both teams have huge fan bases in Thailand, so everyone expected that the 59,000+…
-
Communication cables set fire in Bangkok
At around 7am this morning, communication cables caught fire causing a big blaze in Bangkok. The fire occurred at Soi Lad Phrao 111 in Khlong Chan subdistrict, Bang Kapi district. No injuries were reported. Firefighters from Hua Mak Fire Station received a notification of the fire at 7.21am and rushed to the scene. The firefighters successfully extinguished the fire. When…
-
Bangkok chief has dig at city works for 13 year delay to new tunnel
The Director of Bangkok Public Works Department has promised Chadchart Sittipunt that the new Fai Chai Tunnel will be open for use on August 1 after the city chief had a dig at him over the project dragging on for 13 years. The director, Taiwut Khankaew, guaranteed the tunnel would be ready in time, reporting the project was 90% complete.…
-
BA.4 & BA.5 in Bangkok “will spread to the provinces” – Department of Medical Sciences
Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has issued a report about the spread of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, saying that most of the detected cases have so far been in Bangkok but are expected to spread out the other 76 provinces. The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, Dr Supakit Sirilak, says that the two sub-variants – BA.4 and…
-
Bangkok gov’s ’15 Minute Pocket Parks’ set to bloom
Chadchart Sittipunt’s dream of Bangkok being a lean, green, sustainable machine picked up more momentum at the weekend when promoting his “15 Minute Pocket Parks” policy. The Bangkok governor last month invited the public to plant 1 million trees in the metropolis as part of his campaign to make the city greener. Now, the 56 year old intends on expanding…
-
Chatuchak Market revitalisation planned by BMA and SRT
Once a bustling centre of commerce and socialising, Chatuchak Market has been much quieter since reopening after being closed down because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the State Railway of Thailand is cooperating with local authorities in Bangkok and City Hall to try to revive the famous market back to its previous thriving glory. As with most of the tourism…
-
Khao San scam: Tourists forced to pay for returning lost wallet
A new warning has gone out as yet another scam is being perpetrated on foreigners in the tourist backpacker mecca that is Khao San Road. This scam targets would-be do-gooders trying to help return a lost wallet. A man recently reported to local media that he had been leaving a bar late at night when all the clubs and nightlife…
-
Bangkok preparing to reopen community isolation centres
With Covid-19 infections on the rise again, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration may reopen community isolation centres in crowded areas of the capital city. The plan would open facilities in 50 districts to help protect vulnerable people like pregnant women, the elderly, and those with underlying diseases from those infected with coronavirus. Bangkok has seen a rise to over 2,000 infections…
-
Bangkok chief answers residents’ call after rats as big as cats take over
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt answered a call by residents in the Din Daeng district after their community became infested with rats. The problem became public knowledge after a woman posted a video on her TikTok account, panadda010, featuring hundreds of rats running around the community area. The woman said, “They will climb over me very soon. I’m still in shock.”…
-
Free parking at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport during July holidays
Suvarnabhumi International Airport announced that free parking will be available at its long term car park at Zone C – which can accommodate 718 vehicles – during two long holidays this month. Parking will be free for 6 days from midnight on July 12 until midnight on July 18 in celebration of Asanha Bucha day (July 13) and the beginning…
-
Petrol prices in Bangkok reduced tomorrow
Good news for Bangkok motorists as the PTT Oil and Retail Business today announced the cost of petrol will be reduced from tomorrow (Friday) morning. The retail prices of petrol and all types of gasohol except E85 will drop by 3 baht per litre, E85 by 1.8 baht per litre, at 5am tomorrow. It’s not all good news for motorists…
-
Bangkok authorities remove transformers belonging to lot that caused fire
Bangkok’s Metropolitan Electrical Authority yesterday removed 2 network transformers belonging to the same lot that caused a fire in Chinatown last month. The fire in the historic Sampeng market killed 2 people. The blaze was caused by a transformer exploding at a 3 storey shophouse, according to a preliminary inspection. Now, MEA officials plan to inspect the transformers to make…
-
UPDATE: High-profile officer not corrupt says Bangkok residents
Thirty community leaders from the Lat Krabang district met with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittupunt yesterday to demand justice for a high-profile district officer. The community leaders, led by a former Bangkok Metropolitan Council candidate, Ronnachai Sangkamitkun, visited Chadchart’s office at BMA City Hall near the Giant Swing, and asked him to provide more information about the city’s corruption investigation into…
-
Thai police arrest ‘Mr. Underpants:’ The serial thief in the white briefs
Today, the Royal Thai Police finally arrested a serial mobile phone thief known as “Mr. Underpants.” Mr. Underpants broke into 9 BANANA mobile phone shops in locations all over Thailand, stealing thousands of mobile phones in total. Every time, he wore only his pants. Mr. Underpants broke into BANANA branches in Yala, Hat Yai, Patthalung, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Si Thammarat,…
-
“Khao San Road should be a cannabis hotspot to boost tourism” – local businessman
“The chance for the government to use cannabis to boost tourism shouldn’t be turned down.” The words of a local Khao San Road businessman who sees an opportunity in the government’s recent announcement to decriminalise cannabis products. President of the Khao San Road Businesses Association, Sanga Ruengwattanakul says that foreign visitors passing through the infamous party strip “could be encouraged…
-
Confused car finds itself driving a steep narrow pedestrian bridge
We’ve all been there, driving along, spaced-out, and minding our own business, when we suddenly find ourselves driving on a pedestrian path with motorbikes honking and warning us. If this scenario hasn’t happened to you consider yourself luckier than a driver in Samut Sakhon, who ended up haplessly driving a car halfway across a narrow bridge intended only for pedestrians…
-
Chadchart points finger at Bangkok’s corrupt high-profile officers
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt informed Thai media yesterday that there are a number of high-profile district officers in the city involved in corruption. The identities of those officers have not been revealed, but leaked media reports allege most of them worked under a former Bangkok governor. According to reports, leading district officers from Latkrabang, Bang Khum Tien, Prawet, Taling Chan,…
-
PM Prayut accelerates progress at Bangkok’s Benjaketti Forest Park
Before Her Majesty, the Queen Mother Sirikit’s birthday on August 12, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered agencies to speed up the progress of Benjakitti Forest Park. The development of Benjakitti Park is part of the government’s efforts to raise the number of public green spaces in Bangkok to a level that is acceptable on a global scale. “Once the development…
-
PETA awards animal-themed vegan donuts to BKK customs staff
PETA Asia, the regional arm of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has delivered dozens of wildlife-themed vegan doughnuts to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport’s wildlife checkpoint and customs staff. Last week the BKK airport staff seized 109 live animals, including 2 white porcupines, 2 armadillos, 20 snakes, 35 turtles, and 50 chameleons. All the animals were hidden inside the suitcases of 2…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.