Central Thailand News

Central Thailand news, Ayutthaya news, Kanchanaburi updates, and business developments—stay informed on local events, tourism, and culture, including landmarks like the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Central Thailand news source.

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    Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?

    Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...

  • School director fired after allegedly covering up rape of 11 year old girl

    School director fired after allegedly covering up rape of 11 year old girl

    An investigation has been launched to discover why the female director of a school in the central province of Kanchanaburi allegedly asked an 11 year old schoolgirl to keep quiet over her rape ordeal. The 11 year old girl was raped by a 12 year old boy in the classroom at a school in the Wichian Buri district on Tuesday,…

  • Teen girl commits suicide after being allegedly blackmailed over naked pictures

    Teen girl commits suicide after being allegedly blackmailed over naked pictures

    A teenage girl has committed suicide after a man allegedly blackmailed her over some naked pictures. The man, in central Thailand’s province of Pathum Thani, was arrested this morning in connection with the suicide and for allegedly blackmailing other teenage girls online. The 27 year old man, Piyabutr Urai-ngam, reportedly lured the 14 year old girl into sending him naked…

  • Soldier murders teacher, dumps her body in pond in central Thailand

    Soldier murders teacher, dumps her body in pond in central Thailand

    Yesterday, police found the body of a 40 year old teacher who had been missing for 15 days. Ning’s body was found tied down with bricks at the bottom of a pond at a soldier’s house in Phetchaburi province, central Thailand. “Teacher Ning”, and her gray Toyota Reva 4X4, went missing on May 26. Police from Kaeng Krachan Police Station…

  • Angry central Thai locals go bananas over poor road conditions

    Angry central Thai locals go bananas over poor road conditions

    Residents in Ang Thong, in central Thailand, are so angry with officials in the Department of Rural Roads about the treacherous state of their roads that they have planted banana trees in the cracks of the tarmac in protest. Ang Thong locals have reported the dangerous conditions of their highways, roads and thoroughfares, to officials on a number of occasions…

  • Elderly couple in central Thailand has their first wedding photos together

    Elderly couple in central Thailand has their first wedding photos together

    A freelance photographer has given one elderly couple in central Thailand’s Suphan Buri province their dream come true. The couple, 86 year old husband Wong and 85 year old wife Klin, have been together through thick and thin for over 65 years. But until a few weeks ago, they never had any cute ‘couple photos’ displaying their love. Then their…

  • Thai man buys 12 pairs of Converse as offerings to god of wealth

    Thai man buys 12 pairs of Converse as offerings to god of wealth

    A Thai man has bought 12 pairs of Converse sneakers and offered them to the god of wealth in the central province of Ang Thong after his wishes came true. Other locals are now copying the idea, helping the god have his own shoe collection. Yesterday, the media reported that they found a display case placed in front of the…

  • Teenagers assault family car in central Thailand, injuring 3 year old

    Teenagers assault family car in central Thailand, injuring 3 year old

    A group of teenagers have assaulted a family of 3 in the central province of Samut Prakan. The teenagers were “throwing a party” in the middle of road at a housing estate in Bang Sao Thong district, and refused to move out of the way of the family’s car. The teenagers threw a rock through the car window, injuring the…

  • UPDATE: Compensation promised after teenage passenger killed in police chase

    UPDATE: Compensation promised after teenage passenger killed in police chase

    Following last week’s report of a teenager who was killed after the motorbike she was a passenger on crashed into a police pickup, the police officers have now promised to pay compensation to the victim’s family. No charges have been filed against the police at this stage as the case is still under investigation. On May 27, a car accident…

  • UPDATE: French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand

    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…

  • French woman dies riding bicycle in central Thailand

    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…

  • Large banana plantation near Bangkok goes viral, Thai netizens say owner wants to avoid land tax

    Large banana plantation near Bangkok goes viral, Thai netizens say owner wants to avoid land tax

    One of the biggest exhibition centres and event venues, Impact Arena, in the central province of Nonthaburi, basically just north of Bangkok, is showing off its large banana plantation on their official Facebook page. The page claims the CEO desires to increase green spaces for people, but Thai netizens have figured out it’s just a way the controlling company is…

  • Policeman suspended after kicking, stomping on 2 handcuffed teenagers

    Policeman suspended after kicking, stomping on 2 handcuffed teenagers

    A police officer at Sam Phran station in the central province of Nakhon Pathom has been suspended after video footage emerged of him and another officer assaulting 2 teenagers. According to a Bangkok Post report, both victims were handcuffed at the time and the video footage shows they were on the ground. Chaiyapoj Khotsamrarn, deputy crime suppression chief at Sam…

  • Unconscious 75 year old woman survives floating 500 metres along a river

    Unconscious 75 year old woman survives floating 500 metres along a river

    A 75 year old woman was scooped unconscious from the middle of a river in the central province of Chachoengsao after she fainted while paddling. The elderly lady floated for around 500 metres before a man witnessed the incident and contacted a rescue team to save her. Noramin Tongsamak, who witnessed the incident, contacted a rescue team via Facebook after he…

  • Student accidentally kills shooting instructor in central Thailand

    Student accidentally kills shooting instructor in central Thailand

    A beginner level student has accidentally shot dead her instructor at a shooting range yesterday in Thailand’s central province of Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok. The student, a 50 year old woman named only as Thacha, said she thought that it was a dummy round after picking up a bullet mixed with others on the floor, according to Thai…

  • Ayuttaya featured in Forbes’s Top 50 Best Places to Visit Post-Pandemic

    Ayuttaya featured in Forbes’s Top 50 Best Places to Visit Post-Pandemic

    Forbes magazine has featured Thailand’s central province of Ayutthaya in their list of 50 best places to travel to post-pandemic. Forbes selected the province for its historical and cultural significance as well as its expansive scenery. Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says he is thankful for Thailand’s spot on the list and expects the feature will attract tourists into Ayutthaya…

  • Overhead traffic sign strikes car, passengers escape unscathed

    Overhead traffic sign strikes car, passengers escape unscathed

    As if Thailand’s roads weren’t dangerous enough, now drivers have another hazard to watch out for: falling objects from aging highway infrastructure. In recent weeks, there have been numerous reports of signs and concrete striking vehicles. The latest incident happened on Thursday, when a massive overhead traffic sign fell and struck an SUV on Phahonyothin Highway in the central province…

  • Thai street food seller comes up with Mango Pad Kra Pao to follow Mango Sticky Rice fever

    Thai street food seller comes up with Mango Pad Kra Pao to follow Mango Sticky Rice fever

    WARNING: This looks spicy!! To keep up with the current mango fever in Thailand, a food seller has offered a fusion dish, Mango Pad Kra Pao, and invited his customers to try it. The dish went viral on Thai social media, and many tried cooking it at home. The young Thai rapper, Danupa “Milli” Kanateerakul, created the mango fever in…

  • Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand

    Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand

    Four police officers from the main city Samut Sakhon Police Station, south west of central Bangkok, were dismissed from their positions after being reported for allegedly selling “special tickets” to trafficked Burmese migrants. The tickets required Burmese migrant workers to pay a monthly fee of 500 baht and carry the tickets everywhere to avoid arrest. On April 19, Thai media…

  • Daughter searches for her family after they went missing 10 days ago in central Thailand

    Daughter searches for her family after they went missing 10 days ago in central Thailand

    A 19 year old daughter is searching for her missing family. Her parents and two siblings disappeared from their house in the central province of Sukhothai ten days ago, since April 10. Thai netizens and Facebook pages from various rescue teams are spreading the story of the 19 year old teenager around to try and re-unite her with her missing family.…

  • Python in central Thailand feasts on 10 chickens

    Python in central Thailand feasts on 10 chickens

    It wasn’t very difficult for rescue workers to catch a greedy python yesterday in Ang Thong province, central Thailand, after it ate ten chickens and couldn’t move. Staff from Ang Thong Provincial Rescue Association received a request yesterday to remove a large python which was asleep inside a chicken cage at a house in Pho Thong District. Police Lt. Col.…

  • Huge fire in Prachinburi Market, Central Thailand, 100 million baht worth of damage

    Huge fire in Prachinburi Market, Central Thailand, 100 million baht worth of damage

    A huge fire destroyed more than 30 shops at the Prachinburi Town Municipality Market yesterday. The fire reportedly destroyed properties worth more than 100 million baht. No injuries and deaths were reported, and volunteers rescued seven bedridden local residents who lived in the area where the fire broke out. Officials were first alerted about the incident at 5pm, and arrived…

  • Investigation launched in central Thailand after 2 oil tanker explosions in a month

    Investigation launched in central Thailand after 2 oil tanker explosions in a month

    An investigation is being launched into why there have been 2 oil tankers explosions in Bangkok in the space of a month. The Transport Ministry has instructed the Marine Department to launch a probe into the explosions, the latest of which occurred on Sunday. The Ampar 8 was carrying over 3 million litres of crude oil from the island of…

  • Monks host funeral for scarecrow named ‘Covid’ to ward off disease

    Monks host funeral for scarecrow named ‘Covid’ to ward off disease

    Well, anything is worth a try at this stage! Monks at a temple in the central Thai province of Suphan Buri have hosted the funeral for a scarecrow, which was named “Mr. Covid Omicron”. Thai locals believed this ceremony could help ward off evil, which is Covid-19 in this case. Residents were scared and worried about the spread of Covid-19…

  • Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised

    Too much monkey business in Petchaburi, now they’re getting sterilised

    In Petchaburi, a central province, monkeys are breeding like rabbits. They might look cute at first, but the booming number of monkeys might threaten tourism since the monkeys often steal peoples’ belongings. Right now there are 1,000-1,500 per district, and this number is rising to 3,000 in Muang district. An adviser to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said…

  • Missing man emerges from forest after 3 weeks dodging elephants

    Missing man emerges from forest after 3 weeks dodging elephants

    Like a scene out of an adventure movie, a 43 year old man stumbled out of a clearing in eucalyptus and rubber plantations to recount an incredible 21-day journey he spent lost in the wilderness and fleeing from wild elephants. The tale took place in Prachin Buri, the central province to the east of Bangkok after the man, Thongsa Wanthumma,…

  • Monks caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day say they were honouring ancestors

    Monks caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day say they were honouring ancestors

    Three Buddhist monks are facing expulsion from monkhood after they were caught drinking alcohol on New Year’s Day, which is a violation of their rules. Apparently, locals gave rice whiskey to the temple as an offering to their ancestors, but a monk says they drank the alcohol as a way to “deliver the alcohol to the dead people.” Residents called…

  • Thai woman faces charges over fake job posts for masseuse positions in Japan

    Thai woman faces charges over fake job posts for masseuse positions in Japan

    A woman in Thailand’s Isaan region is being accused of posing as a job broker by using Facebook to make fake recruitment posts for masseuse positions in Japan. According to the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, 37 year old Pawinee Yomseedum was arrested and charged with fraud at her house after using to advertise the recruitment service on social media and…

  • 9 prison escapees back behind bars, lotion the key to escape

    9 prison escapees back behind bars, lotion the key to escape

    The case of 9 prisoners who managed to escape a temporary detention centre has now been officially closed, with all inmates now back behind bars. The group had used a saw to hack through the bars of their room, then used their clothes to soften the barbwire atop the prison walls and climbed to freedom, albeit briefly. The governor of…

  • Two killed in a military helicopter crash in Nakhon Sawan

    Two killed in a military helicopter crash in Nakhon Sawan

    A flight instructor and an aviation student were killed in helicopter crash during a training session for Thai military. The helicopter from Army Aviation Centre in Lop Buri caught fire and crashed in the neighbouring province Nakhon Sawan. According to a military source, the helicopter, which was made in the United States by Enstrom Helicopter Corporation and was worth 74 million…

  • 9 inmates escape temporary prison facility, 4 captured

    9 inmates escape temporary prison facility, 4 captured

    After a group of 9 prison inmates made a daring escape from a detention facility in Nakhon Pathom, 4 have now been rounded up while a manhunt is on for the remaining 5. The group of men – 6 drug offenders, 2 charged with theft, and 1 charged with physical abuse – broke free from a temporary prison in the…