Eastern Thailand News
Eastern Thailand news, Pattaya news, Isaan news, Rayong updates, and Chonburi developments—stay informed on local events, business, tourism, and culture, including attractions like the Sanctuary of Truth and Koh Samet. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Eastern Thailand news source.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Pattaya tourist claims thieves in ‘sexy dresses’ stole his 33,000 baht necklace
An Indian tourist in Pattaya claims that last night, a Thai woman, and a ‘transgender individual’, who both wore ‘sexy dresses’, stole his gold necklace worth about 33,000 baht. The tourist, 45 year old Sathishkumar Govindarju, told The Pattaya News the pair also tried to convince him to sleep with them. “I was walking along the road alone, returning from a…
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Thai swimmer recovering after being ‘speared’ by Needlefish in Trat
Spearfishing is still a thing, but usually by humans hunting fish, not the other way around. Thai national Noppadol Sringam is now in a stable condition recovering from a freak marine accident. The Thai tourist was left in serious condition after a needlefish skewered him in the neck while he was swimming on the Trat coastal beach of Ao Tan…
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Gas pipe falls on Rayong construction worker, kills him
A gas pipe fell on a construction worker in Rayong yesterday, killing him. A backhoe that was supposed to lift the pipe couldn’t handle the pipe’s weight, and the pipe fell into a ditch where three workers were connecting gas pipes. Two workers managed to jump out and narrowly escape, while one did not. The pipe fell on him, and…
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Tourist who sat on endangered reef faces 10 years in prison, up to 1 million baht fine
A Thai tourist who posted a photograph of himself sitting on an endangered coral reef faces a fine of up to 1 million baht and a 10-year prison sentence. Wisutr Rattanasathian shared a photograph on his Facebook page on Saturday, which shows him sitting on the protected reef off Koh Khram Noi, in the Sattahip district of Trat province, eastern…
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6 European tourists found who disappeared after positive Covid-19 test
After a brief hunt, 6 European tourists who were tested for Covid-19 and left their hotel before the results were returned, test results which came back positive, have now all been located and moved to the hospital. Authorities rounded up 2 French tourists, 2 Polish tourists, a Swiss tourist, and a Norwegian tourist. The 6 tourists had all come to…
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6 more Covid-19 infected tourist on the run from Koh Chang
Apparently the 2,000 baht fine for the first tourist to ditch out of his hotel while waiting for RT-PCR test results was not as big a deterrent as Thai authorities thought as there now been a number of copycat runners that authorities have had to hunt down. Just 2 days ago, officials were able to track down 2 Indian tourists…
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Mob accuses mother, grandmother of death at boy’s funeral
A suspicious death of a young boy led to a vitriolic confrontation at the funeral between mourners and the boy’s mother and grandmother. The crowd angrily blocked the mother and grandmother from joining in the funeral rites, accusing them of causing the boy’s death. The incident took place in Trat, Thailand’s most southeastern province, beyond Chon Buri, Rayong, and Chanthaburi.…
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Fah Sai, a baby elephant, recovering after she was shot 10 times
After poachers shot her and left her for dead, a baby elephant has had multiple bullets removed and is recovering now. The baby female elephant named Fah Sai (Thai for “Clear Sky”) was shot repeatedly by what authorities assume to be illegal poachers in the eastern province of Chanthaburi. Reports said the poor baby elephant stepped in a trap and…
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Thai man arrested for alleged rape, drowning, burning Burmese woman
A 21 year old Burmese woman died after Thai man allegedly abducted, raped, accidentally drowned her, then set her body on fire. The incident took place in Prachin Buri and police have now arrested a 27 year old man who is alleged to have confessed to his crime, saying he was haunted by her spirit. Boonlai Buaman is working for…
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FDA warns against smuggled Johnson & Johnson vaccines
In Sa Kaeo province in Eastern Thailand, the Food and Drug Administration is warning people to avoid offers of Johnson & Johnson vaccines that were illegally smuggled into Thailand after a patient apparently brought in a vaccine to a private clinic and paid to have medical staff administer it. The single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been approved for use…
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Chanthaburi bans all alcohol as Covid-19 infections surge
The governor of the Eastern province of Chanthaburi has issued an order to ban all sales of alcohol after a surge in Covid-19 infections. The governor says the order is meant to limit gatherings and parties by making it illegal to drink at those events and making it difficult to procure alcohol even. The order has been put into effect…
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2 defence corps volunteers arrested for alleged involvement in stealing defence corps guns
3 suspects have been arrested in Sa Kaeo, an eastern Thai province, for their alleged involvement in stealing 65 firearms from an armoury in the Muang Sa Kaeo District Office in May. 2 of the suspects, 36 year old Weeraphan Nakphitak and 40 year old Lek Khamneung are members of the Sa Kaeo Volunteer Defence Corps and worked at the…
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Man arrested for allegedly stealing plants valued at 18,500 baht
Police arrested a man who allegedly stole four expensive potted plants from outside a home in the eastern province Sa Kaeo. Officers say the plants are valued at 18,500 baht. The stolen plants include the Dieffenbachia valued at 7,000 baht, Variegated Arrowhead Vine valued at 3,500 baht, Syngonium Pink Spot valued at 3,000 baht, and the Monstera Thai Constellation valued…
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Fruit buyer arrested for allegedly using counterfeit certificates to export durian
The proprietor of a fruit company in Chanthaburi, an eastern Thai province, has been arrested for allegedly using counterfeit Good Agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices certificates to export Vietnamese Durians to China, passing them off as Thai Durians. Alongkorn Polabutr adviser to the agriculture and cooperatives minister, says they investigated the fruit-buying company named ‘lung Tu Odd, which is…
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Man busted for allegedly possessing over 100 marijuana plants, selling marijuana online
Yesterday, police in the eastern Thai province of Sa Kaeo arrested an unnamed man for allegedly selling marijuana online along with possession of marijuana. At the 42 year old man’s residence, police allegedly found 111 marijuana plants in the backyard. The plants, strains unknown, were seized as evidence. Reportedly, police also seized 16.6 kilograms of marijuana, also known as dope,…
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Koh Samet marks 100% success rate in vaccinating target group
Koh Samet, in the eastern province of Rayong, has been hailed by the Public Health Ministry after achieving a 100% success rate in vaccinating the target group on the island. Everyone living on the island, including locals, foreign workers, and officials working in the national park, have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – 1,800 people in total.…
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Man missing after speedboat capsizes in rough seas off Koh Chang
1 man has been rescued, while another is still missing, after a speedboat capsized in rough waters off the island of Koh Chang in the eastern province of Trat. The Bangkok Post reports that the boat overturned off Khlong Phrao beach around 9am yesterday morning. The chief of Koh Chang district, Chatchai Thonglee, says there had been heavy rainfall on…
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Rayong closing 5 tourism islands for 4 months
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced today that they plan on closing 5 popular tourism islands in the Rayong province in the east of Thailand. The islands – Kham Island, Kruay Island, Ku Dee Island, Pla Teen Island, and Talu Island – are set to be closed for 4 months. The announcement stated that the islands…
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Chachoengsao villagers say homeless man’s mysterious death could be from Covid
Chachoengsao province villagers suspect a homeless man’s death may be due to Covid-19. Chachoengsao is just to the east of Bangkok. The man died under a pavilion by the road with relatives saying he chose to be homeless. They also say he had existing health problems but was not high-risk and hadn’t been in contact with anyone infected. But somehow,…
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Koh Samet to close from today for at least 2 weeks, Koh Chang may follow
The island of Koh Samet, in Thailand’s eastern Rayong province, is closing to visitors and non-residents for at least 14 days to help stop the spread of Covid-19. The province saw 21 new infections yesterday, with at least 1 being linked to Koh Samet. The shuttering is effective as of today with another popular island, Koh Chang, also possibly following…
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Be a private island castaway on Koh Munnork, Thailand | VIDEO
Stranded on your very own private island in Thailand. Well, not quite stranded. Chris takes us on a tour of the relatively tiny Koh Munnork (Munnork Island), off the coast of Rayong in east Thailand. The prices for a stay on the private island vary and usually start around 10,000 baht a night but there’s always promotions on and, depending…
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Roadtrippers take a break at petrol station only to find dead body under car
A group of holiday road trippers from Pathum Thani got a horrifying surprise after finding a partial human body underneath one of their cars. The group was on their way to Koh Chang when they stopped at a petrol station this morning in the eastern province of Khao Saming. The 10 holidaymakers reported the discovery at Sawang Sawai PTT petrol…
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Man arrested for allegedly killing baby step-daughter who wouldn’t stop crying
A 25 year old man has been arrested in the eastern town of Si Racha, after he allegedly confessed to killing his 1 year old step-daughter because she wouldn’t stop crying. The Pattaya News reports that Worakit Jitprasong told police he didn’t mean to kill the child, only to stop her crying. Officers who arrived at the property in the…
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Bars, nightlife, re-open in Rayong after 9 days with no new cases of Covid-19
The governor of the eastern Thai province of Rayong has given the go-ahead for bars and other entertainment venues to re-open after they were closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The province has now gone 9 days without a new case of the virus. On February 1, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration changed Rayong’s status from red to…
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Eastern provinces growing impatient with safety measures as Covid cases decrease
Thailand’s eastern provinces are growing impatient as local businesses and residents await a relaxation in Covid-19 safety measures after seeing a drop in cases. Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Trat and Rayong are under a “highly controlled” status set by the CCSA (Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, also falls into the same category at this time). These provinces, along with Samut Sakhon…
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Bangkok website lists 11 “high risk” areas, urges visitors to identify themselves
A Bangkok website, known simply as BKK Covid-19, has listed 11 areas and venues now considered “high risk” and urged recent visitors to come forward. The places in question are spread across several provinces in the centre and east of the country. Those who have visited the following since December 15 are urged to register. 1. Samut Sakhon province 2.…
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2 dead, 1 missing, as tourist boat capsizes in eastern Thailand | VIDEO
Click HERE to watch Thai news report on the story. A tourist boat carrying 12 passengers, including 2 children, has sunk in the province of Chachoengsao, just east of Bangkok. 2 people have drowned, with a third still missing. The accident happened yesterday afternoon, as the sightseeing boat was carrying tourists on the Khlong Siyad Reservoir, a popular attraction in…
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Rayong police chief transferred over Covid-19 outbreak at alleged gambling den
Following his claim that there was no illegal gambling den involved in a Covid-19 outbreak in the eastern province of Rayong, provincial police chief Papatdet Katephan has been transferred. The order came from national police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk, following a cluster of infections linked to an alleged illegal gambling venue. One of the patients has since died. There were bizarre…
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3 people missing after being swept away by flash flooding in Prachinburi
A Highways Department official and 2 villagers are missing in the eastern province of Prachinburi, after they were swept away by strong currents caused by heavy flooding. Thai PBS World reports that heavy rain resulted in water runoffs from mountains in Khao Yai and Tap Larn national parks, leading to flash floods. 32 provinces were on alert after heavy rains…
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Barriers to be installed at train crossings nationwide in wake of Chachoengsao tragedy – VIDEO
Following a major collision between a train and a bus in the eastern province of Chachoengsao on Sunday, officials plan to review and install barriers at train crossings around the country. 18 people died and 44 were injured when a freight train collided with a chartered bus near Khlong Kwaeng Klan railway station. It’s understood the bus passengers were on…
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