Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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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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Fallen scaffolding kills 3 year old in northern Thailand
A 3 year old boy was tragically killed by fallen scaffolding in Lampang province, northern Thailand, yesterday morning. Scaffolding at what appears to be an under-construction house fell on top of a 3 year old boy yesterday. The boy’s parents rang 191 and requested emergency help. Rescue workers from Lampang Rescue Association, an ambulance, and medical staff rushed to the…
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SCB-Bitkub deal fizzles as young investors lose big on crypto
As the crypto market cools and young, naïve investors lose big, the deal for Siam Commercial Bank Group (SCB) to acquire a majority stake in Thai digital asset exchange Bitkub Online has fallen apart. The deal, announced in November of last year, pushed Bitkub Online’s value over US$1 billion and drove the company’s cryptocurrency to triple in value overnight. SCB’s…
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Locals angry after public road shut for private party in S Thailand
The son in law of a police officer caused outrage in the local community of Trang in the south of Thailand after he blocked off a public road to have a housewarming party. Netizens in Trang demanded answers from the provincial government after a video emerged on social media of an ambulance being denied access to the road because it…
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Healthy Siamese twins share teacher dream in Thailand
Thirteen-year-old Siamese twins in central Thailand are defying convention, living a healthy, happy life, and dreaming of becoming teachers. Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon. Approximately half are stillborn while a third die within 24 hours of a mother giving birth. But the Siamese sisters from Nakhon Sawan province in central Thailand have bucked the poor health trend generally associated…
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Food vendors attack foreign tourist who dined & dashed in Pattaya, Thailand
An intense brawl broke out between a group of food vendors and a foreign tourist who allegedly didn’t pay for his meal on Pattaya’s Walking Street in Nong Phru subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, yesterday at 4.30am. The “European tourist” – whose name and nationality are unknown – allegedly ate from a Thai woman’s food stall and left without paying, so…
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Southeast Asia startup struggles at heart of this year’s Techsauce Global Summit
Press Release Startup funding, investor confidence and growth were just some of the pain points addressed at this year’s Techsauce Global Summit, which took place at ICONSIAM, Bangkok on the 26 and 27 August. The conference, which is back in physical form following a three-year hiatus, saw over 10,000 attendees, 1,500 startups and 300 speakers in attendance. Techsauce Global Summit acts…
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In push for religious harmony, Thailand recognises more churches
In a push for religious harmony, Thailand has officially recognised three Catholic churches in the kingdom this week. The Ministry of Culture officially approved the churches on August 23, after the churches had reportedly waited 93 years for recognition. The newly approved churches are: Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Bangkok, Saint Monica Church in Nan Province, and Saint Joseph…
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Pao Tang app provides free birth control from NHSO
The Thai government is addressing unwanted pregnancies in the country with a new programme offering free birth control pills. A deputy spokesperson for the government explained that the programme would help women get access to free birth control using a mobile app called Pao Tang. The campaign was created to try to slow the frequency of unintentional and unwanted pregnancies…
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Thailand’s sixth monkeypox patient says symptoms started while she was in Qatar
A young woman in Thailand’s northeast province of Maha Sarakham is the kingdom’s sixth confirmed monkeypox patient, the Department for Disease and Control (DDC) announced yesterday. The 21 year old woman says her symptoms started while she was in Qatar for work. The woman had worked as a masseuse in Qatar and said that while she was there, she started…
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Prayut shows up to work unannounced, as Defence Minister
After being removed from his position as Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha didn’t miss a beat and quietly showed up to work yesterday at his other job, as Minister of Defence. The former PM made a low-key – and unannounced – entrance, arriving at the Ministry of Defence in his car at around 10am. While the Constitutional Court has yet to…
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THG chairman who lied about vaccines for stock profit resigns
Thonburi Healthcare Group founder and chairman Dr Boon Vanasin announced he will step down today after the Securities and Exchange Commission reported it would ban him from sitting on the board of any company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The move is a result of some shady claims last year about THG importing Pfizer vaccines that caused stock…
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Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants 2022 by Koktail to be presented by Siam Paragon
Press Release Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants by Koktail, is partnering with Siam Paragon to host the most exciting culinary event ever in Bangkok. The event, “Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants by Koktail” will be held over two days from 27-28 August 2022 at Parc Paragon, Siam Paragon. The event is open to the public from 11 am until 9 pm on Saturday 27th…
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Thailand’s House of Representatives finally passes torture bill
The House of Representatives has finally passed a draft of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act. It will come into effect in December. Of the 289 MPs present, 287 voted in favour, one voted against, and one abstained. The draft act will be proposed to His Majesty the King and will come into effect 120 days…
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UPDATE: Casino robbery in Bangkok sparks investigation into local police corruption
UPDATE Today, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Police Division 1 Pol. Cl. Ekarat Pao-in gave an update about the Din Daeng casino robbery. Ekarat is also now acting Superintendent of Din Daeng Police Station since five Din Daeng officers are being investigated for corruption. Ekarat said that he and other officers searched the casino and “didn’t find anything at…
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Man gets scammed by two escorts in one night in NE Thailand
A man who would rather not be named says he was deceived by not one, but two prostitutes last night in Loei province in northeast Thailand. The man filed a complaint against the women at Mueang Leoi Police Station this morning but, to no one’s surprise, the police couldn’t help him. The 24 year old man from Mueang district –…
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Elderly woman killed by wild elephant in eastern Thailand, 2 relatives injured
An elderly lady was trampled to death by a wild elephant at a rubber plantation last night in Chachoengsao province in eastern Thailand. Her daughter and granddaughter survived the attack but are badly injured. The women say they had abandoned their car to walk home because the road was undrivable after heavy rain, which is when they crossed paths with…
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Police save woman stuck in her own bathroom for 3 days in Bangkok, Thailand
Yesterday, Thai police saved a woman locked in her bathroom for three days at her home in the On Nut area of Bangkok. Believing she would die alone in the bathroom, the woman had written a chilling goodbye message on the bathroom wall. At 7.14pm, officers from Phra Nakhon Police Station received a call from a woman – Ms. A…
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Casino robbery in Bangkok sparks investigation into local police corruption
CCTV footage taken in the early hours of Tuesday morning reveals a man stealing 300,000 baht cash from an illegal casino in the Din Daeng area of Bangkok. The man, known as “Mack Anusaoree,” stole the money after gambling away more than one million baht, allegedly. Mack Anusaoree – “Mack Victory” – raided the gambling den on Soi Pracha Songkhro…
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Thailand prepares for influx of foreign criminals this High Season
Thailand is a known beacon for fugitives attempting to slip under the radar. Thai police are worried that when tourist arrivals spike in high season – between October and February – that the country will also see an influx of foreign criminals. Thai police are working with embassies all over the world to set plans in case foreign crooks slip…
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Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai Zoo conducts emergency ostrich escape drill
Ostriches may be flightless birds but they’re still considered a flight risk at Chiang Mai Zoo. In an emu-sing drill conducted on Tuesday afternoon, zoo staff simulated an ostrich escape situation to ensure that they are well prepared in case one of the big birds flees its nest. Although the man in the ostrich costume may not look overly menacing,…
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Plastic bags and old water pumps cause flood in Bangkok
Highway officers revealed plastic bags stuck in water pumps caused a flood inside the Pakkret Intersection Tunnel in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok. Officers from the Nonthaburi Highway District investigated the Pakkret Intersection Tunnel yesterday to determine the cause of the flood on August 21. After five hours, officers reported that many plastic bags and garbage were stuck in the propellers…
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Truck driver thanks ‘good Samaritan’ for saving his life in central Thailand
A truck driver wants to thank a selfless citizen for risking his life to drag him out of a fire this morning in Suphan Buri province in central Thailand. Early this morning, 49 year old truck driver Thinakorn Chankhem left Pichit province, northern Thailand, carrying a truck full of rice. He headed toward Nakhon Pathom province in central Thailand. When…
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More concrete falls onto ‘cursed’ Rama II Road in Bangkok, Thailand
Netizens are starting to think that that Bangkok’s Rama II Road is cursed. Yesterday at 11.53am, a slab of broken concrete hanging directly over the busy road fell from a U-turn bridge near Wat Phrom Rangsi temple onto the highway. It is the fourth time heavy construction materials have fallen onto the road in less than two months. No injuries…
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Electricity cut, cars damaged as storm causes chaos near Bangkok
Wind and rain brought carnage near Bangkok last night causing a domino effect of damage after 37 utility poles fell on vehicles and left families without electricity. It is a miracle no one was injured. The chaos was caused when the 37 utility poles fell over one kilometre along 304 Road in the Tha Thong Lang sub-district, Bang Khla district,…
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Man kicked out by his wife shot dead by police in central Thailand
Police shot a man dead at a police station in Nakhon Pathom province, central Thailand, last night. Police said he stole an officer’s gun and started firing shots in the car park, so they shot him eight times in the head and body. Police said the man came to Nakhon Chai Si Police Station for help around midday yesterday after…
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Lucky Thai couple finds 1 million baht pearl in their dinner
It wasn’t so much the world’s your oyster for a young Thai couple but more a slow and steady pace winning the race after they found a rare pearl worth over 1 million baht inside a snail while eating seafood at a local BBQ restaurant. Sittidate Chaiwan was celebrating the birthday of his girlfriend, 27 year old Patjariya Gatip, on…
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The biggest Internet activity in Thailand is healthcare, survey finds
A new survey has found that the most common reason for using the Internet in Thailand is for healthcare consulting and services. For the Thailand Internet User Behaviour Survey of 2022, the Electronic Transactions Development Agency questioned 46,348 respondents from across Thailand between April and July. The results were announced yesterday. While Thailand has 24 million Internet users in 2012,…
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Homeless Thai man turns pedestrian overpass into bedroom
A contrite Thai TikTok user apologised for posting a video of a bedroom created by a homeless man on a pedestrian overpass after it was destroyed by highway officials. The uploaded TikTok video features a man-made bedroom on a pedestrian overpass in the central province of Ayutthaya. The bedroom was created by a homeless man but once the video went…
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Kuwaiti man allegedly motorbike racing in Pattaya loses middle finger in crash
A young Kuwaiti man who was allegedly motorbike racing in Pattaya had a rather nasty crash on an overpass in the early hours of this morning. A taxi driver revealed he saw the man, 19 year old Faisal, driving fast in a group of four-five people. He said Faisal then crashed into his taxi from the front and then slammed…
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China opens classroom doors to students from Thailand
Good news for students from Thailand as China announced last night that schools will be finally opening their doors to foreign students for the first time in two years. Last year the Chinese ambassador, Han Zhiqiang, said that students from Thailand would be one of the first groups allowed to return to China when the country reopens. Thailand has more…
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