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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What next for Bali as Indonesia bans sex?
In a Draconian overhaul of the country’s criminal code, Indonesia criminalized sex outside marriage. The reforms include a ban on cohabitation between unmarried couples and would apply to both Indonesians and tourists. This angered rights activists and prompted protests in Jakarta. However, the reactions in Bali range from scepticism to concern. Santi Aprilia, an Indonesian housewife, told the Guardian… “These…
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Jailed politician erects billboard to wish voters Happy New Year
A former Thai politician appears to be making a joke out of his current prison term by splashing the cash on a billboard to wish his constituents a Happy New Year. A picture of former Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong features on a Happy New Year billboard in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The billboard has drawn a mixed…
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Beastly reptile crocs the world of small village in southern Thailand
A quiet village in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand was disturbed by a gigantic saltwater crocodile last night. Villagers in Ban Si Thong in Tha Chana district were dumbstruck when they spotted a four-metre-long crocodile emerging from a ditch in the middle of the night, just 100 metres away from the community. The beast did not come alone and…
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Pattaya officials continue to struggle with homeless problem
Pattaya officials are continuing to struggle with the city’s homelessness issues. On Tuesday, Pattaya’s deputy mayor inspected a homeless encampment under Motorway Route 7, after nearby residents complained about the growing number of homeless people. Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rueimkitkan said he found three to four makeshift tents at the encampment. He said one family included a father and his two…
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Bird watching event coming up at Thai forest park
Bird watchers in Thailand have an exciting upcoming event to look forward to. The Khao Nang Phanthurat Forest Park is holding the ‘Bird Walk @KhaoNangPhanthurat’ on Saturday, December 17. The park is located in the Cha-am district of Thailand’s central Petchaburi province. Attendance is free, but space is limited to 30 people. A guide will lead participants on an adventure…
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TABBA requests 4am closing time during festive season
The Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association (TABBA) requested a 4am closing time trial for entertainment venues in nine tourist zones during the festive season. TABBA believe this would help businesses to attract more foreign tourists. TABBA advisor, Thanakorn Kuptajit, told Matichon that the association proposed two requests to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports department.…
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Ayasan Service application provides one-stop home-cleaning services at the tip of your fingers
Press Release Due to the obvious growing number of dual-income households, consumer demand for residential cleaning services is increasing at a rapid pace. With such rapid growth in demand, the market is seeing an increase in the number of professional residential cleaners. As a pressing health concern (Covid-19), allergies continue to be a primary driver of rising demand for home…
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Police arrest wanted Swedish criminal hiding in southern Thailand
Immigration Police held a press conference yesterday about the arrest of a wanted Swedish criminal hiding out in Hua Hin, southern Thailand, in their continued crackdown on illegal foreigners in the kingdom. After coordinating with Swedish police, Thai Immigration Police arrested 52 year old Heinz Henry Andreas of Swedish nationality at a rented house in Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri…
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Train smashes car off the tracks in southern Thailand, killing 3
A car smashed through the barrier at a railroad crossing and was hit by a passenger train early this morning in Hua Hin in southern Thailand. Three people were killed in the collision. One person survived with injuries. At 4am, officers at Hua Hin Police Station received a report of a train crashing into a car at the railroad crossing…
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VIDEO: Desperate Rohingyas dying on boat off South Thailand
A video is circling on social media of a group of desperate Rohingyas crowded onto a boat off South Thailand’s Ranong province. Over 200 people were on the boat, and 18 people died on the harrowing journey, a Rohingya aid coordinator told Thai PBS. The boat first left Bangladesh in late November. The aid coordinator, Rayid Ali, said the boat has…
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Fisherman accidentally harpoons his own face in eastern Thailand
A fisherman from Rayong province in eastern Thailand accidentally speared himself in the face with a fish harpoon yesterday. He is now in stable condition. Yesterday afternoon, 30 year old Sarot from Rayong’s Chamao district went fishing with some friends at the Mor Mui Reservoir in the Pluak Daeng district. He dived into the water and tried to spear a…
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23 military students hospitalised after being trained too hard
Twenty-three military students of the Army Reserve Training Centre at Narathiwat School were sent to the hospital with serious muscle and kidney injuries due to being trained too hard. The army trainer has been relieved of his duties while the matter is investigated. Parents of the injured military students posted on Facebook on November 30 that their sons and some…
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Firework maker killed in firework accident in eastern Thailand
A man from Sa Keao province in eastern Thailand was killed in an explosion yesterday while he and his son were making fireworks for a funeral. His son was seriously injured. At around 12.30pm, officers from Mueang Sa Kaeo Police Station received a report of an explosion at a home in Mueang district. Police travelled to the scene with volunteers…
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Lao star swindled by Thai celebrity, more than 500 million baht lost
A Lao actress filed a complaint with the Justice Ministry of Thailand after a former Thai singing celebrity allegedly swindled 34 million baht from her. It is understood another 100 people have fallen victim to the celebrity swindler now hiding in Germany and over 500 million baht has been scammed. The Lao star, Wanmanee “Lilly” Ponsavan, handed over evidence of…
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Father chains up daughter and forces her to return to abusive husband
A non-profit organization rescued a young woman who was chained up by her father last Saturday, December 3. Her father held her captive because he did not want her to divorce her husband. The founder of non-profit Saimai Survive, Ekkaphop Luengprasert, and his team raided a rental room on Suwin Thawong Road in the Nong Chok district of Bangkok last…
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Tesla to launch in Thailand this month
Elon Musk’s Tesla Motors aims to launch in Thailand this month after a period of recruiting in the kingdom. The company will sell electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand. Tesla registered as a company in Thailand in May this year with an initial registered capital of 3 million baht. The company is releasing two cars initially, the Model 3 and Model…
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Electioneering: Thaksin’s daughter vows to end poverty in Thailand
Tis the season to be… electioneering in Thailand, it seems. Only yesterday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced plans to stay on as Thailand’s PM for another two years before grooming a successor. Today, the youngest daughter of the Shinawatra clan, Paetongtarn, declared a vote for her Pheu Thai would eradicate poverty in Thailand. The daughter of former Thai PM, Thaksin…
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Thai travel agent group says travel restrictions hamper tourism growth
The Thai Travel Agents Association is recognising some countries’ travel restrictions as hampering tourism growth. Charoen Wangananont, president of the TTAA, says that outbound tourism in the last two months of this year remains strong despite concerns about an economic recession. Such outbound tourism is holding steady, particularly to those destinations that currently have no travel restrictions. According to Bangkok…
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Thailand pushes for more international flights as tourism surges
Thailand’s Transport Ministry is under orders to request more international flights to the country as tourism surges. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chat issued the order for the ministry to contact international flight carriers on the same day he noted that tourism is on the road to recovery. According to the government, the country has seen around 10 million foreign arrivals up…
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Man stabs passersby in Bangkok, 1 killed 1 injured
Police used tear gas to catch and arrest a man stabbing passersby in Bangkok, Thailand, this morning. Two people were stabbed, one of whom later died in the hospital, according to police. At around 11am, officers from Hua Mak Police Station fired tear gas at a man hiding in a shelter on Soi Krungthep Kreetha 3 in Bangkok after he…
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A British musician bangs drums of discontent after breaking leg in Thailand
A British musician is banging the drums of discontent after breaking his leg in Thailand leaving him with a bill of 680,000 baht (£16,000). Kieran Angus, a drummer with the Scottish rock band Broadsea, fell off his motorbike while on tour in Thailand breaking his leg as a consequence. The 27 year old from Aberdeen believed he was insured but…
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Thailand to celebrate its 10 millionth tourist on December 10
Thailand expects to hit the 10 million tourist target on December 10 and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging the nation’s airlines to add more flights to meet the growing demand. The Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Yuthasak Supasorn, reported the good news yesterday. From January to December 5 of this year Thailand welcomed more than nine…
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Homeowner beats cannabis thief to death in northeast Thailand
Police let off a man who allegedly beat a cannabis thief to death in Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand last month. Police say he had the right to protect his assets. Yesterday, 55 year old Wanna filed a case with the Commander of the Udon Thani Provincial Police force against her neighbour who escaped prosecution after allegedly beating her younger…
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British man who loves Thailand banned for 5 years for overstaying
A British man was arrested for overstaying his welcome in the Isaan province of Sisaket yesterday. He admitted to immigration officers that overstaying in the country was wrong but he loved Thailand so much that he did not want to leave. The Sisaket Provincial Immigration Police were doing their rounds and checking on foreigners in the area when their database…
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Restaurants in Thailand that received 2 MICHELIN Star (MICHELIN Guide Thailand 2023)
Michelin Guide Thailand 2023 just came out on 24 November 2022! While there are some new entries on the Bib Gourmand and the one-star restaurant list, the 6 restaurants that received 2 Michelin stars are all retainees. Michelin Guide is known for its stringent standards when it comes to awarding stars, so you can expect not only amazing food but…
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Man arrested for spycam porn, 39 videos feature Thai stars
A Thai man was arrested today for creating and distributing more than 500 spycam upskirt pictures and videos. Police reported that 39 of the videos featured well-known Thai stars. The cyber police were alerted to violations of the pornography laws when they spotted a porn advertisement on a website named VK Doo Dee Dee Community that invited netizens to watch…
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Is poor English proficiency holding Thailand back?
The government of Thailand has been working hard to make it a world-class destination for not just tourists, but digital nomads and business and technology innovators. But do the people of Thailand speak English well enough to fully attract these business opportunities? Thailand is ranked second to last among the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…
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Shopee stops all bank payments after hackers steal from customer in Thailand
E-commerce platform Shopee announced a permanent end to purchases made by bank payment starting today onwards. The decision comes after a customer in Thailand was hacked via Shopee and lost tens of thousands of baht from a bank account linked to the app. The hackers allegedly used the Shopee app to get into bank accounts and transfer money without even…
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Thailand PM wants to groom successor in two years
Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is not throwing in the political towel just yet, he wants another couple of years at the helm before grooming a successor. PM Prayut seized power in a 2014 military coup, was reelected in a disputed election in 2019, and bizarrely had to stand down in August this year after the Constitutional Court of Thailand…
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VIDEO: Taxi meter rises suspiciously quickly in Bangkok, Thailand
A passenger of a taxi in Bangkok, Thailand, filmed the meter rising suspiciously quickly and posted it on Twitter, asking netizens, “Is this normal?” Facebook page “Do you want to be famous? I’ll make you famous return part 5.3” – comrades of citizen journalism in Thailand – publicised the video on Sunday. The passenger said they got in the taxi at…
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