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 Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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Boeing says Asian region biggest growth area for aviation in next two decades
By Data Leads. PHOTO: Thai Airways Boeing 787 Asian countries are estimated to require 16,930 more airplanes by 2037, making the region the fastest growing aviation area in the world. Boeing’s annual forecast, the Commercial Market Outlook, reveals that the world fleet of jet planes would need 42, 370 new planes valued at US$6.3 trillion. The forecast predicts that the global…
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“Not for sale at any price” – Mu Pa Academy VP
In the wake of 13 of their young footballers being rescued from the Tham Luang caves, TNA reports that some of the world’s biggest football clubs are showing interest in actually buying the Mu Pa football academy. But the club’s vice president and manager Kittipong Intaechai says, despite the interest, his club is not for sale at any price. Mr…
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Elon Musk “should be put up against a wall and shot” – Mother of UK diver Unsworth
The UK ‘The Sun’ is reporting that the 88 year old mother of UK cave diver Vernon Unsworth says American tech billionaire Elon Musk should be shot for falsely branding her son a ‘pedo’. Musk twittered the insult towards the cave expert after Unsworth branded the tycoon’s offer to build a mini submarine to free the trapped Thai schoolboys a PR…
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Man ties up mother, abducts 18 year old daughter in Hua Hin
PHOTO: Thai Rath Thai Rath is reporting that Police have arrested a man who tied up a Hua Hin cleaner then abducted her daughter from a foreigner’s house. The incident happened last Tuesday in Hua Hin. The mother and daughter were working as cleaners for the house but were confronted at knife point by the intruder. The man is reported to…
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Singapore Airlines back on top. Thai Airways in 10th place.
PHOTO: Flyer Talk Singapore Airlines is back on top after a decade held out of the top airline position by middle-eastern competition. It’s their fourth win since the Skytrax World Airline awards started back in 2001. The island nation’s national carrier was named Airline of the Year at the 2018 Skytrax World Airline awards. Singapore Airlines was last top of the…
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Sangkhla Buri floods declared a disaster zone
Kanchanaburi Governor Jirasak Phumsawat has declared Sangkhla Buri a flood disaster zone to speed up help to affected villagers. The governor took the action after seven villages in Tambon Nong Lu and three villages in Tambon Laivo were hit by floods on Friday morning following heavy rains that hit 70 per cent of the district.The disaster-zone declaration allowed the provincial…
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The 21st century’s longest lunar eclipse next week
The moon is going to disappear for six hours next week in a mega lunar eclipse – the longest for the entire 21st century. In fact it will be this century’s longest lunar eclipse and will be able to be seen across Thailand on July 27-28 between 00.14-6.10 am. Thai PBS reports that the total phase of the eclipse –…
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Flooding ‘critical’ in Sangkhla Buri – Kanchanabui province
The flooding situation is now considered critical in the Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi province, situated on the Myanmar border, as Highway 323 is still about 1.2 metres under water, making it impassable to small vehicles. Thai PBS reports that the heavily-flooded Highway 323 has also made it difficult to deliver patients from Thong Pha Phum Hospital to Phahon Pholphayuhasena…
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Nong Khai woman hit by lightning – “Buddha amulet saved my life”
A woman in Nong Khai, right on the Laos border near Vientiane, claims the special power of her Buddha amulet helped her survive a lightning strike. The same lightning strike killed a worker. 50 year old Pornnipha Ratyothee says that she suffered a ‘mild burn’ on her neck when she was hit by lightning on July 12 and had to…
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More wind and rain predicted for the North and South
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning we still have some rain ahead, in the northern and southern ends of the country. They report that the active low-pressure system from tropical depression Son-tinh is still leading to torrential rain for the North and the North-east of Thailand. “People should beware of severe weather conditions and stay tuned for the weather forecast.…
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Cambodian couple demand Thai police probe
A Cambodian couple, engaged in a legal battle with relatives, yesterday filed a complaint against two Thai police officers in Bangkok. Baby-clothing exporter 43 year old Sing Thea and his wife Chean Kallyan say their previous accusation – that their relatives had embezzled 18 million baht – had been handled by the Thai officers in question. This had resulted in…
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Foreign tourism eclipses 20 million for first 6 months of 2018
Revenue from tourism up 15%. Tourist numbers up 12%, year-on-year. Could Thailand exceed 40 million tourists for 2018? Thai Visa reports the the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand reached 20 million in the first half of 2018. This represents an increase on the same period last year of 12%, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Tourism revenue…
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National: War on plastic bags – Thai environment minister
If you go to any Thai market or even stop off at a street store selling a refreshing Thai iced-coffee, you will know that you end up with plastic bags, plastic containers and plastic carry-bags for everything. Thai Rath is reporting that the Thai environment minister, General Surasak Kanjanarat, is declaring war on plastic bags in the Kingdom. The Thai…
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Chiang Rai: 26 injured in tour bus accident
File Photo Thai PBS is reporting that 25 French tourists plus one Thai guide have been injured after a tour bus overturned on a secondary road in Mae Lao district of Chiang Rai province yesterday (Tuesday). The road conditions were reported to be ‘poor’ at the time. Emergency responders report that most of the tourists sustained bruises and were discharged…
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Three dead in light aircraft crash in Khon Kaen
PHOTO: National News Bureau of Thailand A small privately-owned plane* has crashed in a field in Khon Kaen, north-east Thailand, this morning (July 18). Three people are reported dead. Chonnabot Police in Khon Kaen were notified of the incident from locals saying that a small aircraft crashed into a field and burst into flames in Baan Hooling in Chonnabot district at…
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Tesla investors demand apology from Musk over ‘pedo’ comment
PHOTO: Fortune London’s Evening Standard is reporting that Tesla investors are demanding an apology from Elon Musk after he branded a British cave diver who rescued children from a cave in Thailand a “pedo”. The billionaire business magnate’s Twitter post sparked a huge backlash from shareholders in his firm, who later hit out further at Mr Musk in an open…
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Ranong: Nine Pakistanis arrested for overstay on their way to Ranong
Ranong remains a popular visa run location for expats and tourists, a five hour drive north of Phuket. A 30 minute trip across the water to Myanmar and, bingo, new visa stamp. But Daily News is reporting that nine Pakistani nationals have been arrested in Ranong when trying a visa run last week. None of the men told Daily News…
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Rain forecast this week, just about everywhere
Northern and north-eastern parts of Thailand will get lots of rain this week with isolated heavy rain forecast for the North, the Northeast, the Central, the East and west coast of the South, including Phuket. This is today’s news out of the TMD (Thai Meteorological Department). They say there is a monsoonal trough lying across Myanmar, the upper North of Thailand…
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French tourist says money stolen on Bangkok-Koh Phangan bus
PHOTO: Bangkok-Koh Phangan bus A 23 year old French woman has filed an official complaint with the Surat Thani police. She claims that 350 euros in cash were stolen from her bag aboard a bus from Bangkok to Koh Phangan (part of the journey is a ferry trip to the island). ‘Nadia’ filed the complaint at the Muang Surat Thani…
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Death sentence handed down on southern insurgent
File photo Thai PBS is reporting that a Muslim militant has been sentenced to death for his involvement in three violent incidents. The incidents took place around Pattani province where seven people were killed and eight others injured. Speaking to the media yesterday, Col Thanawee Suwannarat, from the Region 4 Internal Security Operations Command, identified the militant as Ibrohem Sungaibaru. In…
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Thailand says “thank you”
The Thai Government is thanking the world for the international efforts to rescue the Mu Pa football team and their coach after being trapped in the Tham Luang caves. The show of gratitude is a 30-second TV spot which started airing on CNN International over the weekend. It starts with the smartphone video of the young survivors the moment they…
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Unhinged Elon Musk calls cave rescuer a ‘pedo’
A bizarre tirade of Twitter posts from Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk over the weekend has angered netizens. The genius CEO behind several of America’s most high-profile tech companies Tweeted to his 22 million social media followers on Sunday an unfounded and disparaging claim about an expert caver who criticized a miniature submarine he made. According to CNN, Musk called…
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Chumpon: Policeman shot dead by pick-up driver
The Nation is reporting that a policeman was shot dead in Chumphon province last night after the driver of the car he was in apparently angered a truck driver by cutting in front of him. The shooting occurred at about 11.30pm at the Pathomporn Intersection in Muang district. Police Cpl Phayungsak Maidee, from the province’s narcotics suppression subdivision, was shot…
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Chiang Mai: Spanish man arrested in Lampang over UK cocaine bust
Heavily armed drug suppression police have arrested a 36 year old Spanish citizen at a noodle shop in Lampang in northern Thailand at the weekend. A warrant for the arrest of Spaniard Francesco Jesus Gutierrez Marcos was issued in Thailand last Friday following representation from UK authorities and an official extradition request. Marcos is alleged to be a member of…
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Four cavers are stateless – “won’t get any special treatment”
“I understand that society hopes the rescued boys get citizenship. But we have to comply with the law,” Mae Sai district chief Somsak Khanakham said. The chief says that Thai citizenship shall be granted based on the law and there will be no exemptions, even for four of the footballers rescued from the cave. He spoke after news reports said…
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Chiang Mai: Governor visits 74 year old rape victim
PHOTO: Chiang Mai City Life Chiang Mai’s Governor, Supachai Iamsuwan, visited the elderly sexual assault victim from earlier this week. Read the story HERE. The new governor, along with officials from the Office in Social Development and Human Security, visited 74 year old Sudjai Sukhamton at her home. Social Development and Human Security say they will be following the Governor’s…
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Wild Boars to head home this Thursday
The Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn visited the young footballers at the Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital this morning (Saturday) after their rescue from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province as the world watched. The 12 Mu Pa Academy footballers and their coach are to be discharged from hospital next Thursday, Dr Piyasakol announced. Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol…
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Fresh winds and high seas – TMD issues weather warning
The Meteorological Department (TMD) is warning that people across the country should brace for intense rains, with heavy rains in some parts of the northern, northeastern, central, eastern and southern regions which may result in flash floods, from today until July 19. Until Jul 19, waves in the Andaman Sea are expected to be 2-3 metres high due to strong…
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Pattaya: Crackdown on street racers nets 203 arrests
Nearly 200 motorbikes and as many people have been arrested in a crackdown on racing in areas around Pattaya. Regional police arrested more than 200 people for racing or selling parts for modified motorcycles in a province-wide sweep. Police announced that 186 motorcycles had been seized and 203 people arrested at a news conference at Bali Hai Pier. Police say the coordinated…
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Koh Phangan: Woman arrested as she gets off ferry with 320,000 baht of ‘ice’
Police in Koh Phangan have arrested a Thai woman after a tip off, as she was getting off the Don Sak ferry when it arrived at Koh Phangan. She was found with two condoms full of crystal methamphetamine stuffed into her vagina. The drugs weighed 104 grams and had an estimated street value around 320,000 baht. According to Sanook, she told…
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