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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Deputy PM now has to explain seven multi-million baht watches
It never rains but it pours for Deputy PM and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan. While he has yet to clarify his possession of a seemingly multimillion-baht watch, social media users have raised questions about seven other watches he is seen wearing at recent events. The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), which is investigating the premier’s respected senior aide, yesterday said…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, December 14
Prawit’s been caught wearing another seven watches | The Army will release it’s report into dead cadet today | Patong Mayor says the 10% zones aren’t being ‘expanded’ | PM dances with the red shirts in Kalasin | Hemp crops will be legal from January 1, but… All brought to you by Phuket’s 102.75 FM, The Thaiger.
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Royal Crematorium exhibition continues to draw huge crowds
More than 3 million visitors have attended the exhibition at the Royal Crematorium of HM the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej since it opened on November 2, Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said on Wednesday. A total of 3,005,206 visitors reportedly visited the site from its opening until Tuesday. Visitors to the site, which will remain open for public viewing until the…
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UPDATE: Alleged Laos money smuggling – 98 million baht
Suspecting that the two Lao men arrested on Tuesday trying to cross the border into Laos from Nong Khai with more than 98 million baht in undeclared Thai banknotes might be part of a larger criminal undertaking, Thai Customs officials plan to discuss the matter with their Lao counterparts. Nong Khai Customs chief Nimit Saeng-ampai said on Wednesday the suspects’…
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Australian and Thai arrested over alleged smuggling of huge batch of crystal meth
Police have arrested an Australian man – believed to be a member of the Hells Angels gang in Pattaya – and his Thai female accomplice over an alleged attempt to smuggle a large batch of crystal methamphetamine into Thailand. Assets worth 30 million baht have been seized from the couple, senior police told a press conference in Bangkok on Tuesday.…
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Thailand ranks #1 for road deaths on World Atlas website. Dash-cams proposed as solution.
With Thailand unofficially acknowledged as having the highest fatality rate in road accidents worldwide, road safety advocates and police are backing a proposal that would see as many as 80 per cent of cars equipped with dashboard cameras and carrying “Photo in Car” stickers to discourage violations. Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation secretary-general Dr Taejing Siripanich said Thailand last month ranked…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, December 12
Thailand hits the World Number One spot for road deaths | Change.org calls for Prawit to ‘step down’ | The world’s tallest pagoda burns down | Toon, down with a cold, is back on track today | EU resumes political relations with Thailand | ‘Butt boys’ back home in San Diego.
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‘Butt Boys’ released from jail. Heading home to US.
Two American men who were arrested in Thailand for posting naked photos to Instagram have reportedly been released from jail and are heading home to San Diego. 38 year old Joseph Dasilva and his 36 year old husband Travis Dasilva were arrested at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport last month after images posted to their ‘Travelling Butts’ Instagram account showed…
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Military committee summons forensic team to testify over cadet’s death
A fact-finding committee set up by the Supreme Command will invite representatives of the Central Institute of Forensic Science to testify on the autopsy results of a cadet who died at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School [AFAPS]. ACM Chawarat Marungruang, chairman of the fact-finding, was speaking to journalists after unconfirmed reports about the autopsy were widely shared. According to…
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Autopsy confirms cadet killed by physical assault
The Central Institute of Forensic Science has found that a cadet of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School [AFAPS] was killed by a physical assault. Phakhapong “Meay” Tanyakan, a first-year student of the AFAPS, died on October 17. The school and Phra Mongkutklao Hospital stated in his initial death certificate, and in the hospital autopsy report, that he died of…
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How much would you pay to get your dog groomed? 2800 baht?!
The husky seems to be the only one with a smile on his face. A Facebook Live post by a 32 year old Chachoengsao man complaining about “Thailand’s most expensive dog bathing fee of 2,800 baht” for his Siberian Husky has become a hot topic attracting more than 10,000 comments, nearly 400,000 views and 5,000 shares in 10 hours after…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, December 8
Prawit’s been given 30 days to ‘please explain’ | Flood crisis in Nakhon Si Thammarat | Last night’s island downpour | Australian couple in hospital with mounting bills following bike accident | 50,000 SIM cards seized on the Cambodian border.
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No Michelin Three Star restaurants in Bangkok
The inaugural Michelin Guide Bangkok on Wednesday announced 14 one-starred and three two-starred restaurants at its debut at Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. No restaurant was awarded the ultimate accolade of three stars. Making its debut at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok on Wednesday, the first edition of the Michelin Guide Bangkok announced the 14 restaurants that have been awarded one…
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62 year old jailed over Phra Mongkutklao Hospital bomb attack
PHOTO: Early responders race to the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital following the explosion – The Nation The Criminal Court has convicted a former Electricity Generating of Thailand engineer for launching a bomb attack inside the Phra Mongkutklao Hospital in May. He’s been sentenced to 27 years in jail. Story of the bombing HERE. The court found 62 year old Watana Phummaret guilty…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, December 6
THAIGER TODAY. Wednesday, December 6. Heat on the Deputy PM to explain his expensive watch | Pattaya driver tests positive to drugs | Floods starting to abate | 2 missing after Nakhon Si Thammarat bus gets swept away | Big drug hauls in BKK and Songkhla.
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Positive drug test – awaiting confirmation of epilepsy claim
A man who claims he suffered an epileptic seizure that caused him to lose control of his car and kill two people and injure 15 others in Pattaya on Monday, was under the influence of drugs at the time, police said yesterday. 44 year old Akkaradej Udomrat will face an additional charge of driving while under the influence after police…
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Pattaya driver that killed two claims epileptic fit – call for ban on epileptic drivers
A tragic accident yesterday morning in Pattaya is again focussing the public’s attention on a call for the Land Transport Department to ban people with epilepsy from driving. The crash occurred when a 44 year old self-described epileptic patient lost control of his pickup truck in Chon Buri’s Pattaya City, causing it to plough into 10 motorcycles, killing two people…
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Don says he knows nothing about Yingluck British passport
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai has denied a report of unknown origin that Britain had granted fugitive ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra a passport. Don said before Monday’s Cabinet meeting that his ministry had no such information and that the British Embassy had not informed the Thai government of any such action. “I don’t want to speculate on or anticipate anything,” he said.…
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Social media blowback in Myanmar for Pope. Meanwhile international aid dries up for refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border.
PHOTO: Voice of America Pope Francis’s embrace of the Rohingya during a trip to Bangladesh has sparked some angry comment on social media in Myanmar, where just days earlier he chose not to publicly air their plight. On Friday the head of the Catholic church met a group of refugees from Myanmar’s stateless Muslim minority in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.…
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Jail, plus a fine, for taking alcohol into national parks
Tourists risk a jail term plus a fine if they step into national parks with alcohol beverages. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s director-general Thanya Netithammakun yesterday warned tourists to stay alcohol-free inside national parks. “Offenders are liable to one month in jail and/or a maximum fine of ]1,000 Baht,” he said. Thanya said he had instructed all…
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Viral video exposes an alleged call-centre scam
A viral video clip has prompted police to track down the man whose bank account is apparently used by a fraudulent call centre. Investigators from the Muang Lampang Police Station on Friday headed to the house of 37 year old Poonsawat Khamphira to question him over his role in the alleged scam. “I was paid 1,000 Baht to open this…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, December 1
Weather watch – more rain on the way | Government says it hasn’t made a final decision on Thepa | Exports and tourism stats are up | World AIDS Day – Thailand still has challenges | Forensic report on dead cadet unfinished | Explosion in Narathiwat injures two.
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SPIA Asia raise $5,000 for Thai CSR project by AFC Dream Asia Foundation
Mr. Eric M. Gottschalk, CEO of MMC Sportz Marketing LLC, organiser of SPIA Asia – Sports Industry Awards & Conference (left) presenting USD5,000 (approx. 160,000THB) to Dr. Annadurai Ranganathan from the AFC Dream Asia Foundation. Asia’s premier sports conference and awards platform, SPIA Asia – Asia’s Sports Industry Awards & Conference, recently concluded in Bangkok with a black-tie Awards Gala Dinner at…
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Miss Pinky Promise debuts to help reconcile the nation, or scare children.
With the Government keen to find a winning strategy to help heal deep political wounds, you’d wonder why they’ve unveiled this creepy costume character to come to their aid. “Nong Kiew Koy”, or “Miss Pinky Promise”, has become an overnight social media sensation after being introduced at the Defence Ministry as a “mascot for reconciliation”. Netizens have not been kind…
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Thailand’s Boat Show Season is Here
By Duncan Worthington For a country that has such stunning cruising grounds as Thailand, it’s no surprise there are boat shows to support and promote the marine industry, however, three boat shows within 13 weeks is a bit of a stretch. Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show kicked off the season and was held November 23 – 26 at Ocean Maria…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, November 30
Bali airport re-opens to clear back-log | Government opens its budget pockets | Songkhla protesters released on bail | Army checks for Phuket beach-rules compliance | HM The King grants extension to viewing time at Royal Crematorium | Cheap jet for sale.
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Songkhla floods destroy road – car falls into hole
Floodwaters damaged part of a four-lane road in Songkhla’s Thepha district, leading to a car plunging into a hole in the pavement. The driver was not injured in the accident on the southern-bound Highway No 43 in Tambon Sakom at 4am. The two remaining lanes of the northern-bound road were divided to accommodate southern-bound traffic pending road repairs. Songkhla Governor…
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Bull elephant warning in Kanchanaburi
Tourists have been warned about wild elephants in a forest plantation in Kanchanaburi province, particularly a male that has been nicknamed “Nga Lek, the bully”. “Nga Lek” translates as “short tusk”. Sadet Hui-oun, chief of Thong Pha Phum Forest Plantation, which covers about 20,000 rai (3,200 hectares) in Thong Pha Phum district, said there were about 60 to 70 elephants…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, November 29
Prayut’s not-so-good trip to Songkhla | Thai tourists getting assistance from Bali Consulate with Mt Agung gurgling | Super Moon on the way | Phuket FC says a sad farewell | Chao Praya boat captain has a bad day. And today & tomorrow’s weather.
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 28
Patong venue operators urge authorities to extend opening hours | Bali airport still closed | Surin Beach vendors want a ‘management’ plan | Phuket’s King’s Cup announces dates | Gulf coast of Southern Thailand flooding.
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