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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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, December 5
THAIGER TODAY. Tuesday, December 5. Tragic Pattaya road accidents prompts questions | Songkhla schools closed because of flooding | Wang Kee Aon waterfall re-opens in Patong | Fake bomb causes security alert at Myanmar Embassy | Toon meets the PM.
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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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Mega projects to shape Bangkok’s skyline – Thailand Tourism Forum 2018
The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) returns for its seventh annual edition on January 22, 2018, gathering more than 650 hotel industry professionals at the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok to discuss the mega-projects that are reshaping Bangkok’s cityscape. Running under the theme ‘Megacity Bangkok – A Tourism and Hotel Futurescape’, TTF 2018 will focus on the redevelopment of the thriving Thai capital.…
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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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Two civilians injured in Narathiwat bomb attack
Two civilians have been injured after Muslim insurgents detonated a homemade bomb to ambush a team of soldiers from a development corps in Narathiwat’s Joh I Rong district on this morning (November 30). The explosion occurred at 8.45am on Joh I Rong-Ban Yaning Road in Moo 2 village in Tambon Juab. The homemade bomb, assembled in a cooking gas cylinder,…
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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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Butt pic boys face jail sentence over ‘offensive’ Instagram posts
A couple of Americans who author the Instagram page “Travelling Butts” have been arrested at Don Mueang International Airport for having taken photos showing their backsides with the respected Temple of the Dawn in the background. Police have so far only identified the two as Joseph and Travis, as their identities have yet to be confirmed with the Bangkok Yai…
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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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Elephant kills mahout at Chiang Mai Zoo
A 32 year old male elephant fatally attacked its keeper at Chiang Mai Zoo yesterday morning, acting zoo director Wutthichai Moungman later confirmed. Senior mahout Somsak Riang-ngern died instantly. The attack at the elephant camp on the hill outside the display zone took place at 8am when the five-tonne Plai Ekkasit, which has apparently been in rut since Sunday, suddenly…
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Bali evacuates 100,000 and tourists stranded as island goes to red alert over volcano
If you were about to rush over to Bali for a bit of pre-Christmas island hopping, forget it. The airport in Denpasar is closed, people are being evacuated as a precaution and many travellers, already on the island, are stranded. Authorities on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali have raised the volcano alert to the highest level as Mount Agung…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 27
Military cadet family want answers | Thai Airways open new Vienna route | Floods in south while Petchaburi clears | Shocking road death statistics | Miss Universe Thailand into final five.
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Miss Universe Thailand gets into the Top Five. Miss South Africa wins.
Thai beauty queen Maria Poonlertlarp, who was selected as one of the final five contestants in the 66th Miss Universe 2017, smiled bravely through her disappointment as she watched Miss South Africa’s Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters crowned Miss Universe this morning (Bangkok time) at the Axis, Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas in the world’s biggest beauty pageant. Colombia’s Laura Gonzalez was first…
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NGO taking the government to court over food pesticides
More than 60 per cent of five popular vegetables sold in local markets contain excessive levels of harmful chemical residue, according to a testing by the Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN), a non-governmental organisation working on food safety. About 64 per cent of khana (Chinese kale), tua fak yao (long beans), prik daeng (red chili), bai kaprao (basil leaves) and…
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Van fatality in Saraburi – one dead and eight injured
PHOTO: Thai PBS A school teacher has been killed and eight others injured in yet another fatal passenger van crash. This time on Phahonyothin Road, Nong Khae in Saraburi late last night (November 24). Police say the fatal crash happened just before midnight. The van , believed to be from the Chaiyaphum province, was returning 10 Chaiyaphum teachers after a…
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Ten in, nine out, eight reassigned – Thai Cabinet reshuffle
His Majesty the King has endorsed the new Thai Cabinet after a reshuffle that saw 10 new faces, nine removed and eight members given new assignments. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha removed… General Tanasak Patimapragorn and Admiral Narong Pipatnasai as his deputies, as well Minister attached to Prime Minister’s Office Omsin Chivapruek, Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, Tourism and Sport…
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Two officers transferred over death of 18 year old cadet
The family blames injuries from punishment at school. The Army vows to conduct a transparent investigation Two senior military officers have been transferred out of the Thai Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS) in the wake of a scandal surrounding the death of a teenage cadet. Supreme Commander General Thanchaiyan Srisuwan yesterday ordered the transfers of Colonel Chatchai Duangrat and…
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Another van tragedy – 14 die after crash in Sing Buri
Thirteen Burmese workers and a Thai driver were killed when a chartered van burst into flames after it crashed into the rear of a truck in Sing Buri early yesterday. The bus was taking the workers from Tak back to Mahachai, police said. The victims’ bodies were taken to Bangkok’s Police General Hospital for identification. So far, only Thai driver…
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Phang Nga mother in court as suspected accomplice in Erawan Shrine bombing
Wanna Suansan, accused of facilitating the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing, appeared in Bangkok Military Court on Thursday morning to apply for her first 12-day detention period. She is one of 17 suspects in the bomb attack that killed 20 people and wounded 163 others. Wanna, 29, was taken into police custody at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Wednesday evening as she…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, November 21
Stabbings in Thalang and Phuket Town | US 7th Fleet Admiral and Thai PM attend Sail Past in Pattaya | 20 escape from Songkhla detention | ‘Spotlight Phuket’ dumps the dirt on Patong corruption | MRT Blue Line in BKK ditches passenger seats.
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, November 20
50th anniversary for ASEAN Navies in Pattaya | Police – get a haircut! | Laguna Phuket Triathlon | Two entertainment venues closed for five years | Boat Lagoon Weekend returns next month.
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The rich get richer, the poor get poorer
The poor are getting poorer, while the rich are getting richer due to the government’s policy approach to welfare and social enterprise, according to academics who presented at a seminar on civil state policy held at Thammasat University yesterday. Official statistics show a trend in which the rich tend to get more benefit from the government’s policies than the poor,…
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THAIGER TODAY Friday, November 17
Featuring a local Kathu school and their marching band. Political arties can start getting ready for registration | Whale sharks found of Koh Kong | Baht reaches nearly 33 Baht/US dollar | Toon going solo to catch up with his running schedule | DSI gives marching orders to Layan beach-encroachers.
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Taking a drone to Myanmar? Declare it at Customs, or else.
Using the many new ‘toy’ drones – many under 40,000 baht and capable of being flown by anyone and shooting 4K video – is becoming public enemy #1 for some of Asia’s less tolerant governments. In Thailand you now need to register your drone and get a license if you’re going to use it commercially. If you’re caught without the…
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