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 Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Here’s your health checklist before the move
Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Thailand is a popular choice for retirees because of its beautiful landscapes, warm climate, and affordable living. Cities like Chiang Mai and coastal areas offer a relaxed lifestyle with friendly communities. The country also...
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Phu Kradueng cable car set for 2027 completion amid eco concerns
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports confirmed plans to introduce a cable car at Phu Kradueng National Park by 2027, a project initially proposed over 40 years ago. The cable car will accommodate up to 5,000 visitors daily, a limit set by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to mitigate environmental impact. The project has faced prolonged…
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Patong card game bust: 4 arrested in secret gambling raid
A not-so-secret card game ended in handcuffs when police raided a small shop in Patong, arresting four people allegedly caught gambling illegally. The dramatic bust took place in Soi Kebsup, at the southern end of the island’s party capital, following an investigation into what officers described as a “covert gambling network” operating under the radar of Patong’s bustling nightlife scene. Patong…
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Teen girl arrested for orchestrating online sex trade in Bangkok
A 15 year old girl has been apprehended for allegedly orchestrating an online sex trade, involving peers for up to 5,000 baht per engagement while pocketing commissions of 2,000 to 3,000 baht. Police coordinated the arrest after the suspect confessed to repeated involvement. Today, May 22, Police Major General Songklod Krikkritya directed Police Colonel Korkiet Wutjamnong and his team to…
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PTT to cut costs amid US tariffs and oil price drop
National oil and gas company PTT Plc is preparing to tackle US tariffs and a decline in global oil prices by cutting costs and enhancing operational efficiency to improve profitability. The company is also facing challenges in the petrochemical and oil refining sectors. PTT’s strategy includes three initiatives: Axis to reduce spending, D1 to foster asset synergy within the PTT…
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‘Little Moscow’ boom: Russians fuel Phuket property frenzy
Phuket’s luxury property scene is getting a flashy new address—“Little Moscow.” Tucked in the serene north of the island, Nai Thon Beach is rapidly transforming into Thailand’s next ultra-luxe real estate hotspot, fuelled by foreign money, especially from Russian buyers escaping war and winter. The sleepy seaside village, nestled within Sirinat National Park and just minutes from Phuket International Airport, is…
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2 Chinese men arrested in 5 billion Bangkok hotel money laundering
Police arrested two Chinese men at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in connection with a money laundering operation involving the purchase of a hotel in Bangkok for 5 billion baht. One of the suspects, a Chinese man named Yin Qian Ying, who is currently detained at Bangkok Remand Prison, authorised a former police officer, Kittinan Aksornsom, to file a complaint against another…
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Eight foreigners detained for illegal street food sales in Bangkok
Eight foreigners, consisting of one Turkish national and seven from Myanmar, were detained for illegally selling street food on Khao San Road and Rambuttri Road in Bangkok. The operation was a collaboration between Immigration Division 1 and Chanasongkram Police Station. This initiative aimed to address the issue of foreigners working without proper authorisation in Bangkok’s major tourist areas. The focus…
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Body of foreign man found floating near Nui Beach, Phuket
The body of a tattooed foreign man has been found floating in the sea off Phuket’s Nui Beach, marking yet another tragic case of tourists meeting their end in the island’s waters. Karon Police were alerted to the grim discovery at around 3.20pm yesterday, May 21, after beachgoers spotted a body drifting offshore. Lifeguards responded quickly, using a speedboat to…
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Thai ghost comedy makes Cannes history
A possessed vacuum cleaner, a grief-stricken husband, and a ghostly wife have just swept Thai cinema into the global spotlight. A Useful Ghost, a bizarre yet moving political horror-comedy directed by Ratchapoon Boonbunchachoke, has made history as the first-ever Thai film to win the Grand Prix at Critics’ Week, a parallel section of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The independently produced…
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Bangkok police arrest notorious motorcycle theft gang
Siam Boonsom, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, and senior police officials, successfully apprehended a motorcycle theft gang in Bangkok. The suspects, 45 year old Somsak, known as Ood, and 40 year old Ting Ko Ko Oo, yesterday, May 21, were caught in possession of four motorcycles and numerous spare parts in Soi Lat Phrao 119, Khlong Chan, Bang Kapi district. The investigation…
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Vape and cig racket busted at Pattaya weed shop
A cannabis shop on Pattaya Beach Road has been exposed as a front for selling illegal vapes and foreign cigarettes, with cops seizing hundreds of illicit products in a dramatic police raid. Officers from Pattaya Police, in collaboration with the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), swooped on the Dr Weed cannabis store in the heart of the popular resort town, uncovering…
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Teacher dies in Nonthaburi motorcycle accident
A tragic accident led to the death of a 30 year old teacher in Nonthaburi province. The victim, Jamaree Choomueang, lost control of her motorcycle on Chaiyapruek Road, resulting in a fatal crash. Police are reviewing CCTV footage to determine the cause. At 12.30am, today, May 22, officers from Chaiyapruek Police Station, along with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation team, responded to…
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Overturned truck causes crude oil spill on Bangkok road
A sleepy trucker turned a Bangkok expressway into a hazardous oil slick early this morning after dozing off behind the wheel and flipping his 18-wheeler. The incident unfolded at 1.20am today, May 22, on the Kanchanaphisek Road, near kilometre marker 52+900 in Prawet district, as the 18-wheel trailer truck veered into the central reservation and overturned, spilling over 30 tonnes…
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Officer’s tragic shooting leaves woman critical in Phitsanulok
A Border Patrol officer fatally shot himself and critically injured a woman during a confrontation over a personal matter in Mueang district, Phitsanulok province. Police were alerted to the incident, which took place today, May 21, at 4.45pm, in a house in the Tha Thong subdistrict. Doctor Rakthin Bamrungsri, an investigative officer from the Mueang Phitsanulok Police Station, led a…
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Russian woman busted in Phuket sex sting in tourist crackdown
A late-night sting in Phuket ended with the arrest of a young Russian woman accused of selling sex at a luxury villa, just as Thai police ramp up efforts to clean up crimes affecting tourism. Tourist Police confirmed the 25 year old woman, whose name has not been released, was arrested around midnight on Tuesday, May 20, at a private…
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Motorcyclist dies in Chon Buri crash involving pickup truck
A 43 year old man died yesterday in a motorcycle accident involving a big bike and a pickup truck. The incident yesterday, May 21, at 9pm, occurred near the entrance of Wat Santikham in Nong Pla Lai subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri province. Emergency services and police from Bang Lamung Police Station were dispatched to the scene, where a…
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Koh Pha Ngan bus driver steals Romanian tourist’s credit card
Police yesterday, May 21, arrested a Thai coach bus driver for stealing a credit card from a Romanian tourist and using the card to fraudulently withdraw 280,000 baht. The Romanian victim, Cristina, sought assistance from the Surat Thani Provincial Immigration Bureau after discovering that her credit card had gone missing. The foreign woman suspected that she lost her card during…
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Thailand video news | Bangkok ranked among world’s top tourist scam hotspots, Cambodian PM asserts citizens enjoy full freedoms
In Thailand video news, Alex highlights major developments across Thailand and Southeast Asia. Bangkok ranks among the world’s top tourist scam hotspots, while Chiang Mai and Koh Phangan see visa and tour operator crackdowns. The Royal Thai Navy intercepts illegal fishing boats near Phuket, and Pattaya’s restaurant sector teeters on collapse. Meanwhile, Korat Zoo welcomes Thailand’s first Aldabra tortoise hatchlings.…
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No sex on the beach: Cops go nuts for ‘coconut tree’ sex workers
More than 50 alleged sex workers were rounded up along Pattaya Beach last night in a dramatic police sweep, just over a week after furious residents branded previous crackdowns a “PR stunt.” Officers stormed the beachfront at 9.06pm, yesterday, May 21, in a coordinated operation aimed at flushing out the illegal trade tarnishing the city’s tourist image. The move came…
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Ranger surrenders after shooting colleague in Pattani
A ranger has surrendered after shooting a colleague from the 4215th Ranger Company, part of the 42nd Ranger Task Force, in Panare district, Pattani province. The incident occurred around 10pm yesterday, May 21, when a water pump malfunction prompted the soldiers to inspect it outside their base. Before leaving the base to inspect the pump, Pongdet Nananuksuk and Sarawut Kaewjanarit…
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Foreign tourist flees angry mob after violating Krabi national park rules
A viral video has emerged showing a foreign tourist fleeing from angry Thai men after he violated rules at a national park in the southern province of Krabi. It is also alleged the foreigner behaved disrespectfully towards park rangers. The Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park Facebook page issued a statement addressing the incident after a video of the…
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High spirits: Russian tourist leaps to death fleeing ‘ghost’ in Pattaya
A Russian tourist high on marijuana plunged to his death from a Pattaya condo after telling a security guard he was being hunted by a murderous ghost with “bulging eyes.” The 27 year old man, named only as Mikhail, had been smoking heavily when he became convinced a phantom was trying to murder him. He ran frantically around the building…
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Thailand mandates medical certificates for cannabis use
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin announced that cannabis users in Thailand will soon need medical certificates to ensure the plant is used for medical purposes only. This decision marks another step in the ongoing process of regulating cannabis use since its decriminalisation nearly three years ago. Somsak stated his intention to refine cannabis regulations in Thailand, highlighting that both foreign…
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Thailand education fund aims to return 55,000 dropouts to school
The Equitable Education Fund (EEF) is intensifying its efforts to reintegrate at least 55,000 school dropouts back into the educational system through flexible learning models by the 2025 academic year. EEF assistant manager Pattanapong Sukmadan explained that the initiative seeks to make education accessible “anywhere, with income and accreditation,” offering customised learning experiences tailored to individual needs and local contexts.…
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New endangered tree species discovered in South Thailand
A rare tree species has been discovered deep in the wetlands of South Thailand, yet it’s already fighting for survival. Thai researchers have uncovered a brand-new species of tree in Surat Thani province, in what’s being hailed as a major botanical breakthrough. Dubbed “Tharathum,” a poetic blend of the Thai words for water (thara) and tree (tham), the plant was discovered growing…
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Island horror: Man arrested in nurse’s tragic Koh Samui murder
Police arrested a man on suspicion of murdering a nurse at her welfare accommodation on the island of Koh Samui, in the southern province of Surat Thani. The man is believed to be a neighbour of the victim. The 36 year old nurse, Aunchuree “Nook” Wongmueang, failed to report for work yesterday, May 21, prompting her colleagues to visit her…
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Shocked! Cambodian man’s fishing trip ends with charged farewell
A Cambodian man died from electrocution while fishing, with attempts by friends to revive him using sand proving fruitless. The incident occurred at 10.30pm on May 21 near Wat Laem Pradu in Phanat Nikhom district, Chon Buri province. Rescue services and medical personnel from Phanat Nikhom Hospital, along with local police, responded to the scene. Upon arrival, they found 32…
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Thai bank workers in baht-tle: Dodgy staff ‘cashed in’ on scam
Three Thai bank workers have been cuffed after allegedly helping a Chinese-run scam gang launder a jaw-dropping 2.2 billion baht, through a web of fake accounts. The dodgy trio, who worked at a branch in Pattaya, are accused of turning a blind eye while 15 Chinese nationals, all posing as tourists, opened bank accounts and swiftly drained millions in cash…
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Dopey striker’s 27 million baht own goal in cannabis smuggle sting
A former Arsenal wonderkid has admitted his part in a plot to smuggle £600,000 (26.4 million baht) worth of cannabis from Thailand to Britain, after luring his girlfriend and her pal into playing unwitting drug mules. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, was nicked after 60 kilogrammes of cannabis was found stuffed inside four suitcases that had just landed at London Stansted Airport from…
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Heavy rainfall forecast for 46 Thai provinces including Bangkok
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) has forecasted heavy rainfall for 46 provinces, including Bangkok, covering 60% of the area today, May 22. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected in the eastern and western southern regions, including Bangkok and its vicinity. Residents in these areas are advised to be cautious due to the ongoing southwest monsoon over the Andaman Sea, Thailand,…
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