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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PM Paetongtarn explores UK, Monaco for Thai market expansion
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will visit the UK and Monaco tomorrow until Sunday, May 25, aiming to explore new market opportunities in food, sports, and tourism. Government spokesperson Jirayu Houngsub announced yesterday that the prime minister, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and other agencies, will leave for London this evening, with…
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Thailand bets big on rain with 1.17tn baht tourism push
Who says the rainy season is a travel killer? Thailand’s tourism chiefs are flipping the script with a bold new campaign aiming to turn soggy skies into serious cash, targeting a jaw-dropping 1.17 trillion baht in domestic tourism revenue in 2025. On Sunday, May 18, Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikarn Watthanachan announced the launch of 12 creative tourism campaigns under the…
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Thai man shot after knife rampage at Sakon Nakhon Police Station
A Thai man sustained three gunshot wounds after attempting to attack officers at a police station in the Isaan province of Sakon Nakhon yesterday, May 19. The suspect, identified as Wisit, was rushed from Ban Mueang Police Station to Phra Ajarn Mun Bhuridatto Hospital in Ban Muang District, Sakon Nakhon, following the shooting. No further updates on his condition were…
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Thailand video news | Thailand COVID-19 cases surge amid warnings of underreporting, Miss Grand International arrested in Vietnam
In today’s Thailand video news, Alex and Jay report major stories from across Thailand and Southeast Asia. Thailand battles a spike in COVID-19 cases, with experts warning of underreporting. In Trang, a father shocks the nation by kicking a child at a kindergarten. A violent fight erupts on Pattaya Beach between foreign tourists and transgender individuals. Rescue teams race to…
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Busted: Aussie caught with 22kg of crystal meth at Bangkok airport
An Australian man’s flight to freedom ended in handcuffs after he was caught trying to smuggle a staggering 22 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “Ice,” aboard a plane bound for Melbourne. The suspect, 28 year old Tran Huybao Khang, was arrested on Sunday, May 18, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport next to Thai Airways flight TG461. He was reportedly…
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Thailand postpones digital wallet scheme indefinitely
The Thai government indefinitely postponed the digital wallet programme, citing world economic issues and a new US tax policy as the reasons for the delay. The digital wallet scheme was a flagship campaign of the Pheu Thai Party and has been promoted since the General Election. The initiative is reported to be of the former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. The…
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Tragic shooting in Pattani claims lives of two volunteers
Two members of a volunteer protection unit died, and two others were injured in a shooting in Pattani province yesterday, May 19, at 5.30pm. The attack targeted five local volunteers running for exercise in Mueang Mai Kaen district’s Don Sai subdistrict. The assailants, dressed in hijabs to disguise themselves as Muslim women, arrived on motorcycles. Upon reaching the village’s main…
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Transwoman nicked after Pattaya Beach brawl with Israeli tourist
A Thai transwoman who fled the scene of a violent late-night brawl with an Israeli tourist has been arrested by Pattaya police. The suspect vanished shortly after chaos erupted on Pattaya Beach Road during the early hours, where at least five transgender women were caught on video attacking an Israeli tourist in a black T-shirt. The row reportedly kicked off…
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Dead tide: Mystery man washed up on Pattaya Beach
A chilling mystery is unfolding in Pattaya after the body of an unidentified man was found washed up on the sand late Sunday morning, just weeks after two similar tragedies struck Phuket. The victim, believed to be aged between 30 and 40, was discovered face down on Pattaya Beach opposite Soi 13, dressed in a black T-shirt with foreign writing…
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Tragic collision in Ayutthaya leaves one dead and another injured
A tragic collision occurred early this morning involving a speeding pickup truck crashing into a cement-carrying trailer, resulting in one fatality and one person critically injured in Ayutthaya. The trailer then lost control, crashing through a wall and damaging a spirit house shop at a petrol station. Police are investigating the true cause of the incident. Today, May 20, Police…
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Rescue volunteer shocked as foreigner trashes Pattaya booth
A shocked rescue volunteer in Pattaya is pleading for justice after a mystery foreigner allegedly smashed into his emergency booth, causing thousands of baht in damage, including wrecking a defibrillator. Thawin Siangkong, who works unpaid for the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Unit, reported the late-night break-in to Pattaya police in the early hours of today, May 20. Armed with CCTV footage…
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Search continues for Thai worker buried in landslide at MRT site
An operation is ongoing to locate a Thai construction worker who went missing following a landslide at the construction site of the MRT Orange Line on Lan Luang Road in Bangkok. The worker, 33 year old Sarawut “Dao” Chanthason, yesterday, May 19, fell into a 19-metre-deep hole that had been drilled for a foundation pile of the Lan Luang MRT…
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Ex-British air hostess busted in Sri Lanka over 67 million drug stash
An ex-British air hostess has been busted in Sri Lanka over a massive £1.5 million (66.5 million baht) cannabis haul, just days after another young Brit was arrested for a similar smuggling run from Thailand. Charlotte May Lee, from Coulsdon in South London, was arrested at Colombo Airport, Monday, May 12, after touching down on a flight from Bangkok. Customs…
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Intoxicated karaoke workers crash into barriers in Trat
Two karaoke bar workers collided with crash barriers while driving home from work, causing damage to 12 barriers. The incident, which occurred at 6am today, May 20, led to the driver admitting to drinking. The accident took place at the Khlong Yai intersection in Wang Krachae subdistrict, Mueang district, Trat province. Police Lieutenant Piyaorn Khamwan, an investigator from Mueang Trat…
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Runaway van slams into 4 taxis outside Phuket Airport
A chaotic crash unfolded outside Phuket International Airport’s international arrivals terminal yesterday afternoon when a van’s accelerator reportedly jammed, setting off a domino-effect collision involving four taxis. The incident happened around 12.50pm yesterday, May 19, right on the first-floor platform. Despite the heavy impact, no injuries were reported. Witnesses were left stunned as the Toyota Commuter van, bearing the distinctive…
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Thailand braces for heavy rain and flash floods warning
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued another warning for heavy rainfall across Thailand, urging residents to exercise caution due to potential flash floods and forest runoffs. The weather forecast for the next 24 hours indicates heavy showers in parts of north Thailand, northeast Thailand, central Thailand, including Bangkok and its vicinity, east Thailand, and the west coast of south Thailand.…
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Chon Buri monk caught with drugs after positive urine test
A monk in Chon Buri was defrocked and taken into custody after testing positive for drugs and admitting to using methamphetamine inside his temple accommodation. Today, May 19, officers from Huai Yai Police Station, led by Police Colonel Attapol Itthyophatsakul, along with the station’s investigation team, raided a temple in Khao Mai Kaew subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. The raid followed…
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Thai boy traumatised after being kicked by classmate’s father
A Thai father kicked a six year old boy in the head at a kindergarten in the southern province of Trang on Thursday, May 15, allegedly because the boy had played roughly with his child, which resulted in an injury. A Twitter account by the name of Mr.Hap shared a video of the physical assault on Saturday, May 17, although the…
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Argument turns deadly as nephew stabs uncle in Nakhon Ratchasima
An argument turned fatal in Nakhon Ratchasima this morning, May 19, when a 32 year old man fatally stabbed his uncle during a violent altercation following a heated argument. The incident occurred around 8.15am at a single-storey house in Ban Krabueang Noi, Phimai district. Police from Phimai Police Station responded to the scene after receiving a report from local patrol…
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2 Israeli men and Pattaya transwomen fight over sex service deposit
A group of Thai transwomen and two Israeli men are facing charges following a physical altercation over a deposit for a sex service at Pattaya Beach Road earlier today, May 19. The incident was caught on a viral video shared across Thai social media platforms. One of the foreign men was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, while the other…
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Landslide at Bangkok MRT construction site leaves 1 worker missing
A worker went missing in a landslide at a construction site for the MRT Orange Line on Lan Luang Road in Bangkok today, May 19. Renowned Thai journalist Anuwat Fuangthongdang reported the accident on his official Facebook page this afternoon. “Breaking news on May 19, at noon: a construction worker at the MRT station fell into a 19-metre-deep hole and was buried by…
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Ayutthaya high-speed rail plans raise UNESCO heritage concerns
Plans to build a high-speed rail station in Ayutthaya have sparked fears that the project could threaten the city’s World Heritage status. Ayutthaya Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, lies near the proposed site of the Ayutthaya station, part of the Thailand-Laos-China high-speed railway project. Concerns have been raised over potential visual and structural impacts on the…
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South Korean man cut on face by steel plate on Pattaya footpath
A South Korean man sustained a serious facial injury yesterday, May 18, in Pattaya, after he accidentally walked into a protruding piece of a galvanised steel plate on a footpath, illegally placed by a nearby construction site. Rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Thammasathan Foundation responded to the incident on a footpath along Pattaya Sai Sam Road at around 10.30pm. The…
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Thai Finance Ministry to ease debt relief criteria
The Thai Finance Ministry is considering easing debt relief criteria under the You Fight, We Help programme, allowing those with a single day of default to participate. Deputy Finance Minister Paophum Rojanasakul announced that discussions with the Bank of Thailand are ongoing to broaden the eligibility criteria. The proposed changes aim to expand the Pay On Time, Keep Asset measure,…
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Naked Russian man escapes hospital, causes chaos in Pattaya
A naked Russian man escaped from a hospital in Pattaya and caused chaos near Naklua Market just as the clocks struck midnight yesterday, May 18. Officers from Bang Lamung Police Station were called at 12.08am to apprehend the naked man, later identified as a Russian national aged between 30 and 40. He reportedly fled from a hospital near Naklua Market…
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Tragic collision on Rama 2 Road leaves one dead, one injured
A tragic accident occurred when a truck carrying cattle collided with the rear of an 18-wheeler truck transporting animal feed, resulting in one fatality and one critical injury. The incident took place around 6am today, May 19, on Rama 2 Road, Samut Sakhon province, as the victims were returning to Phetchaburi from buying cattle in northeast Thailand. Police Major Sukkrit…
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Claw machine crackdown in Thailand targets student routes
Police in Nakhon Si Thammarat seized dozens of claw machines placed near schools and tutoring centres this past Saturday, May 17, raising growing concern over the devices’ impact on children and their classification as gambling equipment under Thai law. The operation was led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Narakorn Ladchuay, acting Deputy Superintendent of Nakhon Si Thammarat City Police Station, in…
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Man arrested after decade on the run for machete attack
Police have apprehended a 69 year old man, Patipol, for allegedly attacking his sister with a machete in a severe inheritance dispute. The incident occurred nearly a decade ago in Chumphon province, and Patipol had since evaded capture by working as a fisherman in the sea near Chon Buri. The arrest was carried out on May 19 following the orders…
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Motorcyclist dies in truck crash in Bang Pakong
A tragic accident occurred when a 34 year old man crashed his motorcycle into the back of a truck in Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao province. The incident happened at 1am today, May 19, as Thanapon was riding his motorcycle near a department store on Bang Na-Trat Road. Upon arrival, Police Lieutenant Suriya Phumwat and rescue teams found Thanapon’s body lying…
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Pattaya app-based taxi rider punches Indian man for groping him
A male app-based motorcycle taxi rider repeatedly punched an Indian man outside a hotel in Pattaya last night, May 18, allegedly after the passenger had groped him during the ride. A security guard at a hotel on Soi Thep Prasit 17, in Bang Lamung district of Pattaya, called rescuers from the Sawang Borriboon Thammasathan Foundation to assist the injured Indian man,…
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