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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Anutin aims to clarify cannabis reform bill, not recriminalise it
Critics say that the current cannabis laws have led to a raft of abuse of the plant, but Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul insists that no proof has been shown of any improper use. He fought back against the call to reclassify specific parts of the cannabis plant as an illegal narcotic. Decriminalisation did not include a lot of…
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Generous driver sticks free snacks & masks to his pickup
A pickup driver in the northern province of Chiang Rai was praised by Thai TikTok users after he taped snacks and face masks on his car for people to take for free. The video of the white pickup decorated with face masks and packs of snacks was posted last Friday, September 16, by a Thai TikToker, wetchayany. The headline caption…
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4 taxi drivers fined for overcharging and refusing service
Tourist police arrested four taxi drivers in Bangkok after discovering they refused to offer a service to passengers and charged overinflated fares without using the metre system. Not only Thai passengers are being refused by Bangkok taxi drivers but tourists face the same issue. They too are ripped off and refused by drivers. Tourist Police Bureau of Thailand spokesperson Apichart…
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Bangkok thief breaks jaw in fall after stealing 2 amulets
A light-fingered Thai thief tried to feign amnesia after he was caught robbing two valuable amulets from a market stall in Bangkok. The thief, Alongkot Tanthien, grabbed the trinkets from a market on the third floor of the SC Plaza market yesterday at the Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal before making his escape. He didn’t get far. The 34 year old…
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Thailand’s eerie aeroplane graveyard spooks Bangkok residents
The scattered remains of several gutted aeroplanes are believed to be spooking residents living nearby an aircraft graveyard in Bangkok. US photographer Dax Ward recently visited the site on Ramkhamhaeng Road in Bangkok and made known the spot has an eerie feel to it while taking snaps of the abandoned aircraft believed to be worth over 3 trillion baht. The…
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POLL: Nepotism and favours get promotions, but so does hard work
A new poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) found that many government officials thought that nepotism and favours are common in job promotions, but still believe other factors are far more important. The survey found that over 50% believed that promotions were given to the family or friends of those in power, while 73.28% believed it occurred…
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Thai ambassador to London will attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
The Ambassador of the UK Embassy of Thailand in London, Pisanu Suvanajata, will be the kingdom’s representative at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II today. After allowing mourners to pay respect for four days at Westminster Hall, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth will be transported to the nearby Westminster Abbey at about 10.35am today, London time, 5.35pm Thai time. Yesterday,…
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Moon landing: can the space industry revive the Thai economy?
The National Innovation Agency urged citizens to understand that the solution to saving the struggling economy may not be found in Thailand, but on the moon. The agency revealed a new launch pad on Friday for the space industry to use in shuttle missions such as a lunar orbit that Thailand has been dreaming of and striving for in recent…
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Ask the Thais – What is ‘greng jai’?, Thai way of greeting, mask-wearing in Thailand
What is ‘greng jai’?, The Thai way of greeting, mask-wearing in Thailand Ask The Thais is a show where we ask our Thai friends their opinions and thoughts regarding the cultural differences between Thailand and the west. We also discuss their ideas on current affairs in Thailand. In this episode we discuss the topic of ‘greng jai’, how…
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Tour bus incentive by TAT hoped to spur domestic tourism
In their latest effort at pumping up domestic tourism numbers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is teaming up with bus operators to send out convoys of coaches around the country. The TAT hopes commissioning over 500 tour buses will not only put to work bus drivers and other associated workers but also spur interest for Thai people to hop…
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Anutin on cannabis: Going backwards is not an option
After a cannabis bill aimed at moving the decriminalisation away from recreational use and defining it for medicinal purposes only was shot down this week in the House of Representatives, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul insists that criminalising the drug again is out of the question. Anutin is the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party who had originally pushed for…
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Shrines preparing for Phuket’s upcoming vegetarian festival
Phuket‘s annual vegetarian festival is right around the corner, coming up on September 26 to October 4. Now, city workers and volunteers are helping Chinese shrines prepare for the festival. Yesterday, teams helped scrub the forecourts of the main shrines participating in the celebration, including the Pud Jor and Jui Tui shrines in the main city district. Phuket’s Vice Governor…
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Hundreds of Phuket public school students receive scholarships
Students at a public school in Phuket are being given more educational opportunities. With funding through various charities and foundations, 418 scholarships were given to students at Satree Phuket School yesterday. The total amount of scholarship money provided added up to almost 1.5 million baht. The president of the foundation organising the scholarships spoke at a ceremony in the school’s…
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Campaigns for the next election can officially begin Sep 24
Election season is upon us! On September 24, the current term for the House of Representatives will have exactly 180 days left which means the campaigning can officially begin for the next general election. The Election Commission made the announcement yesterday, opening the door for political parties and hopeful candidates to begin their push to be elected. The rules are…
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Greek man collapses and dies in Pattaya hotel
A Greek man collapsed and died on Thursday night in a Pattaya hotel in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district. Hotel security said the man, 54 year old Konstantinos, had appeared to be drunk when he came to sit down on a couch in the lobby. They said he had tried to get back up, but he then collapsed to the floor…
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Eager customers line up for iPhone 14 in Bangkok
Eager customers are crowding Bangkok’s two Apple stores for the new iPhone 14. Since yesterday, tech enthusiasts have been lining up at the stores in Iconsiam, and Central World. Other IT retail shops have also been boosted by iPhone customers. The chief executive of Copperwired said that its pre-booking quotas for the iPhone 14 ran out faster than those of…
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Nok Air suspends new domestic route in Thailand after just six weeks
Nok Air has temporarily suspended all Chiang Mai – Korat flights just six weeks after the route’s inaugural flight on August 2. The suspended route was the only commercial flight going in and out of Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima Airport, which is now a ghost town and at risk of closing again. The service had high potential, linking the capital of…
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Superstitious Thais queue for days to see famous fortune teller
Dozens of superstitious Thai people come from all over the kingdom and queue for several days just to get their fortune told at a temple in Chiang Mai. They all seek the wisdom of 52 year old Tui, or Sattaphat, a monk at the Tung Yu Temple in Chiang Mai. Tui became famous on Thai social media after hundreds of…
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Tomb raiders dig up mass grave in search of winning lottery numbers in Thailand
At 4am today, a gang of money-hungry lottery fanatics dug up a mass grave, for people with no relatives, at a cemetery in Mueang district in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. The group were searching for the winning numbers of today’s national lottery draw, as evidenced by the incense and equipment used in lottery rituals found strewn around the scene.…
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“Furious” stray dogs anesthetised after chasing Phuket tourists
Three furious stray dogs were anesthetised this week after they chased tourists and residents in Phuket, according to the Phuket City Municipality. The municipality said the dogs had been chasing people near the Toh Sae Hill Public Park in the main city district. The municipality noted that the dogs were not harmed when they were caught. The municipality alerted the…
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Thai woman ‘clicks one link’ and loses 40 years of savings in terrifying tax scam
A 63 year old woman from Trang province in southern Thailand says she “clicked one link” on Tuesday morning and lost her life savings of 1.5 million baht in the blink of an eye. Nis went from having millions in her bank account – which she saved up by selling pork at a market for 40 years – to just…
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Thailand’s baht weakens against US dollar
Thailand’s baht has weakened against the US dollar this year. On Wednesday, the conversion rate was 36.73 baht per dollar, having been weakened by 8.8% this year. The baht hit its lowest point in 15 years in July, when the rate was 36.945 baht per dollar. The US dollar has gotten stronger due to a drop in many countries’ foreign…
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DDC reveals Thailand recorded its eighth monkeypox case
Thailand recorded yet another monkeypox case today the Department of Disease Control Department (DDC) revealed. It takes the kingdom’s total cases up to eight. DDC Director General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong reported the latest case is a 23 year old Thai man who returned to Thailand from Qatar this week. Dr Opas revealed the Thai man had developed the usual monkeypox…
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Siam Paragon Bangkok International Fashion Week 2022 (BIFW2022) to be held at Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery
Press Release Siam Paragon, a ‘World Class Fashion Destination,’ is the initiator of Siam Paragon Bangkok International Fashion Week, which has long been a key driving force of the Thai fashion industry. This year, the world-class fashion showcase Siam Paragon Bangkok International Fashion Week 2022 (BIFW2022) will feature a grand presentation from over 15 top-notch Thai fashion houses and new…
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Queen Elizabeth II’s interpreter during royal visit to Thailand turns 101 years old
Yesterday, a glamorous 101 year old lady in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, reflected on her experience of interpreting for Queen Elizabeth II during Her Majesty’s visit to Thailand 50 years ago. Srithong Ariwong is pictured in a red outfit alongside Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip in the northern province of Chiang Mai on February 14, 1972. Queen…
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4 suspects involved in schoolboy shooting, motive is unclear
UPDATE: 4 suspects involved in a school shooting, the motive is unclear The police investigation into the shooting of a teenage boy at Wat Lad Pla Dook School uncovered four suspects involved in the incident. Last night, the Superintendent of the Bang Bua Thong Police Station, Pruet Jamroonsart, underlined that the computers at the school were safe to use and…
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US man arrested for trafficking fentanyl into Thailand
A man from the United States has been arrested for trafficking fentanyl – an opioid deadlier than heroin – and other illicit drugs into Thailand. Police also arrested a Thai woman in connection with the case. It is the first time Thailand has made arrests for fentanyl trafficking, according to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB). In a…
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Electric vehicles may need long-term solar power plan
As popularity rises with electric vehicles (EVs), future charging options may include solar power. Long-term planning is being pushed by Delta Electronics (Thailand) Plc., as a result of the need to ensure adequate power supplies. One idea is that of using microgrids at charging stations. The electronics manufacturer is suggesting that each charging facility should act as a microgrid that…
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Woman gets death penalty for poisoning kids
A Thai woman was handed the death sentence after being found guilty of poisoning her two children and garnering donations by posting their sickness on social media. Nattiwan Rakkunjet, 29 years old, was charged with one count of murder with prosecutors recommending the death penalty. Nattiwan adopted one of her two children at the age of four in 2015. But,…
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Teen accidentally shoots friend dead in a school near Bangkok
A 15 year old schoolboy was accidentally shot dead by his friend at a school in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok. The friend tried to conceal the truth by claiming his friend’s desktop computer exploded and killed him. The incident happened at 1.30pm today inside the Wat Lad Pla Dook School’s computer room in the Bang Bua Thong district of Nonthaburi.…
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