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 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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UPDATE: Man dies during Thai massage
Relevant authorities are investigating a massage parlour where a client died during a massage. The Health Establishment Bureau director Dr Pattarapon Jungsomjatepaisal said they are checking the business. “We will check if it is operating with a proper licence and if its masseur or masseuse is certified.” He noted that the victim’s wife has not filed a complaint with police…
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Rap song, a reflection of Thai society – Survey
More than 51 percent of respondents in the latest Nida Poll said the song “Prathet Goo Me” (My Country Has These…) simply reflected some truths in Thai politics and society, according to results of the survey released yesterday. The song has been viewed more than 28 million times. Most people say that a controversial rap song, criticising Thailand, as a…
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Event round-up November 2018
by The Sponsorship Experts, Paul Poole (South East Asia) The month kicks off with the last Spartan Thailand race of the year, held in Hua Hin on 3 November. Participants can choose between two different courses, the 21km Spartan Beast race with more than 30 obstacles designed to really push people to their limits, and the 5km Spartan Sprint race…
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7/11 to add laundry and dry-cleaning
PHOTO: Spring News 7/11 are rolling out another new service in Bangkok from this week. You’ll be able to get a raspberry slurpie, hot toastie and drop off your laundry and dry cleaning at the same time. The 24 hour service is expected to expand to the rest of the country’s 7/11 stores in the middle of 2019. Netizens have…
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Thailand drops in English proficiency levels
English proficiency in Thailand is getting worse. The latest EF English Proficiency Index ranks Thailand in 64th place out of 88 countries, with an overall ranking of ‘low proficiency’. In 2017, Thailand ranked in 53rd place out of 80 countries and in 2011 Thailand was #42. The rating has been seesawing over the past six years but the trend has been…
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Thaiger Radio News – Sunday
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Some Thais finding it difficult to save
A survey commissioned by the Government Savings Bank has revealed that grassroots incomes in Thailand are too low for most Thais to make savings for the future. The survey indicates that people earning under 15,000 baht have a real struggle to survive. Only 32.2% made any saving at all. About 56% of that number put a little away each month. This…
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Rap raising debate in the lead up to February election
“As artists, we want to reflect the truth of the society we are living in under dictatorship,” a RAD member identified only as Hockhacker told The Nation Weekend. “Thailand seems to be caught in a loop of dictatorship. We want to voice what the majority cannot say directly. The lyrics were based on information we collected on social media, reflecting…
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Education Minister moves school tests to clear way for election
In another indication that the government is firming up the date of the next general election for February 24 next year, the Education Minister has formerly moved the date of the annual school and university-entrance aptitude tests back one week. The GAT/PAT (General Aptitude Test and Professional and Academic Aptitude Test) tests for pre-university students will be held one week…
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Army’s helicopters ‘much larger, included pilot training’
PHOTO: thaidefense-news “His information is inaccurate and he could be viewed as making unfair allegations against the Army.” An anti-graft activist came under attack from the military after he alleged that the Army had bought helicopters at inflated prices. Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution, earlier filed a petition with the Office of…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
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Poll restrictions to be relaxed in December
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has distanced himself from a claim by his deputy Somkid Jatusripitak that the next head of government would “look similar” to the current one. General Prawit Wongsuwan, another deputy premier, said Somkid had shared the same thoughts as “many of us” although he would not specify what he thought regarding the matter. General Prayut was…
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Thailand drops a notch in the ‘ease of doing business’ world ranking
The World Bank has declared that Thailand’s ranking in ease of doing business has dropped to 27th, one place down from last year’s 26th place. Thailand’s Ease of Doing Business (EODB) score, an absolute measure of the country’s progress toward global best practice, reached 78.45 this year, up from 77.39 last year. But some of the other countries above it…
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Thaiger Radio News – Thursday
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No more overstayers, no more corruption at Immigration – Hakparn
Put a big red circle around “October 31, 2018” on your calendar. It was the day it was announced that corrupt practices are over at the country’s immigration offices and the number of overstayers by the end of November in the Kingdom will be precisely “zero”. Thailand’s newly appointed immigration chief Maj-Gen Surachate Hakparn and deputy Immigration chief Gen Srivara…
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Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday
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Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday
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Backdown over “Prathet Ku Mee” anti-military rap
The government and authorities have veered away from a potential showdown with student activists and erred on the side of good politics with a back down on threats to press charges against the team behind the “Rap Against Dictatorship.” Read our weekend editorial about the matter HERE. The track’s YouTube views reached over 21 million (at the time of this…
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Tesco Lotus “We haven’t sacked 30-50% of our staff”
Matichon Online has posted a statement from Tesco Lotus following a series of viral posts claiming Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing stores. A similar story was posted on The Thaiger (below). The statement from Tesco Lotus says that the claims that “30%-50% of staffers have been laid off and 43 branches have been closed” are not true.…
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College student found dead in a bathroom in Nakhon Ratchasima
A third-year student of a technical college in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Mueang district has been found dead in a college bathroom today, according to police. The 20 year old male IT department student, was found lying face-down on the floor of the bathroom on the third floor of one of the college buildings. A doctor determined that he had died about…
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Government mobilizes a new war on drugs
South East Asian governments have declared various ‘wars on drugs’ over recent decades, most notably President Duterte and The Philippines (2016 – 2018) and Thailand’s former PM, Thaksin Shinawatra in 2003. Both of them have had questionable results with rights groups decrying the extrajudicial killings as trampling on basic human rights. In February 2003, the Thai government, under then Prime…
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The government gets a ‘rap’ on the knuckles
13 million views and still going strong. That’s 20% of the population of Thailand. Any pop group would be astonished, amazed and pleasantly surprised by such popularity of their video clip in such a short time. But in this case the clip is a subversive rap from ‘Rap Against Dictatorship’, a five minute rant against military rule in the Kingdom.…
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Viral posts claim Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing stores
A rumor, stating that Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing 43 branches around Thailand has gone viral in social media. Matichon Online reported yesterday that social message is saying that… “Tesco Lotus lay off staff around the country. What will they do next and can other staffer handle the pressure.” (Translated) Some people have commented saying…. “…my branch…
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Thaiger Radio News – Sunday
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Last weekend’s horror road toll – nearly 11,000 died so far in 2018
At least 10,794 people have lost their lives on Thailand’s roads this year. This tally, with only two months remaining, is a timely reminder of the danger that lurks on Thai roads from Dr Taejing Siripanich, secretary-general of the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation. Statistically, compared to last year, this is a drop in overall deaths on Thailand’s roads. But Taejing…
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Restoring faith to the national airline
On October 8, a Thai Airways 747-400, with only 115 onboard including the crew, skidded off the runway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The story and photos reached around the world placing the embattled airline in a position to explain the incident. There were no fatalities and all passengers were safely evacuated and went about their holidays. Since then the silence over…
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Two killed and nine injured in van and wild elephant collision
FILE PHOTO A van driver and a passenger have been killed and nine other passengers injured when their chartered van hit a wild elephant on a road in Chachoengsao’s Sanam Chaikhet district, near the Cambodian border, early today (Saturday). The large injured wild elephant fled into to the forest following the accident in Ban Huay Some village in Tambon Lard…
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Anti-military rap song tops iTunes Thailand downloads
An anti-military dictatorship rap song has topped Thailand’s download list on iTunes after police and the government threatened legal action against the Rap Against Dictatorship (RAD) group. The Prathet Goo Mee (My F…king Country’s Got…) went to the top of Thailand’s iTunes download list this morning to the cheers of RAD who posted a message to thank its fans. The…
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Judge delays sentencing in paedophile case
Jason Daron Mizner during his prison term in Thailand An Australian judge says she was left so shaken by reading out the list of paedophile’s crimes that she walked out of court to delay sentencing. She said she needed to remove emotion from the punishment she will hand out. Convicted child rapist Jason Daron Mizner was supposed to be sentenced…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
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