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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai industry ministry shuts down toxic waste site in Chachoengsao
The Ministry of Industry, led by minister Ekanat Promphan, is preparing to shut down Kumpan Thong Industry Company, a site linked to toxic waste in Phanom Sarakham district, Chachoengsao province. The company allegedly distributed contaminated soil to locals for landfills and operated a factory without proper authorisation since late May. The ministry’s task force, dubbed Team Sudsoi, in collaboration with…
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King cobra stops car in Phayao, leaving woman terrified
A woman had a terrifying near-“hiss” with a giant king cobra on a rural road in the northern province of Phayao, leaving her shaken but unharmed. The incident occurred yesterday, June 4, between Ban Wang Bong and Ban Huai Son, when the 3-metre-long snake appeared out of nowhere, forcing her to slam on the brakes and narrowly avoid a collision.…
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Thai drug lord extradited after fleeing with 7.9 million meth pills
A major drug dealer from Sakon Nakhon has been extradited to Thailand after being apprehended in Laos, where he had fled following the seizure of 7.9 million methamphetamine pills. The suspect had evaded capture for three years before being returned yesterday, June 4, at 1.30pm via the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint in Nakhon Phanom province. The return of…
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Thai teachers demand MoU cancellation over alcohol discounts
Thai educators are up in arms over a controversial deal between a state agency and a beer company, launching a petition to cancel the agreement. The backlash is centred on concerns that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Office of the Welfare Promotion Commission for Teachers and Educational Personnel (OTEP) and Tawandang German Brewery undermines teacher integrity and sets…
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Thailand seeks 12m baht over coral reef damage by cargo ship
Thailand is pursuing compensation of at least 12 million baht after a Myanmar cargo ship, the MV Ayar Linn, ran aground on a coral reef in Mu Koh Surin National Park, Phang Nga, causing significant environmental damage. On June 1, the vessel was discovered lodged on a coral reef in Ao Jak Bay, according to Athapol Charoenshunsa, Director General of…
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Buriram dentist leaves needle in patient’s gum, sparking black magic fear
A forgetful dentist in the Isaan province of Buriram left a needle embedded in a female patient’s gum 15 years ago, sparking panic over suspected black magic. The 49 year old woman, Rungnapha Thaingyotha, shared on Facebook that she unexpectedly discovered a piece of steel in her gum near her lower left molar. She experienced pain in the area for…
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Transgender arrested for selling explicit content in Chiang Mai
Police yesterday arrested a transgender person accused of creating fraudulent online profiles to sell explicit content on Twitter. The arrest of Metinee, also known as Kantong, followed complaints from victims who discovered their Facebook profile pictures were used without consent. Police Colonel Kritthaphon Yisakorn led the operation, which involved the Police Cyber Task Force of Region 5 and the regional…
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Lop Buri road crash leaves woman with broken leg
A young woman has suffered horrific injuries, including a broken leg, after her motorcycle toppled due to poor road conditions and non-functioning streetlights in Lop Buri province. The accident, which occurred on a stretch of the Chai Nat-Pa Sak irrigation canal road, has highlighted a growing problem in the area that locals are desperate to see addressed. The incident took…
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Mechanic’s test drive ends in crash after sedan cuts off car
A test drive of a customer’s car by a mechanic and an intern ended in an accident when the vehicle overturned after being cut off by a sedan. The collision, which occurred yesterday, June 4, outside the Sisaket Provincial Land Office in Mueang district, involved a white Mitsubishi Pajero and a municipal garbage truck. Three people were injured, including the…
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Nonthaburi handbag fight leads to stabbing and arrest
A seemingly harmless handbag purchase sparked a violent altercation, with a man tracking down his rival to stab him after a chaotic scene at a shopping centre. The incident unfolded on March 21 at a shopping mall in Bang Yai, Nonthaburi, where a fight broke out over the purchase of a popular brand-name handbag. A queue-jumping argument quickly escalated into…
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Gay Thai man found dead in Surin with gold accessories missing
Police are searching for a suspect after a gay Thai man was found dead with a stab wound at his home in the Isaan province of Surin yesterday, and multiple gold accessories were reported missing. A 20 year old rescue worker was the first person to discover the lifeless body of the 63 year old LGBTQIA+ man, Pratheep Kongthawee. He…
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No room for vroom: Phuket police fine foreign tourists in fancy rides
Phuket police earned praise online after ticketing a convoy of foreign supercar owners who brazenly parked in a no-go zone, proving that in Thailand, the rules apply whether you’re in a tuk tuk or a Lamborghini. The crackdown came after jaw-dropping photos of high-end motors, including several bearing foreign plates, lined up along red-and-white curbs outside a swanky restaurant in…
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Thailand plans new casino laws to combat money laundering
Thailand is set to implement measures to record and monitor financial transactions of casino visitors to combat money laundering, as the government aims to gain support for a bill to legalise gambling venues within new integrated resorts. The country plans to enforce responsible gaming regulations, which include prohibitions on casino advertising and barring those considered “financial risks” from entry, explained…
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Woman caught with grenade after fleeing Loei police checkpoint
A 39 year old woman was apprehended after fleeing a police checkpoint on a motorcycle. She was found with an MK2 grenade, also known as a pineapple grenade, hidden in grass at her house, claiming it was for self-defence. Yesterday, June 4, paramilitary rangers from Task Force 2102 of the 21st Ranger Regiment were conducting a checkpoint at Phra Metta…
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Thai woman killed after biting cousin’s tongue to escape rape attempt
A Thai woman in the central province of Nakhon Pathom died in a brutal throat slitting incident after allegedly attempting to escape a rape attempt by her drug-addicted cousin by biting his tongue. The suspect denied the allegations. Apisit, a relative of the victim, discovered the lifeless body of 47 year old Naphattaon in her bedroom on the second floor of…
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Gunman in delivery uniform kills two in Pathum Thani shooting
A gunman dressed as a delivery rider opened fire on a group of drinkers, leaving two dead, and later pursued victims to a hospital, continuing his attack. The incident occurred around 10.25pm yesterday, June 4, at Soi Rong Pui YVP, outside house number 129/15, in Mueang Rangsit subdistrict, Lat Lum Kaeo district, Pathum Thani province. Friends of the injured initially…
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Nakhon Pathom police reshuffle after illegal nightclub raid
The chief of Nakhon Pathom Provincial Police ordered the transfer of five officers from Kamphaeng Saen Police Station following a raid that uncovered an illegal nightclub operating without a permit, drugs, and underage patrons. On June 1, at around 1am, a special operations team from the Department of Provincial Administration inspected Rad Zone Chill Kamphaeng Saen, revealing its lack of…
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Thailand’s meth crisis sparks mental health fears
Thailand is battling a full-blown methamphetamine (meth) epidemic, with 1.5 million users nationwide and hundreds of thousands suffering serious mental health effects, according to bombshell new research unveiled this week. The data, released by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), paints a grim picture of widespread meth use and the severe impact it’s having on Thai society, particularly among youth. During a…
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Thai PM Paetongtarn clashes with journalist over Cambodia border dispute
Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra clashed with a journalist during an interview yesterday, June 4, regarding the ongoing conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. A military clash between Thailand and Cambodia was reported on May 28 in the Chong Bok area of the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani. The clash began at approximately 5.30am and ended at 5.55am on the same day.…
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Fare game: Bangkok taxi driver fined for booting out passenger
A Bangkok taxi driver has been fined and had his licence suspended after dumping a passenger mid-ride for refusing to pay an expressway toll, an incident that’s reignited calls for stricter oversight of the capital’s cabbies. The drama unfolded on May 26, around 4.24pm, in Yaowarat, when a passenger was allegedly forced out of a moving taxi after declining to…
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70 officials implicated in Bangkok building collusion scandal
Approximately 70 government officials have been implicated in a collusion scandal involving the ill-fated State Audit Office (SAO) building in Bangkok, as revealed by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI). This group includes both former and current SAO executives, as well as members from 10 committees associated with the building’s design, construction, and inspection, according to statements made by DSI…
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Family in Prachin Buri alarmed by snake invasion
A family in Prachin Buri was alarmed when a group of snakes invaded their home, coiling together in the rafters. Yesterday, June 4, at 7pm, the Sajja Phuttham Dharma Foundation rescue unit and the Sra Bua Police Station were called to house number 242, Moo 1, Lat Takian subdistrict, Kabin Buri district. Upon arrival, they discovered five unidentified green snakes…
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Danish man’s Thai-mare: Missing dad feared caught in honeytrap
A Danish man has mysteriously vanished in southern Thailand after meeting a much younger woman he’d connected with online, sparking fears he’s fallen victim to an extortion plot. Brian Dilling Pedersen was last heard from on May 28 after a string of increasingly disturbing messages and a chilling final call in which he whispered, “I am afraid; they are many;…
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Elderly woman leaps to safety after snake scare in Roi Et (video)
An elderly woman in Roi Et shocked her neighbours – and the Internet – by pulling off a move worthy of an action film after spotting a slithering intruder beneath a house. Kan Kong Suthiprapa, an 80 year old grandmother from Don Hat village in Selaphum district, was sitting on the steps of a neighbour’s house yesterday, June 4, when a…
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Syphilis surge grips Phuket as tourism booms again
A shocking surge in syphilis cases has hit Phuket, with infections now reported in all three districts of the island province. Health officials are sounding the alarm as the rise coincides with the post-pandemic rebound in tourism and a return to riskier sexual behaviour. “Youths remain a high-risk group, but syphilis can affect people of all genders and ages who engage in…
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When it rains, it pours: Deluge to soak 34 Thai provinces
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) forecasted continued heavy rainfall across Thailand, identifying 34 provinces that will be particularly affected. Residents in the southwestern region are advised to remain cautious due to the ongoing weather conditions. The weather forecast for the next 24 hours indicates persistent thunderstorms and heavy rainfall in some areas. This is attributed to a moderate southwesterly monsoon…
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Legal briefs, stolen wires: Pattaya burglars ransack judge’s home
A pair of bumbling burglars have been nicked after breaking into a retired judge’s holiday home in Pattaya, clueless they’d targeted a top legal eagle. Two suspects were cuffed yesterday, June 4, after a dramatic police sting in Chon Buri’s Nongprue subdistrict, following a bold daylight burglary at the private residence of an 83 year old former deputy chief judge…
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Emirates lands a double delight with new SE Asia flights
Emirates is turning up the heat in Southeast Asia with the launch of two brand-new routes, to Vietnam’s coastal gem Da Nang and Cambodia’s cultural heartland, Siem Reap, both flying via Bangkok. The Dubai-based airline kicked off the Da Nang route on June 2, followed by Siem Reap on June 3, pushing its regional network to 23 destinations. Both flights will…
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Singaporean businessman caught at airport over 5 million baht VAT fraud
A Singaporean businessman was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi International Airport while attempting to flee to his home country. He faced allegations of evading value-added tax (VAT), resulting in a 5 million baht loss to the state. Today, June 4, Police Major General Thathapoom Charupraphan directed Police Colonel Naruephon Karuna and Police Captain Noppakhun Thatnamalai to arrest 71 year old Liu David…
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Class act! Posh parents splash out as international schools boom
Thailand’s international school sector is booming and it’s the well-heeled who are fuelling the fire. With tuition at top-tier institutions topping a whopping 1.1 million baht a year, it’s clear that wealthy families, corporate high-flyers, and expat professionals are queuing up for a classroom seat with a global edge. Auramon Supthaweethum, head of the Department of Business Development (DBD), named international…
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