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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    How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip

    Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...

  • Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back to 30 days

    Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back to 30 days

    Thailand’s 45-day visa exemption is back down to 30 days for visitors to the kingdom from a list of around 60 countries. Starting from April 1 (yesterday), visitors from mainland Europe, the UK, the US, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and other countries will only be granted a 30-day stay in Thailand if they choose to enter the country without obtaining a…

  • Chiang Mai national park fire kills firefighting volunteer

    Chiang Mai national park fire kills firefighting volunteer

    A forest fire at a Chiang Mai national park tragically killed a firefighting volunteer on Friday. The volunteer, 39 year old Wichai Thimakham from Mae Rim district, was found dead in Khun Khan National Park. His death was apparently due to suffocation, Thai PBS reported. The acting director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Atthaphon Charoenchansa, said Wichai…

  • 4,500 daily bus trips coming up during Thailand’s Songkran holidays

    4,500 daily bus trips coming up during Thailand’s Songkran holidays

    Travel lovers can look forward to 4,500 daily bus trips during Thailand’s Songkran holidays. The Transport Company announced that it will be operating 4,500 daily trips on state-owned and private buses and vans during the Songkran holidays. The company will carry people from Bangkok back to other provinces. The Songkran Festival, which takes place from April 13 to 15, is…

  • Uptick in prosecutions against Asian foreign workers in Thailand

    Uptick in prosecutions against Asian foreign workers in Thailand

    Thailand has seen an uptick in prosecutions of Asian foreign workers for illegal employment in the country, according to a report by the Department of Employment (DoE). The report covered the period from October 2022 to March 2023. The report revealed that 685 employment venues were prosecuted and a total of 1,550 people prosecuted. The majority of people prosecuted were…

  • Life on the road as a stand-up comedian ft. Rich Shultis | Thaiger Podcast EP.29

    Life on the road as a stand-up comedian ft. Rich Shultis | Thaiger Podcast EP.29

    https://youtu.be/cPyLW6QLQyI Rich Shultis Starting stand-up at a relatively advanced age, Rich Shultis quickly became a regular at NYC comedy clubs due to his vast life experience, hard work, professionalism and most importantly, his outrageously funny material. Rich now performs at clubs and venues throughout the United States as well as internationally, leaving the audience in stitches and wanting more. Rich…

  • Thailand releases Pad Kaprow flavoured condoms | Thaiger News Weekly

    Thailand releases Pad Kaprow flavoured condoms | Thaiger News Weekly

    https://youtu.be/-g1l0g_tbFM In Thailand, police officers have been charged with large–scale corruption and face lengthy prison sentences. The officers allegedly accepted bribes from a construction company to help them win a bid to build 163 five–storey flats worth 3.7 billion baht. The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Case initially handed down life sentences to the officers, but due to…

  • World’s most visited Van Gogh Alive exhibition comes to Bangkok

    World’s most visited Van Gogh Alive exhibition comes to Bangkok

    Van Gogh Alive, the most visited exhibition in the world, is now open at the Chao Phraya riverside shopping mall, ICONSIAM, in Bangkok from today until July 31. Yesterday (March 30) marked the birthday of the world-renowned impressionist artist, Vincent Van Gogh, who spent ten years crafting artworks that went on to influence some of the most influential figures in…

  • Trump plans to ‘make America great again,’ after he faces 30 charges of business fraud

    Trump plans to ‘make America great again,’ after he faces 30 charges of business fraud

    In a historical first, former US President Donald Trump is facing over 30 charges related to business fraud from a Manhattan grand jury. Trump’s response was “witch hunt” and to “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” According to two sources familiar with the case, Trump is set to appear in court on Tuesday to answer to these charges. The indictment has been…

  • Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

    Thai monk throws money from the sky to celebrate his birthday (video)

    A Thai Buddhist monk ascended into the air on a crane and threw 150,000 baht cash to attendees of his birthday party at a temple in Surin province in northeast Thailand on Tuesday. To celebrate his 46th birthday and 24th year in the monkhood, Phra Khru Phot Suwannarat – aka Luang Phor Kaen – hired a crane to hoist him…

  • Horny Thai man fined 200 baht for having sex in public under Bangkok bridge

    Horny Thai man fined 200 baht for having sex in public under Bangkok bridge

    A horny Thai man was fined 200 baht after being caught on a video having sex with his 20 year old girlfriend near a public park under the Bhumibol Bridge 2 in Bangkok yesterday. A witness, 65 year old Tawee, recorded the lustful couple having sex near the Bhumibol Bridge’s foundation pillar and shared the video on social media yesterday…

  • UNESCO recognises performance style from South Thailand

    UNESCO recognises performance style from South Thailand

    UNESCO has recognised a unique performance style from South Thailand. The organisation’s Facebook page posted a cover photo of a Nora performer, with the caption, “We are #LivingHeritage.” Nora has deep cultural and social significance for southern Thais. It is known for its unique style of singing and dancing. Nora performers are known for their signature long, curled metal fingernail…

  • Tragic end to love affair: Thai man commits suicide after murdering girlfriend

    Tragic end to love affair: Thai man commits suicide after murdering girlfriend

    A Thai man allegedly murdered his girlfriend and hid her body inside a sauna tent in their shared house in the central province of Nakhon Pathom before committing suicide. Investigating officers from Mueang Nakhon Pathom Police Station arrived at the Nakhon Pathom Hospital at 4pm on Wednesday, March 29 and identified the deceased as 29 year old Kiattichai Wichaita. He…

  • Chinese Christians seeking asylum in Thailand fear repercussions if they’re deported to China

    Chinese Christians seeking asylum in Thailand fear repercussions if they’re deported to China

    Members of a Chinese Christian church seeking asylum in Thailand fear they will be jailed if they are deported back to China. Thai immigration officials yesterday detained 63 members of the Mayflower Church, a Chinese Christian church seeking asylum in Thailand. The group, including men, women, and children, had been attempting to relocate to the United States since August of…

  • Phuket rescuers find body of man who jumped from bridge

    Phuket rescuers find body of man who jumped from bridge

    Phuket rescuers on Wednesday found the body of a man who jumped from the Thep Krasattri Bridge. Kusoldharm rescuers recovered the body, and the man’s wife confirmed that the body was her husband’s. The rescuers found the body floating about 1 kilometre away from the bridge, The Phuket Express reported. The names of the man and the wife were being…

  • Take a Thai history trip on a cute Japanese train

    Take a Thai history trip on a cute Japanese train

    The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has organised a rail travel tourism programme under the concept of “retrace history,” serviced by cute KIHA 183 passenger trains recently donated by Japan, according to an announcement by government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri. The SRT has arranged the following programme in April to give tourists a new, educational experience and insight into Thailand’s history…

  • Hacker threatens to publish data of 55 million Thai citizens

    Hacker threatens to publish data of 55 million Thai citizens

    A hacker, who goes by the pseudonym of 9Near, threatened to publicly release the personal data of 55 million Thai citizens unless the government contacts the cyberpunk by April 5. 9Near announced on the dark website BreachForums that he had stolen the personal data of 55 million Thai citizens from a government department and was going to sell them. The…

  • British expat dies from allergic reaction to bee sting in Phuket

    British expat dies from allergic reaction to bee sting in Phuket

    A 69 year old British man died from a severe allergic reaction to a single bee sting yesterday in Phuket, southern Thailand, reports KhaoSod. Volunteers from Rawai Rescue Unit rushed to a house in Soi Kit Prasarn 1 in Rawai district after they were informed that a foreigner was in critical condition after being stung by a bee. Upon arrival,…

  • Thai police officers face lengthy prison spell after large-scale corruption

    Thai police officers face lengthy prison spell after large-scale corruption

    Some of Thailand’s most notorious police officers face time in prison due to charges of large–scale corruption. Eight police allegedly took advantage of their positions of power to assist PCC Development and Construction in winning a bid to build 163 five–storey flats worth 3.7 billion baht. The accused included Pol. Lt. Gen. Theerayut Kittiwat, Pol. Maj. Gen. Satja Khachahiran, Pol.…

  • WMP slams Bangkok Gov’s ban on sexy dresses at Songkran Festival

    WMP slams Bangkok Gov’s ban on sexy dresses at Songkran Festival

    The Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation (WMP) criticized Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt over his recent Songkran Festival policy which bans women from wearing sexy dresses. The WMP believes the policy is victim-blaming and protects sexual offenders. Chadchart announced the policy for the Songkran Festival in Bangkok on Monday, March 27 after a meeting with his team. The team has banned…

  • Studio Ghibli co-founder accused of spending company funds on Thai girlfriend

    Studio Ghibli co-founder accused of spending company funds on Thai girlfriend

    Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki is caught up in a scandal after being accused of spending the Japanese animation studio’s money on his Thai girlfriend “Kanyada,” who he has been seeing since 2013. The current president of the company, Koji Hoshino, said he is retiring from the company at the end of June due to Suzuki’s misappropriation of company funds…

  • Australian arrested over Phuket restaurant brawl

    Australian arrested over Phuket restaurant brawl

    UPDATE Police arrested an Australian man for his involvement in the brawl that broke out between foreign staff and foreign customers at Atlas Restaurant in the Patong area of Phuket in southern Thailand early on Monday morning, reports the Phuket Express. Police arrested 34 year old “Karen” of Australian nationality who admitted to starting the fight by throwing a bottle at the…

  • Woman exposes mother’s alleged abuse toward a bedridden patient

    Woman exposes mother’s alleged abuse toward a bedridden patient

    A woman who exposed her mother’s alleged abusive actions toward a bedridden patient on social media suffered repercussions. The patient may have got help from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, or M-Society, but she was evicted by her mother despite being seven months pregnant. Pinyaphat revealed the story of her mother and her bedridden cousin on Tuesday,…

  • Rare display of Bryde’s whales wows tourists in Andaman Sea

    Rare display of Bryde’s whales wows tourists in Andaman Sea

    Tourists enjoying a boat trip yesterday were treated to a rare display of a pair of Bryde’s whales showing off in the Andaman Sea off Phang Na province. According to Lertsak Ponklin, the president of Phang Nga Tourism Business Association, the two giant sea mammals were spotted frolicking in the Similan Islands National Park. The tourists aboard the Wow Andaman…

  • Shake Shack opens for business in Thailand

    Shake Shack opens for business in Thailand

    World-famous New York burger joint Shake Shack opened its flagship Thailand store at CentralWorld in Bangkok at 10.30am today. The first 500 customers at the store this morning were given handcrafted bamboo Shake Shack fans woven by a community enterprise in Ayutthaya, ready for the summer season. The restaurant’s menu offers American classics like burgers, hot dogs, chicken, fries and also…

  • Hong Kong Airlines to launch direct flights to Phuket

    Hong Kong Airlines to launch direct flights to Phuket

    Low-cost carrier Hong Kong Airlines will launch a direct flight to Phuket in southern Thailand, starting June 16, 2023. An Airbus A320 will service the direct Hong Kong – Phuket route four times per week to meet rising demand as tourists return to Thailand in full force. The outbound flight will depart from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) at 8.20pm…

  • MP and former officer among 18 suspects accused of cheating in police exam

    MP and former officer among 18 suspects accused of cheating in police exam

    Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) made a major breakthrough in the police entrance exam cheating case by arresting 17 out of 18 suspects. A Member of Parliament (MP) from Palang Pracharath Party, a future MP candidate from Move Forward Party, and a former police senior sergeant major who is now on the run, were among the 18 suspects. Yesterday,…

  • ‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture

    ‘Water Festival 2023’ promotes traditional Thai culture

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) announced plans to promote traditional Thai culture with a series of events for Songkran under the “Water Festival 2023” banner in four regions between April 13 and 16. The event is a collaborative effort between TAT, Thai Beverage Public Co Ltd (ThaiBev), and several other partners, including the Culture Ministry, the Royal Thai Navy,…

  • Body of loan shark found in Thailand river, 7 baht of gold jewellery missing

    Body of loan shark found in Thailand river, 7 baht of gold jewellery missing

    The body of a Thai woman missing for three days was recovered from a river in Chumphon province in southern Thailand yesterday. The gold jewellery she usually wears, worth 220,000 baht, was missing. The deceased – 32 year old Chadathip – ran a loan business and never returned from an appointment she made to chase money from a debtor on…

  • Thai police officer arrested for using car stolen from Malaysia

    Thai police officer arrested for using car stolen from Malaysia

    Officers arrested a senior police sergeant major for using a car stolen from Malaysia yesterday at the suspect’s condominium in Bangkok. Officers from the Vehicle Theft Suppression Centre of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) and Bang Khan Police Station arrested the 50 year old police senior sergeant, Aisoon, at his condominium in the Bang Khan district yesterday. The stolen car,…

  • Thai woman loses 100,000 baht to online dating scammer

    Thai woman loses 100,000 baht to online dating scammer

    A 42 year old Thai woman warned others about the danger of online dating scams after she lost valuables worth 100,000 baht to a man she met on social media on Tuesday. The victim, Natthamon reached out to Channel 3 urging the media to spread her story to warn other people searching for a partner through online dating applications or…