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 Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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5 security guards on drugs arrested for robbing army residence
Five security guards were arrested yesterday after they robbed an army residence in Bangkok. The thieves stole four lightning rods worth 200,000 baht but only received 16,000 baht for the stolen goods. The group also tested positive for drugs. A soldier in charge of the security of army condominiums, inside the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters in the Don Mueng district…
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Thai-Scottish man swims 30 kilometres to and from an island in southern Thailand
A half-Thai half-Scottish man made headlines in Thai media this weekend after swimming 30 kilometres from Ao Nang beach in Krabi province, southern Thailand, to Poda Island and back again. The 26 year old “merman,” Siranat, swam from Thailand’s West coast to Poda Island and back on Saturday. He said it took over six hours in total. Siranat posted pictures…
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Thai man cooks and eats wild snapping turtle that bit his finger
Yesterday, a Thai man attempted to capture a wild snapping turtle from a river in Kanchanaburi province in western Thailand. The feisty turtle bit the man’s middle finger and wouldn’t let go, causing a serious injury. When the injured man returned from the hospital, he cooked and ate the turtle for dinner. Rescue workers rushed to Tha Maka district yesterday…
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Murderer surrenders after stabbing wrong man in Phuket
A murderer surrendered to police after stabbing a man to death in front of a grocery store in Phuket on Saturday. The killer claimed that he stabbed the wrong person, thinking that the man he murdered was his enemy. The alleged murderer, 35 year old Pannawit, stabbed 49 year old Charoen Panngen on Saturday morning in front of a shopping…
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The history of Thailand’s lottery
Almost all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand with one exception – the country’s lottery. The bi-monthly lottery draw has brought great fortunes to many people. The next draw is tomorrow, and you might be interested to learn some fun facts about its history. The lottery first began in 1874 on King Chulalongkorn’s birthday. The king had given the…
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Anti-graft agency to seize Joe Ferrari estate
Former chief of police Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon will have his assets seized after he was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for having riches beyond his pay grade. The NACC found Ferrari guilty of “being unusually rich” and proposed his estate worth 1 billion baht would be confiscated, reported Bangkok Post. The NACC will forward its finding to…
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US in Asia: President Biden to ASEAN meeting, VP Harris to APEC
Top US officials are set to visit Southeast Asia, with US President Joe Biden joining the ASEAN summit in Cambodia next month, and Vice President Kamala Harris heading to Bangkok for an APEC meeting. The White House has now confirmed that Biden will join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for their meeting on November 12 and 13. Harris…
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Thailand hits 7 million international tourists
Thailand’s tourism has hit another milestone. As of October 26, the kingdom witnessed 7,349,843 international tourists arriving, surpassing the 7 million mark. It’s put the country within its goal range set by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) of 7 to 10 million visitors for 2022. The TAT announced that over 7 million tourists have arrived since January 1 in…
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Is Prayut quiet due to humbleness or unpopularity?
Is it his humbleness and humility, and his dedication to helping the people of Thailand? Or perhaps it’s because polls show that he is trailing other candidates in next year’s prime minister race. Either way, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has spent the month deflecting interviews and political questions. In recent weeks he’s managed to duck out of most questions from the…
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Puffing Israeli passenger puts Bangkok flight at risk
An Israeli passenger caused a small fire on an El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Bangkok yesterday. The plane was in mid-flight at the time of the incident and continued on its path as planned until it landed in Bangkok, despite the fire. The nicotine-addicted passenger had been unable to resist a fly puff on an illegal cigarette in…
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Palang Pracharath Party could be dissolved, ex-acting PM banned
The fallout continues after a drug bust at a karaoke venue in Bangkok revealed that the owner had previously donated 3 million baht to the Palang Pracharath Party. Now, the political party may face dissolution due to accepting what is believed to be “grey money” donations, with top officials being banned from politics. Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said that…
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Thailand’s First Food Rescue App “Yindii” | Thaiger Podcast Ep.10
https://youtu.be/MZjQ480O7hI Welcome to Yindii Thailand food Nobody likes to see food wasted. Sadly, 33% of all food produced worldwide is either wasted or lost, amounting to around 1.5 billion tons of food squandered annually. Ecological disaster, really. Resources like labor, water, land, and energy used to make the food also go to waste in addition to the food itself. 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions are caused by waste! In an effort to assist on a local level, Yindii is on a mission to combat the issue of food waste. Here at Yindii, we deal with tasty, high-quality surplus food that supermarkets and restaurants must discard at the end of the day due to an oversupply of the item. This can be premium bakeries that must bake fresh every day or buffet restaurants that restock wholesome food right up to closing time. Make a difference for Thailand while taking advantage of the N.1 surplus food delivery with flash sales & unbelievably discounted prices!…
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Thai policeman & govt official arrested for selling personal info to scam call centre
A police officer and a government official have been arrested for selling the personal information of Thai people to scam call centre gangs. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Torsak Sookwimon, revealed today that two government officials were involved with a scam call centre gang, and have been prosecuted for their actions. The first officer is a police…
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Gamblers allegedly cheated & attacked at casino in Bangkok
Two gamblers filed complaints to police saying that they were attacked at a casino in Bangkok run by a Chinese man. One of the gamblers reckons Bangkok has more than 100 gambling dens in the city despite gambling being illegal in Thailand, and that police insist there are zero casinos in the city. The founder of the non-profit organisation Saimai…
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Thai police seize drug kingpin’s luxury Bangkok house on Facebook Live
Thai police from the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) went live on Facebook this morning to seize a 21 million baht luxury home in Bangkok’s Saphan Sung district. The house belonged to an alleged transnational drug trafficker and money launderer who police suspect has already fled Thailand. In August, police seized 945 kilograms of “Ice” (methamphetamine) hidden in…
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Thais in top 5 most anxious, stressed nations in the world, says Gallup book
A new book published by Gallup reveals confidence is falling and stress and anxiety are rising among the people of Thailand. The book, Blind Spot, highlighted the percentage of Thai people who said they were worried for much of the previous day doubled between 2012 (18%) and 2019 (36%). It then surged again after the COVID-19 pandemic, to 50% in 2020…
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Malaysian man arrested in Bangkok for smuggling liquor
A Malaysian man was arrested yesterday after police discovered he smuggled liquor from abroad and manufactured alcohol with fake brand-name labels to sell in Bangkok. Police from the Patrol and Special Operation Division discovered the illegal activities of a 55 year old Malaysian man named Chan when they raided his house in the Min Buri district of Bangkok yesterday at…
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Police arrest Israeli man carrying bullets at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand
An Israeli tourist was arrested upon arrival at Phuket Airport, southern Thailand, yesterday after security found 55 bullets in his luggage. The 29 year old tourist of Israeli nationality, Gan Chamoun Farjun, arrived in Phuket on a domestic flight at 12.30pm. When Farjun’s grey Samsonite suitcase went through the scanner at airport security, officials noticed what looked like bullet-like objects in…
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THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan
Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…
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Thailand to postpone new cash deposit machine rule after backlash
The implementation of Thailand’s new cash deposit machine (CDM) rule will be postponed after customers complained it would cause unnecessary inconvenience and extra fees for people who do not use credit/debit cards. The new rule will require anyone depositing money into their bank account using a CDM in Thailand to verify their identity with their debit/credit card and PIN. The…
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The dark and twisted history of Thailand’s “haunted” brothel in Kanchanaburi
Halloween is coming up, and you may be wondering what sort of spooky places exist in Thailand. One notorious spot is an abandoned house of disrepute, called ‘Brothel 35’, in Kanchanaburi province. The brothel was open from the mid-1960s until it closed in 1986. It has been nicknamed the ‘Prostitute Cemetary.’ The brothel is believed to be haunted due to…
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2022 World Cup will be free to watch in Thailand
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan confirmed that every football fan in Thailand would be able to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar for free. The Deputy PM had meetings with the Sports Authority of Thailand and the National Sports Development Fund yesterday. Discussions took place on how to develop Thai sports over the next three years, the latest…
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Man arrested for selling fake car license plates
A man was arrested today for selling fake car license plates to Thai drivers. The man, who earned more than 50,000 baht a month, said it was the easy way to make a living. The Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Damrongsak Kittiprapas ordered a special investigation into the fake license plates after a drug trafficking gang was spotted using…
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Chiang Rai opens skywalk with panoramic views of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
A new skywalk has opened in the northern province of Chiang Rai at the meeting point between Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar – also known as the ‘Golden Triangle.’ The “Three Lands Skywalk” stands about 486 feet above sea level and offers panoramic views of mountains, forests, and the Mekong River. The new attraction is located about 400 metres away from…
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Thailand to officially enter winter on October 29
Thailand will officially enter winter on Saturday, October 29, reports the Meteorological Department. The department says winter will last until the end of February 2023 and is expected to be colder than usual this year. Up in the mountains, temperatures will reach lows of 8 degrees Celsius, said the department. Earlier this month, the department said that Bangkok could reach…
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Poverty in Thailand has been halved says govt
The Ministry of Interior insists that 1.9 million poor families have been rescued by the Thai government and that the state has halved the poverty problem in Thailand. The Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry, Suttipong Juncharoen, said poverty is a problem residents have to face and that the government cannot solve the problem by itself. Suttipong announced that the…
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Bangkok man loses lots of weight after wife promises him PS5
One Bangkok man really, really wanted a PS5 so badly that he was willing to go on a grueling weight-loss journey in order to earn it. The man’s wife promised that she would buy him a PS5 if he lost 10 kilograms. Prab rose to his wife’s challenge and followed an intermittent fasting plan for four months to lose 10…
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Thai-Brit teen returns home from millionaire’s harem
UPDATE The 14 year old Thai-British girl who ran away from home and turned to prostitution has returned to her mother after a month of staying inside a millionaire’s harem. The millionaire refused all allegations even though police found four young girls, used condoms, and pornographic filming equipment inside his house. The 50 year old mother, Naruemon (surname reserved), appealed…
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Officials drug stray dogs for visit of PM Prayut in Sing Buri
Animal rights activists and Thai netizens were outraged after learning stray dogs in the central province of Sing Buri were drugged so that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could visit the area without any drama. PM Prayut visited Sing Buri on Monday, October 24, to check the province’s flood situation and offer his support to victims affected by the floods. The…
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Thaksin libel case to touch on Krue Se, Tak Bai massacres
President of the National Assembly of Thailand Chuan Leekpai has acknowledged a libel charge he made about former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Chuan, who also serves as Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives, gave a lecture to members of the Democrat Party on October 28, 2012, blaming Thaksin for making “mistakes” regarding the Krue Se, and Tak Bai…
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