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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Police chief admits Thailand is an epicentre of drugs trafficking
The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) admitted yesterday that Thailand has become the epicentre of drug trafficking in Southeast Asia. The NSB acknowledged the claim after several high-profile drug trafficking cases were made known in the public domain and highlighted by the recent arrest of a Chinese couple trying to mail heroin to Australia with a street value of about US$500,000,…
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7 year old girl dies in school van in eastern Thailand
A 7 year old Grade 2 student died in a school van yesterday at Ploenchit Wittaya school in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand, after she was left in the van all day. At 5pm yesterday, officers from Phan Thong Police Station received a report that a child had died inside a van at the “famous” school in Pan Thong district.…
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VIDEO: ‘Kalasin Cowboy’ rides horse to college in NE Thailand
A student who rides his horse to college in Kalasin province, northeast Thailand, has become an overnight Internet sensation. On Monday, Facebook user Boat Ekparin Mongkummuen posted a clip of the ‘Kalasin Cowboy’ making a U-turn and galloping into Kalasin College of Dramatic Arts in Mueang district, with the caption… “F*cking cool. You’ve won me over. Hahaha. I want to…
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Russia plans to install facial recognition surveillance technology in Thailand
Russian biometrics company ‘NtechLab’ announced plans to “enter the Thai market.” The company produces a facial recognition tool called ‘FindFace,’ which can be used to identify suspected criminals. The company is also considering moving its Asia headquarters to Thailand. The company claims that 23 countries worldwide are already using FindFace surveillance technology, sparking privacy and human rights concerns among the…
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UPDATE: Famous Thai YouTuber ‘Nutty’ flees Thailand over 2 billion baht Forex scam accusations
UPDATE Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for 30 year old “Nutty,” the famous YouTuber, after collecting evidence that she defrauded over 6,000 victims of more than 2 billion baht. Nutty is wanted on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the public and two other charges. The court says Nutty’s case is linked to the case of a Thai…
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Thai Airways sells five Airbus A340s stored away for 13 years
Thai Airways (THAI) has found a buyer for five dusty Airbus A340s which have gone unused for 13 years. Thailand’s flag carrier has sold one A340-500 and four A340-600 planes for a total of 350 million baht. The transaction is sure to help THAI on its road to financial recovery since the Bankruptcy Court approved a debt restructuring plan for…
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Teacher faces jail after student’s punishment leads to crippling injury
A teacher faces prison and a hefty fine after punishing a student with squat jumps, leading to Myofascial Pain Syndrome. The 15 year old boy required leg surgery after a high school teacher in the central province of Kanchanaburi punished him for missing a class by making him do 200 squat jumps on July 23. The boy’s mother, Lek Au-Thong,…
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Budget airline Thai AirAsia X to launch two Thailand – Australia routes
Budget airline Thai AirAsia X will launch two direct routes between Thailand and Australia in December. The airline will fly from Bangkok to both Melbourne, and Sydney, beginning December 1 and 2 this year, respectively. The Bangkok to Sydney route will fly four times per week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Bangkok to Melbourne route will fly thrice…
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Thai couple’s 1,000km, 20 hours Songkran motorcycle odyssey
A Thai couple travelled 20 hours on a motorbike and over 1,000 kilometres from Bangkok to their hometown in Pattani province in the south of Thailand before Songkran because all train tickets were fully booked and flights were too pricey for them. The woman, Nurfatihah, posted a video of the epic motorcycle journey she took to Pattani with her boyfriend…
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Thailand’s acting PM Prawit tells Thai police to clean their act up
Acting Prime Minister of Thailand Prawit Wongsuwan – aka “Big Pom” – has ordered an end to corruption within the Royal Thai Police (RTP). Big Pom has wasted no time stepping up to his temporary ministerial duties after Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prayut Chan-o-cha from the position last week. Acting PM Prawit has taken centre stage in Thailand’s never-ending political…
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Paradon the dolphin no ‘brotherly burden’ for Thai marine centre
The dolphin found drowning off the coast of Thailand last month is on the mend says the director of a Thai marine resource centre but added it will probably take a year before he makes a full recovery. Fishermen found the sick Irrawaddy dolphin calf drowning in a tidal pool near Rayong on Friday, July 22, and alerted marine conservationists.…
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Marketing in Thailand as a Foreigner: Volume #1 The Legend Thai Ads
Sometimes, It’s Okay to Wear Socks and Sandals. Matching socks and sandals is a universal fashion faux pas, but it is more severe in Thailand. They keep you warm and cold-free during winter, but we never merge them with sandals or flip-flops because it is confusing when you live in a country where the equator is only 15 degrees below.…
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Anti-Corruption Deputy Secretary-General fired for corruption
In politics, the phrase “every accusation is a confession” is a common cry, but the irony may be too on the nose after the National Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Secretary-General Prayad Puangchampa was fired for having amassed an unusual amount of wealth. The commission asserted that the massive wealth gathered should become the property of the state and be confiscated from…
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Five injured in gas plant explosion near Bangkok
Five people were injured, three seriously, following an explosion at a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant in the Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok in the early hours of this morning. One of the big cylinders is believed to have exploded, spreading to others, and started a blaze at the V.I.P Petroleum plant, in the Bang Sao Thong district of Samut…
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Thailand ‘tourist tax’ to come into effect next year
Starting next year, foreigners entering Thailand by plane will have to pay an entry fee of 300 baht. The “tourist tax” was originally intended to be imposed at the start of this year, but its implementation was delayed to give Thailand’s tourism industry a chance to recover from the pandemic. The fee will be introduced “next year,” according to Thailand’s…
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Thailand in talks with US to bring home ancient heirlooms
The Thai Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek last night revealed Thailand is in talks with the US to bring home three antique artefacts. Rachada made it known the US Department of Homeland Security is in negotiations with the Denver Art Museum for the return of the Srivijaya-era Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and two bronze statues of the Dvaravati period, from the 7th to…
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Thai actor’s plan to swim from Thailand to Laos for charity
Famous Thai actor and singer Phakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak hopes to make a splash with his charity swim across the Mekong River from Thailand to Laos and at the same time raise awareness about environmental issues and raise funds for hospitals in the two countries. Tono announced his plan via his Instagram account last Thursday, August 25. He revealed that he…
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Famous Thai YouTuber ‘Nutty’ flees Thailand over 2 billion baht Forex scam accusations
A famous Thai YouTuber named ‘Nutty’ is nowhere to be found after she was accused of scamming victims of over 2 billion baht in a Forex scam. Nattamon “Nutty” Khongchak is believed to have defrauded over 6,000 victims. In a ‘Pinky‘ type fraud case, another Thai influencer has used their Internet fame to encourage fans to invest in a scam.…
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DDC declares no tomato flu outbreak in Thailand
Director-General of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) yesterday announced it is closely watching the ‘tomato flu’ situation after reports were made that about 100 cases have emerged in India. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, Director-General of the DDC, declared no cases have been reported in Thailand as yet after an outbreak emerged in the Kollam district of Kerala on May 6,…
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Fallen scaffolding kills 3 year old in northern Thailand
A 3 year old boy was tragically killed by fallen scaffolding in Lampang province, northern Thailand, yesterday morning. Scaffolding at what appears to be an under-construction house fell on top of a 3 year old boy yesterday. The boy’s parents rang 191 and requested emergency help. Rescue workers from Lampang Rescue Association, an ambulance, and medical staff rushed to the…
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Locals angry after public road shut for private party in S Thailand
The son in law of a police officer caused outrage in the local community of Trang in the south of Thailand after he blocked off a public road to have a housewarming party. Netizens in Trang demanded answers from the provincial government after a video emerged on social media of an ambulance being denied access to the road because it…
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Healthy Siamese twins share teacher dream in Thailand
Thirteen-year-old Siamese twins in central Thailand are defying convention, living a healthy, happy life, and dreaming of becoming teachers. Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon. Approximately half are stillborn while a third die within 24 hours of a mother giving birth. But the Siamese sisters from Nakhon Sawan province in central Thailand have bucked the poor health trend generally associated…
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Thailand records its seventh monkeypox case
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control announced yesterday the nation has its seventh monkeypox victim. A 37 year old Thai woman in Bangkok became the kingdom’s latest victim hot on the heels of the country’s sixth case last week. DDC Director General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute reported on Saturday that a woman had tested positive for…
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Food vendors attack foreign tourist who dined & dashed in Pattaya, Thailand
An intense brawl broke out between a group of food vendors and a foreign tourist who allegedly didn’t pay for his meal on Pattaya’s Walking Street in Nong Phru subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, yesterday at 4.30am. The “European tourist” – whose name and nationality are unknown – allegedly ate from a Thai woman’s food stall and left without paying, so…
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In push for religious harmony, Thailand recognises more churches
In a push for religious harmony, Thailand has officially recognised three Catholic churches in the kingdom this week. The Ministry of Culture officially approved the churches on August 23, after the churches had reportedly waited 93 years for recognition. The newly approved churches are: Saint Thomas the Apostle Church in Bangkok, Saint Monica Church in Nan Province, and Saint Joseph…
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Pao Tang app provides free birth control from NHSO
The Thai government is addressing unwanted pregnancies in the country with a new programme offering free birth control pills. A deputy spokesperson for the government explained that the programme would help women get access to free birth control using a mobile app called Pao Tang. The campaign was created to try to slow the frequency of unintentional and unwanted pregnancies…
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Pioneering the Cannabis business in Thailand feat. Tai ‘Four Twenty’ | Thaiger Podcast Ep.4
Introducing one of the pioneers for cannabis in Thailand, Tai Taveepanichpan. Tai is a young entrepreneur and the owner of Four Twenty Thailand, Cannagrow Technology and Cultivate. Companies that sell cannabis cultivating equipment, grow cannabis and cannabis dispensaries in Thailand. In this podcast we talk about the current situation of cannabis in Thailand, where it’s heading and what lies ahead…
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Thailand’s sixth monkeypox patient says symptoms started while she was in Qatar
A young woman in Thailand’s northeast province of Maha Sarakham is the kingdom’s sixth confirmed monkeypox patient, the Department for Disease and Control (DDC) announced yesterday. The 21 year old woman says her symptoms started while she was in Qatar for work. The woman had worked as a masseuse in Qatar and said that while she was there, she started…
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THG chairman who lied about vaccines for stock profit resigns
Thonburi Healthcare Group founder and chairman Dr Boon Vanasin announced he will step down today after the Securities and Exchange Commission reported it would ban him from sitting on the board of any company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The move is a result of some shady claims last year about THG importing Pfizer vaccines that caused stock…
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Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants 2022 by Koktail to be presented by Siam Paragon
Press Release Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants by Koktail, is partnering with Siam Paragon to host the most exciting culinary event ever in Bangkok. The event, “Thailand’s Favourite Restaurants by Koktail” will be held over two days from 27-28 August 2022 at Parc Paragon, Siam Paragon. The event is open to the public from 11 am until 9 pm on Saturday 27th…
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