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 Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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Bangkok: Nine arrests net 70 million baht in drugs and assets
By Khanathit Srihirundaj Five successful drug busts had led to the arrest of nine suspects along with 700kg of marijuana, 2.8kg of cocaine, 306,000 methamphetamine pills, 2kg of crystal meth or “ice”, four vehicles and 12 cell phones. The evidence was worth over 70 million baht. The announcement today from National police chief General Chakthip Chaijinda. In the first case,…
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Chiang Rai: Army chief says ‘hopes remain high’
The Army Commander in Chief, General Chalermchai Sitthisart says hopes remain high in the search for 12 young football players and their deputy coach who went missing last Saturday afternoon in the flooded Tham Luang cave in Chiang Rai province. He was speaking during a visit to the operational site in front of the cave in Mae Sai district. “The…
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Chiang Mai: 69 year old Japanese expat found dead outside massage parlour
PHOTO: CityNews On June 27, police received a report that a body was found in a car parked at a massage parlour in Chang Klan south-east of the main Chiang Mai centre. An elderly Japanese man was found dead in his car outside the massage parlour. The body was found dead, sitting in the driver’s seat. The car was locked…
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Songkhla: Teachers, parents and students protest new school director
Teachers and parents have joined students of a school in Songkhla to protest against the transfer to their school of a new director who has been alleged to already have a tainted image. The demonstration was held this morning (Wednesday) at the Nawamintha Chuthit Thaksin School in Muang district. It was attended by about 2,000 students, teachers and representatives of…
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Nakhon Phanom: Up in smoke
Nakhon Phanom’s provincial administration has destroyed 8,700 kilograms of seized marijuana to mark the “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking”. The drugs were destroyed in a massive fire in a local field. Provincial Governor Somchai Witdamrong chaired the ceremony, held at 9am on the field in front of the Nakhon Phanom rangers’ command. Somchai said the marijuana had…
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Chiang Mai: Mission ‘Rabies’
In response to the increased number of human deaths from rabies in Thailand this year, Mission Rabies was keen to work with the government to protect the communities of Chiang Mai. Upon the kind invitation of Chiang Mai Municipality, San Pong municipality and Khi Lek municipality, Mission Rabies, in combination with WVS Thailand (locally known as WVS Care for Dogs),…
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Into Day Five: Rescuers battle rising water
Rescuers are considering tunnelling through the roof of the Chiang Rai cave as a last resort. Dead end caves and heavy rain is blocking efforts to find the 12 teenage footballers and their football coach. The group has been missing since Saturday afternoon in the flooded Chiang Rai caves. In Tham Luang cave, a team of divers led by Navy SEALs…
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Chiang Mai: Axe-wielding monk attacks abbot and nun at temple
A small quarrel has led to an abbot being attacked by a monk with an axe in Mae Rim, north-west of Chiang Mai city. Chiang Mai City news reports that the assault took place at Huay Pha Pu in Pong Yaeng, Mae Rim, after a quarrel broke out between an 58 year old monk and a newly appointed acting abbot,…
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Chiang Rai: Search area becomes crowded with media and onlookers
The ongoing search in Chiang Rai, where 13 members of a football team are trapped inside by rising floodwaters, is starting to suffer from too much media and local interest. The search of Luang Cave in Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park is being led by Navy SEAL personnel, who have been joined by teams of experts from universities…
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Chiang Mai: Gas tank explosion kills man, destroys half the house
A faulty gas tank has exploded in the home of a man in Saraphi, south-west of Chiang Mai’s city centre, killing him instantly. The explosion also destroyed half the man’s home. This incident happened over the weekend. Police rushed to the scene at a house in Nong Pheung, Saraphi. Police entered the home and discovered a man who had been…
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Chiang Rai: King expresses concern over the safety of the trapped team
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has expressed concern over the safety of the 13 missing people in the Chiang Rai caves. Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, quoting the principal private secretary to the King says His Majesty has been closely followed up the rescue operations. As the commander of the national public disaster prevention and mitigation, General Anupong will fly to…
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Myanmar: Sacked – Top general accused of involvement in Rohingya crackdown
PHOTO: Major General Maung Maung Soe amd defacto Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi Myanmar is accused of a crackdown in Rakhine state that has, so far, forced 700,000 Rohingya to flee. The UN and major western powers describe the crackdown as “ethnic cleansing”. In response, Myanmar’s military now says it’s sacked a top general who was named in fresh EU…
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Chiang Rai: Search continues for missing teenagers in flooded cave
The desperate search continues today for 12 children and their coach from a local football team who went missing in a Chiang Rai flooded cave on Saturday afternoon. Rescue teams will search to the end of the limestone cave that is believed to be the fourth longest cave in Thailand. So far, searchers have found children’s slippers, footprints and palm…
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Chaiyaphum: 35 year old man stabbed 30 times
A 35 year old Chaiyaphum man has stabbed to death in his bedroom in the Chaturas district, north-east of Bangkok, early today (Tuesday). Police said there appear to have been signs of fighting in Wutthichai Wamin’s room and that he had been hit on the head with a blunt object and stabbed more than 30 times. Chaturas police station was…
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Chiang Rai: The search continues this morning
Department of Defence personnel have arrived at the Chiang Rai cave since last evening and brought along high-capacity water pumps to assist with the removal of water from the caves. Emergency responders and officials still have high hopes of finding the team and their coach alive and well. The media have been gathering at the Cave complex visitor centre and…
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Election date delay mooted
Dates for the forthcoming election, earmarked for February 2019 for the last year, are now in flux again following yesterday’s meeting between potential future political players and the NCPO. The election is likely to take place some time between February 24 and May 5 next year, this from the Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam at yesterday’s meeting. It is the first time…
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‘Clean.’ Overcrowded Krabi prison declared drug-free
A random inspection at Krabi prison has turned up no drugs. Officers, led by Phang Nga Prison Chief Soonthorn Detrak and Krabi Prison Chief Yingpinyo Morapan, began the search at 4:30pm last Friday. Chief Soontorn says, “This is a special raid by the Region 8 Prison. Areas searched included personal lockers of all inmates as well as sleeping quarters, the…
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Khon Kaen: Playtime turns into horror with 9 yearly girl shot
PHOTO: File Photo By Kritmet Loho The shooting took place while the girl was playing with two boys, ages 10 and 11, at a house in Tambon Moung Wan. A Khon Kaen physician is pleading with parents to keep weapons away from children after a 10 year old boy accidentally shot and seriously wounded a nine year old yesterday (Sunday).…
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UPDATE: Today’s Chiang Rai cave search timetable – 12 missing
A rescue team, which now includes a Navy SEAL unit, are continuing search for the missing 12 young footballers and their coach. The 13 have been trapped inside a cave in Tham Luang Khunnam Nang Non Forest Park in Mae Sai district since Saturday. A flash flood that hit the area prevented the missing group from leaving the cave after…
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Pattaya: Thai woman falls to death from apartment building
A Thai woman has died after falling from a room on the fifth floor of a Pattaya apartment early on today (Monday). Police are holding her Australian boyfriend for questioning following the incident at 2.30am at Min Mansion in Tambon Nong Plue, Bang Lamung district. Police say 28 year old Wilawal Poolsukserm fell from her room and died on the way…
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Bangkok: Abhisit urges NCPO to lift ban on political gatherings
PHOTO: The Nation Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is urging the NCPO to lift their ban on political activities and gatherings. He notes that the junta shouldn’t be worried that national security could be compromised as a result of the lifting of the ban as it has all the powers to deal effectively with anything deemed a security threat. Abhisit points out…
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Update: Rescue in Chiang Mai – 11 teenagers and their coach missing in cave.
The 11 missing teenagers and their football coach are still believed to be still alive but remain trapped inside the innermost sections of the cave where they’re believed to be safe but separated by flooding waters. Chiang Rai Governor Narongsak Osotthanakorn headed to the Thamluang-Khunnam Nang non park in Mae Sai district to supervise the continuation of the search and…
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Krabi: Erosion threatens fossils on Andaman coast
By Sitthichai Sikhawat Known as ‘The 75 million-year-old shell cemetery’, the mollusk fossil-filled beach at the Andaman coastal province of Krabi is now facing erosion after being damaged by strong currents over the past two years, a senior official at the Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park said on Sunday. Conserving the 40 centimetre thick fossil layer on…
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Search continues for 12 teenagers and their football coach
A post-football training visit to a Chiang Rai cave by a group of 12 teenagers and their football coach has turned into a nightmare with all of them still missing. As the search operation continued into Sunday for the 12 youths and their 25-year-old football coach, who are missing after visiting a cave in the Tham Luang-Khunnam Nang Non Forest…
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Bangkok: Invitation accepted – 30 political parties will meet for talks Monday
Thirty Thai political parties have accepted the invitation to meet Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan at tomorrow’s (Monday) meeting hosted by the government. The government promised this ‘getting to know you session’ as part of the roadmap towards the next election, scheduled for February. Gen Prawit says the meeting scheduled for June 25 will be attended by representatives of at least…
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Chiang Rai: Rescue operation looking for 11 footballers and a coach trapped in a flooded cave
11 teenage footballers, along with their coach, have been stuck in a flooded Chiang Rai cave since last night (Saturday). Rescuers have been trying to get to the team who are trapped in a flooded cave in the region’s Mae Sai district. The cave is located in the Tham Luang-Khunnam Nang Non national park. The footballers are all from the Tambon…
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Chiang Mai: European tourist catches Legionnaires’ Disease in hotel
A European tourist, his nationality has not been named, has succumbed to the Legionnaire bacteria in a Chiang Mai hotel. A public health official in the northern city admits that the tourist went down with Legionnaires’ Disease after staying in Chiang Mai. He says that foreigners tend not to have resistance to the legionella bacteria that causes the condition. But added that…
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Bangkok: Crackdown on Grand Palace scammers
Another crackdown. This time, on one the oldest tourist scams on the books. Bangkok Post reported that 87 people were rounded up in an operation around the Grand Palace in Bangkok following complaints of foreign visitors being pressured into purchasing unwanted services. “A total of 87 people were arrested in the operation of which 68 were booked for violating traffic regulations…
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Thai PM confirms February election during visit to UK
by Vipaporn Pooritanasarn Thai PM General Prayut Chan-ocha has confirmed the the country will hold a general election early next year along with readiness to strengthen trade ties with England. He’s made the statement during his visit to the UK this week. General Prayut had talks with Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord Fowler about promoting trading opportunities between the…
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Bangkok: 13 billion baht of drugs – up in smoke
The Thai Food and Drug Administration is about to incinerate 6,322 kilograms of confiscated drugs. It will be a bonfire valued at around worth 13 billion baht ($395 million) to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26. The big fire will be fuelled by 5,514 kilogram of methamphetamine pills, 486kg of crystal meth, 108kg…
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