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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Constitutional Court meets today to rule on future of Thai Raksa Chart
PHOTO: Thai Raksa Chart party leader Preechaphol Pongpanit awaits the decision of the Constitutional Court today whether to proceed with the case to disband the party The Constitutional Court is meeting today to decide whether or not to consider the request of the Election Commission to have the Thai Raksa Chart Party dissolved for breaching the political parties act. The…
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Songkran extended to a five day holiday this year
You have five full days to get soaked this year as the Cabinet has approved an extended public holiday for Songkran 2019. Songkran enthusiasts, and everyone else, now have an additional public holiday on Friday April 12 (Songkran, the Thai New Year, is on April 13 every year). Government assistant spokesman Colonel Athisit Chainuwat said that state enterprises, financial institutions,…
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Weather for February 14
Bangkok Generally clear. High 33ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds E at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds SE and variable. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds SSE at 15 to 30 km/h.…
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The day that shook Thai politics
OPINION It was just another Friday except that it was also the final day that political parties were able to nominate MPs for the March 24 elections. And their proposed candidates for the role of the a Prime Minister following the election. PM Prayuth Chan-ocha would announce his candidacy sometime during the morning, the worst kept secret in Thai politics.…
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Slow phase out of ‘Paraquat’ meets resistance
Activists are voicing their objections to the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Grisada Boonrach’s proposal to ban the use of paraquat in three years instead of one. The Hazardous Substance Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting tomorrow to reconsider the banning of three controversial agricultural chemicals – paraquat, glyphosate, and chlorpyrifos. But the BioThai Foundation has disclosed the minister’s text…
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Swedish duo caught in Thailand for laundering 250 million baht
PHOTO: INN Thai police have announced the arrest of 51 year old Jan Olof Norlander for alleged money laundering following the arrest of his accomplice last November. The two men are wanted by Swedish authorities for laundering 248 million baht (68,000,000 Swedish kronor) between January 2016 and April 2018. In November, the accomplice, 38 year old Bo Karl Robin Lundholm was…
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Weather for February 13
Bangkok Generally clear. High 35ºC. Winds E at 10 to 15 km/h. . Phuket Generally clear. High 33ºC. Winds E at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. High 35ºC. Winds SE and variable. Pattaya Morning clouds followed by afternoon sun. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Partly…
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Hakeem al-Araibi’s release from Thai detention follows a meeting between Thai FM and Bahraini Crown Prince
The decision to drop an extradition request against Australia-based former Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi stems from a visit by the Thai foreign minister to Bahrain. The Bahraini withdrawal of extradition demands, that enabled al-Araibi to walk free on Monday, was made after a meeting in Bahrain earlier that day between the Bahraini Crown Prince Salman al-Khalifa and Thai Foreign Minister…
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Authorities fear 1000% rise in meth shipments just the tip of the iceberg
The number of seizures of high-purity crystal methamphetamine continues to surge in northern Thailand. The demand rises and the methods of detection and enforcement also improve. It’s a vicious circle. Authorities say the number of drug seizures have risen 1000% in just the past 2 years, a stark indication of the growth in industrial-scale production in neighboring Myanmar. Some 18.4…
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General Prawit dismisses rumour of military coup as ‘fake news’
The Thai Deputy PM Gen Prawit Wongsuwan has dismissed a rumour in social media of a possible military coup against the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha as ‘fake news’. Rumours were rife following the sharing of a false announcement allegedly issued by the NCPO dismissing commanders of the three armed forces. Gen Prawit is ordering an investigation into the sources of…
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Hakeem al-Araibi: Free to return to Australia
Hakeem al-Araibi is free to leave Thailand tonight. A Thai court has ruled that the extradition case against Melbourne-based footballer and refugee, Hakeem al-Araibi, has been dropped. • Hakeem al-Araibi was detained after flying to Bangkok in November • Jjailed over allegations he vandalised a police station in Bahrain during the Arab Spring protests in 2011 The Government has confirmed…
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Illegal foreign cigarettes flooding in as new local tobacco taxes loom
Growers of tobacco in Thailand, and those selling cigarettes and tobacco products, are feeling the pinch as illegal foreign cigarettes flood the local market. Sanook reports that the Thai Tobacco Monopoly says changes to excise regulations means a packet of the cheapest Thai cigarettes would rise from 60 to 90 baht per pack from October this year. A tobacco retailer…
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Sightings of pink dolphins off coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat
A pink dolphin has made our Sunday better with these photos in the Gulf of Thailand. The breed is quite famous for the Gulf waters off Khanom in Nakhon Si Thammarat, near Koh Samui. According to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources Conservation, there are around 60 dolphins living in the area. They can swim as fast as 37…
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EC meets tomorrow to discuss Thai Raksa Chart’s controversial PM nomination
The Election Commission is expected to meet tomorrow (Monday) to deliberate the Thai Raksa Chart party’s future following their nomination of Princess Ubolratana as a prime ministerial candidate in the March 24 election. But the EC’s secretary-general, Jarungvith Phumma, has declined to comment on the matter when asked about the party’s surprise Friday PM candidate, saying only that “all issues would…
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Thai AirAsia X flies to Brisbane June 2019. Thai Airways cut services to Australia.
PHOTO: Airbus Today Brisbane Airport announced that the low-cost carrier Thai AirAsia X would start operating from the Queensland capital flying to Bangkok four times a week from June 2019. This will be Thai AirAsia X’s first Australian destination and would be using the Airbus A330-300’s which have 12 premium seats available in a 2-2-2 layout, and 365 economy seats…
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Can the Princess be PM?
Analysis The Princess was nominated. Her brother, HM Thai King, objected. Thai Raksa Chart postponed their campaign launch on Saturday morning. The PM and Election Commission have stayed silent. With the weekend allowing cooler heads to sift through yesterday’s events, next week it is hoped some clarity will emerge about the Princess’ nomination as a prime ministerial candidate that threw…
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Two headless bodies found on Rayong beaches near Pattaya
PHOTOS: Sanook Two headless bodies have been found on Mae Rampueang Beach and PMY Beach in Rayong. The area the bodies were found is about 40 kilometres from Pattaya. The first one was a naked male headless body. Cut wounds were found on his neck. On his wrist police found found a distinguishing tattoo written in English alphabet. Police believe…
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Two Burmese arrested with 20 kilograms of ‘ice’ in SUV
PHOTO: Three Pagodas Border Pass in Kanchanaburi Two Burmese men have been arrested with 20 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine with a street value of around 30 million baht. The drugs were hidden in the modified gas tank of their SUV in Kanchanaburi’s Sangkhlaburi district yesterday morning. The police followed up on a tip-off about a Ford Everest SUV smuggling drugs…
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HM The King says sister’s candidacy ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unconstitutional’
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn says his elder sister’s candidacy for prime minister in the March 24 election is “inappropriate” and “unconstitutional”. A strongly worded statement was issued around 11pm last night. It was the second time in less than 24 hours when the Palace had stepped into the murky realm of Thai politics. Earlier yesterday it was announced by the…
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“Princess cannot run for office” – King of Thailand
After a dramatic day in Thai politics yesterday, where the Thai Raksa Chart Party dropped a bombshell into the election campaign by nominating Princess Ubolratana, the King’s eldest sister, as a prime ministerial candidate, the drama continued last night with a statement from HM The King. The Thai monarch issued a strongly-worded statement around 11pm, prohibiting his older sister Princess Ubolratana…
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Thai tourists abandoned at Suvarnabhumi after buying dodgy tour to South Korea
PHOTOS: The Tourist Police Bureau A Thai man has been arrested over the operation of an non-existent tour. He has abandoned five Thai tourists who had bought a tour to South Korea at Suvarnabhumi Airport this week. The Tourist Police report that 32 year old Thai man Puwanart Prakam was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport. He has failed to present a…
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“Compassion for the people” Thai Raksa Chart of Princess Ubolratana
The sister of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn is now seen as a leading prime ministerial candidate for a political party loyal to fugitive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra in the March 24 elections. The Thai Raksa Chart party dropped the political bombshell this morning. 67 year old Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Varnavadi broke a long-standing tradition of Thai royalty staying out of…
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Princess Ubolratana running for the March 24 Thai election
The Thai Raksa Chart Party has thrown Thai politics into chaos after it nominated Princess Ubolratana Mahidol as its candidate as prime minister. The princess is His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s elder sister. Thai Raksa Chart Party nominated Princess Ubolratana as its candidate to be prime minister this morning. Today is the final day for political parties to announce candidates and…
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Princess Ubolratana Mahidol runs as Prime Ministerial candidate in election
PHOTOS: Instagram In a stunning political move, Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, the eldest child of the late King Bhumibol, Rama 9, has been nominated by the Thai Raksa Chart party. Her nomination as a Prime Ministerial candidate immediately places the plans of current PM and the Junta-leaning Palang Pracharat party into disarray. To paint this as an ‘upset’ move in the last day of…
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Air quality for Thailand – February 8
Central Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some…
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Hakeem al-Araibi UPDATE: “Australia never issued a red notice”
The Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi is going to file another bail request next week. His lawyer said yesterday that they will continue to seek bail while he awaits his extradition trial in April. Meanwhile, the Australian government, which is pressing for his release and return, yesterday dismissed reports that it had put out the red notice that resulted in the…
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Americans are flocking to Asia. Why?
Asia is sexy. From K-Pop sensation BTS topping the Billboard charts to “Crazy Rich Asians” owning the summer box office in the US, Americans can’t get enough of Asian film, music, and of course, noodles. “It’s all a sign of the Asianisation of the world”, reports CNN. “Asia has the world’s lowest taxes. Despite having some of the world’s largest…
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Helicopter crashes in Nakhon Sawan
A helicopter from the Royal Rain-making and Agricultural Aviation Department has crash-landed while on a training flight in Nakhon Sawan, north of Bangkok, yesterday. The pilot, a co-pilot and a mechanic escaped with only minor injuries after the chopper crashed into an empty field and caught fire. Rescuers managed to extinguish the fire. Department officials said that the helicopter developed…
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Air quality for Thailand – February 7
Central Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. Northern Thailand Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is not likely to be affected. Southern Thailand Air quality is acceptable; however, for…
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Australian PM writes a second letter to Thai PM over al-Araibi case
The Australian Government is pouring on the pressure with Bangkok to immediately release Hakeem al-Araibi, with the Australian PM writing a second letter to his Thai counterpart saying he was disturbed to see Hakeem al-Araibi in shackles at the Criminal Court on Monday. “I’ve written to him again, because I was very disturbed at the appearance of Hakeem at the…
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