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.

  • Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday

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  • Backdown over “Prathet Ku Mee” anti-military rap | Thaiger

    Backdown over “Prathet Ku Mee” anti-military rap

    The government and authorities have veered away from a potential showdown with student activists and erred on the side of good politics with a back down on threats to press charges against the team behind the “Rap Against Dictatorship.” Read our weekend editorial about the matter HERE. The track’s YouTube views reached over 21 million (at the time of this…

  • Tesco Lotus “We haven’t sacked 30-50% of our staff” | Thaiger

    Tesco Lotus “We haven’t sacked 30-50% of our staff”

    Matichon Online has posted a statement from Tesco Lotus following a series of viral posts claiming Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing stores. A similar story was posted on The Thaiger (below). The statement from Tesco Lotus says that the claims that “30%-50% of staffers have been laid off and 43 branches have been closed” are not true.…

  • College student found dead in a bathroom in Nakhon Ratchasima | Thaiger

    College student found dead in a bathroom in Nakhon Ratchasima

    A third-year student of a technical college in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Mueang district has been found dead in a college bathroom today, according to police. The 20 year old male IT department student, was found lying face-down on the floor of the bathroom on the third floor of one of the college buildings. A doctor determined that he had died about…

  • Government mobilizes a new war on drugs | Thaiger

    Government mobilizes a new war on drugs

    South East Asian governments have declared various ‘wars on drugs’ over recent decades, most notably President Duterte and The Philippines (2016 – 2018) and Thailand’s former PM, Thaksin Shinawatra in 2003. Both of them have had questionable results with rights groups decrying the extrajudicial killings as trampling on basic human rights. In February 2003, the Thai government, under then Prime…

  • The government gets a ‘rap’ on the knuckles | Thaiger

    The government gets a ‘rap’ on the knuckles

    13 million views and still going strong. That’s 20% of the population of Thailand. Any pop group would be astonished, amazed and pleasantly surprised by such popularity of their video clip in such a short time. But in this case the clip is a subversive rap from ‘Rap Against Dictatorship’, a five minute rant against military rule in the Kingdom.…

  • Viral posts claim Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing stores | Thaiger

    Viral posts claim Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing stores

    A rumor, stating that Tesco Lotus is laying off staff and closing 43 branches around Thailand has gone viral in social media. Matichon Online reported yesterday that social message is saying that… “Tesco Lotus lay off staff around the country. What will they do next and can other staffer handle the pressure.” (Translated) Some people have commented saying…. “…my branch…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Sunday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

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  • Last weekend’s horror road toll – nearly 11,000 died so far in 2018 | Thaiger

    Last weekend’s horror road toll – nearly 11,000 died so far in 2018

    At least 10,794 people have lost their lives on Thailand’s roads this year. This tally, with only two months remaining, is a timely reminder of the danger that lurks on Thai roads from Dr Taejing Siripanich, secretary-general of the Don’t Drive Drunk Foundation. Statistically, compared to last year, this is a drop in overall deaths on Thailand’s roads. But Taejing…

  • Restoring faith to the national airline | Thaiger

    Restoring faith to the national airline

    On October 8, a Thai Airways 747-400, with only 115 onboard including the crew, skidded off the runway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The story and photos reached around the world placing the embattled airline in a position to explain the incident. There were no fatalities and all passengers were safely evacuated and went about their holidays. Since then the silence over…

  • Two killed and nine injured in van and wild elephant collision | Thaiger

    Two killed and nine injured in van and wild elephant collision

    FILE PHOTO A van driver and a passenger have been killed and nine other passengers injured when their chartered van hit a wild elephant on a road in Chachoengsao’s Sanam Chaikhet district, near the Cambodian border, early today (Saturday). The large injured wild elephant fled into to the forest following the accident in Ban Huay Some village in Tambon Lard…

  • Anti-military rap song tops iTunes Thailand downloads | Thaiger

    Anti-military rap song tops iTunes Thailand downloads

    An anti-military dictatorship rap song has topped Thailand’s download list on iTunes after police and the government threatened legal action against the Rap Against Dictatorship (RAD) group. The Prathet Goo Mee (My F…king Country’s Got…) went to the top of Thailand’s iTunes download list this morning to the cheers of RAD who posted a message to thank its fans. The…

  • Judge delays sentencing in paedophile case | Thaiger

    Judge delays sentencing in paedophile case

    Jason Daron Mizner during his prison term in Thailand An Australian judge says she was left so shaken by reading out the list of paedophile’s crimes that she walked out of court to delay sentencing. She said she needed to remove emotion from the punishment she will hand out. Convicted child rapist Jason Daron Mizner was supposed to be sentenced…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Saturday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Saturday

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  • British family told to raise 4,000 pounds to repatriate father of five | Thaiger

    British family told to raise 4,000 pounds to repatriate father of five

    by Abbie Bray – Devon News The family of an British father, who tragically took his own life whilst holidaying in Thailand, are trying to raise money to repatriate the body of Kevin Rowlands. The 36 year old father of five had had a history of mental health according to his family. According to Thai police, he took his own…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Friday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Friday

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  • Thaiger Radio News – Thursday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Thursday

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  • Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday

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  • Alcohol sales banned October 24 | Thaiger

    Alcohol sales banned October 24

    Alcohol sales will be strictly prohibited Wednesday, October 24. Today day marks the end of the Buddhist Lent. Police say offenders will face a 10,000 baht fine and/or a six-month jail term. “The ban on alcoholic sale applies to both shops and restaurants, retailing and wholesaling,” the Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said on Tuesday. He…

  • Panama’s VP backs the Thailand Kra Canal project | Thaiger

    Panama’s VP backs the Thailand Kra Canal project

    PHOTO: Panama’s Vice President Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado – The Nation The long-running discussions about a canal, linking the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, aka The Kra Canal, has come up again with a visit from Panama’s Vice President. The Panama Canal changed world shipping when it linked the Pacific and Atlantic oceans when it was…

  • King Chulalongkorn Day | Thaiger

    King Chulalongkorn Day

    October 23 is a national holiday in Thailand as it marks “King Chulalongkorn Day”, known in Thai as “Wan Piyamaharaj Day”. He remains highly revered in Thailand and his portrait can often be seen, alongside the current King Rama X, in homes, shops and halls around the Kingdom. The day commemorates the passing of King Chulalongkorn, otherwise known as King…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Monday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Monday

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  • Man dies after live-streaming in his pick-up during heavy rain | Thaiger

    Man dies after live-streaming in his pick-up during heavy rain

    PHOTO: Thai PBS A man has been killed after his pick-up truck plunged into a roadside swamp whilst live-streaming himself driving in a heavy rain yesterday afternoon. The incident happened in the Wang Thong district of Phitsanulok. The driver, 37 year old Mr Pongthep (surname undisclosed), was a resident of Wang Thong district. The incident took place on a detour…

  • Poll shows most agree 450 baht pet registration fee too high | Thaiger

    Poll shows most agree 450 baht pet registration fee too high

    A NIDA poll shows a split reaction to the new pet registration law proposals. Just over half of the people surveyed in the NIDA Poll were opposed to the government’s proposal that pet owners be charged a fee to register their cats and dogs. But most respondents objected to the hefty suggested fee of 450 baht. The poll shows that…

  • Thaiger Radio News – Sunday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Sunday

    Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…        

  • Thaiger Radio News – Saturday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Saturday

    Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…        

  • Thaiger Radio News – Friday | Thaiger

    Thaiger Radio News – Friday

    Listen to the daily news from The Thaiger, anytime, anywhere…    

  • 7,000 overstayers on Surachate’s radar for deportation this month | Thaiger

    7,000 overstayers on Surachate’s radar for deportation this month

    Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn is vowing to track down and deport of 7,000 overstaying foreigners by the end of this month. Surachate made the commitment in one of his early morning (2.30am) media pack briefings at the Montien Hotel on Surawong Road in Bangkok’s Bang Rak district. He addressed reporters to announce the results of his 37th “Operation X-Ray Outlaw…

  • TAT tap into Big Data to assist tourists | Thaiger

    TAT tap into Big Data to assist tourists

    by Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is moving forward with the development of a Big Data system to cater to the growth in the number of tourist arrivals. (Yes, it’s another one of these buzz words when the word ‘digital management’ doesn’t sound sexy enough in the PR release. Read more about Big Data HERE.) The authority…

  • ‘Overwhelming support’ for decriminalising marijuana for R&D | Thaiger

    ‘Overwhelming support’ for decriminalising marijuana for R&D

    “An overwhelming number of people are voicing support for decriminalising the use of marijuana for research and development, and for medical purpose.” This from Somchai Sawaengkarn, a member of the National Legislative Assembly, citing results of an opinion survey conducted between October 1-15. Of the 16,431 people who voiced their opinions on the issue, 16,264 voted in support of the…