News

Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.

  • British national and five Burmese arrested in Krabi over working illegally | Thaiger

    British national and five Burmese arrested in Krabi over working illegally

    Koh Phi Phi Police have been cracking down on illegal workers on the island’s and have arrested a British national along with five Burmese yesterday in Krabi. Police arrested 28 year old British man Benjamin Richard Stone at a restaurant on Koh Phi Phi yesterday. The arrests follows police receiving a tip-off that the suspect was illegally selling tour packages…

  • Raid on 18 foreign-owned Koh Samui hotels, owners arrested | Thaiger

    Raid on 18 foreign-owned Koh Samui hotels, owners arrested

    FILE PHOTO Army, police and municipal officials have raided 18 hotels on Koh Samui claiming that they are illegally owned by foreigners. The hotels in questions are on a mountainside on the Gulf island, the second largest island in Thailand. Officials carried out the search and raids on Chaweng Noi Mountain in Moo 6 village in Tambon Bophut and found…

  • American arrested at airport after stealing speedboat in Krabi | Thaiger

    American arrested at airport after stealing speedboat in Krabi

    PHOTOS: Pudam News An American tourist has been arrested after stealing a speedboat on Koh Phi Phi to drive to Krabi. Koh Phi Phi Police Chief Col Kritsapas Detinthasorn says, “We received a report from Ms Apissamai Sangjan that her speedboat, which was moored at Ao Nang Beach, was stolen on April 19. An allegedly drunken tourist jumped in, started…

  • Father tramples man after he touched his daughter’s bottom in Bangkok | Thaiger

    Father tramples man after he touched his daughter’s bottom in Bangkok

    PHOTOS/VIDEO: Khanitnicha Chatnantakul The father of a female student has hit and trampled a man after finding out he touched his daughter’s bottom while she was waiting for the father to pick her up in Ladprao, Bangkok last night. A witness said that the girl waits for her father at a Soi not far from her house to pick her…

  • Man found dead after missing in Nakhon Si Thammarat forest for ten days | Thaiger

    Man found dead after missing in Nakhon Si Thammarat forest for ten days

    PHOTOS: Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation A man who has been missing since Songkran in the Nangnon Mountain Ranges in Nakhon Si Thammarat, has been found. The Krabi Pitak Pracha Rescue Foundation report that the body of the man was found in the forests on Nangnon Mountain Range, Thungyai District in Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday. A team of rescue workers from…

  • Sri Lanka attacks ‘retaliation for Christchurch’ – Government minister | Thaiger

    Sri Lanka attacks ‘retaliation for Christchurch’ – Government minister

    The Islamist suicide bombings that killed 321 people, and injured many others in Sri Lanka at the weekend, are believed to have been carried out in revenge for last month’s attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Fifty people were shot dead on March 15 at two mosques in the South Island, New Zealand city by an avowed white…

  • Thanathorn faces more charges from EC over media shares | Thaiger

    Thanathorn faces more charges from EC over media shares

    Future Forward’s Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the 40 year old leader of the new party, has cut short his trip to Europe over an ‘unexpected incident’ The Thai Election Commission yesterday unanimously resolved to press charges against Thanathorn over an alleged violation of Thai media shareholding rules. Citing investigations by two EC panels, Sawang Boonmee, the EC deputy secretary-general, told a press…

  • Phuket faces critical water shortages if the monsoon doesn’t arrive soon | Thaiger

    Phuket faces critical water shortages if the monsoon doesn’t arrive soon

    Phuket is now, officially, experiencing water shortages, with water in the province’s three catchments just enough for the supply of tap water until the end of May, and the condition is expected to get worse if the annual monsoon doesn’t kick in soon. The annual south-west monsoon usually starts dragging in moist air and the ‘wet season’ begins sometime around…

  • Soldier attacked and killed by her husband over alleged affair in Rawai | Thaiger

    Soldier attacked and killed by her husband over alleged affair in Rawai

    A female soldier has been attacked and killed by her soldier husband over an alleged sexual affair in Rawai today. The Chalong Police were notified of the incident at 8.30am this morning at a hotel on Patak Road in Rawai. Police arrived at the room to find the 39 year old woman, Ratchadaphon Mongkonrung, a Squadron Leader with the Thai…

  • Mother says customer paying for sex with 5 year old daughter was girl’s father | Thaiger

    Mother says customer paying for sex with 5 year old daughter was girl’s father

    PHOTOS: tnews.co.th A 28 year old woman, arrested in Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, for allegedly selling her five year old daughter for sex, has revealed to police that the 52 year old customer who was allegedly caught in the act, and arrested at the time, was the young girl’s biological father. The woman – whose name is being withheld to…

  • Coral in Trang extensively damaged after tourist influx over Songkran | Thaiger

    Coral in Trang extensively damaged after tourist influx over Songkran

    PHOTOS: Prueg Ubonkerd Tourists during Songkran have caused extensive damage to coral in the national park area of Trang, south of Thailand. Matichon Online reports that the damage was caused by the tourist numbers overwhelming the area during the week-long Songkran break. Many boats have dropped their anchors onto the fragile underwater area or tied ropes around corals as there…

  • Thon Buri pub raid, 38 patrons test positive for drugs | Thaiger

    Thon Buri pub raid, 38 patrons test positive for drugs

    Sur-PRIIISE! Troops and police have raided a nightclub in Bangkok’s Thon Buri district at 3am this morning and found that 38 of its patrons tested positive to illicit drug use. The Bangkok office of the Internal Security Operations Command conducted the early morning raid against the Wave Pub (formerly known as the Poseidon Pub) on Ratchadapisek Road in Talad Plu…

  • SUV catches fire sitting in Trang’s hot sun | Thaiger

    SUV catches fire sitting in Trang’s hot sun

    PHOTOS: Earn Benjakun A SUV has caught fire while it was parked in the hot southern sun in Trang over the weekend. Fire fighters in Trang were notified of the burning SUV in Yan Ta Khao District in Trang at 2pm on Sunday. Fire fighters arrived to find the SUV ablaze. It took about 15 minutes to control the fire.…

  • Massive fire at Koh Samui incinerator – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Massive fire at Koh Samui incinerator – VIDEO

    PHOTOS/VIDEO: The Government Public Relation Department Region 5 An incinerator caught fire on Koh Samui, off the coast of Surat Thani last night. “That’s what incinerators are meant to do,” we hear you cry. But this one was totally out of control destroying the entire structure. The Government Public Relation Department Region 5 reports that the fire started at the…

  • Phuket’s ‘seastead’ is now a sad ‘homestead’ back on shore – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Phuket’s ‘seastead’ is now a sad ‘homestead’ back on shore – VIDEO

    The Phuket seastead removal operation was a success yesterday, according to the Royal Thai Navy. The controversial seastead structure is now under guard at the Port of Thailand. The Royal Thai Navy says they are confident with the evidence they have for any litigation that may follow the removal of the structure from its offshore home, some 22 kilometres off…

  • Beware exploding phones – warning about leaving phones in hot cars | Thaiger

    Beware exploding phones – warning about leaving phones in hot cars

    PHOTOS: Facebook/Ying Yupa Anan Don’t leave your mobile phone in your car if it’s going to be parked outside in the hot Thai sun. That’s the take-away message after an exploding mobile phone punched a hole in this woman’s pick-up truck windscreen after leaving the phone sitting on the dash. Samut Prakan, south of Bangkok city, resident Ying Yupa Anan…

  • Man arrested after slashing 82 year old woman in Krabi | Thaiger

    Man arrested after slashing 82 year old woman in Krabi

    A man has been caught after slashing an 82 year old woman in Krabi today. The 52 year old man who is reported to have psychological problems was caught after he used a long knife to slash the 82 year old woman named Wieng Imkasem. The woman, who has sustained serious injuries as a result of the attack, was rushed…

  • History books will have to rewrite the Tham Luang cave story | Thaiger

    History books will have to rewrite the Tham Luang cave story

    “Two British divers have today found the 13 team members perched on the Nerm Nom Sao ledge.” “I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thank you for all the support,” 25 year old Cochairs Ekk wrote in a touching letter, nine days after they were found sitting atop a ledge known as…

  • Transport Ministry and State Railways told to pay HK company 11.9 billion baht | Thaiger

    Transport Ministry and State Railways told to pay HK company 11.9 billion baht

    The long running issue of Bangkok’s ‘stonehenge’ has been resolved after the Supreme Administrative Court handed down its findings today over the disputed contract of the 60 kilometre link from central Bangkok to Don Mueang Airport. The Thai Ministry of Transport and the State Railway of Thailand have been dealt a costly blow after the Supreme Administrative Court today overturned…

  • Slow loris released back into Phuket forest | Thaiger

    Slow loris released back into Phuket forest

    PHOTOS: Department of National Parks Officers from of the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area have helped in the release of a slow loris back into the wild yesterday. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation reports that the head of Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting Area, Pongchart Chueahom, yesterday released the slow loris to the Khao Phra Thaeo Non-Hunting…

  • Pattani smuggler arrested with over 10,000 packets of illegal cigarettes | Thaiger

    Pattani smuggler arrested with over 10,000 packets of illegal cigarettes

    A man has been arrested in Pattani’s Mayo district after trying to smuggle 10,802 packets of foreign cigarettes. Police and Excise Department chief Itthipol Liabyainak announced the arrest of Yaman Pohleng, the owner of a grocery store in Tambon Sakhor Bon. Itthipol says the joint operation by Excise officials and border patrol police was carried out following tips-off that Yaman had…

  • Elderly mother of murdered Thai woman is seeking help to bring her daughter’s body home | Thaiger

    Elderly mother of murdered Thai woman is seeking help to bring her daughter’s body home

    PHOTO: Matichononline The family of a Thai woman murdered in northern Portugal in March is now calling for assistance with the cost of repatriating the body back to Thailand. According to Portuguese media the woman, Natchaya Saranyaphat, was murdered on March 7 by another Thai woman. Natchaya’s head was found on the Leca da Palmeira beach, 300 kilometres north of…

  • Phuket taxi slams into tree in Phattalung | Thaiger

    Phuket taxi slams into tree in Phattalung

    PHOTOS: Phattalung Rescue Two people have sustained serious injuries after a Phuket taxi slammed into a tree in Phattalung last night. Phattalung rescue workers were notified of the accident in Mueang Pattalung District at 7.57pm last night (Sunday). They arrived at the scene to find the Phuket registered taxi resting in front of the big tree on the side of…

  • Bangkok named most popular city for Japanese tourists | Thaiger

    Bangkok named most popular city for Japanese tourists

    Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha says he was happy after hearing that Bangkok was named the most popular destination for Japanese tourists during their Golden Week, a five-day long holiday which begins in late April. The survey was conducted by Agoda, the online booking platform. Pattaya and Phuket were also ranked among the most popular destinations at #4 and #10…

  • British backpacker returns home for Easter after being jailed in Thailand | Thaiger

    British backpacker returns home for Easter after being jailed in Thailand

    PHOTOS: Facebook.com A British backpacker is back in the UK for Easter after being released from prison after being incarcerated for 10 days over a ‘trivial’ offence. 26 year old Chris Dodd told the BBC he was arrested for picking up a mobile phone he found on the ground whilst waiting for a taxi at the Chiang Mai airport. He…

  • Freak summer storms damage 1,000 houses around Chiang Mai | Thaiger

    Freak summer storms damage 1,000 houses around Chiang Mai

    PHOTO: Thai PBS Up to 1,000 homes were damaged by gusty winds and storm cells over the weekend around Chiang Mai. Ten districts were blacked out for several hours when a freak rain storm struck on Saturday, ripping off the roofs of homes and flinging debris around the districts. According to the provincial public disaster prevention and mitigation office, the…

  • LATEST: Sri Lanka bombings | Thaiger

    LATEST: Sri Lanka bombings

    A wave of explosions rocked Sri Lanka up-scale hotels and churches on Easter Sunday around the capital Colombo. This is what we know… • At least 215 people have been confirmed dead with up to 450 more injured in a series of bombings targeting churches holding Easter services and hotels in Sri Lanka. The toll is likely to rise during…

  • Third runway for BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport | Thaiger

    Third runway for BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport

    The Thai cabinet yesterday approved the construction of a third runway at Suvarnabhumi International Airport as part of the country’s ambition to become the aviation hub of ASEAN. The 21.7 billion baht project will increase the combined capacity of Suvarnabhumi international airport’s runways to 94 arrivals and departures per hour from the current 64, said Lt-Gen Weerachon Sukonthapatipak, deputy government…

  • Infamous ‘large’ passenger dies in Koh Samui | Thaiger

    Infamous ‘large’ passenger dies in Koh Samui

    PHOTOS: The Sun A 200 kilogram tourist, who forced flight crews to wipe his bum as he moaned with pleasure in January, has died on Koh Samui. The American, who hasn’t been named, died whilst staying on the Gulf island due to an undisclosed illness. But he has left an indelible memory in his wake. At the same time, as…

  • The 5th Annual Stargazer talent contest returns to CC’s Hideaway | Thaiger

    The 5th Annual Stargazer talent contest returns to CC’s Hideaway

    This year the winner will receive 35,000 baht in prize money! CC’s Hideaway, located in Kata, proudly presents its fifth ‘Stargazer Talent Contest’ which will take place on April 27 between 6 pm and 11 pm. The goal of Stargazer is to create an opportunity for new individuals and groups to perform and promote their special talents and, with media…