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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Durian drives southern economy with new Chinese 700 million baht factory
A Chinese company has invested 700 million baht to establish a durian processing factory in Songkhla’s Thepha district. The establishment of the Kunming-based company in southern Thailand is an indication of the growing love for durian in China and a growing export potential for the ‘love-it-or-hate-it’ fruit. Manguwang Food Company will employ up to 1,200 workers at its 700 million…
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Happy Birthday to His Majesty the King
Happy Birthday to His Majesty the King, the first birthday celebrations of Thailand’s monarch since his Coronation in May. The government has organised religious and celebratory events in Bangkok and around the country today to honour His Majesty the King on his 67th birthday. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will lead government dignitaries and state officials in a rite offering alms…
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Pattaya police caught extorting son of senior Issan policeman
PHOTO: Daily News Four Pattaya police have been caught out trying to extort payment from a person in an e-cigarette sting. But the person they were trying to get payment from was the son of a deputy police commander in Isaan, in Thailand’s north east. 24 year old Phanuwat Suban Na Ayuthaya reported the alleged extortion to Pattaya police yesterday. He…
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Big bike rider decapitated in horror crash in Bangkok
PHOTOS: Sanook A motorbike rider has been decapitated after colliding with the side of the Klong Tan Flyover yesterday. He was riding a BMW S1000 RR big bike at the time. His body was taken to the Chulalongkorn Hospital for an autopsy to determine the presence of alcohol or drugs in his blood. Sanook reports that motorbikes are not allowed on…
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Phuket leads the way in managed hotel residences
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com – Feature article “Hotel Residences – properties that sell individual units in the real estate market and operate as either hotels or else are branded by hospitality operators. Other often used terms are condotel, hotel branded residences and hospitality-led real estate.” Phuket’s love affair with hotel managed properties started in the late 1980’s with the…
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Thai visitors leaking to Vietnam – a personal view
by Guest Writer (who asked to be anonymous) In response to an article ‘Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam‘, a responder on The Thaiger Facebook page has provided a balanced response we thought we would share with you. Is nostalgia making us think that Pattaya and Thailand were really that great in the past or are the golden…
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Australian pair’s ‘misunderstanding’ puts Phuket Airport taxis and van services in spotlight
When Australians Kate Chipperfield and Lauren Meinties filed their complaint about a 3,000 baht van fare from Phuket Airport to Kata, they had no idea of the chain of events that would follow. Even the Thai PM got involved ordering Phuket officials to clamp down on rorts, and taxi and van drivers to stop ripping off tourists. As the central…
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WWF Thailand pushes for sustainable tourism and preservation
An animal lover, nature lover and a Thai national, CEO of World Wide Fund-Thailand, Natalie Phaholyothin is particularly proud of Thailand’s national environment and wildlife heritage. “We have 127 national parks, which is quite a high number, and that in itself should be an indication of the potential for Thailand to become more of a sustainable tourism destination. “All Thais…
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Facebook removes accounts and pages because of “inauthentic behaviour”
“Facebook says the reason for the removal of the posts and accounts was because of their “behaviour” not the content they posted.” Facebook has erased over 1,800 accounts and pages from Thailand, Russia, Ukraine and Honduras in a move to counter abuses of its service and “deceptive political propaganda”. Facebook has shared examples of Thailand-based Facebook accounts, posts and pages it…
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Fights on offer as Pheu Thai MP and senator bicker in Parliament
PHOTO: @tanawatofficial It only took two days before the fingers started pointing and the first offer of a fist fight was made. Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha, who challenged Pheu Thai MP Yutthapong Charassathien in parliament to a fist-fight yesterday, admitted he lost his patience because of Yutthapong’s continual bad-mouthing of other MPs. The Senators have all been hand-picked by the NCPO…
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HK Consulate warns Thais and visitors about weekend protests
PHOTO: China Daily Kong Kong The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong is warning both Thai residents and visitors not to enter the areas or in the vicinity of protests planned for July 27-28 in Hong Kong. The announcement was made on their Facebook page yesterday. According to the announcement, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong had been informed…
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Philippines tourism surges, despite last year’s Boracay closedown
The Philippines Department of Tourism is reporting that 2018 closed with a 7.68% increase in tourist arrivals. Last year’s six month closure of tropical paradise Boracay, from May to October, seems to have little affect on the overall growth of the country’s tourism. The island closed down last year for a ‘makeover’, mainly to tackle pollution after the country’s president…
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Former police chief, turned MP, rails against the PM
PHOTO: Thai PBS Seri Ruam Thai party leader Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyavet, former Police Chief appointed by the NCPO, is taking the fight right up to the PM and the coalition, hinted to the media before parliament resumed todaythat he still has enough ammunition to fire at the government and, particularly, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. During his time as the Junta’s…
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Power bank explodes in backpack at Chiang Mai Airport – VIDEO
Thankfully the passenger wasn’t on a plane at the time. The woman had just arrived at the Chiang Mai International Airport. The first explosion was in her backpack which she quickly shrugged off and it fell to the ground. (Watch the video, bottom left at the beginning) Then, as security came to get a quick video of the incident on…
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Thailand’s Future Forward denies bizarre ‘Illuminati’ accusations
A lawyer and former advisor to Thailand’s chief ombudsman, Natthaporn Toprayoon has gone ‘full woo woo’ in cobbling together arguments to disband the Future Forward Party. In a petition submitted to the Constitutional Court, the lawyer has invoked fears of the ‘Illuminati’ secret society. He has accused Future Forward as being a threat to the country’s constitutional monarchy. He says…
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400 baht minimum daily wage worries Thai business chamber
The Thai Chamber of Commerce is raising concerns over the government’s proposal to raise the minimum daily wage to 400 baht. They say it will severely hit the country’s small to medium businesses. Chamber chairman Kalin Sarasin says they have been discussing the proposal with Chamber members and business operators discussions with many business operators. They found that most of…
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BTS 15 baht flat rate fare is nothing new
The ’15 baht flat fare’ proposal for the BTS is nothing new. But the proposal has surfaced again as the new Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob offered the flat fee to be set for the BTS Skytrain service across Bangkok. The BTSC operates the BTS services – the Sukhumvit line from Mor Chit to Kheha and the Silom line which serves Silom and…
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UPS says Thailand and Indonesia cargo traffic are winners in trade war
Supply chains are quickly adapting to the US-China trade war and Thailand, Indonesia and Japan are the biggest growth markets in Asia for UPS, according to the American international package delivery and global logistics service. UPS’s COO Jim Barber says there is no question that cargo volume from China to the US has significantly decreased but, with some manufacturers moving…
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Accusations, working off-script and walk-outs. Day one in the new Thai parliament
PHOTO: The Nation One day down, another today. Thailand’s PM had his first day in a parliamentary setting and, despite taunts and barbs being thrown at him in true Parliamentary style, he stood firm. Sometimes working off-script and at other times visibly annoyed, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha barrelled through the formalities with a few “settle downs” coming from his right-hand man,…
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Phuket fights for sustainable tourism at PHIST 2019
Phuket readies to host PHIST 2019 in the fight against environmental degradation in Southeast Asia’s idyllic island destinations. PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism) 2019 is a free-to-attend one-day conference that takes place on Thursday, September 23, 2019 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. The important event will gather approximately 1,000 delegates, including more than 70 of…
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Russian and Kazakhstani caught on seven month overstay at Suvarnabhumi
PHOTO: Facebook/Tourist Police Bureau A Russian man and his Kazakhstani wife had been travelling around Thailand using fraudulent documentation to avoid being detected for overstay. This time they tried the same scam to fly from Bangkok to Phuket but it didn’t quite go to plan. The pair told Suvarnabhumi immigration officials that they “forgot their passports” so they could get…
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Pattaya officials tell Bali Hai Pier vans, taxis and baht bus drivers to clean up their act
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Pattaya officials have now banned passenger vans from parking at Bali Hai Pier and discussing the situation with baht bus operators. Ronakit Ekasingh, Pattaya’s deputy mayor held a meeting on Monday about the traffic problems and chaos that was overwhelming the busy tourist pier. In a story earlier this week public-transport operators were caught fighting over customers.…
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Ready, set, Dragonboats are GO! World Champs come to Pattaya in August
The 14th World Dragon Boat Racing Championships are being held in August at the Map Prachan Reservoir in Banglamung, in Chon Buri. The event is being held at the Royal Navy Rowing Training Centre in Pattaya, from August 20-25. It is the first time that Thailand will be hosting the sport’s biggest event. This year the event draws more than…
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Phuket police crackdown nets over 20,000 meth pills and weapons
PHOTO: khaophuket.com Police have nabbed drug dealers in Phuket with more than 20,000 methamphetamine pills plus other drugs and weapons. On July 23, Phuket police announced a drug crackdown. Police have ended up seizing more than 20,000 methamphetamine pills, crystal methamphetamine, kratom and a gun. In the first case, police arrested 21 year old Arunrat ‘May’ Jirapongpitak and 25 year…
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Police arrest Nigerian over Phuket-based ‘Nigerian Romance Scam’
A 38 year old Nigerian alleged ‘romance scammer’ has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly operating bank accounts and arranging money transactions. The unnamed man was operating out of Phuket. The suspect is now being returned to Phuket, where an arrest warrant was issued on July 9 charging the man with conspiracy to commit fraud. Immigration Police Bureau chief Pol…
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Builders of Laos dam say they’re not responsible for lack of flow in Mekong River
Both the government of Laos and the builders of the Xayaburi dam are dismissing allegations that damming of the Mekong River, for the trial run of electricity generators, is one of the reasons for the sharp drop of water levels in the downstream stretches of the Mekong River. Water levels in the reservoir, 30 metres above the river, is about…
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Police receive reports of Ponzi scene affecting 200 on Koh Samui
PHOTO: Manager Online 200 Thai wives of foreigners have reportedly lost up to 120 million baht in a Ponze scheme on Koh Samui. A group of 20 affected victims were represented by ‘Praew’ who reported to the Bophut Police Station to register a formal complaint. Bophut Police are trying to interview 30 victims each day since the complaint was registered…
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American dies after being knocked over by motorbike north of Bangkok
An American pedestrian has died after being run over on Klong 1 Road leading to the Lumpini Township condominium, north of the Capital. Police and emergency services responded after reports that a foreigner had been struck by a motorcycle just after midnight this morning. Volunteers from Ruam Katanyu provided CPR to the man, reported by Sanook as 35 year old ‘Carl’ from…
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Lost Leopard Cat kitten being cared by Phang Nga wildlife officials
The small leopard cat kitten, found near a rubber plantation, is doing well and being cared for by Phang Nga wildlife nursery staff. It is not known what happened to the kitten’s mother. It was rescued on Monday near a rubber plantation in Krabi province by a Ban Pho Riang resident. The surprised passerby who found the the kitten fetched called officials at…
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32 year old charged with attempted murder after Egyptian tourist stabbed in neck in Phuket
Sanook News is reporting further details after an 30 year old Egyptian, the son of an Ambassador, was struck in the neck by a roti seller who thought that the tourist was swearing at his wife. 32 year old Surachai from Koh Lanta, who was helping his wife sell rotis outside a Family Mart in Chalong’s Soi Ta-iad, grabbed a big…
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