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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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Policeman poses as Buddhist monk to trick drug dealers in central Thailand
A policeman swapped his tight, zip-up uniform for saffron robes last week in a cunning plan to lure two drug dealers to arrest in Ratchaburi province, central Thailand – but he also broke the law in doing so. Villagers in Ban Pong district complained to police that Ya Ba, a cheap version of Methenamine, was being sold at a famous…
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Thai minister insists minimum wage increase is not electioneering
The Labour Minister, Suchart Chomklin, insists the government’s promise to increase the minimum wage in Thailand by 5-8% this year is not electioneering. With an election due in March next year cynics could be forgiven in thinking it is a government ploy to buy or win votes. Suchart denies this is the case. The Labour Minister said the government is…
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Swedish Embassy hailed for giving 6-month parental leave to Thai staff
The Swedish Embassy in Bangkok was praised by Thai netizens after providing six months of parental leave with full salary to its Thai male staff. Yesterday, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok posted a story of a Thai embassy driver, Somchart Sucheephet, on Facebook revealing he receives the same welfare privileges as his Swedish counterparts. The embassy said… “It’s time…
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PM warns Thailand to brace itself for potential flooding
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha warned Thailand to brace itself for another deluge of water this month. The 68 year old PM ordered governors in provincial areas to prepare for potential flooding after weather forecasters predicted more heavy rainfall until the end of the month. Thailand witnessed a heavy taste of what is to come over the past 24 hours after…
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9 year old boy kills a 7 year old girl with a police pistol in Phuket
A 7 year old girl was shot dead by a 9 year old boy with a policeman’s pistol at a house in Ratsada Sub-district, Mueng District in Phuket. The police officer, a relative of the homeowner, later said he forgot he had left a loaded gun at the house. The girl was sent to Phuket Provincial Administrative Organization Hospital with…
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Thailand & China fighter jets take off on Falcon Strike drills
The Royal Thai Air Force yesterday reported it will resume a fighter jets exercise with China this weekend. The Falcon Strike exercise between Thailand and China was an annual event until it was postponed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The drill has taken place four times since 2015 and takes flight once again on Sunday, August 14. It…
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Fans flock to free entry Pattaya Music Festival held every weekend of August
Tens of thousands of music fans are flocking to Pattaya Music Festival this month in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The festival is held every Friday and Saturday of the month at stages in several locations in Pattaya, kicking off at 5pm. Entry is free. Festival goers are more than ready to party after the festival was postponed in…
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Seoul sees worst floods in 80 years, 7 dead, 6 missing
Seoul and surrounding areas are inundated with water after one of the heaviest rain storms in 80 years hit the South Korean capital last night. At least seven people have died and at least six people are missing. At least five people died in Seoul and two others in neighbouring Gyeonggi province, according to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures…
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Police raid Chinese porn studio in Chon Buri, 4 arrested
A computer fraudulently bought by a Chinese man led police from Sattahip and Na Jomtien to raid a Chinese porn studio in mid-set in Chon Buri’s Sattahip district. Four suspects were arrested during the raid at the porn studio hidden in a pool villa in Sattahip district on Friday, August 5, including the 33 year old Chinese director Li, 24…
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Blaze at US office near German Embassy in Bangkok
A fire broke out last night at the US Security Assistance Organisation, or JUSMAGTHAI, on Sathorn Tai Road in Bangkok. The building is located near the German Embassy, but the office was reported to be safe from the blaze. Firefighters from Bonkai Fire and Rescue and Tung Mahamek Fire Station rushed to the scene at 7.35pm to suppress the blaze…
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Aussie man plunges to death from 17th floor of Pattaya hotel
A 41 year old Australian man fell to his death from the 17th floor of his hotel balcony in Pattaya yesterday. The man, believed to be Matthew Leigh Plant from Adelaide, checked into the View Talay 6 in central Pattaya just before 7am, and an hour later his body was found dead face down in the car park. Police and…
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Faulty wiring, poor construction, unsafe materials in Mountain B fire
As more details emerge on the horrific fire at the Mountain B Pub that took the lives of 15 victims with 38 more hospitalised, The Thaiger continues daily roundups of new developments. Yesterday’s can be found here (about the victims and owners) and here (about the response from authorities). Read on to learn about the construction issues and inspections, or…
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Thai woman murders her abusive boyfriend in front of a monk
A woman in an abusive relationship said she shot and killed her boyfriend in front of a monk because she couldn’t take any more of his violence. The 40 year old woman, Tharinya, shot her boyfriend, Supornchai, also 40, several times to the chest and stomach while he was offering food to a monk in front of his shop at…
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UPDATE: Sexy Thai model fined 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club
UPDATE: Thai model and DJ “Oil Kissyface” has been slapped with another 5,000 baht for more sexy antics. Oil was previously fined 5,000 baht under the Public Obscenity Act after a video of her dancing topless at a nightclub in Khon Kaen last week went viral on social media. After news of her fine caught the nation’s attention today, another…
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10 year old killed & 5 injured after pickup hits motorbike sidecar
A 10 year old child was tragically killed, and four children and a teenager were seriously injured after a pickup truck smashed into the children’s motorcycle sidecar in the Isaan province of Nong Bua Lamphu yesterday. Officers from the Si Boon Rueng Police Station were called to the scene of the accident on Nong Bua Lamphu – Chum Pare Road…
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Court releases Mountain B owner on bail for 300k baht following fire in eastern Thailand
Today, Pattaya Provincial Court released “Sia B” – the 27 year old owner of Mountain B pub – on bail for 300,000 baht. He was arrested on Saturday following the tragic fire that struck Mountain B pub in Sattahip district of Chon Buri province on Friday, killing 15 people in total and injuring 40 more. Sia B was released on…
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UK student conquers mountain in Thailand blindfolded
A Cambridge philosophy student conquered a Thai mountain blindfolded in tribute to his blind sister and to raise money for charity. The 21 year old scholar climbed the treacherous Doi Suthep, near Chiang Mai, with his girlfriend, as he embarked on a three-day journey on July 11 blindfolded to fundraise for a charity that supports his sister Harriet, who was…
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Nigerian monkeypox case who fled Thailand is banned from Cambodia for 3 years
Cambodia has ordered the deportation of a 27 year old Nigerian man who recently recovered from monkeypox. The man originally fled Thailand last month, after testing positive for the virus, and because he had overstayed his education visa, which expired in January. Cambodian immigration announced yesterday that he had recovered and they planned to send him back to Nigeria soon.…
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Red Shirts lead rally against Thailand PM on August 23
The leader of the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship, or Red Shirts, yesterday invited people to protest against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on August 23, the day before he officially stands down as Thailand’s PM. The 68 year old prime minister is expected to resign on August 24 after two concurrent four year terms. In Section 158 of…
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Netizens slam cannabis firm for encouraging underage users
Thai netizens raised questions about the easy accessibility of a cannabis vending machine that has mysteriously appeared in Bangkok. Last Saturday, a Thai Twitter user, C.Veasarach, posted a picture of a cannabis vending machine in Bangkok, although did not state its exact location, named This Machine Is Green, with a caption that said… “Here it is… This is a vending…
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Thai man dies of suspected heart attack in love motel
The dead body of a 62 year old Thai man was found yesterday in a love motel near Khlong Ta Ket community in tambon Paknam in Muang district. Police believe he died of a heart attack. Hotel staff found the dead body of the man, named only as Thawi, lying on the floor of the motel room at about 9.30pm.…
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Blood pours from Thai man’s mouth who chewed pork skewer with blades inside it
Blood poured from a man’s mouth after he chewed a skewer of grilled pork yesterday in the Samut Prakan province in central Thailand. He found several pieces of sharp cutter blades inside the meat, which he bought from a vendor in Phra Pradaeng district. The 29 year old man, Tongpoon, bought two skewers of grilled pork – or “Moo Ping”…
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Sexy Thai model fined at 5,000 baht for dancing topless in club
A sexy Thai model has been fined 5,000 baht for a public obscenity act after a video of her went viral dancing topless at a nightclub in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. The nightclub was also fined for operating without a license. Paphavee “Oil” Chaimongkol, aka Oil Roi Joob, which means Oil Kissyface, was working as a DJ at…
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13 pet ducks missing: 6-metre, 40-kilogramme snake to blame
A local shop owner in Kanchanadit in the southern province of Surat Thani had 18 pet ducks. Then one day there were 17, then 16 the next day, and 15 the day after. One by one they were disappearing and it wasn’t until 13 ducks had vanished that the culprit was revealed – a giant, 6-metre, 40-kilogramme snake. The snake…
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83 Bangkok bars don’t meet safety standards
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt revealed that 83 bars in Bangkok lack the necessary safety standards to legally open and that the Chatuchak district is the worst offender. He insisted that if nothing improves those bars would be closed permanently. Chadchart yesterday answered media questions on health and safety in the capital’s entertainment venues. He revealed that he introduced strict safety…
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Anutin: “If I have to be the prime minister, I will be.”
Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that, if people want him, he is willing to step in as the next prime minister of Thailand. Anutin, who also has been serving as the Minister of Public Health throughout the tumultuous Covid-19 pandemic and response, said that if the citizens of Thailand want him to be their next leader, he is willing…
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Cheap sound absorption panels believed to be cause of Mountain B fire
Cheap and flammable sound absorption panels are thought to have caused the tragic fire at Mountain B nightclub in Sattahip district, Chon Buri province, on Thursday night. The total death toll rose to 15 after a man injured in the fire died in hospital on Saturday. Around 40 people were injured in total. The owners of Mountain B soundproofed the…
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55 tourists from Thailand go AWOL in South Korea
South Korean Immigration officials revealed that 55 Thai tourists have gone missing on Jeju Island. Some 280 Thai tourists entered South Korea last week through Jeju International Airport but 55 of them have gone AWOL Jeju Immigration Service announced that of the 697 Thai nationals who arrived at Jeju Airport from Bangkok through a direct Jeju Airlines flight between Tuesday…
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New app to help migrant women in Thailand facing abuse
UN Women and Thai non-government organisations (NGOs) have collaborated to create a new app for migrant women in Thailand facing sexual abuse and violence. The app has been named “Smart Domestic Workers.” Smart Domestic Workers provides information on ways that migrant women can protect themselves from violence, in four languages: Thai, English, Burmese, and Khmer. Users can search for hospitals,…
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Nigerian man recovers from monkeypox, handed to Cambodian authorities
The saga involving the Nigerian man who fled from Phuket to Cambodia after being diagnosed with monkeypox continues. The man, 27 year old Osmond Chihazirim Nzere, has now recovered from the virus and was discharged from the hospital yesterday (August 6), according to Cambodia’s Health Ministry. But Nzere hasn’t escaped the consequences of fleeing to Cambodia. A Health Ministry spokesperson,…
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