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. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Thai cyber police bust gambling ring fronting as farm firm
The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has detained six Thai individuals accused of establishing a fictitious agricultural trading company as a front for a significant gambling ring website, which had over 3.2 billion baht in circulation. During operations in Bangkok and Songkhla, five men and one woman were apprehended in connection with the operation, according to CCIB Chief, Police Lieutenant…
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Chinese executive detained over Bangkok tower collapse fatalities
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has detained a Chinese executive from a construction company involved in the State Audit Office tower project in Bangkok, where numerous fatalities occurred following its collapse during the earthquake on March 28. Zhang Chuanling was apprehended at a hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area of Bangkok yesterday, April 19, as confirmed by the DSI. He…
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Thailand’s Songkran festival sees 8% drop in fatalities
Thailand reported a notable decrease in accidents and casualties during the seven dangerous days of the Songkran festival, with figures significantly lower than previous years. Jirayu Huangsub, an advisor to the prime minister, stated that injuries related to accidents decreased by more than 27%. In comparison, fatalities dropped by 8% compared to the average figures from the last three Songkran…
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Bangkok to receive 500 electric buses in clean energy transition
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) plans to replace its natural gas-powered (NGV) buses with an all-new lineup of electric-powered (EV) air-conditioned buses, beginning with a delivery of 500 EV buses this year. BMTA Director Kittikan Chomdoung Charuworapolkul provided an update on the agency’s progress in leasing electric buses, marking a transition from NGV buses to cleaner energy alternatives. The…
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Escalators in Thailand to follow new earthquake safety standards
The Office of Industrial Product Standards is set to classify escalators and moving walkways as controlled products, ensuring they meet safety standards, including earthquake resistance. This new regulation is expected to take effect in October 2025, with non-compliance resulting in legal consequences. Escalators and moving walkways, commonly found in public spaces such as shopping malls, airports, and train stations, are…
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Paramilitary volunteer arrested for fatal Songkran stabbing
A Songkran celebration turned deadly in the southern province of Trang after a violent clash led to the fatal stabbing of a teenager — and now a 22 year old paramilitary volunteer is behind bars. Benjaphong, a paramilitary volunteer, was arrested today, April 19, following a dramatic police operation after being accused of fatally stabbing a teenager during a brawl…
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Pattaya ramps up security with 750 cops and drones for Songkran
Pattaya is turning into a high-tech fortress this Songkran, as police brace for massive crowds and potential mayhem at Thailand’s wildest water fight. Yesterday, April 18, Police Lieutenant General Yingyot Thepjamnong, Commander of Provincial Police Region 2, led a full-scale inspection at Pattaya City Police Station to assess security and traffic readiness ahead of the Pattaya Water Festival today, April…
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Officials probe illegal land grabs in Phuket wildlife zone
Phuket’s lush green hills are fast becoming battlegrounds in a land war fuelled by booming tourism, high-end development, and shady deals — and now, investigators are closing in. Officials launched a fresh investigation into suspected illegal land grabs within a protected wildlife reserve in Wichit, Phuket, raising alarm over how the island’s natural beauty is being sacrificed for profit. “Phuket’s…
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Chon Buri councillor accused of assaulting journalist
A Chon Buri provincial council member is alleged to have assaulted 36 year old local journalist at a restaurant, reportedly over a story involving claw machines. The journalist, Nanthaphon, sustained facial and neck injuries and is experiencing dizziness. Nanthaphon revealed he has known the council member, identified as B, for over 10 years, dating back to the tenure of B’s…
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Chiang Rai police seize 110kg ketamine in hotel arrest
In Chiang Rai, police apprehended a 32 year old man at a hotel with 110 kilogrammes of ketamine. He allegedly planned to transport the drugs from Mae Sai to Ayutthaya, confessing to being paid 500,000 baht upon successful delivery. Police Lieutenant General Manop Senakul, commander of Chiang Rai Provincial Police, directed Police Colonel Technic Jansri, superintendent of Mae Sai Police…
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Motorcycle rider killed in Nakhon Ratchasima road accident
A tragic accident occurred on Mittraphap Road yesterday, April 18 when a motorcycle collided with a pickup truck and was subsequently struck by a trailer truck, resulting in the death of the rider. Police Colonel Anon Sajanthuek, an investigator with the Pho Klang Police Station, received a report of the accident near the entrance to Ther Thai Market in Suranaree…
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Phuket hospital seeks donations to build operating rooms
A Phuket hospital is making a desperate plea for public donations to build its own operating rooms, after receiving woefully insufficient funding from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). Chalong Hospital, which serves more than 160,000 patients a year across the Rawai, Karon and Chalong areas, is in urgent need of six modern operating theatres — but only has a…
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Dust levels at Chatuchak building site exceed safety limits
The Department of Health has reported that tests on the site of the collapsed SAO building show levels of heavy metals and asbestos within the normal range, but PM10 dust levels exceed standards, potentially requiring long-term monitoring. Yesterday, April 18, Dr Amporn Benjapolpitak, Director-General of the Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health, revealed that a team from SEhRT was…
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Ceiling panels crush driver in fatal Phatthalung truck crash
A trailer truck driver was killed in a horror crash in Phatthalung province, southern Thailand, after his cargo of ceiling panels crushed him to death. The accident occurred at around 10.30pm yesterday, April 18, along Highway 15 in Ban Pabak, Thung Nari subdistrict, Pa Bon district. The driver, 59 year old Manop, was found dead at the scene, buried under…
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Bangkok tests mobile alert system for emergency warnings
Telecom operators and regulators successfully tested a comprehensive virtual cell broadcast entity (CBE) mobile emergency alert system in Bangkok. The test involved Advanced Info Service (AIS), True Corp, and the state-owned National Telecom, alongside staff from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). It confirmed that alerts could be sent to both Android and iOS smartphones, following Apple’s inclusion of…
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Khon Kaen ICU called ‘slaughterhouse’, complaint filed
Mancha Khiri Hospital in Khon Kaen province has requested police intervention after a man expressed his frustration towards nurses in the intensive care unit, referring to the facility as a “slaughterhouse.” The hospital director, Pornpol Laowithaya, stated yesterday, April 18, that a formal complaint had been lodged with Mancha Khiri police against 45 year old Anucha Chuenjai, accusing him of…
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Deadly ‘Labubu’ drug kills 2 after Songkran party
What looked like innocent fun during Songkran has turned deadly, as Thai police warn of a dangerous new designer drug that has already claimed two lives and left another person fighting for their life. The Ramathibodi Poison Centre has issued an urgent public warning about a street drug known as Labubu or Khanom (Thai for snack), believed to have been…
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Phuket rakes in billions but begs for budget help
It may be Thailand’s crown jewel of tourism, raking in nearly 500 billion baht in revenue last year, but Phuket is struggling with crumbling infrastructure, water shortages, and traffic chaos — and local leaders say it’s time the government pays attention. Last year, Phuket welcomed 13–14 million tourists, generating 497.5 billion baht in revenue. Yet, despite the economic windfall, Governor…
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Rayong locals affected by pollution and flood from illegal land filling
Residents in the eastern province of Rayong are seeking justice after a 10-metre-high illegal land filling, allegedly developed by a Chinese investor, caused severe air pollution and flooded their homes with mud during recent rainfall. Locals living in a housing development adjacent to the plot of land in Makham Khu sub-district, Nikhom Phatthana district, Rayong, raised the issue publicly, hoping…
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‘Someone will pay’: Arrests looming over Bangkok building collapse
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed justice after a deadly building collapse in Bangkok, warning that arrest warrants are coming soon for those responsible. The dramatic statement from the 38 year old PM came today following high-level meetings with government agencies over the collapse of the 30-storey State Audit Office (SAO) building in Chatuchak district. The disaster, triggered by the March…
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Punches and passports: Bangla Road fight goes viral (video)
It was less of a beach holiday and more of a boxing match in Patong, as a shocking video of foreign tourists brawling on Phuket’s infamous Bangla Road has gone viral, drawing heavy criticism and fuelling online debate about visa policies and foreign gangs in Thailand. The drama unfolded in the heart of Patong’s nightlife zone, where two men were seen…
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4 Indian nationals rescued from kidnapping gang in Bangkok
Police today successfully rescued four Indian nationals from a kidnapping for ransom operation carried out by fellow countrymen at a house in Bangkok. An Indian man named Sanjeeve Kumar filed a complaint with officers at Yannawa Police Station on Wednesday, April 16 after learning that his two friends, Ramesh Sharmar and Amandeep Kajal, were detained by a criminal gang. Sharmar’s…
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Songkran crowds pour 1 billion baht into Thai economy
It wasn’t just water flying this Songkran—cash was too. Thailand’s Maha Songkran World Water Festival has soaked the nation in celebration and injected a whopping 1.58 billion baht into the tourism industry, making it one of the most lucrative holiday events in recent memory. According to Government Deputy Spokesperson Anukul Phruksanusak, the five-day spectacle, held from April 11 to 15,…
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Quake-hit Bangkok site turns crime scene as 2 more bodies found
Bangkok’s construction site tragedy has taken a darker turn, as rescue teams recovered two more bodies from the wreckage of the collapsed State Audit Office, nearly three weeks after the building came crashing down in the aftermath of an earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar. With the death toll continuing to rise and serious allegations of corruption and negligence emerging, investigators are…
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Drunk pickup driver crashes into family and blocks medical aid
A 70 year old drunk Thai man crashed his pickup into a motorcycle carrying a family of four on a road in the southern province of Phatthalung and obstructed rescue workers from providing medical assistance to the injured. The Phatthalung Rescue Foundation responded promptly to the incident, which occurred on Manora Road in the Kuan Maphrao district on the night…
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Bangkok set for major law shake-up after 40 years
Is Bangkok finally getting the makeover it desperately needs? The capital is set for a long-overdue shake-up, as officials prepare to modernise the decades-old law that governs the city, and it could change how Bangkok is run for generations to come. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced plans to revise the BMA Act 1985, a 40 year old law that…
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Rescued pit bull mauls Thai woman who gave dog second chance
A dog lover who opened her heart to a rescue pit bull cross was left fighting for her life after the animal turned on her in a savage attack, just weeks after it broke a monk’s arm. The 40 year old woman is in a serious condition after a pit bull cross she adopted from a shelter viciously mauled her…
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Thai man to sue police after wrongful arrest for attempted murder
A young man from Nakhon Si Thammarat is vowing to sue the police after spending five harrowing nights behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. Phuris Saitong was released from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Correctional Institution for Young Offenders on Wednesday, April 16, after police admitted they had arrested the wrong man for an attempted murder. The moment he…
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Chiang Mai hotels thrive during Songkran with strategic pricing
Hotels in Chiang Mai experienced a strong performance during the Songkran holiday, despite offering lower room rates compared to the previous year. The pricing strategy was aimed at attracting last-minute domestic travellers, whose confidence was affected by last month’s earthquake. Paisarn Sukjarean, President of the Thai Hotels Association’s upper northern chapter, indicated that many Thais remained unsettled by the earthquake…
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Thai woman strangles baby with electric wire after row with boyfriend
A 19 year old Thai woman strangled her 10 month old baby girl with an electric wire following an argument with her boyfriend at a house in the central province of Ratchaburi. Esor News shared part of the video showing the abuse on April 17. The caption read, “This woman strangled her child with an electric wire after her boyfriend…
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