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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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Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, September 6
Terrorist plot thwarted in KL | Gender imbalance report for Asian countries | Following Yingluck’s CCTV trail | 13 grounded airlines named | 15 year old rape victim’s family ‘harassed’.
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Special October broadcasting to honour HM Rama IX
The Government is asking television broadcasters to return to black and white and show programs about His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej during the 20 days leading up to his cremation, starting from October 1. For the duration of funerary rites, the Thai Cabinet is asking all channels to cooperate by toning down their programming – to black and white and low-key…
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“Harassment and threats” from local community – Phang Nga rape case
Latest from The Nation The family of a 15-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by more than 40 perpetrators on different occasions in Phang Nga’s Takua Thung district has reportedly faced harassment and threats from members of the local community. The Muslims for Peace Foundation, which has stepped in to aid the family, urged authorities to extend their full protection…
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Seub Nakhasathien Foundation visits Phuket’s crocodile
‘Laypang’, the 200 kilogram male crocodile from the old tin mine near Laypang Beach has been moved to a bigger rehabilitation pond today (August 5). A specialist vet has found that it’s now moving more easily in the larger enclosure while the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation paid a visit to provide some advice. The new, larger cement pond is 6×5 meters…
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More victims and drugs involved in Baan Ko Raed Phang Nga rape case
The ‘Muslim for Peace Foundation’ is calling for help after the 14 years old and her family were threatened by villagers while the girl reported more information that there are more victims and she was forced to use drugs before being raped. “The girl has been moved from the village to a children’s shelter in Phang Nga because she has…
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THAIGER TODAY Tuesday, September 5
Police investigating 40 men in Phang Nga village over rape case | Khao San Road vendors being moved off the footpath | 16 Thai airlines grounded | Our favorite crocodile has a name | Samui has critical rubbish problem
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40 men accused of raping 14 year old girl being investigated
Phang Nga’s Governor, Pakkapong Tawipat, has sent an investigative team to work on the rape case that happened in a village in Kokloy, Phang Nga, where a 14-year-old girl was raped by 40 local men from May to October last year. “The team is chaired by the Vice Governor, Ekkarat Leesen. We have moved the girl and her family out…
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Bang Tao crocodile has a name
After another veterinarian checkup, the saltwater crocodile found in an old tin mine near Layan and Bang Tao beaches has been named “Laypang”. Fisheries Officers visited a crocodile farm, show and zoo but haven’t found yet any record about a missing crocodile while the Marine Specialist said that this maybe the beginning of a saltwater crocodile study in Thailand. Yesterday…
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Samui rubbish problem ‘critical’
Story from Thai PBS English… The warning came from Samui mayor Ramnate Jaikwang earlier this week as the garbage problem is getting worse. Mayor Ramnate said at present the island’s 30-rai landfill already holds mountains of garbage of over 200,000 tons, while 150-200 tons keep coming in every day for disposal. The local administration is calling for a bid to…
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THAIGER TODAY Monday, September 4
Nigerian charged over shooting/robbery but claims innocence | Phuket’s favorite crocodile not eating | Five provinces still inundated with floodwaters | The Cambodian Daily forced to close paper today | Dolphins sighted between Koh Racha and Coral Island.
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Captured Croc isn’t eating. BKK specialist on the way.
Fisheries officers are investigating whether the captured crocodile comes from nature or was owned by an individual. After catching the crocodile spotted at Bangtao Beach on August 25 and which came from a tin mine lake near Laypang Beach, Phuket’s Governor visited the crocodile at the rehabilitation pond in Thalang. The 200-kilogram reptile still hasn’t eaten any food provided by…
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Dolphins spotted between Koh Racha and Phuket
Dolphins have been spotted by tour groups heading to Koh Racha over the weekend. On September 2, at about midday, Surachet Mitsee and many other travellers spotted dolphins swimming alongside their boat between Koh Racha Island and Coral Island. They started to see a group of 7-8 grey dolphins at about 4 nautical miles from Chalong Pier. The dolphins consist…
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Rawai thief and girlfriend to face charges
Phuket’s Police Chief has announced that the Nigerian suspect, James Chukwunweike Chijioke, the suspect for a shooting robbery in Rawai (story here https://thethaiger.com/news/suspect-arrested-shooting-robbery-rawai) will be charged with robbery and attempted murder even though he denied all the charges. The Police say they have enough evidence to prove his guilt. Following the shooting robbery in Rawai, when 52 years old Russian expat…
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Thai Student’s bodies recovered from California river
From The Nation US rescuers has retrieved remains of two Thai postgraduate students at the South Florida University from their car that plunged into a river in the US more than a month ago.The retrieval operation sent rescuers go down from a helicopter to the Kings River where the car is stuck and pulled the car to a river bank.…
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DSI assisting Rawai’s Sea Gypsies with land probe
A DSI (Department of Special Investigations) team led by Deputy Director of the DSI, Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinil, visited the village yesterday (August 31) drawing a crowd of approximately 100 villagers. “We visited the sea gypsies today to advise them on how to present their proof in Court efficiently. If they forget or leave out some details, it can…
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Tuk Tuk driver fined 500 Baht for threatening tourists
Following a video posted on the Facebook page “Spotlight Phuket”, showing a Tuk Tuk driver threatening tourists after failing to negotiate the fare, Patong police have fined the driver, 36 years old Pannawit Nakamin, 500 Baht. The incident took place in front of a massage shop in Soi Kebsup at about 5.00 am yesterday (August 31) after the Tuk Tuk…
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Crocodile being cared for after two day hunt
The crocodile captured in an old tin mine behind Bang Tao beach is now kept at the Phuket Coastal Aquatic Animals Development Centre. After a veterinary check, it was found to be healthy but quite exhausted after the two day hunt. It may take few days to recover. The Head of Phuket Fisheries Office, Paiboon Bunlipatanon, says the crocodile is…
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Suspect arrested over shooting robbery in Rawai
A 27 years old Nigerian, Chijcke Jamer Hukwunwe, has been charged over the alleged shooting/robbery of Russian woman, Elena Kharenko, in Rawai on August 30. He was found in a house in Rawai at 7.30pm last night (August 31) with many valuables such as gold necklaces, watches and some cash following the investigation of CCTV footage near the crime scene.…
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Bang Tao Croc Captured. Week-long search over.
That crocodile, that was first spotted swimming off Bang Tao beach and then making its way into an old tin mine lake, has been captured after two days and two nights of hunting. The 3 metre crocodile is a salt water crocodile, originally thought to be a fresh water croc. Headed by the Phuket Fisheries Office, croc experts and local…
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And you thought WE had problems with crocodiles!?
OK, so we have one elusive crocodile playing hide ‘n seek with a ‘consortium’ of crocodile hunters (we’ll admit we don’t know what the collective noun is for crocodile hunters). But Songkhla have a whole different croc problem. An unknown number of crocodiles have escaped from a farm in Songkhla’s Singhanakorn district after a wall at their enclosure collapsed on…
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Crocodile – 1. Crocodile Hunters – Nil.
This afternoon (August 31), the croc-hunting team corralled for the search failed to capture the rascally reptile. The team includes Fisheries Officers, crocodile catchers from Surat Thani and experienced staff from Phuket Crocodile World. The team brought 4 rafts to chase the crocodile to where the nets were placed. However, the team failed as the crocodile dived 8-9 meters deep…
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100 million Baht drug bust. Krabi’s biggest drug network.
45 year old Somporn Ratchapibun, from Surat Thani, has been arrested with the enormous haul of 486,000 amphetamine pills and 10 kilograms of meth amphetamine. The whole lot has a combined value of more than 100 million Baht. He was arrested at a rented house in Krabi with 3 mobiles phones and a Toyota Vios car. Police found drugs hidden…
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Progress on shooting/robbery of Russian woman in Rawai
Police report that they’ve learned that the two thieves used a car to commit the crime on Tuesday night. The car was parked 100 metres away from the house where they robbed and shot Russian expat, Elena Kharenko. However, the color, brand and plate number hasn’t yet been ascertained. The Chief of Region 8 Police, Maj. Gen. Pawat Prommakrit, has…
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THAIGER TODAY Thursday, August 31
Crocodile hunters on the trail | 43 year old from Phattalung arrested with drugs valued at 2 million Baht | DSI in town to check bonfides of Sor Koh 1 Title Deeds | 400,000 Rohingya in border camps as another 18,500 flee across Myanmar border | Phuket Hotels Association tackle mega beach clean.
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“It’s a freshwater crocodile”. The latest from the Fisheries Office Chief
Freshwater crocodile in Australia’s Northern Territory. Photo: abc.net.au Phuket’s Fisheries Office believes that the crocodile spotted in Bangtao Beach is a freshwater crocodile which can only live in salt water for a few days and they assume that it comes from a tin mine lake in the nearby area. Governor Plodthong, along with the Head of the Phuket Office of Fisheries, Paiboon Bunlipatanon,…
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Two million Baht worth of drugs off the streets
A 43 year-old man from Phatthalung, Preecha “Ann” Utapala, was arrested in his house in Phuket with almost 4,000 amphetamine pills and one kilogram of meth amphetamine with an estimated market value of over 2 million Baht. With police reporting that drug trading volume in Phuket remains high, undercover police continue to investigate all the drug dealer networks. Preecha was…
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THAIGER TODAY Wednesday, August 30
UK National Crime Authority under fire for leaking sensitive information during Koh Tao murder investigation | More about THAT crocodile | Thai PM doesn’t believe Yingluck is seeking asylum in the UK | Man caught with 400,000 Baht value of stolen goods in Thalang | Fake goods raid on beach road in Patong
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FOX News UK pulls the pin
Fox TV News has pulled the pin in their venture to gather an audience in the UK TV market due to poor ratings. Former Australian, now US citizen and owner of the FOX empire, Rupert Murdoch, says the controversial US-based cable news channel was only attracting a few thousand viewers a day in the UK. The decision to jettison the…
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3,000 items snared in Patong counterfeit crackdown
A 33 year old Burmese man, Dam Bha Du and a 34 year old Vietnamese, Lam, have been arrested with a total of 3,000 counterfeit items from Patong. Following a report that a large number of counterfeit goods were being sold in Soi Kebsup on Taweewong Rd, a taskforce led by Phuket’s Governor, the ECD Police force and the Commander-in-Chief…
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Phuket Fisheries Department to survey crocodile location on Bang Tao
Thalang Fisheries Officers commented on the incident when two locals spotted a crocodile in the Bang Tao beach area, off the Movenpick Resort. He said the reptile are likely to have come from the neighbouring provinces as Phuket was never a natural breeding ground for crocodiles. Another similar reptile was spotted last year. “There was a report from a local…
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