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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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Sponsored What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?
The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...
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North Korean defector’s remains found in South Korea
The remains of a North Korean defector have been found in South Korea. Seoul police said a public housing company last week sent workers to visit the woman’s apartment after she had missed multiple rent payments, and could not be contacted. The workers found the woman’s decomposing remains in her apartment. The body of the woman, who was in her…
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Spiderman spins web to promote Thai tourism
A Thai tour guide has found a novel way of attracting tourists into his web of activities – by dressing as Spiderman. But, not only that, Spiderman has recruited a superhero sidekick to help him out – Superman. Kasidet Juthamas aka Spiderman recruited an Australian TikToker, Mitch Muscle Lagos, in a Superman uniform to join him on a rock climbing…
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Tourists flock to Pattaya seafood festivals over long weekend
Tourists flocked to two seafood festivals in Pattaya over the three-day weekend. The Central Pattaya shopping mall held the “Sea Bear” food festival, bringing in income for vendors. There was also a seafood festival at Terminal 21 shopping mall, which saw hundreds of vacationers stopping by, Pattaya Mail reported. The festival had planned to feature street food vendors from across…
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Angry elephant smashes pickup truck windscreen in northeast Thailand
Yesterday, an angry elephant who escaped from Khao Yai National Park smashed a pickup truck’s windscreen with its tusks in northeast Thailand. Fearing for the safety of tourists, a brave national park official parked his pickup in front of the elephant to stop him from going any further. The Khao Yai National Park chief, Chaiya Huayhongthong, reported at 9am today…
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Drivers return nearly 100,000 baht found on road to owner
Dozens of benevolent car drivers and their passengers helped a woman gather 100,000 baht that blew away after it was left on the roadside by an absent-minded employee in the Isaan province of Khon Kaen. A Thai TikTok user, Sutasinee Buachaban, posted a video of drivers parking their cars and gathering 1,000 baht banknotes that were scattered on the road.…
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Drink driving Chonburi FC goalie released on bail for 100,000 baht after fatal crash
UPDATE The Royal Thai Police released 22 year old Worawut “Bank” Sakuna, the Chonburi FC goalkeeper, on bail for 100,000 baht. At 4.30am this morning, Bank was drink driving when he struck and killed a woman and seriously injured a man in Chon Buri province, eastern Thailand. Another Chonburi FC player, Chalermpong “Ball” Kerdkaew, arrived at the scene shortly after…
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Ugandan prostitute snatches hundreds of thousands of baht from British tourist in Pattaya
A Ugandan prostitute allegedly snatched a British tourist’s safe with hundreds of thousands of baht in it in Pattaya. Even though the incident happened on October 2, it was reported on Saturday that police still hadn’t caught the suspect. The victim, 57 year old Steven Paul, took a streetwalker he met on Walking Street back to his guesthouse on Soi…
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Missing Russian’s body found at sea near Patong Beach
All hope is now lost for the safe return of the Russian woman who disappeared after a swim on a Phuket beach last week. The dead body of the missing woman, Elena Rusradchenko, washed ashore near Patong Beach earlier this morning. She disappeared from Sakoo in Thalang. Police and volunteers had been sweeping the island and the surrounding seas for the…
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61 year old man beaten to death at Bangkok train station
A 61 year old man was brutally beaten to death while waiting for a train at Bang Sue Grand Train Station in Bangkok. The murderer is still at large and the motive behind the murder remains unclear as the police investigate. The man, Sujin (surname reserved), was found dead on a bench on platform number two at Bang Sue Train…
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Investigators find note from gunman after US school shooting
UPDATE In the aftermath of the horrific shooting at a US school on Monday, investigators have found a handwritten note from the gunman. The gunman, 19 year old Orlando Harris, killed two people and injured seven others at the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis on Monday. Harris ended up being shot dead in a gunfight…
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Millionaire? Pfft! Indonesia’s second-home visa is for billionaires
Many online have criticised Thailand’s plan to focus on attracting millionaires, but Indonesia seems to think the Thai government is just setting their stall too low. Indonesia launched a “second-home visa” with plans to lure in billionaires, not millionaires. The new visa debuted last week, but the details are still being put into place by the Ministry of Interior, Immigration,…
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Adidas drops partnership with Kanye West over anti-Semitic hate speech
Adidas has cut ties with rapper Kanye West, or Ye, after his espousal of anti-Semitic comments on Twitter and outrageous interview on the matter. In an interview a few days ago, Kanye said, “I can say anti-Semitic sh*t and Adidas can’t drop me. I can say anti-Semitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what? Now what?” In response, Adidas…
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Police detain SWAT officer who fled after nightclub shooting in southern Thailand
UPDATE Police have tracked down and arrested Sergeant Bird, the SWAT officer who shot dead a man at Country Home nightclub in Trang province, southern Thailand, yesterday morning. Sergeant Bird fired 11 shots with a 9mm gun, nine hitting 32 year old Chitkorn “Khao” Kongchan. Two others were injured in the gunfire. After the SWAT officer fled the nightclub, he…
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Thailand scoops best costume at Miss Grand International
Miss Grand Thailand, Engfa Waraha, scooped the best national costume prize at the Miss Grand International 2022 final in Indonesia yesterday. Unfortunately, the Thai beauty queen had to make do with the first runner-up prize in the overall competition after being edged out by Miss Grand Brazil, Isabella Menin, who was crowned Miss Grand International 2022. Beauty queens from 72…
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Police seize 263 guns in 15 days in southern Thailand
The Royal Thai Police confiscated 263 guns and 1,702 rounds of ammunition in eight provinces of southern Thailand over a 15-day period this month. Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a crackdown on illegal firearms following the massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province earlier this month. Between October 10-24, police confiscated 263 firearms in Provincial Police…
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Long weekend in Thailand draws tourists to natural sites
Thailand’s recent three-day weekend drew tourists to some of the country’s most beautiful natural sites. Over 10,000 people ventured to Thailand’s highest mountain peak, Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon, according to officials there. Tourists visited a number of other natural sites as well. In the western Kanchanaburi province, a tourism business operator said the tourist influx in Sangkhla Buri district over the…
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Drunk Chonburi FC goalie kills 1 and injures 1 in car crash
A goalkeeper for Chonburi FC crashed his car early this morning while driving under the influence of alcohol, killing a woman and seriously injuring a man, in the province’s Mueang district, in eastern Thailand. At 4.30am, officers from Mueang Chon Buri police station received a report that a car crashed into pedestrians on a bridge on Liap Cha Thahle Road…
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Temporary field hospital opens after road collapse in Patong
After a road collapsed on Phuket’s Patong hill last week, health officials have worked to set up a temporary field hospital. The Kathu Field Hospital opened yesterday at the Kathu Public Park, as a result of a partnership between the Phuket Provincial Public Health and Patong Hospital. The temporary field hospital is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30am to…
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Cabinet agrees to let foreigners buy land and houses in Thailand
A major decision was made today by Thailand’s Cabinet which will allow foreigners to buy houses and land in Thailand. The foreigner will be eligible to buy houses and land if they invest at least 40 million baht in Thailand and can maintain the investment over three years, according to Bangkok Biz News. The land purchased cannot be bigger than…
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A rare flowering plant species found in South Thailand
Researchers have found a rare flowering plant species in southern Thailand’s Narathiwat province. A team of biology researchers from Chiang Mai University found the plant in an evergreen forest in Janae and Sukhirin districts. The rare flowering plant belongs to the Annonaceae family, with the scientific name Phaenthuspiyae Wiya, Aongyong & Chaowaskul. The organisation Thailand Science Research and Innovation described…
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Pattaya clubs and police deny allegations of bribes
Netizens believe a photo circulating on social media, showing a list of names and numbers, reveals the names and numbers of police officers involved in soliciting bribes from local businesses. The officers and business owners allegedly named deny any wrongdoing. In the fallout of the Club One Pattaya drug raid, both Pattaya Police and venue owners are denying claims of…
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VIDEO: Sex doll consecration ceremony infuriates Buddhism officials in Myanmar
Buddhism officials in Myanmar are filing a lawsuit against a group of people who conducted a religious ceremony for two sex dolls at Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, which is considered one of Myanmar’s most sacred sites, on Saturday. A group of people arrived at the temple with two sex dolls dressed in traditional Burmese clothing and wearing tiaras. The group…
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US school shooting kills teacher and student
There’s been another horrific school shooting in the US, this time in the city of St. Louis in Missouri state. The gunman attacked the Central Visual & Performing Arts High School on yesterday morning, killing two people and injuring seven, according to the latest updates. The two people killed were 16 year old student Alexandria Bell, and a health teacher…
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Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport calls for more taxis amid surging queues
While most are elated to see tourism returning to Thailand and international flights picking up, there’s one thing virtually everyone can agree they did not miss: taxi queues. As flight arrivals ramp up, there’s a shortage of available taxis for incoming travellers. Officials at Suvarnabhumi Airport are putting out the call for more taxis to register for pick-ups as the…
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Air strike hits concert in Myanmar, at least 50 killed
Myanmar’s civil war appears to have no end in sight. An air strike killed at least 50 people at a concert in Kachin State yesterday, several news outlets reported. The concert had been held to celebrate the anniversary of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO). The number of casualties is believed to be the highest in a single air attack ever…
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Cruise ships return to Phuket post-pandemic
After a long drawn-out pandemic absence, Phuket was thrilled at the sight of the first cruise ship returning to the Thai port. The massive Royal Caribbean ship, christened the Spectrum of the Seas, anchored at around 7am yesterday for a quick one-day stopover on the island. The cruise ship dropped anchor just off Patong Beach for the day before heading…
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PE teacher faces prison for alleged rape of teen student
A school teacher accused of raping a teenage student handed himself in to police today in northeast Thailand. If found guilty, the 45 year old physical education teacher faces up to 20 years in prison. Wachira Phanomkaen, a PE teacher at a school in the Kuchinarai district, is accused of raping a 13 year old girl. The 45 year old…
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Thai MP to swim across Chao Phraya River for charity
A Member of Parliament from the Thai Civilized Party, Mongkolkit “Tae” Suksintharanon, will swim across the Chao Phraya River on Loy Kratong Day to raise money for the victims of floods in Thailand. On Saturday, October 22, Thai actor and singer, Pakin “Tono” Khamwilaisak swam across the Mekong River under his project named One Man and the River to raise…
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Drunk SWAT policeman shoots man 9 times at nightclub in southern Thailand
A drunk Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police officer shot dead a man inside a nightclub in Trang province, southern Thailand, at around 1am today. The SWAT officer fired 11 shots in total with a 9mm gun. Two more nightclub revellers caught in the gunfire were injured. At 1.13am, officers from Mueang Trang Police Station received a report that a…
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