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.
-
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...
-
Anutin aims to clarify cannabis reform bill, not recriminalise it
Critics say that the current cannabis laws have led to a raft of abuse of the plant, but Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul insists that no proof has been shown of any improper use. He fought back against the call to reclassify specific parts of the cannabis plant as an illegal narcotic. Decriminalisation did not include a lot of…
-
Generous driver sticks free snacks & masks to his pickup
A pickup driver in the northern province of Chiang Rai was praised by Thai TikTok users after he taped snacks and face masks on his car for people to take for free. The video of the white pickup decorated with face masks and packs of snacks was posted last Friday, September 16, by a Thai TikToker, wetchayany. The headline caption…
-
4 taxi drivers fined for overcharging and refusing service
Tourist police arrested four taxi drivers in Bangkok after discovering they refused to offer a service to passengers and charged overinflated fares without using the metre system. Not only Thai passengers are being refused by Bangkok taxi drivers but tourists face the same issue. They too are ripped off and refused by drivers. Tourist Police Bureau of Thailand spokesperson Apichart…
-
Swedish man killed while crossing road in Phang Nga
A Swedish man was killed by a speeding car while crossing a road in the southern province of Phang Nga last night. The driver confessed he drove recklessly at a high speed. A CCTV camera recorded the shocking footage when the Swedish man, 40 year old Bjorn Olof Johansson, got hit by the sedan car while crossing Petchkasem Road in…
-
Bangkok thief breaks jaw in fall after stealing 2 amulets
A light-fingered Thai thief tried to feign amnesia after he was caught robbing two valuable amulets from a market stall in Bangkok. The thief, Alongkot Tanthien, grabbed the trinkets from a market on the third floor of the SC Plaza market yesterday at the Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal before making his escape. He didn’t get far. The 34 year old…
-
14 year old teenager kidnapped & murdered in Chon Buri
A 14 year old teenager was kidnapped and murdered in Chon Buri for allegedly stealing a gold necklace and some cash. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the murder yesterday while another man is on the run. Last Saturday, September 17, the dead body of the 14 year old Kraisiri was found in the garage of his home in…
-
Thailand’s biggest LGBTQ+ wedding planned for Valentine’s Day
At least 100 LGBTQ+ couples plan to make history this Valentine’s Day when they converge on Bangkok to take part in Thailand’s biggest LGBTQ+ wedding ceremony. The event will be held at the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre and is hoped to raise awareness of the struggle for gay rights and marriage equality. As of now, same-sex marriages, civil unions, domestic…
-
Japanese golfers sexually assault Thai caddies
Netizens from Thailand and Japan condemned a group of Japanese golfers who posted a video to the Instagram platform sexually harassing Thai caddies on a golf course. Incredibly, some Thai netizens believed sexual assaulting caddies is OK if they earn a bigger tip. Some slammed the vile behaviour while others made it known that the caddies were afraid to speak…
-
POLL: Nepotism and favours get promotions, but so does hard work
A new poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) found that many government officials thought that nepotism and favours are common in job promotions, but still believe other factors are far more important. The survey found that over 50% believed that promotions were given to the family or friends of those in power, while 73.28% believed it occurred…
-
Thai ambassador to London will attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral
The Ambassador of the UK Embassy of Thailand in London, Pisanu Suvanajata, will be the kingdom’s representative at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II today. After allowing mourners to pay respect for four days at Westminster Hall, the coffin of Queen Elizabeth will be transported to the nearby Westminster Abbey at about 10.35am today, London time, 5.35pm Thai time. Yesterday,…
-
2 Kuwaiti thugs face jail for attack on a woman & 4 Thai men
Two allegedly drunk Kuwaiti men were arrested on Friday, September 16, after attacking four Thai men who came to the rescue of a woman at a hotel near the Central Embassy in Bangkok. The thugs could face imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to 10,000 baht. Last Friday at 4am, police officers from Lumpini Police…
-
Biden recognises One-China policy and not Taiwan independence
United States President Joe Biden is in London today for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II with dignitaries from all over the world and he was in fine contradictory form ahead of the service to be held in Westminster Abbey. The US President answered a number of questions in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on whether he would stand…
-
Former Thai policeman swindles gold shop, jailed for third time
A former Thai policeman was arrested in Bangkok on Friday night after he swindled a gold shop. The former policeman, 62 year old Thana Charoennakha, tricked a shop owner in northeast Thailand’s Mukdahan province. Police said Thana first asked the shop owner for a bank account number so that he could transfer money to buy some gold ornaments. The owner…
-
Putin: Russian government is trying to end the Ukraine invasion
Vladimir Putin declared that the Russian government is doing everything it can the end the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible. His remarks came in conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him not to prolong the conflict since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The conversation took place at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit this week in the…
-
Tsunami warning cancelled after Taiwan earthquake
A tsunami warning has been cancelled after an earthquake rocked Taiwan’s southeastern region today. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Taiwan after the earthquake but later rescinded the alert. Today’s earthquake struck Taiwan’s rural Yujing district with a 6.9 magnitude, and a depth of 10 kilometres. Photos showed buildings collapsed, and about 20 people were evacuated…
-
Experts suggest solutions to Bangkok’s limited flood retention space
Bangkok’s small amount of green space means the city has limited spaces that can be made into flood retention areas. Meanwhile, the country’s heavy rainfall continues to cause chaos. Some experts are suggesting innovative solutions to the problem. An associate professor at Chulalongkorn University says the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration needs to use incentives for land owners to offer their land…
-
Thailand’s “popcorn gunman” is out of jail after shooting 8 years ago
A Thai shooter known as the “popcorn gunman,” who killed a person and injured three others in 2014, has been released from jail. The man, Vivat Yodprasit, had shot the four people in Bangkok’s Lak Si district during demonstrations against the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Vivat became known as the “popcorn gunman” because photos showed him firing from a rifle hidden…
-
Burmese worker falls to death in Chon Buri
There’s been another incident of a foreigner tragically falling to their death, this time in Chon Buri province. The 41 year old Burmese construction worker, Kying Ngwe, had been working on a new project to build a stairway down Chon Buri Grand Canyon in the main city district. It was there that Kying fell to his death yesterday. A friend…
-
Tour bus incentive by TAT hoped to spur domestic tourism
In their latest effort at pumping up domestic tourism numbers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is teaming up with bus operators to send out convoys of coaches around the country. The TAT hopes commissioning over 500 tour buses will not only put to work bus drivers and other associated workers but also spur interest for Thai people to hop…
-
World record petrified tree to become geological tourist attraction
After being certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest petrified tree trunk log ever found anywhere in the world, officials in the province of Tak are developing plans to turn the tree site into a geological-based world-class tourist attraction. The world record was verified in July in Tak, a northern province of Thailand lying on the…
-
Heroic teen risks life to save boy electrocuted in NE Thailand flood
A teenager in northeast Thailand risked his life to save a young boy who was electrocuted while wading through a flood. The 12 year old boy had been near a power pole near a school in Udon Thani province on Friday. The teenager, 19 year old student Atthachai Argudom, went in to rescue the boy and ended up suffering electric…
-
Female suspect in Kyrgyzstani woman’s death arrested in Bangkok
UPDATE A female suspect in the case of the Kyrgyzstani woman who plunged to her death in Pattaya on Friday has been arrested yesterday in Bangkok. The victim, 30 year old Anara Seitaleva, died after falling from a hotel balcony on Friday, September 16. Police arrested a 27 year old Chinese woman named Rou Li at a condominium in Bangkok’s…
-
Anutin on cannabis: Going backwards is not an option
After a cannabis bill aimed at moving the decriminalisation away from recreational use and defining it for medicinal purposes only was shot down this week in the House of Representatives, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul insists that criminalising the drug again is out of the question. Anutin is the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party who had originally pushed for…
-
Shrines preparing for Phuket’s upcoming vegetarian festival
Phuket‘s annual vegetarian festival is right around the corner, coming up on September 26 to October 4. Now, city workers and volunteers are helping Chinese shrines prepare for the festival. Yesterday, teams helped scrub the forecourts of the main shrines participating in the celebration, including the Pud Jor and Jui Tui shrines in the main city district. Phuket’s Vice Governor…
-
Hundreds of Phuket public school students receive scholarships
Students at a public school in Phuket are being given more educational opportunities. With funding through various charities and foundations, 418 scholarships were given to students at Satree Phuket School yesterday. The total amount of scholarship money provided added up to almost 1.5 million baht. The president of the foundation organising the scholarships spoke at a ceremony in the school’s…
-
Navy rescues foreign passengers in Krabi after yacht trip goes wrong
A yacht trip has gone wrong for a group of foreign passengers in the southern Krabi province on Thursday. The yacht broke down in the middle of the sea, although it is still unclear what caused the yacht to break down. The passengers were left waiting for help from the Royal Thai Navy. Fortunately, the navy arrived on the scene…
-
Thai immigration authorities arrested over alleged bribes in illegal fishing case
A group of Thai immigration authorities has been arrested in an alleged bribery case involving illegal fishing that happened last year. The 11 individuals include six immigration police, and five other immigration officials working at marine border and disease control checkpoints. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, announced their arrests yesterday. The group has…
-
Campaigns for the next election can officially begin Sep 24
Election season is upon us! On September 24, the current term for the House of Representatives will have exactly 180 days left which means the campaigning can officially begin for the next general election. The Election Commission made the announcement yesterday, opening the door for political parties and hopeful candidates to begin their push to be elected. The rules are…
-
American man falls 9 floors to his death outside Bangkok
An American man met his demise in the greater Bangkok suburb of Nontha Buri after plummeting out of the ninth-floor window of a rental building. For some reason, falling deaths, especially those of foreigners, have been an increasingly common occurrence in Thailand. In this most recent incident, a man that Pak Kret police identified as Mr Campi was reported to…
-
Eager customers line up for iPhone 14 in Bangkok
Eager customers are crowding Bangkok’s two Apple stores for the new iPhone 14. Since yesterday, tech enthusiasts have been lining up at the stores in Iconsiam, and Central World. Other IT retail shops have also been boosted by iPhone customers. The chief executive of Copperwired said that its pre-booking quotas for the iPhone 14 ran out faster than those of…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.