News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored
Blazing opportunity: Four Twenty Thailand offers franchise programme
Did you know that Four Twenty, Thailand’s premier cannabis brand, has a franchise programme? That’s right, you can now join their efforts to bring high-quality cannabis products and a vibrant community experience to more locations across Thailand. Four Twenty has...
-
Paramotor crash in Chonburi kills British man
A British man, aged 60, has been killed in a flying incident. He was flying when the paramotor developed engine troubles and plummeted into the ground in Bang Saray Tambon in Sattahip district, south of Pattaya. Bang Saray police and rescuers from the Sawangrot Thammasathan Foundation were called to the crash site, that occurred in a grassy field near Moo…
-
Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
-
Thailand News Today – Tuesday, March 31
“Far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region – WHO update The World Health Organisation says that the coronavirus pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region. Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, says “Let me be clear. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard, we need…
-
Abandoned newborn girl discovered in Chiang Mai
An infant girl was found abandoned outside a grilled pork stand in Chiang Mai Province in Thailand’s north early yesterday. The baby was found by a “drunken man” at 6:30am. Abandoned children are a common problem in Thailand. Unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy out of wedlock, family problems and other issues can cause young mothers to cast aside their babies. The infant was…
-
Former US gangster arrested after Chon Buri 7-11 robbery
A man with a rather colourful past is now in police custody in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province. The suspect, a former US gangster, who speaks five languages, allegedly robbed a 7-eleven shop of 5000 baht using a BB gun last week. 37 year old “Roger” Phayungsak Wasuwat, was taken by police to the convenience store branch…
-
Thailand News Today – Monday, March 30
136 more virus cases confirmed in Thailand as outbreak spreads out of Bangkok A spokesman for the country’s newly formed Covid-19 Situation Administration Thailand confirmed 136 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today. This raises the total number of infections to 1,524. Deaths in the Kingdom remain at 7. As of yesterday, 54% of Covid-19 infections were found outside Bangkok with a…
-
Chiang Mai chokes as fires rage in the north of Thailand
Northern Thailand is choking under a toxic shroud and it’s not getting any better. Air pollution across the upper North remains “at critical levels,” in many areas, including some of the main population centres. Authorities are monitoring almost 400 active hotspots in Chiang Mai alone yesterday. The air quality didn’t improve this morning, with IQAir recording “very unhealthy” air quality…
-
Northern Thailand’s air pollution reaches hazardous levels
Air quality in the north of Thailand is actually ‘hazardous’ today, as bushfires in Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep-Pui National Park have caused air quality to become nearly 20 times higher than Thailand’s already lax “safe” limit of ’50’. PM2.5, (dust particulate matter with diameter of 2.5 microns or lower), rose to 925 micrograms per cubic metre in some locations yesterday.…
-
African horse virus believed responsible for dozens of horse deaths in Northeast
The sudden deaths of dozens of racehorses in Thailand’s Northeast are now believed to be tied to an African horse virus. All of the dead animals, whose count now stands at 42, were found during an inspection of barns in Pak Chong district in Nakhon Ratchasima, north eastern Thailand. Doctors from Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development suspect the deaths are…
-
British PM Boris Johnson tests positive for Covid-19
The British PM has tested positive for the coronavirus. Boris Johnson says he developed “mild symptoms over the past 24 hours”, including a cough and temperature. Mr Johnson was last seen last night, UK time, as he clapped outside his home as part of a nationwide gesture thanking National Health Service staff. 55 year old Mr Johnson maintains he is now…
-
Thailand News Today – Friday, March 27
91 new coronavirus cases, 1 more death in Thailand Thailand’s Department of Disease Control has confirmed a 91 new cases of the the Covid19 coronavirus at their daily press briefing this morning. There was also an additional death reported. The new numbers bring the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 1136 and deaths to 5. Of the…
-
30 horses die in one day in Thailand’s Northeast
30 horses have mysteriously died in Thailand’s Northeast yesterday. The Thailand Equestrian Federation is urging horse fanciers not to transport any animals until a cause can be identified. It’s unlikely the situation has anything to do with the Covid-19 outbreak. 10 of the horses had sudden severe seizures before dying and the other 20 repeatedly bucked and jumped before collapsing,…
-
Chon Buri crane collapse injures 3, damages homes – VIDEO
A crane collapse in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district this morning has severely injured three and damaged six adjacent buildings. Authorities rushed to the scene after they were notified at 10:30am of the incident in the Naklua subdistrict, near Soi Sukhumwit Pattaya and Soi Esso. Officers, emergency responders and reporters arrived find the collapsed crane which had fallen and badly damaged six buildings,…
-
Jungceylon Phuket commences food ordering and deliveries
Jungceylon shopping mall, in Patong Phuket has established a ‘food ordering & pick up’ service point for all its restaurants and fast food outlets to increase convenience and safety for local residents in the Patong district. The mall is offering the service in partnership with 30 restaurants and chains, including… AKA Japanese Restaurant, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin ‘Donuts, Four Seasons Restaurant, Fuji…
-
26 year old British man leaps to death from 13th floor in Bangkok
A British man, working in Bangkok as an English tutor, jumped from a 13th floor residence, in an alleged suicide. A neighbour discovered the man’s body while dumping rubbish on Thursday morning outside the apartment building in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. Police report that they were told the 26 year old was depressed and worried because his income had evaporated…
-
Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps
Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…
-
20,000 expected to apply for unemployment in Chiang Mai
With thousands of businesses shuttered and public spaces closed to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coroavirus, Chiang Mai’s social security office expects some 20,000 laid-off workers to register for unemployment benefits. “People started registering on Tuesday and we’re getting at least 1,000 a day on average. And they’re not just Chiang Mai people, but also from other provinces.” Registration…
-
“Comply or I’ll tear it down myself” Pattaya mayor tells encroaching resort
Pattaya’s mayor Sontaya Khunpluem yesterday ordered his staff to post notices at Ban Sukhawadee, or “Sukhawadee House” as it’s known in English, a luxury beachfront property and tourist attraction on a total of 80 rai in the Bang Lamung district, that encompasses Pattaya. The company that runs the resort, HealthFood International, has two weeks to comply with a judgment relating…
-
1000 kilograms of marijuana seized in northeastern Thailand
More than a tonne of marijuana has been been recovered in Thailand’s Bung Kan province, in the far north east on the Laos border. The stash was discovered in fertiliser sacks by a security patrol boat along the Mekong river. Authorities say a longtail boat with 4 to 5 men on board was spotted pulling up to the river bank,…
-
BOT predicts 5.3% contraction in Thai economy for 2020
Even the Thai economy, which was still maintaining respectable growth before January, is now spluttering under the siege of the Covid-19 virus. Now the Bank of Thailand has crunched some numbers and believes the Thai economy will sharply contract by 5.3% this year as the virus continues to weigh on global financial markets, the local economy and people. GDP growth…
-
Hot with showers in the North, cloudy in the South
Thailand’s Meteorological Department said today is a “hot to a very hot day for the North and the Northeast” as a thermal low covers upper Thailand. A combination of southerly and southeasterly winds prevails over the Northeast, the East, the Central and the lower North regions. Thundershowers with gusty winds are forecast in some areas of the upper country (hey,…
-
The almighty baht set to fall further despite rate cuts, stimulus
A lot has changed for the baht. It was only months ago that The Bank of Thailand considered drastic measures to rein in the rambunctious baht, whose massive gains in currency markets made it the darling of speculators. In December Kasikorn Bank released a report outlining reasons the baht “will remain strong into 2020.” The bank’s research arm forecast the…
-
Thailand News Today – Tuesday, March 24
Thailand under a State of emergency – Prime Minister Thai PM Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told a news conference today that Thailand will be under emergency decree from this Thursday (March 26) until the end of April to deal with Covid-19. The decree means the PM will have the executive power to declare further measures to contain the virus, including…
-
Riot fears reopen ‘closed’ Thai border checkpoints as migrant workers flee
“We must go home, or we will starve to death in Bangkok.” Some of Thailand’s recently closed border checkpoints were forced to reopen today as thousands of migrant workers, now unemployed due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, flee Thailand for their homes in Myanmar and Cambodia. Their numbers and their desperation sparked fears of rioting. In Chiang Rai, the border…
-
Cabinet will look at proposal to help with home internet
Cabinet today will look at a proposal to help people working from home with 10 Gb free internet for their smartphones, along with other subsidies. The Thai National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission will ask for cabinet approval providing mobile users with 10 free gigabytes of data usage per subscriber, per month up to June 30. The NBTS say they recognise…
-
Chon Buri closes more businesses, asks public to avoid beaches
Yep, this means Pattaya as well. The governor of Chon Buri province today signed an order for the closure of additional businesses “until the situation improves,” to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in and around the major party town of Pattaya. The order includes the closure of following: Water parks and public swimming pools (Privately owned pools…
-
Pattaya motorbiker seriously wounded in early morning shooting
A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver was seriously early this morning when he was allegedly shot by another motorbike taxi driver following a dispute over money. Police were notified of the incident at 2:30am. Officers, and emergency responders and reporters rushed to the motorbike taxi stand, where the supervisor, 52 year old Pairoj Laipueangthong, and 21 year old witness Jennapa Kaewta…
-
All time high – Thai drug smuggling in Thailand
2019 was Thailand’s worst year to date for smuggling of MDMA, commonly known as “ecstasy,” mainly from Germany, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Slovenia. Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) says that since October, many seizures were of ecstasy pills originating from drug syndicates in the Netherlands, indicating attempts to broaden markets in Thailand. The drug gangs are now attempting…
-
Soldiers injured in Narathiwat bomb attack
A bomb attack in the southern province of Narathiwat has injured two army rangers. Narathiwat along with neighbouring provinces Pattani and Yala, and also known as the three Southern Border Provinces, are home to Thailand’s Southern Insurgency. The attack occured on Friday night. Eight rangers were returning to their base when the roadside bomb went off. They had been helping…
-
Former Thai minister sentenced for forgery, faces murder, kidnapping charges
A former deputy commerce minister, police colonel and Member of Parliament has been sentenced to eight years in prison for forgery. The Bangkok South Criminal Court yesterday sentenced Banyin Tangpakorn for forging documents to transfer 263 million baht worth of shares to himself through two associates. The ruling concludes the case believed to be behind Banyin’s alleged decision to kidnap…
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.