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 5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
-
Elephant rides to be banned around Angkor Wat in Siem Reap
Elephant rides around Cambodia’s famous tourist magnet Angkor Wat are being banned. The operator of the local elephant rides around Siem Reap says they have been under pressure from international animal rights organisations, social media and activists to stop the rides. Riding to Angkor Wat at sunrise has been a favourite tourist experience for the past decade. Oan Kiry of…
-
Administrative Court rejects private hospitals’ plea to remove caps on pricing
Thailand’s private hospital sector has failed to win respite from an order controlling their medical prices, after the Supreme Administrative Court turned down their request. The court made the decision saying that the order will not cause irreversible damages to the hospitals even though an injunction has not been issued yet. The Private Hospital Association, together with 42 private hospitals,…
-
Thai PM acts on illegal and unlicensed hotels and accommodation
Owners of shop-houses, rented properties, even entire floors of condos – running them as defacto hotels – are about to get the Article 44 treatment. The PM, acting in his capacity as the head of the NCPO (in the days before it is dissolved), says he will bring an estimated 20,000 illegal hotels and accommodations around the country under control…
-
Thai PM orders probe into Rohingya boat incident off the coast of Satun
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation after a boat carrying 65 ethnic Rohingya and five Burmese men was swept into the shore at Koh Rawi off the coast of Satun in southern Thailand. The PM has asked officials to find out who was behind the incident. The PM has also urged public health agencies to provide the immigrants with…
-
13 gamblers arrested in Patong gambling den raid
Police have arrested 13 gamblers at an illegal gambling den in Patong. Police received a tip-off that there was an illegal gambling den on Nanai Road in Patong. Police checked out the situation and then raided the gambling den on Nanai Road yesterday. Police arrested 13 gamblers, well at least the ones they were able to capture. Some of the…
-
Seven injured after bus rolls over in Sisaket bus incident
PHOTOS: หมวดทางหลวงภูสิงห์ Seven passengers have sustained injuries in a bus accident in Sisaket, far-east Thailand. Emergency responders were notified of the accident on No 24 Road in Sisaket yesterday. They arrived at the scene to find the bus rolled over in the centre-road ditch. The bus was heading from Bangkok to Ubon Ratcha Thani and carrying 15 passengers. Seven passengers…
-
Roi Et tractor driver injured after sedan embeds itself in the driver’s cabin
PHOTOS: Asok Jaturapak Piman Rescue Foundation A tractor driver has sustained injuries after colliding with a sedan in Roi Et in north-eastern Thailand. Rescue workers headed to the accident scene on Jatura – Patumrat Road in Jatura, Roi Et yesterday. Rescue workers arrived to find a sedan embedded in a tractor off the main road. The tractor driver, 45 year…
-
Visa run to Penang – a personal experience in Thailand (2019)
This story was one person’s experience of the visa process in Penang. It should not be regarded as ‘typical’ or even used as a guide. But we provide Jim’s journey as warning to do your homework before embarking on getting or renewing your visa. Be aware that this seemingly simple trip to the former ‘Pearl of the Orient’ in Malaysia…
-
Multi-billion baht budget for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Bangkok Council has approved a multi-billion baht budget for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for 2020. The budget was approved during a meeting in the second extraordinary session of the council for 2019 after BMA Governor Aswin Kwanmuang proposed the budget bill to the chamber. The bill requests 83 billion baht for fixed expenditures for the Fiscal Year 2020 and 398.92…
-
Complaints made over 41 pro-Junta coalition MPs over their alleged media shares
Just as it appeared the dust was settling on the fractious formation of a new parliament for Thailand, more than 40 MPs of the pro-junta bloc are now targeted in cases related to media shareholding after their names were submitted to the Constitutional Court. Should these MPs be suspended or disqualified, the pro-junta coalition’s narrow Lower House majority could vanish…
-
Motorbike passenger dies, crushed under truck in Bangkok
PHOTOS: Phetkasem Foundation A motorbike passenger has died after colliding with a pickup truck and then being crushed by a passing truck in Bangkok. Police News report that Kannayao Police were notified of the incident on Ramintra Road last night. Police and emergency responders arrived to find a damaged motorbike and pickup truck. The truck was still sitting in the…
-
Malaysian diplomat visits Thailand’s deep South to resume peace talks
PHOTO: Tan Sri Abdul Rahim bin Mohammad Noor arrives for talks with Lt-Gen Pornsak Poonsawat, commander of Thailand’s Fourth Army Region – Thai PBS The nominated Malaysian facilitator to continue ongoing peace talks between the Thai government and Mara Patani, an umbrella organisation for Thailand’s separatist groups in the Deep South, wraps up a two day visit to the region today.…
-
Thai boat captain says he was paid 100,000 baht to ferry Rohingya to Malaysia
by The Nation Authorities are speculating that a group of 65 Rohingya and five other Burmese men may have been trafficked from Bangladesh where an estimated million people are sheltering as refugees. The Thai captain, of the boat that washed up on a southern Thai island on tuesday, has already admitted that he was paid to take them across the…
-
Malaysian PM dismisses gay sex video implicating his cabinet minister
Malaysian PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed the ‘gay sex romp’ videos implicating his Economics Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali with another man. “This is done by people who have political agendas,” said the PM after attending a fund-raising event last night. “Things like these are dirty. If you cannot compete with someone, don’t do something like this.” The…
-
45 year old British man found dead at Koh Chang luxury hotel
PHOTO: Tourist Police Bureau A British man has been found dead in front of his hotel room on Koh Chang. Koh Chang is in Thailand’s far east, off the coast of Trat. The 45 year old tourist died near a swimming pool at the Sea View Koh Chang Hotel, according to tourist police. Police say the man was lying in…
-
Police seeking two men over Bang Na gang shooting
by Kornkamon Aksorndech – The Nation Police are seeking the arrest of two men over last Monday’s shooting of a rival gang in Soi Lasalle 19 in Bangkok’s Bang Na district. Officers say the long-haired suspect, caught on video, is 30 year old Prasertsak Singsopa, and 19 year old Peerapol Poungburi. Their alleged accomplice, 30 year old Jaturong Eiumtuam, turned himself…
-
Drug smugglers get away but police seize their pickup stuffed with meth pills and ‘ice’
PHOTOS: The Nation Drug smugglers have abandoned their pickup and a huge cache of drugs following a high-speed chase through the hills of Chiang Rai early yesterday morning. Once soldiers caught up with the pickup the driver and passengers had fled but left 2.2 million methamphetamine pills and 11 kilos of crystal methamphetamine (ice). According to The Nation, the Chiang Rai-based…
-
Malaysian gay sex video scandal – Cabinet Minister named
Malaysian politics has been thrown into a tizz today as a gay sex video scandal has become the talk of the country. Muhammad Haziq Abdul Aziz, the senior private secretary to Deputy Primary Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, also named the Malaysian cabinet minister with him in the video and said he was “not fit…
-
Phuket Town – the UNESCO City of Gastronomy reveals some secrets
VIDEO: Thai PBS A UNESCO City of Gastronomy, Phuket Town is a real foodie town. Among their amazing arrays of local delicacies is a variety of tea snacks, many of which are the integral part of their daily life. The delicate and cute and delicious Pang Pia is among the oldest recipes. Phuket Town has gone through several transformations. Once…
-
Three ladyboys arrested over thefts from Indian tourists in Pattaya
PHOTOS: Pattaya Tourist Police Pattaya police have arrested three ladyboys who allegedly stole money from Indian tourists’ pockets last week. Pattaya police were hunting for the ladyboys following the theft of money from the pockets of two Indian tourists in Pattaya City while they were on on Walking Street last week. Read more about the story HERE. Police continued their investigation…
-
Melbourne named as first non-US city to be an Uber flying-taxi testbed
Flying cars. Long awaited, a thing of 1950s editions of Popular Mechanics and sci-fi, now a small step closer to reality. Uber, the worldwide ride-sharing App, say it is going to use Melbourne, Australia as the first non-US city for its new aerial transportation service. They’ve even claimed 2023 as their launch date for the initiative. Melbourne joins Dallas and…
-
Electric vehicles on the rise but the take up is slow in Thailand
“Two trends will develop in Southeast Asia. The first is new operators of EV taxi fleets such as cars and motorcycles, and the second is electric buses for public transport.” Justin Wu, head of Asia-Pacific for Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) says the electric vehicles (EVs) remain expensive and unaffordable for individual buyers in Thailand and ASEAN. Mr. Wu says…
-
UPDATE: German tourist found dead in Krabi hotel room
A German tourist has been found dead inside a hotel room in Ao Nang yesterday. A bag was over the man’s head and tied around the neck. Ao Nang police were notified of the incident yesterday afternoon at a hotel in Ao Nang when contacted by staff. Police found the body of a 40 year old German man on the bed.…
-
German motorbike driver dies on Patong Hill, Phuket
A German motorbike driver has died at the scene after colliding with a pickup truck travelling down Patong Hill in Phuket. The Kathu police were notified of the accident on Monday night on Phra Baramee Road, on the Kathu side of the notoriously dangerous Patong hill road. Police and emergency responders arrived to find the damaged motorbike. Nearby they found…
-
Huawei running 5G testbeds in Thailand
China phone-giant Huawei, along with Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry and interested partners, is now turning the much-awaited 5G Testbed into a reality. As the first and only vendor so far to deliver the 5G network to Thailand’s 5G Testbed in the Eastern Economic Corridor in Sri Racha, Huawei is providing a platform that will be used for end-to-end…
-
Police investigating possible Thai links to Rohingya boatpeople marooned on Rawi Island
PHOTO: Thai PBS 65 Rohingya were discovered yesterday on Koh Rawi off the coast of Satun province, north-west of Malaysia’s Langkawi island, after their boat’s engine broke down on its way, presumably to Malaysia. One Thai national was identified amongst the group. Authorities are questioning the man into possible involvement in human trafficking. The boat was found 500 metres away from…
-
Thai Medical Council warns local men against penis enlargement scams and bogus treatments
WARNING: This story may make men squirm and some women laugh. The Thai Medical Council on Facebook is warning Thai men to stop trying to enlarge their penises, especially with DIY treatments. They report that there thousands of Thai men, mostly between 20-30 years, who are injecting themselves with various substances in the hope of ending up with a larger…
-
Grab or Uber, or Red Buses? Tourist poll in Chiang Mai.
Thai tourists in Chiang Mai have been polled in the The Mae Jo survey checking on the popularity of public transport options around the northern city. There were 423 respondents to the poll carried out between January 9-23. So who did the Thai tourists prefer? Uber and Grab or local red buses (Rot Daeng)? 76% of Thai tourists want to see…
-
Preparing for the floods and Thailand’s wet season
The current deputy PM and Defense Minister, Prawit Wongsuwan, has instructed administrative, military and police officers to better prepare for flooding in all regions of the country this wet season. The call went out following severe flooding around the capital last Friday afternoon. Authorities have been instructed to prepare for the prevention and containment of torrential waters, landslides and flooding…
-
Spurned, sacked employee goes on 15 month spending spree with stolen credit card
What do you do if you’re fired from your job? Use the bosses company credit card and go on a spending spree. This woman acted criminally, but the company she stole from should be arrested for stupidity! A 32 year old woman, Thamolwan Konthong, took revenge by stealing her former boss’s credit card and racking up a 6 million baht…
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.