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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 Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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On anniversary of bloodshed, Myanmar army chief vows to “annihilate” opponents
Days after human rights groups published an extensive report accusing Myanmar’s junta chief of targeting unarmed protestors, the Burmese chief vowed today to “annihilate” opponents of the junta. Today is the anniversary of Myanmar’s most violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The army chief, Min Aung Hlaing, said the military will “no longer negotiate… and annihilate until the end” groups fighting…
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Foreigner in Pattaya bleeding after alleged altercation with security
A foreign man in Pattaya was left bleeding from several serious injuries in what witnesses say was an altercation with security. The witnesses found the man lying on the ground in the middle of Pratumnak Soi 5. The altercation allegedly happened at night in front of a ‘restaurant’ there. As the man lay on the ground, a few other foreigners…
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Drug abuse in Bodybuilding in Thailand | The Dark Side of Fitness
Fitness craze is real. Body builders from around the world love to travel to Thailand to work out. Sometimes, to abuse the easy access drugs with no repercussions in Thailand. In this episode Jay sits with fitness expert Walter Veale to learn more about the drug abuse in the fitness world in Thailand.
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Pattaya police arrest ‘restaurant’ manager who allegedly violated Covid-19 rules
Pattaya City Police reported yesterday that they arrested a ‘restaurant’ manager in Pattaya for allegedly selling alcohol without a permit, opening a venue without a permit, and breaking the Chonburi Disease Control Orders. Only former bars and clubs that have been converted into ‘restaurants’, and have proper certification, are approved by authorities are allowed to operate. Alcohol can be served…
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2 people per hour were killed in road accidents in Thailand in 2020
A Thai health foundation has found that two people were killed in road accidents every hour in Thailand in 2020. The total number of people killed in road accidents throughout that year was 17,831. The foundation, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, said motorcycle drivers and riders made up the 74% of fatalities. The International Health Policy Program said in its report…
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Thai university expels hazing students, father of dead victim rejects financial compensation
15 senior Thai university students, involved in the violent and fatal hazing (bullying) of a freshman on March 13, have been dismissed from the Rajamangala University of Technology Isaan, Thailand. The ritual involved a total of 30 2nd year students and 37 freshmen, and resulted in the death of 19 year old Padyos “Prem” Chonpakdi. 10 other students, involved directly…
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Punishment for ‘Joe Ferrari’ seven police will be decided June 8
Thailand’s Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases will decide punishment for the seven so-called ‘Joe Ferrari’ police on June 8. The seven former police officers allegedly suffocated a drug suspect to death with a plastic bag. They face four charges: malfeasance, abuse of authority, torture causing death, and coercion. The victim’s parents have demanded 1.55 million baht from…
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Russia conducts drills on territory disputed with Japan
Japanese media reported today that over 3,000 Russian troops are conducting military drills on Tokyo’s Kuril islands. Japan’s Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office could not be reached outside business hours to comment on the exercises. Russia calls the chain of four islands part of its Kuril chain, while Japan calls them part of its northern territory. In its drills,…
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Wildlife officials uncover 5th turtle nest in Phang Nga
After finding four others earlier this month, officials at a national park in Phang Nga have discovered another turtles’ nest, complete with 73 fertilised eggs. The officials work for Khao Lampi Hat-Thai Muang National Park, and found the nest on Thai Muang Beach. Officials first saw the mother turtle’s on the beach early in the morning yesterday. They found the…
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British and Thai armies train in jungle together
The UK announced in a press release yesterday that 120 of its military’s Grenadier Guards are training in the jungle with Thailand’s army. The UK Defence Minister visited Thailand this week and met with Thailand’s deputy defence minister. The Minister signed the first Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, to continue building defence cooperation between the countries’ militaries. The…
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BMA and CCSA will meet Monday, decide on Songkran water splashing in Bangkok
Thailand’s CCSA and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will meet on Monday to decide (again) if Bangkokians can splash water during Songkran. This news comes after officials announced last week that Songkran will be dry, for both alcohol and water splashing, for the third year in a row. That week, Thai officials said only traditional Songkran activities would be allowed. This…
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LATEST: China Eastern plane crash, search for second ‘black box’ continues
More than 10 kilometres from the main crash site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 jet crashed, a Chinese farmer has found what he suspects is a piece of the aircraft. The potential find indicates the challenges investigators face as they piece together answers as to why the six year old plane plunged from the skies over southern China.…
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Iran-backed Houthis attack Saudi petroleum storage facilities
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi party says it struck Saudi petroleum facilities in Jeddah with missiles yesterday, just as Saudi Arabia prepares to hold a motor race on Sunday. The missiles caused fires in two storage tanks, however there were no casualties. A Houthi spokesman says they targeted ‘vital facilities’. Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest oil exporter. Saudi’s energy ministry said…
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Officials debate Bangkok’s Sanam Luang public park
Thai officials are debating how much access the public should have to Sanam Luang, the historic public square in front of Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha. After a governor candidate running under the Move Forward Party advocated removing fences around Sanam Luang, another official has defended keeping them and restricting access to the ‘public’ park. The…
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Health officials warn about 100,000 daily Covid cases after Songkran
As Songkran approaches, health officials are warning that daily Covid caseloads could reach over 100,000 after festivals “if Thais don’t take precautions”. Even before Songkran, the Department of Health predicted daily cases could rise to 50,000. But now they’ve doubled their prediction. PM Prayut is also urging Thais to “take precautions”, particularly before visiting elderly family members. A government spokesman…
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Two southern men accused of killing police officer arrested in Bangkok
Police arrested two southern men in Bangkok today who are accused of killing a police officer. The two men are the prime suspects in the fatal shooting of a sergeant major in southern Phattalung province earlier this month. A police lieutenant general said the suspects were also linked to other cases involving drugs and attempted murder. The two men allegedly…
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8 cobras invade elderly lady’s home in Central Thailand
An elderly lady from the central Thai province of Nakhon Si Ayutthaya found eight cobras slithering around her house. 77 year old Cherry Puangrod was at her home in Bang Pa-in district alone yesterday evening when she walked into the bathroom and saw a cobra from the corner of her eye. Cherry ran out of the house to get her…
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Monk flees from temple after residents spot him stealing underwear
A Thai TV star searched the quarters of a monk accused of stealing ladies’ underwear and found both men’s and women’s underwear in the monk’s luggage. The couple living nearby the temple in the central province of Chachoengsao checked the CCTV footage after the wife’s underwear went missing and say they saw a monk taking the panties off a hanger…
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Three fishermen found clinging to a foam crate in the middle of the sea
Three fishermen were found clinging to a foam crate in the middle of the ocean yesterday by another group of fishermen after their boat sank in the middle of the night. Facebook user Yuranan Thongprem posted at 10:04am yesterday: “A bit of an exciting story. We took our boat out to go deep-sea fishing and saw a foam crate far…
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Friday Covid Update: 26,050 new cases; provincial totals
69 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,648 with 2,950 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 26,050 new Covid-19 cases and 22,219 recoveries. There are now 244,111 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Bangkok man arrested for allegedly luring boys into porn, believed to be part of ring
Today, police arrested a Bangkok man they believe is involved in a child pornography ring. The arrest was part of a raid in four spots today, which are Bangkok, Ang Thong, Chaiyaphum and Kanchanaburi. A police major general said police started investigating the ring when a child pornography suspect was arrested in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom in February.…
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Two Thai women allegedly drug tourist at Bangkok hotel, steal US$4,000
A foreign tourist who took two Thai women back to his hotel room in Bangkok was reportedly drugged and robbed. The women allegedly took off with US$4,000 and 15,000 baht in cash as well as other belongings. It is believed that drugs were mixed in the man’s coffee cup. The tourist, who is a firefighter from Kuwait, travelled to Thailand…
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Asia News Today | North Korea missile launch rattles US/South Korea & Myanmar’s ‘sniper’ squads
North Korea has fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile in more than four years. Well, that’s what Japan’s defence ministry is calling it. The suspected ICBM flew to an altitude of 6,000 kilometres and a distance of just over 1000 kilometres, flying around 70 minutes before splashing down in waters off Japan’s western coast yesterday. The provocative test is North…
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Drunk man stabs sister to death in argument over his drinking, Chon Buri
Sri Racha police report that a drunk man appeared completely remorseless after he stabbed his sister to death in their hotel room in Sri Racha in Chonburi province. The man stabbed his sister multiple times in the head. Sri Racha Police were notified about the stabbing on Wednesday. The man is now in custody at the Nong Kham Police Station,…
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Thai and Cambodian officers raid two offices of alleged call centre scams
Thai and Cambodian authorities raided two offices of an alleged call centre scam operation in Cambodia. 61 Thai and Chinese suspects were arrested. The officer also found a dialogue or conversation script that each scammer followed and used to lure victims into transferring money. Yesterday, the Thai Police Cyber Taskforce and officers in Cambodia raided two suspected scam call centre…
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To splash or not to splash? Bangkok mulls Songkran parties on Khao San Road, after tourism industry rebuke
Fret not, splash happy expats. The tourism industry is fighting for your right to a Songkran water fight. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is mulling whether to allow Songkran water splashing festivities to be held on Khao San Road, after the CCSA’s unpopular announcement banning water splashing activities for a third consecutive year sparked much backlash from local businesses last…
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Thai government pushes use of electric vehicles to reduce carbon emissions
The Thai government has approved a budget of 3 billion baht to subsidise the price of electric vehicles and has installed free-to-use EV charging stations at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to promote the shift to a low carbon society. The spokesperson for the prime minister, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan, announced today that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha aims to promote electric vehicles and make…
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Owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa luxury resort crashes again, Bentley engulfed in flames
A year after a serious car accident, the owner of Phuket’s Sri Panwa resort was in another accident where he lost control of his Bentley as he drove around a bend, causing it to flip multiple times. He and his friends were able to escape the car before it was engulfed in flames. No one was injured. The owner of…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Zelensky says EU acted late, pleads for membership; Nato sends battalions to eastern Europe
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its second month, here’s the latest headlines… • World leaders have been holding a round of emergency summits in Brussels. NATO, the European Council and the G7 are reportedly seeking to unify their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The US has announced new sanctions on Russia, as well as assistance for Ukrainian refugees.…
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Petrol station attendant in Bangkok loses leg after being hit by another car while servicing
A petrol station attendant in Bangkok had to get his leg amputated after a car slammed into him and another car while he was filling up the gas. A driver, who had little experience behind the wheel, lost control of her new car, crashing into another car and the attendant. She had just bought the car that day and Thai…
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