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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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    See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget

    The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...

  • Famous actor released from jail in Myanmar following sentencing for anti-coup influence | Thaiger

    Famous actor released from jail in Myanmar following sentencing for anti-coup influence

    The famous Burmese model and actor detained by the Myanmar junta for his role in the mass anti-coup protests has been pardoned and released. 25 year old Paing Takhon, who is also famous in Thailand, was arrested last year for his influence in the country’s pro-democracy movement following the February 2021 military coup. He had been charged for dissent against…

  • Phuket international school petitions against slaughterhouse being built nearby | Thaiger

    Phuket international school petitions against slaughterhouse being built nearby

    On Tuesday, administrators from an international school in Phuket submitted a petition to the province’s governor against a slaughterhouse being built within 400 metres of the school. The administrators claimed construction of the slaughterhouse would have “long term environmental effects” on people in the area. The slaughterhouse is planned to be 300-400 metres from the school. A report by Phuket’s…

  • Chinese mRNA antibody shows promising results for long-term Covid protection | Thaiger

    Chinese mRNA antibody shows promising results for long-term Covid protection

    An mRNA antibody therapy developed by Chinese researchers has shown promising results in animal testing, according to a report from the Xinhua news agency. Tests on mice showed the therapy offers long-term protection against Covid-19. The report has been published online in the international journal Cell Research. Test findings revealed that the neutralising human monoclonal antibody, mRNA-HB27-LNP, provided effective protection…

  • Malaysia in travel bubble talks with 12 countries, including Thailand | Thaiger

    Malaysia in travel bubble talks with 12 countries, including Thailand

    The Malaysian government is at various stages of travel bubble talks with 12 countries, including Thailand, according to a report in The Star. The country’s Foreign Ministry says talks are underway with several countries, both within the ASEAN region and beyond, aimed at introducing Vaccinated Travel Lanes. The ministry says the countries have been chosen based on diplomatic ties and…

  • Thailand votes for UN resolution demanding Russia to withdraw forces from Ukraine | Thaiger

    Thailand votes for UN resolution demanding Russia to withdraw forces from Ukraine

    Thailand voted in support of a United Nations resolution against Russia’s invasion, demanding that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces” from Ukraine. A total of 141 out of the 193 member states voted for the resolution at the UN General Assembly emergency meeting at its New York headquarters. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said in a previous…

  • Agency reports deteriorating air quality in Thailand’s North and Northeast | Thaiger

    Agency reports deteriorating air quality in Thailand’s North and Northeast

    Air quality in Thailand’s North and Northeast is deteriorating mostly due to farmers burning waste, and villagers lighting fires in forests. Thai PBS reports that the air quality “may” pose a risk to people’s health. The country’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency said that on Tuesday there were 1,060 ‘hot spots’ across Thailand. 110 of the hotspots were in…

  • HERE – Best Indian flavours in town | Thaiger

    HERE – Best Indian flavours in town

    Sponsored Article Looking for the best Indian dining experience in Bangkok? Just look HERE! Situated on the lower level of an ancient Thai house, amid lush landscaping with a cellar of 200+ wine labels, is Restaurant HERE; a modern Indian all-day eatery and wine bar. Chef Garima Arora and the same team of one Michelin Restaurant Gaa are the force…

  • In the absence of Chinese tourists, TAT pins its hopes on short-haul markets | Thaiger

    In the absence of Chinese tourists, TAT pins its hopes on short-haul markets

    With the Chinese market showing no signs of a revival any time soon, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is turning to the neighbours. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TAT says it plans to attract 1.5 million tourists from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Australia. Thanet Phetsuwan says if travel restrictions are eased in Southeast Asia, Thailand should be…

  • BREAKING: Tangmo’s cause of death revealed, 5 boat buddies face charges | Thaiger

    BREAKING: Tangmo’s cause of death revealed, 5 boat buddies face charges

    BREAKING: Police are considering whether to charge all five of Tangmo’s boat companions with negligence leading to death and making false statements, the Bangkok Post reported. After the actress fell into the river and drowned, one of the men on the speedboat phoned some influential friends to seek advice, according to phone conversation records obtained by the Provincial Police Region…

  • Bali to trial a quarantine-free entry scheme this month | Thaiger

    Bali to trial a quarantine-free entry scheme this month

    On a trial basis, Indonesia’s resort island Bali will start allowing foreign travellers to enter without undergoing a quarantine. A senior minister says the new travel policy will start March 14, or sooner, depending on the Covid-19 situation in Bali. The Indonesian government will extend the travel scheme across the country if the trial is successful. To enter Bali from…

  • Thick smog in Mae Hong Son causes pilot carrying acting US ambassador to detour | Thaiger

    Thick smog in Mae Hong Son causes pilot carrying acting US ambassador to detour

    Due to poor visibility caused by haze above Mae Hong Son airport in nothern Thailand, a private plane flying the acting US ambassador this morning cancelled a landing and returned to Chiang Mai International Airport. Smog has been a longstanding problem in northern Thailand and kicks up every year during burning season from February to April. Today, the local air…

  • Thai police raid home suspected of running illegal Korean gambling site | Thaiger

    Thai police raid home suspected of running illegal Korean gambling site

    Thai police raided a home suspected of being the headquarters for an illegal gambling website that swindled more than 100 million baht from Korean victims. Officers arrested four South Korean men and a Thai woman who was renting the home in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. The suspects face charges of organising, advertising, and inviting people to join gambling without…

  • Tangmo: Top Thai crime investigator debunks witness claims, calls for truth | Thaiger

    Tangmo: Top Thai crime investigator debunks witness claims, calls for truth

    A former top police crime investigator has come out of retirement to dismiss the story of Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong’s death, as put forth by her so-called friends, and call for the truth to come out. In a video interview with Nation Thailand, Kamronwit Toopkrajang, former Lt-General and Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police Bureau, is seen sitting on a boat analyzing…

  • One of north India’s most wanted gangsters found in Thailand, entered on fake passport | Thaiger

    One of north India’s most wanted gangsters found in Thailand, entered on fake passport

    A gangster wanted in India on multiple murder charges was arrested in Delhi after he was detained and deported from Thailand on Tuesday. Indian media say the man was a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi-Kala Jathedi syndicate and was known as one of the most wanted criminals in north India. 28 year old Virender Partap, also known as Kala…

  • Two Texas women who allegedly helped stab woman to death arrested in Cambodia | Thaiger

    Two Texas women who allegedly helped stab woman to death arrested in Cambodia

    Two women who allegedly helped stab another women to death in Texas in 2020 were caught in Cambodia last week. They had fled to Cambodia after they escaped house arrest in December. The women are Nina Marano and Lisa Dykes. Marano is 50 years old, and Dykes is 58. The woman they allegedly helped murder, Marisela Botello-Valadez, was 23. One…

  • 3 metre long snakes found while clearing land in Bangkok | Thaiger

    3 metre long snakes found while clearing land in Bangkok

    Not one, but three pythons, each around three metres long, were found in an unoccupied plot of land in Bangkok. A worker was using a backhoe to clear the area when he stumbled across the large snakes. Rescuers also found another python and a green viper. They suspect at least 10 more snakes are in the area. The area in in…

  • Thai Buddhist monk hosts funeral for himself as lesson about death | Thaiger

    Thai Buddhist monk hosts funeral for himself as lesson about death

    A Buddhist monk made headlines in Thailand when he invited residents in the northern province Phittanulok to a funeral… his funeral. The abbot at a local temple is alive and well, but wanted the ceremony to send a message to his followers that death is normal and just a part of life. The funeral at the Pothiyan Temple followed traditional…

  • Phuket prisoner who escaped put back in jail | Thaiger

    Phuket prisoner who escaped put back in jail

    On Monday night, prison wardens recaptured a prisoner who escaped Phuket Provincial Prison. The Phuket News didn’t specify when the man was first imprisoned or when he escaped, but reported that he was in remand pending trial for robbery. After he was found at a friend’s house, he was taken back into custody yesterday. The man is identified as Jamnien…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 22,197 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Wednesday Covid Update: 22,197 new cases; provincial totals

    45 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,021 with 1,323 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 22,197 new Covid-19 cases and 19,093 recoveries. There are now 218,784 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…

  • Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Thailand face problems with financial transactions, travel | Thaiger

    Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Thailand face problems with financial transactions, travel

    Many Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Thailand have been facing problems with financial transactions and travel following measures launched by various countries banning and blocking services by Russian banks and close airspace to Russian aircraft. Having arrived in Thailand, in the thousands, during February, they’ve now found themselves somewhat stranded by both fallout from the international sanctions as well as…

  • Asia News Today | Japanese government “on alert” for local provocations, here comes 6G” | Thaiger

    Asia News Today | Japanese government “on alert” for local provocations, here comes 6G”

    The Japanese government says it’s on alert for any provocations in East Asia… specifically from China, Russia and North Korea. In addition to North Korea’s launch of a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan last Sunday, military exercises conducted by China and Russia are becoming more active in the waters and airspace around Japan over the past 3 months,…

  • Thai couple arrested for allegedly running fake travel agency advertising trips in Krabi | Thaiger

    Thai couple arrested for allegedly running fake travel agency advertising trips in Krabi

    A couple was arrested in Bangkok for allegedly running a fake travel agency advertising tour packages in the southern province Krabi off the Andaman coast. Reports say the couple had been doing the scam for seven years, scamming tourists out of a total of 100 million baht. Tour packages with accommodation included were advertised on Facebook for costing 2,500 baht…

  • Autopsy report shows TV actress Tangmo drowned | Thaiger

    Autopsy report shows TV actress Tangmo drowned

    An autopsy report indicates that TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong drowned. Forensic examiners also noted that there the large cut on her leg was likely caused by the speedboat’s propeller. (Bangkok Post and Thai PBS have published differing facts about which leg was cut) The other people on the speedboat last Thursday night when Tangmo drowned in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya…

  • Thai officials warn prisons over forced fishing net labour | Thaiger

    Thai officials warn prisons over forced fishing net labour

    Following a December investigation by Thomson Reuters Foundation about abuse of Thai prisoners forced to make fishing nets, officials are warning prisons. The investigation found that prison guards beat prisoners who didn’t meet certain targets, and disallowed them to shower. Prisoners were also not paid minimum wage, and sometimes not paid at all. In February, 31 Thai and international rights…

  • Australian officials find $55 million worth of meth and heroin in shipment from Thailand | Thaiger

    Australian officials find $55 million worth of meth and heroin in shipment from Thailand

    Border police in Australia have uncovered AU$55 million worth of smuggled meth and heroin in a shipment from Thailand, according to a report from the Australian Associated Press. The shipment was concealed in boxes of green tea and magnets and discovered at Melbourne Airport. The 27 boxes had been shipped from Thailand on February 19 and came to light when…

  • Spokesperson says Covid-19 treatment budget adjustment will not affect quality of care | Thaiger

    Spokesperson says Covid-19 treatment budget adjustment will not affect quality of care

    Following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, a spokesperson explained the decision to decrease the budget covering Covid-19 treatment costs, saying the price of some medical supplies have gone down. He told reporters that the budget adjustment will not affect the quality of care for Covid-19 patients. Thai media reports do not mention how much the budget is, but say medical centres and…

  • Thais can now work in Saudi Arabia | Thaiger

    Thais can now work in Saudi Arabia

    As of yesterday, Thai workers can now work in Saudi Arabia, and will be protected by Saudi laws. Thailand’s cabinet approved two draft agreements about this yesterday, which will last for five years. They will be extended for another five years unless one or both parties decide against it. Both countries will cooperate to make sure recruitment and employment is…

  • Students with Covid-19 can sit university aptitude tests with doctor’s consent | Thaiger

    Students with Covid-19 can sit university aptitude tests with doctor’s consent

    Government officials have decided that students infected with Covid-19 who need to sit university aptitude tests can do so at specially-prepared sites, if their doctor agrees. Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong says pre-university students who need to sit the General Aptitude Test/Professional and Academic Aptitude Test, scheduled for March 12 – 15, as well as other tests on March 19 and…

  • Tourism authorities greet first Saudi direct arrivals, plan new schemes | Thaiger

    Tourism authorities greet first Saudi direct arrivals, plan new schemes

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand greeted Saudi tourist arrivals with traditional Thai performances and a water salute on Monday. The flight was the first direct flight to Thailand from Saudi Arabia in 32 years landed in Bangkok, at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This flight symbolised the recent reconciliation between Thailand and Saudi Arabia after decades of frosty relations following the Blue Diamond…

  • Thailand to remain neutral on Russia-Ukraine conflict | Thaiger

    Thailand to remain neutral on Russia-Ukraine conflict

    Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says Thailand will keep a neutral stance toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking to MPs during their cabinet meeting yesterday, Prayut said they must consider Thailand’s the long-standing relations with Russia and tread carefully, an unnamed government official told the Bangkok Post. “We need to be composed and make decisions carefully. Thailand must maintain a neutral stance…