Hot News
Thailand hot news, breaking stories, crime, politics, tourism, and business—stay updated with in-depth reports and exclusive interviews on the latest events across the country. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Thailand news source.
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Sponsored Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Here’s your health checklist before the move
Thinking of retiring in Thailand long-term? Thailand is a popular choice for retirees because of its beautiful landscapes, warm climate, and affordable living. Cities like Chiang Mai and coastal areas offer a relaxed lifestyle with friendly communities. The country also...
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Leader of Pheu Thai Party calls on PM to dissolve parliament, hold snap election
After a solid win for the Pheu Thai Party in Sunday’s Bangkok by-elections, the party’s leader has called on the Thai PM to dissolve parliament and hold a snap election. Chonlanan Srikaew has welcomed the win and said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha should now dissolve parliament so that fresh elections can be held. Speaking yesterday, he said the government’s failure to…
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Tourism operators welcome Test & Go reboot, despite frustration at rule changes
Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme re-opens for registration today and has been given a cautious welcome by tourism operators. Businesses are unsure about the additional rules of Test & Go Version 2, including the requirement for an additional PCR test on day 5, which involves a second mandatory hotel stay until a negative result is obtained. This despite the…
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Survival Guide: How much does it cost to live in Thailand?
Thailand gets a lot of attention as a fantastic travel destination in Southeast Asia; it’s also a great place to call home. The most common questions before moving to a new country include, “How much is it going to cost me?” and, “Is X amount enough each month?” While there are no fixed amounts, we are here to help paint…
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Spotify vs Neil Young: Spotify win round one, facts come second
Spotify have started to respond and offer commentary to the swirling debate over comedian Joe Rogan’s podcasts on their platform. Firstly it was musician Neil Young, then Joni Mitchell, who said they were taking their music off Spotify in protest to misinformation spread about Covid-19 by the Joe Rogan Experience. Now they’re being joined by other podcasters and musicians complaining…
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The show must go on: House to meet this week, despite 12 MPs having Covid-19
Parliamentary meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Friday of this week will go ahead, despite 12 MPs and 13 parliamentary officials being infected with Covid-19. Thai PBS World reports that House Speaker, Chuan Leekpai, says the meetings will take place, as his advisor, Dr. Sukit Atthopakorn, has stated, “the House must be able to function”. Sukit added that additional preventative measures…
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Tomorrow, Thailand opens its borders to the world (terms & conditions apply)
Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme returns tomorrow after a short hiatus, during which it’s had a makeover. The scheme is now open to travellers from every country in the world and not just the previous 63 approved countries. Great news! However, travellers will now have to take not 1, not 2, but 3 PCR tests in order to participate…
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Betong Airport welcomes first charter flight, full opening February
The long-anticipated Betong Airport is finally ready to launch in Thailand’s southernmost province of Yala, is expected to be up and running by next month. The first charter flight to Betong landed yesterday with 78 passengers hailing the beginning of the new gateway to the destination. Businesspeople from the area were joined on the flight by an aide to PM…
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4th vaccine for 25,000 Suvarnabhumi staffers by end of February
The director of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport said in a press release today that all 25,000 people working at the main hub of Thailand will receive their fourth vaccination by the end of February. The announcement comes as airports and staff around the country gear up for the reopening of the Test & Go programme in just 2 days. The second…
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Dusit Poll: 83% believe government can’t solve soaring prices
A new survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University finds that most people don’t feel that the government is capable of effectively dealing with the soaring prices of consumer goods with many saying they won’t be able to last 3 months with the current inflation levels. 82.69% of the people polled said they have either no confidence or very little confidence…
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Thailand’s Rayong province declares emergency as oil slick reaches beach
Attempts since last Tuesday morning have failed to avert the oil spill reaching the Gulf of Thailand’s east coast beaches. Yesterday the oil started washing up on the Mae Ramphueng beach in Rayong, an hour’s drive south of Pattaya. Up to 200 people were patrolling the stricken beach using back hoes to try and scoop up the oil. Other volunteers…
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Oil from the Rayong pipeline leak reaches the beach
Despite frantic efforts to contain the leak before it reached the shore, oil from the pipeline leak in the waters about 20 kilometres off the coast of Rayong, south of Pattaya, has begun to hit the shores. The Royal Thai Navy has been leading the efforts to contain the oil that was leaked out into the sea. They warn that…
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Chinese New Year uptick in BKK arrivals, but mostly domestic
More than 450,000 travellers will going through the turnstiles at Bangkok’s main airport Suvarnabhumi between January 26 and February 7, including the annual Chinese New Year celebrations. But they’re not all from overseas, indeed the majority, some 349,000 travellers, are domestic. The airport’s GM reports that 115,931 international travellers will be travelling through BKK during the 14 day period. That’s…
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Police charge motorbike rider for excessive speed through crosswalk that killed doctor last week
After a reflective week of Thai social media mulling over the death of the ophthalmologist Dr. Waraluck Supwatjariyakul last Friday, police have reported new circumstances surrounding the incident. Investigations have revealed that the policeman rider was well in excess of the speed limit when he struck, and killed, the doctor. Police now say that 21 year old Pol Lance Corporal…
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Thailand and Saudi Arabia patch things up 33 years after Blue Diamond Affair
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week, and Thailand and Saudi mended relations they broke 33 years ago following the Blue Diamond Affair in 1989 where a Thai cleaner in Saudi’s royal palace stole diamonds worth US$20 million from the prince. The next year, three Saudi diplomats and a businessman trying to recover the gems were killed. According…
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Pathum Thani man arrested selling child pornography via LINE
A 27 year-old man nicknamed Kij was arrested in the Bangkok suburb province of Pathum Thani, accused of selling child pornography online. The suspect was arrested yesterday and is being charged with profiting from the sale and distribution of child pornography. Police raided the man’s home in the Beung Kham Phroy sub-district of Lam Lukka district outside of Bangkok yesterday.…
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Australia at the top of women’s world cup, defeats Thailand
Australia now leads Group B of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after players Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr scored two goals against Thailand, beating Thailand 2-1. Thailand still made it to the quarter-finals as a third-place team, along with Vietnam. Up next, Thailand will play against Japan in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Thailand started the cup this Monday, losing…
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WARNING: Thailand Pass spoof email with malicious links
It seems that government websites in Thailand are often the target of successful hacker attacks and now it appears the Thailand Pass site is no exception. Reports are surfacing of people receiving a spoof email regarding the Thailand Pass pointing them to malicious content. It is believed that the email database collected by the Thailand Pass website has been accessed…
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Suvarnabhumi airport predicts Lunar New Year flights up 37%
Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main airport in Bangkok, is predicting a swell of travellers for the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays. The bustling airport located in the Bangkok suburb province of Samut Prakan, is expecting to see about 380 flights each day during the holiday according to the Suvarnabhumi Airport General Manager. Airport officials, along with travel industry experts and airlines,…
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Thai youth orchestra Siam Sinfonietta to perform in Bangkok’s Sathon
Thai youth orchestra Siam Sinfonietta will perform at the Bayan Tree Hotel in Bangkok’s Sathon area this Sunday at 7pm. The orchestra will perform music from Russian ballets, including Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Tickets are 1,000 baht for people who go alone, and 800 baht for people who go in groups of two or more. People who go in groups of four…
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TAT offices in India introduce online training course for Indian travel agents
Indian travel agents can now sign up for an online training course to brush up on their knowledge of all things Thai, thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. According to a TTR Weekly report, the so-called Thailand Specialist Programme is designed to teach the travel agents about new attractions and tourist offerings in the Land of Smiles. Cholada Siddhivarn…
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Officials tightening traffic rules, new penalties expected in July
A draft amendment to the Land Transport Act has received approval by the House Committee on Transport, according to an MP from the Chartthaipattana Party. Nikorn Chamnong, who chaired the panel, says the amendment seeks to increase fines for traffic offences and could be enacted by July. The amendment now goes before the Senate, which is expected to approve it…
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Real estate consultancy says pandemic continues to affect foreign demand
A leading property consultancy says the ongoing pandemic and associated restrictions continues to hamper the real estate market. CBRE Thailand chief, Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, says the low number of foreign arrivals means the sector continues to rely on local demand and must now adapt to these circumstances. “A decline in tourist numbers affected both residential and retail sectors. Given this challenge,…
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Forensic analysis ordered for elephant killed with 120 bullets
Grandfather of Pala-U, a 60 year old elephant who died after being shot more than 120 times, will be aided by forensic experts in an attempt to identify his killer. Earlier this month, the elephant was found in Phetchaburi province with more than 100 bullet wounds all over its body. Last Saturday, despite the best efforts of veterinarians who have…
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African Swine Fever spreads across Thailand, cases reported in 13 provinces
African Swine Fever is spreading across Thailand. The country’s agriculture minister said the disease has infected pig farms and one slaughterhouse in 13 Thai provinces in Central, Northeastern, and Southern Thailand. The infected farms and the five-kilometre radius around them are now declared epidemic zones. Instead of giving the ministry’s 2.9 billion baht emergency budget to pig farmers as he…
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Mixed feelings on new Move Forward guburnatorial candidate
Thailand’s Move Forward Party has selected a candidate for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, the party’s spokesperson Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn. Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was proud to introduce Wiroj, saying no other candidate had “the party DNA” like him. Many of the party’s supporters agree with Pita, but some observers say Move Forward failed to find a more experienced, qualified candidate. One programme…
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Koh Samui hotel, business owners call for PCR test price cut to draw in Test & Go tourists
Hoteliers and business owners on the southern island of Koh Samui are asking the Thai government to lower the costs of RT-PCR tests in an effort to draw in more foreign tourists. The calls follow the decision to reopen registration for the Test & Go entry scheme starting February 1. The quarantine exemption scheme requires tourists to isolate themselves at…
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Domestic vacationers, not international, will be majority of Phuket hotel guests
A report by one real estate consultancy says domestic vacationers, not international tourists, will probably make up the majority of Phuket hotel guests in 2022. After a peak of 5.3 million arrivals at Phuket hotels in 2019, the arrivals dropped by 80% in 2020 to only 1.1 million. Constantly changing Covid-19 policies and confusion over them hinder travellers from booking…
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Officials say Vorayuth cocaine charge could be dropped as time running out
Prosecutors say they’re concerned that time is running out to prosecute fugitive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth Yoovidhya, for cocaine use. The Office of the Attorney-General says the statute of limitations on the charge is set to expire in September. According to a Nation Thailand report, the OAG has released a statement on the progress of the case against Vorayuth, aka…
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Oil spill threatening tourism recovery on Thailand’s Koh Samet
Koh Samet’s fragile tourism sector, already battered by the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, now faces another threat from an oil spill heading for the island’s, and nearby, beaches. Sarinthip Tupmongkholsup from the Tourism Association of Koh Samet is reminded of a 2013 oil spill at the island’s Ao Phrao and is desperate to avoid a repeat scenario. “We…
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Calls for tougher punishment for drivers ignoring pedestrian crossing rules
Road safety advocates are demanding tougher punishment, including manslaughter charges, for drivers who fail to observe pedestrian crossing rules. According to a Bangkok Post report, 30 members of various road safety networks gathered at Government House to file a petition with Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon, who chairs the national committee on road safety policy and prevention. The move is in…
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