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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Thailand Wellness Sandbox entry launching in coastal districts of Hua Hin, Cha-am
In an effort to draw in a tourist base focused on health and wellness, the Thailand Wellness Sandbox entry programme is launching in the coastal region of Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district and Phetchaburi’s Cha-am district. These locations were selected for the first tier of the Wellness Sandbox project. Officials are looking into adding more destinations later on. The…
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Police officer charged following death of Bangkok pedestrian hit by speeding bike
A Thai police officer has been charged with multiple offences after his speeding Ducati bike collided with a Bangkok doctor on a zebra crossing. The charges, filed by Phaya Thai district police, include reckless driving and not stopping for pedestrians at a zebra crossing. Dr. Waraluck Supavatjariyakul died after being hit by Naravich Buadok’s bike as she crossed Phaya Thai…
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Government to make more Covid insurance options available to foreign tourists
The Thai government wants to offer more Covid-19 insurance options to foreign tourists whose own insurance doesn’t cover hospitels or hotel isolation in cases of asymptomatic infection. According to a Bangkok Post report, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says officials are in talks with the Office of the Insurance Commission. Yuthasak Supasorn says premiums could start at…
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Thailand tourism industry hopeful with the return of Test & Go
With the reintroduction of the Test & Go program, that allows fully vaccinated people to enter Thailand with a Day1 and Day 5 PCR test, businesses in the tourism industry are hopeful for a more sustained growth in international travellers from February and beyond. The program was reinstated, albeit with some revisions that were not met with a particularly welcoming…
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New Sandboxes announced, but are they redundant after February 1?
(All the information in this article is based on CCSA announcements last Thursday and published articles on the Tourism of Thailand website and other government media) Businesses in the entertainment, nightlife, bar and sex industry in Pattaya are breathing a sigh of relief as international tourists will, again, be able to visit the seaside party town as part of the…
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Transportation the focus of 2022 for Thailand, with 1.4 trillion baht budgeted
Thailand is aiming to make 2022 the Year of Transportation, with 1.4 trillion baht being allocated for projects to improve travel by air, land, water, and rail. The Ministry of Transport predicts markedly improved transportation safety and timeliness, as well as an economic return of 1.6 times the initial investment. As a part of Thailand’s 20-year national strategy, the development…
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Woman complains police didn’t pursue rape case for 5 months
A woman brought her lawyer to the Klong Tan Police Station after waiting 5 months for a response to her reporting an alleged rape at a party in Klong Toei in August. The incident took place in the Bangkok district at a hotel where the 27 year old Thai woman was hired to be a bartender. The woman said she was…
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Plans shot down for property incentives to attract foreigners
A proposal to attract foreigners by lengthening property leaseholds from 30 years to 50 years and allowing foreign condo ownership to increase over the 49% current restriction was shot down today by the Centre for Economic Situation Administration. The committee, headed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, rejected those proposals but did seem open to foreigners being permitted to own up to…
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Thumbs down for Thailand’s Test & Go Version 2
Test & Go V2.0 has received a universal thumbs down by Thaiger readers and viewers. Or just about anywhere else in the online comments space. The rebooted, and slightly more complicated, Test & Go option, part of the three-part Thailand Pass online re-entry program, was relaunched on Thursday for travellers arriving after February 1. Initially launched on November 1, and…
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Police sting nabs trans woman for alleged child sex trafficking
A transgender woman accused of human trafficking and child exploitation was arrested in Phuket yesterday in a police sting. The 37 year old trans woman allegedly arranged for prostitution of children under the age of 18 online via Twitter. Local police have been searching for her after catching wind of her exploitation from her Twitter account where she went by…
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Nippon Steel makes $763 million acquisition of 2 Thai steelmakers
Japan is making a move to invest in Thai steel. Nippon Steel Corp, the largest manufacturer of steel in Japan has announced a strategic deal to buy stakes in two major steelmakers in Thailand. The deal is reported to be worth as much as US $763 million – about 25 billion baht. The giant steelmaker has been interested in acquqiring…
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Cannabis removal from Thailand’s narcotics list up for discussion
Cannabis is a small step forward toward decriminalisation following the endorsement by the Public Health Ministry’s narcotics control committee draft miniserial announcement excluding cannabis with low THC content from the country’s narcotics list. Cannabis extracts with more than 0.2% of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, will still be illegal. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (not to be…
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No early election, no Cabinet reshuffle says Thai PM
The Thai PM says he has no plans to call an early election or to reshuffle his Cabinet after 21 MPs loyal to him were pushed out earlier this week. The Bangkok Post reports that Prayut Chan-o-cha has also distanced himself from the ouster of Thamanat Prompow and 20 other MPs, who have been accused of sowing division within the…
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Police search for drug suspects after one allegedly fired an M16 rifle at officers
After a gunfire exchange with more than 100 police officers, five drug suspects reportedly fled the scene as one fired an M16 rifle, evading arrest. Apparently, they had been tracked down by police and escaped arrest at least three times prior. Suspects, including alleged gang leader, 41 year old Pradit “Greg” Musikasong, are wanted on several charges. Dozens of police…
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Sealed route proposal for asymptomatic infected tourists gets lukewarm reception in Phuket
Phuket officials have responded less than enthusiastically to a suggestion that infected asymptomatic tourists be allowed to travel via a sealed route. Pichet Panapong, the province’s deputy governor, says he believes infected tourists should stay in their hotel rooms. According to a Bangkok Post report, he’s already said as much to the immigration chief who initially made the suggestion. Pichet…
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Tourism operators want cost of PCR tests reduced when Test & Go resumes
Following the CCSA’s decision yesterday to resume Test & Go from February 1 (with some changes) tourism operators are urging the government to make PCR testing more affordable. The revamped Test & Go entry scheme now requires overseas arrivals to book a hotel on day 1 and again on day 5 of their stay – and to take a PCR…
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20 baht bills getting a modern polymer update on March 24
Money enthusiasts, get ready! On March 24 the 20 baht bill is getting a radical new update. The Royal portrait will still be prominent but the flimsy, green paper the bills have been printed on for decades is being replaced with a modern new polymer with a glossy, plasticky feel. Starting on March 24, the new, more durable polymer 20…
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UPDATE: Thailand’s Test & Go is back on for travel starting February 1
The Thailand Pass Test & Go program has been rebooted, and vaccinated travellers will be able to register for (almost) quarantine-free entry to Thailand re-starting February 1. There have been slight revisions to the rules, now requiring travellers to have proof of an SHA+ hotel booking on the first and fifth day of their stay in Thailand when they will…
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Thailand’s Test & Go registration reintroduced for travel starting February 1
Test & Go is back on, and vaccinated travellers will be able to register for (almost) quarantine-free entry to Thailand re-starting February 1. There have been slight revisions to the rules, now requiring travellers to have proof of their hotel booking on the first and fifth day of their stay in Thailand when they will undergo RT-PCR tests. In the…
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First meeting of Thailand’s Lower House this year adjourned due to lack of numbers
The first meeting of the year for Thailand’s House of Representatives, which was meant to begin yesterday, had to be abruptly adjourned because the minimum number of MPs required were not present. 227 MPs were present, a number 10 short of the minimum number required to conduct the proceedings. Half of the House’s 473 members were required to attend. In…
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Police suspect dead man found on Phuket beach had been sniffing glue
Early this morning, fishermen off the coast of Phuket found the body of a man washed up on the beach. The corpse showed no signs of injury, however, police found incriminating glue stains on his clothes and a can of glue near his body. They also found a shrimp-catching bucket near the body. Police believe the man had been sniffing…
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Facebook mistakenly banning ok content a growing problem
Language and expression have nuances, subtleties, and variety in meaning, both explicitly and implicitly stated. The problem is, Facebook often times does not. Society is facing an increasingly conspicuous problem of Facebook and other social media platforms using algorithms to block prohibited content while lacking any useful channels to rectify mistakes. Many people have experienced getting muted or banned temporarily…
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Book publishers known for controversy raided by Bangkok police
Just in time for the National Book Fair coming to Bangkok, police this morning rated a Bangkok book publisher known for issuing material against the grain of normal Thai society. Fa Diew Kan, which translates to “Same Sky”, was raided at about 10:30 this morning by around 30 police officers. The officers came with a warrant to look for books “about…
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Hotels call for Covid-19 land and building tax cuts to be extended
The hotel industry is asking the government to extend a land and building tax cut that was enacted in June of 2020, citing the continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic with no economic recovery in sight. They requested the 90% tax cut be extended for 2 more years, or, failing that, enact a new tax cut of 70 to 80% to…
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State Railway of Thailand approves use of Bang Sue station to host National Book Fair
Thailand’s National Book Fair will take place this year at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station, from March 26 to April 5. According to a Thai PBS World report, the State Railway of Thailand has reassured the public that the event will not interfere with the government’s rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, also taking place at the site. Nirut Maneebhandu, SRT governor,…
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Former police chief ‘Joe Ferrari’ says he just wanted to “scare suspect”
A former police chief charged with murder after a drugs suspect died when multiple plastic bags were placed over his head during questioning, says he just wanted to scare the victim. Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari in Thai media, a police chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan at the time, told the court that he never intended to…
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6.6 million methamphetamine pills seized after car chase in Chiang Rai
Soldiers arrested a drug courier carrying 6.6 million methamphetamine pills in the northern province of Chiang Rai early yesterday morning. One army general says the SUV drove through a military checkpoint at 2:30am. The driver disobeyed the signal to stop for a search. Soldiers at the checkpoint chased the vehicle, eventually catching and arresting the driver. They then searched the…
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Elderly rescued from unauthorised care facilities in Bangkok after reports of poor conditions
Elderly people kept in poor conditions at unauthorised care facilities in Bangkok, some abused and even put in shackles, were rescued yesterday. Thai authorities raided two centres in the Lat Krabang and Nong Chok districts, which are both owned by the same person, and discovered residents squeezed into tiny rooms, and some residents even in shackles. Authorities then took 40…
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5G causes airlines to cancel or rearrange flights to the US
Fear of 5G interference around American airports is spurring airlines from around the world to cancel or reschedule flights to the US. At least 25 flights to the US were cancelled today with many airlines saying they will cancel more as they scrambled to change the type of aircraft used to avoid interference as AT&T and Verizon Communications roll out…
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15.2 million meth pills seized in Northern checkpoint stops
A series of drug traffickers stopped at checkpoints in and around Chiang Rai over the last week has netted a total of 15.2 million meth pills found and seized by police. Yesterday the police revealed a series of incidents at checkpoints in the northern region where police found huge amounts of methamphetamines hidden inside cars. Several large busts were made…
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