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 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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The Thai government threw a tourist party (sound of crickets) | VIDEO
The Thai Government, flushed with the success of their containment of Covid-19, decided to market the Land of Smiles to the world as the safe place to travel. With the annual wet season starting to weaken the tourists would flock back to the S E Asian country that had such a remarkable success containing, then almost eradicating itself, of the…
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Record number of tourism firms quitting Covid-ravaged sector for good
As the devastating economic effects of Covid-19 restrictions persist, a record number of Thai tourism operators are quitting the sector for good. The number of tourism firms surrendering their licences peaked last month, and around 70% of outbound agents have shut up shop indefinitely. The final nail in their collective coffin has been the Covid-19 resurgence, which originated in a…
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BTS Skytrain’s Green Line maximum fare to rise, Rail Transport Department disagrees with the move
After the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration agreed to raise the maximum fare on the BTS Skytrain’s Green Line from 59 baht to 158 baht, the Rail Transport Department is calling on city officials to suspend the maximum fare ceiling, saying it would put an unfair burden on passengers. Bangkok Governor Aswin announced earlier that the maximum fare of 158 baht is…
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Police arrest “prime suspect” in narcotics case linked to 10 deaths in Bangkok
Police arrested a man suspected of producing the ketamine-based illicit drug cocktail linked to at least 10 deaths in Bangkok. The man is also charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting his girlfriend at a Bangkok apartment. Police say 33 year old Amornthep Chalermwat, known as Un Kiwi, fled Bangkok and was arrested in Phetchabun’s Bung Sam Phan district yesterday.…
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Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE
Police say they will issue arrest warrants for at least 2 people in connection to yesterday’s bomb attack in Bangkok. According to Thai PBS World, the people are suspected of throwing a ping pong bomb into a group of police officers in front of the Chamchuri shopping centre that injured 3 policemen and 1 reporter. But previous reports by Khaosod…
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Police hunt for those behind Bangkok bomb attack near pro-democracy protest site
Police are hunting for those responsible for yesterday’s bomb attack that hit near a pro-democracy protest site in Bangkok. The attack occurred at Samyan Intersection at around 6pm, leaving 4 people injured, including 2 policemen. Bangkok police chief Phukphong Phongpetra says the device used appears to be a pingpong bomb, which was filled with nails. Demonstrators gathered yesterday in front…
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Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder dies
Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder has died at the age of 66. Udom Tantiprasongchai, who passed away yesterday, started his business in 1994 with Cambodia International Airlines. The airline began operating regular flights from Phnom Penh to Phuket before expanding to other areas in Southeast Asia. After his airline licences were revoked by the Cambodian government, he started Orient Thai…
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59 areas see excessive PM 2.5 dust in Bangkok today
59 areas in Bangkok are seeing excessive PM 2.5 dust ratings today as air quality is being described as moderate to poor. Din Daeng Road is being identified as the most polluted, according to the air4thai website of the Pollution Control Department. The amount of PM 2.5 dust is being measured at between 39 and 113 microns. Din Daeng is…
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Central Thailand hospital adding marijuana to spa restaurant menu
A little sprinkle here and a little sprinkle there. A central Thailand hospital is now adding marijuana to its spa restaurant menu. The Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, in Prachin Buri, is serving patients dishes and drinks prepared with marijuana leaves at its Abhaibhubejhr Day Spa. Asala Chaocharoen, one of the hospital’s pharmacists, says they have developed the menu item using 1…
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Thailand’s PM asks people to avoid political gatherings over concerns for their health
Thailand’s PM is asking people to avoid political gatherings over concerns for their health due to the recent cooler weather. As the country is still not out of the woods with the recent Covid-19 breakout, the cold weather, in the northern half of the country, is adding to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s health concerns for Thai people. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri…
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BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
Bangkok’s BTS skytrain maximum fare rate is being raised to 158 baht despite receiving backlash over the hike. The Transport Ministry is behind the calls for City Hall to stop the increase as it says it is too expensive for the average commuter who takes the BTS 2 times a day. Saksayam Chidchob, the Transport Minister, says other routes should…
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Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires
Thailand is burning. The burning off of harvested crop plantations is lighting up the agricultural areas. The truth is starkly revealed in the live NASA satellite feeds which track the fires around the world. CHART: Fires in the past 10 days around parts of Thailand – Firms.Modaps Concentrations of the current fires can be seen in Central Thailand, north of…
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The road less travelled – trekking to the Kalim Viewpoint
There are two well known ways to get from Kathu to Kalim or Kamala – one is across the Patong Hill, and the other is much longer, through Srisoonthorn and along the coastal road from Surin the Kamala (very scenic too). But there’s also another way. Also very scenic but will take you about 2 hours through dense forest although…
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Nonthaburi gamblers given jail sentences
Following a raid on an illegal gambling den in the central province of Nonthaburi, 41 people have been handed jail sentences at Nonthaburi Provincial Court. Somjit Hinkerd and Sorasak Janthamanee were convicted of running a gambling den in the Bang Bua Thong district and sentenced to 3 months and 15 days’ imprisonment. The other gamblers were sentenced to 15 days’…
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Government considering another registration round for co-payment scheme
The Finance Ministery is considering adding another registration round to the Khon La Khrueng (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme, as 1.34 million rights have not yet been taken up. The government introduced the scheme last October, in an effort to stimulate the Covid-battered economy. Under the scheme, Thai citizens get a 50% subsidy on the purchase of food, drink and…
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Bangkok’s air quality is ‘unhealthy’ today | VIDEO
Air quality around Bangkok this morning is awful. Partly due to the lack of wind to blow the smog out of the area. To the south of Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, the air quality is even worse with visibility on the ground cut to less than a kilometre. You would be well advised to reduce you activities outside…
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Can I travel around Thailand? Mor Chana app?
Yes. But for people travelling around Thailand at the moment there is still quite a lot of confusion and misinformation about where you can travel to and additional restrictions on travel. Statistically, and with the usual precautions, you are very unlikely to catch Covid-19. We’ll continue to publish any updates to this information on travel at thethaiger.com For people travelling…
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Travelling in Thailand, Covid and Mor Chana | VIDEO
For people travelling around Thailand at the moment there is still quite a lot of confusion and misinformation about where you can travel to and additional restrictions on travel. We’ll continue to publish any updates to this information at thethaiger.com For people travelling out of Red Zones… that includes Bangkok…. to other parts of the country that are lower-risk zones…
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Bangkok enveloped in bad smog Friday
Get out the anti-pollution masks and turn on the air purifier, air pollution in Bangkok is at unhealthy levels. 64 locations in Bangkok were reported with high levels of the air pollutant PM2.5, according to the Pollution Control Department. As a cold weather front in China weakens, air circulation is also slowing down, causing dust to accumulate and drop to…
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Man drives car onto Bangkok airport runway while allegedly under the influence of drugs
A man drove his car onto the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday afternoon while allegedly under the influence of drugs. The airline officials are now trying to figure out how the man was able to breach airport security and drive onto the airport runway. Airport security vehicles were seen escorting the car off the runway, passing by an airplane.…
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Student arrested in dormitory at night, charged with lèse majesté offences
A student at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus has been arrested and charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. Ironically, it was his calls for the law to be abolished that led to Sirichai Natueng, aka, “New”, being charged. The group, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, has confirmed the student’s arrest on its Twitter page. After being taken into custody,…
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Pharmaceutical imports investigated after traces of diazepam detected in narcotics cocktail
Pharmaceutical imports are being investigated after traces of the anti-anxiety pill diazepam were detected in the ketamine-based drug cocktail, known as “K powdered milk.” The narcotic cocktail is suspected of causing 7 deaths in Bangkok. The Food and Drug Administration oversees imports of diazepam, also known by the brand name Valium, and has been asked to send a list of…
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Thailand to introduce 300 baht “tourism fee” to insure foreign visitors, manage tourist destinations
Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, has confirmed a proposal to charge foreign tourists a fee of 300 baht per visit. The fee will be used to develop tourist destinations as well as providing visitors with insurance benefits while in the Kingdom. The proposal has been approved by the National Tourism Policy Committee and is set to be announced in the…
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At least 33 police officers, officials, implicated in migrant smuggling operation
At least 33 police officers and other government officials are being investigated for their role in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers into Thailand. The people smuggling operation is thought to be at the root of Thailand’s second wave of Covid-19, with countless migrants helped across the border without undergoing mandatory quarantine or any form of health checks. The Bangkok…
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Drug trafficking suspects arrested after shootout with police, 1 injured
A drug suspect was injured in a shootout with police around 1am this morning in Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima. The suspect and another man were both arrested for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine. Police say they believe the drugs were being trafficked from Nakhon Phanom, a province bordering Laos, to provinces in the central region. As the suspects’…
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Air pollution at “unhealthy levels” in 64 areas in Bangkok
Get out the anti-pollution masks and turn on the air purifier, air pollution in Bangkok is at unhealthy levels. 64 locations in Bangkok have reported high levels of the air pollutant PM2.5, according to the Pollution Control Department. People are advised to avoid outdoor activities. As a cold weather front in China weakens, air circulation is also slowing down, causing…
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Thailand’s rich not eligible for 3,500 baht government handout
Thailand’s Finance Ministry has confirmed that wealthy citizens are not eligible for the government’s monthly cash handout of 3,500 baht. The Rao Chana (“We Win”) scheme consists of 2 monthly payments of 3,500 baht for those struggling with the financial fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those with savings above a certain, unspecified threshold, will not qualify. The ministry has not…
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Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution
3 people, including 2 brothers, have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, accused of sending women to Brunei for prostitution purposes. Brothers Somchai Sukson, 55 years of age, and 49 year old Rachen Suksorn, were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, charged with a sex trafficking operation involving over 3 people. Following the arrest of…
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US and UK require pre-departure Covid-19 test for all international arrivals
Heading back to the United States or United Kingdom? You’ll need to get a Covid-19 test first. Both countries are now requiring passengers arriving to the US or UK get tested for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before the flight departs. Passengers will also need to show proof of a negative result before bordering. The new travel regulations go…
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Thai travel agents call for vaccinated foreigners to be exempt from quarantine by third quarter of 2021
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to do away with the mandatory 14 day quarantine for vaccinated foreign arrivals by the third quarter of the year. The president of the ATTA, Vichit Prakobgosol, says 30% of 10,000 inbound tourism firms have had to close for good due to the financial devastation caused by the pandemic. He…
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