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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.

  • International travellers allowed to transit Thailand from Monday | Thaiger

    International travellers allowed to transit Thailand from Monday

    International travellers will now be allowed to transit Thailand from Monday after the Civil Aviation Authority relaxed Covid‐19 measures. The lifting of stringent travel regulations comes after Thailand reports a drop in Covid infections to double digits since February 20. CAAT also says regulations are being relaxed on domestic travel as well. The authority says operators of domestic flights can…

  • Bangkok police raid house where model died after playing hostess | Thaiger

    Bangkok police raid house where model died after playing hostess

    Bangkok police are investigating a model’s death after raiding a Chatuchak district house where the model died after being hired as a hostess. The model, Whitchayaporn ‘Wa’ Visessombut, was hired along with other women to serve drinks and entertain guests at a private residence last Monday. Then, the next day, she died of respiratory failure after being brought unconscious to…

  • Phuket Monopoly game creators need your help with token designs | Thaiger

    Phuket Monopoly game creators need your help with token designs

    Phuket is set to get its own version of the popular game MONOPOLY and its creators want your help with ideas for the specialised tokens. ‘MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition’ was announced last month which will see the street art on the board game replaced with that of famous places around Thailand’s famous tourist destination. Such art will include beaches, hotels, shops,…

  • The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO | Thaiger

    The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO

    https://youtu.be/HKKIuWHw_t8 “The rules signal greater willingness by countries around the world to rein in big tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that the governments fear have become too powerful with little accountability.” India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take…

  • Thailand’s most exclusive Beach Club | BaBa Beach Club Hua Hin | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Thailand’s most exclusive Beach Club | BaBa Beach Club Hua Hin | VIDEO

    Nothing speaks more ‘private’ and ‘vacation’ than enjoying the beachfront view with a balcony pool and luxurious room. Follow Chris, as he (along with his family) takes you on a private get away in Hua Hin, one of Thailand’s most popular beach destinations on the Gulf of Thailand coast, for both tourists and locals. *our vlogger’s stay at the BaBa…

  • Roadtrippers take a break at petrol station only to find dead body under car | Thaiger

    Roadtrippers take a break at petrol station only to find dead body under car

    A group of holiday road trippers from Pathum Thani got a horrifying surprise after finding a partial human body underneath one of their cars. The group was on their way to Koh Chang when they stopped at a petrol station this morning in the eastern province of Khao Saming. The 10 holidaymakers reported the discovery at Sawang Sawai PTT petrol…

  • Surveys show Thailand still one of the top holiday choices post-pandemic | Thaiger

    Surveys show Thailand still one of the top holiday choices post-pandemic

    The Stockholm office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has conducted a survey in which 62% of respondents say they want to spend winter in Thailand provided restrictions are lifted. The top destinations are Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak, followed by Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan, Koh Tao, Bangkok, and Hua Hin. 68% say they would cancel bookings if the 14-day…

  • Long Buddhist holiday to see over 40 percent reduction in domestic tourism | Thaiger

    Long Buddhist holiday to see over 40 percent reduction in domestic tourism

    The long Buddhist festival holiday, which starts today, is set to see over a 40% reduction in domestic tourism. The Tourism and Transport Authority of Thailand has made the estimation which tallies around 1.09 million domestic trips, a number that is down 44% from last year’s Makha Bucha Day. The 2nd wave of the Covid pandemic this year has made…

  • Police investigate “offensive” posts on Facebook pages of jailed activists | Thaiger

    Police investigate “offensive” posts on Facebook pages of jailed activists

    The authorities are investigating the origin of content deemed offensive, which has appeared on the Facebook pages of 2 jailed activists, despite them having no access to phones or the internet. The Department of Corrections has asked the Technology Crime Suppression Division to investigate content posted on the pages of jailed protest leaders Parit Chiwarak and Anon Nampa. Both Parit…

  • Motorbike taxi attacked tourist in Pattaya because he was annoyed | Thaiger

    Motorbike taxi attacked tourist in Pattaya because he was annoyed

    A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver is saying he was annoyed when he attacked a Chilean man out of nowhere early yesterday morning. Amorn “Jeab” Boonmee was arrested after confessing to allegedly slapping and kicking 24 year old Salvatore Andres Castromedina, breaking his nose. According Khaosod English, Amorn says he acted in a “blind moment of fury” because he was annoyed…

  • Police officer arrested for allegedly stealing grenade launcher and other weapons | Thaiger

    Police officer arrested for allegedly stealing grenade launcher and other weapons

    A police officer was arrested for allegedly stealing a M79 grenade launcher and other weapons from a police station armoury in Mae Hong Son, a province in Northern Thailand bordering Myanmar. Police say officer Santichai Luerat planned to sell the guns and ammunition to a buyer who would then sell the weapons to members of an ethnic minority across the…

  • Did the Covid-19 virus actually originate in Thailand? | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Did the Covid-19 virus actually originate in Thailand? | VIDEO

    South East Asia was the source of Covid-19, not China. Even more specifically, it came from Thailand… from the famous Chatuchak market, or, as quoted correctly “a market LIKE Chatuchak”. That’s the claims of a Danish epidemiologist Thea Kolsen Fischer, who was on a recent World Health Organisation fact-finding mission to Wuhan to examine the origins of the latest coronavirus…

  • Pattaya motorbike taxi allegedly attacks Chilean national | Thaiger

    Pattaya motorbike taxi allegedly attacks Chilean national

    A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver is being accused of attacking a Chilean national, leaving his nose broken and face bloodied. 24 year old Salvatore Andres Castromedina, filed a report to the Pattaya City Police at around 2am this morning after saying he had left a nightclub on Pattaya’s Walking Street after it had closed. “I wanted to go to Soi…

  • Civil rights activist contests new version of NGO bill | Thaiger

    Civil rights activist contests new version of NGO bill

    A civil rights activist is accusing Thailand’s cabinet of revising a law without gaining the public’s input. The new version of the bill, which is supposed to dictate transparency in the promotion and development of civil society organisations, includes the words “non‐profit,” while the original version does not. The bill is also supposed to provide oversight of NGOs who may…

  • Police raids shut down online network of casinos across 7 provinces | Thaiger

    Police raids shut down online network of casinos across 7 provinces

    Police have shut down a network of online casinos in raids that took place across 7 provinces, with 19 suspects arrested and cash and other goods seized. In total, 8 online casino networks in 7 provinces have been shut down, with police apprehending 19 out of a total 22 suspects. Thai PBS World reports that the raids took place in…

  • Behind bars: government ministers among 29 jailed for Yingluck protests | Thaiger

    Behind bars: government ministers among 29 jailed for Yingluck protests

    A number of government ministers have been jailed for their part in protests against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra that crippled Bangkok and ultimately led to the 2014 military coup. Yesterday, the Criminal Court handed prison sentences to 29 former members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, some of whom were serving in the current administration. Former politician and former…

  • Thai Vietjet resumes Phuket-Chiang Rai flights, launches promotion on air fare | Thaiger

    Thai Vietjet resumes Phuket-Chiang Rai flights, launches promotion on air fare

    The following is a press release from Thai Vietjet on its new promotion “Welcome Back to the Sky” and the resumption of Phuket-Chiang Rai flights. Thai Vietjet today announced the flight resumption of its domestic cross-regional service between Phuket – Chiang Rai, in response to the increasing travel demand after the government began relaxing travel measures in each province. The…

  • Thai temple tour, via a jet ski on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Thai temple tour, via a jet ski on Bangkok’s Chao Phraya | VIDEO

    In this brief video, Chris our Thaiger ‘adventure’ Vlogger, takes you on a ride through the Chao Phraya River…on a jet ski! There are plenty of ways for tourists to take the well-trodden path of temple-hopping whilst in Thailand. THIS is a very fresh view of some of the famous river’s lesser known temples. You can stop off and a…

  • Former Thai PM Thaksin makes appearance on popular Clubhouse app | Thaiger

    Former Thai PM Thaksin makes appearance on popular Clubhouse app

    Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been living in exile for over 10 years, has made an appearance on the new “Clubhouse” social media app, in which he discussed his battle with Covid-19. Thaksin’s appearance was confirmed by the CARE movement, as he joined a forum hosted by the organisation on Monday night. Nation Thailand reports that also taking part in…

  • Pro-democracy activists rally against corrupt police promotion system | Thaiger

    Pro-democracy activists rally against corrupt police promotion system

    The pro-democracy group, Ratsadon, held a rally in Bangkok yesterday, this time with their sights set on Thailand’s police force and the corrupt practices involved in promotion. The system in which officers have to pay bribes to senior figures, allegedly including senior politicians, was highlighted in a debate in parliament last week. Activists met at the Ratchaprasong intersection in the…

  • Tourism officials aim for vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand by the third quarter of 2021 | Thaiger

    Tourism officials aim for vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand by the third quarter of 2021

    Vaccinated against Covid-19? You might be able to enter Thailand by July. The country’s tourism officials are now working on a plan to allow foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter the country by the third quarter of 2021. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is waiting for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to relax certain…

  • Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket | Thaiger

    Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket

    A Phuket police officer was caught on camera beating and shooting at a noodle vendor on Bangla Road in Patong, critically injuring the young man. Reports vary on exactly what happened before the shooting, but apparently the police officer had been drinking until nearly dawn this morning before the incident. Surveillance camera footage shows the 25 year old vendor suddenly…

  • Police launch murder investigation after Thai boxer found dead in Bangkok’s On Nut area | Thaiger

    Police launch murder investigation after Thai boxer found dead in Bangkok’s On Nut area

    Police in Bangkok have launched a murder investigation after the body of a Thai boxer was found covered in blood in the city’s On Nut area. His throat was slit. Photos of the crime scene show blood splattered and smeared across the hood of a white Toyota Vios. Around 10pm Sunday night, local residents heard screams and called police. The…

  • Thailand’s passenger car sales drop by over 44% year-on-year | Thaiger

    Thailand’s passenger car sales drop by over 44% year-on-year

    Thailand’s domestic car sales dropped by over 21% last month, with passenger car sales plummeting by over 44% year-on-year. The Bangkok Post reports that the resurgence of the Covid-19 virus late last year has affected consumer confidence and buying power. The sale of commercial vehicles is also down by 5.4% year-on-year. Surasak Suthongwan from Toyota Motor Thailand, says people are…

  • Thai FDA expedites the process to list cannabis as an “essential medicine” | Thaiger

    Thai FDA expedites the process to list cannabis as an “essential medicine”

    Cannabis could soon become an “essential medicine” in Thailand. While the plant’s euphoria-inducing buds are still illegal and classified as a narcotic, other parts of the plant that do not cause a “high,” like the leaves, are being pushed into the food and medicine industry. The Thai Food and Drug Administration is even trying to speed up the process to…

  • Tourism officials call for vaccine passport strategy to re-open tourism in Q4 | Thaiger

    Tourism officials call for vaccine passport strategy to re-open tourism in Q4

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the Kingdom must agree a “vaccine passport” policy by June in order to welcome foreign tourists by the fourth quarter of the year. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot from the TAT says such a scheme would have a significant impact on the international market, where many countries have already embarked on large-scale vaccination programmes. “TAT plans to…

  • 59 foreign tourists arrive in Phuket, first to undergo the luxurious “villa quarantine” | Thaiger

    59 foreign tourists arrive in Phuket, first to undergo the luxurious “villa quarantine”

    59 tourists have arrived in Thailand and are now in “villa quarantine” at a luxury resort in Phuket. In an effort to boost the country’s economy and revive the tourism sector, Thai officials have focused on attracting rich tourists who will spend a lot of money during their visit to Thailand. 13 of the tourists flew to Thailand from Indonesia…

  • Snakes in Bangkok. Get up close and personal… if you dare | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Snakes in Bangkok. Get up close and personal… if you dare | VIDEO

    Yes, there are snakes in Bangkok. Apart from the odd reptile ‘critter’ lurking under the kitchen sink or looking down on you from a tree, there’s a much more ‘touristy’ alternative to check out Thailand’s slipperiest reptiles. Some are poisonous, most aren’t but you’ll learn more about them here at the Snake Farm at the Thai Red Cross Society in…

  • Thai government hopes cannabis will be a primary cash crop for farmers | Thaiger

    Thai government hopes cannabis will be a primary cash crop for farmers

    While marijuana traffickers are still getting busted by police, many smuggling the plant across the Mekong River, the Thai government is encouraging local farmers to grow cannabis, as long as they partner with a provincial hospital to use the plant for medicinal purposes. A deputy government spokesperson told Reuters the government hopes that cannabis and hemp will be a “primary…

  • Thailand celebrity gets a month in jail for Covid-19 cluster birthday party at Bangkok hotel | Thaiger

    Thailand celebrity gets a month in jail for Covid-19 cluster birthday party at Bangkok hotel

    A Thailand celebrity was sentenced to jail for charges relating to his birthday party last month that became a notorious Covid-19 cluster. The South Bangkok District Court sentenced Techin Ploypetch, known as DJ Matoom, to 2 months in jail with a fine of 20,000 baht for violating the Emergency Decree which banned social gatherings to prevent the spread of the…