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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Subsidised Toyota bZ4X finally on sale in Thailand
The long-awaited new electric Toyota bZ4X went on sale in Thailand Wednesday, taking advantage of new government subsidies. In February, the Thai government introduced subsidies of up to 150,000 baht (US$4,000) per electric vehicle (EV). The new Toyota is the first Japanese car to qualify. The tax break for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) covers passenger cars with no more than 10…
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Luxury casino in Pattaya raided before grand opening
Police raided an under-construction building in Pattaya after being tipped off it is to become a luxury casino. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, ordered police officers to raid the gambling house at the Chalerm Phra Kiat 6 on the Pattaya Sai Sam Road in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya. Police met a…
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Phuket man arrested with over 10,000 meth pills
There’s been another methamphetamine bust in Phuket’s main city district this week. Border Patrol Police arrested a man in the Rassada sub-district. They seized 10,504 meth pills from him, in addition to crystal meth. The police arrested Ban at the entrance of Soi Bang She Lao on Thep Kasattri Road, The Phuket Express reported. They then brought him to Phuket…
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Tourists complain about pricey beach chairs at Hua Hin
Local authorities tightened rules against local businesses yesterday after tourists complained about beach chairs being too expensive on Hua Hin Beach. The Deputy Mayor of the Hua Hin Municipality, Butsaba Choksuchart, brought the issue to light after tourists made known that beach chairs they rented near Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin were more expensive for them than…
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Bangkok police arrest fake Chinese diplomat
Immigration police in Bangkok arrested a 33 year old Chinese man, found with a fake Thai ID card, a fake police motorcycle and a fake military uniform. Shao Xiaobo was arrested at a rented building in Bangkok’s Sutthisarn area on Wednesday, the office of an unnamed commercial association. Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nuchanart, the deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau,…
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Beagles sniff out bats in luggage from China at Bangkok airport
No bats or any other animal carcasses can get past the sharp noses of two hard-working beagles who fight crime at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. On Tuesday at 12pm, the sniffer dogs uncovered “smoked bats” and processed pork hidden inside the luggage that flew in from Kunming in China. The main duty of the beagles from the Quarantine and Inspection…
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Taxi fares in Bangkok to increase in two weeks
The Ministry of Transport yesterday approved a motion to increase taxi fares in Bangkok after recent protests by the capital’s cab drivers. The new fares are expected to come into operation in the next two weeks. The Transport Ministry announced a month ago that taxi fares in Thailand would be increased after eight years of stagnation. The department of transport…
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Police arrest bat-eating YouTuber in northeast Thailand
UPDATE Yesterday, the Thai woman who ate bat soup on YouTube was arrested in Sakhon Nakhon province in northeast Thailand. Officers from Phon Kaew Police Station arrested the YouTuber – who is also a teacher – under suspicion of “possession of protected wildlife carcasses,” violating Section 17 of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act (2019). Police also charged the YouTuber…
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Failed 14 million baht temple lighting system may quash UNESCO nomination
A failed 14 million baht lighting system isn’t helping southern Thailand’s temple of Phra Mahathat Woramahavihan’s bid to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The lighting system was installed around the main stupa of Phra Borommathat Chedi in 2014, but those responsible for the project have largely left it in disarray. The lighting is now in need of repairs due…
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Meta to let go 11,000 employees as Zuckerberg admits he got company projections wrong
Facebook’s parent company Meta is laying off 11,000 of its employees in what is one of the largest workforce cuts this year in the United States. A weak advertising market and soaring costs have been attributed to the 13% cut in the company’s workforce. But, Meta is just one of the major tech companies to conduct such cuts, joining Elon…
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6.6 magnitude earthquake rocks Nepal leaving at least six dead
Nepal is reeling after a 6.6 magnitude earthquake has left at least six dead. The quake has killed four children and two adults so far, with five others seriously injured. Several houses also collapsed, according to the western district of Doti’s superintendent of police. Most of the damage occurred in Doti, which is about 430 kilometres west of Kathmandu. According…
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Two Thai airlines among Top 10 most timely in the world
Thailand is not known for its timekeeping, yet two Thai airlines were among the most “on time” in the world in September 2022. The Top 10 Most On-time Airlines were ranked using real data from the Official Airline Guide (OAG) flight database. OAG provides “the world’s most accurate and information-rich flight data.” Flights that leave within 15 minutes of their…
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Bangkok dwellers float over half a million krathongs on Loy Krathong night
Bangkok dwellers floated more than half a million krathongs down the city’s waterways during the Loy Krathong celebrations last night. This year, there were as many as 572,602 krathongs. A spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said that almost all of the krathongs, 548,086, were made from natural materials but added that 24,516 krathongs were made from foam. The…
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Superstitious man arrested after stabbing friend to test his immortality
The superstitious man who stabbed to death a friend to test his immortality has been arrested in Chon Buri. Officers from Tha Ruer Police Station reported to Thai media today that 51 year old Withun Ochapon was arrested last night for the murder of 44 year old Auttapon on Sunday, November 6 at his wife’s house in the Phan Thong district of…
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Kush House: Bangkok’s most unique cannabis dispensary
You are invited to the grand opening of Kush House cannabis dispensary, in the heart of Bangkok, tonight at 9pm. Two things set Kush House apart from other cannabis stores in Thailand: Thai Traditional Medicine and art. The visually striking atmosphere at Kush House – conveniently located at the entrance of Sukhumvit 22 – has been carefully crafted to give…
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Mass tree-planting planned for Phuket beach after illegal structures removed
After police removed removed illegal structures from a beach in Phuket‘s Thalang district, they now plan to recover the beach’s nature. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay announced at a meeting on Monday that a mass tree-planting would start at Layan Beach on Tuesday, November 15. The tree-planting event will begin at 9am, and will include a beach cleanup, he said. Amnuay…
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PayPal to lock out Thai users at end of month
Most PayPal users in Thailand will be locked out of the service next month unless they jump through a series of complex and quite silly hoops that are intelligible only to Thai citizens. After a year of nothing but statements, PayPal told customers this morning that they cannot use the service after December 15 unless they take “certain actions” that,…
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Man stabbed to death by superstitious friend
A man was stabbed to death yesterday by a superstitious friend who believed an amulet the victim wore made him immortal. The delusional offender, who was only released from prison last year after murdering someone else, wanted to test the victim’s mortality by stabbing him. Police reported that 44 year old Auttapon Na Nakhon was stabbed to death by his…
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Patong venue staffer tests positive for drugs
A Patong entertainment venue staffer tested positive for drugs on Monday night after police conducted a major drug testing crackdown on five venues on Bangla Road. Patong Police drug tested nearly 184 staffers and one tested positive. It has not been reported what drug the staffer tested positive for. The recent crackdown is part of a campaign police are calling…
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Thai women tricked into sex work in Nigeria seek help
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Thailand is on a mission to rescue a group of Thai women stuck in Nigeria who claim they were offered work as masseuses but forced into prostitution instead. Last week, relatives of the women sought help from Paveena Hongsakul, who is a Thai women’s rights and children’s rights activist, ex-Minister of Social Development and…
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Police arrest 2 Chinese mafia chiefs, 3 slip the net
Thailand’s deputy national police chief revealed yesterday that the authorities have captured two heads of Chinese mafia gangs in the kingdom. Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate ‘Big Joke’ Hakparn announced a covert undercover operation managed to successfully arrest two mafia chiefs adding that three heads of illegal activities managed to escape their clutches, fleeing the country on private…
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Bill Heinecke suggests Thailand charge foreign tourists extra 300 baht per night
Hotels in Thailand should charge foreign tourists an extra 300 baht (US$8) per room per night to aid the economy’s post-pandemic recovery, suggests outspoken American-Thai hotel tycoon and billionaire Bill Heinecke. Heinecke is the founder of the Minor Group, which runs more than 500 hotels worldwide. In an open letter addressed to Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Heinecke said the…
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Police seize 1,000s of weapons, calming APEC delegates
As Thailand struggles to combat the harm done by the methamphetamine epidemic, in a bizarre statement, police claim to have rounded up more than 60,000 suspects and seized thousands of weapons in cases tied to narcotics and illegal weapons since October 10, “bolstering confidence” among delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 18. Police made…
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Teacher murders her 5 year old autistic son in southern Thailand
Today, a teacher at a famous school in Hat Yai murdered her autistic 5 year old son by smothering him with a pillow in Songkhla Province, southern Thailand. After the murder, she tried to commit suicide by drinking toilet cleaner but ended up critically ill in hospital. Officers from Hat Yai Police Station were called to the scene – a condo…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport offers 7 days free parking for APEC Summit
Suvarnabhumi Airport is offering free parking for one week from November 15-21 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit which will be held in Bangkok this month. Free parking will be available for passengers and service users for a total of seven days at Long Term Parking Zone C, which can accommodate 718 cars. The airport is expected to be…
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First LOT Polish Airlines flight arrives in Phuket
Phuket International airport welcomed its first LOT Polish Airlines flight yesterday. The flight carried 252 passengers from Warsaw to Phuket. Officials and staff greeted the passengers and handed them HKT We Care souvenirs upon arrival, The Phuket Express reported. This news comes after an inaugural flight from Uzbekistan arrived in Phuket on Sharq Airlines just last week. The flight carried…
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British man sentenced for rape in UK flees to Thailand
A British man sentenced to eight years in jail for rape is believed to have fled to Thailand. A jury found Michael Foster unanimously found guilty of rape in absentia in September, reported Lancashire Police. Yesterday, he was found guilty once more at Preston Crown Court. The 35 year old man, formerly of Fishwick Parade, Preston, was given eight years…
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What are US midterm elections?
US midterm elections are elections held during the middle of a president’s four-year term in office (so two years into their term). These elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November, which means today. During midterms, all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives are up for election. This year, 35 out of the 100…
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Flying lanterns near airports in Thailand is punishable by death penalty, warns govt
Flying a lantern near an airport in Thailand is a very serious criminal offence carrying the harshest penalties, even the death penalty, according to government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek. The spokesperson gave the stern warning at a press conference yesterday while thousands of people prepare to float paper lanterns into the sky to celebrate both Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals…
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Forex lingo you need to know to impress your date – and everybody else
When it comes to forex, the right lingo can go a long way. Whether you’re trying to make a good impression on a first date, simply want to show off your knowledge, or you’re just starting out with forex trading, being able to fluently discuss the industry is sure to impress. Here are just a few forex terminologies that will…
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