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.

  • Thai cops go above and beyond to help Chinese tourist return home | Thaiger

    Thai cops go above and beyond to help Chinese tourist return home

    Good eggs from the Royal Thai Police force in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand, helped a Chinese tourist get her passport back in the nick of time before her flight back to China last night. At 10pm, officers at Chang Phuak Police Station received a call from a distressed Chinese tourist. The tourist rented a car from a car rental…

  • Thailand to expand major airports to deal with rising tourist numbers | Thaiger

    Thailand to expand major airports to deal with rising tourist numbers

    Thailand is set to expand at least four of its major international airports in response to the predicted return of foreign tourists following the Covid-19 pandemic. Deputy Government Spokeswoman, Traisulee Taisaranakul, announced the plans today. She noted that the expansion is aimed at accommodating predictions made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) of 200 million foreign arrivals by 2031.…

  • Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule | Thaiger

    Thai Airways rehabilitation ahead of schedule

    Thai Airways expects to exit its rehabilitation plan ahead of schedule. The airline is already looking for new aircraft as the recovery in global tourism bolsters earnings. CEO Chai Eamsiri said Thursday that the carrier will be able to leave its court-supervised debt plan “much earlier” than the late-2024 target, according to Bloomberg. The company is also in talks with…

  • Bank worker and spouse accused of embezzling 36 million baht, they say it’s a lie! | Thaiger

    Bank worker and spouse accused of embezzling 36 million baht, they say it’s a lie!

    A bank worker and her spouse are accused of embezzling 36 million Thai baht from bank clients. The suspects deny the claims against them. Yesterday, Lata, the 33 year old bank employee, and Pharanyu, her 36 year old partner, were apprehended at a condominium located on Din Daeng Road in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district. Lata faces charges for violating Section 335…

  • Thai drug dealer tries to get meth back from cops, gets seriously injured | Thaiger

    Thai drug dealer tries to get meth back from cops, gets seriously injured

    A suspected Thai drug dealer tried to get his meth back from cops, failed miserably, and only ended up getting seriously hurt in the process. The incident happened last night in the Phak Hai district of Thailand’s central Ayutthaya province. Officers from Provincial Police Region 1 conducted a sting operation to buy 20,000 speed pills from the suspected drug trafficker,…

  • Land Transport Department will collect traffic fines | Thaiger

    Land Transport Department will collect traffic fines

    The days of blowing off traffic tickets and fines left on your car or motorbike may be coming to a close. At least if you drive legally and pay your taxes. The Royal Thai Police (RTP) and the Land Transport Department (LTD) have joined forces in a landmark agreement aimed at tackling the problem of unpaid traffic ticket fines. Under…

  • Thailand to give nation’s SMEs a digital leg up | Thaiger

    Thailand to give nation’s SMEs a digital leg up

    Thailand plans to give the nation’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) a digital leg up to help improve their businesses and boost the kingdom’s economy at the same time. Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn announced the department will include another 25 provinces in its plan to improve SME businesses, reported Bangkok Post. The “New-normal Market Transformation” initiative,…

  • Thai immigration chief asks reporter, ‘Do you have a husband?’ to dodge question | Thaiger

    Thai immigration chief asks reporter, ‘Do you have a husband?’ to dodge question

    In an interview about the macau888 gambling case, Thailand’s Chief of Immigration dodged a female reporter’s question by responding, “Do you have a husband?” The interview followed the interrogation of police officer Kunakorn “Bright” Khajohnboonthaworn who was accused of being one of four brothers operating the illegal gambling website macau888. According to the police force, Captain Bright proved his innocence…

  • Thai actress alleges being abused by macau888 gambling king | Thaiger

    Thai actress alleges being abused by macau888 gambling king

    The Thai actress who exposed the illegal gambling activities of her ex-boyfriend said she did so because she was brutally abused by him during their relationship. Arisara “Due” Thongborisut shared the story of her ex-boyfriend, Chaiwat “Benz” Khajohnboonthaworn, aka Benz Daemon, on Facebook on Sunday, January 5. The 32 year old revealed that her ex and his three brothers operated…

  • Tarmacked forest in Thai conservation area sparks outrage | Thaiger

    Tarmacked forest in Thai conservation area sparks outrage

    Netizens are scratching their heads at the Department of National Park‘s decision to tarmac a forest inside a conservation area at a wildlife sanctuary in Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand. No space at all was left around the tree trunks to allow the trees to breathe and grow. An outraged Facebook user posted a picture of the newly tarmacked…

  • Khaosan Road businesses told to cut noise pollution, or else! | Thaiger

    Khaosan Road businesses told to cut noise pollution, or else!

    Businesses in the backpacker haven of Khaosan Road have been warned to cut noise pollution otherwise, they will suffer legal consequences, due to complaints received from nearby residents. City Hall says businesses have 15 days to get their houses in order and regulate noise levels, or else! After a gathering that brought together 30 members of the Khaosan Road Business…

  • Ministry of Culture to promote 16 Thai festivals internationally | Thaiger

    Ministry of Culture to promote 16 Thai festivals internationally

    Thailand’s Ministry of Culture is taking steps to promote the country’s cultural heritage and boost local economies by promoting 16 Thai festivals internationally. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Yupha Taweewattanakitborvon, announced the move as part of the government’s “5F” initiative, which seeks to promote Thai soft power through the food, film, fashion, fighting, and festival industries. The selected festivals represent…

  • Two children killed in Canada after bus driver rams into daycare centre | Thaiger

    Two children killed in Canada after bus driver rams into daycare centre

    Two children were killed near Montreal, Canada after a bus driver rammed into a daycare centre. Police arrested the driver after suspecting him of deliberately causing the accident. One child reportedly died at the scene and another while in the ambulance. Several children were trapped under the bus when it slammed into the building in the suburb of Laval at…

  • PLTO focuses on foreigners using rental cars as illegal taxis | Thaiger

    PLTO focuses on foreigners using rental cars as illegal taxis

    The crackdown on illegal taxis – those operating outside their jurisdiction or without proper licenses or permissions – continues in Phuket. Authorities have turned their attention to a new target: foreigners using personal rental cars as taxis. In response to numerous complaints, Phuket officials launched an investigation into reports of foreign tourists acting as illegal taxi drivers. A joint team…

  • Family of 5, including 3-month-old baby, brutally murdered in northern Thailand | Thaiger

    Family of 5, including 3-month-old baby, brutally murdered in northern Thailand

    Police are investigating the brutal murder of five members of an indigenous Hmong family in the northern province of Tak. The culprit behind the crime remains at large. The youngest victim was a mere three months old. The community leader of Baan Sirirak in the Wang Chao district of Tak promptly informed the police after making the grim discovery of…

  • Suspect in US hit-and-run fatal accident flees to Thailand | Thaiger

    Suspect in US hit-and-run fatal accident flees to Thailand

    A US woman suspected in a deadly hit-and-run has reportedly fled to Thailand. The FBI says the woman, Tubtim “Sue” Howson, from Oakland Township, Michigan is suspected of hitting and killing a 22 year old man on New Year’s Day. According to WXYZ, the FBI filed a criminal complaint alleging that the 57 year old fled to Thailand two days…

  • Authorities investigate mass haircut punishment at northern Thailand school | Thaiger

    Authorities investigate mass haircut punishment at northern Thailand school

    Thai authorities are investigating after a video surfaced on social media showing a school teacher in the northern Phetchabun province cutting the hair of over 100 students on Tuesday as punishment for violating haircut rules. Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong ordered state agencies to investigate the school director and teacher involved in the incident. Trinuch said the behaviour of the teacher…

  • 500k baht stolen from Singaporean family in Phuket villa | Thaiger

    500k baht stolen from Singaporean family in Phuket villa

    A Singaporean family’s vacation in Phuket was spoiled after their villa was burgled of over 485,000 baht worth of valuables, including two Louis Vuitton crossbody bags. The family of eight were visiting the beach destination from January 22 to 29 and were robbed at the tail end of their holiday. They had moved into a private seven-bedroom villa they booked…

  • Swedish ‘plogging’ trend reaches Koh Lanta, Thailand | Thaiger

    Swedish ‘plogging’ trend reaches Koh Lanta, Thailand

    Koh Lanta – an island along Thailand‘s Andaman coast – saw its first ever plogging event last week, according to the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful landscape spoiled by plastic waste and debris. A movement in Sweden has come up with a solution. ‘Plogging’ is an activity that combines jogging with picking up litter.…

  • Teenage mother accused after 8 month old baby vanishes | Thaiger

    Teenage mother accused after 8 month old baby vanishes

    Residents in the central province of Nakhon Prathom pointed the finger of blame at a teenage mother for the mysterious disappearance of her eight month old baby. The mother’s ex-boyfriend was also accused but pleaded he is innocent. The parents of the missing child, 16 year old Philaiporn Korcharoen and 19 year old Sittichok Choksaengsawang, reached out to Thai netizens…

  • ‘Rave for Maddi’ raises £5000 for British woman after balcony fall in Thailand | Thaiger

    ‘Rave for Maddi’ raises £5000 for British woman after balcony fall in Thailand

    A charity fundraising event entitled ‘Rave for Maddi’ held in Coventry, England, raised 200,000 baht (£5000) to help the recovery of the young British woman who fell from a second-floor balcony in Koh Pha Ngan in southern Thailand on New Year’s Eve. A GoFundMe appeal raised over 3 million baht (£73,500) from over 1,400 donors to pay for 21 year old…

  • PLTO continues crackdown on illegal taxis | Thaiger

    PLTO continues crackdown on illegal taxis

    The Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) and Sakhu Police have apprehended four more drivers for illegally operating their vehicles as taxis in Phuket. The joint operation took place at a checkpoint set up at the Sakhu-Nai Yang intersection on Thepkrasattri Rd in Mai Khao and resulted in the stop of two taxis registered in Bangkok with green plates and two…

  • High Stakes: Police shut down Phuket cannabis store for 30 days due to gambling | Thaiger

    High Stakes: Police shut down Phuket cannabis store for 30 days due to gambling

    Police ordered the closure of ‘Hi Kush’ cannabis store in Phuket, southern Thailand, for 30 days, from yesterday February 7 to March 8, after finding evidence of gambling at the establishment. Officers from Phuket City Police Station arrested a man named Ratchakrit and 13 others for, “organising gambling (poker), gambling at a property without permission and conspiracy to gamble.” The…

  • Thailand rejects Thai princess Pfizer reaction claim as fake | Thaiger

    Thailand rejects Thai princess Pfizer reaction claim as fake

    A controversial claim that Thailand is abolishing its Covid-19 vaccine contract with Pfizer because it caused Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha to fall into a coma following a booster shot has been dismissed as false. Contradictory statements made by a retired microbiology professor, Sucharit Bhakdi, have been dismissed by the Thai government as “fake news.” Professor Bhakdi claimed that the Thai government…

  • Thailand’s PM expects more than 30 million foreign tourists this year | Thaiger

    Thailand’s PM expects more than 30 million foreign tourists this year

    Thailand’s prime minister says he expects the country to see more than 30 million foreign tourists this year. In light of his predictions, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed relevant agencies to facilitate tourists with travel plans and to ensure their safety in the country. According to Reuters, the government initially predicted a smaller number of foreign tourists to arrive this…

  • Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll nears 8,000 | Thaiger

    Turkey, Syria earthquake death toll nears 8,000

    The earthquake death toll in Turkey and Syria is nearing 8,000 as rescuers struggle in harsh weather conditions. One UN official says the death toll is likely to rise considerably with the expected number of child deaths to be in the thousands. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan issued a three-month state of emergency for 10 provinces in the country. But, residents…

  • Convicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison | Thaiger

    Convicted South African drug trafficker writes letter from inside Thai prison

    A 23 year old South African woman serving a long prison sentence for drug trafficking wrote an eloquent letter offering a glimpse into how it feels to be locked away in Thailand. Ashley Oosthuizen was found guilty of international drug trafficking after she signed for a package containing MDMA at the restaurant she worked at in Koh Samui, ‘Hot in…

  • Kite Festival on the Beach returns to Pattaya from February 24-28 | Thaiger

    Kite Festival on the Beach returns to Pattaya from February 24-28

    The Kite Festival on the Beach 2023 returns to Pattaya with a flourish at the beach in front of the Central Pattaya Beach shopping mall at the end of this month. After a hiatus last year with no explanation, the festival is back from February 24 to 28. The highlight of this year’s festival has yet to be announced, but…

  • Thailand’s first ever seaplane airline to launch this summer | Thaiger

    Thailand’s first ever seaplane airline to launch this summer

    Thailand‘s first-ever seaplane airline ‘Siam Seaplane‘ is preparing to launch this summer to take the kingdom’s tourism industry to the next level. Siam Seaplane has formed partnerships with 60 luxury hotels and resorts, including top brands Intercontinental and Four Seasons. In an interview with AirwaysMag, Chief Business Operator Dennis Keller revealed that the company faced plenty of setbacks during the…

  • Two activists on hunger strike refuse granted bail despite deteriorating health | Thaiger

    Two activists on hunger strike refuse granted bail despite deteriorating health

    Two activists, who are on a hunger strike in Bangkok, are refusing to leave on bail as their health continues to deteriorate. Tantawan “Tawan” Tuatulanon, who is 21, and 23 year old Orawan “Bam” Phuphong have been on a hunger strike since January 18. They say they are refusing the granted bail to continue supporting the plight of political prisoners.…