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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Drunk SWAT policeman shoots man 9 times at nightclub in southern Thailand
A drunk Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) police officer shot dead a man inside a nightclub in Trang province, southern Thailand, at around 1am today. The SWAT officer fired 11 shots in total with a 9mm gun. Two more nightclub revellers caught in the gunfire were injured. At 1.13am, officers from Mueang Trang Police Station received a report that a…
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Thai doctor kidnapped in Africa returns home
A well-known Thai doctor who was kidnapped in Mali last month returns home today after being released by his captors. The 49 year old surgeon, Nopparat “Song” Rattanawaraha, was kidnapped while travelling near the Republic of Mali border in West Africa and held captive for 25 days. His captives let him go yesterday after he raised six million baht (US$156,000)…
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Tourism officials plan Loy Krathong events for 6 Thai provinces
The Thai holiday of Loy Krathong is coming up, and tourism officials are planning events in six provinces. Known as Thailand’s festival of lights, Loy Krathong is one of the biggest celebrations on the Thai calendar. This picturesque festival is a time for people to gather around rivers, canals, ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts…
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VIDEO: Krabi resident secretly films gambling den
A resident in Krabi’s main city district secretly filmed a gambling den, Thai media reported on Sunday. The blurry footage shows a crowd of people in a big house around a table. The video recorder said the house belongs to a former politician, although they did not specify who. However, some gamblers insisted that said the house belongs to a…
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Rishi Sunak becomes first Asian UK PM
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak will be the UK’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest. His nearest rival Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the race in the final minutes before nominations closed. The 42 year old will become the UK’s first British Asian PM. Nearly 200 Conservative MPs backed the former chancellor ahead of…
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The Coming War on China
As President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader yesterday The Coming War on China draws ever closer, predicts award-winning journalist John Pilger. In Pilger’s thought-provoking documentary, The Coming War on China, he notes the United States, backed by Western mainstream media (MSM), has been “beating the drums of war and the world has…
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Kathu illegal excavation investigated as possible factor in landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Abandoned Phuket hotel to be demolished after landslide
Phuket continues to be rocked by the fallout from storms, flooding and landslides. One landslide has been cleared enough in Patong Hill to allow pedestrians to cross. Another has led to the agreement to demolish an abandoned hotel near a bypass in Ratsada town. And authorities are now investigating if an illegal excavation led to a landslide that threatened the…
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Botched drug raid: owner claims deal with police, guests bum rush police
A botched drug raid in a popular Pattaya club saw patrons push past police to flee, and the nightclub owner complained he already had a deal with authorities. Police say the raid of Club One Pattaya netted evidence of illegal drug use but led to no arrests. Outnumbered police could not contain the crowd of around 200 patrons, who charged…
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No chance of parole for Bangkok’s imprisoned gorilla
After the latest round of public outcry, authorities claim for the umpteenth time that little can be done about gorilla Bua Noi, 33 years old, confined to a small cell in a Bangkok shopping mall. According to Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, the owners are free to continue doing as they please with the beast they have kept…
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Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
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Govt set up complaints hotline about pricey veggies
Noticed an increase in the price of vegetables? So has the government and that is why a complaints hotline has been set up for consumers to log their gripes. The Commerce Ministry’s Department of Internal Trade (DIT) yesterday made known it will monitor increases in the nation’s vegetable prices and promises to come up with measures to control prices. DIT…
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Thai car racing gangs of five or more warned of jail time if caught
Thai street car racing gangs of five or more are being warned that they will face jail time and large fines if they are caught gathering. The superintendent of Prachachuen police station sent out the warning, saying even if they have not started racing, those in groups will be arrested for illegal racing. Land Transport and Excise department officials accompanied…
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China’s former leader Hu Jintao leaves congress due to illness
China’s former leader Hu Jintao, 79, left the closing ceremony of the Communist Party of China’s congress yesterday after reportedly feeling sick. The meeting of the CCP marked the setting of the third term for current president Xi Jinping. According to The Straits Times, the state-sponsored Xinhua news agency tweeted late last night that the former leader was “not feeling…
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Xi Jinping sets record-breaking precedent with third term reappointment as general secretary
China’s president Xi Jinping is breaking the record of term limits by recently being confirmed as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party for a third term. According to The Guardian, Xi was unveiled as general secretary of the party, tilting the country back toward a one-man rule after decades of sharing power among the elite. The long-speculated reappointment signalled…
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Southern Thais prefer PM Prayut over other candidates in recent poll
A new poll is revealing that southern Thais prefer Prayut Chan-o-cha for the post of prime minister over other politicians. The National Institute of Development Administration polled on October 17-20, on 2,001 eligible voters. The voters were from all levels of education, occupations and incomes, and were aged 18 and over. According to Bangkok Post, the poll was summarised as…
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Manhole cover in Pattaya explodes, smashes into bus
Authorities are investigating the cause behind a freak accident in Pattaya that shot a manhole cover into the air and damaged a bus. The exploding manhole cover was captured on film yesterday as it popped several metres in the air and crashed down on a local baht bus. The driver of the bus was understandably shaken up by the incident…
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Diwali 2022: What you need to know and where to celebrate in Thailand
Diwali is right around the corner! Also known as the Festival of Lights, it usually falls sometime between October and November. This year, Diwali will be celebrated on Monday, 24 October 2022. It’s one of the biggest festivals in India that is also celebrated in different corners of the world, including Thailand. But did you know what this festival is…
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Woman waits at BKK Airport for pick-up. For 2 months
You’ve probably felt like you waited forever for a friend or relative to pick you up at the airport. But two months? Authorities have been trying to figure out what to do with a woman who’s been waiting for her mother to pick her up at Suvarnabhumi Airport for two months now. The woman appeared gaunt and disoriented, unable to…
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Police officer shot by pregnant 4th wife
In a wild story full of twists, a policeman was shot just outside his police station in Bangkok late last night. Even more shocking, the shooting was perpetrated by the police officer’s wife. Not his first wife though, she was just one of his four current wives. And she was pregnant. The bizarre story unfolded in the wee hours of…
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Thai Airways refunds possible, reorganisation approved
Thai Airways International’s revised business reorganisation plan was approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court. The plan was submitted last month and the airline will now start on a course of financial restructuring. Does this mean everyone waiting for a refund from the Covid-19 pandemic and before Thailand’s flagship airline declared bankruptcy will finally get their money back? It is reported…
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Free trial of Pink and Yellow monorail lines in December
Though not fully finished and operational, the Thai government declared that the Pink Line and Yellow Line of the monorail system in Bangkok will be opened for a free trial in December. More progress on the construction has been made on the new lines of the rapid transit system and the government hopes to show the public the lines in…
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Burmese man drowns in Phuket drain
Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers have retrieved the body of an unnamed Burmese man who fell into a canal and drowned in Chalong. The 47 year old man from Myanmar fell into the canal while watching the flooding, Phuket Info Center reported. The body was found near the floodgate, far from where he fell. According to local media, several people saw the…
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In it together – Floods around the world
Hardly a day goes by without more news of death and destruction in Thailand as the monsoon season resolutely refuses to end. We are not alone. It seems like the whole world is underwater, with people washed out of their homes from Australia to Zambia. Here are some images of different people facing similar problems around the world. Australia…
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New details emerge on Pattaya pool villa shooting, more suspects caught
More details have emerged on the shooting at a Pattaya pool villa on Tuesday, and more suspects have been caught. After Pattaya Police intensely interrogated the five suspects who surrendered themselves earlier, it was revealed that two of the suspects were hired as scapegoats for another three men. The police have now busted the three new suspects at an unnamed…
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School principal given 50 years in prison over lunch corruption scandal in Thailand
Today, Thailand’s Criminal Court for Corruption sentenced the former principal of Ban Tha Mai School in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, to 50 years imprisonment. The defendant Somchaow Sittichen confessed to stealing lunch money and serving kindergarten children plain rice noodles with fish sauce for lunch. The court found Somchaow guilty of 77 counts of corruption, each carrying a five-year…
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Soldier arrested for stabbing 15 year old at a nightclub
A soldier has been charged with attempted murder after he stabbed a 15 year old boy at a nightclub in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat last weekend. The teenager was stabbed in the back with a chisel in front of a nightclub in the Tung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat at about 2.45am last Sunday, October 16.…
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Nonthaburi police officer admits to stealing over 100 guns from department
A non-commissioned Nonthaburi province police officer admitted to stealing more than 100 guns from the police department. The officer, Chaowalit Pumkajorn, is in custody on theft charges after being arrested in the northeastern province of Nong Khai. According to Thai PBS World, the man is accused of selling or pawning the guns which he had stolen from the Pak Kret…
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Missing Iranian rock climber hailed as hero upon arrival in Tehran
An Iranian rock climber returned home from an international competition and is being hailed a hero after competing without a hijab. The climber, 33-year-old Elnaz Rekabi, was competing in South Korea and says her headscarf slipped off, posing an obstacle to her during the competition. Previously, fans feared she was in trouble upon returning by Iran’s infamous morality police. But,…
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This South Thailand province’s unexpected beauty will wow you
“We hope to put Pattani on the world tourist map,” tour operator Fareeda Abdullah told Bernama. South Thailand’s Pattani province is not the first place people usually imagine for a holiday getaway. The province often makes headlines for sectarian tensions. But Pattani has an up-and-coming tourism industry. The province boasts breathtaking nature, including a beautiful mangrove forest in the Yarang…
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