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 Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Opening day of 2022 welfare sees 1.86 million people register
Yesterday marked the opening date for registration for state welfare for 2022, and people flooded the registration process both online and in person. By 3pm on the opening day, officials reported that 1.86 million people across Thailand had already registered for the state welfare card project. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, who also serves as the director-general of…
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Study uses mobile data to improve domestic tourism trends
A new study used mobile data from mobile operator DTAC’s customers to analyse their movements and extrapolate strategies for increasing domestic tourism within Thailand. The study was conducted by Chulalongkorn University, the National Digital Economy and Society Commission, and Boonmee Lab, and used data from June 2020 to October 2021 of 10% of DTAC’s customers who fit the travel parameters…
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Proposal would allow small hotels to operate as a homestay
The Ministry of Interior’s proposal for relaxing regulations on small homestay hotels has been met with opposition from the Thai Hotels Association. The plan would expand a “homestay” exemption in the Hotel Act for small businesses with no more than 20 guests in no more than four rooms, increasing the maximum size and occupancy to 10 rooms and 30 guests.…
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Humpbacked beggar illegally earning over 100,000 baht a month sent back to Cambodia
A compassionate Thai man says he feels deceived after he tried to help a disabled Cambodian beggar get treatment only to discover he earned over 100,000 baht per month illegally. Guntouch “Gun” Pongpaiboonwet, aka Gun Jom Palang, last week announced on Facebook that he would contact the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (M-Society) to help the Cambodian man…
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Hike on traffic fines delayed, but ticket prices will be consistant
Writing news in Thailand frequently means announcing something and then the next day announcing the opposite. And true to form, the new major hike in penalty fines for traffic violations announced before the weekend and scheduled to go into effect yesterday… have been retracted. But when they do go into effect, repeat offenders will be further penalised, and a new…
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Constitutional Court may make prime minister decision Thursday
The decision on Prayut Chan-o-cha’s future and the prime ministership may be decided this week as the Constitutional Court scheduled a special meeting on Thursday to discuss it. Last Thursday his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. The court will review this document,…
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Suspected thief electrocuted to death in Bangkok, Thailand
A Thai man was electrocuted to death in a suspected robbery sometime before 5am this morning on the side of a hotel in Bangkok. The hotel said they turn on electric wires during the night to prevent robberies. Lumphini Police Station received a report at 8am that a suspected thief had been electrocuted to death on the side of a…
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UPDATE: Chaiwat denies murdering Karen activist ‘Billy’ in western Thailand
UPDATE: Chaiwat denies murdering Karen activist ‘Billy’ in western Thailand Former superintendent of Kaeng Krachan National Park, Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, denies all allegations that he and three other national park officials abducted and murdered Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen in 2014. Last month, Chaiwat and three others were indicted after the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) found additional evidence that Billy…
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Super Poll: Most Thais welcome acting PM Prawit as the next PM
A Super Poll research centre survey has revealed that the majority of Thai people trust the judicial administration of Thailand and are willing to give a chance to caretaker Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to serve as the kingdom’s next PM. Super Poll research centre director Noppadon Kannika yesterday announced the result of the survey titled Trust the Court, the Peaceful…
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Allegedly drunk Brit kills Thai man in car crash in central Thailand
An alleged drunken Englishman killed one Thai man and injured another in a car crash in Rayong province in the central part of Thailand. Locals who know the foreign driver told police he is regularly drunk and often drives in the wrong direction. The Englishman, 70 year old Stephen Peter Hobbs, was arrested yesterday after he reversed his pickup into…
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Police arrest scammer for selling fake tours from Thailand to Japan
Police yesterday arrested a woman in Bangkok who made over 1 million baht by selling fake tours from Thailand to Japan in 2014. Thailand’s Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for 49 year old Chanphen eight years ago in October 2014 for “running a tourism business without seeking permission, false advertising, and fraud.” In January 2014, Chanphen defrauded 27 victims…
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Bridge over troubled waters for Thailand-bound Russian snowbird tourists
Russian travellers have ritually sought out islands in the tropical sun since the demolition of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Hellbent on escaping bitterly cold winters, these snowbirds in the lead-up years to the pandemic became the second largest international source market for Phuket’s mass market tourism surge. Now, coming out of the pandemic in the age of a return…
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Phuket hotels team up with HSMAI for digital tourism and travel marketing workshop
Phuket’s tourism industry continues to wait and wonder when Mainland Chinese will be allowed to travel overseas, in the wake of China’s zero-Covid policy. As Thailand’s leading resort island moves towards the high season, hoteliers are looking to bridge the China gap and look to new markets to replace the expected lower volume of travel-challenged Russian tourists. Addressing these challenges is…
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Machine invented to replace monkeys climbing coconut trees
Monkeys climbing coconut trees have been an icon in Thailand for years, but have also drawn the ire of animal rights groups like People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Now the Agriculture Department has invented a machine that can help farmers climb coconut trees themselves, eliminating the need to train and use monkeys to harvest coconuts. PETA released…
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UPDATE: Governor rushing to feed over 800 Phuket flood victims
UPDATE Phuket Governor Narong is rushing to get food to over 800 victims of the island province’s recent floods. A total of 871 people, making up 372 households, have been affected by heavy floods that hit Phuket on Friday. Narong yesterday led officials in handing out 1,800 meals to people at Wat Nai Yang temple in the Thalang district. This…
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Hopefuls assess and prepare to run for prime minister
While the Constitutional Court is mulling over when Prayut Chan-o-cha’s term as prime minister officially ends, with the suspended PM submitting his defence on Thursday, several hopefuls eyeing the premiership have assessed their chances and taken steps in preparation. The Sang Anakhot Thai Party (translating to “Building Thailand’s Future”) intends to nominate former Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and has…
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A work week of heavy rain coming up in Thailand
This coming week is probably a good time in Thailand to pack your umbrella before going to work every day if you don’t already. A work week of heavy rain is coming up in Thailand as the monsoon season pushes on. From Monday to Friday, September 5-9, the Thai Meteorological Department predicts more rains across most regions of the country.…
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Driver who blocked van at Phuket pier: “We are NOT taxi mafia”
A scuffle between taxi drivers at the Rassada Pier in Phuket on Friday, with three female and one male tourist trapped in the middle, has taxi drivers at the pier arguing that they are not mafia. The travellers had just returned from Koh Phi Phi just after 10am and chose not to use their transportation from the stand at the…
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Prayut submits 30-page defence to court to remain PM
In the ongoing battle for Prayut Chan-o-cha to stay on as prime minister of Thailand, the suspended PM and current Minister of Defence had his legal team submitted a 30-page document that lays out his defence against all the arguments regarding his term limits to the Constitutional Court. While the Constitutional Court is still considering whether Prayut can remain as…
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UPDATE: Prayut calls in army to help with Phuket floods
UPDATE After floods wreaked havoc in Phuket yesterday, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has today called in the Royal Thai Army for some backup to help the island province’s victims, and pump out flood water. Prayut has ordered army officers to pump out water in the area around the Phuket International Airport. He has also ordered to officers to help victims in…
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LTR visa: will the benefits lure expats to drive the economy?
The new 10-year long-term resident visa was launched on Thursday to convert visitors into expats by offering benefits and tax breaks to attract foreigners from around the world. Though, they’ve made clear that they’re looking only for the top-tier wealthy travellers to move to Thailand and take advantage of the LTR visa. The new visa is only offered exclusively to…
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10 year old girl allegedly forced into child labour & abused by parents
Non-profit organization Zendai yesterday rescued an abused 10 year old girl they found selling snacks at a petrol station in the Ayutthaya province of central Thailand. The child had wounds and bruises on her body and face. Zendai (เส้นด้าย) posted a video of the girl on their Facebook page highlighting her plight… “One of our team found this girl selling…
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Elephant invades home and steals fermented fish in eastern Thailand
An elephant with no respect for the law smashed its way into a home in Prachin Buri province at 4.40am today and helped itself to some fermented fish and other food items before fleeing into the jungle. The owner of the one-storey house, Pranee Saicharoen, says she was woken up by a loud bang in the middle of the night.…
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VIDEO: Phuket Airport and surrounding areas engulfed by floods
Floodwater is being pumped out of Phuket Airport and surrounding areas following heavy rainfall. No flights have been cancelled yet but the airport has requested passengers to arrive three to four hours before their scheduled departure time. “Heavy rain in Phuket province has resulted in flooding at Phuket Airport. Urgent remedial action is being taken in all flooded areas,” said…
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Thai woman forced into prostitution in Dubai seeks help for 3 imprisoned friends
A 40 year old Thai woman who claims she escaped forced prostitution in Dubai is pleading for help for her three friends, who are still imprisoned in Dubai, UAE, by a gang of Thai brokers. Ms. A (pseudonym), originally from Sri Saket province in northeast Thailand, says she and three other Thai women were tricked by the brokers. The men…
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Prayut returns PM’s car to Government House
Thailand’s now former PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has returned the prime minister’s car and three motorcade vehicles to Government House. Prayut’s driver returned the vehicles. From now on, Prayut is using his car, a Mercedes Benz, to get around. This news comes after Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Prayut from his position as PM on August 24. Out of the nine people…
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Anti-Thai government group plans to hold rally despite bad timing
Even though they admit that the timing isn’t right to try and bring down the current regime, an anti-government group is still plowing on with plans to hold a rally. The Kana Lomruam Prachachon (Melting Pot Group) is planning to rally in central Bangkok this weekend at the Skywalk at Pathumwan intersection. Jatuporn Prompan, the group’s co-leader and chair for…
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Thailand to host APEC CEO Summit 2022 with a focus on post-Covid economies
Thailand is set to host the APEC CEO Summit 2022 with a key theme of focusing on rehabilitating economies after the Covid-19 epidemic. The Embrace, Engage and Enable theme will see a gathering of the world’s top CEOs, policymakers, and other leaders from 21 member economies. Set to start on November 16-18, 2022, organisers say the summit will be the…
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VIDEO: Foreign driver causes horror crash in southern Thailand, 2 killed, 1 injured
Thai media reports that a “foreign man” – whose nationality is unknown – has been arrested after he pulled out into oncoming traffic and collided with a motorbike in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, yesterday afternoon. Two teenage girls died from their injuries and another teenage girl is seriously injured. Yesterday at 2.34pm, a “foreign man” driving a Mitsubishi Pajero pulled…
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German’s one-man protest against the government of Thailand
A foreigner held a one-man protest against the government of Thailand today in the central province of Rayong. The German man, Moritz Pfoh, was spotted walking on an island in the middle of Sukhumvit Road in Tapong sub-district, Mueng district, holding a portrait of acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan with a red cross on his face. The 35 year old,…
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