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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Thai hotels consider temporary shutdown amid low tourist demand
The president of the Thai Hotels Association says many properties are considering shutting down for the low season as a result of the Covid-19 resurgence. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi says smaller hotels that don’t necessarily have the resources of the large chain properties are struggling with cash flow and crippled by low tourist demand. Many are considering shutting up shop between…
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World’s most travel-friendly passport list – 2021
The Henley Passport Index, which rates which passports are the most travel-friendly, has just released the list for 2021, with Japan once again at the top of the list. But the Index noted that this year’s international travel freedom comparison is mostly theoretical as the current Covid-19 situation continues to limit most international travel. With a Japanese passport, travellers can…
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Pro-democracy leader “Penguin” has bail application rejected – again
The Criminal Court in Bangkok has once again rejected a bail application from anti-government activist, Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”. The leader of the pro-democracy Ratsadon group had his application refused yesterday, on the basis that there was no reason to overturn previous decisions made by the Criminal and Appeals courts. The bail application had been lodged by Parit’s mother, Sureerat…
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Thanathorn suggests 4 changes to government’s handling of pandemic
The former leader of a now-disbanded opposition party has suggested 4 ways the government could improve its handling of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former leader of the Future Forward Party, and now chairman of the Progressive Movement, has posted his suggestions on the group’s Facebook page. According to a Bangkok Post report, the suggestions relate to the…
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Thailand’s 3rd wave wreaks havoc on the Tourism Restart Plan – where are we now?
OPINION by Andrew J Wood Thailand Ministers ponder the next steps to re-start it’s massive tourism industry, initially set for July 1, 2021 in Phuket. The plan may need to be overhauled as Phuket struggles to immunise the whole island in the wake of the third wave of hotspots. Phuket, prior to the third wave had already secured more than…
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Australia and New Zealand welcome the first passengers in the southern travel bubble
Whilst travel bubbles remain a bureaucratic nightmare for most SE Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand have opened their first green lanes since April last year, nearly 400 days. For the two countries it allows family and friends to re-unite. For New Zealand it opens the gates for its largest chunk of tourists. In 2019 some 1.5 million tourists visited New Zealand…
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Teen crashes motorbike into parked car while looking at phone
A teen girl has crashed and ended up trapped under her motorbike early yesterday morning after using her mobile phone while driving. The accident occurred around 3:30am on Jomtien Second Road in South Pattaya. The 14 year old girl was driving home from what she described as a private engagement when she looked down to check her mobile phone. Distracted,…
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Man missing several days found dead in temple well
The search is over for a man missing for several days when his body was discovered yesterday at the bottom of a well this morning. Surachet Kaenchan, a 37 year old man, had been missing for 4 or 5 days. He was from the Moo 13 village of the Muang district of Nakhom Phanom, a district on the Laos border…
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New restrictions for domestic flights effective along with other nationwide restrictions today
Today, along with tightened restrictions across Thailand, the Civil Aviation Authority is setting new guidelines for domestic flights in an effort to curb the spread of the nation’s so-called 3rd wave of Covid-19. The changes, effective today, include limiting flights by airlines between 11pm to 4am. As most businesses in red zone provinces are required to close during those times,…
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Songkran’s 7 dangerous days: 2,365 road accidents, 277 deaths
We’ve finally reached the end of the Songkran holiday “7 dangerous days”, where over 2,300 road accidents resulted in 2,357 injuries and 277 deaths. Every year Thai officials brace for the surge in holiday travel that brings a surge in accidents as well, but the silver lining of Covid-19 is the reduction in accidents. This year saw a drop of…
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Officials not worried Thailand remains on US currency watch list
Thailand remains on the United States Treasury’s “Monitoring List” of countries whose currency trade practices need to be watched, though Thai officials say they are not worried. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen releases a foreign exchange report twice a year including labelling alleged currency manipulators and flagging suspect trading partner countries to be monitored. The Bank of Thailand said remaining…
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Thai Hotel Association pushes “hospitels” – hotels as hospitals
With the third wave of Covid-19 ripping through Thailand, hospitals are rapidly filling up and the Thai Hotels Association has proposed “hospitels” as a creative solution. The portmanteau of “hospital” and “hotel” is the THA’s brainchild for creating more space for the growing number of Covid-19 infections that require treatment or at least observation as Thailand hits record daily case…
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Songkran road deaths, injuries cut in half thanks to Covid surge
Songkran New Year celebrations have seen road deaths and injuries cut in half thanks to surge of Covid infections just before the start of the annual holiday that essentially cancelled major gatherings. The Road Safety Director Centre says 192 people have been killed and 1,818 injured so far during the Songkran holiday, with 37 dying on Wednesday alone. But those…
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Phuket’s July Sandbox no-quarantine model “needs a major revamp”
Thailand’s Sports and Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is acknowledging that Phuket’s ‘Sandbox’ model for a no-quarantine re-opening in July will need “a major revamp”. As the Songkran travel bubble bursts and the monsoon season waves start to roll onto the island’s west coast beaches, Phuket’s scheduled July re-boot suddenly seems a long way off. Minister Phiphat says he plans to meet…
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New restrictions start from midnight tonight (Saturday), more could come later
The Thai government has resolved to ‘manage’ its way out of the current Covid outbreak. There won’t be lockdowns or curfews, but there will be earlier closing times and alcohol bans to help provinces stem the growth in new infections. The past 3 days of reporting new infections in Thailand are the highest numbers since the start of the Covid-19…
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UPDATE: Owner attacked by pit bull dies of injuries
The owner, attacked by his pet pit bull in the Pattaya suburb of Bang Lamung yesterday, has died of the injuries sustained in the attack. The horrific incident which occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning had shocked the family, who had raised the now 2 year old dog Giant since he was only 3 months old. Wisit Sanguan,…
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China grows 18.3%, the only major economy to grow in 2020
China’s economy set a record for growth in Q1, 2021, marking an 18.3% jump in year-on-year figures, the biggest quarterly growth in almost 30 years. China only started publishing growth statistics in 1992, and this drastic increase is the fastest growth recorded since then. The figures, however impressive, are mainly due to what is called a “low base effect” where…
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Thailand fruit exports up, despite new Covid-19 fears
Thailand fruit exporters saw a 107% growth in January and February over last year’s comparable figures, reports the National News Bureau. 18 countries have free trade agreements for fruit with Thailand, and the total trade in the first 2 months of 2021 is valued at US $461 million. Thailand is actively exporting fresh fruit with its top buyers being Australia,…
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Thai household debt expected to keep rising- Kasikorn Research
Despite rolling out Covid-19 vaccines, in which could see a faster return to pre-Covid times, Thailand’s household debt is expected to keep rising. Kasikorn Research analysts say it could, in fact, reach 89-91% by the end of the year. In a recent survey, KResearch says 10.8% of respondents could be stuck in a financial crisis. Of those who may be…
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Man trampled to death while feeding roadside elephant
A man in Nakhon Ratchasima, north east Thailand, has lost his life yesterday when he pulled his car over to feed an elephant that then trampled him to death. According to Mu Si police, Rachan Theerapittayatrakul had stopped his pickup truck near Thanarat Road when he saw an elephant tied to a tree by the roadside and attempted to feed…
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New red zone map shows where restrictions may apply after this afternoon’s CCSA meeting
This new map is up for discussion today when the CCSA meets today. 18 provinces are to be designated as red zones. The amount of red zones may changes as well after this morning’s CCSA update on new infections. The CCSA will meet later this afternoon, chaired by the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. According to some early notes on the upgraded…
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Bangkok sees 7.87 million vehicles over Songkran holiday
Covid-19 and its third wave be damned, close to 8 million vehicles travelled in and out of Bangkok so far during this year’s Songkran festival holiday period. Thailand’s Ministry of Transport released figures yesterday on the yearly holiday and revealed that more than 7.87 million cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes hit the roads and travelled into and out of Bangkok…
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Songkran road safety day 5: 37 deaths, 330 accidents
On the fifth day of Songkran’s infamous “seven dangerous days”, there were 330 road accidents resulting in 37 deaths and 328 injuries reported across Thailand. Songkran brings an increase in travel, and with it, an unfortunate increase in traffic accidents and road deaths. With Covid-19 severely curbing festivities this year, figures are generally down, but the government continues to encourage…
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Pattaya area man severely injured after pet pit bull attacked
A Pattaya area man sustained severe injuries when his pet pit bull attacked him in the early hours of the morning. The incident took place in Bang Lamung with authorities being called to the scene near Soi Bang Lamung Temple. The victim, 56 year old Wisit Sanguan, had been bitten by his own pet dog and was bleeding profusely from…
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New NGO law could target anti-governemnt activists
A controversial new NGO law was drafted with critics arguing it targets activists and the Thai government saying it ensures transparency. The Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organisations was written by the Office of the Council of State in February and debated in the second half of March, but could be passed into law soon. Human rights groups…
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Thailand provinces currently imposing travel restrictions
Here’s a list of Thai provinces current imposing restrictions on entry, by road or air, as you travel at this time. Today is the last day of the Songkran holiday, so there will be a return home for many people although it’s expected that many have also taken the Friday off to merge the Songkran break with the weekend. So…
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Pattaya tourism remains open without quarantine, for now anyway
As province after province closes down more sectors, imposing stricter regulations, administers mandatory Covid-19 testing, and enacts quarantines for domestic travellers (in some cases), Pattaya is taking a different approach: heartily welcoming tourists to their city. Colourful Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome spoke yesterday saying that everyone from everywhere is welcome in Pattaya, and will not be required to quarantine or…
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Hotel blog suggests Phuket should push ahead with July reopening despite Covid surge
A hotel information blog is claiming that, despite growing Covid-19 numbers, Phuket should stick to its schedule in reopening to travellers without quarantine in July. That’s only 2 and a half months away. In an interview with the Director of Travel and Tourism Consulting at GlobalData, they stressed that while it is crucial to rein in the spread of Covid-19…
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New Yaba pill laced with crystal meth to increase potency
A new type of yaba (methamphetamine) pill in Thailand is being laced with a crystal meth coating to boost its potency. The news comes after Border Patrol Police say they seized 40,950 Yaba pills in Thailand’s northeastern Nakhon Phanom province. Police say the pills are not the regular yaba pills that have existed in the country for years, but are a…
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Travelling from the UK? Here’s some details on restrictions….
As the summer holiday is just around the corner, many in the UK are wondering if and how they will travel abroad during the Covid pandemic. Despite it being against the law to travel abroad for holiday and leisure in the UK, those who need to travel may want to know what requirements certain countries have in order to enter.…
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