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 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Man drives car onto Bangkok airport runway while allegedly under the influence of drugs
A man drove his car onto the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday afternoon while allegedly under the influence of drugs. The airline officials are now trying to figure out how the man was able to breach airport security and drive onto the airport runway. Airport security vehicles were seen escorting the car off the runway, passing by an airplane.…
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Koh Samui senior police officer faces charges for allegedly raping a suspect
A senior police officer in Koh Samui faces charges for allegedly raping a 21 year old Burmese woman at the Bo Phut Police Station. The officer, who was an investigation squad leader at the Bo Phut station, has been suspended and is now in detention at the Koh Samui Court, according to Nation Thailand. The senior sergeant major allegedly took…
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Student arrested in dormitory at night, charged with lèse majesté offences
A student at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus has been arrested and charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. Ironically, it was his calls for the law to be abolished that led to Sirichai Natueng, aka, “New”, being charged. The group, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, has confirmed the student’s arrest on its Twitter page. After being taken into custody,…
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Pharmaceutical imports investigated after traces of diazepam detected in narcotics cocktail
Pharmaceutical imports are being investigated after traces of the anti-anxiety pill diazepam were detected in the ketamine-based drug cocktail, known as “K powdered milk.” The narcotic cocktail is suspected of causing 7 deaths in Bangkok. The Food and Drug Administration oversees imports of diazepam, also known by the brand name Valium, and has been asked to send a list of…
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At least 33 police officers, officials, implicated in migrant smuggling operation
At least 33 police officers and other government officials are being investigated for their role in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers into Thailand. The people smuggling operation is thought to be at the root of Thailand’s second wave of Covid-19, with countless migrants helped across the border without undergoing mandatory quarantine or any form of health checks. The Bangkok…
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Wildfires hit Mae Hong Son’s Pai district
Several wildfires have broken out in Mae Hong Son’s Pai district in Northern Thailand. The governor says he believes that several blazes happening in the area are a result of the dry season arriving earlier than usual. Using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer system, the local forest fire control centre detected 155 so-called “heat points” in the Pai district from…
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Drug trafficking suspects arrested after shootout with police, 1 injured
A drug suspect was injured in a shootout with police around 1am this morning in Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima. The suspect and another man were both arrested for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine. Police say they believe the drugs were being trafficked from Nakhon Phanom, a province bordering Laos, to provinces in the central region. As the suspects’…
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Air pollution at “unhealthy levels” in 64 areas in Bangkok
Get out the anti-pollution masks and turn on the air purifier, air pollution in Bangkok is at unhealthy levels. 64 locations in Bangkok have reported high levels of the air pollutant PM2.5, according to the Pollution Control Department. People are advised to avoid outdoor activities. As a cold weather front in China weakens, air circulation is also slowing down, causing…
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Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution
3 people, including 2 brothers, have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, accused of sending women to Brunei for prostitution purposes. Brothers Somchai Sukson, 55 years of age, and 49 year old Rachen Suksorn, were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, charged with a sex trafficking operation involving over 3 people. Following the arrest of…
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COFACT debunks top 5 fake news about Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand
The pandemic is not only spreading the virus, but also the ‘infodemic’ that has caused misleading information or “fake news”. COFACT Thailand gives a list of the top 5 fake news stories and myths, relating to the latest outbreak of Covid-19, that have been circulating among Thai netizens… “All Thai must enter lockdown” – There was a claim that this…
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US and UK require pre-departure Covid-19 test for all international arrivals
Heading back to the United States or United Kingdom? You’ll need to get a Covid-19 test first. Both countries are now requiring passengers arriving to the US or UK get tested for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before the flight departs. Passengers will also need to show proof of a negative result before bordering. The new travel regulations go…
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Thai travel agents call for vaccinated foreigners to be exempt from quarantine by third quarter of 2021
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to do away with the mandatory 14 day quarantine for vaccinated foreign arrivals by the third quarter of the year. The president of the ATTA, Vichit Prakobgosol, says 30% of 10,000 inbound tourism firms have had to close for good due to the financial devastation caused by the pandemic. He…
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Officials say Thailand being used as transit hub for ketamine smuggling
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board says Thailand is being used as a transit hub for gangs smuggling ketamine into the Kingdom from Taiwan and China. The drug is then destined for re-export to places like Hong Kong and Malaysia, where it can fetch high retail prices. However, use within Thailand is on the up too, with the ONCB…
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Thai Vietjet announces 6 and 12 month unlimited travel passes
Following the successful launch of Hat Yai Pass and Northeastern Pass, today, Thai Vietjet is now introducing the ‘Thailand Power Pass’ – an unlimited flight pass that allows passengers to fly on Thai Vietjet’s domestic network as often as they like within 6 or 12 months. The passes are available in two types – a 6 months pass at 12,000…
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PM announces the distribution of 3,500 baht to help during Covid outbreak
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announces the 3,500 Baht distribution to help people financially affected during this second major outbreak of Covid-19, including informal workers, freelancers, and the unemployed. At the same time, the government will also help reduce the cost of living expenses of all households nationwide including electricity and water bills in February and March. Special internet packages will also…
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Thailand ranks 4th in the world for highest loss of tourism revenue – Official ESTA
The following article was submitted by a public relations company representing Official ESTA, a visa application and assistance processing firm. Thailand has one of the highest loss of tourism revenue in the world with a loss of $37,504 million USD. The country ranks fourth on a list complied by the company Official ESTA intended to show the financial impact the Covid-19…
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Strong surf hits Prachuap Khiri Khan beach
High waves, peaking at 2 to 4 metres, hit Prachuap Khiri Khan’s coastal beaches, gushing over the breakwater and flooding some spots of the beachside road. Beachfront shops and restaurants have been temporarily closed while all on-water activities are prohibited in the affected areas. Over 100 fishing boats and small boats have moored in the areas around the Khao Ta Mong…
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Cool weather in central and northern Thailand, strong wind, waves in the south
Temperatures are dropping throughout the North, Northeast and Central regions. Frost is even on some mountaintops. The Thailand Meteorological Department says the cool weather is due to the high-pressure system from China covering the upper part of Thailand. Bangkok today reports a temperature drop with a low of 16-18 degrees Celsius, while the Central region is expected to have cool…
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New illicit drug cocktail on Bangkok’s streets | VIDEO
Watch the video here… WARNING: This article contains content related to drugs and drug use. A cocktail of narcotics known to police as “K powdered milk” or “K Nompong’ in Thai, is suspected to be linked to a number of deaths among young Thais in Bangkok. The “K powdered milk” is a mixture of ketamine, heroin, methamphetamine and a sleeping…
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Cannabis café: Prachin Buri hospital opens “Taste of Ganja” restaurant
Cannabis is now on the menu at a Thailand hospital restaurant, but don’t expect to get high from the meals seasoned with cannabis leaves. Only parts of the plant that contain very, very low traces of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, are legal for consumption. The THC-rich, euphoria-inducing buds are still illegal and classified as a Category 5 narcotic.…
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Thai labour market bounces back despite the pandemic
Despite Covid-19 pandemic’s negative impact on the economy with numerous layoffs and business closures, the Thai labour market survived and is experiencing an unemployment rate that is lower than expected, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, Chalee Loysoong. While the unemployment rate is lower than expected at 2% or 700,000 individuals, Thammasat University associate professor…
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Phuket is hit with a triple Covid crisis | VIDEO
Phuket has had a triple hit over the past 12 months. Firstly with the original Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns back in April and May in 2020, then again just before Christmas and New Year when the new clusters emerged in Samut Sakhon and the eastern coastal provinces, further dampening even local traveller traffic to the island, then some further restrictions…
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Police raid 5 homes and businesses suspected of gambling, arrest 21 people
Police arrested 21 people on gambling charges after 5 raids in Bangkok over the weekend. While deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, Jiraphop Phuridet, says the raids on January 8 and 9 are part of a nationwide crackdown initiated by the national police chief after a Covid-19 outbreak at a Rayong gambling den, the raids busted what seems like…
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At least 6 deaths in Bangkok suspected to be caused by new illicit drug cocktail
A cocktail of narcotics known as “K powdered milk” is suspected to be linked to a number of deaths among young Thais in Bangkok. Nation Thailand says the narcotic mix is suspected to have caused 6 deaths and others were found unconscious after taking the “K powdered milk.” Thai PBS reports that 7 young Thais have died from unexplained reasons…
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Fallout from President Trump’s Twitter ban
President Trump’s Twitter ban has been getting plenty of flak, particularly from friends, family, hard core supporters and advisors. Twitter banned the president from the platform on Friday after his supporters stormed the US Capitol building. But those supporting the president say the ban amounts to an assault on free speech by “radical leftists”. Ironically they aired their grievances… on…
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Former Thammasat professor blames partnership between officials and leaders for 2nd wave
A former Thammasat University lecturer is claiming that the current surge in new infections of Covid-19 in Thailand is a result of the so-called “Covid mafia” which he defines as corrupt officials working closely with local influential figures to carry out illegal activities. Kaewsan Atipothi claimed that these alleged co-operative actions between leaders has enabled illegal gambling and human trafficking gangs,…
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Pattaya motorbike taxi commended after returning wallet to foreigner
A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver is being commended online after finding and returning a lost wallet to a foreigner. The woman, 43 year old Kelaya Supaphol, was dropping off a customer by the McDonald’s on Pattaya’s Second Road when she says she saw the wallet on the ground. She picked up the wallet and checked inside, with another motorbike taxi…
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Domestic air travel drops 60 percent at start of 2021
Thailand’s domestic air travel is seeing a 60% drop in the early weeks of the new year, thanks to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks around the country. The Department of Airports drew the figure from 20 airports under its supervison nationwide, according to Apirat Chaiwongnoi, the acting Director-General of the department. Such domestic passengers at those airports also dropped in numbers…
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Thailand’s emergency decree extended again
Thailand’s nationwide Emergency Decree has been extended again, this time until the end of February. The decree gives the Thai government the ability to set policies and procedures to prevent the control the spread of Covid-19… things like restricting travel, setting up road checkpoints and introducing other restrictions without having to consult the parliament. All the latest articles about Thailand’s Covid-19…
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Mor Chana app – what you need to know
So what’s going on with the new Mor Chana app? As far as the Thai Government is concerned, it’s part of their fight to track and trace the Covid-19 virus during this current outbreak. More Chana is a contact tracing tool. In essence, the app will allow you to check in when you go to different locations around Thailand, enter…
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