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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E-San Music Festival draws thousands to northeast Thailand this weekend
E-san Music Festival returns for a 10th time in Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand this weekend. At least 100,000 people are expected to attend. The hippie festival, dubbed “Thailand’s Woodstock,” draws Thais and foreign tourists to Khon Kaen year-in-and-year-out. Usually, E-san Music Festival is held at the province’s giant Ubonratana Dam in the Phu Wiang district. However, the dam…
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Somewhere over the rainbow lie Qatar’s homosexuality laws
As the FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022 spotlights the human rights record of the host, what really is Qatar’s laws on homosexuality? The World Cup is being held in a nation with a reputation for poor human rights which forbids same-sex relations. The tournament would normally unite the world but this one has polarised opinions everywhere. Qatari law calls for…
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14 computer hackers arrested for spamming over 115 govt sites with gambling ads
Fourteen computer crooks were arrested yesterday after hacking into 115 government websites and spamming them with online gambling advertising banners. The Technology Crime Suppression Division (TCSD), under the Royal Thai Police, discovered last month that dozens of government websites had been spammed with illegal gambling websites. More than 50 gambling websites were spotted on 115 official websites. Most of the…
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F35 fighter jets head RTAF wish list
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is keen to buy two shiny black F35 fighter jets from the United States. Despite outcry from opposition parties, F35 fighter jets head RTAF’s wish list. The decision now rests with the US Congress which is yet to confirm whether Thailand is a good enough friend to receive such sought-after toys. The plane’s technology…
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Hua Hin International Jazz Festival coming up
The Hua Hin International Jazz Festival is coming up, with more than 30 artists from around the world en route to perform at the renowned tourism hotspot. Several local artists and bands will also be performing. The festival will be held from December 2-3 on Suan Son Pradit beach, in front of the Seapine Recreation Centre. Musicians will perform from…
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Tour operators reluctant to fund staff training
Around a quarter of tourism businesses want to increase their workforces, but tour operators are reluctant to fund staff training, concerned about volatile demand. Bosses want taxpayers to pay their training expenses for them, according to the National Institute of Development Administration. Tourism is perhaps the biggest driver of the Thai economy. Employers who can afford to say they want…
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Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2022 starts today
Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2022 will illuminate the skyline of Central Pattaya Beach tonight and tomorrow. The festival in Pattaya presents several amazing fireworks displays from countries including Belgium, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Canada. Visitors can sit and enjoy the event along the beach from 7.30pm onward. Beach beds are available at an affordable 50 baht each while restaurants along…
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Mainland researcher writes that Chinese created Egyptian civilisations and then deletes it after backlash
A Chinese mainland researcher is garnering backlash after penning an article stating that his country created Egyptian civilisations. The article has caused an online backlash, prompting him to delete it amid triggering a formal investigation. Senior researcher, Yu Ruijun, at the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Zhangjiakou city in Hebei province, claimed that there was “a great deal of evidence…
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Wanted murderer arrested in Thailand after 11 years on the run
A man wanted for the murder of his former mother-in-law has been arrested by police in Nakhon Ratchasima province in northeast Thailand after 11 years on the run. After shooting dead his mother-in-law, he physically assaulted his ex-wife until she was seriously injured and kidnapped their two year old before dumping the young child in the middle of the road.…
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Greenpeace join fishers’ campaign to save Thailand’s mackerel
Greenpeace has joined a campaign to save Thailand’s mackerel from extinction. The Canadian-based independent campaigning group reported that Thai mackerel today is not as abundant and cheap as it was before because of years of unregulated overfishing. As a consequence, the fish sold in the markets are getting smaller, most of it is imported from other countries, and many believe…
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UK stops instalment of Chinese cameras in government buildings over security risks
The UK is stopping the instalment of new Chinese-made cameras in government buildings citing security risks. Such Chinese companies may be subjected to China’s security laws, with Britain advising to disconnect them from core computer networks. According to The Straits Times, the government furthered that such cameras should be removed altogether in a written statement to Parliament. Cabinet Office minister…
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High-risk drivers to get full access to Tesla’s driver assistance system
High-risk drivers in North America are now allowed full access to Tesla’s controversial driver-assistance system in a move that has some questioning the company’s intentions. Previously, the feature was only approved for buyers who were considered safe drivers, whatever that means, in North America, but now it is available to all. CEO Elon Musk says the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta…
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Polish tourist killed in Phuket vehicle crash
A Polish tourist was tragically killed in a vehicle crash in Phuket’s town of Kamala yesterday. The 69 year old man crashed his motorbike into a taxi car on Patong Road. Rescuers dashed to the scene to find the man lying on the road, having sustained severe head injuries. The taxi car and the motorbike were both damaged. The taxi…
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Cheating husband says he ‘didn’t mean to’ shoot wife in head in southern Thailand
UPDATE Southern Thailand gangster Mack Tung Jin told police that he “never intended” to shoot his wife in the head in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Sunday. He said it was an accident. Police arrested 30 year old Mack the next day at a resort in Krabi province, accompanied by a 17 year old girl, and detained him for questioning.…
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Farmer sets car on fire and drives into government building in northeast Thailand
A farmer from Buriram province in northeast Thailand put five gallons of gasoline in his truck, set it on fire with fireworks, and drove it into Buriram Legal Execution Office yesterday. He says his wife’s land was wrongfully seized and sold at auction and no one will help him get justice. At around 11am, 58 year old Manop from Phutthaisong…
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Tourists and seagulls flock to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand
Tourists and seagulls are flocking to each other at a sandbar in central Thailand. At Don Hoi Lot, a sandbar in Samut Songkhram province, crowds of excited tourists are gathering to feed the birds fried chicken and pork skins from 5pm until sunset. Hundreds of seagulls arrived at Don Hoi Lot late last month, according to locals. Tourists are excited…
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3 children aged 8 escape a school kidnapping plot in Thailand
Three children in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat escaped a school kidnapping plot. Two suspects, a man and a woman, entered a schoolyard in the Thung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat in southern Thailand and tried to snatch three eight year old children. The children, one girl and two boys, told the police and their parents that…
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Thai police arrest drug smugglers with 1.6 million meth pills, 1 suspect still on the loose
Police arrested five drug smugglers in Thailand’s northern Kamphaeng Phet province yesterday. Officers from the Narcotics Suppression Division seized 1.6 million meth pills from the suspects. The suspects had been driving from Chiang Rai to Bangkok to deliver the pills. The police then apprehended them at a gas station. The pills were spread into 16 backpacks and were hidden in…
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656 people arrested for illegal World Cup betting
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) have had a ball this week cracking down on illegal FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar football betting. During the first week of the tournament, the RTP arrested 656 Thai people for hosting or joining illegal football betting platforms, seizing nearly 200,000 baht from croupiers. The Assistant to the Commissioner-General of the RTP, Phanurat Lakboon, yesterday…
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CCTV across Phuket to be integrated as part of “Phuket Crime-Free”
Phuket Governor Narong launched a new initiative earlier this week called “Phuket Crime-Free.” As part of the initiative, Phuket officials are making some innovations on the island province’s CCTV networks. CCTV networks across Phuket will now be integrated into one system. On Tuesday, there was a mass signing of an MoU between agencies and government offices involved. This included 12…
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Walmart manager commits deadly shooting in US
A Walmart manager committed a deadly shooting in the US. The gunman, 31 year old Andre Bing, shot and killed six people and injured six others on Tuesday before turning the gun on himself. The incident happened in the break room of a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia. Survivors said the gunman walked into a break room and opened fire. One…
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Thailand bans recreational use of cannabis inside cafes
Cannabis shops and cafes in Thailand are no longer allowed to let customers smoke the plant recreationally on the premises anymore. On-site consumption of cannabis for medical purposes is still permitted if the cannabis is sold by a medical practitioner. The announcement was made in the Royal Gazette yesterday and is effective immediately. The announcement states that the Ministry of…
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Hua Hin has a huge new beer bar complex
There’s been an exciting development in Hua Hin’s nightlife- a huge new beer bar complex. The new Nice 94 complex is located on Soi 94, behind Wonderland and Rock Zone. It has about 40 bars. Across the street from Nice 94, another smaller beer bar complex is also being built. This news comes as Soi 94 has been developing more…
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Elon Musk sees net worth plummet by US$100 billion after Tesla shares hit record low
Elon Musk has reportedly seen his fortune cut by over US$100 billion this year, but he is still the richest person in the world. According to Fortune, the CEO of Tesla has a net worth of between US$170 billion to $182 billion, edging him slightly ahead of Bernard Arnault, the founder of luxury goods giant LVMH. Arnault reportedly has a…
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Thailand’s Public Health Minister vows to keep weed legal if he stays in office
Thailand’s Public Health Minister is vowing to keep weed free and legal so long as he stays in office. Anutin Charnvirakul told advocates for the plant that the possibility of cannabis being re-criminalised would not be possible if he is voted into office again. Anutin has been credited with starting the weed revolution in Thailand, and he continues to support…
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One-third of adult Thai citizens applied for welfare
Applications for welfare have seen a huge jump, with 22 million Thai people requesting a state welfare card in the latest round of registration. That massive figure equates to about one-third of the entire adult population of Thailand. It is a huge jump from the current 13.5 million people now carrying welfare cards in the country. The figures come after…
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Venomous snake rescued from beer in Australia
Australian reptile rescuers have come to the rescue of a thirsty snake found with its head wedged inside the ring-pull opening at the top of a beer can. Photos and video posted to Facebook by Brisbane North Snake Catchers and Relocation show rescuers responding to a report of a snake trapped in a beer can in Brighton, Queensland. The rescuers arrived to…
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Hotel loan program extended through June 2023
Hotels trying to recover from closing down for the Covid-19 pandemic are getting a little extra financial help. The Thai Cabinet has decided to extend low-interest soft loans until June 2023. The loans were created to help hotels address property repairs after many opted to close when customers dried up because the borders closed amid the pandemic. The announcement was…
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Alleged Chinese drug tycoon married to Thai policewoman surrenders to police
Chinese businessman “Tuhao,” wanted on drug charges in Thailand, surrendered to police today after they raided his mansion in Bangkok this morning. The accused is married to a high-ranking Thai police officer who works for the foreign affairs division. Yesterday, Southern Bangkok Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant for “conspiring to commit drug offences and possessing…
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Brazil’s far-right president challenges election results
Brazil’s far-right president is challenging the country’s election results, which saw him lose in October. President Jair Bolsonaro’s party, the Liberal Party, has argued that ballots from some machines were compromised during the second round and that the electoral court should reject them. Several news outlets reported today that Brazil’s supreme court justice has now given the party 24 hours…
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