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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Pattaya police say insults led to fatal shooting
2 suspects, arrested early yesterday and accused of the fatal shooting in broad daylight of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya, have been charged with murder. Police traced and arrested the 2 prime suspects, named as 39 year old Manat Imamu and 45 year old Niphon Panthong, in Chon Buri’s Bangsaen district, as they attempted to withdraw money from an…
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Nok Air will survive despite bankruptcy: CEO
Thai budget carrier Nok Air is insisting that its business will be able to return to solvency despite filing a business rehabilitation request with the Central Bankruptcy Court, shortly after national flag carrier Thai Airways did the same. Nok Air CEO Wutthiphum Jurangkool said yesterday that the impact of Covid-19 is preventing the airline from flying its 18 international routes,…
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Banks get tough on loan criteria as economic effects of Covid-19 worsen
The Covid-19 crisis has had a devastating effect on the global economy and, while it may have been successful in suppressing the virus, Thailand is in no way immune to the economic fallout. A report in Nation Thailand today says the country’s banks are now clamping down on their lending, imposing stricter criteria on borrowing. PHOTO: Nation Thailand The Bank…
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Europe bans US travellers for 2nd time in a month
The EU extended its travel ban on Americans yesterday for the second time in a month, as Covid-19 continues to ravage the US. The EU began lifting its travel restrictions on July 1, welcoming visitors from 14 countries, including Canada, South Korea and Australia. The US was left off of that list, and the EU extended its ban on travellers…
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Tycoon’s prison term for attempted bribery upheld
The 1 year prison sentence for construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta for attempted bribery has been upheld by Thailand’s appeals court. Premchai’s case captured national attention in February when the high profile CEO and 3 associates were found surrounded by animal carcasses and guns in a protected wildlife sanctuary. Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Corp, was later released by the court…
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Pro-monarchy activists vow to fight on, refuse to rule out violence – VIDEO
Following weeks of anti-government protests, in which some participants have been accused of making veiled anti-monarchy references, around 100 activists gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument yesterday to show their support for the monarchy. Participants were former polytechnic students, congregating under the banner, “Polytechnic Students for the Nation.” Aged in their 40s to 60s, theirs was the first counter-demonstration since protests…
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Facebook faux pas – auto translate goes rogue on message for King’s birthday
Anyone using their computers to translate Thai into English, or English to Thai, will know that the results are mixed, usually confusing, and sometimes hilarious. But Facebook has ended up scrambling to tone down the reaction to an auto-translate from posts about celebrations for His Majesty’s on the occasion of his birthday last Monday. The American social media tech company…
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Key witness in the Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya case dies in motorbike incident
One of the key witnesses of the 2012 hit and run incident, involving Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, died this morning as a result of a motorbike incident in Chiang Mai. He was one of two main witnesses identified by police in the case. The incident happened this morning just after 2am in the main city area of Chiang…
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Anti-coup activist acquitted of sedition, cybercrime charges
A pro-democracy activist was acquitted today of sedition and cybercrime charges for criticising the ruling junta back in 2014. He was accused of violating Section 116 of the Criminal Code and the Computer Crime Act by posting messages against the 2014 coup that deposed PM Yingluck Shinawatra. The messages were posted between May 30 and June 4, 2015, when martial…
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Ukrainian man in fatal fall from abandoned Surat Thani hotel
A Ukranian fell to his death from the roof of an empty hotel in the central business district of the southern province of Surat Thani this morning. The 36 year old man, identified by Matichon as Tomak Mykola, was found lying face up on the ground in front of the abandoned Southern Star Hotel on Chon Kasem Road. Police were…
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Student flash mob in Chiang Mai as anti-government protests keep popping up
By Will Langston For the second time in less than a week, activists took over Chiang Mai’s famous landmark Tha Pae Gate last night around 5pm. Their message was clear in banners and in slogans showed by the group: Freedom. Police watched closely as hundreds of people gathered, dressed in cosplay attire, wearing masks and holding signs expressing their individual…
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Pattaya murder suspects arrested
2 men have been arrested for the shocking daylight shooting murder of a motorbike taxi driver in Pattaya on Tuesday. The Pattaya News reports the suspects were nabbed in Chon Buri province’s Bang Saen district early this morning. Police found a blue Honda PCX motorbike, which they believe was used in the shooting, in front of an apartment building in…
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“We Travel Together” campaign may be extended through 2020
The “We Travel Together” government stimulus campaign may be extended to increase domestic tourism through to the end of the year, while travel bubbles for tourists will hopefully be launched by October, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. He says the slow start of the scheme, launched July 15, can be partly attributed to hesitation among tourists as…
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PHIST – Asia’s largest online tourism event, returns this September
PHIST, the Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism, is set to break down boundaries again with a “virtual” version of Asia’s largest sustainable travel and hospitality event on September 7. Over 1,200 of the industry’s leading figures are expected to attend this socially-distant online gathering. The online event will include keynote addresses, interactive sessions, educational workshops and a green exhibition.…
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PM voices concern over pro-government rally planned for Bangkok today
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha has issued a warning about a rally planned by a pro-government group, saying he is concerned members could end up clashing with anti-government demonstrators. The rally is planned to take place at the Democracy Monument in the capital this afternoon. A report in the Chiang Rai Times says the pro-government group gathers under the name…
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Thai baht getting stronger
The Thai baht continues to strengthen, coming in at 31.41 against the US dollar. Nation Thailand reports that Jitipol Puksamatanan, Head of Markets Strategy at SCB Securities, predicts the currency will fluctuate between 31.35 and 31.85 against the US dollar, which continues to weaken. xe.com/currencyconverter Meanwhile, the Standard & Poor 500 Index has dropped 0.6%, which is being blamed on…
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Central bank mulls severing baht’s gold link to weaken gains
Thailand’s central Bank is mulling breaking the baht’s link to gold as a way to weaken it without being labelled a “currency manipulator” by Washington. According to US Census Bureau data, Thailand’s trade surplus surpassed US$20 billion in the 12 months up to the end of November 2019. That exceeds a $20 billion cap the US Treasury sets for bilateral…
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Pattaya murder well planned, police after 2 suspects
Police now say yesterday’s shocking daytime murder of a motorbike taxi driver in South Pattaya appears to have been well planned and say they’re already tracking down 2 suspects. 47 year old Prathum Saartnak was shot once in the head around noon yesterday behind Pattaya School 8, near the famous Walking Street area. He had just finished dropping off a…
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Leaked memo shows Thai police preparing to arrest protesters
A leaked internal memo shows riot police have been ordered to mobilise and prepare detention facilities to accommodate arrested student protesters. The police memo, dated Friday, orders the heavily armed Border Patrol Police to be “on standby” for student-led anti-government protests in Bangkok. Although a provision of the Emergency Decree banning public gatherings was removed last week, police say it…
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Bangkok sees first ever student-led LGBT pride march – VIDEO
After more than a week of anti-government protests across the nation, a different kind of demonstration was held in Bangkok today – Thailand’s first ever student-led “pride march”. Young protesters demanded state teachers stop discriminating against LGBT students, more progressive health and sex education, and a revision of restrictive haircut rules. Students marched along Ratchadamnoen Avenue to the Ministry of…
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Phuket seeks to revive tourism with 3 major events planned
Phuket is planning a series of promotional events in an effort to revive tourism in the hard-hit province. With tourism accounting for 80% of the economy, Phuket is arguably one of the most highly-impacted areas in the country after the economic fallout of the Covid pandemic struck. The Minister of Commerce, Jurin Laksanawisit, is overseeing the staging of 3 major…
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Lopburi police powerless to stop sex-crazed, junk food-addicted monkey gangs
Since March, the city of Lopburi has battled monkey riots, as the Covid-19 pandemic dried up tourism, and thus, the primates’ main food source. Locals, in an effort to appease beasts, began feeding them, largely a diet of sugary junk food, with predictable results. Police, armed with slingshots, say there’s little they can do to stop the sex-crazed macaques who’ve…
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US, Australia take hawkish tone towards China in talks
Australian and US foreign and defence ministers have taken a hawkish tone against China in the latest round of annual talks between the two countries. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set the tone for the talks saying to the the Australian ministers that the United States “knows the threats that you and the rest of the free world face”. “And…
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All foreigners will have to serve 14 day quarantine “in the foreseeable future” – Minister
Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is reassuring Thais by explaining that all foreigners, regardless of their status or origins, will have to serve a mandatory 14 day quarantine, at least “in the foreseeable future”. Thailand officials are currently prepares phase six of the re-opening of the country, loosening the restrictions imposed in April when the country closed…
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Chiang Mai performance artists demonstrate for free speech
PHOTOS by Will Langston With anti-government protests dotting the nation for over a week, performance artists in Chiang Mai took to the streets yesterday evening with a different type of demonstration – in favour of free speech. As the sun began setting, artists at each corner and junction of the old city’s moat could be found waiting to perform. At…
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Tourism council urges Chiang Mai hotels to open up to meet domestic tourism demand
The chair of Chiang Mai’s branch of the Tourism Council of Thailand says the city’s hotels and tour agencies are showing little interest in reopening, despite the province expecting a surge in domestic tourism as a result of the government’s stimulus offering. Nation Thailand reports that tourism chief Punlop Sae-Jew says many properties continue to keep their doors shut as…
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Phuket seeks to diversify after Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to cripple Thailand’s vital tourism sector, with provinces that rely the most on tourism revenue, being hit the hardest. Thailand may have managed to contain the Covid-19 virus, but at the expense of its economy going into a free fall with the southern resort province of Phuket exemplifying the downturn. Phuket businesses, which rely almost exclusively…
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Room rates drop as Thailand’s hotels feel the Covid pinch
The devastating economic effects of the Covid-19 crisis continue to make themselves felt as hotels are forced to reduce their rates significantly in an effort to lure guests. Speaking to the Bangkok Post, James Kaplan from asset investment and management company, Destination Capital says that, unlike the economic crash of 1997, hotel revenue took a hit at the height of…
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Koh Chang has a bumper tourist (long) weekend – VIDEO
Tourists have been flocking to Koh Chang off the Trat coast, in the east of Thailand. The TAT says that they estimate some 30,000 people wold have visited the popular Thai island over the long weekend (which runs into tomorrow, the King’s birthday). Kamphon Jaroenkhajornkun, president of the Trat Tourism Business Association says this weekend’s numbers are a record for…
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Pattaya police seize 8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Bangkok
The Pattaya City Police have seized 8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in green tea bags in Bangkok follow a tip-off and sting operation. Pattaya City Police arrested 26 years old Preecha ‘Bang Reen’ Soamonta last night. (That’s a LARGE haul of crystal meth from a single person) Police seized the 8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (aka. ice) which were reportedly found…
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