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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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    What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • More categories of foreigners to be granted entry to Thailand | Thaiger

    More categories of foreigners to be granted entry to Thailand

    “…business people on a non-immigrant visa but without a work permit can enter, provided they can show savings of at least 500,000 baht over the previous 6 months.” The Thai government is expanding the groups of foreigners who can enter Thailand, after a meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday. CCSA spokesman Taweesin…

  • Former party-list MP candidate convicted of drug smuggling, sentenced to 50 years in prison | Thaiger

    Former party-list MP candidate convicted of drug smuggling, sentenced to 50 years in prison

    A former party-list MP candidate is sentenced to 50 years in prison for smuggling crystal methamphetamine. Suban Mahachanon was on the MP candidate list for Seri Ruam Thai Party in the March 2019 election, but his bid was unsuccessful. Just a few months later, he arrested for drug trafficking a large amount of methamphetamine into the Philippines. Suban was busted…

  • Bangkok heist nets gold ornaments valued at 5.6 million baht | Thaiger

    Bangkok heist nets gold ornaments valued at 5.6 million baht

    Police are searching for a man who allegedly robbed a Bangkok gold shop at gunpoint, stealing gold ornaments valued around 5.6 million baht. The man allegedly pointed a gun at employees, forcing them to hand over 3 trays of gold ornaments. The Yaowarat Krungthep shop is located at the entrance of Tesco Lotus in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district. Since the…

  • More rain fronts on the way around Thailand today and tomorrow | Thaiger

    More rain fronts on the way around Thailand today and tomorrow

    The Thailand Meteorological Department is forecasting more isolated heavy rain over many parts of the country over the next few days. “The monsoonal trough lies across the North, the Central, and the lower Northeast while the moderate southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf. People in the risky areas should beware of severe conditions that may cause…

  • “Boss” commission chief says Thai justice system in need of reform | Thaiger

    “Boss” commission chief says Thai justice system in need of reform

    Former National Anti-Corruption Commissioner, Vicha Mahakun, who led the recent inquiry into the handling of the case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, says Thailand’s justice system is in need of reform. Red Bull heir and grandson of co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, “Boss” stood accused in a 2012 hit-and-run case that caused the death of a 47 year old Bangkok police officer who…

  • Domestic tourism stimulus campaign set to be extended | Thaiger

    Domestic tourism stimulus campaign set to be extended

    Officials are discussing an extension to the domestic tourism stimulus package, following the approval of additional public holidays between now and the end of the year. The extra holidays will take place between November 19 and 22, and again from December 10 to 13, as the government continues its efforts to boost domestic tourism. Thailand’s tourism industry has been left…

  • Thai Vietjet introduce new “Deluxe” product for domestic routes in Thailand | Thaiger

    Thai Vietjet introduce new “Deluxe” product for domestic routes in Thailand

    Thai Vietjet, which currently operates 13 domestic routes within Thailand, is launching a new “Deluxe” product, starting from 999 baht. The “Deluxe” tickets will include 7 kilos of carry-on and 20 kilos of checked luggage (currently an additional charge), as well as seat selection and priority check-in. Date, route and flight changes are also permitted 1 time, free of charge.…

  • Little has changed: 9 years after devastating floods, Bangkok remains defenceless | Thaiger

    Little has changed: 9 years after devastating floods, Bangkok remains defenceless

    Parts of Bangkok remain at risk of catastrophic floods, as happened in 2011, when thousands of people were displaced and homes partially or totally destroyed. Now, 9 years later, a report in the Bangkok Post says city officials have made little progress in shoring up the capital’s flood defences, and the upper-eastern area remains as exposed as ever. Back in…

  • Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding | Thaiger

    Bride and groom shot in Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding

    Four people have been killed during a Nakhon Si Thammarat wedding reception in the Tham Phannara district. One other person was seriously injured in the hail of bullets. Local police report that the incident occurred around 11pm on the road outside the house where the reception was being held in the Dusit tambon village. Two of the dead people were…

  • Phuket police arrest 6 after finding large amounts of methamphetamine in raid | Thaiger

    Phuket police arrest 6 after finding large amounts of methamphetamine in raid

    Phuket Provincial Police have arrested 6 people after finding large amounts of methamphetamine and other drugs during a raid. One suspect alone allegedly had 7.6 kilograms of crystal meth (ya ice) and over 12,500 methamphetamine pills (ya bah). 29 year old Surasak ‘Bank’ Wijit and 27 year old Panida ‘Mei’ Saeyang were arrested at an apartment car park in Soi…

  • Phuket Muay Thai fighter is the first Thai national to compete in UFC | Thaiger

    Phuket Muay Thai fighter is the first Thai national to compete in UFC

    The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi will feature Thailand’s only national marking her third fight with the UFC, the world’s largest mixed martial arts competition. 24 year old Loma Lookboonme, from Burirram in northeastern Thailand, will fight in the event on October 3, 2020. Loma is a Muay Thai fighter who has adapted her MMA…

  • Majority in survey say now is the time to share ideas to solve conflicts | Thaiger

    Majority in survey say now is the time to share ideas to solve conflicts

    A majority of those surveyed in a recent Suan Dusit Rajabhat University poll say now is the time to work together to solve the conflicts that are plaguing the country. The poll, known as the Suan Dusit Poll, was conducted online from September 23-25, asked for opinions on the long-standing conflicts in Thailand. 1,263 online netizens responded with a large…

  • Phuket airport ready for tourists after finishing Covid screening labs | Thaiger

    Phuket airport ready for tourists after finishing Covid screening labs

    Phuket Airport is officially ready for tourists as authorities say they have finished installing Covid screening labs in an effort to welcome international travellers. The 5T Model for Covid-19 is being used at the airport with the goal of screening large groups of people in a quick and efficient manner. The Phuket health chief says the 5T’s stand for Target,…

  • Koh Chang resort sues American over bad review | Thaiger

    Koh Chang resort sues American over bad review

    A Koh Chang resort is fighting back and, reportedly, suing an American citizen after posting a nasty online review on TripAdvisor. After recently visiting the Sea View Resort on Trat province island in the Gulf of Thailand, American Wesley Barnes wrote an unflattering, almost bitchy, account of his stay prompting the owner to file an official complaint over the ‘unfair’…

  • Government to stir economy with 100 billion baht stimulus starting in October | Thaiger

    Government to stir economy with 100 billion baht stimulus starting in October

    The Thai Government is expected to stimulate the economy with 100 billion baht boost starting in October until the end of the year. The injection will reportedly come from both the people’s and the government’s spending under three stimulus measures according to the Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The first measure will reportedly give 14 million welfare cardholders an extra 500…

  • “Bad Student” movement by high-schoolers continues fight against authorities | Thaiger

    “Bad Student” movement by high-schoolers continues fight against authorities

    A movement, dubbed by some of Thailand’s high-schoolers as ‘Bad Student’, is advancing the fight against education authorities as students are trying to break up the country’s strict, or as they claim, archaic, education system. The movement’s name takes after a university student activitst’s book about his experiences in a government high school. The recent rebellion of students coincides with…

  • Elderly Dutch man’s body found floating near Pattaya Beach | Thaiger

    Elderly Dutch man’s body found floating near Pattaya Beach

    An elderly Dutch man’s body has been found floating near a Pattaya beach in South Pattaya after telling his wife he was going to go swimming. The 74 year old man’s wife Ms. Sukjai Bungutum, a 41 year old Thai woman, was found by rescue workers crying near his body. “My husband told me he was going to go swimming.…

  • Phuket’s Sri Panwa Resort’s land title deed to be investigated for legality by DSI | Thaiger

    Phuket’s Sri Panwa Resort’s land title deed to be investigated for legality by DSI

    Back in the news again. Phuket’s Sri Panwa Resort’s land title deed is now to be investigated by the Department of Special Investigation after a petition was filed to determine whether the deed was procured legally. Veera Somkwamkid, the secretary-general of the People’s Network Against Corruption, filed the petition along with 167 pages of documents pertaining to his accusations that…

  • Mother abandons 3 young children in their locked Bangkok room for 3 days | Thaiger

    Mother abandons 3 young children in their locked Bangkok room for 3 days

    3 young Bangkok children were abandoned in a small room for 3 days after the mother allegedly visited her new boyfriend. A neighbour was taking care of the youngest of the 4 children, a 4 month old baby, but the mother never contacted anyone about her other 3 kids. The mother hadn’t returned to pick up her baby from the…

  • Female prisoner on the run after escaping from Phuket Hospital | Thaiger

    Female prisoner on the run after escaping from Phuket Hospital

    A female prisoner is on the run after escaping from Vachira Hospital in Phuket during a doctor’s appointment. 58 year old Siri Phodam allegedly escaped after asking her prison escort officer to use the toilet. But she took a long time to come back, and was found to have escaped. CCTV cameras caught her dressed in a blue hospital patient…

  • Sex worker support group pressures Thai government to decriminalise prostitution | Thaiger

    Sex worker support group pressures Thai government to decriminalise prostitution

    A sex worker support group called The Empower Foundation is hoping to persuade the Thai government to decriminalise prostitution by seeking a 10,000 signature petition. The group, based in Chiang Mai, wants penalties for selling sex removed as it says the 1960 law harbors exploitation and corruption. Such a removal would require Thailand to withdraw the Anti-Prostitution Act which saw…

  • Thai Air Asia returns to Suvarnabhumi in addition to its Don Mueang hub | Thaiger

    Thai Air Asia returns to Suvarnabhumi in addition to its Don Mueang hub

    Thai AirAsia is spreading its Bangkok wings and opening up a secondary hub at the main Suvarnabhumi airport (BKK), to help broaden its attraction and bolster its bottomline. Thai Air Asia was the first airline to head back to the moth-balled Don Mueang in 2012 to re-establish the older airport after all the airlines moved across to the new Suvarnabhumi…

  • Flights to nowhere. The latest ‘cunning plan’ by Thai Airways | Thaiger

    Flights to nowhere. The latest ‘cunning plan’ by Thai Airways

    Sort of counter-intuitive, but you get on a plane, take off, and land at the same airport. Not usually the way it’s meant to work, but that’s the latest brain child of the Thai Airways management, via their budget Thai Smile brand, who are already back in the air. The idea is to offer people who have missed the experience…

  • Deputy PM says 2 years until Thailand’s economy is back to normal | Thaiger

    Deputy PM says 2 years until Thailand’s economy is back to normal

    It’s going to be another 2 years until Thailand’s economy is back on track, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. At least that’s the amount of time he expects it will take to get the economy back to “normal levels” from before the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus crisis crippled economies across the globe. The Covid-19 pandemic is already the worst…

  • The future of Thailand’s hotels, tough times ahead – VIDEO | Thaiger

    The future of Thailand’s hotels, tough times ahead – VIDEO

    Thailand’s hotels are facing a very dark time with the Thai borders still largely closed and many of them remaining closed for business. Whilst some local domestic stimulus has provided a bit of a minor reboot for the battered industry, there is still more than 90% of the rooms in the country remaining unoccupied with staff unemployed, debts and leases…

  • Chiang Mai man charged with murdering baby daughter because he wanted a son | Thaiger

    Chiang Mai man charged with murdering baby daughter because he wanted a son

    A man has been arrested in Chiang Mai after confessing to poisoning his 7 month old daughter. 45 year old Anuphap Jaipanya, a hilltribe member, says he was influenced by his cultural beliefs and, having 2 daughters already, had hoped for a son to carry on the family name and take over his business. The Pattaya News reports that the…

  • Charter vote delayed, committee formed and Senators escape Parliament by boat – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Charter vote delayed, committee formed and Senators escape Parliament by boat – VIDEO

    Thailand’s MPs and Senators have kicked the constitutional can down the road at least a month after the parliament failed to agree on charter amendments. A panel will be sent up to examine 6 motions that were proposed and debated over the past 2 days. Meanwhile, up to 2,000 protesters were gathered outside the unfinished parliamentary buildings as an act…

  • Quarantine could be reduced to 7 days from November, if border re-opening succeeds | Thaiger

    Quarantine could be reduced to 7 days from November, if border re-opening succeeds

    Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister says the mandatory quarantine period for those arriving from overseas could be reduced to 7 days if there is no spike in Covid-19 infections after the border re-opens to limited arrivals from October. For the minister’s part, the 7 day quarantine is merely speculation at this stage. Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says more details on the…

  • Facebook, Twitter may face charges for allegedly allowing lèse majesté content | Thaiger

    Facebook, Twitter may face charges for allegedly allowing lèse majesté content

    Facebook and Twitter could face charges for failing to block so called lèse majesté posts that allegedly violate Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says the social media platforms were warned about Thailand’s laws regarding content that insults the Thai Monarchy or threatens national security and peace, but failed to remove all the illegal posts.…

  • 982 lèse majesté social media posts cited in police complaint | Thaiger

    982 lèse majesté social media posts cited in police complaint

    Nearly 1,000 so called lèse majesté posts on social media have been cited in a police complaint for allegedly violating Thailand’s Computer Crime Act, some allegedly criticising and insulting the Thai Monarchy. The complaints were filed by Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta. The police report says the social media posts were shared during the pro-democracy protest over the…