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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Business leaders urge government to include Pattaya in sandbox entry scheme
Business leaders in Pattaya have joined a chorus of tourism operators around the country who are pleading to be included in the sandbox scheme. Businesses are expressing despair and frustration since the government suspended the Test & Go entry scheme citing concerns about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Pattaya News reports that members of the Chamber of Commerce and Board…
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Hotel operators blame government’s faulty tracking apps for Israeli tourist escape
The recent case of an Israeli tourist who fled his hotel before he’d received the results of his PCR test can be blamed on faulty tracking apps. So says Angkana Tanetvisetkul from Phuket’s Kata Karon Hotel Association. According to a Bangkok Post report, she believes the current entry requirements involve too many apps that don’t work together – sometimes they…
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Minister of Finance: too soon to know Omicron variant effect on economy
Will the new and rapidly spreading Omicron variant of Covid-19 have a strong effect on the economy of Thailand? According to the Ministry of Finance, the answer is a solid maybe. Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith says it’s just too soon to know if and how Thailand’s economy will be affected by the Omicron variant. The Ministry of Finance is…
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Escaped Israeli officially cleared of Covid-19, now faces prosecution
The good news is: you don’t have Covid-19. The bad news: you’re being sent to police custody. In the most recent twist to the case of an Israeli tourist who entered Thailand on Friday and snuck off before receiving his Covid-19 test only to be diagnosed with Omicron as a nationwide manhunt ensued, the man has now been determined to…
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193 kg of crystal meth found in Australia-routed punching bags
Drug traffickers attempted to ship about 1.2 billion baht worth of crystal meth out of Thailand and into Australia, but customs officials beat them to the punch, as it were. Authorities at the customs office seized a gigantic payload of more than 193 kilogrammes of crystal meth that was being smuggled out of Thailand stuffed inside punching bags that boxers…
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TAT New Year’s Eve countdown event will go on as planned
While Thailand is tightening its borders and restrictions in the face of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, which has now infected over 100 people in the country, the New Year’s holiday is just over one week away. As authorities are torn between to need to protect against Covid-19 and the desperate need of the tourism and entertainment sectors to create…
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Thai Civilised Party requests committee for legalising prostitution
One party in Thailand’s government has set its sights on legalising prostitution. The Thai Civilised Party has requested to create a House committee to examine and analyse the prospect of prostitution being legalised in Thailand. The push to decriminalise is at least in part an effort to cut down on corruption as if sex for money was legal, government officials…
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Hong Kong officials seize heroin hidden in canned fruits imported from Thailand
Hong Kong’s Custom Department arrested two suspects on Monday after finding 22 kilograms of heroin in canned fruits shipped from Thailand. The cargo was delivered to a seaport in Hong Kong last Thursday and was declared as 40 boxes of canned rambutan and lychee. Officers searched the shipment and found that more than 72 cans from three of the boxes…
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Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Bangkok 2021
New Year is one of the most exciting events. Whether you are looking to end the year with a glass of champagne, countdown party or an intimate dinner, you have come to the right place. Nothing can be more special than celebrating New Year with your loved ones amidst a fancy setting, so if you haven’t planned anything yet, we…
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Civil Aviation Authority notifies airlines of new regulations for entering Thailand
A notice from Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority has been issued to airlines to advise them of the new conditions for entering the kingdom. The move follows the suspension of the Test & Go system and all sandbox schemes with the exception of Phuket’s. The government took the decision to suspend the schemes as a result of the recently emerged Omicron…
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Tourism officials say Test & Go suspension could have knock-on affect for Phuket
The head of the Phuket Tourist Association says the potential knock-on effect of the Test & Go suspension is not yet known. Bhummikitti Raktaengam says the number of foreign tourists arriving on the island via the sandbox scheme could be affected. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says it remains to be seen if overall visitor numbers to Thailand…
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Nightlife workers protest at Government House, call for financial assistance
Thailand’s nightlife workers have rallied in Bangkok, protesting outside Government House as they demand government assistance. The workers, known as the “high heel mob” are calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to offer state aid to industry workers adversely affected by Covid-19 closure orders. According to a Bangkok Post report, the workers were led by the Empower Foundation. Employees say their…
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Pathum Thani noise complaint ends in multiple drug busts
You can make some noise, or you can break some laws, but you should avoid doing both. After neighbours complained of a Pathum Thani condo in a luxury building making excessive noise, police checked it out and uncovered a drug-dealing operation. The investigation led to several arrests. The Department Of Provincial Administration joined the district chief of Klong Luang in…
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Phuket City Mayor says culture and security will attract tourists
While scores of tourists and potential Thailand travellers (including The Thaiger readers) have been vocal that tourism for major Thai destinations like Phuket won’t really rebound until entertainment venues are reopened and booze is allowed to flow freely, the Mayor of Phuket has some other ideas. Phuket City Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas says that the way to bring Phuket back to…
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Online shopping division added to fight rising internet fraud
To deal with a sharp rise in internet fraud, an online shopping division has been established as part of the Office of the Judicial Administration Commission. The office was officially created Tuesday having been published in The Royal Gazette on Monday. The OJAC observe that the world lives more and more online, and the Covid-19 pandemic has only further fueled…
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Tourism operators express frustration over rumours Test & Go may be dropped
Thailand’s tourism operators have expressed frustration and concern over the possibility that the Test & Go entry scheme could be scrapped. However, Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand has rushed to reassure them, pointing out that nothing has been decided yet and that all viewpoints will be taken into consideration. “We still have to hear from the CCSA…
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Thailand expected to review list of countries eligible for “Test & Go” scheme
The Thai government is expected to review the list of countries eligible for the Test & Go entry scheme, as concerns over the Omicron variant mount. Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says Covid-19 screening will be intensified and the list of eligible countries will be revised. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA is expected to identify a number…
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3 passengers test positive for Omicron when they arrive on Koh Samui
Three recent arrivals on the Gulf island of Koh Samui have been detected with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 – 2 British citizens and 1 Belgian. The 3 include a 54 year old British woman, a 55 year old Belgian man and a 56 year old British man. The 3 new cases are the first, not only for the holiday…
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Will there ever be another Concorde?
We’d flown in propeller-powered planes, then jets. Supersonic was the next evolutionary step in flying people around the world as the 1960s came to a close. Now, 52 years after Concorde’s early flights supersonic flight is, again, an aviation pipe dream as we pack into our cheap ‘flying buses’ which are not much different from the first successful commercial jets that…
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Bangkok street food vendors welcome return of tourists to Khao San Road
Street sellers on Bangkok’s Khao San Road are celebrating the welcome return of foreign tourists and say life is finally beginning to return to normal. The Bangkok Post has spoken to a number of tourists and the street food vendors serving them. 51 year old Wan Suripar is one of them and she hopes this is the beginning of the…
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Porn site raided after posting photoshopped image of exec
A popular porn sharing site was raided and shut down by police today after sharing the wrong photo – a photoshopped image of a hospital executive. The offending image was discovered by the person whose face was photoshopped onto a pornographic image, and they filed a complaint leading to the bust. A Nonthaburi court issued a warrant to raid a…
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British Airways cancels over 2,000 flights including Bangkok
In the face of the spread of Covid-19 as infections surge in the UK, British Airways have suspended all their flights travelling to Bangkok until October of next year. Rumours began circulating about the possible cancellation earlier this week with popular travel sites speculating about the major airline suspending the route. Many passengers told stories of receiving cancellation notices from…
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New Year’s events reminded of Covid-19 safety and 1 am booze curfew
New Year’s Eve is fast approaching and some big parties have been cleared to proceed, but the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is reminding people that the Covid-19 safety regulations need to be followed still, including the rule that alcohol can only be served until 1 am. The BMA’s public relations page announced that Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang will be following all…
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Second riot in Krabi Prison sees 14 injuries an massive fire
After a riot that broke out last night in Krabi Provincial Prison was declared to have been brought under control this afternoon, a second riot broke out with 14 injuries and a massive fire. The original riot broke out over alleged special treatment of an inmate who was brought off-site for Covid-19 treatment while others were cared for inside the…
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Man arrested in Isaan for allegedly smuggling 550 kilograms of cannabis
Around 550 kilograms of compressed cannabis was seized from a pickup truck in the Isaan province Sakhon Nakhon, which is close to the Laos border. Officers from the Crime Suppression Division confiscated the cannabis and arrested a 34 year old man. Officer had received a top that a crime syndicate planned to traffic the cannabis from Laos and into Thailand.…
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300 million baht illegal online gambling site busted in Nonthaburi
A raid in Nonthaburi in the Bangkok suburbs resulted in a 300 million baht illegal online gambling enterprise being shut down. Police from the Region 1 station obtained arrest warrants for 2 luxury homes in Nonthaburi province estates after tracking down where the online gambling operation was based. The website, which had amassed a following of 40,000 members, was at…
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5 subcommittees set up to examine casino complex proposal
5 subcommittees have been established to tackle the proposal to legalise building a casino entertainment complex as part of the House’s committee on the subject. A Palang Pracharath Party spokeswoman for the committee said each subcommittee will focus on different aspects of pushing the legislation forward. The proposal to legalise gambling and allow the government to collect tax revenue has…
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TAT planning A-to-Z tourism campaign with social influencers
“Amazing New Chapters: From A-to-Z Thailand has it all” is the new brainchild from the Tourism Authority of Thailand that aims to use influencers to attract people to Thailand. Like the 26 letters of the alphabet, the TAT hopes to sign up 26 influencers, both regional and global, in an attempt to reach 26 million travellers around the world. The…
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First victim of illegal sidewalk parking crackdown: Chiang Mai police
After slacking on enforcement while attention has been focused on Covid-19, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has told officers to take action on illegal driving and parking on sidewalks. They are partnering with the Royal Thai Police who are encouraging a nationwide crackdown on illegal sidewalk parking. But one of the first victims busted for it ended up being the police…
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Zara heads for Phuket in her quest to be the youngest woman to fly around the world, solo
Zara Rutherford arrives in Phuket next week. In a plane. In her own plane. Alone. The 19 year old is dropping into Phuket (maybe ‘dropping’ is the wrong word) as part of her ground-breaking around-the-world journey in a microlight/ultralight plane. She flew out of Belgium, heading west, in August this year, to fly solo around the world flying in a…
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