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 Hot Phuket property deal: Arise Vibe launches limited offer on only four units, now from 2.5m baht
Phuket's property market is full of big names and high prices, but some of the most exciting opportunities are happening just outside the spotlight. That’s where you’ll find Arise Vibe. Set in Si Sunthon, one of Phuket’s fastest-growing areas, this...
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US Deputy Secretary of State pledges Covid-19 aid
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha met with United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman yesterday to discuss the Covid-19 vaccine situation. The US representative acknowledged Thailand’s struggle to procure and distribute vaccines to everyone in the country, observing that many countries are grappling with similar issues. She declared that the US has been pursuing a policy of procuring excess supplies…
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Patong Thieves cite unemployment for theft
Yesterday morning in Patong, a town in Phuket, 2 men, 42 year old Samran Luiprasert and 34 year old Amphon Boonchuaynamphon, were arrested by Patong police for stealing a coffee machine and 2 televisions from a restaurant. The men said they needed money to survive. In the police report, it was said the alleged criminals were found after the owner…
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Man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman during a live stream
Police arrested a 31 year old man for allegedly sexually assaulting a Canadian woman while she was recording a live stream video near Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. In the video, a man runs up from behind the woman and appears to reach his hand below her waist. The woman made a post on Twitter after the incident saying she was going…
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PM moved vaccine funds from Health Ministry to Central Fund in case of “urgent need”
The PM has been re-jigging the government coffers, saying he transferred funding for Covid-19 vaccines from the Health Ministry to the Central Fund – in case of urgent need. Prayut Chan-o-cha was addressing MPs yesterday, the last day of a 3-day debate on the 3.1-trillion-baht national budget for 2022. In particular, the PM was responding to criticism from the coalition’s…
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American suspect in Bangkok kidnap for ransom case arrested at airport
Police arrested an American man, another suspect in the kidnap for ransom case in Bangkok, at the Suvarnabhumi Airport just as he was preparing to leave the country. 38 year old Matthew Wilson is the tenth suspect to be arrested for alleged involvement in the abduction of a Taiwanese businessman after a failed business deal. Other suspects include 2 other American…
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Thailand’s quarantine hotels consider move to hybrid model
Hotels currently operating as alternative state quarantine facilities are considering moving to a hybrid model, as bookings drop ahead of Phuket’s re-opening. ASQ hotels say reduced demand means they may adopt a model whereby they accept both quarantining guests and regular guests from the second half of the year. Prin Pathanatham from the ASQ-ALQ Club Thailand says bookings have started…
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Vaccination of foreigners kicks off next week
It’s the moment you’ve all – okay, many of you – have been waiting for. The Thai government says that from Monday, foreigners living in the Kingdom who have registered for Covid-19 inoculation, will start to receive the vaccine. It’s been a long road of anxiety, confusion, and chaos to get to this point and there are probably many who…
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Courts order ISPs block 8 users from web, social media
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn confirmed today court orders instructing internet service providers to block or remove 8 users the government says used social media or their own websites to post fake news. The ISPs met with the ministry to receive the court order to block the users. The court ordered the ISPs to either remove or block…
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Qatar Airways will fly 4 times weekly to Phuket starting July 1
Qatar Airways is going all-in on the Phuket sandbox plan to reopen the tourist island to international travellers on July 1. The airline has confirmed that they will run flights 4 times per week between the Qatari capital city of Doha and Phuket. This new route is in addition to the airline’s current 12 flights a week to Bangkok. The…
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Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority details international flight rules
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced some specific flight rules on the procedure for international travellers flying into Phuket after July 1. This comes just after the Tourism Authority of Thailand laid out more general rules for travel within Thailand for international tourists. Tourism officials from TAT and the island have been steadfastly determined to reopen under its…
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ONCB to investigate transnational drug trafficking operations with routes in Thailand
Following the news of the Thai national arrested in South Korea for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine into the country, Thailand’s Office of Narcotics Control Board is now investigating transnational drug trafficking operations with routes in Thailand. Thailand’s Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin ordered for the investigation, advising authorities to investigate to see if drug traffickers in Thailand have been involved in operations…
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KLM to introduce Amsterdam – Phuket flights from October
KLM has announced an expansion to its network from this coming winter, including flights from Amsterdam to Phuket, with a touchdown in Kuala Lumpur. The southern Thai island is one of 6 new destinations being introduced, the others being Mombasa in Kenya, Orlando in the US, Cancun in Mexico, Bridgetown in Barbados, and Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.…
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Thai Navy stands by decision to purchase 3 Chinese tanks
A spokesman yesterday defended the Royal Thai Navy’s decision to buy 3 Chinese tanks, while the country struggles to purchase an adequate supply of Covid-19 vaccines. According to a Bangkok Post report, Navy spokesman Chettha Chaipiam says the purchase was agreed prior to the arrival of the pandemic. He points out that, the 398-million-baht agreement was signed during the 2020…
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Thai man faces charges for allegedly smuggling methamphetamine into South Korea
A 32 year old Thai man is facing charges for allegedly trafficking $12.1 million USD worth of methamphetamine into South Korea. The man was arrested earlier this month for allegedly smuggling around 4 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in bags of protein supplements on a flight from Thailand to South Korea, according to Korean media. The man was allegedly paid 200,000 baht…
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Police officers arrested for alleged involvement in Bangkok kidnap
Two high ranking police officers in Bangkok have been arrested for alleged involvement in the kidnap of a 60 year old Taiwanese businessman for a US$3 million ransom. Police say the man was abducted in broad daylight from a restaurant in the Thong Lor district over a failed business deal for rubber gloves. The March 28 incident where 60 year…
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Opening Phuket and Thailand to travellers and tourists on July 1 | VIDEO
If you’re wanting, or able, to come to Thailand at the moment, the best chance is about to happen. It’s called the Phuket Sandbox, but it’s a pilot program for the rest of Thailand’s tourist areas, and eventually the entire country, to reopen safely for travellers and tourism from July 1. There will be changes to the scheme and additional…
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Government considering linking ID details to social media profiles
In what it says is an attempt to address fake news, fraud, and unlawful content, the government is considering linking people’s ID cards to their social media profiles. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry claims doing this would also boost e-commerce on social media. Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn says a draft regulation on the subject…
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UPDATE: Phuket extends current Covid restrictions from June 1 “until further notice”
UPDATE: Today’s planned vaccination of foreign staff and teachers at Phuket Headstart International School was cancelled last night at 9pm without explanation. Also information about kids travelling to Phuket with parent from July 1 HERE. ORIGINAL STORY: On one hand Phuket officials are extending restrictions to control the Covid situation, and on the other hand the TAT is talking up the…
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Chinese media, Thai police argue over handling of mansion raid in Pattaya
Controversy is swirling around the police raid on the Pattaya luxury mansion last week where a Chinese National shot 2 police officers, as the man and Chinese media argue that the raid was “executed poorly”. Senior Thai police officers claim the raid was carried out appropriately, while the Chinese man claims he panicked after being approached by suspicious men who…
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Brit accused of killing bar girl in 2014 approved for extradition
In 2014, a British man is alleged to have arrived in Thailand, killed and dismembered a woman 2 days later, and fled to Spain. This week, the European Court of Human Rights approved the man’s extradition to Thailand to be prosecuted for the horrific murder. The man is accused of murdering a Thai prostitute in Kanchanaburi and dumping her body…
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Proposed amendment may harm government transparency
Thailand is moving to take 1 step towards transparency and 2 steps back, as a proposed amendment to the Official Information Act moves from the public’s right of access towards protecting state secrets. The new amendment would give exception to disclosure of anything considered to have the potential to harm the monarchy, military affairs and national security. A chapter named…
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100 million baht illegal online gambling bust in Bangkok
Continuing their raids on illegal gambling sites and online scams, police have busted an internet gambling ring moving a 100 million baht per month. Today’s bust was in Bangkok following an investigation tracing the origins of a gambling website called PGSLOT889. Police raided a condominium in the Bangkok Noi district today and arrested 19 people allegedly involved in the online…
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Teenagers claim they were attacked on popular Pattaya beach
Last night, teenagers visiting from Ayutthaya claim they were attacked on Jomtien Beach, a popular spot in Pattaya. They say local teens in a pickup had pulled up to the group, got out of the truck and started to attack them for no reason. The victims also allege that they were chased and that the rival group claimed to have…
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Kratom to be taken off Thailand’s list of narcotics
Kratom will be removed from Thailand’s Narcotics Act. The updated list was published in the Royal Gazette earlier this week, making it official. It will take effect on August 24. Officials warn that cultivation of the plant is still restricted. A new so-called “Kratom Law” will flesh out how the plant is allowed to be consumed, according to Justice Minister Somsak…
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Police raid Pattaya bar and arrest 32 people for drinking alcohol
Police raided a Pattaya bar and arrested 32 Thais and foreigners who were allegedly drinking alcohol, violating Covid-19 disease control measures which prohibit gatherings, particularly where alcohol is involved. Police were called to the Sky Mountain Bar at around 11:30pm last night after a call from a local. Customers and bar staff emerge arrested and taken to the Pattaya City…
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15 most popular tourism provinces contribute 70% of total GDP
Wealth inequality around the world has always been the haves versus the have nots, but in Thailand, it has become the toured versus the toured not. The Fiscal Policy Officer’s senior expert on macroeconomic policy recently presented some stark figures showing the astounding gap in contribution to the GDP between tourism provinces and non-tourism provinces. Only 15 provinces contribute 70%…
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Police seize more than 100 monkeys allegedly trafficked in illegal meat trade
More than 100 wild monkeys caged in plastic carriers were seized off a pickup truck in Prachinburi province. The 25 year old driver was arrested, and allegedly told police that he had been hired by a network that trafficks wild animals to be purchased by restaurants and later eaten. The 102 monkeys were in poor condition, some with wounds and…
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Woman says man she met online scammed her out of 1.5 million baht
In what appears to be a so-called “romance scam,” a 36 year old woman identified as “Miss A” says she’s been scammed out of almost 1.5 million baht. She had met someone over Facebook, a man with a good job at a hospital, she says. After messaging for a few days, the man asked for money due to financial difficulties.…
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Tourism officials push for “One Night, One Dollar” campaign in Phuket
“…have been suffering from the pandemic for 15 months now. Only mass tourism will save us.” A night at a Phuket resort could drop down to just $1 USD. Tourism officials are pushing for a proposed campaign they call “One Night, One Dollar” to help draw travellers back to the popular tourist island as locals prepare for its July 1…
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Rayong closing 5 tourism islands for 4 months
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation announced today that they plan on closing 5 popular tourism islands in the Rayong province in the east of Thailand. The islands – Kham Island, Kruay Island, Ku Dee Island, Pla Teen Island, and Talu Island – are set to be closed for 4 months. The announcement stated that the islands…
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