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 Bangtao, Phuket: The neighbourhood expats and investors are eyeing in 2025
Bangtao didn't become Phuket’s most talked-about neighbourhood overnight. For a long time, it was a quiet place on the island’s west coast where locals walked their dogs at sunrise and tourists flocked to sunbathe along its eight-kilometre stretch of beach....
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Large “chunk” breaks off Krabi island, damaging coral reef at popular dive site
A large chunk of an island near Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand has broken off and collapsed on top of a coral reef at a popular dive site. No one was around when the cliffsides sheered off and collapsed into the sea, but national park officers on a routine patrol noticed a section of the island had broken off…
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“Protests could affect the economy” – Bank of Thailand
The ongoing political protests could have a negative impact on Thailand’s already crippled economy by weakening domestic consumption and tourism even more, according to the Bank of Thailand. The bank’s newly appointed governor Settaput Suthiwart-Narueput, who started this month, says they need to keep a close watch on the situation. “Basically, the political factor is one of the uncertainties… It…
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Former Pheu Thai chair to challenge legality of State of Emergency
Thai politician and former chair of the Pheu Thai Party, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, has confirmed she plans to challenge the legality of the state of emergency in court. She joins a number of opposition MPs and other activists who are petitioning to have the order lifted. Bangkok awoke to a state of emergency declared by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in the…
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Letter calling for Thai PM’s resignation signed by over 1,000 academics
A petition calling for the resignation of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, has been signed by up to 1,118 academics and delivered to Government House. The petition was created by the Thai Academic Network for Civil Rights. Nation Thailand reports that a group of university lecturers and students have marched to Government House to deliver the letter. They include Anusorn Unno,…
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Thai hotels to offer 1,000 baht discounts for expats
To stimulate domestic tourism and help revive the economy after the pandemic, hotels plan to offer expats a 1,000 baht discount on rooms until the end of the year. A debt moratorium, put in place to help businesses hurt by the pandemic, is ending this month and hotels need a boost. The Thai Hotels Association, or THA, says they will…
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2 Thai protest leaders immediately re-arrested after being released on bail
Authorities have re-arrested 2 of the leaders at the centre of anti-government protests right after they were granted temporary release on bail. Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul, known as “Rung”, and Parit Chivarak, aka “Penguin”, were released yesterday from Patum Thani prison, north of Bangkok. They were being held on charges of violating the emergency decree and released alongside fellow protester Nutchanon Pairote,…
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Complete Thailand Travel Guide (October 2020)
Latest update – October 21. If you are overseas and wish to come to Thailand your FIRST port of call must be the Royal Thai Embassy in your country before you make any bookings. Thailand Longstay is also a valuable resource of information at this time. First ‘tourists’ arrive in Thailand under the Special Tourist Visa In 2019, almost 40 million tourists…
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From 40 million visitors to 41: first STV tourists arrive
In 2019, almost 40 million tourists arrived in Thailand. Yesterday, it was 41. As the Thais say, cha cha… Thailand is slowly, slowly, re-opening its borders after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a total shutdown in March. Yesterday, the Kingdom welcomed its first tourists in 7 months, with the arrival of 41 Chinese tourists from Shanghai. The group landed at Bangkok’s…
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Some tourism officials concerned with political climate, ask government to open dialogue
In the midst of Thailand reopening its borders to foreigners on the Special Tourist Visa, political protests have only grown in Bangkok and are now being held in cities across Thailand. Now tourism operators are worried and are asking the government to engage in dialogue with the protesters. President of the Tourism Council of Thailand Chairat Trirattanajarasporn says he’s worried…
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10 international airlines now offer flights to Thailand
With Covid-19 travel restrictions – slowly – easing up, 10 international airlines have started selling flights to Thailand, the Ministry of Transport announced. The airlines include: Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Swissair, Austrian Airlines, Eva Air and KLM. Don’t get too excited. It’s still not easy to get into Thailand. All international arrivals must go through a…
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Man arrested for growing 108 cannabis plants in Samut Prakan
Police arrested an Argentinian man for growing cannabis at his house in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. 35 year old Sagas Nur told police he planned to produce cannabis oil. Medical marijuana is legalised – with limitations – while recreational marijuana is still classified as a category 5 narcotic. Sagas is facing charges of producing a category 5 narcotic.…
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Court orders suspension of Thai TV news channel during political protests
The Criminal Court has agreed to suspend the Thai media company Voice TV for allegedly violating the State of Emergency orders which prohibit media content “considered to be a threat to national security”. Talk about the Voice TV shut down has been circulating on social media. It’s not the first time the network has come to the attention of the…
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Opposition MPs petition for Bangkok State of Emergency to be lifted
A group of opposition MPs and other activists will today petition to have the emergency decree currently in force in Bangkok revoked. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha imposed the state of emergency last Thursday morning, in the wake of escalating political unrest in the capital. Now a number of Pheu Thai MPs and other opponents of the State of Emergency are…
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Police threaten jail time for anyone taking selfies at protests
The State of Emergency recently imposed on Bangkok amid escalating political unrest carries some sweeping powers, some of them rather creative. According to a report in Coconuts, police are warning that anyone taking a selfie at anti-government protests is risking 2 years in jail and a fine of up to 40,000 baht. You’d have to really want that photo… The…
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International travel slow to take off, Covid-19 restrictions evolving
While Thailand is working on safely, and slowly, reopening its borders to foreign tourists after a 7 month border closure, other countries are also adapting to new, pandemic-induced, travel measures and restrictions. Now some are slowly lifting restrictions and resuming flights, while some remain grounded. What’s happening in your part of the world? In all cases, check your local travel…
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First tourists in 7 months arrive in BKK today
5pm today – that’s the time the first groups of “tourists” will arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, announced the arrival of the first group of tourists to arrive in the Kingdom since borders where locked in March. He said they wouldn’t needn’t worry about the political unrest currently rocking the capital, pointing…
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Man arrested for allegedly abusing stray cats at Koh Phi Phi hotels
Police have arrested a 30 year old man for allegedly catching stray cats and torturing them at various hotels in Koh Phi Phi following a heads-up from Watchdog Thailand Foundation. Hotel staff cleaning up the man’s rooms found blood, cat nails and fur in the rooms as well as in the refrigerator, according to police. Chi Hang, from China, faces…
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4 billion baht medical hub planned for Phuket
Phuket officials are setting aside around 4 billion baht to transform medical tourism in the southern province of Phuket, by developing a state-of-the-art treatment hub in the north of the island. The Bangkok Post reports that the Treasury department is planning to give the Public Health Ministry permission to use 141 rai of government land in the sub-district of Mai…
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Jailed Thai activists, protest leaders, pro-democracy doctor, released on bail
Thailand’s Appeal Court has granted bail to a number of anti-government protesters and protest leaders, on condition there is no repeat of the offences they’re accused of. They must also report to the court every 2 weeks. Those released include Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, the singer-songwriter known as “Ammy”, as well as Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, spokesperson for the Student Union of Thailand, Natchanon…
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K-Pop fans show their support for the young Thai protesters, donate 3 million+ baht
Art meets politics again, this time with hundreds of thousands of K-Pop fans raising funds in support of the growing student protest movement in Thailand. So far they’ve raised more than 3 million baht (as of 10am this morning) but the amount is rising quickly as Thai and overseas K-Pop fans respond. The most popular band in Thailand at the…
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Dozens of protester arrests since emergency decree was imposed
Dozens of people have been arrested since the State of Emergency was imposed early Thursday morning to break up a pro-democracy protest. The government order bans people from holding public gatherings of more than 5 people until November 13, but hundreds and thousands of people have continued to gather. Police warn they can arrest those who violate the order. 74…
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New delivery application focuses on reducing Thailand’s food waste
The following story was sent to The Thaiger from the Yindii, a business focused on sustainability and reducing waste produced from the food industry. Yindii, a Thai anti-food-waste startup, launches a mobile application designed to match hungry, deal-seeking Bangkok residents with environmentally-conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes offering delicious food that could otherwise go to waste. Through its discounted “flash…
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“Open the borders, safely”, Bill Heinecke, Minor International interview – VIDEO
Bill Heinecke speaks to Bill Barnett. The two heavy-hitters of Thailand’s hotel and hospitality sector, mull over the current Covid situation and the reopening of Thailand’s borders to some form of tourism. Bill Heinecke is the Chairman and Founder of Minor International. Bill Barnett is the Managing Director of c9hotelworks.com Now the Thai government has approved the special long-term tourist…
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St Mark’s International School ‘breaks ground’ with their new Bangkok campus
St Mark’s International School celebrated a groundbreaking event last Saturday by literally ‘breaking ground,’ by conducting a ceremonial dig on their new proposed campus in Bangkok. The successful Christian International School has been operating out of their current Rama 9 Campus for the last 20 years and is now planning to expand exponentially when the new campus in Sri Nakarin Road…
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Isolated heavy showers forecast, but rainfall set to ease overall
Heavy wet season rainfall is taking its toll on 25 provinces around the country, with flash flooding and landslides affecting over 25,000 homes. 11 provinces are thought to be the worst-affected, as they continue to battle heavy flooding. They are Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Ratchasima, in the north-east of the country, Sa Kaeo in the east, the central provinces of…
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Pro-democracy protests grow across Thailand, plans to continue
Despite Bangkok’s State of Emergency banning public gatherings of more than 5 people, pro-democracy protesters continue to rally throughout the city every evening and are determined to do so until their demands are met. The movement, calling on the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, an end to Thailand’s military-run government and rewrite of the 2017 Charter, has spread to other…
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House Speaker proposes extraordinary parliamentary session in wake of political unrest
The speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Chuan Leekpai, is proposing an extraordinary session of parliament as the political protests around the country intensifies, especially around Bangkok. Nation Thailand reports that Speaker Chuan plans to discuss the matter with government and opposition politicians today. Anti-government protests, which began in mid-July, have grown in intensity and frequency, as activists demand…
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The 3 finger salute. Why did it become the symbol for Thai protesters? – VIDEO
The 3 finger salute, now adopted by Thai protesters as their “go to” symbol in the current round of rally’s and protests against the Thai government and establishment, emerged originally from pop culture. In the Hunger Games movie franchise, the residents of a dystopian future North America, forced to compete in a televised death match for the pleasure of…
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Thai PM adopts more conciliatory tone with protesters
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has switched to a softer tone with the young protesters calling for his resignation, as anti-government protests sweep the country… there were several smaller protests in other provinces over the weekend. The new, more conciliatory approach, is in contrast with his recent declaration that he had no intention of resigning, and that the police had acted “within…
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How can the Thai government resolve the current protest crisis?
OPINION The Thai Government has no easy way out of the current protest situation. Over the past months an organic, mostly young Thais, political movement has been building. It’s different from every protest movement in the past. The people attending the rallies don’t really align themselves or identify with the past political factions. They’re not red shirts or yellow shirts.…
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