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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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    The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand

    The Thaiger key takeaways Not declaring pre-existing conditions can result in denied claims, high costs, or visa problems. Cigna provides coverage for common chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis with high limits and direct billing. Honest disclosure ensures proper coverage,...

  • PM digs in his heels, says he won’t quit while the country needs him | Thaiger

    PM digs in his heels, says he won’t quit while the country needs him

    The Thai PM says he’s not going anywhere and will remain in position at least until next year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which Thailand is hosting. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to questions from reporters about the remainder of his 4-year term, which ends in March 2023. He says as long as the country needs…

  • Blackpink’s Lisa tests positive for Covid-19 | Thaiger

    Blackpink’s Lisa tests positive for Covid-19

    A Thai-born Lisa Manoban of the K-pop girl group “Blackpink” has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to reports. A South Korean news outlet Daum said Lisa was diagnosed with the coronavirus today, and her management YG Entertainment was awaiting the results of RT-CPR tests performed on three other members of the group. BLACKPINK YG Thailand, a Facebook page founded by…

  • 40 million baht illegal online lending operation busted | Thaiger

    40 million baht illegal online lending operation busted

    An illegal lending business that raked in over 40 million baht in just 3 months by gouging people in desperate financial need with high-interest rates has been broken up. A Chinese man was arrested in Bangkok for running the loan shark operation online. The man identified by the Metropolitan Police Bureau as Jia Liew was arrested in Huai Khwang in…

  • Tourists and hotels warned about abuse of Covid-19 rules | Thaiger

    Tourists and hotels warned about abuse of Covid-19 rules

    The CCSA is dealing with complaints from locals, businesses, hotels and tourists about Covid-19 regulations not being followed. There has been a problem with tourists refusing to wear masks and follow Covid-19 safety regulations that are mandatory, and on the other side, hotels have been found to be not disclosing all Covid-19 related expenses in their booking cost, frustrating arriving…

  • Thailand’s electric vehicle market is underway, with commercial EV’s in focus | Thaiger

    Thailand’s electric vehicle market is underway, with commercial EV’s in focus

    Thailand’s electric vehicle market is underway, with companies focusing on the commercial EV’s as a starting point. As many expect EV’s to be the future of the auto industry, many companies are now making the switch to renewable energy. One company that is trying to get ahead of the game, is that of Bangkok-based Energy Absolute. The biodiesel producer and…

  • Young man arrested for allegedly selling homemade guns | Thaiger

    Young man arrested for allegedly selling homemade guns

    A man was arrested yesterday for the alleged possession of 4 homemade guns. The arrest took place in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, and police reported that the suspect is an 18 year old by the name of Kraiwit Issara. Commander of the Provincial Police Region 1 reported that officers made the arrest around 5 pm yesterday after setting…

  • 63 million baht in stolen donations returned to revered abbot | Thaiger

    63 million baht in stolen donations returned to revered abbot

    Three people, including a temple caretaker, were arrested for allegedly embezzling around 63 million baht donations from a Buddhist temple in the central province Nakhon Sawan. The Bangkok Post reports that the cash has been returned to Wat Huai Duan and police gathered for a formal handover of the more than 63 million baht in cash to the highly respected…

  • The future of Thailand’s Maya Bay – Report #1 | VIDEO | Thaiger

    The future of Thailand’s Maya Bay – Report #1 | VIDEO

    Should Maya Bay reopen? Of course it probably will, at the start of 2022. But there are fears that, despite the best intentions, it will be back to mass tourism and ‘market forces rule’. Maya Bay is the Andaman region’s most popular tourist destination, based on interest generated from the 2000 Hollywood movie “The Beach” from the Alex Garland novel…

  • End of an era – last trains to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong in December | Thaiger

    End of an era – last trains to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong in December

    It’s the end of an era as the State Railway of Thailand looks to ceasing train services to and from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong railway station. The expensive patch of land, where the famous station is located, is slated for a swish new commercial development. The decommissioning of the famous old station will happen at the end of the year. Hua…

  • Pro-democracy activist accuses Thai movie director of slapping, kicking her | Thaiger

    Pro-democracy activist accuses Thai movie director of slapping, kicking her

    A prominent pro-democracy activist has accused a Thai film director of assault following a cultural event in Bangkok on Sunday evening. According to a Coconuts report, Rukchanok Srinork, aka “Ice”, took to social media to accuse Yuthalert “Tom” Sippapak of slapping her in the face and kicking her in the stomach. Rukchanok says she has filed a complaint against the…

  • CCSA admits some hotels are scamming Thailand Pass travellers | Thaiger

    CCSA admits some hotels are scamming Thailand Pass travellers

    Some Thai hotels are deceiving foreign arrivals by letting them book a room without transport or Covid testing, then trying to sell them a new package on arrival. CCSA spokesperson Apisamai Srirangson says some hotels are deliberately only selling a room, whereas the Thailand Pass requirements stipulate that the package must include transportation from the airport to the hotel and…

  • Minister confirms all train services at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will end | Thaiger

    Minister confirms all train services at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will end

    Rail services to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will soon be no more, according to Thailand’s Transport Minister. Saksayam Chidchob says services to the station will initially be decreased from 118 a day to 22, before being phased out completely. No date has been confirmed for the termination of all services, but an earlier proposal has it pencilled in for December…

  • Krathong cleanup: Prayers to the water goddess trash Thailand’s rivers | Thaiger

    Krathong cleanup: Prayers to the water goddess trash Thailand’s rivers

    Under the full moon on Friday, Thais gathered by rivers and canals to float their intricately-made offerings, known as krathongs, to give thanks to the water goddess. But overnight garbage collectors in Bangkok quickly cleaned the waterways before sunrise, loading dump trucks with krathongs and other debris. The Loy Krathong festival is a known as a popular tradition where Thais…

  • Men arrested in Australia over July’s major heroin bust in Thailand | Thaiger

    Men arrested in Australia over July’s major heroin bust in Thailand

    Two Australian men who allegedly conspired to smuggle more than 300 kilograms of heroin from Thailand to their home country were recently arrested by Australian Federal Police. AFP say one of the suspects is “one of the nation’s most significant organised crime threats” and is designated as an Australian Priority Organisation Target, or APOT. Back in July, Thai customs officials…

  • Government agency ups 2021 foreign arrivals prediction to 200,000 | Thaiger

    Government agency ups 2021 foreign arrivals prediction to 200,000

    An agency under the Ministry of Finance has increased its 2021 tourist arrivals forecast to 200,000. The Fiscal Policy Office had previously stated that it expected 180,000 foreign arrivals by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Pornchai Thiraveja from the FPO says this now looks likely to increase. During the first 2 weeks of November,…

  • Thai PM denies he’s trying to remain in power for up to 20 years | Thaiger

    Thai PM denies he’s trying to remain in power for up to 20 years

    The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says it’s not true he’s using the 20-year national strategy as an excuse to cling on to power for up to 20 years. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM rejected the allegation during a speech at a Thai Chamber of Commerce event yesterday. “Efforts have been made to distort the intention (of the…

  • Economist: government’s lag on migrant labour hurting economy | Thaiger

    Economist: government’s lag on migrant labour hurting economy

    The reopening of Thailand has finally kickstarted the economy and put people back to work, but many businesses are struggling with a shortage of migrant labour. While the government has been cracking down on immigrants crossing the border illegally looking for work, many sectors are complaining that the government was unprepared for the country’s reopening and didn’t make efforts to…

  • Gold store robber in Khon Kaen wanted, 50,000 baht reward | Thaiger

    Gold store robber in Khon Kaen wanted, 50,000 baht reward

    A daring armed robbery of a gold store in Khon Kaen has resulted in a manhunt with authorities now offering a 50,000 baht reward for any information that leads to the capture of the thief. The robbery took place at a gold shop within a department store yesterday evening and was captured by a security camera. The footage shows a…

  • Glue sniffing man charged with murder for a temple beating | Thaiger

    Glue sniffing man charged with murder for a temple beating

    A man high from sniffing glue beat an older man to death with a piece of firewood in a temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat after the man refused to give him tobacco. The murder took place earlier today at Wat Khiriwong temple in Lan Saka district. The attacker was a 42 year old man from a village in tambon Kam…

  • Tourism seeing signs of recovery after Covid-19 pandemic | Thaiger

    Tourism seeing signs of recovery after Covid-19 pandemic

    Thailand’s reopening hasn’t quite caused an avalanche of tourists pouring into the country, but the tourism industry is seeing some recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with a steadily increasing stream of arrivals gaining momentum. The CCSA reports that nearly 60,000 international travellers have entered Thailand in the first 16 days of the reopening program. With the increasing daily arrivals, November…

  • Chamber of Commerce proposes familiar plans for the economy | Thaiger

    Chamber of Commerce proposes familiar plans for the economy

    Ahead of a meeting with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha tomorrow, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has compiled a list of measures to boost Thailand’s struggling economy. The proposal was sourced from 5 regional chambers of commerce and will be submitted to the prime minister tomorrow as part of his meetings with private sector representatives. The proposed measures aren’t particularly groundbreaking, mostly…

  • Thai man arrested for alleged rape, drowning, burning Burmese woman | Thaiger

    Thai man arrested for alleged rape, drowning, burning Burmese woman

    A 21 year old Burmese woman died after Thai man allegedly abducted, raped, accidentally drowned her, then set her body on fire. The incident took place in Prachin Buri and police have now arrested a 27 year old man who is alleged to have confessed to his crime, saying he was haunted by her spirit. Boonlai Buaman is working for…

  • Wat Arsasongkhram used flood waters to celebrate Loy Krathong | Thaiger

    Wat Arsasongkhram used flood waters to celebrate Loy Krathong

    For Wat Arsasongkhram in Samut Prakan, flooding seemed like the appropriate way to celebrate Loy Krathong, the festival offering worship to the water goddess Ganga. For a holiday that sees millions of Thai people floating krathong boats in bodies of water across Thailand, the temple took advantage of recent flooding to offer a unique venue for the boats to float.…

  • Racing in Thailand: all about Pattaya’s Bira Circuit | Thaiger

    Racing in Thailand: all about Pattaya’s Bira Circuit

    Car lovers and racing enthusiasts in Thailand have flocked towards Thailand’s orginal racing venue since its inception in 1985. The Bira Circuit was created after the country’s only Formula 1 competitor, Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, or Prince Bira of Siam. The Prince was also only part of a select few in Thailand that has competed in the Olympic games for…

  • TAT touts another rosy outlook for 2022 arrivals into Thailand – VIDEOS | Thaiger

    TAT touts another rosy outlook for 2022 arrivals into Thailand – VIDEOS

    Whilst the Ministry of Tourism and Sports approve marketing spending for 2022, their tourism promotion arm, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, have been throwing around more highly optimistic arrival figures for next year. “TAT set the revenue target from tourism in 2022 at 1.5 trillion baht, or about 50% of tourism revenue in 2019 (before the Covid-19 situation)”, according to…

  • PM Prayut holds unscheduled meeting with US CIA head | Thaiger

    PM Prayut holds unscheduled meeting with US CIA head

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had an officially unscheduled meeting this morning with David Cohen, the deputy director of the US Central Intelligence Agency. The unannounced meeting took place this morning when the deputy director of the CIA dropped in on the prime minister at Government House. The unscheduled meeting between the Thai prime minister and the American intelligence official was held…

  • Police “Joe Ferrari” torture case in court today, main charges denied | Thaiger

    Police “Joe Ferrari” torture case in court today, main charges denied

    Today the 7 police officers accused of the suffocation death caught on video of a suspect in custody at the Nakhon Sawan police station had their day in court. Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon admitted that he assaulted the suspect, but claimed his death was an accident and denied the strongest charges of murder and torture against him. In…

  • Narcotics police detail November busts and shootout case | Thaiger

    Narcotics police detail November busts and shootout case

    The month of November has been a fruitful one for narcotics police, with 7 cases netting 12 arrests, 200 kilogrammes of marijuana, 300 kilogrammes of crystal meth, and 6.4 million meth pills. Narcotics suppression officials announced the totals today and gave new details of the most prolific case which ended in a shootout but confiscated 6 million meth pills last…

  • TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones | Thaiger

    TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones

    Throughout the Blue Zone, designated as tourist provinces that are welcoming tourists in a 7-day Sandbox scheme, events and celebrations are taking place to welcome people back to Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand compiled a list of activities and highlights in November and December from these 17 zones where fully vaccinated travellers can arrive from around the world with…

  • Public transport drivers subject to safety points system from December | Thaiger

    Public transport drivers subject to safety points system from December

    The Department of Land Transport is implementing a points-based system to punish public transport drivers for bad behaviours starting December 1. The system will give drivers 100 points to begin with and demerit points for every violation of traffic laws or safety, resulting in a temporary suspension of their license. The Director-General of the department explained the system that will…