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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Woman suffers burns as bus bursts into flames after brake failure
A woman suffered burns to her arm as passengers fled a blazing bus outside a busy shoppin mall yesterday evening. The airconditioned and gas-fuelled bus caught fire in Nonthaburi, northwest of Bangkok, due to a failed brake system which lead to it overheating, according to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority. Around 30 passengers fled the blaze but, unfortunately, one female…
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Chadchart’s victory is a triumph for democracy says former PM
Thailand’s former PM Thaksin Shinawatra says Chadchart Sittipunt’s landslide victory in the Bangkok governor election was a result of pro democracy followers voting for him, and declared the result will be mirrored in the kingdom’s next national election, in an interview with The Room 44. Move Forward’s candidate, Wiroj Lakhanaadisorn, was predicted to win the popular vote but electors chose…
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Scams are on the rise with over 1 billion baht stolen
Thailand suffered losses of over 1 billion baht as a consequence of growing online scams. Last year, around 1,600 people were targets of fake call centres, and almost 50,000 complaints were lodged, more than double the number of the same time last year. More than 6 million scam calls were made, nearly 300% up while there were 60% more bogus…
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AirAsia plane lands on wrong runway in Bangkok
Today, Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority – or CAAT – reported a “serious incident” which took place earlier this month. On May 4, an AirAsia Airbus A320-200 landed on the wrong runway at Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport. The Thai AirAsia aircraft departed Ranong city at 12:43 and landed on Don Muang’s unassigned 21L runway at 13:36, instead of the 21R runway…
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11 Malaria patients found in Thailand’s east, blood from monkeys on Koh Chang tested
The eastern Thai province of Trat has reported 11 malaria patients, 9 from Koh Chang and 2 from the Bor Rai district. The type of malaria found in the residents is the parasite plasmodium knowlesi. The disease was first detected in the local monkey population and then transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Blood from random monkeys on Koh Chang has…
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5,000 prisoners in Thailand are suffering from mental health illness
There are 260,000 prisoners across 143 jails in Thailand, and around 5,000 convicts are dealing with mental health problems. Psychologists have revealed reports of anxiety and depression that is most common among prisoners sentenced for drug-related offences. A large number of offenders already suffer from mental illness before arrest while others deteriorate once they are jailed, according to the Corrections…
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Cruise ships set to return to Phuket for first time since pandemic
All aboard! The southern Thai island of Phuket is set to welcome back the cruise ships, for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Spectrum of the Seas will dock in Phuket next month. Pichet Songtan from the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 says officials have given the…
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Thai tourism officials aiming for 50% hotel occupancy rate this year
Tourism officials in Thailand have set a target of 50% hotel occupancy this year, in order to revive the tourism sector, following a further easing of restrictions from June 1. According to Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, hotel occupancy dropped to 29% during 2020 and then plunged to 14% in 2021. It needs to climb back…
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Unemployment rate dropped with removal of Covid-19 restrictions
Thailand’s unemployment rate dropped significantly since the coronavirus outbreak. The quota fell to 1.53% from 1.64% since the beginning of 2022 meaning just over 600,000 people are currently unemployed. Before the Covid-19 pandemic the unemployment rate was at 1% in Q1 of 2020, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC). But the good news is that the…
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Thai Airways to auction off Boeing 737-400 Airframe via Facebook Live
After reporting a net loss of nearly 3.4 billion baht on revenue in Q1, cash-strapped Thai Airways are continuing their online yard sale in a bid to make some extra money. This time, the airline is auctioning off an entire Boeing 737-400 airframe via Facebook Live on their page TG Warehouse Sale this Wednesday, May 25, at 3pm. A TG…
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PM Prayut congratulates Chadchart on becoming governor
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha congratulated Chadchart Sittipunt, who is expected to be confirmed as Bangkok’s new governor following Sunday’s elections, and promised to back his tenure in charge. The Thai PM says his government will provide Chadchart’s office with all the support they need to continue the growth and development of Bangkok. “The prime minister has made it clear that…
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Landslide victory for elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt
Yesterday, Bangkok held its first governor election in eight years. Independent candidate Chadchart Sittipunt won the vote by a landslide, gaining almost 1.4 million votes, breaking the record for the highest number of votes ever in a Bangkok gubernatorial election. Of the 4.36 million people eligible to vote in the election, a total of 2,635,283 people voted yesterday, or 60.48%.…
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Australian voters sweep conservative government out of power
Australian voters have delivered a stark rebuke to both of the major political parties, awarding votes to a raft of new independent MPs who will take seats in the new lower house of the Australian parliament. Both major parties – the Liberal/National conservative coalition and the centre-left Australian Labor Party – lost their way in a sea of big changes…
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Thailand tourism authorities expect 1 million arrivals per month starting June
Thailand’s tourism authorities say their goal for the number of foreign arrivals in Thailand is expected to happen earlier than they predicted it would. The Tourism Authority of Thailand previously said it expected 1 million tourists per month to arrive in Thailand between October and December, leading up to the high season. But now, the TAT says Thailand should reach…
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Krabi yacht capsizes in storm
A yacht capsized in stormy waters in Thailand’s southern province of Krabi early this morning. Thailand’s marine authorities got a phone call from the yach’ts 3 passengers, who said they had gotten onto a dinghy boat after the yacht sunk. They said the yacht capsized between the islands of Koh Ha and Koh Lanta. They said the dinghy was drifting…
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Police under investigation in central Thailand after viral video
Police have transferred 2 officers to inactive posts in Thailand’s central province of Nakhon Pathom following a viral video of the officers kicking and stomping on 2 young men. A fact-finding investigation of the 2 officers is now underway. The video first shows the officers pulling over on the side of a road in their truck, as 3 young men…
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Thailand’s biggest light festival kicks off on Phuket shores
Thailand’s biggest light festival arrived on the shores of Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach yesterday. Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand welcomed partiers to the Aqua Lumina Illumination Festival with, as you’d expect, lots of colourful lights. The Phuket edition of the festival is set to last until May 31. Aqua Lumina’s theme in Phuket is “Land of the Guardians…
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UPDATE: GoFundMe page for victim of Pattaya gym assault – VIDEO
THE LATEST Following a violent attack at a Pattaya gym earlier this week, the victim has come forward and given a video interview with Youtuber Bryan Flowers. The victim, 46 year old British national Gary Reed, recounts how a fellow gym goer struck him hard in the face with a dumbbell when he wouldn’t move from the bench he was…
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Thailand Pass remains, at least until the end of June
A good news and bad news day yesterday as the Thailand Pass was scrapped for Thais at the end of May, but remains an online digital gateway requirement for foreigners, at least until the end of June, perhaps beyond. The only good news for foreign travellers, in yesterday’s briefing, was the removal of quarantine for unvaccinated, or under-vaccinated, inbound arrivals.…
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UPDATE: Chief in Phuket says black water is “not from businesses”
THE LATEST After a popular Facebook page claimed this week that dirty black water at a Phuket beach is being caused by nearby businesses, an official insists it is not. The page, titled Monsoon Garbage Thailand, posted a damning video of the water flowing into the ocean at Kamala Beach. But Kamala Tambon Administrative Organisation Chief Jutha Dumlak told The Phuket…
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Love drugs found in hotel of Aussie man who plunged to his death
Thai police yesterday concluded there was no foul play involved in the death of Billy James Simmons who died Tuesday after he fell from his hotel room balcony. Local police in Phuket established after an investigation that the death of the 22 year old Australian was an accident. The Aussie backpacker was found dead on Tuesday evening around 10pm by…
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Thailand’s bottled palm oil price continues to skyrocket
Efforts by Thailand’s palm oil farmers, extractors, and producers to cap the price of bottled palm oil at 64-66 baht per litre have proved fruitless. The price has now skyrocketed to 70-76 baht in some markets, according to a survey by Thai PBS. The survey says that in department stores, the price is 68 baht per litre or lower. Palm…
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No reason given for permanent closure of popular Saphan Pla Hua Hin Walking Street
Saphan Pla Walking Street, in Hua Hin district of the southern province Prachuab Khiri Khan, has closed permanently. The announcement of the closure appeared on the walking street’s official Facebook page on Wednesday, May 18. The page announced, “Saphan Pla Hua Hin Walking Street closes permanently for some reason. Sorry to everyone who is interested to visit and contact us…
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Thailand sets sights on “wealthy foreign tourists” to recover economy
The Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, is again going to target “wealthy group of tourists” as it works out its marketing plan as it contributes to the recovery the Thai economy following a 2 year hiatus due to closed borders and restrictions. The TAT claims that, focussing on the “rich groups”, 1.93 trillion baht will be generated in 2024…
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Expect more floods coming up this weekend in most of Thailand
If you’ve loved all the heavy rains and flash flooding throughout Thailand this past week, then get excited for this weekend! The Thai Meteorological Department warned yesterday to expect heavy to very heavy rains in most areas including the north, northeast, central Thailand, the east, the Bangkok area, and the south. The heavy rain may cause flash floods from May…
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UPDATE: Bangkok governor candidates answer Russell Crowe’s questions on TV
UPDATE: Bangkok governor candidates answer Russell Crowe’s questions on Thai TV Russell Crowe’s pre-recorded questions for Bangkok governor candidates were streamed on Channel 7HD’s live programme “22 May: Deciding Bangkok’s Fate” this afternoon, prior to the election coming up this Sunday. Crowe asked the questions in English, and three Bangkok governor candidates answered in Thai. Each candidate was given 2…
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As travel opens, Phuket officials gather to fight drug problem
Now that Thailand’s travel restrictions are easing, Phuket officials are on guard for an expected increase in demands for illegal drugs. This morning, a group of officials held a meeting at Phuket City Hall to discuss drug issues in the island province. The meeting was led by a director from the Region 8 Drug Enforcement Administration. Officials from other government…
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Canadian man arrested for stealing traffic barriers in Chiang Mai
Police have arrested a Canadian expat in Chiang Mai after driving his car around the city to steal metal traffic barriers. Yes, traffic barriers. 69 year old Ronald John Price was arrested today on Ratchadamnoen Road in Chiang Mai. According to reports, Mr. Price covered his face whilst stealing metal traffic barriers from around the province. He drove his sedan…
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Leaders of smaller Thai parties want to legalise online casinos
Twenty representatives of smaller Thai political parties have submitted a draft amendment for the Gambling Act to Thailand’s parliamentary house speaker yesterday. The draft amendment would aim to legalise online casinos. An MP from the Thai Local Power Party said that legalising online casinos will let authorities collect taxes from license holders, and decide how to punish illegal casino operators.…
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Thai officials vow to solve household debt problem at Phuket event
Thai officials held a ‘Household Debt Reconciliation Fair’ in Phuket yesterday. At the event, Thailand’s Minister of Justice Somsak Thepsutin said the government has designated 2022 as the “Year of Solving Household Debt”. He said that 2,810 people had registered for the event. Somsak said that several government departments have organised events to “facilitate the mediation process of household debts…
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