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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March 2020, the Thai month of cancellations
March will end up as the long month of cancellations. With Songkran looming, one of the busiest times for travel in Thailand, and increasingly one of the biggest annual tourist magnets to the Kingdom, cancelling Songkran would take Thailand into unchartered tourism and economic territory. Fears, real or imagined, are forcing companies and governments to assess their risks associated with…
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Thailand’s Koh Phangan full moon party cancelled
…until further notice. The next Full Moon Party, scheduled for March 8, has been cancelled. The memo from the Mayor of Koh Phangan says that the hugely popular monthly party has been cancelled due to fears associated with the Covid-19 virus. The memo also says that there will no further monthly parties until fears over the outbreak pass. The cancellation…
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Chon Buri’s Bangsaen district cancels all official Songkran activities
Saen Suk Municipality in Chon Buri province, near Pattaya, has cancelled the Wan Lai (Songkran) Festival activities scheduled for April 16-17. Narongchai Khunpluem, President of Saen Suk Municipality, made the announcement today via social media. Khunpluem says the cancellation is due to concern about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the government’s general instruction to avoid mass gatherings. The…
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Thai tourism ministry proposes 5 billion baht in tourist stimulus packages
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he will propose new domestic travel stimulus packages valued at 5 billion baht this Friday. The Minister says the aim is to cushion the impact of the coronavirus for the tourism service sector across the country. The Minister says that domestic tourism is “the priority during this difficult time. The government should implement…
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Chon Buri man kills neighbour with metal pipe after being refused a cigarette
Police in Chon Buri province, near Pattaya, arrested a 32 year old Thai man on Monday for allegedly beating his 51 year old neighbour to death with a metal pipe, after the neighbor refused to give him a cigarette. Police were informed of an incident at a home in the Map Pong sub district at 9:30pm. Officers arrived along with…
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Thailand News Today, March 4, 2020
Man arrested with 44 kilograms of marijuana in Phuket A 60 year old man is in custody after he was found collecting 44 kilograms of dried marijuana, valued at about 400,000 baht, from a parcel delivery company in Phuket. Police told a press conference yesterday that officers were tipped off about a large shipment of marijuana arriving in Phuket via…
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Teacher suspended for sexual abuse at Nakhon Pathom school
A teacher in Nakhon Pathom province just west of Bangkok, identified by students as a serial sexual predator, has been suspended an education official said yesterday. The teacher at Matthayom Than Bin Kamphaeng Saen School, whose name was not supplied, was transferred to an inactive post and placed under investigation, according to secretary-general of the Office of Basic Education Commission,…
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Ayuttaya man arrested with pistol, planning to shoot wife and her lover
Police in Ayuttaya, north of Bangkok, yesterday arrested a man carrying an unregistered handgun and ammunition, who told them he was on his way to shoot his wife and her lover a a nearby mall. 45 year old Somkhid Ruennangyaem was pulled over on his motorbike for a search near Naresuan bridge in tambon Pailing, about 11am on Tuesday. Police…
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Man arrested with 44 kilograms of marijuana in Phuket
A 60 year old man is in custody after he was found collecting 44 kilograms of dried marijuana, valued at about 400,000 baht, from a parcel delivery company in Phuket. Police told a press conference yesterday that officers got a tip that a large shipment of marijuana would arrive in Phuket via a parcel company on February 29. On the…
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Buri Ram MotoGP “postponed indefinitely” over virus fears
In a shocking reversal, the Thai MotoGP 2020, scheduled for March 20-22 in Buri Ram province, has been “postponed indefinitely” due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement yesterday. Despite earlier reassurances the race would go on, Anutin said the decision to suspend the event was made at…
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Bangkok motorbike taxi drivers attack Grab driver in broad daylight – VIDEO
Three motorbike taxi drivers (‘win’ drivers) have been fined after attacking a Grab bike driver carrying a passenger in Bangkok’s Khlong Tan district. The Grab driver reported to police that at 8:30am yesterday, he was picking up a customer at a condominium in Phra Khanong. He says a local taxi motorbike driver in front of the condo allegedly stopped him…
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Nong Nong forced to lift weights and perform for tourists at a Phuket zoo – VIDEO
A monkey has been filmed lifting weights and doing other ‘tricks’ for tourists at an unnamed zoo in Phuket. Footage was shot by people recording the video for PETA, the global animal rights group, of the monkey being forced to lift weights and do press-ups as entertainment for the island’s tourists. The monkey is an indigenous Macaque species and named ‘Ning…
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Samui’s Banyan Tree Hotel acts to protect sea turtle nest
Khun Veeraphat, a waiter at Sands beachfront restaurant on Koh Samui, made a startling discovery on February 13 when he spotted what appeared to be tracks coming from the sea. CCTV footage at Banyan Tree Samui clearly showed a giant sea turtle laying eggs on the beach the night before, then returning to the water. The luxury hotel, located on the…
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Thai Moto GP in Buriram postponed over outbreak fears
Another casualty of the current coronavirus precautions, one of the biggest sporting events in Thailand – the MotoGP 2020 in Buriram. The event was scheduled for March 20-22 in Buri Ram province, north east Thailand, where it has started to gather a huge local and international following. The Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement this morning.…
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What is 5G? Everything you should know about the next-gen mobile.
So what is 5G? 5G literally means fifth-generation wireless technology. The successor to 4G, the biggest changes include higher speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices at once. The benefits of 5G aren’t limited to its use. Qualcomm is predicting a $12.3 trillion economic boost worldwide, with 22 million new jobs thanks to both the infrastructure and…
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Pattaya ladyboy attacks American tourist with sodium hydroxide
Pattaya police announced the arrest of a transgender suspect who allegedly attacked an American tourist with sodium hydroxide over the weekend. Sodium hydroxide, also called lye or caustic soda, is a highly corrosive chemical that decomposes proteins at ordinary ambient temperatures and can cause cause severe chemical burns. It’s used in making wood pulp for paper and is a primary…
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Chiang Mai to see passenger numbers fall by 40% in wake of virus fears
The numbers at Chiang Mai’s international airport will fall 40% to 3.5 million in the first six months of this year if the outbreak of Covid-19 coronavirus drags on until the middle of the year. Chiang Mai airport deputy director Thananrat Prasertsri said late last week that flights to the airport during the period January 1 to February 25 dropped…
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Chiang Mai has the world’s worst air quality for second straight day
Virus or no, you may want to wear a mask if you’re in Chiang Mai today; as of 1:36pm, Airvisual.com has rated air quality there the worst in the world for a second day. Yangon, Kathmandu and Mumbai were close behind. The website showed Chiang Mai’s average pollution at 181, (down from 193 yesterday) meaning particulate matter less than 2.5…
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Biker killed, 5 injured in bike/van crash south of Bangkok
One man is dead and another 5 passengers injured after a big bike the man was driving slammed into a van making a U-turn along Old Sukhumvit road in the main business district. The incident occurred at about 8pm in tambon Bang Pu Mai, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, south of Bangkok. 32 year old Paveena Ratpipop, a…
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Man arrested for gunshots at Nontha Buri mall “to intimidate his wife”
In a further development to a story the Thaiger reported earlier, a Thai man has been arrested for firing a gun on Friday at the Central Plaza shopping mall in Nontha Buri, just outside of Bangkok. Police responded swiftly to the shooting and no casualties were reported. “The suspect is 41 years old and he reportedly fired six shots while…
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Students warned of limits on free speech, told not to threaten monarchy
Deputy national police spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen yesterday issued an ominous warning to students participating in the wave of rallies and demonstrations sweeping school campuses across the Kingdom. He says they are free to exercise their right to assembly but cautions them against “touching the institution,” an apparent reference to the monarchy. “The young demonstrators have to decide for themselves whether…
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Four Chinese men arrested for murder of compatriot in Kamphaeng Phet
Four Chinese nationals are in custody today for allegedly killing a Chinese businessman, stuffing his body in a suitcase and dumping it in a river in Thailand’s northern Kamphaeng Phet province, where it was found Tuesday. Krisana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, made the announcement this afternoon: “The body of Wang Jun, aged 30, was found doubled…
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Opposition lawmaker challenges PM to a duel
An opposition politician on Thursday challenged PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to a trial by combat. Saranwut Saranke, a member of the Pheu Thai party and MP for the northern Uttaradit province, made the challenge during the recent censure debate. After repeating a claim that Prayut harboured disloyalty toward the monarchy for failing to fully recite his oath of office last year,…
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Justice Ministry to go after drug gangs’ assets
Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin says drug syndicate networks along Thai borders, especially in the North, produce drugs worth about 1.9 billion baht annually. Now his ministry has set up a centre to seize their assets as part of an effort to stamp them out. Somsak says the amount of assets and money seized annually is too low: only about 400-500…
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World’s largest travel fair, ITB, cancelled in Berlin
Organisers of the world’s biggest travel expo, the ITB travel trade fair in Berlin, have cancelled the event over coronavirus fears. 160,000 visitors were expected to attend this year’s event. “We take our responsibility for the security and the health of our guests, exhibitors and employees very seriously. It is with a heavy heart that we have to look at the…
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A breathtaking travel experience in Thailand is only available for few more days
Thailand, the land of smiles, is well known for its travel destinations and experiences, from unique cuisine to white sand beaches, from elephant camps to breathtaking views. But ironically, one of the best lookout spots in Thailand is also one of the most exclusive. An incredible hike lets tourists enjoy some of the best views in all of Thailand, but…
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Thai minister Thammanat Prompao tells parliament he “never pled guilty” or “served time” over heroin drug charges
The Thai deputy agriculture minister Thammanat Prompao has re-ignited the controversy over his drug convictions in Australia by continuing to insist he “never pled guilty or served jail time for drug charges in Australia”. His claims are contrary to the evidence provided by the Australian courts. The ministers’s denial follows the disbanded Future Forward Party publishing an Australian court ruling on…
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PM, cabinet members win confidence vote in Parliament
After four days of debate, and vicious attacks from the opposition, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and five of his Cabinet easily won a vote of confidence from the House of Representatives this morning. MPs of the Pheu Thai Party, the largest opposition party, who walked out of the chamber near the end of the debate last night after it failing…
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‘Watching the Thais’ – understanding Thai culture
Why does a Thai smile at you after crashing into the back of your car? Why do Thais deplore walking? The heat, the heat. What about the weather? Why is everything done as a pack? What is all this ‘face’ stuff about? Lies? Confrontation? Sleeping and shopping? Just what is it with the Thais? What’s it all about? Author and…
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No monkeying around: coronavirus fears mean monkeys in the South are going hungry
It’s not only humans being affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak; monkeys in the southern province of Songkhla, usually dependent on food from tourists, are facing a shortage. Tourists from Singapore and Malaysia, normally abundant in Songkhla, are cancelling tours amid worries over the outbreak, resulting in far less daily food for the monkeys there. Local fruit vendors, taking pity…
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