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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New Thailand tourism music video features PM Prayut
The Thai Khu Fah Facebook page that is run by the government to encourage tourism has launched a new music video starring PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The video features photos of the prime minister and the group of government officials that accompanied him on a recent trip to Nopparat Beach in Krabi. The pictures and video of the prime minister on…
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Thailand coast along the Andaman Sea eyed to be UNESCO World Heritage site
A large swath of coastline in Southern Thailand has been approved by the Cabinet to be a potential new UNESCO World Heritage site. This area runs along the Andaman sea from Phuket up through Phang nga and Ranong, and much of it is already approved nature reserves and national park land. The total site comprises around 1,160 square kilometres. A…
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Prayut reportedly says draft charter amendments should not touch the Monarchy
As Thai politicians mull over changes to propose to the country’s constitution, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that any amendments lawmakers are seeking to make, the institution of the Royal Family must be left untouched, according to the Bangkok Post. Bangkok Post reporters spoke with a source who attended a mobile cabinet meeting in Krabi, which was chaired by the prime…
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Police crackdown after CNN investigation into multimillion dollar medical glove scam
Thai police have arrested a Japanese businessman and have issued several arrest warrants following the CNN investigation into the multimillion dollar, transnational medical glove scam involving a Thailand-based company. According to the report, millions of used medical gloves, some stained with blood, were exported from Thailand to American companies looking to cash in on the pandemic-driven spike in demand for…
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Phuket’s Bangla Road inspected by national and local health officials
Health officials went to Phuket’s Bangla Road, but not for a beer. The deputy director of Thailand’s Department of Health went to Phuket and inspect the famed walking street in person, reviewing Covid-19 prevention measures. While bars and nightclubs are ordered to be closed nationwide, photos from the provincial health office show bars are the street packed with people, and…
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Thailand’s southernmost town Betong to reopen to tourism
Neighboring Malaysia, Betong in southern Thailand will reopen for sightseeing tourists from December 1. The Yala provincial governor says that over 70 percent of residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Several renowned tourist attractions in the region, including the Anyorweng skywalk, hot springs, historical Malayan communist tunnel, and flower fields, have been prepared to welcome guests adhering to anti-Covid measures,…
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Poverty rising during pandemic, 15 million expected to be on welfare by 2022
Thailand’s poverty rate has been increasing during the pandemic. According to the deputy Finance Minister, the number of Thais receiving state welfare is expected to increase by over 1 million, totaling around 15 million people. Based on Worldometer statistics, this means that next year over 21% of the population will be on welfare, or around 1 in 5 people in the…
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Protesters opposing PM visit detained by police in Krabi
A number of activists opposing the visit of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to the southern province of Krabi were detained by police yesterday. Thai PBS World reports that the 5 activists rallied at the province’s Ao Nang beach to protest a visit by the Thai leader. The PM and members of his administration were in Krabi for a mobile Cabinet meeting…
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Thailand’s Maya Bay set to reopen in January
Maya Bay. Remember that breathtakingly pretty beach on Koh Phi Phi Leh off Krabi? Now, the beach that featured in “The Beach” is now poised to reopen. The iconic natural cove of limestone karsts, turquoise waters and THAT beach was one of Thailand’s most popular attractions for a decade with up to 6,000 visitors everyday. But in the end even…
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Only 8 foreign tourists visit Hua Hin since November 1 reopening
Despite Thailand’s reopening, the beach destination of Hua Hin is still extremely quiet. The country officially reopened its borders on November 1, and has seen almost 45,000 international visitors arrive in the last two weeks. But in that time, the town of Hua Hin has seen only 8 foreigners arrive. Hua Hin has historically been a popular beach town in…
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Heavy rain and landslide cause villas at Koh Samui resort to collapse
Heavy rain and landslides caused several villas at a resort on Koh Samui to collapse on Saturday. Torrential rain over the past several days flooded several areas on the island and, according to weather reports, rain is expected to continue for the next few days. The landslide hit the Merit Resort Samui early Saturday morning. The resort’s general manager described…
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Swiss man arrested on Koh Chang after going on the rampage while high on drugs
Police on the eastern island of Koh Chang have arrested a Swiss man after he began destroying his room while high on drugs. Police chief Apisak Kamnert says officers responded to a call from a homestay owner who reported that a foreigner was smashing up his room. The unnamed 58 year old Swiss man was arrested after creating significant damage…
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2 anti-government protesters shot in Bangkok as German embassy accepts letter from activists
At least 2 anti-government protesters were shot during yesterday’s rally in Bangkok, which culminated with activists delivering a letter to the German Embassy. (Some reports in Thai media say 3 protesters were shot.) Protest leader Thatchapong Kaedam said the letter informed the embassy of a recent Constitutional Court verdict that ruled that 3 activists were guilty of plotting to overthrow…
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Protesters march to German embassy, present statement against monarchy
Today saw a large and intense pro-democracy demonstration that culminated in a march to the German embassy where protesters submitted a statement against absolute monarchy. When they arrived, 3 representatives of the protesters were allowed to enter the embassy and officially present the declaration which stated that they were calling for a protection of democracy and an opposition to a…
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Truck with 6 million meth pills flees police, ends in shootout
In Chiang Mai, a dramatic drug bust of 6 million meth pills started with the suspect smashing through a roadblock in his truck and ended in a hail of gunfire. The pursuit and shootout took place yesterday in the northern province’s Mae Ai district last night with a rogue suspect leading police on a tense car chase to Fang district.…
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Chiang Mai tourism almost exclusively domestic for now
With Chiang Mai currently experiencing the fourth-highest daily infections in the country – 357 people in today’s figures – it’s not surprising that international tourism has hardly bounced back since the reopening of Thailand 2 weeks ago. The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the province has been estimated to have lost tourism revenue as high as 70 billion baht…
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Phuket post-Sandbox arrivals double, surge in domestic tourism
Thailand has only been reopened for 2 weeks, but the Phuket Sandbox was the tourism experiment that started it all. And though Phuket has been welcoming international travellers since way back in July, the November 1 reopening saw a noticeable boost in arriving visitors, both foreign and domestic. The Sandbox scheme that required a soft quarantine where travellers could roam…
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Thai flights up 25%, experts suggest travel bubbles, cheaper Covid tests
Thailand’s reopening isn’t just a boost for Thai tourism businesses; it also provided a ray of hope in Asia for the battered airline industry as the first reopening in the region. The Executive Chairman of Thai AirAsia’s largest shareholder, Asia Aviation, says this sets the tone for flights, the tourism economy, and businesses in the country. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok,…
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Tourism in Thailand is slowly returning, still a long road ahead
Though the government’s expected flood of tourists entering Thailand since the reopening 2 weeks ago has been closer to a trickle, businesses are seeing a bit of an uptick in tourism. Still, they are calling on the government to loosen Covid-19 restrictions and asking for federal financial programs to be extended and expanded to help speed recovery. The president of…
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Phuket to get 3 new tourist attractions
4 months after the launch of the Phuket Sandbox, a pilot reopening scheme that has now morphed into a country-wide reopening plan for international travellers, the local Phuket government are talking about spending 100 million baht on new landmarks to help attract tourists. The first of 3 landmark projects is a glass skywalk which would allow visitors to walk along…
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Police officer and his wife arrested for drug dealing, illegal guns
In the Phunphin district of Surat Thani, crystal methamphetamine was impounded from the home of a police officer and his wife could have now been arrested. The 52 year old police officer who worked at the Phunphin Police Station was arrested along with his 44 year old wife and charged with selling illicit drugs. A fact-finding investigation has been launched…
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Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?
OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…
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‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty
Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, along with 6 other police, will be indicted this week over 4 charges relating to the alleged torture and subsequent murder of a 24 year old drug suspect. The 7 police now facing official charges are… Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon (head of the station) Pol Maj Rawirot Ditthong Pol Capt Songyot Khlainak Pol Lt Thoranin…
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First 10 days: 30,000 arrivals; 147,000 Thailand Pass applicants
The Tourism Authority of Thailand totalled up some data for the first 10 days of Thailand’s reopening, with over 30,000 arrivals so far and nearly 150,000 applications submitted for the Thailand Pass to gain entry to the country. The TAT’s report states that the combined total of international travellers arriving at all of Thailand’s international airports – both Bangkok airports,…
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Zipair is the first budget airline to fly from Asia to the US
As tourists finally begin to take to the skies again, a low-cost airline in Japan is set to become the first budget carrier to fly from Asia to North America. Zipair Tokyo Inc announced today that it is launching flight service between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Los Angeles International Airport in California, the first budget airline to do so. Zipair…
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Flooding rains hamper Koh Samui for 2 days
The rain has stopped in Koh Samui… For a few minutes. On the island, there has been at least a drizzle nonstop for the past 2 days, with fits of torrential downpour pelting anyone who braves the weather.A popular Facebook group, Thunder Road Reporters, is a community group that members snap photos and post live updates of road conditions they…
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3 clinics raided with unlicensed South Korean chiropractic doctors
In Bangkok, 3 health clinics were raided by the Consumer Protection Division Police who found unregistered South Korean doctors working there. The raids took place in Chitlom and Sri Nakharin in Bangkok, and Muang Thong Thani housing estate in neighbouring Nonthaburi and were carried out under the coordination of Ministry of Public Health Ministerial Aide Sathit Pitudecha. The raids took…
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Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers
Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…
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Government considers easing entry rules, antigen testing may replace PCR test
In anticipation of more international arrivals in the coming months, the Thai government is reviewing current entry requirements. According to a Bangkok Post report, officials may replace the PCR test with antigen test kits and rules could be relaxed for people unfortunate enough to have sat near an infected passenger during their flight. Any amendment of the current rules would…
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Thailand’s safest motorbike helmets and where to get them
Thailand isn’t exactly known for its safe roads. In fact, the country has some of the most dangerous roads in which to traverse, especially if you take them on by motorbike. Compared to Europe and other Western countries, traffic situations and accidents are not dealt with in the same way. But, as it is quite hard to get an auto…
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