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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Gun-toting Thai YouTuber arrested for attempted murder after 5 years on the run
A famous YouTuber was finally arrested at his home in Nontha Buri province in central Thailand yesterday for attempted murder after 5 years on the run. Worrachate “Taek” Jantaphan was charged with attempted murder in 2017 after he used a gun to shoot at a truck, injuring its driver, because it was parked in front of his resort accommodation. The 63…
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Thai PM promises to speed up projects if he’s re-elected
The unofficial election campaign continues as Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha promises to accelerate existing projects if re-elected. He said that, if re-elected as prime minister after the next election he will “speed up projects.” The Thai PM has never stood for election as an MP in Thailand and won a vote for the prime ministership in a joint sitting in…
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US cop gets extra 20 years for George Floyd’s killing
The US cop who murdered George Floyd yesterday received another 20 years in prison on top of his original sentence for violating the victim’s civil rights. Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is already serving over 22 years after being convicted of the 46 year old’s death in May 2020 after pleading guilty to the separate federal civil rights…
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UPDATE: UK PM Boris Johnson’s resignation speech in full
UPDATE: Boris Johnson today resigned as Britain’s prime minister. The 58 year old gave a speech outside of 10 Downing Street at 1pm UK time. Here is the full resignation speech: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I’ve…
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Thailand: Don’t answer calls starting with +697, it’s a scam
If a number starting with +697 rings you, don’t answer. Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) says it is most likely a scam call centre trying to swindle you out of money. In a smart move to combat call centre scams, Thailand’s National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has purposefully added the prefix +697 to IP calls to help people…
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Thai health minister defends decision to decriminalise cannabis
The Thai Deputy PM and Minister of Public Health today defended his decision to legalise Cannabis. Anutin Charnvirakul, speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, was grilled by journalists about his decision to decriminalise the drug on June 6, and insisted it was the right decision. “Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 issue, the Cannabis Act could not be finished…
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Petrol prices in Bangkok reduced tomorrow
Good news for Bangkok motorists as the PTT Oil and Retail Business today announced the cost of petrol will be reduced from tomorrow (Friday) morning. The retail prices of petrol and all types of gasohol except E85 will drop by 3 baht per litre, E85 by 1.8 baht per litre, at 5am tomorrow. It’s not all good news for motorists…
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Thai student slashed in high-speed car chase after school row
A schoolgirl was slashed by a knife after the mother of a schoolboy pursued a group of teenage students down a highway following a row at her son’s sports day. The Facebook page, Let Me Know If You Want to Be Famous Return Part 3, อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทิร์น พาร์ท 3, posted a video of the high-speed car chase, which was recorded…
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UPDATE: Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as UK prime minister
UPDATE: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there will be “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end” as and when Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader. But the SNP leader questions the sustainability of Johnson staying on until the autumn, and says he was always “manifestly unfit…
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British man beaten up and robbed in Pattaya, Thailand
A British tourist who woke up in his underwear on the floor on a Pattaya path says he got beaten up and robbed by 4 Thai men after a night of heavy drinking. Police found 29 year old Farnie (surname reserved) of British nationality covered in bruises on the floor of North Pattaya Road yesterday at noon. Farnie was missing…
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‘A poll is just a poll,’ Thai PM Prayut unfazed by opposition’s popularity
Thailand will hold a general election at some point before March 2023, but polls reveal that current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is not the favourite to win. PM Prayut says he’s not worried about the poll results, because “a poll is just a poll.” Paetongtarn Shinawatra – daughter of ousted ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and central figure of the Pheu Thai Party…
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Grandmother stabbed more than 20 times in brutal murder in central Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man stabbed a 75 year old woman to death at her home in Phetchaburi province, central Thailand, on Tuesday. The woman’s daughter, 39 year old Yok, said she had been unwell and had been taking sleeping pills. Yok woke up at noon to find her mother – 75 year old Suthasinee Phansawat…
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Thai MP and brother get 2 years jail for election fraud
Former Democrat Party MP Theptai Seanpong and his younger brother, Manoch Seanpong, were sentenced to a prison term of 2 years and political disqualification for 10 years after being found guilty of election fraud during the provincial administrative organization election in 2013 in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Seanpong family is well-known among residents of Nakhon Si…
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2 Chinese charged with attempted murder after making a f-arse of extortion attempt
A botched 3 million baht extortion attempt by 2 Chinese nationals turned into a f-arse when one of them shot a fellow countryman in the buttock. A married Chinese couple Yu Wang and Li Min met with mainland compatriot Wang Xiaoye at a house in Muang district of Chiang Mai under the pretence of selling some antique porcelain at around…
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Foreigners may have to pay more for hotels than Thais
Dual pricing could be coming to a hotel near you. That’s if a proposal from the tourism ministry and Tourism Authority of Thailand gets the go-ahead. Yes, despite Thailand tourism officials’ express wish to attract as many foreigners to Thailand, there are plans to increase hotel prices to pre-pandemic levels to boost the recovery of the hospitality industry – but…
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Thaksin predicts the opposition parties will win election in a landslide
Talking on a social media chat program this week, fugitive and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra says the opposition parties, or as he described them, the “pro-democracy” parties, will win. And win with an absolute majority. The interview was conducted on ‘Care Talk’ on the Clubhouse app on Tuesday this week. Thaksin was speaking online from his house in Dubai.…
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PM Prayut drives electric car with Swiss ambassador
After completing her term in Thailand, Helene Budliger Artierda, the Swiss ambassador, paid a farewell visit to Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House. Helene came to visit Prayut in an electric-powered red Mini Cooper, which caught the PM’s attention during their conversation. Just before the Swiss ambassador could head back to the embassy, Prayut asked about the car. He…
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Sri Lanka PM tells bankrupt nation to prepare for ‘difficult journey’
The Sri Lanka prime minister told the nation to prepare for “a difficult and bitter journey” as he declared the country bankrupt and prepared to approach the International Monetary Fund for a loan. PM Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday declared Sri Lanka “bankrupt” before making public that he had approached the IMF to figure a way out of the nation’s worst financial…
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Phuket will have a tsunami drill on July 20 following multiple small tremors offshore
There will be a tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket’s Thalang district on July 20 after a number of underwater earthquakes off the Nicobar Islands, some 500 kilometres away, increased residents’ fears of a possible tsunami. Phuket tsunami 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were continuously hit by 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude underwater earthquakes for three…
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Thailand’s tourism sector is asking for an additional 1 billion baht budget
The Thai tourism sector has asked for an additional budget of about 1 billion baht to boost the Thai economy in hopes of making 265 billion baht (from inbound tourists). The tourism sector says they should be able to secure at least 80 million domestic trips, gaining 215 billion baht, alone. Then, they predict, the international market will see 1…
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Government panel now fears negative effect of cannabis on tourism
The decriminalisation of cannabis could actually severely damage tourism in Thailand, according to a House committee discussing the 2023 fiscal year budget bill. The committee spokesperson said that a meeting yesterday was discussing money allocation for the Ministry of Public Health when the debate topic turned to the effect of legalised cannabis on the budget. Members of the committee fear…
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Pattaya karaoke bar closed after social media exposes sex services
Widespread prostitution may well be Thailand’s worst kept secret, with sex services being covertly offered in a variety of venues across the country such as bars, clubs, and massage shops. But a karaoke shop in Pattaya has temporarily shut down after social media post outed the well-known sex for sale secret. Though the official name of the venue was not…
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UPDATE: High-profile officer not corrupt says Bangkok residents
Thirty community leaders from the Lat Krabang district met with Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittupunt yesterday to demand justice for a high-profile district officer. The community leaders, led by a former Bangkok Metropolitan Council candidate, Ronnachai Sangkamitkun, visited Chadchart’s office at BMA City Hall near the Giant Swing, and asked him to provide more information about the city’s corruption investigation into…
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Major floods hit Australia
Heavy rains have caused major floods in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Authorities have warned that the crisis could last until early next week. Already over 85,000 people in New South Wales, most in Sydney’s western suburbs, have been asked to either evacuate or warned they might receive evacuation orders. Australia’s PM Anthony Albanese announced today that flood victims will…
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200 new electric buses will be in service in the Thai capital
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will partner with private companies to run over 200 electric buses to increase capacity so it can transport up to a million people each day. The new electric buses are also part of the city’s efforts to upgrade its old bus services and reduce Bangkok’s overall carbon footprint. The new electric bus system will rapidly…
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Thai man escapes with life after love triangle shootout
A Thai man escaped with his life after an argument with his girlfriend turned into a scene from a gangster movie. Teerapan Mulma got into a row with his girlfriend at a party on Sunday, July 3 at Pattaya Waterworks Authority in Pattaya, which spiraled into a shootout. The 34 year old was enjoying drinks with his girlfriend and a…
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Smoking and selling cannabis in public is illegal, warns Bangkok deputy governor
Bangkok’s deputy governor would like to remind the public that smoking and selling cannabis in public places is illegal. The reminder follows a meeting in which vendors called for the infamous Khao San Road to become a “Ganja Hub.” The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said: no. Bangkok Deputy Governor Chakkhaphan Phewngam chaired a meeting at Din Daeng City Hall today to…
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Insurance companies in uproar over Covid scam by clients
In a bizarre twist of fate, insurance companies are crying wolf after being scammed out of 500 million baht from a Covid-19 insurance scheme. Evidence has emerged that thousands of people who bought the “Found, Paid, Done” Covid-19 insurance scheme submitted fake documents for compensation totalling an estimated 500 million baht. The president of the Thai General Insurance Association, Anon…
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Customs seizes 175 million baht of ketamine heading to Taiwan
In a huge drug bust, ketamine with a street value of 175 million baht was seized by customs officials in Bangkok, stopping the drugs from leaving the country. The officials recovered 50 kilogrammes of ketamine at Bangkok Port that were scheduled to be sent illegally to Taiwan. The Customs Department uncovered the criminal drug shipment at the port right before…
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Suitcases packed as Thais get ready for domestic travel
The number of locals planning their vacations is predicted to spike for the first time since the pandemic broke out over 2 years ago. The President of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Chamnan Srisawat, predicts there will be a high number of Thai nationals travelling domestically in the third quarter of 2022 thanks to the easing of restrictions and regulations…
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