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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Man arrested for killing a wild elephant in southern Thailand
A wild elephant was shot and killed by a local at a national park in southern Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan over the weekend. Police arrested the alleged shooter who is now facing charges of killing a protected animal and possessing an unlicensed firearm. Kui Buri National Park officials say this is the fourth wild elephant this month that has died…
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The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved extending the Emergency Decree
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved the proposal from the National Security Council last week to extend the emergency decree until the end of July. The decision was made at a meeting this morning with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and other relevant officials. Read more about last weeks proposal HERE. The CCSA says the extension was necessary because the…
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Phuket’s Sirinat National Park to open again from Wednesday
Sirinat National Park, along the west coast of the north end of Phuket, is set to re-open on Wednesday, according to the province’s deputy governor, Wongsakorn Numchukan. It follows the re-opening of other national parks around the country 2 weeks ago after a 2 month shutdown initiated to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus. And as with re-openings elsewhere,…
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Police arrest former security guard who robbed his workplace
Police arrested a man allegedly involved in decade-old burglaries. A group of security guards robbed a factory where they worked and have been hiding from police since 2007. The 44 year old man known as Tuk-Kae was arrested in southern Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Police say they hope the arrest will lead to new information about where the other…
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Online “Global Pride” marks 50th anniversary of gay pride movement
Half a century after the first Gay Pride march, the world’s LGBT community and its supporters took many of their events online yesterday in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although some activists still took to the streets to mark the event, much of the movement’s focus was channelled into Global Pride, a 24 hour online event broadcast live online. One…
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Second jogger poisoned in Nonthaburi park
Officials in Nonthaburi, just northwest of Bangkok, were sent to Makut Rommayasaran Park in the government complex, to survey sites for the installation of more surveillance cameras yesterday, after 2 joggers were poisoned, apparently by someone tampering with their water bottles. According to provincial police, 2 joggers fell unconscious after drinking water from their own water bottles, which had been…
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3 arrested for rape, death of teen schoolgirl
Police in Kanchanaburi, the largest of Thailand’s western provinces, have arrested 2 young men in connection with the rape and unexplained death of a teenage schoolgirl. They apprehended the pair yesterday after obtaining warrants. The 2 face charges of depriving a schoolgirl aged under 18 of parental care and also performing indecent acts. 21 year old Phakhin Chanyiam and 18…
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Pattaya motorcyclist killed in collision with minivan
A motorcyclist in Pattaya was pronounced dead at the scene after crashing into a minivan at an intersection. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at the Wat Boonkanjanaram intersection at 8pm. Police, emergency workers and reporters rushed to the scene to find a damaged motorbike, which had struck the back of white minivan at the intersection. The van…
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Government agency issues guidelines to help Thailand’s souvenir suppliers
Thailand’s Department of Industrial Promotion says it is working on ways to help the country’s souvenir makers recover from the devastation wreaked by the Covid-19 lock-down. Speaking to Nation Thailand, Nattapol Rangsitpol, director-general of the DIP, says the latest advice complements the government’s stimulus campaign Tiew Pan Suk (Trips to Share Happiness), aimed at boosting domestic tourism and the local…
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2 women arrested for human trafficking
Police have arrested 2 Thai women for luring Thai girls into prostitution in Dubai. The girls were told they’d work as masseuses, but instead were forced into prostitution. Immigration police reported the arrest of 28 year old “Rissraporn” and 25 year old “Aranya” on charges of human trafficking. The suspects would “sell” girls to buyers in Dubai. The girls were…
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Redshirt activist acquitted, freed after nearly 4 years
Activist Thanet Anantawong has been acquitted of national security and computer crime charges after being detained for almost 4 years. He was charged over 5 Facebook posts made in 2015, criticising the now defunct National Council for Peace and Order, and the army. The posts were critical of the late Privy Council president and former PM Prem Tinsulanonda, and the…
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Phase 5 rules to be announced Monday
On Monday the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration will hold a significant meeting, led by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, to decide several major issues of importance to Thailand as well as foreigners hoping to come into the country. The issues to be discussed and expected to be resolved are: An official decision on “Phase 5” relief measures and the date of…
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Police arrest man for robbery on 4 year old warrant
A man who allegedly posed as a police officer and stole a motorbike was arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand after being on the run for nearly 4 years. There’s been a warrant for his arrest since 2016 for robbery charges. The 32 year old man, Thai media reports as ‘Beer’, along with 3 of his friends, allegedly stole…
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Heroin making a comeback among Thai teens
As if the spike in synthetic drugs coming from the so-called Golden Triangle weren’t enough, authorities report that heroin is making a comeback in Thailand, especially among teenagers, who are often unaware of the dangers, including HIV and hepatitis C. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board reports rising numbers of teens aged 15-18 admitted to rehab programs for heroin…
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Bangkok buses to ease social distancing requirements in Phase 5 as schools reopen
In the fifth stage of Thailand’s easing of Emergency Decree lockdown measures, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority plans to ease social distancing measures public buses to accommodate the increase in commuters after schools reopen on July 1. “In the fifth phase of the easing of Covid-19 lockdown, which will start on July 1, the government will allow schools and many…
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Thai Air Asia to resume all domestic routes, flights in July
Thai Air Asia will return to full domestic services in Thailand during July, with all routes and flights back in action for a total of 23 destinations and 25 routes. The announcement was made this afternoon. Thai Air Asia’s CEO told Associated Press that the airline has been slowly ramping up its domestic routes since May and is now ready…
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Dozens arrested in money laundering and drugs case
61 people have been arrested in one of Thailand’s biggest money laundering cases of the year, said to be worth more than 10 billion baht. The suspects are believed to be part of a drug syndicate and money laundering network, allegedly run by a 45 year old Chinese man identified as “Chien Ma,” who was caught earlier in Bangkok. Provincial…
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Emergency Decree could be extended a third time, through July
The Emergency Decree, set to expire at the end of June, could be extended by another month. Now the National Security Council is recommending extending enforcement of the decree, originally imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, to July 31. The decree, announced on March 24 and enacted on March 26, has a legally mandated limit of 90 days, but…
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Mandatory 14 day quarantine for international arrivals to Thailand
Following the announcement that Thailand would once again open its doors to certain categories of international visitors, the government’s Covid-19 task force has confirmed most will have to agree to a 14 day quarantine. It’s understood the first group to be granted entry to the Kingdom from July 1 will include businesspeople, skilled workers and experts, teachers, students, and medical…
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Open letter to Thai government “We want to come back to Thailand”
There are many foreigners who are desperately trying to get back into Thailand to attend to urgent matters, or simply get back together with their Thai families. Many others have simply made Thailand their home for an extended time and have gone through all the legal hoops required by Thai Immigration only to find themselves locked out. The Thaiger is…
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Surat Thani “cockle wars” are over, says navy chief
The chief of the Royal Thai Navy says local figures wielding influence are being “neutralised” and the disruptive, sometimes violent dispute between cockle farmers and local small-boat fishermen is drawing to an end. Admiral Ruechai Ruddit says the conflict off the coast of Bandon Bay in the southern province of Surat Thani has eased, after cockle farmers began dismantling the…
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Saraburi man arrested for firing at radio station, fleeing in stolen pickup
Police in the central Saraburi province, about 120 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, arrested a man early today for allegedly firing a gun at a radio station and stealing a pickup truck in which he fled. Officers of the Nong Khae Police Station were informed at 6:30pm yesterday about a shooting incident at the Public Relations Department’s radio station in Nong…
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Ambulance explodes just before patient is loaded
An ambulance exploded in front of a Central Thailand hospital just moments before a patient was being moved into the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured and the medical team moved the patient away from the scene in time. But Thai media says if the explosion happened just seconds later, it would’ve been a different story. The driver had just…
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Graffiti in historic Trang cave means public access restricted
A historic cave in the southern province of Trang, said to be in use by humans for at least a 1,000 years, will no longer be open the the public after it was defaced by graffiti. After a millennium of human use, the Khao Pina Cave, famous for its stalagmites and stalactites, was found scribbled with names and nonsense soon…
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Potential low-risk countries to reboot Thailand inbound travel
Thailand’s borders could be opened to New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and certain cities in China. Those areas are now deemed to have a low-risk for spreading the coronavirus and being looked into as potential countries for the ‘travel bubble’ scheme. In an tourism agreement with the low-risk countries, foreigners would be allowed to enter the country, but with restrictions.…
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Open for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.
Thailand has now gone over a month without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, and July 1, approaching quickly, will see the resumption of all businesses and activities originally suspended under the Emergency Decree, including bars, pubs and “soapy” massage parlours. Spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the announcement yesterday. He told the media…
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Q&A with David Barrett on travel, tourism and MICE
Industry expert and respected marketeer David Barrett chatted with travel writer and media consultant Andrew J Wood on the recovery from the impact of Covid-19 on Thailand’s formidable travel and tourism industry. AW. As Thailand starts to emerge from lockdown what do you believe are the most important points to consider to ensure success? DB: As we begin to recover,…
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Millions of baht worth of drugs seized, hundreds arrested over 2 months
Just in the past 2 months, authorities have arrested hundreds of drug smuggling suspects and seized drugs valued at millions of baht, plus related assets. A total of 43 drug smuggling rings were busted. But apparently catching the criminals wasn’t easy as many of them traded items instead of cash for the drugs, making it hard to nail down evidence.…
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UPDATE: Pregnant woman killed in hit-and-run, driver surrenders
UPDATE: Today, the car mechanic who ran over and killed a pregnant woman on Sunday handed himself over to the police. Police in Bangkok’s Min Buri district had previously issued an arrest warrant for 48 year old Kawin Sathorn, for running over a woman who was 5 months pregnant. The 21 year old victim, Nadiyah, was on a motorbike with her…
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Arrival ban to end on July 1… some foreigners will be allowed in
“Dr. Taweesilp says about 50,000 foreigners are expected to visit the country under the new rules.” Thailand will begin allowing foreigners to enter the country from July 1, easing the months-long arrival ban. But foreign tourists will still be banned. Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesperson of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says that the first group will comprise businessmen…
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