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 Answers to the most common questions about international health insurance
If you’ve been thinking of staying in Thailand long-term, you’ve probably already asked the big question, “Do I actually need international health insurance?” It’s a question that often comes up among expats, digital nomads, retirees, and even frequent travellers. Sure,...
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Thailand developing level 4 “gold standard” biohazard suits
In order to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported personal protective equipment during the Covid-19 crisis, Thai scientists are developing a Level 4 biohazard suit, dubbed the “gold standard” by the organisers working on the project. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the textile industry are collaborating on the the suits after successfully developing Level 2 suits. The GPO, together with…
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Central buys Family Mart Thailand
Shopping centre operator Central Retail Corporation has bought 100% of Family Mart, one of Thailand’s major convenience store chains, as it “moves forward to develop a new business model to cater to modern consumers”. CRC’s chief executive officer says the acquisition will strengthen Central’s hold on the food market and convenience store business in Thailand, which is burgeoning. Since 2012,…
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More people charged in illegal surrogacy scandal
More people involved in the surrogacy scandal turned themselves in yesterday and are now facing charges. According to the Bangkok Post, 4 doctors and a scientist are looking at charges for their alleged involvement in the illegal ring which uses Thai women to carry babies for people in China. A report yesterday says a Thai doctor faces charges for human…
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Son stabs father multiple times in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A father was stabbed 9 times by his son yesterday in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Bangkok Post reports the 25 year old son was high on drugs and acting erratic. His 53 year old father tried to calm him down, but the son took out a knife and stabbed his father multiple times. The father, a…
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Government to provide more financial aid to small and medium-sized businesses
Thailand’s Ministry of Finance has been tasked with coming up with plans for additional financial aid to small and medium-sized enterprises affected by the Covid-19 crisis. Government Spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat made the announcement yesterday. “The Ministry of Finance will estimate the budget to be used as well as the loan limit and interest rate, and will present to the Cabinet…
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Gunman kills 3 at Northern Thailand radio station
Thai media reports 3 people are dead after a shooting today at the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand radio station in Phitsanulok, Northern Thailand. One other person is injured. Khaosod English reports that the suspected gunman, Win Sonsuk, has already been arrested. He was a staff member at the radio station. He was working as a transmitter engineer. One of…
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Unemployed elephants: Some return to the wild, others sent to work in logging business
The drop in tourism has had a huge impact on the elephants in Northern Thailand, leaving many elephants, you could say, unemployed. While some elephants are out of business and been taken back to their natural habitat, others are struggling in captivity and might be sent off to work in animal labour which some people may deem as unethical. A reporter…
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Dozens get hospitalised after eating raw meat salad
Dozens of Northern Thailand villagers became sick after eating raw buffalo meat and were treated for food poisoning at local hospitals. All 79 people treated ate the raw buffalo meat. The meat was sold in beef stalls at wet markets in Phayao Province next to Chiang Rai, Thai media reports. Some people bought the meat, possibly thinking it was beef,…
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Bank report predicts extended timeframe for Thai tourism recovery
As the severity of the current situation facing Thailand’s lucrative tourism industry starts to sink in, Kasikorn Bank Research Centre have released a report with some stark predictions. Thailand’s tourism and hospitality industry faces losses of 1.69 trillion baht in 2020 and recovery “may not be clearly evident” next year. The report also foreshadows strict ‘new normal’ procedures as government measures…
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Woman charged after abandoning cats at Wat Pho
A Bangkok woman has been fined after she tossed five bags, each containing a cat, over a wall and into Wat Pho on Sunday evening. Maybe she thought she was doing a good deed by dumping the cats off at the Bangkok temple, but she was dressed like a common thief working at night. Videos show her dressed in all…
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UPDATE: ‘Bleach mum’ was the maternal mother of sick boy
Today local Thai media report the latest update about the women allegedly forcing her children to drink bleach. Her adopted daughter died due to ‘allergies’ back in December. But the latest case of her sick son now unveils a suspected malicious intent to cause illness in her children. Doctors at Thammasat Hospital in Bangkok confirm that a DNA identity test…
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3 quarantined returnees confirmed with Covid-19 in Thailand (May 26)
Today, in the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily press conference, Dr. Taweesilp confirmed 3 new cases of coronavirus in Thailand, of which all were recorded as quarantined overseas repatriates. This brings Thailand ‘s total of confirmed Covid-19 cases to 3,045. The death toll remains at 57 fatalities with no additional deaths reported today. Dr. Taweesilp says from the new cases…
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Number of curfew arrests drops
Quite a few people have stayed out late, rebelling against the nation wide curfew that requires people to be at home from 11pm to 4am. More than 200 people were arrested during ‘no go’ hours from late Sunday to early Monday this week. But the nightly number of curfew arrests has dropped over the past month. Earlier this month, Thai media…
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Evidence mounts against “bleach mum”
Officers of the Crime Suppression Division say text messages on the popular Line application show that a woman accused of forcing her two year old “son” to swallow bleach isn’t the boy’s biological mother. This evidence, together with DNA test results expected next week, may lead to human trafficking charges being pressed against the woman as well. A Line chat…
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Thailand’s economic forecast among Asia’s worst: central bank governor to step down
The governor of the Bank of Thailand will step down when his term ends in September. Veerathai Santiprabhob announced yesterday that he has decided against seeking a second 5 year term for “family reasons.” His departure comes as Thailand sees its economy contracting as much as 6% this year, mostly as a result of the impacts of lockdown provisions to…
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Thai police deny using emergency decree as political tool
Following the arrest of two activists in Bangkok on Friday, police deny using the emergency decree to suppress political dissent. Both activists were arrested at the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre, where a small group was commemorating the 6th anniversary of the May 2014 military coup that swept PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to power, tossing out the elected government of Yingluck…
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12 curfew violators arrested in Pattaya after breaking through a checkpoint – VIDEO
12 curfew breakers were arrested in Pattaya City last night just before midnight after a black Hyundai van vehicle broke through a police curfew checkpoint. Reports suggest that the black Hyundai van ran through the checkpoint, causing Banglamung and Pattaya officers to give chase before eventually catching the suspects at an intersection in North Pattaya. 4 Thai nationals, all under the…
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Thai food giant to provide a million meals priced at 20 baht
Thai food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods says it plans to offer heavily discounted ready-to-eat meals for those facing financial difficulties as a result of the economic fallout of Covid-19. CEO Prasit Boondoungprasert says a million meals will be distributed to Fresh Mart shops around the country and will cost just 20 baht. There will be a choice of dishes on…
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Thousands of people have been travelling between provinces
… but not quite as many as before, so far. The Director General of the Department of Land Transport says that more people have been using the inter-provincial buses services after the government recently easing Thailands’ lock down situation. He says… “Although some long distance services are still not in operation to comply with the night time curfew, many inter-provincial…
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Gang raids virus screening checkpoint and empties community pantry
A coronavirus screening checkpoint in Northern Thailand has been ransacked yesterday morning. Police say around 3 men cleaned out and knocked over the community pantry, which was stationed at the checkpoint, and destroyed some of the plastic chairs. Around 1 am, the group stormed the checkpoint, a tent step-up used to check people travelling in and out of the village…
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Opposition criticises Thai government over economic toll of Covid response
Opposition party Pheu Thai has condemned the government’s management of the Covid-19 crisis, saying total shutdown has had a devastating effect on the country’s economy. In a report in Nation Thailand, Paopoom Rojanasakul, vice secretary-general of the party says the hard-hitting restrictions imposed across the country have led to high unemployment, with the International Monetary Fund saying Thailand’s economy is…
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Relatives claim British pensioner was mistreated and starved by Thai family
Relatives of an 86 year old British war veteran claim he endured starvation and mistreatment at the hands of his Thai family in Samut Sakhon, central Thailand. After receiving medical clearance, the man was flown home to the UK yesterday on an Eva Air flight. A report in Thai Visa says the man, named only as “Ron”, was rescued after…
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Phuket’s lost summer – looking to 2021 for tourism recovery
In a solemn recognition of the reality of Phuket’s stalled tourist industry, a spokesperson for the southern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association is saying most of the west coast hotels are unlikely to reopen until the last quarter of this year. And that’s just the start of the problems for the popular island beach resort. For now, Phuket’s International…
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Thai Fruit Golden Month festivals to be held in 8 Chinese cities
8 Chinese cities will host Thailand Fruit Golden Months Festivals as local governments there begin easing lockdown measures and travel restrictions. The director-general of the Department of International Trade Promotion made the announcement yesterday, saying the the festivals will promote Thai fruit exports around China. “The campaign aims to increase the export of durian, mangosteen, longan, mango, rose apple, coconut,…
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Chon Buri police hunting man for shooting ex’s new partner
Police in Chon Buri province’s Saensuk district say they’ve applied for a warrant for the arrest of 38 year old “Adisorn P.” after he used a 9mm handgun to shoot his ex partner’s new young lover in the head. The warrant is for attempted murder and weapons offences. 26 year old “Thanachok”, the victim, is unconscious and fighting for his…
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Pattaya Council mulls a mass transport monorail system
Nothing like the middle of a pandemic to announce a new monorail project. Undeterred, the Pattaya City council have announced a new 9 kilometre monorail as part of its Eastern Economic Corridor projects. They cite the need to ease traffic congestion caused by rapid urban growth in the seaside party town. They say the inner city area is in desperate…
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3 new Coronavirus cases in Thailand – May 23
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman Dr Taweesilp announced in his daily press conference that Thailand has confirmed 3 new cases of the Covid-19 virus. 2 of the new cases are classed as “imported,” as they were found in a state quarantine facility among repatriates from overseas. Of the imported cases, 1 was a 25 year old old Thai…
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Pattaya police re-arrest ex-US marine with PTSD
Police in Pattaya’s Jomtien district have arrested an American who allegedly caused a public nuisance at a condominium there last night. Police were notified of the incident at 11:30pm. Officers and reporters arrived at a room on the eighth floor of the condo to find a foreign man who was “in a state of distress.” He was talking incoherently and,…
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Police say mom forced toddler to drink bleach “to make him look ill”
Police in in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, have arrested a woman for allegedly forcing her toddler to swallow bleach to make him look ill for an online advertisement selling her health products. A police source says the boy has been rescued and is now under the care of a shelter for children in the province. The mother, identified…
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Armed thief breaks into Pattaya toy shop – VIDEO
Pattaya Police are searching for a thief who was seen on security footage driving a motorbike with a sidecar, who broke into a toy shop. They believe the man was carrying a firearm. 26 year old Saifon Tanawong, a staff member at the shop, told police and The Pattaya News that at 2:30am the thief stole a computer tablet valued…
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