Hot News
Stay updated with the latest Hot News in Thailand, featuring in-depth reporting and analysis of local events and goings on! We bring you breaking news, in-depth reports, and exclusive interviews covering a wide range of Thailand-focused topics, from Crime and Politics to Tourism and Business.
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Sponsored ICONSIAM launches 'Extraordinary Experience' campaign with iconic Thai street food
ICONSIAM, a global landmark along the Chao Phraya River, offers a unique and diverse range of experiences to fulfil every need in an unprecedented way with the campaign "ICONSIAM Extraordinary Experience." This campaign aims to provide customers with unique and...
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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Police at Bangkok airport seize methamphetamine from parcel en route to Australia
Police at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport seized crystal methamphetamine that was hidden in an express mail parcel destined for Australia. The Airport Interdiction Task Force searched the EMS package addressed to Melbourne and found bags containing a total of around 750 grams of crystal methamphetamine hidden in 3 large motorcycle parts. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin recently announced that the ministry is…
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2.25 billion baht approved for hiring 10,000 graduates
2.25 billion baht was approved yesterday by the Cabinet for the hiring of 10,000 new university graduates for a year in order to help economically struggling people during Covid-19. The money will come from an emergency fund from the central budget established to deal with the global pandemic. 28 state agencies will be responsible for hiring these 10,000 new employees…
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PM’s brother Preecha investigated by Anti-Corruption body
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s younger brother is in hot water with the National Anti-Corruption Commission charging Senator Preecha Chan-o-cha with concealing assets. The NACC voted unanimously on acknowledging the charge and serving notice to the PM’s sibling on these allegations. The younger Chan-o-cha was a member of the parliamentary body the National Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2019, and is accused…
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Thai travel agents say ongoing third wave means no return of Chinese tourists for now
The Association of Thai Travel Agents says the ongoing reporting of over 2,000 new Covid-19 infections every day means there will be no Chinese visitors coming for a while. ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn points out that China has imposed tough restrictions on their citizens leaving the country, including mandatory quarantine on their return. “We can assume the Chinese government will…
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As the clock ticks down, Phuket’s sandbox plan moves a step closer to approval
The Thai PM says the cabinet has agreed in principle to the Phuket sandbox scheme, which will see the southern island re-open to vaccinated tourists from July 1. Quarantine will be waived for fully vaccinated international arrivals from a yet-to-be-determined list of “safe” countries. However, they will have to spend 14 days on the island before being allowed to travel…
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Disney+ reveals subscription prices for Thailand
At a press conference this afternoon, Disney+ Hotstar revealed the subscriptions costs for Disney+ of 799 baht a year or 99 baht per month for the service. 1 account will be able to stream simultaneously on 2 devices. For people who use AIS for their mobile phone service, they are being offered a special rate of 35 baht per month.…
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Police raid Hat Yai restaurant and arrest 10 people for drinking alcohol
Police arrested 10 people for gathering and drinking alcohol in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district, a violation of the local disease control measures banning alcohol consumption at restaurants. A local had called police reporting people were having a party at the restaurant last night. Hat Yai district chief Chawakit Suwankhiri says police went to the Khru Pattakhan Ban Thung restaurant immediately…
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Grab driver with disability killed in car accident
Yesterday, a Grab driver with a disability was killed after his motorbike was hit by an SUV in Nonthaburi, a province northwest of Bangkok. 25 year old Danai Chainarao, whose right leg had previously been amputated, was declared dead on Tiwanon Road. His passenger was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital for medical attention. Police say the deceased’s…
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Krabi tourism playing the sandbox waiting game
Press Release Over one million passengers went through Krabi Airport in 2020, despite the pandemic. One of Thailand’s most idyllic and naturally blessed resort destinations, Krabi, is quietly waiting in the wings to follow Phuket into the tourism sandbox. As the Thai resort island set’s its sights on the first of July reopening to international travelers, its Andaman neighbor is…
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Billionaire couple in Koh Tao drowned, preliminary autopsy results show
A preliminary autopsy results suggest the billionaire couple died from drowning at the Koh Tao resort pool. Water was found in both their lungs and medical examiners at the Police General Hospital say the couple died from lack of oxygen. More tests are being done and police are still investigating. Last Friday, the Thai-Indian couple Anshoo and Rakeshwar Sachatamakul, 55…
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Justice Ministry working with foreign agencies to crackdown on drug trafficking
Following busts in Australia and South Korea involving large shipments of methamphetamine from Thailand, the Justice Ministry is working with foreign agencies to investigate transnational drug trafficking with routes in Thailand, Minister Somsak Thepsuthin announced. Last month, more than 300 kilograms of methamphetamine valued at 2.29 billion baht was seized from a Thai cargo ship at a port in Sydney. Australian…
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Man arrested for allegedly trying to rob convenience store
An Australian man was arrested this morning after he allegedly tried to rob a Pattaya convenience store. 55 year old Vladisavljevic Alexander was arrested after police were alerted at 3 am to his activities. The alleged break in happened at a Tops Daily convenience store on Naklua Road. A nearby security guard heard noises coming from the store and called…
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Thai-Myanmar border patrol tightens, 11 Burmese migrants caught hiding in containers
In the latest bust by border patrol, officers searched a pickup truck and found 11 Burmese migrants hiding in plastic containers. Over the past few months, dozens of Burmese migrants have been caught in Kanchanaburi for allegedly crossing the Myanmar border illegally, evading checkpoint screening and the mandatory 14 day quarantine for those entering the country. Many migrants who have…
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Taxi driver arrested for allegedly stealing from Australian man in Bangkok
Police arrested a taxi driver who allegedly stole thousands of baht and Australian dollars from an Australian man back in May 2018. The Australian had hired a taxi to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. When he got out, he realised that not only his passport was missing, but 40,000 baht and AUD$4,000 were also gone. Surveillance camera footage shows the man getting…
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Foreign driver detained following alleged road rage incident in Pattaya
A foreign national has been detained in Pattaya, accused of reckless driving and road rage that caused significant damage to other vehicles. According to the Pattaya News, the incident occurred on Saturday night, when a black vehicle was seen bumping into and dragging 2 other vehicles along a road in the Banglamung district. Witnesses alerted the police, who arrived on…
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Tourism operators pinning hopes on vaccine rollout
Thailand’s tourism operators are pinning all their hopes on the national vaccine rollout, which kicks off today. However, the government’s reputation for vaccine procurement and management has come in for sharp criticism and confidence is not high. Already, a number of provinces have had to postpone their vaccine rollouts after receiving an insufficient number of doses from the Public Health…
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Thai Airways to fly 5 Phuket routes to Europe
With several airlines in the Middle East announcing July 1 reopenings of flights to Phuket, Thai Airways has finally announced plans to fly in and out of the island from Europe. As the Phuket Sandbox plan climbs closer and closer to being officially approved, airlines are scheduling flights. Now Thai Airways has announced direct flights from 5 European cities beginning…
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Package set to fly to New Zealand has 520g of meth
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board said that a package stopped at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport before it flew off to New Zealand had 520 grammes of crystal meth. The package had 7 women’s shoulder bags that were found to be stuffed full of crystal methamphetamine. Airport staff caught the package before it was scheduled to fly to Auckland on…
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Car chase starts at checkpoint, goes downhill from there
Over the weekend, a 51 year old man from Trang allgedly sped through a checkpoint and led police on a reported 60 kilometre police chase. The chase ended when the man overturned his car. The “60 Kilometres” presumably referred to the man’s speed. The man, Parit Poldet, had initially declined to stop for the check at the Phuket entry Tha…
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TAT proposes eased restrictions and 10 year visa to key groups
Key word – PROPOSAL. Perhaps tired of piecemeal baby steps to attract tourists while missing the bigger picture, The Tourism Authority of Thailand proposed a sweeping plan to give 4 target groups easy access to live, work and prosper in Thailand for a decade at a time. The radical proposal was presented to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in a video conference…
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Phuket Sandbox to be approved by Cabinet on Monday
It’s official, sort of. After months of kicking sand around, debating if it will really happen, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration officially approved the Phuket Sandbox plan, an important step forward. The announcement, made on Friday afternoon, appears to answer the often-posed question if the sandbox plan would ever happen as the much more intense and deadly third wave…
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UPDATE: Billionaire couple found dead at bottom of Koh Tao resort pool
The owner of a 5 star hotel in Phuket and his wife were found dead at the bottom of their hotel swimming pool on the island of Koh Tao on Friday afternoon. Police received the initial report at 4.45pm on Friday. The island off the Surat Thani province coast has gained notoriety after a string of suspicious and sensationalised deaths…
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Studio designs solution to online class uniform debate
They say nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool and a controversial school rule for online classes has just proved that to be the case. When school authorities announced the foolproof plan of making it mandatory to wear a uniform even during online classes, the decision was met with backlash from students who didn’t see the need to dress…
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Covid-19 sees a rise in dangerous scams in India
While Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across India, some devious scammers saw the desperation of a pandemic crisis as an opportunity. India has frequently been known to be a hotbed for ripoffs and scams, and the Coronavirus pandemic has only worsened the situation. In December an Indian call centre made US $14 million by cheating 4,500 Americans whom they tricked into…
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Man arrested for allegedly smuggling durian into Thailand
Last night, a man was arrested and charged with smuggling durian into Thailand from Myanmar. 25 year old Pairat Wattanom, a Thai Man from the Thai Province Ranong, which is part of the isthmus that has the Andaman Sea on one side and the Gulf of Thailand on the other, has been arrested and waits for the judicial system to…
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Taxi driver/alleged drug dealer takes police on chase before being arrested
Yesterday, police had a car chase with a taxi driver who also allegedly worked a second job as a drug dealer in the Bang Khen area of Bangkok. He was arrested in an alley after smashing into a police car, then 10 more cars. 44 year old Narong or “Neung” Kaewkamnert, was arrested by police after they mounted a stakeout.…
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Scrutiny over public and media idolising of suspect Uncle Phol
Following the arrest of Chaiphol Wipha, known as Uncle Phol to murdered 3 year old ‘Nong Champoo’, his elevation in the media to celebrity status is receiving criticism. He’s been a prime suspect in the murder for over a year, but a warrant was issued June 1, he surrendered yesterday, and is now in police custody. At first, the media…
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Former army adviser convicted of human trafficking dies in prison
A former army adviser, convicted of trafficking Rohingya migrants to camps in Southern Thailand, died in a prison hospital this week. 65 year old Manas Kongpan had a heart attack while he was exercising at the Medical Correctional Hospital where he had been admitted to treat hypertension, high cholesterol and bradycardia. The former army adviser was one of more than 100…
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Man arrested for allegedly attempting to mail methamphetamine and ecstasy to Singapore
A Singaporean man was arrested for allegedly attempting to mail crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy from Thailand to his home country. Airport security in Thailand checked the package and found the drugs hidden in a speaker. Chief of the Narcotics Control Board Wichai Chaimongkhol says 1,320 ecstasy pills and 3 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, known as “ice,” were found in the…
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