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 Common health concerns for expats in Thailand: Prevention and protection
Moving to Thailand as an expat offers adventure, vibrant culture, and an excellent lifestyle, but it also brings some health challenges that might not be familiar to you. From tropical diseases to climate-related conditions, understanding common health concerns and knowing...
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Australia at the top of women’s world cup, defeats Thailand
Australia now leads Group B of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after players Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr scored two goals against Thailand, beating Thailand 2-1. Thailand still made it to the quarter-finals as a third-place team, along with Vietnam. Up next, Thailand will play against Japan in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Thailand started the cup this Monday, losing…
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Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon discusses Phuket pedestrian safety
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon brought up pedestrian safety crossings yesterday at an online meeting with a road safety policy committee, and the interior minister. Phuket officials have now been told to paint warning lines ahead of pedestrian crossings, letting drivers know they will have to slow down soon. The group also talked about the new points system that started in…
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WARNING: Thailand Pass spoof email with malicious links
It seems that government websites in Thailand are often the target of successful hacker attacks and now it appears the Thailand Pass site is no exception. Reports are surfacing of people receiving a spoof email regarding the Thailand Pass pointing them to malicious content. It is believed that the email database collected by the Thailand Pass website has been accessed…
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Suvarnabhumi airport predicts Lunar New Year flights up 37%
Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main airport in Bangkok, is predicting a swell of travellers for the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays. The bustling airport located in the Bangkok suburb province of Samut Prakan, is expecting to see about 380 flights each day during the holiday according to the Suvarnabhumi Airport General Manager. Airport officials, along with travel industry experts and airlines,…
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TAT offices in India introduce online training course for Indian travel agents
Indian travel agents can now sign up for an online training course to brush up on their knowledge of all things Thai, thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. According to a TTR Weekly report, the so-called Thailand Specialist Programme is designed to teach the travel agents about new attractions and tourist offerings in the Land of Smiles. Cholada Siddhivarn…
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Race against time to prevent Rayong oil spill reaching the shore, 3 kilometres away
Officials in Rayong are pulling out all the stops to protect the eastern province’s beaches from an oil spill 3 kilometres off-shore. According to a Nation Thailand report, provincial governor Channa Iamsaeng says the crude oil is currently headed for the beaches of Mae Rampueng and Khao Laemya. Workers have placed a “beach boom”, or barrier line, in the sea,…
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Officials tightening traffic rules, new penalties expected in July
A draft amendment to the Land Transport Act has received approval by the House Committee on Transport, according to an MP from the Chartthaipattana Party. Nikorn Chamnong, who chaired the panel, says the amendment seeks to increase fines for traffic offences and could be enacted by July. The amendment now goes before the Senate, which is expected to approve it…
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Real estate consultancy says pandemic continues to affect foreign demand
A leading property consultancy says the ongoing pandemic and associated restrictions continues to hamper the real estate market. CBRE Thailand chief, Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, says the low number of foreign arrivals means the sector continues to rely on local demand and must now adapt to these circumstances. “A decline in tourist numbers affected both residential and retail sectors. Given this challenge,…
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African Swine Fever spreads across Thailand, cases reported in 13 provinces
African Swine Fever is spreading across Thailand. The country’s agriculture minister said the disease has infected pig farms and one slaughterhouse in 13 Thai provinces in Central, Northeastern, and Southern Thailand. The infected farms and the five-kilometre radius around them are now declared epidemic zones. Instead of giving the ministry’s 2.9 billion baht emergency budget to pig farmers as he…
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Another Bangkok pedestrian killed crossing the road
After last week’s tragic killing of a pedestrian by a motorbike at a Bangkok zebra crossing, a pickup truck killed a pedestrian crossing the road in Samut Prakan this morning. A pickup truck struck 33 year old Win Mar Soe, who is from Myanmar, and reportedly swung her 10 metres. First responders took her to Chularat 9 Airport Hospital in…
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Mixed feelings on new Move Forward guburnatorial candidate
Thailand’s Move Forward Party has selected a candidate for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, the party’s spokesperson Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn. Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was proud to introduce Wiroj, saying no other candidate had “the party DNA” like him. Many of the party’s supporters agree with Pita, but some observers say Move Forward failed to find a more experienced, qualified candidate. One programme…
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Koh Samui hotel, business owners call for PCR test price cut to draw in Test & Go tourists
Hoteliers and business owners on the southern island of Koh Samui are asking the Thai government to lower the costs of RT-PCR tests in an effort to draw in more foreign tourists. The calls follow the decision to reopen registration for the Test & Go entry scheme starting February 1. The quarantine exemption scheme requires tourists to isolate themselves at…
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Officials say Vorayuth cocaine charge could be dropped as time running out
Prosecutors say they’re concerned that time is running out to prosecute fugitive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth Yoovidhya, for cocaine use. The Office of the Attorney-General says the statute of limitations on the charge is set to expire in September. According to a Nation Thailand report, the OAG has released a statement on the progress of the case against Vorayuth, aka…
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Thailand asks for Singapore’s help in freezing assets of former TAT governor
Thai officials are seeking Singapore’s cooperation in freezing the assets of Juthamas Siriwan, who previously served as governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. She was sentenced to 50 years’ imprisonment on corruption charges related to the hosting of the Bangkok International Film Festival between 2002-2007. According to a Bangkok Post report, Ittiporn Kaewthip and Prayut Phetkun from the Office…
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Oil spill threatening tourism recovery on Thailand’s Koh Samet
Koh Samet’s fragile tourism sector, already battered by the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, now faces another threat from an oil spill heading for the island’s, and nearby, beaches. Sarinthip Tupmongkholsup from the Tourism Association of Koh Samet is reminded of a 2013 oil spill at the island’s Ao Phrao and is desperate to avoid a repeat scenario. “We…
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Calls for tougher punishment for drivers ignoring pedestrian crossing rules
Road safety advocates are demanding tougher punishment, including manslaughter charges, for drivers who fail to observe pedestrian crossing rules. According to a Bangkok Post report, 30 members of various road safety networks gathered at Government House to file a petition with Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon, who chairs the national committee on road safety policy and prevention. The move is in…
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Thai man arrested for shooting a foreign man at a Patong resort
Though few details are available now, a Thai man was taken into custody by Patong Police early this morning for allegedly shooting a foreign man in a resort. The incident took place around 2 am at a resort along the Patong Beach Road and police arrested the local man just outside the resort around 4am. The victim’s condition is currently…
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Digital assets as payment requires more regulation in Thailand
After studying the risks and benefits of using digital assets and cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services, a coalition of financial bodies have decided that more regulation is necessary in Thailand. The Ministry of Finance, along with the Bank of Thailand and the Securities and Exchange Commission, have partnered together to assess the regulation needed for crypto usage in…
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Blue and Purple MRT lines testing contactless payment from Saturday
Public transportation in Bangkok like the MRT, BTS, buses and boats have been working their way towards a contactless payment system, and this Saturday the first trial runs will begin. The guinea pig for the contactless payment using Visa or MasterCard will be the Purple Line and Blue Line of the Mass Rail Transit system. Beginning on January 29, commuters…
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Thailand and India strengthen relations, plans to work together on trade, tourism
After a break, Thailand and India plan to work together on trade, maritime activity, and tourism. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, India’s ambassador in Thailand said it was important to remember the overlaps between the two countries in culture, language, and religion. Earlier this month, the Indian embassy launched a competition for the best logo promoting bilateral relations…
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Thailand will raise 12% fewer pigs this year, livestock department says
Thailand’s livestock department says farmers will probably raise 11.8% fewer pigs this year. Already, male pig breeders have dropped 41.1%, while female breeders have dropped 11%. The department general said this is because of economic conditions during the pandemic, and also farmers not having too many pigs in case of disease outbreaks. There are 107,000 pig raisers in the country,…
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QR code can now replace a physical driver’s licence
The Department of Land Transport is getting modern, introducing a QR code people can keep on their mobile phone to replace a physical Thai drivers licence. Drivers will be able to screenshot a “DLT QR licence” and use the image of the QR code as a substitute for any sort of physical card. The process to get a QR code…
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Fake news: report it, don’t share it, urges PM and government
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging people to report fake news rather than share it, especially regarding Covid-19. He says that misinformation shared online through social media is causing confusion in the residents of Thailand and people should help to weed out bad information so facts are more clear and easier to find. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has…
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Tourists turn their backs on Rayong over 330 baht antigen testing requirement
Tourists have hit back at the eastern province of Rayong after officials imposed a mandatory antigen testing requirement on all visitors. According to a Nation Thailand report, all arrivals in the province must have a negative antigen test result, certified by a doctor, no more than 72 hours before arrival. Tourists have expressed their anger on social media, with most…
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Police investigate driving speed of officer in fatal bike collision with pedestrian
Bangkok police investigating the speed of a “big bike” involved in a fatal collision with a woman on a zebra crossing say they expect to reach a swift conclusion. Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul, an ophthalmologist with the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, died when she was struck by the Ducati bike as she used a zebra crossing on Phaya Thai…
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Thailand’s Test & Go registration opens on February 1
Registration for Thailand’s (almost) quarantine exemption program known as Test & Go, part of the broader Thailand Pass online re-entry process, is reopening next week after being closed for the past month. Starting at 9am on February 1, fully vaccinated travellers from any country can apply for a Thailand Pass QR code to enter with (almost) quarantine-free travel, but there…
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Thailand’s FDA plans “Cannabis Sandbox” entry scheme for tourists
A “Cannabis Sandbox” entry scheme is being discussed to draw in marijuana enthusiasts from overseas. Yes… we said cannabis. But don’t get too excited. When the government talks about cannabis, they mean parts of the plant with low (very low) traces of the psychoactive component THC. The Thai Food and Drug Administration mentioned the idea of a “Cannabis Sandbox” for…
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CCSA clarifies details on Test & Go, registration opens at 9am on February 1
Registration for Thailand’s quarantine exemption scheme known as Test & Go is reopening next week after being closed for the past month due to the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Thailand. Starting at 9am on February 1, fully vaccinated travellers from any country can apply for a Thailand Pass QR code to enter with (almost) quarantine-free travel, but…
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Domestic tourism stimulus scheme gets 9-billion-baht budget approval for phase 4
The government’s domestic tourism stimulus scheme enters phase 4 from February, with Cabinet approving a 9-billion-baht budget. “We Travel Together’ (Rao Tiew Duay Kan) will run until July, according to a government spokesperson. According to a Thai PBS World report, participants can benefit from a 40% discount on hotel rates, up to a maximum of 3,000 baht a night and…
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Prayut’s Saudi Arabia trip a ‘breakthrough’ after 30 years of tense relations
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is currently in Saudi Arabia in an effort to restore Thai-Saudi economic and diplomatic relations. Experts say the trip, which is the first government trip between the two countries after 30 years, is a huge breakthrough after three decades of tense relations between the two countries. Relations first turned cold in 1989 after the Blue Diamond Affair…
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