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.
To keep up with the hottest news, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored Revamped Jungceylon Shopping Center unveils a refreshed look with new immersive concepts
Jungceylon, one of Phuket’s largest malls, is set to unveil its new look following an asset enhancement initiative (AEI) to reposition the mall as "The Oasis of Shopping in Patong" – a one-stop destination offering fresh and immersive concepts in...
-
Thais outraged by tourist doing yoga poses at historic and sacred sites
PHOTO: Andreita Levin New outrage alert. Doing yoga poses on famous or sacred sites around Thailand will get you into trouble with the authorities. Tourist Police say they’ve caught up with a foreign woman who shared photos on her Instagram account performing yoga exercises at sacred and historic sites around Thailand. “A Mexican yoga teacher from Canada is being criticised…
-
Overstaying Russian tries to change his Thai visa stamp with a pen, badly
PHOTO: Naewna.com It seemed like such a good idea at the time. A Russian man has been caught on overstay at the Klong Leuk border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo, directly to the east of Bangkok on the Cambodian border. Trying to enter Cambodia, the man told immigration he changed the last visa stamp with his own pen. 32 year old…
-
‘Ministry deals’ in tatters – Palang Pracharat revoke cabinet post promises
“One source, a core leader in Phalang Pracharat, confirmed the previous deals had been revoked.” Thailand’s hosting of the ASEAN Summit from June 20 to 23 is forcing Palang Pracharat members to stitch together its government and sort out key ministerial posts before the event. More than two months after the election, and following the election of a PM that…
-
Bangkok tackles heavy rain in the lead up tonight’s peak hour
PHOTOS: JS100 Radio Bangkok has been hit by localised strong winds and heavy rain this afternoon, causing floods and traffic jams around the Chatuchak Weekend Market, Kasetsart, Ramkhamhaeng, Phaholyothin, Ladphrao, Prachacheun, Prachanukul and Ratchadapisek. https://www.facebook.com/js100radio/videos/473356473408786/ Jor Sor 100 traffic radio was also inundated with images of flooded roads and damage caused by the downpour. Some cars parked in the Rama…
-
Is Airbnb taking over the Thai hotel industry?
Airbnb is posing a less significant threat to hotels in Thailand than expected, but its influence in the longer term should not be underestimated, according to real estate company JLL Offering new alternatives to travellers, Airbnb is certainly taking some of the wind out of the sails of the traditional hotel accommodation model. However, findings from Jone Lang Lasalle (JLL) shows…
-
Palang Pracharat are warned not to renege on Thai ministry promises
Amidst rumours circulating that the Palang Pracharat Party may renege on some of the promises it made to secure MP votes from the Democrats and Bhumjaithai, the Democrat party leader Jurin Laksanavisit says he believes the Palang Pracharat party will keep its promises. Thepthai Senpong MP, a key Democrat party member, is warning that the coalition government will be in…
-
Trees damage cars and a house in Phuket
Trees have been brought down by heavy rain and local wind squalls around the Cape Phromthep, Chalong and Kata areas, where cars and a house have been damaged. At 4.15pm yesterday trees fell on a residential house in Chalong. The house-owner escaped injuries. At 4.20pm the Rawai Municipality was notified of another incident. Staffers headed to the scene where they…
-
Palang Pracharat still quibbling over portfolios in the new Thai parliament
Election – check. Vote for PM – check. New government sworn in – not quite yet. There is still a reported back-room fight over cabinet portfolios between factions in the Palang Pracharat Party. Several key ministries were offered to Bhumjaithai and Democrat MPs in return for voting for Prayut Chan-o-cha as PM on Wednesday. Now that Prayut’s been installed back…
-
Thai PM Prayut thanks MPs for re-electing him to the position of prime minister
Following his re-appointment to the position of PM late last night, Prayut Chan-o-cha has thanked the two houses of Parliament for voting for him. Government spokesperson Werachon Sukondhapatipak passed on the PM’s gratitude for re-election to the position this morning. He says the PM noted that the wining votes came from the lower house and were then combined with the…
-
Electric boats will help alleviate some of Bangkok’s air pollution
By Pratch Rujivanarom As part of yesterday’s World Environment Day, the UN Environment Program Agency says they’re working with local partners in Thailand to find new ways to mitigate dangerous emissions. One idea put forward yesterday was the development of electric public transport in Bangkok’s klongs (canals) that could help solve two of the city’s biggest problems – traffic congestion and air…
-
First year report card for Thailand’s battle against plastics
“Plastic waste is a major environmental problem because it takes hundreds of years to degrade.” Yesterday was World Environment Day, a fitting day to give Thailand’s fight for a reduction on plastics a report card, after the first full year of campaigns to reduce single-use plastics. The Pollution Control Department says Thailand’s efforts have been successful after receiving general cooperation from…
-
General Prayut Chan-o-cha is Thailand’s 29th Prime Minister
General Prayut Chan-o-cha was elected as Thailand’s next prime minister in a joint upper and lower house Parliamentary vote around 9pm last night following a day of intense debate. Prayut beat his opponent Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit from Future Forward Party with 500 to 244 votes. Three MPs abstained from voting and one was on a sick leave. 250 of the votes came from…
-
Baby dugong ‘Marium’ being cared for in Trang
PHOTOS: DMCR A baby dugong, which was found lost in Krabi two months ago, has been given the name ‘Marium’ and continues to be cared for at a dugong nursery in Trang. The baby dugong, found on a Krabi beach, was taken back to its home area in Trang, southern Thailand, on April 30. Read more about the wayward baby…
-
Where are Thai’s heading for this summer holidays?
Thai travellers who are booking through Airbnb are discovering new ‘off the beaten track’ destinations. Globally, Airbnb identifies some of the top trending destinations based on percentage growth in bookings during the same time last year *. And when we say growth, we mean mega growth! The top choices are: • Valenciennes, France (704%) • Changsha, China (695%) • Matsudo, Japan…
-
Grab electric tuk tuks launch in Chiang Mai
Grab, the nemesis of the old taxi and red bus network in Chiang Mai, has signed an agreement with government and private sector partners to establish the Chiang Mai Smart Mobility Alliance Network. It is the first such partnership in South East Asia. Thai aim is to reduce Chiang Mai’s public transport footprint by 35% within the next five years. The…
-
Thanathorn and Prayut officially nominated as Thai PM candidates
“The current PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha did not attend today’s proceedings.” The Future Forward leader, 40 year old Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, and NCPO chief and current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha have been formally named as candidates for the position of Prime Minister by their parties in Parliament this morning. They were the only two names put forward after the new House Speaker (and…
-
Democrats side with Palang Pracharat before today’s PM vote
PHOTO: Thai PBS The Democrat party has decided, following a fierce debate late yesterday, to join the Palang Pracharat-led coalition government. They cite ‘ending political uncertainty’ and ‘switching off’ the power of the junta, according to new party leader Jurin Laksanavisit. As the new parliament sits and votes on a new Thai PM today, the NCPO automatically dissolves once the…
-
Last minute deal secures Prayut’s PM vote in today’s Thai parliamentary sitting
Leaving it to the last moment, the Democrats dramatically capitulated and decided to join the pro-junta Palang Pracharat coalition. The move gives the current PM, Palang Pracharat’s sole prime ministerial candidate, an easy walk into the PM job during today’s parliamentary vote. General Prayut Chan-o-cha and Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit will face off in the 11am vote. Until yesterday’s…
-
Future Forward candidates say they’ve been offered up to 120M baht to vote for Prayut as PM
The big vote for Thailand’s next PM starts tomorrow at 11am. The lead up to the vote, a flurry of desperate offers and deals, has seen the Pro-Junta Palang Pracharat party fall short of a majority, fall WELL short of a majority. Meanwhile, Future Forward party members claimed today that some of their MPs have been offered between 30 million and…
-
Man falls to his death inside CentralWorld, Bangkok
A 55 year old man has fallen four floors to his death at Central World shopping centre near the Ratchaprasong intersection on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok’s Pathumwan district. The incident happened today just after midday. Pathumwan Police were informed of the incident at about 12.30pm. A video clip that’s been posted shows staff setting up a black tent to cover…
-
Blacklisted Russian gets fake passport, returns to Thailand as Romanian, caught again
The case of the Russian who was blacklisted, deported from Thailand, then flies back to Thailand as a Romanian and moves to Koh Pha Ngan. It all seemed so clever, but was easily detected. The new chief of the Immigration Bureau, Lt-Gen Sompong Chingduang, announced the arrest of the man yesterday. Sergey Milentiy was previously based on the southern Gulf of…
-
Twitter’s Thailand Top Ten – Q1 2019
Twitter continues to grow as a popular social App in Thailand. Now Twitter have announced their first ever brand index for Thailand – Top 10 Brands on Twitter in Thailand. Measured by engagement over the first quarter of the year (January 1 – March 31, 2019), here are the Top 10 Brands on Twitter in Thailand… 1. AIS (@AIS_Thailand) 2.…
-
Goodbye iTunes, hello new dedicated Apps
In January 2001 Apple announced iTunes. It changed everything in the music industry and has gone on to spawn other more modern forms of music purchases and sharing. It was a true ‘disrupter’ for the time. Then, just eight months later would come the iPod which fundamentally changed the way we listen to music as well. Now Apple is introducing…
-
Phuket’s new town planning code will radically change island
Thailand’s Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning is finalising sweeping new development regulations for Phuket. The island’s MICE industry is expected to be a big winner from the proposed changes (more below). In April the draft regulations were issued for public comment and it is expected the new set of rules will come into effect over the next…
-
30 False killer whales sighted of Koh Tao – VIDEO
PHOTO: DMCR VIDEO: Ban’s Diving Resort (Official Fan Page) About 30 of false killer whales sighted off Koh Tao, Surat Thani over the weekend. The Department of Marine and Coast Resources reported that they were notified from Ban’s Diving tours operator on Koh Tao that that they were on a speedboat with tourists just off the coast of Koh Tao.…
-
2019 Dengue cases soar as Thailand enters monsoon season
Dengue fever cases have doubled in Thailand compared to the same time last year. 20,000 cases have been reported since January 25 this year. And health officials are wary as Thailand heads into the annual monsoon, the traditional peak period for dengue cases. The Chief of the Disease Control Department says the number of infections has doubled since figures for…
-
Fire at Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market destroys 30 shops
PHOTO: JS 100 radio Bangkok’s famous Chatuchak weekend market caught fire near the Gate 1 area last night. Traffic Police and JS 100 traffic radio stations first reported the blaze around 9.15pm at the sprawling Chatuchak market, north of Bangkok’s main city area. The intense blaze took about an hour to bring under control. Many people reported on their social media…
-
Wildlife groups call for reviews on elephant export regulations
“Before elephants are allowed to be exported, he suggested a check is made to find out how many Thai elephants had been exported and how many of them have been smuggled out.” Wildlife conservation groups and an MP Nikorn Chamnong, representing the Chart Thai Pattana party, is opposing the export of Thai elephants and demanding that the Commerce Ministry review…
-
Democrats meet one day before PM election to decide who to support
PHOTO: Democrat party spokesperson, Ramet Rattanachaweng Three sleeps to go before the Thai parliament meets to elect a new PM. The result of that vote is expected to favour the Palang Pracharat prime ministerial candidate, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the man who has been Thailand’s PM for the past five years. The Democrat party say they will decide on Tuesday, whether to…
-
Just how many hazardous chemicals are going through Laem Chabang port?
“The containers were loaded with “dolls and toys” and there are no chemical substances present.” That was the first explanation we heard after the fire that happened last Saturday, May 25, when containers from the KMTC Hongkong burst into flames at Laem Chabang Port, south east of Bangkok. The port area is just to the north of Pattaya on the eastern…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.