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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  • “Thailand should be a luxury and premier holiday destination” – Deputy PM

    “Thailand should be a luxury and premier holiday destination” – Deputy PM

    In the first half of 2022, Thailand welcomed around 2 million international travellers, marking a promising recovery after the Land of Smile’s tourism sector suffered from the outbreak and the restrictions imposed on entry requirements, such as the Thailand Pass. Thailand holiday Thailand holiday But rather than offering significant discounts to attract world travellers, hotels, businesses and private hospitals should…

  • PETA awards animal-themed vegan donuts to BKK customs staff

    PETA awards animal-themed vegan donuts to BKK customs staff

    PETA Asia, the regional arm of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has delivered dozens of wildlife-themed vegan doughnuts to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport’s wildlife checkpoint and customs staff. Last week the BKK airport staff seized 109 live animals, including 2 white porcupines, 2 armadillos, 20 snakes, 35 turtles, and 50 chameleons. All the animals were hidden inside the suitcases of 2…

  • Drug bonfire set alight today fuelled with 40 tonnes of illicit narcotics

    Drug bonfire set alight today fuelled with 40 tonnes of illicit narcotics

    Illicit drugs, valued at about 25 billion baht, are set to go up in smoke over the next 2 days. The confiscated drugs, which have been stored in a Food and Drug Administration location, are going to be creating some interesting smoke fumes for people living downwind of the FDA’s Bang Pu industrial facility in Samut Prakan. Some 40 tonnes…

  • Thai energy chief suggests senators shed suits to save energy

    Thai energy chief suggests senators shed suits to save energy

    The Deputy PM and Energy Minister, Supattanapong Punmeechaow, has urged the nation’s senators to be energy-saving role models for Thailand. The 62 year old MP has suggested every senator should avoid wearing suits to reduce the use of air-conditioning in Parliament. During today’s senate meeting at the Parliament House senators, Sakon Satjayanit and Suradet Jirathiticharoen raised questions about solutions to…

  • Thai student caught smoking cannabis, threatened to punch teacher

    Thai student caught smoking cannabis, threatened to punch teacher

    A Thai high school student locked himself in a classroom during lunch break to smoke cannabis with other classmates, which was hidden in a water bottle. The teacher tried to stop the students from smoking the weed, but one of the students threatened to “punch the teacher.” A Ramathibodi Hospital paediatrician shared the story on her Facebook page. The event…

  • BKK Airport reports increase in flights after Thailand Pass nixed

    BKK Airport reports increase in flights after Thailand Pass nixed

    Since the elimination of the Thailand Pass complicating entry into Thailand, flights and passengers have increased at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport by about 10% on average. July 1 saw the lifting of travel restrictions, including the need to apply in advance for a Thailand Pass, which the government touted as opening the floodgates to a surge of international travellers, predicting 3…

  • Teen killed and 2 year old in critical condition after motorcycle tragedy

    Teen killed and 2 year old in critical condition after motorcycle tragedy

    A teenage boy has died and a 2 year old child is in critical condition after an accident yesterday at a motorcycle racing charity event near Krapang Surin Public Park in the southern province of Trang. A motorcycle racer lost control and crashed into the watching crowd alongside the racing track causing 1 death and injuries to 7 people. Sixteen-year-old…

  • Hang on! BTS booty post draws viral attention to train etiquette

    Hang on! BTS booty post draws viral attention to train etiquette

    “Does it have to be that tight?” a user asked after a post by the Bangkok Mass Transit System went viral. The comment was one of over 500 at the time of this writing in response to an eye-catching post on BTS’s Facebook page asking people not to lean on the handrail poles on trains and featuring a shocking image…

  • “Casinos should be legalised and will create revenue for Thailand” – Chuwit Kamolvisit

    “Casinos should be legalised and will create revenue for Thailand” – Chuwit Kamolvisit

    Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former politician and controversial owner of a massage parlour, has backed the legalisation of casinos in Thailand, believing it will boost revenue and draw tourists from abroad. “It shouldn’t be ignored any longer, and people should face the truth that many locals take part in gambling.” Chuwit Kamolvisit is a controversial Thai politician who was once the…

  • Family of trampled woman calls for UK ban on elephant parks ads

    Family of trampled woman calls for UK ban on elephant parks ads

    More than 20 years after a British woman was trampled to death at Nong Nooch Village Elephant Show in Thailand, her family is frustrated that elephant shows and rides are still being advertised and promoted in the UK. Andrea Taylor was just 20 years old in 2000 when an elephant charged into the crowd, killing her and injuring her sister…

  • Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok

    Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok

    On Saturday morning, a pickup truck crashed into the barrier in the middle of a 4 lane road in Bangkok and exploded. Witnesses saw 2 men escape the vehicle, but both men got caught in the flames and died at the scene. At 6:30am on Saturday, fire engines from Thanon Chan Fire Station were called to put out a fire…

  • Thailand-France business investment discussed in PM meeting

    Thailand-France business investment discussed in PM meeting

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha recently met with MEDEF International, the largest employer federation in France, to discuss future partnerships with Thailand. Francois Corbin, the Vice President of the Movement of the Enterprises of France, along with other delegates, met with the Thai prime minister on Friday to look at the future of Thai-French business partnerships. French firms are examining the post-pandemic…

  • Thai health delegate says we must do more to protect kids from sex crimes

    Thai health delegate says we must do more to protect kids from sex crimes

    A spokesman for the Thai Department of Health says schools must do more to protect children from sexual crimes after the alleged rape of an 11 year old girl by her 12 year old classmate caused outrage in the Wichian Buri district of Phetchabun province on Tuesday, June 21. Police launched an investigation into why the female director of the…

  • Inflation causing a problem for airlines coming to Thailand

    Inflation causing a problem for airlines coming to Thailand

    The Thai tourism industry is trying to recover as fewer international flights are now arriving due to inflation as prices of fuel are rising. There are also problems in both Europe and the US with flights being cancelled or with long delays, causing additional travel chaos as the world’s travel and aviation tries to recover. World inflation is also hitting…

  • Cyber police bust illegal gambling ring in Pattaya valued at 100 million baht

    Cyber police bust illegal gambling ring in Pattaya valued at 100 million baht

    Cyber police busted an illegal online gambling ring in Pattaya and arrested 11 suspects in connection with the illicit activity that pulled in over 100 million baht in revenue. Director of the Cybercrime Suppression Center Region 2, Surachit Chingnawan, yesterday announced the arrest of the 11 suspects accused of operating the illegal online gambling website in the Chon Buri area.…

  • Runway temporarily closed for repair, flights to and from Phuket affected

    Runway temporarily closed for repair, flights to and from Phuket affected

    Last evening Phuket International Airport closed for 2 hours whilst quick repairs were made to the runway. Earlier in the day, small cracks were found on the tarmac causing airport officials to postpone some flights and divert others that were on their way to Phuket. Repairs were made on the runway between 5 – 7pm as repairs were affected by…

  • Koh Pha Ngan ranked top workation location in the world

    Koh Pha Ngan ranked top workation location in the world

    Open your suitcases and your chakras – Koh Pha Ngan has been ranked as the top destination for a workation – an increasingly popular way of squeezing in a getaway while continuing to work. The popular tourist island in the southern Thailand province of Surat Thani ranks number one out of 16 choices gathered and analyzed by William Russell, a prominent…

  • Goverment’s rough week: Minister with Covid-19, Parliament flood

    Goverment’s rough week: Minister with Covid-19, Parliament flood

    This just wasn’t the Thai government’s weekend. Another minister tested positive for Covid-19, while the new Parliament complex has flooded. Again. Minister of Industry Suriya Juangroongruangkit announced today that he has tested positive for Covid-19, just days after Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul announced catching the virus. The Industry Minister is fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca and has received a…

  • Bangkok is best city in Southeast Asia according to travel mag

    Bangkok is best city in Southeast Asia according to travel mag

    Bangkok is at the top of a list of the 2022 10 best cities in Southeast Asia, ranked by travel magazine Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia. The list was published last week. The next 9 best cities in Southeast Asia, in order, are: Singapore, Danang, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, Saigon, Phenom Phen, and Jakarta. So why is…

  • Thailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    Thailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    In its latest estimates, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports predicts that the second half of 2022 will bring more than 7 million travellers to Thailand. The first 6 months nearly hit the 2 million tourist mark, with 1.987 million visitors arriving from abroad from the beginning of January until June 28. Tourism generated around 114 billion baht so far…

  • Thai PM Prayut ‘positive’ about expected tourist influx

    Thai PM Prayut ‘positive’ about expected tourist influx

    Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he is confident about the country’s expected tourist influx this year, according to a government spokesperson. Thailand’s CCSA scrapped the Thailand Pass on Friday, July 1. Now, the Tourism and Sports Ministry expects a total of about 9.3 million foreign visitors to arrive in the ‘Land of Smiles’ this year. The compulsory US$10,000 insurance was…

  • What will be Thailand’s new tourism mix? – VIDEO

    What will be Thailand’s new tourism mix? – VIDEO

    This is an hour-long discussion with our YouTube audience… Now the Thailand Pass is history, Thailand’s tourism moves into a new era. From now until high season there will be many new dynamics that will affect how the kingdom recovers its vital status as a top 10 world tourism destination. Also, the mask dilemma. We’re sick of talking about face…

  • Coalition calls for cannabis regulation, ban for youth

    Coalition calls for cannabis regulation, ban for youth

    If like many, you doubted the legalisation of cannabis without regulation in Thailand as too good to be true, the backlash that has already begun will be no surprise. PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha has already curbed cannabis patents to prevent foreign market domination and banned its use on military sites, while vendors selling joints were shut down on Khaosan Road after…

  • Travel to Surat Thani, it’s where the fun begins | Jay and Natty’s Adventures

    Travel to Surat Thani, it’s where the fun begins | Jay and Natty’s Adventures

    The Thaiger‘s Natty and Jay recently went on a long weekend trip to Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani, and they’re dying to show our viewers their adventures. People typically see Surat Thani as a passing point to somewhere exciting like Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan. But The Thaiger’s top news presenters want people to know about Surat…

  • Price of made-to-order food surge in Thailand

    Price of made-to-order food surge in Thailand

    Price inflation continues to rear its head in Thailand and across the globe. The latest item to get more expensive is made-to-order food. The average price per dish of made-to-order food bumped up by about 3.7 baht or 6.7% in May, according to a year-on-year comparison by the food delivery app Line Man Wongnai. The report said that dishes with…

  • Thailand tourism looking up, predictions of 1.5 million per month

    Thailand tourism looking up, predictions of 1.5 million per month

    After years of devastation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand looks hopefully toward a resurgence of tourism with the further easing of restrictions starting yesterday. The required Thailand Pass for entry into the country is no longer needed as the restriction was lifted yesterday, with tourism authorities predicting an influx of travellers entering the country as a result. Tourism and Sports…

  • Pattaya eyes tourism revival with nightlife until 2am again

    Pattaya eyes tourism revival with nightlife until 2am again

    Pattaya is expecting a tourism revival now that the government has lifted another Covid-19 restriction and nightlife is allowed to open until 2 am. Pattaya mayor Poramet Ngampichet praised the easement, predicting it will open the door to tourists from around the world including the Middle East and the UK, and about 3 to 4 million tourists from India, who…

  • UPDATE: Resort in eastern Thailand denies media claims

    UPDATE: Resort in eastern Thailand denies media claims

    UPDATE A resort in eastern Thailand has released a statement yesterday denying media claims that police accused its foreign directors of wrongdoing. The statement refuted other claims as well, and said police have not issued arrest warrants on any of the resort’s directors. The accusations are in light of a fire that gutted one of the resort’s villas in March.…

  • Police tracking down British nationals after March fire in eastern Thailand

    Police tracking down British nationals after March fire in eastern Thailand

    After a fire gutted a resort villa in Thailand’s eastern province of Trat in March, 3 executives are being charged. The charges include causing a fire by negligence, causing damages to people’s property, endangering other persons, and allowing others to use the building for hotel business without obtaining a license from the local officials. The massive fire broke out at…

  • Unlicensed pool villa in Pattaya raided by police

    Unlicensed pool villa in Pattaya raided by police

    Residents living in View Point Village in Bang Lamueng district in Pattaya filed a complaint to the authorities after foreigners caused carnage at an unlicensed pool villa. The Assistant District Officer, Pornchai Sung-iad, investigated the View Point Village, where several houses operate as pool villas and found that a number of locals were concerned that more properties in the area…