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’s DDC to reduce quarantine for high-risk cases from 7 days after Songkran
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, or DDC, has agreed to reduce the quarantine period for people residing in the kingdom who are at “high-risk” of infection after being in contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19. Starting after the Songkran festival, the quarantine period for high-risk people in Thailand will be reduced from 7 days to “5+5” days. This means those…
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UPDATE: Bangkok airport claims Test & Go crowding was temporary, problem already fixed
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has responded to the complaint from a Thai YouTuber about the seemingly chaotic crowds of international travellers arriving under the Test & Go entry scheme on Sunday. He said that people coming into the arrivals hall didn’t know where to go, couldn’t find their hotel transport, the awaiting hotel shuttles were randomly crowded behind barriers and it…
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You can grow ‘as many cannabis plants as you like’ in Thai homes from June 9, but…
People in Thailand will be allowed to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes from June 9, according to Thailand’s health minister and medical marijuana pioneer Anutin Charnvirakul. However… if you don’t read the fine print you can still get into trouble with the law. As usual, the fine print is confusing. Bottomline, don’t be…
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Opposition leader Thanathorn indicted for lèse majesté, says he’s political target
Public prosecutors in Thailand have indicted Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit on a lèse majesté charge and for violating the Computer Crime Act on Monday. The charges centre on remarks he made during a livestream talk he gave last year, in which he discussed the government’s procurement of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and allegedly casting indirect suspicion on His Majesty the…
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Nok Air resumes Bangkok-Betong route, partners with allies to fill charter flights
If at first you don’t succeed, try again — with a few more friends. That’s the message from Thailand budget airline Nok Air, which is teaming up with a handful of tourism industry partners in a renewed bid to provide charter flights from Bangkok to the recently opened Betong airport in Yala province in the south. Beginning on April 29,…
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Songkran travellers can enjoy FREE parking at Suvarnabhumi airport from April 11-17
There’s good news for those flying out of Bangkok during the Thai New Year. You can now park your car at Suvarnabhumi Airport Zone C for FREE during the entire Songkran period, as the parking fees are being scrapped from April 11 to April 17. Zone C is zoned for long term parking and has 700 parking spaces. Airport authorities…
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Thailand police seize huge quantities of illicit drugs from 120,000+ suspects in 6 months
Thailand’s drug busts have continued hauling in billions of baht in confiscated assets for this fiscal year, while arrests of “drug suspects” — though still in the six-digits range — have reduced roughly 40 percent. That’s the gist of a report from the deputy national police chief, Roy Inkhapairoj, who presented the figures at a press briefing on Sunday, after…
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Bomb thrown at PM Prayut’s house, protesters burn coffin decorated with his image
Yesterday, a teenager threw a “ping pong” bomb at Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s house. On the same day, a mob of “Red Shirt” protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to burn a coffin adorned with pictures of PM Prayut’s face. Yesterday’s protests were to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the 2010 Red Shirt protests, where 90 people died…
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Songkran a litmus test for Thailand’s economic recovery, tourism industry revival
As Thailand’s annual Songkran festival begins this week, all eyes are on the government to see how its strict Covid-prevention measures will affect tourism spending and mitigate new infections, which are expected to spike after the holiday. As the war in Ukraine continues to hike up global oil and food prices, pundits say how Thailand fares during and after the…
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Russian tourism staff claims interest in Thailand travel has spiked for Russians
More Russians are reportedly interested in venturing down to Thailand. After Russia announced earlier this week it would lift Covid-19 restrictions on flights to 52 countries, starting April 9, some Russian tourism staff claim there was a massive increase in Thailand search inquiries by Russians. Searches for tickets to Thailand reportedly went up by 20%, according to one popular vacation…
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Unsafe levels of smog and smoke blanket Bangkok – VIDEO
Unsafe levels of PM2.5 ‘particulate’ cloud Bangkok and surrounding areas today. Phasi Charoen district, on the western side of the Chao Phraya, is the worst affected area, while other dangerous areas include: Phutthamonthon 1 Road in Taling Chan district, Lat Krabang Road in Lat Krabang district, Hirunrujee Road in Thon Buri district, and Charoen Nakhon Road in Khlong San district.…
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With splash parties banned, Thais celebrate Songkran with characters on chat app
With traditional Songkran water fights banned in Thailand due to Covid-19, Thais are now “celebrating” the holiday with avatars on a chat app. The ONESIAM x Zepeto Metaverse Songkran Festival 2022 is a collaboration between property giant Siam Piwat, and the Zepeto chat app. Would-be Songkran revellers who are customers of Siam Piwat malls can download Zepeto. Users can then…
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South Korea is the most expensive country to raise kids
South Korea is the most expensive country in the world to raise children from birth to age 18, according to research from Jefferies Financial Group. On the list of 14 countries Jefferies researched, South Korea is followed by China, then Italy. Jefferies’s analysts reported some differences between Asian and Western cultures that might be a factor in South Korea and…
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Pakistan’s Imran Khan ousted from PM position
Following a parliamentary vote of no confidence last week, Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan has been ousted. The vote came after Pakistan’s opposition parties accused Khan of economic mismanagement, as well as poor governance. The country’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a decision to block the no confidence vote was unconstitutional. Now, Khan claims that opposition to him is backed…
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Phuket’s Vanderbilt Estate opens for local charity
The financial impact of Covid has been felt all around the world, with charities hit the hardest. Phuket Has Been Good To Us, who teach English for free to disadvantaged Thai children, is no exception. Desperately in need of funds, they were hugely thankful when friends of the Foundation Mohan Murjani and Sukanya Panyalert (Khun Yui) offered to open the…
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Thailand’s Ministry of Interior urges tight Covid enforcement during Songkran
The Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Interior is calling on provincial governors to “rigidly enforce Covid-19 restrictions” during the looming Songkran annual break. The Permanent Secretary, Suthipong Julcharoe, also suggested 10 “Universal Prevention” methods. These include frequent handwashing and not touching your face, as well as vulnerable groups staying at home. Suthipong also suggested “double masking” (wearing 2 face…
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Thailand tourism authorities target India to offset lack of Chinese tourists
A deputy governor of marketing from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says Indian tourists are important for offsetting the loss of Chinese tourists in Thailand, as the TAT aims to attract 500,000 Indian tourists this year. The marketing governor said ever since an air travel bubble started with India last month, Thailand has already seen around 600 Indian arrivals per…
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Starting in May, foreign arrivals to Thailand may only have to take ATK tests
Starting in May, foreign arrivals to Thailand may take antigen tests on arrival, instead of PCR tests. Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday that it will hold off on adjusting the current entry restrictions for foreign travellers to Thailand until it can evaluate the effects of next week’s Songkran festival, as it continues monitoring the spread of Covid-19 in the country. Thailand’s…
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Phuket man confesses to spying on female hotel guest, still ‘temporarily released’
A Phuket hotel employee has confessed this morning to spying on a hotel guest last night while she was showering. Phuket police have already released the man, Noppadon, even though he admitted his crime and had been charged by police. The guest, Tong, posted on Facebook last night about the man, saying she spotted him staring at her through the…
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Boeing 757-200 crash lands and splits in two at Costa Rica airport
Boeing’s series of bad media, whether directly at fault or not, continues after a DHL Boeing 757-200 cargo aircraft crash landed and split into two, losing its tail end at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria international airport yesterday. The crew managed to escape the yellow DHL cargo plane and came out of the incident unharmed. The aircraft was bound for Guatemala…
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US arrests 3 Thais, yakuza chief for planning to supply missiles to Burmese rebels
US authorities revealed yesterday that they have arrested three Thai men and a Japanese yakuza organised crime leader in New York City on April 4 – 5. The men are accused of trafficking heroin and methamphetamine, as well as attempting to acquire surface-to-air missiles for rebel groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Takeshi Ebizawa, Sompak Raksaranee, Somphop Sigsiri and Suksan…
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Ousted Thai MP vows to continue political career, posts ‘see you again’
After a former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party was permanently banned from Thai politics yesterday, she now vows to continue her political activities anyway. The woman, Pareena Kraikupt, was banned from politics by Thailand’s Supreme Court because she used forest reserve land in Ratchaburi for her private poultry farm. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders found…
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Phuket hospital and resort launch ‘Prestige Wellness’ tourism campaign
A Phuket hospital and a local resort are teaming up to launch a new campaign called “Prestige Wellness” — offering tourists ‘reboot’ wellness programs, in addition to Phuket’s natural beauty, local cuisine and cultural activities. Now tourists won’t even have to leave the comfort of their hotel to benefit from some of the wellness programmes available under the government’s plan for…
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Why are Thai Airways leasing 3 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft?
Thai Airways is expanding its fleet by three this month despite going through an ongoing debt restructuring process. The airline is in the process of selling 45 unused jets, yet they are leasing three Boeing 777-300ER aircraft this month. Two 777-300ERs, adorned with Thai Airways paint jobs, landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on April 5 and another is expected to…
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CCSA to discuss Songkran, scrapping on-arrival PCR tests for travellers TODAY
Thailand’s government will meet again today to discuss how to contain the spread of Covid-19 during next week’s Songkran festival, its vaccination rollout for the elderly and whether or not to scrap the on-arrival PCR tests for foreign travelers. Thailand hoteliers and others travel industry professionals have been lobbying for a full removal of PCR testing to attract more tourists,…
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Prayut advises Bangkok governor hopefuls on drainage system, population density
Following a record registration of 31 candidates for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, PM Prayut advises the future governor, whoever that will be, to continue solving the city’s problems. Prayut offered a few pointers on several pressing issues, including Bangkok’s drainage system and population density, saying, “May I offer moral support to all Bangkok governor candidates”. Prayut said in order to fix Bangkok…
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Call centre scammers make deepfake video of Chon Buri police officer to lure in victims
Scam call centres are now using ‘deepfake’ videos to make their scams look more realistic. In a ‘deepfake’ clip circling online, a policeman from Chon Buri appears to be talking, but his strange mouth movements give away that the video is not real. A netizen posted the clip online to warn others not to fall for the scam. The clip…
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Thailand can welcome Russian travellers back this Saturday, really?@!
The Russian PM, Mikhail Mishustin, has revealed that Russia would open its sky to 52 “friendly” countries from April 9 onwards after being closed to prevent the spread of Covid-19. And that other matter. On the list is Thailand who says they’re ready to welcome the Russian travellers back. Given the current situation with the ongoing war between Russia and…
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International travellers trickle back into Bangkok, but hoteliers say it’s not enough
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has seen a significant increase in international travellers since Thailand scrapped its pre-travel PCR test requirement last Friday. Well that’s the general narrative that’s been published in some media, although the published numbers don’t stand up to close scrutiny. Bangkok’s aviation hub saw an average of more than 11,600 daily arrivals from abroad touch down in the…
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Thai MP permanently banned from politics for using forest reserve land for farm
A former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath is now permanently banned from Thai politics for using forest reserve land in Ratchaburi province for her farm. The issues around the MP, Pareena Kraikupt, using land began to surface in 2019. The Royal Forest Department then investigated the land, and concluded that Pareena’s poultry farm encroached on it. The department asked the…
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