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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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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PR Thailand reminds of the “VUCA” plan to keep reopening safe
The public relations department posted a reminder on their Facebook page today of the 4 main measures the government is focusing on after reopening Thailand to international tourism at the beginning of last month. The post on the PR Thai Government Facebook page reiterates the criteria they laid out in November using the acronym VUCA to keep the reopening safe…
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Two arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman, posting video her tied up on TikTok
A Burmese man and woman were arrested for allegedly kidnapping another Burmese woman, and then posting a video of her with her ankles chained and hands tied on the social media platform TikTok. The suspects allegedly abducted the woman, who is said to be a popular social media influencer among Burmese netizens, in Pathum Thani, which is north of Bangkok. …
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French man arrested after 2 years of cheating many Thai women
Police announced with a giant vinyl sign that they had captured a “man from the land of perfume” who has been raising a stink around Thailand since his arrival 2 years ago. A 46 year old French man identified only as Stephane has been arrested after leaving a trail of crimes and forlorn Thai women in his wake since late…
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Opposition parties predict election between March and July 2022
The next general election could be held in as soon as 4 months, with opposition parties predicting elections between March and July of next year. A coalition of opposition parties met yesterday to discuss the current administration’s failures and put pressure on the ruling government. The coalition saw Move Forward Party, Pheu Thai Party, Puea Chat Party, Thai Liberal Party,…
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PM and Prawit put on show of unity over lunch, amid rumours of political infighting
Following murmurings of a rift, the Thai PM has had lunch with deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in what may be an attempt to dispel such rumours. The Bangkok Post reports that the lunch took place yesterday, at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation. Both men had just attended a meeting at the Army Club with Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda.…
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Bank of Thailand concerned with banks trading in digital assets
The Bank of Thailand said they don’t want commercial banks to directly trade in cryptocurrency and digital assets due to their extreme volatility. Thai lenders have been investing more and more in digital asset exchanges in Thailand with several banks making deals in the digital currency space. Siam Commerical Bank recently purchased a 51% share of Bitkub for 17.85 billion…
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GoFlight resumes Indian flight to Phuket this week
India has relaunched direct flights to Phuket with budget airline GoFirst flying from Delhi to Phuket with 187 Indian tourists onboard its inaugural flight. The first flight landed on Saturday and marked the return of what had previously been Phuket’s fastest-growing tourist demographic before the Covid-19 pandemic. Airport staff met the arriving travellers with gift bags and a welcome banner.…
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“Thailand Tourism with SHA” festival set for December 17 to 19
“Thailand Tourism with SHA” – the blandly titled event the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Pattaya City created jointly – is set to run on Pattaya Beach from December 17 to 19. The event is scheduled to include dozens of vendors and attractions in hopes of encouraging tourists to visit Pattaya, a quest that will likely be aided by the…
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Ford factories in Thailand to receive a US $900 million upgrade
In an announcement today, Ford Motor Company committed to investing US $900 million – about 30 billion baht – to upgrade their factories in Thailand. The American car manufacturer vowed to modernise its production plants in Thailand that support the building of the Everest SUV and Ranger pickup truck. The 30 billion baht is the biggest single investment that Ford…
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Kunming-Bangkok flight third relaunched flight from China Eastern
China Eastern Yunnan Airlines launched its third flight route between China and Thailand and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just put out a welcome announcement. The flight will bring Chinese tourists from the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming to Bangkok. Kunming is the capital of the Yunnan province and the TAT’s local Kunming made the announcement today welcoming the new…
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Wounded man flees to police station, says employer beat him, forced him to drink urine
A man, badly bruised and face swollen, reportedly showed up to a local police station claiming his employer has been abusing him for more than a decade, beating him with a PVC pipe and forcing him to drink dog urine. The 29 year old worker, identified as Fah, told police he managed to escape. Welts, wounds, and bruises were all…
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Authorities warn of “unhealthy” levels of air pollution in Bangkok, elsewhere this week
Authorities have warned that particulate matter 2.5 levels in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand will reach an unhealthy stage this week. According to a Pattaya News report, the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation says PM2.5 pollution levels are exceeding safe standards in many central parts of the country, including the capital. The CAPM operates under the authority of the…
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Three arrested in human trafficking crackdown near Myanmar border
Three people are accused of being involved in a transnational human trafficking operation where Burmese migrants were promised help entering Thailand for jobs and later forced into labour, even prostitution. The suspects were arrested in Tak’s Mae Sot district, which borders Myanmar. The suspects allegedly lured migrants into Thailand by helping them cross the border illegally, evading immigration checks and…
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Thai Airways offering round trip Sydney-Phuket flights
To boost tourism and promote Phuket’s island quarantine “sandbox” scheme, Thai Airways will run round trip flights between Phuket and Australia with three flights a week starting on today. The flights will be offered until January 25. The flight from Phuket to Sydney is available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Flights depart from Phuket at 6:50pm and arrive at 7:30am.…
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1 tourist killed, 8 wounded in crash while on tour of Chiang Mai mountain
A tourist was killed and eight others were wounded in a van crash yesterday while travellers were on a tour of Doi Ang Khang mountain in northern Chiang Mai. Around 10am, the 15-seater Toyota van crashed while going down a turn on a mountain road in the Fang district, skidding off the road and into a ditch, according to the…
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Recovery of Thailand’s international tourism sector likely to take years
International tourism demand for Thailand is still low, according to a Bangkok Post report, with a full recovery predicted to take years. Just 133,061 foreign arrivals touched down in Thailand between November 1 and 30, well below the 3 million visitors a month of pre-pandemic times. However, despite low visitor numbers to his province, Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn from the Tourism Council…
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Mixed doubles Thai badminton stars retain World Tour Finals crown
Thailand’s mixed doubles, badminton stars Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai have successfully defended their crown in the World Tour Finals. The duo competed on Sunday in Bali after winning the Indonesia Masters and the Indonesia Open before this week’s finale. They also claimed the Hylo Open in Germany before their trip to Bali. The Thai world number 2 pair made…
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Phuket police arrest 32 after more than 3,500 venue raids since November
Phuket police say they have made 32 arrests after over 3,500 venue raids since November 1. The report released says those arrests were made in light of those breaking the provincial order of no alcohol sales and/or Covid regulations that prevent staff from having close contact with customers. The report says that last Saturday, alone, saw 142 venue inspections, resulting…
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US Republican Party senator Bob Dole passes away at 98
Former US senator Bob Dole, a Republican Party member and presidential hopeful, has passed away at the age of 98. The war hero was riddled with lung cancer and succumbed to the illness early this morning in his sleep. Dole had served in various roles for America for 79 years. His reputation was that of one of Washington’s most recognisable…
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Germany removes Thailand from its list of high-risk countries
The Thai embassy in Berlin says Thailand has been removed from Germany’s list of Covid-19 high-risk countries, according to a Thai PBS World report. Provided they are fully vaccinated with an approved vaccine, travellers from Thailand can now enter Germany without having to quarantine. The accepted vaccines are Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, and the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. In addition…
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Burmese woman rescued by DSI after 13 years of forced labour
The Department of Special Investigation rescued a Burmese woman in Bangkok who has been held in forced labour for 13 years. The rescue was carried out yesterday by the DSI and was revealed today by the Director-General of the DSI. The 26 year old woman was held in a house on Soi 11 in the Pakamas housing estate, located in…
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Woman who told PM Prayut to “retire quickly” claims police visited her
A woman who told PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to his face to “retire quickly” claims that police requested a meeting with her to discuss her offence. The incident took place on Wednesday when the prime minister visited Udon Thani and a group of well-wishers were welcoming him. Video of the day captured the interaction and caused a stir in media. The…
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Hua Lamphong “won’t be torn down” | VIDEO
As the final trains pull into the historic Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok over the next few months, public hearings are being called to examine redevelopment options. Bangkok’s old railway hub is officially moving to the much larger, new Bang Sue Grand Station this month. The first hearing about Hua Lamphong’s future is being held on December 14. But,…
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Maya Bay on hold, but preparations for an eventual reopening continue | VIDEOS
This week The Thaiger revealed that Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, may remain closed beyond its proposed January 1 reopening, following a groundswell of local support to keep the famous Bay closed. For a while anyway. This is partly spurred on by environmental concerns for the iconic bay which has been closed to visitors since July 2018, and…
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PM says government move to digital technology will grow economy
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on organisations in Thailand to stay focused on the development of digital technology to grow the economy. The prime minister hosted a ceremony for the Digital Government Awards 2021 this week, bestowing honours on those public agencies that have already adopted digital technology. At the event, PM Prayut offered praise for the government agencies making…
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Maya Bay reopening likely to be postponed | VIDEO
Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, in between Krabi and Phuket, was slated for a reopening on January 1. But now there’s a building swell of local support to keep the famous Bay closed, for a while anyway. A Line group used by the Marine National Park, along with tour operators and other stakeholders, has revealed a groundswell of…
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Junior police officer facing attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a Bangkok bus
A junior police officer is facing attempted murder charges after he fired a gun at a passenger bus in Bangkok’s Bang Chan district on Tuesday. A video of the incident shared on social media shows a motorcyclist, cutting off the bus, forcing it to stop. He walked up to the bus driver and then went back to his motorcycle where…
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Fiji tourism reopening after nearly 2 years of Covid-19 closure
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama announced the island nation has reopened its borders for international tourism for the first time since many of the world’s borders closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic nearly 2 years ago. Fiji’s population of just 1 million people have struggled without the tourism that makes up a lion’s share of the economy after borders closed…
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Bangkok is 4th best place to live in Southeast Asia, according to expat survey
Bangkok has come in at number 4 in a survey ranking the best places to live in Southeast Asia. And the Thai capital has come in at number 11 out of 57 cities in the global rankings. This is a big jump on last year’s result, when it was ranked at number 30 out of 66 cities. According to a…
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Pro-democracy activist Panusaya given temporary release to sit university exam
Political activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, has been given temporary release to sit an exam and submit university reports. Thai PBS World reports that the activist was freed from Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institute at around 8pm last night. She was met by her parents and supporters, having spent 17 days behind bars. The pro-democracy activist is being tried on…
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