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 This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Bangkok man arrested for flogging dodgy medical certificates online
A young man in Bangkok has been arrested for peddling fake medical certificates on Facebook Marketplace. Police arrested 24 year old Phitchayaphat Somsri at a house in Lat Phrao district for selling the false certificates, including for Covid-19, for up to 1000 baht each, and say he used quite a number of tools in manufacturing them. A spokesman says the…
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Bank robber comes in from the rain, makes off with 106,000 baht
Staff at the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives in Prawet district of southeastern Bangkok got a surprise this week when a lone armed robber came in off the street, out of the torrential rain, and stole 106,000 baht. Brandishing a pistol, the man, caught on security cameras, wore a sky blue cap, a facemask, black shirt, jeans and trainers.…
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Thailand facing double whammy – Covid-19 and worsening seasonal drought
The Office of the National Water Resources says up to 6,255 villages in 24 provinces have already been declared as drought-affected areas, while national dams and reservoirs are only at an average of 49% capacity (only 26% of that water is usable.) It has been predicted that the drought could last until at least July. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon says…
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AoT, already struggling, deny investing in faltering Thai Airways
“We’ve got enough problems of our own.” Airports of Thailand is denying claims that it is interested in acquiring a stake in the financially floundering flag carrier Thai Airways, saying that they too are struggling with the sharp drop in revenue after airlines and airport shutdowns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Thai Airways, once considered one of Asia’s most luxurious…
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Drunken man incinerates ATM after running out of alcohol
Last night around 10pm a drunk man, apparently desperate to get more alcohol, became angry and aggressive, whereupon he decided to incinerate an ATM machine hoping that it was going to explode and rain cash, or alcohol, in Rayong, south east of Bangkok. General Montree Yimyam along with officials from the Rotong Police Station, arrested the man, later revealed as…
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Up to 10 million Thais out of work in next three months – CCSA
As many as 10 million Thais could be out of work in the next few months if the current Covid-19 epidemic drags on. Supant Mongkolsuthee, the president of the Federation of Thai IndustriesGovernment, says the Thai government needs to provide timely support for businesses. As head of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s working committee, tasked with overseeing small and…
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Chon Buri police raid late night ‘ladyboy’ cam show, arrest dozens – VIDEO
The show must go on! But not at the moment. Police in Chon Buri province southeast of Bangkok, acting on a tip, arrested dozens of people in a raid on an underground “cam show” at a Pattaya area luxury home at about 12:30 am yesterday. The raid was led by local police units along with a transnational crime unit and…
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Chiang Mai hiking spots go up in flames
Wildfires in Thailand’s north have made plenty of news in recent months, and now, Chiang Mai’s Doi Mon Jong mountain, one of northern Thailand’s most popular hiking spots has become the latest victim. Doi Mon Jong, in the province’s Om Koi District, is considered a legendary “unseen” destination for its breathtaking views, beauty and nature. Nearly 20 rai (3.2 hectares)…
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Gang of 6 steal 5 motorbikes from Ayutthaya police station
A police officer of the Ruea Police station in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, said “while he was reorganising confiscated bikes parked in the police station he had noticed that there were 5 motorbikes missing .” Authorities have now arrested 19 year olds Sipakij Kantaklin and Chachwan Rummana from Saraburi province, northeast of Bangkok. The 2 suspects worked with 4 teenagers and…
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Chon Buri struggles with severe drought
As Thailand faces its worst drought in 40 years, officials in Chon Buri met yesterday to discuss a solution regarding lack of water and low water pressure in the province’s Sattahip district, south of Pattaya, also the home to a naval base. Responding to many recent complaints, Sathira Pueakprapan, a member of the council in Chonburi, told reporters that Sattahip…
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Burmese pair arrested at border for smuggling 16.5 million baht
Police in the Tak province, northern Thailand, yesterday arrested two Burmese nationals for trying to smuggle 16.5 million baht in cash into Thailand. Authorities say the two, identified as 29 year old Ded Paioou, and a 24 year old woman called “Namitu” were arrested in tambon Tha Sai Luad, following a tip-off. Officers say the pair were driving a pickup…
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Village headman fires 8 bullets into an officer at a check point in northern Thailand
A ‘Phu Yai Barn’ or village headman in Phayao province, just south of Chiang Rai, got into a row with other local officials last night, allegedly ending in a shootout, seriously injuring a local official at a checkpoint. Last night at 8pm local police were informed of the shooting incident at Ban Na Nun Community Checkpoint Village No 2. They…
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Not recommended: Smoking marijuana at a police checkpoint
Most of us approach a police checkpoint with a bit of anxiety and apprehension but sometimes the “sabai sabai” approach makes for a more interesting interaction when you roll down your window. Last night in Chaiyaphum province, central Thailand, a tattoo-adorned man was stopped at a checkpoint in Kaeng Khro district around 9pm. His behaviour led police to believe he…
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Police hunt Burmese man accused of killing Chon Buri boy
Police in Chon Buri have launched a manhunt for a Burmese worker who is a suspect in the murder of an 11 year old boy. The boy’s body was found in a cassava farm in the province’s Sri Racha district on Sunday. Police believe the 49 year old Burmese national known only as “Wan,” may still be hiding in Chon…
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Trio arrested with 47 kilograms of marijuana they were selling on Facebook
Pattaya police have arrested 3 people on Saturday who were caught with 47 kilograms of marijuana that they’d been selling around Chonburi and Bangkok 20 year old Nakarachai or Pon-noon, 21 year old Muay Subboonto and 20 year old Nawee Cherndecha were arrested after police received a tip-off. The enterprising trio had also been brazenly selling their ‘consumables’ through a Facebook…
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World body bans Thai weightlifters from Tokyo Olympics
Thai and Malaysian weightlifters will be barred from the Tokyo Olympic Games, whenever they’re held, over their high numbers of doping cases. The sport’s governing body, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said in a statement that the two countries’ lifters can’t compete at the Tokyo Games, regardless of the change of date. Previously there had been some hope in Thailand…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 2
Hosted by Tim Newton Thailand confirms 104 new coronavirus cases (Thursday) Thailand now has at total of 1,875 Covid-19 coronavirus cases, another drop in newly announced cases. 104 new cases were confirmed over the last 24 hours and 3 more patients died. Total deaths now stand at 15. This continues a hopeful trend of new cases in Thailand dropping as…
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Paramotor crash in Chonburi kills British man
A British man, aged 60, has been killed in a flying incident. He was flying when the paramotor developed engine troubles and plummeted into the ground in Bang Saray Tambon in Sattahip district, south of Pattaya. Bang Saray police and rescuers from the Sawangrot Thammasathan Foundation were called to the crash site, that occurred in a grassy field near Moo…
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Thailand’s reservoirs and dams reaching critically low levels
The start of the annual wet season isn’t far away, maybe this month, but Thailand’s water sources are running on empty. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported today, that Thailand has seen a large drop of useable water in dams and reservoirs by an average of 30% of their capacity, due to the lack of rain in the…
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Lockdowns, closures mean cleaner air in European cities
Lockdowns, travel restrictions and factory closures due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic are having some unexpected positive consequences. Satellite images show that cities around Europe, including Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt, are showing a huge reduction in air pollution average levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide over compared with the same period last year. New images, including heat maps, released…
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Former US gangster arrested after Chon Buri 7-11 robbery
A man with a rather colourful past is now in police custody in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province. The suspect, a former US gangster, who speaks five languages, allegedly robbed a 7-eleven shop of 5000 baht using a BB gun last week. 37 year old “Roger” Phayungsak Wasuwat, was taken by police to the convenience store branch…
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“Hot to very hot” in the North and Northeast, thundershowers predicted
A thermal low still covers upper Thailand, while southerly and southeasterly winds prevail over the Northeast and the East regions. Thailand is now in the ‘shoulder’ season, between the dry season and wet season, which is set to kick in sometime in April. (Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai 5 day forecasts below) Chiang Mai is poised for another week of…
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Chiang Mai fire spikes air pollution up to 20 times ‘safe’ levels
A bushfire roaring away in the Doi Suthep-Pui National Park in Chiang Mai is causing continued concerns for Chiang Mai residents because of the dangers to nearby villages and the smoke filling the skies of the city. 500 local officials and soldiers from the 3rd Army Region were called in to fight the blaze and spent 14 hours bringing it under…
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Potential catastrophe facing Thailand’s elephant camps
Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, along with many other camps in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors due to the current Coronavirus situation in Thailand. Apart from resulting in hardship for the elephants, it will seriously hurt Thailand’s tourism industry in the future if no support is forthcoming soon. And whilst we’re hunkering down in our homes…
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“Comply or I’ll tear it down myself” Pattaya mayor tells encroaching resort
Pattaya’s mayor Sontaya Khunpluem yesterday ordered his staff to post notices at Ban Sukhawadee, or “Sukhawadee House” as it’s known in English, a luxury beachfront property and tourist attraction on a total of 80 rai in the Bang Lamung district, that encompasses Pattaya. The company that runs the resort, HealthFood International, has two weeks to comply with a judgment relating…
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BOT predicts 5.3% contraction in Thai economy for 2020
Even the Thai economy, which was still maintaining respectable growth before January, is now spluttering under the siege of the Covid-19 virus. Now the Bank of Thailand has crunched some numbers and believes the Thai economy will sharply contract by 5.3% this year as the virus continues to weigh on global financial markets, the local economy and people. GDP growth…
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Chiang Mai smog reaches dangerous levels – 12 x ‘safe’ levels
As if the northern city doesn’t have enough to worry about with the coronavirus and scorching daily temperatures, residents are still having to face choking smoke and smog from, mostly, deliberately lit forest fires in the region. PM2.5 levels in some areas soared up to 592 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday, more than ten times the ‘safe’ level. This morning…
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April Thai lottery postponed
The Thai national lottery scheduled for April 1 will now take place on May 2, and the other April 16 and May 2 lottery draws have been cancelled. The Thai Government Lottery Office made the announcement today. The bi-monthly drawing of the six magic numbers is one of the most watched TV programs in Thailand. The move, sure to disappoint…
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The almighty baht set to fall further despite rate cuts, stimulus
A lot has changed for the baht. It was only months ago that The Bank of Thailand considered drastic measures to rein in the rambunctious baht, whose massive gains in currency markets made it the darling of speculators. In December Kasikorn Bank released a report outlining reasons the baht “will remain strong into 2020.” The bank’s research arm forecast the…
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Pattaya motorbiker seriously wounded in early morning shooting
A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver was seriously early this morning when he was allegedly shot by another motorbike taxi driver following a dispute over money. Police were notified of the incident at 2:30am. Officers, and emergency responders and reporters rushed to the motorbike taxi stand, where the supervisor, 52 year old Pairoj Laipueangthong, and 21 year old witness Jennapa Kaewta…
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