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.

  • Russia to join navy exercises with China and South African next month | Thaiger

    Russia to join navy exercises with China and South African next month

    Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency revealed today that a Russian warship equipped with hypersonic cruise missiles will join in exercises with the navies of China and South Africa next month. This marks the first official confirmation of the involvement of the Russian frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov. The frigate is armed with Zircon missiles, capable of…

  • Pakistani man caught smuggling 80,000 pills into Thailand | Thaiger

    Pakistani man caught smuggling 80,000 pills into Thailand

    A Pakistani man was arrested at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday after he attempted to smuggle a suitcase brimming with drugs from Pakistan into the Kingdom of Thailand. Airport security flagged down a suspicious suitcase from Karachi, Pakistan, found to contain a plethora of Type 2 and Type 4 psychotropic substances. In total, police at the airport seized 79,200 pills…

  • Musk’s Twitter cuts keep Thai pedo clips online | Thaiger

    Musk’s Twitter cuts keep Thai pedo clips online

    A number of video clips showing alleged sexual abuse by a Thai art teacher and his underage victims have been circulating on Twitter for many days now. The videos first appeared on January 17. Prachatai English found the videos circulating the same day the suspect was arrested by police in Nakhon Ratchasima. The teacher, identified by local media as “Kanthapit,”…

  • Tourists urged to beware of tiger roaming in Kanchanaburi, Thailand | Thaiger

    Tourists urged to beware of tiger roaming in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    A large male tiger came out of the forest and was spotted roaming around Srinagarind Dam in Tha Kradan district of Kanchanaburi province, western Thailand, yesterday morning. Tourists visiting the popular Srinagarind Dam and famous Erawan Waterfall are urged to beware of the tiger. Four CCTV cameras caught footage of the big cat sauntering around the dam at around 2am.…

  • Gunman kills 10 in shooting at California dance studio | Thaiger

    Gunman kills 10 in shooting at California dance studio

    A gunman killed 10 people in a shooting at a California dance studio on Saturday night. The gunman, 72 year old Huu Can Tran, also injured another 10 people after opening fire in the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, located in Los Angeles County. LA County Sherrif Robert Luna did not have the victims’ exact ages, but said…

  • Missed trains and confusion with new station changes | Thaiger

    Missed trains and confusion with new station changes

    Commuters in Thailand are facing confusion and frustration due to a lack of coordination between railway stations after the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) moved almost half of its long-haul train services from Hua Lamphong station to Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal. The newly revamped station, formerly known as Bang Sue Grand Station, is now servicing 52 rapid service, express,…

  • British woman who fell from KPN balcony goes home | Thaiger

    British woman who fell from KPN balcony goes home

    The British woman who fell from a hotel balcony while on holiday on Koh Pha Ngan returned home to the UK after a successful fundraiser brought in £75,000 (3 million baht, US$100,000) in donations. Maddi Neale-Shankster, 21, was on a three-week trip to Thailand with her partner when she fell from the second floor of her accommodation on New Year’s Eve.…

  • British diver dies in mysterious circumstances on Thailand’s Koh Tao | Thaiger

    British diver dies in mysterious circumstances on Thailand’s Koh Tao

    A British man was found dead on Thailand‘s notorious Koh Tao – also known as Death Island – on Wednesday. The circumstances around his death are a mystery. The body of 48 year old diving instructor Neil Giblin, from Birmingham, UK, was found dead in his rented bungalow on the island after he failed to turn up to a diving…

  • 6 Elephants added to camp anticipating Chinese tourists | Thaiger

    6 Elephants added to camp anticipating Chinese tourists

    Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand, and with it, operators at elephant sanctuaries and shows are expecting a swell in customers. The Pang Chang Kamala Elephant Camp in Phuket has recently bought six new elephants to keep up with the rise in bookings after the Lunar New Year. The camp offers a variety of activities for the new tourists streaming…

  • Narrow escape for Nauru’s Chinese passport forgers | Thaiger

    Narrow escape for Nauru’s Chinese passport forgers

    When police nabbed two Chinese passport forgers operating out of an official Nauru Embassy residence late last year it seemed like another small victory in the fight against Chinese organised crime in the kingdom. Today, as it becomes clear that 15 officials have been charged in connection with the escape of the two Chinese passport forgers, a small victory has…

  • Sex Workers Bill will protect Thailand’s most-exploited | Thaiger

    Sex Workers Bill will protect Thailand’s most-exploited

    Many thousands of Thais – mostly women – work their whole lives in the sex industry without legal protection. With nothing to shield them, they are exploited both directly and indirectly. The Sex Workers Bill sets out to remedy some of that. Operators use harsh methods to control their workers and ensure the money keeps rolling in. Owners of venues must…

  • Maiden Flydubai direct Pattaya flight arrives | Thaiger

    Maiden Flydubai direct Pattaya flight arrives

    The maiden direct flight from Dubai to Pattaya by Flydubai touched down at U-Tapao Airport in Chon Buri Province on Friday night, carrying 158 passengers. The passengers, including six bloggers, were greeted by U-Tapao Airport Director, Admiral Rapeepong Sowan, the vice mayor of Pattaya City and director of the Pattaya Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). According to…

  • Couple arrested for selling Asiatic golden cat parts | Thaiger

    Couple arrested for selling Asiatic golden cat parts

    A couple arrested in Bangkok with 19 animal skins has confessed to selling talismans made from Asiatic golden cat parts including skins and oil. Officers from the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division arrested Phatcharapha Prasongdee and her husband Sitthichai Boonlai, both 30 years old, at a house in Lat Phrao district on Friday. In the couple’s house were…

  • Google announces 12,000 layoffs amid new “economic reality” | Thaiger

    Google announces 12,000 layoffs amid new “economic reality”

    Google is cutting 12,000 jobs globally its parent company, Alphabet, announced yesterday. Like other tech titans in recent weeks, Google is laying off workers as it embarks on some large-scale restructuring. The announcement follows similar layoffs by other tech giants such as Microsoft, Meta (parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp), Amazon and Twitter, as the previously stable tech sector…

  • Flights from China over Chinese New Year average 34 daily | Thaiger

    Flights from China over Chinese New Year average 34 daily

    The skies above Thailand will be full of Chinese flights this week, with 240 scheduled flights over the Chinese New Year. The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai) announced that during the holiday period from January 19 to 25, an average of 34 flights per day are expected to arrive in Thailand from China. This is expected to bring a significant…

  • Is BMW really Thailand’s favourite car? | Thaiger

    Is BMW really Thailand’s favourite car?

    BMW is Thailand’s favourite car marque. It might not be the best-selling vehicle, but when Thai people have plenty of money to spend, they choose BMW. The company saw growth in registrations across its range, driven by last year’s marketing initiatives. BMW and Mini have led Thailand’s premium market for the past three years. Both have seen an increase in their…

  • China gives green light to Chinese tour groups | Thaiger

    China gives green light to Chinese tour groups

    China has lifted its restriction on group tours travelling to Thailand and 19 other countries. The reopening of tour groups officially started yesterday, marking a significant step towards normalising international travel for Chinese tourists. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in China made the announcement yesterday. This move will officially allow tour agencies and online travel companies to begin booking…

  • Driver hits and kills pedestrian on dimly lit Pattaya road | Thaiger

    Driver hits and kills pedestrian on dimly lit Pattaya road

    A driver hit and killed a pedestrian crossing a dimly lit Pattaya road on Wednesday night, in Thailand‘s latest road tragedy. Bang Lamung police arrived on the scene in front of Soi Bang Lamung 12 to find the victim, a 46 year old man named Paiboon Tongmo, dead on the road. The driver, 27 year old Sila Narinnok, was in…

  • Phuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges | Thaiger

    Phuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges

    A Phuket police volunteer faces drunk driving charges after he and a medical staffer collided on their motorbikes. The incident happened on Korsimbi Road near the Rang Hill in Talad Nuea market in Phuket’s main city district. Rescuers arrived on the scene to find both men injured, with their motorbikes damaged. One of the injured men was 52 year old…

  • Daughter who stole 250 million baht ordered to pay compensation | Thaiger

    Daughter who stole 250 million baht ordered to pay compensation

    The daughter who stole over 250 million baht from her sick mother in Thailand has been ordered to pay more than 200 million baht (US$6 million) in compensation to the bedridden woman. In the suit filed by Huay Sriwirat against her daughter Mawadee Sriwirat, The Phra Khanong Civil Court has ordered Mawadee, two Kasikornbank employees, and a Kasikornbank bank to…

  • Subdistrict accountant swindles 15 million baht in government funds | Thaiger

    Subdistrict accountant swindles 15 million baht in government funds

    An accountant for Lad Yao subdistrict in Nakhon Sawan province, central Thailand, was arrested yesterday for swindling 15 million baht in government funds to pay back her gambling debt and repay loan sharks. Police officers from the Office of Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) arrested a female accountant, 41 year old Phatchara, at the Lad Yao sub-district office in Nakhon…

  • Sick wild elephant treated in central Thailand | Thaiger

    Sick wild elephant treated in central Thailand

    A sick wild elephant had to be shot with a tranquilliser dart and sedated before wildlife officials and veterinarians could treat the animal in a forest in Tha Takiap district of Chachoengsao Province on Wednesday. Two elephants were found wandering in Ang Toei forest on Tuesday. One of them was clearly very sick, with a bad wound on the left…

  • Passengers left waiting hours at Bangkok’s new central train station | Thaiger

    Passengers left waiting hours at Bangkok’s new central train station

    The opening of Bangkok‘s new central train station Bangkok Aphiwat Central Station did not go so smoothly yesterday with the first service to Chiang Mai departing three hours later than scheduled and many more delayed services. BBC Thai and CH7 report that services were delayed to await the arrival of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, who was rather late to an…

  • Pattaya bar owner allegedly punches Russian tourist in face over 60 baht bill | Thaiger

    Pattaya bar owner allegedly punches Russian tourist in face over 60 baht bill

    A Pattaya bar owner allegedly punched a Russian tourist in the face over his refusal to pay his 60 baht bill. Jane, the 53 year old owner of the Bonzi Bar in South Pattaya, apparently didn’t back down from admitting she was the one who punched the tourist. The Russian was identified only as “Michel,” and was reportedly on the…

  • Super Mario theme park to open in California ahead of new film | Thaiger

    Super Mario theme park to open in California ahead of new film

    Super Mario is getting its first theme park outside of Japan by way of the US state of California. The Nintendo-themed park is set to open next month just weeks before the old-school characters grace the Hollywood big screen. According to Japan Today, Super Nintendo World will be part of Universal Studios Hollywood- an amusement park that has seen the likes…

  • Phuket cops raid nightclub gambling den | Thaiger

    Phuket cops raid nightclub gambling den

    Phuket cops raided a nightclub gambling den in the island province’s main city district in the early hours of yesterday morning. Phuket City Police sent an officer to monitor the situation at the nightclub near Surin Circle (known as Fountain Circle) on Rassada Road in Talad Yai market. The officer informed his team that people were gambling at the club.…

  • Passengers at Bangkok’s main train terminal to get help from new robots | Thaiger

    Passengers at Bangkok’s main train terminal to get help from new robots

    Passengers at Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Train Terminal will be getting help from new service robots. The massive train station, formerly known as Bang Sue Grand Station, will feature six robots which can communicate in English, Thai and Chinese. The robots can guide passengers to certain locations in the train station such as the food centre, ticket booths, and taxis.…

  • Thailand welcomes 900,000 foreign tourists during Jan 1-15 | Thaiger

    Thailand welcomes 900,000 foreign tourists during Jan 1-15

    In the first half of January, Thailand welcomed a grand total of 913,013 foreign tourists, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Governor of the TAT Yuthasak Supsasorn revealed that Russia has overtaken Malaysia as the Number 1 tourism market… Foreign Arrivals in Thailand by Nationality January 1 – 15, 2023 Russians (99,593) Malaysians (89,461) South Koreans (47,471) Indians…

  • Thai man uses soy sauce to fake suicide, hoping to win wife back | Thaiger

    Thai man uses soy sauce to fake suicide, hoping to win wife back

    A Thai man used soy sauce to fake suicide on Monday in hopes of winning back his wife and son. The man, 50 year old Watchara, was estranged from his wife, 40 year old Pla, due to conflicts between the couple. He lives in the southern Chumphon province, while she lives in Pattaya. On Monday, Watchara travelled to Pattaya, hoping…

  • Police wife accused of swindling 110,000 baht from Burmese novice | Thaiger

    Police wife accused of swindling 110,000 baht from Burmese novice

    The wife of a police officer has been accused of swindling 110,000 baht from a 10 year old Burmese novice monk. The Ministry of Justice awarded the child the allowance after his father was jailed for murdering his mother. The arresting officer took pity on the boy, named Marwin, and asked his wife to submit guardianship forms so they could…