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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Thomas Cook customers may have to wait 2 month for refunds
PHOTO: Rick Findler/PA Wire Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority says that refunds of bookings by failed travel giant Thomas Cook’s customers could take longer than expected. At this stage the regulator says they don’t have all information needed from the collapsed travel firm. The British Civil Aviation Authority says it was launching a new, online payment system next week for bookings…
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Stop growing marijuana without our permission, warns Thai narcotics board
PHOTO: Rick Proctor/Unsplash.com The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) in Thailand is warning the public that cannabis plants cannot be grown at home without official permission, adding that the law is clear the plants can only be grown for medical use and research purposes. It’s understood that since use of the drug for medicinal purposes was legalised earlier…
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Solving Thailand’s smoke haze problems. “Use shorter or smaller joss-sticks.”
Just checking that it’s actually October 1, not April 1… Thailand’s deputy public health minister has, without a hint of irony, suggested a way to alleviate the haze blanketing parts of Thailand, including swathes of the South and Bangkok. Use shorter or smaller joss-sticks during the current Vegetarian Festival. Dr Satit Pitutacha has made the directive and was explained to…
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Thailand’s Maya Bay recovering well but no date set for re-opening
Renowned marine biologist Thon Thamrongnawasawat says Koh Phi Phi’s Maya Bay is showing good signs of recovery, having been closed to visitors for over a year now. “After being closed for many months to facilitate natural restoration, the beach’s green forests have started to recover and coral reefs in the bay area have also been showing recovery and these are…
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Economic ministers to meet next Monday for economic and tourism ‘Council of War’
The council of economic ministers will meet next Monday, on October 7 in Bangkok, to discuss the current economic and tourism situation. Kobsak Pootrakool, the deputy secretary-general to the PM for political affairs, says the meeting will confront obstacles facing the country’s tourism industry. “The ministers will also discuss the country’s export situation”. The Nation reports that the Commerce Ministry…
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Thai PM orders anti-pollution measures for smoggy Bangkok
PHOTO: Narong Sangnak/EPA-EFE The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is ordering Bangkok authorities to immediately activate prepared measures to mitigate the city’s haze and air pollution which has returned to Bangkok and its suburbs over the weekend and today. Expressing concern about the haze the PM pleaded with construction site operators and industries in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces to reduce their…
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‘Krabi Premium’ launched by the Tourism Authority of Thailand
PHOTO: Sunset Cruise at Nam Mao Bay, Krabi – TAT The Tourism Authority of Thailand Krabi Office is launching its ‘Krabi Premium’ marketing concept aimed at delivering ‘the best of the best’ of the southern Thai province. The TAT says it will offer “meaningful experiences to tourists” to hopefully stimulate spending and generate additional revenue for local communities in the…
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Samui airport ‘spy cam’ taken offline after police raid home of British expat
FILE PHOTO: panvimanresortkohphangan.com Police, immigration and airport authorities have closed down a ‘spy cam’ that was providing real-time video of activities at Koh Samui’s Airport. Police headed to a house next to the Koh Samui Airport after complaints that a CCTV camera was recording take-offs and landings at the airport. The authorities deemed that the camera could pose a security risk.…
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Dangerous air quality returns to Bangkok – Readings up to ‘233’ today
PHOTO: aqicn.org Unseasonal, poor air quality has descended on Bangkok and surrounding suburbs threatening people’s health. The problem, which filled the headlines at the end of last year, has returned to parts of the capital over the weekend. Readings up to 233 have been recorded this morning, well in excess of the 50 micrograms per cubic metre safety level. That…
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Thanathorn says Future Forward by-election win in Nakhon Pathom will start a domino effect
PHOTO: Facebook/Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit says that, if the opposition bloc wins the by-election in Nakhon Pathom on October 23, it will be the first domino to fall and set the stage for a change of government. Nakhon Pathom is directly north-west of Bangkok. The Future Forward party is fielding Pairatchote Chantharakachorn to contest the by-election, while other opposition parties,…
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Suvarnabhumi villagers still chasing compensation from government after 13 years
PHOTO: Khaosod Villagers living next to Suvarnabhumi Airport have filed a complaint about the noise from the planes. The villagers say they have been suffering from the airport noise for years since the construction of Suvarnabhumi (it opened in September 2006). Leader of the Dinui Yiddee Muslim Community, Saenee Kamsawat, says they are in the process of filing an official…
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17 apprentice students killed in Samut Prakan crash, Thailand
Seventeen students have been killed after their overloaded pick-up truck crashed and overturned in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan, east of Bangkok. Police report the incident happened at 1am this morning. A taxi driver from Si Sa Ket has told Thai media that shortly before 1am he saw the pick-up travel out of a Soi “at high speed”…
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Chiang Mai karaoke lounges raided over underage hostesses
PHOTO: Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Four hostesses under the age of 18 have been discovered working at two karaoke lounges in the San Kamphaeng area of Chiang Mai, east of the main city. Thailand’s ‘Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force’ worked with local immigration and police after a complaint was received. Na Kaew reports that the investigators followed…
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Bangkok bus union is opposing plan for private sector operation
PHOTO: Daily News The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority labour union is voicing its strong objection to the Transport Minister over his plans to contract private companies to operate the city’s bus services, and the shelving plans to procure a fleet of 3,000 new buses. Thai PBS reports that the union president, Veerapong Wongwaen, says that the union will submit a…
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Thanathorn dares Prawit to have a face-to-face meeting over NY protests
Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit is daring Deputy PM and luxury watch enthusiast Prawit Wongsuwan to summon him for questioning, whether the party might be linked to anti-government protests in New York last week. The protesters, waving placards like “Stop the human rights abuses” and “We want fair elections”, was held out side Pm Chan-o-cha’s hotel in New York…
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‘Pretty’ death shines spotlight on abuse in Thai model and promotions industry
PHOTOS: Facebook/Rachadech Wongthabutr, Instagram/’Lunlabelle’ Thitim The mysterious death of ‘pretty’ Thitima Noraphanpiphat in Bangkok last week is gripping Thailand and highlighting risks women who work in the service and promotions industry face every day. Her dead body was found in the lobby of a Bangkok condo. Police have arrested a male model in connection with the 25 year old’s death last…
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Phuket Vegetarian Festival events 2019 – schedule and history
The annual Phuket Vegetarian Festival, aka. ‘Nine Emperor Gods Festival’, always runs during the ninth lunar month. For expats and tourist ‘newbies’ the Vegetarian Festival is a lot to do with parades, firecrackers, bizarre ceremonies and spiritual mystiques piecing themselves, and little to do with vegetarian food. Whilst we’ve tried to provide a program here, any time schedule at individual…
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Thai PM says Indonesian government promises to control air pollution from forest fires
PHOTO: AFP Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he’s received assurances from a representative of the Indonesian government that it will do more about the devastating air pollution arising from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The Nation reports that although the PM would not reveal the name of the representative, he did say it was a government vice-president and Indonesia…
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Thai ringleader of scam Nigerian call centre busted in central Thailand
PHOTO: Chiang Rai Times A 34 year old Thai woman who has allegedly conned people out of up to 20 million baht, has been arrested in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand. The Chiang Rai Times reports that Wasuthorn Mingkhwan was apprehended for her role as ringleader of a scam call centre. The centre is believed to have been in operation since…
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Canadian guitarist killed in Pattaya motorbike crash
PHOTOS: The Pattaya News Michael Anthony Pinheiro, a 51 year old Canadian expat, has died after an early morning motorbike accident in Pattaya. It’s understood Mr Pinheiro was a popular guitarist, active in the local live music scene in the city’s clubs. The Pattaya News reports that the musician, who was riding a scooter, was involved in a collision with…
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Chinese tourists surge during Phuket’s vegetarian festival
… and it’s not much about vegetarian food. It’s on again, one of the most bizarre festivals on the world’s calendar of WTF events. The Phuket Tourist Association says that the Phuket Vegetarian Festival that runs until October 7, is expected to bring in around 2 billion baht in your revenue. They say that, despite the high value of the…
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Prostitutes in Pattaya, police locate seven foreigners selling illegal services
MONTAGE: Naew Na Immigration officials have done the impossible – they’ve found something police and immigration have often claimed in the past ‘does not exist’. Prostitution in Pattaya. Seven foreigners – shock, horror – were arrested on Tuesday night this week prostituting themselves to locals and tourists in the town’s tourist hotspots. Naew Na reports that “this illegal activity was damaging…
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Thais clamour for the “Chim, Shop, Chai” 1000 baht give-away program
PHOTO: buriramguru.com The “Chim, Shop, Chai” (Eat, Shop, Spend) program has been a resounding success, and it’s still got a another five days or so to go. Thai citizens can apply for the 1000 baht ‘gift’ from the government and spend the money at selected shops anywhere outside their home province. The government only accepts one million applications each day so,…
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Pubs and nightclubs in Pattaya and Bangkok poised to stay open until 4am
The Minister for Tourism and Sports says he’s making headway with plans to allow opening until 4am for ‘some’ tourist areas in Thailand. The proposals were mooted several months ago as a tonic for dropping tourist numbers in some of the traditional holiday ‘hot spots’. Sports and tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says that details were still being discussed but the plan is now…
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24 Thai provinces under observation in African swine flu alert
PHOTO: AFP Sorawit Thaneto, Director General of Thailand’s Livestock Department, says 23 provinces are now being checked for African Swine Fever, as the epidemic takes hold in Asia. There is no vaccine or cure for African Swine Fever and although it’s not thought to pose a risk to humans, it can inflict huge financial damage on the farming industry. It’s…
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PM says Thailand plans to be a high income country within 17 years
PHOTO: AFP The PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha has high ambitions for Thailand within the next 17 years, saying the government aims to see it become a high income country. The PM made the claim while attending a lunch meeting with the Asia Society for Executives and foreign media in New York. He says the government has spent the last five…
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Three Thai high-speed train projects shelved
“As the high-speed train system in Laos is nearing completion, he said that Thailand must speed up its construction of the Bangkok-Nong Khai project.” Three high-speed train projects are being shelved by the Thai government due to lack of interest from co-investors. Sources at the Transport Ministry have told Thai PBS World that none of the three projects were included…
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Royal pardon plea drafted for Burmese convicted over Koh Tao murders
PHOTO: www.frontiermyanmar.net A lawyer from the Thai Bar Council and a member of the Thai Human Rights Commission says that the Burmese workers accused and convicted over the 2014 Koh Tao murders could have their death sentence stayed if granted a royal pardon. Speaking to the press, Rastada Manoo Rastada, who represented Zaw Lin and Wai Phyo during the murder…
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Blue skies, nothing but blue skies, in southern Thailand
PHOTOS: Matichon Online Breath easy southerners. Residents and tourists in at least seven southern Thai provinces have been greeted with clear blue sky and fresh air, well, certainly a vast improvement anyway although there is still some slight lingering smog. For the first time in two weeks Matichon Online reports that much of the Indonesian smoke from plantation burn-offs has cleared,…
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Thai Airways to take six months to review purchase of new planes
“The airline has also been hesitant to address its middle management glut, long-term and uncompetitive employment contracts and accusations of nepotism in senior management.” Thai Airways says it’s going to review its planned fleet-expansion plans to buy 38 new planes. Officially, they’re saying they’re “considering funding sources” and claim the review will take six months. Nearly two years ago they announced…
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