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.
To keep up with the hottest news, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
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...
-
TAT governor predicts Thailand tourism will bounce back in second half of 2019
Yuthasak Suphasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says all is good for tourist arrivals in Thailand. He predicted that 9.7 million foreigners were expected to visit in Q3 (July to September), up 7% year-on-year. He reported that trends show that domestic and foreign tourists will be spending 820 billion baht. That would be 9% up on the same…
-
13 Bangkok passengers refused entry into Thailand by immigration police
PHOTO: Naew Na Region 2 immigration police at Suvarnabhumi airport report that they denied entry to 13 foreigners who weren’t able to provide proof of funds to support their travelling whilst visiting Thailand. Immigration officials claim the ‘tourists’ were not visiting Thailand for tourism. Apart from not being able to provide evidence of sufficient funds, the arriving passengers didn’t have…
-
Bangkok – that sinking feeling
The mighty Chao Phraya runs through the central plains and down into the flooding delta before heading out into the Gulf of Thailand. Great place for a city. Not surprisingly Bangkok suffers floods whenever the big rains come with most of the low-lying land around the delta only averaging around 1.5 metres above sea level. Whilst the city used to…
-
Expat group petitions Thai immigration to abolish TM30 form
A group of expats, representing foreigners living in Thailand for many years, has prepared a petition for affected expats to sign, before they present it to Thai Immigration and government officials. They are requesting changes to the enforcement of the controversial TM30 form. There is a link to their website at the bottom of the page where you can sign the…
-
Thai Airways needs restructuring to survive
Store your tray table and buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride at Thai Airways. The airline’s president Sumeth Damrongchaitham say Thai Airways needs complete restructuring if it is to survive in the highly competitive aviation business. Sumeth said that under the restructuring, Thai Airways will focus more on the international market and link up with other members…
-
Lights, camera, blog. TAT reaches out to online millennials.
PHOTO: Where in the World is Nina? With pressure on tourism authorities to come up with new ways to lure tourists to the Land Of Smiles and rebrand the tired ‘Amazing Thailand’ promotion, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have come up with the ‘Thailand Village Academy’. Stepping firmly into the world of online bloggers and social media, the TAT…
-
Thai man sends online beautiful girlfriend 2.3 million baht – Doh!
Love is a beautiful thing. A Thai man has fallen in love with a beautiful woman on Facebook called Bai Por. The romance has blossomed online for more than two years, according to “Non”. He’s sent 2.3 million baht to her in money transfers, according to Sanook. Every time they’d made arrangements to finally meet up, Bai Por would postpone…
-
Happy Birthday to His Majesty the King
Happy Birthday to His Majesty the King, the first birthday celebrations of Thailand’s monarch since his Coronation in May. The government has organised religious and celebratory events in Bangkok and around the country today to honour His Majesty the King on his 67th birthday. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will lead government dignitaries and state officials in a rite offering alms…
-
Big bike rider decapitated in horror crash in Bangkok
PHOTOS: Sanook A motorbike rider has been decapitated after colliding with the side of the Klong Tan Flyover yesterday. He was riding a BMW S1000 RR big bike at the time. His body was taken to the Chulalongkorn Hospital for an autopsy to determine the presence of alcohol or drugs in his blood. Sanook reports that motorbikes are not allowed on…
-
Phuket leads the way in managed hotel residences
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com – Feature article “Hotel Residences – properties that sell individual units in the real estate market and operate as either hotels or else are branded by hospitality operators. Other often used terms are condotel, hotel branded residences and hospitality-led real estate.” Phuket’s love affair with hotel managed properties started in the late 1980’s with the…
-
Thai visitors leaking to Vietnam – a personal view
by Guest Writer (who asked to be anonymous) In response to an article ‘Pattaya tourist slump – visitors leaking to Vietnam‘, a responder on The Thaiger Facebook page has provided a balanced response we thought we would share with you. Is nostalgia making us think that Pattaya and Thailand were really that great in the past or are the golden…
-
Australian pair’s ‘misunderstanding’ puts Phuket Airport taxis and van services in spotlight
When Australians Kate Chipperfield and Lauren Meinties filed their complaint about a 3,000 baht van fare from Phuket Airport to Kata, they had no idea of the chain of events that would follow. Even the Thai PM got involved ordering Phuket officials to clamp down on rorts, and taxi and van drivers to stop ripping off tourists. As the central…
-
Facebook removes accounts and pages because of “inauthentic behaviour”
“Facebook says the reason for the removal of the posts and accounts was because of their “behaviour” not the content they posted.” Facebook has erased over 1,800 accounts and pages from Thailand, Russia, Ukraine and Honduras in a move to counter abuses of its service and “deceptive political propaganda”. Facebook has shared examples of Thailand-based Facebook accounts, posts and pages it…
-
Fights on offer as Pheu Thai MP and senator bicker in Parliament
PHOTO: @tanawatofficial It only took two days before the fingers started pointing and the first offer of a fist fight was made. Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha, who challenged Pheu Thai MP Yutthapong Charassathien in parliament to a fist-fight yesterday, admitted he lost his patience because of Yutthapong’s continual bad-mouthing of other MPs. The Senators have all been hand-picked by the NCPO…
-
Former police chief, turned MP, rails against the PM
PHOTO: Thai PBS Seri Ruam Thai party leader Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyavet, former Police Chief appointed by the NCPO, is taking the fight right up to the PM and the coalition, hinted to the media before parliament resumed todaythat he still has enough ammunition to fire at the government and, particularly, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. During his time as the Junta’s…
-
Power bank explodes in backpack at Chiang Mai Airport – VIDEO
Thankfully the passenger wasn’t on a plane at the time. The woman had just arrived at the Chiang Mai International Airport. The first explosion was in her backpack which she quickly shrugged off and it fell to the ground. (Watch the video, bottom left at the beginning) Then, as security came to get a quick video of the incident on…
-
BTS 15 baht flat rate fare is nothing new
The ’15 baht flat fare’ proposal for the BTS is nothing new. But the proposal has surfaced again as the new Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob offered the flat fee to be set for the BTS Skytrain service across Bangkok. The BTSC operates the BTS services – the Sukhumvit line from Mor Chit to Kheha and the Silom line which serves Silom and…
-
Accusations, working off-script and walk-outs. Day one in the new Thai parliament
PHOTO: The Nation One day down, another today. Thailand’s PM had his first day in a parliamentary setting and, despite taunts and barbs being thrown at him in true Parliamentary style, he stood firm. Sometimes working off-script and at other times visibly annoyed, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha barrelled through the formalities with a few “settle downs” coming from his right-hand man,…
-
Phuket fights for sustainable tourism at PHIST 2019
Phuket readies to host PHIST 2019 in the fight against environmental degradation in Southeast Asia’s idyllic island destinations. PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism) 2019 is a free-to-attend one-day conference that takes place on Thursday, September 23, 2019 at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa. The important event will gather approximately 1,000 delegates, including more than 70 of…
-
Pattaya officials tell Bali Hai Pier vans, taxis and baht bus drivers to clean up their act
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Pattaya officials have now banned passenger vans from parking at Bali Hai Pier and discussing the situation with baht bus operators. Ronakit Ekasingh, Pattaya’s deputy mayor held a meeting on Monday about the traffic problems and chaos that was overwhelming the busy tourist pier. In a story earlier this week public-transport operators were caught fighting over customers.…
-
Phuket police crackdown nets over 20,000 meth pills and weapons
PHOTO: khaophuket.com Police have nabbed drug dealers in Phuket with more than 20,000 methamphetamine pills plus other drugs and weapons. On July 23, Phuket police announced a drug crackdown. Police have ended up seizing more than 20,000 methamphetamine pills, crystal methamphetamine, kratom and a gun. In the first case, police arrested 21 year old Arunrat ‘May’ Jirapongpitak and 25 year…
-
Thai PC and notebook sales set to increase 5% in second half of year
The market for personal computers and notebook computer will grow around 4.7% in the second half of this year, as students, gaming and e-sports continue to drive growth The prediction from marketing director at Acer Computer, Nitipat Praweenwongwuthi. Acer recently conducted a survey into the needs of computer users and found that about 50% of customers who purchase gaming computers will…
-
Police arrest Nigerian over Phuket-based ‘Nigerian Romance Scam’
A 38 year old Nigerian alleged ‘romance scammer’ has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly operating bank accounts and arranging money transactions. The unnamed man was operating out of Phuket. The suspect is now being returned to Phuket, where an arrest warrant was issued on July 9 charging the man with conspiracy to commit fraud. Immigration Police Bureau chief Pol…
-
Police receive reports of Ponzi scene affecting 200 on Koh Samui
PHOTO: Manager Online 200 Thai wives of foreigners have reportedly lost up to 120 million baht in a Ponze scheme on Koh Samui. A group of 20 affected victims were represented by ‘Praew’ who reported to the Bophut Police Station to register a formal complaint. Bophut Police are trying to interview 30 victims each day since the complaint was registered…
-
Security tight for the first day of the new Thai parliament
FILE PHOTO Security is tight around Bangkok’s TOT building for today’s first sitting of the new Thai parliament. Four companies of policemen from the Metropolitan Police Division 2, police dogs and officers from the Thung Song Hong police station have been stationed at the HQ of the TOT, the venue for today’s government policy debate. Explosive ordnance disposal police backed…
-
32 year old charged with attempted murder after Egyptian tourist stabbed in neck in Phuket
Sanook News is reporting further details after an 30 year old Egyptian, the son of an Ambassador, was struck in the neck by a roti seller who thought that the tourist was swearing at his wife. 32 year old Surachai from Koh Lanta, who was helping his wife sell rotis outside a Family Mart in Chalong’s Soi Ta-iad, grabbed a big…
-
Thai police impersonator arrested in Bangkok
PHOTOS: Daily News A 41 year old man has been arrested in Bangkok for impersonating a policeman, claiming to know the Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and extorting people. Sayan Pimpatan has been arrested, and a police uniform (with the rank of senior sergeant major), a 9mm gun, ammunition and a car, seized. The arrest follows complaints about a man impersonating…
-
Phuket’s roti knife attack victim identified as Ambassador’s son
PHOTO: เสียงประชาชน คนภูเก็ต Phuket People’s Voice The Egyptian tourist slashed by a roti seller in Chalong’s Soi Ta-iad over the weekend, has been identified as the son of the Egyptian Ambassador in Uruguay. The incident occurred on July 19, when a man from Koh Lanta, 32 year old Surachai Raksap, attacked an Egyptian man with a knife in front of a…
-
80 opposition MPs ready to go to battle with ‘newbie’ Thai PM
He’s never spoken in a Thai parliament. He’s never been leader of an elected government. He’s never had to do much debating or political negotiations. But he’s the Prime Minster of Thailand and he faces up to the new parliament tomorrow and Friday for the first two days of debate. All eyes will be in the PM to see how…
-
Bangkok council to raise fines for motorbike footpath riders
Bangkok’s deputy governor says he has received approval from the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration) to raise fines imposed on motorcyclists caught driving on Bangkok’s sidewalks from 1,000 to 2,000 baht, starting next month. He said he was unhappy that a number of motorcyclists are still using the city’s footpaths as shortcuts, despite the existing 1,000 baht fine. The BMA says…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.