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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Pattaya getting set for the Indian era – OPINION
by Dan Cheeseman I was a bit taken back by posters across the social networks where I shared the post that simply would not accept the Indians were bringing any value to Pattaya. Claiming Thailand would regret squeezing out the Western market and turning to the Chinese and Indians. It came across as sour grapes to me and also a…
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Eat Shop Spend version 2 on the way, but no cash giveaway
After feedback from the successful “Chim-Shop-Chai” (Eat-Shop-Spend) campaign, the Minister of Finance says campaign will now be extended into Phase 2 but with the criteria and regulations adjusted to attract more people with purchasing power to spend their own money, without the 1,000 baht per person give-away. The Minister of Finance Uttama Savanayana says there have been 1.3 million persons so…
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Thai barber and girlfriend arrested for selling marijuana on Facebook
A couple have been arrested in Samut Prakan, central Thailand, for selling drugs online. Boonchu, a 20 year old barber, and his 19 year old girlfriend, Sukanya, were arrested in a police sting operation, after social media users reported someone posting comments on Facebook that advertised marijuana for sale. Photo: INN News Once they had identified the Facebook user and…
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Woman dies after being shot in the back of a car as passenger was ‘playing’ with gun
PHOTOS: Daily News The vice president of the Thai-Chinese trade and industry association, Wichai Manekitikun, is assisting police with their enquiries after his 23 year old girlfriend was shot in the chest. She later died in hospital. The 44 year old man was taking a Chinese couple home after a party in his van. He told police that he had…
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Pro-democracy activist released on bail pending charges over ‘innocent’ post
PHOTOS: Khaosod English and The Nation The Criminal Court yesterday released political activist Karn Ponpraphan on bail of 100,000 baht, whilst setting conditions that he refrain from posting political messages on social media. 25 year old Karn was arrested earlier yesterday by Technology Crime Suppression Division officials, who showed up at his home on Phaholyothin Road in Bangkok for posting…
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Southern Thailand to be worst hit by heavy rain and flooding risk next week
Thailand’s Office of National Water Resources says 14 provinces are at increased risk from flooding as heavy rains are expected from October 15, with southern parts of the country expected to bear the brunt. The Pattaya Mail reports that local authorities are being instructed to install equipment such as water pumps, flow accelerators and excavators, and to remain on alert…
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Cafes and restaurants ordered to store customer wi-fi data for 90 days
The Thai Minister of Digital Economy Puttipong Punnakan says cafe and restaurant operators offering free wifi services, will have to collect internet traffic data used by their customers up to 90 days, or face punishment. The report didn’t specify if they wanted to simply track usage data or track the actual traffic and sites visited. According to Khaosod English, the Minister…
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Last night of Phuket vegetarian festival was a blast – VIDEO
Last night (October 7), Phuket local shrines gathered for the final day parades of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which took place from September 29 to October 7. Almost all of the Chinese shrines in Phuket had their Mah Song walking around the city with members of the shrine holding palanquins adorned with Chinese gods for blessing people lining the streets…
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Thai Central Bank ‘sandboxing’ biometrics to open a saving account
The Bank of Thailand’s assistant governor for payment systems policy and financial technology group, Siritida Panomwan, says that 10 commercial banks and non-bank financial institutes were participating in the BoT’s ‘sandbox’ project to test-run biometric technology known as e-kyc (“electronic know your customer”, not a special lubricant gel) to electronically verify the identity of customers. “So far none of the…
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Focus back on US-China trade talks – Asian markets rise
“A large percentage of the market thinks China may roll the dice and take advantage of what they think is Trump’s weakened political state.” Asian markets rise today as investors resume their focus on the next round of China-US trade talks this week. But hopes for success are being tempered by mixed messages from both sides of the table. There has been…
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Samsung Electronics flags 56% fall in third quarter profits
“Samsung took advantage of the US trade ban against Chinese rival Huawei.” PHOTO: CNBC Samsung Electronics says it expects operating profits to drop more than 50% in Q3 amid a continued slump in the global chip market. Operating profits for July to September was expected to reach 7.7 trillion won (US$6.4 billion), down 56.2% from a year earlier – this from…
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Panel bans paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos effective December 1
A four-party working committee, set up on the request of the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, has agreed unanimously to ban the production, import, sale and use of three controversial herbicides – paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. The decision was handed down yesterday and takes effect as of December 1 “as a New Year’s gift for the Thai people”. Thai Deputy Agriculture…
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Thailand’s changing tourist demographic – the Indians
Take a walk around the markets of Pratunam in downtown Bangkok and you’ll soon discover there’s a new type of tourist in town. For years, Thailand’s tourism scene was dominated by Chinese visitors, with 10.5 million in 2018 alone, accounting for about 28% of total foreign arrivals. It still is. But after the tour boat Phoenix, carrying mostly Chinese tourists, sank off…
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Pathum Thani win messenger makes millions by double charging customers
PHOTO: INN News “He told police that he had four wives that he needed to take care of.” A fake 49 year old messenger has been arrested after making millions by double charging customers with the same bill. He told police he did it because he has 4 wives and he needs a lot of money to take care of them. The…
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“Broadway in Bangkok, unplugged” – Musical theatre comes to Bangkok in November
PHOTO: Daniel Koek and cast. Daniel played the lead role of Jean Valjean in the original production of Les Misérables at the Queens Theatre Two of the brightest international musical superstars, are returning to Thailand next month to perform in a new show called Broadway in Bangkok…unplugged. If you missed Big Mango Production’s last amazing concert in January, then here…
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Drones used to find two elephants stuck in the Haew Narok ravine
Park officials have have been using drones to find two wild elephants, who climbed out of the ravine at Haew Narok waterfall in Khao Yai national park, north of Nakhon Nayok, north-east of Bangkok. But it took the delivery of a truckload of bananas for the elephants to eat and regain their strength. Six elephants, including a baby elephant, fell…
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Chinese woman arrested for using Thai woman’s identity for 20 years
PHOTO: ThaiVisa A Chinese guide has confessed to obtaining a Thai ID card by stealing the identity of a Thai woman nearly 20 years ago and working illegally in Thailand ever since. Her deception finally came to light when immigration officials at Suvarnabhumi airport noticed she was struggling to write in Thai while filling out a form. The woman says…
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Strong Thai baht brings financial woes for expat retirees
PHOTO: AFP An interview with a retired Briton in today’s Bangkok Post illustrates the financial difficulties some expats now face in the Land of Smiles as a result of the strong baht. Brian Maxey moved to Pattaya from the UK to live off his sterling pension, but the surging Thai currency means he’s now finding it a challenge to meet…
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Thai PM says Cabinet is adding new pollution controls, while academic finds solutions ineffective
In his weekly televised show yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said his government has always been concerned about air pollution, especially PM2.5 or microscopic dust particles, which he put down to smog from other countries, traffic jams, burning of farming waste, factory emission and dust from construction sites. “PM2.5 is dangerous, especially for children, babies, pregnant women and elders, whose immunity…
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Anti-corruption body calls for transparency over controversial herbicides decision
PHOTO: Ricehopper The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand is joining the anti-paraquat bandwagon with its call for all parties concerned to take a clear stand on the three controversial herbicides – paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. In a statement issued today, the ACT praised Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for making clear his desire for a complete ban on the weed-killers, while calling…
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“Vulnerable” deer species rescued six kilometres off shore in southern Thailand
PHOTO: www.zoothailand.org A species of deer, classified as “vulnerable” since 2008, has been rescued after being seen struggling six kilometres off shore in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Fishermen spotted the female Sambar deer frantically swimming in Khanom Bay and alerted the Siam Ruamjai Foundation. The Nation reports that rescuers went out on jet skis in order to save the deer, which…
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Dr. Thon pleads for dugong conservation plan
PHOTO: SCMP Thailand’s leading marine biologist is urging the Thai government to speed up conservation plans for the dugong, an imperiled sea mammal, aka. sea cow, after their death toll for the year in southern Thai waters has already climbed to a record 21. Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat says that the carcass of another deceased dugong was found this week off…
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PropTech company targeting global expansion? FazWaz raises Pre-Series A
FazWaz, a PropTech company focused on making real estate transactions cheaper, simpler and more efficient announced today that is has secured an undisclosed 7 figure USD amount in a pre-series A round led by a Singaporean group. The funding will enable the FazWaz Group to expand its market share in Thailand, and continue its overseas expansion into the UAE. The…
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Pattaya storm water drainage still lacking
PHOTO: Pattaya Mail Good news that there’s little chance of rain for the rest of today but torrential rain last week tested the millions of baht spent on better storm drains around the city (forecast below). But again, many areas of Pattaya were swamped after the heavy rains on September 26. Last week’s floods came despite huge expense and years…
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Bangkok’s Dream World has unexpected new attraction
PHOTOS: Matichon Online Upside down roller coaster? Scary Haunted House? Dinosaurs? What’s the exciting new attraction??? The Dream World Amusement Park in Tanyaburi district of Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, has an unexpected new attraction and Instagram opportunity with its, wait for it…. Male toilet. The new men’s urinals have become a hit according to Matichon Online. So what’s all…
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Bangkok’s blue skies return, but light smog lingers
PHOTO: Prae Sakaowan The air pollution situation around Bangkok has vastly improved in the past 24 hours, returning to more reasonable readings around the city. Certainly most of the city is now reading under 100 and in the ‘moderate’ range of the air pollution scale, according to airvisual.com Bangkok’s Pollution Control Department reported at 9am today that levels of particulate…
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Most of Thailand to see rain over the next two days
PHOTO: phuket101.net Thailand’s Meteorological Department (TMD) says most of the country is in for stormy showers and overcast weather for the next two days. Only the North-East is expected to escape the wet weather, which is the result of a southwesterly trough, along with southeast winds in the north-east of the country. All other regions can expect thundery rain showers…
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Bangkok woman arrested for stealing credit card from her boss
PHOTO: www.innnews.co.th A woman and her husband have been arrested after she stole a credit card from her boss and used it go to on a spending spree. Nattamon Puangjumpa, 26 years of age, and her husband Pornchai are now facing charges of theft and credit card fraud after she took the credit card from her boss’s desk. Thai Residents…
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Mother guilty of accidentally killing 18 day old baby boy
PHOTO: Bangkok Post Isaraporn “Oil” Foilueang, the mother who reported her baby as missing, only for his body to be found in her home days later, has admitted accidentally suffocating the child as she played on her phone while feeding him. The Bangkok Post reports that the baby, identified as Prachya Dechomeng, stopped breathing while being bottle-fed. The autopsy result…
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Smog continues to blanket Bangkok and surround provinces
Bangkok and surrounding provinces remain cloaked in dust and smog today, with a red zone reported in Saraburi province, north of Bangkok. The area had a reading of 155, more than three times the World Health Organisation recommended upper limit. But, generally, the air quality has improved, compared to yesterday higher readings. Several areas in the greater Bangkok area were…
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