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.
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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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Tourism officials look to end dual pricing for expats
“The key factor is we have to treat expats like locals, without discrimination or a negative attitude towards foreigners.” Admission fees at national parks and tourist attractions are often drastically higher for expats than they are for Thai nationals. Foreigners sometimes even pay 10 times more than Thais. Tourism officials say they might put an end to dual pricing for…
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50 tonnes of dodgy durian seized and destroyed in China
In a move that will attract thanks from 1000s of westerners, China has destroyed nearly 50 tonnes of illegally imported durian, valued around 5.5 million baht. The durians had been smuggled into China. Shiokou, a border town in Cao Bang Province in Vietnam, was where the dodgy durian was intercepted. The land port has been operating since 1792 and plays…
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5 key recommendations emerge from Boss investigation
5 proposals have been made by an independent panel as the government mops up the recent internal investigations into the mishandling of the “Boss” case. The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission has been given the task of implementing the 5 key recommendations made by panels that have examined the botched investigations over the hit-and-run case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, grandson of…
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Holiday plans cancelled at border district, Koh Samui expects tourist boom
People are cancelling their trips to a Kanchanaburi district for the 4-day weekend after a coronavirus scare at a local school. Koh Samui is expecting the opposite. The southern province Surat Thani is expecting such a large influx in tourists that some airlines and ferries have doubled their services for the holiday. In Thong Pha Phum, Kanchanaburi’s border district, the…
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Koh Phangan cannabis farm raided by police
A Koh Phangan cannabis farm was raided today and police seized 40 plants. Meanwhile, Thai lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would allow people to grow cannabis. But these growers might have jumped the gun. Police say the farm was around 1 rai (.3 acres), and hidden in the forests of Koh Phangan. The seized cannabis plants weighed around 60…
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Burmese man seriously injured after violent attack in Pattaya
A Burmese man has been hospitalised in Pattaya after being violently attacked by a group of unidentified men in the main city area. The Pattaya News reports that the 32 year old man, named only as ‘Aree’, sustained several injuries, including one to his left eye, after being beaten with a belt with a metal buckle. The attack occurred around…
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Government approves new stimulus measures for labour market, tourism
The Centre for Economic Situation Administration has given the go-ahead to a number of new stimulus measures proposed by the Finance Ministry and aimed at the jobs market and the domestic tourism sector. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday presided over a meeting with Danucha Pichayanan from the National Economic and Social Development Council, where officials approved new measures it’s hoped will…
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Thailand’s Health Minister optimistic about admitting business travellers
The Thai Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, admits Thailand is caught between a rock and a hard place and can’t go on locking all foreigners out forever, in an effort to prevent a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus. “We will either die of the disease or of hunger, so we have to face the challenge.” He adds that the Kingdom…
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Royal Thai Police to take legal action against 21 officers in “Boss” case
The Royal Thai Police says it accepts the findings of a recently concluded inquiry into the “Boss” fiasco and will begin legal proceedings against 21 of the Police officers involved. The Bangkok Post reports that RTP representatives Jaruwat Waisaya and Kissana Phathanacharoen confirmed the move at a press briefing yesterday, adding that national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda will take charge…
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Foreigners arrested over eco-vandalism off Koh Phangan
A Hungarian and Dutch man have been arrested for picking up sea animals and taking photos with them whilst diving off Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand. They then posted them on social media, probably oblivious to their potentially criminal act. Police described the two as “long-stayers on Koh Phangan”. Their selfies sparked plenty of outrage from Thai netizens…
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Australia falls into a recession, global economies at a loss
“Our record run of 28 consecutive years of economic growth has now officially come to an end. The cause: a once-in-a-century pandemic.” Just about everyone hit from the coronavirus pandemic. Businesses closed. Many lost their jobs. Paychecks were cut. Economies across the globe slipped into recession and Australia is now added to that list. The country reported it has sunk…
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Russian arrested for selling medicine illegally at Pattaya drugstore
Police arrested a Russian man who was allegedly sold medicines and cosmetics illegally at a Pattaya pharmacy. Police raided the “Dr. Holland” shop on Jomtien Beach Road and found 64 medicines and supplement products that they say violated Thai law or were improperly licensed. 46 year old Kirll Tarasov allegedly ran the Dr. Holland shop and police believe he is…
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Body found with gunshot wound, police open murder investigation
Police have opened a murder investigation after a man’s body was found in a drain in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand. He had a gunshot wound to his head and officers say he was shot from a close range. His hands were found handcuffed behind his back. A local was fishing at the Tha Rua-Hua Trud canal…
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Expats arrested after posing for selfies while handling protected sea creatures
A Dutch man and a Hungarian national are in custody after picking up protected sea creatures while diving off Koh Pha Ngan in the southern province of Surat Thani. Nation Thailand reports that the Hungarian man, named as Attila Ott, is a scuba diving instructor, who owns the Pink Panther Scuba Dive Club on the island. The Dutch man has…
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Eva Air pushes back Phuket flights to July 2021
A new timetable from Taiwan’s Eva Air indicates a delay to the planned resumption of direct flights between Taipei and Phuket, which had recently been tentatively pencilled in for March 2021. The new schedule now lists the flights as operating from July 1 next year with the airline’s website taking bookings from that date. The delay is indicative of the…
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“Boss” inquiry uncovers evidence of corruption and conspiracy
The inquiry ordered by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha into the handling of the case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has uncovered a trail of corruption and conspiracy. The fugitive Red Bull heir, grandson of the Red Bull co-founder Chaleo Yoovidhya, was accused of killing a 47 year old Bangkok police officer in September 2012 by dragging him and his motorbike under…
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A glimmer of hope for expats unable to satisfy minimum income requirements
September 26 looms as a dark day for many foreigners who have been unable to sort out a way to either leave the country or stay in Thailand. But at least one Thai immigration office appears to be discussing some leniency in this crazy time. Phuket Immigration has specifically addressed the issue for foreigners on a non-immigrant B (Business) visa…
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Student union president arrested in Bangkok for July rally
The president of the Student Union of Thailand was arrested while in a taxi on her way to class in Bangkok. This comes after a string of arrests police have made on political activists with many charges relating to the pro-democracy protest in July. 21 year old Jutatip Sirikhan video recorded her arrest and posted it live on her Facebook…
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Woman’s body found floating down Bangkok river
A woman’s body was found floating in the Chao Phraya River today. Her body was wrapped in plastic bags and emergency responders say she had critical injuries. The body was found near the Tha Din Daeng pier in Bangkok. The call came from 61 year old Sahaphop Kruekrat who saw the bag floating in the river and noticed human legs were…
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Wow! TAT says they’ll give expats 500 baht to boost tourism
Where would you go with 500 baht? Probably not very far. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says they’re going to hand out 500 baht discount for each trip they take. TAT says they hope that the 2 million baht budget scheme will help stimulate domestic tourism. The 500 baht is expected to encourage the expats to “travel in the country…
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Police ordered to keep traffic moving after heavy flooding during Bangkok’s peak
Traffic police in Bangkok are being instructed to keep the capital’s roads clear after heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding from around 2am this morning. Krisana Pattanajaroen, deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Police, says officers have been tasked with preventing traffic jams, particularly along Bangkok’s busiest thoroughfares, as well as removing any potential obstacles. The heavy rains started early in…
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Bangkok is getting smarter: 4 districts focused in urban plan
Bangkok is becoming a so-called “smart city” with an urban development plan focused on making improvements to city technology and infrastructure. The National Charter of Thailand says they’re focusing on 4 districts: Chinatown, Asoke, Rattanakosin Island and Tao Poon. For the Yaowarat district, or Chinatown, 580 metres will become a “web of transport” under the plan funded by the Thailand…
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Health Minister insists chemical ban must stay, as farmers plead for compromise
As disagreement continues over the current ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos, Thailand’s farmers are calling for a compromise. Both paraquat (herbicide) and chlorpyrifos (pesticide) were popular in Thai agriculture until a controversial ban this year. But the farmers, who support a proposal by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry that the ban be overturned, say the proposed alternatives simply don’t work.…
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PM confirms negligence in officials’ handling of “Boss” case
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says it’s clear that negligence played a part in the handling of hit-and-run charges against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. The Red Bull heir was facing numerous charges following a 2012 hit-and-run in Bangkok, in which a police officer died after being dragged under a Ferrari being driven by Vorayuth. He failed to appear for no fewer than 8…
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Student Union denies protests are being engineered by opposition Thai politicians
The Student Union of Thailand has hit back at a suggestion from “royalist” groups that political activists are being manipulated by politicians. Spokesperson Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul says it is the students themselves who are organising everything, including coming up with a 10 point manifesto, which includes a controversial call for reform of the Thai Monarchy. Last month, Panusaya read out the…
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Home-grown cannabis bill ready for parliament review
Cannabis could be grown at home, if a draft revision to the Thai Narcotics Act is passed. Those who want to grow cannabis, both for personal use or to sell, would need permission from the Food and Drug Administration. The bill is ready to be reviewed by parliament. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he is going to keep pushing…
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Bank of Thailand issues stark warning over ongoing ban on foreign tourists
The Bank of Thailand has issued a sombre warning that the ongoing ban on foreign tourists returning to Thailand may have an even worse impact next year. Don Nakornthab, from the BOT’s economic and policy department, says if international tourists are not allowed back into the country soon, Thailand’s tourism industry will face even bigger threats next year. A report…
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Gunfire exchange kills alleged drug dealer, injures 3 police
An alleged drug dealer was killed and 3 police officers were injured in a gunfire exchange this morning. Police say 46 year old Udom Rattanamanee, who was killed, and his wife Areeya Panthip were allegedly major drug dealers in Phuket. Around 8am this morning, police went to Udom’s house in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat with arrest warrants for…
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90 day Thai Immigration reporting deadline passes
Today was the last day to update your 90 day report if you weren’t doing the reports during the visa amnesty Thai immigration set the end of today as the deadline for foreigners, with current visas, to do their 90 day report. Otherwise fines will be imposed. You had to report, or update, your residential address before the end of…
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Phuket man arrested for posing as a monk, asking for money
A man allegedly posing as a monk to solicit donations and 3 others allegedly involved in the scam were arrested by Phuket police. Some complaints regarding the fake monk had reached the governor. Police say they found a man dressed in the orange robe and 3 others sitting in the back of a pickup truck with a bag full of money.…
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