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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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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Woman motorcyclist dies in Chon Buri crash
A woman is dead in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri after a pickup truck crashed into her motorbike. Sattahip Police were notified of the incident, which occurred yesterday afternoon on Sukhumvit Road. Police, emergency responders and reporters arrived to find 44 year old Bussaya Chumchuen, a staffer at the Sattahip Community Development Office. She was seriously injured and after…
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Life sentence for man who ran over his neighbour reduced to 25 years – VIDEO
A court in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, has handed down a life sentence to a Thai man who deliberately drove a car into his unsuspecting neighbour, killing him while he was watering his plants. Security footage caught the shocking moment when 56 year old Phaiboon Sangsan drove directly into 57 year old civil engineer, Suphan Yatbanthung. The…
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DNA excludes Thais from 2007 murder of Japanese tourist
Advanced DNA testing has shed new light on the unsolved murder of a female Japanese tourist 13 years ago, suggesting a link to a male of East Asian heritage. Sanook reported on the latest developments in the cold case of Tomoko Kawashita who was found murdered in the Sukhothai Historical Park in 2007. Kawashita’s body was found near the ruins…
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CCSA clarifies requirements for entering Thailand
With the Covid-19 crisis in Thailand under control and as the nation begins gradually reopening its borders, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday clarified the following guidelines on entering Thailand for travellers and non-Thai residents: Before departure: Travellers must contact the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate to obtain an entry visa and a certificate of entry, which will be…
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Travel trends define future of world tourism
People still want to travel, even if their options are severely limited at the moment. 84% of respondents to a Hotels.com survey admit that they are “looking forward to travelling again”. But attitudes towards have also evolved as a result of the world Covid-19 pandemic. 49% of those surveyed admit that they would “still be nervous about travelling” even after…
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Police raid illegal motorbike parts factory in Chon Buri
In an ongoing crackdown on illegally modified motorcycles and racing, police in the eastern province of Chon Buri raided a warehouse in the central city district this week, which they say is a root cause of the problem. Earlier this week, a team of provincial and Region 2 police raided a warehouse in the Bang Sai sub-district. This warehouse reportedly…
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Protesters mustn’t insult monarchy: army chief
Thailand’s army chief warned student protesters today against insulting the monarchy in their anti-government campaigning. At a news conference, with tears in his eyes, Apirat Kongsompong urged students to respect the Royal Family and refrain from using offensive language about them. His remarks followed some veiled references to the monarchy at the protests, which as of today have continued for…
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Police say protests still banned under Emergency Decree
A police spokesman has said that political gatherings are still banned under the Emergency Decree until the latest extension becomes effective next month, apparently contradicting the National Security Council chief who recently said, “The decree will no longer ban gatherings. This shows that the emergency decree has sole, pure intentions of controlling the disease.” Despite the government’s insistence that the…
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Thailand’s Tourism Minister urges government to revisit travel bubble idea
Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakan, is once again floating the idea of ”travel bubbles” with low-risk countries after the plan was initially shelved by the Civil Aviation Regulator. The original plan had been to create travel pacts with countries deemed safe from the virus, such as China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. However, a new spike in numbers in some…
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Destitute former teen star found dead in Chon Buri – VIDEO
A former TV star was found dead yesterday morning at a home in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri. Si Racha police were notified of the discovery, at a house in the Surasak sub-district, at around 10am. They arrived at the house to find the body of 33 year old Manusanan ‘Tai’ Pandee. Manusanan had reportedly fallen on hard…
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Hit-and-run charges against Red Bull heir “Boss” Yoovidhya dropped
In a shock ending to a case which has dragged on for years, charges against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, in a 2012 hit and run incident – one that resulted in a police officer’s death – have been dropped. Vorayuth is heir to the Red Bull fortune and a member of one of Thailand’s wealthiest families. The Office of the Attorney…
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4 pregnant women among 32 human trafficking victims dumped in forest in southern Thailand
4 pregnant women are among 32 Burmese dumped in a forest in the southern province of Chumphon after being illegally trafficked into Thailand. It’s understood the group had all been working in Malaysia until the Covid-19 crisis erupted and they lost their jobs. Thai Residents reports that they pooled all the money they had to engage a human trafficking gang…
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Chon Buri sees large anti-government rally
The eastern province of Chon Buri was the scene of a peaceful anti-government protest yesterday evening. The rally attracted a large crowd who afterward cleaned Bang Saen beach. The demonstration comes on the heels of several larger protests in Bangkok and elsewhere this week, and was led by a group calling themselves the Youth Liberation Front. No official number of…
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Association urges easing visa restrictions for foreign teachers
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is being urged to relax stringent visa restrictions for foreign teachers and students. The Association of Private School and Non-Formal Education delivered a letter to the government with the request, as many schools, colleges and universities find themselves without foreign teachers due to the burden of paperwork. If the move is successful foreign teachers and students already…
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Red shirt leader warns activists against insulting Monarchy
The chairman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, aka the “red shirt” movement, says the Student Union of Thailand and the Free Youth group, who launched anti-government protests last week, should stick to their 3 demands and not “cross a line” by including discussion about Thailand’s Monarchy. He warns that, otherwise, they will meet the same fate as…
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Phase 6 of re-opening to see thousands of foreigners granted entry to Thailand
A number of additional categories of foreigners will be able to apply to re-enter the Kingdom. These include migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Elite Visa holders, medical tourists, film crew, convention exhibitors and select business visitors. Anyone that doesn’t fall into one of those groups will remain excluded from the country as the borders remain shut to almost…
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Thailand’s tourist magnets deserted and desperate
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, bird flu, SARS, political upheavals, passenger boats sinking. None of these have had anywhere near the effect of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. Visitor numbers, even from the usually enthusiastic Tourism Authority of Thailand, are expected to plummet up to 80% for the year. The other 20% mostly visited the Kingdom in the first…
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Government to generate thousands of jobs through 3 projects
The Thai government has signed off on 3 new projects with the hopes of creating nearly 40,000 jobs. A budget of 4 billion baht has been set aside for the new projects. The latest development comes following Cabinet approval of 7 economic restoration projects, with a combined budget of 400 billion baht. The first of the 3 new projects will…
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Bangkok “sadist” arrested for man’s death, woman’s abduction
Bangkok police have arrested a man for the abduction of a woman and the death of her boyfriend in the city’s Lumpini Park Tuesday night. Authorities say he is a sexual sadist who preyed on sex workers in the downtown area. Police say a woman, identified as 35 year old Natchada Kiengkaiwaykin, was lured into his Volkswagen van. Her boyfriend,…
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Global aviation recovery could take 3 years – Survey
“Widespread recovery of the global airline industry could be up to three years away.” That’s the consensus out of n industry poll conducted as part of FlightPlan: Charting a Course into the Future. 500 professionals around the world were asked questions about the likely recovery of the global aviation industry. Apart from the dire predictions of a slow recovery over the next…
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Chiang Mai madam arrested over underage gay sex shop
A team of police and provincial officers have arrested a transgender woman on charges of operating a brothel after raiding a Chiang Mai massage shop. 2 young masseurs were caught in the sting operation on Tuesday night. The arrested woman identified herself as the manager of the shop although police believe she’s the owner of the business. Authorities say the…
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Sudden downpour floods Pattaya’s main roads
More rain in Pattaya today brining flooding to some of the ‘usual’ spots and affecting traffic. The mid-afternoon downpour flooded Pattaya’s major arteries, causing water up to 50 centimetres deep on some of the roads, including (of course) Beach Road. The rain battered the seaside city for around 2 hours. The Bangkok-Pattaya motorway was also hit by the sudden downpour…
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“Priceless” ancient manuscripts vanish from university, feared stolen and sold
“Hundreds” of priceless historical manuscripts have been stolen from the Arts and Cultural Centre of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Rabhabhat University. A senior monk said the ancient folding-book paper manuscripts, known as “samut khoi”, contained stories and drawings featuring local history, traditions and culture, and might have been stolen and sold to people unaware that they belonged to the university.…
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Chiang Mai eatery fined for alcohol promotion
A Chiang Mai restaurant is warning other eateries to be very careful about promoting alcohol after being raided and fined. Police went to Ai ToMoE restaurant in Chiang Mai after a tip that it was promoting beer in its 499 baht buffet menu, according to the restaurant’s Facebook post yesterday. Offices arrested the chef, named “Boy”, and fined him 50,000…
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310 out of 50,000 repatriates tested positive for Covid-19: minister
Thailand’s foreign affairs minister has reported to the Senate that full assistance is being provided to Thai nationals stranded overseas due to the Covid-19 world pandemic. This is despite the recent controversy surrounding an Egyptian airman visiting Thailand who tested positive after visiting shopping spots in the eastern Rayong province. The minister responded to questions from Senators, pointing out that…
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Tourism sector facing massive closures
Thailand’s tourism sector, long seen as a lifeline for the nation’s battered economy, is in a meltdown; more than 30% of tourism-related businesses have left the market with many more expected to follow, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. The president of the TCT says the tourism industry predicts further deterioration after 6 months of the Covid-19 crisis, as…
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Bangkok police seize fake drugs, cosmetics, supplements in factory raid
Police and officers of the Food and Drug Administration seized 119 items made using hazardous substances and sporting fake labels in a raid on an illegal factory near Bangkok’s Pratunam intersection. The products were valued at 200,000 baht. The FDA reported the production of illegal healthcare products, which led police to Tofu Skincare based in the capitol’s Ratchathewi district. The…
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PM approves Emergency Decree extension
PM Prayut Chan O’Cha has signed off on a proposal by the National Security Council and the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration to extend the Emergency Decree until the end of August. The Emergency Decree gives the government sweeping powers to manage the Covid-19 crisis at the national level from a “top down” perspective. It also provides draconian penalties for…
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Bangkok university professor says no “travel bubbles” for at least 6 months
A professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says Thailand’s “travel bubble” plan, which would allow small groups of foreign tourists to visit Thailand, should be put on hold for at least another 6 months. In a Facebook post yesterday, he said that the global Covid-19 situation remains “of serious concern”, as new infections are still surging, with more than 200,000 new…
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Government to increase value of mid-week hotel vouchers by 300 baht
In an effort to further boost mid-week travel, the government has agreed to increase the value of accommodation vouchers offered as part of its domestic travel stimulus package from 600 baht to 900 baht. It’s hoped the move will lead to an uptake in domestic travel between Monday and Thursday. Nation Thailand reports that the Cabinet has also decided to…
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