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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Man steals 10,000 baht from Chon Buri hospital donation boxes
A 37 year old man was arrested for allegedly stealing donations from 2 hospitals in Chon Buri. Police say Arnon Kruanamkam took off with 10,000 baht in stolen donations. Arnon allegedly took money from the donation boxes in Bang Bueng Hospital and Panat Nikhom Hospital. Surveillance camera footage shows Arnon taking the money, police say. They arrested him in Rayong.…
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Protesters push through barricades at Bangkok police station
Paint was splattered on a police officers and police barricades were pushed away by a crowd of people protesting the recent charges filed on 15 activists involved in the July 18 rally. The protesters were able to force their way to the Bangkok’s Samran Rat police station’s front entrance and the charged activists entered to confront police. Police recently charged…
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Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe to step down over health
Japan’s media today reported that PM Shinzo Abe will resign over health issues, in a shock development that will end a record-setting tenure with no clear successor decided. There was no immediate confirmation, and the reports came just hours before Abe was to hold a press conference about his health. The news sent Tokyo stocks tumbling more than 2%, the…
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Debate rages behind closed doors on allowing return of foreign tourists
The debate over allowing foreign tourists back into Thailand is heating up, even as plans are being made for the “Phuket model” and airlines cautiously begin announcing charter flights for long-stay foreign tourists later in the year. Thailand has gone nearly 100 days without a confirmed locally spread case of Covid-19, putting it in a tough spot compared to countries…
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New lease on life for 7 of Thailand’s budget airlines
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today threw a lifeline to 7 of Thailands’ domestic low-cost airlines, beginning with the injection of 24 billion baht in soft loans for the struggling aviation sector, battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Representatives of Thai Air Asia, its long haul division Thai Air Asia X, Thai Smile, Thai Lion Air, Thai Viet Jet, Bangkok Airways and Nok…
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Human Rights Watch talks protests, democracy and foreigners attending protests
The Thaiger spoke to Brad Adams, the Asia Director for Human Rights Watch about some of the challenges of the current Thai government and the protests that are showing no signs of abating. Do you think the student movement, alone, will be enough to press the Thai government to make meaningful changes? The students are playing a leading role in…
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19 year old arrested for allegedly recruiting teens for prostitution
A 19 year old woman was arrested for allegedly recruiting young girls on social media for prostitution. Police say some of the girls that she recruited for sex work were teenagers. Some of them as young as 15 years old. The woman used Twitter to lure the girls in and provide them with prostitution work. Police did not report the…
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Should foreigners go to protests and get involved in Thai politics?
Should foreigners get involved in the Thai protests? Is it any of our business? Is there a danger of being targeted and thrown out of the country? Most foreigners, certainly the vast majority, will say they’re uncomfortable even discussing local politics with Thais, especially THAT other big topic. Most are happy to walk the beaches, explore or sit in the…
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Satellite captures flood devastation in Thailand’s lower-north
The devastation wreaked by heavy floods in Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, provinces in the lower-north of the country, can be seen from space. A report in Nation Thailand says an Italian satellite, Cosmo Skymed-1, has captured photos that show over 125,000 rai of land is submerged as a result of heavy rainfall in the area. PHOTO: Nation Thailand Around 100,000 rai…
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Pro-democracy activist mounts campaign near Bangkok memorial
Political activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa has started a campaign he’s calling “Camp Not Jail” near a Bangkok memorial that commemorates pro-democracy activists who were killed in a 1973 rally in the capital. Jatupat, commonly known as “Pai Dao Din”, has erected a number of tents, where he screens documentaries about democracy to attract the attention of passersby. Nation Thailand reports that…
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Environmentalists concerned with rise of takeaway trash during lockdown
How much plastic do you toss in the garage bin when you’re done eating your takeaway order? An environmentalist says 1 person throws away about 1.5 kilograms of trash each day. With many stuck at home during the lockdown period, food delivery sales skyrocketed, but so did the amount of trash each person throws away. Thai environmentalists are concerned and…
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Thai Government puts wheels in motion for constitutional reform
The coalition government has approved a motion that sets the stage for the 2017 Thai Constitution to be amended. A report in the Bangkok Post today says a 200 member panel is being formed to oversee the process. Members will include 150 elected writers, as well as senators and academics, while student representatives may nominate a further 50 members. It’s…
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Experts agree: “Boss” was speeding
A police panel probing the alleged mishandling of the case said yesterday that every expert who has weighed in believes Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, heir to the Red Bull drinks empire, was definitely speeding when he hit the motorcycle of a senior policeman and dragged him some 100 metres, killing him. The panel’s deputy chairman, assistant national police chief Jaruwat Waisaya,…
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CCSA considers another 2 groups of foreigners for return to Thailand
The next batch of returnee categories is now being considered by the CCSA. This time, foreigners with permanent residences who have been stranded overseas for the past 6 months, and long-term foreign residents, will receive priority when the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announces the next date for the next phase of lifting the shutters on Thailand’s borders. The chairman…
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Thai Airways launching direct flights to Phuket for “Safe & Sealed” campaign
Thai Airways is dusting off its fleet and getting ready to relaunch international travel, with direct flights to Phuket from 6 countries planned to take off in the next few months. It’s all designed to co-incide with the announced “safe & sealed” campaign which the Thai government hope will re-boot tourism for the beleaguered island. Thai Airways flights have been…
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Expats to be offered travel deals at Bangkok event
Ready to go on a holiday? Expats are being offered some travel deals to boost domestic tourism. The Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to hold an event next month for foreigners. “Expat Travel Deal 2020” is September 11-13 from 10am to 10pm at Quartier Gallery at Bangkok’s EmQuartier shopping centre. It’s free to attend. Travel agencies from all over the…
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TikTok CEO quits amid pressure to sell
Kevin Mayer, the high flying CEO of TikTok, quit today under US pressure for the platform’s Chinese owner Bytedance to sell popular video app, which Washington says is a national security threat. In a letter to employees, Mayer said his decision to leave comes because the “political environment has sharply changed.” Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as CEO…
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Bangkok officer under investigation for gambling after video emerges
A Metropolitan Police officer is under investigation for gambling in an illegal casino in Bangkok. A video clip of the casino has been shared online, with mounting pressure on the officer. Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Krisana Pattanacharoen said the Metropolitan Police chief has ordered the Pathumwan Station to investigate whether a man caught on video gambling at a den…
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Progressive MP raises “3 finger salute” in Parliament
An opposition MP from the eastern province of Chantaburi, along the Cambodian border, raised eyebrows today when she flashed the pro-democracy “3 finger salute” immediately after after speaking about state repression of student protestors. The salute has become the student movement’s trademark gesture of solidarity. Yanathicha Buapuean, an MP for the Move Forward Party said: “These actions are intended to…
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Suspect arrested for allegedly shipping heroin to Taiwan – VIDEO
Police in Bangkok yesterday arrested a suspected member of a drug smuggling ring, believed to be shipping heroin to Taiwan, hidden in souvenirs and carried by couriers posing as visitors returning to Taipei. Officers of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, acting on an arrest warrant, nabbed Penthai Khamhom at a parcel delivery office in Huai Khwang district. A search of the…
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Bangkok visa agent arrested for fake extensions
If you’re looking into getting a visa, be careful what agency you choose. A Bangkok visa agent was arrested for allegedly forging visa extensions. Reports say the woman was charging thousands of baht for the fake extensions. The 33 year old woman Thai media reports as Sukanya has a shop in northern Bangkok advertised as a visa agency. A Burmese…
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PM issues ominous warning as students submit manifesto
Yesterday, leaders of the student movement Free Youth submitted their now-infamous 10 point manifesto on reforming the Monarchy to a House committee for consideration. Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul, a leader of a group calling itself the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, forwarded the 10-point manifesto, which was compiled at a demonstration on August 10 at Thammasat University, to Move Forward Party…
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PM warns that ongoing political protests will cause nation to collapse
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has accused anti-government protesters of dividing the country, warning that their activities may bring about the collapse of the nation. The words are his harshest yet, as he rebukes those who continue to call for his resignation and the dissolution of parliament. “If we want to overcome each other politically, the nation will collapse. If…
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High rank police officer allegedly caught on video at illegal gambling den
A high ranking police officer is being investigated for allegedly gambling after a video of men playing a dice game at an illegal gambling den was shared on social media. One of them appears to be a senior officer for the Royal Thai Police. A Royal Thai Police spokesperson says if the man is a police officer, he will face…
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No legal action from Facebook: minister
Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy and Society said yesterday he doesn’t believe Facebook will take any legal action against the government and the ministry in relation to legal requests to take down or restrict access to some of its content, since the platform has cooperated well with previous requests. Buddhipongse Punnakanta was speaking at a press conference at the DES…
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Chon Buri proves most popular in domestic tourism stimulus package
Although the uptake of incentives offered under the government’s domestic travel stimulus package is lower than expected, Chon Buri is proving a hit. The Pattaya News reports that nearly 34,000 room bookings have been made at hotels in the eastern province under the “We Travel Together” rebate scheme. This is more than in other seaside destinations popular with domestic tourists,…
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6 Chon Buri men fall victim to dating app scam
At least 6 men in the eastern province of Chon Buri have fallen prey to a romance scam and police there are now warning men over the use of dating apps. The men bought cars via financing for a woman they met through an unnamed app. The deputy chief of the Samet police told the Pattaya News that 23 year…
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Phuket Rail goes through its first public hearing, with a few modifications
Phuket’s light rail/tram, and much-discussed, public transport system has had a round of public consultations to take the project to the next level. At one stage the route started in Phang Nga province but now it’s had a ‘haircut’ and will only run from the Phuket International Airport to Chalong Circle, a distance of some 42 kilometres. Some of the…
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International tourists ‘essential’ to Thai economy, PM says
“If nothing is done, things will get worse. Premises will be shut down. Employees will be laid off. How can the government afford to help them all?” Thailand needs tourists to pick its economy back up, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says, adding that a system needs to be put in place that would both prevent the spread of the coronavirus and…
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Panicked passengers flee Bangkok bus – VIDEO
Panicked passengers of a Bangkok bus could be seen fleeing yesterday after the bus driver careened across the road in a race with a rival driver on the same route to get more fares. A video on social media showed a privately run bus on Route 1 dangerously tailgating and trying to pass another bus serving the same route. The…
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