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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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No monkeying around: coronavirus fears mean monkeys in the South are going hungry
It’s not only humans being affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak; monkeys in the southern province of Songkhla, usually dependent on food from tourists, are facing a shortage. Tourists from Singapore and Malaysia, normally abundant in Songkhla, are cancelling tours amid worries over the outbreak, resulting in far less daily food for the monkeys there. Local fruit vendors, taking pity…
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Shots fired in Nontha Buri mall
Police rushed to the Central Plaza mall in Nontha Buri province, just northwest of Bangkok, yesterday, after reports of gunshots inside the mall. The sound of shots was reported at about 4:20pm and people fled the building in the city’s Muang district. There were no reports of death or injuries. Local radio station Jor Sor 100 traffic radio later reported…
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Computer techie arrested for putting spy cams in ladies’ public toilets
A computer technician has been arrested in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, for allegedly setting up spy cams in women’s public toilets. The suspect, 23 year old Nitiwat Muikaeo is said to have sold the videos on social media. The arrest comes after parents lodged complaints with the Technology Crime Suppression Division about videos of their daughters online. Police…
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Smoke from plantation fires continues to choke central and northern Thailand
Smoke from fires, mostly deliberately lit, continue to choke sections of central and northern Thailand today. Light winds are not blowing away the smog and haze produced by the smoke, particularly in the north where Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have readings today from ‘unhealthy’ too ‘very unhealthy’ – in a range from 170 up to 240 (particles of PM2.5…
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PM says military to downsize, halve number of generals
PM Prayut Chan-ocha, also the defence minister, announced yesterday that the Defence Ministry plans to downsize all three branches of the armed forces to become more modern and efficient, and will cut the number of generals in half within eight years. Speaking on the final scheduled day of a censure debate, Prayut said it’s necessary to strengthen the armed forces…
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Rogue policeman turned burglar recaptured in Chiang Mai
A former policeman who escaped a Chiang Mai hospital after being arrested for burglary has been re-arrested. The ex-cop, identified only as “Pawaret,” was assaulted by homeowners after he attempted to burglarise a home last weekend, which led to rescue workers taking him to hospital. He subsequently escaped the in the early hours of the morning. His escape caused panic…
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Bangkok cops bust online gun dealers
The chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau told a media briefing yesterday that officers have arrested six men and two women for selling firearms on Thai social media. They seized seven guns, ammunition and gun components. Police initially arrested Pairoh Chanchom for selling firearms without a licence. A subsequent, lengthy investigation led to raids on several premises and the…
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PM “concerned” about campus rallies
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed “concern” over growing support for student rallies at universities and now high schools, throughout Bangkok and elsewhere, to protest the recent dissolution of the popular Future Forward party, and the possibility of confrontation and unrest. The proliferation of political rallies and demonstrations comes in the aftermath of the Future Forward party’s dissolution by the…
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The Coronavirus effect – Phuket and hotel report
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com “Perhaps the biggest wild card is the mounting number of travel advisories across the globe based on Covid-19” In what is a continuing storyline on the global coronavirus outbreak, Bill Barnett reports on the impact on Thailand’s most popular island destination, Phuket. He says that the impact on the Phuket tourism market is creating a challenging landscape.…
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Once bustling, Chiang Mai tourist areas are now deserted
Thai news agency MCOT has become the latest media outlet to bemoan the devastating effect of the coronavirus (Covid-19) on Thai tourism, after their reporters went to the once thriving area of Nimmanhaemin. Online blurbs about the area still describe it as having “buzzing dining and nightlife, hip cafes, fashion boutiques and a weekend craft market.” But a month after…
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4 Uzbek women rescued from human traffickers in Pattaya
Four Uzbek women were rescued in Pattaya yesterday by Uzbekistan embassy officials and Chon Buri Provincial Police after allegedly falling victim to a human trafficking scam. A team of police raided a condominium in South Pattaya near the entrance of Phra Tamnak hill. See the video version of this story HERE: The raid comes after Chon Buri police learned from…
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High school students join wave of anti-government protests
Students in some of Bangkok’s most exclusive private high schools announced yesterday that would hold rallies in solidarity with anti-government protests being staged on college campuses across the nation. Students at the all-girl Satriwithaya School, located next to Bangkok’s iconic Democracy Monument, were urged on social media to gather at 3pm. Using the hashtag #SWStandsWithDemocracy, the organizers said there would…
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Canadian murder suspect to be extradited to US
A murder suspect from Canada has lost his appeal against extradition to the United States after Bangkok’s Appeal Court upheld a lower court’s ruling, sending him to face a murder charge there. The ruling was handed down this afternoon. The extradition was sought by the Office of the Attorney-General against Matthew Alexander McGowan, accused of fatally shooting another person in…
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Arrested former cop escapes cuffs, flees Chiang Mai hospital
A former Chiang Mai policeman, arrested for a burglary in his home district of Sanpatong, has escaped from custody. Police are now hunting for the the fugitive. The officer, identified only as “Pawaret,” was arrested over the weekend and held at a police station but had to be taken to the local hospital because he’d had suffered injuries after an…
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Thai Airways to waive exchange fees for more routes
Thai Airways International announced today that it will waive charges for flight swaps for even more passengers going to countries and territories affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19). The policy now extends to the following routes: Return trip: Bangkok-Japan, -South Korea, -Taiwan, -Singapore Exchange fees will be waived for THAI or THAI Smile code-share tickets issued on or before February 18…
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22 areas of Bangkok found with excessive PM2.5 dust in the atmosphere today
Bangkok was blanketed with excessive PM2.5 dust yesterday, measuring between 55 and 90 microns per cubic metre (µg/m3), above Thailands “safe” threshold of 50. Air quality has improved slightly today, with only 22 areas found to have PM2.5 dust above 50 microns. The limit set by the World Health Organisation is 25 µg/m3. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) announced the…
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Pattaya police arrest prolific home and hotel catburglar
Police in Pattaya yesterday arrested a suspect yesterday who they say has admitted to at least ten burglaries of homes and hotels over the last several months. Pattaya City Police reported the arrest of a 37 year old Thai man, identified only as ‘Phet’ yesterday morning. He allegedly broke into rooms in apartments and hotels through unlocked windows, when victims…
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Fugitive shot dead in gunfight with police in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A fugitive is dead after a gunfight with police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The man, identified as 30 year old Pongsak Jessadarom, of the province’s Muang district, was wanted on three warrants for theft. Police were notified this morning by local residents of two thieves attempting to break into a house. A motorcycle patrol soon arrived…
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Opposition MP alleges PM and army behind cyber propaganda
An opposition MP says he’s holding PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha responsible for a network of social media that have been allegedly running a cyber campaign against critics of the current government. They accuse the PM and supporters of the government about spreading fake news and derogatory comments about them. An MP of the now-disbanded Future Forward Party, Viroj Lakkana-adisorn, says…
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Drunken man arrested threatening people with large knife on Pattaya beach
Pattaya City police arrested a highly intoxicated Bangkok man yesterday afternoon for carrying a large knife and threatening tourists and locals on Pattaya Beach. The incident began at around 11:00am, according to police, who say the man, who was severely intoxicated, was openly carrying a large knife, yelling incoherently and threatening people on the beach. Police were called by local…
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Bangkok public schools closed until Friday due to air quality
Public schools in the Bangkok municipality have been ordered shut until Friday due to severe air pollution in the nation’s capital. Air quality in the city worsened today and the situation is likely to continue due to poor air circulation and accumulation of PM2.5 dust in the atmosphere. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang said today that the city…
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Thailand News Today, February 25, 2020 – Daily news for Thailand
Two news cases confirmed in Thailand, pushing total to 37 The Thai Public Health Ministry has announced two new Coronavirus cases in Thailand, up from 35 to 37 cases since the outbreak starts in late December last year. A 31 year old woman and a 29 year old taxi driver are the two new cases. Permanent secretary for health confirmed…
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Suspects in abduction, murder of judge’s brother taken for re-enactment
When the brother of a senior judge in the central province of Nakhon Sawan was abducted in broad daylight in front of the Bangkok South Criminal Court on February 4, police feared the worst. Today, three of the six suspects alleged to have been involved in the abduction and subsequent murder were escorted by officers of the Crime Suppression Division…
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Thai Baht on the slide over fears of spread of Coronavirus outside China
What goes up must go down. The Thai baht has continued to weaken against leading international currencies, trading at 31.70 to the US$ in yesterday’s trade. The falls reflect regional concern over the coronavirus spreading beyond China. In the past few days both central South Korea and parts of northern Italy have reported outbreaks of the virus. Kasikorn Research Centre…
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At least 30 injured in head-on train collision
A train collision yesterday at Pak Tho station in Ratcha Buri province, just west of Bangkok, has injured at least 30 people, including three railway staff. Traffic Police radio and local Jor Sor 100 radio reported the crash between a passenger express train and a freight train express train, which took place around 6:30pm. Thai media report that station staff…
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Thailand News Today – First episode of a new daily TV program
Thai exports figures rise in January Whilst there’s been plenty of economic challenges around for Thailand, including the high Thai baht and a levelling out of tourist arrivals, exports for January 2020 unexpectedly rose according to ministry figures. It’s the first rise in six months, and an increase of 3.35% from the exports 12 months earlier. Reuters had earlier forecast…
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Ten reasons western foreign tourists are not wanted in Thailand
Adam Judd, writing for Pattaya Unplugged, has opined about western foreign tourists not being wanted in Thailand. He brings up some interesting topics, largely from the standpoint of an American living in Pattaya. Tell us what you think on our Facebook page. The following are my opinions but based on many talks with people from many different backgrounds and cultures.…
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Thai exports figures rise in January
Whilst there’s been plenty of economic challenges around for Thailand, including the high Thai baht and a levelling out of tourist arrivals, exports for January 2020 unexpectedly rose according to ministry figures. It’s the first rise in six months, and an increase of 3.35% from the exports 12 months earlier. The customs-cleared export numbers have been boosted by higher shipments…
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2 dead, 18 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat bus crash
Two people have been killed and 18 more inured in a bus crash today in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. Police say the bus overturned after sliding backward while ascending a steep hill in Khanom district, killing two passengers and injuring 18. The incident occurred at about 11:30am while the bus was transporting tourists back to Songkhla province…
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Top 10 dos and don’ts for the 2020 Songkran festival
Heading to Thailand for the 2020 Songkran festival? Want to know the dates, where to go and the dos and don’ts for this amazing water festival in Thailand? Songkran is a single name given to a series of concurrent events – an astrological ‘new year’, a Buddhist festival, the ‘change’ from dry season to wet season and a humongous water…
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