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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Deputy PM backs protesters’ demand for constitutional reform
Deputy PM and Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is backing the key demand of student protesters to rewrite Thailand’s Constitution. Responding to activists’ calls for the dissolution of Parliament, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party said yesterday such a move would be pointless without prior constitutional amendment. Speaking at the party’s annual meeting, Anutin, leader of second-largest partner in…
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A day of shame as Thai police try to defend revoking “Boss” arrest warrants
Thai Police are being forced to defend their decision to “revoke all arrest warrants” for 35 year old Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, claiming that they could face negligence charges if they pursued a case that prosecutors have already dropped. All warrants and red notices in the Interpol website, the Immigration Bureau and the Office of the Royal Thai Police have been revoked…
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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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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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2 foreigners found hanged in Chon Buri
2 foreigners are dead in Chon Buri following 2 apparent suicides in the space of 3 days. In the most recent, a British man was found hanging at a condominium in Pattaya yesterday. Pattaya City police were notified of the incident, at a condominium in Central Pattaya, at 1pm. Police, rescue workers and reporters rushed to the scene at a room…
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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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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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Former PM Yingluck responds to allegations
Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra, now a fugitive living in exile since she was removed from office in May 2014 by a Constitutional Court decision, took to Facebook yesterday to respond to allegations of abuse of power brought by the National Anti-Corruption Commission earlier this week, calling on the anti-graft body to focus on the current government instead. On Wednesday 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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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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Transport Ministry says they still want to negotiate the 24 billion baht Hopewell pay-out
Driving out to Don Mueang Airport it’s difficult not to notice the new BTS line that now extends from Mo Chit and past the airport. It looks finished and, apparently, will open before the end of the year. But running alongside are the remnants of an earlier, and very expensive, attempt to build a link out to Don Mueang, at…
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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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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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Female doctor resigns after hospital attack; director suggests “gold shop security”
The director of Vibharam-Chai Prakan Hospital in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, says he may need to upgrade security to that used by gold shops to protect hospital staff. His remarks come just days after violence erupted at 2 hospitals in the area. 2 gangs were fighting after 1 of their members died. A female doctor resigned after the…
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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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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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American busted for fraud in Bangkok
An American man in Bangkok has been arrested and faces charges of defrauding a Thai investor out of 300,000 baht. Immigration police arrested the 37 year old for allegedly conning the victim into investing in an application to search for condominiums, jobs, cleaning and other services. The man, identified only as “Matthew”, was arrested under a warrant obtained by immigration…
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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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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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Government says Emergency Decree extension won’t ban protests
Although the Emergency Decree was officially extended again today, through the end of August, the government says political gatherings and rallies won’t be banned. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the extension earlier today but officials insist the emergency measures are strictly for guarding against the resurgence of Covid-19 and unrelated to the ongoing protests. According to the secretary-general of the National…
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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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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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Video catches Thai immigration officials asking for a bribe
Officers from an immigration office near Bangkok have been “suspended” after a Facebook video showed an immigration official asking for money to help “speed up his visa process”. The caption read… “This is real, such a shame, when will the cheating stop”. “Thailand is good, foreigners get Visas to work in the country. They go to the Nonthaburi Immigration for…
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