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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Hello world! Kim Jong-un resurfaces after 20 day absence
Dispelling recent rumours that he was in a “vegetative state” or even dead after an apparent heart attack and a botched surgery, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has resurfaced and made his first public appearance after a 20 day absence. Well, either him or a very good replica. North Korean state media reported today that he “celebrated the completion of…
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Surat Thani governor confirms that residents coming back from Phuket will be quarantined
With the exodus of people from Phuket heading back to their home provinces, officials from Surat Thani have confirmed that they will be quarantined at home for 14 days when they arrive. Surat Thani is about a 3-4 hour drive northeast from Phuket. The Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto has ordered all district chiefs in the province to quarantine visitors…
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New plans for managing Thailand’s 2020 public debt
The Thai Cabinet has approved new plans for managing the fiscal 2020 public debt that was previously proposed by the Ministry of Finance. Deputy Government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that… “according to the new plans, the amount of ‘new’ debt has been adjusted up to 1.497 trillion baht from 894.005 billion baht.” “The plan for the management of ‘existing’ debt has…
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Thai baht up 3% against USD over past month
Potential tourists and expats shipping in money from overseas were hoping the Thai baht would continue to fall against the US dollar. But they’d be surprised that the baht has rebounded in April against the greenback – about 3% in value. But Thailand’s Central Bank is warning that the recent strengthening of the baht against the USD may “not be sustainable”.…
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Woman brutally murdered in Chonburi
Yesterday at 1pm Police Colonel Chiddecha Songkhong, director of Nong Prue Police Station, Bang Lamung District in Chonburi province, was notified of a murder. The incident was reported as a murder of a Thai woman at a village in Nong Prue Sub-district. Chiddecha along with Police Somboon Osammaitee, Pattaya Travel Inspector Police, medical staff from Bang Lamung Hospital Sawang and…
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Former union leader calls for total overhaul at Thai Airways
The former president of the Thai Airways union is calling for a complete revamp of the airline, including the ousting of all existing board members. The call follows years of crippling losses, bailouts and promises of a corporate cleanout. The Bangkok Post reports that Chamsri Sukchotrat made the call in a Facebook post, addressing PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in his role…
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Rare pink dolphins spotted off Koh Phangan – VIDEO
Pink dolphins are extremely rare, mainly found in only a few spots in the world, including parts of China, Hong Kong waters and sections of the Amazon river. So it was a surprise for fishermen in the Gulf of Thailand to have a rare encounter with pink dolphins, which scientists say are becoming bolder in the absence of tourists The…
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Government details symptoms in bid to stop the spread of African Horse Sickness
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness, also known as African Plague, has now killed hundreds of horses in Thailand. The Government Gazette has now detailed the symptoms of AHS, after the contagion was first detected on March 25. First found in Nakhon Ratchasima, the disease has now spread via mosquitoes, gnats and gadflies to other parts of the country, killing…
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Academics say virus will make inequality in Thai society even worse
Leading academics from Malaysia and Thailand say the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus will only exacerbate the substantial wealth inequalities in Thailand, a country where so many citizens are already at a significant economic disadvantage. Writing in The Diplomat, M Niaz Asadullah from the University of Malaya and Ruttiya Bhula-or from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, say the collapse in tourism…
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200 baby turtles born at beach in front of Banyan Tree Samui
The birth of more than 200 green turtles has brought some much-needed joy to staff at one of Thailand’s top hotels on Koh Samui. Between April 4 and 24, three nests hatched on the secluded beach at Banyan Tree Samui resort, and a total of around 200 baby turtles emerged under the watchful gaze of the hotel’s resident marine biologist,…
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South Korean fire kills 38 workers – VIDEO
According to reports, at around 1:30pm local South Korean time, a fire at a warehouse in Icheon killed 38 construction workers and left another 10 injured. The fire was reported at a warehouse that was under construction in the city of Icheon, 80 kilometres south of the capital). Local news sources report that “all the victims are believed to be…
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This year’s wet season expected to be later, drier
Thailand’s annual rainy season usually arrives sometime around Songkran, the Thai New Year festival, on April 13 each year. But the Thai Meteorological Department is warning that the start of heavy rains are unlikely to start around the country until around the third week in May. They also forecast rainfall this year to be approximately 5% lower than average, adding…
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Suspect in fatal Bangkok shooting absconds with family
A man was shot dead in a fight between two neighbours yesterday in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district, apparently over excessive noise, and the alleged killer has reportedly fled with his family. Police were alerted to a shooting incident at a house on Ruammit Pattana Road at 7pm. At the scene they found the body of 37 year old Phatcharaphol Phomaneesak…
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Woman seriously injured after English husband allegedly throws her from balcony
A woman has been seriously injured in Rayong, eastern Thailand, after her English husband allegedly threw her from the balcony of their 8th floor condo yesterday afternoon. Thai Residents report that the 56 year old woman, named only as Sukunda, landed on a patio on the 7th floor of the building in the Ban Chang district. Officers from the local…
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Arrests in Chiang Mai for “sextortion”, child porn
A 20 year old Thai man has been charged with extortion after police in Chiang Mai province arrested him for posing as a woman to blackmail a university student online. Acting on a warrant, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division and the Internet Crimes Against Children task force arrested Natthawut Klinhom. Police say the victim, aged 19, filed a complaint against…
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Unsettled weather across Thailand
Today’s forecast from the Thailand Meteorological Department says that “a cell covers the lower North and the upper Central creating hot weather conditions in upper Thailand”. “A high pressure system covers Laos, Vietnam and the South China Sea, bringing the southerly and southeasterly winds to the upper country. Isolated thundershowers are likely in the areas with gusty winds in the…
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A box found by a villager in Phetchabun was identified as a bomb
Yesterday, as a villager rode his bicycle from the local temple in Petchabun province to go see a friend, he discovered a mysterious box laying on the ground in Tha Phom tambon. With ‘excitement’ he took the box back to his friend’s shop hoping it was valuable and a sign of good fortune. When he arrived, one of his employees…
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Cable and satellite provider True Visions faces backlash over “censorship officer”
Satellite and cable TV provider True Visions is in hot water after posting an advert seeking an “international news censor” on the biggest online jobs board in Thailand. The ad, which appeared on the JobsDB site, said the right candidate would be required to scrutinise 17 foreign news channels and report any “inappropriate” content to supervisors. A report in Coconuts…
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Ratchaburi women scammed by “American’ Instagrammer
A 33 year old woman in Ratchaburi (west of Bangkok) has filed a complaint to the local authorities that she was tricked by an ‘American man’ to make her fall in love and inducing her to transfer almost 200,000 baht of her money. After she thought everything was going as planned, the man, including the money. vanished. The female victim…
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Government refuses Opposition’s request for debate on executive decrees
Calls from Opposition parties for a special session of parliament to debate the Thai Government’s executive decrees have been given short shrift, with the government saying the debate will have to wait until May 22, when parliament is set to reconvene. The three decrees relate to the procurement of significant loans, reported to be up to 1.9 trillion baht, in…
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To wear or not to wear, that is the question. Face masks in a Covid-19 world.
The hot topic du jour is face masks – to wear or not to wear. Are they useful? Do they just make wearers ‘feel’ protected, or can they actually contribute to the prevention of spreading Covid-19, or any other virus for that matter. In Asian countries, generally, it’s become a common look, as people move around and go shopping while…
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Air Asia publishes fit-to-fly guidelines when they take to Asia’s skies again
Captain Ling Liong Tien, the Chief Safety Officer @ AirAsia, has sent out an email to customers laying down a detailed list of new requirements for early-adopters in the post-covid regional travel world. It doesn’t look like a lot of fun, but there will at least be a means for airlines, airline staff, and passengers, to again take to the skies…
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Thailand loses US free trade benefits worth billions of baht
Thailand loses duty free access for 42.2 billion baht in exports to the US market from today, 6 months after Washington warned it would pull back on trade privileges unless the kingdom committed to labour rights reforms. Once trade preferences for Thai products are removed they are subject to tax of between 4% and 5%, making them more expensive in…
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North Korean leader reportedly in “vegetative state”
For days the government of North Korea has been tight-lipped as speculation about the health of the nation’s leader Kim Jong-un’s health spreads. Now the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Gendai is reporting that a failed surgery has left the 36 year old in a vegetative state. American celebrity tabloid website TMZ has gone a step further and claimed he’s actually…
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“Thai Airways will survive”. Emergency meeting next Wednesday.
“Thai Airways will not collapse. The fact that Deputy PM Somkid stepped in to handle the issue means the government will rescue it.” It’s no secret that Thailand’s national carrier has been a financial basket case for over a decade, bleeding money and marketshare as the years pass. The top-heavy Thai company is bailed out by the Thai government each…
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Knicker-sniffing panty thief arrested in Chiang Mai – VIDEO
After receiving complaints, police in Chiang Mai have arrested a food delivery driver for stealing women’s knickers (panties) while making deliveries throughout the city. 27 year old Nontawat Intanachan was arrested after at least one woman reported to police that her knickers had frequently been stolen while hanging out to dry. When police examined the surveillance footage, they saw a…
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Attempted murder charge for hit-and-run Mitsubishi driver
In a follow-up to a story previously reported in The Thaiger, police in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat are charging the driver of a Mitsubishi Mirage with attempted murder after he ran into a policeman, then sped off with the officer still clinging to the hood of his car. The officer held on for dear life as the…
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Australians and New Zealanders commemorate ANZAC Day with driveway tributes
Australians and New Zealanders have stood outside their homes at dawn this morning to mark the annual ANZAC Day. This year’s tributes and salutes to the fallen who have served their countries at war have been from a distance. A new generation stood quietly at the entrance to their homes, in some cases wearing the medals of their relatives that…
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“It’s all a misunderstanding” – 4 people arrested for trespassing Phuket Zoo
2 foreigners and 2 Thai citizens have been arrested for trespassing private property and violating Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Police allege that they climbed over a perimeter wall of the Phuket Zoo in Chalong, southern Phuket. The report alleges that they filmed videos of the crocodiles and tigers and posted an edited version with narration on YouTube. The report also…
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Four arrested for shooting videos at Phuket Zoo and soliciting donations
“Their lawyer claims the situation was ‘all a misunderstanding’.” Following last week’s posting of a video taken at the Phuket Zoo ‘whilst on a walk’, 2 foreigners and 2 Thais have now been arrested after allegedly scaling a wall at the Phuket zoo. They shot videos of crocodiles and tigers then edited and posted them online with a narration asking for…
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