News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Sponsored How much does it cost to see a doctor in Thailand?
Thailand is known for its high-quality yet affordable healthcare system, but how much does it really cost to see a doctor? As an expat, this question might be crucial for budgeting your health needs. The answer depends on whether you...
-
Government considering legal action against alleged Covid-19 vaccine provider
Duangrit Bunnag and Accap Assets, a real estate company located in Bangkok, with projects throughout Thailand, is facing legal action from The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society for allegedly falsifying documents about the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, as well as allegedly spreading fake news about it. The government points at a document that allegedly shows that the company stated it…
-
New Covid-19 variant in Vietnam, a hybrid of Indian and UK strain
A combination of the so-called Indian variant and UK variant of Covid-19 with rapid airborne transmission has been discovered in Vietnam. The country, like Thailand, locked down hard and early and largely avoided the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, only to have a new outbreak bring exponentially worse infections and death in April. The discovery of this new strain is contributing…
-
Recent poll shows most Thai residents pin high hopes on first dose
According to a recent Super poll, nearly 90% of respondents say they want every Thai citizen to receive the first dose to fight Covid-19, but are less concerned when the second dose is given. Furthermore, almost 80% of respondents believe they can resume their pre-Covid-19 life as soon as Thais get their first dose. The director of the Super Poll…
-
Chinese media, Thai police argue over handling of mansion raid in Pattaya
Controversy is swirling around the police raid on the Pattaya luxury mansion last week where a Chinese National shot 2 police officers, as the man and Chinese media argue that the raid was “executed poorly”. Senior Thai police officers claim the raid was carried out appropriately, while the Chinese man claims he panicked after being approached by suspicious men who…
-
Bangkok teenagers busted for party, drugs
Police have busted what Thai media is calling a “drug party” early yesterday morning in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok. They arrested 23 teenagers and “confirmed” 17 of them were using illicit narcotics. Locals had reported the teenager’s festivities citing fears that it could lead to a Covid-19 outbreak. When they arrived, police allegedly found almost 2 dozen teenagers…
-
Investigation over Hat Yai woman’s death after vaccine
An investigation has begun into the death of a woman in Hat Yai who died 2 weeks after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine to see if the death was related to the jab. A friend had suggested the possibility of a negative reaction due to the birth control pills the woman was taking combined with the vaccine, as blood clotting is…
-
Over 20 arrested and dozens more told to go home from Bangsaen beach
Police were dispatched early this morning to Bangsaen Beach, in Chon Buri, north of Pattaya, following repeated warnings in the area over the last fortnight to people who were violating Covid-19 restrictions. Local police reportedly arrested dozens and gave dozens more “soft warnings” to go home. The province of Chon Buri announced a further 90 new cases of Covid-19 today.…
-
Covid UPDATE Sunday: 4,528 Covid infections and 24 death
Today the public health department has reported 4,528 Covid infections and 24 C-19 related deaths. Another huge proportion of todays cases, 1,902, are from Thai prisons. We will post the provincial totals early in the afternoon as usual. • Chon Buri officials have announced 90 new Covid infections today, and 1 new death, mostly driven by clusters at factories and migrant…
-
11 elephants for sale from famous Sriracha Tiger Zoo
Hard times have forced the famous Tiger Zoo in Sriracha to offer their 11 elephants for sale, after closing April 30 due to Covid-19. The zoo in Chon Buri province put an ad on its website listing the 11 elephants and their caretakers available for purchase. The site is asking for 3 million baht per elephant and offers bulk discounts…
-
Ayutthaya UNESCO status a headache for high-speed rail
Progress for Thailand’s high-speed rail link from Bangkok to the northern province of Nong Khai has hit a snag over construction in UNESCO World Heritage site Ayutthaya. The cultural status of Thailand’s former capital has complicated the process of building a new train station to accommodate the rail line. The Transport Ministry is working to resolve the issue, calling a…
-
Uruguay study of 862,000: Sinovac prevents 97% deaths
A new study of 862,000 recipients in Uruguay has found that the Sinovac vaccine is effective in reducing Covid-19 death by up to 97%. The study comes as early results are gathered from Uruguay’s vaccination campaign which has been 80% Sinovac vaccines. They found that for people who had already been fully vaccinated with 2 doses, infections were down 57%…
-
Samut Prakan uncovers Covid-19 cluster of 800 infections
Worries that Covid-19 had spread through a condominium complex with 8,000 residents in Samut Prakan were justified today as a cluster of 800 infections were uncovered in the housing community. Over 8,000 people residing in the Sin Charoen Thani condo complex are being tested for Covid-19 by a team of public health officials and immigration officers led by the Muang…
-
Proposed amendment may harm government transparency
Thailand is moving to take 1 step towards transparency and 2 steps back, as a proposed amendment to the Official Information Act moves from the public’s right of access towards protecting state secrets. The new amendment would give exception to disclosure of anything considered to have the potential to harm the monarchy, military affairs and national security. A chapter named…
-
Authorities in Thailand vexed at “Thai variant” name
Since Donald Trump first popularised Covid-19 terminology by acerbically referring it to the “China virus”, the geographic naming of Covid-19 strains is a hot button issue, and now it’s Thailand’s turn. A recently discovered variant of Covid-19 has been given the moniker of the “Thai variant” which has drawn immediate condemnation from Thailand’s authorities. The variant was identified by health…
-
So what’s the deal with the Sinopharm vaccine?
Sinopharm is Thailand’s hot new vaccine, having been approved by the Food and Drug Administration yesterday, so what information do we have about the Covid-19 vaccine? The vaccine has been approved by World Health Organisation for people above the age of 18 and is administered in the same way as Sinovac and AstraZeneca, with 2 jabs spaced 3 to 4…
-
TAT re-confirms Phuket’s reopening date of July 1
The Thai PM, and the CCSA, have confirmed that Phuket’s re-opening WILL happen on July 1. This confirms months of insistence that the plan will go ahead. The confirmation comes against a background of daily new infections in the country of over 2,000 and ongoing confusion about the country’s vaccine roll out. Saturday’s Thailand Covid report HERE. According to the…
-
Malaysia heads into another 2 week full lockdown
Malaysia is going back into a full lockdown for 2 weeks, starting this Tuesday. The Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin announced the nationwide “total lockdown” as the country battles with a new surge of Covid-19. The lockdown will run from June 1 – 14 and only essential and emergency services would remain in operation. According to the prime ministers office, the…
-
Myanmar coup and crisis cause major damage to its economy
The continued civic unrest after the military coup has ravaged Myanmar and its economy, with massive losses across all economic indicators, including Thailand’s exports to its troubled neighbour. This year’s exports from Thailand to Myanmar predicted to lose between 60 and 96.5 billion baht, between 51 and 82%, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The UTCC’s…
-
100 million baht illegal online gambling bust in Bangkok
Continuing their raids on illegal gambling sites and online scams, police have busted an internet gambling ring moving a 100 million baht per month. Today’s bust was in Bangkok following an investigation tracing the origins of a gambling website called PGSLOT889. Police raided a condominium in the Bangkok Noi district today and arrested 19 people allegedly involved in the online…
-
Sinopharm wins ok from FDA, the 5th approved Covid-19 vaccine
Thailand adds another Covid-19 vaccine to its arsenal, as the Food and Drug Administration has just approved the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use. Biogenetech Co. submitted a registration application that has been under consideration by the FDA until receiving approval today. Sinopharm joins Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna to be officially approved for use in Thailand. Today Sinopharm…
-
“Covid Vaccine ✔️” signs for vaccinated taxi drivers
At a time when customers are hard to find, some taxis are getting a boost by advertising their Covid-19 safety with a “Vaccine” sign for any cabbie who’s had their jabs. The illuminated green LED sign is the brainchild of Smart Taxi managing director, who believes that this confirmation will make commuters and passengers feel more safe and secure. He…
-
Man “test drives” car, never to be seen again
Panya Muenknam, a 50 year old owner of the used car shop “Khao Wong Rot Ban”, located in the Kalasin province, northeasten Thailand, has one less car on his lot after a man took a car for a “test drive” …and never came back. The owner posted on his Facebook about the theft on May 26, and according to Panya…
-
Teenagers claim they were attacked on popular Pattaya beach
Last night, teenagers visiting from Ayutthaya claim they were attacked on Jomtien Beach, a popular spot in Pattaya. They say local teens in a pickup had pulled up to the group, got out of the truck and started to attack them for no reason. The victims also allege that they were chased and that the rival group claimed to have…
-
Government Lottery Office ordered to pay 1.65 billion baht over failed project
After a decade-plus struggle, the Supreme Administrative Court has ordered the Government Lottery Office, or GLO, to pay the Thai conglomerate Loxley 1.65 billion baht in compensation over a failed online lottery project. An online lottery system and machines were set up nationwide by Loxley GTech back in 2006. The company had also trained people on how to operate the…
-
15 most popular tourism provinces contribute 70% of total GDP
Wealth inequality around the world has always been the haves versus the have nots, but in Thailand, it has become the toured versus the toured not. The Fiscal Policy Officer’s senior expert on macroeconomic policy recently presented some stark figures showing the astounding gap in contribution to the GDP between tourism provinces and non-tourism provinces. Only 15 provinces contribute 70%…
-
Police seize more than 100 monkeys allegedly trafficked in illegal meat trade
More than 100 wild monkeys caged in plastic carriers were seized off a pickup truck in Prachinburi province. The 25 year old driver was arrested, and allegedly told police that he had been hired by a network that trafficks wild animals to be purchased by restaurants and later eaten. The 102 monkeys were in poor condition, some with wounds and…
-
“Eating raw meat and no medical care” – Phetchaburi field hospital escapees
Earlier today The Thaiger wrote how 500 Covid patients tried to escape a field hospital in Phetchaburi. Now, we have further information on why they may have wanted to escape… power outages, they were being frequently in the dark, had to eat raw meat, and were not provided medical care. Tlay Nyo, one of the workers told Thai media… “We…
-
Burmese coup causes food prices to rise, income fall
As clashes between the military who took over the country in a coup Feb 1 and protestors in cities and insurgents in the countryside rage on, prices on necessities like food spike and many are going hungry in Myanmar. People who could once afford healthy, balanced meals of pork and vegetables and rice are now scraping by simple cheap foods…
-
Toyota Motor Thailand under investigation for alleged judicial bribery
Thailand’s Court of Justice announced it is investigating a case involving top judges to the grand jury who were allegedly bribed by representatives from Toyota Motor Thailand, a subsidiary of Toyota, while the US Department of Justice says it is continuing its investigation into the auto company’s alleged judicial bribery in Thailand. Sitting judges on the Thai Supreme Court were…
-
Gold shop owner arrested for money laundering 30 million baht
In a simultaneous raid of multiple locations around the Kanchanaburi province, police arrested a gold shop owner suspected of laundering money for drug smugglers. The Phet Thong Sap Thawee Lae Nalika Thong Thae Yaowarat gold shop in Muang district was raided by police and military and assets totalling about 30 million baht were impounded. The 32 year old shop owner…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.