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...
-
Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president
After a bomb attack in the Maldives attempting to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, police have arrested a third suspect. The Manhunt has continued in the Maldivian capital city of Malé as the police appealed to the public for any information they may have about another suspect. Religious extremists have been blamed for the attempt on the former president’s life.…
-
Illegal border crossings bringing in new Covid-19 infections
Authorities are worried about illegal border crossings into Thailand bringing in the Coronavirus after 5 recent Covid-19 infections from such crossings. Bypassing all health and security checkpoints along the border, 5 Thai nationals were identified today as being positive for Covid-19 after they snuck into the country, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Authorities nabbed 2 after border…
-
9 student nurses experience side effects from Sinovac vaccine
After receiving the Sinovac vaccine, 9 student nurses at Thammasat University have complained of side effect according to the Facebook page of the Student Organization of Thammasat University. After 88 student nurses received the Chinese-made vaccine on April 23 and May 5, 2 experienced minor side effects of a little pain in the arm they were vaccinated in, while 7…
-
Testing increased in Singapore after unlinked Covid-19 cases
Singapore, where there has been over 61,000 Covid-19 infections and 31 deaths, is increasing testing to find sources for recent unlinked cases. Over the past few weeks, new cases of Covid-19 have been cropping up without any apparent connection to known Coronavirus infections. The Health Ministry of Singapore said yesterday that a junior college student and 3 staff members at…
-
Thailand searches for cow vaccine for lumpy skin disease
Move over Covid-19 there’s a new disease sweeping the country as Thailand’s cow population is afflicted with a lumpy skin disease. The Department of Livestock Development is now working on procuring vaccines from overseas manufacturers to import and treat the cattle population in Thailand. The lumpy skin is caused by pustules that are the most visible symptom, perhaps more detectable…
-
Covid-19 third wave cuts Thai domestic flights predictions by 38%
The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand is predicting a 38% drop in travel by domestic flights due to the effect of the third wave of Covid-19. Aerothai is a department under the Ministry of Transport that provides aeronautical communication and air traffic control in Thailand. With Covid-19 experiencing a rapid spread beginning in April and not yet under control, infections across…
-
Thailand now plans on 150 million Covid-19 vaccines
Thailand upped its target from 100 to 150 million vaccines in an announcement on social media by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. This expanded goal would be enough to cover the necessary 2 jabs for every person in the country, and possibly all the foreign residents that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is again reassuring will get vaccines. The original plan…
-
Sunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths, 2,101 covid infections, provincial totals
For Sunday, the numbers for new infections and Covid-related deaths from Bangkok and the Thai provinces over the past 24 hours were announced early this morning. There has been 17 deaths and 2,101 new cases announced by the CCSA. Thailand has now reached 83,375 total cases since January 2020 and 399 deaths. Out of the 17 deaths, 8 were male and 9…
-
Private Moderna vaccine price set at under 3000 baht
Officials announced that private hospitals will offer the two shots of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for a maximum of 3000 baht total. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation expect to order Moderna first in the process of importing vaccines for paid usage, according to the Private Hospital Association. The GPO will act as the middleman because manufacturers generally only work with governments.…
-
Murder of Thai wife may have been 2nd attempt by US man
The American man accused of the murder of his Thai wife in Chiang Mai has now confessed to the brutal crime. And it may not have been the first time he tried to kill her. The 32 year old man, who was a computer programmer in the United States, admitted that he killed his wife while she was 3-months pregnant.…
-
UPDATE: Chinese rocket debris plunges into Indian Ocean
UPDATE: 10.30am (Thai Time) Trackers have confirmed that the debris has splashed down somewhere west of The Maldives in the Indian Ocean. 9.30am (Thai Time) The Chinese Long March 5B carrier rocket should land in this area… 72.47°E longitude and 2.65°N latitude, just west of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. That’s according to China’s National Space Agency. “Most of…
-
Sunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths and 2,101 covid-related infections
For Sunday, the numbers are out tallying the new infections and Covid-related deaths from Bangkok and the Thai provinces over the past 24 hours. There has been 17 deaths and 2,101 new cases. Thailand has now reached 83,375 total cases since January 2020 and 399 deaths. • Meanwhile, Thai restauranteurs are pleading with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to ease the Covid-19…
-
For travellers to Phuket, testing is out, quarantine is in
The on-again-off-again plans for testing people for Covid-19 as they arrive in Phuket will be replaced by quarantine after May 15, according to Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong’s latest announcement. In an online video broadcast last night, the vice governor confirmed the new scheme after Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew first mentioned it in an executive meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.…
-
Saturday Covid UPDATE: 2,419 new infections and 19 deaths, provincial totals
The tally for Covid-related infections and deaths reported over the past 24 hours reports 19 new deaths and 2,419 cases. There have been 52,411 confirmed Covid-19 infections in the recent outbreak with more than 16,000 cases in Bangkok, the epicentre of infections. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has reported a total…
-
Like Songkran, Sri Lanka New Year’s brings Covid-19 wave
Sri Lanka has seen a huge wave of new Covid-19 infections in part due to large New Year’s celebrations in mid-April at the same time as Thailand’s Songkran Festival. From the beginning of April until now, the island nation has experienced a fivefold increase in daily cases, with 1,895 infections reported yesterday. February had previously been the worst month in…
-
With Indian neighbours sealing borders, Maldives welcomes tourists
Tuesday saw a new Daily Record for Covid-19 cases in the 26 islands of the Maldives, with 601 new infections. The tiny nation’s Health Emergency Operations Centre reported this week that hospitalisations due to Covid-19 had tripled in a few days and they suspect that a new variant may now be present in the country. The capital city of Malé…
-
Once Covid-19 free, Cambodia eases lockdown amidst surge
After remaining relatively unscathed during the global pandemic in 2020, Cambodia, like other countries in the region, is in the midst of a massive Covid-19 surge. As recently as late February, the country had only seen about 500 cases in their population of 16 million. But just two days ago, 650 new cases and 4 fatalities were recorded nationally. Cambodia…
-
Covid-19 Indonesia: Indian variant, reused swabs, holiday travel ban
Indonesia is experiencing an average of 5,000 new Covid-19 cases each day over the past week, and the Indian variant has now arrived as well. The Health Ministry confirmed this week that 2 patients had been infected by what has been identified as the B.1.617 variant of the Coronavirus, commonly known as the more contagious Indian strain. Indonesia is often…
-
Covid-19: Thailand struggles with South and Southeast Asia
In 2020, Thailand was hailed worldwide for its iron-fisted lockdown that curbed Covid-19 spread almost completely. Thailand was the second country in the world after China to identify a Covid-19 infection in January of last year but managed to keep its numbers impressively low, at least until December’s second wave of outbreaks. That wave drove the numbers up to nearly…
-
King and Queen of Thailand gift critical oxygen supplies to India
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand are sending a gift of desperately needed oxygen supplies for Covid-19 patients to India today. The Royal Thai Air Force will deliver the oxygen along with care packages of aid and relief items donated by the Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Association, the India-Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the Indian Association of…
-
American arrested for alleged murder in Chiang Mai has past record of abuse in Colorado
The American man who was recently arrested for allegedly murdering his pregnant Thai wife in Chiang Mai had been sentenced to 2 years of probation back in 2019 on assault charges after his gun went off while he was threatening a woman in Colorado. A report from the Associated Press says it appears to be the same woman. Jason Matthew…
-
Thai woman admits to stealing lottery tickets from blind ticket seller in Bangkok
A 57 year old Thai woman is admitting to stealing lottery tickets from a blind seller in Bangkok. The woman, Sumali Muangpluem, is now under arrest for allegedly stealing from the disabled seller in the underground Sutthisan Station train between November 25-27 of last year. Sutthisan police say they collected evidence of the same type of theft in many districts,…
-
Thailand to remain on US Trade watch list over online piracy and intellectual property violations
Thailand is to remain on the US Trade Representative’s watch list as it tackles intellectual property violations and online piracy. Director-general of the Intellectual Property Department, Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, says the USTR made the announcement in its annual report that was released April 30. The report includes findings for more than 100 trading partners after engaging with stakeholders and further research.…
-
WHO gives emergency authorisation to China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine
China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine has been given the green light by The World Health Organisation for emergency use. The director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement yesterday in Geneva. The Chinese vaccine joins Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Janssen, Moderna, and Serum Institute of India in being authorised by the WHO for emergency use. “This afternoon, WHO gave emergency use listing to…
-
Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine now approved in Thailand for those over 60
The Chinese-made Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is now approved in Thailand for adults over 60 years old. Doctors had initially advised that the vaccine to only be for adults 18 to 60 due to limited research on the elderly. The recommendation from doctors led Thailand’s 67 year old prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, to wait and take the AstraZeneca vaccine. After Prayut…
-
Chiang Mai sees 2 elderly deaths from UK Covid variant including French woman
Chiang Mai province is reporting the deaths of 2 elderly women from the UK Covid-19 variant, including a French woman. The provinces death toll is now 9 according to the governor. The 81 year old French woman was suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She fell down on April 22 and received treatment at a hospital. After coming…
-
Bangkok governor extends closure order due to high Covid-19 count
Bangkok’s temporary closure order will be extended until May 17 to slow the spread of Covid-19. Since April, more than 16,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the capital. Surrounding provinces Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, and Nonthaburi have also reported high numbers of cases. The temporary closure order, signed by Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang, was initially set to be in…
-
Pattaya fisherman surprised by friendly whale shark visit
A local Pattaya fisherman had a shocking surprise visitor and was conscious enough to record a video to share with the world. The man, a fisherman for 10 years, posted 2 videos to Facebook on Wednesday of what appears to be a friendly whale shark casually visiting his fishing boat. Sightings in Pattaya of the majestic sea creature are relatively rare.…
-
We’re looking for a Video Editor/Production Assistant in Phuket
The Thaiger is seeking a full time video editor and production assistant for a new project based in Phuket. The role is open to a Thai national but with great English skills as well. You will need to be able to work to deadlines with a crazy bunch of stressed out news hosts, guests and the rest of The Thaiger…
-
Phuket red zone list adds Krabi, Trang, Ranong, Phatthalung
Visitors to Phuket from Krabi, Trang, Ranong, and Phatthalung will now have to prove they’re vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of arrival, as they’ve been added to the red zone province list. People entering without those qualifications will have to take a rapid antigen test on the spot before being allowed into Phuket. The 4…
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.