Environment News
Thailand environment news, climate change, sustainability, and natural disasters—stay updated on eco-initiatives, biodiversity conservation, and renewable energy efforts. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for environmental news in Thailand.
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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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5-star squatters evicted from Layan Beach
Heavy earth-moving equipment was taken to Layan Beach, Phuket, yesterday to demolish the last remaining illegal beachfront buildings. Eviction notices were served in 2017 when the Supreme Court ruled that occupiers were illegally encroaching on state land. Several “final warnings” were issued, with the last eviction notice delivered on September 12. Layan Beach is a beautiful but little-known bay on…
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For health reasons – Bangkok’s proposed congestion charge
It’s a widely quoted truism that residents of Bangkok lost eight days of their lives last year, stuck in traffic. So it comes as no surprise that a congestion charge is being suggested. Unbelievably, this would make Bangkok only the second major city in Asia with such a charge. Proposed fees range from 50 baht (US$1.30) to 120 baht across…
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“Billy” murder suspect reinstated at Kaeng Krachan NP
Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, former chief of Kaeng Krachan National Park, has been reinstated despite facing charges over the disappearance and alleged homicide of a Karen rights activist. The charges include premeditated murder, criminal intimidation with weapons, unlawful detention, and concealing a corpse. Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Jatuporn Buruspat signed the order to reinstate Chiawat, effective…
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Whale watching season begins in Phetcha Buri
In Phetcha Buri province in central Thailand, whale watching season is underway. Bryde’s whales are in the region and they are usually most visible between October and December. The province, famous for its tourist hub of Cha-Am and National Park rainforest, expects to see these majestic sea creatures between now and the end of the year. At one point about…
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Plan to phase out importing plastic scrap by 2025
After two years of discussion, a ban on plastic scrap imports is finally set to roll out in phases over the next three years. The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa leads the subcommittee on plastic and electronic waste management, and at a recent meeting, they examined factories that make use of plastic scrap and considered their production…
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World record petrified tree to become geological tourist attraction
After being certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest petrified tree trunk log ever found anywhere in the world, officials in the province of Tak are developing plans to turn the tree site into a geological-based world-class tourist attraction. The world record was verified in July in Tak, a northern province of Thailand lying on the…
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Whale sharks spotted off Koh Pha Ngan in South Thailand
Environmentalists spotted a pair of whale sharks off South Thailand’s island of Koh Pha Ngan. Members of the Phangan Sea Guardian Association had gone diving when they spotted two of the gentle giants. The association’s president said that one whale shark was four metres long, while the other was six metres long. The VP, Sittiroj Kaewnongsameta, told The Phuket Express… “This…
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Thai Interior Minister plays down flood warnings
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) today announced another day of heavy downpours, flooding, and traffic chaos throughout the country and told the kingdom to brace itself. The Interior Minister on the other hand played it down and said there was nothing to worry about. The TMD made known it is 70% likely that the nation will be hit by another…
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Anti-Corruption Network complains of smelly wastewater in coastal Thai province
A local chapter of the Anti-Corruption Network has complained of foul smelling wastewater released onto a beach in Thailand’s coastal province of Prachuap Khiri Khan, located near the Gulf of Thailand. The chapter says that six officials are overlooking the problems with a hotel dumping wastewater onto the beach near the town hall, in the main city district. A recent…
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PM warns Thailand to brace itself for potential flooding
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha warned Thailand to brace itself for another deluge of water this month. The 68 year old PM ordered governors in provincial areas to prepare for potential flooding after weather forecasters predicted more heavy rainfall until the end of the month. Thailand witnessed a heavy taste of what is to come over the past 24 hours after…
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Thai officials help restore Australia’s Koala habitats
Thai officials from several different bodies are helping to save the homes of a beloved Australian animal, the koala. On Australia’s National Tree Day on July 31, the officials pitched in to help plant 1,000 trees in Australia’s You Yangs Regional Park. The groups rolling up their sleeves to help included the Royal Thai Embassy and the Tourism Authority of…
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As Pattaya music festival returns, officers brace for garbage throwers
The Pattaya Music Festival is back after its five month long Covid-19 slumber, and authorities are urging festival-goers not to throw garbage at Pattaya Beach, where the festival is being held this weekend. People already litter at the beach sometimes, but officers are now bracing for heaps of garbage at the beach from the tens of thousands of music lovers…
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More tigers in Thailand than any other Southeast Asian country
Happy International Tiger Day! Thailand is celebrating it by declaring that, after over a decade of conservation, Thailand now has the most tigers in the wild of any nation in Southeast Asia. Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Varawut Silpa-archa announced that this is due in large part to the National Strategy for Tiger Conservation, a programme that has been…
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130 tonnes of imported waste going back to Australia
Many expats living in Thailand are shocked when they see locals dumping their trash on the side of the road, but it turns out there is a much bigger perpetrator of illegal dumping in the kingdom. The Inter-Pacific Paper Company was caught by Thai authorities shipping 130 tonnes of illegal waste to Thailand from Australia. The Department of Customs contacted…
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Officials launch rubbish cleaning contest in central Thailand
Thailand has a problem with rubbish polluting its streets, but one central province is determined to clean up the mess. Yesterday, officials launched a rubbish cleaning contest in Suphan Buri province. The contest is being organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Highways Department. The contest is urging communities to clean their roads, intersections, and sidewalks.…
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Magnanimous governor accepts blame for Bangkok’s floods
It makes a refreshing change to hear a politician or a man in authority accept the blame for something which isn’t necessarily his fault. The rest of the world should sit up, listen, and take a leaf out of Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s book! The magnanimous 56 year old city chief absolved previous Bangkok governors and accepted the blame for…
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Electric vehicles are now available to rent in Phuket, Thailand
Phuket has entered a new era of sustainability by welcoming the island’s first ever rentable 100% electric vehicle (EV). Tourists can rent the Nissan Leaf from SIXT Thailand and cruise around Phuket without producing any harmful emissions at all. SIXT Thailand partnered with InterContinental Phuket Resort on the project, who have installed a series of EV charging stations compatible with…
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Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Thailand’s iconic Maya Bay – located on Koh Pi Pi Leh in Krabi province – will be off-limits to tourists for the duration of August and September for another period of environmental restoration. The bay, made famous by “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reopened to tourists on January 1 after a three and a half year closure. All tourist activities…
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Amazing Dark Sky Thailand programme by TAT to boost stargazing
If you’re looking for the next big thing for Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand suggests looking up. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand has teamed up with the TAT to launch the new Amazing Dark Sky Thailand, which focuses on attracting those who appreciated staring up at the night sky. In a country whose main concern with celestial…
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Phuket mayor asks public to stop throwing rubbish in canals
Phuket’s city mayor has asked residents in three target areas of the island province’s main city district to stop throwing rubbish in canals. The mayor, Saroj Angkanapilas, said that city officials have been working to solve flooding problems in the areas. He said… “We ask all residents to use the bins that the municipality has available to reduce the amount…
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Say no to shark fin, says new WildAid video featuring Miss Universe Thailand
In honour of shark awareness day, WildAid launched a video entitled ‘Sea of Chaos’ to highlight the important role of sharks in the ocean and how the consumption of shark fin is disrupting the ecosystem. The video features activist Maria Poonlertlarp, who is also Miss Universe Thailand 2017, alongside actor Nawat ‘Pong’ Kulrattanarak, who is WildAid’s shark ambassador. In ‘Sea of…
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Where to see tonight’s ‘supermoon’ in Thailand, even in the rain
Today marks the world’s biggest celestial event of the year, with the full moon orbiting at its closest point near the Earth, creating a “supermoon” or “buck moon.” Once the sun goes down tonight in Thailand, the sky will reveal the biggest, brightest moon of the year that can be seen by the naked eye… provided that it isn’t cloudy…
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Dead sea turtle with plastic lodged in its throat washes up on Phuket beach
A dead sea turtle with plastic lodged in its mouth and throat washed up on Mai Khao Beach in Phuket yesterday, July 11. Winai Seh-ew, the village chief of Mai Khao subdistrict in Thalang district, received a call from lifeguards at Mai Khao beach to say a big Hawksbill turtle carcass had washed up on the shore. Upon inspection, the…
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Bangkok gov’s ’15 Minute Pocket Parks’ set to bloom
Chadchart Sittipunt’s dream of Bangkok being a lean, green, sustainable machine picked up more momentum at the weekend when promoting his “15 Minute Pocket Parks” policy. The Bangkok governor last month invited the public to plant 1 million trees in the metropolis as part of his campaign to make the city greener. Now, the 56 year old intends on expanding…
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Series of earthquakes strike 500km away from Thailand’s Andaman coast
A series of continuous 4.0 – 4.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Andaman and Nicobar islands for a period of 3 days, 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast. More than 40 tremors occurred, beginning July 4 at 6:00am and continuing until this morning, July 6. The epicentre of the tremors was only 10 kilometres deep, making the chance of a…
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Ukrainian woman caught smuggling 116 live tortoises from Tanzania into Thailand
Police arrested a Ukrainian woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday after airport security found 116 live tortoises in her luggage. The woman smuggled the protected wildlife on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Bangkok, transiting in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia along the way. Yesterday at 2:40pm, Chief of the Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport Sathon…
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Sewage nightmare continues for Pattaya village after years
A village in East Pattaya has suffered from horrendous sewage problems for more than 7 years, and things aren’t getting any better. Wastewater regularly flows into Daraphan Village 5 from the neighbouring Eakmongkol Village 8, and officials’ minimal efforts have not brought about change. In 2015, officials had agreed to install suitable pipework to carry the wastewater into Pattaya city…
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Mangrove tourism project coming to Phuket
One mayor in Phuket is planning a new eco-tourism project involving mangrove forests. Ratsada Mayor Nakarin Yosangrat plans to make mangrove forests in the Tha Chin Canal and Bang Chee Lao area part of a protected nature reserve. The initiative is officially named the Ratsada Green in the City Project. Phuket’s Department of Marine and Coastal Services will also build…
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Giant honey bees swarm home in southern Thailand
A man from Krabi, southern Thailand, was left terrified and thankfully unharmed after tens of thousands of giant honey bees – or Apis dorsata – swarmed his home on Sunday. Thailand’s giant honey bees have been called “the most dangerous stinging insects on earth” by Cornell University apiculturist Roger Morse. Somchai Kaewkasorn, a Department of Highways official, was watching television…
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That sinking feeling – the Maldives is building a new ‘floating’ country
Run out of space? No problem. Just build another room. In the case of an entire country that is sinking into the Indian Ocean, the situation becomes a bit more acute. Technically, the Maldives isn’t sinking, the sea levels are rising and slowly swamping the low-lying Indian Ocean nation, scattered south west of India. The Maldives, a country of some…
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