Hot News
-
Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
-
Reduced quarantine approved for some foreign arrivals
The Thai government has agreed to reduce mandatory quarantine for certain categories of arrivals from overseas. The national committee on communicable diseases, which falls under the umbrella of the Public Health Ministry, has approved the measure based on the fact that a global vaccination drive is leading to a gradual reduction in case numbers. According to a Nation Thailand report,…
-
Speed limit on Thailand’s highways increased to 120 kilometres an hour
It’s official – the maximum speed limit on 4-lane highways in Thailand has been increased to 120 kilometres per hour, with the new regulation published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. Previously 90 kilometres per hour, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says the increase in the maximum speed limit is aimed at improving the flow of traffic in line with conditions, while…
-
Thailand government hopes to reopen by October
Thailand is hoping to open its doors to the world by October this year, according to an assistant spokesperson at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. But there are still several hoops to jump through, with the spokesperson treading carefully with her words. Apisamai Srirangsan made the announcement but said the revelation was just a goal and “not a set…
-
Foreign students can take part in political gatherings as long as they follow the law
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau is clarifying that foreign students can, indeed, take part in political gatherings provided they follow the law. The news comes after The Asian Institute of Technology sent an email to its students saying it respected freedom of expression but was conveying a request from Thai immigration for foreign students not to join protests. The email also allegedly…
-
Jealous man stabs ex-girlfriend to death at dental office in Ratchaburi
A lover’s quarrel has ended with a man under arrest after allegedly using a 10 centimetre long knife to stab and kill his ex-girlfriend at a dental office in central Ratchaburi province. 38 year old Kaewmorakot Netniam was found dead on the 2nd floor of the Ban Sing Tantakam Dental Clinic, with multiple stab wounds, by police and a doctor…
-
Anti-government activists moved to Bangkok’s Thon Buri prison
Officials say 3 protest leaders have been transferred from Bangkok Remand Prison to Thon Buri Prison, in the Bang Bon district of the capital, to avoid overcrowding. Panupong Jadnok (“Mike”), Piyarat Chongthep (“Toto’’) and Jatupat Boonpattararaksa (“Pai Dao Din’’) underwent processing and health checks in the reception area of Thon Buri prison before entering 14-day quarantine. The Bangkok Post reports…
-
Chiang Mai’s air pollution sends over 30,000 to hospital, ranked worst in world today
Air pollution in Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, is allegedly responsible for over 30,000 people visiting the hospital seeking treatment for respiratory illnesses. The city, known for its burning season, that blankets the air with smoke, has recently taken the top spot of having the worst air quality in the world. The IQ AirVisual air monitoring website listed Chiang Mai…
-
Thai tiger park faces permanent closure amid wildlife smuggling allegations
The threat of permanent closure hangs over a tiger park in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan, due to the alleged illegal smuggling of tiger cubs. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has brought charges against Mukda Tiger Park & Farm, also known as Mukda Suan Sua, and ordered the facility to close for 30 days. The DNP…
-
Thailand to reduce quarantine to 7 days, meeting to confirm next Monday | VIDEO
ASQ, changes for people arriving in Thailand. After 12 months of forcing foreign travellers into a 14 day mandatory stay in a hotel, at their expense, as part of the Alternative State Quarantine program… better know as the ASQ… the Thai government have slightly relented in a revised ASQ. The updated quarantine is a response to immense pressure from the…
-
Officials mull over new guidelines for this year’s Songkran water festival
With Thailand’s massive water festival, Songkran, set to go on next month, officials are now mulling over potential guidelines to help reduce the risk of Covid-19. The culture minister says there is talk of setting up so-called “water play” areas that allow the water fights and splashes with a Covid-19 check-in at the entrance. Pattaya News says face shields, goggles…
-
Woman’s charred remains found near northern Thailand rubber plantation
The charred remains of a 19 year old woman was found near a rubber plantation in Phitsanulok, a province in northern Thailand. Police say the woman’s 18 year old boyfriend, a murder suspect, turned himself in. Jularat Kongkaew was reported missing on February 27. She had left her home the previous afternoon with her boyfriend, a Mathayom 6 student (equivalent…
-
Travellers undergoing yacht quarantine to wear wristbands to track location and monitor health
Foreign tourists travelling to Thailand by yacht and undergoing the mandatory quarantine period onboard the vessel will be asked to wear a smart wristband to monitor their health and track their location. The Digital Economy Promotion Agency teamed up with Advanced Info Service, known as AIS, and Phuket tourism operators to launch the so-called “Digital Yacht Quarantine” programme. Apparently, tourist…
-
Economic think-tank says the future of tourism in Thailand hangs on vaccination
The research division of Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank says everything hangs on vaccination strategies, both here and abroad. Kevalin Wangpichayasuk from the Kasikorn Research Centre says the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines globally will have a significant impact on the recovery of tourism in the Kingdom, with 2 million foreign tourists expected to arrive in the last quarter of the year. However,…
-
Slow return of foreign tourism makes more redundancies inevitable – Airlines Association of Thailand
The president of the Airlines Association of Thailand says further layoffs in the sector are inevitable, due to the slow return of international tourism. In a Bangkok Post report, Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth says the sluggish revival of foreign tourism, now not expected until the last quarter of the year, means all carriers continue to face financial hardship. And while there was…
-
Local Thai politician arrested after allegedly firing shots at a pub
A local politician allegedly shot 4 people at a pub in Nakhon Phanom. Witnesses told the Bangkok Post that the man started firing shots at throughout the pub because he was drunk and unhappy with the table service. Police arrested 58 year old Paisal Saengnarai, who is a kamnan, the governing official of a tambon or sub district. Witnesses say…
-
3 men arrested over alleged murder of drug business colleague
3 men have been arrested in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat and charged with the murder of a fourth man. The Pattaya News reports that an unnamed 46 year old Thai man, allegedly involved in a drugs-related business with the 3 suspects, was shot dead in a rubber plantation in the southern province of Surat Thani. Police have…
-
Pro-democracy activist hit with 6 million baht fine for removal of plants at rally site
Protest leader Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka “Rung”, has been hit with a fine of nearly 6 million baht, after removing plants at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. Panusaya and 5 other activists have been charged with removing plants placed as decoration around the monument, during a political rally on February 13. She says Samran Rat police station has ordered her to pay 5.9…
-
Thailand’s pro-democracy activists ignore emergency decree warnings over weekend
Ignoring a police warning not to violate the emergency decree, pro-democracy activists gathered in their hundreds at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument yesterday. Although the anti-government protests have kicked off again after a 2 month hiatus, the numbers are well down on last years crowds, now measuring more in the hundreds than the thousands. The Bangkok Post reports that members of the…
-
Funeral shooting adds to Thailand’s trend of politically-motivated violence
Last week, a mayoral candidate was shot and killed and 6 others were wounded, including 3 people who were running in local elections and a local kamnan, a government official of a tambon, or sub district. Police say they believe the shooting was politically motivated. Violence related to local politics has been a trend in Thailand over the past few…
-
The Area Hotel Quarantine – tweaking Thailand’s arrival options
We spoke about the new proposal for an Area Hotel Quarantine last Friday and in Thailand News Today. The mandatory 14 day quarantine (magically extended a couple of days at many facilities at the foreigner’s cost) remains the key sticking point for the return of tourists or travellers, in any significant or useful numbers. A number of visas and quarantine…
-
Updates on international travel to Thailand
Thailand to introduce “area quarantine” for international visitors from April From next month, foreign visitors to the Kingdom will be able to experience the delights of “area quarantine”, after the government confirmed the scheme for 5 provinces: Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Surat Thani, which includes the popular tourist islands Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan. Some of…
-
Freedom House downgrades Thailand to “not free”
US based Freedom House, a democracy advocacy group, has downgraded Thailand from being “partly free” to “not free” in its latest global rankings. The Freedom in the World 2021 report released this week assigned Thailand a total score of 30 out of 100, dropping from 32 out of 100 in the previous survey conducted in 2019. Before, Thailand was deemed…
-
Motorists told to avoid certain areas in Bangkok as protests planned for today
Bangkok motorists are being told to avoid areas where protests are planned to take place today. Kasetsart intersection, Lat Phrao intersection, Rachaprasong shopping district’s Central World shopping mall and 11th Infantry Regiment barracks in Bangkhen are the sites where demonstrators are set to infiltrate. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner says he is most concerned about the Lat Phrao intersection, due to…
-
2 Phuket Town nightclubs shut down after allegedly violating multiple laws
2 Phuket Town nightclubs are shutting down after allegedly violating multiple laws. The Maldives and H20 on Lim Sui Ju Road, on the south end of Phuket Town were ordered by the Phuket Governor to close immediately, with the Maldives being ordered to close for 5 years. The order comes after the Phuket City Police inspected the Maldives club, arresting…
-
Thai navy receives PETA award after rescuing cats from sinking ship
The Thai navy is celebrating receiving a PETA award after rescuing a group of cats from a sinking ship that had caught fire in the Andaman sea. The Hero to Animals Award was given to the naval officials by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals group after Facebook user “Nookool.b” posted photos of the feline rescue mission. The ship’s…
-
Pattaya announces plans to hold Songkran Festival
The tourist city of Pattaya is planning to hold Thai New Year, or Songkran Festival, this year as long as they receive the “go ahead” from the government. The Pattaya City Mayor, Sonthaya Khunplume, made the announcement today, saying that the water festival will be held with all the traditional activities including those taking place at temples. Songkran is the…
-
Thai anti-government group to reach outskirts of Bangkok after 250 kilometre walk
A group of pro-democracy protestors, on an almost 250 kilometre walk, are expected to reach the outskirts of Bangkok today. The group has been walking for 17 days, starting from the Thao Suranaree statue in the north east to protest the imprisonment of 9 pro-democracy demonstrators who are being denied bail. The demonstrators imprisoned include 4 protest leaders from Ratsadon.…
-
Early morning drug busts in Phuket yield 9 arrests
An early morning drug bust in Rawai, Phuket has yielded 9 arrests. The first raid yesterday consisted of 30 task force members who raided a sea gypsy shack near the beachfront in Rawai. 43 year old Saroch Homhuan, and 34 year old Juree Bangjak, were arrested and charged with posession of a Category I drug with the intent to sell,…
-
Thai Health Minister to chair panel on travel bubbles, vaccine passports
Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, will chair a meeting on Monday, in which a vaccine passport scheme and potential travel bubbles will be discussed. Anutin says those who’ve been inoculated against Covid-19 will be issued with a book to confirm their vaccination. It’s hoped this will make international travel easier, as well as boosting the public’s confidence and helping…
-
Houseowner discovers 3,000 year old skeletons on land in Ang Thong province
A houseowner in the central province of Ang Thong, has discovered 3 skeletons on his land that are thought to be over 3,000 years old. 54 year old Somkiat Briboon says this most recent discovery isn’t the first, as the first lot of bones was found last year after preparing his 17 rai worth of land, in Sawang Ha District,…
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.