Thailand News
Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.
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Koh Samui has long been known as one of the world’s finest luxury travel destinations. Its pristine beaches, lush landscapes, and crystal-clear waters create an idyllic setting that attracts travellers seeking an escape from the everyday grind. And opting to...
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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…
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“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…
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Friday Covid Update: 3,759 new cases and 34 deaths, provincial totals
3,759 new Covid-19 infections and 34 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 116,113 Covid-19 cases. There are now 46,150 active cases in Thailand. Out of the new cases, 1,294 infections were found in Thai prisons. Over the past month, 14 correctional facilities have reported…
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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…
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More than 500 Covid patients try to escape field hospital in Phetchaburi
Hundreds of Covid-19 patients at a packed field hospital set up at a Phetchaburi factory attempted to escape during a power outage due to the hot and crowded conditions. A field hospital was set up following an outbreak at the factory in the province’s Khao Yao district, about 100 kilometres southwest of Bangkok. A source told Nation Thailand that the…
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Tourism officials push for “One Night, One Dollar” campaign in Phuket
“…have been suffering from the pandemic for 15 months now. Only mass tourism will save us.” A night at a Phuket resort could drop down to just $1 USD. Tourism officials are pushing for a proposed campaign they call “One Night, One Dollar” to help draw travellers back to the popular tourist island as locals prepare for its July 1…
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Over 1,200 new infections found across 14 Thai prisons
The Corrections Department has confirmed that another 1,228 Covid-19 cases have been reported across 14 prisons around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, Veerakit Harnpariyan from the department adds that another 2,054 patients have recovered, while 16,319 are being treated at prison facilities. Veerakit has also responded to reports on social media about a man who was found…
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Man missing after speedboat capsizes in rough seas off Koh Chang
1 man has been rescued, while another is still missing, after a speedboat capsized in rough waters off the island of Koh Chang in the eastern province of Trat. The Bangkok Post reports that the boat overturned off Khlong Phrao beach around 9am yesterday morning. The chief of Koh Chang district, Chatchai Thonglee, says there had been heavy rainfall on…
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Princess steps in to approve alternative vaccine imports
Princess Chulabhorn, sister to His Majesty, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has signed a decree to allow the Chulabhorn Royal Academy, which she sponsors, to import Covid-19 vaccines. It’s understood that the institution will import another Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm, which the Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve in the coming week. The surprise development has been confirmed in the Royal…
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Thailand News Today | US investigation into Covid origins, Pattaya opens to foreigners in Q4 | May 27
Thai Airways is launching a limited number of direct flights from Europe to Phuket, 2 of the 62 people who were arrested at the alleged drug and sex party in Bangkok have tested positive for Covid-19, Pattaya officials are saying they’re ready to reopen to foreign tourists this year under a model similar to Phuket if 70% of residents are…
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1000 year old stolen lintels will arrive in Thailand tomorrow night
Two ancient stolen lintels from Thailand’s Khmer past, dated around the 11th century, are returning to Thailand after being smuggled out of Thailand during the Vietnam War. A lintel (don’t worry, we had to Google it too) is the top beam or arch of a doorway structure, and this artefact from the Lopburi period was carved from sandstone about 1000…
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Taxi drivers may switch to rideshare apps with new regulations
The president of the Thai Taxi Network Association says that many traditional licensed taxis will likely switch to driving their own cars as rideshare drivers. The statement comes in response to the government’s announcement that they have started to put together regulations for rideshare taxi apps, set to go into effect in a month or two. The new regulations would bring…
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Cannabis tourism may be a key to Thailand’s recovery
Thailand may have an opportunity to help recover its nearly dead tourism economy from an unusual source: cannabis tourism. Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to legalise many aspects of cannabis – production and importing and exporting for medical use, and recently broader recreational use, with the first cannabis-infused drinks hitting convenience store shelves. This could open the door…
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Water monitor lizard blood studied in Thailand for potential to treat cancer and Covid-19
Asian water monitor lizard blood is being researched in Thailand for its medicinal properties and its potential to treat cancer and even Covid-19. The Thai government granted the Mahidol University permission to collect blood samples from the protected species and study proteins in the blood that contribute to the lizard’s immune defence. The large lizards, sometimes reaching 1.5 metres in…
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Man allegedly shoots and kills girlfriend in Bangkok taxi
A 53 year old man was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing his 19 year old girlfriend yesterday in Bangkok while they were riding in a taxi. Reports say the couple were in a taxi passing by the Big C Rama II complex on Rama II Road when the shooting took place. The woman apparently told her boyfriend that she…
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2 of the 62 people arrested at Bangkok sex party test positive for Covid-19
2 of the 62 people who were arrested at the alleged drug and sex party in Bangkok have tested positive for Covid-19. Large gatherings are prohibited in Bangkok, particularly those where people are in “close contact,” to prevent the spread of the virus. Reports say the large gathering at the Faros Sauna was a “chemsex” event involving drugs to enhance sex.…
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93% of Covid samples from April test positive for variant found in the UK
The Covid-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom is said to have been found in many of the cases detected in April. Out of 300 samples, 93% tested positive for the mutated strain, B.1.117, according to director general of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences, Supakit Sirilak. The latest outbreak of Covid-19 started in clusters in Bangkok’s…
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Pattaya plans for reopening with no quarantine for vaccinated travellers
Pattaya will reopen to foreign tourists this year under a model similar to Phuket… but only if 70% of residents are vaccinated against Covid-19. Local officials are seeking more vaccine doses in an effort to reach herd immunity and bring people back to one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations. Under the plan “Pattaya, Move On,” quarantine in Pattaya would be…
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Government “revamps” vaccination registration after scrapping Mor Prom
After scrapping its Mor Prom app, the government is now rejigging Covid-19 vaccine allocation, amid registration issues and new infection clusters. The much-lauded (by the government) technology was launched on May 1, initially so the elderly and those with 7 underlying conditions could register. However, the system quickly became overwhelmed with the numbers trying to register, which caused it to…
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Thursday Covid Update: 3,323 cases and 47 deaths
3,323 new Covid-19 cases and a record high of 47 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. There has been a total of 112,354 infections recorded since April 1, the latest wave of Covid-19. There are now 46,469 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 141,217 Covid-19 cases…
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Mahidol University: We did not state Fingerroot is effective medicine for treating Covid-19 symptoms
Mahidol University, located in Nakhon Pathom, a central Thai province, has denied they are associated with any claims made by product advertisers that extracts from Fingerroot, a root that has the appearance of long, jaundiced fingers, can be used to treat Covid-19 sufferers. A rector from the university, Professor Dr. Banchong Mahaisavariya, attempted to distance the university from the advertisers’…
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Thailand News Today | BKK clubs deny responsibility, Sinopharm for Thailand, 2,455 cases | May 26
2,455 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, and 41 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest fatality count in Thailand since the start of the pandemic. Samples taken from Covid-19 patients in southern Thailand are being tested to check for the highly-contagious, so-called South African variant. The managers of 2 nightclubs in the Thong Lor district of Bangkok are denying any responsibility for…
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DIT chews on regulations to lower food delivery service fees
After pressure from the Department of Internal Trade, food delivery services in Thailand will lower their rates to aid struggling food vendors during Covid-19. Restaurants have been complaining about the high commissions that food delivery services like Food Panda, Gojek, Grab, and Line Man charge restaurants, typically taking a 30% bite out of profits. The DIT has requested that food…
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Repairman hospitalised after plummeting off roof in Pattaya
An air conditioner repairman working in Pattaya is in the hospital after plummeting off a roof. He was reportedly refilling refrigerant liquid in an air conditioner at the time. Around 1pm, emergency responders from Sawang Boriboon were alerted of the incident. 47 year old Panuwat Chuapkrasong broke his arm in the fall and injured his mouth and legs. He was…
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Woman driving to market slides into canal, drowns in flash flood
A 60 year old woman in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima drowned after her motorcycle was swept into a canal during a flash flood and the woman was carried away by a strong current. Her body was found about 1 kilometre away from the village in the Wang Nam Khieo district. The woman, later identified as Kanchanee Kanpraser, was driving her…
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Thailand gets onboard with ridesharing taxi app regulations
Never one to be late to a trend, Thailand is jumping on the bandwagon, after hailing the bandwagon first using a ridesharing app. Many countries have wrestled with how to regulate the taxi-hailing app concept and the grey area it occupies between not-quite-a-taxi and not-quite-a-private-car, and now Thailand is looking to implement regulations within a month. A deputy spokesperson for…
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6 people arrested for allegedly running 200 million baht “romance scam”
Police arrested 6 people allegedly involved in a 200 million baht so-called romance scam, setting up fake profiles online and, after some sweet-talking, persuading their “lovers to transfer money to their account. A victim who came forward to police says she transferred hundreds of thousands of baht to whom she thought was an American businessman in Malaysia who needed money…
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Police in Bangkok arrest 6 people on gambling and drug charges
Six recent graduates have been arrested on charges of illegal gambling and using class 5 drugs. The graduates, between the ages of 23 and 25, allegedly used SIM cards to sign up for gambling sites to obtain bonuses from new players. According to media reports, they were allegedly earning between 1,000 to 10,000 baht a day on their gambling operation. Yesterday,…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,455 new cases and 41 deaths, provincial totals
2,455 new Covid-19 cases and 41 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest fatality count since the start of the pandemic, were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. A total of 109,031 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since April 1. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 137,894 Covid-19 cases in Thailand and 873…
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Cabinet approves Emergency Decree extension, prison funding
The Emergency Decree enacted to attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Thailand has just been extended for 2 more months, until the end of July. Cabinet ministers met yesterday to determine the future of the decree and agreed to extend it from June 1 to July 31, while also approving funding for fighting Covid-19 in the Thai prison…
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