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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Sponsored Working in Thailand: How expat health insurance protects your career and lifestyle
Starting a career in Thailand can be an exciting chapter, but it also brings unique challenges, especially when it comes to health and wellness. For expats, navigating Thailand’s healthcare system and meeting work permit requirements can be difficult. And while...
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Universal coverage scheme has spent over 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment
Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients has spent more than 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment over the past two years. In 2020, the government spent 3.8 billion for treatments, and that number spiked to 97.7 billion last year. This year, the total treatment cost has been 32.4 billion baht. For patients with mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,…
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Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists
Bail applications from anti-government activists Anon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak have been rejected by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The decision follows an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court that granted bail of 2,079,000 baht in relation to other charges. The pro-democracy Ratsadon group did not have sufficient funds to pay the requested amount and launched an online crowdfunding…
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Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action
A bill awaiting senate approval that criminalises torture and forced disappearances could help parents and partners of missing Thai activists take legal action. Those convicted of political disappearances and torture cases involving death could be imprisoned between 15 and 30 years. After it had been delayed for decades, lawmakers in the house of representatives unanimously passed draft laws on Wednesday.…
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Thailand working on 4 Covid-19 vaccines that could be ready by 2023
Thailand is currently developing 4 different Covid-19 vaccines, which could be ready for public use next year. According to a Nation Thailand report, the CCSA was briefed on the progress of each vaccine at its meeting yesterday. Chula-Cov19 is an mRNA vaccine being developed by a team at Chulalongkorn University and has received over 2.7 billion baht in funding from…
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Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced
Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars. Now, Phuket officials have launched new plans to…
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Thailand Test & Go update: No more Day 5 pre-paid hotel or PCR test
From the start of March, the requirement for the 2nd pre-paid PCR test on Day 5 after your arrival in Thailand will be dropped. But it will instead be replaced with a rapid antigen test you can take yourself (freely and cheaply available at any convenience store). In addition, the required ‘Covid’ insurance will be reduced from $50,000 to $20,000.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 21,232 new infections, provincial totals
39 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,730 with 1,032 of those fatalities since the start of this year, mostly related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,232 new Covid infections and 16,662 recoveries. There are now…
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BREAKING: Thailand Test & Go changes
Day 5 PCR test for the Test and Go Program has been scrapped and the mandatory Covid insurance has also been reduced. Tim Newton goes live with the breaking news and answers your questions regarding the Thailand Pass.
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Tourists complain of more scams at a free public carpark at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier
Residents and Thai tourists are again complaining to Pattaya authorities saying that they were charged a parking fee at a ‘free’ public carpark at the Bali Hai Pier. The residents report there was a group of people around the carpark and demanding a fee of 300 baht per day from the drivers. Many tourists, both Thais and foreigners, weren’t aware…
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Thailand’s businesses appeal to government to lower labour import cost
Thai businesses say they need more workers, and have appealed to the Labour Ministry to reduce costs of importing migrant workers from surrounding countries like Myanmar and Cambodia. Labour ministers said business operators are concerned that if not enough workers are brought in on time, their businesses won’t be able to meet orders and will have to pay fines. PM…
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Officials to review Test & Go requirements at CCSA meeting today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to review the country’s entry requirements, with a decision expected on whether to ditch the day 5 PCR test. Under Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme, overseas arrivals are required to take 2 PCR tests, despite already having a negative test result prior to departure from their home country. The first test is…
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Removal of Covid-19 from universal coverage scheme to be delayed indefinitely
A controversial decision to remove Covid-19 from the treatments covered under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme is set to be delayed indefinitely. The delay comes as Covid infections continue to rise nationwide. According to a Bangkok Post report, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed the delay after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting. “The government and Public Health Ministry want to…
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Public Health Ministry assures government will continue to cover covid treatment costs — for critical cases
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul assured Thai citizens that their Covid-related costs will continue to be covered after planned changes to the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme — or UCEP — takes effect in March. He also dispelled rumours that the existing scheme would be abandoned altogether, reaffirming that citizens infected with…
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Overpriced mangosteens in Phuket go viral on Tiktok – how much per kilo!?
A Thai TikToker has shared a video of a street vendor in Phuket selling mangosteens at the rather steep price of 500 baht per kilogram, considered too expensive for Thai people (or anyone for that matter). The Tiktoker said she didn’t mean to offend the seller by claiming that the price was ridiculously high, but merely sought out other people’s…
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Monks host funeral for scarecrow named ‘Covid’ to ward off disease
Well, anything is worth a try at this stage! Monks at a temple in the central Thai province of Suphan Buri have hosted the funeral for a scarecrow, which was named “Mr. Covid Omicron”. Thai locals believed this ceremony could help ward off evil, which is Covid-19 in this case. Residents were scared and worried about the spread of Covid-19…
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Police arrest key suspect in Nakhon Nayok murders
Standing shirtless in the sun on the roadside, a local man in Nakhom Nayok had a rude awakening this morning when police arrested him as a key suspect in the murder of two men and the wounding of another earlier this month. The man was arrested this morning when around 300 local and provincial officers searched the Bang Somboon area…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,363 new infections, provincial totals
35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,691 with 993 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The CCSA has recorded 18,363 new Covid infections and 15,651 recoveries. There are now 169,074 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today, 31…
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Star Petroleum vows to seal underwater pipeline and “clean up” oil slicks in Rayong
Star Petroleum Refining, the petrochemical company behind 3 separate oil leaks about 20 kilometres off the Rayong coastline, has now been approved by Map Ta Phut Provincial police and Marine Department to seal leaks in their underwater pipeline. The company says that works have begun today, starting with clearing the most recent oil leak of around 12,000 spare metres that…
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PM Prayut insists former police investigator into human trafficking in Thailand can return from exile
Following the human trafficking of Rohingya people at the border of Thailand and Malaysia reported yesterday, PM Prayut declared that Thailand “was serious about human trafficking”, and the situation was “improving”. He also said that the former Thai policeman in exile in Australia, who shared the story about the case back in 2015, left the country “by himself “and insisted…
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Health minister tries to allay fears over changes to universal health care scheme
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme is not being done away with, he’s merely making some changes. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin Charnvirakul says he approved some amendments to the scheme on February 18, which are aimed at streamlining the UCEP scheme and improving how the budget is management. “We have to…
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Thailand’s Covid alert back at Level 4, CCSA says no lockdowns
As infections continue to rise sharply across the country, the government has raised the Covid alert to Level 4 nationwide. The move comes as the number of severe cases and deaths also continues to rise, with most of the deaths reported in the elderly, the unvaccinated, and those with underlying health conditions. However, the CCSA has stated that lockdowns will…
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Oil company gets approval to seal oil leak on underwater pipeline in Rayong
Following the oil leaks found polluting Rayong’s beaches, Star Petroleum Refining officers shared with Thai media that the company will repair and seal another spot on the underwater pipeline tomorrow. The company filed a request with the Mab Ta Phut Provincial Police Station and the Marine Department for permission to fix the leak and it has now been approved. This…
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Monk allegedly fires shots at residents in Northern Thailand
A monk allegedly fired shots at residents nearby a temple in the northern province Mae Hong Son yesterday. Reports say the monk fled the scene, but was later found and forced to leave monkhood. Officers searched the monk’s living quarters and found airsoft guns with equipment to modify the pellet guns as well as ammunition. The monk had gotten into…
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Public bus hits motorbike stopped for pedestrians at zebra crossing in Bangkok
A motorbike driver who stopped at a zebra crossing to yield pedestrians the right of way was hit from behind by an oncoming public bus. Thais on social media have been sharing a CCTV video clip of the accident. Pedestrian safety has been in the spotlight in Thailand after the fatal accident last month where a police officer sped and…
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Monday Covid Update: 18,883 new cases; provincial totals
32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,656 with 958 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 18,883 new Covid-19 cases and 14,914 recoveries. There are now 166,397 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thailand’s long road back to ’normal’
OPINION Thailand is lagging behind the rest of the world with its turn tackling the Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The sudden surge, peaking, then dropping numbers of cases that define the waves of Omicron around the world have had their peaks at different times, in different countries. For the world, the peak was on January 21, for the US…
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Celebrity, influencer mothers to be hired by Health Ministry to inspire couples to have babies
Thailand wants women to have more babies and authorities plan to hire influencer mothers and celebrity parents to help inspire young couples to have children. The Public Health Ministry is leading the effort following reports that the birth rate in Thailand dropped to its lowest level in the past 50 years. In the past, the average Thai woman would have…
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MP sheds light on high-profile human trafficking case, head officer in exile in Australia
The story of a major human trafficking case involving Rohingya people being trafficked through Thailand and to the Malaysian border was brought back to light after an MP told another side of the story. During a general debate in parliament, he discussed how a former police officer, who is now living in exile in Australia, led the investigation which then…
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Hospitals warned against rejecting patients before changes to UCEP scheme take effect
The government has warned private hospitals not to reject Covid-19 patients before planned changes to the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme come into effect. Under the UCEP scheme, patients can be treated at any hospital for the first 3 days, after which they are transferred to the hospital where their state welfare or insurance scheme is registered. However, from…
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Thailand’s daily Covid cases could hit 100,000, according to leading virologist
One of Thailand’s most respected experts in virology says daily new infections in the country could reach 100,000. Dr. Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University says the rapid spread of the Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, has taken daily infections to 15,000 in Singapore, where the population is a tenth that of Thailand. If the…
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