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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Old Bangkok market damaged by large fire
An old Bangkok market was reportedly damaged by a large fire early this morning, taking over 20 fire trucks and at least two hours to put out the blaze. Ying Charoen Market, in Bangkok’s northern Bang Khen district, saw vendors fleeing the flames and taking their merchandise with them after firefighters were called to the scene at 3 am. The…
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Customers help woman detained for shoplifting school uniforms
Customers have come to the aid of a woman after she was detained for shoplifting school uniforms for her children in southern Thailand. The woman says she is struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic and had no choice but to shoplift as she is unable to afford the cost of the uniforms. The woman, aged 26, was with her…
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Thai Airways to shed only 5% of employees, while appointing new president
Debt-ridden Thai Airways has confirmed that it will only shed 5% of its 20,000 employees as part of its reorganisation. The former president of the carrier’s labour union says he met with the rehab panel, along with union and airline staff representatives, with the panel now aiming to cut only 5% of the airline’s workforce-down from the initial target of…
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Nightlife operators warned: follow the rules or face closure
Bangkok police have issued a stern warning to nightlife venue operators… follow the rules or be closed again. National police chief Chaktip Chaijinda has instructed officers to make sure entertainment venue operators comply with disease control regulations and that both service providers and customers understand the “new normal.” The warning comes after a meeting of senior city police, the Health…
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“We Tour Together” launched to boost domestic tourism
The government has announced its “Rao Thieu Duaykan” (We Tour Together) program, created as a stimulus boost to domestic tourism and help the travel and hospitality sectors battered by closures and bans in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. From July 15, Thai citizens can apply for a government subsidy to cover part of their hotel and dining expenses when travelling…
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Thailand sets new guidelines to govern “medical tourism”
Thailand’s medical community is rolling out a set of guidelines for medical tourism as the country prepares to open its borders to international visitors. According to the director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, yesterday’s first meeting of the medical hub committee resulted in 3 decisions. The first outcome from the meeting set a new policy pertaining to quarantine…
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Back to school – Thai school kids head back to class
School’s back. Thai school children are returning to their classes in school rooms around the country to be re-united with their teachers who have been just a thumbnail on a Zoom conference call for the past three months. The reopening of schools is nationwide, for all levels of public and private schools. Since mid-March, all schools in Thailand have been closed…
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International charity exposes Thailand’s abuse of elephants for tourist trade
The international non-profit organisation, World Animal Protection, has released distressing video footage that blows the lid open on the cruelty involved in the use of Thai elephants for the tourist trade. The footage, secretly filmed at several unnamed camps over two years, shows how elephants are beaten into submission so they will perform tricks for tourists. The training begins when…
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New Songkran ‘replacement’ holiday added on July 27
The Thai government has declared July 27 the first of, what will probably be, substitute Songkran holidays. This year’s Songkran holiday was postponed as the April 13 Thai New Year holiday, and the days around it, were right in the middle of Thailand’s outbreak of Covid-19 and subsequent ‘lockdowns’. Songkran celebrates the start of Thailand’s wet season. The first replacement…
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New ‘Progressive Movement’ party plans to take on local elections
Thailand’s elections may look a bit different as some candidates, who normally campaign in local elections, are banding together to form a new ‘Progressive Movement.’ The move comes despite the Constitutional Court banning its founder, Thanathorn Juangroogruangkit, along with other executives, for 10 years after being involved with the Future Forward Party that was disbanded earlier this year. The banning…
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Thailand’s hotel industry pushing ahead with recovery
Optimism is building in some corners of the hospitality industry as Thailand pushes ahead with it Covid-19 recovery phases. Occupancy rates in at least Bangkok and Phuket are likely to bottom out soon with the lifting of travel restrictions, according to JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group. Thailand’s hotel industry is now entering a recovery phase following the country’s decision to issue a…
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The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved extending the Emergency Decree
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved the proposal from the National Security Council last week to extend the emergency decree until the end of July. The decision was made at a meeting this morning with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and other relevant officials. Read more about last weeks proposal HERE. The CCSA says the extension was necessary because the…
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Plant-based, traditional Thai medicine ready for human trials on coronavirus patients
Some Thai doctors are veering away from pharmaceutical medicine for treating mild coronavirus symptoms and are going to try out plant-based solutions that have traditionally been used in Thailand to treat cold and flu symptoms. Researchers are studying the effects the plant Andrographis Paniculate has on treating the viral disease. The main state quarantine centres, Samut Prakan Hospital and Bang Lamung…
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Thai virus expert says it’s too soon for foreign tourists
It’s too early to think about opening the country’s doors to foreign travellers, one Thai public health expert says. With the coronavirus still spreading in other parts of the world, Chulaongkorn University epidemiologist Thira Woratanarat warns that letting tourists in while domestic restrictions are still easing poses a serious risk. Worathanarat wrote a post on his Facebook page, citing the numbers…
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Big C worker finds wallet with 100,000 baht in cash
What would you do if you found a wallet with more than 100,000 baht in cash? At a Big C in Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border, a maid found a wallet with thousands of baht in cash while cleaning a bathroom. She decided not to pocket the cash and returned it to the owner. Even the wallet’s owner expected it…
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3 arrested for rape, death of teen schoolgirl
Police in Kanchanaburi, the largest of Thailand’s western provinces, have arrested 2 young men in connection with the rape and unexplained death of a teenage schoolgirl. They apprehended the pair yesterday after obtaining warrants. The 2 face charges of depriving a schoolgirl aged under 18 of parental care and also performing indecent acts. 21 year old Phakhin Chanyiam and 18…
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2 women arrested for human trafficking
Police have arrested 2 Thai women for luring Thai girls into prostitution in Dubai. The girls were told they’d work as masseuses, but instead were forced into prostitution. Immigration police reported the arrest of 28 year old “Rissraporn” and 25 year old “Aranya” on charges of human trafficking. The suspects would “sell” girls to buyers in Dubai. The girls were…
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Redshirt activist acquitted, freed after nearly 4 years
Activist Thanet Anantawong has been acquitted of national security and computer crime charges after being detained for almost 4 years. He was charged over 5 Facebook posts made in 2015, criticising the now defunct National Council for Peace and Order, and the army. The posts were critical of the late Privy Council president and former PM Prem Tinsulanonda, and the…
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Phase 5 rules to be announced Monday
On Monday the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration will hold a significant meeting, led by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, to decide several major issues of importance to Thailand as well as foreigners hoping to come into the country. The issues to be discussed and expected to be resolved are: An official decision on “Phase 5” relief measures and the date of…
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Heroin making a comeback among Thai teens
As if the spike in synthetic drugs coming from the so-called Golden Triangle weren’t enough, authorities report that heroin is making a comeback in Thailand, especially among teenagers, who are often unaware of the dangers, including HIV and hepatitis C. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board reports rising numbers of teens aged 15-18 admitted to rehab programs for heroin…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, June 26
A different program today looking at the issues of flying around Thailand at the moment and a few things to remember. Also the latest we know about the borders slowly opening up and the process of slowly allowing some foreigners to re-enter the country. Back to the usual format on Monday. Have a fantastic weekend. Tim and The Thaiger team.
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Thai Air Asia to resume all domestic routes, flights in July
Thai Air Asia will return to full domestic services in Thailand during July, with all routes and flights back in action for a total of 23 destinations and 25 routes. The announcement was made this afternoon. Thai Air Asia’s CEO told Associated Press that the airline has been slowly ramping up its domestic routes since May and is now ready…
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Red Bull heir gets away with murder, anti-corruption officials say police neglected their duties
Nothing has been done to Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya who crashed his Ferrari into an officer and killing him back in 2012 and then speeding off. Now anti-corruption officials are saying that officers investigating the fatal hit-and-run accident neglected to fulfil their duties. An investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Commission found intention to exempt Yoovidhya from prosecution on charges…
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Health Minister predicts Thailand will have Covid-19 vaccine within 9 months
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he expects Thailand to have a vaccine against the Covid-19 virus ready within 9 months, provided all goes to plan. He was speaking after a briefing on the development of the vaccine, given by representatives from Bionate Asia, the private company working on the project with Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute. Mr. Anutin says the…
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Emergency Decree could be extended a third time, through July
The Emergency Decree, set to expire at the end of June, could be extended by another month. Now the National Security Council is recommending extending enforcement of the decree, originally imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, to July 31. The decree, announced on March 24 and enacted on March 26, has a legally mandated limit of 90 days, but…
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Baby elephants abused to “break” them for tourism- VIDEO
The plight of Thailand’s many elephants has made plenty of headlines since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in January, especially in the North, where the many elephant camps and “sanctuaries” were the a major draw for tourist revenue until the Emergency Decree and travel ban forced many to close. To avoid starvation, thousands made the long journey back to…
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Thai exports hit new low, pandemic to blame
Thailand’s exports have dropped drastically and the Thai Ministry of Commerce blames the coronavirus pandemic for the low levels and the shrinking supply and demand market. In a report released yesterday, exports for May are the lowest they’ve been in 4 years. Worldwide lockdowns have caused production in Thailand to take a plunge, according to the director-general of the commerce…
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Open for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.
Thailand has now gone over a month without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, and July 1, approaching quickly, will see the resumption of all businesses and activities originally suspended under the Emergency Decree, including bars, pubs and “soapy” massage parlours. Spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the announcement yesterday. He told the media…
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JLL sees bright future for post-Covid Thai real estate market
Thailand’s hospitality industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and Bangkok’s serviced apartments are no exception. A study by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle indicates that serviced apartments have generally fared better than hotels in current and past times of distress. The report expects the pandemic to boost the growing trend of mixed-use premises offering hotel rooms and…
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Thailand News Today – Wednesday, June 24
July Songkran plans pushed back to later in the year People won’t be throwing or spraying water on each other next month. Celebrations for Thai New Year – Songkran – were rumoured to be moved from April to July, but it now looks like it’s going to be pushed back later this year. The annual celebrations could even be separated to…
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