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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Alpha variant of Covid-19 makes up 9 in 10 infections
The Department of Medical Sciences confirmed today that nearly 90% of all Covid-19 infections in Thailand are from the newly-labelled Alpha variant. The strain, previously known as the UK variant as it was first identified in the United Kingdom, was found in 88.48% of 4,185 cases that university labs studied between April and June, with 3,703 infections of the Alpha…
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Best-case for Phuket’s Sandbox: up to 1.2 million tourists, Kasikorn predicts
Up to 1.2 million foreign tourists could travel to Thailand through Phuket’s “Sandbox” travel scheme. That’s the best-case scenario, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre. They estimate that the scheme, which is planned to allow vaccinated tourists to enter the country and stay on the island without going through quarantine, could draw in 550,000 people to 1.2 million from July…
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Online learning only for schools in Bangkok and other dark red provinces
The government’s Covid-19 task force says students at schools in Bangkok and other dark red provinces will not have on-site classes while infection rates remain high. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says online learning will be used in 4 central provinces when schools re-open on June 14: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, and Samut Prakan. So far, the third wave…
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Friday Covid Update: 2,290 cases and 27 deaths
2,290 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total number of cases since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of infections, to 160,965. The CCSA reported 27 more deaths related to Covid-19. 5,711 people have recovered from Covid-19. The number of active cases has been on a downward slope over the past…
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Thai government signs contract for 20 million Pfizer doses
The government has approved the order of 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from US manufacturer, Pfizer. The Bangkok Post reports that the head of the Department of Disease Control signed the contract yesterday. Delivery will be some time this year, but when exactly is unclear, as the vaccine has yet to be approved by Thailand’s Food and Drug…
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CCSA announces schools can reopen June 14 in most of Thailand
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has announced today that schools all across Thailand will reopen for the new school year on June 14. In-person classes will resume throughout most of the nation, though in Bangkok and 3 surrounding provinces, all learning will be remote. After a meeting today, the CCSA announced the decision that they have given the go-ahead…
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Bangkok man arrested for allegedly selling sex toys
A seller in Bangkok has been arrested for allegedly possessing illegal sex toys for sale. Thaweesak a 28 year old Bangkok seller was arrested today after police received a tip that he had sex toys in his possession. After obtaining a search warrant from Phra Khanong Criminal Court, detectives staged a raid on the suspect’s house and seized 169 items.…
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Phuket bars to stay closed for July 1 sandbox
Bars, pubs, and other “entertainment venues” throughout Phuket will remain closed when the province opens for its July 1 reopening, Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri said today. Chalermsak says the entertainment venues will remain closed as a meeting with Phuket officials cited a covid cluster from such an establishment. He further told Thai media today that the Phuket Governor and the TAT…
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Man warns public of online durian scam
After filing a police report in Samut Sakhon, a central Thai province, a 55 year old man hopes to warn others of the perils of buying durian online. The man had attempted to buy “volcano durian” through an online dealer, but after sending the durian dealer money, the seller allegedly vanished. Busamat, the would-be durian buyer, says he wanted to…
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More than 300 people in 11 provinces infected with Delta Covid-19 variant
More than 300 people in 11 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have tested positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19, the mutated strain of the virus that was first detected in India. The vast majority of the cases have been in Bangkok, according to Thai Medical Sciences Department director-general Supakit Sirilak. Samples were taken from 4,185 Covid-19 patients. 3,703 of the…
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Former Thai PM absolved of any wrongdoing
According to an insider from the investigative panel of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Thailand’s former PM, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her cabinet have been absolved of any wrongdoing in relation to the approval of around 1.9 billion baht payment for victims of political protests and the quelling of red shirt protests by troops from 2005 to 2010. They were absolved by…
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Thailand proposes digital nomad visa among others to benefit expats, economy
Thailand has always been a favourite of long-term travellers, and staying longer in the country may be getting easier. As the country was recently voted the best in which to live for digital nomads, allowing such workers to stay may be the key to boosting the economy. With pristine beaches, cheap living costs, and modern cafes with some of the…
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New online entry packages offered by AXA to welcome in tourists
PRESS RELEASE Tadoo, Thailand’s up-and-coming insurance, and finance comparison platform have announced a partnership with AXA, one of the world’s largest and most trusted insurance providers. One of the highlighted standout products from the new partnership is the Entry package to Thailand during covid-19, comprising of the Covid-19 Insurance Certificate and Covid-19 Travel Insurance. The Entry Package to Thailand is…
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South Korea looks into travel bubble agreement with Thailand
South Korea could soon open its borders to fully vaccinated people travelling from Thailand. The country is looking into travel bubble agreements with Thailand as well as Singapore, Taiwan, Guam and Saipan, according to the South Korean Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry. Quarantine-free travel could start as early as next month. Under the travel bubble scheme, travellers who are fully…
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Bangkok university student dies after allegedly beaten by a group of students
A 22 year old engineering student died after he was allegedly beaten by a group of students at the Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok in Bangkok. Police say they are requesting arrest warrants from the Criminal Court to for 12 university students who were allegedly involved. On May 27, surveillance camera footage shows the 22 year old second-year student and…
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12 deaths after vaccination not linked to Covid-19 vaccine
Results are still pending on 16 cases, but investigations on 12 people who died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine were concluded, finding their deaths to be coincidental. The Department of Disease Control said yesterday that the Covid-19 vaccine was not the cause of death in these 12 cases. The director for emergency health hazards and disease within the DDC reported…
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Thursday Covid Update: 2,310 new cases and 43 deaths
2,310 new Covid-19 infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation, raising the total count in the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand to 158,675. The CCSA logged 43 more Covid-related deaths today, an increase over the past few days. Out of the new cases confirmed today, 102 were detected at correctional facilities. The…
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Investigation launched into death of woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine
Thailand’s Health Minister says an investigation will be launched into the cause of death of a 46 year old woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Anutin Charnvirakul was speaking as he paid his condolences to the family of Panyapat Itthithanawong, who lived in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok. The Bangkok Post reports that Panyapat received a dose of the…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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2.25 billion baht approved for hiring 10,000 graduates
2.25 billion baht was approved yesterday by the Cabinet for the hiring of 10,000 new university graduates for a year in order to help economically struggling people during Covid-19. The money will come from an emergency fund from the central budget established to deal with the global pandemic. 28 state agencies will be responsible for hiring these 10,000 new employees…
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Around 900,000 doses administered since yesterday’s launch of the mass vaccination campaign
Around 900,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered since Thailand launched its mass immunisation campaign yesterday… making steps closer toward the goal of 96 million doses administered in the next 200 days. The Thai government first started rolling out vaccines for those in priority areas and those at a high risk of infection on February 28. Public Health…
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More details uncovered in billionaire couple’s Koh Tao death
Details are emerging on the tragic drowning death of a billionaire hotel owner and his wife in Koh Tao last week as police investigate further. Along with a more detailed picture of the events of the day, a few inconsistencies emerged from the original information as the story broke, including a time gap between the first shouts of trouble were…
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Medical examiners investigate death of woman who died after Covid-19 vaccination
Health officials are investigating the death of a 46 year old woman in Bangkok who died after she was injected with the Covid-19 vaccine. The woman was injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday and died just after midnight today. The woman was inoculated yesterday at the Thai Business Administration Technological College, her niece told police. When she got home, she…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,669 new cases, provincial totals
Although the daily Covid count remains high, with 2,680 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the number of active cases have decreased. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily Covid situation report in English, says that today more recoveries were reported than new cases, with the…
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Phuket’s main Covid vaccination centre offers drive-through service for elderly patients
A drive-through Covid-19 vaccination service has opened up at Phuket’s main vaccination centre, allowing those 60 years old or above, and those with underlying health conditions, to get inoculated without getting out of their car. Health officials started offering the service after noticing that many elderly people had trouble walking through the large Saphan Hin Gymnasium to get a vaccine. Before…
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Thailand to get 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 5 million Johnson & Johnson doses
The Thai government is ordering 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with 5 million of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Thai PBS World reports that deliveries are expected in the second half of the year. The Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Nattaphon Narkpanich, chair of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says the Pfizer and…
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Health Ministry orders hospitals not to postpone vaccination appointments
The Public Health Ministry has instructed Thai hospitals to honour vaccination appointments, even though they may not have received the number of doses expected. According to Thai PBS World, Satit Pitutacha from the Health Ministry says it’s vital that people over the age of 60, as well as those with 1 or more of 7 underlying health conditions, receive a…
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Thai travel agents say ongoing third wave means no return of Chinese tourists for now
The Association of Thai Travel Agents says the ongoing reporting of over 2,000 new Covid-19 infections every day means there will be no Chinese visitors coming for a while. ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn points out that China has imposed tough restrictions on their citizens leaving the country, including mandatory quarantine on their return. “We can assume the Chinese government will…
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Thai PM apologises for delays in vaccination rollout
Sorry seems to be the hardest word… Or so the song goes. But the Thai PM has managed it (admittedly some would say it took a while). Prayut Chan-o-cha has apologised for the hiccups with the national vaccine rollout, admitting yesterday that there had been delays. The Bangkok Post reports that the PM insists the situation will improve with the…
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Nearly 30,000 Covid-19 infections at Thai prisons in recent wave
Nearly 30,000 people at Thai prisons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest wave of infections. There are now 13,392 active coronavirus cases at 12 correctional facilities in Thailand, according to the Department of Corrections. 534 new cases and 3 coronavirus-related deaths at prisons were reported today. In the latest wave of infections in Thailand, 29,734 cases have been…
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