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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Clubhouse app a new platform for political debate
Clubhouse, a popular audio social media app, is attracting political debates, despite the Thai government threatening prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. The law forbids posting against the monarchy or government, but the app creates a perfect channel for government and politicians to directly connect to targeted social groups. The appeal of the Clubhouse app comes in its exclusivity, as…
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500,000 Sinovac doses arrive in Thailand
Half a million more Sinovac vaccines have arrived in Thailand, while tomorrow another 2 million Favipiravir antiviral pills arrive. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has been pushing to increase Thailand’s supply of both vaccines and medicine to treat patients already infected with Covid-19. This brings Thailand up to 2.5 million Sinovac jabs in the race to vaccinate the population amid…
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Thai PM gives Covid curfew powers to individual provinces
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is giving individual provinces the power to set curfews and other measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. PM Prayut’s Facebook page also details new guidelines for the management of hospital beds to make sure that all who are infected with the virus have access to treatment, and screening to determine whether they should be admitted…
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Lest we forget – ANZAC Day 2021 for Australians and New Zealanders
ANZAC Day, April 25, is when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate and remember those who fought for their countries and the Commonwealth with the origins of the event forged in the crucible of war at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It is the most solemn day in the annual calendar of those two countries and usually commemorated with dawn services in…
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A look at Thailand’s Covid-19 growing field hospitals
Field hospitals have become a necessity across Thailand as Covid-19 cases surge after the Songkran holiday and hospitals struggle to accommodate patients. 20,000 people have now been treated for the coronavirus with thousands of them being admitted to these pop-up medical facilities. And with today seeing a huge jump in Covid-19 infections, the number of people in field hospitals will…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,839 new infections reported, Provincial totals
Another record high in Covid cases around Thailand today with 2,839 new infections reported to the CCSA in the past 24 hours. 8 more deaths have also been reported. It’s the highest number of deaths to be recorded in a single day as well. Yesterday there were 2,070 new cases announced, the first time over 2,000 people since the start…
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85 year old dies while waiting for Covid-19 treatment indicates overwhelmed hospitals
An 85 year old, who died while waiting to be admitted for Covid-19 treatment, is furthering claims that Thailand’s medical sector may soon be overwhelmed. The woman was sent home to wait as there weren’t enough hospital beds to admit her. She was among 6 elderly family members living in a shop house in Bang Kholaem district of Bangkok who…
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Face masks required in 31 provinces, fine is 20,000 baht for not wearing
Face masks are now being required in 31 Thai provinces with a fine of 20,000 baht going to those who don’t wear them. Chiang Rai is one of the new provinces to be included in the list, but so far, Chiang Mai is being left out. As daily Covid-19 infections have reached an all-time high, it is only a matter…
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Thailand News Today | Covid numbers spike, Phuket’s ‘sandbox’ still on track | April 23, 2021
In today’s episode we look at… Thailand’s daily Covid-19 infection report hit a record high at 2,070 today, Thai Immigration’s online system for 90 day checks for foreigners living in Thailand is back up and running…. or is it? Phuket have started their extensive screening process of all arrivals, Tourism Authority says Phuket Sandbox model is still “on track”, and…
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Biochar could solve smoke pollution problem in Chiang Mai
The emerging technology of biochar may be at the forefront of dealing with Chiang Mai and its globally infamous smoke and air pollution. After another terrible burn season where the air quality was rated among the worst in the world, Chiang Mai is often rated the most polluted city in the world. As scientists worldwide tackle climate change, Chiang Mai…
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2 young Thai women suffering from obesity die after contracting Covid-19
A 24 year old and a 29 year old both died this week after contracting Covid-19. The deaths of the 2 young women were rare as the vast majority of Covid-related deaths involve those over 60 who have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and chronic illnesses. Not much was reported about the young Thai women who recently passed away, but…
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More staff to man Covid-19 hotlines after complaints of unanswered calls
Thousands of people have been calling Thailand’s Covid-19 hotline each day and many calls from those seeking hospital beds, medical attention or ambulance services are going unanswered. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha even called 2 of the hotline numbers and he says no one answered his calls. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to revamp the emergency call centre with plans to…
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Buddhism officials call on temples to cremate those who die while infected with Covid-19
With Thailand’s Covid-related death toll on the rise, Thai Buddhism officials calling on temples to cremate the bodies of those who died and were infected with the coronavirus. Many Thais believe that cremation helps the spirit move on. Director of the National Office of Buddhism, Narong Song-arom, says the office has coordinated with temples across Thailand to make sure those…
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Briton stranded in Thai hospital after balcony fall appealing to return home
A 56 year old Briton is appealing to be repatriated after surviving an attempted suicide, falling from a 6-storey balcony here in Thailand. The family of the man is trying to raise £10,000 to fly him home, after he has been stuck in a Thai hospital recovering from his injuries. He has no insurance, and before the accident, he has…
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COVID UPDATE: Highest daily case count recorded in Thailand at 2,070
The daily Covid-19 infection count hit a record high at 2,070, the CCSA reported today in its daily briefing. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the number of new cases reported each day has remained under 2,000. It was also reported 4 more coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total number of Covid fatalities in Thailand since the start of…
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Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health to give traditional herbal medicine for mild Covid symptoms
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is giving 600,000 traditional herbal medicine capsules to hospitals to help treat Covid-19 patients exhibiting mild symptoms. Fatalaijone is the medicine being handed out, as it is thought to suppress virus expansion in those patients with mild symptoms. But, according to the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, it needs to be used along with modern…
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Covid-19 screening kicks off at Phuket arrival points
Officials on the southern island of Phuket have begun an extensive screening process of all arrivals from elsewhere in the Kingdom. The new checks are aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 on the island, which has already recorded over 250 cases in the latest wave. The checks will be in place until at least the end of the month.…
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Russia agrees to sell Sputnik V vaccine doses to Thailand
Thailand is to take delivery of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, along with 10 million doses from US vaccine manufacturer Pfizer. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced on his Facebook page that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has agreed to sell the vaccine to Thailand through a “government to government” contract. The PM says the…
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Thailand aims for only electric vehicles by 2035
Thailand has announced an ambitious plan to move to only sell zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035 as it aims to be at the forefront of the electric car market. Right now in Thailand, less than 1% of the vehicles on the road are electric but an advisor to the Energy Ministry’s national policy committee said that it’s clear the world…
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New Covid-19 wave could cause the Thai economy to lose 100 billion baht per month
With more than 18,000 Covid-19 cases in 22 days, the new wave of infections may have a dramatic impact on the Thai economy… possibly a 100 billion baht loss per month, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. They say the outbreak is likely to primarily impact the service sector and the number of workers is expected…
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Thailand News Today | 2-tier pricing uproar, Ministry to pay 11.8 B baht compensation | April 22
Expats and other foreign travellers living in Thailand are up in arms after Phuket officials confirmed that foreigners arriving on the island would have to pay for a rapid Covid-19 test that is free for Thais. The testing requirement is part of the latest restrictions now in force to combat the spread of the virus on the island. However, it…
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Bangkok Airways suspends some flights due to ongoing Covid-19 situation
In the midst of another wave of Covid-19 infections, Bangkok Airways announced it is suspending some flight routes due to the ongoing spread of the virus. The airline is suspending the Phuket-Hat Yai route from April 23 to October 30 and its Bangkok-Sukhothai and Bangkok-Trat routes from May 1 to 31. Travellers can change their flights without an additional charge.…
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No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to Covid-19 hotlines
No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to the country’s Covid-19 hotlines. The prime minister is now ordering more staff to work for both the 1668 and 1669 Covid-19 hotlines to make sure calls don’t go unanswered. There is now an official LINE account primarily for Covid-19 patients requesting hospital beds after the hotlines were “overwhelmed” with callers, a spokesperson said.…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,470 new Covid-19 infections, 7 deaths, provincial totals
1,470 new Covid-19 infections and 7 deaths were reported today by the CCSA. 446 new cases are in Bangkok which remains the hotzone of new infections, although the latest outbreak has now spread to most Thai provinces. Out of the 7 deaths, one was a 24 year old Thai woman with a history of visiting an entertainment venue in the…
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Jet fuel tax reduction extended again to aid airlines, tourism
A tax reduction, for jet fuel that has been in place to help the airline industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been extended until the end of 2020. With international travel decimated, this tax cut is aimed to help airlines stay afloat and get more customers with lower prices while travel figures are massively down. The extension was scheduled to…
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Hydro-solar hybrid electric dam project nears completion
One of the biggest hydro-solar hybrid floating electricity projects in the world is nearing completion at Sirindhorn dam in Ubon Ratchathani. This installation will move Thailand away from its often criticised fossil fuel dependence by increasing renewable energy production in the country. 7 solar farms have been built over 300 acres using 144,417 solar panels. The platforms are expected to…
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Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 3 to 4 years – WHO
Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 4 years, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO says Thailand is one of 8 countries that can potentially get rid of the mosquito-borne disease by 2025, a goal in line with the country’s strategic plan to eliminate the infectious disease by 2024. Malaria was a leading cause of death…
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Petition site Change.org back online in Thailand after 6 month ban
The popular petition website, Change.org, is once again available to activists in Thailand, after being temporarily blocked last October. Coconuts reports that a statement on the site’s social media account confirms that it’s back up and running in the Kingdom. “Throughout these months we had worked hard, fighting through the legal process for our mission to have the website’s access…
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Thailand’s covid vaccine passport – will it only be used for travel?
Hi. Im Tim Newton. Just upfront saying that these are my personal opinions and don’t necessarily reflect that of The Thaiger. So today the Thai Government now has officially announced vaccine passports. The documents are going to be the next big thing in the long and winding Covid road. Firstly, before some comments, the details that we actually know. This…
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Thailand to continue with Chinese vaccine after side-effects in small number of cases
Government-appointed medical experts say there are no plans to suspend use of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine after adverse side-effects were reported in 7 recipients. 6 of them were medical staff in the eastern province of Rayong, who developed “stroke-like” symptoms after receiving the first dose of the CoronaVac jab from Sinovac Biotech. Side-effects included numbness in the limbs and drowsiness,…
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