Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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Sponsored 12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Oil still pollutes Rayong beach, Thai tourist says oil on his body after a swim
Following the second oil leak in Rayong, not only was leaked crude oil still on Mae Ramphueng Beach, but a Thai tourist says water reeked of oil and his body was covered in oily stains after a swim. Another local shared a picture of what looks like a coral-covered with a black strain. Locals say they are worried about the…
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Thailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses
After a two-year hit on tourism, elephant and tiger attractions in Thailand have run low on money and are asking the government for financial assistance. Zoo operators met with the Tourism Commission yesterday at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, citing their struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily income for Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, as well as the location…
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Two people hit, one killed by motorbikes driving through zebra crossings in Bangkok
CORRECTION: Previous reports said that two people died. Only one person died, the other was hospitalised. Thai police are reporting two more crosswalk accidents in Bangkok amidst a nationwide effort to improve pedestrian safety initiated after the deadly crosswalk accident where an eye doctor was hit by a police officer who sped his Ducati motorcycle through a zebra crossing. Over…
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Perfect your Valentine’s dining at Siam Paragon
Sponsored Article The season of love is approaching and it’s time to treat your special someone for lunch or dinner on Valentine’s day. Siam Paragon, a shopping centre located in the heart of Bangkok is known for its world-class food destination. This shopping centre offers a variety of classic restaurants where you can celebrate your sweet momentous occasion. Lovebirds can also…
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Polls show majority of parents doubt online learning, concerned about Covid-19 vaccines
An online survey conducted last week found that most parents doubt that online learning is effective for their children, and are either “dubious” or “very concerned” about kids 5-11 years old getting vaccinated. The survey questioned 1,089 parents across Thailand. The university that conducted the survey is Suan Dusit Rajabhat University in Bangkok. 66.8% of parents said they doubt how…
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Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation
Just when Phuket thought it was about to revive its crippled tourism economy, the recent murders, thefts, and taxi ripoffs on the Island province are scarring its public image. The most high profile recent event is the murder by two hitmen of deported Canadian gangster Jimi Sandhu at a villa in Rawai, on the southern coast of the island. The…
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Thailands new long term 10 year visa for wealthy foreigners & Digital nomads
Thailand is offering new long term 10 year visa for wealthy foreigners and digital nomads. What are the specifics and regulations regarding this visa? Is it going to be similar to the smart visa plan? Where do the digital nomads fit in all of this? Tim sits with Ben Hart from Integrity legal to find out more.
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Robbers shoot and kill customer in Northern Thailand gold shop
Three robbers fired bullets through a glass door of a gold shop yesterday in Tak, in Northern Thailand, killing one customer. The customer was a 30 year old man. He died after being rushed to the hospital. The robbers smashed another glass door of the shop with a hammer. They then smashed the showcases where the gold was being displayed.…
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21 Thai fraud gangsters caught in Cambodia, will be deported back home
A joint team of Thai and Cambodian police caught 21 Thai fraud gangsters in Cambodia who allegedly tricked Thais into investing in fake digital assets. The 21 people are part of three different gangs headed by Chinese nationals. The director of the Police Cyber Task Force says one gang stayed in a hotel, and tricked Thais into investing in fake…
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Fisheries Department will temporarily halt gulf fishing for marine breeding season
The deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department announced yesterday that in coming months, four areas of the gulf will be closed to fishermen for marine breeding season. From February 15 to May 15, waters near the coasts of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani will close. From May 16 to June 14, the foot of Khao Ta Mong Lai…
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Thai Health Department warns that trendy “squid shots” can cause food poisoning
Live squid dumped in a shot glass with a spicy Thai sauce, and then consumed while the squid is still squirming, has been a new food trend in Thailand, with many sharing the phenomenon on TikTok and other social media outlets. But the director of the country’s Department of Health is warning people that the so-called “squid shots” could be…
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Thailand hopeful to draw Indian tourists with new travel bubble
Ah yes, another travel bubble proposal. This time with India. Thailand hopes to fix its plundered tourism economy by drawing in more Indian tourists with a new plan between the two countries known as the Thai-Indian Air Travel Bubble. A spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said the ATB will give extra convenience to people travelling between Thailand…
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Thailand, post Covid. What needs to change?
OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from behind the Covid curtain, many expats and potential travellers are wondering if much will change after 2 years of lockdowns, closures re-openings and re-entry ‘plans’. Will we see changes in visas, property ownership, entry requirements and business laws? One of our YouTube commenters wrote in with his current ‘wish list’ (below). As…
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First 10 days of February arrival figures for Thailand – Test & Go V2 “sluggish”
So who is travelling to Thailand at the moment, and how many are coming through the turnstiles? For the first 10 days of February, there was a total of 55,823 travellers entering Thailand. 23,036 travellers entered on the Test and Go program, another 27,667 through the Sandbox scheme and 5,120 arrived to do the Alternative Quarantine program at a qualified…
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New Thailand cave-rescue film ‘Thirteen Lives’ gets record pre-screening scores, high hopes for box office
Ron Howard’s Thailand documentary Thirteen Lives about the famous cave rescue mission has received outstanding test scores in pre-release screenings, prompting MGM to promote the film’s release date from Easter weekend to mid-November, coinciding with awards season. The film follows the true story of a group of young boys and their soccer coach, who were trapped for weeks in the…
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More kids aged 5-11 getting Covid-19
More kids aged 5-11 are getting Covid-19. A spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today that the infection rate for this age group was 6.6% between January 1 and February 2. He said the rate has risen now that the Delta and Omicron variants have broken out, and the total number of cases for this group was…
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Father asks police to investigate accident, claims American crashed golf cart, injured his son
A father is seeking justice after his son was hit by a golf cart driven by an American man nine months ago, saying legal proceedings have made no progress. Although, the question of who is to blame for the accident has been up for debate. Some people who saw a video of the accident on social media say the motorbike…
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Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients to no longer cover Covid-19 starting March
Thailand’s Public Health Minister announced today that come March 1, Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients will no longer cover Covid-19 infections, meaning Thais will need to pay out of pocket if they are admitted to a private hospital or facility for treatment. A night at “hospitel,” which is a hotel that works with a hospital to offer isolation services,…
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Friday Covid Update: 15,242 new cases; provincial totals
23 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,387 with 689 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 15,242 new Covid-19 cases and 8,955 recoveries. There are now 111,393 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thailand’s popular dish pad krapao tied to high altitude balloon for space experiment
A plate of Thailand’s popular meal, pad krapao, was tied to a high altitude balloon, sending it 30 kilometres up into the sky for a space experiment by Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To mark Thailand’s first space experiment using a high-altitude balloon, a large plate of pad krapao was sent up as well. Pad krapao, one of…
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Airport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand
Police say they’ve obtained surveillance camera footage showing the two suspects in the Jimi Sandhu murder case in Phuket preparing to leave the country at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Sandhu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and was deported for “serious criminality.” He entered Thailand last month by private jet and was found dead with more…
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Thailand ranks 72 in Democracy Index 2021
The Economist Intelligence Unit has officially deemed Thailand a “flawed democracy” out of four categories: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. It ranked Thailand 72 out of 167 countries in its “Democracy Index 2021,” which ranks countries for how democratic they are. The EIU says democracy has declined across the globe since 2020. That year, 49.4% of…
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Government expected to postpone tourism fee until they decide how to collect it
A 300-baht tourism fee which was set to be introduced from April 1 now looks likely to be postponed. The Bangkok Post reports that officials have not yet decided how best to collect the levy. Implementation is expected to be pushed out by around 2 months, although tourism operators have said they’d like to see the idea ditched completely, at…
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Studio Ghibli exhibition at Central World in Bangkok starts today, lasts until late March
The trendy clothing store Uniqlo is hosting a Studio Ghibli exhibition that starts today at Central World in Bangkok and will run until March 27. The exhibition will display a giant Totoro and the cat bus from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. At the exhibition, people can order special T-shirts only available in Thailand. The T-shirts have photos and drawings by…
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Government concern over rising Covid infections may lead to tighter restrictions
A steady rise in Thailand’s infection rate is giving the government cause for concern as the Covid-19 task force meets later today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will chair a CCSA meeting in which officials are expected to discuss additional measures aimed at managing the recent spike in cases. Yesterday, Thailand reported 14,822 new infections, with 2,635 of those in Bangkok. At…
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Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu
Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport…
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Bollywood actor to become monk for 15 days, wants to promote Buddhism in India
A Bollywood actor who recently ordained into monkhood in Bangkok said he wants to spread the message of Buddhism in India. In a Facebook post, he said it was time for him to learn Dhamma, understand impermanence, gain knowledge, and “roll the wheel of Dhamma in India.” The actor, Gagan Malik, will only live as a monk for 15 days,…
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Kanchanaburi gunman robs more than 7,000 baht from 7-Eleven
A gunman in Kanchanaburi robbed over 7,000 baht from a 7-Eleven early this morning. The two store employees who were working at the store when it happened said the gunman looks 30 to 40 years old, and about 170 centimetres tall. They added that he was barefoot, and wore a white and grey shirt with brown trousers. He had a…
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Phuket conservationists butt heads with locals on coral reef
Conservationists are fighting to stop a bay being dredged in Ao Kung in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s east coast, as they say it will damage nearby coral reefs. A former village headman says the bay needs to be dredged because fishing boats have a hard time getting to the port at low tide. At a meeting with representatives of local…
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Thursday Covid Update: 14,822 new cases; provincial totals
20 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,364 with 666 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,822 new Covid-19 cases and 8,503 recoveries. There are now 105,129 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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