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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As a business owner in Thailand, you know how tough it is to stand out online. Ads get skipped, scrolled past, or flat-out ignored. People are more sceptical than ever about what they see on their feeds. And even when...
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Thailand News Today | Samui and Phuket request 1 million vaccines, Covid update | March 23
401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 new death have been reported today. Most of the cases were at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district. Thailand currently has 1,419 active Covid-19 infections. A total of 92 deaths have now been recorded as a result of the coronavirus. A 75 year old Thai man in Bangkok died after…
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400 illegal migrants test positive for Covid-19- UPDATE
Earlier today, Thailand authorities announced that almost 300 allegedly illegal migrants tested positive for Covid-19, and now, that number has raised to almost 400. The migrants are being housed in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district awaiting to be transferred to a field hospital, with authorities saying the situation is “under control.” Sompong Chingduang, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said on Tuesday…
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Thailand’s PM speeds up stimulus measures to boost domestic spending
Thailand’s PM is speeding up economic stimulus measures to continue the effort to boost domestic spending throughout the year. In a meeting yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told the Finance Ministry to push forward the rollout of the 3rd phase’ co-payment scheme, financial relief scheme and the Section 33 We Love Each Other programme. Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow, noted that the…
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Activists try to call off auction for cats confiscated in drug trafficking raid
With pedigree cats worth tens of thousands of baht up for auction by the Narcotics Control Board after being seized in a suspected drug network raid, animal rights activists in Thailand are calling on officials to suspend the auction. The cats, 5 Scottish Folds and a Bengal, were seized last week along with 35 million baht in assets suspected of…
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Police officer’s son caught on camera firing shots at Thai restaurant
The son of a local police officer and 2 other men were caught on camera firing shots and pointing guns at employees at Thai barbeque restaurant in the southern province Trang. Surveillance camera footage shows the men parking a pickup truck nearby and the man, identified as the police officer’s son, holding a gun and then shooting it at the…
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UNAids staffer who reported sexual assault at a Bangkok hotel loses dismissal case
A former policy advisor for a United Nations programme fighting AIDS, who claims she was sexually assaulted in a Bangkok hotel elevator by a then-senior official for the agency and was later fired after going public with the accusations, lost her appeal against her termination from UNAids. The 41 year old Martina Brostrom from Sweden says she was sexually assaulted…
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Petrol station attendant stabbed to death allegedly by a motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas
A petrol station attendant was stabbed to death yesterday morning allegedly by motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas. Staff members at the Esso gas station in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, say a motorcyclist pulled out a knife, refusing to pay for 40 baht worth of fuel before stabbing the pump attendant, 39 year old Sorawut Nakwichai. Police say…
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CCSA Update: 401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death, most at an immigration detention centre
401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most of the cases were at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district Thailand now has 1,419 active Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 28,277 coronavirus infections and…
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Thailand’s detention centres see almost 300 immigrants test positive for Covid-19
Almost 300 immigrants to Thailand have positive test results for Covid-19, according to The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The immigrants, in which most allegedly entered Thailand illegally, were tested at the Immigration Bureau’s detention centres in Suan Phlu and Bang Khen, with 297 testing positive for the virus. The overcrowded centres have stopped accepting new detainees as the bureau…
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Oops! Culture Ministry deletes website suggestion that traditional Thai garment could be used to commit suicide
Thailand’s Culture Ministry is in hot water after suggesting on its website that one of the many uses for the Thai waistcloth (pha khao ma) could be to hang oneself. The suggestion appeared on the website as part of a list of ways the traditional garment could be used. Other helpful suggestions included using it as a towel or a…
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Man falls asleep while allegedly robbing a home in Phetchabun – VIDEO
A 22 year old man was arrested on burglary charges after the homeowner found him asleep in his daughter’s bed at his home in the central province Phetchabun. Apparently, the man had broken into the house at around 2am, but felt sleepy, so he turned on the air conditioner and laid down on the bed, Thai media reports. When the…
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Thailand starts human trials of local Covid vaccine
Thailand is beginning human trials on its locally-developed Covid-19 vaccine, while setting its sights for a rollout of the vaccine next year. While the process seems sluggish compared to other vaccines, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the development would enable Thailand to be self-reliant as the country would not have to rely on vaccines from other nations. “Production is…
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Soi Cowboy bar owner says the business has survived the pandemic, but revenue has fallen by 70%
Bangkok’s notorious red light district Soi Cowboy has survived the pandemic, but barely. An owner of a bar along the street said the business is only earning enough to cover operating costs. Bars and nightclubs were hit hard by disease control restrictions with the government banning alcohol, shutting down the venues and limiting operating hours during peaks in the pandemic.…
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Thailand News Today | Fallout from weekend protest violence, Samut Prakan Covid cluster | March 22
We apologise for some poor patches of sound in the opening of today’s Thailand News Today… the fallout from the weekend’s protests in Bangkok and the violence that followed, the latest from the Samut Prakan Covid cluster, next door to Bangkok, and a wind-fall for a couple in Nakhon Si Thammarat digging around their backyard. The Thaiger is unable to…
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“Samui Wonder Island” safe and sealed travel scheme to launch in July
Under the new safe and sealed foreign travel campaign “Samui Wonder Island,” foreign visitors will be able to visit Koh Samui under disease control measures starting in July. Travellers will undergo a rapid Covid-19 swab test on their second or third day at the alternative state quarantine hotel or resort. The results will come back within 3 hours. If the…
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Health minister says locals on Phuket and Koh Samui will be vaccinated before tourists return
Thailand’s health minister is reassuring the public that there will be enough vaccines to immunise locals, particularly on the popular holiday islands Phuket and Koh Samui, before Thailand reopens to foreign tourists. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says 800,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine arrived in Thailand over the weekend. He says 100,000 doses will go to Phuket and…
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CCSA Update: 73 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death
73 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 1,122 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA reported a total of 27,876 coronavirus infections and 91 deaths. A 60 year old Thai man in Bangkok died after testing positive for Covid-19. He…
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Thailand’s media organisations issue joint statement in wake of political violence
The 6 organisations that represent Thailand’s media have issued a joint statement, calling on all sides in the current political conflict to show restraint. The statement comes following ugly scenes at Saturday’s anti-establishment protest in Bangkok. At least 33 people were injured near Sanam Luang, including police officers and journalists. Police officers used tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets…
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Most Thais want a new constitution – NIDA Poll
Pro-democracy activists have been calling on monarchy and government reform along with a rewrite of the 2017 military-backed constitution. While Thais seem to be split on the issues around government and monarchy reform, a recent poll found that most Thais want a new constitution. Since the 1932 revolution ending nearly 800 years of absolute monarchy and transitioning to a constitutional…
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Thai PM to chair National Security Council meeting today following protest violence
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, is set to chair a meeting of the National Security Council today, following violent clashes between police and pro-democracy activists at the weekend. The police have been sharply criticised by academics and protesters, after water cannon, tear gas, and rubber bullets were used against protesters in the capital on Saturday. According to media reports, the…
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Covid-19 quarantine: 119 new infections, restrictions to be relaxed after April 1
There were 119 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday with 112 local and 7 from travellers entering Thailand, but quarantine may soon be relaxed from April 1. 26 Thai and 12 Burmese are among the 38 cases in Samut Sakhon province, the centre of the recent Covid-19 outbreak south of Bangkok. Bangkok has another 38 local cases, 31 of which are…
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Expats should stand with the Thais during the pro-democracy movement – OPINION
OPINION The following article was written by an American who works as an English teacher in Bangkok. He regularly attends pro-democracy rallies in Bangkok and has volunteered with medical organisations at some of the protests. He asked to remain anonymous due to fears that openly speaking out about Thai politics could affect his legal status in Thailand. His opinions are…
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Casting a critical eye on English-language press in Thailand -OPINION
The following article was submitted by Patrick Mattimore, an experienced writer living in Pattaya. During his time in Beijing from 2009 to 2012, Patrick wrote a regular web column for China Daily and occasional op-eds for the print edition as well as the Global Times. He moved to Phuket in 2014 and wrote a regular psychology column for the now-defunct…
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Thais want tougher consequences for repeat drunk drivers – Dusit Poll
Thais have spoken up in a new poll saying they want tougher consequences for those who choose to drink and drive again and again. The Suan Dusit Rajabhat University Poll revealed that an overwhelming majority of Thais are in favor of harsher penalties. The survey was conducted on 2,152 participants of all ages and career levels nationwide. About 94% of…
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Thai activist to submit petition against charter amendment bill voters
An activist says he is lodging a petition next week against those who voted in favour of Thailand’s charter amendment bill. Srisuwan Janya says he will submit the petition to the National Anti-Corruption Commission against a total of 206 MPs and 2 senators who voted in favour of the bill, despite the votes not being enough to make the bill…
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Thai government ditches water fights for Songkran – back to basics for 2021
So we’re going to have Songkran this year but not as we know it. The CCSA and Public Health Ministry have formally taken the ‘song’ out of Songkran for 2021. They have determined that there won’t be any foam parties, no activities where you get together with all your friends for Songkran activities and no ‘water splashing’, a polite way…
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Thai Airways challenging claims of over US$7 billion from leasing companies and Rolls Royce
Thai Airways is questioning claims from the lessors of some of its aircraft and Rolls-Royce, who service some of their aircraft engines. The airline is currently in the middle of lengthy bankruptcy proceedings as the court wades through thousands of creditor claims. The lessor and maintenance claims total over $US$7 billion. Thai Airways says that it’s not liable for the…
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More restrictions being lifted on April 1 – shorter quarantine and no fit-to-fly certificates
No, it’s not an April Fool’s Day prank. At yesterday’s CCSA meeting it was decided to formally drop the quarantine period to 10 and 7 days, and ditch the fit-to fly documents, previously required for anyone travelling to Thailand. This all starts on Thursday, April 1. The CCSA meeting agreed to shorten the former mandatory 14 day quarantine period to…
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Thailand News Today | Imprisoned protesters cry foul, investigation into scout drowning | March 19
Link to Jett’s VDO: https://youtu.be/uJd0qrU9xqE Thailand’s Public Health Minister says the government’s Covid-19 task force will meet today to decide what this year’s Songkran celebrations will look like. While a ban on inter-provincial travel is not expected, the health minister says provincial governors will impose health screening protocols for people moving between provinces. The Ministry of Justice has denied that…
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CCSA Update: 100 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death, Emergency Decree extended
100 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. The Emergency Decree was also extended for the 11th time at today’s CCSA meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The decree will now be in place until May 31. Interagency cooperation and integration under the decree is still necessary to help…
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