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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Widow of former Prime Minister dies of Covid-19
The widow of former Prime Minister Chatichai, Thanpuying Boonruen Choonhavan, has died early this morning of illness connected to Covid-19. Details around the death of the 101 year old widow are vague, but the announcement was made on Facebook today by her granddaughter. Thanpuying had one daughter who survived her, Vanee, and a son Kraisak who died last year in…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 217 Covid-related deaths, news briefs
This morning the Thai public health department announced another 22,086 new infections to Thailand’s total. 270 of today’s cases stem from the Thai prison system. 217 Covid-related deaths were also announced. 23,672 people were released from hospital care. Provincial totals will be announced early this afternoon. • According to the Ministry of Public Health, Covid-19 patients in Thailand are taking…
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Almost 1 million Favipiravir pills are taken daily in Thailand
According to the Ministry of Public Health, Covid-19 patients in Thailand are taking almost a million Favipiravir pills each day as infection numbers surge around the country. The daily Covid-19 infection rates have now crossed over the 20,000 mark and with so many new cases, the demand for the antiviral tablets is skyrocketing. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation has been called…
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Thai-made subunit Covid-19 vaccine gets ok for human trials
Approval was received to begin testing on human subjects in September for a Covid-19 subunit vaccine created in Thailand by the Vaccine Research Centre of Chulalongkorn University and Baiya Phytopharm Company. The vaccine is the second to be racing to clear testing phases and be used to fight Covid-19 in Thailand. The other, an mRNA vaccine, is being developed by…
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Digital Sharing Economy Changing Face of Thai Real Estate
Sponsored The pandemic saw a rapid increase in the digitalisation of Thai real estate. As a result, developers have been urged to dig deeper into dynamic data; not only to pivot sales tactics, but to adapt to the tough market conditions in Bangkok’s property sector. Brennan Campbell, CEO of online retail group FazWaz, states; “big data is becoming essential tools for developers or…
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Red Shirt leader urges pro-democracy protesters not to resort to violence
Nattawut Saikuar, the Red Shirt leader, is cautioning young protesters that violent interactions with authority figures may play right into the authorities’ hands. Earlier today, Nattawut broadcasted live on Facebook to share his message of non-violence. He urged the protesters to think through their behaviour carefully. He also announced a car rally demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.…
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Thai Hotels Association urges attention for domestic tourism
Doubting PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s pledge to reopen Thailand fully to international tourists by mid-October, the Thai Hotels Association is calling on the government to focus on plans to boost domestic tourism. The association says that the Thai government is laser-focused on international tourism and on achieving the reopening goal, but a backup plan is needed to encourage domestic tourism if…
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Covid UPDATE: New high of 23,418 infections, provincial totals
Thailand logged 147 new Covid-related deaths and a record high of 23,418 new infections over the past 24 hours. Today’s numbers include 375 prison inmates. Some good news…. 23,649 patients were discharged from hospitals and field hospitals. Today’s 147 new fatalities ranged from 23 years to 108 years of age, made up of 142 Thais and five Burmese nationals. 69% of the…
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Infestation of Mealybugs leads to China banning Thai longan
China has banned the Thai longan, a fruit that comes in small yellow orbs and when peeled resembles an eyeball, minus the iris or pupil thus its Cantonese name which translates to “dragon eye”, although it could also be argued the fruit looks like a skinless testicle. The anatomically questionable fruit has been banned because of an infestation of mealybugs.…
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Lost man reunited with family after going viral falling in well
They say all’s well that ends well, but sometimes all’s well that begins [in a] well. The bizarre story of a man missing for 15 years being found after going viral because he fell in a well now has come to a happy resolution as he was reunited with his long-lost family. 15 years ago Lamead Mueanmai was 40 years…
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GPO pauses antigen test kits deal after skimping accusations
After a scathing letter from the Rural Doctors Society accusing the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation of basing their decision solely on price with no concern for quality or accuracy, the GPO walked back their plan to buy 8.5 million antigen test kits from Lepu Medical Technology of China. The purchase will be delayed in order to test the quality of the…
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Expert: Half of Thailand infected in 100 days without vaccines
Amid the growing outcry from the scientific community to reroute AstraZeneca vaccines set for export to urgently vaccinate people in Thailand, one expert warns of the harrowing possibility that half of Thailand’s 70 million people could get Covid-19 if we don’t vaccinate at least 40 million people within the next 100 days. Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, a leading expert and specialist…
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Phuket man shot in leg and hit with baseball bat, police investigate
Phuket police are investigating an assault in Patong where a man was shot in the leg and smashed in the head with a baseball bat. The Patong Police learned of the assault through a 191 national police hotline just before 6 pm yesterday following a report from rescue workers where they took a wounded man to the Patong hospital The…
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Covid UPDATE: 147 deaths, 22,782 infections, provincial totals
Today the Thai public health department has announced 22,782 new infections, 375 of those from Thai prisons, along with 147 new Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours. 23,649 patients have been released from hospitals or field hospitals as well. 209,028 patients remain under state care, but 68,335 infected people are in home or community isolation. 5,495 patients are listed…
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Bangkok Protester that had hand injured from firecracker tests positive for Covid
A man who recently attended a pro-democracy protest in Bangkok and had a hand “blown off” as he was trying to throw a firework has Covid, says police. Kissana Phatthanacharoen, the deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police Office, said last night that the 14 year old would-be-firecracker-thrower tested positive for Covid while receiving medical attention for his severely injured…
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Possible charges for parents of vandals may be coming, police silent on use of rubber bullets/tear gas
Police are contemplating pursuing legal action against the parents of young protesters that allegedly vandalised public property while attending the recent pro-democracy protests in Bangkok. The police kept silent on their use of rubber bullets and tear gas. Piya Tavichai, the Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner, announced at a press briefing today that multiple suspected vandals are teenagers that have been…
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Ayutthaya ambulance driver tests positive for Covid…again
An ambulance driver from central Thailand’s Ayutthaya province has reportedly tested positive for Covid twice in a 1 month period. The 39 year old ambulance driver, “Wachira”, recently tested positive for Covid. This was a “surprise” for the Wachira as it wasn’t his first time testing positive. The man says he had previously tested positive when other medical officials also…
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Phuket murder suspect charged with attempted rape
Yesterday, Phuket police charged Teerawat Thothip, the 27 year old accused of killing a Swiss tourist, with attempted rape. The commissioner of Provincial Police Region 8, Kitrat Phanphet, says there is enough evidence to substantiate an attempted rape charge against Teerawat. Last Saturday, Teerawat was arrested following the police’s discovery of Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf’s body 2 days prior. Kitrat says the…
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Anti-government protests, clashes with police continue for second day in Bangkok
Violence has erupted on the streets of Bangkok for the second day in a row as anti-government protesters clashed with police. Thai PBS World reports that protesters hurled bricks, firecrackers, and slingshots at officers at the Victory Monument and the Din Daeng intersection. Yesterday’s rally was organised by the Talu Fah group, which is closely allied to the Ratsadon pro-democracy…
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Covid UPDATE Thursday: 147 Covid-related deaths, 22,782 infections
Today the Thai public health department has announced 22,782 new infections, 375 of those from Thai prisons, along with 147 new Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours. 23,649 patients have been released from hospitals or field hospitals as well. 209,028 patients remain under state care, but 68,335 infected people are in home or community isolation. 5,495 patients are listed…
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Heavy rain causes flash flood in Surat Thani
Raging currents of flood swept away the roof of a shop at Surat Thani province. Due to heavy rain, water from the Nuea Khlong waterfall flowed down the mountain yesterday, flooding some houses in Wiang Sa District. Southern parts of Thailand get by far the most rain, with around 2,400 millimeters every year, compared with the central and northern regions…
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Kanchanaburi bridge closure isolates Ban Wang Ka village
The CDC has closed Thailand’s longest wooden bridge, Uttamanusorn Bridge/Saphan Mon, in Thailand’s western province of Kanchanaburi. The closure has isolated a village where Covid cases are climbing. Shade netting has been employed by the Sangkhla Buri district office to block passage to the bridge. Thus, people in the Ban Wang Ka village are stuck in their village. In non-Covid…
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Foreigner killed in Chon Buri car accident, other driver skedaddles
Last night, an unnamed foreign driver died after his sedan hit what officials believe was a trailer truck in Chon Buri, which sits on the Gulf of Thailand. When police arrived, the other vehicle was no longer present at the scene. Police and emergency responders were alerted to the accident at 10:30 pm at Motorway 7 in Nongprue. When they…
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Anti-government protesters in violent clashes with police in Bangkok
Pro-democracy activists clashed with police in Bangkok last night in response to the authorities’ use of teargas, rubber bullets, and water cannon. Thai PBS World reports that the clashes took place at the Din Daeng intersection in the capital, following a rally organised by protest group, the United Front for Thammasat and Demonstration. It’s understood a number of activists refused…
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Q3 tourism hopes fade as US advises citizens not to travel to Thailand
Hopes are fading for a tourism revival in the third quarter of this year after the US government cautioned its citizens against unnecessary travel to Thailand. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has added Thailand to its Level 4 countries, the highest-level warning, as a result of the rising Covid-19 infections in the Kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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How to enter Thailand during Covid
Sponsored Article Are you looking to travel to Thailand? Travelling between countries in this Covid-19 pandemic is not the same as it used to be anymore. The process of obtaining the necessary visas to enter Thailand can be time-consuming and stressful, but we can help you save a lot of time. With just a few clicks, we can help you…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 21,038 new cases and 207 deaths
21,038 new Covid-19 cases and 207 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1, 788,126 infections have been reported. There are now 210,042 active Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases reported today, 173 were found in correctional facilities. More than 40,000 inmates at…
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Prominent Thai medic says infections have yet to peak, restrictions still needed
A leading Thai doctor says the public must adhere to Covid-19 restrictions as case numbers have yet to peak in the Kingdom. Dr Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital took to Facebook to update the public on the latest developments in the Covid-19 crisis facing Thailand. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prasit says the daily…
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1 million unemployed by year’s end, suggests Thai think tank
Thailand Development Research Institute, a Thai think tank, estimates that there will be 1 million unemployed people in Thailand by the end of the year if Covid stays “uncontrollable”. Yongyuth Chalamwong, an Associate Professor and director of labour development research from the think tank’s human resources and social development department, tells Thai media today that the partial lockdown measures have…
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Motorbike “mob” protest in Bangkok, police advise drivers to take alternative routes
With another car and motorbike mob protest in Bangkok, honking horns and backing up traffic, Royal Thai Police released a warning early today warning drivers to avoid the Ratchaprasong intersection and advised people to take one of 12 alternative routes. There have been several car and motorbike mob protests over the past several months, many calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to…
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