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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Pattaya school for the blind struggling, requests public’s help
Some students are learning online at their homes but they don’t have the basic tools they need to learn A Pattaya school for the blind is reportedly struggling under the Covid pandemic as tourists and visitors that usually assisted the school in their charity and other efforts are now scarce. The school says they need mobile phones and computers to…
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UPDATE: PM calls for urgent meeting, expected to discuss “lockdown” measures
UPDATE: The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting set for 10am tomorrow will address the “worsening situation” in Thailand, according to spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily CCSA meeting in English. Natapanu says the media has been “predicting the results” of the meeting, but he assures the public that there will not be…
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Hundreds wait outside Bangkok temple overnight for Covid test
Use the rapid antigen test to speed up testing. Last night, hundreds of people waited outside a Bangkok temple for a free Covid test that began this morning. Like an anxiety-ridden new shoe launch, crowds of people were photographed outside the Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat temple in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district. Testing began at 8 am and the queuestarted…
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Man believes prostitute pickpocketed him in Pattaya
Last night, a German man lodged a complaint with police about his suspicion that a prostitute pickpocketed him. 68 year old Thomas Hatesaul alerted police at 11:30 pm that he was robbed on Soi 13/1 Pattaya Beach Road in Nongprue. He told police that he was walking by himself, to relax when he was approached by a woman. Thomas says…
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Pattaya looks into September reopening despite uptick in Covid-19 infections
Despite the uptick in Covid-19 infections, Pattaya is planned to reopen to foreign arrivals, possibly in September, under a scheme similar to Phuket and the trio of islands off Surat Thani, where tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter without undergoing a 14-day quarantine. Yesterday, Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunplume met with the deputy mayors and those in the…
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Over 200,000 sign petition calling for mRNA vaccines
Over 200,000 people, including prominent Thai doctors and medical practitioners, have signed a petition demanding the government purchase more effective vaccines and administer them for free. A petition from the Mor Mai Thon (Doctors Won’t Tolerate It) group has been signed by 215,409 medical practitioners, calling on the government to purchase mRNA vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that the campaign was run…
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Thursday Covid-19 update: 7,058 new infections, 75 deaths
Thailand records a depressing new high today, with a record 7,058 new infections and 75 Covid-related deaths. 68 infections are from Thai prisons. This is the highest number of new cases and deaths this month, as concern grows over the highly contagious Delta variant, which is expected to become the dominant strain in the Kingdom by the end of the…
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Lockdown not out of the question: CCSA
Will they, won’t they – it’s the question on everyone’s lips as Bangkok residents wait to hear if officials will lock down the capital in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. Natthapol Nakpanich from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has not ruled it out, saying the CCSA is prepared to consider all options as new cases…
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Phuket governor orders investigation into complaints of taxi drivers overcharging
Taxi fares charged from the Phuket International Airport are now being investigated by provincial authorities. The Phuket governor ordered the probe after criticism over a Facebook post asking if the 900 baht fare from the airport, quoted by a hotel in Patong, seemed too expensive. Taxi prices in Phuket are notoriously high compared to other provinces. On the social media…
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Vaccine Update: With limited doses, Thai government focuses on “at-risk” groups
With limited doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, along with the rapid spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant, the Thai government’s mass immunisation campaign will first focus on using those doses to inculcate “at-risk” groups, starting with those in Bangkok, the epicentre of the latest wave. This month’s order of AstraZeneca vaccine doses was cut in half from 10 million to…
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Daily new Covid-19 cases could double in the next 2 weeks – CCSA
With the rapid-spreading Delta variant of the virus becoming more prevalent in Thailand, the CCSA says they expect the average number of daily new Covid-19 cases to double in the next few weeks. Health officials are now preparing for daily new cases to hit 10,000. With the emergence of the highly transmissible mutated strain in Thailand, not only has the…
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Wednesday Covid-19 Update: 6,519 new cases; provincial totals
6,519 new Covid-19 cases and 54 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 301,172 total cases. The latest and most severe wave of the virus has accounted for 272,309 of those infections. Thailand now has 67,614 active Covid-19 cases. Of the patients being…
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Phuket “Sandbox” traveller infected with Covid-19, tour group now in quarantine
A man who arrived in Thailand under the Phuket “Sandbox” reopening scheme has tested positive for Covid-19. The man is the first so-called “Sandboxer” to test positive for the virus since the island’s reopening last week under the scheme which allows travellers from overseas, who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, to enter the island province without undergoing quarantine. A Covid-19…
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Phuket Tourist Police announce taxi fares, ask travellers to report rip-offs
Following criticism and confusion over the notoriously high taxi prices in Phuket, particularly relating to those arriving in Thailand under the “Sandbox” reopening scheme, the Phuket Tourist Police have announced the maximum taxi fares from the Phuket International Airport to popular destinations on the island province. For a ride in a 4-seater taxi from the airport, the driver can charge…
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Another new panel formed to investigate senior officers, prosecutors in “Boss” case
A new panel has been created to investigate 15 senior police officers, investigators, and public prosecutors, accused of mishandling the hit-and-run case against Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. Among those being investigated are 2 police generals and 2 senior police officers. The Bangkok Post reports that all members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission will sit on the newly-created panel.…
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Calls for factories to be moved out of residential areas after blaze at plastics plant
The Federation of Thai Industries is calling on the government to move factories away from residential neighbourhoods, following the devastating blaze in Samut Prakan, outside Bangkok. According to a Bangkok Post report, FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree suggests factory owners could be given incentives to relocate, such as a reduction in corporate income tax and land tax. “Factory relocation requires support…
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Cabinet approves Pfizer purchase, plus another 10.9 million Sinovac doses
The Thai Cabinet has given the go-ahead for the purchase of 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with another 10.9 million doses of Sinovac. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM’s spokesman Anucha Burapachasri says the budget for the Sinovac purchase would come from the executive decree loan and would not exceed 6.1 billion baht. The…
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Growing calls for healthcare workers to get Pfizer booster
A leaked document, which details the minutes of a meeting in which officials discussed how they would allocate the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, has caused uproar and led to calls for healthcare workers to be prioritised. The Bangkok Post reports that the meeting took place on June 30 and discussed the administration of 2 batches of the Pfizer vaccine. The first…
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Wednesday Covid update: 6,519 new infections+, 54 deaths
Today, Thailand records another bleak milestone in its ongoing battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. The 6,519 new cases reported today are the highest number of daily infections since May 17, when over 9,000 cases were reported. The big difference is that the vast majority of those were in Thai prisons. Just 55 of today’s new cases are from Thai prisons.…
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Embassy of Switzerland in Thailand helps Swiss expats get vaccinated
The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangkok announced that it has secured AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine appointments for 180 Swiss citizens living in Thailand who are at least 55 years old, or who have underlying health conditions. The embassy says Swiss expats living in other provinces in Thailand can also register for a vaccine, but they must travel to Bangkok and be…
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LATEST: Engineers believe Samut Prakan fire caused by chemical leak
In a press conference today, the Council of Engineers of Thailand said that a chemical leak is probably the cause of Samut Prakan plastic factory fire that was just put out today after blazing for over 25 hours. A chemic engineering professor, Anchaleeporn Waritswat Lothongkum says the leak could be of the styrene monomer or pentane. The COE says that…
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“At risk” expats in Bangkok can pre-register for vaccines through designated hospitals
The Covid-19 vaccine registration method for expats in Bangkok has changed and foreign residents can now pre-register for vaccines at one of two designated hospitals in the capital. Pre-registration is open to foreigners who are over 60 years old or who have certain underlying health conditions. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that the government is shifting its…
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Government shifts focus in vaccine rollout after rise of elderly Covid patient deaths
With the rise of Covid-related deaths involving elderly patients, the Thai government has revised its plan for the next stages of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign to focus first on those in Bangkok who are at a high risk of severe infection if they contract the coronavirus. Those who are at least 60 years old or who have certain underlying…
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2 suspected drug cartel leaders arrested in Surat Thani and Phuket
2 suspected drug cartel leaders whose operations were based in Europe were arrested in the southern provinces of Surat Thani and Phuket this morning. The suspects are Alek Karun, of German/Russian origin and Alexander Wolfien, a German national, says immigration Bureau chief Sompong Chingduang Alek was arrested at a luxury villa on the island of Koh Phangan, in the Surat…
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After Samut Prakan fire, hazardous materials new concern
Earlier today, the Samut Prakan plastics factory was finally put out after over 25 hours. Now, the attention is on possible hazardous materials left in the fire’s wake. The hazardous materials are reported to be harmful to both the environment and people who live near the site of the fire. One of the main concerns is Styrene. Thai media reports…
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Chiang Mai field hospital to reopen
A Chiang Mai field hospital that closed early last month is reopening today to combat the rising Covid infections. Yesterday, Chiang Mai reported 17 new infections. Local authorities will reopen the hospital, located at the international convention and exhibition centre this afternoon. Beds and other equipment were also put back. Dr Amporn Iamsri, the director of the Chiang Mai field hospital,…
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Phuket official says taxi fares have gone down since the pandemic
Following posts shared on social media on the notoriously high taxi fares amidst Phuket’s reopening under the “Sandbox” model, a provincial transport official is apparently saying the posts are old and the prices do not reflect the current rates. A local transport official says the prices have actually gone down. The Facebook post from a tourist planning a trip to…
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LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
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5 protest leaders to have bail revoked following weekend rallies in Bangkok
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed it is filing to have bail revoked for 5 pro-democracy leaders accused of breaking their bail conditions. The move comes after a number of political rallies in Bangkok last weekend. The Pattaya News reports that Sukhun Prommayon from the MPB says that an investigation into the behaviour of protest leaders attending the rallies shows…
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