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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NE Monsoon in South – warnings of heavy rain and flash floods
South of Thailand is expected to face the northeast monsoon that is expected to bring in heavy rain that may cause flash floods. With the prevailing monsoon in the upper and the lower part of the Gulf of Thailand, some southern provinces, including Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat are likely to be affected by strong winds and waves that…
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Tourists sent back to Pattaya as Koh Lan goes into lockdown
Tourists vacationing on Koh Lan were sent back to the mainland today as the island, just off Pattaya, goes into lockdown. The local community, including business owners and residents, decided to impose lockdown measures starting tomorrow until January 20, according to the secretary of the island’s community Sorasak Thongbongpetch. Around 100 tourists were ordered to leave the island and asked…
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Thailand News Today | Record daily infections, Covid restrictions, British arrivals ‘on hold’ | Jan 4
745 new Covid-19 infections and 1 new coronavirus related death have been reported today during the daily briefing of the CCSA. Thailand now has 4,022 active Covid-19 cases with a total of 8,439 reported cases and 65 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak a year ago. Today’s figures include 505 cases in Samut Sakhon which were announced yesterday. Some…
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No lockdown in Phuket, governor calls for more disease control measures
There’s no lockdown in Phuket, the provincial governor says, but protective measures are in place to prevent the spread of the Covid-19. The province currently has 3 confirmed Covid-19 cases, classifying it as a “yellow zone,” a high surveillance area. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew says Phuket’s borders are still open to outside visitors, but all of them must be screened…
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UPDATE: New restrictions come into force in Thailand from today
Some new restrictions have been introduced and others tightened as the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced the latest list of restrictions taking effect from today. The latest list was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday and are now in force. On Friday the BMA suggested that restaurants in Bangkok may be prevented from providing in house dining, and providing take…
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Schools closed in 28 Thai provinces
Thailand’s Ministry of Education is closing all schools in 28 ‘highly controlled red zone’ provinces until January 31, or until further notice. The statement was released over the weekend and applies to all education institutions and both “informal and formal, public or private” schools. Parents should contact their schools to find out about alternative online teaching arrangements for affected schools. Here’s…
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Covid hotspot Samut Sakhon adds 541 more Covid cases to today’s total
Thailand’s Covid hotspot of Samut Sakhon is adding 541 more Covid cases to the total amount of infections reported today. On the province’s Facebook page, it says 455 migrant workers and 86 Thais were found this afternoon to be infected with Covid-19, raising the total amount of cases in the province to 2,401 since the 2nd wave broke out in…
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Chonburi adds 62 more local transmissions today of Covid-19
Chonburi province has added 62 more cases of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases to the total amount of cases reported today in Thailand this afternoon. The accumulative confirmed cases in this new cluster of infections has now reached 305 patients with 1 death. Of the newly confirmed cases, 50 were discovered in the Si Racha district, 7 in Banglamung, 2 in…
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Britons arriving in Thailand test positive for Covid UK variant
Britons arriving in Thailand from England, have reportedly tested positive for the Covid-19 variant that was first identified in the UK. The family of 4 arrived from Kent, in southeast England, and are currently under quarantine at a private hospital after receiving the positive test results. Dr. Yong Pooworavan, chief of the Virology Centre of the Faculty of Medicine at…
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315 new Covid infections – 294 new, locally transmitted, 21 imported
Today, authorities at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, are reporting 294 new, locally transmitted infections of Covid-19 with 21 new imported cases, bringing the total to 7,694 cases since the pandemic began. 38 more have been discharged from the hospital, with the overall death toll remaining at 64. Currently, there are 3,293 Covid active patients in the hospital or…
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Majority of Thais think economy will get worse – NIDA Poll
A recent poll has indicated that a majority of Thai respondents think that the economy will get worse this year, along with a continued unrest surrounding the political landscape. The survey by the National Institute of Development Administration was conducted December 24-25 on 1,326 people, aged 18 and over of various levels of education and occupations nationwide by random sampling…
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Deputy PM says relying on tourism is “unacceptable”
Thailand’s deputy PM says that relying too much on tourism is “unacceptable.” In Supattanapong Punmeechaow’s speech, he said that the tourism industry will never be allowed to recover to its previous levels. For years, Amazing Thailand was the nation’s slogan, which brought in $56.2 billion in 2019 alone, but after Covid struck, it is clear that there has been a…
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216 new Covid cases in Thailand, 11 people in ICU
216 new confirmed infections of Covid-19 have been announced today at the daily media briefing in Bangkok. As usual, Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin fronted the announcements on behalf of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 1 more person has also died, a 47 year old Chon Buri woman in the Banglamung district with complications of diabetes. It’s been reported in Thai media…
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New Year holiday draws homegrown tourists to Phuket, Koh Samui
With the vast majority of foreign holidaymakers still steering clear of Thailand, or simply unable to get a visa at the moment, the country has become almost completely reliant on homegrown tourists. The New Year holiday has brought some slight relief to islands like Phuket and Koh Samui, as visitors from other parts of the country arrived to welcome in…
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Government confirms social security net for workers laid off due to virus restrictions
The Thai government has confirmed it will compensate employees forced out of work by Covid-19 restrictions, by paying 50% of their salary for up to 90 days. The country has found itself in the grip of a sudden resurgence in cases, with many provinces under strict restrictions in an attempt to control the spread. Read the latest on closures HERE.…
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Thailand looking to speed up Covid-19 vaccination timeline
Amid a new surge in Covid-19 cases, Thai officials are planning to increase the number of vaccines available and speed up the timeline for administration. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed the plan, following complaints from the country’s tourism industry when an initial statement said vaccination might not begin until as late as June.…
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2020’s movers, shakers and influences (that weren’t Covid) | VIDEO
2020 The big events, the winners and the losers 2020 has been one of the most disruptive years in history, certainly for anyone that has lived since the great depression and the world wars. But although Covid-19 has been the big headline for the year, there has still been highlights and big news in all fields. Some of these big…
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Day 2 of the New Year road safety campaign – 74 people dead
Day 2 of the New Year holiday period (December 30) on Thailand’s roads ended up with 74 dead out of 586 road road accidents. 576 people were injured. It was the second day of the “New Normal, Safe Driving, No Accidents” campaign which was prepared to raise road safety awareness, but ended up buried under much of the Covid news…
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His Majesty presents televised end of year message
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn is appealing to Thai people to appreciate their rich culture, which exhibits virtue, beauty and progress… the foundation of life and mind. HM also asked all Thai people to conduct themselves “with virtue and reason in order” to overcome the Covid-19 crisis. His Majesty spoke in a televised end of year broadcast saying that cultural…
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Why Thailand celebrates the New Year not once, not twice, but 3 times
While the year just gone may be referred to as 2020 by most of us (with perhaps a few expletives thrown in, given the year it was), we are currently in the year 2563 in Thailand. As everyone who lives here knows, Thailand uses the Buddhist calendar, as well as the Western, or Gregorian, calendar, adding to our eternal confusion…
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Musical composition of His Majesty King Bhumibol the most popular New Year song in Thailand – VIDEO
A song written by His Majesty, the late King Bhumibol, and Prince Chakrapan Pensiri, in December 1951, is still the most popular New Year song among the people of Thailand today. Pohn Pee Mai, which translates as “New Year Blessing” can be heard on TV channels, radio stations, and at public gatherings, and has been a part of Thai culture…
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Inflight catering ban on domestic flights in Thailand amid Covid-19 surge
Damn. I was looking forward to another stale sandwich wrapped in 7 layers of plastic, unable to open it for fear of elbowing the lady next to me, on my flight today. Airlines flying domestic routes within Thailand have been instructed to not serve inflight meals or drinks from today. The ban has been introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority…
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The case for temporarily closing hotel and restaurant operations
OPINION by Bill Barnett As the final days of disruptive 2020 come screeching to an erratic end, hotel, and restaurant owners are peering into an unpredictable year ahead. Here in Thailand over the past week, the tourism industry has been shaken to its core over an uptick in Covid-19 cases and backroom speculation over fears of another round of lockdowns. (Restrictions,…
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PM says there will be no national lockdown, provincial measures up to local governors
Despite a rise in Covid-19 infections in the Kingdom, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insists there will be no nationwide lockdown. He says local governors are empowered to make the necessary decisions for their own provinces, should stricter measures be required to contain the spread of the virus. The PM was speaking while on a visit to the eastern province of…
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Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, declared Covid-19 controlled zone
Nonthaburi, the province directly north of Bangkok, is now declared a Covid-19 controlled zone. Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai central market has been placed under “maximum control”. The 7 floor Pink Condominium has been locked down until January 12, as the 2nd wave of coronavirus continues to spread in Thailand. Outside greater Bangkok, high risk areas have also been declared in Rayong…
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WOW what a year! Thailand’s top news stories for 2020 as voted by YOU.
TOP 10 (non Covid) THAIGER STORIES FOR 2020 The Thaiger started 2020, as we all did, with high hopes and few clues that we were heading into a profound disruption for almost the entire year. Even as we were tapping away at the keyboards on January 1, 2020, there were stories emerging in Wuhan, China about a mysterious new respiratory…
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Thailand’s top virologist self-quarantines after coming in contact with infected governor
Thailand’s top virologist from Chulalongkorn University is in self-quarantine after he attended a meeting and sat near the Samut Sakhon governor, who has since tested positive for Covid-19. The virologist, Yong Poovorawan, made a post on Facebook page saying he sat near the provincial governor Verasak Vichitsangsri at a meeting in Samut Sakhon where more than 1,000 people have tested…
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Thailand News Today | Pattaya restrictions, 2021’s extra holidays, Covid update | December 30
From everyone at The Thaiger, thank you SO much for all your support over 2020. It’s been a difficult year! And we will be back in 2021 with a lot more Thailand News Today as well as other videos about Thailand and the region. Pattaya and neighbouring Banglamung in Chon Buri province are now classified as “highly controlled” areas with…
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Cabinet adds 8 holidays to the 2021 calendar including an extra day for Songkran
Get ready for more long weekends. The Thai Cabinet added 8 holidays to the 2021 calendar, including an extra day for Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated by massive water flights. Adding the extra holidays is an effort to promote domestic tourism and stimulate the economy which was battered by the pandemic. A government spokesperson confirmed the additional holidays with…
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Fewer travellers at Bangkok bus and rail stations as Covid worries take hold
It’s a lot quieter at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train station and the Chatuchak bus terminal as Covid-19 restrictions take hold in the capital, leading some passengers to cancel their travel plans. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has already urged people not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Public transport stations in Bangkok have implemented strict hygiene measures, including socially-distanced seating and the mandatory…
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