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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    What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?

    The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...

  • Thailand International Boat Show to kick-start luxury tourism revival | Thaiger

    Thailand International Boat Show to kick-start luxury tourism revival

    Press Release International boat brands, superyachts, supercars, luxury real estate and more are on display to thousands of expected visitors from Thailand and overseas. Phuket, Thailand, 29 October 2021 – The Thailand International Boat Show will take place at the award-winning Royal Phuket Marina from 6-9 January 2022 and is set to attract thousands of high net worth individuals from…

  • Despite errors, over 65,000 have applied for Thailand Pass | Thaiger

    Despite errors, over 65,000 have applied for Thailand Pass

    Despite a rash of technical issues, in just 4 days since launching the Thailand Pass, over 65,000 people have applied for it in order to reenter Thailand. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the figures yesterday and stated that 13,000 people have already been approved in the new scheme. From November 1 until yesterday morning, 65,338 applications for the Thailand…

  • 4 new holidays in Thailand hoped to stimulate domestic travel | Thaiger

    4 new holidays in Thailand hoped to stimulate domestic travel

    Apparently in an effort to boost tourism revenue in Thailand, the Thai Cabinet has approved the creation of 4 new holidays in the middle of next year that allows for extra-long weekends. The government hopes that the creation of these long holiday weekends will encourage domestic travellers to take short getaway holidays around Thailand and stimulate the economy. The move…

  • Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases and 80 deaths | Thaiger

    Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases and 80 deaths

    8,148 new Covid-19 cases and 80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA reported 8,238 recoveries. There are now 97,480 people in Thailand receiving treatment for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a…

  • Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021 | Thaiger

    Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…

  • TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021 | Thaiger

    TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021

    Perhaps revising their previous goal of 1 million international tourists in the next 2 months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping to hit a total of 700,000 international travellers in 2021. Thailand has launched a number of schemes to bring in foreigners during the Covid-19 pandemic to various levels of success so far. The Phuket Sandbox has been the…

  • Thai health experts report three deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccine | Thaiger

    Thai health experts report three deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccine

    A committee under Thailand’s Public Health Ministry investigating fatalities following Covid-19 vaccination has found that the vaccine is linked to three deaths. So far, the committee investigated 842 of the 1,296 deaths following inoculation that have been reported as of October 24, according to an official from the Department of Disease Control. Out of the three people whose cause of…

  • Police raid Pattaya beach bar and arrest 30 customers | Thaiger

    Police raid Pattaya beach bar and arrest 30 customers

    Police raided a beach bar in Pattaya at around 10pm last night and arrested 30 people for gathering and drinking alcohol, violating Chon Buri disease control measures which orders bars to remain closed and bans alcohol at restaurants. Officers on patrol last night heard loud music coming from Lisa on the Beach and found customers inside dancing and drinking alcohol…

  • Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts | Thaiger

    Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts

    Pro-tip: If a shop is selling Louis Vuitton pillows next to Doraemon pillows, they are fake. In a series of raids, police impounded 40 million baht worth of counterfeit goods – mostly bedding products – from storage facilities in Pathum Thani and Rayong. The Department of Special Investigation announced the haul yesterday. The bust was made with the help of…

  • Cryptocurrency is now accepted at Silavadee Pool Spa Resort in Koh Samui | Thaiger

    Cryptocurrency is now accepted at Silavadee Pool Spa Resort in Koh Samui

    Press Release Silavadee Pool Spa Resort becomes the First Resort in Koh Samui to accept Cryptocurrency. Koh Samui, 2021 – Silavadee Pool Spa Resort is becoming the first resort in Koh Samui to accept cryptocurrency for hotel bookings worldwide. Miss Chonlada Soonthonvasu, Managing Director of Silavadee Pool Spa Resort said, “As the popularity of online booking channels grows, people are…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases; provincial totals

    68 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,462 with 19,368 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,470 people in Thailand being…

  • Joke Thaiger, Wowzers, Thai Silk Shirts, Greedy Bar Girls | Thaiger Bites | Ep. 53 | Thaiger

    Joke Thaiger, Wowzers, Thai Silk Shirts, Greedy Bar Girls | Thaiger Bites | Ep. 53

    Jay and Tim go through viewer comments from our YouTube shows, Facebook, Instagram and the Thaiger Talk forum as The Thaiger gets a little feisty.

  • PM Prayut urges a new Thailand focused on tourism, sustainability | Thaiger

    PM Prayut urges a new Thailand focused on tourism, sustainability

    As the reopening of Thailand cranks the doors open wide to international travellers after cracking it open with Sandbox schemes over the past 4 months, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is focusing on tourism in reimagining Thailand moving forward. PM Prayut has called for all sectors of the nation to come together to transform the country in the “new normal” with tourism…

  • Airbnb reports surge in Thailand accommodation searches since re-opening | Thaiger

    Airbnb reports surge in Thailand accommodation searches since re-opening

    The accommodation website Airbnb has reported a spike in searches for properties in Thailand, following the country’s re-opening to vaccinated tourists from select countries. Searches for Thai accommodation over the next 6 months are double those of a year ago, with searches for villas being the most popular. The Bangkok Post reports that in terms of location, Phuket, Bangkok, Koh…

  • Department of Health begs for responsible drinking in restaurants | Thaiger

    Department of Health begs for responsible drinking in restaurants

    The Department of Health is warning people that the permission granted to serve alcohol in restaurants in key tourist destinations must be used responsibly without people overdoing the boozing. They are asking restaurants not to serve drinks after the allowed hours and asking patrons to not overdo their drinking. Now that the government has dedicated Blue Zones for the primary…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases and 68 deaths | Thaiger

    Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases and 68 deaths

    7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 68 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,029 recoveries. There are now 97,470 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 1,914,561…

  • Bitkub company and crypto-coin value surges as SCB buys 51% of shares | Thaiger

    Bitkub company and crypto-coin value surges as SCB buys 51% of shares

    Cryptocurrencies just got a big boost in Thailand as Siam Commercial Bank Group’s parent company SCBX struck a deal to take over 51% of shares of Bitkub from its parent company Bitkub Capital Group Holdings, a deal valued at 17.85 billion baht. SCB Securities will hold the shares and collaborate with Bitkub to create a national infrastructure with a digital…

  • Thailand ranks ninth on Global Climate Risk Index for “extreme weather events” | Thaiger

    Thailand ranks ninth on Global Climate Risk Index for “extreme weather events”

    When it rains, it pours in Thailand… and torrential downpours during the country’s monsoon season is known to cause severe flooding, damaging property and leading to injuries, sometimes deaths. The weather in Thailand is considered so intense that the country is ranked ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 on nations most affected by “extreme weather events” between 2010…

  • 4,510 travellers arrived in 2 days of reopening, 6 with Covid-19 | Thaiger

    4,510 travellers arrived in 2 days of reopening, 6 with Covid-19

    According to data released today, in the 2 days since Thailand’s grand reopening, 4,510 international travellers arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Of those arrivals, only 6 tested positive for Covid-19, less than 1% of arriving passengers, according to the Hazard Communication Director of the Department of Disease Control. The top countries arriving in the first two days of the…

  • Central plans 500 million baht reboot for New Years festival season | Thaiger

    Central plans 500 million baht reboot for New Years festival season

    After months of restrictions for shopping centres, with promotional events banned in areas with high Covid-19 infection rates, 35 Central shopping centres across Thailand are preparing for the holiday shopping season with a multimillion baht market campaign to boost sales. Central Pattana Plc is set to spend as much as 500 million baht this New Years festival season in an…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases; provincial totals

    56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,394 with 19,300 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,585 people in Thailand being…

  • Thai court hands 4-year prison sentence to man for selling used medical gloves | Thaiger

    Thai court hands 4-year prison sentence to man for selling used medical gloves

    An employee of the company accused of exporting millions of used medical gloves to buyers in the US has been sentenced to four years in prison. A recent investigation by CNN reported that the Thai-based Paddy the Room Trading Company sold and exported millions of dirty, used medical gloves, some with bloodstains, to American companies looking to cash in on…

  • Government red tape loses Thammasat University free vaccines | Thaiger

    Government red tape loses Thammasat University free vaccines

    After Thammasat University struck several deals to import millions of vaccines to Thailand, they hit a snag with government bureaucracy blocking the donation of 3 million Moderna vaccines from Poland. After struggling to get the necessary paperwork approving the vaccine donation from the government, the university had to give up and Thailand will lose the donated vaccines, the first 1.5…

  • National Anti-Corruption Commission finishing up probe into Joe Ferrari’s unusual wealth | Thaiger

    National Anti-Corruption Commission finishing up probe into Joe Ferrari’s unusual wealth

    The ex-police chief accused of suffocating a suspect to death during interrogation is also being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for his unusual wealth, especially for a police officer in a rural area on an around 40,000 baht per month salary. The officer is said to have made millions of baht from confiscating luxury cars that had been smuggled…

  • Easing of alcohol restrictions hinges on Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation rate | Thaiger

    Easing of alcohol restrictions hinges on Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation rate

    The National Security Council says any easing of alcohol restrictions will depend on the Covid-19 situation. NSC boss Supoj Malaniyom adds that the 17 provinces open to tourists are likely to be the first to see nightlife permitted to return. According to a Bangkok Post report, the sale of alcohol in restaurants could also be extended, provided the Covid-19 situation…

  • Airports of Thailand expects 726,000 passengers in November, mostly domestic | Thaiger

    Airports of Thailand expects 726,000 passengers in November, mostly domestic

    The president of Airports of Thailand says the country’s airports can expect around 726,000 passengers this month, following Thailand’s re-opening. However, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn says most of those will be domestic travellers, with around 270,529 expected from overseas. The Bangkok Post reports that 31 flights, carrying around 2,600 passengers, landed at Suvarnabhumi yesterday. Around 1,500 were international arrivals. Meanwhile, Anucha Nakasai…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases and 56 deaths | Thaiger

    Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases and 56 deaths

    7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,585 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded…

  • Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case | Thaiger

    Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case

    Disgraced police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon and 6 other officers have been charged in an investigation into the death of a man in custody. The victim, 24 year old Chiraphong Thanapat, died while under interrogation at a police station in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan in August. Video footage that showed Thitisan placing several plastic bags over the drug suspect’s…

  • Vaccinations accelerated for inmates following Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons | Thaiger

    Vaccinations accelerated for inmates following Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons

    More than 74,000 inmates at Thailand’s overcrowded prisons and detention centres have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past several months, which is about a fourth of the total number of prisoners in the country. Correctional facilities stopped allowing visits earlier this year and vaccinations have been accelerated. According to Nation Thailand, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said prisons will start…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 7,574 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Tuesday Covid Update: 7,574 new cases; provincial totals

    78 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,338 with 19,244 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,574 new Covid-19 cases and 8,279 recoveries. There are now 98,444 people in Thailand being…