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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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Toll booths in Samut Prakan shut down after supervisor tests positive
Toll booths in Samut Prakan are temporarily shut down after a supervisor tested positive for Covid-19. The entrances and exits to the Theparak 4 toll booths Kanchanapisek Bang Phli-Suksawat Expressway, just south of Bangkok, are closed off for cleaning and disinfection for the next day or so, according to the Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT. Toll booth employees who…
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Struggling massage parlours petition government for financial assistance
Representatives of Thailand’s spa and massage parlour industry are pleading with the government to provide some form of tailored financial aid to offset the impact of Covid-19. Yesterday, the Charawi Association for the Conservation of Thai Massage submitted a letter to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also chairs the government’s Covid-19 task force. In it, they call on his administration to…
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Protesters call rally in Bangkok to support activists charged over German Embassy petition
Pro-democracy activists have called a protest at Thung Mahamek police station in Bangkok, in a show of solidarity with 13 protesters arrested for delivering a petition to the German Embassy. Last October, members of the pro-democracy Ratsadon group led a march of thousands of people to the German Embassy on Sathorn Road. The protesters’ plan was to submit a petition…
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Thai PM promises free Covid vaccine for half the population in initial rollout
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has repeated his pledge to vaccinate half the population for free in 2021. Thailand will take delivery of its first supply of China’s Covid-19 vaccine by the end of next month, with an initial 200,000 doses of the Sinovac jab reserved. First in line will be healthcare workers and elderly people considered high risk. Following the initial…
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UPDATE: Mor Chana App – mobile app to track Covid situation
The CCSA is calling on people, particularly those in 5 provinces with high risk and strict control measures, to download Mor Chana (download links below), a new mobile app to help identify individuals who have been exposed to infected patients using GPS and Bluetooth technology to track their location. People travelling from the 28 Red Zone areas will likely be…
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Thailand News Today | 10,000 schools closed, 900 new migrant infections, Gambling crackdown | January 6
• The nationwide Emergency Decree has been extended until the end of February. The decree gives the Thai government the ability to set policies and procedures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 such as restricting travel and setting up road checkpoints. The emergency decree was first declared in April last year and has been extended, month by month, ever since.…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to form committee to investigate illegal gambling
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Thai government to form an investigation committee to crackdown on illegal gambling in response to the outbreak at a Rayong gambling venue. The spike in cases linked to illegal activity has caused problems for health officials who have been trying to track down elusive gamblers to contain the spread of the virus. The prime…
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Thai Airways cuts down international flight schedule
Due to the ongoing spread of Covid-19, Thai Airways is reducing its international flight schedule from now until March 27. Domestic flights will still operate as normal under the airline’s sister carrier Thai Smile. Thai Airways will reduce international flights to the following destinations: Asia Hong Kong: One daily return flight – TG638/TG639 Manila: One weekly return flight – TG624/TG625…
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No travel ban on British arrivals, quarantine facilities tighten rules
While there’s no ban on travellers from the United Kingdom, quarantine facilities are tightening disease control measures for British arrivals after a new, faster-spreading Covid-19 variant was reported in the European country. British arrivals must now stay in their room for the majority of the stay under new measures set by the Department of Disease Control. The department ordered ASQ…
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Restaurants in Bangkok that violate the measures will be shut
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is to close restaurants that don’t comply with the Covid-19 restrictions for 14 days. Restaurant owners must follow the disease control measures strictly if they don’t want to worsen their business further. The Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang says that, in all food shops in Bangkok, alcoholic drinks are banned from being served. “All districts must ensure that restaurants comply strictly with the Covid-19 steps of the BMA, such as socially distanced seating plans and the use of the Thai Chana application.” A restaurant owner told the Bangkok Post that the restaurant will be happy to…
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Bangkok website lists 11 “high risk” areas, urges visitors to identify themselves
A Bangkok website, known simply as BKK Covid-19, has listed 11 areas and venues now considered “high risk” and urged recent visitors to come forward. The places in question are spread across several provinces in the centre and east of the country. Those who have visited the following since December 15 are urged to register. 1. Samut Sakhon province 2.…
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Thai PM pledges financial assistance for workers affected by Covid-19 restrictions
“We’ll find the money.” This is the promise from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, who’s instructing the Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies to come up with measures to help workers who have been affected by the Covid-19 resurgence. The PM has pledged economic assistance for those who have lost their jobs, are currently being furloughed, or whose businesses have had…
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“Don’t try this at home,” Thai FDA warns against self-diagnosis using Covid-19 rapid test
With Covid-19 rapid test kits now available online, the Thai Food and Drug Administration is warning the public not to use the tests at home, unless they are a medical professional. Now that Thailand is experiencing a new wave of infections, with active cases exceeding 4,000, far higher than the first wave’s peak of 1,451 active cases in April, FDA…
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Vaccines bring hope, but we won’t be out of the woods for some time – Thai health officials
Health officials in Thailand have welcomed the development of a number of seemingly-effective Covid-19 vaccines but warn that the “new normal” will remain for some time. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says people will still have to wear masks, observe social distancing, and wash their hands regularly. “The challenge posed…
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Thai officials crackdown on “lèse majesté” social media pages and posts
In a crackdown on social media posts critical of the Thai Monarchy, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society says they plan to pursue legal action against Facebook and Twitter for failing to remove content that violates the country’s draconian lèse majesté law. Social media users who make insulting posts about the Thai Monarchy can also be charged. So far, the…
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392 killed in road accidents during New Year holiday’s “7 Dangerous Days”
Nearly 400 people were killed in road accidents in Thailand over the New Year holiday week known as the “7 Dangerous Days.” Motorcycles were involved in the vast majority of accidents while speeding and drink-driving were the most common causes of accidents. From December 29 up until yesterday, 392 people died in accidents, a 5% increase from last year’s toll…
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Thailand News Today | PM reverses lockdown, Southern P.D.A. crackdown, Covid update | Jan 5
Jett back with today’s Thailand News Today. All the latest news on thethaiger.com 527 new Covid-19 cases were reported in today’s CCSA daily media briefing. Thailand now has 4,504 active coronavirus cases in 55 of Thailand’s 77 provinces. A total of 8,966 people in Thailand have reportedly been infected Covid-19 and 65 people have died since February of last year.…
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Covid-19 control measures by province
Provincial authorities are stepping up disease control measures as Covid-19 spreads throughout the country. 55 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have reported at least 1 Covid-19 case since the new wave of the coronavirus. Here’s a run down of Covid-19 measures and advisories in some Thailand provinces, posted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Bangkok Closure of educational institutions at all…
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Can you survive 10 days of no talking, no phone? The Vipassana Silent Meditation Retreat | VIDEO
Thaiger team member Jett tells of his experience at a 10-day Vipassana Meditation Retreat in Phitsanulok Province in central Thailand. No talking, no phone, vegetarian meals, and 12 hours of meditation each day. Transformative experience or sheer insanity? Tim finds out the answers! Retreat location: https://goo.gl/maps/AuovZvEVPRkxMshy7 Learn more: https://www.dhamma.org https://www.youtube.com/user/VipassanaOrg
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A year of COVID – from Wuhan to World Pandemic | VIDEO
12 months ago the news of a mysterious respiratory illness started to emerge from hospitals in the central Chinese province of Hubei. Chinese health authorities said they were investigating a small cluster of pneumonia-like cases with an unknown cause linked to a seafood market in Wuhan. Those early days have given rise to any number of conspiracy theories that the…
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YouTube blocks music video with pro-democracy protest footage after legal complaint
A music video by a pro-democracy movement band was blocked on YouTube in Thailand due to a legal complaint from the government, according to the message posted on the video’s page. The band Rap Against Dictatorship, also known as RAD, made a post on their Facebook fan page saying that the music video for their song “Reform” was blocked on…
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UPDATE: 5 coastal provinces still open – Prayut rejects “total lockdown” proposal
The proposal for a “total lockdown” restricting travel in and out of 5 coastal provinces was rejected by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The provinces, Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat, are implementing strict measures to control the spread of the virus, but the provinces will not be completely sealed off. In earlier reports, Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutacha…
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Public health official urges Bangkokians to eat at home
People in Bangkok should eat at home as much as possible to lower the risk of spreading the coronavirus, according to the director-general of the Department of Health. While there is now a ban on dine-in service from 9pm to 6am in Bangkok, Dr. Suwannachai Wattanacharoencha says people should still eat a home during the day. He says the best…
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Ban on Children’s Day activities in 28 “code red” provinces
The government’s Covid-19 task force has banned 28 Thai provinces, currently colour-coded “red” as a result of their case numbers, from holding any activities to celebrate Children’s Day on January 9. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, is also calling on 11 “code orange” provinces, and 38 “yellow” provinces, to avoid holding activities to mark the…
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Thai PM says government plans to buy a further 35 million vaccine doses
Thailand hopes to buy an additional 35 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, giving the country a total supply of 63 million doses, according to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. He has not confirmed where the additional supply will come from, but according to a Bangkok Post report, he says the government will ensure the vaccines meet Food and Drug Administration criteria.…
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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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Thai VietJet offers passengers change of flights during Covid outbreak
Thai VietJet, along with all the other Thai domestic airlines, is being impacted by a drop in traffic during the current list of restrictions during the latest Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. According to Thai Residents, “for passengers who booked tickets and made payments before January 1, 2021 with travel date between January 5 – 3, 2021, can change their travel…
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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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