News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Bangkok taxi driver photographs himself raping 17 year old girl from Myanmar
A Bangkok taxi driver has photographed himself raping a Burmese teenager earlier this month. The girl had been in Bangkok seeking a job, and she told police her aunt made a Facebook post to try to help her find one. Investigators say the alleged rapist, 39 year old Adirek Sae Bae, commented on the post and said he would employ…
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Thailand Pass – Am I fully vaccinated? The fine print.
With the changes to the Thailand Pass, scheduled to kick on from May 1 (after the changes have been detailed and endorsed by Royal Gazette), there will only be 2 categories of people coming into Thailand, vaccinated and unvaccinated. There will be no Test & Go or Sandbox programs. So what is considered ‘fully vaccinated’? • Information about the changes…
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Thailand drops all pre and on-arrival testing, banks on a tourist surge after May 1
The CCSA has approved the biggest easing of entry requirements for fully vaccinated travellers (Thai and foreign) starting May 1, but awaiting official publication in the Royal Gazette, expected early next week. There will be no more Test & Go or Sandbox programs, and there’s now more options for unvaccinated travellers. The only 2 options for arriving travellers will simply…
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Gunman intimidates at least one tourist in Patong
A gunman has intimidated at least one tourist in Patong in Phuket yesterday. Local CCTV footage and eyewitness statements helped police officers at Patong Police Station track down the gunman, 25 year old Kittipong Chanthawong, nicknamed ‘Bank’. Bank had allegedly accosted the unnamed tourist on Bangla Road. Bank surrendered to police near a water shop next to a university. Police…
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Thai commerce chairman welcomes end of PCR test requirement
Following the announcement for major changes to Thailand Pass, a commerce leader is giving the government a great big thank you. Yesterday, the chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, Sanan Angubolkul, thanked the government for getting rid of mandatory RT-PCR tests for visitors on arrival, starting May 1. “The private sector believes the decision will help trade, investment, services…
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Thailand Pass Q&A – your questions answered
There are many changes now to the Thailand Pass. Love it or hate it, the ‘pass’ remains. But the process for entry to Thailand is now MUCH easier after May 1 and will surely spur a much-needed revival of tourism back to the country. Tim is here for a Saturday morning ‘catch up’ and to answer your questions on the…
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Thailand’s venues to be allowed to ‘officially’ serve alcohol slightly later
Along with several back-peddles for the Thailand Pass, Thailand’s CCSA announced yesterday it also plans to ease another Covid-19 restriction- the alcohol curfew. Restaurants, and ‘restaurants’, will be able to serve alcohol until midnight, instead of 11pm. Like the Thailand Pass changes, the alcohol curfew change is set to start on May 1. Thailand’s 11pm alcohol curfew has given venue managers…
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Thailand agrees to fund Zinc-ion batteries for electric vehicles
A Thai tech executive director says Thailand’s government has agreed to fund 192 billion baht to asset finding for the development and production of zinc-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The executive director of the National Science and Technology Development Agency says the funding will go to the agency for the project. The Thai government has swung their full support around…
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UPDATE: Missing family from central Thailand flew to Istanbul, Turkey
THE LATEST After checking their database, Thai police have discovered that the family from central Thailand who went missing on April 10 flew to Istanbul, Turkey on that day. The family, who lived in Sukhothai, flew from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. It is unclear whether they are still in Istanbul, or have moved to another spot. Police also found the couple’s…
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Fancy mango sticky rice? Try these delicious sticky rice desserts
The simple yet incredibly delicious combination of sticky rice and mango (mango sticky rice) has caught the world’s attention following a famous Thai rapper, Milli’s remarkable performance at Coachella, where she devours the beloved Thai dessert on stage. Since then, the mango sticky rice vendor’s sales have gone through the roof! Evidently, many of us caught the so-called “mango sticky…
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BREAKING: Thailand drops PCR test on arrival, no SHA hotel, ATK test ‘optional’
Thailand’s CCSA has just announced major changes to the county’s Test & Go program, part of the broader Thailand Pass. International travellers will no longer need to take a PCR test on arrival. The requirement to book an SHA+ hotel as part of the Test & Go entry scheme is also dropped under today’s CCSA decision. On April 1 pre-travel…
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BREAKING: Thailand ENDS Test & Go and Sandbox, changes for unvaccinated travellers
Thailand plans to scrap its unpopular Test & Go entry scheme, opting instead to adopt the simplified categories of “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated” for international travellers arriving in the kingdom. The actual Thailand Pass – the online pre-registration system – will remain, although the paperwork has been vastly simplified by these changes. The CCSA announced those major changes, among others, about…
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“Your old ATK tests are not art” – warning from Thai lab scientist
A medical laboratory scientist is warning Thai netizens to avoid keeping their used ATK tests after one Thai netizen collected all of his used ATK tests and put them into a picture frame to show friends on social media. A momento to be shared with his grandchildren, we suppose. The picture frame packed with used ATK tests went viral on…
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Chiang Rai business and tourism sectors weigh reopening Myanmar border bridge
A Chiang Rai commerce official hosted a meeting yesterday for business and tourism sectors to discuss reopening the Mae Sai district’s border crossing with Myanmar. The first Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge connecting the two countries there has been closed ever since Covid-19 hit Thailand in 2020. Since then, Mae Sai has lost a hundred billion baht per year, according to Pakaimas…
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Thai street food seller comes up with Mango Pad Kra Pao to follow Mango Sticky Rice fever
WARNING: This looks spicy!! To keep up with the current mango fever in Thailand, a food seller has offered a fusion dish, Mango Pad Kra Pao, and invited his customers to try it. The dish went viral on Thai social media, and many tried cooking it at home. The young Thai rapper, Danupa “Milli” Kanateerakul, created the mango fever in…
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No quarantine for unvaccinated travellers in Thailand and other countries
International travellers who are unvaccinated for Covid-19 will soon be able to enter Thailand by air without quarantine, as long as they provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure. They’ll just need to upload their negative test result onto the Thailand Pass system before boarding their flight. Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday…
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Friday Covid Update: 21,808 new cases; provincial totals
128 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,520 with 5,822 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,808 new Covid-19 cases and 19,826 recoveries. There are now 190,780 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today,…
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Former Phuket prison to transform into spooky tourist attraction
An old Phuket prison no longer housing inmates is now set to become a spooky tourist attraction, providing visitors with a “Twilight Zone” experience. Phuket Prison was built in Phuket Town about 120 years ago, and Phuket officials now plan to turn it into a ‘live museum’ to teach both tourists and locals about its history. In addition to the…
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Court lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school
The court has lifted a ban on hijabs set four years ago at a school in Pattani, southern Thailand. The school claimed that wearing a hijab – or Islamic headscarf – to school went against the Education Ministry’s regulations. Four years of court battles between the school and parents finally ended yesterday when the Yala Administrative Court announced a ruling…
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BREAKING: Big Thailand Pass changes
Tim will talk about Big Thailand Pass changes that Thailand drops PCR test on arrival, no SHA hotel, ATK test ‘optional’.
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Prison guard under investigation for blackmail
After a guard at the Thonburi Women’s Correctional Institute in Bangkok was suspected of corruption and bribery, an investigation is now underway. In return for alleged special treatment, the guard wanted money from the family of a prisoner. The guard, who has not been named, is now suspended during the investigation and will be fired if proven guilty. Somsak Thepsuthin,…
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Pattaya tourist claims thieves in ‘sexy dresses’ stole his 33,000 baht necklace
An Indian tourist in Pattaya claims that last night, a Thai woman, and a ‘transgender individual’, who both wore ‘sexy dresses’, stole his gold necklace worth about 33,000 baht. The tourist, 45 year old Sathishkumar Govindarju, told The Pattaya News the pair also tried to convince him to sleep with them. “I was walking along the road alone, returning from a…
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Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand
Four police officers from the main city Samut Sakhon Police Station, south west of central Bangkok, were dismissed from their positions after being reported for allegedly selling “special tickets” to trafficked Burmese migrants. The tickets required Burmese migrant workers to pay a monthly fee of 500 baht and carry the tickets everywhere to avoid arrest. On April 19, Thai media…
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Donated Covavax doses to be offered to the unvaccinated, people with allergies
Donated supplies of the Covavax protein sub-unit vaccine will be offered to the unvaccinated, as well as people who are allergic to other vaccine types. Opart Karnkawinpong from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control says the doses, which were donated by India and partner countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, have already been sent to the Medical Sciences Department to be…
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“Don’t wait, get checked”: Free lung cancer X-rays in Bangkok until Sunday
You can get a free lung X-ray scan on the first floor at CentralWorld in Bangkok until Sunday. Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in Thailand, so one hospital is running a campaign called “Don’t Wait, Get Checked” to try to detect lung cancer in its early stages. With the help of AI technology, you can…
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CCSA meets today to consider further easing of Covid entry restrictions
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to consider the further easing of Thailand’s entry restrictions. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will also discuss the possible re-opening of all land border checkpoints, as well as reviewing the colour-coding of provinces based on their infection rates. Nation Thailand reports that Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says officials will consider a…
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Thailand’s Prayut urges schools to follow Covid-19 measures
Ahead of the upcoming new school semester, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday called on schools to follow so-called ‘6-6-7’ safety measures for Covid-19. The first six measures of the plan include well known precautions such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and temperature checks. The next six measures include school check-in and check-out, surveys and examinations, and self-quarantine. The…
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Pfizer Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, “strongly recommended” by WHO
The World Health Organisation has given its backing to Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, recommending it over the alternatives. The WHO says it “strongly recommends” the treatment for Covid patients with milder symptoms, who remain at high risk of being hospitalised. However, it adds that, as with vaccines, inequality in accessing the drug remains a problem for lower and middle-income countries.…
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Koh Phang Ngan looking beyond Full Moon parties to more sustainable tourism
The Koh Phang Ngan Hotel and Tourism Association says the island is looking beyond its legendary full moon parties and aiming for more sustainable tourism. The association’s president, Chantana Limsuwan, says the island hopes to welcome 100,000 visitors this year, following the easing of travel restrictions. The Bangkok Post reports that the Full Moon Party on April 16, coupled with…
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Chon Buri field worker believed to have died of heat stroke
A Chon Buri worker was found lying dead in the cassava field where he worked in Phanat Nikhom district yesterday. His co-worker, who found him, said she found his tractor still running with no one around it, so she went to check, and found the man lying completely motionless. Police suspect that the man, 58 year old Seree Hiranrat, died…
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