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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Thousands of people evacuated due to flood in deep south Thailand
Thousands of residents in Songkhla, Yala and Narathiwat, in lower south of Thailand, evacuated their homes due to flash flooding from nearly a week of continuous heavy rain. Local authorities say a total of 18,024 households across 19 districts in the 3 provinces were affected. In Yala, the continuous heavy rain throughout the week caused the Sai Buri River to…
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Royal Thai Army’s Children’s Day activities go online due to Covid-19
Due to the new outbreak of Covid-19, the armed forces is suspending the upcoming national Children’s Day events to be held at Royal Thai Army units across the country tomorrow and will go online instead. All regular activities will broadcast on social media and online platforms including Facebook Live and YouTube, while additional interactive quizzes and prizes for children are…
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Boeing fined $2.5 billion USD following charges linked to 737 Max crashes
Boeing is facing a US$2.5 billion fine following criminal charges pressed by the US Justice Department for defrauding regulators. The department says Boeing concealed information about the 737 Max jet’s automated flight control system, MCAS, that was a major factor in the passenger flight crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed…
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7-Eleven stores investigated over allegations of face mask price hikes
Thailand’s Internal Trade department has investigated the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores over allegations that face masks are being sold at inflated prices. However, the department says the masks in question do not fall under the 2.50 baht cap imposed by the government. Wattanasak Sur-iam, director-general of the department, says the face masks in question are ordinary masks, not the…
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Up to 20,000 baht fine for not wearing a mask in Phuket
Wear a mask or pay a hefty fine… and possibly even go to jail. Phuket governor Narong Woonciew issued an immediate order requiring people in the island province to wear a face mask while in public to control the spread of Covid-19. Those who violate the order could face a 20,000 baht fine. Those who breach the order can also…
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Chiang Mai records 4 new Covid cases linked to same venue
The northern city of Chiang Mai has confirmed 4 new cases of coronavirus, all of which are linked to the Warm Up café in the Muang district. The province of Chiang Mai now has 11 active cases and has recorded 57 cases in total, according to deputy governor, Weerapan Dee-on. “The 54th patient in Chiang Mai is a Thai man…
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Leaders of German Embassy rally meet with police, prosecutors
13 political activists who led thousands of protesters to the German Embassy in Bangkok last October have met with police and prosecutors in the capital. They face charges of violating section 112 of the Criminal Code for the October 26 rally at the embassy. The aim of the gathering was to submit a petition calling on the German government to…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calls bluff on claims that he benefits from illegal gambling
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling bluff on claims that he is benefiting from illegal gambling and is ordering a crackdown on gambling after a cluster of Covid-19 infections were said to be linked to a den in Rayong. The outbreak linked to unlawful activities became a headache for health officials who have been trying to track down elusive gamblers to…
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US Cabinet reportedly considers invoking 25th Amendment to force Trump out of office
The United States Cabinet members are reportedly discussing whether to invoke the 25th Amendment to force President Donald Trump out of office after a mob of protesters breached the US Capitol Building. It would be the first time in US history that a president was removed from office for a non-health related issue. Trump spread conspiracy theories after his loss,…
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Thai Airways delays take off in 2021 | VIDEO
Due to the current outbreak of Covid-19, Thai Airways, Thailand’s flagship airline, is reducing its international flight schedule until at least March 27. A limited schedule of domestic flights are still operating as normal under the airline’s domestic carrier Thai Smile. Thai Airways will reduce international flights to the following destinations: Asia •Hong Kong: One daily return flight – TG638/TG639…
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Thailand News Today | 305 infections, No happy ending for massages, Phuket quarantine mooted | Jan 7
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon says his recent claim that there are no illegal gambling dens in Bangkok was all a misunderstanding. The nation’s favourite watch collector was forced to backtrack after the public scoffed at his claims. The Minister of Misunderstandings said… “I didn’t mean that gambling dens do not exist. We all know that there are gambling dens, but…
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Men arrested for dumping dead body on the side of a Bangkok road
Bangkok police arrested 2 men who allegedly dumped a dead man’s body on the side of the road in the Nong Khaem district. The suspects allegedly told police that they had invited 33 year old Chalit Nensap to a party, but he then overdosed on methamphetamine and died. To avoid potential drug charges from police, the men decided to get…
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“Red zone” restrictions tighten, legal action for concealing travel information
People who travel from any of the 28 “red zone” provinces and conceal their travel timeline can face up to 2 years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht, according to yesterday’s announcement in the Royal Gazette. The tightened measures are aimed to slow people’s travel from the affected area to other parts of the country and to prevent…
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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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Deputy PM Prawit backtracks after denying existence of Bangkok gambling dens
Whoops. Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon says his recent claim that there are no illegal gambling dens in Bangkok was all a misunderstanding. The nation’s favourite watch collector and Minister of Misunderstanding was forced to backtrack after the public scoffed and mocked his claims. “I didn’t mean that gambling dens do not exist. We all know that there are gambling dens,…
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U-Tapao airport halts commercial flights due to Covid-19 outbreak
Commercial flights in and out of U-Tapao International Airport are suspended for the rest of the month due to the Covid-19 outbreak in Rayong and Chon Buri, which are classified as “red zone” provinces under maximum control. The domestic flights, which include flights to the popular destinations Phuket and Chiang Mai, could be suspended longer if the coronavirus situation in…
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Construction of new Bangkok rail links set for completion this year
Bangkok residents will see construction of a number of rail projects finally completed this year, with hopes this will do something to alleviate traffic problems in the capital, as well as improving air quality. The Bangkok Post reports on 4 electric rail routes it’s hoped will be up and running later this year. The Pink Line This 34.5 kilometre track…
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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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Pro-Trump rioters storm the US Capitol building, stopping the count of Electoral College votes
The heart of United States democracy, the US Capitol Building, was stormed by a mob of unruly pro-Trump protesters. Inside, the House of Representatives and the Senate were in the early stages of an unprecedented debate to certify the Electoral College votes that named Joe Biden as the winner of the Presidential vote held on November 3, 2020. The protesters…
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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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Chiang Mai ranks 5th on travel site’s list of best places for digital nomads
Chiang Mai, a city which some say is a “rite of passage” for digital nomads, is a top location in the world to work remotely, according to the global travel site Big 7 Travel. In the list of “50 Best Places for Remote Working in 2021,” Chiang Mai ranked 5th out of 50 places. The site says the city has…
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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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Over 10,000 schools to close across Thailand in bid to curb virus spread
Over 10,000 schools, in at least 28 Thai provinces, are to close until January 31 and switch to online learning, in an effort to curtail the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The Kingdom is in the grip of a resurgence after months of no local transmission. On the southern resort island of Phuket, Governor Narong Woonciew has ordered all schools…
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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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