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.
-
Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
-
Police search for “ninja thief” in Nonthaburi neighbourhood
Police are searching for a suspect who many are calling a “ninja thief” after a series of robberies in a neighbourhood in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok, where a robber entered the homes through top floor windows. Residents have put up posters in the neighbourhood with an image of a ninja, warning others about the robberies. So far, 10 robberies were…
-
Thai returnee tests positive for South Africa Covid-19 variant
A Thai national, who is in quarantine after returning from Tanzania, is infected with the South Africa strain of Covid-19, a variant of the virus known to be more contagious and believed to be resistant to some vaccines. The Department of Disease Control director general Opas Karnkawinpong says health officials are closely monitoring the situation and a rapid screening process…
-
Thais speak out against police violence after riot officers beat volunteer medic
Many Thais are condemning police after officers in riot gear beat a medical volunteer at Saturday’s protest outside the Supreme Court near Sanam Luang in Bangkok. Photos circulated on Twitter of the man on the ground surrounded by police in riot gear. The man was wearing a bright yellow medic vest (confirmed). Many used a hashtag which translates to #policebeatingmedic.…
-
Ancient artefacts smuggled to the US in the 1960s will be sent back to Thailand
Ancient artefacts that were smuggled out of Thailand decades ago and ended up on display at a museum in the United States will be shipped back to Thailand. The 2 hand carved lintels, each weighing more than 680 kilograms, were stolen from temples in Buri Ram and Sa Kaeo, according to a complaint filed with the Attorney’s Office of the…
-
Police raid Bangkok bar, 13 people arrested for allegedly violating Emergency Decree
Police in Bangkok arrested 13 people at a rooftop bar in the Phra Khanong area. The bar staff allegedly served alcohol to customers, violating the city’s ban on booze sales at restaurants which was put in place to limit gatherings and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Under the emergency regulations in Bangkok, bars and nightclubs are ordered to close…
-
More than 20 police injured in clash with protesters in Bangkok
More than 20 police officers were injured in a clash with protesters last night at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, according to the police’s deputy spokesperson. Youth activists gathered to rally against Thailand’s use of the lèse majesté law which prohibits insults against the royal family under Section 112 of the Criminal Code. Numerous activists calling on monarchy reform have faced lese majeste…
-
Economy expert says Phuket’s income per capita could soon fall below poverty line
A Phuket tourism economy expert says Phuket’s income per capita could soon fall below the provincial poverty line if something isn’t done to increase revenue. Assistant Professor Chayanon Phucharoen, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism, Prince of Songkla University Phuket campus, says the news is based off a report by the university. In it, the…
-
Scientists say Thailand bats could spread similar coronaviruses
Scientists say bats in Thailand could spread other coronaviruses related to Sars-CoV-2, or Covid-19, joining what is thought to be many other bats doing the same thing across Asia. The revelation comes after scientists found bats at a wildlife sanctuary in eastern Thailand to feature a virus that closely matches that of the virus that causes Covid-19. The team that…
-
Thai and Chinese officials come together for Chinese New Year
Thai and Chinese officials are coming together to celebrate the Chinese New Year by marking 46 years of diplomatic relations with each other. The ceremony in Bangkok was led by Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports and China’s Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand. The ceremony also included other high-ranking government officials who…
-
126 new cases, 116 local transmissions-Covid-19 Update
Thailand is reporting 126 new cases of Covid-19 today over the last 24 hours with 116 of those cases being locally-transmitted. The death toll remains unchanged at 80 deaths since the pandemic began. Of the 116 locally-transmitted cases, 37 were found by testing at medical facilities and 79 were found by proactive testing. Most of the cases found through proactive…
-
QAnon, plandemics and sheeple – making sense of the Covid conspiracy-speak
OPINION Whilst many of us have been finding ways to cope with lockdowns and restrictions related to Covid-19, or trying to hang on to jobs and keep our family safe, others have used their spare time to indulge in an elaborate alternate universe of plandemics, sheeple and evil 5G. Bill Gates is apparently the devil in human form and ‘Q’…
-
Chulalongkorn University in lockdown following discovery of Covid cluster
Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University has closed until the end of February in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, following the discovery of 16 cases on campus. The university is urging all staff and students to remain in their accommodation and not to go out or meet others between now and February 28. 16 university employees have tested positive for…
-
Domestic air passenger numbers double those of January
Passenger numbers on domestic flights within Thailand have doubled within a month, rising from 4,000 in January to over 10,000 this month. Having nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel plummeted once more when Covid-19 resurfaced late last year. Apirat Chaiwongnoi from the Department of Airports says 15 of Thailand’s 29 airports are now operating domestic flights, with more expected…
-
Samut Sakhon to re-open 22 fresh markets from Monday
The central province of Samut Sakhon, where the Covid-19 virus first re-surfaced in December, is to re-open 22 wet markets from Monday. However, the seafood market where the outbreak began is not one of them, and it is not yet known when that might re-open. The 22 markets have been closed since December 19 as a result of the virus…
-
Samui tourism operators push for faster vaccination programme
Tourism operators on the island of Samui are calling for the national vaccine rollout to be accelerated, in a bid to re-start international tourism by the third quarter of 2021. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says domestic tourism alone cannot support the sector and it won’t recover without a vaccination programme. He adds that despite the…
-
Chinese New Year celebrations stark reminder of Covid’s impact on Phuket
The hope of Phuket reviving tourism for the Chinese New Year is dimming with each passing hour today as streets remain quiet with only locals visiting the area’s Chinese shrines in a stark reminder of the Covid pandemic having lasting effects on Thailand. Even decorations seem to be less vibrant than previous years as Thai-Chinese placed minimal decor outside their…
-
Thai government steps into the matchmaking game
Looking for a hot date? Don’t worry, the Thai government is stepping in the matchmaking game in case you haven’t found your soulmate. The Bureau of Reproductive Health is launching a campaign this week with the hopes of boosting Thailand’s birth rate. The bureau is hosting a singles’ meetup on May 14 with registration for the event opening up today.…
-
Covid-19 task force to consider easing Samut Sakhon restrictions from next week
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is to discuss the easing of restrictions in the central province of Samut Sakhon next week, as new cases continue to fall. Health officials recently introduced a “seal and bubble” strategy to contain the spread of the virus at the epicentre of its resurgence late last year. Yesterday, the province reported 129 new cases,…
-
Bangkok police threaten to use full riot-control equipment at future rallies
Following confirmation that several officers were injured at a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Bureau says it may resort to using full riot-control equipment in future. This would imply a return to the water cannon and tear gas deployed by police late last year. Pakapong Pongpetra from the MPB says 7 police officers were injured by…
-
Head of army band shot dead at military base in north-east Thailand – VIDEO
An army band leader has been shot dead at a military camp in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Phanom, with police launching a murder investigation. 34 year old Rungchalerm Pansawasdi was shot 3 times in the head and neck, at the Phra Yod Muang Kwang army base on Wednesday evening. He had just returned from having dinner with his wife,…
-
Despite lack of vaccine clarity, TAT still aiming for Q3 revival of foreign tourism
Despite there being no definitive date for when everyone in Thailand might be vaccinated against Covid-19, officials say they’re still planning for the return of foreign tourists later this year. Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says the plan to welcome international travellers in the third quarter of 2021 is still on track. The optimistic Yuthasak says foreign…
-
Health Ministry says 2 million vaccine doses to be administered by April
Thailand’s Health Ministry says it hopes to have vaccinated over 960,000 people across 10 provinces come April. The Bangkok Post reports that Sopon Mekthon from the government’s Covid-19 vaccine task force says the initial rollout will target high-risk groups, such as those over the age of 60, those with underlying conditions, as well as frontline healthcare workers and disease control…
-
Thailand News Today | Home-made Thai vaccine ready to start trials | February 11
Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin, is now claiming that the first stage of human trials of a locally-produced vaccine brew will get underway next month. The local Thai vaccine is a joint collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University. It’s understood the vaccine has performed satisfactorily in animal testing, showing an ability to…
-
Human Rights Watch says Thailand abuses lèse majesté law to silence protesters
The Human Rights Watch is speaking up against Thailand’s use of the lèse majesté law after 4 prominent pro-democracy activists were denied bail by the Bangkok Criminal Court and ordered into pretrial detention for allegedly insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. The HRW says the activists could be in detention for years until their trials are concluded. At a time…
-
UPDATE: SPM Shopping Mall Scam – do you know someone involved? | VIDEO
So the fallout of the SPM Shopping Mall app scam continues and police around the country are being swamped with official complaints from aggrieved victims, some who lost hundreds of thousands of baht. Police have already started arresting people allegedly involved with the scam, or who may have been facilitating or encouraging others to join in the pyramid scheme. A…
-
Police arrest alleged gambling den boss in Rayong
An alleged gambling den boss in Rayong has been arrested in the Muang district of the province this morning. The man, Somchai Chutikidecha, aka Longchu Somchai, allegedly operated a large illegal gambling den, which was thought to be the source of a major Covid-19 outbreak. Police say he was found in a house surrounded by high walls, in Soi Ratsamakhi…
-
DSI raids Thai model agency, finds 500,000 photos and videos of child pornography
Around a half a million pornographic photos and videos of children allegedly from a Thai modelling agency were seized by officers from the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI. Officers raided the modelling agency, which is run from a home in a Pathum Thani neighbourhood, and arrested the owner of the agency. Police say the home had a studio with…
-
201 new cases, 185 locally transmitted- Covid-19 Update
Today, Thailand has reported 201 new Covid-19 cases, with 185 being locally-transmitted. 16 of those cases were imported, raising the total number of cases in the country to 24,104 since the outbreak began. An assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says 96 new cases were confirmed at hospitals and 89 others through active case finding. Samut Sakhon,…
-
Top travel destinations grapple with re-opening during the pandemic
Tourism, not only in Thailand, but all over the world, was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Hotels shut down. Tour companies closed. Airplanes grounded. Millions lost their jobs. Before diving into Thailand’s tourism situation, here’s a quick look at what’s going on in some of the world’s top tourist spots… DUBAI Dubai, with its huge chunks of expats and…
-
Man arrested for allegedly killing baby step-daughter who wouldn’t stop crying
A 25 year old man has been arrested in the eastern town of Si Racha, after he allegedly confessed to killing his 1 year old step-daughter because she wouldn’t stop crying. The Pattaya News reports that Worakit Jitprasong told police he didn’t mean to kill the child, only to stop her crying. Officers who arrived at the property in the…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.