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 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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Tourism officials not bothered by US advice to citizens to avoid travel to Thailand
Tourism officials have shrugged off a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notice which advised citizens to avoid travel to Thailand. Earlier this week, the US CDC added Thailand to its list of Level 4 countries, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation in the kingdom. However, Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that won’t make much…
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Thai Navy helps bring crew of gas tanker back to shore after more than a year at sea
The Thai Navy helped five crew members on a gas tanker get to shore after one complained that they had been on board the vessel for 13 months without leave. The Schumi 7 liquefied petroleum gas tanker, en route for Bangladesh, was redirected to a boat pier at Ao Makham Bay in Phuket. Noppadol Boonmee, a crewman on the vessel, had…
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Number of calls increases, Thailand’s Covid hotline struggles to keep up
Since Covid-19 cases soared in recent weeks due to the highly infectious Omicron strain, the hotline has been getting around 40,000 and 70,000 calls each day, with inquiries requesting beds and medical treatment. Several people were unable to get through due to the huge volume of calls received each day and the lack of corresponding employees to meet the demands.…
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Mother files complaint with Pattaya police after son gets hit, bruised by teacher
A Thai teacher in Pattaya is being accused of hitting a 10 year old student because he was asking too many questions during an examination. The boy’s mother says he came home with a bruise on his back. The 28 year old mother, Suwanna Phasuk, made a report to the police at the Nong Prue station and says she wants…
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Phuket welcomes first group of Test & Go tourists travelling by sea
Phuket welcomed its first group of Test & Go travellers entering the island province by sea and tourism officials say more visitors travelling on cruise ships and yachts will be entering under the quarantine exemption scheme. On March 1, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration eased travel restrictions, allowing Test & Go travellers to enter Thailand by land and sea,…
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Koh Kut mayor says smoke detector didn’t work when villa caught fire
The luxury villa in Koh Kut that burned to the ground, with guests narrowly escaping the flames, was equipped with smoke detectors and alarms, but they weren’t working, according to the island’s mayor, Dechathorn Chanob. All guests escaped the fire at Soneva Kiri resort on Koh Kut, off the coast of the eastern province Trat, but many guests, including famous…
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SEADS provides sustainable solutions for Southeast Asia’s recovery
Press Release The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is hosting the Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) 2022—Sustainable Solutions for Southeast Asia’s Recovery on the 16th and 17th of March. Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming SEADS 2022 event. What is SEADS? The Southeast Asia Development Symposium (SEADS) is an annual flagship knowledge event organized by the Asian Development…
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Prominent Thai MP jailed for housing project corruption
A Thai MP, who at one point was involved in Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party, was jailed on Friday for corruption in a housing project. MP Watana Muangsook, who left Pheu Thai to join Thai Sang Thai last year, is charged with 11 counts of corruption, including abuse of power and demanding bribes. In 2003, Watana was involved in the Ua…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 22,073 new cases; provincial totals
69 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,438 with 1,740 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 22,073 new Covid-19 cases and 24,747 recoveries. There are now 221,585 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Call centre set up to help Ukrainian and Russian tourists in Phuket
With a number of Russian and Ukrainian expats and tourists in Phuket, a call centre has been set up in the island province to help those who may need assistance during the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Those who need assistance can call 0939372086 or 0948191124. A local tourism official says the centre is prepared to help Ukrainians and…
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Pattaya business owners claim authorities issued fake, overpriced SHA+ certificates
A number of business owners in Pattaya say they were duped into buying fake documents to certify that they meet standards set by Thailand’s Safety and Health Administration. When authorities inspected their businesses, they discovered the SHA+ documents had been fabricated. Some say they even paid thousands of baht to have the certification process expedited. Around 20 business owners from…
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Thai Foreign Minister calls for Russia-Ukraine negotiations
Thailand’s Foreign Minister spoke out yesterday, calling for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. He says that even though it will be difficult, every party wants to see the situation return to normal. He said there will be negative consequences if the conflict is not resolved, adding that if the situation does not return to normal soon, it would “cause an…
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Body of dead baby with children’s toys found in freezer at Chiang Mai home
The body of a baby has been found in a freezer at a home in Chiang Mai along with children’s toys. The baby was stillborn and a report from the Bangkok Post says police suspect the father put the body in the freezer more than a year ago. A man cleaning and renovating his 83 year old mother’s house found…
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Health officials say PCR testing no longer required after positive ATK result
Patients who test positive for Covid-19 after using an antigen test kit no longer need to take a PCR test to confirm the result. Suphakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the requirement for a follow-up PCR test is expensive and time-consuming. In addition, the generally mild nature of the Omicron variant has removed the need for people…
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Government says Songkran can go ahead, CCSA to decide what that looks like
The Thai government says Covid-19 won’t stop this year’s Songkran celebrations, but insists that disease prevention measures will need to be followed. What that means for the mass water fights that were such a huge part of the celebrations pre-pandemic remains unclear for now. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has given the green light for interprovincial…
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Thai noodle price crisis averted
After some local media outlets reported that noodle prices will rise soon, Thai trade officials claim this isn’t true. The director-general of Thailand’s International Trade Department told the Bangkok Post the department has not yet approved any manufacturers raising their prices. The director-general said the department regularly speaks to instant noodle manufacturers. He said manufacturers who want to raise prices…
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UPDATE: Tangmo’s memorial services; police to close case FRIDAY; netizens leak CCTV footage; witnesses lied…
As the investigation into the death of Thai TV actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong enters its second week, here are the latest developments… • Three days of Christian memorial services for Tangmo (แตงโม) are scheduled to take place over the weekend on March 11-13, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm each day, at Liberty Church Bangkok in Saphan Sung district, Bangkok. Despite her…
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F-16 fighter crashes during training in Chaiyaphum, pilot is safe
An F-16 fighter plane crashed during a training session in the northeastern province Chaiyaphum today. The pilot managed to eject himself from the aircraft and is safe, according to a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Air Force. The spokesperson says that the incident was reported to the relevant department and committee, who will then investigate the cause of the crash. The…
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Man who released cobras, cut himself at Bangkok intersection arrested at airport
A man who made headlines last month after releasing cobras and cutting himself at a busy intersection in Bangkok was arrested by police at Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday evening. 47 year old Kanetpisanuthep Jakapopmahadecha, known as “K Hundred Million,” was arrested under six charges and has since been taken to Somdet Chaophraya Institute of Psychiatry for a psychiatric assessment. At…
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112 endangered green sea turtle eggs found at Koh Surin National Park
A nest containing 112 eggs from an endangered green sea turtle was found by park rangers at Koh Surin National Park in the southern province of Phang Nga on Sunday. Since the nest was in a potential flood zone, and the eggs were at risk of being eaten by animals, park rangers decided to relocate the eggs to a safe…
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1 billion baht in assets seized in human trafficking cases, officer “Big Joke” reports
Assets valued at more than 1 billion baht have been seized from human trafficking operations in Thailand where Burmese people were trafficked from the northern province Tak down to the Malaysian border. The Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, made the announcement at a recent press conference, adding that authorities are still investigating and plan…
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Taxi drivers fight over passenger saying Bangkok taxi shouldn’t service in Pattaya
A video was widely shared among Thais of Pattaya taxi and win drivers crowded around a driver from Bangkok, some saying he stole their customer and arguing with him about offering services outside of his home province. One Pattaya taxi driver reportedly said that drivers in other provinces should be more thoughtful about offering services in Pattaya as those in…
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Department of Medical Science seeks FDA approval for two types of Covid-19 tests
The Department of Medical Science is seeking FDA approval for two types of Covid-19 tests known as LAMP and CRISPR. Reports say the tests are quick and just as precise as the RT-PCR test, which is the primary test being used in Thailand to confirm Covid-19 infections. Officials are also looking into using “machine based assay” or “MBA” antigen testing…
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Mario Kleff designed the longest steel box girder used in residential construction in Thailand
It was early March 2022 in Pattaya when the delivery of 50 tons worth of custom fabricated steel, in the form of box girders and cellular beams arrived at the Majestic Residence construction site, Khao Phra Tamnak. The architect Mario Kleff and his construction company Wandeegroup Asia Co Ltd continue to set new standards in residential construction in Pattaya and…
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Som tum seller arrested for allegedly luring Thai women into sex work in Malaysia
A som tum vendor in Bangkok was arrested on sex trafficking charges for allegedly luring a woman into prostitution in Malaysia. The victim had contacted the Royal Thai Embassy in Malaysia for help after she got caught up in a prostitution ring. Authorities helped send her back to Thailand. The victim provided information to the Anti Human Trafficking Division, saying…
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Motocross rider dies, another injured after falling from cliff in Chiang Mai
A motocross rider died and another was severely injured after driving off a cliff in Chiang Mai and falling more than 50 metres. The two were on a motocross trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and were driving near the scenic village Mae Kampong and up to a mountain viewpoint when they fell from the cliff. The riders were going…
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Fire breaks out at luxury Koh Kut resort burning villa to the ground, guests narrowly escape
A fire broke out at a luxury resort on Koh Kut, an island off the coast of Trat by the Cambodian border on Sunday morning, burning a villa to the ground where a group of 15, including a famous paediatrician, were staying. The Soneva Kiri resort released a statement saying all guests staying at villa 63 were evacuated and the…
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Will Songkran be wet or dry? CCSA to discuss restrictions on March 18
The question of whether or not to allow massive water fights to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year, will be discussed on March 18 at a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. The celebrations with water guns and splashing have been called off for the past two years to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Recently, the Department of Disease Control…
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Thai government looking at ways to help stranded Ukrainian, Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform, according…
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The Backpacker Murders Of Koh Tao. What Really Happened There?
We’ve all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. Although Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand, it has always been shrouded by a dark mystery. What really happened there? Tim Newton talks with Sue Buchanan on her new upcoming book ‘The curse of the turtle’ which is regarding…
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