Thailand News
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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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Digital assets as payment requires more regulation in Thailand
After studying the risks and benefits of using digital assets and cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services, a coalition of financial bodies have decided that more regulation is necessary in Thailand. The Ministry of Finance, along with the Bank of Thailand and the Securities and Exchange Commission, have partnered together to assess the regulation needed for crypto usage in…
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Bangkok district invites LGBTQ+ to sign unofficial marriage certificate this Valentine’s Day
For this Valentine’s Day, Bang Khun Thian district in Bangkok has invited LGBTQ+ couples and people of all genders to sign the unofficial “marriage” certificate for the first time in Thailand. However, the district’s official Facebook page seems to have taken down the post advertising the event. Under Thai law, marriage is only between a man and a woman. The…
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Thailand improves crosswalks, other safety measures after fatal pedestrian accident
Following the fatal crash where an off-duty police officer ran his Ducati into an eye doctor walking along the zebra crossing, Thais are pointing out traffic violations and officials are making changes to reduce traffic accidents involving pedestrians. Some changes include repainting crosswalks and roads to increase crosswalk visibility and encourage drivers to reduce their speed. The woman was walking…
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Thailand to study whether to increase the daily minimum wage
Thai authorities are studying whether to increase the daily minimum wage. The Labour Ministry will start a feasibility study. The State Enterprises Workers Relations Confederation has recommended 492 baht as the starting pay. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin told reporters that the Office of the Permanent Secretary for the Labour Ministry would conduct a study to examine the minimum wage’s suitability.…
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Thailand and India strengthen relations, plans to work together on trade, tourism
After a break, Thailand and India plan to work together on trade, maritime activity, and tourism. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, India’s ambassador in Thailand said it was important to remember the overlaps between the two countries in culture, language, and religion. Earlier this month, the Indian embassy launched a competition for the best logo promoting bilateral relations…
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Monkey with ghost face and slug snake part of 224 new Mekong species
A monkey with white circles around its eyes, making it look like a ghost, is one of 224 species newly added to a list of species in the Mekong region. Scientists discovered these species in 2020, but the report last year was delayed. The monkey is the only mammal on the list, and the rest are reptiles, frogs and newts,…
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Minimum wage hike proposal up to 492 baht per day being studied
A proposal is being evaluated to raise the minimum wage to 492 baht per day, a significant increase from the 313 to 336 baht per day lowest wage now. The hike proposed is a significant one and the Ministry of Labour is researching the impact of such a large wage. The proposed large increase in the lowest wage legally offered…
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Thailand will raise 12% fewer pigs this year, livestock department says
Thailand’s livestock department says farmers will probably raise 11.8% fewer pigs this year. Already, male pig breeders have dropped 41.1%, while female breeders have dropped 11%. The department general said this is because of economic conditions during the pandemic, and also farmers not having too many pigs in case of disease outbreaks. There are 107,000 pig raisers in the country,…
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QR code can now replace a physical driver’s licence
The Department of Land Transport is getting modern, introducing a QR code people can keep on their mobile phone to replace a physical Thai drivers licence. Drivers will be able to screenshot a “DLT QR licence” and use the image of the QR code as a substitute for any sort of physical card. The process to get a QR code…
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Thailand’s score drops to more corrupt on organisation’s Corruption Perceptions Index
On a scale of zero to 100, with zero being highly corrupt, Thailand scores 35, according to a ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. Countries that scored 100 were almost free of corruption. The average score of all countries was 45. Thailand’s ranking also dropped from 104 to 110 out of 180 countries. Nations ranked first place were least corrupt,…
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Fake news: report it, don’t share it, urges PM and government
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging people to report fake news rather than share it, especially regarding Covid-19. He says that misinformation shared online through social media is causing confusion in the residents of Thailand and people should help to weed out bad information so facts are more clear and easier to find. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has…
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Thailand reports 9 cases of new Omicron BA.2 subvariant
Thailand has detected the nine cases of the new Omicron subvariant BA.2, which is spreading across the globe with at least 40 countries reporting infections involving the mutated strain. The infections in Thailand involve both Thais and travellers from overseas. Through the laboratory procedure of whole-genome sequencing, Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences and participating laboratories detected the BA.2 infections. The…
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Thailand decriminalises cannabis, extracts with high-inducing THC still an illicit drug
Thailand’s health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has confirmed that the Narcotics Control Board has approved the removal of cannabis from the Category 5 list of controlled drugs. According to a report from the Associated Press, Anutin says the drugs that remain on the list are opium, magic mushrooms, and extracts of cannabis containing more than 0.2% by weight of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).…
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Thailand and Saudi Arabia to exchange ambassadors, resume full diplomatic ties
Following a meeting yesterday between Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both countries have agreed to restore diplomatic ties in the near future. The Bangkok Post reports that Thailand and Saudi Arabia will exchange ambassadors as part of the agreement. Things have been frosty between the two countries since a diplomatic spat over…
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Government wants to closely monitor eateries following extension of alcohol curfew
Now that Thailand’s alcohol curfew has been extended in many provinces, the government is on its toes about cracking down on venues serve past the 11pm cutoff time. A government spokesperson stated today that he wishes for authorities to take sharp measures against eateries violating the new 11pm curfew. Venues that break it will face arrests and loss of operating…
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Thailand’s Test & Go registration opens on February 1
Registration for Thailand’s (almost) quarantine exemption program known as Test & Go, part of the broader Thailand Pass online re-entry process, is reopening next week after being closed for the past month. Starting at 9am on February 1, fully vaccinated travellers from any country can apply for a Thailand Pass QR code to enter with (almost) quarantine-free travel, but there…
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Thailand’s FDA plans “Cannabis Sandbox” entry scheme for tourists
A “Cannabis Sandbox” entry scheme is being discussed to draw in marijuana enthusiasts from overseas. Yes… we said cannabis. But don’t get too excited. When the government talks about cannabis, they mean parts of the plant with low (very low) traces of the psychoactive component THC. The Thai Food and Drug Administration mentioned the idea of a “Cannabis Sandbox” for…
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Move Forward member pushes for sex work legalisation as election campaigns heat up
A politician from the Move Forward Party told Thai media that sex work could soon be decriminalised if their candidate wins the upcoming election for Bangkok governor. MP Thanyawaj Kamonwongwat says that if the candidate from the progressive political party is elected, they will review the Act of Prostitution and Protection of Service Providers and Act of Prevention and Suppression…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 6,718 new cases; provincial totals
12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,057 with 359 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,718 new Covid-19 cases and 7,659 recoveries. There are now 81,532 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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CCSA clarifies details on Test & Go, registration opens at 9am on February 1
Registration for Thailand’s quarantine exemption scheme known as Test & Go is reopening next week after being closed for the past month due to the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Thailand. Starting at 9am on February 1, fully vaccinated travellers from any country can apply for a Thailand Pass QR code to enter with (almost) quarantine-free travel, but…
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Woman puts up billboard in Phuket to find missing cats, 30,000 baht reward for each
A Japanese woman paid over 300,000 baht to put up billboards in Phuket in other to find her two cats which have both been missing since last November. She says she’ll pay a 30,000 baht reward for each cat Her Thai employee shared with Thai media that her Japanese employer brought four cats from Japan. One day, the delivery staff…
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Former MP to file lawsuit over campaign poster using his photo to mock him
One former member of parliament has filed a lawsuit against another politician for using a photo of him to mock him in a campaign poster. The image shows the former MP of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, Sira Jenjaka, under a magnifying glass behind a Move Forward Party candidate with a message calling for volunteers to help catch those who…
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Domestic tourism stimulus scheme gets 9-billion-baht budget approval for phase 4
The government’s domestic tourism stimulus scheme enters phase 4 from February, with Cabinet approving a 9-billion-baht budget. “We Travel Together’ (Rao Tiew Duay Kan) will run until July, according to a government spokesperson. According to a Thai PBS World report, participants can benefit from a 40% discount on hotel rates, up to a maximum of 3,000 baht a night and…
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Prayut’s Saudi Arabia trip a ‘breakthrough’ after 30 years of tense relations
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is currently in Saudi Arabia in an effort to restore Thai-Saudi economic and diplomatic relations. Experts say the trip, which is the first government trip between the two countries after 30 years, is a huge breakthrough after three decades of tense relations between the two countries. Relations first turned cold in 1989 after the Blue Diamond Affair…
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Deadline to apply for 60-day “Covid” visa extension pushed to March 25
While there has been no formal announcement, it appears the deadline to apply for the 60-day “Covid” visa extension scheme has been pushed to March 25. The deadline was set for today, but a signed document from Thai Immigration leaked last night shows that foreigners can now apply for the visa extension for another two months. The visa extension scheme…
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More than 100 migrants caught in Kanchanaburi for alleged illegal entry
Thai border patrols arrested 107 Burmese migrants for allegedly illegally crossing the border into the western province Kanchanaburi on Sunday. The migrants told Thai officials they came from Phayathonezu, Moulmein, Yangon, Bago and Dawei townships in Myanmar. They crossed into Thailand seeking jobs here. Authorities also arrested one Thai guide for providing assistance to people illegally entering the country. Authorities…
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Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister infected with Covid-19
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister has Covid-19. The minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, is currently in hospital with a fever and headache. He says he may have contracted the virus on a trip to Chiang Mai last Thursday. It remains unknown which variant he contracted. The infection has not reached his lungs, however, other members of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party…
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African Swine Fever reported at three pig farms in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Provincial livestock authorities in Prachuap Khiri Khan discovered three pig farms in Muang and Thap Sakae districts were infected with African Swine Fever. The reports come in the midst of a pork price crisis said to be driven by an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly viral disease of pigs. 117 pigs from the three farms altogether had to…
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32 public toilets at Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya will be ready by this April
The Deputy City Mayor of Pattaya told Thai media that 32 public toilets at Bali Hai Pier will be finished and ready to use by April, admitting that construction for the 5 million baht restroom project had fallen a bit behind schedule. Deputy mayor Pattana Boonsawat told Thai media that the construction of the toilets fell behind schedule due to…
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Monday Covid Update: 7,139 new cases; provincial totals
13 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,045 with 347 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,139 new Covid-19 cases and 8,100 recoveries. There are now 82,485 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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