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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Heavy rains, thundershowers predicted nationwide
Thailand’s Meteorological Department says a low pressure cell is covering the upper Bay of Bengal, and the strong southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and Thailand is becoming stronger. Continuous rains are predicted across much of the country today, especially in the afternoon, with isolated heavy rains in some areas. People in the North, the East and the South are…
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Prachuap Khiri Khan’s scenic Ao Manao beach reopens today
Chon Buri and Hua Hin aren’t the only places reopening their beaches. Today, Ao Manao, the scenic beach in the western province of Prachuap Khiri Khan will also be open to the public. The crescent shaped bay belongs to the Air Force Wing 5 miltary base. Like all Thai beaches, it’s been closed for two months due to the Covid-19…
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Electricity discount has been switched off
Yesterday the Ministry of Energy announced that the national electricity discount from March to May, which differed based on the amount of electricity used and size and type of the venue, has ended and will not be renewed. But, at best, the discount was merely a perfunctory political gesture, not a useful saving for most Thai residences. The discount was…
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Government to decide which “red” businesses can reopen in next phase
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration revealed today that the government is now considering which high-risk or “red” businesses will be allowed to reopen under Phase 4 of lockdown easing. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin says that the virus could be with us for months or even years, so the government must carefully consider which “red” high-contagion-risk businesses can reopen.…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, June 4
17 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand, all repatriated citizens from Middle East Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 17 new cases of Covid-19 infection. All the cases were repatriated Thai personnel returning from the Middle East. Most the returnees were asymptomatic and were confirmed as infected after a second test. • 13 of the new cases had returned from…
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17 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand, all repatriated citizens from the Middle East
Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 17 new cases of Covid-19 infection. All the cases were repatriated Thai personnel returning from the Middle East. Spokesperson Dr Taweesilp reported that most the returnees were asymptomatic and were confirmed as infected after a second test. “13 of the new cases had returned from Kuwait, 12 were men aged 31-56, and the other…
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TAT will use domestic tourism as dress rehearsal for international returns
“…the tourism sector will continue to be stifled by disease control measures until a Covid-19 vaccine is developed.” Due to the current ban on international arrivals, extended several times and now in effect until at least July, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has created a strategy to support domestic tourism and “learn from the experience”, as it eases into the…
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Internet scam offers dodgy amulets for lottery wins
Police are warning of new internet scam offering lucky amulets to guarantee lottery success, claiming, falsely, that they’ve had helped celebrities win the lottery multiple times. The announcement from the deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai police yesterday. “Investigation officers have looked into this matter and found a group of people who offered to buy lottery tickets after they had…
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Private daycares and nurseries desperately want to reopen
Parents are returning to work, but daycares are still shut down to prevent any potential spread of the coronavirus. Private daycares are telling the government they want to reopen, warning that many parents may place their children in unauthorised daycare centres. Private daycare centres say its crucial that they open soon, but their call to open in the third phase…
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No date for resumption of international arrivals: PM
In an apparent effort to quell rumours and undue optimism, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is downplaying the notion that international tourists will be allowed to return to Thailand in July. The government had set a tentative deadline of 1 July for lifting all restrictions put in place under the Emergency Decree to combat the spread of Covid-19. Last week it was…
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PM distancing himself from party room clashes
PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha appeared to distance himself from party politics, and internal strife within the ruling Palang Pracharat party, after 18 members resigned en masse to pave the way for the election of a new executive committee, party leader and secretary-general. He repeatedly deflected questions from reporters about speculation that the resignations were intended to replace party leader Finance Minister…
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Thai Airways may not need to file for bankruptcy in US
Contrary to earlier reports, Thai Airways may not need to seek bankruptcy protection in the United States to avoid seizure of its planes and other assets. A senior official made the announcement after a meeting led by Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam with the struggling carrier’s senior management and the airline’s board. The meeting was to discuss the airline’s rehabilitation plan…
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Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 3)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced a single new imported case of Covid-19 at this morning’s daily press briefing. The patient is a 26 year old student who recently returned from Saudi Arabia and was sent directly to a state quarantine facility. The new case raises Thailand’s total 3,084 since the start of the outbreak in January, with 2,968…
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Sergeant says he’ll go to court to fight army corruption
After accusing the Thai army of corruption, a sergeant says he’ll now go to court to hash it out and strip his rank to get justice. Sgt. Narongchai Intharakawi, a clerk for the Army Ordnance Department, is accused of deserting his post amid a complaint he made against the army regarding alleged fraud. A video of the a superior officer…
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Guns used in majority of Thai crimes, criminologist calls for stricter laws
The country’s rise in firearm violence has the Bangkok Post describing the problem as “Thailand’s other pandemic.” More than half of crimes in Thailand involve firearms according to statistics. In many reports, people lose their temper, even over petty comments, and turn to a gun to solve the problem. Last week, a man shot and killed 3 of his coworkers…
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Chemical ban now in effect, farmers say they have few alternatives
Thailand’s ban on 2 toxic chemicals in herbicides and pesticides, is now in effect. While the move focuses on a sustainable, eco-friendly future, farmers say they are at a loss with no alternatives to keep bugs and weeds from killing their crops. The 2 chemicals, paraquat and chlorpyrifos, have been shown to be toxic to humans in some studies, in…
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100,000 More Covid-19 tests to be conducted by the end of June
Today, Thailand News revealed that the Department of Medical Sciences is planning to accelerate its plan to conduct 100,000 more Covid-19 tests across the country by the end of June. In laboratory analysis, sample tests will be divided into three groups: Suspected cases Close contact with Covid-19 infected persons Proactive inspection for Covid-19 infection Provincial communicable disease control committees will…
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Thai netizens in stitches over 158,000 baht Gucci “Granny” dress
A 158,000 baht dress, described by the fashion house Gucci as, “a ready-to-wear silk taffeta dress with a detachable cape” is being mocked by Thai fashionistas who point out the similarity to traditional outfits worn by older Thai women. In Thailand, “women of a certain age” will often don traditional silk clothing to make merit at the temple or during…
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National Covid-19 figures with 1 additional death (June 2)
Today the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 1 new Covi-19 case and 1 addition death in Thailand. This takes the total number of infections to 3,085 and the accumulated death toll to 58. The additional fatality was an 80 year old Thai man living in Narathiwat and the latest patient was a 32 year old male student who had recently…
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National poll says mental health problems on the rise
Stress from finances as well as health worries has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Suan Dusit University poll. Researchers from the Bangkok university asked 1,239 people last week what their top concerns were, finding that mental health problems such as stress and anxiety have gotten much worse. Suicides have also been increasing due to the stress with…
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Prawit tipped to become leader of ruling Palang Pracharat party executive
Whilst the attention of the country has been on the CCSA, with the PM at the helm, and their handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, there has been ongoing dissent inside the ruling Palang Pracharat party which boiled over yesterday with the resignation of 18 members of the party’s executive committee. There’s been building conflict within the party whilst the PM…
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Thailand may hold a July Songkran event if Covid-19 situation remains stable
Thai citizens are being dangled a carrot – the chance to celebrate Songkran in July. Usually the annual water festival, traditionally the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season, is held on April 13. The event has become a big tourist magnet over the past decade as it’s morphed from traditional Buddhist festival into organised…
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Another family kept apart by Thai red tape and quarantine confusion
Sometimes you cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s and it’s still not enough to satisfy the paper-pushers, especially at this disruptive time in Thailand, and everywhere else. One Australian father has ended up separated from his family – he’s in Australia and his wife and 2 children are in Thailand being shuffled around Phuket and Bangkok in…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, June 1
Returnees from UK found with high fever, hospitalised Of the 251 Thais who repatriated from the UK yesterday 20 were found to have high fevers and rushed to hospital, according Suvarnabhumi Airport’s deputy director. The Thai Airways charter flight arrived at the airport at 2.20pm. Screening found that 20 passengers had high fever and they were rushed to hospital. 16…
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11 dead, 14,000 ill as rainy season worsens dengue fever outbreak in northeast
The onset of Thailand’s rainy season has worsened a nationwide outbreak of dengue fever, which has already killed 11 people and sickened some 14,000, the director-general of the Department of Disease Control announced today. “From January 1 to May 25 there have been 14,126 cases of dengue fever in Thailand, or 21.28 patients per 100,000 population, and 11 deaths. The…
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Returnees from UK found with high fever, hospitalised
Of the 251 Thais who repatriated from the United Kingdom yesterday 20 were found to have high fevers and rushed to hospital, according Suvarnabhumi Airport’s deputy director. “The 251 Thais departed from London on Thai Airways International Flight TG917 and arrived at the airport at 2.20pm. Preliminary screening found that 20 passengers had high fever and they were rushed to…
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Opposition criticises Government for unnecessary borrowing
The Pheu Thai opposition party is calling on the government to look to existing funds first before attempting to borrow a trillion baht from as-yet-unnamed sources. Opposition chief whip Suthin Klangsaeng was participating in the last day of the debate on three government decrees concerning the country’s finances. A Thai PBS World report says the government is under fire for…
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No “new normal” for Thailand’s deadly road toll
In what will come as no surprise to most, the death toll on Thailand’s roads has resumed its upward trend after a brief interruption during the Covid-19 lock-down. As restrictions are gradually lifted across the country, more people are back behind the wheel or the handlebars, and with that, the carnage returns on Thailand’s roads. In Phuket, a truck ploughed…
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Gyms, fitness centres to reopen tomorrow nationwide
As tomorrow marks the beginning of Phase 3 of the easing of Covid-19 lockdown measures, many catgories of businesses will be allowed to fully reopen, though health and social distancing restrictions will remain in place. Fitness centres, including in malls, are included in that list. The reopening will include many new rules and regulations designed to stop the potential spread…
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Netizens in uproar after man saves deer from python in Chon Buri – VIDEO
Social media are ablaze with debate over the appropriateness of the actions of a man who helped a deer escape near-certain death in the clutches of a python. The video, recorded yesterday in Khao Kheow Open Zoo, in Chon Buri province’s Sri Racha district, shows a python trying to crush a spotted deer before devouring it. Before the giant snake could…
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