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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Bangkok Airways extends flight suspension to August 11
In a post to Facebook this afternoon, Bangkok Airways announced that they will be extending the suspension of their domestic flights until August 11. They will ground all flights except flights connected to the Phuket Sandbox and Samui Plus international reopening programs. The announcement comes following Covid-19 outbreaks in both Koh Samui and Phuket that threaten the international programs and…
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Buri Ram pig stable converted into gambling den: 22 arrests follow
Recently, the northeastern Thai province Buri Ram had a gambling den busted. It reportedly used to be a pig stable, but forward thinking/criminal-minded residents had renovated it to allegedly serve as a gambling den. Police arrested 22 people. 53 year old “Chakrabongse” and 21 associates were arrested. Reportedly, they were sitting close together and no one was wearing a mask.…
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“Fake news” banned, Thai media say order infringes on freedoms
The Thai government is cracking down on so-called “fake news.” An order was published in the Royal Gazette banning the distribution of false information that causes public fear or misunderstanding that could affect national stability. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the measure is intended to make sure false content spread online doesn’t undermine the government’s management of the pandemic. Thai media…
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CCSA considers extending restrictions in “dark red” zones for another 14 days
With Covid-19 cases hitting record highs, despite the strict disease control measures in place, the Thai government is considering extending the current order in the 13 “dark red” provinces, including Bangkok, for another two weeks. Yesterday, Thailand had hit record highs of both daily Covid cases and fatalities with 17,669 new cases and 165 coronavirus-related deaths. The order imposing nightly…
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Friday Covid Update: 17,345 new cases; provincial totals
17,345 new Covid-19 cases and 117 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 578,375 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 4,679 coronavirus-related deaths. Thailand now has 192,526 active Covid-19 cases. In Bangkok, the epicentre of Thailand’s latest wave, the CCSA reported 3,231 new Covid-19 cases…
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Prayut offers his sympathies, teases restrictions
In a video interview yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said he was “sorry” about the Covid losses. He says he sympathises with people suffering in this situation and the impacts its caused… Then he teased a possible extension of quasi-lockdown measures in the 13 provinces classified as “Dark Red” zones. In the video interview, the PM said he is trying to…
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Media banned from spreading fake/distorted news, violators could have internet cut
Starting today, the Thai government has banned media from spreading fake or distorted news that might cause fear pertaining to the Covid outbreak. The threat of censorship now hangs over the heads of violators. Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha signed the restriction order, which was previously published in the Royal Gazette. The order says that the media is barred from publishing/broadcasting…
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21 of yesterday’s Covid-related deaths died at home
The number of new infections in the most severe wave to hit Thailand since the start of the pandemic continues to rise. And of 165 Covid-related deaths reported yesterday, 21 of them died at home. The Bangkok Post reports that the highest number of infections is in the capital, with 3,963 new cases reported yesterday, followed by the neighbouring provinces…
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Chulalongkorn University progressing on domestic mRNA vaccine
With Covid-19 battering Thailand and the third wave bringing the Sinovac-resistant Delta variant to the forefront of the pandemic, Thailand’s slow vaccine rollout is further burdened by the ineffectiveness of the Chinese made traditional vaccine that a majority of inoculations are using. AstraZeneca provides more protection, and talk of booster shots have come after mixing vaccine doses has begun. But…
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Possible earthquake in Nonthaburi this morning
Early this morning, there was an unconfirmed earthquake near Nonthaburi, the province just north of Bangkok. The magnitude is unknown. The event’s status as an earthquake is pending until “at least one national or international seismological agency” confirms it was an earthquake, according to Volcano Discovery. Last week, there were 4 small earthquakes reported in Kanchanaburi. There were no reported…
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Bangkok Bang Sue scam under investigation, 7 volunteers and counting to be questioned
7 Bangkok Bang Sue Grand Station volunteers are currently under investigation for a suspected scam. However, Amnat Traipot, the commander of the railway police said today that even more people are suspected of being involved with the scam. The Bang Sue scam was reported to the police yesterday by officials from the Department of Medical Services. Reportedly, the volunteers would…
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Spray guns ineffective and dangerous, says TFDA
Thailand’s FDA is cautioning the public against using alcohol spray guns, stating the tiny droplets the gun emits are ineffective against disinfecting surfaces, also, the spraying might cause pathogens to spread faster. Instead, the TFDA is saying to use alcohol gel to wipe down surfaces, rather than spray guns. The Deputy Secretary General of the TFDA, Dr Supatra Boonserm says…
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Sleeper trains in Bangkok to become isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients
Sleeper trains in Bangkok are being converted into isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients who are waiting for a hospital bed to become available. With the surge of Covid-19 cases, today hitting a record high of 17,669 new cases, hospitals in Bangkok, the epicentre of infections, have run low on beds to treat patients infected with the coronavirus. At Bang Sue…
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Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 17,669 cases and 165 deaths
A new record high of 17,669 new Covid-19 cases and 165 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, in the latest and most severe wave of cases, the CCSA has reported a total of 532,167 Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic. The number of daily new cases hit a new…
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Police investigate hackers selling stolen vaccine appointments
Amid vaccine scarcity in Thailand’s slow rollout, and a tumultuous registration process with changing systems and tiny sign-up windows, people have taken to desperate means to get vaccinated. People posing as doctors online sold fake vaccine appointments, and authorities accused members of the Hi-So elite of renting motorbike taxi vests to pose as taxi drivers who are given priority for…
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Despite low riders, Covid-19 train to continue
Despite a rocky start, the special train service the Transport Ministry arranged with the State Railway of Thailand to help bring Covid-19 infected patients in Bangkok to their hometowns for treatment will continue. The train, dubbed the “Covid Express”, will schedule more trips from Bangkok to the North and Northeast provinces even though the first train ended up with less…
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Thousands of inmates granted royal pardon on HM the King’s birthday
On his 69th birthday, HM the King granted a royal pardon to more than 200,000 prison inmates and convicts on house arrest. 35,000 of them from 143 prisons will be released on parole while prison sentences for the others will be reduced. Under the 2021 Royal Pardon Royal Decree imposed today, pardons will be granted within the next 120 days,…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 16,533 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 16,533 new Covid-19 cases, including 3,997 in Bangkok, was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 514,498 Covid-19 cases. The latest wave accounts up for the majority of Thailand’s total case count of 543,361…
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Girls infected with Covid after mother dies at home; public criticises healthcare system
The story of the two Thai girls who woke up to find their 44 year old mother dead in their bedroom, possibly due to Covid-19, grabbed public attention and shed light on the death toll of the current wave of cases where more than 4,000 people infected with the virus have died. Medical examiners have not declared the Apaporn Suntarachon’s…
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Wednesday Covid Update: Record high of 16,533 new cases
A record high of 16,533 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 514,498 Covid-19 cases. Today, the CCSA also recorded another 133 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of the new cases, 202 were found in correctional…
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UPDATE: Dying Samut Prakan mother tells daughters to go to orphanage
Earlier today, the Thaiger wrote about 2 girls whose mother passed away. However, before the mother died, she expressed a desire to her daughters that they go to an orphanage so someone could still take care of them Recently, it was found that the 2 girls will be taken to an orphanage and that the mother’s name is Apaporn Soontrarachun.…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 14,150 new cases; provincial totals
CAPTION: Bang Sue railway station yesterday, the main vaccination centre in Bangkok. The photographer said that it was “chaos”. PHOTO: Facebook/Akbar Senior Motani 14,150 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the CCSA this morning, raising the total since the start of the pandemic last year to 526,828. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 infections, first recorded in…
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Attorney General still plans to indict Red Bull Heir, cites new ‘evidence’
Today, The Office of Attorney General reaffirmed the long-gestating indictment against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, heir to the Redbull empire. The OAG cites new evidence against Vorayuth for allegedly killing a police officer in a hit and run incident. The “new evidence” was not specified. The plans to still indict Vorayuth were announced by the deputy spokesperson for the OAG, Prayut…
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Bang Sue walk-in vaccinations for elderly expats to end Saturday
Walk-in vaccination services for elderly expats at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station is ending on Saturday. The government is preparing to roll out the next phase in its Covid-19 immunisation plan. Starting Sunday, August 1, registration in Bangkok will open up to those 18 and older, but there will be no walk-in services. Until Saturday, foreign residents who are 75…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 14,150 new cases and 118 deaths
Today, Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 14,150 cases and 118 coronavirus-related deaths. In the latest and most severe wave in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 497,965 Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases, 245 cases were found in correctional facilities. Over the past several months, more than 40,000 inmates have been infected with…
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Ministry of Education seeks 21.6 billion education subsidy
Tomorrow, Thailand’s Ministry of Education will submit a proposal to Cabinet for approval of a 21.6 billion baht to subsidise education costs. The figure comes from 2,000 baht a student in elementary/vocations education systems. The education subsidy is to help reduce the financial strain on parents that have developed as a result of Covid. The proposal came up yesterday in…
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Another “monkey war” in Lop Buri, hundreds fight in the street- VIDEO
Hundreds of monkeys swarmed the streets in the Lop Buri in a massive fight, disrupting traffic on a busy intersection. It was another battle in what the Thai media dubs a “monkey war” believed to be between two rival groups of monkeys… the street monkeys and the temple monkeys. Back in March of last year, hundreds of monkeys from the…
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Monday UPDATE: 15,376 new infections, Provincial report
Thailand’s public health department has confirmed another 15,376 new infections and 87 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. 1,041 of the new cases are from the Thai prison system. Thailand has now reached half a million reported Covid infections since the start of 2020. Just 4 months ago, when the so-called 3rd wave kicked off, there were 1,247 patients in…
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Government submits proposal to allow department store restaurants to sell food online
Department store restaurants may be allowed to sell food online through a proposal that will be submitted to the CCSA today for approval, says deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul, today. The spokeswoman says the CCSA’s operation centre decided on July 22 that the Ministry of Public Health should decide on criteria to allow department store restaurants to sell their food…
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Free transport for Covid-19 patients returning to home provinces for treatment
Thailand’s Health Ministry says Covid-19 patients who want to return to their home provinces for treatment can avail of a dedicated transport service for free. Officials say patients should contact the National Health Security Office, adding that the service is for those with mild symptoms only. The Bangkok Post reports that at least 31,175 of the capital’s infected people left…
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