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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Public Health Minister gets first Covid-19 vaccine shot in Thailand
Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine campaign started with Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who was jabbed with China’s Sinovac vaccine. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was initially planned to be the first to kick off Thailand’s immunisation plan with the AstraZeneca vaccine, but due to problems with paperwork, the prime minister’s injection was postponed. Doctors advised Prayut to get the AstraZeneca vaccine due to…
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Royal Thai Police accused of “ticket” promotion system to buy senior positions
The Royal Thai Police are being accused of using so-called “elephant tickets” to buy their way into promotions and pay their way up the police force’s chain of command. The corruption among the police force and the buying of positions without meeting the requirements for a promotion has been a longtime problem, according to the Bangkok Post. The “elephant ticket”…
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PM Prayut postponing Covid‐19 vaccination citing paperwork issues
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is postponing his inaugural Covid‐19 vaccination citing paperwork issues with the AstraZeneca vaccine shipment. According to Khaosod English, the vaccine shipment was sent to Thailand last Wednesday from South Korea, but was missing the additional required paperwork. Prayut was supposed to receive the vaccine tomorrow, but the highly‐publicised event will not be happening. According to Khaosod…
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Thai man accidentally kills himself with homemade bomb
A young Thai man has accidentally killed himself with a homemade bomb in the Muang district of Kanchanaburi province this morning. 22 year old Amornthep Thongchomphu was found dead with his arm blown off after the bomb exploded in a field near his home. Local police went to the scene at about 11am, outside the man’s house in Ban Nong…
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45 new cases today, 37 local‐Covid‐19‐Update
Thailand reports 45 new cases of Covid-19 cases today, with 37 infections being locally-transmitted. 8 of those infections were imported, raising the total amount of infections since the pandemic began to 25,809. The Department of Disease Control reports that 32 cases were confirmed at hospitals with 5 confirmed through active case finding in communities. Samut Sakhon province, the 2nd wave…
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Surveys show Thailand still one of the top holiday choices post-pandemic
The Stockholm office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand has conducted a survey in which 62% of respondents say they want to spend winter in Thailand provided restrictions are lifted. The top destinations are Phuket, Krabi and Khao Lak, followed by Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan, Koh Tao, Bangkok, and Hua Hin. 68% say they would cancel bookings if the 14-day…
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Long Buddhist holiday to see over 40 percent reduction in domestic tourism
The long Buddhist festival holiday, which starts today, is set to see over a 40% reduction in domestic tourism. The Tourism and Transport Authority of Thailand has made the estimation which tallies around 1.09 million domestic trips, a number that is down 44% from last year’s Makha Bucha Day. The 2nd wave of the Covid pandemic this year has made…
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Jailed former politicians await outcome of bail hearing
8 former politicians, now behind bars for their role in protests that toppled the Yingluck Shinawatra administration and led to the 2014 military coup, are waiting for the outcome of their bail hearing. The detainees, all former members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, are Suthep Thaugsuban, Issara Somchai, Chumpol Julsai, the Deputy Transport Minister Thaworn Senneam, Education Minister, Nataphol…
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PM to receive AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha will receive the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday, while Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will receive the Chinese jab. According to a Bangkok Post report, Sopon Mekthon from the sub-committee on vaccine management says both politicians will receive their vaccines at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute. On Monday, the vaccination of priority groups in specific provinces…
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Foreign tourists must use Covid-19 tracking app when travelling to Thailand
Foreign tourists travelling to Thailand will need to download the Covid-19 contact tracking mobile application “ThailandPlus” before arriving in Thailand and use it throughout their stay. The app will notify travellers if they have been in close contact with any confirmed cases. Throughout their trip to Thailand, tourists will need to keep the app “on” and check in and out…
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Thailand News Today | Pollies in jail, Covid originated in Thailand? | Feb 25
Today on Thailand News Today, a number of government ministers have ended up in jail, the vaccines are about to roll out but experts say the injections are not the end of the pandemic, and A Pattaya motorbike taxi driver is being accused of attacking a Chilean national. We’ve also get a special report on the channel about accusations that…
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Canadian Embassy to help Thailand recruit English teachers
Thailand officials want more native speaking English teachers and plan to recruit more than 10,000 English teachers for 300 schools to improve English proficiency among Thai students. To help draw in potential teachers, the Education Ministry is teaming up with the Canadian Embassy in Thailand. Teachers will be placed in schools once the pandemic has eased. Recruitment for the plan…
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Did the Covid-19 virus actually originate in Thailand? | VIDEO
South East Asia was the source of Covid-19, not China. Even more specifically, it came from Thailand… from the famous Chatuchak market, or, as quoted correctly “a market LIKE Chatuchak”. That’s the claims of a Danish epidemiologist Thea Kolsen Fischer, who was on a recent World Health Organisation fact-finding mission to Wuhan to examine the origins of the latest coronavirus…
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Koh Samui to start Covid-19 vaccinations early next month
Covid-19 vaccinations on Koh Samui will start early next month with 2,500 doses planned to be given to 1,250 people on the island, according to Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto. Island authorities are also proposing that foreign visitors be allowed to quarantine on their yacht, at a villa hotel or at a wellness centre. The tourist island off the coast…
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Another Thai man claims to have found a rare Melo pearl, shell was sold at a Pattaya market
Another Thai man is claiming to have found a rare Melo pearl. The Pattaya chef says he bought a shell from a local market a decade ago and had no idea the object inside was a rare pearl. After hearing the news about the man in Nakhon Si Thammarat finding what he believes is a Melo pearl possibly worth millions…
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Civil rights activist contests new version of NGO bill
A civil rights activist is accusing Thailand’s cabinet of revising a law without gaining the public’s input. The new version of the bill, which is supposed to dictate transparency in the promotion and development of civil society organisations, includes the words “non‐profit,” while the original version does not. The bill is also supposed to provide oversight of NGOs who may…
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Police raids shut down online network of casinos across 7 provinces
Police have shut down a network of online casinos in raids that took place across 7 provinces, with 19 suspects arrested and cash and other goods seized. In total, 8 online casino networks in 7 provinces have been shut down, with police apprehending 19 out of a total 22 suspects. Thai PBS World reports that the raids took place in…
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Behind bars: government ministers among 29 jailed for Yingluck protests
A number of government ministers have been jailed for their part in protests against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra that crippled Bangkok and ultimately led to the 2014 military coup. Yesterday, the Criminal Court handed prison sentences to 29 former members of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, some of whom were serving in the current administration. Former politician and former…
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Health officials deny WHO investigation into Bangkok’s Chatuchak market as potential origin of Covid
Health officials in Thailand are denying reports that the World Health Organisation is investigating Chatuchak market in Bangkok in ongoing efforts to establish the origin of Covid-19. The reports have surfaced in Danish media, following a WHO visit to Wuhan last month, with doubt hanging over the theory that the pandemic started in the central Chinese city. Nation Thailand reports…
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Thailand News Today | Vaccines have arrived, roll out from Monday | Feb 24
In today’s Thailand News Today, the government is at least now talking about lifting the mandatory quarantine, the first Covid vaccines will start in Thailand next Monday, and protesters change gears and go after alleged corruption in the Thai police force. We’ve also got a special report about the latest in the Thai Airways saga, all on our YouTube Channel.…
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AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is also set to arrive in Thailand today
While news has been focused on today’s arrival of China’s Sinovac vaccine, it’s now being reported that 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will also arrive in Thailand today. The vaccines will be distributed to 13 provinces, including 9 that are considered the “highest risk” of Covid-19 infection as well as 4 popular tourist destinations that are of “economic significance”…
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Thai Vietjet resumes Phuket-Chiang Rai flights, launches promotion on air fare
The following is a press release from Thai Vietjet on its new promotion “Welcome Back to the Sky” and the resumption of Phuket-Chiang Rai flights. Thai Vietjet today announced the flight resumption of its domestic cross-regional service between Phuket – Chiang Rai, in response to the increasing travel demand after the government began relaxing travel measures in each province. The…
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Former Thai PM Thaksin makes appearance on popular Clubhouse app
Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been living in exile for over 10 years, has made an appearance on the new “Clubhouse” social media app, in which he discussed his battle with Covid-19. Thaksin’s appearance was confirmed by the CARE movement, as he joined a forum hosted by the organisation on Monday night. Nation Thailand reports that also taking part in…
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Thai Airways president says “no,” they’re not buying more airplanes in 2025
After news that the bankrupt airline was planning to buy 20 to 30 more passenger jets in 2025, the Thai Airways International acting president says “no,” there is no plan to purchase more aircraft, and if flight demand goes up, the strapped-for-cash company will consider renting first. Nation Thailand reported that the airline was planning to buy up to 30…
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Bangkok bars are back open, restaurants serving booze again
Bangkok bars are back in business. People flocked to the city’s streets last night after hearing the news that bars could reopen and restaurants could start serving alcohol again… as long as they close by 11pm. Some started rolling out their mobile bars stocked beer and liquor, setting it up along a busy street. Restaurants changed their signs, erasing 9pm…
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Health Minister says PM will get AstraZeneca vaccine, too old for Sinovac
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was initially first in line for China’s Sinovac vaccine, which just arrived in Thailand today, but Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul now says the the prime minister will be getting the AstraZeneca vaccine. Apparently, 66 year old Prayut is too old to get the Chinese-made vaccine. “It’s important that General Prayut take the first Covid-19 vaccine shot…
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PM says Thailand will consider lifting quarantine for vaccinated tourists
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government will consider waiving the mandatory 14-day quarantine for tourists with proof of Covid-19 vaccination. For months now, the government has stuck to its stance that vaccinated foreign arrivals would still need to be quarantined, given that it’s too early to say if vaccines prevent transmission. But with industry leaders warning that the…
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Tourism officials aim for vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand by the third quarter of 2021
Vaccinated against Covid-19? You might be able to enter Thailand by July. The country’s tourism officials are now working on a plan to allow foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus to enter the country by the third quarter of 2021. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is waiting for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to relax certain…
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Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket
A Phuket police officer was caught on camera beating and shooting at a noodle vendor on Bangla Road in Patong, critically injuring the young man. Reports vary on exactly what happened before the shooting, but apparently the police officer had been drinking until nearly dawn this morning before the incident. Surveillance camera footage shows the 25 year old vendor suddenly…
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Thai FDA approves Sinovac vaccine, 13 provinces to get the first doses
The first phase of Thailand’s Covid-19 immunisation plan is ready to roll out with the first 200,000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine set to arrive tomorrow. The Chinese-made vaccine was just approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration. The decision was made “just in time,” Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul wrote on Facebook with a photo of the official…
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