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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Vaccinated foreign tourists may be offered free flights to boost inter-provincial travel
The Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, says vaccinated foreign tourists may be offered free domestic flights during their holiday in order to boost inter-provincial travel. The proposal comes after the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand called for 40,000 vaccine doses to protect airline employees. “From July 1, inoculated tourists exempt from quarantine might be tempted to extend their stay…
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“James Bond Island” to be assessed for stability after the collapse of similar rock formations
The iconic limestone karst tower and popular tourist site known as “James Bond Island” will be checked for stability following the collapse of similar rock formations. The rock formation in Phang Nga Bay appeared in the 1974 James Bond film “The Man with the Golden Gun.” It’s now known as James Bond Island. It has become a major tourist destination…
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Thailand News Today | Thailand lures big spenders, 2,000 Burmese refugees shelter in north | April 1
In today’s episode we look at… The Thai government are pinning their hopes on luring higher end tourists and travellers. The Thai government is looking to rich, high spending foreigners as the borders are prised open in coming months. Twenty-six new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the CCSA, 21 infections in the greater Bangkok area and five imported cases.…
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Vaccinated against Covid-19? Quarantine is cut down to 7 days
Travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19 can now undergo a reduced quarantine period of 7 days upon entering Thailand. The new, shorter quarantine period goes in effect today in Phuket, Krabi, Phang-nga, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya. Those who are not vaccinated must quarantine for 10 days, which ends up being 11 nights, while those from countries with mutated strains of…
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Young men shot and killed in Khon Kaen, gunman still at large
A gunman shot and killed 2 young men last night in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. Both 18 year old Korkiat Chanasri and 23 year old Theerayuth Faithee were shot in the head. Witnesses say they saw a man talking with the 2 victims. They heard a gunshot and Korkiat collapsed. Theerayuth tried to flee, but he was also shot.…
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Man finds live hand grenade in Pattaya area forest – VIDEO
A man found a live hand grenade under a tree in Pattaya area forest yesterday while he was searching in the woods for termites to later feed to his pet fish. Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team say the M26 hand grenade is very dangerous and can still explode. 51 year old Su Supayut told Pattaya News reporters that…
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Thailand’s aviation authority requests 40,000 vaccine doses to cover airline workers
Airline operators in Thailand are calling for 40,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to cover staff and crew members before July, in time for the reopening plans in Phuket and Koh Samui. The 40,000 doses would cover 20,000 people in the airline industry who will come in close contact with foreign tourists when they start arriving in July, or whenever…
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Thai government plans to draw in rich foreigners to live in Thailand
Say goodbye to the backpacker lifestyle of travelling through Thailand on a shoestring budget. The Thai government plans to lure rich, high spending foreigners with plans underway to reopen the country to foreign visitors. The government plans to draw in at least 1 million high spending tourists – rich retirees who want to settle in Thailand and potential investors interested…
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Government investigating loan-shark apps following complaints of online threats
The Thai government is looking into a number of loan-shark apps, following complaints of data theft and threats being made on social media. Customers accuse the apps of stealing their data and sending them threatening messages via Line, Facebook, and SMS. According to a Nation Thailand report, when a customer downloads one of the loan-shark apps, it embeds malware in…
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Red Shirts leader vows to hold April 4 protest aimed at toppling government
The chairman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, whose supporters are commonly known as the Red Shirts, says he will lead a protest on April 4 with the aim of toppling the government. Jatuporn Promphan vows to take charge of what he’s calling a prolonged protest, to oust the administration of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. According to a Thai…
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Tourism operators pinning hopes on Songkran holiday
Thai hotels and airlines are pinning their hopes on Songkran to revive a domestic tourism sector that has been dormant since the resurgence of Covid-19 late last year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Centara Hotels and Resorts are reporting an uptick in advance bookings for the holiday period. Chief exec Thirayuth Chirathivat says while forward bookings don’t come close…
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Chinese vaccine being distributed to all provinces this month
The government has confirmed that all provinces will receive the Chinese Sinovac jab this month – some in larger quantities than others. Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says 800,000 doses will be distributed across the country from today. 22 provinces are being prioritised, based on their status as either high-risk areas, border provinces, or tourist destinations. 6 high-risk…
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Thailand News Today | Another visa extension approved, Thai Airways goes retail | March 31
Thai Immigration has extended the current visa extension visas for people who are still stuck in the country. The Thai Immigration Bureau announced the news through an urgent public memo yesterday. The previous extension allowed those visa holders to stay until the end of March. The new extension lasts for 60 days, which would allow people to stay until July…
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5 pro-democracy activists indicted for alleged violence against Queen’s liberty
Prosecutors indicted 5 pro-democracy activists today for attempting to “harm HM the Queen’s liberty” during a rally in Bangkok last year that happened to be along the same route as a royal motorcade. The charge for an “act of violence against the HM the Queen’s liberty” carries a minimum sentence of 16 years in prison. For serious attempts to harm…
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CCSA Update: ASQ cook causes Covid-19 cluster
Health officials say a cook at an Alternative State Quarantine hotel in Bangkok is the source of a new Covid-19 cluster of infections in Samut Prakan, just southeast of the capital. The Bangkok Post called the 28 year old cook “careless.” The woman, who worked as for the catering department of an ASQ hotel, sometimes did not wear gloves and…
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Boy killed by lightning strike in Surat Thani, 5 others injured
A 12 year old boy was killed by a lightning strike while he was playing football at a field in Southern Thailand’s Surat Thani. 5 other children were also injured from a bolt of lightning and were rushed to the Surat Thani Hospital. Heavy rain had just cleared up and the boys were playing football when lightning struck the middle of…
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Police announce return of drink driving checkpoints, just in time for Songkran
Thailand’s deputy police chief says drink-driving checkpoints will return from tomorrow, following a 6-month hiatus to weed out corrupt practices. Last October, national police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk put a stop to all police checkpoints, including those checking for drink driving offences, after several complaints of corruption among officers. Following an overhaul, his deputy, Damrongsak Kittiprapas, says the checks will return…
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PM says Thailand won’t turn away Burmese refugees, but reports say already 2,000 have been refused
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says Burmese refugees won’t be turned away, but reports say Thailand has already refused around 2,000 asylum seekers from entering. PM Prayut says the refugees would be let in on humanitarian grounds after more than 500 civilians have been killed since Myanmar’s junta took over in a coup on February 1. “Thailand will not turn them away.…
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Thai PM will consider waiving quarantine for vaccinated visitors to Phuket
The Thai PM says he’s willing to consider a call from the Phuket business community to allow vaccinated foreigners to bypass quarantine. Prayut Chan-o-cha says in order to compete with other countries popular with tourists, Phuket plans to re-open fully to vaccinated foreigners from July, meaning the government must make sure the country’s vaccine rollout is on track. “The point…
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Thanathorn acknowledges, responds to lèse majesté charge
The former leader of the now disbanded Future Forward Party has appeared at a Bangkok police station to face a charge of lèse majesté. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, now leader of the Progressive Movement, appeared at Nang Loeng Police Station to acknowledge the charge, also known as section 112 of the Criminal Code. Section 112 makes it an offence to insult, defame,…
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Thailand News Today | Thailand vaccination program rolls out, Myanmar latest | March 30
More sandbox plans being proposed as Thailand opens back up, the country’s chamber of commerce calls for an acceleration of vaccine roll out, and the latest from the increasing violence next door in Myanmar. The chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce says officials hope to reinvigorate the economy within 99 days, through a “Connect the Dots” policy. He added…
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Thai high-speed rail has 3 new contracts, projects estimated at 27.4 billion baht
A high-speed rail line between Bangkok and Nong Khai just got a boost with the signing of 3 civil engineering contracts yesterday. The total value of the 3 projects is estimated at 27.4 billion baht, with the projects being valued at 9.4 billion, 11.5 billion, and 6.5 billion respectively. The State Railway of Thailand inked the deal with private firms…
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Bangkok market vendor’s obese monkey seized by wildlife authorities
Thai wildlife authorities seized an extremely fat macaque monkey, known as Godzilla, and have now placed the 3 year old monkey on a strict diet. Godzilla’s owner is a meatball vendor in Bangkok’s Min Buri district. Reports say Godzilla was often tied to the market stall, snacking on treats from passersby. Weighing 20 kilograms, Godzilla became somewhat of a local…
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Some Pattaya businesses oppose quick reopening to foreign tourists
While Pattaya tourist businesses are desperate for borders to reopen to foreign tourists, many local business owners oppose the rush to reopen Thailand. Boonanan Phattanasin, The president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, which serves many businesses throughout Pattaya, points out that while international tourism benefits the local economy, domestic tourism is booming and businesses that cater to Thai…
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Thailand jobs listings rise in February, labour force recovering from pandemic
After a pandemic-fueled unemployment freefall over the last year, costing 3 million people their jobs, February saw a big jump in employment demand for Thailand. Most job listings on the search platform JobsDV are for positions in the sales and customer service fields, followed by positions in the information technology field. Employment demand rose nearly 25% from the lowest periods…
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Woman warns of paying cash on delivery after being scammed
A woman is warning internet users to beware of accepting parcels by paying cash on delivery after being allegedly scammed. According to Thai Residents, the woman says she accepted a package without knowing she didn’t order it, paying 590 baht in cash. Once she opened the package, she saw a pink t-shirt with a note that said, “I am sorry,…
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Thailand’s first female Education Minister targets bullying in schools
Thailand’s first female education minister is targetting bullying in schools as part of 3 policies she says she will start implementing today. Trinuch Thienthong, an MP from the coalition – core Palang Pracharath Party, says she will promote safety at schools, access to digital resources and knowledge and campaign for vocational education. Trinuch says Thailand’s schools, must be free of…
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Health Ministry says border guards will be prioritised for Covid vaccines
Thailand’s Health Ministry says border guards will be prioritised for Covid-19 vaccines, due to the risk of Burmese refugees fleeing into the Kingdom to escape violence in Myanmar. Since a February 1 military coup in the neighbouring country, the situation has deteriorated rapidly, with thousands of villagers crossing into the northern province of Mae Hong Son at the weekend. They…
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Thai Chamber of Commerce calls for vaccine delivery to be speeded up
The chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce says officials hope to reinvigorate the economy within 99 days, through a “Connect the Dots” policy. Sanan Angubolkul adds that the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines must be speeded up if the economy is to recover in that timeframe. “Thailand is slow in distributing vaccines. This will result in a slow economic recovery.”…
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Thailand News Today | Thai gov won’t evacuate citizens from Myanmar, Suez Canal latest | March 29
On today’s program, the Thai government say they’ll help any companies affected by the blockage of the Suez Canal, the Thai Government says they’re not going to evacuate Thai citizens from Myanmar at this time, and random drink drive testing is going to start rolling out around Bangkok from this Wednesday. But we start off today with a shout out…
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