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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Sponsored What do you need before moving from the US to Thailand?
The Thaiger key takeaways The most common medical emergencies for expats in Thailand include motorcycle accidents, tropical diseases, and food or water-borne illnesses. Air pollution and heat-related conditions like heatstroke also pose serious seasonal health risks, especially in northern and...
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Massage workers in Pattaya call for reopening of spas and massages shops
A group of about 50 workers from Pattaya massage shops and spas gathered together to call for the reopening of their businesses after being closed for the past month due to Covid-19 restrictions. The group called themselves the “Pattaya Health Massage” presented a letter signed by 60 massage shops, spas and gyms to Bang Lamung District Sheriff this morning. Chon…
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16 Thai Navy officials investigated for alleged involvement in drug trafficking
The Royal Thai Navy is investigating 16 of its officials for alleged involvement in a drug trafficking operation earlier this month in the Isaan province Nong Khai which borders Laos. If the officials are found guilty, the Navy will immediately take both disciplinary and legal action, according to a spokesperson. Local officials reportedly seized 2 million amphetamine tablets and 116…
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Samut Sakhon speeds up proactive Covid-19 screening to test at least 60,000 people this week
Proactive Covid-19 testing in Samut Sakhon is increasing and health officials now aim to test at least 60,000 people this week. Medical officials from several hospitals are also coming together to help accelerate the screening at different venues in the province. The active case finding in Samut Sakhon, the primary “Covid-19 hotspot” in the new wave of infections, health officials…
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Chulalongkorn University to start human trials for its Covid-19 vaccine
The vaccine research centre at Chulalongkorn University is planning to start human trials of its mRNA vaccine candidate, called Chula – Cov19, in April. The university received prototype vaccines from factories in the United States. If the human trials are effective, the first million doses of locally-produced vaccines could available this year. According to the centre’s director Dr. Kiat Ruxrungtham,…
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Thailand News Today | Survey shows a third of tourism businesses are broke or shut down | January 25
For those who need to extend their tourist visa, the Thai Immigration Bureau is asking that applicants make an appointment online to reserve their spot. The bureau says the online appointments will help with preventing the spread of Covid-19 by reducing overcrowding and making sure people abide by social distancing practices. And you thought it was about increasing efficiency. Applicants…
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Hotline set up for reports on alleged Covid-19 measure violations
The government is now encouraging people to help report activities deemed to violate the government’s rules and regulations to curb the spread of Covid-19 by calling the national hotline at 1111. People can report on any violations set by the Emergency Decree, which has been in place since last year and extended numerous times to combat the coronavirus. The government…
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First phase of Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccinations to start on February 14
The government plans to begin Thailand’s 3-phase vaccination plan on February 14, starting with healthcare and frontline workers as well as vulnerable groups. At the Covid-19 vaccination administration subcommittee meeting today, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the first phase of inoculations starting next month will target 19,014,154 Thai people in 4 priority groups… 1,700,000 health workers in both public…
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Eating out until 11pm in Bangkok is waiting for approval
Bangkok restaurants may soon be allowed to stay open a little later. Health officials are considering easing up Covid-19 prevention measures by extending restaurant dine-in closing times to 11pm. If the proposal by the Thai Restaurant Association is given a green light, it may lead to the lifting ban of alcohol drinking. After the order of shutting entertainment venues and…
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34.7% of Thai tourist businesses closed down
“When the tourists start coming back it will be a very different holiday experience for them. Will it ever get back to the numbers before Covid? Never.” A Tourism Authority of Thailand survey, conducted between January 10 – 12, indicates that more than a third of the country’s tourism-related businesses has already shut up shop and gone out of business.…
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Thai people hope Covid-19 vaccine will help end pandemic – survey
A Bangkok University poll indicates that around half of the Thai population are holding out hope that the Covid-19 vaccine will help end the pandemic. But the same respondents fear the vaccines’ side effects. The poll was conducted on January 18-20 on 1,186 people nationwide, aged 18 and over. A bare majority, 50.1% say their jobs and incomes would be…
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Thai researcher details her Covid-19 vaccination experience
“General post-vaccination symptoms include a mild fever, headache, muscle pain and shivering.” A Thai post-doctorate researcher at the University of Chicago is detailing her Covid-19 vaccination experience and offering insight into its effects. Siriruk Changrob has received 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine but says just the vaccine won’t immunise people from getting Covid. Siriruk says a person who is…
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Border districts screening cars for smuggling illegal migrants
Security officers in Thailand’s 3 border districts are under strict orders to screen all cars at security checkpoints for illegal migrant smuggling. The orders come after the arrests of 3 Thais who allegedly smuggled illegal migrants into the country using their own cars, with all cases being linked to each other. The smugglers tried to escape being detected by authorities…
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198 new infections, 1 death – Thailand’s Covid-19 update
After a week of high and lows in the reporting of the latest clusters, Thailand officials are reporting 198 new infections of Covid-19 today, with 180 being locally transmitted. 69 of those local infections were found via tests at medical facilities and 111 were found by proactive testing. Most of the proactive tests were found in Samut Sakhon, where the…
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Thai PM is ready to work closely with the US President
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha sent a letter of congratulations to US resident Joe Biden. He says the Thai government is ready to work closely with the US government to promote cooperation in all aspects and all levels. He also says that Thailand and the US have a long relationship that dates back over 200 years. And, as Thailand is the…
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1.5 million Thais approaching poverty line
A new report by the World Bank has indicated that 1.5 million Thais are approaching the poverty line after Covid-19 ravaged the tourism-dependent economy. In 2020, the report says the poverty ratio in Thailand increased to 8.8%, compared with 2019’s figure of 6.2%. The report is troubling as the Thai economy already passed rock bottom in the 2nd quarter of…
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CCSA Update: 309 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand
The CCSA’s daily briefing today started with an update about a NBT news presenter who has attended the daily briefings at the CCSA studio and testing positive for Covid-19. The CCSA spokesman then announced that all people working in the CCSA studio, including himself, are defined as a “low risk” group for infections. The CCSA spokesman says he, together with…
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Thailand’s broadband internet speed ranks #1
Thailand’s broadband internet speed is ranking number 1 after a speed test was conducted in December of last year. It’s ranking climbed 2 spots from the previous speed test out of 176 countries by the Speedtest Global Index, beating out the stiff competition. Singapore and Hong Kong are now at 2nd and 3rd place according to the test, which is…
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Banned politician says government silencing him by invoking Lese Majeste law
A banned politician, who criticised the government’s Covid-19 vaccine plan, is claiming the government is silencing him (again) by invoking the Lese Majeste law against him. The alleged defamation case concerns his questioning of using one of the king’s companies as part of the Covid-19 vaccine strategy that he says will slow down the process of inoculations. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit accused…
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Thailand News Today | Gambling crackdown, Seafood market to reopen, Vlogger challenge | Jan 21
In a nationwide crackdown on gambling, police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a warehouse and seized more than 400 slot machines. Acting on a court warrant, police searched the warehouse. The locks on the door had been changed and police had to break into the warehouse. Inside, canvases covered 418 slot machines. Police say the machines were “plug…
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Government is to allow people to use “legal” parts of cannabis in business
With intentions to promote cannabis as the country’s potential new cash crop, the government is preparing guideline to allow people to produce, sell or own cannabis and hemp. The permitted businesses, including textile, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics will be able to register to receive FDA permissions from January 29. According to the FDA secretary-general, leaves, stalks, stems, roots, flowers, and seeds…
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CCSA Update: 142 new Covid-19 infections
After the welcome drop of new Covid-19 infections yesterday, the CCSA today reports an increase of 142 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. 88 cases were found in general health care institutions, while 37 cases are detected on the proactive tests and 17 cases in the state quarantine. The CCSA says the situation is still not stable with…
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Thailand’s poorer areas may suffer if vaccines funded by local municipalities
Thailand’s poorer areas may suffer if Covid-19 vaccine distribution is given the green light to be funded by local municipalities. Suspicions are already being raised as critics say many municipalities who offer to fund the vaccines may have alterior political motives. As many as 20 municipalities are reporting that they have already set aside funding. Ratchaburi Town Municipality, for example,…
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Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger – January 21
Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments made on The Thaiger YouTube videos, as well as our website thethaiger.com and Facebook page. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower…
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210 billion baht stimulus confirmed for “Rao Chana”
A budget of 210 billion baht of stimulus handouts to help financially-affected people from the Covid-19 outbreak, has been confirmed and ready to be distributed to 31 million people. Each applicant in the project will get 7,000 over 2 months, but not in cash. They will only get money transferred via the “Pao Tang” app once subscribing to the website…
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Koh Larn asks Chon Buri officials to open the island again to tourists
The Koh Larn community committee is asking the Chon Buri provincial communicable disease committee to consider reopening the island after being affected by the restriction measures from January 5. Actually, almost closed down. One of the Covid-19 hot spots, Chonburi is classified as a “high risk” area where maximum restrictions are imposed. Businesses and tourist destinations are ordered to close…
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Gambling crackdown continues, 400 slot machines seized in warehouse raid
In a nationwide crackdown on gambling, police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a warehouse and seized more than 400 slot machines. Acting on a court warrant, police searched the warehouse in the Mueang district. The locks on the door had been changed and police had to break the locks to enter the warehouse. Inside, canvases covered 418 slot…
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Samut Sakhon governor remains on ventilator with serious lung infection after Covid-19
After nearly recovering from Covid-19, the Samut Sakhon governor was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his lungs and now remains on a ventilator after nearly a month of the breathing treatment. Doctors are now doing hourly checks to monitor governor Verasak Vichitsangsri’s condition. While the 58 year old governor’s Covid-19 infection has subsided, the virus negatively affected his lung…
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Shoppers disgruntled as registration for co-payment scheme fills up in 10 minutes
Social media users are up in arms after registration for the government’s Kon La Khreung (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme filled up within 10 minutes. The scheme, first introduced as an economic stimulus measure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, gives shoppers 50% off the purchase of everyday items, up to 150 baht a day and capped at 3,500…
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Police search for man who allegedly stole 1.9 million baht worth of gold at gunpoint
Police are searching for a man who allegedly pulled out a gun and stole 119 gold necklaces worth more than 1.9 million baht from a Tesco Lotus gold shop in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima’s Non Thai district. The man allegedly pulled out a gun and yelled at the Yaowarat Krungthep gold shop staff to get down on the floor.…
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Security guard slaps student for displaying protest sign at Bangkok mall – VIDEO
A security guard at the luxury Iconsiam shopping mall in Bangkok has slapped a student activist after she held up a protest sign at the facility. The confrontation occurred at around 2.30pm yesterday, when the Thammasat University student displayed a sign that read, “You monopolised the vaccine so the Monarchy could take the credit.” The student, named as 21 year…
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