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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Man allegedly killed a man for reporting him for visa overstay
An Indian man was arrested allegedly killing a man and then dismembering the body because he thought the victim reported him to immigration for overstaying his visa. Officers found the mutilated remains of 52 year old Mahesh Singh, also an Indian national, in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district around 11am yesterday. His body had been cut into two pieces. 29 year old…
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Thailand to prioritise vaccination of over 50s, who make up 80% of Covid deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the vaccination of people over the age of 50 is being given urgent priority. Thai PBS World reports that the decision comes after it was revealed that 80% of Covid-related deaths or in the over 50s. According to Apisamai Srirangsan from the CCSA, the majority of those deaths are in the elderly and…
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Suvarnabhumi’s ranking plummets in World’s Best Airports index
The results of this year’s World’s Best Airports awards are in, and in the last 10 years, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi has taken a nosedive from number 13 to 66. The awards, voted for by passengers, are run annually by UK consultancy, Skytrax. This year’s results were decided by an online survey that ran for a 12-month period between August 2020 and…
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Thursday Covid Update: 262 deaths and 14,956 new cases
262 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,956 new Covid-19 infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 1,205,624 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 17,936 more recoveries. There are now 163,680…
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PM Prayut accused of embezzlement in Sinovac vaccine purchases
Complex, tricky accounting, embezzlement or a government going about its work in the middle of a pandemic? Accusations by the Pheu Thai opposition party are demanding Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha explain a 2 billion baht gap between what was allocated for Sinovac vaccine purchases and what was actually spent. The charges, made under parliamentary privilege in this week’s no-confidence debate,…
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Anutin speaks in defence of handling of Covid-19 and vaccines
On the first day of the 4 day censure debate where multiple cabinet members as well as PM Prayut Chan-o-cha are facing a vote of no-confidence, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul spoke in the evening in defence of himself and in praise of the government’s competent handling of the Covid-19 crisis. The minister walked through the Covid-19 crisis and…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says lifting the nightly curfew is under consideration
Ending the nightly curfew in “dark red” provinces is under consideration, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today before Parliament during the second day of the censure debate against his government. 29 provinces, including Bangkok, are classified as “dark red” zones under maximum control to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, following a meeting chaired by prime…
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National Vaccine Institute defends opting out of COVAX
The chief of the National Vaccine Institute spoke out defending Thailand’s decision to forego the COVAX vaccine programme as the government comes under renewed fire as part of the ongoing censure debate. He maintains that Thailand is better off without the program. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the members of the ruling party in the cabinet are currently facing a vote…
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Woman and child plunge from Bangkok condominium
A woman and her child plunged from the 9th floor of their condominium to their death in Bangkok, early this morning. Lumpini police were alerted to the deaths around 6:30am. The woman and her baby were found on an overhang on the second floor. Police say the unnamed 37 year old woman and 8 month old child lived on the…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 14,802 new cases; provincial totals
252 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 11,841 with 11,747 of those fatalities reported since April 1 during the latest wave of the virus. The CCSA also 14,802 new Covid-19 cases and 18,996 recoveries in the 24-hour period since the last count, bringing the number of active cases…
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Phuket extends tight entry restrictions, vaccine required for most
Tight entry restrictions to Phuket have been extended until at least for the next two weeks, according to a provincial order imposed yesterday. Domestic entry onto the island province by land, water, and air is prohibited, with the exception of essential vehicles, residents returning home, and travellers entering under the “Sandbox” scheme. Those allowed to enter Phuket under the exceptions…
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Prosecutor says Nakhon Sawan district police intended to kill the drug suspect
The head of a regional prosecutor’s office is claiming the now-ousted Nakhon Sawan district police superintendent intended to kill the drug suspect. Video footage of the interrogation early last month shows the suspect with a plastic bag over his head. A recently released autopsy report says the man died from suffocation, but police earlier wrote off the cause of death…
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Government considering Covid-19 cards for vaccinated people and recovered patients
The Thai government is considering issuing cards that show who’s been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or who has recovered from the virus. Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says the cards could be useful as various businesses prepare for re-opening in a Covid-19 world. The Bangkok Post reports Kiattiphum as saying fully vaccinated people could be issued with green-coloured…
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More anti-government protests in Bangkok today, day 2 of no-confidence debate
Police in Bangkok are preparing for more anti-government protests today, with 2,250 officers on duty to patrol rallies by 3 different groups. Today is day 2 of the no-confidence debate against the government, with protests planned by Ratsadorn Taliban, Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy, and Thalugas, with each group meeting in different areas of the capital. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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Calls for former police chief’s wealth to be investigated
An activist from the Association for the Protection of the Thai Constitution has petitioned the Anti-Money Laundering Office to look into the wealth acquired by former police chief, Thitisan Utthanaphon. Thitisan has been fired as police chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan and is being investigated for his alleged role in the death of a suspect in custody.…
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Parks, sports fields and other venues allowed to reopen in Bangkok
Following the decision to ease restrictions in “dark red” provinces, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced they were revising the provincial order to be line with the national measures set by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and to now allow parks, sports stadiums, department stores, and other venues to reopen. In line with the order by the CCSA, restaurants, including those…
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Supreme Court acquits 6 PAD leaders, gives 3 other prison terms
6 leaders of the now defunct People’s Alliance for Democracy have been acquitted by Thailand’s Supreme Court today. The charges were connected to the leaders’ role in spearheading continual mass protests that lasted from May to October of 2008. The protests sought the removal of then PM Samsak Sundaravej. The former PAD leaders are… Former Bangkok governor Chamlong Srimuang Former…
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Thai health officials warn against eating raw earthworms after video of “spicy worm salad” goes viral
Health officials in Thailand are warning people not to eat raw earthworms after a video of a man eating a spicy salad with raw earthworms went viral on YouTube. In a previous clip, the man told viewers that if his video received 10,000 likes, that he would film himself eating raw earthworms. The man mixed the earthworms with fish sauce,…
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Regulations for flights between “dark red” provinces set
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand announced over the weekend that starting tomorrow airlines will be able to take passengers between the 29 “dark red” provinces. The flights must strictly adhere to disease control measures. The announcement follows the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s announcement on Friday that the cessation of domestic air travel will be removed. In order to…
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7 monks receive suspended jail terms, 10,000 baht fines from Chiang Mai court
7 monks and 1 friend who were found enjoying food and alcoholic drinks Sunday night, 4 of whom were abbots, have been defrocked from the monkhood, fined, and given suspended jail sentences for breaking Covid containment measures. Police, who had received complaints from residents, raided a location for monks at Wat Pansao in Chiang Mai. Bangkok Post says the monks…
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Illegal timber seized in Kanchanaburi, 1 person arrested
A young man was arrested and an undisclosed amount of Siamese Rosewood logs were seized at a temple in the western province of Kanchanaburi yesterday. The endangered wood is protected under Thai law and those charged with illegal logging can face up to 20 years prison and an up to 2 million baht fine. Officials had received reports that the Nong Pla…
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Police issue warning over rumoured death of officer who leaked custody killing footage
Thai police have hit back at unsubstantiated rumours of the death of a police officer who leaked footage of a suspect allegedly being killed in custody. National police spokesperson Yingyong Thepjamnong has described the claims as, “fake news” and warned that those behind them could face prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. Claims that a junior officer named as Tossaporn…
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Anti-government protesters arrested after police officer injured at weekend rally
Following Sunday’s anti-government protest in Bangkok, 2 activists have been arrested after video footage allegedly showed them injuring a police officer. The Bangkok Post reports that the pair are among a total of 27 protesters arrested, according to Pakapong Pongpetra from the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He says 13 of the detainees are minors and 2 are women. Sunday’s rally began…
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Vaccination not required for dining in at restaurants in dark red provinces
In a contradiction of earlier reports, patrons will not need to be fully vaccinated in order to dine in at restaurants in the dark red zones. The announcement by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has been published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The Bangkok Post reports that restaurant customers will not need to pass a Covid-19 test…
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“Dark red” interprovincial transport ban lifted, flights and bus services resume Wednesday
The ban on public transportation out of “dark red” zones has been lifted. Following the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s decision to ease the restrictions, both the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand and the state-run Transport Company announced domestic flights and interprovincial bus services will resume on Wednesday. While domestic travel from the “high risk” provinces, like Bangkok, there are…
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Autopsy report confirms man who died in police custody died of suffocation
A newly-released autopsy report confirmed that Jirapong Thanaphiphat, the man who died in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan province, died of suffocation and not of a drug overdose. The same hospital, Sawanpracharak Hospital, initially supported the police’s account of the man’s death that he died of a drug overdose, according to Coconuts Bangkok. Jirapong’s body was cremated earlier this…
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Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry patents mouthwash they claim reduces chances of spreading Covid
There may be a new way to reduce your risk of contracting Covid besides washing your hands, social distancing, and following Covid safe sex guidelines. Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry has recently patented a mouthwash that reduces the user’s chances of spreading Covid by targeting their saliva. The mouthwash was created by researchers at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine…
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Man allegedly shoots and kills co-worker because he wouldn’t turn down the radio
A man at a golf cart repair shop allegedly shot and killed his co-worker who had told him to turn down his radio. 46 year old Pongthep Phloiprasong was listening to his radio at the shop run by the Thai police in Phitsanulok’s Phrom Phiram district Sunday night. Witnesses say 37 year old Te Aw, a Burmese national, told him to…
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