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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Monday Covid Update: Record high of 11,784 new cases and 81 deaths
A record high of 11,784 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA also recorded another 81 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 386,307 confirmed infections. The CCSA has said the expected uptick in cases is due to the emergence…
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June letter warned only 3 million AstraZeneca vaccines per month
AstraZeneca now looks like it will deliver far less than the original 10 million vaccines announced, but letters newly leaked show the Public Health Ministry was alerted at least a month ago that the actual amount of doses would be far less than that. In a letter dated June 25 to Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, AstraZeneca confirmed with…
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Lockdown extending as flights from dark red zones are prohibited
A new announcement has declared that all domestic airlines must cease operation of any passenger flights out of the dark red zones including Bangkok and Pattaya beginning July 21. The decree comes as Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Bangkok and surrounding provinces while daily Covid cases hit 5 digits and daily deaths hit triple digits, both for the first…
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Bangkok penis peril, man gets padlock stuck around genitals
Recently, a Bangkok man had to be rushed to the hospital, but not for anything Covid related. The man had reportedly gotten a padlock stuck around his penis and could not get it (the padlock) off. The unnamed 38 year old had fastened the device around the base of his penis 2 weeks prior. However, things took a turn for the…
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Government meeting to address rising Covid-19, action to take
With Covid-19 growing and record numbers being reported, the government is on edge and considering stricter measures to try to contain the spiralling pandemic. Yesterday saw 2 morbid benchmarks surpassed as daily infection numbers crept past 10,000 for the first time and daily Covid-19 deaths were over 100 for the first time. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will be…
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Covid UPDATE: 11,397 new infections, provincial totals
Another rise in new infections detected over the past 24 hours and announced this morning by the public health department. 11,397 new cases were announced, a rise on yesterday’s figure and the second over 10,000 people. Another 101 Covid-related deaths today, the second day over 100 deaths being announced. 318 cases were announced from prisons this morning. 283,910 people have now…
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Royal Thai Navy goes ahead with plans to buy 2 submarines
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy says they are going ahead with plans to buy more submarines from China. The Royal Thai Navy was undeterred by rampant outrage on social media over buying 2 submarines for 22.5 billion baht is an indulgence while the country is besieged by Covid. Others criticised the move by saying the submarines are unnecessary…
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Traditional Thai medicine “Fah Talai Jone” gains steam as a treatment, despite shaky scientific merit
A well known traditional Thai medicine is gaining steam as a potential treatment for Covid despite its dubious scientific merit. Fah Talai Jone, or andrographis paniculata, has been used to treat a number of different illnesses, including the flu, a sore throat, and inflammation. Now, the herb is also being used to treat mild Covid systems in “green level” patients, provided…
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THG head stock purchases before questionable Pfizer news
Thailand and Pfizer have had a tricky relationship with frequent announcements and then retractions about whether the vaccine will be approved and imported into the country. The latest was Thonburi Healthcare Group Dr Boon Vanasin announcing they had negotiated 20 million Pfizer vaccines to be brought into Thailand, only to be followed a few hours later by Pfizer-BioNTech responding that…
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Covid UPDATE: 10,082 new infections, provincial numbers
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Yesterday there were 3,367 in ICU and 847 on ventilators. 127…
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Home Covid-19 test kits approved, but not for travel
With Covid-19 on the rise, screening kit shortages have left people waiting for RT-PCR tests from professional testing sites and medical facilities. Now Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration approved 4 Covid-19 antigen test kits that can be purchased over-the-counter for home use to test for the virus. The 4 approved self-testing kits will allow people concerned that they may have…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 10,082 new infections, news briefs
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Suffice to say the October ‘reopening’ of Thailand is now looking…
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Pro-democracy leaders indicted over last year’s protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument
14 pro-democracy protesters have been indicted for charges relating to a protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument last year when emergency orders were in place. In a series of youth-led rallies, activists demanded the government and monarchy reform, making statements considered unprecedented and taboo in Thai society. The 14 protesters were charged with inciting the public, gathering to cause unrest and…
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7 more provinces classified by the CCSA as “dark red” zones under maximum control
7 more provinces are classified as “dark red” provinces under maximum control, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today. Tight restrictions in dark red zones were imposed on Monday restricting interprovincial travel, limiting gatherings to no more than 5 people and ordering residents to stay at home from 9pm to 4am. Despite the new restrictions this week, the Covid-19…
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Police arrest 21 in Thong Lor party: drugs, alcohol, and birthday cake found
Thong Lor has again made the news for people partying. Recently, police raided a hotel room in Thong Lor, Bangkok. They arrested 21 suspects for allegedly taking drugs and breaking the emergency decree that forbids groups from gathering. The Thong Lor police were alerted that a hotel room on Soi Sukhumvit 31 was full of people being loud and not…
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Covid-19 situation has not improved, stricter rules being discussed – CCSA
More stringent measures may need to be in place to control the spread of Covid-19 as the situation in Thailand has not improved, despite tight measures in “dark red” provinces which include nightly curfews and travel restrictions, a spokesperson representing the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today. In addition to talk of tightening restrictions, 7 more provinces were classified…
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AstraZeneca asks to extend vaccine delivery date amid delays
After delays in domestic and international deliveries and halving the monthly vaccine delivery targets to 5 million for Thai use, AstraZeneca has now asked for an extension for their delivery schedule of 61 million Covid-19 vaccines. The company, which has partnered with Siam Bioscience to produce vaccines domestically, now expects to reach its goal by May of 2022. The delay…
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Thai PM returns to Government House after third negative Covid test
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, does not have Covid-19 and returns to work at Government House today. The PM had been self-isolating for 14 days after coming into contact with Veerasak Pisanuwong from the Surin Chamber of Commerce, while visiting Phuket for the island’s sandbox re-opening on July 1. Veerasak subsequently tested positive for the virus. The Bangkok Post reports…
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Search party locates missing college student’s body in Chiang Mai
Northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai police have found the body of a college student who had been missing for 2 days. Rescue workers discovered the body in Doi Suthep Pui National team. Rescue workers say Nong Boss was hiking in the forest prior to going missing. Rescue workers, however, were not alone in their search efforts. More than 100 people had…
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Thai industry representatives call on Health Minister to roll out vaccines in factories
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will meet with the Federation of Thai Industries next week as the FTI calls for Covid-19 vaccines to be rolled out in factories. FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree says the factory rollout is a priority as the surge in infections is causing some sites to close. To date, just 10% of around 10 million industrial workers…
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Thai Red Cross Society to give 1 million Moderna vaccines free
As Thailand’s vaccination rollout plods along with Sinovac vaccines that have little effectiveness against the Delta variant of Covid-19 and AstraZeneca production far behind schedule, many nervous Thai citizens are looking to private hospitals and third party groups importing more effective vaccines to turn the tides in the battle against Covid-19. This week has seen a step forward as Thailand’s…
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BioNTech says there are no talks with Thonburi Healthcare for vaccines
Following reports that the Thonburi Healthcare Group in Thailand was planning to sign an agreement for 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, Germany BioNTech said it was not in talks with the Thai hospital group. In an email sent to Reuters reporters, BioNTech said “We are not in negotiations with the company you mentioned below about vaccine supply.” The…
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Bangkok taxi driver faces fines, license suspension, training classes after passenger complains about ride
A Bangkok taxi driver has been fined, has his license suspended, and has to take a training class after his erratic behaviour unnerved a passenger. The passenger posted online about the eccentric taxi ride that was supposed to take them from Victory Monument to Klong 6, Pathum Thani, last Sunday. However, the passenger cut the ride short and got off…
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Army files defamation complaint against social media users over “fake news”
Following rumours spread on social media saying Thai soldiers travelling to the US for Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines when they were actually going overseas for parachute training, the Royal Thai Army filed a defamation complaint against 9 people who allegedly spread the so-called “fake news.” A representative from the army filed a complaint with the Nang Loeng police station yesterday on…
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Available Covid patient beds at Bangkok hospitals hit “critical level”
The available beds at Bangkok hospitals for Covid-19 patients have hit a “critical level” with only 10% of beds now open for those with severe coronavirus symptoms, according to the Public Health Ministry. With the uptick in Covid-19 cases over the past several months and a sharp increase over the past few weeks, said to be due to the spread…
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With Covid-19, Tourism Ministry mulls new reopening strategy
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is reevaluating the plans for reopening Thailand and its tourism hubs as Covid-19 infections are rising all over the country. While they admit that the surge in Covid-19 is a major health and safety issue, they insist on the necessity of reopening and restarting the tourism economy and get Bangkok reopened in particular. Minister of…
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Thursday Covid Update: Provincial totals; 2,224 new cases in Bangkok
All of Thailand’s 77 provinces recorded new Covid-19 infections today. A total of 9,186 new Covid-19 cases and a record daily high of 98 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA recorded a total of 372,215 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 3,032 Covid-related fatalities. Out of…
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New Covid-19 response teams to be dispatched to 69 Bangkok communities
In an effort to contain the Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok where the highly transmissible Delta variant, said to now be the dominant strain, 69 response teams have been set up to conduct rapid Covid-19 tests in high-risk communities to quickly detect infections and contain the virus. Governor Aswin Kwanmuang says the so-call “Comprehensive Covid-19 Response Teams,” or CCRTs, which are…
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Travellers from “dark red” and “red” zones must be vaccinated to enter Phuket
Those who aren’t vaccinated against Covid-19, and are travelling from a “dark red” or “red” province, won’t be allowed to enter Phuket… at least for the next couple of weeks. With the rise of coronavirus infections amid the island’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Sandbox” model, Phuket authorities are tightening restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. From…
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Bangkok Book Festival returns, online
The “Bangkok Book Festival” is returning this Friday, after making prior appearances in 2015 and 2016. The theme will be “The magic of Paper” as the 3rd non-annual festival seems to invoke a mood of wonder and “knowledge” of paper. The intention is to inspire readers and promote reading through 6 activities. Activities such as talks and books for sale.…
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