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 Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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Taxi drivers may switch to rideshare apps with new regulations
The president of the Thai Taxi Network Association says that many traditional licensed taxis will likely switch to driving their own cars as rideshare drivers. The statement comes in response to the government’s announcement that they have started to put together regulations for rideshare taxi apps, set to go into effect in a month or two. The new regulations would bring…
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Police arrest “key” labour trafficking suspect who allegedly earned millions of baht
Police say they’ve arrested a “key” suspect who allegedly earned millions of baht leading a human trafficking operation. Following the man’s arrest, police accessed his bank account and say he earned around 14 million baht over the past year with his earnings increasing during Covid-19 outbreaks. Over the past year, officers tightened border patrol along the Thai-Myanmar border and focused…
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Cannabis tourism may be a key to Thailand’s recovery
Thailand may have an opportunity to help recover its nearly dead tourism economy from an unusual source: cannabis tourism. Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to legalise many aspects of cannabis – production and importing and exporting for medical use, and recently broader recreational use, with the first cannabis-infused drinks hitting convenience store shelves. This could open the door…
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Water monitor lizard blood studied in Thailand for potential to treat cancer and Covid-19
Asian water monitor lizard blood is being researched in Thailand for its medicinal properties and its potential to treat cancer and even Covid-19. The Thai government granted the Mahidol University permission to collect blood samples from the protected species and study proteins in the blood that contribute to the lizard’s immune defence. The large lizards, sometimes reaching 1.5 metres in…
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2 of the 62 people arrested at Bangkok sex party test positive for Covid-19
2 of the 62 people who were arrested at the alleged drug and sex party in Bangkok have tested positive for Covid-19. Large gatherings are prohibited in Bangkok, particularly those where people are in “close contact,” to prevent the spread of the virus. Reports say the large gathering at the Faros Sauna was a “chemsex” event involving drugs to enhance sex.…
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Thai Airways introducing limited direct flights between Europe and Phuket
Thai Airways is testing the waters (so to speak) by introducing a limited number of direct flights from Europe to Phuket, ahead of the southern island’s July 1 re-opening. The national carrier, currently in the throes of restructuring after teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, has started selling direct flights from 4 European cities to Phuket. According to a Bangkok…
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93% of Covid samples from April test positive for variant found in the UK
The Covid-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom is said to have been found in many of the cases detected in April. Out of 300 samples, 93% tested positive for the mutated strain, B.1.117, according to director general of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences, Supakit Sirilak. The latest outbreak of Covid-19 started in clusters in Bangkok’s…
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Pattaya plans for reopening with no quarantine for vaccinated travellers
Pattaya will reopen to foreign tourists this year under a model similar to Phuket… but only if 70% of residents are vaccinated against Covid-19. Local officials are seeking more vaccine doses in an effort to reach herd immunity and bring people back to one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations. Under the plan “Pattaya, Move On,” quarantine in Pattaya would be…
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Thursday Covid Update: 3,323 cases and 47 deaths
3,323 new Covid-19 cases and a record high of 47 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. There has been a total of 112,354 infections recorded since April 1, the latest wave of Covid-19. There are now 46,469 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 141,217 Covid-19 cases…
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Mor Prom Covid-19 vaccine registration Line account scrapped
Less than a month after its not-so-triumphant launch, the Mor Prom Line account for vaccine registration, like so many Covid-19 plans before it, has been scratched. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the government decided to discontinue to online registration scheme in anticipation of the platform being overwhelmed by coming sign-ups. The plan is now to keep Mor Prom…
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Mahidol University: We did not state Fingerroot is effective medicine for treating Covid-19 symptoms
Mahidol University, located in Nakhon Pathom, a central Thai province, has denied they are associated with any claims made by product advertisers that extracts from Fingerroot, a root that has the appearance of long, jaundiced fingers, can be used to treat Covid-19 sufferers. A rector from the university, Professor Dr. Banchong Mahaisavariya, attempted to distance the university from the advertisers’…
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Thailand News Today | BKK clubs deny responsibility, Sinopharm for Thailand, 2,455 cases | May 26
2,455 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, and 41 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest fatality count in Thailand since the start of the pandemic. Samples taken from Covid-19 patients in southern Thailand are being tested to check for the highly-contagious, so-called South African variant. The managers of 2 nightclubs in the Thong Lor district of Bangkok are denying any responsibility for…
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Repairman hospitalised after plummeting off roof in Pattaya
An air conditioner repairman working in Pattaya is in the hospital after plummeting off a roof. He was reportedly refilling refrigerant liquid in an air conditioner at the time. Around 1pm, emergency responders from Sawang Boriboon were alerted of the incident. 47 year old Panuwat Chuapkrasong broke his arm in the fall and injured his mouth and legs. He was…
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Police in Koh Samui arrest 9 people for gathering and drinking alcohol
Police in Koh Samui arrested 9 people for allegedly gathering and drinking alcohol, a violation of the strict disease control rules put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The island has been working to contain the virus and administer vaccines quickly to prepare for the reopening to vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1 under a travel model similar…
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Woman driving to market slides into canal, drowns in flash flood
A 60 year old woman in the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima drowned after her motorcycle was swept into a canal during a flash flood and the woman was carried away by a strong current. Her body was found about 1 kilometre away from the village in the Wang Nam Khieo district. The woman, later identified as Kanchanee Kanpraser, was driving her…
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Thailand gets onboard with ridesharing taxi app regulations
Never one to be late to a trend, Thailand is jumping on the bandwagon, after hailing the bandwagon first using a ridesharing app. Many countries have wrestled with how to regulate the taxi-hailing app concept and the grey area it occupies between not-quite-a-taxi and not-quite-a-private-car, and now Thailand is looking to implement regulations within a month. A deputy spokesperson for…
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Police in Bangkok arrest 6 people on gambling and drug charges
Six recent graduates have been arrested on charges of illegal gambling and using class 5 drugs. The graduates, between the ages of 23 and 25, allegedly used SIM cards to sign up for gambling sites to obtain bonuses from new players. According to media reports, they were allegedly earning between 1,000 to 10,000 baht a day on their gambling operation. Yesterday,…
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Social media users can face legal action for spreading false Covid-19 information
Those who post false information about the Covid-19 situation in Thailand could face legal action. Several people are facing charges for posts they made on social media with misleading information on the spread of the coronavirus in Thailand and vaccine side effects. The false statements could potentially provoke social unrest and threaten national security, according to the Digital, Economy and…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,455 new cases and 41 deaths, provincial totals
2,455 new Covid-19 cases and 41 coronavirus-related deaths, the highest fatality count since the start of the pandemic, were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. A total of 109,031 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since April 1. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 137,894 Covid-19 cases in Thailand and 873…
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Cabinet approves Emergency Decree extension, prison funding
The Emergency Decree enacted to attempt to curb the spread of Covid-19 in Thailand has just been extended for 2 more months, until the end of July. Cabinet ministers met yesterday to determine the future of the decree and agreed to extend it from June 1 to July 31, while also approving funding for fighting Covid-19 in the Thai prison…
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Managers of Bangkok clubs blamed for third wave deny any wrongdoing
The managers of 2 nightclubs in the Thong Lor district of Bangkok have denied any responsibility for causing a third wave of Covid-19. The Krystal and Emerald clubs have been widely blamed for sparking a resurgence of the virus that has now spread across the Kingdom, threatening tourism re-opening plans and further decimating an already-fragile economy. Both managers face charges…
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China’s Sinopharm vaccine up for approval in Thailand
China is seeking approval for its Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine to be used in Thailand. Documents have been submitted and Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration secretary general Paisal Dunkhum says the vaccine will be reviewed for its quality, safety, and efficacy. He says he expects a decision on whether to approve the vaccine for use to be made within the next…
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Visakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday
Today is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Bucha Day, the most significant day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha… his birth, attaining enlightenment at 35 years old, and then his death 45 years later, which all occurred on the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month. There is…
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Thai industry body says government may miss vaccination target due to supply issues
The Thai government is being warned that ongoing issues with Covid-19 vaccine supply may cause it to miss its target of obtaining 10 million doses in June. The Federation of Thai Industries says the supply problems will impact the country’s vaccination rollout and is calling on the government to accelerate the process by allowing private companies to import doses from…
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Health Minister insists AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered on time
The required doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be ready for the government’s June 7 rollout. So says Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in response to concerns over supply issues. A number of hospitals have already suspended use of the vaccine, due to low or no supplies. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin met with representatives from AstraZeneca…
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Motorbike death believed to be caused by face mask
PHOTO: Sanook.com A motorbike driver in the northern Thai province of Uthai Thani has died from injuries he sustained after he drove into a utility pole. Witnesses said they saw a face mask covering the motorbike driver’s eyes and they believe it obstructed his vision, causing the crash. Mew, a 43 year old Burmese national, had bought the motorbike only…
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Thailand News Today | AZ vaccine doses postponed, new 1 minute Covid test | May 25
Thai government has rescheduled the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines 16 weeks after the first dose, The National University of Singapore says a breath test that can detect Covid-19 infection within a minute has been approved for use in the city state, 2 trains collided in KL, Malaysia leaving more than 200 people injured and Heavy rain to very heavy…
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Southern Thailand: Wet weather forecast from tropical cyclone Yaas
Heavy rain to very heavy rain is forecast for Southern Thailand from today until the end of the week. The rain, and the bad weather, is coming from the north-moving Tropical Cyclone “Yaas”, which is currently situated over the Bay of Bengal, south of Bangladesh and heading for landfall on the Indian coast. “Yaas” is heading in a North/Northwesterly direction…
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Covid UPDATE Tuesday: 3,226 new infections, 26 deaths
Thailand’s public health ministry has reported 26 new Covid-related deaths and 3,226 new infections for today. 882 of the new infections were from prisons. • The Thai government has rescheduled the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines “16 weeks after the first dose”. This is instead of the previously announced 10 weeks. But they’re insisting the delay to the second vaccine…
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Former Finance Minister petitions to revoke approval of government’s 700 billion baht loan
A former politician, who served as Finance Minister from 2011 to 2012, is petitioning the Supreme Administrative Court to revoke approval for the government’s 700 billion baht loan. Cabinet recently approved an executive decree that allows the government to borrow the funds, in order to restore Thailand’s decimated economy and combat the Covid-19 crisis. Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala says he doesn’t object…
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