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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Museum Siam launches Ukraine exhibition and Ukrainian language audio guide
Museum Siam in Bangkok will hold a photography exhibition entitled “Diverse Ukraine” to showcase Ukraine’s diverse national costumes from May 9 – May 29. The museum has also launched a Ukrainian language audio guide for their longstanding “Decoding Thainess” exhibition which explores what it means to be “Thai,” giving Ukrainian tourists the opportunity to learn about Thailand’s history, culture and…
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300,000 travellers arrive in Thailand during first week of May
About 300,000 international travellers have arrived in Thailand within the first week after the Thailand Pass program was simplified and the Test & Go and Sandbox schemes scrapped on May 1. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he’s “happy with the number of visitors” according to Government Spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. A proportion of the ‘visitors’ continues to be Thais. After removing the…
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UPDATE: Royal Thai Navy and Air Force join Lazada ban
Yes, the Lazada-gate fiasco rolls on. Following yesterday’s report that Lazada was banned from entering Royal Thai Army bases, the unit later launched an “emergency announcement” warning of penalties to anyone who violates the ban. Now the Royal Thai Navy and Air Force have also joined the boycott, stating that a zero-tolerance policy “will be considered” as Lazada ads “could…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 6,230 new cases; provincial totals
53 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 29,196 with 7,498 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,230 new Covid-19 cases and 11,132 recoveries. There are now 80,002 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded…
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14 year old boy accidentally shoots and kills himself in northern Thailand
A teenage boy from Phitsanulok province, northern Thailand, died yesterday afternoon after accidentally shooting himself in the neck with a gun. The boy was playing with the gun when it slipped out of his hands, according to his younger brother, who witnessed the incident. Yesterday at around 1:30pm, police officers from Nakhon Thai Police Station received a report that a…
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Anutin to give away 1 million cannabis plants to Thai households from next month
Thailand’s kind-hearted Public Health Minister says he will offer households a million cannabis plants for free from next month. Anutin Charnvirakul’s generous gesture is to mark June 9, from when people will be legally permitted to grow cannabis plants in their own homes. However, it will have to be medical-grade cannabis only and can only be used for medicinal purposes.…
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WHO warning of infectious Omicron sub-variants has Thai officials on high alert
Thai health officials are on high alert after at least 1 foreign national was found to be infected with an Omicron sub-variant that has the potential to cause severe illness. The Bangkok Post reports that Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the World Health Organisation has issued a warning about 3 highly infectious Omicron sub-variants, known as…
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Thailand’s Covid-19 alert decreases to Level 3
Today, the Ministry of Public Health announced that Thailand’s Covid-19 alert level has decreased from Level 4 to Level 3 nationwide. Whether Thailand is ready to declare Covid-19 as endemic will depend on vaccination rates, according to the ministry. Director-General of the Disease Control Department Opas Kankawinpong said Level 3 means Thai residents still can’t go to bars and entertainment…
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PM Prayut wants Thailand’s monks to clean their act up
Buddhist monks keep acting inappropriately, and Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has had enough. Yesterday, PM Prayut ordered the National Office of Buddhism to strengthen discipline among Thailand’s Buddhist monks, following a long string of cases of monks breaking the rules. The Sangha – the collective word for Thailand’s monastic community – has existed for thousands of years in Thailand.…
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Durian valued at 120 billion baht will be shipped to China this year
Thailand will export durians to the vale of 120 billion baht to China this year, about a 10% increase, according to Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Chalermchai Sri-on. The Chinese government has set strict controls against fruit imports during their Covid-19 pandemic response. Thailand exported 875,100 tonnes of durian to China last year, valued at 109 billion baht. Thailand’s durian…
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Dying in Thailand as a Foreigner Part 2: Your Questions Answered
What happens to the body after death? How much does it cost to prepare a will? Who should you leave your will with? Tim newton sits with Ben hart from Integrity Legal to answer all your questions in Part 2 of ‘Dying in Thailand as a Foreigner’. Follow Benjamin Hart and his youtube channel Integrity Legal Thailand: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO6aDpt9xRwgueZvwIsBpWg
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Pattaya to ‘officially’ reopen floating restaurants and water activities
The Pattaya Marine Committee has held a meeting with representatives from local marine business to discuss legally reopening floating restaurants and other water activity services, like jet ski and parasailing. The committee unofficially agreed on the reopening plans but insists restaurants offer only traditional Thai shows at this stage – no parties, no dancers. The Pattaya News reported that some…
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Government economic agency says China’s zero-Covid policy hurting Thai economy
China’s relentless pursuit of a zero-Covid status, coupled with tough import restrictions, is having a negative impact on the Thai economy. So says the Thai economic planning agency, the National Economic and Social Development Council. According to a Nation Thailand report, the NESDC says it’s watching China closely, after a strict lockdown was enforced in Shanghai and other cities. “China’s…
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Nightlife venues in “blue zones” want permission to re-open from June 1
Thailand’s nightlife venues are demanding to be allowed re-open for business in “blue zone” tourism areas from June 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, the proposal is one of several being submitted to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today. Sa-nga Ruangwatthanakul from the association of Khao San Road business operators says the proposals are being put forward by over 10 associations…
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Tourism operators not getting their hopes up, still wary of government U-turns
Despite a further easing of entry restrictions at the start of the month, with the lifting of PCR testing on arrival, Thailand’s tourism sector is not getting its hopes up. According to a Bangkok Post report, tourism operators are concerned about several factors that have left them uncertain about any potential recovery. Chief among these is the risk of new…
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Store owner in northern Thailand donates school uniforms to needy families
As Thailand plans to reopen schools on May 17, a store owner in Northern Thailand’s province of Nakhon Sawan is donating old school uniforms to families who don’t have the money to buy their own. The store owner said that this is the second year the donation handout has been organised. He said that last year, there was a similar…
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Phuket prepares reforestation activity for National Tree Day
National Tree Day is coming up next Friday, May 13, and Phuket is getting ready to celebrate! Phuket authorities plan to host a public event where people can come and plant trees. The event will start at Wat Kosit Viharn Temple, off Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada, and move to Toh Sae National Forest reserve, which is behind the temple off…
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Man in northern Thailand found dead under palm tree
A man in the northern Thai province of Phitsanulok was found lying dead under a palm tree this morning. The man’s relatives told police he had left his home early in the morning to tap palm milk, as he did every day. They got worried when he didn’t come back at 9am, so they went to search for him, and…
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How to Apply for a Marriage Visa in Thailand
Getting married to a Thai national does not automatically grant you a Thai marriage visa. However, obtaining a marriage visa in Thailand is not as hard as you might think. Natty goes through the process and requirements to acquire a marriage visa. Follow these steps and live in Thailand with your loved one happily ever after.
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Major Thai police leader to discuss closing times in Pattaya, Phuket and elsewhere
Thailand’s most famous policeman, ‘Big Joke’, aka. Surachate Hakparn, has plans to discuss legal closing times for ‘restaurants’ in Pattaya, Phuket and other renowned tourist hotspots where the closing time issue continues to be a hot topic. Bars and clubs in Thailand, under official laws, are still only allowed to reopen as ‘restaurants’, and only until midnight at the moment.…
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Weekend Update | Nightlife Entertainment in BKK is Loud and Alive!
Entertainment in Khao San seems to be booming and business is starting to pick up! So Jay went to Khao San himself to find out! The Department of health is cautioning people over Bullfrog shots and finally after the big re-opening of Maya Bay, its going to close again temporarily. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.
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Phuket officials investigate land excavation in Kamala hills
After news broke on Thai media that a backhoe was seen digging soil and loading it onto trucks in Kamala, a town on the central west coast of Phuket, officials are now investigating what is suspected of being an illegal land excavation. Isra News Agency, the Thai media platform that first reported the incident, published photos on Thursday of what…
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Young girl gets leg stuck in Pattaya gutter, sparks debate
A 12 year old girl fell into a gutter in Pattaya on Friday, which some bystanders claimed was not properly sealed and was an accident waiting to happen. Officers were able to help free the girl without injuring her in the process, however she was still transferred to a nearby hospital for observation. The incident happened in the parking lot…
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Tourists returning to Bangkok’s Khao San Road
The president of a business operators association on Bangkok’s tourist-trap of Khao San Road says the tourism numbers are making a comeback. This news comes following Thailand Pass‘s eased entry requirements for foreign arrivals, making travelling to Thailand slightly less tedious since May 1. The president told the Bangkok Post that the number of tourists to the walking street still doesn’t…
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Phuket Covid-19 clinic to close down this month
One Covid-19 clinic in Phuket is preparing to shut down on May 16, even though it only opened eight months ago in September last year. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office announced the upcoming closure of Aunjai Clinic yesterday in a briefing, and on Facebook. The clinic was established to provide locals who tested positive for Covid-19 with advice, medicines,…
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Man defecates in authority’s pickup truck in Bangkok area – VIDEO
Finished your lunch or dinner? OK… A man ha defecated on the backseat of an authority’s pickup truck in Min Buri, on the outskirts of Bangkok yesterday. Yep, you read that right! The authorities had stopped the man because they wanted to confiscate his motorcycle and put it in their truck after he parked on the sidewalk. Thai media reports…
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After big reopening, Krabi’s Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Just four months after its epic reopening in January, officials are announcing that Thailand’s Maya Bay, located on Koh Phi Phi Leh in Krabi, is planning to temporarily close again from August to September this year. The bay had reopened in January after closing in 2018, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, because of how much tourism had damaged the ecosystem.…
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Thailand officials still aiming for Covid-19 ‘endemic’ status in July
Thailand’s officials say their goal remains to achieve endemic status for Covid-19 on July 1 if certain benchmarks continue to be met. Thailand’s deputy public health minister said in a speech that, if Covid-19 is declared an endemic, mask-wearing rules might ease depending on the Covid-19 situation in each area. In the plan for endemic status, the number of infections…
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Thai royalists “outraged” over Lazada campaign “mocking disabled people”
Royalist groups in Thailand are in uproar, real or feigned, after a Lazada (online shopping platform) posted photos they claim mocked members of the Thai royal family and physically disabled people in a social media campaign. The group of Royalists fronted up to the Lazada office in Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok yesterday demanding answers over, what they perceive, as a controversial…
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5 elephants die after falling into sinkhole in Kanchanaburi
In the latest tragedy for Thailand’s wildlife, 5 wild elephants were found dead in a national park in the western province of Kanchanaburi on Thursday. Even though they were just found this week, the elephants were estimated to have been dead for over 2 months after they fell into a natural sinkhole. The chief of Lam Khlong Ngu National Park…
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