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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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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Despite warning, WHO OK with Thai plan of mixing vaccines
Despite an alarming quote from the World Health Organisation’s Chief Scientist warning against mixing vaccines, a WHO representative said after that the organisation is not opposed to Thailand’s mix and match strategy. With the efficacy of the Sinovac vaccine reduced as the Delta variant of Covid-19 becomes the dominant strain in Thailand, officials have approved a plan to administer booster…
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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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Friday Covid Update: 106,951 active cases; provincial totals
The number of active Covid-19 cases has surged past 100,000. Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 9,692 new Covid-19 cases, raising the number of infections currently being treated or monitored to 106,951. Another 67 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today. Since the start of the pandemic last year, 382,907 confirmed infections and 3,099 deaths. Bangkok remains the epicentre in the…
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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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Friday Covid-19 update: 9,692 new infections, 67 deaths
Today, Thailand has reported another 9,692 new Covid-19 cases and 67 Covid-related deaths. 615 of the new infections are in Thai prisons. More details to come later. As infections continue to surge and concerns mount over the highly-contagious Delta variant, the Thai government is considering limiting exports of locally produced AstraZeneca doses. The National Vaccine Institute and the Department of…
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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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Monk uses electric cart on morning alms, other monks reportedly not thrilled
A monk in the central Thai province of Ang Thong is being chastised by his higher-ups for using an electric cart to expedite his morning alms. The higher-ups have called his actions “inappropriate”. Wanchai Dhammatharo of Ang Thong City’s Wat Channimitr has been ordered by the chief of the Ang Thong Provincial Office of Buddhism, Sakdanai Woradetch, and Sakdani’s team…
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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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Man tries to bluff his way through Phuket checkpoint, police unravel ruse
Early yesterday morning, a man tried to bluff his way through a Phuket checkpoint by using his friend’s vaccination certificate to gain entry to the island and hopeful tourist paradigm. However, the bigger problem wasn’t that man tried to gain entry into Phuket. The bigger problem was that man already had gained entry into Phuket using this bluff. Multiple times. The…
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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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Government Pharmaceutical Organisation sues over Moderna profiteering allegations
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is suing the chairman of the Thonburi Healthcare Group and a mathematician, both of whom have criticised its procurement of the Moderna vaccine. The Bangkok Post reports that the GPO has filed police complaints against THG chairman Boon Vanasin and mathematician Loy Chunpongthong. Both men have alleged that the GPO profited from the purchase of Moderna…
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Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 98 deaths; 9,186 new cases
A record daily high of 98 coronavirus-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA also logged 9,186 new Covid-19 infections, continuing on the trend of daily infections hitting the 8,000s and 9,000s. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, there have been 343,352 confirmed…
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Thailand to purchase another 120 million vaccine doses for next year
Thailand’s National Vaccine Committee has approved the purchase of an additional 120 million vaccine doses for 2022. However, it has yet to approve a draft announcement on the export of AstraZeneca doses manufactured in Thailand, due to concerns over insufficient doses for Thai citizens. Thai PBS World reports that Nakorn Premsri from the National Vaccine Institute says the extra 120…
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Government forging ahead with mixed vaccines, amid doubts and confusion
The Thai government plans to go ahead with a proposal to combine vaccines from different manufacturers, in an effort to boost immunity against the Delta variant. The move comes after a World Health Organisation scientist warned against the practice, raising concerns among the Thai public. Following reports that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was questioning the decision, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri has…
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Proposal: stop Covid-19 testing foreign workers in dark red zones
Thailand’s Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin is scrambling to explain away a leaked alleged proposal to stop testing foreign migrant workers for Covid-19 after Thai social media exploded all day with criticism. The order had been sent to the Bangkok Employment Office Area 1-10 on July 5, but just came to light yesterday. The proposal to cancel testing for foreign…
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Thai government mulls over regulations for locally-made AstraZeneca exports
The Thai government is looking into regulations for exporting the locally-made AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, possibly limiting the volume shipped overseas. The consideration comes as Thailand battles its most severe wave of Covid-19 and the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant. The number of active cases continues to hit record highs. With a limited supply of vaccines, health officials have…
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No foreign tourists to arrive tomorrow, the first day of “Samui Plus” reopening
No tourists will arrive in Koh Samui tomorrow, the first day of the island’s reopening under the “Samui Plus” travel scheme, similar to the “Phuket Sandbox.” Only 4 foreign tourists are expected on Friday. Tourism officials say it will be a slow start and they expect that an influx of travellers to the trio of islands in the Gulf of…
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Police warn to be careful about adding friends online, some aren’t real friends
Royal Thai Police are warning social media uses to be cautious when adding “friends” online. The police say sometimes these “friends” are not real friends after all. The police say to be especially wary of people posing as foreigners online as they can be sources of danger. Reportedly, the word of caution comes from deputy RTP spokesperson Deephor Siriwat. Thai…
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Man allegedly breaks into Bangkok 7/11, argues with police
A man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a Bangkok 7/11 and rooted around for a bit, early Tuesday morning. According to police, 33 year old Songyot Tharanukan broke a glass door with a brick and then gained illegal entry into the ubiquitous convenience store. Police also say the man was none too happy to have to deal…
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