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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3 metre long python caught near family’s house in Phuket
Recently, a group of civil defence volunteers were called to a family’s house in Srisoonthorn, Phuket to help catch a 3 metre long python. Nopparit Rungrueng, who is the headman of the Srisoonthorn Subdistrict led the team of snake finders/catchers. The volunteers got to the house just before noon and started to look for the snake, which was spotted by…
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Government says not to buy Favipiravir/Avigan online, says it might be fake
Yesterday, Traisuree Taisaranaku, the deputy government spokesperson said that people should refrain from buying the antiviral medication Favipiravir online because it’s possibly fake. The drug also goes by the brand name Avigan, as well as other names. The spokesperson says the medication should only be taken if it is prescribed by a doctor. Traisuree says people were tricked through social…
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Phuket bans alcohol sales at restaurants, issues order amid rise of Covid cases
The ban on alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants has been reimposed in Phuket and will be in place until at least August 16. Certain “social activities,” like parties at public places, are also now prohibited for the next two weeks. The order, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday, could be extended longer if the Covid-19 situation does not improve. Phuket…
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Man goes missing off Freedom Beach, Phuket
Yesterday, a man went for a swim off of Freedom Beach in Phuket and was carried away by a strong current. He was last seen early in the afternoon. Boonyarit Inthakarn from the Patong Police arrived at the beach just after 2 pm. 21 year old Thanakit Srisuwanwichian, told police he, and his then non-missing friend, Akkarapol Pattranonwere, were swimming…
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Thailand’s foreign tourist numbers expected to plummet during 2021
Tourism officials have repeated a bleak prediction that international arrivals in Thailand are likely to drop to an all-time low this year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says foreign visitors to the Kingdom may only number 500,000 this year. “If the ongoing outbreak continues past September, the total number of foreign tourists this year might…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,901 new cases and 147 deaths
18,901 new Covid-19 cases and 147 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total case count in the latest wave, first recorded on April 1, to 623,322 confirmed Covid-19 infections. There are now 209,039 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Dozens of isolation centres are being set up in Bangkok, the epicentre of the…
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Phang Nga reopening and “Phuket Sandbox” island hop extensions postponed
The Phang Nga’s reopening to travellers from overseas has been postponed until August 15, and the “7+7 Island Hopping” extension to the “Phuket Sandbox,” which includes a sealed route to Phang Nga, has been postponed indefinitely. The province’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Phang Nga Prompt” campaign was initially set for August 1, but the scheme has not yet…
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Bangkok Train Market official says they will reopen
The Thaiger recently wrote that Bangkok’s Train Market/Ratchada Night Market was possibly closing for good. However, now, a member of the management team for the market says the closure is only temporary and that it will reopen as soon as conditions allow it to do so. “We had to close because of the situation right now, and we will announce…
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300 beds added to Phuket’s second field hospital
300 hospital beds have been erected at a meeting hall at Phuket Rajabhat University AKA PRU, in Rassada. It is set to be the second field hospital for “light green” Covid cases. The Phuket Vice Governor, Pichet Panapong says the 300 additional beds were set up because all beds at the first field hospital at Prince of Songkla University were…
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The Thaiger launches the ‘I Am Strong’ campaign
(Video Link Below) Here is a link to the donation page… https://gogetfunding.com/the-thaigers-i-am-strong-campaign/ The Thaiger (The Thaiger Pte Ltd) is reaching out to readers and viewers of our news channels to help the thousands of people who are falling through the cracks of government and community help at this time. Many of these people are migrant workers, but many are also…
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Man arrested for allegedly robbing 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok to pay off gambling debt
A man was arrested for allegedly robbing 7-Eleven stores in Bangkok because he needed to pay off the debts from the money he had lost from gambling. He apparently painted his face to hide his identity and used a pocket knife to threaten the cashiers. The 30 year old man, identified as Sugipri, allegedly robbed two of the 7-Eleven convenience…
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Protestors fill Bangkok streets to protest Prayut, many protest leaders present
Yesterday, a multitude of pro-democracy protesters sat in their cars and motorbikes gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument demanding Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha resign. The “car mob” was full of pro-democracy leaders and anti-establishment groups, like Nattawut Saikua, former secretary general of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship/Red Shirt movement. As well as other protest leaders, such as Ratsadon leaders…
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PM’s daughters get letter asking them to tell their father to resign
A joint letter was sent to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters Tanya and Nittha, asking them to relay the message to their father that he should resign because of his mismanagement of the Covid situation. The letter was sent by the daughters’ former classmates and was addressed to “Ms Ploy” and “Ms Ploen”. The former classmates’, Class 40 of the Communication…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases, provincial totals
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 633,264 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,168 coronavirus-related deaths. The recent wave has accounted for 604,421 of those cases. Thailand now has 208,875 active Covid-19 cases. Over the…
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‘Dark red’ curfews, interprovincial public transport ban possibly until Aug 31 – CCSA
Tight disease control measures including nightly curfews and a ban on interprovincial public transportation from “dark red” provinces are set until August 16, but the measures could be extended until the end of the month, according to a spokesperson during yesterday’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration press briefing. The overall Covid-19 situation and disease control measures are reviewed every two…
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Healthcare worker pleads with PM to set up “war room” to manage pandemic
A healthcare worker at the Thammasat University field hospital in central Thailand has urged the Thai PM to set up a “war room” for daily Covid-19 meetings. In a Facebook post, the unnamed medic pleads with the PM to hold daily meetings with his ministers in order to stay on top of developments and deal with issues immediately, as opposed…
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Thai AirAsia suspends flights, cuts salaries as financial woes continue
As Thailand’s airlines continue to struggle with the financial fallout from Covid-19, Thai AirAsia has suspended all flights for this month. The carrier is also cutting staff salaries or deferring partial or whole payment until September. According to a Bangkok Post report, the airline’s financial woes are worsening as low passenger numbers show no sign of improving and cash flow…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases and 178 deaths
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 604,421 confirmed Covid-19 infections. There are now 208,875 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Over the past several days, the daily Covid-19 case count has…
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Thailand conservation adds 17 rare Indochinese tigers this year
In one of the great injustices of the animal kingdom, sharks get a whole week, while the majestic tigers of Thailand are afforded only International Tiger Day, recently celebrated on Thursday. But the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation used the occasion to announce that Thailand has at least 17 more wild Indochinese tigers roaming the country this…
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Family finds long lost man after he is rescued from 17 metre well
They say when you lose something valuable you’ll often find it in the place you’d least expect it. That certainly turned out to be true for a family with an estranged uncle who they had lost 15 years ago who was reunited with them after a freak accident that found the man at the bottom of the well in Sattahip.…
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Foreigners able to register on vaccine site despite data leaks, glitches
The debut of Thailand’s new vaccine appointment registration site expatvac.consular.go.th has now opened to mixed reviews. Many reported a host of problems, but quite a few people said that in the end they received emails confirming their registration and forthcoming appointments. And of course, it opened to a data breach. The vaccine registration site launched at 11 am and within…
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Covid UPDATE: 18,027 infections, provincial totals
Today the public health department has announced an additional 18,027 infections and 133 Covid-related deaths from the past 24 hours. 374 of the new cases were found in Thai prisons. 13,402 patients have been released from hospital. Yesterday there were 18,912 new infections announced, a record high. 4,691 patients are still under care in ICU with 1,012 people on ventilators. Vaccines……
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 18,027 infections, expat vaccine registration
Today the public health department has announced an additional 18,027 infections and 133 Covid-related deaths from the past 24 hours. 374 of the new cases were found in Thai prisons. 13,402 patients have been released from hospital. Yesterday there were 18,912 new infections announced, a record high. 4,691 patients are still under care in ICU with 1,012 people on ventilators. Thai…
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August flight plans: Bangkok Airways, Nok Air, Thai Lion
With lockdowns, sealed provinces, travel restrictions and ever-changing updates due to the continuously growing Covid-19 infections around the country, struggling airlines are scrambling to keep up. AirAsia was the first earlier this month to cancel all domestic flights, and other local airlines quickly followed suit. Yesterday Bangkok Airways cut nearly all of their domestic flights, extending their flight suspension until…
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Facebook fake news post suggesting a coup faces prosecution
While pressure has been mounting against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a Facebook user posted a false claim that an army had captured the Prime Minister and is staging a coup and is now facing charges. The story was posted midday yesterday and seemed to detail a coup attempt, alleging that 300 military members from Lop Buri were already holding PM Prayut…
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Prayut says he will not resign, warns politicians to behave
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says he will not answer the reoccurring call for him to resign, neither will he dissolve the House as Thailand’s Covid situation continues to worsen. The PM also cautioned politicians against exploiting the crisis, and/or inciting hatred which he says will only make the situation worse. The recondite hatred statement mirrors a statement from government…
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Bangkok Train market to possibly close for good
It has recently been reported that the immensely popular Ratchada night market/AKA the Train market located in Bangkok, will possibly close for good. The train market, which enjoyed patronage from both farangs/and Thais alike was previously closed due to restrictions with the goal of curbing Covid infections. Now, however, it seems the market will close permanently. Vendors have already reportedly…
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Covid UPDATE: 18,912 infections, provincial totals
Today the Public Health department has announced 18,912 new infections and 178 Covid-related deaths for the past 24 hours around Thailand. There were 810 cases from Thai prisons. Today’s totals are a new record for daily cases since the start of the pandemic. Here are today’s provincial totals for the past 24 hours… • 10,678 patients were released from medical…
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Bangkok volunteer group “Sai Mai Will Survive” overwhelmed with calls
Covid infected people in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district are reportedly desperate for help. A volunteer group, “Sai Mai Will Survive”, which assists the area, is being inundated with calls for assistance. The group gets around 100 calls a day asking for assistance. Sai Mai Will Survive was established during the first wave of Covid in Thailand. At that time, the…
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Phuket reservations slow down for August
Reservation bookings in the Phuket/Phuket Sandbox are slowing down for August amidst speeding up Covid cases on the island. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, an official from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says hotel reservations for August has gone down by 5% over the last couple of days. As of Thursday, a person shy of 13,000 people had visited Phuket. 30 travellers tested…
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