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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Thai Tourism chases the pink dollar as one of its “new shades”
by Phatarawadee Phataranawik and The ThaigerWhile Thailand is waiting for a Life Partnership Bill to become law, and maybe a move towards full same-sex marriage down the track, advocates say they are encouraged by the country’s efforts in attracting LGBT tourists. The recent approval of the Life Partnership Bill by the Thai cabinet was a significant step – the first such move…
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Army chief claims election delay critics are “bent on creating trouble”
In a country where the Army has played such a prominent part in the politics of Thailand for so long, we shouldn’t be surprised by commentary today from the Thai Army Commander-in-Chief. General Apirat Kongsompong says that those campaigning against the election delay have a “one-track mind and bent on creating troubles”. “They are being told to think this way,…
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BOI approves new rail services, new port investment
PHOTO: Duangjai Asawachintachit, BOI secretary general The Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) has laid out strategies to boost the development of rail services and the country’s cruise tourism. Duangjai Asawachintachit, BOI secretary general, says the latest BOI meeting chaired by the Prime Minister had resolved to instigate measures to attract investment in rail development and related infrastructure for continued…
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VIDEO: Woman has meltdown in Thai airport
A video posted on social media has been doing the rounds. In the video a woman is seen yelling at an Air Asia airport staff for being told her carry on must be checked in because it was 7.2 kilos over the 7 kilogram weight limit. The woman is calmly told that she will have check-in the extra luggage and…
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Thai cabinet extends visa-fee-waiver until after Songkran
Tourists from over 21 countries will continue to benefit from an extension to the visa fee waiver introduced in November last year. In a move to boost tourism, the cabinet has extended the 2,000 baht visa-on-arrival fee waiver, according to Tourism and Sport Minister, Veerasak Kowsurat this morning (Tuesday). The waiver was set to end on Sunday, January 6, 2019,…
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Social media the key in the run up to the 2019 election
“Newspapers, once the beneficiary of political advertising, will now be side-lined in favor of targeted social media in the lead up to this year’s election.” by Asina Pownwasin Your social media platforms are about to be filled with banter, arguments and lots of advertising. The topic? The forthcoming Thai election (when a date is eventually announced). For the first time…
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Medical cannabis crops to be tightly controlled
The Thai narcotic control board head says that only Thai citizens who join hands with the government will be allowed to cultivate medical cannabis. The board yesterday stressed that growers of the potentially lucrative crop must be cooperatives, community enterprises or social enterprises made up of citizens – and not private companies. Their business will be under the scrutiny of…
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Saudi refugee granted asylum, flying to Canada
18 year old Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun boarded a Korean Air flight last night, bound, ultimately for Toronto, Canada, via Seoul. She came to public attention last weekend when she barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room saying she had been abused by her Saudi family. In a widely followed social media (Twitter) campaign, the plucky 18 year old explained she…
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No sign of elections, but election officials want 22 million baht of new cars
Voters were disappointed to see yesterday’s deadline for publication of the royal decree slip away, which means the intended February 24 election date is unlikely. To add salt to the wound, the election commission has now announced that its directors will be needing new cars, and the lucky tax payers will be providing them. The budget for the new fleet…
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Pabuk: Tax refunds for home and car repairs
The Thai Cabinet has approved a tax refund for people who need to repair damage to their home or car following tropical storm Pabuk hitting the southern Gulf coastline a week ago. Pinsai Surasawadi, principal adviser on strategic tax administration for Finance and Banking, who is also a spokesman for the Revenue Department, said that home repairs costing less than…
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Thai preparedness limits Pabuk damage
Just a week ago the tropical storm Pabuk was poised to make landfall on the southern Thailand Gulf coast after days of predictions, warnings and anticipation. Now the entire event can be assessed in hindsight and lessons learned for next time. Reliefweb.int has issued a compiled report on Pabuk. “Early warning and early action helped ensure that tropical storm Pabuk,…
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Waiting game for Saudi refugee in Thailand
The ordeal of Saudi Arabian refugee Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun continues, with Australia’s foreign minister Marise Payne telling reporters no asylum deal had been reached. VOA News is reporting that Al-Qunun, who barricaded herself in a hotel at Bangkok airport to prevent officials from deporting her after fleeing her family in Kuwait, has been granted refugee status by the UN refugee…
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Saudi teen seeks asylum as Australian foreign minister visits Thailand – Thaiger Bites
Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne is in Bangkok today after the Australian Government says it would consider giving asylum to the 18 year old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand from Kuwait, saying she feared her family, which she accused of abuse. Reuters reports that Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun refused to meet her father and brother, who arrived in Bangkok yesterday…
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Thailand opens doors to cryptocurrencies – Thaiger Bites
Divisions are forming across Asia with regards to cryptocurrencies. Some nations such as China are constantly stomping on anything to do with crypto assets but others, Thailand being the latest, are opening their digital doors to the fledgling industry. Over the past year Thailand has warmed to crypto and this latest raft of official licenses is a big boost to…
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Thai Interior Affairs ministry confirms memo ‘halting election preparations’ is genuine
PHOTO: South China Morning Post A leaked memo on social media, addressed to election officials in every province, to halt election preparations has now been confirmed to be genuine by the interior affairs Minister. The internal memo called for “all preparations for election are hereby halted” in absence of the Royal Decree, which was expected around New Year’s Day, but…
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Greenpeace positive on lifting of Thailand’s Yellow Card fishing sanction
PHOTO: VOA Thai Kobsak Pootrakool, from the PM’s Office says that the European Union (EU) decision to lift its yellow card status on the Thai fishing industry practices reflects significant progress made by the Government in recent years. “The government continues to work hard to improve the state of fishery industry regulations and administration. The next step is to make…
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Backgrounds checks incoming for novice monks
PHOTO: The Japan Times The National Office of Buddhism (NOB) is going to get the Royal Thai Police (RTP) run background checks on applicants seeking to join the monkhood. The NOB has requested police to run the checks in a move to create a stronger screening system for all those joining the monkhood. The NOB has been advised to send…
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Civil Partnership Bill open for comment before heading to NLA
Members of the public are now being invited to comment on the Civil Partnership Bill on the Council of State’s website until January 23. The comments will be reviewed for consideration before the Council submits the bill to the National Legislative Assembly. If passed by the legislators, the law will make Thailand the first country in Asia to recognise same-sex…
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Serbian coach sacked after Thai thrashing in Asian Cup
The Football Association of Thailand has unceremoniously dumped the national coach Milovan Rajevac, just seven hours after Thailand was thrashed by India 1-4 in the Asian Cup group A game in Abu Dhabi. Thailand were far from impressive against the more powerful Indian team who beat the Kingdom’s side for the first time in 32 years. Thai Football Association reacted…
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In the wake of Pabuk, a media storm is brewing
by Tim Newton Now the actual storm has passed, a media storm is brewing over two key issues – tourists claiming they had little knowledge about the approaching storm and local tour operators, especially in the Andaman region, who say the media coverage was ‘hyped’ and overblown. “Stranded British tourists have spoken of their anger after being allowed to travel…
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Halving Thailand’s road toll by 2020 – The impossible dream
“The WHO report points out that progress has been made in certain areas, such as legislation. But it has not been fast enough to meet the UN goal of halving road traffic deaths between 2016 and 2020.” Thailand draws world attention for its amazing scenery, vibrant foodie scene, raunchy nightlife and local festivals. It also draws attention for all the…
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Taxis are leading concern for tourists visiting Thailand
Tourist police say that Taxi’s continue to be one of the most pressing issues for tourists visiting Thailand. In 2018, 12,679 taxi drivers were arrested by police, of which 5,668 drivers refused to pick up passengers, compared to 1,681 last year. 3,408 drivers refused to use their fare meter, compared to 255 last year and 1,659 who were overcharging, where…
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Election Commission throws onus for election date back on Government
The Election Commission is throwing the ball back into government’s court, saying it can only set an election date after the government formally issues the Royal Decree announcing an election date. Over the past year the date of February has firmed, been confirmed by numerous Government officials, including the PM and his Deputies. The Election Commision president Ittiporn Boonpracong made…
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Pabuk: Now sits over Andaman Sea, moving west
The south of Thailand awakes this morning to a wet and windy aftermath of tropical storm Pabuk. The storm centre has crossed the Peninsula and now sits west of Phang Nga province as it weakens and continues to move westerly away from the coast. Gale-force winds, storm surges and flash flooding are still predicted as the remnants of the weakening…
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Deputy PM throws doubt on election date
by Chanwanpen and Somroutai Sapsomboon The NCPO has throw a curved ball at the Election Commission, placing the onus on the Commission’s committee to decide the date of the general election whilst taking into account the preparations for the royal coronation ceremony. There’s also been suggestions of a month’s delay from the election’s tentative date of February 24. Deputy PM…
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Pabuk: Regular updates throughout today following the storm up the coast
Storm Watch – 8.30am Rough seas off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat yesterday afternoon as tropical storm Pabuk approached land. Tens of thousands of tourists have been evacuated from local coastal communities and some tourists have evacuated the popular islands of Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan which are in the path of the storm today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h86FqX2CzBc Storm Watch…
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Pabuk: A very rare event – Remembering ‘Harriet’ in 1962.
The last major tropical storm to hit the southern coastal Gulf region in January was back in 1962. It started, just like Pabuk, as a weather system off the western coast of the Philippines. In this case on October 19, 1962. After making its way across the South China Sea and scooting across the bottom of southern Vietnam, the system…
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Thailand’s new highlands – unravelling the new ‘cannabis’ legislation
by Voice of America Thailand has become the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise medical marijuana, but the fine print of the legislation has left advocates of the drug’s healing potential with mixed feelings. Since the bill was passed on Christmas Eve, some medical marijuana advocates have expressed disappointment the legislation will effectively exclude the private sector from the…
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Election Commission denies election date delays
PHOTO: EC Secretary General Jarungwit Pumm The Election Commission has been forced to again reiterate that there is no postponement to the February 24 election day. EC Secretary General Jarungwit Pumma said: “There is currently no royal decree for the election but this does not mean the election date will be postponed.” He was responding to widespread rumours that the…
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Lampang serial masturbator caught red-handed
PHOTO: Sanook A Lampang man was reported to police for masturbating at public toilets at a local petrol station. 28 year old Theerasak was taken to the scene at the PPT station with police, hopefully not to re-enact the crime. According to police, the maid at the PTT petrol station in the city district had earlier “shrieked in horror” when she…
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