Thailand News
Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.
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Sponsored Promoting sustainable tourism at Blue Tree Phuket: Initiatives and impact
Blue Tree Phuket has been offering experiences that are both fun and environmentally conscious for many years. The comprehensive entertainment hub and waterpark has implemented numerous programs to enhance the sustainability of its practices, with its most recent endeavour being...
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Police investigate alleged Banyin prison break, kidnapping plot
In yet another twist to a criminal case that stretches credulity, the Crime Suppression Division is investigating an alleged jailbreak plot by murder suspect Banyin Tangpakorn involving a threat to kidnap the wife of a prison chief. A source at the CSD told reporters of the investigation yesterday. Banyin, a former MP, deputy commerce minister and police lieutenant, is in…
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Travel bubbles to initially exclude tourists
“20,000 foreign businesspeople, Thai work permit holders, and international school students and teachers have registered to return to Thailand.” Health Minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand’s “travel bubble” scheme will open first to business groups and international-school teachers who can be easily tracked, and not to the world’s tourists. He made the announcement after a meeting with Japanese…
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U-tapao and Eastern Airport City deal officially signed
The deal for a public/private partnership for the U-tapao International Airport and Eastern Airport City projects has been officially signed. The agreement is between the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand and U-tapao International Aviation Company. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony yesterday at Government House. The deal is for a major infrastructure project to upgrade U-tapao, which serves…
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Tourism minister says pandemic provides “opportunity to reset tourism sector”
Needless to say, Thailand’s tourism sector, considered a lifeline to an already battered economy, has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the government is rethinking its strategy for the Covid era… The new tourism revival strategy is “quality over quantity”, target big spenders seeking privacy and social distancing, rather than try to attract large numbers of visitors. In an…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, June 19
5 cases – all imported Thais returning from Saudi Arabia on the same flight as another 11 people that have already been detected. 224 arrested in another Mae Sot gambling raid Police raided a large and sophisticated online gambling operation, arresting more than 200 people at a hotel in the Mae Sot district in Northern Thailand, close to the Burmese…
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Thailand eases up on social distancing requirements for domestic travel
The requirement for Thailand’s airlines to leave every second seat empty, as part of the conditions under which domestic services could resume, is being done away with. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says carriers can now sell every seat on a flight (whether or not airlines manage to do so is another matter). However, the CAAT says airlines must…
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Defence chief favours lifting Thailand’s Emergency Decree
“In terms of disease control, we’ve managed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.” The chief of Thailand’s defence forces raised no objection yesterday to calls for the national state of emergency to be lifted, saying security operations will not be affected if the Emergency Decree, set to expire at the end of June, is not extended. Pornpipat Benyasri, who is charge…
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Somkid outlines a bright future for Thai economy
Thailand is poised to soar in the global market with heightened investment attraction and a massive budget earmarked to rejuvenate the economy in the fourth quarter, as the Covid-19 pandemic eases, according to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. Mr Somkid says the government also plans to enhance financial cooperation with China and Hong Kong that will lead to business expansion…
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Online marijuana dealer arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Authorities in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat have arrested a young man whose online marijuana sales soared during the Covid-19 outbreak. Human trafficking suppression police today apprehended 24 year old Nanthapong Phuetsawanit at a house in tambon Sra Kaeo of Tha Sala district and confiscated 41 marijuana plants, 1.5 kilograms of dried marijuana, quantities of cannabis oil and…
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CAAC chief: International flights unlikely before September
Dashing hopes that international arrivals (code for ‘tourist flights’) could resume on July 1, Thailand’s senior civilian aviation regulator says that they’re are likely to resume as late as September. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s director says none of the airlines he’s met expressed any interest in resuming international flights next month, when the order shutting down the country’s…
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Thai LGBT advocates push for equal rights for same-sex marriage
LGBT equality advocates are calling on Thailand to allow same-sex marriage, asking that laws regarding marriage simply change the words “man and woman” so same-sex couples can have the same rights as traditional married couples. A Civil Partnership Bill allows same-sex couples to register in a civil union, but the so-called “partnerships” are not treated the same as marriages. If…
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“World Health Organisation is an unreliable source on health issues” – Thai doctor
With the Covid-19 crisis has all but passed in Thailand (today marks the 24th consecutive day without a local transmission), Thais now view the World Health Organisation as an unreliable source on health issues, at least according to a specialist at Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital. He complains that the WHO is slow in providing information. “Especially when they inform the public…
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Constitutional Court to hear petition against MP Thammanat Prompao’s political standing
MP and Deputy Agriculture Minister Thammanat Prompao is no stranger to controversy, and this week he appears to be back in the hot seat, again, as opposition MPs have filed a petition challenging his ministerial status and his post as an MP. Thailand’s Constitutional Court has accepted the petition for consideration. But the Court rejected the demand by the 51…
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Thailand News Today – Wednesday, June 17
Pattaya officials threaten bars masquerading as restaurants with closure Following a number of inspections at various restaurants in the Pattaya area, police have cautioned venues not to pretend they’re restaurants when they’re actually just bars that have added some food. In what may also serve as a warning to businesses in the rest of the country, Pattaya authorities are threatening…
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MP proposes legalising prostitution, sex toys to lower rape cases
An MP of the Thai Civilised Party MP yesterday proposed make prostitution and adult toys legal in Thailand, to help stem what appears to be a rising tide of rape cases in the country. Mongkolkit Suksintharanon, one of Thailand’s wealthiest politicians is an adviser and a member of a House committee assigned to to tackle the problem of rape in…
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Grounded Thai pilot now does motorbike food deliveries
“I have my motorbike, so I found my part time job. And now I am a food delivery man.” With many of the world’s international airlines grounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, many in the aviation industry, including even pilots, have been forced to find other ways to make a living. Here in Thailand, a ban on international arrivals remains in…
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Countdown! Thailand’s first satellite launch planned for Friday
Thailand’s air force will launch its first satellite this Friday, following months of delay. Dubbed Napa-1, it’s scheduled to be launched using an Ariane Vega rocket from a staging area in French Guyana in South America, according to a Royal Thai Air Force source. The launch was postponed 3 times, in September and December last year due to technical issues,…
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Thailand News Today – Tuesday, June 16
To register for the Thaiger Flash Property Sale log in HERE. It all start this Thursday at midday! Outrage over 75,000 baht travel allowance for senior execs at Thai Airways The deputy leader of Thailand’s Democrat Party says Thai’s should be outraged by the disclosure that Thai Airways senior management have been getting a 75,000 baht “travel allowance”. He decries…
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Tropical Storm Nuri and Andaman Sea monsoon cause heavy rains throughout Thailand
Tropical Storm Nuri ripped China’s Guangdong province over the weekend; its wider effects causing storms in Northern Thailand. And a strong southwest monsoon in the Andaman Sea brought on rainstorms in other parts of the country. Hundreds of homes have been damaged from the storms and many streets have flooded. From Udon Thani in the north to Surat Thani in…
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His Majesty doesn’t want Thailand to use the lèse-majesté law
His Majesty the King does not want to use Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws, which make it a crime to insult or criticise the royal family, but Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says people should still be careful what they say about the Thai monarchy. While the PM says the lèse-majesté law will not be used, other similar laws can still be…
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Poll shows flea markets, supermarkets, most popular with Thais as lockdown easing continues
“46% of Thais want the Songkran holidays moved to the (western) New Year period.” A new poll shows that most Thais are anxious to return to markets and supermarkets first, as the country continues to relax the restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 crisis. A report in Nation Thailand says over 83% of those surveyed are prioritising markets, flea markets and supermarkets,…
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Thailand tourism recovery- are we doing enough?
OPINION by Andrew J Wood The wheels of Thailand’s tourism industry are slowly turning. Travel and tourism is starting to move again. Weekends in Hua Hin hotels for instance are close to capacity (with some resorts experiencing 90% occupancy and some even higher). Being close to Bangkok; the weather, air quality and the fact that you can drive from the metropolis definitely…
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Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – Thailand’s international travel quandary
With apologies to William Shakespeare. You’re going to hear a lot more about travel bubbles in the next few months. Indeed it will become the ‘new normal’ in the short-term for Thailand’s battered tourism and hospitality industry. The world is NOT going to magically re-open up and travel as they did before, at least not in the next few years.…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, June 15
No new cases of Covid-19, either locally transmitted or imported from overseas, in the past 24 hours. Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners Foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period.…
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Thailand enters Phase 4 of re-opening, curfew lifted
From today, 95% of Thailand’s businesses have been given permission to reopen as the country enters Phase 4 of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. However, nightlife establishments such as pubs, bars and karaoke venues remain closed, and the ban on international arrivals remains in force, with exceptions for repatriated Thais. and foreigners who hold work permits. The national curfew has…
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Thais continue to provide for the spirits despite tough times
Spirits don’t rest in Thailand, even when there’s a nationwide lockdown and viral pandemic swirling around the world. Thai people continue to give what they can to provide for the spirits, even if it’s just a glass of water or Fanta, placing offerings by trees where spirits live, or on spirit houses which are often outside homes and businesses. One…
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Airbnb bookings rise by 13% as domestic travel restrictions in Thailand eased
Airbnb Thailand has reported a 13% increase in domestic bookings year-on-year, as travel restrictions across the country are lifted and Thais and expats begin to move around more. Domestic holiday markets in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea are also reporting similar increases. Airbnb says that between June 5-7 and for the first time since February, the company recorded…
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Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners
If approved by authorities, foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period. They’ll be tracked through a smart phone application to make sure they stay in their “bubble.” The plan is being prepared for an approval from the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration…
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Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new imported coronavirus case and no new deaths today taking the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,135 since the outbreak began in January. The death toll remains at 58. The CCSA says the new case is a 35 year old female Thai student who returned from the US last Monday.…
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Tourist attractions get ready for tomorrow’s Phase 4 easing
Thailand’s Interior Ministry has ordered all provincial governors to manage their tourist attractions in preparation for Phase 4 of Covid-19 lockdown relaxation, which begins tomorrow. The ministry’s permanent secretary said yesterday that after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered related authorities to manage beach attractions, the ministry instructed provincial governors nationwide to manage their tourist attractions as follows: Prepare tourist attractions,…
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