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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    Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand

    Moving to Thailand offers plenty of excitement and adventure, but the local healthcare system can be complex to navigate as an expat. From unique health risks to high costs at private hospitals, having a comprehensive health insurance plan is essential....

  • Battle of the Beetles: Man gets rich selling rhinoceros beetles in southern Thailand

    Battle of the Beetles: Man gets rich selling rhinoceros beetles in southern Thailand

    Beetle fighting season is almost upon us, and one man from southern Thailand says his rhinoceros beetles are heading straight to the top of the beetle battle championships. Every rainy season in Thailand, male rhinoceros beetles go head to head on a wooden pole. A female beetle is placed underneath, whose scent stimulates the males to fight until one backs…

  • Thai public health ministry warns medical workers of new Covid-19 wave in a secret document

    Thai public health ministry warns medical workers of new Covid-19 wave in a secret document

    The Permanent Secretary of the Thai Public Health Ministry, Kiattiphum Wongarajit, has launched an urgent report to warn the provincial public health officers of the “new wave” of Covid-19 in Thailand. The official Facebook page of the Rural Doctor Society reported on their “urgent and secret document” to the public yesterday. The page said… “The warning sign to get ready…

  • Expert: Covid-19 underreported, estimates 50,000 daily cases

    Expert: Covid-19 underreported, estimates 50,000 daily cases

    While government figures report around 2,000 new cases of Covid-19 per day, a respiratory disease specialist says that the actual number is hugely underreported. In a Facebook post, Dr Nithiphat Chiarakun, head of the department of respiratory diseases and tuberculosis of Mahidol University’s Siriraj Faculty of Medicine estimated that there could be as many as 50,000 new Covid-19 infections every…

  • Thai energy chief suggests senators shed suits to save energy

    Thai energy chief suggests senators shed suits to save energy

    The Deputy PM and Energy Minister, Supattanapong Punmeechaow, has urged the nation’s senators to be energy-saving role models for Thailand. The 62 year old MP has suggested every senator should avoid wearing suits to reduce the use of air-conditioning in Parliament. During today’s senate meeting at the Parliament House senators, Sakon Satjayanit and Suradet Jirathiticharoen raised questions about solutions to…

  • Drinking alcohol increases risk of threadworms, says Thai university

    Drinking alcohol increases risk of threadworms, says Thai university

    Regular alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing threadworm infections, according to new research conducted by the Parasitic Disease Research Centre at Suranaree University of Technology in Bangkok. The university recommends alcohol drinkers test themselves for threadworms at least once or twice a year to prevent severe infections. Threadworms – Strongyloides stercoralis – are tiny parasitic worms that infect the…

  • Man killed and 2 injured in Bangkok canal tragedy

    Man killed and 2 injured in Bangkok canal tragedy

    The captain of a canal boat was killed yesterday afternoon after his vessel collided with another boat on a canal in the Bang Bo district near Bangkok. The 32 year old man, Prasit Nadam, was navigating his long-tail boat when it collided with another similar vessel at 4.30pm in Khlong Kalaya canal at Moo 2 village in tambon Bang Bo.…

  • Hang on! BTS booty post draws viral attention to train etiquette

    Hang on! BTS booty post draws viral attention to train etiquette

    “Does it have to be that tight?” a user asked after a post by the Bangkok Mass Transit System went viral. The comment was one of over 500 at the time of this writing in response to an eye-catching post on BTS’s Facebook page asking people not to lean on the handrail poles on trains and featuring a shocking image…

  • AirAsia Thailand resumes Bangkok – Hong Kong flights, pilots new China route

    AirAsia Thailand resumes Bangkok – Hong Kong flights, pilots new China route

    In August, Thai AirAsia will resume direct flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong. The airline will also pilot a special flight to Guangzhou in China this month, on July 13. Thai AirAsia is a joint venture between Thailand’s Asia Aviation and budget Malaysian airline AirAsia. The airline will operate weekly flights between Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport and Hong Kong…

  • Family of trampled woman calls for UK ban on elephant parks ads

    Family of trampled woman calls for UK ban on elephant parks ads

    More than 20 years after a British woman was trampled to death at Nong Nooch Village Elephant Show in Thailand, her family is frustrated that elephant shows and rides are still being advertised and promoted in the UK. Andrea Taylor was just 20 years old in 2000 when an elephant charged into the crowd, killing her and injuring her sister…

  • Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok

    Pickup truck explosion kills 2 in Bangkok

    On Saturday morning, a pickup truck crashed into the barrier in the middle of a 4 lane road in Bangkok and exploded. Witnesses saw 2 men escape the vehicle, but both men got caught in the flames and died at the scene. At 6:30am on Saturday, fire engines from Thanon Chan Fire Station were called to put out a fire…

  • Thailand-France business investment discussed in PM meeting

    Thailand-France business investment discussed in PM meeting

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha recently met with MEDEF International, the largest employer federation in France, to discuss future partnerships with Thailand. Francois Corbin, the Vice President of the Movement of the Enterprises of France, along with other delegates, met with the Thai prime minister on Friday to look at the future of Thai-French business partnerships. French firms are examining the post-pandemic…

  • Unvaccinated tourist turned away at check-in desk en route to Thailand

    Unvaccinated tourist turned away at check-in desk en route to Thailand

    An unvaccinated tourist en route to Thailand was turned away at the check-in desk at Manchester Airport in England on Saturday after an airline didn’t get the memo about Thailand’s updated entry restrictions. If you are unvaccinated and plan to travel to Thailand, The Thaiger has advice about how to avoid this happening to you. Thailand Pass was scrapped on…

  • Cyber police bust illegal gambling ring in Pattaya valued at 100 million baht

    Cyber police bust illegal gambling ring in Pattaya valued at 100 million baht

    Cyber police busted an illegal online gambling ring in Pattaya and arrested 11 suspects in connection with the illicit activity that pulled in over 100 million baht in revenue. Director of the Cybercrime Suppression Center Region 2, Surachit Chingnawan, yesterday announced the arrest of the 11 suspects accused of operating the illegal online gambling website in the Chon Buri area.…

  • Thailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    Thailand tourism: 9.3 million arrivals predicted, south busy

    In its latest estimates, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports predicts that the second half of 2022 will bring more than 7 million travellers to Thailand. The first 6 months nearly hit the 2 million tourist mark, with 1.987 million visitors arriving from abroad from the beginning of January until June 28. Tourism generated around 114 billion baht so far…

  • Thailand Tourism to Boom, is it Asia’s Amsterdam? | Weekend Update

    Thailand Tourism to Boom, is it Asia’s Amsterdam? | Weekend Update

    The Thaiger visited a bar in one of the entertainment districts in Bangkok to find a very open and friendly green environment. The PM is very happy with the projected tourist figures for 2022 and cleaning up the cables in Bangkok is a team effort. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.

  • Warning to Thai travellers: Don’t take cannabis to other countries

    Warning to Thai travellers: Don’t take cannabis to other countries

    With the decriminalisation of cannabis on June 9, many in Thailand have gone buckwild with the newfound freedom to grow, sell, and partake of the popular plant. The government is taking steps to rein in the free-for-all and bring some regulations and restrictions to its usage, and now they’re warning people to keep in mind that legalisation in Thailand does…

  • Coalition calls for cannabis regulation, ban for youth

    Coalition calls for cannabis regulation, ban for youth

    If like many, you doubted the legalisation of cannabis without regulation in Thailand as too good to be true, the backlash that has already begun will be no surprise. PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha has already curbed cannabis patents to prevent foreign market domination and banned its use on military sites, while vendors selling joints were shut down on Khaosan Road after…

  • Travel to Surat Thani, it’s where the fun begins | Jay and Natty’s Adventures

    Travel to Surat Thani, it’s where the fun begins | Jay and Natty’s Adventures

    The Thaiger‘s Natty and Jay recently went on a long weekend trip to Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani, and they’re dying to show our viewers their adventures. People typically see Surat Thani as a passing point to somewhere exciting like Koh Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Phangan. But The Thaiger’s top news presenters want people to know about Surat…

  • Thai Public Health Minister Anutin recovers from Covid-19, to return to office

    Thai Public Health Minister Anutin recovers from Covid-19, to return to office

    After testing positive for Covid-19 earlier this week, Thai Public Health Minister Anutin has recovered. The minister is now prepared to return to office on Monday, July 4. Anutin tested positive for the virus earlier this week, after he returned to Thailand from a UNAIDS meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. Anutin and other authorities had attended a general assembly in Paris…

  • Appeals Court sentences former Deputy Minister Banyin to death

    Appeals Court sentences former Deputy Minister Banyin to death

    Following a twisted tale of alleged greed and corruption, former Deputy Minister of Commerce Banyin Tangpakorn has been sentenced to death by the Appeals Court. The ruling increased the earlier life imprisonment sentence for the murder of a judge’s brother in an apparent attempt to sway another court ruling in the deputy minister’s favour. The story sounds like it was…

  • Thailand tourism looking up, predictions of 1.5 million per month

    Thailand tourism looking up, predictions of 1.5 million per month

    After years of devastation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand looks hopefully toward a resurgence of tourism with the further easing of restrictions starting yesterday. The required Thailand Pass for entry into the country is no longer needed as the restriction was lifted yesterday, with tourism authorities predicting an influx of travellers entering the country as a result. Tourism and Sports…

  • Storm ‘Chaba’ to impact Thailand, meteorologists say

    Storm ‘Chaba’ to impact Thailand, meteorologists say

    Thailand’s monsoon season is still alive and kicking, with a new storm potentially on the way to bring more winds and gusty rain to parts of the country from today (Friday) until tomorrow (Saturday), particularly in the north-east areas of the country. The Thai Meteorological Department said a tropical storm ‘Chaba’ is currently moving through the upper South China Sea.…

  • Thai healthcare staff demand reduction to 100 hour working week

    Thai healthcare staff demand reduction to 100 hour working week

    Thailand’s overworked healthcare professionals have petitioned the leader of the opposition party to help them get better working conditions after it was revealed most of them work about 100 hours a week. The Thai Frontline Physician Confederation yesterday handed a letter to the leader of the Move Forward Party, Pita Limjaroenrat, outlining their demands. Chutinart Chinudomporn, a female Thai doctor…

  • Thai bank apps crash on payday causes customer outrage

    Thai bank apps crash on payday causes customer outrage

    Siam Commercial Bank joined Bangkok Bank, and TMB Thanachart Bank in causing chaos throughout Thailand this morning when their banking apps crashed. They not only wreaked turmoil throughout the land but they also managed to unite all of its customers – in anger, after their mobile banking systems crashed on the day their salaries were supposed to be transferred into…

  • China key to Thailand’s tourism industry recovery

    China key to Thailand’s tourism industry recovery

    The Tourism Council of Thailand yesterday confessed that building up tourism to pre-Covid-19 levels is going to be a challenge to the kingdom despite encouraging signs of recovery this year. And without Chinese tourists, the task remains even harder. The last of Thailand’s Covid-related restrictions were lifted today. Tourists no longer need a Thailand Pass or insurance, and you don’t…

  • The ultimate holiday destination at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort

    The ultimate holiday destination at Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort

    Press Release Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort invites all travellers to Phuket. Whether travellers are visiting for work or fun, the hotel is sure to cater to the needs of today’s everyday traveller with its approachable design, stylish comfort and all of the brand’s popular extras. Nestled in a crescent-shaped bay of white sand, overlooking the azure…

  • Covid hospitalisations rising in Thailand but CCSA says “no new preventative measures”

    Covid hospitalisations rising in Thailand but CCSA says “no new preventative measures”

    Last week the Thai public health department declared that Thailand would move into a “post pandemic phase” from July 1. But a leading heart disease specialist, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, at the Vichaiyut Hospital in Phayathai is calling on the Public Health department to postpone the declaration, saying that the current rise in cases proves that Thailand “is not ready”. Last…

  • CAAT insists air travellers still need to mask up on Thai flights

    CAAT insists air travellers still need to mask up on Thai flights

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand today recommended that all travellers still need to wear face masks on flights because an airplane cabin is a confined area. The Royal Gazette last week announced that face mask wearing is a voluntary practice in an outdoor and airy place, but recommended that people wear masks in crowded areas and venues where social…

  • Thai PM tells nation to buckle up for ‘winds of change’

    Thai PM tells nation to buckle up for ‘winds of change’

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday became all metaphorical at the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) Expo 2022, “Shaping Future Industries for Stronger Thailand,” likening the kingdom to a “car” and how the nation needs to face up to “the winds of change.” The 68 year old called for more innovation from his fellow countrymen to meet the needs of evolving technological…

  • Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel

    Norwegian man stabs himself in Pattaya hotel

    A Norwegian man allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach last night while alone in his hotel bedroom in Pattaya. Frank Gjesvold was rushed to hospital with a gaping wound to the abdomen after staff heard screams for help at 11.30pm from room 409 at a hotel in the South Pattaya area, Nong Prue subdistrict, in Chon Buri province. Staff banged…