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.
-
Sponsored 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....
-
Italian man and Thai woman attacked in Pattaya – VIDEO
A 32 year old Italian man and a 35 year old Thai female were allegedly attacked just after 2am yesterday morning along Soi LK Metro in Pattaya. They told police they were travelling on their motorbike, arriving in front of a closed bar called Crystal Club (currently registered as a ‘restaurant’). There were four people on the motorbike. A number…
-
40 dead, 323 injured on Day 3 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’
Thailand saw 331 road accidents, resulting in 40 deaths and 323 injuries on Wednesday, Day 3 of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran holiday. The main causes of road accidents yesterday were the same as the previous two days, namely speeding and drink driving, according to data provided by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. Since the start of…
-
Thailand deploys troops to Khao San Road to combat water splashing tourists – VIDEO
Call in the troops! That’s been the response from Thailand’s government after reports of foreign tourists (you get bet there were plenty of locals in there as well) engaging in “dangerous water splashing behaviour” spread like wildfire on social media at the start of the Songkran festival, well Songkran eve to be precise. Bangkok authorities deployed the military, in addition…
-
Covid test confusion ruins UK family holiday to Thailand
An email with another sad outcome from possible risks, albeit small, that individuals and families face returning to Thailand at this time. The Thaiger receives at least a few of these sad stories every week. Names of individuals and locations been changed or withheld on the request of the author. My name is Pete Passport. I am a journalist and travel…
-
Former Thai PM denies his daughter will run for the top job
On Clubhouse this week, a favourite platform for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former elected leader denied rumours that his youngest daughter, Paetongtarn, will run in the next Thailand election as the nominated PM candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. Instead, he wants to see her in the party working on the marketing and strategic side of things. On April…
-
Thais still don’t want to travel overseas at this time
The vast majority of the media space has been about foreigners, and Thais, wanting to return to Thailand and the rules and regulations, and efficiency, relating to the Thailand Pass. But what about Thais looking to travel outbound to other countries at the moment According to Kangwal Holidays, most Thai are still cautious to head overseas, with Covid 19 still…
-
Time to say goodbye to Test & Go and the Thailand Pass?
The government will propose removing the Test & Go scheme and Thailand Pass at a meeting with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on April 22. The Tourism Authority of Thailand is again requesting the cancellation with the tourism ministry, according to Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. The goal is to attract more travellers and boost Thailand interrupted tourism…
-
Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for fifth straight day
As people in Thailand celebrate Songkran, the nation’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 5 consecutive days from Sunday to today. This morning, the Public Health Ministry reported 115 new Covid-related fatalities and more than 24,100 new infections nationwide. Yesterday, 106 deaths and more than 23,000 cases were reported. The ministry reported 108, 105 and…
-
Have a virtual water fight on Facebook or Instagram this Songkran
Everyone is disappointed that water splashing is banned for yet another year this Songkran (officially). Instead, Meta invites you to have a virtual water fight with your loved ones on Facebook and Instagram using an augmented reality effect called “Songkran Together”. The director of Facebook Thailand says the aim is to encourage Thais to celebrate the New Year with their…
-
Songkran: Where to celebrate the Thai New Year in Thailand 2022
Despite the lack of official water fights this year, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate Songkran 2022 in Thailand. Events in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Songkhla, Chiang Mai, Samut Prakan and other major cities have been organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or the TAT, in line with Covid-19 prevention measures. So put the water gun down and take…
-
8 year old driving motorcycle dies in accident
An 8 year old boy was driving a motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it when he lost control and flipped over at around 10:30am this morning in Chanthaburi province in eastern Thailand. The vehicle fell back down on top of him and crushed him. He hit his head off the concrete road and sadly died from his injuries at…
-
Thai monk celebrating Songkran passes out drunk, says he didn’t do anything wrong
A Buddhist monk was found passed out on the floor with his private parts on show at his temple after he got drunk to bring in the Thai New Year. The monk, who resides at a temple in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, says he didn’t do anything wrong. The 50 year old ex-policeman, who has been ordained as…
-
Thai government to control inflation prices for consumer products
As the Thai government attempts to control inflation, the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that there must be no shortages of consumer products or outages, and the prices must not be too expensive. The world wide inflation problems have been created by government’s artificially over-heating economies with quantitative easing rising energy and commodity prices and exacerbated by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.…
-
Shorter quarantine times proposed for Thailand. From 7 days down to…?
Starting in May, high risk groups who have been in close contact with Covid 19 will still have to self isolate at home, but the time will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days. While the self isolation period is shorter, they will need to monitor their health for another 5 days, according to the Director-general of the Department…
-
Why is Thai New Years 3 Days Long? | Songkran Special
Have you ever wondered why Thai New Years celebration is 3 days long? Traditionally, each day of the Songkran festival has a different meaning. What does each day symbolise? Watch this clip to find out more about the Thai new year as Nan dives deep into the meaning and traditions of each day from 13 -15 of April.
-
Thai rapper ‘Elevenfinger’ suspected of bombing PM Prayut’s residence
A political rapper known as “Elevenfinger” has become the main suspect in the bombing that happened at Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha’s residence on Sunday. The rapper was pictured with the group of motorcyclists who approached the gates of the PM’s residence and threw a bomb, which exploded on the lawn opposite the house. The rapper was arrested today…
-
26 killed in 200 plus vehicle accidents on Day 1 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’
On Monday — the first day of the “Seven Deadly Days of the Songkran” — there were 237 vehicle accidents, killing 26 people and injuring 238 others. Speeding is the biggest problem so far. Thailand’s road-safety campaign spans the week of the Thai New Year, from April 11 to 17, during which vehicle accidents are notoriously common. The government has…
-
Drink driving claims 70% of traffic violations at start of Songkran’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’
The Department of Probation is releasing its statistics for the first day of driving violations administered by the court during the “Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran” from April 11 – 17. On Monday, the court issued 459 fines, 328 of which were for drink driving cases. The top three provinces with the most drunken drivers were Nonthaburi, Ubon Ratchathani and…
-
5 Thailand expressways waive tolls for motorists during Songkran holiday
Five expressways in Thailand will waive their tolls during the Songkran holiday, in order to encourage domestic tourism by helping people save money and speed up travel times back to their home provinces. From April 12 to April 18, the Bang Na-Chon Buri and Bang Phli-Suksawat expressways will be free of charge. The Chalerm Maha Nakhon, Si Rat and Udon…
-
Floods cause mass buffalo starvation at Thale Noi park in southern Thailand
More than 200 dead water buffaloes have been found floating today at the Thale Noi Waterfowl Park in the southern Thai province of Pattalung. Prolonged flooding in the region had destroyed the grasses that the buffalo rely on for food. Without it, they starved to death. Local authorities quickly rescued another 300 buffaloes, giving them dry grass and supplementary food…
-
Nok Air requests operational fee waivers to help restart Betong flights
I just need a little help from my friends. That’s the song Thailand budget airline Nok Air is singing, as it calls for additional support to cover its operational costs, in order to continue servicing its Betong and Nakhom Ratchasima flights. The news comes just days after the beleaguered airline signed a memorandum of understanding with local tourism agencies to…
-
Thailand predicts a million passengers to catch flights during Songkran festival
Airports of Thailand, or AoT, expects about a million air travellers to transit through its 6 airports during Songkran this week. The estimate includes both international and domestic passengers who will catch flights to, from and around Thailand. Since the government scrapped the pre-travel PCR test requirement on April 1, the AoT says that’s the reason the number of travellers entering…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 19,982 new cases; provincial totals
101 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 26,289 with 4,591 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 19,982 new Covid-19 cases and 28,057 recoveries. There are now 237,399 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
-
Thailand’s DDC to reduce quarantine for high-risk cases from 7 days after Songkran
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, or DDC, has agreed to reduce the quarantine period for people residing in the kingdom who are at “high-risk” of infection after being in contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19. Starting after the Songkran festival, the quarantine period for high-risk people in Thailand will be reduced from 7 days to “5+5” days. This means those…
-
You can grow ‘as many cannabis plants as you like’ in Thai homes from June 9, but…
People in Thailand will be allowed to grow “as many cannabis plants” as they like in their own homes from June 9, according to Thailand’s health minister and medical marijuana pioneer Anutin Charnvirakul. However… if you don’t read the fine print you can still get into trouble with the law. As usual, the fine print is confusing. Bottomline, don’t be…
-
Opposition leader Thanathorn indicted for lèse majesté, says he’s political target
Public prosecutors in Thailand have indicted Progressive Movement leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit on a lèse majesté charge and for violating the Computer Crime Act on Monday. The charges centre on remarks he made during a livestream talk he gave last year, in which he discussed the government’s procurement of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and allegedly casting indirect suspicion on His Majesty the…
-
Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for third day, new infections decline
As people throughout the country begin their Songkran break, Thailand’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 3 consecutive days — with 108 deaths, 105 and 101 deaths reported for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Today, less than 20,000 new infections were reported, compared to yesterday’s nearly 22,400 – in that case a downward trend. Sunday…
-
Thailand aims to employ army of 150,000 migrant workers to solve labour shortage
Thailand is looking to bring in more labourers from neighbouring countries with the help of recruitment agencies, as the government seeks to employ an army of around 150,000 foreign workers to make up for the country’s low percentage of people willing to do manual labour jobs. But the general public is worried about the clutter and spread of Covid-19 from…
-
Thailand extends expiration dates of Covid-19 vaccines, after 3 companies re-register
The Public Health Ministry has directed hospitals to adjust the expiration dates of Covid-19 vaccines in their inventory according to each company’s new registration rules. Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines will all be extended. Deputy permanent secretary for Public Health, Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong, notified all public health chiefs last week, instructing them to reset the expiration dates of vaccine doses and…
-
Phuket police set up 11 checkpoints to prevent road accidents during Songkran
The Songkran holidays, or the Thai New Year, is a time notorious for road accidents all over Thailand. During the long holiday, drunk driving increases and road accidents are even more common than usual on Thailand’s dangerous roads. Phuket police officers have set up 11 checkpoints around the island to catch anyone drunk driving or driving dangerously and to help…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.