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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Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Reduction in mandatory quarantine back on the table again
After initially saying a plan to reduce the mandatory quarantine period was being shelved due to public concerns, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced it’s back on. A proposal to reduce quarantine for foreign arrivals from 14 days to 10 is being submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week. A report in the Bangkok Post says Anutin…
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Former PM Abhisit warns of more unrest if Parliament votes against charter re-write
Former Thai PM Abhisit Vejjajiva (2008 to 2011) says if Parliament votes against the proposed re-write of the constitution during its 2 day session next week, it will only serve to worsen the ongoing political crisis. He says the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and a dissolution of Parliament won’t be enough to solve the problem, without a re-write of…
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Overseas investors buy Thai bonds, optimistic that Covid-19 vaccine will revive tourism
With hopes that a Covid-19 vaccine will be the key to open Thailand’s doors back up to international tourism, overseas investors are putting down money into Thailand’s financial market. Thai baht has strengthened by nearly 3% since the end of October, a top performing currency in Asia following the Indonesian rupiah, and it’s expected to strengthen even further over the…
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Thailand News Today | Coconut Business, Weekend protests, Pork dressed as Beef | November 13
Thailand News Today for the last day of a busy week. Protests and the opening of the Blue Line will hold up traffic over the weekend. See you on Monday. US grocers cut ties with Thai coconut milk company after PETA reveals monkey labour Thailand’s coconut milk industry is under the spotlight again after PETA lobbies US grocers to boycott…
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US grocers cut ties with Thai coconut milk company after PETA reveals monkey labour
Grocery stores throughout the United States are cutting ties with the Thai coconut milk company Chaokoh and other Thailand coconut product suppliers following an investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) into the monkey labour at Thailand coconut farms. PETA Asia claims the Thai macaques are “snatched from the wild” and treated like “coconut picking machines.” Recently,…
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Pheu Thai MP says charter amendment court hearing is government delaying tactic
The Pheu Thai MP for Ubon Ratchathani has attacked the ruling Palang Pracharat party and members of the Senate for what he sees as an attempt to slow down the charter amendment process. Somkid Chuakong says asking the Constitutional Court to decide if the opposition’s attempt at a charter re-write is in violation of the supreme law, is merely an…
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Who are these Thai student protesters, and what are they protesting about?
What’s behind all the protests in Thailand right now? What are the protesters demanding? Who are they? Since August, an organic – mostly young Thais – political movement has been building. It’s different from every other protest movement in the past. The people attending the rallies don’t really align themselves, or identify with, the past political factions. They’re not red…
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Singer and political activist plans to fight on, while sticking to bail conditions
A Thai singer-songwriter arrested for his role in pro-democracy protests, says he will continue the fight, while adhering to his bail conditions. Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, aka, “Ammy”, says he plans to continue singing and speaking at political gatherings, having discussed the matter with his lawyer. The singer says his lawyer has advised him that he can still speak at rallies, provided…
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Thailand News Today | More Thai Airways debt, Korean soldier, TripAdvisor warning | November 12
Today’s Thailand News Today coming to you from the 17th floor of The Thaiger Bangkok offices. Thai Airways adds another 21.5 billion baht in debt in Q3 report Thai Airways has accumulated more losses, on top of a decade of annual losses, for the latest quarter. At the moment the national airline’s debt is four times higher than last year’s…
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Symptoms improved for 70% of patients on cannabis treatment – Health minister
Thailand’s pro-marijuana public health minister boasts that symptoms have improved for at least 70% of the country’s medical cannabis patients. Thailand’s 311 medical cannabis clinics at hospitals have treated more than 14,200 people, most who are diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Other patients using the cannabis treatment are patients with Parkinson’s disease, drug-resistant neuropathic…
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Hundreds of pigs killed in truck accident after driver allegedly fell asleep
A trailer truck packed with pigs flipped, killing hundreds of the pigs, after the driver allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel. Nation Thailand described the scene as a “horror film.” Lifeless bodies were stacked on top each other while injured pigs screamed and squealed in pain. The driver is facing reckless driving charges. The pigs were packed in a triple-decker…
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Thai Airways adds another 21.5 billion baht debt in Q3 report
Thai Airways has accumulated more losses, on top of a decade of annual losses, for the latest quarter. At the moment the national airline’s debt is four times higher than last year’s debt. The airline, already struggling, has been mostly grounded since the end of March. At the end of last week Thai Airways put 34 of its old planes…
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Thai immigration officials confirm several yachts have applied for STV entry
Immigration officials say a number of Special Tourist Visa applications have been received from yachts hoping to enter Thailand. It’s understood most of the yachts, thought to be around 10 in total, are from Malaysia and Singapore, and seeking to dock in Phuket or Pattaya. Archayon Kraithong, deputy commission of the Immigration Bureau, says everyone on board the yachts will…
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Parliament to debate draft charter amendments over 2 days next week
Parliament Speaker Chuan Leekpai says members will meet on November 17 and 18 to vote on 7 draft amendments to Thailand’s constitution. Nation Thailand reports that 6 of the drafts are the work of the government and a number of opposition MPs, while the 7th is from the Internet Dialogue on Law Reform, with the support of more than 100,000…
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Minister says lack of foreign visitors will have knock-on effect for domestic tourism
The Tourism Minister says Thailand can expect a significant drop in domestic tourism unless international tourism is revived. According to a Bangkok Post report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says local tourism figures are 40% of what they were in 2019, and are expected to drop further once the domestic travel stimulus scheme ends at the end of the year. The scheme has…
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Public concern prompts government to shelve 10-day quarantine plans
The Public Health Minister says concern from members of the public have led the government to shelve plans to reduce quarantine for overseas arrivals from 14 days to 10. Anutin Charnvirakul’s statement comes after a number of infections that have left officials a bit perplexed. One involves a woman recently returned from France who tested positive for Covid-19 after she’d…
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Monks prohibited from participating in political protests
Monks and novices are banned from joining political protests and urgent notifications have been sent to temples advising them that monks could be expelled for participating. As the pro-democracy movement continues, some monks have already been seen at rallies calling on government and monarchy reformation as well as a rewrite of the 2017 Constitution. The National Office of Buddhism director…
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Thai Airways sells warehouse items and leases offices for extra cash
In its latest move to generate just a little more cash in the midst of bankruptcy, cash-strapped Thai Airways is leasing out its office buildings and auctioning off in-flight items like bowls, cups, mugs and packages of “refreshing tissue.” Thai Airways also recently put 34 passenger airplanes on the market. With the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions, Thai Airways cannot operate fully…
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Thailand News Today | PTT pays out, Revised visa requirements, Protester’s asylum | Nov 11
Today’s rather noisy Thailand News Today. Please like our YouTube channel whilst you’re there too! PTT pays millions in compensation after Samut Prakan gas pipeline explosion The Thai petrol company PTT has paid millions of baht in compensation to businesses and people affected by the Samut Prakan natural gas pipeline explosion last month. The explosion at an industrial estate in…
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North Taurid meteor shower visible from Thailand tomorrow night
A North Taurid meteor shower will be visible from Thailand tomorrow around 7pm with a few, but very bright meteors expected to light up the sky, according to National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. Around 5 meteors could shoot across the sky per hour and the ones that do could be bright meteors known as “fireballs.” The Taurid meteor stream…
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TAT says government has relaxed tourist visa criteria for European nations
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the government has relaxed tourist visa requirements for some countries considered, “medium-risk”, in an effort to kick-start international tourism. Thapanee Kiatphaibool says tourist visa holders can be admitted for up to 60 days, with the possibility of extending their stay to 90 days, adding that, as of November 5, 1,465 foreign nationals have been…
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PM won’t be drawn on rumour that protest leaders are seeking asylum in the US
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has refused to be drawn on speculation that 4 prominent protest leaders have applied for political asylum in the US. As rumours circulate that Panupong Jadnok, Parit Chiwarak, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, and Chonthicha Jaengraew have all applied for asylum in the US, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Saravuth Petpanomporn, says officials are “looking into…
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PM dismisses conflict of interest concern as Cabinet reviews golf quarantine proposal
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has dismissed concerns over a possible conflict of interest surrounding the idea of using golf resorts as alternative local state quarantine facilities. It’s understood Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul owns a golf course in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The PM says using approved golf resorts as ALSQ locations is, an “interesting idea”, but the…
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Protest leader calls on rally “guards” to refrain from violence
Prominent human rights lawyer and protest leader, Anon Nampa, is calling on guards at anti-government rallies to remain peaceful. He says that getting violent will only harm the movement and play into the hands of the government. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anon credits his next door neighbour in Chiang Mai for the advice. “Last night, while I drank…
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Sarasas school refuses to negotiate compensation for students allegedly abused by teachers
The Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School – under fire for numerous alleged child abuse incidents – will not negotiate compensation with parents of students allegedly abused by their teachers at the Nonthaburi school. Parents were each seeking around 5 million baht for damages, adding up to 130 million baht altogether, according to the lawyer representing the parents and chairperson of the…
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Health officials declare all recent STV arrivals Covid-free – so far
Thai health officials say that, so far, none of the foreigners who arrived in the Kingdom on the Special Tourist Visa have tested positive for Covid-19. However, they are urging the public to continue with the safety and hygiene measures introduced at the start of the pandemic, after a number of recent asymptomatic cases tested positive outside of quarantine facilities.…
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Police checking contents of protest letter boxes to decide if charges will be filed
Police in Bangkok say they will be reading the contents of 4 red letter boxes used at a rally in the capital on Sunday in order to decide whether or not to press charges. Pro-democracy protesters used the letter boxes to drop hand-written petitions and letters calling for reform of the Monarchy. The letters were addressed to HM The King.…
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Officials urge public to stick with Covid safety measures, warning that quarantine is not a catch-all solution
The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning that quarantine alone is not enough, as it calls on people to continue with Covid-19 safety measures such as hand washing, social distancing, and the wearing of face masks in public spaces. Top medic Sophon Iamsirithavorn says that, despite the government’s best efforts, those arriving from overseas may still slip through…
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Army chief dismisses rumours of impending coup – VIDEO
Thailand’s Army chief Narongpan Jitkaewthae has described the chances of a coup as, “less than zero”, insisting the current political unrest can only be solved by political means. Pro-democracy activists continue to put pressure on the government, repeating their demands for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a charter (constitution) re-write and reform of the role of the country’s revered…
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Thailand News Today | Golf STVs, Russian head-butted, protest latest | Nov 9
Thailand News Today, stripped-back-version today. All the news you need to know about Thailand from The Thaiger. (Original story and link for Pattaya Russian assault story HERE) Protesters face water cannons as they deliver thousands of letters to HM the King Police turned the water cannons on thousands of protesters again as they tried to march to the Grand Palace…
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