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 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....
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Perfect your Valentine’s dining at Siam Paragon
Sponsored Article The season of love is approaching and it’s time to treat your special someone for lunch or dinner on Valentine’s day. Siam Paragon, a shopping centre located in the heart of Bangkok is known for its world-class food destination. This shopping centre offers a variety of classic restaurants where you can celebrate your sweet momentous occasion. Lovebirds can also…
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Health Minister urged to extend Covid treatment coverage to April
The government is being urged to reconsider its decision to end coverage for Covid-19 treatment under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had previously announced that Covid treatment would be excluded from the UCEP scheme from March 1. However, his deputy, Sathit Pitutecha, argues now is not the time, given that infections are on…
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Polls show majority of parents doubt online learning, concerned about Covid-19 vaccines
An online survey conducted last week found that most parents doubt that online learning is effective for their children, and are either “dubious” or “very concerned” about kids 5-11 years old getting vaccinated. The survey questioned 1,089 parents across Thailand. The university that conducted the survey is Suan Dusit Rajabhat University in Bangkok. 66.8% of parents said they doubt how…
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Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation
Just when Phuket thought it was about to revive its crippled tourism economy, the recent murders, thefts, and taxi ripoffs on the Island province are scarring its public image. The most high profile recent event is the murder by two hitmen of deported Canadian gangster Jimi Sandhu at a villa in Rawai, on the southern coast of the island. The…
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Robbers shoot and kill customer in Northern Thailand gold shop
Three robbers fired bullets through a glass door of a gold shop yesterday in Tak, in Northern Thailand, killing one customer. The customer was a 30 year old man. He died after being rushed to the hospital. The robbers smashed another glass door of the shop with a hammer. They then smashed the showcases where the gold was being displayed.…
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Test and Go report card and arrivals – First 10 days of February
The CCSA has had their first report card for Thailand’s Covid situation following the reopening of the Test & Go program on February 1. After a doubling of daily infections over the past 2 weeks, there were fears that the CCSA may tighten restrictions. But, in the end, nothing was changed at the bi-weekly meeting. Even the provincial zonings remain…
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21 Thai fraud gangsters caught in Cambodia, will be deported back home
A joint team of Thai and Cambodian police caught 21 Thai fraud gangsters in Cambodia who allegedly tricked Thais into investing in fake digital assets. The 21 people are part of three different gangs headed by Chinese nationals. The director of the Police Cyber Task Force says one gang stayed in a hotel, and tricked Thais into investing in fake…
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Fisheries Department will temporarily halt gulf fishing for marine breeding season
The deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department announced yesterday that in coming months, four areas of the gulf will be closed to fishermen for marine breeding season. From February 15 to May 15, waters near the coasts of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani will close. From May 16 to June 14, the foot of Khao Ta Mong Lai…
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Thailand hopeful to draw Indian tourists with new travel bubble
Ah yes, another travel bubble proposal. This time with India. Thailand hopes to fix its plundered tourism economy by drawing in more Indian tourists with a new plan between the two countries known as the Thai-Indian Air Travel Bubble. A spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said the ATB will give extra convenience to people travelling between Thailand…
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Volunteer teams clean trash and weeds from Phuket canal
Two volunteer organisations are joining forces to clear garbage and weeds from the Bang Yai Canal, which runs from Samkong into Phuket Town on Phuket’s east coast. The organisations are the Royal Thai Volunteers and the Rak Bang Yai Club, who announced the cleanup plan on video teleconference yesterday. The groups say they hope to clear the “bad smells” coming…
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Thailand, post Covid. What needs to change?
OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from behind the Covid curtain, many expats and potential travellers are wondering if much will change after 2 years of lockdowns, closures re-openings and re-entry ‘plans’. Will we see changes in visas, property ownership, entry requirements and business laws? One of our YouTube commenters wrote in with his current ‘wish list’ (below). As…
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First 10 days of February arrival figures for Thailand – Test & Go V2 “sluggish”
So who is travelling to Thailand at the moment, and how many are coming through the turnstiles? For the first 10 days of February, there was a total of 55,823 travellers entering Thailand. 23,036 travellers entered on the Test and Go program, another 27,667 through the Sandbox scheme and 5,120 arrived to do the Alternative Quarantine program at a qualified…
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More kids aged 5-11 getting Covid-19
More kids aged 5-11 are getting Covid-19. A spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today that the infection rate for this age group was 6.6% between January 1 and February 2. He said the rate has risen now that the Delta and Omicron variants have broken out, and the total number of cases for this group was…
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Thailand-based natural gas company stalls move on Myanmar following coup
Following the withdrawal of its French and US partners from a gas production project in Myanmar, Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Plc is stalling its next move by saying that it will make an official announcement early next month on whether to keep ties with the military in Myanmar or not. US-based Chevron Corp and France-based Total Energies both announced…
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Father asks police to investigate accident, claims American crashed golf cart, injured his son
A father is seeking justice after his son was hit by a golf cart driven by an American man nine months ago, saying legal proceedings have made no progress. Although, the question of who is to blame for the accident has been up for debate. Some people who saw a video of the accident on social media say the motorbike…
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Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients to no longer cover Covid-19 starting March
Thailand’s Public Health Minister announced today that come March 1, Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients will no longer cover Covid-19 infections, meaning Thais will need to pay out of pocket if they are admitted to a private hospital or facility for treatment. A night at “hospitel,” which is a hotel that works with a hospital to offer isolation services,…
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Thailand’s popular dish pad krapao tied to high altitude balloon for space experiment
A plate of Thailand’s popular meal, pad krapao, was tied to a high altitude balloon, sending it 30 kilometres up into the sky for a space experiment by Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To mark Thailand’s first space experiment using a high-altitude balloon, a large plate of pad krapao was sent up as well. Pad krapao, one of…
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Thailand to boost aviation industry by hosting first international airshow in Rayong in 2027
As part of a push to boost Thailand’s aviation industry, the country will host its first ever international airshow in 2027 at U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong. The show is expected to help boost Thailand’s aviation by 1.2 trillion baht, and will be an exciting opportunity for Thailand to show itself off as a centre for aviation among ASEAN countries.…
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Airport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand
Police say they’ve obtained surveillance camera footage showing the two suspects in the Jimi Sandhu murder case in Phuket preparing to leave the country at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Sandhu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and was deported for “serious criminality.” He entered Thailand last month by private jet and was found dead with more…
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Thailand ranks 72 in Democracy Index 2021
The Economist Intelligence Unit has officially deemed Thailand a “flawed democracy” out of four categories: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. It ranked Thailand 72 out of 167 countries in its “Democracy Index 2021,” which ranks countries for how democratic they are. The EIU says democracy has declined across the globe since 2020. That year, 49.4% of…
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Studio Ghibli exhibition at Central World in Bangkok starts today, lasts until late March
The trendy clothing store Uniqlo is hosting a Studio Ghibli exhibition that starts today at Central World in Bangkok and will run until March 27. The exhibition will display a giant Totoro and the cat bus from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. At the exhibition, people can order special T-shirts only available in Thailand. The T-shirts have photos and drawings by…
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Digital health pass on Mor Prom app accepted in 60 countries
Residents of Thailand can now travel to 60 countries, including 27 EU nations, where the Mor Prom Digital Health Pass is accepted. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his deputy Sathit Pitutecha confirmed the development at a media briefing. The Thailand Digital Health Pass has been accorded the same recognition as the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate since December. According to…
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Government concern over rising Covid infections may lead to tighter restrictions
A steady rise in Thailand’s infection rate is giving the government cause for concern as the Covid-19 task force meets later today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will chair a CCSA meeting in which officials are expected to discuss additional measures aimed at managing the recent spike in cases. Yesterday, Thailand reported 14,822 new infections, with 2,635 of those in Bangkok. At…
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Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu
Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport…
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Kanchanaburi gunman robs more than 7,000 baht from 7-Eleven
A gunman in Kanchanaburi robbed over 7,000 baht from a 7-Eleven early this morning. The two store employees who were working at the store when it happened said the gunman looks 30 to 40 years old, and about 170 centimetres tall. They added that he was barefoot, and wore a white and grey shirt with brown trousers. He had a…
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Central Festival Samui opens Covid test centre for Test & Go, Sandbox tourists
A Covid-19 testing centre has opened on Koh Samui to travellers entering under either the Sandbox or Test & Go travel schemes. Koh Samui Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Samui have teamed up with Central Festival Samui to open the “Samui Swab Centre” to offer convenient Covid-19 RT-PCT tests for tourists who are required to take two tests after entering Thailand.…
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Phuket conservationists butt heads with locals on coral reef
Conservationists are fighting to stop a bay being dredged in Ao Kung in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s east coast, as they say it will damage nearby coral reefs. A former village headman says the bay needs to be dredged because fishing boats have a hard time getting to the port at low tide. At a meeting with representatives of local…
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Thursday Covid Update: 14,822 new cases; provincial totals
20 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,364 with 666 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,822 new Covid-19 cases and 8,503 recoveries. There are now 105,129 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Criminals pretend to be police, scam Swiss man in Phuket
Scammers went after a Swiss national living in Phuket when they pretended to be police, and told him he had to pay a fine for receiving funds through illegal activities. The “police” contacted the man, Alain, saying a FedEx package couldn’t be delivered. Since Alain was expecting a FedEx package, he listened. The story then changed to say Bangkok police…
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28 year old woman’s body parts found in canals off Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River
Human body parts, including a head, were found in canals connecting to Bangkok’s Cha Phraya River yesterday. Investigating officers say the body is believed to be a 28 year old woman who went missing on Monday. Officers initially launched a murder investigation, but have since said the death was suicide after reviewing CCTV footage which showed a woman jumping off…
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