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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A Covid-19 vaccine “within 6 months”
Countries around the world are battling to be first out with a sustainable, reliable and cheap vaccine for Covid-19. If they are successful it will be the first time a successful vaccine has been developed for a coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause sickness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as…
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Unexploded mortar shell found at construction site in eastern Thailand
An unexploded mortar shell has been discovered at a construction site in Rayong, in the east of the country. Local villagers found the device while clearing land and trees at the site and alerted police. Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit arrived on the scene to examine the device. It was transferred to dense forest nearby and successfully dismantled…
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Leave the monarchy alone – Thai Minister warns protesters
Protest peacefully, but keep the Thai monarchy out of it – that’s the gist of a warning from the Digital Economy and Society Minister referring to recent political protests that have been raising questions about Thailand’s revered Head of State. Rallies by royalist students and opposition parties have ended without incident at this stage although there have been a number of…
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Thailand’s international borders not re-opening for tourists until 2021 – TAT
Thailand is unlikely to reopen its borders to international tourists before the end of the year – the prediction from a deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Speaking at yet another webinar, this time hosted by Mekong Tourism and TravelMole, the deputy governor for international marketing at TAT, Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, noted that there has been “no…
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Global cases of Covid-19 top 20 million
While Thailand has recorded no new case of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, the pandemic continues to escalate around the world, with global cases of the virus now topping 20 million. The Thai government’s Covid-19 task force says confirmed cases in Thailand stand at 3,351, with 414 of those detected among people in state quarantine. Nation Thailand reports that…
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Elderly drivers may need to take test in order to keep licence
A damning World Health Organisation says Thailand’s roads continue to be some of the most dangerous in the world, with an average of 22,491 road deaths a year. Now the Department of Land Transport is considering the introduction of a test for elderly drivers in possession of a lifetime licence. Lifetime drivers’ licences were issued up until 2003, when the…
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Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no deaths (August 9)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 3 new cases of the coronavirus today, while the Public Health Ministry confirmed none of the concertgoers in Nakhon Si Thammarat were infected. Today marks the 76th day without a locally transmitted case in Thailand. The CCSA said 1 of the new cases is a 31 year old Bangladeshi man who tested positive…
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Thailand makes US “low-risk” list for Covid-19
The latest US travel advisory names just 7 countries as being at low-risk for Covid-19 infection – and Thailand is among them. Although Thailand remains closed to most foreign visitors, and a leading epidemiologist is urging it to remain so for another 6-18 months, the secretary-general of the National Research Committee said today that the inclusion on the low-risk list…
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Leading Thai epidemiologist warns against opening borders
A leading epidemiologist on the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University is calling for the government to suspend any plan to allow foreign tourists for 6-18 months. Dr Thira Woratanarat, who makes daily updates on his Facebook in the Thai language and is well followed in the Thai media, has been delivering regular warnings about the risk of Covid-19 to…
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Bailed activist lawyer promises more protests
2 protest leaders arrested on Friday were granted bail following a court sitting in Bangkok yesterday. The court granted activist lawyer Arnon Nampa and a student named Panupong Jaadnok, alias “Mike Rayong” bail. The court pointedly warned them not to engage in similar behaviour while on bail. Immediately afterward, Arnon defiantly told reporters he was headed to Chiang Mai to…
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Covid-19 update: 3 new imported cases, no new deaths (August 8)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 3 new Covid-19 cases today. All are Thai nationals, 2 recently repatriated from Saudi Arabia and 1 from Indonesia, bringing the total to 3,348. The death toll remained unchanged at 58. Today marks 75 days without a locally transmitted case being identified in Thailand. 2 of the new cases are students, both 24,…
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US soldiers, concertgoers all test negative for Covid-19
All 110 US soldiers visiting Bangkok for upcoming joint military exercises have tested negative for Covid-19. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says all are staying at alternative state quarantine locations and are strictly prohibited from leaving their rooms or interacting with the general public. The soldiers’ arrival caused concern and discussion on social media,…
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Activist lawyer arrested after questioning Monarchy’s role
34 year old Thai activist and civil rights lawyer and Arnon Nampha was arrested this afternoon for “sedition” and “breaching the emergency decree”. He was apprehended in front of his Bangkok condominium at around 2pm, according to the head of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Yaowalak Anuphan. He is currently in police custody. “Arnon can only be detained no more…
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Covid-19 update: 15 new imported cases, no new deaths (August 7)
In the biggest jump in weeks, perhaps months, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today reported that 15 Thais tested positive in state quarantine over the previous 24 hour period. It was, however, the 74th day without a domestically transmitted case. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said all 15 new patients were asymptomatic, 4 men who recently returned from Egypt…
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Deputy PM: 2 ways to amend Thai Constitution
As the government has agreed in principle to amend Thailand’s Constitution, Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam says there are 2 approaches to amending it – with or without a referendum. Wissanu, a legal expert, said yesterday that amendments which require a referendum are changes to Chapter 1 (which contains general provisions), Chapter 2 (which deals with the Thai monarchy), and Chapter…
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Trump decries “Thighland’s” unfair trade practices
OPINION Gaffe-prone US President Donald Trump, recently mocked for his mispronunciation of the name of Yosemite National Park as “YO-semite”, has stuck his foot in it again: Finland is obviously for fins, Switzerland for switzers, Iceland for ice and Holland for the nethers. Surely there’s a home for everyone’s favourite part of the leg, between hip and knee? Very stable…
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Thailand’s GDP forecast to fall up to 9% this year
Thailand’s GDP is set to fall 7-9%, year-on-year, according to the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking. The fall is, not surprisingly, being fallout from the catastrophic drop in tourism and lower exports. Kalin Sarasin, chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand, says the expected contraction was revised downwards from 5-8%. The committee also predicted exports would drop…
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Showers expected today just about everywhere around Thailand
More rain on the way through the forecast period, especially in the North, Northeast and the East. The TMD is reporting that a monsoonal trough “lies across the upper North and the upper Northeast to the low-pressure cell over the South China Sea, while the southwest monsoon across the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand is intensifying”. “People should…
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COVID-19 update: 2 new cases found in state quarantine, no new deaths (August 6)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this morning reported 2 new cases of Covid-19, both returnees from the US, bringing the national total of confirmed cases to 3,330 since the outbreak began in January. A CCSA spokeman said the new patients are a 42 year old man aged 42 and a woman, aged 62, both Thai nationals. They arrived on…
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No current plans to extend list of foreigners allowed back into Thailand
There is no immediate plan to extend the list of foreigners being allowed to come to Thailand at the moment. Specifically still excluded are retirees with valid visas, homes and families in Thailand. The directive comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Thailand’s experience with Covid-19, it has closed its borders to tourists and visitors, stranding both Thais and…
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US ambassador visits Thai clean-tech company Equator Pure Nature
The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Michael George DeSombre visited American-founded Thai clean-tech pioneer Equator Pure Nature yesterday to discuss perspectives on US businesses and American-founded companies in Thailand, their contributions to Thai society, primarily during the Covid-19 pandemic, and their role in assisting the development of Thai entrepreneurs, particularly women. Thailand is among countries recognised worldwide as having best…
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Tourism sector pin hopes on “Safe and Sealed” scheme to lure international visitors
In the latest plan to bolster Thailand’s withering tourism industry, business operators are proposing a new inbound tourism plan called “Safe and Sealed”, to replace the delayed “travel bubbles” scheme and prevent Thailand realising the worst-case revenue scenario of only 675 billion baht next year, down from 3 trillion in 2019. At a joint meeting yesterday of the Tourism and…
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Harry Potter-themed protest openly questions monarchy’s role
Thai protesters strayed into more sensitive territory Monday night as they added the prickly, and largely taboo, topic of the Thai monarchy to the list of issues to include in their demonstrations. At a Harry Potter-themed rally, dubbed “Harry Potter versus You-Know-Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”, anti-government demonstrators at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument demanded changes to Thailand’s revered monarchy and called for curbs…
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Police seize property valued at 200 million baht from suspected hill tribe drug gang – VIDEO
Anti-narcotics police in 4 provinces seized property valued at around 200 million baht from a suspected drug trafficking gang… mostly northern hill tribe people, in coordinated raids yesterday. 30 targets in Bangkok and Hua Hin, as well as in northern and southern provinces, were raided by armed officers. 24 houses, 5 shophouses, 12 land title deeds, 22 cars and 27…
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Senator questions the admission of US troops during state of emergency
A Thai senator is questioning the need for US troops to participate in joint exercises with their Thai counterparts while a state of emergency is still in place in the country. The emergency decree was extended for the third time at the end of July and is now set to expire at the end of this month. Senator Kamnoon Sidhisamarn…
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Legally grown marijuana to boost medical field, economy
In its weekly meeting yesterday, the Cabinet approved a Public Health Ministry proposal to amend the Narcotics Act to allow patients, medical practitioners and traditional healers to grow marijuana for medical and commercial use. The deputy government spokeswoman said the Cabinet approved the proposal submitted by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to amend narcotics legislation enacted last year. Anutin, also…
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Thai PM says he supports changes to Constitution
In an apparent nod to the student protests which have swept the nation for over 2 weeks, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has promised to push for constitutional amendments, saying the government will present its version of a charter rewrite bill in the next parliamentary session. Speaking after yesterday’s weekly cabinet meeting, Prayut said his position has been to support the…
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Maid fakes burglary after stealing employer’s safe
A Burmese maid has been arrested after stealing a safe from her employer and then trying to convince her there had been a burglary. The worker, named only as 34 year old Ice, was employed by 62 year old Samniang at her home in the central province of Samut Songkhram, some 80 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. Samniang says she called…
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Skeletal remains found in Chon Buri may be those of missing Burmese worker – VIDEO
A human skeleton found inside dense bushland is believed to be that of a Burmese national who worked at commercial fishponds nearby. The owner of the fishponds, 50 year old Somyot Lieamhan, says clothing found near the skeleton matched those worn by the man, named only as ‘Mint’, at the time he disappeared. Somyot says the worker disappeared shortly after…
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11 groups of people allowed to fly into Thailand, as of today
The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand have issued the “Notification on Conditions for Aircraft Permitted to Enter Thailand Version 3. UPDATE: The CAAT has listed 11 groups of Thai and non-Thai nationals (foreigners) permitted to enter Thailand. The groups consist of the following… (1) Thai nationals. (2) Persons with an exemption or persons being…
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