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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The big comeback for Big Joke?
Former police poster boy and Thai immigration Chief, Surachat Hakparn, aka. “Big Joke” says he wants to return to police duties and “come back in from the cold”.. He participated in 2 hours of prayers at the Wat Bueng Kradan in Phitsanulok city in Central Thailand, praying for a return to his roles in the Thai police force. At the…
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Best wishes to HM King of Thailand on this auspicious occasion
Today is the 68th birthday of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The Thaiger wishes His Majesty another year of continued good health and service to the Thai people. His Majesty has been the King of Thailand since October 13, 2016. He is the only son of former King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, the beloved monarchs who served Thailand from 1946…
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No let-up in anti-government protests as activists call for constitutional reform
Anti-government protests are intensifying in Thailand, as activists call on officials to stop intimidating people, insisting that Parliament be dissolved, and the country’s constitution re-written. Their demand for constitutional reform is being backed by the Deputy PM, Anutin Charnvirakul. Yesterday evening, protesters walked around Democracy Monument in Bangkok, with some making mocking comments that they were doing so to admire…
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Foreigners on short-term visas warned they must leave Thailand by September 26
Don’t overstay your welcome… Thai Immigration officials are warning foreigners on short-term visas that they must make arrangements to leave the country before September 26. A visa amnesty in place as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic was recently extended until that date, but it looks like authorities want to make clear there will be no further extension, except in…
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Constitutional Court judge demands investigation into Red Bull heir case decisions
A judge on Thailand’s Constitutional Court is urging PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to investigate possible mishandling, by both the police and public prosecutors, of the hit-and-run case involving the Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, saying the nation’s justice system has been “rendered meaningless” after prosecutors’ decision to drop the charges and the police’s failure to challenge the decision. In a…
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Red Bull parent company releases statement over the “Boss” legal matters
TCP Thailand (T.C. Pharmaceutical aka. T.C.Pharma), the company that owns Red Bull in Thailand, as well as other popular brands, have released a statement in response to the announcement that Thailand’s Attorney General is dropping charges against 35 year old Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya in a 2012 hit and run incident in Bangkok when his sportscar hit, and then dragged, a motorcycle…
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Deputy PM backs protesters’ demand for constitutional reform
Deputy PM and Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is backing the key demand of student protesters to rewrite Thailand’s Constitution. Responding to activists’ calls for the dissolution of Parliament, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party said yesterday such a move would be pointless without prior constitutional amendment. Speaking at the party’s annual meeting, Anutin, leader of second-largest partner in…
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A day of shame as Thai police try to defend revoking “Boss” arrest warrants
Thai Police are being forced to defend their decision to “revoke all arrest warrants” for 35 year old Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, claiming that they could face negligence charges if they pursued a case that prosecutors have already dropped. All warrants and red notices in the Interpol website, the Immigration Bureau and the Office of the Royal Thai Police have been revoked…
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Life sentence for man who ran over his neighbour reduced to 25 years – VIDEO
A court in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, has handed down a life sentence to a Thai man who deliberately drove a car into his unsuspecting neighbour, killing him while he was watering his plants. Security footage caught the shocking moment when 56 year old Phaiboon Sangsan drove directly into 57 year old civil engineer, Suphan Yatbanthung. The…
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DNA excludes Thais from 2007 murder of Japanese tourist
Advanced DNA testing has shed new light on the unsolved murder of a female Japanese tourist 13 years ago, suggesting a link to a male of East Asian heritage. Sanook reported on the latest developments in the cold case of Tomoko Kawashita who was found murdered in the Sukhothai Historical Park in 2007. Kawashita’s body was found near the ruins…
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CCSA clarifies requirements for entering Thailand
With the Covid-19 crisis in Thailand under control and as the nation begins gradually reopening its borders, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday clarified the following guidelines on entering Thailand for travellers and non-Thai residents: Before departure: Travellers must contact the Royal Thai Embassy or consulate to obtain an entry visa and a certificate of entry, which will be…
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COVID-19 update: 10 new imported cases including 6 returning soldiers (July 24)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced 10 new cases of the coronavirus discovered in the previous 24 hours, all returnees in state quarantine facilities. Spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said this morning the new cases include one returnee each from Sudan, Pakistan, Germany and the Netherlands, and 6 soldiers returning from joint military exercises in the US state of Hawaii.…
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Police say protests still banned under Emergency Decree
A police spokesman has said that political gatherings are still banned under the Emergency Decree until the latest extension becomes effective next month, apparently contradicting the National Security Council chief who recently said, “The decree will no longer ban gatherings. This shows that the emergency decree has sole, pure intentions of controlling the disease.” Despite the government’s insistence that the…
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Mother, daughter run over by pickup truck in Pathum Thani
A mother and daughter were run over today by a pickup truck carrying furniture reversing down a busy road in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok. The shocking incident was caught on surveillance footage. The pair had stepped into the road and didn’t notice the truck creeping up on them from behind. Fortunately, both mother and child survived. Poh Teck…
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Former PM Yingluck responds to allegations
Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra, now a fugitive living in exile since she was removed from office in May 2014 by a Constitutional Court decision, took to Facebook yesterday to respond to allegations of abuse of power brought by the National Anti-Corruption Commission earlier this week, calling on the anti-graft body to focus on the current government instead. On Wednesday the…
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Hit-and-run charges against Red Bull heir “Boss” Yoovidhya dropped
In a shock ending to a case which has dragged on for years, charges against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, in a 2012 hit and run incident – one that resulted in a police officer’s death – have been dropped. Vorayuth is heir to the Red Bull fortune and a member of one of Thailand’s wealthiest families. The Office of the Attorney…
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Red shirt leader warns activists against insulting Monarchy
The chairman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, aka the “red shirt” movement, says the Student Union of Thailand and the Free Youth group, who launched anti-government protests last week, should stick to their 3 demands and not “cross a line” by including discussion about Thailand’s Monarchy. He warns that, otherwise, they will meet the same fate as…
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Phase 6 of re-opening to see thousands of foreigners granted entry to Thailand
A number of additional categories of foreigners will be able to apply to re-enter the Kingdom. These include migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, Elite Visa holders, medical tourists, film crew, convention exhibitors and select business visitors. Anyone that doesn’t fall into one of those groups will remain excluded from the country as the borders remain shut to almost…
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10 returning soldiers found with high fever
151 Thai soldiers, who went to Hawaii to participate in the Lightning Forge 2020 joint training program with the US, returned home yesterday on a Thai Airways flight that landed at Suvarnabhumi airport at 5:40 pm. 10 soldiers were found to have high fevers and were rushed to a hospital in Bangkok to be tested for Covid-19. Another soldier was…
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Thailand’s tourist magnets deserted and desperate
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, bird flu, SARS, political upheavals, passenger boats sinking. None of these have had anywhere near the effect of this year’s Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand. Visitor numbers, even from the usually enthusiastic Tourism Authority of Thailand, are expected to plummet up to 80% for the year. The other 20% mostly visited the Kingdom in the first…
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“Priceless” ancient manuscripts vanish from university, feared stolen and sold
“Hundreds” of priceless historical manuscripts have been stolen from the Arts and Cultural Centre of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Rabhabhat University. A senior monk said the ancient folding-book paper manuscripts, known as “samut khoi”, contained stories and drawings featuring local history, traditions and culture, and might have been stolen and sold to people unaware that they belonged to the university.…
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Government says Emergency Decree extension won’t ban protests
Although the Emergency Decree was officially extended again today, through the end of August, the government says political gatherings and rallies won’t be banned. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the extension earlier today but officials insist the emergency measures are strictly for guarding against the resurgence of Covid-19 and unrelated to the ongoing protests. According to the secretary-general of the National…
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310 out of 50,000 repatriates tested positive for Covid-19: minister
Thailand’s foreign affairs minister has reported to the Senate that full assistance is being provided to Thai nationals stranded overseas due to the Covid-19 world pandemic. This is despite the recent controversy surrounding an Egyptian airman visiting Thailand who tested positive after visiting shopping spots in the eastern Rayong province. The minister responded to questions from Senators, pointing out that…
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Tourism sector facing massive closures
Thailand’s tourism sector, long seen as a lifeline for the nation’s battered economy, is in a meltdown; more than 30% of tourism-related businesses have left the market with many more expected to follow, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. The president of the TCT says the tourism industry predicts further deterioration after 6 months of the Covid-19 crisis, as…
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PM approves Emergency Decree extension
PM Prayut Chan O’Cha has signed off on a proposal by the National Security Council and the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration to extend the Emergency Decree until the end of August. The Emergency Decree gives the government sweeping powers to manage the Covid-19 crisis at the national level from a “top down” perspective. It also provides draconian penalties for…
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Video catches Thai immigration officials asking for a bribe
Officers from an immigration office near Bangkok have been “suspended” after a Facebook video showed an immigration official asking for money to help “speed up his visa process”. The caption read… “This is real, such a shame, when will the cheating stop”. “Thailand is good, foreigners get Visas to work in the country. They go to the Nonthaburi Immigration for…
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Bangkok university professor says no “travel bubbles” for at least 6 months
A professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says Thailand’s “travel bubble” plan, which would allow small groups of foreign tourists to visit Thailand, should be put on hold for at least another 6 months. In a Facebook post yesterday, he said that the global Covid-19 situation remains “of serious concern”, as new infections are still surging, with more than 200,000 new…
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Extension of visa amnesty, extension of emergency decree
In a big day of important announcements, the Cabinet has approved an extension to the emergency decree as well as an extension to the visa amnesty for foreigners. The extension of the visa amnesty will now run until September 26. It now allows foreigners to stay in Thailand without renewing their visa as long as their visa did not expire before…
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Tourism minister says he’ll punish hotels price-gouging during “We Travel Together”
Hotel operators around Thailand will face being “delisted” and fined if they are found to be raising hotel room rates under the new stimulus campaign being rolled out by the Thai government, called “We Travel Together”. The campaign is designed to boost domestic tourism and covers 40% of a hotel’s room rate, as long as it doesn’t exceed 3,000 baht per…
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CCSA recommend an extension to the emergency decree in Thailand
It has been decided to extend the emergency decree beyond the end of July 31. The National Security Council and the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration) have jointly agreed to extend the situation and will present the proposal to the Thai PM tomorrow. Opponents of the decree say the emergency decree is unnecessary now that Thailand has had 55 days…
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