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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Khao San Road getting cleaned, staff tested after 11 partygoers test positive for Covid-19
Bangkok’s Khao San Road is in for a big cleaning after the New Year weekend where 11 people tested positive for Covid-19. Authorities are now urging those who partied on the street on December 30 and 31 to get tested and to monitor their health. The nightlife walking street, known as a backpacker’s mecca with cheap drinks, laughing gas balloons,…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,091 new cases; provincial totals
12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,750 with 21,656 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 3,091 new Covid-19 cases and 2,688 recoveries. There are now 33,505 people in Thailand being…
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Phuket officials order schools to close, hotels to prepare isolation services as Covid cases rise
Schools in Phuket are closed until January 14 due to the uptick in Covid-19 cases in the province. And with more cases anticipated, Phuket officials announced that 66 hotels on the island are preparing rooms and procedures for isolating those who are infected. Schools, universities, and other study centres are urged to offer online courses. Public schools will hold classes…
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UPDATE: Talk of Test & Go cutoff date, approved travellers can’t reschedule flights
UPDATE: At the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting this morning, a spokesperson for the Thai PM noted that Prayut Chan-o-cha supports extending the current suspension of the Test & Go program. The PM also indicated support for a January 10 sunset date for currently approved Thailand Pass applications – those approved before December 21 and for those applications made before…
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Elizabeth Holmes found guilty of 4 counts of fraud in landmark ‘tech start up’ case
“Fake it until you make it” may not be a popular slogan anymore for start ups and Silicon Valley’s T-Shirt brigade after the landmark case against Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes. Today she was found guilty of 4 counts of fraud – 1 of conspiracy to defraud investors, and 3 counts of wire fraud against investors. The jury was unable to…
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Former Thai boxer stabbed to death outside Pattaya night market
A 54 year old former Thai boxer was killed and two others were injured after a fight broke out between rival groups outside Pattaya’s popular Tree Town Nightmarket on Saturday night. One of the three suspects has been arrested, but he says he wasn’t involved and attempted to break up the fight. Narawit Pongsoungnoen, known as Ae Marine who competed…
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Tourist says man assaulted her after she refused to pay 50 baht for Koh Samui viewpoint
A Thai man is being accused of hitting a Russian tourist during a heated argument when she refused to pay a 50 baht entrance fee to a viewpoint on Koh Samui, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. The 33 year old woman and her partner went to a local police station and reported that…
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School students could see return to online learning due to Omicron variant
The Office of Basic Education Commission says schools could end up returning to online learning as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant. However, the commission says that decision will be left up to individual education areas and provinces. OBEC boss Amporn Pinasa says some schools may decide to move to online learning for a week after the New Year…
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Government to discuss delaying resumption of Test & Go until end of January
Following an inevitable rise in cases of the Omicron variant in Thailand, the government will discuss postponing the resumption of the Test & Go entry scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that the scheme was originally suspended due to concern over mounting Omicron infections globally. However, imported Omicron cases have now been detected in people arriving through Test &…
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Possible amendments to Test & Go for Thailand Pass
To kick off, the reported changes are only ‘proposals’ at this stage. A final decision on these matters concerning the Thailand Pass will probably be made on Wednesday this week and then could be approved by the CCSA on Friday. But, in the interests of the many thousands of people who have already been approved for Test & Go, and…
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Chiang Mai police under fire after “pretties” joined road safety campaign
Two Thai models in Chiang Mai were giving out free coffee to keep drivers alert during the New Year holiday’s “seven deadly days” on the road, but what the women were wearing is what really got the attention of the drivers. Dressed like they were going out to a nightclub in heels and tight dresses, which is typically considered provocative…
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Minister says holders of universal healthcare cards can be treated anywhere in the country
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says holders of the universal healthcare card can seek treatment at primary care units anywhere in the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin Charnvirakul says cardholders will no longer have to request a referral from the unit they’re registered at. He says the change is part of reforms to the universal health care service…
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Thai government asks private companies to allow staff to work from home
Thai health authorities are choosing to take a cautious approach, even though they say “the situation is under control”. They’ve asked state agencies and private companies in Thailand to allow staff and contractors to work from their home. They’re suggesting that staff work from home for at least 14 days as the Omicron has reached 1,551 infections (as of January…
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PM Prayut approves panel to evaluate Section 112 cases
While many protest and fight for repeal or reform of Thailand’s harsh lèse majesté laws – also known as Section 112 – PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has agreed to a plan proposed by the pro-monarchy KLA Party to convene a panel to review all complaints filed before proceeding with charges. The panel will be made up of experts who would evaluate…
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7 Dangerous Days: 226 road deaths, 1915 accidents in 4 days
On the fourth day of what the Road Safety Directing Centre of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has labelled the Seven Dangerous Days, 73 people lost their lives in 574 road accidents, up slightly from yesterday. A total of 226 people have died on the roads of Thailand since December 30 with deaths being reported now in 42…
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Thailand’s come a long way battling Covid-19 since September
With the rise of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant and our duty to report new developments in the spread of Covid-19, it’s easy to get a doom and gloom vibe from the news. But looking at the big picture in Thailand, deaths, infections, and hospitalisations have been steadily decreasing since peaking in August. So. to celebrate the new year, The Thaiger…
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Royal Thai Air Force seeks to buy F-35 jets for at least 18 billion baht
Citing their ageing fleet and a need to beef up Thailand’s national defence, the Royal Thai Air Force is seeking to buy 8 F-35 stealth jets. The jets, made in the US by Lockheed Martin, are considered to be the most advanced combat aircraft in the world. The price tag? About 21.78 billion baht. Currently, the air force is flying…
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555 traffic accidents and 65 road deaths on New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve was the third day of the yearly Seven Dangerous Days, where the Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation tracks traffic accidents and deaths, as holiday travel create a sharp increase in traffic incidents. And yesterday saw 555 traffic accidents that resulted in 535 injuries and 65 road deaths. The Road Accidents Prevention and Reduction Centre reported…
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CCSA: response teams not lockdowns if holiday brings Covid-19
The saying goes, “hope for the best, plan for the worst.” After crowded and energetic New Year’s Eve celebrations and extensive travel for the New Year’s holiday, the CCSA is making plans to handle the inevitable surge in Covid-19 infections. In order to curb any outbreaks resulting from the holiday, the CCSA has readied response teams to deploy to affected…
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“Thailand Trusted Destination” certification aimed at luring tourists
“Thailand Trusted Destination” is the latest campaign in a long line of schemes government authorities have launched as they attempt to lure international travellers back to Thailand, even amid Omicron uncertainty. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports launched the campaign in a bid to increase the standards of tourism in the country. The project aims to build confidence in travellers…
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Day 2 of 7 Dangerous Days sees 44 deaths, 426 road injuries
On Day 2 of the Seven Dangerous Days road safety campaign, there have been a total of 85 deaths in 784 accidents. The first day saw 41 deaths and 360 injuries, and Thursday recorded 44 deaths and 426 injuries. While the numbers are higher than other periods throughout the year, accidents and injuries are down 21.5% over the same dates…
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Thai traditions for ringing in the New Year
”Sawas Dee Pee Mai” is how Thais say “Happy New Year.” Did you know that Thailand actually celebrates the New Year three times? Thai people celebrate the internationally-recognised New Year on 31 December, the Chinese New Year around January to February, and Thai traditional New Year in April, which is known as Songkran. Below are the activities that Thais do…
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Here’s what happened in Thailand in 2021
Thailand reopened to (almost) quarantine-free tourism, the prime minister faced a no-confidence debate, and the cannabis industry boomed. Here’s what happened this year in Thailand… Thailand reopens to tourists Thailand started its reopening with the Phuket Sandbox on July 1, which allowed fully vaccinated travellers from overseas to enter the island province without being isolated at a hotel or quarantine…
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Meanwhile, in Thailand… Some of the weirdest stories of 2021
It’s been a crazy year in Thailand. Here are some of the weirdest stories of 2021. 1. Tak locals try to ward off “widow ghost” Some locals in Tak tried to ward off the spirit of a widow after the deaths of 10 men in the community. Some believe that the ghost was looking for a husband. 2. Overfed monkey…
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Top stories for 2021, as voted by Thaiger readers, and viewers
The top stories reported on The Thaiger in 2021, as measured by your clicks on those stories, were dominated, not surprisingly, by Covid-related topics. We went through our website and main YouTube channel to compile the top stories in 2021. On the website, The Thaiger has cemented itself as the #2 news source for Thai news, in English, but pulling…
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Officials say jailed wildlife killer Premchai is fine and has finished Covid quarantine
Premchai Karnasuta, former boss of Italian–Thai Development, now behind bars for hunting and killing wildlife, is “doing fine” according to officials. The Bangkok Post reports that the Corrections Department have confirmed Premchai is sleeping well in prison and has completed an initial 21-day stay in a Covid-19 quarantine area. He will now begin a second 21-day quarantine period inside the…
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New Year’s countdown events in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Phangan
New Year’s countdowns will be a little different this year. As a gift for the holiday, the Thai government loosened alcohol restrictions – but just for the night – allowing booze to be sold at restaurants and approved venues until 1am. But restrictions will still be tight for large events, many requiring participants to be fully vaccinated and test negative…
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Omicron variant infections set to surpass 1,000 in Thailand
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread quickly in countries throughout the world, and Thailand is no exception. After the first case of Omicron was detected just three weeks ago in the Kingdom, outbreaks and superspreader events saw the case number quickly climb to 200, then 500, then over 700, and now to nearly 1,000 infections. The latest…
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Superspreader Omicron cluster may lead to 30,000 daily Covid infections
Thailand will likely see a surge in Covid-19 infections in the coming weeks as health authorities have classified the Omicron variant cluster in Kalasin as a superspreader event. The outbreak was identified on Christmas Eve in the Northeastern province and proliferated out to hundreds of infections sprawling throughout 11 provinces. The cluster was traced to a couple returning from Belgium…
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92 Phuket Sandbox, Test & Go travellers positive for Covid, tests to determine variant
Phuket’s Public Health doctor, Kusak Kukieatsak, says the Covid-19 test results for 92 travellers who recently entered the country from overseas are being examined to determine if they are infected with the Omicron variant. The doctor added that he believes most of the results will come back positive for the mutated strain. The travellers tested positive for Covid-19 after entering…
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