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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Italian-Thai Development is in good health, CEO Premchai is not
Italian-Thai Development CEO Premchai Kanasutra has been sentenced by the Supreme Court to over 3 years in jail for poaching. Now officials at his company say operations will be unaffected while officials at the Corrections Department report Premchai is in poor health. The ageing tycoon was sent to Thong Pha Phum Prison yesterday, and doctors at the hospital there are…
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Thursday Covid Update: 4,203 new cases; provincial totals
49 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,084 with 20,990 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 4,203 new Covid-19 cases and 7,939 recoveries. There are now 60,415 people in Thailand being…
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PM praises public after Bangkok rating for best city in the world for a “workation”
Bangkok is the best city in the world for a so-called “workation.” At least that’s what Holidu, a website for vacation rentals says. The listing, which had Phuket and Chiang Mai both at number 10, was widely shared in Thai media and touted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. It even caught the attention of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha who is…
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CAAT says no masks with valves onboard flights, medical or cloth masks required
To prevent the risk of Covid-19 from spreading during flights, face masks are required onboard aircraft, but now the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is ordering all airlines in Thailand to ban the masks that have exhalation valves. Nok Air officially announced the measure yesterday. The authority also added that passengers and crew should wear either a medical face mask…
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Two arrested for allegedly kidnapping a woman, posting video her tied up on TikTok
A Burmese man and woman were arrested for allegedly kidnapping another Burmese woman, and then posting a video of her with her ankles chained and hands tied on the social media platform TikTok. The suspects allegedly abducted the woman, who is said to be a popular social media influencer among Burmese netizens, in Pathum Thani, which is north of Bangkok. …
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Opposition parties predict election between March and July 2022
The next general election could be held in as soon as 4 months, with opposition parties predicting elections between March and July of next year. A coalition of opposition parties met yesterday to discuss the current administration’s failures and put pressure on the ruling government. The coalition saw Move Forward Party, Pheu Thai Party, Puea Chat Party, Thai Liberal Party,…
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Bangkok officials to pause Skytrain construction, close schools if pollution levels rise
With levels of the air pollutant PM2.5 rising in Bangkok, city officials are considering pausing construction on the BTS Skytrain and closing schools in an effort to improve the air quality if the levels rise to unhealthy levels. Officials plan to also be more strict when it comes to enforcing laws on vehicle emissions and advising the public to carpool…
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Omicron not affecting domestic tourism sentiment this holiday weekend
A survey carried out by the Tourism Authority of Thailand shows that for the most part, people are not letting the Omicron variant affect their travel plans. The poll’s findings show that domestic tourism is set to generate 5.72 billion baht during the upcoming long weekend, with over 1.8 million trips planned. The Bangkok Post reports that, while Omicron has…
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BKFC provide some impressive bare-knuckle fighting action
Press Release Lockdowns have been lifted, Covid has taken a well-earned bare-knuckle fist to the face, and everyone in the Kingdom of Smiles is ready to get out and about and start enjoying life again. And what better way to jump back into the swing of things than to witness some impressive bare-knuckle fighting action with BKFC knockouts, beatdowns and…
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PM and Prawit put on show of unity over lunch, amid rumours of political infighting
Following murmurings of a rift, the Thai PM has had lunch with deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in what may be an attempt to dispel such rumours. The Bangkok Post reports that the lunch took place yesterday, at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation. Both men had just attended a meeting at the Army Club with Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda.…
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Bank of Thailand concerned with banks trading in digital assets
The Bank of Thailand said they don’t want commercial banks to directly trade in cryptocurrency and digital assets due to their extreme volatility. Thai lenders have been investing more and more in digital asset exchanges in Thailand with several banks making deals in the digital currency space. Siam Commerical Bank recently purchased a 51% share of Bitkub for 17.85 billion…
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Tycoon Premchai sentenced to 3 years, 2 months for poaching
Thailand’s construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was sentenced to 3 years and 2 months in jail without parole by the Supreme Court today for poaching and hunting a black panther in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi in February 2018. The Office of the Attorney General rushed out the announcement earlier so hurriedly that it underreported the sentencing of Premchai…
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Ministry of Defense makes statement after post claiming soldiers were forced to masturbate
In response to a post on social media claiming 168 soldiers were forced to masturbate before showering, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence made a statement saying that there is no policy where senior officers are encouraged to order that kind of punishment to soldiers, adding that it is “extremely inappropriate.” Reports in Thai media says the ministry will investigate the claims…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,618 new cases; provincial totals
38 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,035 with 20,941 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 3,618 new Covid-19 cases and 5,775 recoveries. There are now 64,200 people in Thailand being…
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Thai government roasted by opposition bloc, Prayut called out for mismanagement
Corruption. An economic meltdown. Budget mismanagement. Opposition parties are calling out the government’s failures under the leadership of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, and a joint statement outlining failures over the past three years, including mismanagement during the Covid-19 pandemic, was released by Thailand’s six-party opposition bloc. In the recent statement, opposition parties highlighted what they say was mismanagement by the prime…
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Ford factories in Thailand to receive a US $900 million upgrade
In an announcement today, Ford Motor Company committed to investing US $900 million – about 30 billion baht – to upgrade their factories in Thailand. The American car manufacturer vowed to modernise its production plants in Thailand that support the building of the Everest SUV and Ranger pickup truck. The 30 billion baht is the biggest single investment that Ford…
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Koh Samui agent gives honest property review by standing in waist-deep floodwater
For those looking into buying land in Thailand, the potential for flooding is one of the first concerns that comes up. One property agent on Koh Samui is being honest about the rising water levels… So honest that he decided to shoot a video of himself holding up the land title deed while waist-deep murky floodwater. The 45 year old…
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Results for 2 travellers infected with Covid-19 in November come out positive for Omicron
The test results for two travellers who tested positive for Covid-19 last month have now come back positive for the Omicron variant, but health officials say the patients have already recovered. Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, Thai health officials started reviewing the of the Covid-19 cases involving travellers from overseas during the month of November. The two cases…
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BBC plans to reproduce Thailand’s hit TV show “Block Out” for British television
Following the successful take of the South Korean show “The Masked Singer,” BBC is eyeing Thailand for its next big television show. The network plans to pilot its own version of the Tetris-style smash “Block Out”, a hit TV show among Thais, cashing in on the rising popularity of Asian TV shows. The original “Block Out” was created by Japanese…
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Wounded man flees to police station, says employer beat him, forced him to drink urine
A man, badly bruised and face swollen, reportedly showed up to a local police station claiming his employer has been abusing him for more than a decade, beating him with a PVC pipe and forcing him to drink dog urine. The 29 year old worker, identified as Fah, told police he managed to escape. Welts, wounds, and bruises were all…
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More and more digital nomads choose Phuket for a “workation”
Many digital nomads call Thailand home, and more and more people are choosing Phuket for their so-called “workation,” using coffee shops on the island as an office. The BBC’s Thai reporters spoke to several people on the island who work remotely for companies in other countries. For 34 year old American Andy Lee, he runs his business from a cafe…
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Thai PM says another national lockdown “unlikely” despite Omicron variant
The Thai PM says another lockdown is not on the cards, despite the first case of the Omicron variant being reported in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to fears from business owners that another lockdown could be imposed during peak season “Hopefully, this coming New Year will be a happy time. We haven’t…
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17 people in close contact with Omicron-infected traveller test negative
Thai health officials now say all of the 17 people who came in close contact with the Omicron-infected traveller during his a hotel have tested negative for Covid-19, although one person is in quarantine after inconclusive test results. The American, who travelled from Spain and entered Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme is the first in Thailand…
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Crane collapses in Samut Prakan, killing a man and injuring 2 others
A crane collapsed at a condominium construction site this morning and landed on a row of rental rooms, killing one person and injuring two others. The engineer overseeing the project in Samut Prakan’s Bang Po district, southeast of Bangkok, is being called in for questioning by police. Motorbike taxi driver 48 year old Chalerm Chanong was leaving a som tom…
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Three arrested in human trafficking crackdown near Myanmar border
Three people are accused of being involved in a transnational human trafficking operation where Burmese migrants were promised help entering Thailand for jobs and later forced into labour, even prostitution. The suspects were arrested in Tak’s Mae Sot district, which borders Myanmar. The suspects allegedly lured migrants into Thailand by helping them cross the border illegally, evading immigration checks and…
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Hua Hin luxury resort guest claims “peeping Toms” stared at him naked
A guest at a luxury resort in Hua Hin had booked a private room that ended up being not so private. Apparently, there were some “peeping Toms” and the guest says he was worried they may have taken a photo of him naked. The resort gave him some bottles of beer as an apology for the “inconvenience.” This Thai guest…
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168 Thai soldiers apparently forced to finish masturbating before showering
More than 160 Thai soldiers were apparently forced to masturbate… and climax… before they were allowed to take a shower. At least that’s what a social media user claims. Numerous Thai media outlets have reported the story, but there has been no confirmation or statement from military officials. On Facebook, a screenshot was shared, and picked up by Thai media,…
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Hotel staff in close contact with Omicron confirmed to be negative in second test
The 44-year-old hotel staff member who was in close contact with the first Omicron case in Thailand and tested positive for Covid-19 has now been confirmed negative for the virus, health officials say. The hotel staff member was one of 17 people who came in close contact with the American who travelled from Spain to Thailand through the Test & Go quarantine…
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Thai Airways offering round trip Sydney-Phuket flights
To boost tourism and promote Phuket’s island quarantine “sandbox” scheme, Thai Airways will run round trip flights between Phuket and Australia with three flights a week starting on today. The flights will be offered until January 25. The flight from Phuket to Sydney is available on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Flights depart from Phuket at 6:50pm and arrive at 7:30am.…
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1 tourist killed, 8 wounded in crash while on tour of Chiang Mai mountain
A tourist was killed and eight others were wounded in a van crash yesterday while travellers were on a tour of Doi Ang Khang mountain in northern Chiang Mai. Around 10am, the 15-seater Toyota van crashed while going down a turn on a mountain road in the Fang district, skidding off the road and into a ditch, according to the…
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