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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Qantas to resume flights from Sydney to Bangkok and Phuket early 2022
Qantas Airways is gearing up to resume flights from Sydney to Bangkok and Phuket from early next year, with the Aussie airline keen to get the ball rolling as international travel restrictions are gradually being lifted. Sydney is set to see the resumption of regular routes in January, more than two months ahead of schedule, as both the federal and…
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Huge quantities of used medical gloves shipped from Thailand to US
Huge quantities of used medical gloves have been shipped from Thailand as shady operators seek to cash in on Covid-fuelled demand for personal protective equipment, or PPE, according to a report from CNN following a months-long investigation. With demand having skyrocketed around the world, an underground industry based around reusing PPE has emerged in Southeast Asia, with the shoddy medical…
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Foreign airlines give up 80% of their slots at Thailand’s airports amid uncertainty of next 5 months
The managing director of Airports of Thailand says international carriers have returned around 80% of their slots at Thailand’s airports. Nitinai Sirisamatthakarn says around 80% of slots between October 31 and March 26 next year have been returned, indicating that airlines are uncertain about any imminent recovery in the aviation sector. Airport slots are the landing and take-off permissions that…
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Thai government presents actor Russell Crowe with “thank you” gift basket
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe has met with Thai government officials during his much-publicised travels around Bangkok. The Bangkok Post reports that Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome presented the actor with a gift and flowers to thank him for his positive promotion of Thailand. Crowe, who is filming a movie in Thailand, has tweeted his 2.7 million followers about the friendliness of…
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Monday Covid Update: 8,675 new cases and 44 deaths
Today, the CCSA reported 8,675 new Covid-19 cases and 44 coronavirus-related deaths. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 9,589 recoveries. There are now 100,042 people in Thailand receiving treatment for Covid-19. Since April 1, in the country’s most severe wave of the virus, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,830,294 confirmed Covid-19 cases.…
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Border shacks to be demolished for aiding Burmese immigrants
In a unique twist on a common encroachment story in Thailand, vendor stalls on government land in Kanchanaburi along the highway in Sangklha Buri are being ordered to be demolished. But this time it’s not a land ownership debate, rather the government suspects that the vendor shacks are being used to shelter people after crossing the Burmese border illegally. These…
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Tourism calls for Russia and India to be added to safe list
Now that the 46 countries that can enter Thailand on November 1 without quarantine have been announced, many in the tourism industry are calling for some notable absences to be added to the list. Tourism groups in major travel hubs are calling on the government to add Russia and India to the list of approved countries, believing it will massively…
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Bank of Thailand plans real-world test of digital currency in 2022
The Bank of Thailand recently announced plans to do some real-world testing of digital currency in the near future as the popularity of cryptocurrency continues to grow. They plan to test their Central Bank Digital Currency in a real-world environment sometime in the second quarter of 2022. The BOT has been studying the CBDC since 2018 and is aware that…
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs sings praises of Thailand Pass
The promotion engines are rolling as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a global charm offensive to win over travellers regarding the new Thailand Pass that will replace Certificates of Entry for international travellers to Thailand as the country reopens on November 1. The Thailand Pass, a collaboration between the Department of Consular Affairs and the Digital Government Development…
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Covid-19 in prison: outbreaks from overcrowding now subsiding
The Thai prison system has suffered from an overcrowding problem for years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has starkly illustrated the dangers of it. In prisons, there have been 72,359 Covid-19 infections, making them more infected than any single province except Bangkok (1st) and its neighbours Samut Prakan (2nd) and Samut Sakhon (4th) and Chon Buri (3rd). Thailand has the 6th…
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Covid-19 deaths receding, but still here; 1 month old baby dies
Deaths as a result of Covid-19 in Thailand have fallen significantly from an average of around 250 at the beginning of last month, and today set a low over the past several months of 56 fatalities. But there is still a human toll to the tragedy of the pandemic, where 18,755 people have died since the beginning of the third…
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Covid-19 forces 70 private schools out of business, 100 to follow
With Covid-19 shutting down classroom learning for months on end, private schools are struggling, with about 70 going out of business in the past 9 months. The Office of the Private Education Promotion Commission has already received notice from nearly 100 more private schools planning on closing. The president of the Association of Private Education Promotion and Coordination Committee explain that…
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Covid-19 Saturday: 74 deaths, 9,742 infections, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,742 new Covid-19 infections, down 68 since yesterday, and 74 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,812,268 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,182 recoveries, up 331…
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Thailand reopening roundup: What happens November 1
Things are moving fast towards the November 1 reopening which in the last few days swelled from 10 countries being allowed entry to Thailand to 46 countries, 3 entry plans, replacing the Certificate of Entry, and even an attempt to reopen nightlife. Below is a round-up of the plans as they stand now. “TEST & GO”: COUNTRIES THAT CAN ENTER…
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Thailand is open for tourism again, sort of
OPINION The opening you have when you’re not quite open. Quarantine-free arrival, except that you’ll still need to book at least 1 night of stay in an approved hotel or AQ (alternative quarantine). No bars are open (officially) and, in most parts of the country, most shops remain closed. In tourist-dependent places like Phuket, more than 90% of the formerly…
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Thailand Pass website launching, accepted from November 2
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun the process of replacing the Certificate of Entry with the new Thailand Pass which will be accepted from November 2. The Ministry announced that tp.consular.go.th will be live for people arriving in Thailand after November 2 to register for the Thailand Pass. The information comes from the Ministry of Interior’s Phuket office who…
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Full details on the 3 ways to travel to Thailand from November 1
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a summary of the new plans to reopen Thailand to allow international tourists to travel on November 1. Thailand will reopen without quarantine for fully vaccinated people travelling from 46 approved countries, who will only have to take a Covid-19 test on arrival and wait in an approved hotel for the results. Those…
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Curfew lifted October 31 for all or part of 17 Thai provinces
Just ahead of the big November 1 reopening to international tourists, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that curfew will be lifted entirely in all or part of 17 provinces on October 31. The order has already been signed into effect and published in the Royal Gazette late last night. The order means that when the doors are opened to fully…
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Covid-19 Friday: 66 deaths, 9,810 infections, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,810 new Covid-19 infections, up 83 since yesterday, and 66 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 7 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,802,526 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,513 recoveries, up 438 from…
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Thai car production expected to grow
Car production in Thailand is expected to grow, according to the Federation of Thai Industries. With the rates of Covid-19 infections falling and the careful management of the semiconductor shortage, the target of 1.6 million units is expected to be surpassed. Lockdowns and other restrictions are being eased in many countries that buy cars produced in Thailand, which means that…
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Covid-19 infected patients to receive vaccine after recovering
Covid-19 infected patients who have had at least 1 month to recover are now approved to get a Covid-19 vaccine. The Public Health Ministry says it will provide AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines. Sophon Mekthon, assistant to the public health minister, announced the decision this week. Those who have been infected that have yet to be vaccinated or who have received only…
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Largest petrochemical producer to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Thailand’s largest petrochemical producer has vowed to do its part in helping in the fight against climate change. PTT Global Chemical Plc announced that by 2030, it intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%. The company also aims to accomplish the goal of net-zero, or carbon neutrality, by 2050. Carbon neutrality is achieved when the emissions of carbon dioxide…
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Expect thunderstorms and strong winds in parts of Thailand until Sunday morning
Thailand is expected to see thunderstorms and heavy winds across Thailand that may last through tomorrow. A rain warning was issued for October 21-23. There are easterly and southeasterly winds prevailing over northern Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea. The South will see continuous rains with the Gulf of Thailand seeing wave heights over 1…
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Road safety group says bad roads to blame for many motorbike accidents
The director of the road safety group, ThaiRAP, says bad roads are a significant contributor to motorbike accidents in the kingdom. Kasem Choocharukul was commenting on Thailand having the highest number of deaths from motorbike accidents in the world. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says 3 out of 4 roads, covering a distance of 1,000 kilometres, have been…
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46 countries permitted to travel to Thailand from November 1, and quarantine details
… and everything you want to know, as of today, about re-entry into Thailand. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just released a list of 46 countries and/or territories that have been approved to take part in the planned reopening of the country from November 1. The list of countries is detailed below as per a .pdf file that was…
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46 countries permitted to enter Thailand from November 1
… and everything you want to know, as of today, about re-entry into Thailand. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just released a list of 46 countries and/or territories that have been approved to take part in the planned reopening of the country from November 1. The list of countries is detailed below as per a .pdf file that was…
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Court rules “Jo Ferrari” suspect died of deliberate suffocation
In the wake of the Jo Ferrari scandal that uncovered police brutality and opulence in a painfully public way, a court just ruled that the suspect – who died after having his hands tied and plastic bags placed over his head – was the victim of deliberate suffocation. Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon was captured on video in a…
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Covid-19 Thursday: 73 deaths, Medical care, vax data fudged
Today, the CCSA reported 9,727 new Covid-19 infections, up 809 since yesterday, and 73 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 6 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,792,716 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,075 recoveries, up 803 from…
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Local researchers in Thailand develop rapid antigen tests
Local researchers in Thailand have developed a rapid antigen test to detect Covid-19, for use in professional settings at at home. The National Nanotechnology Centre under the National Science and Technology Development Agency developed the test which was subsequently approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The professional version was approved back in July, while the self-test version was approved…
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A 26 year old woman dies after getting first Sinovac vaccine shot
A 26 year old woman has died after getting her first shot of China’s Covid-19, Sinovac vaccine. She received the vaccine on September 24 and suffered from a fever, tight chest, and exhaustion after. Her mother says her symptoms grew worse. On October 12th, the woman went to the hospital but was released and asked to return the next day.…
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