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.
-
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....
-
Thursday Covid-19 update: 7,058 new infections, 75 deaths
Thailand records a depressing new high today, with a record 7,058 new infections and 75 Covid-related deaths. 68 infections are from Thai prisons. This is the highest number of new cases and deaths this month, as concern grows over the highly contagious Delta variant, which is expected to become the dominant strain in the Kingdom by the end of the…
-
Lockdown not out of the question: CCSA
Will they, won’t they – it’s the question on everyone’s lips as Bangkok residents wait to hear if officials will lock down the capital in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. Natthapol Nakpanich from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has not ruled it out, saying the CCSA is prepared to consider all options as new cases…
-
Whispered but not proposed – could a lockdown be coming?
This week Thailand’s complicated relationship with Covid-19 finds the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration open to considering a lockdown. The CCSA indicated they would consider possible proposals from the Ministry of Public Health to stop the spread of Covid-19, up to and including a lockdown. National Security Council Secretary-General Natthapon Nakpanich clarified today that there are no official proposals currently,…
-
Phuket governor orders investigation into complaints of taxi drivers overcharging
Taxi fares charged from the Phuket International Airport are now being investigated by provincial authorities. The Phuket governor ordered the probe after criticism over a Facebook post asking if the 900 baht fare from the airport, quoted by a hotel in Patong, seemed too expensive. Taxi prices in Phuket are notoriously high compared to other provinces. On the social media…
-
Daily new Covid-19 cases could double in the next 2 weeks – CCSA
With the rapid-spreading Delta variant of the virus becoming more prevalent in Thailand, the CCSA says they expect the average number of daily new Covid-19 cases to double in the next few weeks. Health officials are now preparing for daily new cases to hit 10,000. With the emergence of the highly transmissible mutated strain in Thailand, not only has the…
-
Wednesday Covid-19 Update: 6,519 new cases; provincial totals
6,519 new Covid-19 cases and 54 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 301,172 total cases. The latest and most severe wave of the virus has accounted for 272,309 of those infections. Thailand now has 67,614 active Covid-19 cases. Of the patients being…
-
Bangkok doctor in critical condition after being stabbed by patient, blood donations needed
A doctor at a Bangkok hospital is in critical condition after she was stabbed in the chest by a psychiatric patient. B positive blood donations are urgently needed to treat the Chulalongkorn Hospital doctor. Donations can be made directly at the hospital or through the Thai Red Cross Society. Police say a 24 year old psychiatric patient a the hospital…
-
Phuket “Sandbox” traveller infected with Covid-19, tour group now in quarantine
A man who arrived in Thailand under the Phuket “Sandbox” reopening scheme has tested positive for Covid-19. The man is the first so-called “Sandboxer” to test positive for the virus since the island’s reopening last week under the scheme which allows travellers from overseas, who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, to enter the island province without undergoing quarantine. A Covid-19…
-
Another new panel formed to investigate senior officers, prosecutors in “Boss” case
A new panel has been created to investigate 15 senior police officers, investigators, and public prosecutors, accused of mishandling the hit-and-run case against Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya. Among those being investigated are 2 police generals and 2 senior police officers. The Bangkok Post reports that all members of the National Anti-Corruption Commission will sit on the newly-created panel.…
-
Calls for factories to be moved out of residential areas after blaze at plastics plant
The Federation of Thai Industries is calling on the government to move factories away from residential neighbourhoods, following the devastating blaze in Samut Prakan, outside Bangkok. According to a Bangkok Post report, FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree suggests factory owners could be given incentives to relocate, such as a reduction in corporate income tax and land tax. “Factory relocation requires support…
-
More than 80,000 people affected by chemical factory fire in Samut Prakan
The massive fire at the chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok, billowing toxic gas into the air, affected around 80,000 people. An explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical polystyrene factory in Samut Prakan, just outside the capital, led to a chemical fire that took more than 25 hours to put out. Those in Bangkok could see the smoke. A…
-
Cabinet approves Pfizer purchase, plus another 10.9 million Sinovac doses
The Thai Cabinet has given the go-ahead for the purchase of 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with another 10.9 million doses of Sinovac. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM’s spokesman Anucha Burapachasri says the budget for the Sinovac purchase would come from the executive decree loan and would not exceed 6.1 billion baht. The…
-
Wednesday Covid update: 6,519 new infections+, 54 deaths
Today, Thailand records another bleak milestone in its ongoing battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. The 6,519 new cases reported today are the highest number of daily infections since May 17, when over 9,000 cases were reported. The big difference is that the vast majority of those were in Thai prisons. Just 55 of today’s new cases are from Thai prisons.…
-
Let The Thaiger take care of your property insurance needs
Part of owning any type of property is the need to secure it with insurance. At The Thaiger, we are standing by to help you make sure your property and valuables are covered in the case of any damages. With property insurance, you can feel a sense of relief as an owner or renter, that the place you call home…
-
Entry registration under “Samui Plus” reopening planned to open this week
The registration for entering Thailand under the slated “Samui Plus” reopening scheme is planned to open this week. Similar to the Phuket “Sandbox,” the programme will allow foreign tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel to the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao are…
-
Embassy of Switzerland in Thailand helps Swiss expats get vaccinated
The Embassy of Switzerland in Bangkok announced that it has secured AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine appointments for 180 Swiss citizens living in Thailand who are at least 55 years old, or who have underlying health conditions. The embassy says Swiss expats living in other provinces in Thailand can also register for a vaccine, but they must travel to Bangkok and be…
-
“At risk” expats in Bangkok can pre-register for vaccines through designated hospitals
The Covid-19 vaccine registration method for expats in Bangkok has changed and foreign residents can now pre-register for vaccines at one of two designated hospitals in the capital. Pre-registration is open to foreigners who are over 60 years old or who have certain underlying health conditions. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that the government is shifting its…
-
Government shifts focus in vaccine rollout after rise of elderly Covid patient deaths
With the rise of Covid-related deaths involving elderly patients, the Thai government has revised its plan for the next stages of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign to focus first on those in Bangkok who are at a high risk of severe infection if they contract the coronavirus. Those who are at least 60 years old or who have certain underlying…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 5,420 new cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 294,653 and the Covid death toll to 2,333. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 265,790 of the total confirmed…
-
2 suspected drug cartel leaders arrested in Surat Thani and Phuket
2 suspected drug cartel leaders whose operations were based in Europe were arrested in the southern provinces of Surat Thani and Phuket this morning. The suspects are Alek Karun, of German/Russian origin and Alexander Wolfien, a German national, says immigration Bureau chief Sompong Chingduang Alek was arrested at a luxury villa on the island of Koh Phangan, in the Surat…
-
Chiang Mai field hospital to reopen
A Chiang Mai field hospital that closed early last month is reopening today to combat the rising Covid infections. Yesterday, Chiang Mai reported 17 new infections. Local authorities will reopen the hospital, located at the international convention and exhibition centre this afternoon. Beds and other equipment were also put back. Dr Amporn Iamsri, the director of the Chiang Mai field hospital,…
-
Phuket official says taxi fares have gone down since the pandemic
Following posts shared on social media on the notoriously high taxi fares amidst Phuket’s reopening under the “Sandbox” model, a provincial transport official is apparently saying the posts are old and the prices do not reflect the current rates. A local transport official says the prices have actually gone down. The Facebook post from a tourist planning a trip to…
-
Police raid pornography shoot at Pattaya home, 5 people arrested
Police walked into the middle of a pornography shoot during a raid at home in Pattaya, Thai media reports. 5 people were arrested and allegedly told police that they got into the exotic film industry due to financial problems brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officers say the suspects were wanted for filming sexually explicit content on a smartphone and…
-
LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
-
1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by US to go to senior citizens, pregnant women
The Thai government plans to administer 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60 and to pregnant women. Priority will be given to those in areas with high rates of infection. The doses have been donated to Thailand by the US government. According to a Nation Thailand report, a leaked memo shows that…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases and 57 deaths
5,420 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, 265,790 infections have been recorded by the CCSA since April 1. Out of the new cases confirmed today, 37 were found in correctional facilities. The current wave spread to Thailand’s overcrowded…
-
Survey shows most hotels can only cover operation costs for less than 3 months
A survey by the Bank of Thailand shows that most hotels can only cover their operating costs for less than 3 months. 220 properties were surveyed between June 14 and 27. Of those, 17 are alternative state quarantine facilities, while 3 properties serve as “hospitels”. 68% of those surveyed say they only have enough liquidity to cover their operating costs…
-
Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July
More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end…
-
Thailand low on Covid-19 vaccines, priority given to at-risk groups
Thailand is running low on vaccines, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged today. With the most severe wave of Covid-19 continuing to rise, and the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials are giving priority to those most at risk of a severe infection. The elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions, particularly…
-
Pattaya parents want reduced or waived tuition fees
We have tried as much as we can to work with our parents Pattaya school closures are making Pattaya parents want tuition fees to be reduced or waived. Reportedly, more and more Pattaya area parents have been complaining about the educational fees staying the same as their children remain learning from home. It should be noted that parents whose children…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.