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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Thailand plans huge reopening event with matching price tag
Thailand is planning on throwing a massive extravaganza to celebrate the country’s reopening. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning on hosting concerts in Bangkok and Phuket, with a budget of 500-600 million baht. The concerts will feature famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Thai K-pop singer Lisa Monaban. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says bringing the 2 artists…
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5 no-quarantine countries named, 17 Thai provinces reopening
As restrictions are easing and Thailand moves towards a more streamlined and accessible reopening, 5 countries have been named in the plan to waive arrival quarantine for 10 countries. Though true to Thai style, nothing has been officially confirmed just 2 weeks before the grand reopening, the US, UK, Germany, China, and Singapore are more than likely candidates to be…
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Health Ministry’s plan to purchase new Covid-19 treatment pill gets the green light
Yesterday, the CCSA approved a proposal from the Public Health Ministry to procure a new oral treatment for Covid-19. The ministry plans to purchase 50,000 courses of the anti-viral Molnupiravir drug developed by pharmaceutical firm Merck. The proposal now goes to Cabinet for final approval. The news was confirmed by CCSA spokesman, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, who would not be drawn…
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CoE will be replaced by Thailand Pass, in development
The much-maligned certificate of entry is on its way out, with the digital Thailand Pass set to replace the CoE for most – but not all – people from November 1. The Digital Government Development Agency is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create an online system to replace the CoE process for international flight arrivals. The Thailand…
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Moderna vaccines scheduled to arrive weekly from November
The good vaccine news for Thailand keeps coming! After the World Health Organisation approved Thai-made AstraZeneca for emergency use, now word has been released to expect Moderna vaccines to finally arrive in Thailand in November. Zuellig Pharma, the company that distributes the much sought after Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, have said to expect weekly shipments to arrive in Thailand with…
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Curfew shortened, dark red zones reduced in CCSA meeting
Following this morning’s news of big discussions in today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting, several of the expected proposals were passed, including a curfew curtailment and reduction in the number of dark red zones in Thailand. For dark red zones, the curfew will be shortened from 10 pm to 4 am to instead last only 4 hours, from 11…
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Thai Airways adding 39 international flight routes on October 31
Beleaguered national airline Thai Airways says they’re resuming full service on 36 foreign routes to destinations in Europe, Asia and Australia, many of which will resume from October 31. The implementation is in step with the Thai government’s commitment to reduce many of the impediments and restrictions to international arrivals from November 1. The decision was announced today by Thai…
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Covid-19 Thursday: 112 deaths, 11,276 infections, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 11,276 new Covid-19 infections, a change of +1,212 since yesterday, and 112 Coronavirus-related deaths, a change of +30 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,722,841 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,407…
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Anutin opposes limiting quarantine-free re-opening to 10 countries
It appears there’s dissension amongst the ranks once more, as Thailand’s Health Minister disagrees with restricting the PM’s proposed re-opening to just 10 countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand should re-open to vaccinated tourists from MORE than 10 “low risk” countries. On Monday night, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha carried out a televised address in which he…
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Curfew reduction, easing more restrictions on CCSA agenda today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets later today to debate a further easing of restrictions ahead of the country’s planned re-opening on November 1. The Bangkok Post reports that the CCSA is set to discuss a reduction in curfew hours, as well as reducing the number of provinces in various coloured zones. Among the proposals to be discussed is the…
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Minister of Tourism is sure tourists will flood Thailand November 1
Though often criticised for its overly-optimistic tourism predictions seemingly pulled out of thin air, this time the Thai government is sure people will be flooding back in as the borders reopen on November 1. Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan said that Thailand needs to brace itself for an onslaught of international travellers flooding into the country come November…
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Remembrances of King Rama IX held at Siriraj Hospital, Rajabopit Temple
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the death of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej (also known as King Rama IX), Thailand’s leader and the second-longest ruler of any country of all time. Across the nation, people are paying their respects to the much-loved previous King and commemorating the anniversary of his death. The dean of the Faculty of Medicine at…
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Samut Prakan prison teams up with industrial sector for work release programme
More than 100 prison inmates are going to work in the industrial sector as part of a vocational programme through the Samut Prakan Central Prison, which is southeast of Bangkok. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin says it aims to provide inmates with “an opportunity to improve their industrial skills and increase the chance of employment after they finish serving their sentence.”…
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Pattaya police respond to call reporting a “ghost”
Police in Pattaya responded to a call for a ghost… Yes, a ghost. Locals heard crying and howling coming from an abandoned shophouse. It was so disturbing that they called the police, worried that the empty shop was haunted. Turns out the ghost was actually a homeless man who seemed to be having an emotional breakdown. Officers responded to the…
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Thai government to review law after World Anti-Doping Agency non-compliance ruling
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision last week, ruling Thailand non-compliant with the agency’s requirements, the Thai government is now putting more focus on regulating banned substances at international sports competitions. The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that authorities are working on issuing laws that correspond with the agency’s national standard. Thailand, Indonesia, and North Korea were ruled non-compliant…
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Ministry defends Pfizer vaccines against radiation accusations
Pfizer mRNA vaccines are facing accusations of being contaminated with radiation, and Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is fighting back against the allegations. The Ministry reassures that all the vaccines in use currently in Thailand are tested and safe for use. At the Department of Disease Control, Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director of the Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control Division,…
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Phuket, Samui to ease entry restrictions for domestic tourists from this weekend
From this weekend, entry restrictions for the islands of Phuket and Samui are being eased for fully vaccinated domestic tourists. Local travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated will no longer need to submit to Covid-19 testing to enter Phuket and will no longer have to quarantine after arriving on Samui. The move comes as the government launches…
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Anutin warns Nov 1 reopening could close again if Covid-19 surges
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul may have dampened the excitement over Thailand’s November 1 reopening when he announced that it is possible that the country could close up its borders in the event of a serious Covid-19 outbreak. The announcement on Monday by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that he had told the Ministry of Public Health and Centre for Covid-19…
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Prosecutors to decide Thanathorn’s fate on November 4 following vaccine comments
On November 4, prosecutors will decide whether or not to indict Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit over comments he made about Thailand’s AstraZeneca technology-transfer deal. At the start of the year, the founder of the Progressive Movement criticised the government for being overly-reliant on Siam Bioscience for Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that Thanathorn faces charges of violating Thailand’s defamation law and…
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More rain forecast for Thailand as storm Kompasu makes landfall in Vietnam
Parts of Thailand are braced for more wet weather as Tropical Storm Kompasu makes landfall in upper Vietnam. The Thai Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain for the north-east of the country, while several other regions will be affected by the seasonal monsoon conditions. The Bangkok Post reports that Kompasu’s wind speed has recorded a high of 100 kilometres…
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Thai industry bodies encouraged by tourism re-opening plan
The chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries has welcomed the plan to re-open Thailand to vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries. Supant Mongkolsuthree says the planned November 1 re-opening will accelerate economic growth and increase business confidence. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supant predicts the return of foreign tourism could see GDP growth achieve its target of 0% –…
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Gold theft suspect drops phone while fleeing the scene
A gold theft suspect in Chon Buri allegedly stole nearly 200,000 baht worth of gold from a shop in the Don Hualor district, but police say he dropped something when he ran out… his phone. An employee at the gold shop told police that a man went into the store on Sunday and asked to see gold items because he…
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Health experts weigh in on risks of re-opening Thailand without quarantine
Following Monday night’s announcement by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that Thailand will re-open quarantine-free for select vaccinated tourists from November, health experts have voiced concern. The Bangkok Post reports that some prominent medics are worried re-opening without quarantine will provoke a surge in Covid-19 infections. Thira Woratanarat from the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University has warned that daily case numbers…
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Thai police crack down on street racing, more than 300,000 motorbikes seized this year
Thai police are cracking down on street racing, and the deputy national police chief says that, since the start of this year, thousands of street racers have faced charges and tens of thousands of parents have faced charges because their children were involved in races. Police are even giving out 3,000 baht to those make a report about street racing…
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Families call on Thai authorities to help teenagers stuck in Myanmar under work contract
A group of parents and grandparents say their teenage children were trafficked to work in Myanmar and are now calling on Thai authorities to bring them back home. The families in Tak’s Mae Sot border district say 10 teenagers, between the ages of 16 and 19, were promised jobs at a casino just across the border in the neighbouring country,…
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Half a million baht in sex toys and products seized in series of raids
Sex toys and sexual enhancement drugs were seized by Thai police in a series of raids in Bangkok and the neighbouring province of Samut Prakan. Thai media reports that a Thai husband and Vietnamese wife were arrested for allegedly importing the products illegally. Officers held a standard press conference, displaying the seized items including boxes of dildos, packages of synthetic…
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Opinion divided on proposed 500 baht tourism tax
A plan to impose a 500 baht “tourism tax” on foreign arrivals from next year has divided opinion among tourism operators. A report by Nikkei Asia says some operators are concerned such a move could deter tourists, just as the country prepares to re-open. One of those is the president of the Thai Hotels Association, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi. “The fee…
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Health official defends quality of antigen test kits, acknowledges shortcomings
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences has defended the quality of Lepu antigen test kits, while acknowledging their limitations. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr Supakit Sirilak was responding to complaints that the kits are less accurate and generate false Covid-19 results. Supakit says the kits are not as reliable as PCR testing in which samples are analysed…
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Thailand to lift quarantine for vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries
From November 1, fully vaccinated tourists from at least 10 “low-risk” countries will be allowed enter Thailand without quarantine. According to a Bangkok Post report, the proposal was confirmed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in a televised address last night. “The time has come for us to ready ourselves to face the coronavirus and live with it as with other endemic…
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BREAKING: Vaccinated travellers from 10 countries allowed to enter without quarantine starting November 1
Starting November 1, vaccinated travellers from 10 countries, including the US and UK, will be able to enter Thailand without undergoing quarantine, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced tonight. Travellers will need to show proof that they are vaccinated against Covid-19 and will need to test negative for the virus both before departure and upon arrival. This is a developing story.
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