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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With World Kindness Day just two days away on November 13, it’s the perfect time to reflect on how empathy and care can make a real impact, not just in our relationships but in our health, too. This day is...
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12 hospitals in Bangkok stop Covid-19 testing due to limited beds for infected patients
So far, around 12 hospitals in Bangkok have stopped Covid-19 testing, due to either a shortage of supplies or not enough beds to admit patients if they test positive for the virus. While media reports say the hospitals have stopped testing due to a lack of supplies, a spokesperson for the CCSA the reason many private hospitals in Thailand are…
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Giant monitor lizard visits Thai 7 Eleven store, video goes viral
A giant, nearly 2 metre long, monitor lizard decided to visit a 7 Eleven store looking for food, with customers and staff wondering what he (or she) was going to do next. The lizard climbed up a fully stacked shelf of dairy products, with apparently no cares in the world, as he clumsily knocked off cartons of milk and other…
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UPDATE: Thai PM orders closure of bars and clubs in 41 provinces
UPDATE: The order to close bars and nightlife venues in 41 provinces will go into effect at midnight, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced this afternoon. Under emergency measures, the local governments in the other 36 provinces have the power to set restrictions and close venues if needed to control the Covid-19 situation. Original story… The order to close…
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Police chief orders staff to work from home after 42 officers test positive
National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk has ordered half the staff at Royal Thai Police headquarters to work from home, after 42 officers tested positive for Covid-19. The chief has also instructed units nationwide to adopt the same measure where possible. The Bangkok Post reports that at least 42 police officers have tested positive for the virus, according to RTP spokesman,…
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Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok could take months to control, health official says
It could take more than 2 months to control the recent Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok which is concentrated around bars and nightclubs in Thong Lor. Health officials suspect the faster-spreading UK variant of the virus has spread at the bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok. The outbreak has reached around 20 provinces. While it may take 1 to 2 months…
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Airlines urge government to shut down Songkran travel to curb virus spread
“Travel restrictions won’t be good for airlines, but in the meantime, we should prioritise long-term benefits instead of short-term revenue.” Thailand’s aviation sector is nervous, amid rising cases of Covid-19 and confirmation that the highly-contagious UK variant has reached the Kingdom. Airlines are calling on the government to introduce travel restrictions now, admitting that while this will hurt in the…
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Covid-19 vaccines from private sector importers allowed
Thailand’s private sector will be allowed to purchase and import Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand, according to a government deputy spokesperson today. She declared that the government will not monopolise the vaccination market and that private enterprises can import Covid-19 vaccines for sale. A lot of confusion exists in the public regarding the situation with vaccines and the spokesperson stated that…
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Phuket bars and nightclubs ordered to close for 10 days
Bars, pubs and nightlife venues in Phuket are ordered to close for the next 10 days while 3 venues on the island where Covid-19 has been reported are ordered to close for at least 14 days. The closure is ordered after the massive events hosted by Kolour where an attendee tested positive for Covid-19. All partygoers are asked to go…
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UPDATE: 405 new Covid-19 cases, CCSA considers closing nightlife venues across Thailand
In what a spokesperson calls a “whopping number” of Covid-19 infections in the past few months, 405 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Many of the infections are linked to nightlife venues primarily in Bangkok among a young adult population in their 20s and 30s, according to deputy spokesperson for the Ministry…
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Thai Health Minister pictured without mask, sitting next to infected Transport Minister
Do as I say, not as I do… Thailand’s Public Health Minister has been caught without a face mask while sitting next to a Cabinet minister who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Anutin Charnvirakul, previously considered an enthusiastic proponent of mask-wearing, sat next to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob while attending a merit-making event on Tuesday. Saksayam tested positive for Covid-19…
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Bangkok prepares to open field hospital as officials warn of a rapid rise in infections
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering opening a field hospital in preparation for a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections that could overwhelm medical facilities in the capital. Thai PBS World reports that the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the BMA and the Ministry of Interior to arrange space in which a field hospital could be set up. The PM says…
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Tinder’s top dating trends for the decade ahead
The following is a press release submitted by Tinder, a popular dating application. More than half of all Tinder members across the globe are Gen Z (18 to 25 year old young adults) and even before the pandemic they were already redefining the rules of dating. Then 2020 happened and everything changed. It’s been the busiest year in Tinder’s history.…
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UK variant arrives in Thailand, top virologist warns against unnecessary Songkran travel
“Whatever will be, will be. The reason is, it’s a matter that involves a huge number of people. The government will have to try to cope with that later.” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. A prominent Thai virologist has confirmed that the so-called UK Covid-19 variant, aka B117, is behind the latest cluster of infections detected at Bangkok nightlife venues,…
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Thailand News Today | Steep rise in Bangkok cluster, Monk rescued from cave | April 7
In today’s episode we look at…Thailand’s covid situation has suddenly swept back to the headlines with potential super spreader events now delivering rising infection numbers, especially in Bangkok and now in the provinces as well. And all this just days away from Songkran when Thais will have the busiest travel period in the past 12 months. Our full coverage coming…
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Sony, Amazon Falls to set up amusement park in Thailand
Sony Pictures Entertainment is setting up an amusement park in Thailand that is based on its Columbia Pictures movies. The entertainment giant is working with Thailand’s Amazon Falls to plan the venture, with an opening date set for this October. The water park, named Aquaverse, will be spread out among 14 acres and feature rides and attractions with Jumanji, Bad…
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Thailand tourism leaders come together to discuss the industry’s future
The following story was submitted by Bill Barnett, the managing director for C9 Hotelworks. The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest global crisis tourism has ever faced. Against this unprecedented upheaval, many of Thailand’s leading hotel operators and other key players came together under the #ThaiTourismUnited banner at an event in Bangkok, creating a single unified voice to drive the Kingdom’s…
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Thailand’s Transport Minister tests positive for Covid-19
Thailand’s Transport Minister has tested positive for Covid-19. Minister Saksayam Chidchob checked in at a hospital this morning with a high fever, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Earlier reports say a member of Saksayam’s staff tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting a nightlife venue in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area. Bar hopping in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and Ekkamai areas…
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Leading Thai virologist warns of third wave, says herd immunity will take 2 years at current vaccination rate
A prominent Thai virologist says the Kingdom could be hit by a third and even a fourth wave of Covid-19, warning that rapid vaccination is the only solution. Yong Poovorawan from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says the latest resurgence of the virus in Bangkok is an example of the risk the country faces. Yesterday, the number of infections associated with nightlife…
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2 Cabinet ministers self-isolating after potential Covid exposure
Thailand’s Transport Minister and the newly-appointed Education Minister are both self-isolating after contact with 2 separate Covid-19 patients. Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong is self-isolating at her home in the eastern province of Sa Kaew, after receiving a visitor who subsequently tested positive for the virus. According to a Nation Thailand report, Treenuch’s visitor came to her home on Sunday to…
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Thailand hoping to be upgraded to a Tier 1 nation in anti-human trafficking efforts
Thailand is hoping its newest anti-human trafficking report will earn an upgrade from the US from Tier 2 to Tier 1. The report was submitted to the Washington’s Trafficking in Persons Report. Deputy government spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, said the government is ready to be upgraded after remaining on Tier 2 for 3 years in a row. Those nations who fall on…
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Thailand eyes travel bubbles again with low-risk countries
Thailand is eyeing travel bubbles once again with low-risk countries like Singapore, Laos and Vietnam. Sports and Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, says officials from Thailand and Singapore are discussing forming travel bubbles, as Singapore already has experience forming green routes with other asian countries. “We have acknowledged that Singapore has previously run the travel bubble with Australia and New Zealand.…
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Thailand News Today | Nightlife crackdown in Bangkok, storm damage in north | April 6
On today’s program, Covid cases are rising, mainly in Bangkok and down in the south in Narathiwat, bars and pubs closed in 3 Bangkok districts for at least 2 weeks, and the State of Global Air report slams Northern Thailand with its latest statistics. It’s also Chakri Memorial Day, a public holiday here in Thailand. It commemorates the first King…
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First Thai-made satellite to launch in 2023
The first Thai-manufactured satellite, named the TSC-Pathfinder and designed to survey Earth’s natural resources, is planned to be launched in 2023. The launch is part of a schedule by the Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation’s developing space technology programme to launch 5 small satellites between 2021 and 2027. Space engineering development and application, research and development, and…
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Thailand wants incoming travellers to download tracking app before arrival
Thailand is wanting incoming travellers to download its pandemic health tracking app before arriving in order to streamline safety procedures for its upcoming reopening. The request come along with a list of others including proof of a negative Covid test and the mandatory time needed to be spent in quarantine. Thai officials say potential tourists should pre-register for their visits…
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Thailand makes AstraZeneca its first choice for Covid vaccine
Thailand’s deputy PM and public health minister says the AstraZeneca vaccine is the nation’s first choice for protecting itself against Covid-19. Anutin Charnvirakul says more than 150,000 have received AstraZeneca jabs with only a low percentage having developed side effects. But the low amount of side effects seen is a different tune to the vaccine’s previous safety concerns as other…
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Report attributes 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand to air pollution
According to the State of Global Air 2020 Report, around 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand, back in 2019, have been attributed to air pollution. The report cites the PM2.5 pollution particles as the main culprit as particles in that size range are the most likely to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to these fine particles…
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PM doesn’t know if members of his Cabinet frequented Bangkok Covid hotspots
The Thai PM says he can’t say if members of his administration visited bars and entertainment venues where a cluster of Covid-19 infections has been reported. Prayut Chan-o-cha says he doesn’t know if ministers partied in the Thong Lor area of Bangkok, which was reported as a new hotspot of infection last week. On Saturday, out of 71 new cases…
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Aviation authority calling for 20,000 vaccine doses for crew, ground staff
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is calling for vaccine doses to protect around 20,000 airline crew and ground staff before the country re-opens to international tourists. The CAAT says it’s vital that those working in the aviation industry are protected and has submitted its request to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. According to Suthipong Kongpool from the CAAT,…
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Songkran: Economy booster or Covid-19 spreader?
While the government is encouraging people to enjoy themselves and spend money in the struggling economy for the upcoming Songkran Festival, some Covid-19 experts are warning that this may bring about a third or even fourth wave of infections. The past has shown that people letting loose and partying free is often the source of viral outbreaks, as was the…
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Khon Kaen hospital’s 2 Covid-19 infected doctors limit services
Health officials say 2 doctors who work at Khon Kaen University’s Srinagarind Hospital are now infected with Covid-19. The hospital is now responding to the situation by suspending the acceptance of new patients and postponing scheduled operations. According to the provincial public health office chief, the 2 doctors worked in the hospital’s Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine. All hospital…
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