Thailand News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, and lifestyle—get breaking updates from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. Stay informed on Thai society, economy, tourism, and expat life with The Thaiger.
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Starting a new life abroad is exciting—new culture, new lifestyle, and new chances to grow. But living far from home also means taking steps to protect your health in unfamiliar surroundings. Without the right coverage, even small health issues can...
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“I strongly urge the Health Minister to reveal the actual number of new Covid cases” – Thai doctor
A Thai physician is calling out Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, claiming they are not publishing accurate data on the actual number of Covid-19 infections. He claims that there is a cover up of the real numbers currently being disclosed to the public. The Deputy Minister of Health Dr Sathit Pitutecha claims that the actual number of current infections is…
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Court bans rap song for being a threat to Thailand’s national security
A rap song has been banned by the Court for being seditious and a threat to Thailand’s national security. The song, Patiroob (meaning reform), by Rap Against Dictatorship, was blocked on the YouTube platform as a result of a Ministry of Digital Economy and Society petition to the Court that it should be prohibited under the terms of the Computer…
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Extradition for Nigerian wanted for alleged murder of Thai woman on hold
A Nigerian man wanted for the murder of a Thai woman has been told he must remain in detention until Canada gets assurances from Thailand he won’t face the death penalty if extradited. The Nigerian, allegedly identified as John Odoemenam but using a fake South African passport with the name, Mzwakhe Memela, and also known as Prince Michael Obi, last…
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Thailand tourism: India No.1 country sending tourists
The government has been extremely focused on tourism numbers and recovery in the post-pandemic world and the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration reported that 2.2 million visitors have entered Thailand so far this year, over 10% of them from India. More travellers have come from India in the first half of this year than any other country in the world.…
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Emergency Decree extended, but vows not to infringe on freedoms
The Emergency Decree, declared throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, has officially been extended for another 2 months. The decree which declares that Thailand is in an official state of emergency was set to expire on July 31, but this extension covers from August 1 to September 30. This is the 19th time the Emergency Decree has been extended. Prolonging the decree…
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TAT promotes I Lert U mobile app to connect tourists to police
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has issued a press release touting the Tourist Police I Lert U mobile application and encouraging visitors to download it. The app was launched on December 15 to allow tourists quick access to emergency response and general assistance, and yesterday’s press release was intended to raise awareness of the application as tourism begins to ramp…
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Thailand Post increases rates, pilots 24-hour delivery services
The good news is that Thailand Post will begin 24-hour delivery services, but the bad news is that mail rates have gone up. The new round-the-clock delivery and pick-up service will begin as a pilot project from Thailand Post’s main sorting facility in Chaeng Wattana servicing Laksi, Pak Kret, and Ram Inthra areas. The rate hike is the first in…
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Police bring home 6 Thai women forced into prostitution in Myanmar
Police brought home 6 Thai women who posted videos on social media to say they had been forced into prostitution in Myanmar and needed help. The police picked up the women from the Thailand – Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province, after coordinating with Burmese authorities. The group includes 31 year old Nanny from Nonthaburi, 25…
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Life of Thai digital nomads made easier by Airbnb TAT alliance
Airbnb today announced it is going to work closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to make it easier for remote workers to live in the kingdom. The California-based vacation rental company reported that a number of projects are in the pipeline, including constructing a dedicated custom-built hub for Thailand, showcasing local long-term stay listings as well as providing information on entry…
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UPDATE: Former Japanese PM dies after being shot – VIDEO
BREAKING: Shinzo Abe dies WARNING: Video of the shooting may be disturbing for some people. UPDATE: Reports are circulating that the former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is in critical condition after being shot at a campaign event in the city of Nara. The BBC describes his current condition as ‘grave’. Abe was shot at twice, the first allegedly missed with…
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BREAKING: CCSA address face masks, emergency decree, and foreign arrivals
Today, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha met with the Covid-19 Situation Administration – the CCSA – to discuss Covid rules and restrictions in Thailand. Namely, the use of face masks, the extension of Thailand’s emergency decree, and foreign arrival figures. The CCSA started by saying that cases of Covid subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 are on the rise in Thailand. Face…
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UPDATE: Police arrest man who stabbed elderly lady to death in central Thailand
UPDATE: Police arrest man who stabbed elderly lady to death in central Thailand Police have caught and arrested the man who broke into an elderly woman’s home in Cha-am district in Phetchaburi province and stabbed her to death on Tuesday. Police arrested him in Bang Saphan district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province yesterday at about 3pm and took him to…
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Norwegian man drives into ravine in southern Thailand, 1 killed & 5 injured
A Norwegian man drove his car off a cliff and into a ravine at a viewpoint in Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand yesterday. His Thai mother-in-law died from her injuries and 5 more were injured in the crash. Jorn Silva of Norwegian nationality was driving the car and inside were his wife Suwandee Silva, his daughters Natalie and…
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US cop gets extra 20 years for George Floyd’s killing
The US cop who murdered George Floyd yesterday received another 20 years in prison on top of his original sentence for violating the victim’s civil rights. Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, is already serving over 22 years after being convicted of the 46 year old’s death in May 2020 after pleading guilty to the separate federal civil rights…
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CCSA to discuss re-introduction of mask-wearing in public areas today
Thai PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha is meeting with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today at Government House. The prime minister is also the Chairperson for Thailand’s Covid taskforce that has overseen ongoing policy since April 2020 when the country enacted the emergency decree. The emergency decree remains in force. Today’s CCSA meeting is held as Thailand copes with a levelling-off…
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UPDATE: UK PM Boris Johnson’s resignation speech in full
UPDATE: Boris Johnson today resigned as Britain’s prime minister. The 58 year old gave a speech outside of 10 Downing Street at 1pm UK time. Here is the full resignation speech: “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative Party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister, and I’ve…
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Thailand: Don’t answer calls starting with +697, it’s a scam
If a number starting with +697 rings you, don’t answer. Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) says it is most likely a scam call centre trying to swindle you out of money. In a smart move to combat call centre scams, Thailand’s National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has purposefully added the prefix +697 to IP calls to help people…
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Petrol prices in Bangkok reduced tomorrow
Good news for Bangkok motorists as the PTT Oil and Retail Business today announced the cost of petrol will be reduced from tomorrow (Friday) morning. The retail prices of petrol and all types of gasohol except E85 will drop by 3 baht per litre, E85 by 1.8 baht per litre, at 5am tomorrow. It’s not all good news for motorists…
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UPDATE: Boris Johnson has agreed to resign as UK prime minister
UPDATE: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there will be “a widespread sense of relief that the chaos of the last few days (indeed months) will come to an end” as and when Boris Johnson resigns as Conservative leader. But the SNP leader questions the sustainability of Johnson staying on until the autumn, and says he was always “manifestly unfit…
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Survey shows over 80% want legal casino complex in Thailand
A survey released by the Casino Committee of Thailand has revealed overwhelming evidence that the Thai nation wants a legal casino and entertainment complex in the country. Almost 81% of 3,296 participants said they would welcome a legal casino and entertainment complex in Thailand. MP from the Pheu Thai Party, and Casino Committee of Thailand spokesperson, Jakkapon Tangsuttitham, yesterday revealed…
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‘A poll is just a poll,’ Thai PM Prayut unfazed by opposition’s popularity
Thailand will hold a general election at some point before March 2023, but polls reveal that current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is not the favourite to win. PM Prayut says he’s not worried about the poll results, because “a poll is just a poll.” Paetongtarn Shinawatra – daughter of ousted ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and central figure of the Pheu Thai Party…
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2 Brits honoured for heroic efforts in Thai cave rescue
The University of Bristol has awarded 2 British cave divers with honourary degrees after recognising their heroic efforts in rescuing 12 boys and a man from a flooded cave in Thailand. Linda Wilson, Vice-President of the University of Bristol’s Spelaeological Society, nominated John Volanthen, from Bristol, and Rick Stanton, from Coventry, for their honorary degrees. Wilson hailed the 2 British…
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Grandmother stabbed more than 20 times in brutal murder in central Thailand
Police have launched a murder investigation after a man stabbed a 75 year old woman to death at her home in Phetchaburi province, central Thailand, on Tuesday. The woman’s daughter, 39 year old Yok, said she had been unwell and had been taking sleeping pills. Yok woke up at noon to find her mother – 75 year old Suthasinee Phansawat…
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Thai MP and brother get 2 years jail for election fraud
Former Democrat Party MP Theptai Seanpong and his younger brother, Manoch Seanpong, were sentenced to a prison term of 2 years and political disqualification for 10 years after being found guilty of election fraud during the provincial administrative organization election in 2013 in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The Seanpong family is well-known among residents of Nakhon Si…
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Thaksin predicts the opposition parties will win election in a landslide
Talking on a social media chat program this week, fugitive and former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra says the opposition parties, or as he described them, the “pro-democracy” parties, will win. And win with an absolute majority. The interview was conducted on ‘Care Talk’ on the Clubhouse app on Tuesday this week. Thaksin was speaking online from his house in Dubai.…
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Thai officer caught on camera riding carelessly won’t be fined
A Thai police officer caught on camera riding a motorcycle as if he was drunk in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum, won’t be prosecuted. The Chaiyaphum News Hunter Facebook page, คนล่าข่าวชัยภูมิ, posted a video of the police with a caption saying, “Locals sent this to me. Is it too dangerous, boss? This happened on the Bypass Road Mueng Chaiyaphum at…
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Thailand to receive new LAAB Covid vaccine by end of the month
Thailand today signed an agreement to receive its first batch of Long-Acting Antibody doses at the end of this month. The Thai Deputy PM, and Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, signed an agreement with AstraZeneca Country President, James Teague, to receive 257,500 doses of LAAB for people who suffer from immunodeficiency, to reduce of risk of becoming gravely ill if infected…
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Attempt to bring an ancient Khmer sculpture home from NYC
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is displaying a sculpture that is believed to be an ancient Khmer king. Now an archaeologist in Buriram is fighting to bring it home to Thailand where he claims it belongs. The bronze sculpture was smuggled out of the country by antique traders, but a 67 year old local woman in…
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Migrant workers – even undocumented – can stay until 2025
Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam got a reprieve for the next few years as the Thai Cabinet extended their ability to stay in the country until early 2025. The extension of stay will be permitted for both documented and undocumented migrant workers and will lengthen the time they are allowed to stay until February 13, 2025. The…
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Thailand’s tourism sector is asking for an additional 1 billion baht budget
The Thai tourism sector has asked for an additional budget of about 1 billion baht to boost the Thai economy in hopes of making 265 billion baht (from inbound tourists). The tourism sector says they should be able to secure at least 80 million domestic trips, gaining 215 billion baht, alone. Then, they predict, the international market will see 1…
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