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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As a business owner in Thailand, you know how tough it is to stand out online. Ads get skipped, scrolled past, or flat-out ignored. People are more sceptical than ever about what they see on their feeds. And even when...
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More than 30 children at Isaan care centre test postive for Covid-19
More than 30 young children at a care centre tested positive for Covid-19. Health officials say a 2 year old boy, who was first infected by this mother, spread the virus to the childcare centre in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. Altogether, 8 teachers and 34 students at the centre tested positive for the virus. The 2 year old boy’s…
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Police arrest woman for possession of 20,000 meth pills she claims she found next to electrical pole
Police in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok have arrested a 56 year old woman for possessing 20,000 meth pills. Yesterday, the Sai Mai police arrested 59 year old “Somgsong” yesterday for possessing 20,00 meth pills that she claims she found the pills next to an electrical pole. The woman allegedly confessed that pills were in her room in a…
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Man and underage girlfriend arrested for allegedly stealing from government office to bankroll girlfriend’s birthday party
A man and young girl have been arrested in Bang Lamung, a district in Chon Buri for allegedly twice stealing items from a culture offical’s office. Reportedly, the unemployed 28 year old Lek Aksorn stole items from the Culture Ministry’s office valued at hundreds of thousands baht for his 14 year old girlfriend’s birthday party. According to Thai media, the…
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Thai researchers to study animal antiparasitic drug for treating Covid-19
Thai researchers are studying whether an antiparasitic medication, which is typically used for animals, can be used to treat humans infected with Covid-19. Reports on the new study come after a warning from Thai Food and Drug Administration advising people not to use the drug Ivermectin as it is typically used for veterinary treatment and not for human use, especially…
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Thursday Covid Update: Cases and deaths spike amid Phuket reopening
Just as Phuket is reopening to foreign tourists, Thailand’s current and most severe wave has hit a high of 52,052 active Covid-19 cases, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily death toll has set a record high with 57 coronavirus-related fatalities today, raising the total Covid fatality count since the start of the pandemic to 2,080. 5,533…
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Man allegedly poses as Government Lottery Office official, steals millions
Yesterday, the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) working with the Government Lottery Office announced they had arrested a man who was posing as a GLO employee to swindle the GLO out of millions. The Thai national, identified only as “Mr Jaturong” was arrested and had a laundry list of items seized including property, a house, land, 5.5 million baht in…
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Thailand’s virology expert: give Sinovac to children over 3
Thailand’s top virologist Yong Poovorawan has suggested that the Sinovac vaccine be given to children older than 3 years old by the end of 2021 in an effort to reach Covid-19 herd immunity. The doctor who heads the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University said he believes that the Chinese vaccine has the least severe side effects…
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Police in Bangkok seize 2 truck loads of sex toys valued at 1 million baht
Sex toys valued at 1 million baht were seized by police in Bangkok. Reports don’t say exactly how many sex toys were seized by police, but apparently, police filled 2 large trucks with the dildos, vibrators and other pleasure enhancing products. A Chinese man was arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal sex products into Thailand and selling them online. Photos from…
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Thailand to import 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for private hospitals
5 million doses of the US-made Moderna Covid-19 vaccine will be imported to Thailand at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 to be administered by private hospitals. A set price of 3,400 baht for a package of the 2-dose vaccine, including service fees and insurance, was agreed on by the Private Hospitals Association. The first 3.9 million…
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Phuket police to patrol bridges for Covid carriers
Police in Phuket have been ordered to patrol the bridges to be on the lookout for anyone not adhering to Covid protection measures. However, it is not just the police that will be monitoring the bridges, soldiers and navy personnel will also monitor the bridges. The news came at a general assembly earlier this week. Region 8 Police Commander Kitrat…
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PM orders 1,500 extra field hospital beds as infections surge in central Thailand
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has ordered an additional 1,500 beds for a field hospital in the central province of Nonthaburi. According to a Nation Thailand report, the beds are to accommodate patients in the red and yellow groups at the Bussarakham Field Hospital. Red group patients are those who have severe symptoms and are in need of respirators. Yellow…
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Government urged to provide booster shots in sandbox destinations
Tourism representatives are calling on the government to provide vaccine boosters for people who live in sandbox destinations. Chamnan Srisawat, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, says the country can’t wait for the virus to disappear completely and the only solution is for residents in sandbox areas to get maximum protection against new variants and outbreaks. “Herd immunity across…
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Officials defend dine-in ban amid fears of a fourth wave
The government’s Covid-19 task force has defended new restrictions that ban dining in at restaurants, saying the country is heading into a fourth wave of the virus. According to a Bangkok Post report, Natthapol Nakpanich from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the Delta variant is now spreading across the country. Acting on the advice of healthcare experts, the…
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Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions
After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…
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Woman killed while trying to cross the road in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A woman was hit by a car while she was crossing the road in the Na Bon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat this morning, says police. Veerayuth Rakthai, a police chief investigator says the victim was a Myanmar national identified as 54 year old “Chan” and says she worked at a rubber plantation. According to Thai media, Chan was attempting…
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Bangkok airport police stop Chinese with babies, seize fake birth certificates
Police are investigating a suspected illegal surrogacy operation after 2 Chinese nationals were stopped at a Bangkok airport as they were attempting to leave the country with 2 baby boys. Police say they seized fake birth certificates. The Chinese nationals were at the Suvarnabhumi Airport with the 6 month old and 1 year old boys. Airport officers stopped and checked…
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Rayong governor orders nightly beach closures to curb the spread of Covid-19
Starting today, all beaches on the coastal province Rayong, near Pattaya, will be closed to the public during the night and early morning hours. The beach closures are an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after the province reported an uptick in infections. Rayong governor Charnna Iamsaeng signed an order earlier this week to close the beaches from 8pm…
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Tourism jobs continue to be lost – nearly 1 million in 2021
It’s easy to look scornfully at the government and tourism industry’s rose-tinted predictions of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and further return of international tourism to Thailand by the end of the year. But a look at the current statistics for the battered tourism industry helps explain the need for hope. This quarter, 550,000 jobs were lost in the tourism industry.…
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Wednesday Covid-19 Update: 4,786 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 53 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,023. The vast majority of Covid patients died over the past 3 months with the daily fatality count in the 20s to 40s. 4,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, with most infections reported in…
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Phuket announces it had 5 new cases of Covid yesterday and 1 death
Yesterday, Phuket announced it had 5 new Covid infections and its 7th death, a 72 year old man. Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon the chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) corroborated the news that Phuket had 5 new Covid infections as well as the 7th death. Dr Kusak spoke in a live broadcast this morning where he was joined…
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Man robs a gold shop with a kitchen knife
Last night in the central Thai province Pathum Thani, a man used a knife to rob a gold shop in the Lam Luk Ka district. He got away with 60 baht weight of gold necklaces. Pitch Suwatikul, a local police officer says the robbery happened about 7:20 pm at the Bangkok Gold shop on the 2nd floor of a Tesco…
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Thailand tourism officials predict best and worst case scenarios for reopening
The best-case scenario in Thailand’s reopening… 3 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, Tourism Council of Thailand says. It’s a far cry from the around 40 million welcomed to Thailand in 2019. But with Phuket set to reopening tomorrow under the “Sandbox” travel model, and other areas posed to reopen later this year, tourism officials guess, that in the best…
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Vaccine walk-ins for 75 and up available today-July 18 at Bang Sue Grand Station
From today, until July 18, people 75 and older can get inoculated at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok. Reportedly, even without registration. The decision is an effort to drive up the number of elderly being vaccinated. The Department of Medical Sciences says that number is currently low. The inoculation campaign is intended to reach the elderly who may not…
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110 faulty bottles of Sinovac vaccine rejected by Thai FDA
The Food and Drug Administration says it has found 110 faulty bottles of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Biotech that contain lumps of gel. Surachok Tangwiwat from the FDA says CoronaVac vials need to be shaken prior to use but, in the case of the defective bottles, even shaking would not dissolve the gel. According to a Coconuts report, the…
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Top medic says cloth masks don’t protect against Covid-19
A prominent infectious disease specialist at Bangkok’s Phramongkutklao Hospital says cloth masks are ineffective against Covid-19 and people should wear surgical masks. Nation Thailand reports that Dr Thanaphan Phibunbannakit has called on the government to procure additional surgical masks as Thailand logs 4,786 new infections and a record high of 53 deaths. Thanaphan says people who are yet to receive…
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Thai FDA issues warning about using Ivermectin to cure Covid-19
The Thai Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use a drug usually reserved for veterinary treatment to treat Covid-19. Surachoke Tangwiwat from the FDA (and many other international studies) have determined that the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin is not designed for human use. “The side-effects can be severe and include dizziness, rash, nausea, hives, and the potential to…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 4,786 new cases, record high of 53 deaths
4,786 new cases and a record daily high of 53 Covid-related deaths were recorded today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily coronavirus death tally in Thailand has been in the 20s to 40s during the current and most severe wave of the virus, infecting 230,438 people since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 127…
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American expats in Thailand continue to urge US to provide vaccines to citizens overseas
Some Americans in Thailand are still pushing the US government to supply Covid-19 vaccines to those living overseas. Democrats Abroad Thailand is now calling on American expats to contact senators and urge them to support the allocation of vaccines to citizens overseas. The expat group’s Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force is also set to hold a Zoom meeting tomorrow evening to…
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Man gets marriage certificate tattooed on his forearm, ink presumably permanent
Yesterday, a Facebook post went viral after a man took his declaration of love one step further and had had his marriage certificate tattooed on his arm. On Monday, Om-Aim Daraployphan shared several pictures of her husband’s arm tat/proof of marriage on Facebook. The tattoo is bordered with green and pink flowers and takes up the majority of the man’s…
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Doctors ask the government to do a better job with their handling of vaccines
The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand is prodding the government to increase their vaccine efforts: to get vaccines faster and to get enough vaccines for Thailand inhabitants so herd immunity can be reached as soon as possible. Today, the RCPT chairperson, Dr Anutra Chittinandana said that the board of the RCPT thought it was crucial to issues a 2nd…
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