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.
-
Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
-
Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days
An elderly couple from Phetchabun, northern Thailand, got married yesterday after knowing each other for a total of 10 days. The lovebirds met on the ridge of Pak Huay Dam in Khon Kaen and it wasn’t long before they decided to get married and live with each other in their old age. The 72 year old groom Nuan Mala did…
-
Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand
Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…
-
Police step up search for minister’s missing father
Police stepped up a search for the missing father of a government minister charged with land encroachment by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission. Soonthorn Vilawan, father of Deputy Education Minister Kanokwan Vilawan, is allegedly on the run after failing to turn up in court on Thursday to face charges of forest encroachment. The NACC told media Thursday the anti-graft watchdog had…
-
CCSA to consider more suggestions on lifting Covid restrictions
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday will consider more suggestions in regards to lifting Covid restrictions, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insisting that public safety is still a priority. Adjusting the colour-coded Covid concept and relaxing the rules for nightclubs will be among the recommendations discussed. The CCSA is open to any new ideas and recommendations from different parties…
-
Thailand’s Digital Economy Minister ‘clarifies’ about the posting of crime pics or videos online
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, is warning crime witnesses that spreading pictures or videos of the incidents via online channels ‘could’ violate the new Personal Data Protection Act or PDPA. The minister says the safer way to help victims is to hand the evidence to the police officers. Thailand officially operated the PDPA or the Personal Data…
-
Two Indian tourists die in motorbike accident on Koh Samui mountain
Two Indian tourists have died in a motorbike incident yesterday evening on the Thai Gulf island of Koh Samui, southern Thailand. The pair were driving down the Khao Pom mountain on a rented motorbike when they crashed into a barrier on a curved road. The men’s bodies were found on the mountainside. At 6:30pm yesterday, Koh Samui Police Station received…
-
Governor pledges to make Bangkok better for its most vulnerable
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt called for “cooperation” after he pledged to make the city better after chairing a task force meeting designed to help improve lives of the city’s most vulnerable. The 56 year old city chief met with several associations on how best to promote the rights and interests of those most vulnerable in the metropolis. Attendees included associations…
-
How Thailand plans to transition into the endemic phase
Thailand will begin to “relax” Covid-19 restrictions in the coming weeks as the country shifts into the “endemic phase.” “U2” and “3Por” measures will be implemented to ensure public health and safety during the transition, according to Thailand’s Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA. The next CCSA meeting will be held on Friday, June 17. The Ministry of Public Health will…
-
How can parents keep kids busy during Bangkok summer holidays
Summer holidays for Bangkok international schools are nearly here. For working parents who are trying to balance work, and family, and will be spending at least some of the summer in the city, the question is how to keep their children busy and engaged? One of the best online resources for expat parents looking for activities is BKK Kids. With…
-
Nightlife closing times, revised mask requirements and more land border re-openings
Thailand’s Covid taskforce are meeting this week to consider three proposals made from around various Ministries and industry stakeholders. It’s going to be a pivotal week for the CCSA. Announcements are expected by this Friday. One of them is to remove the requirement to wear face masks in public, although it is widely considered that, even if this concession is…
-
UN to take high ground on Thailand’s decision to delist cannabis
The United Nations is likely to take the high ground following Thailand’s controversial decision to delist cannabis, says an adviser to the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board. Thai-born Viroj Sumyai, who served as president of the UN’s INCB from 2017 to 2018, says Thailand will have to answer to the UN, and added that if it decides the bill violates…
-
Bangkok’s giant drainage tunnel ready for ‘rainy season’
Bangkok deputy governor Wissanu Sapsompol says the city’s giant drainage tunnel will be fully operational for the “rainy season.” The new Bueng Nong Bon drainage tunnel, which began construction in January 2016, was not expected to be finished until March next year. But the city’s deputy governor insists it will be ready just in time for the kingdom’s rainy season…
-
Thais favour dropping masks & extending nightlife curfew
Nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate. New tourist visa waivers being proposed to CCSA for next week’s meeting. Concerns over the recreational use of cannabis have been raised following the plant’s decriminalisation. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.
-
Alleged Thai paedophile arrested on child pornography charges
An alleged paedophile has been arrested in Phetchaburi in connection with human trafficking, child exploitation and production, and the distribution of child pornography. Nitikorn Manop was arrested by police on Thursday at a house in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, in central Thailand, bordering Myanmar, after gaining a warrant by the Criminal Court. Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamnarn, head of the Anti-Trafficking…
-
Amateur crime sleuths warned they could be prosecuted for breaking PDPA
Amateur crime sleuths have been warned they could be prosecuted under the Personal Data Protection Act despite their good intentions. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, head of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, urged the nation’s unofficial detectives against posting video clips or pictures of others on social media, regardless of their good intentions, as it may violate the PDPA. A new…
-
Motorists urged to avoid 9 major routes in Bangkok
Motorists in Bangkok have been advised to avoid using 9 routes around the city’s Democracy Monument, and Victory Monument, today because of political protests. Deputy Metropolitan Police chief Pol Maj-General Jirasan Kaewsaeng-Ake revealed pro-democracy protesters have announced on social media that they will start gathering at Democracy Monument at 2pm and will march towards Victory Monument at around 3.30pm. “We…
-
Cop gets 50 years for taking bribes from Thai massage parlour
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases yesterday sentenced a cop to 50 years in prison for taking bribes, totalling 641,000 baht, from a Bangkok massage parlour. The unnamed police officer was indicted on 65 counts of bribe-taking after turning a blind eye to illegal activities at the massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road. The ruling was published in…
-
What $300,000 buys you for a condo in Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket
The typical home price in the United States is around $300,000. But have you ever wondered what kind of condo that amount of money can get you in Thailand? Let’s take a virtual tour of some condos around Thailand within the $300,000 price range! 1. Rhythm Sathorn – Narathiwas, Bangkok Price for sale: $284,000 (฿9,800,000) Take a Virtual Tour Situated…
-
Survey reveals Thais want to drop outdoor mask rules and extend nightlife to 2am
A National Institute of Development Administration survey revealed nearly half of all Thai people agree that the country should drop the outdoor mask rules mandate, and nearly 50% of those polled agreed to extend nightlife hours from 12am to 2am. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday informed Thai media that he thought many Thai people were still scared of catching the…
-
Former Thai pop star reveals his new business – collecting the faces of dead people
A former famous Thai pop star may not be making hit records anymore but he’s fine with that now he has a new line of business – collecting the faces of dead people. Jakkapong “Jill” Karnsomphot, one half of the 90s pop combo, Jack-Jill, with his twin brother Jakkaphan “Jack” Karnsomphot, collect the dried facial skins of dead people who…
-
Pink pineapple is illegal in Thailand, smugglers face jail time
A type of genetically-modified pink pineapple is being illegally sold in Thailand, according to a warning issued by Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture yesterday. The ministry urges the public to keep a vigilant eye out for unusual fruit and report anyone involved in the illicit pink pineapple trade. Costa Rican company Fresh Del Monte has been cultivating ‘Pinkglow’ pineapples, which are…
-
Landmark Thai booze bill passes 1st reading
Smashing the hold of corporate Thai brewery conglomerates in the booze business moved one step closer last night after the Move Forward Party’s Progressive Liquor Bill sailed through its first reading in the Lower House. The landmark bill, originally rejected by the cabinet in February, seeks to break the monopoly of corporate brewers and provide business opportunities for small-scale brewers…
-
Thailand’s Cabinet votes in favour of revolutionary alcohol brewing act
Yesterday, Thailand’s Cabinet voted in favour of an act which will allow Thais to brew and sell their own alcohol. The law it still in its first stages, but if it goes ahead it will be revolutionary for Thailand’s alcohol industry. The “Progressive Liquor Act” aims to amend Section 153 of the Excise Tax Act which requires alcohol producers to…
-
Thailand’s tourist entry charge delayed until Q4
Tourist tax, tourist surcharge, call it what you want. The Tourism and Sports Ministry yesterday said that they need more time before the 300 baht tourism “fee” is introduced. The tourism fee was penciled in for discussion at this week’s cabinet meeting but the ministry withdrew the proposal. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Tourism and Sports Minister, says fee collection for tourists arriving…
-
More than 100,000 people register to grow cannabis at home in Thailand
Today is cannabis decriminalisation day, and the people of Thailand have wasted no time in registering to grow their own cannabis plants at home. Thailand’s FDA revealed that, so far, more than 100,000 budding cannabis growers have registered via the ‘Plook Ganja’ website and mobile application. To legally grow cannabis or hemp at home, Thai people do not need to…
-
Employment at Thailand’s venues slowly picks up following nightlife reopening
Aspiring bartenders can dream again, because now that Thailand’s nightlife is ‘officially’ back on, venues are slowly employing again. The country’s pubs, bars, karaoke bars, massage parlors and other venues are picking up the pieces after having to lay off employees during the Covid-19 pandemic. This news comes after Thailand stopped requiring such venues to call themselves ‘restaurants’ on June…
-
Swedish men get more time with the kids thanks to new ‘Paternity Pledge’
Sweden’s ambassador to Thailand says he is delighted 12 companies from his native homeland have promised to give male employees one month’s paid paternity leave. Twelve Swedish firms in Thailand, including ABB, Astra Zeneca, IKEA, Electolux, and Volvo, have agreed to give 30 days’ paid paternity leave to all male staff. Jon Astrom Grondahl, was speaking at the opening ceremony…
-
Governor to introduce intelligent transportation system to resolve Bangkok’s endemic gridlock
Newly elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt intends to introduce an innovative “intelligent transportation system” to fix the city’s endemic traffic congestion. The 56 year old governor says he is going to introduce a highly sophisticated technology program to put an end to Bangkok’s perpetual transport problems and resolve the outcome within a year. Chadchart is in the process of putting…
-
Thai police arrest 6 suspects for 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam
Police from Thailand’s Consumer Protection Police Division announced today that 6 suspects have been arrested for a 20 million baht Covid-19 test scam. The suspects allegedly offered to sell ATK tests on 4 Facebook pages, charging about 10,000 people 900 baht per box when there was a shortage of test kits, according to Police Major General Anant Nanasombat. After the…
-
Thailand: Don’t buy multicoloured axolotls, warns experts
Multicoloured Mexican amphibians are Thailand’s latest trend, but experts are begging people not to buy them. Brightly coloured axolotls might be cute, but they die after just one week, according to a group of axolotl breeders in Thailand. Axolotls are a type of critically endangered Mexican salamander popularised among the Thai youth through the game Minecraft. The animal has become…
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.