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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The Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) is a great option for digital nomads, remote workers, and freelancers who want to stay in Thailand for a long time. This multiple-entry visa is valid for five years, allowing stays of up to 180...
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Monday Covid Update: 6,428 new cases; provincial totals
49 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,436 with 20,342 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,428 new Covid-19 cases and 7,882 recoveries. There are now 85,768 people in Thailand being…
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Krathong cleanup: Prayers to the water goddess trash Thailand’s rivers
Under the full moon on Friday, Thais gathered by rivers and canals to float their intricately-made offerings, known as krathongs, to give thanks to the water goddess. But overnight garbage collectors in Bangkok quickly cleaned the waterways before sunrise, loading dump trucks with krathongs and other debris. The Loy Krathong festival is a known as a popular tradition where Thais…
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Men arrested in Australia over July’s major heroin bust in Thailand
Two Australian men who allegedly conspired to smuggle more than 300 kilograms of heroin from Thailand to their home country were recently arrested by Australian Federal Police. AFP say one of the suspects is “one of the nation’s most significant organised crime threats” and is designated as an Australian Priority Organisation Target, or APOT. Back in July, Thai customs officials…
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Thai industrial gas producers expect higher sales
The largest industrial gas producer in Thailand is encouraged by signs that business is getting back to normal. Bangkok Industrial Gas (BIG) reported that demand dropped significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. But now the company says that sales are even higher than they were pre-Covid. BIG estimates that its sales next year will grow by 5-6%, reports the Bangkok Post.…
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Government agency ups 2021 foreign arrivals prediction to 200,000
An agency under the Ministry of Finance has increased its 2021 tourist arrivals forecast to 200,000. The Fiscal Policy Office had previously stated that it expected 180,000 foreign arrivals by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Pornchai Thiraveja from the FPO says this now looks likely to increase. During the first 2 weeks of November,…
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Vending machine industry sees resurgence thanks to pandemic
While Covid-19 resulted in Thailand’s overall economy suffering, a few select industries actually saw some impressive growth. The vending machine business is booming, and with demand rising companies like Sun Vending Technology Plc (SVT) are experiencing renewed popularity. The company reported massive growth this year and is making plans to expand. Senior vice president of SVT Pitsnu Chokwatana explained that…
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Are surfboards really hotter than Bitcoin?
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Thailand’s climate pledges slammed as “critically insufficient”
Climate research group Climate Action Tracker says Thailand’s pledges at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland are “critically insufficient”. A report issued by the group has slammed the targets that were agreed, saying Thailand, like most other countries, has not improved on its goals in any way that will make enough of a difference. The report says Thailand needs…
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Economist: government’s lag on migrant labour hurting economy
The reopening of Thailand has finally kickstarted the economy and put people back to work, but many businesses are struggling with a shortage of migrant labour. While the government has been cracking down on immigrants crossing the border illegally looking for work, many sectors are complaining that the government was unprepared for the country’s reopening and didn’t make efforts to…
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Hospitals will give free IUD contraception to women under 20
The National Health Security Office has announced a new program that will provide IUD contraceptives for free for women under 20 years old. The Director-General of the Health Service Department confirmed that the program will province intrauterine devices for women in need at all state and private hospitals that are connected to the NHSO. An IUD, the small T-shaped device…
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COVID-19 Sunday Update: Record low deaths, prison outbreak
Today, the CCSA reported 7,006 new Covid-19 infections, up 411 since yesterday, and a record low 29 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 24 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,035,708 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,591 recoveries,…
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Poll: 76% worry about Covid-19, 59% put health over economy
A new poll by the National Institute of Development Administration surveyed people about the government’s handling of Covid-19 and the reopening. The NIDA poll found that people felt the economy was the same or slightly better, valued heath over the economy, and were overwhelmingly afraid of Covid-19 worsening after the reopening. The survey, which interviewed 1,320 people over the age…
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Vaccine side effects fund has paid out 621 million baht
The program to pay financial compensation for anyone with mild or severe side effects after getting a Covid-19 vaccine has now paid out 621 million baht to 6,177 recipients. The National Health Security Office is responsible for the remedial assistance program that pays out up to 100,000 baht for mild side effects and up to 400,000 baht for side effects…
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Next CCSA meeting will discuss opening nightlife businesses sooner
Facing enormous pressure from entertainment and nightlife workers and businesses, the National Security Council Secretary-General hinted that lifting the ban on nightlife will be up for discussion at the next CCSA meeting. He said PM Prayut Chan-o-cha understands and sympathises with those in the industry but also worries about the Covid-19 situation as infections are still high and the country…
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Chamber of Commerce proposes familiar plans for the economy
Ahead of a meeting with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha tomorrow, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has compiled a list of measures to boost Thailand’s struggling economy. The proposal was sourced from 5 regional chambers of commerce and will be submitted to the prime minister tomorrow as part of his meetings with private sector representatives. The proposed measures aren’t particularly groundbreaking, mostly…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: 53 deaths, vaccinations, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 6,595 new Covid-19 infections, down 260 since yesterday, and 53 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 2 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,028,702 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 8,478 recoveries, up 823 from…
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TAT touts another rosy outlook for 2022 arrivals into Thailand – VIDEOS
Whilst the Ministry of Tourism and Sports approve marketing spending for 2022, their tourism promotion arm, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, have been throwing around more highly optimistic arrival figures for next year. “TAT set the revenue target from tourism in 2022 at 1.5 trillion baht, or about 50% of tourism revenue in 2019 (before the Covid-19 situation)”, according to…
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PM Prayut holds unscheduled meeting with US CIA head
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had an officially unscheduled meeting this morning with David Cohen, the deputy director of the US Central Intelligence Agency. The unannounced meeting took place this morning when the deputy director of the CIA dropped in on the prime minister at Government House. The unscheduled meeting between the Thai prime minister and the American intelligence official was held…
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Police “Joe Ferrari” torture case in court today, main charges denied
Today the 7 police officers accused of the suffocation death caught on video of a suspect in custody at the Nakhon Sawan police station had their day in court. Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon admitted that he assaulted the suspect, but claimed his death was an accident and denied the strongest charges of murder and torture against him. In…
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Friday Covid Update: 6,855 new cases; provincial totals
51 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,305 with 20,211 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,855 new Covid-19 cases and 7,655 recoveries. There are now 89,821 people in Thailand being…
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TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones
Throughout the Blue Zone, designated as tourist provinces that are welcoming tourists in a 7-day Sandbox scheme, events and celebrations are taking place to welcome people back to Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand compiled a list of activities and highlights in November and December from these 17 zones where fully vaccinated travellers can arrive from around the world with…
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Public transport drivers subject to safety points system from December
The Department of Land Transport is implementing a points-based system to punish public transport drivers for bad behaviours starting December 1. The system will give drivers 100 points to begin with and demerit points for every violation of traffic laws or safety, resulting in a temporary suspension of their license. The Director-General of the department explained the system that will…
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11 inmates climb through hole in ceiling, escape from prison cell in Nakhon Sawan
Nearly a dozen inmates climbed through a hole in a holding cell and escape from the Khlong Pho Temporary Prison in the central province Nakhon Sawan where they were held as a isolation period before being sent to Nakhon Sawan Central Prison. Officers say the inmates have been found. Police Major-General Raphiphong Sukphaiboon from Nakhon Sawan police station said the…
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APEC summit in Thailand to focus on regional economy
Next year Thailand will be hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The Foreign Ministry explains that this year the meeting will be focused on economic recovery and growth in the region following the global Covid-19 pandemic. Promoting cooperation between member nations is the emphasis of this event, reports Thai PBS. The theme of the summit is said to…
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American businesses pledge continued investment in Thailand
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says that he is pleased with the ongoing economic relationship between Thailand and the United States. American businesses have pledged continued investment in the country as they acknowledge the many opportunities in Thailand, despite the setbacks that have been caused by Covid-19. A meeting between PM Prayut and the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand (Amcham) was…
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ChulaCOV-19 vaccine enters a promising third phase of trials
ChulaCOV-19, the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine in development by the Centre of Excellence in Vaccine Research at Chulalongkorn University, is expected to be registered by the middle of next year as it enters a promising third phase of clinical trials. The third round of trials on human test subjects is scheduled to see injections at the beginning of 2021, no later…
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Anti-doping agency bans Thailand from hosting international football tournaments
The World Anti-Doping Agency has hit Thailand with a number of sanctions over its failure to comply with WADA conditions. The ruling means Thailand cannot host any international football tournaments and the Thai flag cannot be displayed at such events. It’s understood the ruling is a result of Thailand’s failure to follow WADA’s 2021 code. According to a Bangkok Post…
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Mass lay-offs at Thai AirAsia as aviation sector continues to struggle
Thailand may have re-opened to international travellers, but the aviation sector continues to struggle as a result of the pandemic. Today, the Bangkok Post reports that Thai AirAsia has announced mass redundancies and extended furlough arrangements for many of its staff. Asia Aviation, the largest shareholder in TAA, says the outlook for the aviation sector remains unstable and the company…
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Pro-monarchy academic says lèse majesté law needs to be more clear
With Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law in the spotlight as continuous youth-led protests call on an end to law which carries a lengthy prison sentence for insulting the Thai Monarchy, a well-known academic and supporter of the royal family says the law needs to be amended to make it more clear. Under Section 112 of the Thailand’s Criminal Code, also…
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Thursday Covid Update: 6,901 new cases; provincial totals
55 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,254 with 20,160 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,901 new Covid-19 cases and 7,556 recoveries. There are now 90,672 people in Thailand being…
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