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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Sponsored Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Cannabis for the confused, stoned or curious in Thailand I Lawyers, Guns and Money
Speaking to lawyer Dr. Paul Crozier from Silk Legal in Bangkok. Thailand’s new laws regarding the decriminalisation and legalising of cannabis and marijuana products is not clear, despite some people believing it is. The Thai government has not enacted laws and guidelines about the use of cannabis or marijuana, medicinally or recreationally. Dr. Paul Crozier discusses some of the…
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Embracing No Mask Requirement In Thailand | Weekend Update
Bangkok is celebrating the country’s removal of mask requirements in open spaces. Thai PM bans ‘The green and hemp use on military premises. The Bus issue in Thailand and Storm rip apart villages in the Northeast. All this and your questions are answered on today’s Weekend Update.
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Largest instant noodle convenience store
This shop that opened in October last year has drawn thousands of teenagers since its opening. Not only does this shop have Thai instant noodles, it also has noodles coming from different countries that include Indonesia, South Korea, China, Japan,malaysia, and more. The cost ranges from 6 baht to 250 Baht
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Thai singer eats protected lizard, faces backlash
A famous Thai country singer has come under fire over her daring culinary tastes. The singer, Kratai Phannipha, filmed her husband cooking a spicy Thai dish containing one unusual type of meat- a monitor lizard, which is a protected species in Thailand. A photo shows the couple later chowing down on the, erm, ‘exotic’ meal. One angry tweeter who went…
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Thailand is open NOW – masks off, bars open until 2am
Thailand is open for business. The whole country is now a ‘green’ zone, allowing a full-scale resumption of business and activities with even the Thailand Pass being dropped next Friday. It’s about as back to normal as it can be at this time. Decisions made by the CCSA on June 17 were put into effect yesterday after being published in…
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Thai woman confesses to beating 6 year old granddaughter to death with pestle
Today, a 47 year old Thai woman confessed to hitting her 6 year old granddaughter’s head with a pestle until she died on Wednesday, June 22, in Pathum Thani province in central Thailand. On Wednesday night, police received a report that a 6 year old girl had died inside a rented room in Som Khok District in Pathum Thani province.…
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Thai officials say price of bagged rice won’t jump
In the midst of the world’s ongoing price inflation, Thailand’s Commerce Ministry says retail prices on bagged rice will not jump. The chairman of the Thai Rice Packers Association said in a meeting yesterday that the association has cooperated with the Internal Trade Department to freeze retail prices. The Commerce Ministry has noted, however, that some sellers could reduce promotional…
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Phuket officials say local Sunday market rakes in 2 million baht a week
Phuket officials say that a weekly market in the island province’s main city district has raked in at least 2 million baht a week this month. A local leader said the famous “Lard Yai” Phuket Street Sunday Market has seen a jump in tourists visiting it every week, now that Thailand is slowly winding its tourism industry up again. The…
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Thai government mocked over clay stove proposal
Deputy PM and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow yesterday defended comments the nation should switch to using clay stoves to combat the energy crisis after the government was mocked on social media The Energy Ministry’s official Facebook page on Tuesday uploaded a picture of a stove (Tao Maha Setthee), with a caption saying ‘a charcoal stove is durable, helps save money,…
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Phuket public health office says smoking cannabis is legal, but…
Phuket’s Provincial Public Health Office today made a statement to clear up confusion surrounding new cannabis laws. Smoking cannabis is legal, so long as the smoke does not disturb anyone, according to the chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office Dr. Kusak Kukiatkul. Cannabis smoke is considered a “public nuisance” in Thailand, and smoking the plant in public places is…
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RGP adopts cost-saving tactics to sell condos for 1.2 million baht
Regent Green Power, a property developer known for inexpensive apartment units, is fighting back against the universal cost of living crisis to make prices more affordable for consumers. The Bangkok-based property business says it can build condominiums priced at or lower than 1.2 million baht, for about 25-30 square metres, in areas less than 500 metres from mass transportation. How…
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It’s official – face masks now voluntary in most places in Thailand
Any face mask confusion is now clarified by the publishing of the latest edict in the Royal Gazette. “The wearing of a mask is a voluntary practice from now onwards so that people can now live closer to normal conditions. The Ministry of Public Health only recommends that the general public wear a mask when living with other people in…
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VIDEO: Pattaya police rehearse controlling drunk tourists with metal poles
Pattaya police – armed with what look like giant litter pickers – gathered on Jomtien beach in Pattaya yesterday to prepare for encounters with “armed, drunk and aggressive foreign tourists.” The police asked a foreign beachgoer to volunteer as an armed, drunk and out of control tourist. Half a dozen policemen behind a riot shield approached the “tourist” and pinned…
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Thailand expects economy to grow 3% next year
The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council expects the Thai economy to grow by 3% next year, even if there is more tension between Ukraine and Russia. The council’s permanent secretary, Danucha Pitchayanan, says by coordinating with every country Thailand can grow despite the current choppy economical waters the world has to navigate. The 51 year old…
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Going Live soon | Thaiger Unfiltered for Charity
Here’s a chance for our viewers to ask Natty and Jay any questions they have and they will answer you with their honest responses unfiltered! Please be kind and appropriate
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4 suspects in wildlife trade arrested across Thailand
Environmental police arrested 4 suspected wildlife traders today in several provinces across Thailand. The Nonthaburi Provincial Court ordered arrest warrants for the group on June 14 on charges of colluding in illegal trading in wildlife and illegal possession of protected wild animals. Officers from Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression searched spots in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Ayutthaya, and…
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Police arrest 2 Iranian men for scamming people in Thailand
Police arrested 2 Iranian nationals today in Chanthaburi province, eastern Thailand. The men allegedly scammed people out of money on at least 2 occasions in Samut Songkhram province, southwest of Bangkok. The men would ask people to exchange banknotes, but then snatch the victim’s money and run off without giving anything in return. The 24 year old man and 32…
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Thailand develops cannabis test kits that detect THC levels in 15 minutes
Thailand took marijuana off its list of narcotics, but extracts with higher than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol – the “happy” chemical – are still illegal. The law was designed to discourage the recreational use of cannabis, but no one knew how it could be enforced, until now. Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences has developed marijuana test kits that detect THC levels in…
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Thailand’s parliament police petition against new uniforms
Thailand’s parliamentary police aren’t seeing the point of their new uniforms scheduled for next year. The country’s roughly 200 parliamentary police officers are usually issued with 2 sets of uniforms, each costing about 5,000 baht. The budget for new uniforms would altogether require at least 2 million baht. Yesterday, about 60 parliament police officers submitted a petition to House Speaker…
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Thai police say plan to change uniforms ‘a waste of money’
Plans to change the uniforms of parliament police, 6 months after they were issued with new ones, have been put on hold after officers objected, calling it “a waste of taxpayers’ money.” Sixty parliament police officers gathered at the parliament building, in Dusit district, yesterday to submit a letter to the President of the National Assembly, Chuan Leekpai, to oppose…
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Thai PM faces fourth censure motion next month
The next political challenge for Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is next month when a censure motion is put to the lower house by opposition MPs. The debate is scheduled for July 18 – 22 and there is no certainty how the votes will eventually fall at this time. Renegade MPs, new political factions, the PMs falling popularity and a looming…
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Thais face death penalty if they take cannabis-related products into Indonesia
The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, cautioned Thai people against taking cannabis and hemp into Indonesia as they could face the death penalty. The official Facebook page of the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta today uploaded a picture with a message saying, “The Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta would like to warn Thai people not to carry cannabis, hemp,…
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Expect more wind and rain in most of Thailand
Don’t forget your umbrella when you leave the house, because Thailand’s wind and rain isn’t going away anytime soon. It is the wet season after all. The country’s meteorological department announced that thundershowers are expected across the country today, with isolated rains and gusty winds too. In Northern Thailand, there will be scattered thundershowers in the Mae Hong Son, Chiang…
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Breaking the glass ceiling: Thai hotels push for gender equality at women’s hospitality event
As a study reveals that 90% of general managers in Thai hotels are men, an important event in Phuket aims to understand why women still encounter barriers to career progression. Gender equality is high on the agenda for Thai hotels as a hospitality event held recently in Phuket addressed the imbalance in the industry in leadership positions for highly qualified…
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Energy Ministry encourages consumers to use charcoal stoves to combat gas hike
The Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency has a solution to solve the recent gas hike: use a charcoal stove if cooking gas is too expensive. The department’s official Facebook page yesterday uploaded a picture of a stove, with a caption saying ‘a charcoal stove is durable, helps save money, uses less charcoal, and offers a lot of heat.”…
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2 year old foreign child in ICU after Pit Bill attack in Pattaya, Thailand
A 2 year old foreign boy is being treated in the ICU after he was mauled by a Pit Bull in Pattaya on Monday. The young child suffered a broken jaw, torn cheeks, and an open wound on his head which required 200 stitches. At 4pm on Monday, a foreign nanny took 2 foreign boys – aged 2 and 4…
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Getting rid of masks and revised closing times in Thailand – waiting for official rubber stamp
Whilst we might be rid of the Thailand Pass on July 1, there appears to be an administrative delay to the changes in mask requirements and changes to the closing times. In clarifying new face mask guidelines, Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesperson for CCSA says that all 77 provinces in Thailand would be redesignated as green zones. Previously there were…
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Thailand offers 5-year income tax exemption for foreign actors
The cabinet approved a 5-year personal income tax exemption for foreign film stars who earn income from foreign movies shot in Thailand. The government revealed they wanted to attract more film crews and expected the movie industry to generate about 17.5 billion baht over those 5 years. The PM’s Deputy Spokesperson, Ratchada Thanadirek, says that the government wants to encourage…
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