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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Police issue warning over rumoured death of officer who leaked custody killing footage
Thai police have hit back at unsubstantiated rumours of the death of a police officer who leaked footage of a suspect allegedly being killed in custody. National police spokesperson Yingyong Thepjamnong has described the claims as, “fake news” and warned that those behind them could face prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. Claims that a junior officer named as Tossaporn…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 190 deaths and 14,666 new cases
190 coronavirus related-deaths were reported today, a decline over the past few weeks as the daily Covid death count has been in the 200s and hit a high of 312 on August 18. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 14,666 new Covid-19 cases and 19,245 recoveries in the 24-hour period since the last count. Thailand now has 171,368 active Covid-19 cases,…
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Anti-government protesters arrested after police officer injured at weekend rally
Following Sunday’s anti-government protest in Bangkok, 2 activists have been arrested after video footage allegedly showed them injuring a police officer. The Bangkok Post reports that the pair are among a total of 27 protesters arrested, according to Pakapong Pongpetra from the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He says 13 of the detainees are minors and 2 are women. Sunday’s rally began…
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Vaccination not required for dining in at restaurants in dark red provinces
In a contradiction of earlier reports, patrons will not need to be fully vaccinated in order to dine in at restaurants in the dark red zones. The announcement by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has been published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The Bangkok Post reports that restaurant customers will not need to pass a Covid-19 test…
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Autopsy report confirms man who died in police custody died of suffocation
A newly-released autopsy report confirmed that Jirapong Thanaphiphat, the man who died in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan province, died of suffocation and not of a drug overdose. The same hospital, Sawanpracharak Hospital, initially supported the police’s account of the man’s death that he died of a drug overdose, according to Coconuts Bangkok. Jirapong’s body was cremated earlier this…
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Thailand tourism officials call for restrictions on Indian tourists to be lifted
Tourism officials say Thailand should allow Indian tourists to visit the country again as the Covid-19 situation in India has significantly improved. There have been no commercial flights between Thailand and India since April when Thai authorities suspended the issuance of Certificates of Entry, which are mandatory to enter the country, to Indian nationals due to the emergence of the…
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Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry patents mouthwash they claim reduces chances of spreading Covid
There may be a new way to reduce your risk of contracting Covid besides washing your hands, social distancing, and following Covid safe sex guidelines. Mahidol University’s Faculty of Dentistry has recently patented a mouthwash that reduces the user’s chances of spreading Covid by targeting their saliva. The mouthwash was created by researchers at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine…
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Man allegedly shoots and kills co-worker because he wouldn’t turn down the radio
A man at a golf cart repair shop allegedly shot and killed his co-worker who had told him to turn down his radio. 46 year old Pongthep Phloiprasong was listening to his radio at the shop run by the Thai police in Phitsanulok’s Phrom Phiram district Sunday night. Witnesses say 37 year old Te Aw, a Burmese national, told him to…
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9 year old Israeli boy on Koh Phangan dies from box jellyfish sting
Officials are warning swimmers in Koh Phangan of the presence of box jellyfish after a 9 year old Israeli boy died after being stung while he was at a popular beach with his family. Thai authorities say they are now coming up with a long term plan to prevent potentially deadly encounters with box jellyfish. The Israeli boy and his family…
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Daily protests to continue indefinitely until PM resigns, according to protesters
Anti-government activists have vowed that protests will take place around the country every day and go on indefinitely until the Thai PM resigns. Protest leaders Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar were speaking following the conclusion of a peaceful “car mob” rally, which ended in the central province of Pathum Thani. The rally had begun at the Kasetsart intersection near Kasetsart…
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Nakhon Si Thammarat man rushed to the hospital after crab claw pieces got stuck in his throat
A grandfather in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat was rushed to the hospital after he swallowed a crab claw and sharp pieces got stuck in his throat. The man’s doctor shared the story to his Facebook. Dr Arak Wongworachat says the man came into the Sichon Hospital over the weekend after the man’s family rushed him to…
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Government says rate of Covid-19 infections on the decline
A government spokesman says there are signs the daily rate of new infections is on the decline, with recovered patients outnumbering new cases for the last 10 days. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says that while the Delta variant is contributing to the high infection rate, he’s confident the number of daily new cases will continue to fall. Today, Thailand has reported 15,972…
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CCSA Covid-19 plan: domestic vaccines, “learning to live with it”
Facing the emergence of the Delta variant and surge of Covid-19 infections, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to be accepting the idea that Thailand may never be rid of the Coronavirus. He proposed a shift in focus for the government at a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting on Friday, suggesting a “learn to live with it” strategy. Sources at Government…
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Thailand to get Covid-19 foreign aid from China and Korea
While a government spokesperson announced that Thailand expects to have 140 million Covid-19 vaccines received in the country by the end of the year, many wondered with the slow rollout so far exactly where all these vaccines are coming from. Today we received a hint as foreign aid was offer by both China and South Korea who announced donations of…
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UK residents cancel reservations, flee Phuket, following Thailand’s inclusion on the “red list”
Phuket hotels are reporting a rise in cancellations from England, as well as current guests checking out early to eschew expense self-quarantining when they go back to the U.K. Last week, the country famous for James Bond and Jack the Ripper announced its plans to move Thailand from its amber list to its red list, starting tomorrow. The move is…
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Poll shows many Thai residents don’t think the lockdown has been successful
According to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, most respondents think the partial lockdown to curb the spread of Covid has been unsuccessful. The NIDA poll was done through phone interviews between August 23 and August 26 with 1,312 respondents that were 18… and older. They had a variety of education levels, vocations, and reside throughout the…
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Covid UPDATE: 264 deaths, provincial totals
16,536 new infections over the past 24 hours across Thailand. New infections in Bangkokl continue to drop although other provinces are still worrisome for officials, including Samut Prakan, Chon Buri and Rayong, to the east of the city. In the southern region, Phuket features with the province having the most new infections, over 200 new cases for the first time…
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140 million Covid vaccines expected this year, says Government
Up to 140 million Covid vaccines are anticipated to arrive in Thailand this year as the nation pushes to vaccinate more residents, says a government spokesperson today. The spokesperson adds that the pandemic is showing some signs of easing. Currently, Thailand is struggling with the Delta variant which has proven more transmissible than the Alpha variant. Although Covid cases are…
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Thitisan Utthanaphon denies all accusations against him
Thitisan Utthanaphon is denying all accusations against him concerning his role in the alleged torture/murder of a drug suspect in police custody in northern Thailand’s Nakhon Sawan’s main city police station, according to his lawyer. Thitisan’s lawyer, Chokechai Angkaew, says Thitisan denied the accusations while he was being questioned. Chokechai adds that Thitisan, aka. “Jo Ferrari” has vowed to fight…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 264 deaths, news briefs
New infection numbers across the country continue to drop in today’s report from the past 24 hours across Thailand. New infections in the capital continue to drop although other provinces are still worrisome for officials, including Samut Prakan, Chon Buri and Rayong, to the east of the city. In the southern region, Phuket features with the province having the most…
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Fears police chief Thitisan won’t be held accountable for murder
Many, especially on social media, have expressed worries that Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon will escape harsh punishment or perhaps any punishment at all. With the hashtag #StopLyingJoe trending on Thai Twitter yesterday and the bizarre press conference allowing the now-fired police officer to speak to the public and defend his actions, many believe that after his surrender Thursday,…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 292 new deaths, news briefs
The public health department have announced 292 Covid-related deaths in Thailand over the past 24 hours. There’s also been an additional 17,984 new infections announced, 324 of them from the Thai prison system. 5,109 patients are still in a serious condition with 1,069 people on artificial respiration. 20,535 patients have been released from state care across the country. 669,189 Covid…
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Court approves Thitisan custody extension, investigate further
As police in the Crime Suppression Division continue their investigation into Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon, the Nakhon Sawan court approved an extension to keep him in custody for 12 days. The Muang district police say they need time as they still have 10 witnesses to question. In Thai law, an indictment must be made as quickly as possible,…
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New York TAT says US travellers look for trips without quarantine
The New York Office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that Americans who are fully vaccinated are looking to travel to destinations without complex restrictions. American travellers are looking away from previously popular destinations like Europe and Canada, and when they look for tropical beach destinations, quarantine-free destinations like the Maldives and the Caribbean are drawing the customers that…
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Field hospital raided after reports of Covid patients doing drugs, having group sex
Police raided a field hospital in central Thailand after reports that the Covid-19 patients were doing drugs and having orgies. A staff member at the field hospital in Samut Prakan, just southwest of Bangkok, told police the patients engaging in group sex and getting into fights where some patients were injured. Officers from the Internal Security Operations Command dressed in…
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Restrictions eased in “dark red” provinces; new “Covid Free” initiative
“Thai officials are shifting their focus to work on ways the public can safely live with the presence of the coronavirus rather than trying to completely eradicate it.” Disease control measures are easing in Thailand’s “dark red” provinces, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today. Starting September 1, the ban on interprovincial public transportation will be lifted, restaurants will…
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Friday Covid Update: 18,702 new cases; provincial totals
18,702 new Covid-19 cases and 273 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total number of cases since the start of the pandemic to 1,139,571 and the Covid death toll in Thailand to 10,587. The latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,110,708 of the cases…
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4-day no-confidence debate for PM Prayut set for August 31
Dates have now been set for in-depth debate over the move to censure PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as opposition moves for a vote of no-confidence. The debates are now set to begin on August 31 and continue over the course of 4 days, ending September 3 and will then be followed by a vote on September 4. The decision came from…
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Government asks opposition not to invite public to vote to remove PM from office
A government spokesman has asked the opposition Pheu Thai party to drop its plan to invite the public to vote on the PM’s removal from office. Thai PBS World reports that the opposition party is planning to ask the public to cast their votes online during, or shortly after, a no confidence debate against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 5 of…
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Friday Covid Update: 18,702 new cases and 273 deaths
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,702 new Covid-19 cases and 273 coronavirus-related cases today. Since April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,110,708 Covid-19 infections. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 20,163 recoveries were reported. Thailand now has 185,200 active Covid-19 cases. With the latest and most severe wave on a downward trend, there…
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