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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai tourism industry demands Covid restrictions to be lifted, PM urges caution
The Thai Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on all 77 provincial governments to do everything they can to reduce the spread of the latest Covid surge in Thailand. There has been more than 18,000 new infections over the past 2 days. Today, Thailand logged 18,953 official new cases with numerous additional un-official cases which have been registered from ATK tests. So…
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Thailand will purchase stealth jets if United States okays
Thailand will purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets if the United States approves it. In January, Thailand set aside US$413 million for four jets, but one Thai air marshal said Thailand wants to buy as many as eight. A US State Department spokesperson said the department doesn’t confirm or comment on proposed transfers or sales until congress has been formally…
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Jaguar car explodes into flames on Bangkok expressway
Bangkok police are investigating why a black Jaguar car exploded into flames on the Charlerm Maha Nakhon Expressway last night. The driver and passengers escaped and weren’t physically hurt, but they were traumatised. The driver said they smelled diesel fumes, then saw smoke, and then the car lit on fire. He said he didn’t leave the car in any suspicious…
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Rights groups urge United States to ban fishing nets made by Thai prisoners
A December investigation by the the Thomson Reuters foundation discovered that jails across Thailand are illegally forcing prisoners to make fishing nets for private companies, including those that export to the United States. Former prisoners Reuters interviewed said guards beat them, disallowed them to shower, and pushed back their release dates if they didn’t meet strict targets. Now, Thai and…
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Thai officials talk of replacing second PCR test for Test & Go entry with ATK
Day 5 requirements of Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme has been discouraging some potential tourists from travelling to Thailand. Not only is a second RT-PCT test needed on the fifth day of their stay (the first test on arrival), but travellers are required to book a night at a hotel approved by the Safety and Health Administration while the…
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Elephant crossing! 35 new road signs warn Kanchanaburi drivers not to hit elephants
After a pickup truck hit and killed an elephant on a Kanchanaburi highway in January, 35 new elephant crossing signs have been posted along that highway, a wildlife sanctuary chief told the Bangkok Post yesterday. Elephants regularly cross this highway, Highway 1399, to move between different feeding areas. The signs warn drivers that the speed limit is 60 kilometres per…
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7 arrested for alleged sex with underage girls, police looking for more suspects
Seven people were arrested for allegedly having sex with underage girls in the southern province of Surat Thani. A 14 year old girl also faces human trafficking charges for allegedly enticing other teen girls into prostitution. With one of the suspects being the son of a politician, Police Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn, known as “Big Joke,” says all suspects will…
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Launch of Bangkok’s two new electric rail lines delayed
Due to construction material complications, the debut of Bangkok’s two new electric rail lines, the Yellow and Pink lines, scheduled for later this year, is likely to be pushed back until no later than next year, according to Bangkok Mass Transit System. The delay will give contractors extra time to deal with obstacles and hurdles in importing construction materials from…
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Thai Deputy PM says foreigners should be encouraged to say “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”
Thailand’s capital can still be called “Bangkok,” but one of Thailand’s deputy prime minister says foreigners should be encouraged to say the formal name “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”. In a recent, what the Office of the Royal Society calls a “clarification,” the capital’s official name was documented as “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok).” Many reports say this is a change…
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Thai officials say to “look out for” illegal migrant workers amidst Covid-19 surge
This morning, a government spokesman said people in border provinces have been told to “look out for” illegal migrant workers as governors prepare for an increase in Covid-19 infections. He also said people should report “suspicious looking strangers” to authorities. He said police and labour officials have been told to check and make sure factories aren’t hiring illegal migrants, and…
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Firefighters rescue woman from burning coffee shop in Phuket
Firefighters rescued a terrified woman from a burning coffee shop in Phuket yesterday afternoon. The woman couldn’t move because she was frozen in shock. Even though about 70% of the building was damaged, no one was injured. The firefighters took almost an hour to stop the fire, and police and firefighters both are now investigating what started it. The coffee…
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Thai durian farmers prepare to face China’s zero-Covid-19 policy at the border, again
Durian growers in Thailand are preparing for stringent import checks with their biggest buyer — China, as the country continues to enforce its zero-Covid-19 policy at the border. Last year, Thailand exported more than 875 thousand tonnes of its pungent yellow fruit to China by land, sea and air, generating an estimated 3.4 billion USD, according to the Department of…
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More than 100 monkeys tied in bags, trapped in cages rescued from home
More than 100 baby macaque monkeys were found at an abandoned home in Saraburi, some tied up in bags. One was dead. Some locked in plastic carriers were weak from hunger and thirst. Police suspect the home was being for storage by a wildlife smuggling gang preparing to transport and sell the monkeys across the border where the animals would…
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Move Forward MP accuses government of hiding spread of African Swine Fever
A Move Forward MP accused the government of covering up the spread of African Swine Fever in a parliamentary debate yesterday. The MP, Padipat Suntiphada, said ASF spread across the country in 2020 as a direct result of the government covering it up when it first hit in 2019. When the disease was first discovered, 300,000 pigs died either from…
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Anutin says government needs to balance public health needs with economic recovery
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says the country needs to balance economic recovery with the need to protect public health. Anutin Charnvirakul was addressing a Bangkok Post conference yesterday when he said striking the right balance is a priority for the government. Covid-19 infection numbers are currently soaring as a result of the highly-contagious Omicron variant, but Anutin expects the infection…
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Tourism operators submit letter to PM calling for all entry restrictions to be lifted
A number of groups representing tourism operators in the south and east of the country, as well as the Thai Hotels Association, are calling for all entry restrictions to be lifted from next month. The Bangkok Post reports that the groups have written an open letter to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and other government officials, calling for the country to be…
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Man rescued after hanging from cliff overnight, held up by shirt tied to trees
A man was rescued after he hanged from a high cliff in Phattalung for almost two days, using his shirt to tie himself to the vines, stems, and roots. He was spotted by tourists by the Khao Hua Chang Reservoir and more than 50 people teamed up for the hours-long rescue effort. On Tuesday, 47 year old Amnuay Rattanachotiyo decided…
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Thai Cabinet “okays” 5 year plan to lower tobacco consumption
Thailand is going a step further than the graphic (and disturbing) photos on packs of cigarettes to discourage the public from smoking. The Thai Cabinet has approved a five-year road map focusing on lowering tobacco consumption to help improve overall public health. The plan, with a 498 million baht budget, will start this year and end in 2027. The plan to…
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Another leak found in underwater oil pipeline off the Rayong coast
Another oil leak in the pipeline off the coast of Rayong has been reported by the Star Petroleum Refining Public Company, which has sent a letter to the Map Ta Phut Provincial Police Station asking permission to repair the pipe and prevent further environmental damage. Since late January, oil leaking from the pipes have polluted Rayong’s Mae Ramphueng Beach, with…
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Teenager allegedly strangles grandmother to death in Isaan
A teenager in Thailand’s Isaan region, with the help of her boyfriend, allegedly strangled her 62 year old grandmother to death and then dumped the body in a garbage bin, leaving it in a forest by a roadside in another province. Reports in Thai media say the suspects admitted to killing the grandmother because they want to steal 100,000 baht…
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3 workers killed in structure collapse at One Bangkok construction site
Three workers were killed and four others injured when a structure collapsed at a construction site for the luxury complex One Bangkok, which is said to be the biggest real estate project in Thailand with a budget of more than 120 billion baht. The massive project has paused construction following orders from the Bangkok Labor Protection and Welfare Office and the…
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Tourist questioned by police, Phuket taxi drivers said he was driving a “service vehicle”
A Russian tourist was taken to a police station in Phuket for questioning after local taxi drivers reported that the man was driving throughout the island province, claiming he was picking up passengers. The tourist was just driving his family members, but the car he rented ended up being registered as a service vehicle. Both the owner of the vehicle…
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Phuket governor attends Makha Bucha Day ceremony
The governor of Phuket went to a temple ceremony for Makha Bucha Day yesterday. The governor and other Phuket officials dressed in white and listened to a monk give a sermon about how to apply the principles of Buddhism to their everyday lives. Buddhists often call these principles Dhamma. Attendees later paraded around the ordination hall three times as an…
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PM Prayut orders Thailand Pass to be improved, says tourists are essential
After some glitches with the Thailand Pass, which is required to enter the country, the system is being improved to make it more convenient for those travelling to Thailand. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered government agencies to quickly fix the system to ensure there are no delays with the approval process, adding that foreign tourism is essential for reviving Thailand’s economy,…
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Pattaya tourism officials pin hopes on proposed travel bubble with India
Pattaya is looking to India to salvage what’s left of tourism during the forthcoming low season, as Thailand plans a travel bubble with the South Asian nation. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is preparing a marketing plan targeting would-be visitors from India. The country is one of the few short-haul markets that doesn’t require…
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Bangkok officials set up another 1,000 isolation beds amid surge in infections
As Covid-19 infection numbers surge in Bangkok, officials have set up another 1,000 beds in isolation facilities across the capital. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has instructed all 50 district offices to create more community isolation facilities. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang says the additional isolation facilities will help ease the burden on hospitals and the…
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Despite Covid-19, tourism authorities still optimistic about this coming year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping its chin up, and has high hopes for tourism income this year. The TAT governor told the Bangkok Post today he hopes to target wealthy travellers, skilled professionals, and remote workers. The target age groups include millenials and retirees alike. He says the goal for tourism this year is to earn the country…
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Amnesty says Thailand’s attempts to expel it should serve as a warning to other NGOs
The human rights organisation Amnesty International says the government’s attempts to kick it out of the country should serve as a warning to other non-governmental organisations operating in Thailand. Kyle Ward, Amnesty’s deputy secretary general, says the calls for expulsion can be linked to a new draft law that seeks to intensify scrutiny of NGOs operating in Thailand. He says…
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Thailand’s crazy cannabis laws explained
Thailand’s recent changes to the laws around cannabis have sparked confusion across the country, with many questioning, “Is weed legal now?” Well.. not the weed that will cause a high. There’s a limit on the plant’s psychoactive component, known as THC, so you won’t get stoned when you order a cannabis-infused tea or dish topped with a pot leaf. Those…
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Bangkok to be officially named “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”
The official for Thailand’s capital is in the process of being changed to its more formal name “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon,” but its common name “Bangkok” will still be recognised. The Thai Cabinet approved the name change in principle, but the order still needs to be vetted by government officials. Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or “Krung Thep” as most Thais…
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