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 What is the 5 year visa for the digital nomad in Thailand?
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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Motorbike driver sustains serious injuries after dog walks into Pattaya road
A stray dog in Pattaya has wandered into the street and caused 33 year old Supanya Saeeunf to crash his motorbike. The man incurred serious injuries and his unnamed female passenger sustaining minor injuries. The dog was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders were called to the scene, a spot on Sukhumvit Road in front of a Big…
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Covid UPDATE Tuesday: 3,226 new infections, 26 deaths
Thailand’s public health ministry has reported 26 new Covid-related deaths and 3,226 new infections for today. 882 of the new infections were from prisons. • The Thai government has rescheduled the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines “16 weeks after the first dose”. This is instead of the previously announced 10 weeks. But they’re insisting the delay to the second vaccine…
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Former Finance Minister petitions to revoke approval of government’s 700 billion baht loan
A former politician, who served as Finance Minister from 2011 to 2012, is petitioning the Supreme Administrative Court to revoke approval for the government’s 700 billion baht loan. Cabinet recently approved an executive decree that allows the government to borrow the funds, in order to restore Thailand’s decimated economy and combat the Covid-19 crisis. Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala says he doesn’t object…
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Government adjusts timing of second dose as hospitals run low on AstraZeneca
The Thai government says the second dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can be administered 16 weeks after the first, instead of the standard 10 weeks. Officials insist the delay won’t have any negative impact, as reports circulate that hospitals are running out of AstraZeneca doses. Both Chulabhorn and Vachira hospitals have confirmed they are suspending inoculation with AstraZeneca indefinitely…
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Man’s body found in Pattaya lotus lagoon
A man’s body was found floating facedown in a lotus lagoon in Pattaya. Police are still investigating the cause of death, but say there were no signs of struggle. They suspect the man, later identified as 56 year old Narin Kongjaroen, died about 2 days before he was found. Narin’s neighbour, 64 year old Snae Boonmuang, found the body and contacted Banglamung…
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Thailand News Today | South African variant, private hospitals to offer vaccines | May 24
Officials in the border province of Narathiwat have sealed off 9 villages after 3 confirmed cases of the Covid variant first detected in South Africa, Private hospitals in Thailand say they are ordering 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying customers, foreign or Thai, who may want a different vaccine brand,
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Man arrested for allegedly posing as doctor to sell items in online scam
A 29 year old man was arrested after he allegedly posed as a doctor to sell face masks and other items, but did not deliver the orders. Victims say they paid for products the man advertised such as shoes, camera, phones and skateboards, but never received the orders. The man, identified as ‘Theerapon’, apparently would send a photo of himself…
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Trained dogs highly accurate at identifying Covid-19 infections, study shows
Dogs could replace temperature and infrared scanners at Covid-19 screening points. A new study shows that dogs can be trained to identify the coronavirus, even when people are asymptomatic. The dogs are more than 90% accurate, the study says. Socks and face masks from 200 people who tested positive for Covid-19 were collected by researchers from the London School of…
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Man arrested for alleged involvement in 600 million baht lottery ticket scam
Police arrested a man for his alleged involvement in a fraudulent lottery ticket scam which generated an estimated 600 million baht. More than 50 people say they fell victim to the scheme with some claiming they lost thousands of baht after they purchased lottery tickets online, but the tickets were never delivered. Wutthipat Lerlob allegedly coaxed people into investing in…
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Police shoot and kill suspected hitman and 16 year old in Chumphon
A suspected hitman was killed by police in the upper southern province Chumphon. Police say he was the most wanted hitman in the region. A 16 year old was also killed by police during the altercation and another man was injured. The suspected hitman, 43 year old Thirayut Chukaeo from Nakhon Si Thammarat, had 4 warrants out for his arrest…
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Chip shortage sees spike in new computer product prices
A global chip, or semiconductor shortage, is pushing new computer prices higher along with the demand for IT devices as more and more people turn to remote work and schooling. Somsak Pejthaveeporndej, chief executive of VST ECS Thailand, says the worldwide shortage includes integrated circuits that are used in a wide range of devices such as computers and IT products. Somsak…
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Private hospitals to order 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying customers
Private hospitals in Thailand say they are ordering 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying clients who may want a different vaccine brand. Thailand’s Private Hospital Association, which includes more than 200 private hospitals across the country, is reviewing orders for the vaccine from its members and will order the vaccines through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. Officials say private hospitals…
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Experts say a choice in Covid-19 vaccines will help boost immunity against variants
A choice in Covid-19 vaccines is being touted by health experts as a way to help protect against virus variants. Such experts are calling on the Thai government to include a variety of brands in its national vaccination drive after the South African variant was discovered in the South last Saturday. The B.1.351 variant is thought to be the most…
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Phetchaburi factory sees more than 2,000 infections, field hospital on the way
After a Phetchaburi province factory has seen Covid-19 infections go from 682 to more than 2,000, a field hospital is on the way to help treat infected workers. The Cal-Comp Electronics factory in the southern province’s Khao Yai district features 781 Thai workers, while the rest are from Myanmar and other countries. Authorities say the 2,111 infections are expected to…
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Can Thailand be ready to open on July 1? | VIDEO
So here we are, about 5 weeks away from Thailand re-opening, again, to general travel. Except for the much publicised busload or two of Chinese tourists who have graced our shores over the past 6 months, tourism, has been very patchy. Well, statistically a lot closer to non-existent. Except for domestic travel, which the Thai government have been pumping up…
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Suan Dusit Poll: most people will get gov’t Covid-19 vaccine
A new Suan Dusit Poll this week reveals that a majority of people in Thailand are willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by whatever shot is available from the government. The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, surveyed 2,644 people online throughout Thailand between May 17 and May 20 about their opinions on the government’s push to vaccinate people…
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Doctor urges Pfizer, Moderna vaccine to fight B.1.351 variant
Reacting to the news that the B.1.351 variant of Covid-19 (commonly nicknamed the South African variant) has now been found in Thailand, a senior doctor at the Siriraj Centre of Research Excellence Management has called upon the government to obtain Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine as quickly as possible. In a Facebook post yesterday, the doctor suggested that…
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Happy Birthday? 7 year anniversary of coup in Thailand
Yesterday markED the 7th anniversary of the coup in which the National Council for Peace and Order took control of Thailand and Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, then chief of the Thai Army, rose to power. Differing opinions persist as regards progress for Thailand in the last 7 years and also the failings of the Thai ‘government’ since the coup. Some argue…
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B.1.351 South African Covid-19 variant found in Thailand
Like the world’s most morbid bingo game, Thailand can mark off B.1.351 on its Covid-19 scorecard. The strain of Coronavirus, sometimes called the South African variant, has been detected in undocumented migrants working in the southern province of Narathiwat. After studying samples collected May 13 from the cluster in the Tak Bai district, the Covid-19 Network Investigations group and independent…
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Covid Sunday UPDATE: 3,382 new infections and 17 deaths
This morning the public health ministry has announced 3,382 new cases of Covid-19 and 17 new deaths across Thailand. The daily numbers, again, are oddly statistically consistent with the daily toll around 1,900 – 2,500 for the past month (with few variations). Although the daily totals, even without the prison numbers, are slowly creeping up, mostly as a result of…
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Covid UPDATE: 3,052 new cases, 24 Covid-related deaths, provincial totals
This morning the public health ministry added another 3,052 infections and 24 new Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. Out of today’s new cases, 605 came from the country’s prisons where major clusters have emerged. The daily totals, even without the prison numbers, show a slow upward trend in new cases, the vast majority around Bangkok in high-density housing…
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Details released on how foreigners can sign up for vaccine
According to new details from the ministry of Public Health, Thailand will begin vaccine registrations for foreigners and expats on June 7. With growing outbreaks and Covid-19 spreading through workers and the general population, the government is setting their agenda and targets based on Covid-19 risk, regardless of nationalities. The government had officially set vaccination rollout as a top priority…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 3,052 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths
This morning the public health ministry has added another 3,052 infections and 24 new Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. Out of today’s new cases, 605 came from the country’s prisons where major clusters have emerged. The daily totals, even without the prison numbers, show a slow upward trend in new cases, the vast majority around Bangkok in high-density…
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Thailand focuses on international, but needs domestic tourism
With Covid-19 closing borders for more than a year, the damage from losing international tourism has revealed a major weakness in Thailand’s overall tourism strategy. With up to 18% of the country’s GDP brought in by tourism, the disproportionate dependence on foreign travellers and lack of attention to domestic tourism has ravaged the industry and the national economy. Thailand had…
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Get vaccinated, win a cow: Chiang Mai district starts vaccine incentive campaign
A district in Chiang Mai has launched a campaign to help entice residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19… a chance to win a live cow. Each week for the rest of the year, the Mae Chaem district will give away a young cow. To enter the raffle, residents have to be vaccinate against the coronavirus. Since the start of the…
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15 workers in Bangkok test positive for Covid variant first found in India
Workers at a construction camp in Bangkok tested positive for the Covid-19 variant first detected in India. The only other cases reported in Thailand involving the B.1.617 strain were a mother and her 4 year old son who both tested positive for the virus while in quarantine after travelling from Pakistan. Many of the workers at the camp in the…
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CCSA proposes extending Thailand’s State of Emergency for another 2 months
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is proposing an extension of the nationwide Emergency Decree for another 2 months. At a meeting today, the CCSA and Public Health Ministry noted that it may take until the end of July to bring the latest Covid wave under control. The last declaration of a State of Emergency has been in place since…
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Covid UPDATE: 3,481 new cases and 32 deaths, provincial totals
3,481 new Covid-19 cases and 32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. There are now 42,827 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 123,066 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 735 virus-related deaths. Out of the new cases, 1,036 infections were…
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China provides vaccine doses for citizens living in Thailand
In a global Covid-19 immunization campaign, China has sent vaccine doses to Thailand to have Chinese citizens inoculated under Beijing’s “Spring Sprout” programme. A vaccination site under the programme is already up and running in Bangkok. The Associated Press says China had donated 500,000 doses, and Thailand then agreed to vaccinate Chinese expats. Around 150,000 Chinese nationals live in Thailand. “Spring…
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Government confirms 3 channels for vaccine registration
The Thai government says people (Thais) can avail of 3 channels to register for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout which begins on June 1. In addition, spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri says there will be no “walk-in” vaccination centres, after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha stopped the programme. The PM says Thai nationals seeking a Covid-19 vaccine will be able to register through the Mor…
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