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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Mario Kleff designed the longest steel box girder used in residential construction in Thailand
It was early March 2022 in Pattaya when the delivery of 50 tons worth of custom fabricated steel, in the form of box girders and cellular beams arrived at the Majestic Residence construction site, Khao Phra Tamnak. The architect Mario Kleff and his construction company Wandeegroup Asia Co Ltd continue to set new standards in residential construction in Pattaya and…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,943 new cases; provincial totals
69 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,369 with 1,671 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 18,943 new Covid-19 cases and 25,005 recoveries. There are now 224,328 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Som tum seller arrested for allegedly luring Thai women into sex work in Malaysia
A som tum vendor in Bangkok was arrested on sex trafficking charges for allegedly luring a woman into prostitution in Malaysia. The victim had contacted the Royal Thai Embassy in Malaysia for help after she got caught up in a prostitution ring. Authorities helped send her back to Thailand. The victim provided information to the Anti Human Trafficking Division, saying…
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Motocross rider dies, another injured after falling from cliff in Chiang Mai
A motocross rider died and another was severely injured after driving off a cliff in Chiang Mai and falling more than 50 metres. The two were on a motocross trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and were driving near the scenic village Mae Kampong and up to a mountain viewpoint when they fell from the cliff. The riders were going…
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Will Songkran be wet or dry? CCSA to discuss restrictions on March 18
The question of whether or not to allow massive water fights to celebrate Songkran, the Thai New Year, will be discussed on March 18 at a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. The celebrations with water guns and splashing have been called off for the past two years to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Recently, the Department of Disease Control…
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US government tells citizens to avoid travel to Hong Kong, New Zealand – and Thailand
Americans are being told to avoid travel to Thailand, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, due to the rise in Covid-19 infections in each country. According to a Reuters report, the travel advisory was issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has raised its travel alert for Thailand to “Level Four: Very High”. In total, the US…
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Thai government looking at ways to help stranded Ukrainian, Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform, according…
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The Backpacker Murders Of Koh Tao. What Really Happened There?
We’ve all heard about the 2014 backpacker murders of two British tourists in Koh Tao, Thailand. Although Koh Tao is one of the most beautiful islands in Thailand, it has always been shrouded by a dark mystery. What really happened there? Tim Newton talks with Sue Buchanan on her new upcoming book ‘The curse of the turtle’ which is regarding…
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Monk survives 50 metre fall inside mountain cave in Kanchanaburi
A monk fell 50 metres down into a cave and was rescued after a 10-hour mission. Reports say 29 year old Phra Thada was descending into the cave when a rope on the ladder snapped, hurling him down to the cave floor. He suffered serious injuries to his hips and legs. The monk, from a temple in the Khlong San…
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Excessive news consumption causes stress – Thailand’s Department of Mental Health
Don’t read too much news, at least that’s what Thailand’s Department of Mental Health is saying. The spokesperson told the media the department concerned with Thais that obsessively monitoring the news and social media updates to the point of stress, particularly while major events are occurring. The warning from the department comes at a time when the investigation into the…
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Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in Yala to take off on March 14
Commercial flights at Thailand’s newest airport in the southern province Yala are set to take off on March 14. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the first flight to Yala’s Betong Airport will depart from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport this month. The new airport is a part of the government’s strategy to strengthen the economy and stability in the three southern provinces,…
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Monk gives residents 200 baht each after winning 18 million baht lottery
A monk won the top Thai government lottery prize of 18 million baht and is now giving the money away to locals, other temples, and various organisations. The monk in the northern province Nakhon Phanom says he doesn’t usually buy lottery tickets as monks shouldn’t join any kinds of gambling, but says he recently bought a ticket to help a…
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Cannabis is Thailand’s “secret weapon” to bring back tourists, health official says
One public health official says Thailand has a “secret weapon” to bring back tourists… It’s cannabis. Some experts and officials hope that decriminalising marijuana, alongside declaring Covid-19 as endemic, will help tourism in Thailand bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. The public health official made the statement over the weekend at a medical marijuana conference at Surin’s Rajamangala University of Technology.…
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Homeless man allegedly stabs Japanese man in Bangkok’s Nana area
Police officers arrested a Thai man for stabbing a Japanese expat in Bangkok’s Nana area on Sukhumvit Soi 13. Reports say the suspect ran down to Soi 19 with a bloody knife still in his hand. An officer shot him with a stun gun before detaining him. On Saturday, the man allegedly stabbed the 36 year old Japanese businessman in…
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Bystander struck in the head by rubber bullet in Bangkok rally dies
A 64 year old man who had been struck by a rubber bullet fired during one of the violent clashes with police at Bangkok’s Din Daeng area back in August died after several months of being bedridden. The Din Daeng area had been the site of numerous clashes between police and anti-government protesters, particularly a young group called “Thalugas” which…
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Prices for instant noodles, condensed milk to rise next month
Prices for instant noodles and condensed milk are set to rise next month as the Ukraine-Russia conflict has affected imports and exports in Thailand, according to the Ministry of Thai Commerce. The ministry says that the situation could cause inflation, but says the state would try to control the price of food and necessary products as much as possible. Commerce…
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Monday Covid Update: 21,162 new cases; provincial totals
65 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,300 with 1,602 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,162 new Covid-19 cases and 23,159 recoveries. There are now 230,459 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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National police chief suspects Tangmo’s death was an accident
Thailand’s national police chief says the death of actress Tangmo seems to have been an accident. He says evidence shows the death of the celebrity in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River appears to have been an accident. An autopsy report shows the actress died from drowning. Her body also had a large cut on her leg, possibly from the speedboat’s propellor.…
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Hospital in Bangkok interrupts funeral, says they accidentally gave the wrong corpse
Staff from a hospital in Bangkok interrupted a funeral right before the cremation ceremony to tell the family that they had accidentally given them the wrong corpse. After discovering that the wrong corpse had been given away, staff from the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok quickly went to the ceremony and told the family “the corpses were switched!” The husband of…
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Phuket, Krabi resorts no longer accepting credit cards from Russian guests
Resorts and hotels in tourist destinations such as Krabi and Phuket are no longer accepting credit cards from Russian guests, according to a Thai PBS World report. The decision comes after 7 Russian banks were excluded from the SWIFT financial global messaging system, leaving many Russians overseas unable to use their credit cards. Card providers Mastercard and Visa have also…
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“Joe Ferrari” objects to presence of human rights observers at torture-murder trial
Former police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon is calling for human rights observers to be blocked from attending his trial for torture and murder. Thitisan, who has been nicknamed “Joe Ferrari” because of the lavish lifestyle he lived and the luxury cars he accumulated while on a policeman’s salary, has asked the Criminal Court to stop the rights observers from attending his…
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Health ministry says Covid-19 could be considered endemic in Thailand by July
Thailand’s health ministry believes the Covid-19 situation will have improved sufficiently for the illness to be considered endemic by July. According to a Nation Thailand report, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the situation continues to improve, paving the way for the virus to be moved from pandemic to endemic status by the middle of the year. He adds that PM…
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Walkway connecting Bangkok parks will be renovated in September
A walkway connecting Bangkok’s Lumpini and Benjakitti parks will be renovated in September. The walkway was first built in 1999. The renovation will give it better biking and running lanes, with flowers lining the sides. There will even be a park, as well as a rest area. The walkway is being referred to as the ‘green bridge’, and the Bangkok…
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Should Foreigners Still Come To Live and Retire In Thailand?
Thailand has always been popular as a country to come to live and retire. Many foreign retirees could come to Thailand and live a pretty good life. However, since the exchange rate has tightened up and the covid 19 pandemic, how has that effected retirees living in Thailand? Tim sits with Ben Hart from Integrity legal to find out more…
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Russians in Phuket granted 1 month extension to stay
Despite Russia banning Facebook in the country just 2 days ago, the Russian Consulate in Phuket has posted on its own Facebook page yesterday to announce that Russian citizens in Phuket can stay at least month longer than the original date on their visa. To do this, Russian travellers must go to Phuket immigration with their original letter from the…
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Russian embassy warns Thais “don’t fight with Ukrainians”, threatens prosecution
Yesterday, the Embassy of Russia in Bangkok posted on Facebook urging Thais not to join the Ukrainian military. The post was originally in Russian, but viewers can see a translated version in English. The embassy alleges that under international law, such ‘merceneries’ who join Ukrainian forces are not qualified as combatants, and have no status as prisoners of war. It…
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Paypal will still work in Thailand until the end of the year
After Paypal warned of suspending its services in Thailand starting March 7, the company announced yesterday that it will in fact keep providing services in the country until the end of the year. Paypal had warned it would close services in Thailand after Thai authorities wanted it to verify all users’ identities, in order to prevent money laundering. But now,…
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Thailand ‘worried’ about Ukraine violence, humanitarian crisis, representative tells UN
After Thailand backed a UN resolution against Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the country’s Permanent Representative said it is ‘worried’ about the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine. At a special session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the representative said the violence will impact the rest of the world as well. “…will cause wider impacts for…
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Pattaya’s struggling entertainment sector calls for later closing times
Entertainment officials in Pattaya say the tourism economy would improve if the closing time for venues serving alcohol was 1am instead of the current 11pm. The secretary of the Pattaya Association of Entertainment Venue Operators told the Bangkok Post many pubs, bars, and karaoke parlours have delayed reopening as restaurants as they believe having an 11pm closing time would restrict…
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