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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Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Cannabis flowers to become a “controlled herb” in Thailand
In response to public concern about recreational abuse of cannabis since its decriminalisation last week, Thailand’s Health Minister has signed a ministerial regulation to make cannabis flowers – the part of the plant with high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol – a “controlled herb.” The legislation specifies who is and isn’t allowed to access the THC-rich flowers. The legislation will come into…
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In midst of price inflation, Thailand to freeze prices on dozens of products
In the midst of the world’s overwhelming price inflation, Thailand plans to freeze the prices of 46 items. The items are grouped into 9 categories, which are: paper and paper products, transport-related products, farm-related products, petroleum products, medicines, construction materials, “important” farm products, consumer products and food. The items include bicycle and car tires, motorcycles and trucks, water pumps, fertiliser,…
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Thailand Pass, Bars, Masks: The Thaiger’s predictions for tomorrow’s CCSA meeting
Tomorrow, Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, will meet to discuss the fate of Thailand Pass, “zones,” closing times of entertainment venues, mask-wearing and temperature checks. Keep a close eye on the Thaiger tomorrow to see if our predictions are correct… Thailand Pass Currently, non-Thai travellers entering Thailand are required to obtain a Thailand Pass QR code prior…
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Police arrest suspects in illegal lending network across Thailand
Police across Thailand have arrested 29 alleged members of an online illegal lending network. Police from the Economic Crime Suppression Division said small-business operators filed a complaint that they had borrowed money from the website, and were charged unusually high interest rates. When the business operators couldn’t make the payments, the websites’ operators sent men to intimidate them, according to…
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Muslim groups discuss legislation contrary to their religious beliefs
Twenty-five Muslim organisations met yesterday to discuss the government’s new cannabis law and other legislation contrary to their religious beliefs. The religious groups met at Baan Nuer Mosque Hall in the southern province of Songkla, to set up an Unethical Laws and Regulations Opposition Association, in opposition to the new law to decriminalise cannabis on June 9, same-sex marriage proposals,…
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Upper Thailand warned to be extra cautious on floods next week
Grab your rain boots once again! As rain pours down on Thailand (well, it’s the wet season), the country’s meteorological department has warned today flash floods and overflows are expected in upper Thailand from June 19-21, Sunday to Tuesday. During these days, the southwest monsoon will strengthen and the monsoon trough will move down from across Myanmar and upper Laos.…
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Thailand’s lower house passes Marriage Equality Bill (first reading)
Yesterday, Thailand’s Parliament passed the Marriage Equality Bill in the first reading with 210 votes in favour, 180 votes in opposition and 4 abstentions. The bill – previously rejected by Cabinet in March – was pushed by Thailand’s Move Forward Party. A parliamentary committee has been set up to scrutinise the bill over the next 15 days before it is…
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New draft law will allow ex-cons to expunge criminal records
A new draft law will allow people who have been convicted of a crime and served their sentence to wipe the slate clean and start again. In the past ex-cons have found it difficult to find gainful employment after serving their sentence and as a consequence have gone on to reoffend. But if this new bill is passed it will…
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LGBTQ+ protesters in Thailand want marriage equality, not ‘civil partnerships’
Members of Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community gathered outside parliament today to submit a letter calling for the Cabinet to pass the Marriage Equality Bill. The bill would make Thailand’s marriage laws applicable to any couple, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. The Marriage Equality bill was previously rejected by the Cabinet, who said it was redundant because they were instead…
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Thai Public Health recommend a Covid booster every 4 months
The Ministry of Public Health recommended that vaccinated residents should get a booster every 4 months. The Director-General of the Disease Control Department, Opas Kankawinpong, today recommended that Thai people should get at least 3 Covid-19 vaccinations and then keep topping up. Opas says everyone has antibodies but they decrease every 3 to 4 months, no matter what vaccine people…
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Labour Minister confirms 300 jobs axed by Shopee Thailand
The Labour Minister, Suchart Chomklin, confirmed yesterday’s report on the Shopee redundancies was accurate. He says 300 jobs are being axed, but insisted the Labour Ministry would help ensure sacked workers are looked after in accordance to employment legislation. The Singaporean company Sea announced during a town hall meeting yesterday of the planned layoff for one of its core businesses,…
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Robot dogs spotted “playing” at Chiang Mai University
As if Thailand didn’t have enough dogs roaming the streets already, Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Engineering has manufactured a pack of robot dogs which have been spotted “playing” on a field at the university’s campus in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand. An unsettling video of the robot dogs posted on Facebook has netizens divided on whether the dogs – which…
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Walmart didn’t ban Thai coconut milk, says Ministry of Commerce
Walmart allegedly took Chaokoh coconut milk off their shelves in response to PETA’s claims that the Thai brand uses monkey labour in the production of their famous coconut milk. Today, Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce said Walmart “hasn’t banned Thai coconut milk,” but didn’t mention any specific brands. The US animal rights non-profit organisation PETA conducted an investigation into monkey labour…
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Policeman shot dead on duty in central Thailand
A group of teenagers on motorbikes fatally shot a policeman on duty in Pathum Thani province, central Thailand, in the early hours of yesterday morning. One 18 year old man admits to firing a gun in the direction of the policeman, but isn’t sure if it was the shot that killed him. Commander-in-chief Anan Orsuwan went to Soi Erawan 12…
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Brother of pregnant Thai woman murdered in Taiwan demands justice
The brother of a Thai woman murdered in Taiwan is calling on police to catch the killer. Thirty-eight year old Yingyot Sae Li said the man who murdered his sister and her husband had been very close to his family, and grew up in the same village as them. His sister, Potjanee, had been 5 pregnant with twins when the…
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AirAsia targets Indian travellers as China remains grounded
Low-cost Malaysian airline AirAsia is turning to India for international travellers after China cut itself off from the rest of the world. AirAsia, which mostly targets the Southeast Asian market, is experiencing a surge in business from Indian travellers visiting Indonesia and Malaysia. This comes after China, historically one of Thailand’s prime tourism markets, cut itself off from travel with…
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Commerce Ministry promise to keep consumer products under control during high inflation
The Commerce Ministry says it will work hard to keep consumer goods as affordable as possible without neglecting the demands of manufacturers. The ministry believes it has created a “win-win” strategy in which consumers, businesses, manufacturers, and farmers can all benefit, according to commerce minister, Jurin Laksanawisit. “If manufacturers suffer huge losses, they will stop producing. We ask for cooperation…
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Man finds corpse in abandoned house in eastern Thailand
On Sunday, a Thai man walked into an abandoned house in Rayong province, eastern Thailand, to find a skull in the middle of the living room and a decomposed, headless body in the bathroom lying next to the toilet. The man who discovered the corpse was 60 year old Charlie Pairotsorn, who was planning on buying the house and surrounding…
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US Defense Secretary visits PM Prayut in Bangkok
Yesterday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a bid to “reinforce” longstanding military ties between the two nations, which date back to 1818. Austin and PM Prayut, who is also Minister of Defence, “shared perspectives on regional security issues, and discussed opportunities to strengthen the US – Thai alliance,” according to the US Defense…
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Police investigate death of 2 teens and elderly man in Pattaya road accident
Police are investigating the death of 2 teenagers and an elderly man after they died in a road accident in Ban Bueng, Chon Buri, on Sunday. Emergency services were called to the scene of the accident in the Nong Chark sub-district and found the bodies of two 14 year old boys by the side of a damaged motorbike and a…
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The best sea-view villas in Phuket
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Thailand warms to drop temperature checks
The Ministry of Public Health will suggest to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to remove temperature measurement devices and checkpoints from all the country’s airports and other locations throughout Thailand because there is no evidence proving that the checks prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Head of the Health Technical Office from the Ministry of Public Health, Rungruang Kitphati,…
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Fire jellyfish warning in Krabi, southern Thailand
Red flags were raised to warn tourists not to swim on one beach in Krabi, southern Thailand, after large numbers of “fire jellyfish” washed up on the shore yesterday. Morbakka fenneri, known as the “fire jellyfish,” doesn’t get its name from its pinkish-red colour but from its potent sting. Thousands of small but venomous fire jellyfish washed up on Hong…
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Chaokoh deny any monkey business amid PETA investigation
Thai coconut-milk producer Chaokoh say there is no monkey business going on in the production of their products, in response to a PETA investigation. The US-based animal rights non-profit organisation conducted an investigation in 2019 singling out Chaokoh for the abuse of young monkeys in Thailand. PETA’s report alleged monkeys are “chained, abused, and forced to climb trees to pick…
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Minimum Thai wage up to 650 baht for 16 careers
The Thai Royal Gazette has now officially announced the increase of the minimum Thai wage for workers in 16 careers, focusing on workers in construction, service and industrial industries. The wage is increased up to 650 baht per day from the former rate of about 313 – 336 baht per day. The policy was launched on June 10 and would…
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Elderly Thai couple marry after knowing each other for 10 days
An elderly couple from Phetchabun, northern Thailand, got married yesterday after knowing each other for a total of 10 days. The lovebirds met on the ridge of Pak Huay Dam in Khon Kaen and it wasn’t long before they decided to get married and live with each other in their old age. The 72 year old groom Nuan Mala did…
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Farmers feed cannabis to chickens in northern Thailand
Chickens at a farm in Lampang, northern Thailand, are in a “good mood” after the antibiotics in their chicken feed were replaced with cannabis. Not only are the chickens showing higher immunity against disease, but they also have a lower body fat percentage than usual, making for a delicious Khao Man Gai – or chicken rice – according to one…
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CCSA to consider more suggestions on lifting Covid restrictions
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday will consider more suggestions in regards to lifting Covid restrictions, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insisting that public safety is still a priority. Adjusting the colour-coded Covid concept and relaxing the rules for nightclubs will be among the recommendations discussed. The CCSA is open to any new ideas and recommendations from different parties…
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Take your pet on board Bangkok – Chiang Mai flights with Nok Air
Nok Air have launched a “Pet On Board” scheme for holidaymakers who wish to take their animal on board the airline’s domestic Bangkok – Chiang Mai flight route. The airline is offering round trips from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Chiang Mai for 12,999 baht, which includes airfare for 2 people and 1 pet. In a statement posted on Facebook,…
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