Thailand News
Discover the most recent and relevant news from across Thailand on The Thaiger’s National News page. Covering a wide range of topics, including politics, business, crime, and lifestyle, our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
Stay informed about the latest developments in Thai society, economy, and culture, as well as updates on travel, tourism, and expat life. With The Thaiger, you’ll never miss out on the essential news that matters to you.
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Thailand News Today | 427 new C19 infections, Pattaya countdown cancelled, Elite Visa update | Dec 22
Plenty of talk around today about future lockdowns, but NOTHING IS CONFIRMED at this stage. The Thaiger will keep you up to date with the latest. Possibility of an “end of year travel boost” has been shattered As if things weren’t already bad enough for Thailand’s tourism sector, the events in Samut Sakhon in the past week have just made…
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High number of Thai migrant worker deaths in South Korea
Hundreds of Thais in South Korea have died in the past 5 years, many from “unknown causes,” according to data reported by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The majority of recorded deaths are migrants, who are less likely to report abuse or have access to healthcare. The report from Reuters prompted the United Nations to look into the cases as well…
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Driver allegedly obstructs and stops ambulance, patient dies
A driver may face serious charges after he allegedly cut in front of and stopped an ambulance that was rushing to pick up a patient who later died on the way to a local hospital. Emergency responders received a call to pick up a patient who was in critical condition and being given CPR at his home in Samut Prakan,…
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2 police officers fired for allegedly planting drugs on a woman, demanding money and sex
The Samut Prakan police chief fired 2 officers for allegedly planting methamphetamine pills on a woman and extorting her for 25,000 baht, then later demanding sex. The sacked police officers may also face criminal charges. The 34 year old woman sought help from the “Help Crime Victim Club,” claiming that the 2 police officers in Samut Prakan, a province just…
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UPDATE: Thai PM says lockdown could become unavoidable
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is warning that another lockdown could prove unavoidable, should Covid-19 figures escalate out of control. Today, 427 new Covid-19 cases were reported by the Centre Covid-19 Situation Administration, 397 of which are migrant workers. Yesterday, the CCSA reported 382 new cases, 360 of which are in migrant workers. Spokesperson Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin says 14 local cases…
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Holiday season travel expected to drop by 5 million trips due to recent Covid-19 cases
Due to the recent cluster of Covid-19 infections in Samut Sakhon, hitting a record high in daily infections, tourism officials say the yearly tally for domestic trips is likely to fall by 5 million. With lockdown measures and international travel restrictions this year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand focused on local travel and set a goal of 100 million domestic…
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Official says Thailand can handle rise in demand for face masks
The director-general of the Internal Trade Department says there will be sufficient face masks to meet a spike in demand as a result of the outbreak in Samut Sakhon. Wattanasak Sur-iam says he’s asked manufacturers to step up production from a current combined capacity of 5 million masks a day. He adds that the retail price of surgical masks will…
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30 property developers expected to sign up to Elite visa incentive scheme
The president of Thailand Privilege Card, which runs the Elite Visa scheme, says around 30 real-estate developers have expressed interest in offering foreign buyers 5-year visas in return for investing at least 10 million baht in Thai property. Somchai Sungsawang says the scheme, known as the Elite Flexible One launches on January 1, with cards valid for 2 years. Nation…
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Thailand News Today | 800+ cases in Samut Sakhon, Countries block UK travel | Dec 21
Back in Bangkok for this week’s Thailand News Today, wondering if we’re going to be locked down again? All the latest news at thethaiger.com More than 800 Covid-19 cases now linked to seafood market More than 800 Covid-19 cases are now linked to the Samut Sakhon province seafood market outbreak. Up to the weekend the largest number of cases reported…
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Amnesty International campaign urges PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on protesters
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on a number of activists for their role in the pro-democracy movement and to repeal, or at least amend, Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. …
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Bangkok city employee found shot to death in Surat Thani
Police have opened a homicide investigation after a Bangkok city employee was found shot to death in her car in the Southern province Surat Thani. A resident noticed a Toyota Yaris was parked along a road in the Phun Phin district for 3 days. Yesterday evening, the resident decided to check it out and saw a woman’s body in the…
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Patient allegedly shoots and kills doctor in Phetchaburi for overcharging
A patient allegedly shot and killed a doctor for overcharging him. When police arrested 22 year old Denphum “Phum” Sangthong and took him back to the doctor’s office to reenact the crime, a regular practice in Thai law enforcement, a crowd of around 300 people gathered at the scene, some calling for Phum to be executed. 40 police officers were…
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Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cancels NY countdown events, asks workers to work from home
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the municipal organisation in charge of the Greater Bangkok city area, has announced that all New Year countdown events have been cancelled after new cases of Covid-19 were found in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. But organisations who have already organised events will be able to ask for specific permission. The BMA is also asking the workers…
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Samut Sakhon outbreak reaches 689 cases, spreads to Bangkok and Samut Prakan
There’s been an update in Covid-19 cases stemming from the Samut Sakhon outbreak. Thailand’s Public Health Ministry have now upgraded the provincial cluster, including mostly Burmese migrant worker, to 689 cases, all identified through contact tracing. Most worked in and around the provinces coastal fishing market according to the Department of Disease Control. Some traced cases have been located in…
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Covid outbreak spreads- 10,000 people to be tested
Thailand has now confirmed 689 new coronavirus infections today, including 516 migrant worker cases linked to the outbreak in Samut Sakhon yesterday. In Bangkok, there are now 19 locally-infected cases being reported on top of the ones found in Samut Sakhon. There are also 41 imported cases being reported. Most of the cases reported were of Myanmar migrant workers with…
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Poll reveals Thais took better care of their health in 2020
A recent poll has revealed that Thais are taking better care of their health in 2020, after being plagued by various other problems, including the Covid pandemic. According to the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University poll, which was conducted online between December 12 and 17 on 1,135 people nationwide, 68% said that they have paid more attention to their health this year.…
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2 local Covid cases reported today- Bangkok and Ayutthaya
Thailand is reporting 2 new local cases of Covid-19 today, 1 in Ayutthaya and the other in Bangkok. The first cases is a 29 year old Thai female from Ayutthaya, who was returning from work in Chiang Mai. The woman took a Covid test at Bang Pa Hospital on December 18 and is currently being isolated at the hospital without…
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Man’s body found tied up in upper central rice field
A man’s tied up body has been found in a rice field early this morning in the Nong Bua district of Nakhon Sawan, an upper central province in Thailand. A Nong Bua police officer says the discovery was reported at 8am near the Moo 2 village in tambon Wang Bo. The deceased man is thought to be aged 40 –…
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Thailand tourism is changed forever
OPINION by Andrew J Wood Last week the Thai government Minister’s speech shows me that tourism will never be allowed to recover to previous levels. The writing is definitely on the wall, windows and front door, that there has been a major policy shift in government thinking by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s cabinet. In a deeply worrying development for Thailand’s massive…
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Thai banks warn of cyber scams after surge in fraud
After a cyber scam surge involving Siam Commercial Bank earlier this month, police are warning the public of increased smartphone and call centre scams. Police say they are stepping up efforts to track down such criminals who have sent messages that ask for respondents to send their bank account information in an attempt to steal their money and identities. Since…
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United Nations condemns Thailand’s use of lèse majesté law against minor | VIDEO
The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has expressed shock and dismay at Thailand’s use of its strict lèse majesté law against a 16 year old pro-democracy activist. The lèse majesté law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai Monarchy, and carries a punishment of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.…
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Health Ministry to confirm list of “quarantine” golf resorts
The director-general of the Department of Health Service Support says officials will name the golf resorts that have been approved as alternative state quarantine facilities next week. Tares Krassanairawiwong says those who enjoy a game of golf will be able to indulge their passion while in quarantine – provided they come from a “low-risk” country, that is. Quarantining golfers are…
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Police charge 4 with swindling co-payment scheme, investigate over 700 others
The deputy national police chief, Damrongsak Kittiprapat, says 4 people have been charged with de-frauding the government’s co-payment stimulus scheme. He adds that around 700 others are also suspected of swindling the scheme. It’s understood the 4 people charged allegedly persuaded co-payers to carry out fake transactions so that money could be redeemed under the campaign. The Bangkok Post reports…
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Health Minister points to migrant workers as likely source of virus in Samut Sakhon
Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says migrant workers are likely to be the reason behind a small Covid-19 outbreak in the central province of Samut Sakhon. After a 67 year old woman with no international travel history was found to be infected with Covid-19, 3 of her family members have also tested positive. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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No… Eating loads of holy basil won’t protect you from Covid-19
In case you were eating loads of holy basil to protect yourself from Covid-19… Stop. Sounds a bit crazy, but the Thai public health officials and the Anti Fake News Centre Thailand are warning people not to believe the claim spread online that eating 50 grams of fresh holy basil each day will boost immunity and protect against the coronavirus.…
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Deputy PM says pandemic exposed problems in Thai economy, time to improve
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit economies all over the world with business closures and travel bans, issues with Thailand’s economy were exposed, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The country cannot go back to the way it was before the global outbreak, he says. Thailand’s large tourism industry was battered by the lack of foreign visitors. Small and medium businesses…
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US Senate support for protest movement won’t impact Thailand – Foreign Minister
The United States Senate’s support for Thailand’s pro-democracy movement won’t have any impact, according to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai. The US Senate recently introduced a resolution supporting the movement and calling on the Thai government to uphold human rights and refrain from “harassing, intimidating or persecuting those engaged in peaceful protests.” The US resolution is…
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Thailand sends smuggled orangutans back to Indonesia
After being smuggled through Southeast Asia, seized by Thai border officials, and then cared for at a Thailand wildlife centre for 3 years, a pair of endangered Sumatran orangutans are being sent back to Indonesia. Back in June 2017, border officials seized the orangutans, Ung Ing and Nathalie, from smugglers at a customs checkpoint in the southern province Songkhla, near…
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WHO praises Thailand’s unity as key to successfully tackling Covid-19
Unity between Thailand’s public and social sectors, healthcare workers, local organisations, and individuals, has been key to tackling Covid-19, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking yesterday at an online address to Thailand’s National Health Commission Office when he made his remarks. According to him, unity between all sectors in the country, coupled with…
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24 hour alcohol ban for provincial elections part of a “ridiculous war on alcohol”
The sale and distribution of alcohol in Thailand, even parties serving alcohol, are banned from Saturday 6pm to Sunday 6pm, all in aid of the Provincial Administration Organisation elections. Unless you’re Thai, you don’t need to worry about the voting although the alcohol ban will affect everyone who lives in the Kingdom. Having a party or a wedding on the day?…
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