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 Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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FTI wants Test & Go dropped, all entry restrictions lifted for vaccinated arrivals
The Federation of Thai Industries is urging the government to ditch the Test & Go scheme and to lift all entry restrictions for vaccinated tourists. According to a Bangkok Post report, the industry body is calling for an end to quarantine and PCR testing in a bid to restore the country’s shattered tourism sector. Chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree says he will…
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Thailand committee meeting with North Korean diplomats draws criticism
A meeting between Thailand’s committee on computer coding and North Korean ambassadors yesterday drew criticism from Thais. The vice president of the committee made a post about the meeting on her Facebook page, saying the committee met with the diplomats at the Embassy of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in Bangkok to discuss working together on coding projects. The…
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Carl’s Jr. says goodbye to Thailand, stores in Bangkok and Pattaya close next week
The American fast-food chain, Carl’s Jr., is saying goodbye to Thailand. All six of its stores in Bangkok and Pattaya will close by the end of the month. The R&R Restaurant Group, which owns the franchise rights to run Carl’s Jr. chains in Thailand, says that it can no longer afford to operate it. The group says it was forced to…
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Thailand’s power will be more expensive in May
From May until August, Thailand’s electricity price will rise to four baht per kilowatt hour, going up by 0.23-1.3 baht per unit. The country’s Energy Regulatory Commission is raising fuel tariffs following Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. An ERC spokesman said another reason for the price surge is the declining supply of natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand. Russia’s…
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Club Med Phuket reopens after over 2 years
After closing its doors for over two years since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, Club Med Phuket is now back in business. The resort reopened yesterday following efforts to clean up the area and bring back tourists. The island province’s Vice Governor Pichet, who attended the reopening, said the reopening should help Phuket’s disheveled tourism economy. “Club Med is known around…
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Health officials to give Molnupiravir and Paxlovid to Covid-19 patients in Thailand
Two anti-viral medications will be added to the Covid-19 treatment plan in Thailand. The Department of Medical Services shared that the Molnupiravir and Paxlovid medicines have been approved for treating Covid-19 patients. Molnupiravir is intended to treat high-risk groups like elders and patients with chronic diseases. Relevant departments will discuss the use of Paxlovid. The primary Covid-19 medication, the anti-viral…
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3 teenagers missing in Kanchanaburi’s Kwai Noi river
Three teenagers are missing after they went swimming in a river in the western province Kanchanaburi and were dragged out by the strong current. The teenagers along with a seven year old child were swimming in the Kwai Noi River when they were swept out far from the shore. A woman jumped into the water and managed to save the…
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Young homeless man in Bangkok reunited with family after TikTok video goes viral
A young homeless man in Bangkok was reunited with his family after a motorbike taxi driver shared a video of the man on social media. The driver said the homeless man in the capital’s Asoke area was “handsome, just like a Chinese leading actor.” The video went viral on Thai social media, reaching the man’s family. His father travelled to…
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Police crack down on alleged network selling forged documents, fake Covid test results
Thai police cracked down on the sales and production of fake PCR Covid-19 test results as well education certificates and other documents needed for jobs overseas. Three people, who police suspect are part of a large network, were arrested for allegedly posing as medical practitioners selling the forged documents. The Department of Health Service Support received complaints about the sales…
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Tangmo: Panel to verify 2nd autopsy details, includes ‘punk rock auntie’ Pornthip
A panel of forensic experts is set to review the details of a second autopsy for the Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharavirapong. The panel, which includes “punk rock auntie” Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, has been assembled by the Ministry of Justice for a fresh examination of Tanmo’s remains taking place to day, as the investigation into her death marks three weeks.…
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“Ganja-naburi”: Kanchanaburi is becoming Thailand’s medical marijuana capital
Kanchanaburi… more like “Ganja-naburi.” The western province is becoming a hub for medical marijuana, aka ganja, with more and more community enterprises getting licences to grow the once-criminalised plant. 260 kilograms of cannabis were harvested for the second time at a medical marijuana event in Kanchanaburi yesterday. The cannabis was planted six months ago by eight community enterprises that are…
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Man accidentally kills wife with backhoe at railway construction site
A man accidentally killed his wife when he ran over her with a backhoe in a tragic incident at a railway construction site in Ratchaburi in central Thailand on Monday, according to a report in Thai media. 45 year old Kaikaew Thongkham worked as a team with his 40 year old wife Amphon Pima at the double-railway construction site. Kaikaew…
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Official assigned to “investigate” anyone who shares Lisa Blackpink’s whisky ads
The director of Thailand’s Office of the Alcohol Control Committee has been assigned to investigate anyone who shares photos of a famous Thai celebrity promoting a whisky brand. He was assigned by the Department of Disease Control, according to reporters. The celebrity, Lisa from Blackpink, is a brand ambassador for the Scotch whisky company Chivas. In Thailand, it’s illegal to…
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Government considers lifting Thailand’s mask mandate, starting with public parks
The Public Health Ministry hopes to lift the mask mandate in Thailand’s public parks, as the government takes its first tentative steps to declaring Covid-19 endemic. Dr. Kiattibhoom Vongrachit says officials hope to confer endemic status on the virus within 4 months’ time, although they will seek the input of the World Health Organisation on this. Kiattibhoom adds that people…
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Aircraft wreckage washes up on Nakhon Si Thammarat beach in Southern Thailand
Aircraft wreckage washed up on a beach in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat and provincial officers have called in aircraft specialists to investigate. A local official says locals found similar wreckage six years ago. A 3.16 metre long, 1.80 metre wide metal piece, weighing around 70 to 80 kilograms, was found on Tha Phraya beach. There were two spots…
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1,000 Thais register to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia
Thai and Saudi officials say labour relations between their countries are strengthening following renewed relations. Thailand’s labour minister said over 1,000 people have registered online with the Department of Employment to apply for jobs in Saudi Arabia. He claimed the final remaining step is signing a bilateral labour agreement, which is expected to occur soon. The agreement will allow Thailand…
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CCSA meets tomorrow to decide fate of pre-departure PCR test
The requirement for overseas arrivals to take a PCR test 72 hours prior to departure from their home country could soon be scrapped. According to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA will discuss dropping the requirement when it meets tomorrow. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says international arrivals would still be required to take a PCR test…
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Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose scrapping pre-departure PCR for Test & Go
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is set to make a proposal to scrap the pre-departure PCR for Test & Go travellers, making entering the country more convenient and cost-efficient. The proposal will need to be approved by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, which will have its general meeting this Friday and is expected to discuss a number of topics, including…
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All Betong airport flights cancelled just 24 hours after airport opening
Less than 24 hours after PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the first flight into Betong International Airport to chair the opening ceremony, all scheduled flights in and out of the airport have been suspended. At present, it is not possible to book flights in or out of Betong and it is not yet known when flights will resume. The Tourism…
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Market vendor runs stray dog programme, colour-coded collars to indicate friendliness
Stray dog populations have been a longstanding issue in Thailand, but a flower seller at a market in the central province Samut Songkram saw a way to make the dogs part of the community and created a project to help take care of the dogs in the area. Now each dog has a name and is marked with a collar…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 23,945 new cases; provincial totals
70 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,918 with 2,220 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,945 new Covid-19 cases and 23,339 recoveries. There are now 221,972 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Bar raided in Bangkok’s Nana, woman arrested for alleged child sex trafficking
Police raided a bar in Bangkok’s Nana area and found that at least three teenage girls were offering sexual services. Two are 15 years old, another is 14. A woman at the bar was arrested on child sex trafficking charges. Officers raided 789 Bar on Sukhumvit Soi 7 in the Nana area, a redlight district is known for its go-go…
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Siam Piwat brings home 7 awards at The Best of SHA Awards 2021
Press Release Siam Piwat’s properties and world-class convention centres received the plaque of honour and won first place at The Best of SHA Awards 2021, an award given to the best establishments that strictly comply with SHA standards Siam Paragon received the plaque of honour and won first place at The Best of SHA Awards 2021 in the department store…
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Famous Thailand monk caught drink driving, carrying methamphetamine
A famous Thailand monk, known for his predictions and visions, was reportedly caught drink driving with methamphetamine pills hidden inside his robes after a 20-kilometre police chase yesterday in eastern province Mukdahan, which borders Laos. Police followed a pickup truck after it ran a red light in Mukdahan city. Turns out a famous monk was behind the wheel. Officers chased…
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Thailand football player could face lifetime ban for elbow strike to opponent
A Bangkok Football Club player who struck his opponent with a Muay Thai-style elbow strike to the face could receive a lifetime ban. Aitsaret Noichaiboon slammed his elbow into the player’s face, fracturing his cheekbone. He received 24 stitches on his upper lip and doctors say he also suffered a blood clot in his nose. The football club terminated Aitsaret’s…
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Thai education official admits online learning’s pitfalls
A Thai education official admitted that online learning in Thailand has weakened students’ reading and writing skills. The secretary-general of the Office of the Basic Education Commission said this is especially a problem for kindergarten and primary students. He said students “must” start school in-person on May 15. This was after rumours circled that school might be interrupted again. The…
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Officers find suspected hideout for alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list
Officers found a camp at a mountain in the southern province Songkhla where they suspect an alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list was hiding. The 45 year old who is wanted on multiple charges involving murder allegedly shot an M16 rifle during a police chase, killing an officer. Following the gunfire exchange, the alleged hitman Chamrat “Chui Chaochan” Rakchan,…
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Murderer of Swiss tourist in Phuket sentenced to life imprisonment
The Thai man who murdered the Swiss tourist at a Phuket waterfall last year has been sentenced to life in prison by the Phuket Court. 28 year old Teerawat Thothip was initially sentenced to death, but it was then reduced to life imprisonment given that Teerawat confessed to investigators. The body of 57 year old victim Nicole Sauvain Weisskopf, the…
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Thailand marine officials look into building cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui
Marine officials in Thailand are looking into building a cruise ship terminal on Koh Samui, a popular Gulf of Thailand island off the Surat Thani coast. A terminal is considered to be more convenient and safe for travellers as, at the moment, cruise ships must anchor by the island and smaller boats transfer travellers to the island and back to…
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Health ministry approves half-dose of mRNA vaccine as booster for elderly
In a bid to persuade Thailand’s elderly population, and those with chronic illnesses, to get a Covid-19 booster, health officials have approved using half the usual dose. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the half-dose will be an mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer, adding that officials are acknowledging a fear of side-effects among the elderly. “To deal with this fear, I have…
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