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 Moving with family? Here’s how to cut health costs in Thailand
Relocating to Thailand with your family brings exciting new opportunities, but it also comes with the challenge of managing healthcare costs in a new system. Thailand has both public and private healthcare options, each offering different prices and quality of...
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International travellers trickle back into Bangkok, but hoteliers say it’s not enough
Suvarnabhumi International Airport has seen a significant increase in international travellers since Thailand scrapped its pre-travel PCR test requirement last Friday. Well that’s the general narrative that’s been published in some media, although the published numbers don’t stand up to close scrutiny. Bangkok’s aviation hub saw an average of more than 11,600 daily arrivals from abroad touch down in the…
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Thai MP permanently banned from politics for using forest reserve land for farm
A former MP of Thailand’s Palang Pracharath is now permanently banned from Thai politics for using forest reserve land in Ratchaburi province for her farm. The issues around the MP, Pareena Kraikupt, using land began to surface in 2019. The Royal Forest Department then investigated the land, and concluded that Pareena’s poultry farm encroached on it. The department asked the…
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AQ.in.th simplifies and speeds up the process of entering Thailand for tourists
Press Release Entering Thailand has never been easier since the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the Test & Go and sandbox programs have been revamped, the country is more than ready to reopen and welcome tourists from around the world. As a result, this website (AQ.in.th) was launched to help anxious travellers out. It acts as a one-stop-shop for them to…
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Highest ever number of gubernatorial candidates register in Bangkok
The highest ever number of candidates, 31, have registered for Bangkok’s upcoming gubernatorial election on May 22. This will be the 11th gubernatorial election in Bangkok, and the first held in nine years. The chairman of Bangkok’s election commission said all candidates will be invited to the government complex on Chaeng Wattana tomorrow to be briefed on the election guidelines. Right…
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Man in Southern Thailand believed to have drowned after fishing in flooded rice field
The body of a man in Southern Thailand was found yesterday. His mother believes he drowned while fishing in a flooded rice field. The man’s mother said the rice fields near her house were under about 70 centimetres of water after several days of continuous rain. She says her son went to catch fish in the fields. When she noticed…
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Thursday Covid Update: 26,081 new cases; provincial totals
91 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,788 with 4,090 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 26,081 new Covid-19 cases and 26,011 recoveries. There are now 248,057 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thailand cold spell kills 200 chickens in Chaiyaphum
A poultry farm in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum reported that over 200 chickens died after the temperature dropped to 17 degrees Celsius earlier this week. The Department of Livestock Development reported that sudden changes in weather patterns are affecting the animal husbandry sector in Thailand. Chickens can tolerate cold temperatures below freezing, but sudden changes in temperature can affect…
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Police arrest two alleged gambling operators following Phuket robbery
Police in Phuket reported yesterday that two men in other parts of Thailand have been arrested for allegedly operating an online gambling website. Police have now reportedly seized more than 3.7 billion baht in cash and taken the website down. They also seized dozens of other items of evidence, including three land title deeds and four contracts, eight mobile phones,…
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Tourists ignore red flags on Samui beach, Thai man drowns, foreigner rescued
Four Thai tourists ignored a red flag warning on the beach and went swimming anyway in strong waves at Chawaeng Beach of Koh Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani on Wednesday. One person drowned, but four others survived. Staff from a jet ski rental business on the beach reported that one foreigner was also saved not long before…
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Pattaya man allegedly threatens tourists with knife at mall
A young man allegedly wandered around the parking lot of a Pattaya mall threatening tourists with a knife yesterday. Pattaya Police detained the man at Pattaya Police Station, and claim he was incoherent and couldn’t properly answer questions. The man had also reportedly been talking in circles. Witnesses called the police immediately after seeing him walk around brandishing the long…
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Thailand bans single-use plastics from national parks, know before you go
The next time you go for a hike, swim or boat ride in Thailand’s protected great outdoors, make sure to leave disposable plastics at home — except for a water bottle. Beginning April 6, all single-use plastics and styrofoam products are banned from entering national parks in Thailand. Specifically, single-use plastic items such as bags, spoons, forks, straws, cups and…
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Thailand’s latest ganja product: marijuana infused fish sauce
There are few products left in Thailand that haven’t yet been infused with cannabis since Anutin Charnvirakul’s marijuana mystery tour began. The latest product, marijuana infused fish sauce, debuted at an event in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen last weekend. Yum? As we have said many times before, products are currently allowed to contain a maximum of 0.2% THC,…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 24,252 new cases, provincial totals
94 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,697 with 3,999 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,252 new Covid-19 cases and 26,225 recoveries. There are now 248,078 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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UPDATE: Tangmo’s manager ‘Gatick’ reports to police, confesses to drinking wine
The long-awaited truth may be finally coming out in the case of Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, after her manager confessed to giving false statements about what happened on the boat that fateful night the Thai actress drowned in the Chao Phraya River in February. Police are also still searching for another man who was not on the boat that night, but…
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Creamfields Festival is coming to Thailand
Get your rave gear ready because one of the world’s most prestigious electronic dance music festivals is coming to Thailand next month. The UK’s Creamfields Festival will take place in Pattaya from May 28-29 and the line up so far doesn’t disappoint. Early bird tickets are sold out, so if you want to attend the festival, be prepared when the…
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Khao San Road businesses cancel Songkran party plans for third year running
Splash-happy tourists can cross out Bangkok’s Khao San Road from their water bucket list this year, after local business owners officially cancelled their plans to hold and Songkran celebrations in the capital’s tourist hotspot, formerly referred to as a “backpacker haven”. It’s the third consecutive year Khao San area operators have halted their famous water fights, much to the chagrin…
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Thailand inflation jumps 5.7 percent in March, hits consumers’ wallets hard
In March, Thailand’s inflation saw its highest monthly jump in 13 years, rising to 5.73% year on year. That’s according to the Commerce Ministry’s Office of Trade Policy and Strategy, which pins the blame on the war in Ukraine, which has pushed up fuel, food and electricity prices. This unexpected turn of events has caused the office to adjust its…
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Burmese continue to flood across Thai-Myanmar border, fleeing unrest
Police raided a house in the northern province of Chiang Rai yesterday to find 71 Burmese migrants hiding inside. A Thai man who was also inside the house told police he was hired to pick up the migrants who had illegally crossed over the border from Myanmar and transport them to the house. The migrants told police they were heading…
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Thailand’s 1330 hotline primed for post Songkran spike in Covid-19 infections
With Songkran holiday just around the corner, the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, is ready to deal with an expected increase in Covid-19 cases with it’s 1330 emergency hotline. The number of new infections in Thailand is expected to increase after the Thai New Year, according to NHSO deputy secretary-general Atthaporn Limpanyalert. Vulnerable groups can dial 1330 ext 18…
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Boost in car sales, enthusiasm for EVs – Bangkok’s annual motor show – VIDEO
Petrol-powered cars are still in vogue, but electric vehicles, or EVs, are on the rise. That’s the takeaway from this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show, which recorded sales of some 34,000 vehicles, nearly a 14% increase compared to last year. The 43rd edition of the popular motor show took place over a span of two weeks at Impact Muang Thong…
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TAT promotes Thailand as top Indian wedding destination, no elephants included
To register on the romantic radar of soon-to-be-wed couples from India, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, invited 15 Indian wedding planners to highlight popular wedding destinations in the Land of Smiles. The wedding planners visited seminars in Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui in Surat Thani province and Khao Lak in Phang Nga province from March 15 to 22. The…
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Foreign directors shoot 196 movies, series and adverts in Thailand
Foreign film crews shot a total of 196 movies, series and advertisements in Thailand since July 2020, generating over 6 billion baht in revenue for the country. The Ministry of Culture (MOC) plans to increase revenue from foreign filmmaking by implementing more tax measures. The country’s Culture Minister plans to use ‘soft power’ to “promote the image of Thailand” on…
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Thai netizens share video of mysterious woman standing still on Pattaya sidewalk for hours
A Thai TikTok user has shared a video of a woman standing still on the sidewalk in Pattaya in the middle of the night. Thai netizens commented on the post, saying she might be homeless, and she only took one or two steps then stood without moving for hours. Many people urged authorities to take care of her to prevent…
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SURVEY: The BIG question – Bum Gun or Toilet Paper – final results
So the results are out. When asked the big question, respondents favoured Thailand (and Asia’s) ubiquitous ‘bum gun’ over toilet paper. Full article below, but here are some of the reader responses from today’s The Thaiger YouTube survey. WARNING: Plentiful euphemisms for ‘bottom’ ahead. But first, the final result… • “Bum guns – best things ever! Bum gun to clean,…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 21,088 new cases; provincial totals
91 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,603 with 3,905 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The daily infection numbers are a sharp drop from the steadily rising numbers over the past 2 – 3 weeks. But the Covid-related death numbers are still on a slow rising…
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Thailand issues stormy weather warning for Phuket, Andaman coastline
Residents along Thailand’s western coastline are bracing for stormy seas, after the Thai Meteorological Department, or TMD, issued a stormy weather warning for Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Satun and Phang Ng, as a large storm front blows in from the Andaman Sea. “More rain and isolated heavy rains are likely in the South. People in the South should beware of the…
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Songkran: MOPH to measure blood alcohol levels during festival’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’
The Ministry of Public Health plans to use blood testers to measure the alcohol level of drivers during the “Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran”. Authorities say the blood test would be used in addition to the standard breathalyzer test. If anyone refuses to get tested, officers will assume them to be drunk. The crowded roads during the annual Songkran Festival…
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Rare sea creatures spotted in Krabi, southern Thailand
Rare marine animals were spotted enjoying Thailand’s coastal waters last week in Krabi, southern Thailand. Dugongs (manatee’s little cousins), humpback dolphins and sea turtles were seen from above in an aerial survey conducted by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) from March 27 – April 1. A total of 34 dugongs, colloquially known as “sea cows”, were seen…
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France donates over 3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Thailand
France has shown its support for Thailand’s fight against Covid-19 by donating over three million doses of Pfizer vaccines to the Kingdom of Thailand. The donation will be well-received by Thai people as surveys reveal that Thais have more confidence in the effectiveness of the U.S.-produced Pfizer vaccine than they do in Thai vaccines. The French ambassador Thierry Mathou officially…
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Bank of Thailand updates 20 baht banknote for improved hygiene and longevity
The Bank of Thailand has launched a new 20 baht banknote made of polyester. The banknote is said to resist moisture and grime, resulting in a longer shelf-life. The central bank began distributing the shiny new baht greenbacks on March 24. The Bank of Thailand announced that people used the 20 baht banknote the most frequently, making them dirty and…
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