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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Covid-19 “survival boxes” funded by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s donated salary
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha waived his salary for the next 3 months to support the public amid the most severe wave of Covid-19 infections. Some of the funds will be used for so-called “survival boxes” to distribute to those in “dark red” zones, according to government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri. Several cabinet members and other public officials announced they would temporarily forgo…
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Bus services in and out of Phuket suspended for the next 2 weeks
For the next 2 weeks, all interprovincial bus services entering and leaving Phuket will be suspended. The move is intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on the island province as it reopens to travellers from overseas under the “Phuket Sandbox.” The president of the national bus service company, known in Thai as “BorKorSor,” Sanlak Panyawatthanalikit, ordered for the “temporary…
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Muay Thai recognised by International Olympic Committee
Muay Thai might soon be an Olympic sport. The International Olympic Committee has fully recognised the traditional martial art and its governing body, the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations, or IFMA, a committee member announced yesterday during the 138th IOC session in Tokyo. “This is the beginning of the possibility of Muay Thai to become an Olympic sport.” Thailand’s…
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Private sector says lockdowns won’t work without vaccines, mass testing
Industry representatives in Thailand say Covid-19 lockdowns won’t work unless accompanied by mass screening and vaccination. Supant Mongkolsuthree from the Federation of Thai Industries has expressed scepticism that the proposed tightening of restrictions in 13 high-risk provinces will bring the virus under control. Instead, he says the proposal could cost the economy around 100 billion baht and will be ineffective…
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FDA says don’t buy South Korean Covid home test kits
Thailand’s FDA is cautioning people against ordering the South Korean manufactured Covid home test kits sold online. The FDA says they have not approved them, yet. The seller, who is offering the Covid tests on their Facebook, says their kits have already been approved in South Korea. And by the World Health Organization! Also, the test kits can tell the…
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All domestic travellers entering Phuket need to be vaccinated against Covid-19
All domestic travellers entering Phuket must be vaccinated against Covid-19 and also test negative for the virus. The new rules imposed by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew go into effect today and will be in place until at least August 2. The island province reopened to foreign tourists who are vaccinated against the coronavirus on July 1, amid the most severe…
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Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear
Highway 105 in Northern Thailand’s Tak province was blocked by trees/landslides between the Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang district due to result of heavy rains last night. The highway had to be closed at approximately the 81 kilometre marker in the Tha Song Yang district, also between Ban Samae and Mae Tuen. Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat chiefs…
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Police open murder investigation after worker’s body found underneath home
Police have opened a murder investigation after the remains of a 42 year old building contractor were found under a home he was doing construction on. The man’s face was severely injured and his skull cracked open, police say. The body had been stripped down to the underwear and wrapped in a curtain. The body was decaying and officers suspect…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 11,305 new cases; provincial totals
11,305 new cases and 80 deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 397,612 infections. Out of the new cases recorded today, 595 were detected in correctional facilities. The latest wave of infections spread to…
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Police detain all 4 inmates who escaped from Phetchabun prison
Police detained all 4 inmates who broke out of the Phetchabun Provincial Prison early yesterday morning. The inmates, all facing drug charges, escaped from the prison in province north of Bangkok at around 2:30am yesterday. The escapees did not run off too far and were all found within the district later that day. Just hours later at around 6am, officers…
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Foodpanda rider arrested on lèse majesté charges
Recently, Foodpanda faced public backlash and calls to be boycotted after they said they planned to fire a rider who was branded a terrorist. Yesterday, the same rider was arrested in Pathum Thani, a central province near Bangkok, on lèse majesté charges, arson and violation of the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings. The rider has been identified as 25 year…
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Unused Thai schools to be transformed into field hospitals as infections surge
Empty or unused school buildings across Thailand are to be converted into field hospitals as Covid-19 cases surge and the hospital bed crisis continues. Amporn Pinasa from the Office of the Basic Education Commission has issued an order for all unused buildings to be repurposed as makeshift field hospitals to increase the number of treatment facilities available. With hospitals in…
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Phuket officials concerned over “Sandboxers” who test positive for Covid on arrival
Out of the so-called “Sandboxers” who tested positive for Covid-19 since the Phuket reopening started on July 1, half of the infections were detected after the first test taken at the airport on arrival. The positive results conflict with the travellers’ negative results issued no more than 72 hours before departure, a requirement under the “Phuket Sandbox” model. Noticing a…
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Tight restrictions, curfews in 13 “dark red” provinces until August 2
Despite tight restrictions imposed last week in “dark red” zones, the Covid-19 situation has not improved. To combat the spread of the Delta variant, the government classified 3 more provinces as “dark red” zones and updated the disease control restrictions. An order was published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The new zoning and updates on restrictions will go…
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Flights from dark red zones prohibited from Wednesday, July 21
UPDATE: Thai Smile are cancelling all of their domestic flights for 2 weeks. Thai Smile is the domestic subsidiary of Thai Airways. “Thai Smile Airways would like to announce the temporary suspension of service on all domestic flights effective from July 21, 2021 – August 3, 2021”. The result of the ban is that most airlines are just grounding their…
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Monday Covid Update: 122,097 active cases; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported a record high of 11,784 new Covid-19 cases and 81 coronavirus-related deaths. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has recorded a total of 415,170 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 3,422 virus-related deaths. There are now 122,097 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. With the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant in…
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PM orders Thai Navy to postpone submarine purchases as pandemic rages
The Thai PM has instructed the Navy to postpone the planned purchase of 2 Chinese submarines, saying the funds must be diverted to fight Covid-19. The controversial 22.5 billion purchase was already postponed for a year last August. The Bangkok Post reports that Kongcheep Tantrawanich from the Defence Ministry says the PM has ordered a further postponement given the extent…
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4 inmates escape prison, 1 caught 3 at large
4 inmates escaped from a prison in northern Thailand’s Phetchabun Province early this morning. So far, 1 inmate has been caught, but 3 more inmates are still enjoying their freedom. The prison break was first reported around 3 am, says local police. Police and prison officials immediately set out to reincarcerate the escaped inmates. Local police stations were also notified…
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Tear gas, rubber bullets deployed against anti-government protesters in Bangkok
Police in Bangkok resorted to using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse anti-government protesters yesterday, after hundreds of people rallied in the capital. A report in the UK’s Guardian newspaper recounts how activists used cars and motorbikes to avoid spreading Covid-19. Yesterday’s protesters had 3 demands: the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a reduction in the military and monarchy’s…
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June letter warned only 3 million AstraZeneca vaccines per month
AstraZeneca now looks like it will deliver far less than the original 10 million vaccines announced, but letters newly leaked show the Public Health Ministry was alerted at least a month ago that the actual amount of doses would be far less than that. In a letter dated June 25 to Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, AstraZeneca confirmed with…
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Lockdown extending as flights from dark red zones are prohibited
A new announcement has declared that all domestic airlines must cease operation of any passenger flights out of the dark red zones including Bangkok and Pattaya beginning July 21. The decree comes as Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Bangkok and surrounding provinces while daily Covid cases hit 5 digits and daily deaths hit triple digits, both for the first…
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Bangkok penis peril, man gets padlock stuck around genitals
Recently, a Bangkok man had to be rushed to the hospital, but not for anything Covid related. The man had reportedly gotten a padlock stuck around his penis and could not get it (the padlock) off. The unnamed 38 year old had fastened the device around the base of his penis 2 weeks prior. However, things took a turn for the…
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Poll: Covid-19 situation critical, government should help, not profit
A new Suan Dusit Poll tells that over 60% of people think the Covid-19 situation in Thailand has become “very critical” with nearly 90% citing the soaring death and infections numbers as the biggest concerning factor and 78% concerned over widespread business closures. A jarring 78% of respondents complained that the government needs to stop putting their profits over the…
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Covid UPDATE: 11,397 new infections, provincial totals
Another rise in new infections detected over the past 24 hours and announced this morning by the public health department. 11,397 new cases were announced, a rise on yesterday’s figure and the second over 10,000 people. Another 101 Covid-related deaths today, the second day over 100 deaths being announced. 318 cases were announced from prisons this morning. 283,910 people have now…
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Royal Thai Navy goes ahead with plans to buy 2 submarines
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy says they are going ahead with plans to buy more submarines from China. The Royal Thai Navy was undeterred by rampant outrage on social media over buying 2 submarines for 22.5 billion baht is an indulgence while the country is besieged by Covid. Others criticised the move by saying the submarines are unnecessary…
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Traditional Thai medicine “Fah Talai Jone” gains steam as a treatment, despite shaky scientific merit
A well known traditional Thai medicine is gaining steam as a potential treatment for Covid despite its dubious scientific merit. Fah Talai Jone, or andrographis paniculata, has been used to treat a number of different illnesses, including the flu, a sore throat, and inflammation. Now, the herb is also being used to treat mild Covid systems in “green level” patients, provided…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 11,397 new infections, daily news briefs
Another rise in new infections detected over the past 24 hours and announced this morning by the public health department. 11,397 new cases were announced, a tase on yesterday’s figure and the second over 10,000 people. Another 101 Covid-related deaths today, the second day over 100 deaths being announced. 318 cases were announced from prisons this morning. Watch out for increased…
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Covid UPDATE: 10,082 new infections, provincial numbers
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Yesterday there were 3,367 in ICU and 847 on ventilators. 127…
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Home Covid-19 test kits approved, but not for travel
With Covid-19 on the rise, screening kit shortages have left people waiting for RT-PCR tests from professional testing sites and medical facilities. Now Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration approved 4 Covid-19 antigen test kits that can be purchased over-the-counter for home use to test for the virus. The 4 approved self-testing kits will allow people concerned that they may have…
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