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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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More venues in Thailand require proof of vaccination, or ATK test, at the door
Thailand’s future looks… vaccinated. More and more venues and events are embracing the government’s “Covid Free Setting” guidelines which call for not only staff, but customers to be fully vaccinated, or test negative for the virus, to be considered a “Covid free” area. Bangkok’s Khao San Road was blocked off the other weekend with bouncers checking documents and digital vaccination…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 4,306 new cases; provincial totals
37 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,771 with 20,677 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,407 new Covid-19 cases and 6,165 recoveries. There are now 75,673 people in Thailand being…
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Foreigner claims Bangkok taxi pocketed 1,000 baht for ride down Sukhumvit
A foreigner in Bangkok claims he was ripped off by a taxi driver who drove him from Thong Lor to Sukhumvit Soi 11, saying the driver didn’t use a meter and pocketed 1,000 baht. Apparently, the driver claimed the passenger had handed him 100 baht. A Thai woman posted a video of the confrontation with the taxi driver on TikTok…
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Flash floods from heavy rain hit three districts in Surat Thani
Last night, villages in three districts in Southern Thailand’s Surat Thani province were hit by flash floods due to heavy rain and local rescue teams along with the military assisted residents in moving their belongings to higher ground. Governor Wichawut Jinto and Chamnong Sawatwong, chief of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, led the relief effort, which included territorial…
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Ministry prepares to bring back Thais from eight African countries starting tomorrow
With Thai authorities issuing a travel ban on those from 8 African countries reporting the new Omicron variant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing to bring Thai citizens in the high risk countries back to Thailand. Citizens living in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe can apply for a COE (certificate of entry) to return…
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Bangkok’s Yellow Line skyrail starts test runs
The newest addition to Bangkok’s skyrail is here.The Yellow Line, which travels from Lat Phrao to Samrong in Samut Prakan, has reportedly begun its test run since last Thursday from the maintenance depot near Sri Iam station in Bang Na district. The Yellow Line, which is a joint venture worth 54,768.455 million baht between Thailand’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority and…
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Thai PM to visit Udon Thani tomorrow
According to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will visit Udon Thani, one of Thailand’s largest cities, in the north east of the country, tomorrow to meet with the public and private sectors in the region to discuss provincial development and welcoming tourists under the Udon Plus scheme. Politically, the north east has always seen as a strong region…
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Phuket yacht startup banks funding for 2022
The following is a press release from Boatcrowd. Chartering a private yacht is among the most exclusive, luxurious, and unforgettable experiences you can ever have. It opens you up to explorations and adventures that you would never experience on land, and it’s the perfect way to relax, enjoy, and see more of the world. As Covid restrictions are being lifted…
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Bomb attack damages vehicles carrying ballot boxes from local election in Yala
A bombing in the Deep South province Yala damaged several vehicles carrying ballot boxes from a local election. After the polls closed on Sunday for the Bannang Sata tambon administration organisation elections, eight vehicles were used to take the ballot boxes to the district office. As the vehicles drove on a rural road at around 7:55pm, a parked motorcycle exploded. A…
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Crackdown on human trafficking as Thailand tries to upgrade its ranking
Thailand is to get tough on people smugglers, according to deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon in a Bangkok Post report today. The government aims to upgrade the country’s 2022 ranking in the US Trafficking in Persons Report, after being downgraded to the Tier 2 Watchlist in this year’s report. Being given a Tier 2 Watchlist ranking means a government is deemed…
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No plans to reverse re-opening, despite Omicron variant – Tourism Ministry
Thailand’s Tourism Minister says there will be no going back for the country’s re-opening plans, despite the emergence of the Omicron variant. According to a Bangkok Post report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says closing the borders is not an option anymore. “Nobody wants another border closure as it was really difficult for us to re-open the country. Our economy still suffers from…
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“Sandbox” stay shortened to 5 days for vaccinated travellers from overseas
The mandatory stay under the “sandbox” re-entry scheme has been shortened to 5 days for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand. At its general meeting on Friday chaired by the prime minister, the CCSA to cut the stay under “sandbox” regulations from 7 days down to 5. “Happy Quarantine,” as tourism officials call it, has also been cut to 5 days for…
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Monday Covid Update: 4,753 new cases; provincial totals
27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,734 with 20,640 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 4,753 new Covid-19 cases and 6,165 recoveries. There are now 77,811 people in Thailand being…
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Thai officials mull over testing methods for arrivals following Omicron emergence
With the emergence of the Omicron variant, just as Thailand was easing travel regulations, the Thai government is mulling over whether to reverse its plan to replace RT-PCR tests with the less accurate, but faster and cheaper antigen tests, or ATK, for arrivals from overseas. The CCSA held an emergency meeting over the weekend in response to the news of…
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Alcohol sales at Bangkok restaurants allowed until 11pm starting Wednesday
The cutoff time for alcohol sales at restaurants in Bangkok will be pushed from 9pm to 11pm. Governor Aswin Kwanmuang reportedly signed a provincial order allowing restaurants to serve booze until 11pm starting Wednesday, according to Thai media. Under the order, entertainment venues, such as bars and nightclubs, must remain closed until the end of the year. The order still…
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Bangkok police say restaurateurs could face jail time for serving alcohol after 9pm
Police in Bangkok are warning restaurant owners that if alcohol is served after 9pm, they will face legal action… possibly even up to a year in jail and a fine up to 100,000 baht. Restaurants in the capital are allowed to serve beer, wine and cocktails up until 9pm, if they have passed standards set under the Safety and Health…
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Siam Seaplane makes getting to your destination so much easier
Sponsored Article There’s an innovative new company that is going to drastically reduce the time required to get to your holiday destination and get to those hard to get to beach resorts in the Land of Smiles. Siam Seaplane will offer Thailand’s first premium amphibious seaplane service, providing faster, easier and seamless access to waterfront locations such as resorts, and…
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Omicron Covid-19 variant isn’t in Thailand, DDC director says
The Omicron Covid-19 variant isn’t in Thailand, director-general of the Department of Disease Control said yesterday, assuring the public that the mutated strain of the virus virus is not “travelling” into the country by tourists. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said that all “sandbox” visitors are being closely and stringently monitored by health authorities. “All 1,007 travellers from South Africa who recently…
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New variant could dampen Thailand’s reopening enthusiasm
Thailand was the first country in Asia to more fully reopen to foreign travellers, and it is seeing a slow recovery, with more bookings for hotels, and new faces along shopping strips and markets in the country. November 1 was the launch of the Thailand Pass and a broader reopening to fully vaccinated travellers and tourists from 63 low-risk countries.…
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French expat being denied re-entry to Thailand over repeated criticism of the Thai monarchy
One of Thailand’s long term French expats Yan Marchal is being denied reentry to Thailand. He says he is being expelled to Paris from Bangkok, as soon as tonight, for being a long term critic of the Thai government and Monarchy. Yan says he could appeal the ‘deportation’. “I have been advised to fly out rather than to expose myself…
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Amnesty International under investigation for defending activists
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that Thai authorities have opened an investigation into human rights group Amnesty International after they spoke out against the prosecution of anti-government protesters. An opposing group of protesters who are devoted to the monarchy called for Amnesty International to be barred from Thailand. On Thursday, the group of royalists gave the government a letter saying that…
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CCSA sticks with plan to reopen bars on January 16
This article was revised on Monday, November 29. Despite hopes from millions of tourists around the world and millions of bar, club, and nightlife staff and owners throughout Thailand, the CCSA is sticking with plans to allow the bars to reopen on January 16. The CCSA had a meeting yesterday that revisited and revised several rules for entering Thailand and…
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Vaccine passport soon to be made digital and issued for free
Thailand is planning on streamlining the proof of vaccination process by offering an e-vaccine passport for free for international travellers. The CCSA announced the plan as one of the topics covered in their meeting today which also saw the elimination of Dark Red Zones and curfews, as well as a switch from RT-PCR tests for entering tourists to the faster,…
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CCSA hints that some bars and nightclubs could reopen before January 16
The long awaited reopening of bars and nightclubs is still set for January 16, but a government spokesperson has hinted that they could reopen sooner. The deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nopakun Natapanu, says that the CCSA decided to stay with the plan to for January, but will allow relevant agencies to continue to work closely with…
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Heavy rain, potential flooding in the forecast for Southern Thailand
Eight provinces in Southern Thailand — Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat — have been warned by the Meteorological Department today to prepare for potentially flooding and runoff as heavy rain and strong winds continued in the Gulf of Thailand. The warning will be in effect until Tuesday, according to the weather services, adding…
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Friday Covid Update: 6,559 new cases; provincial totals
64 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,645 with 20,551 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,559 new Covid-19 cases and 6,875 recoveries. There are now 80,277 people in Thailand being…
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Emergency Decree extended until January 31
The Emergency Decree has been extended until January 31, giving the Thai government sweeping powers to impose measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to extend the decree due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. The decree was imposed at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and…
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Thai police suspect fugitive Red Bull heir is living in Austria
The fugitive Red Bull heir who is wanted by Thai police for the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case is claimed to now be in Austria. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is wanted for speeding his Ferrari in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and running over a police officer, dragging his body several dozen metres, killing him. Boss managed to evade justice and fled the country…
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Soi Dog Foundation sends over 100 tonnes of dog and cat food for flood relief
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. Soi Dog Foundation’s ongoing relief effort for dogs and cats affected by the recent flooding in Central Thailand has seen the amount of food delivered to desperate dogs and cats exceed a whopping 100 tonnes. Following the initial distribution in late September of 64 tonnes of food to flood-affected…
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Public Health Ministry drafts measures for reopening bars next month in 17 provinces
The Public Health Ministry has reportedly drafted measures for reopening bars and nightclubs in 17 provinces next month and will make a proposal to the CCSA. While entertainment venues nationwide are planned to reopen by mid-January, according to a report in Thai media, the ministry is proposing to open bars in “blue” zones a month earlier on December 16, but…
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