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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  • Thai man finally cremates wife after keeping her body for 21 years | Thaiger

    Thai man finally cremates wife after keeping her body for 21 years

    An elderly Thai man from Bangkok finally had his wife’s body cremated after keeping it inside a coffin at his home in Bang Khen district for 21 years. Since his wife passed away in 2001, the 72 year old retired military officer said he couldn’t bear to be separated from his deceased wife. However, he was scared he would die…

  • Thai PM Prayut warns about fake 1000 baht banknotes | Thaiger

    Thai PM Prayut warns about fake 1000 baht banknotes

    Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is warning about fake 1000 baht banknotes and is urging anyone who finds them to hand them back to any commercial banks nearby. The PM’s spokesperson also gave details about how to detect the counterfeit bills. Locals in the central province of Nonthaburi have found lots of the fake 1000 baht notes. One female victim told…

  • British Muay Thai fighter seriously injured after motorbike crash in southern Thailand | Thaiger

    British Muay Thai fighter seriously injured after motorbike crash in southern Thailand

    A British Muay Thai fighter is undergoing surgery in Bangkok after he was involved in a serious road accident in Koh Samui on April 13. Chris – a 32 year old martial arts champion from York, UK – pulled out of a coffee shop on his motorbike when he was crushed by a pickup truck. Chris survived the incident but…

  • Pattaya police invite media to inspect the Walking Street makeover – safer, better, more secure | Thaiger

    Pattaya police invite media to inspect the Walking Street makeover – safer, better, more secure

    Business owners and staff along Pattaya’s high profile Walking Street are ready to to welcome visitors, both Thai and foreigners, after waiting for over 2 years. Pattaya police have paid a visit the street in a media stunt to declare the street is now ready, and safe, for visitors to return. They’ve been setting up checkpoints and urging security guards…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 9,721 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Tuesday Covid Update: 9,721 new cases; provincial totals

    77 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 28,778 with 7,080 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The trend for deaths continues to drop. It was sitting above 100 deaths per day during April. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 9,721 new Covid-19 cases and…

  • President of a top university resigns after air hostess photos | Thaiger

    President of a top university resigns after air hostess photos

    After images of female air hostesses being posted on his Facebook account sparked a public uproar, Silapakorn University president Chaicharn Thavaravej has now posted his resignation to defend the university’s reputation and credibility. His resignation takes full effect after the university baord selects his successor. “I would like to take responsibility by resigning as the Silapakorn University president.” Last week,…

  • Phuket Taxi driver assaults 15 year old Australian passenger | Thaiger

    Phuket Taxi driver assaults 15 year old Australian passenger

    An Australian father has filed an official complaint to Phuket police saying a local taxi driver assaulted his 15 year old daughter at a parking area in a shopping centre in the middle of the island. The driver was released after an investigation and confessing to police that he just wanted to admire the passenger’s short pants. Phuket taxis are…

  • 8 year old Thai-Ukrainian child bitten by ‘shark’ in Phuket | Thaiger

    8 year old Thai-Ukrainian child bitten by ‘shark’ in Phuket

    An 8 year old half Thai, half Ukrainian child was reported as being bitten by an unknown sea animal at Kamala Beach on Phuket’s west coast. The officer from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources believes the animal could have been a shark. On April 1, Thai media reported that the child travelled with 6 other family members. He…

  • Anutin reports surge in Thailand Pass applications after Test & Go dropped | Thaiger

    Anutin reports surge in Thailand Pass applications after Test & Go dropped

    Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM says there has been a jump in Thailand Pass applications since the ditching of Test & Go. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says registration has increased, with no problems reported with the simplified system so far. The health minister also commented on the Covid-19 situation in Thailand, saying that daily…

  • Thai lung specialist highlights Covid-19 risks for elderly unvaccinated | Thaiger

    Thai lung specialist highlights Covid-19 risks for elderly unvaccinated

    With around 1 in 6 elderly Thai people still not vaccinated against Covid-19, a lung specialist has taken to Facebook to warn of the health risks they face. The elderly population is among the group at highest risk of developing severe Covid-19 symptoms and dying from the virus. To illustrate the danger, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs has highlighted 2 recent cases…

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  • Officials hope Test & Go cancellation will see flights to Thailand double by year end | Thaiger

    Officials hope Test & Go cancellation will see flights to Thailand double by year end

    With Test & Go now tested and gone, the Thai government hopes to see a surge in flights to the kingdom, up to twice the current number by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is anticipating 83,500 flights a month across all airports by the end of 2022. The…

  • Yay May. Covid numbers down, arrival numbers up in Thailand. | Thaiger

    Yay May. Covid numbers down, arrival numbers up in Thailand.

    May kicks off with an upbeat beginning in Thailand. Today’s May Day substitution public holiday saw the CCSA-reported daily Covid numbers drop below 10,000 for the first time since the start of February. And the number of daily deaths continues to fall below 100 after sitting over the milestone for most of April. 9,331 new Covid infections were reported in…

  • How is Crypto currency used in Thailand? | Thaiger

    How is Crypto currency used in Thailand?

    Crypto currency has become very popular in Thailand. How do you use or trade cryptocurrency in Thailand? Is cryptocurrency transactions banned in Thailand? What does the law say regarding Crypto currency transactions. Tim newton sits with Ben hart from Integrity Legal to find out what the law says regarding cryptocurrency in Thailand.  

  • Is Thailand ready for a Clean Air Act? | Thaiger

    Is Thailand ready for a Clean Air Act?

    Thailand has plenty of air pollution problems, from the city traffic, the black-smoke belching buses, the industry and, most of all, the smoke and smog from the burning of agricultural waste, principally in the central and northern parts of Thailand. Then there’s all the air pollution that floats in across the Laos, Cambodian and Myanmar borders. There’s also a seasonal…

  • Thailand braces for higher fuel and energy costs | Thaiger

    Thailand braces for higher fuel and energy costs

    The full impact of international fuel price rises and inflation is about to arrive in Thailand. After many months of shielding the full impact of price rises, mostly with a diesel subsidy which capped the pump price at 30 baht a litre, the prices are now set to soar The government’s diesel subsidy has been in place since last October…

  • PM calls on schools to implement strict Covid safety measures on re-opening | Thaiger

    PM calls on schools to implement strict Covid safety measures on re-opening

    The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the Education Ministry to ensure schools are equipped to manage Covid-19 when they re-open. According to government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the PM wants education facilities to implement strict Covid-19 prevention measures when they re-open on May 17. According to a Nation Thailand report, the measures include: • Conducting regular checks on the virus…

  • Federation of Thai Industries concerned about plans for minimum wage hike | Thaiger

    Federation of Thai Industries concerned about plans for minimum wage hike

    Thailand’s Federation of Thai Industries has expressed concern about the impact a rise in the minimum wage could have on small and medium-sized businesses. The federation says if a proposal to increase the minimum wage to 492 baht goes ahead, it will have a severe impact on such firms. According to a Bangkok Post report, the FTI was responding to…

  • Feedback positive following cancellation of Test & Go entry scheme | Thaiger

    Feedback positive following cancellation of Test & Go entry scheme

    Foreign tourists who’ve arrived since the cancellation of Test & Go have given the government’s decision the seal of approval, according to a Bangkok Post report. The publication spoke to a number of overseas arrivals to get their view on the simplified entry procedures. Canadian Kyle Sutherland confirmed that the decision to drop PCR testing on arrival has helped him…

  • New upper speed limit increases to 120 kilometres per hour on some Thai motorways | Thaiger

    New upper speed limit increases to 120 kilometres per hour on some Thai motorways

    From yesterday, the speed limit for all traffic will now increase to 120 kilometres per hour. The change covers at least four highways in Thailand as a pilot program. The announcement was made by the director-general of the Highways Department and is already published in the Royal Gazette. There’s been a few false starts on the raising of the national…

  • How are expats coping with Thailand’s rising cost of living? – VIDEO | Thaiger

    How are expats coping with Thailand’s rising cost of living? – VIDEO

    Sunday Thailand news update. Tim goes through the main headlines of the day then takes your questions and comments in our new weekend Thaiger Weekend Update. The main topic is the rising cost of living in Thailand and if it’s going to push out more expats who are on fixed incomes. But where will they go? An hour of the…

  • Phuket driver filmed obstructing ambulance claims he didn’t hear it | Thaiger

    Phuket driver filmed obstructing ambulance claims he didn’t hear it

    A Phuket driver, who was caught on film driving slowly and erratically braking, obstructing an ambulance that was taking a seriously injured woman to a hospital, has now presented himself to police. A video clip was posted online on Thursday, causing outrage among Thai netizens. The driver presented himself at Phuket City Police Station yesterday (Saturday). He claims he didn’t…

  • First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass” | Thaiger

    First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass”

    Phuket’s first arrival flight under the Thailand Pass updated ‘eased’ restrictions has arrived! A flight from Qatar carrying with 324 passengers landed at Phuket International Airport this morning, and an airport director said 4,482 travellers in total are expected to arrive today. The director said that throughout May, an average of 27 flights per day were expected to arrive at…

  • Floor of Bangkok condo collapses, 1 killed | Thaiger

    Floor of Bangkok condo collapses, 1 killed

    One floor of a condominium in the Bang Sue district of Bangkok has collapsed between last night and this morning, killing a construction worker. Five other people were also injured when the floor came crashing down. It’s still unknown which floor in the 27 storey building collapsed, however, engineers and forensic investigators are inspecting the site today. The condo is…

  • Days before curfew eases, Pattaya police raid ‘restaurant’ at 11:30pm over alcohol | Thaiger

    Days before curfew eases, Pattaya police raid ‘restaurant’ at 11:30pm over alcohol

    Just one day before Thailand’s official alcohol curfew goes from 11pm to midnight, Pattaya police raided two ‘restaurants’ last night at around 11:30pm for allegedly serving alcohol past 11pm. The restaurants were on Walking Street, located at the south end of Pattaya beach. Pattaya police yesterday started enforcing a closure of Walking Street from vehicle traffic as the area was…

  • Thailand tourism authorities want to attract 1 million tourists a month in final quarter | Thaiger

    Thailand tourism authorities want to attract 1 million tourists a month in final quarter

    Things are looking up for Thailand’s tourism sector as several entry restrictions are set to ease tomorrow (Sunday). On April 25, it was reported that 713,183 international travellers had arrived in Thailand this year, more than 50% actual tourists. Now, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reportedly hopes to attract at least 1 million tourists every month heading into the next…

  • Police keep Pattaya’s Walking Street safe after reopening to cars | Thaiger

    Police keep Pattaya’s Walking Street safe after reopening to cars

    After Pattaya’s Walking Street started reopening to cars again from 7pm to 6am, police went to the street last night to make sure tourists safe. A lieutenant from Pattaya Traffic Police told The Pattaya News that over 90% of business operators had cooperated with the closure, however, “some still don’t know the rules” and are parking in the area. Walking…

  • Phuket police and park officers rescue American lost in jungle | Thaiger

    Phuket police and park officers rescue American lost in jungle

    Phuket Tourist Police and national park officers have rescued an American tourist who got lost in a jungle in Thalang district yesterday in central Phuket. The tourist, an unnamed 68 year old man, had become lost in the afternoon, but the team luckily found him in the early evening. He reportedly had some scratches on his leg, and was dehydrated,…

  • Is Thailand no longer a tourist favourite | Thailand Weekend Update | Thaiger

    Is Thailand no longer a tourist favourite | Thailand Weekend Update

    Jay takes you through Saturday’s main news topics in Thailand’s news and answers your questions live. Your views, comments and lots of Jay time. Today’s question is if the Thailand Pass has done more harm than good, and taken the gloss off Thailand’s favoured tourist destination title.

  • Employers in Thailand object to raising minimum wage | Thaiger

    Employers in Thailand object to raising minimum wage

    In the midst of Thailand’s worst worker’s debt in 14 years, Thai employers are opposing a new proposal to increase the country’s daily minimum wage. The currrent minimum daily wages range from 313 baht to 336 baht, depending on which part of the country you’re in. In Bangkok it’s 331 baht. Earlier this week, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee and…