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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9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Irony of mini coup not lost on Thailand’s Interior Minister
The irony doesn’t appear to be lost on Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda that there was something of a mini coup against him from within his party at last week’s censure debate. Gen Anupong, of course, is one of the three generals at the centre of the military coup which took place in Thailand in May 2014 along with Prime Minister…
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Thailand’s cannabis cottage industry set to fly high
Yesterday, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul once again defended his decision to decriminalize cannabis. Calls to reverse or suspend the legislation, by physicians, doctors, universities, and religious groups, fell on deaf ears and hundreds of new cannabis-related businesses in the kingdom breathed a sigh of relief. The decriminalization of the drug on June 6 has led to something of…
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8 common problems for Thai consumers addressed
Scam calls and texts, being cheated, pricy expenses… everything isn’t always rosy in the Land of Smiles. Now, the Thailand Consumers Council has drawn up a list of eight typical real-life issues that are decreasing the quality of life for consumers in the country. During a meeting with the Senate Committee on Human Rights, Rights and Liberty, and Consumers Protection…
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Was the Nigerian man the real first monkeypox case in Thailand?
The head of the Centre for Medical Genomics at Ramathibodi Hospital has addressed what many have questioned in the wild case of the Nigerian man who was diagnosed in Phuket with monkeypox and then fled to Cambodia. This first confirmed case of monkeypox in Thailand was likely contracted inside of the country, suggesting earlier, unidentified cases. The Nigerian man arrived…
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Bangkok governor vows to root out government corruption
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday revealed he is to introduce five new policies in an attempt to wipe out corruption in the capital. The 56 year old City Hall leader announced the scheme at a press conference sitting alongside members of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT). Chadchart acknowledged that Bangkok citizens do not fully trust City Hall in issues…
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Emergency Decree extended by cabinet until end of September
The Thai cabinet met yesterday to officially extend the State of Emergency in Thailand, announced earlier this month, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the 19th extension it will prolong the Emergency Decree that was set to expire on July 31, going into effect on August 1 and continuing until September 30. The decree, which was first invoked by…
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Panphet’s mother ‘does not blame’ French Muay Thai fighter for her son’s death
The mother of Muay Thai fighter Panphet Phadungchai says she “does not blame” French Muay Thai fighter Anthony Durand for her son’s death and wants him to keep fighting. Anthony Durand announced his resignation from Muay Thai on Sunday, following the death of his opponent Panphet Phadungchai on Saturday. Panphet was knocked out by Anthony in the fifth round of…
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Pheu Thai Party leader’s car kills woman crossing road
A 77 year old woman in Amnat Charoen died this morning after being hit by a car carrying the Pheu Thai party leader Khathathep Tejadejruangkul. Khathathep was on his way to Ubon Ratchathani Airport to catch a flight to Bangkok where he was scheduled to attend a House meeting. But his driver, 32 year old Sergeant Wirayut Phariwong, hit Pua…
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Thai university researchers test wastewater for monkeypox at Bangkok airport
Sewage at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is being tested for the monkeypox virus by researchers from Naresuan University in the northern province of Phitsanulok. The tests can detect traces of the virus in wastewater immediately – even before the infected person begins to show symptoms – and could be used as a “budget surveillance measure” to catch and control local outbreaks…
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Nine alleged pedophiles arrested in Northern Thailand
Police yesterday arrested nine alleged pedophile men for having sex with underage girls in Kalasin province. The arrests were part of a bigger sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation operation in Kalasin province, in Northern Thailand. Police from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) apprehended the suspects in the northeastern province yesterday. The ATPD reported that one of the suspects…
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Mor Prom to transition from Covid to a full healthcare app
Developed and evolved during the pandemic to be an all-purpose Covid-19 centre, the Mor Prom mobile app will now be transitioned into a new life as Thailand’s online health platform. The app was created as a Covid infection tracker, but quickly evolved into a source of coronavirus information, vaccine appointment scheduling and confirming, and a communication tool for the government…
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Samut observation tower to finally open after 10 years
Construction work in Bangkok is historically slow, whether it is burying cables underground, opening new roads, or, in this case, the reopening of Samut Prakarn Observation Tower. Thirteen years after plans were drawn up and 10 years after construction work began the building will finally open to the public on August 22. Last month, a Facebook page, Must Share, ต้องแฉ…
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Thai influencer suffers 2 years abuse by sex pest security guard
A Thai influencer hopes that two years of being sexually harassed by an obsessive stalker is now over after seeking help from a lawyer. The female influencer, Mintra “Pare” Cheuwangkam, aka Mintan, met a Thai lawyer Ratchapon Sirisakhon, yesterday to discuss two years of hell after being hounded by a security guard with an alleged rape and drugs charge on…
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Royal birthday holiday upcoming July 28-31, and again August 12
We are entering royal birthday season, as this weekend marks July’s second long holiday weekend in celebration of the king’s birthday, followed just two weeks later by the Queen Mother’s birthday. His Royal Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun will celebrate his 70th birthday on Thursday, July 28, prompting a holiday to be extended on Friday to create a four-day holiday…
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Chinese kingpin of transnational call centre gang arrested at Bangkok airport
A Chinese man wanted for trafficking Chinese people across borders to work in call centre gangs in Laos and Cambodia was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Saturday. Chief of Police Suwat Chaengyordsook received a call on Friday, July 22, warning him that a Chinese fugitive wanted on an Interpol ‘Red Notice’ would be travelling to Suvarnabhumi Airport in…
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Armed robber makes off with 160,000 baht from Phuket Tesco
Bank robberies are generally violent affairs, with lots of drama, some shots fired, and an injury or death. But this wasn’t the case when a stick-up occurred yesterday afternoon at a Tesco Lotus department store in Phuket. The cheeky armed robber wandered into the store in the Rawai area of Muang district shortly before 1pm and casually made off with…
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Govt wants Thailand to be No.1 in Asian business market by 2027
The Deputy PM and Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanavisit, has set an ambitious target for Thai brands and businesses to be top of the Asian market by 2027. The Deputy Spokesperson of the PM Office, Ratchada Thanadirek, yesterday reported that Commerce Minister Jurin was working on a project called “Promoting Thai Brands to the World” to develop Thai brands and businesses…
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Thailand says 40 year old smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox
Thailand has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines in cold storage which were produced more than 40 years ago in 1979 and 1980. Not only are the vaccines still effective against smallpox, but they are 85% effective against monkeypox too, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS). The vaccines could be used in the instance that the global monkeypox outbreak…
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Loan shark avenges debtor with fermented fish in northern Thailand
A loan creditor broke into a woman’s home in Phetchabun province, northern Thailand, and spread fermented fish all over her house and belongings. Police say the “loan gang” could be prosecuted for breaking and entering if they are found gill-ty of the crime. A 45 year old single mother filed a complaint at Bueng Sam Phan Police Station yesterday after…
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4 tips about buying a condo in Thailand
Buying property in Thailand requires some good advice and a bit of reading-up before plunging yourself into the hundreds of opportunities, around the country. Condos, which a foreigner can own the freehold, have the potential to yield a good profit for your investment. Most condos have relatively low maintenance costs and the ability to use the property for residential or…
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Leading academics & doctors in Thailand demand govt to pause cannabis bill
Some 851 doctors and alumni of the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, launched a campaign to get the Thai government to pause its cannabis decriminalisation bill for the safety of its children. Yesterday, the President of the Forensic Physician Association of Thailand, Smith Srisont, posted a document with a list of requests to the government demanding a “cannabis…
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UPDATE: Health officials test 19 for monkeypox after contact with fugitive
UPDATE: All 19 people who had close contact with Thailand’s first ever recorded monkeypox case have all tested negative for the monkeypox virus. All 19 people will isolate for a total of 21 days and will then be tested again to confirm they have not contracted the virus. The 27 year old Nigerian national travelled to Thailand eight months ago…
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Government scheme helps elderly Thais become social media influencers
More elderly Thais are using social media than ever before, but very few consider themselves ‘content creators.’ Government agency Thai Media Fund has started a digital training scheme to help Thailand’s aging population use the internet more effectively and generate their content, so they can use social media to turn their passions into profit. Almost 78% of Thailand’s 70 million…
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Outbound tourism rebound slowed by Covid-19, rising costs
The number of tourist arrivals into Thailand is slowly picking up, but tour operators are nervous about the near future outbound travel, with economic and health worries still a factor in worldwide travel. The president of the Thai Travel Agent Association said that the beginning of the rebound of outbound tourism has been kneecapped by a surge in new Covid-19…
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Untold stories of Herculean cave rescue in Thailand
The heroic story of the Thai cave rescue has been told a number of times. We’ve read and heard about the Two British cave divers, John Volanthen and Richard Stanton, and their Herculean efforts to rescue the 12 boys and their football coach from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province in northern Thailand. But what about the untold stories, the…
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French Muay Thai boxer resigns over death of opponent
Yesterday, French Muay Thai boxer Anthony Durand announced his resignation from the sport following the death of his opponent Phanphet Phadungchai. Phanphet suffered a brain haemorrhage after being knocked out by Anthony during a fight on July 15. The 25 year old boxer entered a state of brain death following the injury and received life support for nine days before…
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Body of missing Thai – Belgian tourist found in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand
Rescue teams have found the body of a Thai – Belgian tourist who went missing after a white water rafting accident in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on Friday. The body of 30 year old Nicholas Hinckxt was found in the Mae Taeng River in Mae Taeng district at around 2pm yesterday, some 10 kilometres away from where his boat capsized.…
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Thailand upgrades monkeypox alert to national level
Thai officials are on guard for monkeypox. The country has upgraded its monkeypox alert to the national level today. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called an emergency meeting today after the World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a Global Health Emergency. This news comes after a Nigerian man, who was the first person recorded with monkeypox in Thailand, escaped to Cambodia.…
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Fun while it lasted: New resolution to ban cannabis cigarettes
Thailand decriminalised the growing, sale, possession, and use of cannabis last month with very few rules or regulations in place to manage the newly legalised drug. Politicians soon announced that they had thought the legalisation would be used mainly for medical purposes, and never intended for it to be a legal recreational drug. Now government officials are taking steps to…
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Muay Thai fighter dies from brain injury
There’s been a tragedy in the world of Thai boxing, commonly known as Muay Thai. After a boxer was declared brain dead last week after his opponent knocked him out in a match last week. The boxer, known as Phanphet Phadungchai, had suffered a brain haemorrhage after the fight. Phanphet’s final match was on July 15, at the Thupatemi Air…
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