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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Fines for not wearing face masks range from 1,000 baht to 20,000 baht
In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, wearing a face mask is mandatory in public. Earlier announcements said those who do not wear a mask while in a public place could face a fine of up to 20,000 baht. An official revision of the rule was recently published in the Royal Gazette detailing the range of…
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Thursday Covid Update: 2,310 new cases and 43 deaths
2,310 new Covid-19 infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation, raising the total count in the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand to 158,675. The CCSA logged 43 more Covid-related deaths today, an increase over the past few days. Out of the new cases confirmed today, 102 were detected at correctional facilities. The…
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Investigation launched into death of woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine
Thailand’s Health Minister says an investigation will be launched into the cause of death of a 46 year old woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Anutin Charnvirakul was speaking as he paid his condolences to the family of Panyapat Itthithanawong, who lived in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok. The Bangkok Post reports that Panyapat received a dose of the…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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So expats can get vaccines in the rollout. But… how?
With mass vaccination finally underway, one demographic hangs in an uncertain balance for vaccines more than any other: Thailand’s 3 million expats. After months of back and forth with foreigners being told they will get vaccines, then they wouldn’t, then they’d have to pay, then they’d have to wait until after all Thais, and finally that all expats would be…
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Around 900,000 doses administered since yesterday’s launch of the mass vaccination campaign
Around 900,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered since Thailand launched its mass immunisation campaign yesterday… making steps closer toward the goal of 96 million doses administered in the next 200 days. The Thai government first started rolling out vaccines for those in priority areas and those at a high risk of infection on February 28. Public Health…
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More details uncovered in billionaire couple’s Koh Tao death
Details are emerging on the tragic drowning death of a billionaire hotel owner and his wife in Koh Tao last week as police investigate further. Along with a more detailed picture of the events of the day, a few inconsistencies emerged from the original information as the story broke, including a time gap between the first shouts of trouble were…
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Medical examiners investigate death of woman who died after Covid-19 vaccination
Health officials are investigating the death of a 46 year old woman in Bangkok who died after she was injected with the Covid-19 vaccine. The woman was injected with the AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday and died just after midnight today. The woman was inoculated yesterday at the Thai Business Administration Technological College, her niece told police. When she got home, she…
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PM’s brother Preecha investigated by Anti-Corruption body
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s younger brother is in hot water with the National Anti-Corruption Commission charging Senator Preecha Chan-o-cha with concealing assets. The NACC voted unanimously on acknowledging the charge and serving notice to the PM’s sibling on these allegations. The younger Chan-o-cha was a member of the parliamentary body the National Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2019, and is accused…
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Phuket’s main Covid vaccination centre offers drive-through service for elderly patients
A drive-through Covid-19 vaccination service has opened up at Phuket’s main vaccination centre, allowing those 60 years old or above, and those with underlying health conditions, to get inoculated without getting out of their car. Health officials started offering the service after noticing that many elderly people had trouble walking through the large Saphan Hin Gymnasium to get a vaccine. Before…
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Thailand to get 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 5 million Johnson & Johnson doses
The Thai government is ordering 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with 5 million of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Thai PBS World reports that deliveries are expected in the second half of the year. The Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Nattaphon Narkpanich, chair of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says the Pfizer and…
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Health Ministry orders hospitals not to postpone vaccination appointments
The Public Health Ministry has instructed Thai hospitals to honour vaccination appointments, even though they may not have received the number of doses expected. According to Thai PBS World, Satit Pitutacha from the Health Ministry says it’s vital that people over the age of 60, as well as those with 1 or more of 7 underlying health conditions, receive a…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,680 new cases and 35 deaths
2,680 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest wave of infections, 156,365 Covid infections have been reported in Thailand. Out of the new cases reported today, 280 were in Thai prisons. In the latest wave of infections, around 30,000 inmates have tested positive for Covid-19.…
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Thai PM apologises for delays in vaccination rollout
Sorry seems to be the hardest word… Or so the song goes. But the Thai PM has managed it (admittedly some would say it took a while). Prayut Chan-o-cha has apologised for the hiccups with the national vaccine rollout, admitting yesterday that there had been delays. The Bangkok Post reports that the PM insists the situation will improve with the…
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Nearly 30,000 Covid-19 infections at Thai prisons in recent wave
Nearly 30,000 people at Thai prisons have tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest wave of infections. There are now 13,392 active coronavirus cases at 12 correctional facilities in Thailand, according to the Department of Corrections. 534 new cases and 3 coronavirus-related deaths at prisons were reported today. In the latest wave of infections in Thailand, 29,734 cases have been…
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28 year old Australian man found dead near Krabi island last week
Thai police are investigating the death of a 28 year old Australian man who was found dead last week by Koh Pu, a small island in Krabi near Koh Lanta. Robert Wojcik, a Sydney native who had lived in Thailand since late 2019 working as a divemaster, took his boat out on June 1. When he did not come home…
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Korat prisons declared to be Covid free
Nakhon Ratchasima, aka Korat, a northeastern province, has no inmates with Covid-19 in any of its 6 prisons. It was determined to be Covid free after all of its inmates were tested for the virus, says the governor say Kobchai Boon-orana today. The announcement came via a video conference with the heads of the 6 prisons. The 6 prisons are:…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 2,662 new cases and 28 deaths, provincial totals
2,662 new Covid-19 cases and 28 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the start of the latest wave of infections in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 153,685 Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases reported today, 534 were reported in correctional facilities. Over the past month, more than a dozen Thai…
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Wellness counselling an added benefit with expat health insurance
During this unpredictable time with the Covid-19 pandemic, taking care of one’s mental health is equally important, as mental and physical health directly affect each other. As people worldwide have lost jobs, family members, friends, and their “old normal,” the spotlight on wellness has grown brighter. But what about those who are expatriates in another country, such as Thailand? Not…
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Police raid Hat Yai restaurant and arrest 10 people for drinking alcohol
Police arrested 10 people for gathering and drinking alcohol in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district, a violation of the local disease control measures banning alcohol consumption at restaurants. A local had called police reporting people were having a party at the restaurant last night. Hat Yai district chief Chawakit Suwankhiri says police went to the Khru Pattakhan Ban Thung restaurant immediately…
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Grab driver with disability killed in car accident
Yesterday, a Grab driver with a disability was killed after his motorbike was hit by an SUV in Nonthaburi, a province northwest of Bangkok. 25 year old Danai Chainarao, whose right leg had previously been amputated, was declared dead on Tiwanon Road. His passenger was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital for medical attention. Police say the deceased’s…
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Trang villagers set up nets to catch snakes after 20 king cobras were spotted
After 20 king cobras were spotted and reports of a person dying from a snakebite, locals at a village in Trang’s Banpho area set up nets along the roads to catch the snakes. The net idea hasn’t worked so far. The head of the provincial emergency response team, Chokechai Phraethanareung, says they look into other methods to catch the snakes,…
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Vaccination history made, says PM
Thailand vaccinated its most people to date with yesterday’s 300,000 doses successfully administered. The Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says it was a historic day for Thailand fighting back against Covid-19. By 4 pm, over 300,000 doses had been given, says the permanent secretary of public health, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, who also says that figure does not include doses given in Bangkok.…
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Private hospitals ordering 10 million doses of Moderna, expected to arrive by October
Private hospitals in the Kingdom are planning to buy up to 10 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. The Private Hospital Association expects to take delivery of the vaccines by October. Paiboon Eksaengsri from the PHA says progress was made at a meeting with Moderna importer, Zuellig Pharma. The price has also been set…
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Bangkok’s vaccine rollout brings a sense of optimism to the capital
Mass inoculation against Covid-19 has finally kicked off in Thailand and the sense of relief in Bangkok, epicentre of the latest wave, is palpable. The Bangkok Post reports on the rollout at Bang Sue Grand Station, now serving as a temporary vaccination centre. It’s where 78 year old U-ree Dechdamrong received her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday. A retired…
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Fed-up waiting, some Thais have travelled overseas to be vaccinated
While the Thai government continues to big up its vaccination rollout and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insists there will be enough vaccines for everyone, many Thais have lost faith. And the few who can afford it are flying overseas – at significant cost – to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Coconuts reports that the reasons for doing so are varied… some have…
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235 people in 10 Thai provinces infected with Covid variant first found in India
235 people in 10 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have tested positive for the Covid-19 variant first found in India. Most of the cases are linked to an outbreak at a construction camp in Bangkok’s Laksi district. Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences tested samples from 3,964 Covid-19 patients to detect mutated variants of the virus. 235 of the samples were positive…
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82 year old woman first person to get vaccine in Chiang Mai
An unnamed, nationality unknown, 82 year old woman has become the first person to get a Covid vaccine in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai Province. She received her inoculation of AstraZeneca this morning and did not report any adverse side effects. The woman did not reveal whether she had gotten the vaccine in hopes of winning a cow: as a…
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Man arrested for allegedly trying to rob convenience store
An Australian man was arrested this morning after he allegedly tried to rob a Pattaya convenience store. 55 year old Vladisavljevic Alexander was arrested after police were alerted at 3 am to his activities. The alleged break in happened at a Tops Daily convenience store on Naklua Road. A nearby security guard heard noises coming from the store and called…
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Monday Covid Update: 2,419 cases and 33 deaths, provincial totals
2,419 new Covid-19 cases and 33 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising Thailand’s cumulative case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 179,516 and the death toll to 1,269. Since April 1, the latest wave of infections, the CCSA has reported a total of 151,023 Covid-19 infections. Thailand now has 49,101 active…
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