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 Moving to Thailand? Here are the health documents you should prepare before you go
The Thaiger key takeaways Valid passport, visa documents, health certificate, and vaccination records are essential for immigration and medical care in Thailand. Health insurance that meets visa requirements, like Cigna, provides protection, direct billing, and access to a wide hospital...
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Thailand doctors question ATK test accuracy, after alarming spike in positive cases
If you’ve ever questioned the accuracy of an antigen testing kit, aka ATK test, then you’re in good company. Thailand’s Rural Doctor Society, or RDS, has pointed out an alarming spike in ATK-detected cases of Covid-19 collected by the CCSA for it’s daily Covid count, raising questions about how accurate the nifty testing kits really are. In a post on their…
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Foreign investors sell 123 billion baht in bonds since Russia’s war in Ukraine
Foreign investors of Thai bonds are selling off their baht in favour of the US dollar. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Thai bond market has recorded net sales of some 123 billion baht in foreign capital. That’s according to the Thai Bond Market Associate, which reported the data for February 4 to March 28. Last month, about 100 billion…
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No pre-travel PCR test for travellers entering Thailand starting today
Starting today, travellers entering Thailand will no longer need to take a PCR Covid-19 test before their flight, but visitors will still need to take a PCR test once they land. All travellers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – no longer need to take the pre-departure test, but requirements after entry vary depending on the scheme. And there are still some…
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Police catch Rayong homemade bomb maker, says he learned through YouTube
Police have caught the man who allegedly made nine bombs and left them strewn across a main road in Rayong on Tuesday night. One of the bombs exploded and eight were defused by Rayong police on Wednesday. The police used CCTV to figure out the criminal behind the operation, who said he used YouTube to learn how to make the…
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Surgeons find gauze inside woman’s body from breast augmentation 10 years ago
A woman has been suffering from pain in her breast and found out gauze fabric had been left inside her body from a breast augmentation a decade ago. She sought help from a celebrity lawyer who is now calling for the beauty clinic to take responsibility. The lawyer, Sittha Beerbangkird, shared the case on his official Facebook page to warn…
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Date set for Liverpool vs. Manchester United pre-season friendly in Bangkok
The date has been set for Liverpool F.C’s pre-season friendly with their rivals Manchester United at the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. The two English Premier League giants will go head to head for the Bangkok Century Cup on July 12. Liverpool will travel to Thailand for the first time since 2015 to kick off their first pre-season tour since the…
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Phuket to become world class medical tourism hub by 2028
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to turn Phuket into a world-class hub of medical tourism by 2028, according to a spokesperson for the prime minister. An international medical and public health service centre called “Medical Plaza” is planned, complete with an international elderly care centre, a palliative care centre and a rehabilitation centre. Thailand’s medical and public health services have been…
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Dog owner winning first ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital in Thailand
The owner of a labrador named ‘Journey’ who died on the operating table filed Thailand’s first-ever lawsuit against a veterinary hospital and is winning. Journey’s owner, who is claiming financial and emotional damages, has won the first of three court hearings. 11 year old Journey was suspected to have a tumour in her lung and walked into the operating room…
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Cockle Wars: Fishers sentenced to jail over clash with officers, freeing suspect
Four fishermen involved in a clash with authorities back in 2019, where fishers ganged up to against officers to release a suspect and a boat full of shellfish the officers seized, have been sentenced to a year in jail. The fishermen were found guilty of operating a cockle farm illegally and violently threatening officers which led to the escape of…
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Thai-Malaysian border checkpoint reopens tomorrow, Test & Go travellers welcome
After being closed for around two years due to the pandemic, the major checkpoint along the Thai-Malaysian border will reopen tomorrow. Those travelling from Malaysia will be able to enter Thailand’s Songkhla province through the Sadao Border Checkpoint. Reports say the residents and businesses in the region hope reopening the border will benefit the local economy. Vaccinated travellers entering Thailand…
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Thursday Covid Update: 27,560 new cases; provincial totals
85 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,130 with 3,432 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 27,560 new Covid-19 cases and 25,077 recoveries. There are now 246,770 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Candidates for governor register in Bangkok
Candidates for Bangkok started registering at City Hall 2 yesterday. Registration will last until April 4, and polling will be on May 22. The candidate to arrive earliest was an independent candidate who showed up at City Hall at 6am. Other candidates represented several different parties including Thai Sang Thai, the Democrat Party, and Move Forward Party. The independent candidate…
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Surin authorities on alert for fake ‘Cambodian princess’
Border guards in the eastern province of Surin are on the lookout for a “Cambodian princess” imposter, after catching wind that she plans to travel to Bangkok to attend private parties with police. Well, sort of… Surin Provincial Governor Suwapong Kittiphatpibul issued an alert on Tuesday about the princess’s doppelgänger, requesting local authorities to enforce the rules if she attends…
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Phuket officer allegedly threatens woman with prostitution charges for money
A woman in Phuket told the press yesterday that a police officer at Thalang Police Station threatened to charge her with prostitution if she didn’t pay 50,000 baht in monthly payments of 5,000 baht. The payment is allegedly for her car, which police threatened to seize as evidence of her committing prostitution. The woman claims the officer first contacted her…
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Hotels in Koh Samui learn how to prevent and treat box jellyfish stings
With most of the fatal box jellyfish stings in Thailand over the past decade in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, representatives from 20 hotels attended a lecture at the Hive Hotel on Koh Samui to learn about preventing and treating stings from box jellyfish, known as one of the most venomous marine animals in the world. By providing the knowledge to…
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Foreign man’s gold necklace stolen while filming video in Bangkok’s Asoke
A western man’s gold necklace was stolen as he was taking a video of himself walking in Bangkok’s Asoke area off Sukhumvit Road. As he was walking by the BTS station at night, a person who appeared to be a transgender woman approached him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug and unclasping the necklace. The foreigner didn’t…
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Man centre of unsolved “Nong Chompoo” murder case gets jail over protected wood
The man who has been in the centre of the highly-publicised death of his 3 year old niece known as “Nong Chompoo” sentenced to a year in jail… but not for charges related to the unsolved murder case. He was convicted of possessing protected wood and was sentenced to four months in jail, which has been suspended for a year.…
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EVs take limelight at Bangkok motor show, spurred by subsidy as fuel prices surge
Electric vehicles took centre stage at the Bangkok International Motor Show this week, where thousands gawked at the latest fuel-efficient models that car manufacturers have to offer, as global fuel rices continue to soar due to the war in Ukraine. Attendants were intrigued by the additional perk of a 15 percent government subsidy for select EVs. The show highlights the…
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Thailand PM Prayut says he ‘can’t please everyone’
Thailand’s prime minster said he’s done his best and “can’t please everyone.” He also said he’ll respect the whatever voters decide in the upcoming election, regardless of the outcome. Speaking to the press at the Government House on Wednesday, PM Prayut Chan-o-chawith said… “I am trying to do my job to the best of my ability. Despite criticism and insults against…
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Songkran 2022: Bangkok allows “traditional water sprinkling”
No foam parties or powder smearing will be allowed in Bangkok during Songkran next month, but when it comes to water splashing on the Thai New Year, known for massive water gun fights, the rules are a bit vague. “Traditional water sprinkling” is allowed, but officials did not go into detail about what exactly that means. The Bangkok Communicable Disease…
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UPDATE: Iranian tourist’s body found after white water rafting accident
The body of the Iranian tourist who went missing yesterday after a white water rafting accident in Phang Nga province has been found. Police are preparing to investigate everyone involved in the incident. 42 year old Bahzadifar Javad Gholamabbas was white water rafting in Song Phraek with his four friends and two tour operators when their rubber boat hit a…
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Thailand takes number one spot as most searched destination on Agoda
Thailand is the most searched destination in the world for trips in the next six months, according to the travel search engine giant Agoda. Thailand has seen a 500% increase in searches on Agoda from January to March 2022. The top three incoming travellers to Thailand are from Japan (#1), the US (#2) and Singapore (#3). Travelling into Thailand can…
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Pattaya fireworks festival named 1 of 3 top Asian marine festivals
The International Festival and Event Association of Asia has named the Pattaya International Fireworks Festival one of three “major marine tourism festivals in Asia”. Pattaya’s city manager said yesterday that almost 20 countries participated in the international firework competition. The Pattaya festival was then selected for the final round. The festival is held every year in Pattaya, usually later in…
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Taxi driver accused of driving off with tourist’s luggage says he was using the restroom
A taxi driver who was accused of robbing a tourist and leaving him at a petrol station told police that he never left the tourist, saying he was in the restroom the entire time because he needed to poop. The driver taking two people from the Ubon Ratchathani International Airport to the Khemmarat district had stopped at a petrol station…
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Exorcist in Thailand expels evil spirit from woman’s vagina
A woman who claims she had “black magic in her private parts” for 25 years finally had the evil spirit expelled by exorcists in central Thailand’s Ratchaburi. A somewhat disturbing clip circulating online displays an exorcism for a woman who claimed that her vagina had been possessed by an evil spirit for 25 years. She described the spirit’s presence as…
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Homemade bomb explodes on Rayong road, 8 other bombs being defused
A homemade bomb packed with gunpowder, nails, and steel nuts exploded and eight undetonated bombs were found on a main road in eastern Thailand’s Rayong. The blast caused minor damage to the road and no one was injured. The nine bombs are being defused today by the province’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. One bomb defused today caused a big blast,…
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Thai Airways makes 1 million baht in 1 minute from selling airplane seats
Thai Airways International made over a million baht in just a minute yesterday by selling their colourful economy class seats from a decommissioned Airbus A330-300. The strapped-for-cash airline climbing out of an around 400 billion baht debt has been working on ways to stay afloat financially during the pandemic, like selling off its warehouse items and opening up a pop-up…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 25,389 new cases; provincial totals
87 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,045 with 3,347 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,389 new Covid-19 cases and 26,084 recoveries. There are now 244,372 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Taxi leaves passenger at petrol station, drives off with luggage, tourist’s passport
UPDATE: The taxi driver has met with the police and says didn’t leave the tourist, he was just using the restroom. Read more HERE. Original story… A taxi driver allegedly robbed a passenger and left him and his friend at a petrol station in Isaan province Ubon Ratchathani. The tourist from Bangkok says that not only did the driver overcharge…
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Hill tribes in Chiang Mai resist construction of coal mine
Villagers from Omkoi, a district 150 kilometres south west of Chiang Mai, are running a campaign to resist an upcoming mining project which they say will impact their way of life, health, livelihoods and the local environment. The villagers are filing a lawsuit against the International Energy Agency who did not notify or involve local people in the planning of…
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