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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Thousands of Thais trafficked to Japan for prostitution each year
Thousands of children and women are trafficked from Thailand to Japan for prostitution every year, a recent study shows. A senior Thai police officer says he found that Japan has been the largest market of Thais trafficked into the sex industry. “In the case of illegal trafficking of women and children for prostitution, Japan has been the largest market for…
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Monday Covid Update: 21,162 new cases; provincial totals
65 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,300 with 1,602 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,162 new Covid-19 cases and 23,159 recoveries. There are now 230,459 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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National police chief suspects Tangmo’s death was an accident
Thailand’s national police chief says the death of actress Tangmo seems to have been an accident. He says evidence shows the death of the celebrity in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River appears to have been an accident. An autopsy report shows the actress died from drowning. Her body also had a large cut on her leg, possibly from the speedboat’s propellor.…
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Hospital in Bangkok interrupts funeral, says they accidentally gave the wrong corpse
Staff from a hospital in Bangkok interrupted a funeral right before the cremation ceremony to tell the family that they had accidentally given them the wrong corpse. After discovering that the wrong corpse had been given away, staff from the Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok quickly went to the ceremony and told the family “the corpses were switched!” The husband of…
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Thai police ask Canadian court not to grant bail to Jimi Sandhu murder suspect
Police in Thailand are asking a Canadian court to refuse a bail application for a man wanted for murder on the southern island of Phuket. Canadian national Matthew Dupre is 1 of 2 suspects wanted for the murder of Indian gang member Jimi Singh Sandhu, who was gunned down outside his Rawai villa on February 4. Dupre and his alleged…
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“Joe Ferrari” objects to presence of human rights observers at torture-murder trial
Former police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon is calling for human rights observers to be blocked from attending his trial for torture and murder. Thitisan, who has been nicknamed “Joe Ferrari” because of the lavish lifestyle he lived and the luxury cars he accumulated while on a policeman’s salary, has asked the Criminal Court to stop the rights observers from attending his…
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Health ministry says Covid-19 could be considered endemic in Thailand by July
Thailand’s health ministry believes the Covid-19 situation will have improved sufficiently for the illness to be considered endemic by July. According to a Nation Thailand report, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the situation continues to improve, paving the way for the virus to be moved from pandemic to endemic status by the middle of the year. He adds that PM…
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Walkway connecting Bangkok parks will be renovated in September
A walkway connecting Bangkok’s Lumpini and Benjakitti parks will be renovated in September. The walkway was first built in 1999. The renovation will give it better biking and running lanes, with flowers lining the sides. There will even be a park, as well as a rest area. The walkway is being referred to as the ‘green bridge’, and the Bangkok…
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3 million Covid-19 infections in Thailand since 2020, mental health plummets
Yesterday, Thailand’s number of Covid-19 infections since the pandemic hit the country in 2020 jumped to 3 million. There have been 781,371 infections since January 1. Out of those infections, there have been 1,478 deaths, and 589,997 recoveries. Thailand’s Department of Mental Health has also reported the drastic impact of Covid-19 on mental health. DMH’s director-general told the Bangkok Post…
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Russians in Phuket granted 1 month extension to stay
Despite Russia banning Facebook in the country just 2 days ago, the Russian Consulate in Phuket has posted on its own Facebook page yesterday to announce that Russian citizens in Phuket can stay at least month longer than the original date on their visa. To do this, Russian travellers must go to Phuket immigration with their original letter from the…
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Russian embassy warns Thais “don’t fight with Ukrainians”, threatens prosecution
Yesterday, the Embassy of Russia in Bangkok posted on Facebook urging Thais not to join the Ukrainian military. The post was originally in Russian, but viewers can see a translated version in English. The embassy alleges that under international law, such ‘merceneries’ who join Ukrainian forces are not qualified as combatants, and have no status as prisoners of war. It…
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Paypal will still work in Thailand until the end of the year
After Paypal warned of suspending its services in Thailand starting March 7, the company announced yesterday that it will in fact keep providing services in the country until the end of the year. Paypal had warned it would close services in Thailand after Thai authorities wanted it to verify all users’ identities, in order to prevent money laundering. But now,…
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Thailand’s Criminal Court makes man pay 100,000 baht bail out for satirical photo
Thailand’s Criminal Court made a man pay 100,000 baht yesterday to bail himself out of two years imprisonment on a lèse majesté charge. The charge was for pasting a sticker with a logo for his satire page GoKult onto a picture of Thailand’s King. Thai PBS reported the court’s ruling that pasting the sticker “May subject the monarchy to contempt…
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Thailand ‘worried’ about Ukraine violence, humanitarian crisis, representative tells UN
After Thailand backed a UN resolution against Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the country’s Permanent Representative said it is ‘worried’ about the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in the Ukraine. At a special session of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, the representative said the violence will impact the rest of the world as well. “…will cause wider impacts for…
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Pattaya’s struggling entertainment sector calls for later closing times
Entertainment officials in Pattaya say the tourism economy would improve if the closing time for venues serving alcohol was 1am instead of the current 11pm. The secretary of the Pattaya Association of Entertainment Venue Operators told the Bangkok Post many pubs, bars, and karaoke parlours have delayed reopening as restaurants as they believe having an 11pm closing time would restrict…
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Travel in 2022 – how Russia is reshaping the world’s travel industry
Russians were the most visible travellers heading to Thailand post February 1, 2022, when the Thailand Pass Test & Go option was rebooted. Even with its 2 days of pre-booked SHA+ quarantine and PCR tests, along with US$50,000 Covid insurance (which has since been reduced to $20,000), the Russian travellers were delighted to jump on a plane and take the…
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Tangmo: 8 new witnesses questioned, police dismiss bribery claims as investigation plods on
Nonthaburi police have interviewed another 8 witnesses in their ongoing investigation into the death of Thai Christian actress Nida “Tango” Patcharaveerapong, who drowned in the Chao Phraya River after allegedly falling from a speedboat last Thursday night. Earlier this week that all five witnesses face charges of negligence leading to death and giving false statements. they have not yet determined…
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Retired police officer allegedly steals gold necklaces valued at 2 million baht
A retired police officer allegedly robbed a gold shop at a shopping centre in northern province Lamphun, taking off necklaces valued at more than 2 million baht. Officers say the suspect is the station’s former deputy inspector. CCTV footage from the Yaowarat gold shop in Lamphun shows a man wearing a food delivery uniform and helmet using a gun to…
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Tangmo: Police investigate mysterious male voice as new evidence comes to light
UPDATE: Police are investigating a video captured on the mobile phone of Tangmo’s manager, Idsarin “Gatick” Juthasuksawat, after Thai netizens pointed out a mysterious male voice off-screen. The video, which was obtained by Nation Thailand and has since gone viral online, shows the late Thai actress posing on the speedboat with a cup of wine and playing with her hair…
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Thai Army’s Channel 5 spreads fake news on Russian attack in Ukraine
Earlier this week, two anchors of the Thai army-owned TV station Channel 5 falsely stated that Ukrainians “faked casualties” in a broadcast of their Lao Khao Khon (เล่าข่าวข้น). The footage was actually from a climate change protest in Austria last month where activists lay on the ground with body bags as a demonstration. From the original clip that went viral…
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Phuket’s tuna industry falling behind, Phuket VP calls to train fishermen
In a meeting yesterday, Phuket’s Vice Governor Pichet said the provincial government wants fishermen to develop stronger skills with tuna and tuna fishing practices. He said strict fishing laws have already lowered the number of tuna caught in the province. Another issue is that Thailand doesn’t have proper tuna fishing boats. VP Pichet said amendments to current laws on which…
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Friday Covid Update: 23,834 new cases; provincial totals
54 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 23,124 with 1,426 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,834 new Covid-19 cases and 19,351 recoveries. There are now 227,843 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Positive results from antigen test reach record high in Thailand
The number of positive results from rapid antigen test kits reached a record high. Yesterday, the Thai health officials reported 42,138 positive results from the ATKs which need to be confirmed with an RT-PCR test to be included in the government’s official Covid-19 count. It’s unclear what the actual number might be as many people who test positive in a…
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Bangkok criminal court won’t let activist study on scholarship in Germany
A student activist facing lèse majesté charges won’t be allowed to study in Germany with a scholarship for a post-graduate program. Ravisara, nicknamed Dear, was charged when she read a statement in German in front of the German Embassy in Bangkok in 2020. When Dear applied to leave the country for a prestigious scholarship program, The Bangkok South Criminal Court…
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Woman arrested on charges of trafficking to UAE, one of six suspects
Police in Chachoengsao, a province east of Bangkok, arrested a woman suspected of tricking another woman into working as a prostitute in the United Arab Emirates. She is one of six suspects in the case. The alleged victim told authorities she was invited to work as a masseuse at a spa in Dubai. The woman who invited her was called…
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Woman allegedly stabs husband’s penis with a harpoon after heated argument
A woman allegedly stabbed her husband’s penis with a harpoon after a heated argument. Thai media reports that the woman stabbed him in his genitals and twisted the spear, just like “catching a fish.” The man drove a motorbike to his mother’s house and went to the hospital the next day where he got more than 17 stitches. Thai reporters…
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Local government under fire again for shady street lamp purchases
An anti-corruption watchdog group is once again calling out a local government organisation for another purchase of expensive street lamps in Thailand. Many have accused a local administrative organisation in Samut Prakan, the next province just south east of Bangkok, of overpaying for the solar-powered lamps adorned with kinnaree figures of a mythical half-bird, half-woman, painted gold. Hundreds of the…
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Court acquits final 3 accused in zero-dollar tourism case, citing insufficient evidence
The final 3 defendants in a zero-dollar tourism scam exposed in 2016 were acquitted by the Thai Supreme Court yesterday. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the case against the 3. The zero-dollar tourism scam involved cheap package tours for Chinese tourists, who would be accommodated in cheap hotels, and taken to certain restaurants and on…
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More Thai volunteers sign up to fight Russian forces in Ukraine
Thai nationals, moved by footage of the conflict in Ukraine, are signing up to defend the country following the Russian invasion. Last week, the embassy of Ukraine posted on its Facebook page, appealing to foreigners to help the country fight the Russian offensive. According to a Bangkok Post report, a notice outside the embassy in Bangkok requests applicants to submit…
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US and Thai authorities search for body of missing WWII pilot
Thai and US authorities joined the mission to search for an American pilot who went missing more than 70 years ago during World War II. The pilot was flying a P-38 Lightning, a single-seated fighter aircraft, and officials suspect he went down in the northern province Lampang. Thailand promised to support the US mission to bring every soldier back home.…
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