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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    Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run

    Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...

  • Friday Covid Update: 18,702 new cases and 273 deaths | Thaiger

    Friday Covid Update: 18,702 new cases and 273 deaths

    Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,702 new Covid-19 cases and 273 coronavirus-related cases today. Since April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,110,708 Covid-19 infections. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 20,163 recoveries were reported. Thailand now has 185,200 active Covid-19 cases. With the latest and most severe wave on a downward trend, there…

  • Runaway cop wanted for alleged murder turns himself in in Chon Buri | Thaiger

    Runaway cop wanted for alleged murder turns himself in in Chon Buri

    A police chief who allegedly killed a suspect while in custody has surrendered to police in Chon Buri, saying he was just trying to protect society from the dangers of drugs. A video of Thitisan Utthanaphon allegedly suffocating a suspect by placing plastic bags over his head has gone viral, leading to the dismissal of 7 officers, including Thitisan. He…

  • ‘Jo Ferrari’ – his arrest, press conference and investigation | Thaiger

    ‘Jo Ferrari’ – his arrest, press conference and investigation

    Details have now emerged on the arrest of former policeman Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka “Chief Joe” or “Jo Ferrari”, the Nakhon Sawan police station superintendent accused with 6 other officers of torturing and suffocating a suspect in custody, allegedly in an attempt to extort 2 million baht. Despite previous reports originating in Thai media, the fleeing officer was not found just…

  • Government says yes, no, yes, no, yes on Chinese ATK deal | Thaiger

    Government says yes, no, yes, no, yes on Chinese ATK deal

    If you are a casual reader of The Thaiger you are may have read that the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation made a deal to import 8.5 million antigen test kits at the urging of hospitals desperate to quickly test and treat Covid-19 patients. Perhaps you even followed up and learned about the pause on purchasing after the Rural Doctors Society blasted…

  • Fugitive police Chief Joe said to be captured in Myanmar | Thaiger

    Fugitive police Chief Joe said to be captured in Myanmar

    [UPDATE: Media is now reporting to have received confirmation from police sources of the information below.] A few Thai media websites are reporting the alleged capture of Pol Col Thitisan “Chief Joe” Utthanaphon, the police station superintendent seen in video with a group of officers released this week putting a plastic bag over a suspect’s head, reportedly suffocating a suspect…

  • No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police | Thaiger

    No special protection for police that allegedly killed man in custody, says police

    Police inspector general Visanu Prasartthongosoth wants outraged citizens not to worry that officers will get off with a slap on the wrist for their alleged involvement in the torture death of the man they had in custody. Visanu says no special protection for the police officers will be given. Thai media says that despite reports that say Thitisan Utthaphol has…

  • Thai Vietjet to resume flights to Singapore and Taiwan starting October | Thaiger

    Thai Vietjet to resume flights to Singapore and Taiwan starting October

    Thai Vietjet will resume international flights to and from Taiwan and Singapore starting on October 20 and 21 respectively. Flights from Singapore will have routes to Bangkok and Phuket. Sealed domestic flights connecting for those entering under the Phuket “Sandbox” will be available for those on the Taipei-Bangkok flights. Passengers are required to comply with immigration regulations and are liable…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 18,501 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Thursday Covid Update: 18,501 new cases; provincial totals

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,501 new Covid-19 cases and 229 coronavirus-related deaths today. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 20,606 more recoveries. There are now 186,934 active Covid-19 cases, a downward trend over the past week. With the situation improving, restrictions are likely to be eased. Since the start of the pandemic…

  • Red Cross pleads for blood donations due to shortage | Thaiger

    Red Cross pleads for blood donations due to shortage

    The Red Cross Society is pleading with the public to donate blood as Thailand’s hospitals are currently experiencing a severe shortage of blood reserves for patients. The shortage has led to the postponement of multiple surgeries. Director of the National Blood Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, Dr Dutjai Chaivanichsiri, spoke earlier today to say the Covid situation has…

  • “Sandbox” tourist safety measures tightened in Phuket following murder case | Thaiger

    “Sandbox” tourist safety measures tightened in Phuket following murder case

    Safety measures for “Sandbox” travellers in Phuket are being tightened following the suspected murder of a Swiss woman who had entered Thailand under the “Sandbox” and was found dead in a creek near the Ao Yon waterfall. Accommodations that have the SHA+ certification are being told to closely watch Phuket Sandbox Tourists who are old, feeble, women travelling by themselves,…

  • 19 arrested for gambling and drugs in Suphan Buri | Thaiger

    19 arrested for gambling and drugs in Suphan Buri

    Police arrested 19 people in the central province of Suphan Buri for illegal gambling and holding a gathering that violates the Emergency Decree. Officers also seized methamphetamine and a gun. Officers arrived at the scene and confiscated 3 bags of methamphetamine pills and a pistol. All the 19 suspects, between the ages of 23 and 50, also face drug charges.…

  • 7 teenagers arrested for allegedly planning to use small bombs at protest | Thaiger

    7 teenagers arrested for allegedly planning to use small bombs at protest

    Police arrested seven teenagers for allegedly possessing ping pong bombs with plans to use them at an upcoming protest in Bangkok. Officers raided a home in Nakhon Pathom, right outside the capital, at around 3:30am yesterday and seized 18 ping pong bombs. The teenagers at the home, ages 12 to 19, were arrested. Police also confiscated 3.69 grams of marijuana,…

  • Man assaulted at Pattaya worker camp | Thaiger

    Man assaulted at Pattaya worker camp

    A Cambodian worker at a camp in Pattaya sustained a severe head injury after he was reportedly beaten by teenagers. Police were alerted to the attack at 11pm a few days ago. When police got to the worker camp, they found the man lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from his head. The worker, identified 28 year old “Mr Mai,”…

  • Man arrested for allegedly pretending to be a cop and sexually assaulting prostitutes | Thaiger

    Man arrested for allegedly pretending to be a cop and sexually assaulting prostitutes

    Police in Bangkok arrested a man who allegedly posed as a cop and sexually assaulted prostitutes, stealing from some of them. Allegedly, he raped sex workers more than 40 times over the past 6 months. The 34 year old man, identified as Kittipop, was arrested in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district. Kittipop allegedly admitted to police that he pretended to be…

  • Figures show Covid-related deaths 2.5 times higher among pregnant women | Thaiger

    Figures show Covid-related deaths 2.5 times higher among pregnant women

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says Covid-related deaths in Thailand are 2.5 times higher in pregnant women. Assistant spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan says the deaths are mainly caused by respiratory failure. Thai PBS World reports that findings from December to August 11 show that the deaths of pregnant Covid-19 patients accounted for 0.43% of all Covid-related fatalities. The Royal College…

  • Officials meet today to discuss easing some Covid-19 restrictions | Thaiger

    Officials meet today to discuss easing some Covid-19 restrictions

    Government officials are to meet today to discuss the possibility of easing some restrictions, ahead of a meeting of the Covid-19 task force tomorrow. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the proposal to ease some curbs is being driven by a fall in the infection rate across the country. Today, Thailand reported 18,501 new cases, compared…

  • Manhunt launched for ex-cop who allegedly killed suspect in custody | Thaiger

    Manhunt launched for ex-cop who allegedly killed suspect in custody

    Thai police are out to catch one of their own, with a manhunt launched for former police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon, who is on the run. The ex-cop, previously chief of police in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan, is accused of causing the death by suffocation of a drug suspect in custody. The dead man has been named as 24-year-old…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 18,501 new cases and 229 deaths | Thaiger

    Thursday Covid Update: 18,501 new cases and 229 deaths

    18,501 new Covid-19 cases and 229 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. There have been 20,606 recoveries recorded over the past 24 hours. Thailand now has 186,934 active cases. Since April 1, the CCSA has reported 1,092,006 Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases, 139 were found in correctional facilities. More than 40,000 inmates at…

  • Apply for a business visa in Thailand easily | Thaiger

    Apply for a business visa in Thailand easily

    Are you looking to attain a business visa in Thailand? Don’t worry as The Thaiger’s partner Tadoo is here to help. The business visa is great for those who are looking to enter Thailand for business meetings and/or conferences. Moreover, if you already have a job and are needing to relocate to Thailand with that company, then the business visa…

  • Mobile vaccination bus to travel around Bangkok, exact locations to be visited unknown | Thaiger

    Mobile vaccination bus to travel around Bangkok, exact locations to be visited unknown

    City Hall in Bangkok is planning a new service called “BMV” which stands for Bangkok Mobile Vaccination Unit. The service will be a bus that drives to people’s houses and provides vaccination services. The service is set to start next week, says the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration spokesperson Pongsakorn Kwangmuang. Pongsakorn did not say which Bangkok areas the service will go…

  • Purchase of 8.5 million Chinese antigen test kits paused again | Thaiger

    Purchase of 8.5 million Chinese antigen test kits paused again

    Like many things regarding Covid-19, or Thai policy in general, the saga of importing controversial antigen test kits has reversed directions yet again. Following an order last week to proceed with the purchase of 8.5 million Chinese-made antigen test kits, the cabinet has now withdrawn the purchase approval. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha supported the cabinet decision to withdraw the deal to…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 18,417 new cases; provincial totals | Thaiger

    Wednesday Covid Update: 18,417 new cases; provincial totals

    18,417 new Covid-19 cases and 297 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,102,368 Covid-19 cases. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,073,505 of those cases. 10,085…

  • 7 arrest warrants approved for police suspects in Nakhon Sawan torture killing case | Thaiger

    7 arrest warrants approved for police suspects in Nakhon Sawan torture killing case

      A Thai court has approved 7 arrest warrants for police officers in Nakhon Sawan, the northern Thai province. The 7 officers are suspects in the alleged torture and subsequent killing of a suspect. A shocking video allegedly showed the police covering the suspect’s head with a plastic bag until he suffocated to death. The 7 police suspects are: Thitisan…

  • Blood donations desperately needed for Phuket expat | Thaiger

    Blood donations desperately needed for Phuket expat

    The Phuket Regional Blood Center calling blood donations for an elderly expat’s open-heart surgery. 87 year old Peter Ferry, who is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, told the Phuket News today that he is currently at Bangkok Hospital Phuket waiting for people to donate blood so he can have the surgery. Peter’s blood type is B negative, which is so rare…

  • Horny sea snakes may be confusing divers with female snakes, says new study | Thaiger

    Horny sea snakes may be confusing divers with female snakes, says new study

    A new study says highly venomous olive sea snakes might “attack” scuba divers as part of the snakes’ courtship ritual. The news clears up some of the confusion for divers who have reported interactions with the snakes, which can grow over 2 metres long. The interactions include the snakes chasing and biting the divers. The study, published in Scientific Reports,…

  • Covid-19 controls ramped up at Thailand’s wet markets amid rise in infections | Thaiger

    Covid-19 controls ramped up at Thailand’s wet markets amid rise in infections

    Thailand’s Health Department is ramping up screening measures and Covid-19 controls at wet markets across the country amid a rise in infections linked to the venues. Thai PBS World reports that 14,678 infections have been detected at 132 markets across 23 provinces between April 1 and August 10 this year. As a result, officials are using antigen test kits to…

  • Health Ministry to propose re-opening dine-in services to vaccinated customers | Thaiger

    Health Ministry to propose re-opening dine-in services to vaccinated customers

    Thailand’s Health Ministry is to propose allowing restaurants in dark red zones to re-open for in-house dining from September. Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the proposal is based on declining case numbers in recent days. “The Covid-19 situation appears to be improving. Certain restrictions should therefore be lifted.” The Bangkok Post reports that the Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has met with representatives…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 18,417 new cases and 297 deaths | Thaiger

    Wednesday Covid Update: 18,417 new cases and 297 deaths

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,417 new Covid-19 cases and 297 coronavirus-related deaths today. The CCSA also reported 21,186 more recoveries over the past 24 hours. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded a total of 1,073,505 cases. There are now 189,268 people being treated for…

  • 80 year old Australian man kicked to the ground in Chiang Mai road altercation | Thaiger

    80 year old Australian man kicked to the ground in Chiang Mai road altercation

    An 80 year old Australian man was assaulted after he smacked a car that almost ran him over. The driver of the car got out of his vehicle and kicked the octogenarian in the back following the older man’s car smacking. Dashcam footage captured the incident that happened in Chiang Mai, the northern Thai province which is hoping to launch…

  • Vaccine update: Pfizer available to American veterans, foreigners in Pattaya | Thaiger

    Vaccine update: Pfizer available to American veterans, foreigners in Pattaya

    The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is now available to American veterans living in Thailand as well as foreign residents in Pattaya who are in the “at risk” groups, according to Democrats Abroad Thailand. The vaccine doses were donated to Thailand from the United States. Two doses of the vaccine are free under the Thai government’s mass immunisation campaign. Bangkok Hospital Pattaya…