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.
-
Sponsored
Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
-
63 million baht in stolen donations returned to revered abbot
Three people, including a temple caretaker, were arrested for allegedly embezzling around 63 million baht donations from a Buddhist temple in the central province Nakhon Sawan. The Bangkok Post reports that the cash has been returned to Wat Huai Duan and police gathered for a formal handover of the more than 63 million baht in cash to the highly respected…
-
The Benefits of Having Comprehensive Car Insurance
The Thaiger presents the following deal on car insurance. Comprehensive car insurance has a number of benefits, the most important of which is that it protects you financially. If you don’t have insurance, you’ll have to pay for the losses yourself and deal with the aftermath on your own. If you’ve ever been in an accident, you’ll know how time-consuming…
-
Hundreds arrested, thousands of motorbikes seized in street racing crackdown
In a nationwide, 10-day crackdown on illegal street racing, Thai police arrested nearly 1,000 people and confiscated around 20,000 motorbikes and cars. The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that the Thai government is also pushing to amend the Land Traffic Act to include an “attempted racing” offense for gathering near public roads to participate in races. Royal Thai Police…
-
Health officials wonder why so many Thais refuse to get jabbed
Despite the fact that Thailand has suffered tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still millions of Thais who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. The secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has asked public health workers across the country to try and figure out why so many people don’t want the vaccine. The ministry thinks that if…
-
CCSA admits some hotels are scamming Thailand Pass travellers
Some Thai hotels are deceiving foreign arrivals by letting them book a room without transport or Covid testing, then trying to sell them a new package on arrival. CCSA spokesperson Apisamai Srirangson says some hotels are deliberately only selling a room, whereas the Thailand Pass requirements stipulate that the package must include transportation from the airport to the hotel and…
-
Minister confirms all train services at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will end
Rail services to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will soon be no more, according to Thailand’s Transport Minister. Saksayam Chidchob says services to the station will initially be decreased from 118 a day to 22, before being phased out completely. No date has been confirmed for the termination of all services, but an earlier proposal has it pencilled in for December…
-
Mask up! Foreign visitors warned of penalties for violating disease control laws
Foreign visitors are being told to mask up and follow Thailand’s disease control laws, or face prosecution… possibly even a 20,000 baht fine for not wearing a mask. The warning comes after reports that many foreigners travelling for business have not been wearing masks and many have gathered for parties, which a spokesperson says led to Covid-19 transmission. In today’s…
-
Monday Covid Update: 6,428 new cases; provincial totals
49 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,436 with 20,342 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,428 new Covid-19 cases and 7,882 recoveries. There are now 85,768 people in Thailand being…
-
Men arrested in Australia over July’s major heroin bust in Thailand
Two Australian men who allegedly conspired to smuggle more than 300 kilograms of heroin from Thailand to their home country were recently arrested by Australian Federal Police. AFP say one of the suspects is “one of the nation’s most significant organised crime threats” and is designated as an Australian Priority Organisation Target, or APOT. Back in July, Thai customs officials…
-
Thai industrial gas producers expect higher sales
The largest industrial gas producer in Thailand is encouraged by signs that business is getting back to normal. Bangkok Industrial Gas (BIG) reported that demand dropped significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. But now the company says that sales are even higher than they were pre-Covid. BIG estimates that its sales next year will grow by 5-6%, reports the Bangkok Post.…
-
Telecom regulators to look into the planned merger of DTAC and True
Following Friday’s announcement from two of the largest mobile phone network service providers in Thailand, DTAC and True, on their plans to merge operations, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission is calling on the companies to discuss the business plans which would likely change the telecom industry and dominate the market. DTAC’s parent company, Norway’s Telenor group, is meeting with…
-
Government agency ups 2021 foreign arrivals prediction to 200,000
An agency under the Ministry of Finance has increased its 2021 tourist arrivals forecast to 200,000. The Fiscal Policy Office had previously stated that it expected 180,000 foreign arrivals by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Pornchai Thiraveja from the FPO says this now looks likely to increase. During the first 2 weeks of November,…
-
Are surfboards really hotter than Bitcoin?
Sponsored Article I don’t know what’s harder to get my hand on right now – Bitcoin at a reasonable price, or a new surfboard. With the current pandemic situation, there’s been a shortage of surfboards as more surfers take to the waves. When I was told last year that a new surfboard would take at least 9 months to arrive,…
-
Thailand’s climate pledges slammed as “critically insufficient”
Climate research group Climate Action Tracker says Thailand’s pledges at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland are “critically insufficient”. A report issued by the group has slammed the targets that were agreed, saying Thailand, like most other countries, has not improved on its goals in any way that will make enough of a difference. The report says Thailand needs…
-
Thai PM denies he’s trying to remain in power for up to 20 years
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says it’s not true he’s using the 20-year national strategy as an excuse to cling on to power for up to 20 years. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM rejected the allegation during a speech at a Thai Chamber of Commerce event yesterday. “Efforts have been made to distort the intention (of the…
-
Economist: government’s lag on migrant labour hurting economy
The reopening of Thailand has finally kickstarted the economy and put people back to work, but many businesses are struggling with a shortage of migrant labour. While the government has been cracking down on immigrants crossing the border illegally looking for work, many sectors are complaining that the government was unprepared for the country’s reopening and didn’t make efforts to…
-
COVID-19 Sunday Update: Record low deaths, prison outbreak
Today, the CCSA reported 7,006 new Covid-19 infections, up 411 since yesterday, and a record low 29 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 24 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,035,708 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,591 recoveries,…
-
Poll: 76% worry about Covid-19, 59% put health over economy
A new poll by the National Institute of Development Administration surveyed people about the government’s handling of Covid-19 and the reopening. The NIDA poll found that people felt the economy was the same or slightly better, valued heath over the economy, and were overwhelmingly afraid of Covid-19 worsening after the reopening. The survey, which interviewed 1,320 people over the age…
-
Tourism seeing signs of recovery after Covid-19 pandemic
Thailand’s reopening hasn’t quite caused an avalanche of tourists pouring into the country, but the tourism industry is seeing some recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with a steadily increasing stream of arrivals gaining momentum. The CCSA reports that nearly 60,000 international travellers have entered Thailand in the first 16 days of the reopening program. With the increasing daily arrivals, November…
-
Vaccine side effects fund has paid out 621 million baht
The program to pay financial compensation for anyone with mild or severe side effects after getting a Covid-19 vaccine has now paid out 621 million baht to 6,177 recipients. The National Health Security Office is responsible for the remedial assistance program that pays out up to 100,000 baht for mild side effects and up to 400,000 baht for side effects…
-
Chamber of Commerce proposes familiar plans for the economy
Ahead of a meeting with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha tomorrow, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has compiled a list of measures to boost Thailand’s struggling economy. The proposal was sourced from 5 regional chambers of commerce and will be submitted to the prime minister tomorrow as part of his meetings with private sector representatives. The proposed measures aren’t particularly groundbreaking, mostly…
-
COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: 53 deaths, vaccinations, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 6,595 new Covid-19 infections, down 260 since yesterday, and 53 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 2 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,028,702 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 8,478 recoveries, up 823 from…
-
TAT: 400,000 tourist in 2021, 18 million in 2022 worth 1 trillion
The November 1 reopening of Thailand has received mixed results, with Pattaya reportedly seeing the vast majority of arrivals being expats coming home, and Hua Hin welcoming less than 100 of the 100,000 predicted tourists. But, as always, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has nothing but rosy predictions for the boom that will start any minute, with TAT Governor Yuthasak…
-
TAT touts another rosy outlook for 2022 arrivals into Thailand – VIDEOS
Whilst the Ministry of Tourism and Sports approve marketing spending for 2022, their tourism promotion arm, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, have been throwing around more highly optimistic arrival figures for next year. “TAT set the revenue target from tourism in 2022 at 1.5 trillion baht, or about 50% of tourism revenue in 2019 (before the Covid-19 situation)”, according to…
-
Police “Joe Ferrari” torture case in court today, main charges denied
Today the 7 police officers accused of the suffocation death caught on video of a suspect in custody at the Nakhon Sawan police station had their day in court. Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon admitted that he assaulted the suspect, but claimed his death was an accident and denied the strongest charges of murder and torture against him. In…
-
Friday Covid Update: 6,855 new cases; provincial totals
51 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,305 with 20,211 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,855 new Covid-19 cases and 7,655 recoveries. There are now 89,821 people in Thailand being…
-
Government to expedite the revision of the civil partnership bill for same-sex couples
Following a court ruling on marriage that was seen as a setback for same-sex couples, the Thai government is now expediting the revision of draft law on civil partnerships. Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krae-ngam says the law will protect the rights of all genders, according to the Bangkok Post. Wednesday the Constitutional Court upheld the language in Section 1448 of…
-
TAT highlights November and December events in Blue Zones
Throughout the Blue Zone, designated as tourist provinces that are welcoming tourists in a 7-day Sandbox scheme, events and celebrations are taking place to welcome people back to Thailand. The Tourism Authority of Thailand compiled a list of activities and highlights in November and December from these 17 zones where fully vaccinated travellers can arrive from around the world with…
-
11 inmates climb through hole in ceiling, escape from prison cell in Nakhon Sawan
Nearly a dozen inmates climbed through a hole in a holding cell and escape from the Khlong Pho Temporary Prison in the central province Nakhon Sawan where they were held as a isolation period before being sent to Nakhon Sawan Central Prison. Officers say the inmates have been found. Police Major-General Raphiphong Sukphaiboon from Nakhon Sawan police station said the…
-
APEC summit in Thailand to focus on regional economy
Next year Thailand will be hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The Foreign Ministry explains that this year the meeting will be focused on economic recovery and growth in the region following the global Covid-19 pandemic. Promoting cooperation between member nations is the emphasis of this event, reports Thai PBS. The theme of the summit is said to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.