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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Where to travel in Thailand in August [2025]
There’s no better way to experience Thailand than through its cuisine. In the rainy season, flavours bloom alongside the landscape, steam rises from market pots, the snap of chilli echoes through alleyways, and rain makes every bite more vivid. “I...
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Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 57 deaths; 5,533 new infections
5,533 new Covid-19 cases and a record high of 57 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 235,971 Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases, 44 were reported in correctional facilities, showing an improvement in the Covid…
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Officials defend dine-in ban amid fears of a fourth wave
The government’s Covid-19 task force has defended new restrictions that ban dining in at restaurants, saying the country is heading into a fourth wave of the virus. According to a Bangkok Post report, Natthapol Nakpanich from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the Delta variant is now spreading across the country. Acting on the advice of healthcare experts, the…
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Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions
After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…
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Woman killed while trying to cross the road in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A woman was hit by a car while she was crossing the road in the Na Bon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat this morning, says police. Veerayuth Rakthai, a police chief investigator says the victim was a Myanmar national identified as 54 year old “Chan” and says she worked at a rubber plantation. According to Thai media, Chan was attempting…
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Government urged to get mRNA vaccines over Sinovac
The Thai government is being urged to get mRNA vaccines in preference to the CoronaVac vaccines from Sinovac in China. The Infectious Disease Association of Thailand points to reported efficacy concerns of the Sinovac vaccine, especially toward new variants like the Delta one. Today, the IDAT sent a letter to Thailand’s PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha. They stated that Sinovac is a…
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Rayong governor orders nightly beach closures to curb the spread of Covid-19
Starting today, all beaches on the coastal province Rayong, near Pattaya, will be closed to the public during the night and early morning hours. The beach closures are an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after the province reported an uptick in infections. Rayong governor Charnna Iamsaeng signed an order earlier this week to close the beaches from 8pm…
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Tourism jobs continue to be lost – nearly 1 million in 2021
It’s easy to look scornfully at the government and tourism industry’s rose-tinted predictions of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and further return of international tourism to Thailand by the end of the year. But a look at the current statistics for the battered tourism industry helps explain the need for hope. This quarter, 550,000 jobs were lost in the tourism industry.…
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Wednesday Covid-19 Update: 4,786 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 53 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,023. The vast majority of Covid patients died over the past 3 months with the daily fatality count in the 20s to 40s. 4,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, with most infections reported in…
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Dutchman arrested for allegedly selling used cars with fake registration
Thai Immigration police arrested a 35 year old man from the Netherlands who ran a dodgy used car business where he allegedly faked the vehicle registrations. Police say he was also overstayed his visa by 10 years. Police identified the Dutchman as Stanley Richy. They say he ran a second-hand car business and had a business page on Facebook under…
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Man robs a gold shop with a kitchen knife
Last night in the central Thai province Pathum Thani, a man used a knife to rob a gold shop in the Lam Luk Ka district. He got away with 60 baht weight of gold necklaces. Pitch Suwatikul, a local police officer says the robbery happened about 7:20 pm at the Bangkok Gold shop on the 2nd floor of a Tesco…
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Thailand tourism officials predict best and worst case scenarios for reopening
The best-case scenario in Thailand’s reopening… 3 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, Tourism Council of Thailand says. It’s a far cry from the around 40 million welcomed to Thailand in 2019. But with Phuket set to reopening tomorrow under the “Sandbox” travel model, and other areas posed to reopen later this year, tourism officials guess, that in the best…
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Vaccine walk-ins for 75 and up available today-July 18 at Bang Sue Grand Station
From today, until July 18, people 75 and older can get inoculated at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok. Reportedly, even without registration. The decision is an effort to drive up the number of elderly being vaccinated. The Department of Medical Sciences says that number is currently low. The inoculation campaign is intended to reach the elderly who may not…
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Krabi man allegedly fires gun at quarantine hotel, flees with wife and son
A man in Krabi was arrested after he allegedly fired a gun, shooting through a window of an alternative state quarantine, or ASQ, hotel and ran off with his wife and 9 year old son who were staying at the hotel after coming in close contact with those infected with Covid-19. 45 year old Somyos Khongsiri’s wife and son were…
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Top medic says cloth masks don’t protect against Covid-19
A prominent infectious disease specialist at Bangkok’s Phramongkutklao Hospital says cloth masks are ineffective against Covid-19 and people should wear surgical masks. Nation Thailand reports that Dr Thanaphan Phibunbannakit has called on the government to procure additional surgical masks as Thailand logs 4,786 new infections and a record high of 53 deaths. Thanaphan says people who are yet to receive…
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Thai FDA issues warning about using Ivermectin to cure Covid-19
The Thai Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use a drug usually reserved for veterinary treatment to treat Covid-19. Surachoke Tangwiwat from the FDA (and many other international studies) have determined that the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin is not designed for human use. “The side-effects can be severe and include dizziness, rash, nausea, hives, and the potential to…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 4,786 new cases, record high of 53 deaths
4,786 new cases and a record daily high of 53 Covid-related deaths were recorded today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily coronavirus death tally in Thailand has been in the 20s to 40s during the current and most severe wave of the virus, infecting 230,438 people since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 127…
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Private hospitals in Thailand to offer Moderna vaccine packages for 3,400 baht
Those in Thailand will be able to reserve a package of the 2-dose Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for 3,400 baht, according to the Private Hospital Association. Member hospitals agreed on the set price to cover both doses of the US-made Covid-19 vaccine as well as the service fee and insurance. Pre-paid bookings open up on Thursday while the vaccine deliveries are…
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Man gets marriage certificate tattooed on his forearm, ink presumably permanent
Yesterday, a Facebook post went viral after a man took his declaration of love one step further and had had his marriage certificate tattooed on his arm. On Monday, Om-Aim Daraployphan shared several pictures of her husband’s arm tat/proof of marriage on Facebook. The tattoo is bordered with green and pink flowers and takes up the majority of the man’s…
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Doctors ask the government to do a better job with their handling of vaccines
The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand is prodding the government to increase their vaccine efforts: to get vaccines faster and to get enough vaccines for Thailand inhabitants so herd immunity can be reached as soon as possible. Today, the RCPT chairperson, Dr Anutra Chittinandana said that the board of the RCPT thought it was crucial to issues a 2nd…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 4,662 new cases; provincial totals
Continuing on an upward trend in Thailand’s most severe wave of Covid-19, 4,662 new infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 254,515 confirmed Covid-19 infections. Of that number, 225,652 were reported since April 1, the start of the recent and most extreme wave of…
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Man in Pattaya arrested after allegedly stealing liquor, running across roofs
Police in Pattaya arrested a foreigner and budding ninja yesterday for allegedly grabbing 2 bottles of liquor from a local store and running off without paying. The shop clerk and nearby residents chased after the man, who apparently ran across the roofs of people’s homes to get away. Reports say he was caught after falling from a roof. Residents found…
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Suspect arrested in murder of noodle shop owner
A manhunt has concluded in the northern Thai province, Chiang Mai. Police were looking for a man who allegedly killed a 63 year old noodle seller. Despite being rushed to a hospital, the woman who had suffered stab wounds to her neck and back would later be pronounced dead. Police say they were called to a roadside noodle stand. Once…
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Google takes down customised maps targeting anti-monarchy activists
Custom Google maps pinpointing hundreds of people in Thailand who are accused of opposing the monarchy have been taken down by Google, the company told Reuters reporters. The Google My Maps targeting anti-monarchy activists, listing their names and addresses, were made by a team of 80 royalist volunteers who planned to report the activists for allegedly insulting the monarchy. Under…
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Chief medic says Delta variant will become dominant strain in Bangkok
The Department of Medical Sciences says it expects the Delta Covid-19 variant to become the prevalent strain in Bangkok within the coming months. The variant was first reported in Thailand in April, when it was detected in migrant workers in the Laksi district of the capital. The spread of the variant has sparked concern globally due to it being highly…
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Workers caught attempting to flee camps as new restrictions take effect
With PM Prayut Chan-o-cha imposing sudden and unexpected restrictions, including orders for factories at risk of a Covid-19 outbreak to use the so-called “bubble and seal” method, workers have been attempting to flee the camps to escape being stuck at the site for a month. Some were caught and forced to return as they were trying to leave the area.…
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Restrictions imposed in areas at risk of a “public health crisis,” spokesperson says
Disease control restrictions have tightened in Bangkok and surrounding provinces which are at risk of becoming a “public health crisis,” according to a Thai government spokesperson. The restrictions were published in the Royal Gazette over the weekend and went into effect today. Of the restrictions set for the next 30 days, restaurants in Bangkok and surrounding provinces are prohibited from…
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Monday Covid Update: 5,406 new cases; provincial totals
A significant uptick of 5,406 new Covid-19 cases was recorded today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, just as new restrictions are taking effect in Bangkok and other “dark red” provinces to curb the spread of the virus. Of the 249,853 Covid-19 cases recorded in Thailand since the start of the pandemic last year, the recent and most severe…
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Covid-19 screening centre in Bangkok temporarily closed to migrant workers
After many migrant workers infected with Covid-19 were reportedly abandoned at the Public Health Ministry’s Pre-Admission Centre in Bangkok, it is now temporarily closed to migrant workers. The centre is used to screen people who are infected with the virus before sending them to a facility for treatment. Apparently, a number of workers have been dropped off at the centres.…
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Monday Covid Update: 5,406 new cases and 22 deaths
In an uptick in daily Covid-19 cases, 5,406 infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 220,990 Covid-19 cases. Today, the CCSA also logged 22 more deaths related to Covid-19. Out of today’s count, only 9 were detected in correctional…
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Tourism Minister threatens to cancel travel stimulus if only some operators benefit
Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister says if all operators cannot benefit from a domestic travel stimulus scheme, it may be cancelled. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says he will meet with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to ensure everyone in the sector can be helped by the scheme. According to the Bangkok Post, the government plans to launch the Tour Teaw Thai scheme…
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