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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Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Teen crashes motorbike into parked car while looking at phone
A teen girl has crashed and ended up trapped under her motorbike early yesterday morning after using her mobile phone while driving. The accident occurred around 3:30am on Jomtien Second Road in South Pattaya. The 14 year old girl was driving home from what she described as a private engagement when she looked down to check her mobile phone. Distracted,…
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Man missing several days found dead in temple well
The search is over for a man missing for several days when his body was discovered yesterday at the bottom of a well this morning. Surachet Kaenchan, a 37 year old man, had been missing for 4 or 5 days. He was from the Moo 13 village of the Muang district of Nakhom Phanom, a district on the Laos border…
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Shortage of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients worrisome
A shortage of hospital beds for Covid-19 patients is spreading throughout Thailand, as the Coronavirus surges through the country, and people are getting desperate to secure a bed for their loved ones. Even celebrities are posting on social media in an attempt to get a space in the rapidly filling hospitals. Government officials say there are enough beds for everyone…
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Siam Bioscience says July due date of locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine still feasible
Siam Bioscience Co. says the July due date for delivering its locally-produced Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccines is still feasible. The company is currently sending vaccine samples to laboratories in Europe and the US for quality inspections. If they are approved, then the samples will be sent to AstraZeneca for final inspections. After that, the vaccines will be registered with Thailand’s Food…
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Songkran’s 7 dangerous days: 2,365 road accidents, 277 deaths
We’ve finally reached the end of the Songkran holiday “7 dangerous days”, where over 2,300 road accidents resulted in 2,357 injuries and 277 deaths. Every year Thai officials brace for the surge in holiday travel that brings a surge in accidents as well, but the silver lining of Covid-19 is the reduction in accidents. This year saw a drop of…
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Officials not worried Thailand remains on US currency watch list
Thailand remains on the United States Treasury’s “Monitoring List” of countries whose currency trade practices need to be watched, though Thai officials say they are not worried. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen releases a foreign exchange report twice a year including labelling alleged currency manipulators and flagging suspect trading partner countries to be monitored. The Bank of Thailand said remaining…
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Thai Hotel Association pushes “hospitels” – hotels as hospitals
With the third wave of Covid-19 ripping through Thailand, hospitals are rapidly filling up and the Thai Hotels Association has proposed “hospitels” as a creative solution. The portmanteau of “hospital” and “hotel” is the THA’s brainchild for creating more space for the growing number of Covid-19 infections that require treatment or at least observation as Thailand hits record daily case…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,547 new infections, restrictions start after midnight tonight
Today the CCSA has announced that there are 1,547 new infections around Thailand, a slight drop from yesterdays’ 1,585 reported new cases. Today’s additional infections takes the total number in Thailand to 40,585 since the start of the pandemic. We will add to this story when more figures and provincial totals become available. All but 3 of today’s newly reported…
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Covid-19 brings surge in gold and cryptocurrency investment
In the uncertain times of the Covid-19 pandemic, investors are leaning towards safe investments like gold and also the emerging cryptocurrency market. Gold prices hit a 7 week high at over 55,000 baht on Thursday and around April 15 online gold transactions in Thailand doubled. One reason for the rise in gold price is uncertainty, with tensions growing between the…
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Nightlife venues ordered to close after midnight tonight, nationwide ban on serving alcohol
Health officials have announced new Covid-19restrictions targetting Thailand’s hardest-hit, or red zone, provinces. The restrictions, which will start tonight after midnight, include ordering all nightlife venues to close. Restaurants cannot serve alcohol and those dining-in must leave no later than 9pm. If you want to get take-away, you must do so before 11pm, unless you are in a province listed…
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Covid-19 vaccinations for June still on schedule
Covid-19 vaccinations in June are still set to proceed as scheduled according to the Department of Disease Control. They have ensured that production and distribution is on track, especially with AstraZeneca producing 6 million jabs domestically now. Local production in Thailand is ramping up, with 61 million AstraZeneca vaccines planned to be manufactured domestically by Siam Bioscience by the end…
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Thai government hospital staff forced to quarantine after patients lied about Covid-19 contacts
Over 100 of Thailand’s government hospital workers are now undergoing quarantines after their patients allegedly lied about being in contact with someone who was infected with Covid-19. Khon Kaen Hospital ordered 105 medical staff to immediately enter a quarantine, according to its Director, Nataya Mills. The hospital was forced to stop receiving new cases and has closed 2 medical wards…
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New restrictions start from midnight tonight (Saturday), more could come later
The Thai government has resolved to ‘manage’ its way out of the current Covid outbreak. There won’t be lockdowns or curfews, but there will be earlier closing times and alcohol bans to help provinces stem the growth in new infections. The past 3 days of reporting new infections in Thailand are the highest numbers since the start of the Covid-19…
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Thailand News Today | New record infection report, CCSA announces new restrictions | April 16
Here’s the latest information about upgraded restrictions for Thai provinces HERE. In today’s episode we look at… CCSA announced 1,582 new Covid infections across Thailand in the past 24 hours, 18 provinces are to be designated as red zones, Thailand’s mercurial Public Health Minister says he is “confident” the Kingdom can overcome the current Covid-19 crisis without imposing a nationwide…
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BREAKING: Covid Provincial restriction update – latest from the CCSA
The CCSA has announced its updated restrictions for the 18 ‘red zone’ provinces this afternoon. The new measures start on Sunday, April 18, and will be in place for at least 2 weeks. The restrictions are basically as we published earlier today. There are no ‘lockdowns’ or curfews despite a popular blogger jumping the gun and posting that there were…
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Friday’s Covid-19 cases, province by province
Today’s provincial totals, as reported in the past 24 hours. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (including Pattaya) and Prachuap Khiri Khan and Samut Prakan lead the way. Other prominent locations include Phuket with 30 new cases, Surat Thani, which includes the 3 Gulf islands of Samui, Pha Ngan and Tao, with 11, and Chiang Rai with 77. Infographic from NBT…
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Thailand fruit exports up, despite new Covid-19 fears
Thailand fruit exporters saw a 107% growth in January and February over last year’s comparable figures, reports the National News Bureau. 18 countries have free trade agreements for fruit with Thailand, and the total trade in the first 2 months of 2021 is valued at US $461 million. Thailand is actively exporting fresh fruit with its top buyers being Australia,…
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Thai household debt expected to keep rising- Kasikorn Research
Despite rolling out Covid-19 vaccines, in which could see a faster return to pre-Covid times, Thailand’s household debt is expected to keep rising. Kasikorn Research analysts say it could, in fact, reach 89-91% by the end of the year. In a recent survey, KResearch says 10.8% of respondents could be stuck in a financial crisis. Of those who may be…
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Sex toys popular in Thailand despite conservative laws
While Thailand is a conservative country with conservative laws, the underground sex trade and sex toy economy is a thriving not-so-well-kept secret. Thailand is famous for its LGBTQ acceptance and red-light districts, but many don’t realise that most drugs, gambling, soliciting for prostitution, sex toys, and even vaping are against Thai law. The customs department confiscated more than 4000 sex…
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Man trampled to death while feeding roadside elephant
A man in Nakhon Ratchasima, north east Thailand, has lost his life yesterday when he pulled his car over to feed an elephant that then trampled him to death. According to Mu Si police, Rachan Theerapittayatrakul had stopped his pickup truck near Thanarat Road when he saw an elephant tied to a tree by the roadside and attempted to feed…
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Thai Health Ministry predicts 5 likely Covid outcomes post-Songkran, warns of risks posed by partying
The Public Health Ministry is warning the public that partying and letting ones guard down could see daily Covid-19 infections rise to nearly 3,000. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Disease Control Department says evidence shows that the third wave of the virus which is currently spreading across the country is a result of younger people, aged 20 – 29, socialising frequently…
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First 5 days of Songkran see more than 3,700 motorists booked for drink-driving
Over 3,700 motorists have been charged with drink driving offences during the first 5 days of the Songkran holiday. Witthawan Sunthornkajit from the Department of Probation says that between April 10 and 14, 3,741 motorists received suspended sentences for driving under the influence. 1,648 of those were on April 14, the highest number for the 5-day period. The worst-offending provinces…
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AstraZeneca will remain Thailand’s primary vaccine, insists Health Minister
The Health Minister insists the AstraZeneca vaccine will remain Thailand’s primary Covid-19 jab, despite concerns over rare side-effects. Some countries have suspended its use, while Denmark is the first country in Europe to abandon it completely. However, Anutin Charnvirakul says it’s up to each country to make their own decisions and Thailand is pressing ahead with the jab. “There are…
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Alcohol sales may be banned in restaurants, but no lockdown for now
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says it believes a lockdown is currently unnecessary, despite a record 1,543 new Covid-19 infections yesterday. Of those, only 3 were imported. However, Health Minister Anutin Chanvirakul says the government is confident it can control the spread of the virus without having to lock down the country. “We have seen no point in imposing a lockdown…
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Songkran road safety day 5: 37 deaths, 330 accidents
On the fifth day of Songkran’s infamous “seven dangerous days”, there were 330 road accidents resulting in 37 deaths and 328 injuries reported across Thailand. Songkran brings an increase in travel, and with it, an unfortunate increase in traffic accidents and road deaths. With Covid-19 severely curbing festivities this year, figures are generally down, but the government continues to encourage…
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Thailand News Today | New record high for daily Covid infections | April 15
Thailand’s Covid-19 infections are still on the rise, with the Kingdom reporting 1,543 new infections in the last 24 hours, The governor of Bangkok says anyone who has had contact with a Covid-19 patient must self-isolate for at least 10 days, Denmark has announced that it is abandoning the AstraZeneca vaccine and Vietnam has overtaken Thailand to become the highest-priced…
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New NGO law could target anti-governemnt activists
A controversial new NGO law was drafted with critics arguing it targets activists and the Thai government saying it ensures transparency. The Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organisations was written by the Office of the Council of State in February and debated in the second half of March, but could be passed into law soon. Human rights groups…
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Covid UPDATE: New cases rise to 1,543, DDC recommends work from home in red zone areas
Thailand’s Covid-19 infections are still on the rise, with the Kingdom reporting 1,543 new infections in the last 24 hours. Only 3 of those are imported with 1,540 being cases of community transmission. Thailand has now recorded 37,453 infections. 8,973 patients are receiving hospital treatment, 41 of whom have pneumonia. 11 people are currently in a serious condition on ventilators.…
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Officials confirm Koh Larn will remain open to domestic visitors for now
Officials in Pattaya and Koh Larn say there are currently no plans to close the island to visitors despite a man who worked briefly at a local restaurant testing positive for Covid-19. It’s understood the worker was employed from April 3 to April 6, before quitting. During his short employment stint, he visited a number of nightlife venues in Pattaya…
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People and businesses to face legal action for spreading Covid virus
Health officials say those people and entertainment businesses who helped spur a third wave of Covid-19 in Thailand may face legal action against them. A 26 year old woman, who allegedly boarded a plane on April 11 in Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport after testing positive for the virus, has been pointed out by Chraspong Sukree, the chief of Nakhon Si…
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