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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Sponsored Best weed shops in Chinatown, Bangkok [2025]
Bangkok's Chinatown isn't just for roast duck, gold shops, and neon-lit chaos anymore. Head over to Yaowarat Road and you'll find another kind of smoke drifting through the air. Yes, the weed scene had landed. Loud, proud, and surprisingly stylish....
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His Majesty doesn’t want Thailand to use the lèse-majesté law
His Majesty the King does not want to use Thailand’s strict lèse-majesté laws, which make it a crime to insult or criticise the royal family, but Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says people should still be careful what they say about the Thai monarchy. While the PM says the lèse-majesté law will not be used, other similar laws can still be…
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Outrage over 75,000 baht travel allowance for senior execs at Thai Airways
The deputy leader of Thailand’s Democrat Party, Samart Ratchapolsitte, has slammed Thai Airways management for granting senior executives a monthly 75,000 baht “travel allowance”. Posting on Facebook, he decries the allowance granted to anyone holding the position of executive vice president at the long-struggling airline. Thailand’s national carrier, run as a state enterprise until it filed for bankruptcy protection, is…
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Poll shows flea markets, supermarkets, most popular with Thais as lockdown easing continues
“46% of Thais want the Songkran holidays moved to the (western) New Year period.” A new poll shows that most Thais are anxious to return to markets and supermarkets first, as the country continues to relax the restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 crisis. A report in Nation Thailand says over 83% of those surveyed are prioritising markets, flea markets and supermarkets,…
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Thailand tourism recovery- are we doing enough?
OPINION by Andrew J Wood The wheels of Thailand’s tourism industry are slowly turning. Travel and tourism is starting to move again. Weekends in Hua Hin hotels for instance are close to capacity (with some resorts experiencing 90% occupancy and some even higher). Being close to Bangkok; the weather, air quality and the fact that you can drive from the metropolis definitely…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, June 15
No new cases of Covid-19, either locally transmitted or imported from overseas, in the past 24 hours. Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners Foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period.…
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Police fail to respond to serious domestic violence call
A woman said she was pistol-whipped by her ex-boyfriend, but police did nothing when she first reported the incident. No police responded to the scene. In a photo she posted on social media, her head is down like she had just been hit and blood splattered on the seat. Orawan Singkum wrote in Thai, translated by Google, that her ex…
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Thailand enters Phase 4 of re-opening, curfew lifted
From today, 95% of Thailand’s businesses have been given permission to reopen as the country enters Phase 4 of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. However, nightlife establishments such as pubs, bars and karaoke venues remain closed, and the ban on international arrivals remains in force, with exceptions for repatriated Thais. and foreigners who hold work permits. The national curfew has…
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Thais continue to provide for the spirits despite tough times
Spirits don’t rest in Thailand, even when there’s a nationwide lockdown and viral pandemic swirling around the world. Thai people continue to give what they can to provide for the spirits, even if it’s just a glass of water or Fanta, placing offerings by trees where spirits live, or on spirit houses which are often outside homes and businesses. One…
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Up to 1,000 foreigners per day with smart phone tracking – plan to open Thailand up to foreigners
If approved by authorities, foreigners from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter the country and travel in so-called “travel bubbles” without going through the 14 day quarantine period. They’ll be tracked through a smart phone application to make sure they stay in their “bubble.” The plan is being prepared for an approval from the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration…
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Phase 3 easing generated 200 billion baht into Thai economy
Phase 3 of Covid-19 restriction easing, which began June 1, has generated 200 billion baht of additional cash flow into the economy. With many other establishments returning to business as usual tomorrow, the Thai Chamber of Commerce has launched a forum for the brainstorming of ideas on the next business trends under the “new normal,” that must comply with health…
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Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 14)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new imported coronavirus case and no new deaths today taking the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,135 since the outbreak began in January. The death toll remains at 58. The CCSA says the new case is a 35 year old female Thai student who returned from the US last Monday.…
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Tourist attractions get ready for tomorrow’s Phase 4 easing
Thailand’s Interior Ministry has ordered all provincial governors to manage their tourist attractions in preparation for Phase 4 of Covid-19 lockdown relaxation, which begins tomorrow. The ministry’s permanent secretary said yesterday that after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered related authorities to manage beach attractions, the ministry instructed provincial governors nationwide to manage their tourist attractions as follows: Prepare tourist attractions,…
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Rubber roads will help Thai growers, increase safety
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony of an agreement to use local Thai rubber in road construction, part of an effort to help the country’s financially strapped rubber farmers. Prayut praised the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as well as Prince of Songkhla University, the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research, the…
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Crowned bats captured, studied as possible Covid-19 carriers
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, are researching whether Thailand’s “crowned bats” could carry or transmit the Covid-19 coronavirus. The chief of the department’s wildlife health management section says they went to a cave in in the eastern province of Chanthaburi, home to millions of the bats, to capture more…
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Thai road deaths surpass 6,000 for year to date
Thailand’s publicly announced goal of a maximum 664 road deaths per year from 2020 now seems fanciful, by a factor of 10 of more. The Daily News reports that as of yesterday, the death toll at the scene of traffic incidents in Thailand since the beginning of the year stood at 6,120. 43 died at the incident scenes on Wednesday…
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Covid-19 update: 5 new cases, all imported (June 13)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced that 5 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the previous 24 hours. All 5 were imported cases of Thai students returning from Saudi Arabia. No new deaths were reported. The total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the outbreak in Thailand now stands at 3,134. The death toll remains at…
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Heavy rains and flash floods predicted until next Tuesday from ‘Nuri’
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning that tropical storm ‘Nuri’ could bring heavy rains and cause flash flooding in at-risk areas across Thailand. A low-pressure system that developed in the Philippine Sea, and was tracked over the central Philippines has moved into the South China Sea, has become a tropical depression. At 4am today the department officially announced tropical storm…
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Government denies rumours of fines for online alcohol-related pics
Despite recent reports, the Office of the Alcohol Control Committee is dismissing a rumour about individuals being fined for posting images of alcoholic drinks on social media. The rumour went viral, with some saying individuals can be fined to up to 50,000 baht for posting images of alcoholic beverages online, or up to 10 times that amount if they’re manufacturers.…
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Chulalongkorn University defends shrine demolition for new condos
Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University is defending its plan to demolish a historic Thai-Chinese shrine on its grounds to clear the land for high-rise buildings with condominiums and dormitories. A statement from the university’s estate office says the Chao Mae Tabtim Saphan Luang Shrine will be rebuilt at a new location close to the original site within 6 months, with a re-opening…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, June 12
4 Thais repatriated from India found with Covid-19 today Today the government announced 4 new cases of Covid-19, all were reported as repatriated Thai citizens from India. All have been quarantined in Chon Buri and tested positive during their 14 day stay. All have been mostly asymptomatic. India had the most Covid-19 cases in Asia with a total of 298,283…
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Curfew lifted from June 15, many activities resume, pubs and bars will remain closed
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has officially approved lifting the national curfew effective Monday. The centre made the decision at its meeting today, which was presided over by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The 11pm-3am curfew will be lifted from June 15 but the national state of emergency in the country will continue. The centre has also decided to strictly…
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State hospital investigation into ‘suspicious’ drug company donations
More than a hundred hospitals will be investigated for allegedly receiving what health officials are describing as “suspicious” donations from pharmaceutical companies. The hospitals allegedly had a deal with the some of the drug companies – hospitals get a 5% discount and the rebate would be sent back to the hospital, labelling it as a “donation”. The 186 hospitals being investigated…
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Alcohol association begs government for trial re-opening of bars
But they know it is unlikely to happen. The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing Emergency Decree have caused immeasurable economic impact across the country.Probably no sectors has been harder hit than hospitality, entertainment and nightlife. Although alcohol sales appear set to resume in restaurants next week, around 10,000 pubs, bars and entertainment venues nationwide – and their many casual staff…
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Thai doctors warn about the dangers of fashion braces
Those in Western countries don’t typically look back fondly on teenage years with a mouth full of braces and painful trips to the orthodontist. But in Thailand, having braces is seen as a symbol of wealth. They’ve even become a fashion trend with many fake braces being sold illegally (yes, really!). Thai doctors are warning about the risk of serious…
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Anti-alcohol law has “bounty hunters” snitching for reward money
Educating people, or advertising, online about alcoholic beverages is a crime in Thailand – a lesson learned the hard way by the administrator of a Facebook page detailing thee differences in the many types of craft beers when he was fined 50,000 baht for “advertising” alcohol on social media. Police told him they received a “tip-off from someone”. Artid, the…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, June 11
Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. It’s now official. If you’re a foreigner you won’t be allowed on intercity buses operated by the state owned Transport Company, under the auspices of the Thai Ministry of Transport. They announced today that foreigners are banned from…
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Anti-alternative tobacco report slammed by experts
A recent report titled “Today’s Teens, Tomorrow’s Customers” published by Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance is being slammed by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates and global health experts, who have dismissed it as “naïve” and “harmful.” Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s executive director, described the report as a product of perception by a group that is funded by…
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Health minister promises hospital graft investigation
Further to a story reported by The Thaiger, Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged to investigate allegations that many of the ministry’s 186 hospitals have taken kickbacks from drug companies for buying their products. He says he’ll order a formal investigation, if there is any substance to the allegations, which he admits have tarnished the reputation…
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Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners
The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. The Transport Company, the state operator of intercity bus services, announced today that foreigners are banned from its services due to the Emergency Decree. Although services have resumed on most of their routes across the country, foreign travellers are not allowed to board because…
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Thai man faces 8 charges for Tweets criticising the monarchy
A Twitter user is facing multiple criminal charges for this posts criticising the monarchy along with a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. The 20 year old man, going by the name “Niranam” which is Thai for anonymous, runs the Twitter account @ssji_2475 where he has made posts critical of the Thai royal family, violating Thailand’s tough lése majeste…
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