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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Why 8 Atelier Residence is poised for growth: Phuket’s investment hotspot in the making
Phuket’s residential real estate market is no longer defined only by beachfront villas and short-stay resort condominiums. The island is now seeing sustained interest from international investors targeting long-term yields, capital stability, and access to full-scale lifestyle infrastructure. Looking at...
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Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths, provincial totals
The CCSA have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. 35,055 people remain under treatment at public and field hospitals. More news briefs on the Covid situation below.…
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Thailand’s colour zones change from Monday – some restrictions ease
From tomorrow we’ll see the resumption of limited dine-in services in restaurants located in the remaining 4 Dark Red zones of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Restaurants in these 4 provinces will now be able to resume dining on premises, until 9pm. But they can only seat 25% of their full capacity. So, a table for 4 can…
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Sinovac, AstraZeneca over 97% effective in immune system boost
A new study highlights the often maligned effectiveness of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, showing they are both quite effective in boosting the immune system against the Coronavirus. The Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University conducted the study that found that one month after the first shot of AstraZeneca, over 97%…
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Sunday Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths
For Sunday the public health department have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. • Starting Monday, restaurants in Bangkok, Nonthaburi (immediately north of Bangkok), Pathum Thani, and…
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Thailand’s zones change from Monday – easing of Covid restrictions
From tomorrow we’ll see the resumption of limited dine-in services in restaurants located in the remaining 4 Dark Red zones of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Restaurants in these 4 provinces will now be able to resume dining on premises, until 9pm. But they can only seat 25% of their full capacity. So, a table for 4 can…
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The Boys in Brown go 2-tone khaki – Thailand’s new police uniform on trial
Elastic waistband and fitted baseball caps – the new height of Thai constabulary haute couture to grace the streets of Thailand. Some law-enforcement super models are currently strutting the streets parading some of the ‘nouveau’ police uniforms. The boys in brown are morphing into the boys in 2-tone khaki with black accessories and utility accents. The move is towards greater…
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Saturday Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths
The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. • Diners may be able to eat at Dark…
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Family sues Thai PM, CCSA after Covid-infected relative dies
The family of a man who died while infected with Covid-19 is demanding the Thai PM, as well as other government officials, pay millions of baht in compensation, citing “negligence” after calls to Covid-19 hotlines went unanswered or were not of help. 35 year old Kunlasub Watthanaphon died on April 23. Kunlasub is said to have contracted the virus from a…
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Market down as good US economy drives interest rate fears
After US inflation exceeded targets and increased 4%, global stock markets including Thailand plummeted yesterday with fears of rising interest rates. Almost 144 billion baht was traded yesterday with the market at one point diving down 70 points in the late afternoon before recovering to a 23.72 point loss, closing at 1548.13. 2% is a high rate of inflation so…
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Is Thailand the best country for digital nomads?
Is Thailand the best country in the world for digital nomads? Some think so. The French travel and tourism operator Club Med recently did a study and found that Thailand tops the list of best countries for digital nomads with Phuket as the number one ‘city’ to live in while working remotely. (We acknowledge that Phuket can hardly be regarded…
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Inmates in Thai prisons to get vaccinated against Covid-19 next month
All inmates in Thai prisons will be vaccinated against Covid-19 starting next month. The announcement of the nationwide prison vaccination campaign follows this week’s outbreaks infecting nearly 3,000 inmates at 2 Bangkok prisons. There have also been outbreaks at prisons in Chiang Mai and the southern province of Narathiwat. At the Central Women’s Correctional Institution in Bangkok, more than 1,000…
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Thailand urged to join in reducing global prisoners for Covid-19
After it was revealed that nearly 3,000 inmates in Thailand’s prison system have Covid-19, criticism and calls are mounting to follow the global trend of reducing the total number of prisoners in the country. Human rights groups are calling for the release of inmates held on minor charges, with Amnesty International Thailand requesting those in “unnecessary custody to be minimised”…
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CCSA to discuss Covid-19 zoning tomorrow, restrictions likely to loosen in some provinces
Thailand’s colour-coded zoning for Covid-19 control will be discussed tomorrow by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Some restrictions are likely to be lifted in some provinces, such as the ban on dine-in services at restaurants in “dark red” zones. The colour scale goes from green to dark red, with green provinces reporting no recent Covid-19 infections. Under the current…
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Thai factory owners warned over not following disease control measures
Factory owners in Thailand are being warned to strictly adhere to disease control measures set forth by The Department of Disease Control as the risk of spreading Covid-19 is high in such densely populated buildings. The DDC director-general says the Thai Stop Covid Plus platform has surveyed 1,386 factories so far, finding that 76% of them complied with the measures.…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,256 new infections and 30 deaths, provincial totals
2,256 new Covid-19 infections and 30 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 33,186 active Covid-19 cases with most patients are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 96,050 Covid-19 infections and 548 coronavirus-related deaths. Out…
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Hua Hin plans to vaccinate residents next month, reopening eyed for October
Next month, 350,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses are planned to be sent to Hua Hin to vaccinate residents and those who work in the tourism industry. As part of the Hua Hin Recharge project, the vaccinations prepares the popular beachside town in the Prachuap Khiri Khan province for the reopening to foreign tourists. The Committee of National Tourism Policy recently approved…
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Bank of Thailand announcing 3rd phase case-by-case debt aid
Today the Bank of Thailand will announce the third phase of their plan to reduce debt strain on people affected by the third wave of Covid-19. The phase is part of a continued effort to help individual borrowers cope with their debts by implementing restructuring measures. Financial aid is planned to be given to those in need after evaluation on…
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Inmate escapes from hospital in Rayong after Covid-19 test, arrested in Chanthaburi
Still dressed in a hospital gown, a prison inmate hopped on a motorbike and fled a hospital in Rayong after being tested for Covid-19. He was arrested in the neighbouring province Chanthaburi and now faces theft charges for stealing the motorbike. The results from his Covid-19 test have not been released. Thailand has reported numerous Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons in…
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Walk-in vaccine centre plan limping, not ready to launch
After proud announcements of walk-in vaccine sites launching in Bangkok and around Thailand, now there seems to be more walking back than walking in. Hospitals were flooded with calls from people looking to book a walk-in appointment to receive a Covid-19 vaccine but were told that there were no jabs currently available. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said that this whole thing…
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Private hospitals in Thailand working to offer more choices in Covid vaccines
The Private Hospital Association is now working to offer a variety of Covid-19 vaccine brands to Thais in an effort to help boost herd immunity. Thailand currently has only 2 Covid-19 vaccine brands that are currently available and covered by the Thai government’s free inoculation programme. AstraZeneca and Sinovac are on the list, but recipients have no choice in which…
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Teacher who called student a “phony,” when he requested a sick day, apologises
A Thai teacher who called a student a “phony,” and other names when the student called in sick, has now apologised. The incident, according to Thai Residents, occurred when a student says he texted his teacher, who goes by the name of Kaew, and told her he was sick and could not come to school. The student says the teacher…
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Prison officials say activist Panusaya did not get Covid while behind bars
The Corrections Department says the recently released pro-democracy activist, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, did not contract Covid-19 in prison. The 22 year old protest leader confirmed she was infected earlier this week. She was released from Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution on May 6. The Bangkok Post reports Weerakit Harnpariphan from the Corrections Department as saying Panusaya was in quarantine…
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Moderna Covid-19 vaccine now approved in Thailand
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Thailand. The country’s Food and Drug Administration announced the authorisation yesterday. Thailand’s vaccination started in late February. So far, only the Sinovac vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine have been used to vaccinate the public. The local company Siam Bioscience is now producing the AstraZeneca vaccine in Thailand. The locally-made…
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PM representatives file police complaint against Thai singer and government critic
Representatives of Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, have filed a police complaint against the Thai singer Suthipong Tadpitakkul, aka, “Heart”. Suthipong has criticised the government’s vaccine procurement plan, a move that has led to accusations of violating the Computer Crime Act and Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. The PM’s lawyer, Apiwat Kanthong, and his assistant minister, Seksakon Atthawong (aka “Rambo Isan”)…
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Expat vaccination in Thailand likely to be delayed
An official from the Bangkok Metropolitan Association says foreigners may face a slight delay in receiving their Covid-19 vaccines. Panruedee Manomaipiboon, director of the BMA’s health department says while the Health Ministry aims to vaccinate everyone living in Thailand, foreigners may have to wait until August. “As I have said before, the Health Ministry plans to vaccinate Thais first. We…
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Friday Covid Update: 2,256 new infections and 30 deaths
Thailand’s public health department has reported its tally for the past 24 hours from around the country. There has been 30 new Covid-related deaths and 2,256 new cases. Out of today’s new infection total, 183 of those were from the prison system. Yesterday the numbers jumped substantially because of the release of case numbers from two highly infected prisons –…
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Phuket tightens restrictions: No parties, no visits from friends
No, your friends can’t come over. No parties. No drinking with friends. No large gatherings. As part of Phuket’s efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19, local authorities have tightened restrictions and say friends are not allowed to gather at private homes. “No parties of any kind allowed… No house party, no friends gathering in the residence.” Along with temporary…
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Covid-19 patients with high blood pressure at high risk of death -CCSA
Covid-19 patients with high blood pressure have the highest risk of death followed by patients infected with the coronavirus who underlying conditions of diabetes or high cholesterol, according to data from Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 486 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of those fatalities, 392 were reported after…
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Lungtoo, A PM Prayut-themed Thai meme crypto, debuts
For those looking to get into the cryptocurrency craze in the shadiest way possible while also offending the Thai government, the perfect option now exists. Say hello to Lungtoo, the newest meme crypto be making its way through the Thai blockchain community. The name is pronounced like the Thai translation of Uncle Tuu, the affectionate nickname given to PM Prayut…
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Human Right Watch calls for Thailand to immediately act on Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons
In response to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks in Thailand prisons, the Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying Thai authorities need to take immediate steps to tackle overcrowding in prisons and release inmates that do not pose a serious risk to the public. The organisation also notes that under international human rights law, the government must provide equal and accessible…
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