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 Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand
Moving to Thailand offers a prospect full of excitement and adventure, but in the same vein, if any injuries were to occur (and god forbid it does), the local healthcare system can be confusing at first glance for many expats...
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US Senate support for protest movement won’t impact Thailand – Foreign Minister
The United States Senate’s support for Thailand’s pro-democracy movement won’t have any impact, according to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai. The US Senate recently introduced a resolution supporting the movement and calling on the Thai government to uphold human rights and refrain from “harassing, intimidating or persecuting those engaged in peaceful protests.” The US resolution is…
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Thailand sends smuggled orangutans back to Indonesia
After being smuggled through Southeast Asia, seized by Thai border officials, and then cared for at a Thailand wildlife centre for 3 years, a pair of endangered Sumatran orangutans are being sent back to Indonesia. Back in June 2017, border officials seized the orangutans, Ung Ing and Nathalie, from smugglers at a customs checkpoint in the southern province Songkhla, near…
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Phase 2 of travel stimulus may be cancelled due to fraud, as PM said to be “furious”
Officials are considering cancelling the next phase of the government’s domestic tourism stimulus campaign, after multiple cases of fraud emerged. To date, over 200 people have been prosecuted for corruption in the domestic travel campaign, as well as in other government stimulus schemes. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that, in conjunction with the Tourism and Sports Ministry, it has…
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WHO praises Thailand’s unity as key to successfully tackling Covid-19
Unity between Thailand’s public and social sectors, healthcare workers, local organisations, and individuals, has been key to tackling Covid-19, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking yesterday at an online address to Thailand’s National Health Commission Office when he made his remarks. According to him, unity between all sectors in the country, coupled with…
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Thailand to ease travel restrictions for some countries
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed the government intends to ease travel restrictions for arrivals from some countries, but the 14 day quarantine remains in place for now. Spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin says the easing of restrictions will be applied to 56 countries, including Australia, the US and France, whose nationals will not require visas to enter Thailand. However,…
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End-of-quarantine party for 28 Thais who returned from Myanmar
An end-of-quarantine party was held for 28 Thais who were just released from quarantine after returning to Chiang Rai from Myanmar. Not many details were reported about the event, just that it was a ceremony at a riverside resort with the provincial governor Prajon Prachsakul… Definitely a lot different than the parties just across the border in Tachileik. Many Thai…
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Thailand News Today | New Year Covid style, Currency manipulation?, SCB scam | Dec 17
Thailand News Today, coming from Phuket for the next few days. Mosquito-borne virus spreads in Pattaya If you’re in Pattaya, light the coils and get out the bug repellant. There’s been a report of an increase in chikungunya fever infections, that’s a mosquito-borne virus, similar to Dengue but can be quite painful and serious in some patients. The city’s mayor…
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Bank of Thailand says being on US currency “watchlist” won’t have a “material impact”
Thailand being added to the United States Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation won’t impact foreign trade and investment too much, the Bank of Thailand says. Now that Thailand is on the “monitoring list,” US government says it will keep “close attention” on the country’s currency practices to determine if any measures are intended to gain an unfair advantage in…
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Covid-19 found on doorknobs at quarantine facility where health workers tested positive
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed that traces of the virus have been found on doorknobs at an alternative state quarantine facility, where a number of healthcare workers tested positive. CCSA spokesman Taweesin Wissanuyothin has called on cleaning staff in the facility to disinfect door handles and not just floors. Yesterday, Thailand reported 15 new cases in quarantine,…
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Thailand on US Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation
Thailand is now on the United States Treasury’s “monitoring list” for suspected currency manipulation, unfair policies to gain an advantage in international trade. Vietnam and Switzerland were both labeled currency manipulators in the US Treasury’s recent report “Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States.” Along with Thailand, the Treasury also added Taiwan and India…
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Covid-19 task force to meet today for discussions on New Year festivities
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to discuss how New Year celebrations will be handled, with the possibility that they may be split into smaller groups. Officials are to consider a suggestion from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that countdown gatherings be split into zones, with numbers limited. The PM is concerned that large crowds would make it impossible to…
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New Year bookings slow amid delay in tourism subsidy
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the delay in extending the domestic travel stimulus scheme is hurting bookings over the western New Year period. The addition of 1 million room nights has been postponed while officials look into multiple claims of fraud. TAT and the Tourism and Sports Ministry have filed a police report against more than 500 hotels and…
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Monk arrested for firing gun at Chon Buri temple
A monk was arrested for allegedly firing a gun at a temple in Chon Buri’s Ban Bueng district after a drunk and heated argument between the other monks. The monk, 42 year old Kritsana Yoosi, actually hasn’t been a monk for very long. Just about 2 months… and only because he told his family that if he wins the lottery…
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Thailand’s #BestofTweets 2020
The following is a statement from Twitter announcing the winners of the social media company’s #BestofTweets 2020 Thailand awards. 2020 has been a year of disruption and disconnect across economies, industries, and communities. For marketers, there’s never been a more challenging year. Campaigns, events, and creative shoots had to be moved online, postponed, or cancelled, tearing up a year’s worth…
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Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating subsidy scheme
Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating the government’s “We Travel Together” subsidy scheme which was intended to help tourism businesses financially hit by the coronavirus pandemic and stimulate travel. Instead of lowering prices to draw in more travellers, some hoteliers and restaurateurs allegedly raised their prices to get more subsidies. The scheme paid 40% of room…
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Thai Protesters Vs Thai Government, the latest situation
OPINION In 1932, the old Siam Kingdom went through a fundamental change when, on June 24 the King, Rama 7, woke up to find his powers as an absolute monarch stripped from him by a new democracy movement. A new constitution would limit the King’s powers, under a constitutional monarchy. In 1933 there was a military coup, the first of…
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Protest leader Parit distances himself from Free Youth’s justification of communism
Pro-democracy protest leader Parit Chiwarak, aka “Penguin”, has sought to distance himself from the Free Youth group, following the movement’s defence of republicanism and communism. Thai PBS World reports that Parit’s move comes after a statement by the group, declaring that communism does not mean dictatorship. The statement, which appeared on a banner posted online by Free Youth, came shortly…
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Recover from Covid-19, then go to jail: Illegal returnees could face charges
After they recover from Covid-19, at least 3 Thai women who crossed the border illegally from Myanmar’s Tachileik will face criminal charges, according to Provincial police Region 5 commissioner Prachuap Wongsuk. If found guilty, the returnees could go to jail. The Thai women worked at entertainment venues at the border town, many at the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, a so-called “Covid-19…
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Addition of 1 million hotel nights delayed as fraud detected in domestic travel scheme
The government’s plan to add 1 million hotel nights to its domestic tourism stimulus campaign has hit a snag, amid reports of fraud. Officials say irregularities have been detected in the transactions of around 514 hotels and other businesses registered with the scheme. The revelation comes as officials investigate allegations of fraud in the government’s co-payment scheme, “Let’s Go Halves”…
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Thailand News Today | Herbal Covid vaccine, HM answers questions, Thailand goes to moon | Dec 15
Thai Covid-19 experimental vaccine to proceed to human testing from April 2021 A Thai start-up developing a herbal Covid-19 vaccine has reported that they’re making good progress, with the candidate passing the first phase of testing. ใบยาไฟโตฟาร์ม, a Thai firm developing a vaccine from plant leaves, is to sign an agreement to begin production for use in human trials. The…
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Looking for love? Tourism Authority partners with Tinder to host dating trips
Single and looking for love? Oddly enough, the Tourism Authority of Thailand can help. They’ve partnered with the dating app Tinder to launch “Single Journey” tours… which could end up being a romantic getaway, or a really awkward date you can’t get out of. TAT says the dating trips are only for Thais. The first trip will be on Sunday.…
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Ministry investigating multiple cases of corruption in government’s co-payment scheme
The government’s “Let’s Go Halves” (Khon La Khrueng) co-payment stimulus campaign has fallen foul of 100s of incidents of fraud, according to the Finance Ministry. Under the scheme, the government subsidises 50% of the cost of food, drink, and other products, up to a maximum of 150 baht per person per day, capped at 3,000 baht per person for the…
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Minister says Thailand plans to build spacecraft to orbit the moon within 7 years
Government minister Anek Laothamatas says that within 7 years, Thailand will have built and launched a spacecraft that will orbit and explore the moon. The Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation was speaking at a press conference at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, where an update on Covid-19 vaccines was being provided to the media. He says that, in addition to…
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Thai Covid-19 experimental vaccine to proceed to human testing from April 2021
A Thai start-up developing an experimental Covid-19 vaccine is said to be making good progress, with the candidate passing testing on laboratory animals. Baiya Phytopharm, a Thai firm developing a vaccine from plant leaves, is to sign an agreement to begin production for use in human trials. Thewin Wongwanich, from the State Enterprise Development Planning Subcommittee, says the firm is…
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Thailand News Today | Bangkok air pollution, 28 Covid cases, Lao dam protest | December 14
Bangkok starts the new week with ‘unhealthy’ air quality Waking up in Bangkok today you would have been surprised that the sun had disappeared to be replaced by a grey sky and views across the city limited to less than a kilometre. Across the city the air quality readings for most of the day have been aver the 150 mark…
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Covid-19 cases could lead to a drop in revenue for New Years, economist says
A rise in local Covid-19 infections could discourage many people from travelling and going out for New Years celebrations, costing Thailand’s tourism industry 14 billion baht to more than 16 billion baht, according to economist Anusorn Tamajai. Recently, 17 Thais tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from the Myanmar border town Tachileik, crossing the border illegally and dodging the mandatory…
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Holiday weekend road death toll: 67
67 people were killed in road accidents during the long holiday weekend while another 388 people were injured, according to the Transport Ministry. Most of the fatalities were motorcycle riders. Thursday and Friday were public holidays for Constitution Day and Father’s Day which commemorates King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday. Many people were off work and travelled. The ministry estimates more than…
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Thai man could get $4.2 million USD for whale vomit known as “floating gold”
NOTE: Readers with a sensitive stomach are advised not to eat while reading this article. Floating gold… sounds mystical. Actually, it’s just hardened whale vomit known as the more elegant name “ambergris.” It’s a rare find that can cost thousands of US dollars. Recently, a man in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat found what might be the world’s largest…
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Majority says school uniforms should remain mandatory – NIDA Poll
According to a new poll, a majority of Thai people think the student uniforms should remain mandatory in Thai schools, while others say casual outfits should also be allowed some days of the week. The latter opinion, which was part of the recently conducted National Institute of Development Administration Poll, was reportedly due to keeping the peace and easing tensions…
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Thai man strikes it rich after finding whale vomit
A Thai man in Nakhon Si Thammarat is striking it rich after finding whale vomit on the local beach. Narit Suwansang thought his discovery was just a large rock, but had an inkling that it could be something more. US$4.2 million more, that is! The whale vomit, also known as ambergris, usually looks like a rock, with yellow-beige colouring. After…
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