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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See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Update list of high/medium/low risk countries for travelling to Thailand
Update: Under the “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel models, travellers not only need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be eligible to enter Thailand under the schemes, but they also need to be travelling from countries classified by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control as a low to medium risk for Covid-19. The DDC posts a new list on…
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Man allegedly steals almost 300,000 baht from monk
Police in Si Racha, a district south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand have arrested 21 year old “Constitution” and have charged him with “snatching” and stealing at night from a monk. The monk was relaxing at a “motorcycle resting place”. “Constitution allegedly stole the monk’s cell phone and managed to extract a password for a bank app from…
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Illegal cigarette shipment busted, valued at 30 million baht
Naval officials and other police agencies have seized illegal cigarettes valued at 30 million baht. The officials seized a boat that had been used to transport the goods. 1,900 boxes with 475,000 packs of cigarettes were discovered. Allegedly, the smugglers were trying to move their shipment without paying tax. Thai media reports that government agencies had received information from a…
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Pair allegedly steals phone cards valued at 240 million baht
Yesterday, 2 people have been arrested for allegedly stealing prepaid phone cards. Collectively, they caused north of 200 million baht in damages. The two phone card nabbing suspects are 43 year old Naret Chamnong and 46 year old Phatcharalak Waenwong. They are both former employees of a mobile phone operator. Police searched 2 locations yesterday in Bangkok and Saraburi, a…
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Covid-19 cluster found at children’s home outside Bangkok
A cluster of Covid-19 infections has been reported at a children’s home in the central province of Pathum Thani, with at least 33 children testing positive. The Bangkok Post reports that the children at the Rangsit Babies Home are all between the ages of 3 and 6 and 6 babysitters at the home are also infected. Apisamai Srirangson from the…
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5 million Moderna vaccines for Thailand, half of expectation
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation said that only 5 million Moderna Covid-19 vaccines would be available at private hospitals, half as many as the 10 million total figure expected. The government of Thailand is giving free vaccinations using the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, while they had approved Johnson & Johnson, Modena, and Pfizer vaccines for private use. They later rushed to…
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Covid-19 round-up for expats 3: Are countries helping Thailand?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
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Covid-19 round-up for expats 2: Will your country give a vaccine?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
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Myth busted: Drinking alcohol does not kill Covid-19 – VIDEO
With the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, spreading quickly from clusters at Bangkok bars and nightclubs to provinces across Thailand, nightlife venues were the first to close and will probably be the last to reopen. Alcohol bans at restaurants in provinces with high numbers of active Covid-19 cases are also likely to stay in effect for a while. Thailand’s move…
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Power outages coming to Kathu, again
Electricity will be temporarily cut in parts of Kathu, Phuket tomorrow, announced the Provincial Electricity Authority. Further work is being done to install high voltage cables. Affected areas the westbound section of Phra Phuketkaew Rd, from Kathu intersection to Si Kor intersection. The power will only be out from 9 am to pm. The PEA apologises for any inconvenience not…
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List of countries by Covid-19 risk level, classified by Thailand’s DDC
Under the “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel models, travellers not only need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be eligible to enter Thailand under the schemes, but they also need to be travelling from countries classified by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control as a low to medium risk for Covid-19. The DDC posts a new list on the…
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Legalised marijuana up next? Courts get closer to legalising kratom
Even though kratom will soon be legal in Thailand, don’t rush to plant it at home yet It’s reported that kratom will be allowed to be used as traditional medicine by August of this year. The plant has been considered an illegal narcotic for decades. Previously, kratom was listed as a Class 5 Narcotic substance under the Narcotics Act. Taking,…
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Police arrest suspect who allegedly killed Covid patient and 7-Eleven clerk
Police have arrested the suspect who allegedly shot and killed an employee at a Bangkok 7-Eleven and then broke into a Pathum Thani field hospital, killing a Covid-19 patient early this morning. 23 year old Kawin Saengnilkul, a former special forces soldier, was reportedly holding a person hostage at a relative’s home in Ranong when the police arrive at the…
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UPDATE: Police identify alleged gunman who opened fire at field hospital, killing a patient
Update: Police have identified the shooter as 23 year old Kawin Saengnilkul who served as a private in a special warfare unit in Lop Buri. He was dismissed in November 2019. Police told the Bangkok Post that Kawin decided to become a special forces soldier because of his love for weapons. On Kawin’s Facebook page, many of his photos and…
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PM orders investigation into pricey street lamps
Thailand’s PM has ordered an investigation into accused corruption over decorative street lamps in Samut Prakan. Prayut Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation into local governments for the purchase of 600 kinaree (animal-human hybrid/Buddhist mythical figures) street lamps in the Racha Thewa sub-district. The Racha administrative organisation is accused of blowing through over 642 million baht to install 6,773 lamps.…
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Thursday Covid Update: Latest wave exceeds 200,000 cases
The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand has exceeded 200,000 infections. Since April 1, when the clusters at Bangkok nightlife districts were detected, 203,784 Covid-19 infections have been reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Today, the CCSA reported 4,108 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of the new cases, 229 were found in correctional…
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First delivery of Sinopharm vaccines approved for distribution
The first lot of Sinopharm doses ordered by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy have passed quality checks and can now be distributed. 1 million doses of the second Chinese vaccine approved for emergency use in Thailand arrived in the Kingdom on June 20, according to a Bangkok Post report. Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says his department took…
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Hotel platform predicts increasing demand for holidays in Thailand
With just days to go before Phuket re-opens, and talks underway to re-open the country as a whole in October, one of the world’s largest hotel platforms says the data shows things are looking up for Thailand. Bradley Haines from SiteMinder says Thai hotel operators should feel some encouragement from current booking trends around the world. According to Haines, the…
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Despite corruption allegations, street lamp project continues in Samut Prakan
High-priced decorative lamp posts purchased by local governments have been in the public eye for possible corruption and heavily criticised. The lamp posts, equipped with solar cells and adorned with mythical and traditional Thai figures, have been seen as extravagant purchases during the pandemic. Several provinces are being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the purchases of overpriced street…
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CCSA gives details on “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes
The “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes were approved by the Thai Cabinet yesterday, allowing the islands to reopen to travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Phuket is set to reopen on July 1 while the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, is set to reopen on July 15.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: Daily death count hits record high; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,174 new Covid-19 cases today, raising Thailand’s total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 228,539. A record high of 51 coronavirus-related fatalities was recorded today, most in Bangkok, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 1,744. The new high in the daily death count is “quite a worrying…
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US is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who live overseas
The United States Department of State is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who are currently overseas as the US government’s global vaccine effort focuses on distributing millions of vaccines to countries seriously impacted by the pandemic, the Embassy of the US in Thailand Charge d’Affaires Michael Heath wrote in a statement addressed to Americans in Thailand. The US…
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US Warns its citizens against traveling to Thailand
While Thailand is pushing full steam ahead to reopen to international tourism, the United States government issued a statement warning Americans not to travel to Thailand citing Covid-19 risks and civil unrest in the south. The US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs regularly updates travel information for US citizens wishing to go abroad, issuing a Travel Advisory Level…
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Embassy of France in Thailand starts vaccine campaign for French nationals ages 55+
French nationals living in Thailand, who are 55 and older, can now register for a Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. The Embassy of France in Thailand has organised a vaccination campaign for French nationals, providing the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for free. The costs are subsidised by the French government. The campaign starts today and will end next month. Inoculations will…
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Lao woman rejected while trying to register for Covid-19 vaccine
A formal investigation is being launched after a woman from Laos was refused registration for a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s understood the woman is married to a Thai man and has lived in Thailand for 14 years. The political activist, Srisuwan Janya, has lodged a petition with the Ombudsman, requesting an investigation into the case. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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Medical researchers look into combining vaccines to beat Delta variant
Researchers at the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University are investigating if combining vaccine doses from different brands can boost immunity against the Delta variant. The move comes as Sinovac, the vaccine widely administered in the government’s rollout, shows declining efficacy against the highly contagious mutation first reported in India. Prominent virologist Yong Poovorawan says researchers…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,174 new cases and 51 deaths
3,174 new Covid-19 cases and an uptick of 51 coronavirus-related deaths recorded by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today. In the recent and most severe wave of infections, the CCSA has reported 199,626 Covid-19 infections since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 36 were found in correctional facilities, a downward trend after more than 30,000 inmates…
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Restrictions eased in yellow zones
The government has confirmed that some Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed in “yellow zone” provinces, although provincial governors are still free to introduce their own, stricter measures if necessary. Schools and educational facilities can re-open fully and shopping malls and department stores can return to normal hours. Convenience stores and supermarkets can also revert to normal operating hours. Restaurants can…
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CCSA: Bars to stay closed for now, drunk customers risk the spread of Covid-19
It might be a while until bars and nightclubs reopen in Thailand. In today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration daily briefing, fingers pointed at customers who are far less likely to follow disease control practices when they are under the influence of alcohol. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, infecting more than 190,000 people since April 1, started…
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Chiang Mai eases restrictions, alcohol now allowed at restaurants
Alcohol is now allowed to be served in Chiang Mai restaurants. Provincial officials loosened disease control restrictions today, including lifting the alcohol ban at eateries, although bars and other nightlife venues must still remain closed. Restrictions eased nationwide this week and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration revised its colour-code zoning based on the Covid-19 situation in each province. Local…
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