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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Weather for February 26
Bangkok Morning thunderstorms. High 32ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 40%. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds ESE at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 36ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. pattaya Morning thunderstorms. High 30ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Chance of rain 40%. Hua Hin Partly…
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Huawei continues investing in Thailand
PHOTO: Huawei president for SE Asia, James Wu during media conference at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. by Somluck Srimalee, The Nation Chinese tech giant Huawei Group has set aside an investment budget of US$81 million (2.5 billion baht) for Southeast Asia towards ICT enablement from 2019-21, focusing on OpenLabs, enabling cloud developers and cultivating ICT talent, James Wu, said.…
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Undoing a 90 year ban on female monks
STORY & PHOTOS: Kate Geraghty Perspective from Sydney Morning Herald writer Kate Geraghty. It’s not only western religions that bar woman from participation in religious teachings. It’s 4am and the odd rooster is crowing in the cool hours before day breaks and three saffron-robed monks from the all-female Songdhammakalyani Monastery are making their way through the back streets of Nakhon Pathom,…
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New points system for traffic violations comes into force mid-year
Keeping your license will now be a bit more complicated under amendments to the Thai Road Traffic Act. But good drivers have nothing to worry about. There’s now a new points system added to the Road Traffic Act which will come into force when it’s finally announced in the Royal Gazette. The National Legislative Assembly sat yesterday to vote the…
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“New drug laws don’t legalise unlicensed marijuana cultivation”
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rushed to clarify that the new narcotics law does not legalise the unrestricted planting of marijuana in an apparent response to the Bhumjai Thai political party’s manifesto pledge to legalise marijuana cultivation. The party trotted out the election platform last week during their campaigning. FDA secretary-general Dr. Tharet Kratnairaveewong has clarified that the…
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Strong baht a concern for Thai hotel sector
by Bill Barnett Thailand’s baht performance against Asian currencies in 2018, was unmatched, with the exception of the Japanese yen. Commenting on the trend financial news Bloomberg have highlighted that in 2019, a further 4% in growth this year have it sitting at the top of the table. Oddly, one of the underlying factors stimulating the baht’s appreciation is the…
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A mother and two young daughters killed when their car is hit by a train
A mother and two young daughters have been killed when their car was struck by a train at a railway crossing in Surat Thani’s Phun Pin district this morning. The Nation reports that police say the accident happened at a rail crossing in front of the Tambon Phun Phin Administrative Organisation that is located between Maluan and Thung Pho railway…
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Thai exports fall 5.7 percent in January, year-on-year
Thai export results have dipped for the third straight month, falling more than 5.65% compared to a year earlier. The fall was a lot bigger than expected, according to the Thai commerce ministry. Shipments contracted 1.72% in December, compared to a year earlier as well. January’s export drop was due to falling shipments of rice, gold, electronics and cars, according to the…
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Thailand’s sponsorship market grew 19% – 2018
ASN (Asia Sponsorship News) has just released its Sponsorship Market Overview for Thailand 2018. Local agencies have had their say on the performance of the Southeast Asian sponsorship marketplace. 2018 was a robust year for Thailand’s Sponsorship market, growing 19% year-on-year to US$223.4 million (2017’s total investment was US$188.2 million) and making grounds on reaching its previous (outlier) market peak of…
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Chinese tourists spend big during Chinese New Year holiday
Spending by Chinese tourists during the Chinese New Year holiday around the world was the highest in Thailand. Alipay, a leading digital payment platform offered by Ant Financial, an affiliate of Alibaba Group has done the sums. The transactions were recorded between February 4-10, and data drawn from the 54 international markets where Alipay is accepted. The number of transactions in…
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Young elephant found dead with plastic in intestines – Chachoengsao
PHOTO: Department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation The body of a young elephant has been found with plastic inside its large intestine in Chachoengsao (north of Chon Buri) yesterday. Officials at the department of national parks, wildlife and plant conservation (DNP) were notified from a villager headman that the young elephant has been founded dead in the forest. Veterinarians…
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Army chief’s intervention in election campaign backfires
by Jitraporn Sennawong and Nattaphat Phromkaew The Thai Army chief’s attempt to scare politicians from discussing the Army’s budget and reform by indirectly calling them “enemies of the state” has backfired. Many Thais have emerged with additional proposals for reforms of the military, and others are protesting the chief’s invocation of the jingoistic military anthem. Political critics and social media…
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Thai Raksa Chart say Princess was ‘nominated with her consent’
PHOTO: Prasert Thepsri – The Nation The embattled Thai Raksa Chart Party is defending its nomination of Princess Ubolratana as a prime ministerial candidate saying it was done at the wish and consent of the Princess. The party is fighting for its existence as the Charter Court mulls a dissolution of the party after a recommendation from the Election Commission.…
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Thai baht surges against weakening US dollar
The Thai baht is soaring to its highest level against the US dollar in more than half a decade. Analysts are expecting the Thai currency to continue marching past the 31 baht to the US dollar mark. Currency experts believe the baht’s strength could be partly due to the weakness of the US dollar as investors speculate on the current…
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Weather for February 20
Bangkok Generally clear. High 34ºC. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds NE at 10 to 15 km/h. Chiang Mai Generally clear. High 35ºC. Winds SE and variable. Pattaya Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SE at 10 to 15 km/h. Ko…
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Syrian woman arrested with fake Spanish passport at Suvarnabhumi Airport
PHOTOS: Immigration Bureau Immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport have arrested a Syrian woman with a fake Spain passport. The Immigration Bureau reports that, while they were patrolling the airport, they found the woman who was acting suspiciously. They asked to see her passport which had her name listed on the passport as Alampana Albana, a Spanish national. She was waiting for…
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Kingdom from the sky – a tribute to the Thailand we love
Amongst the chaos, the pungent aroma of spicy street food and bad driving, there’s also the daily connection with Thailand’s deep secrets – the land, the light, the hidden beauty. Just 2 Guys Creative have captured some of this in a short tribute to Thailand from the air, all shot on a DJI Phantom 2. Click full screen and HD,…
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Airport smokers kicked out of Thai terminals
The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) says they strongly support Thailand’s move to ban smoking inside the passenger terminals of all its airports, to protect employees and non-smoking travellers from exposure to secondhand smoke. On February 3 this year, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) removed all smoking rooms inside the airports of Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat…
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Army Chief spits the dummy and orders the playing of military song
Contributors Jitraporn Sennawong and Kas Chanwanpen – The Nation If you’re the Thai Army Chief, and a bit miffed that some political parties are including scaling back military spending in their election policies, what do you do? Why of course you order Army radio stations in the Kingdom to play a jingoistic, and offensive to many, military-themed song, “Nak Phaendin”. Angry…
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No alcohol sales today – Makha Bucha Day, February 19
The 24 hour ban on alcohol sales for Makha Bucha Day will remain in effect until midnight tonight. Makha Bucha is a sacred Buddhist holiday taken to refer to a day to honour the third lunar month and, in particular, the Buddha and the teachings that he delivered on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month. Any person…
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Summer scorcher heading our way – winter was ‘unusually’ warm
“Thailand’s summer starts this Thursday.” The Thai Meteorological Department is forecasting “an extraordinarily hot and arid summer” for Thailand from this Thursday, the official start of Thailand’s summer – the HOT season (Thailand leaps from a cool winter straight into its local summer season). Seven provinces in the North and western regions are expecting extreme heat between 40-44C. Phuwieng Prakhammintara,…
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Thai fishing industry says new laws are ‘unrealistic’
by Kanittha Thepajorn A draft bill for the improved protection of fishing boat crews has sailed through the National Legislative Assembly. NLA members voted unanimously to endorse the Bill on Labour Protection in the Fisheries Sector. The Nation reports that the writers of the Bill say the new laws will bring the conditions on fishing vessels up to par with the…
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Amnesty for possession of cannabis in Thailand?
The Government is looking at a plan to grant amnesty to those who have been using, or have, cannabis in their possession, But only if they report to authorities within a given time frame. The Drug Committee approved three draft legislations for amnesty yesterday. If the drafts become law even possessors of cannabis, who are not patients or research units,…
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New Camry Hybrid provides luxury in a larger model with electric advantages
by Kingsley Wijayasinha – The Nation Weekend The interest in electric cars is hotting up in Thailand but Thai manufacturers, so far, have been reluctant to take the FULL electric plunge. In the meantime Toyota is hoping their new Camry Hybrid will draw a good number of customers thanks to its packaging overhaul. The hybrid is battery operated with a…
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Car and house loans surged in 2018
The Bank of Thailand says they’re concerned about the double-digit growth in loans for cars last year. The central bank is now monitoring the trend and will keep track of statistics for the rest of 2019. Their concerns about the Thai mortgage market the year before resulted in new regulations coming into effect this April. Loans for cars were up…
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2,810 MP candidates line up for March 24 election
107 candidates, for positions as Members of Parliament, and two prime ministerial candidates have been disqualified from running in the March Thai general election. Of the 2,917 party-list registered candidates, from 77 political parties, 2,810 candidates and 68 prime ministerial candidates from 44 parties have qualified after being checked by the Election Commission. While the EC didn’t disclose the names…
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Voters like Prayut as PM but prefer Pheu Thai as the party they will vote for
With the election campaign now digging into its first week on the hustings, the polls are starting to indicate where the early poll sentiments are leaning. Thai PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is the favourite for the prime minster’s position following the election, but Pheu Thai is the party people want to see lead the formation of the new government, according…
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19 injured after bus crashes into Sa Kaeo property
PHOTOS: สวยพันธุ์ไม้ ท้ายบ้าน / อาสาสมัครมูลนิธิร่วมกตัญญูจังหวัดสระแก้ว จุดวัฒนานคร 19 people have been injured after a bus plunged into a local house today. FM 91 BKK reports that the accident happened at 8.10am this morning near Wattana Nakhon District Office in Sa Kaeo, on the Cambodian border, east of Bangkok. At the scene police found 19 people injured as a result of the…
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Thailand’s Constitutional Court accepts case to dissolve Thai Raksa Chart
Thailand’s Constitutional Court has voted unanimously to accept the Election Commission’s ruling that the Thai Raksa Chart party be disbanded over its nomination of Princess Ubolratana as its prime ministerial candidate last Friday. The party will be given seven days to present its defence in writing before the Court deliberates on the party’s future. Meanwhile electioneering is continuing for the…
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Weather for February 15
Bangkok Partly cloudy. High 32ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Phuket Generally clear. High 32ºC. Winds ESE at 15 to 30 km/h. Chiang Mai Partly cloudy. High 35ºC. Winds SSE and variable . Pattaya Partly cloudy. High 31ºC. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h. Hua Hin Generally clear. High 31ºC. Winds SSE at 15 to 30 km/h.…
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