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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TAT thinking up ways quarantine might be relaxed for tourists returning from Thailand
The ever-inventive Tourism Authority of Thailand is looking at ways quarantine might be eased for tourists visiting Thailand, both on arrival here and on their return home. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says “city bubbles” and activity-based travel arrangements in sandbox destinations could be the way forward. The arrangement would be between low-risk cities and would mean tourists could visit destinations…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 4,059 new cases and 35 deaths
4,059 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported this morning by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the recent and most severe wave of the coronavirus in Thailand, the CCSA has recorded 196,502 infections since April 1, making up the vast majority of Thailand’s total count since the start of the pandemic last year. The new wave…
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Third vaccine shot may be necessary to combat Delta variant
The head of the Department of Disease Control says a third vaccine dose may be needed to protect against more infectious Covid-19 variants. Opas Karnkawinpong says officials are studying if it is safe to vaccinate people with different brands following the first dose, but says it’s too soon to say. “Knowledge (about the virus and the vaccines is updated) constantly…
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AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to be donated to Thailand from Japan
As Thailand’s vaccine supply runs short due to production delays, the Japanese government has offered to donate doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, according to Thailand’s health minister Anutin Charnvirakul. An agreement is set to be signed this week and vaccine doses would be delivered next month. Anutin only gave a brief statement and did not say how many doses…
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Pattaya residents complain of sinkholes in road, couple sustains injuries
I sustained a minor injury while my boyfriend suffered serious injuries. People in the Pattaya area are reporting that they have suffered injuries from sinkholes in the road. Others are complaining about the faulty infrastructure on social media. The sinkholes are due to recent heavy flooding in the area. Also, work done by a public works company, allege locals. 26…
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Army raids a house, arrests 53 as part of alleged gambling operation
This morning, the Thai army raided a house in the northern province of Mae Hong Son. As part of the raid, they arrested 40 Chinese nationals, 12 Burmese, and 1 Filipino that were allegedly running an online gambling operation. The house was in a resort located in the Mok Cham Pae of the Muang district that borders Myanmar. Thai media…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,175 new cases; infections rise in the Deep South
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,175 new Covid-19 cases today. Thailand now has 33,859 active cases, a slight increase since the count recorded yesterday after a downward trend over the past few weeks. 29 coronavirus-related fatalities were reported today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 1,658. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA…
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Bangkok police are “ready” for Thursday’s protests
Police in Bangkok are readying themselves for rallies that are planned for Thursday, which makes the 89th anniversary of the June 24, 1932 revolution by the Khana Ratsadon. The revolution made Thailand go from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The Metropolitan Police Bureau’s commissioner, Piya Tawichai said today that he anticipates 4 groups to demonstrate in 3 days.…
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Covid cluster spreads from Yala to other southern provinces
A Covid cluster in Thailand’s southern province Yala has widened to 190 infections in multiple provinces, says the Disease Control Department. The cluster started at a madrasa, an Islamic boarding school. The majority of the infections (69) were discovered in Yala. Some of the infections by province are as follows: Satun: 37 Songkhla: 17 Pattani: 14 Krabi:14 Narathiwat: 13 Surat…
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Proposed start date now July 15 for “Samui Plus” reopening
The proposed reopening date for the “Samui Plus” travel scheme is now July 15. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast, are planned to reopen to travellers from overseas who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Initially called the “Samui Sealed Route,” the proposed travel scheme will allow those who are…
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Ministry of Interior backtracks on decision to prioritise ThaiBev for vaccine allocation
Last Thursday, an urgent message was sent to all provincial governors telling them to allocate “spare vaccines” to ThaiBev employees and family. Now, the Ministry of Interior is backtracking on said orders after the decision proved controversial. ThaiBev is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest “beverage” companies and one of its most popular products is Chang beer. The company had asked…
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Hotel association survey shows average occupancy at around 6%
A survey carried out by the Thai Hotels Association shows that average occupancy for June is not expected to increase from the 6% seen in May. In a further blow to the hotel industry, TTR Weekly reports that occupancy in alternative state quarantine facilities is predicted to fall to 10%, down from 13% last month. THA president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi,…
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Wild elephant breaks into home and raids kitchen in Hua Hin – VIDEO
A wild elephant busted into a home in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district yesterday, breaking through the wall and poking its head into the home’s kitchen. The elephant’s trunk reached into a shelf, knocking over kitchen supplies and grabbing what appeared to be a bag, then stuffing it into its mouth. The homeowner posted photos and a video on…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,175 new cases and 29 deaths
3,175 new Covid-19 cases and 29 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the recent and most severe wave of infections, the CCSA has recorded a total of 192,443 Covid-19 cases including more than 30,000 at Thailand’s overcrowded prisons. Out of the new cases reported by the CCSA today, 140 infections were…
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KLM to increase flights to Middle-East, Asia as border restrictions ease
The Dutch carrier KLM plans to increase its flights to Asian and Middle-Eastern destinations as countries plan for a re-opening of their borders. According to TTR Weekly, the airline’s summer network is almost the same as in 2019, but with a reduction in the number of flights on offer as a result of the pandemic. The airline plans to introduce…
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Restaurant operators repeat calls for financial aid
Thailand’s restaurant owners are pleading for state relief as they struggle to stay afloat amid tight Covid-19 prevention measures. Taniwan Koonmongkon from the Thai Restaurant Association says the PM’s aim of re-opening the country fully by October provides some hope but for now, restaurants are struggling. “Restaurant operators feel hopeful after the premier on Wednesday set a goal of fully…
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Technician electrocuted to death while trying to fix jacuzzi
On Saturday, a man was electrocuted while repairing a jacuzzi. The shocking incident happened in the Cherng Talay area of Phuket. Police and rescue workers were called around 6:50 pm last night to find 45 year old Surapol Samthong’s body next to the jacuzzi. Rescue workers were able to safely remove Suapol’s body from the scene. His body was then…
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Mother alleges that Doctor mistakenly gave her 10 year old sleeping pills
Allegedly, a doctor mistakenly gave a 10 year old boy 8 sleeping pills that were meant for a different patient. The misadventure happened somewhere in the northern Thai province of Buriram. Supat, the boy’s 35 year old mother shared the story on Facebook. She says after he took the pills, her son slept for a “very long time”. The doctor…
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1 million Sinopharm doses arrived Sunday
1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Bangkok on Sunday. This coming from a Facebook post by the CRA Secretary General Dr Nithi Mahanonda. The vaccines will travel to the Medical Sciences Department to be tested on it efficacy and safety. This should take 2 days to finish. “Then, the vaccine will be distributed to hospitals picked by…
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Reopening guidelines for Phuket and Samui
In a press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently sought to lay out and clarify guidelines for how Thailand’s reopening will begin. The Phuket Sandbox plan rolls out first on July 1 (awaiting final approval), followed by a proposal for Surat Thani province reopening Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao on a sealed route July 15. Here’s the…
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Poll shows schools, students, parents, “not ready” for online learning
A recent poll from Suan Dusit has indicated that schools, students and parents are “not ready” for online learning. The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit of Suan Dusit University from June 14 to June 17 provides several reasons why many are not ready for online learning. The poll, which queried 3,749 people such as: school administrators, teachers, students/students’ parents, on…
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Thai Lion predicts football matches, other abilities currently unknown
Step aside Aslan, there’s a new mythical lion in town. A Thai zoo up in the northern province of Khon Kaen is claiming they have a lion that can predict the Euro 2020 football matches. The lion, a 5 year old white lion named “Boy”, has supposedly correctly predicted 4 Euro 2020 matches. The lion lives and does his sports…
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Reopening details for Phuket, Samui and beyond laid out
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha made the bold announcement Wednesday that Thailand would be reopening in 120 days and now more details are being solidified for different regions around the country. The Phuket Sandbox leads the way July 1, and new plans look to launch Samui Plus on July 15, with Krabi, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Buri Ram, and Phang Nga expected to…
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Woman falls off building on Pattaya’s Walking Street
Last night in Pattaya, a woman fell off a building. She fell an estimated 4 metres on the well known Walking Street. The woman, whose identity is unknown, fell around 11:30 pm. Emergency responders got to the scene to see a woman they believe is Thai and about 35 years old. She was lying on the ground in a pool of…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 3,682 new infections and 20 covid-related deaths
Today the public health department have announced 3,682 new infections of Covid-19 and 20 new deaths. 578 of today’s announced infections are from the Thai prison system. Today’s figures continue a slow rise in the daily case numbers over this week. Notably, the worst outbreaks are still occurring around Bangkok and its adjacent suburbs. Also, the southern provinces are also…
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Amendment to reform Constitution rejected by Parliament
A draft amendment started by Pheu Thai Party, an opposition party, to establish a Constitution Drafting Assembly has just been rejected in the parliament. The legal advisory committee to parliament rejected the amendment, which was intended as a path towards creating a new, revised charter. The section in question, Section 256 in Thailand’s constitution, would be amended in order to…
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Gender Health Clinic opens in Bangkok for transgender needs
One of the first clinics focused primarily on the needs of the transgender community has opened as part of Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok. The new Gender Health Clinic opened with the goal of being leaders in the ways clinics communicate and give treatment to transgender people. A co-founder of GHC pointed out that trans people often have special needs…
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30 million baht added to vaccine side effects compensation fund
The National Health Security Office had set up a 100 million baht fund to be used as compensation for vaccinated people experiencing side effects. Now the government has approved an additional 30 million baht to be made available as needed in the Loan Executive Decree in paying out those affected negatively by the vaccine. A previous poll showed 80% of…
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CCSA: 120 day reopening will proceed with conditions
If you believed that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s declaration that Thailand will reopen in 120 days no matter what was set in stone, you don’t know much about Thailand. While the plan is still on, The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration held a meeting yesterday where they watered down the exuberant international tourism restart announcement with conditions and exceptions for the…
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Sandbox latest, CCSA says all regions reopening must reach 70% local vaccination
Discussions about re-opening Thailand have spread beyond Phuket with the latest decisions from the CCSA. Meanwhile, Phuket’s Sandbox re-opening date of July 1 looms. The main narrative out of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is the need for regions or provinces, slated for re-opening to vaccinated overseas travellers, to have vaccinated 70% of their resident population before they can…
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