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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Thai government considering “targeted lockdown”, new colour-coding of provinces
Amid growing calls to impose a national lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, Thailand’s government is considering a more moderate response. According to the Bangkok Post, Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry is proposing “targeted lockdown” restrictions and a new colour classification for high-risk provinces. At a meeting held yesterday, officials agreed a revised approach to colour-coding, to…
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Covid UPDATE: Sunday 2,438 new infections announced, provincial totals
Today there are another 2,438 new Covid-19 infections and 11 coronavirus-related deaths, including a young woman who was 25 weeks pregnant. Meanwhile the BMA have announced the closure of 31 additional business types as of midnight tonight around Bangkok. There are additional announcements pending for other Thai provinces today. The number is a slight drop on Saturday’s total of 2,839…
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Thailand News Today | Sunday update – all the latest news, ANZAC Day | April 25
Today there are another 2,438 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand. Meanwhile the BMA have announced the closure of 31 additional business types in Bangkok as of midnight tonight. The number is a sight drop on yesterday’s total of 2,839 new infections. But Sunday’s totals are often lower due to the reporting from provinces. Today’s numbers show that Thailand’s Covid experience…
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Clubhouse app a new platform for political debate
Clubhouse, a popular audio social media app, is attracting political debates, despite the Thai government threatening prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. The law forbids posting against the monarchy or government, but the app creates a perfect channel for government and politicians to directly connect to targeted social groups. The appeal of the Clubhouse app comes in its exclusivity, as…
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Thai PM gives Covid curfew powers to individual provinces
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is giving individual provinces the power to set curfews and other measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. PM Prayut’s Facebook page also details new guidelines for the management of hospital beds to make sure that all who are infected with the virus have access to treatment, and screening to determine whether they should be admitted…
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Lest we forget – ANZAC Day 2021 for Australians and New Zealanders
ANZAC Day, April 25, is when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate and remember those who fought for their countries and the Commonwealth with the origins of the event forged in the crucible of war at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It is the most solemn day in the annual calendar of those two countries and usually commemorated with dawn services in…
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Thai PM under pressure to go “full lockdown” as infections surge
With many more businesses being told to pull down their shutters in Bangkok from midnight tonight, there are now calls to just go the next step and impose a full lockdown as the infection numbers keep mounting up. With the additional 31 types of business closed, on top of the current restrictions in Bangkok, the BMA has all but imposed…
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A look at Thailand’s Covid-19 growing field hospitals
Field hospitals have become a necessity across Thailand as Covid-19 cases surge after the Songkran holiday and hospitals struggle to accommodate patients. 20,000 people have now been treated for the coronavirus with thousands of them being admitted to these pop-up medical facilities. And with today seeing a huge jump in Covid-19 infections, the number of people in field hospitals will…
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85 year old dies while waiting for Covid-19 treatment indicates overwhelmed hospitals
An 85 year old, who died while waiting to be admitted for Covid-19 treatment, is furthering claims that Thailand’s medical sector may soon be overwhelmed. The woman was sent home to wait as there weren’t enough hospital beds to admit her. She was among 6 elderly family members living in a shop house in Bang Kholaem district of Bangkok who…
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Face masks required in 31 provinces, fine is 20,000 baht for not wearing
Face masks are now being required in 31 Thai provinces with a fine of 20,000 baht going to those who don’t wear them. Chiang Rai is one of the new provinces to be included in the list, but so far, Chiang Mai is being left out. As daily Covid-19 infections have reached an all-time high, it is only a matter…
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Top 10 most useful apps in Thailand for expats and tourists
Apps have changed the way we do a lot of daily, ordinary, tasks. Living in Thailand ,we have bench tested a range of apps and decided on the Top 10 most useful apps currently available, most of them are free, or have a free version. So many previously complicated or time-consuming tasks are now so much simpler, and sitting in…
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Thailand News Today | Covid numbers spike, Phuket’s ‘sandbox’ still on track | April 23, 2021
In today’s episode we look at… Thailand’s daily Covid-19 infection report hit a record high at 2,070 today, Thai Immigration’s online system for 90 day checks for foreigners living in Thailand is back up and running…. or is it? Phuket have started their extensive screening process of all arrivals, Tourism Authority says Phuket Sandbox model is still “on track”, and…
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2 young Thai women suffering from obesity die after contracting Covid-19
A 24 year old and a 29 year old both died this week after contracting Covid-19. The deaths of the 2 young women were rare as the vast majority of Covid-related deaths involve those over 60 who have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and chronic illnesses. Not much was reported about the young Thai women who recently passed away, but…
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More staff to man Covid-19 hotlines after complaints of unanswered calls
Thousands of people have been calling Thailand’s Covid-19 hotline each day and many calls from those seeking hospital beds, medical attention or ambulance services are going unanswered. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha even called 2 of the hotline numbers and he says no one answered his calls. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to revamp the emergency call centre with plans to…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,070 new infections, provincial totals
2,070 new Covid-19 cases and 4 coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed today by the CCSA, raising the total number of cases since the outbreak on April 1 to 21,230 and this month’s Covid death toll to 27. The reported number is the highest daily total ever reported in Thailand. There are now 15,642 people being treated in hospitals for Covid-19, including…
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Buddhism officials call on temples to cremate those who die while infected with Covid-19
With Thailand’s Covid-related death toll on the rise, Thai Buddhism officials calling on temples to cremate the bodies of those who died and were infected with the coronavirus. Many Thais believe that cremation helps the spirit move on. Director of the National Office of Buddhism, Narong Song-arom, says the office has coordinated with temples across Thailand to make sure those…
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COVID UPDATE: Highest daily case count recorded in Thailand at 2,070
The daily Covid-19 infection count hit a record high at 2,070, the CCSA reported today in its daily briefing. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the number of new cases reported each day has remained under 2,000. It was also reported 4 more coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total number of Covid fatalities in Thailand since the start of…
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Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health to give traditional herbal medicine for mild Covid symptoms
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is giving 600,000 traditional herbal medicine capsules to hospitals to help treat Covid-19 patients exhibiting mild symptoms. Fatalaijone is the medicine being handed out, as it is thought to suppress virus expansion in those patients with mild symptoms. But, according to the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, it needs to be used along with modern…
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Tourism officials revise revenue forecast, insist Phuket will re-open on schedule
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand admits it may need to revise its 2021 revenue forecast, but insists the Phuket “sandbox” project is still going ahead – and on time too. Yuthasak Supasorn says tourism officials will set a new revenue target, for both domestic and international tourists, as Thailand battles with a third wave of Covid-19. In…
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Covid-19 screening kicks off at Phuket arrival points
Officials on the southern island of Phuket have begun an extensive screening process of all arrivals from elsewhere in the Kingdom. The new checks are aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 on the island, which has already recorded over 250 cases in the latest wave. The checks will be in place until at least the end of the month.…
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Thailand aims for only electric vehicles by 2035
Thailand has announced an ambitious plan to move to only sell zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035 as it aims to be at the forefront of the electric car market. Right now in Thailand, less than 1% of the vehicles on the road are electric but an advisor to the Energy Ministry’s national policy committee said that it’s clear the world…
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New Covid-19 wave could cause the Thai economy to lose 100 billion baht per month
With more than 18,000 Covid-19 cases in 22 days, the new wave of infections may have a dramatic impact on the Thai economy… possibly a 100 billion baht loss per month, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. They say the outbreak is likely to primarily impact the service sector and the number of workers is expected…
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37 inmates at Chiang Mai prison test positive for Covid-19
At least 37 new inmates at Chiang Mai Central Prison have tested positive for Covid-19 in routine testing during the quarantine period for new inmates before they enter the general prison population. Provincial public health chief Jatchuchai Maeerat said the inmates who tested positive for the virus were sent to a field hospital at the prison in Chiang Mai’s Mae…
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Thailand News Today | 2-tier pricing uproar, Ministry to pay 11.8 B baht compensation | April 22
Expats and other foreign travellers living in Thailand are up in arms after Phuket officials confirmed that foreigners arriving on the island would have to pay for a rapid Covid-19 test that is free for Thais. The testing requirement is part of the latest restrictions now in force to combat the spread of the virus on the island. However, it…
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No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to Covid-19 hotlines
No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to the country’s Covid-19 hotlines. The prime minister is now ordering more staff to work for both the 1668 and 1669 Covid-19 hotlines to make sure calls don’t go unanswered. There is now an official LINE account primarily for Covid-19 patients requesting hospital beds after the hotlines were “overwhelmed” with callers, a spokesperson said.…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,470 new Covid-19 infections, 7 deaths, provincial totals
1,470 new Covid-19 infections and 7 deaths were reported today by the CCSA. 446 new cases are in Bangkok which remains the hotzone of new infections, although the latest outbreak has now spread to most Thai provinces. Out of the 7 deaths, one was a 24 year old Thai woman with a history of visiting an entertainment venue in the…
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8% March growth for Thai exports in promising recovery
An 8% increase in exports is expected for March fueled by online officials connecting foreign buyers with Thai exporters. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit touted the success of this plan to have officials working as salesmen to promote Thai products worldwide, the results of which produced 14.4 billion baht in exports last year. The Trade Policy and Strategy Office will release…
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Jet fuel tax reduction extended again to aid airlines, tourism
A tax reduction, for jet fuel that has been in place to help the airline industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been extended until the end of 2020. With international travel decimated, this tax cut is aimed to help airlines stay afloat and get more customers with lower prices while travel figures are massively down. The extension was scheduled to…
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Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 3 to 4 years – WHO
Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 4 years, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO says Thailand is one of 8 countries that can potentially get rid of the mosquito-borne disease by 2025, a goal in line with the country’s strategic plan to eliminate the infectious disease by 2024. Malaria was a leading cause of death…
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Petition site Change.org back online in Thailand after 6 month ban
The popular petition website, Change.org, is once again available to activists in Thailand, after being temporarily blocked last October. Coconuts reports that a statement on the site’s social media account confirms that it’s back up and running in the Kingdom. “Throughout these months we had worked hard, fighting through the legal process for our mission to have the website’s access…
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