News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
-
Despite errors, over 65,000 have applied for Thailand Pass
Despite a rash of technical issues, in just 4 days since launching the Thailand Pass, over 65,000 people have applied for it in order to reenter Thailand. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the figures yesterday and stated that 13,000 people have already been approved in the new scheme. From November 1 until yesterday morning, 65,338 applications for the Thailand…
-
Pop megastars ABBA release first album in 40 years
Some said it would never happen. In fact, they themselves frequently said it would never happen. But pop fans around the world are rejoicing over the return of Swedish supergroup, ABBA. Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid have reunited for the release of Voyage, their first album in 40 years. It will be followed by an “avatar” concert planned for March…
-
4 new holidays in Thailand hoped to stimulate domestic travel
Apparently in an effort to boost tourism revenue in Thailand, the Thai Cabinet has approved the creation of 4 new holidays in the middle of next year that allows for extra-long weekends. The government hopes that the creation of these long holiday weekends will encourage domestic travellers to take short getaway holidays around Thailand and stimulate the economy. The move…
-
Friday Covid Update: 8,148 new cases and 80 deaths
8,148 new Covid-19 cases and 80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA reported 8,238 recoveries. There are now 97,480 people in Thailand receiving treatment for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a…
-
Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…
-
Fighting internet censorship with fashion
Introducing DW’s new Uncensored Collection, designed to draw attention to freedom of information. SOURCE: DW News
-
EU-funded hijab campaign sparks outrage
Young European Muslims say a decision to cancel a newly launched EU online campaign to promote acceptance of hijab is “an attack on human rights.” “Attacks on this vital campaign take place in a wider environment of a shrinking of civic space, where government actors routinely censor and limit the freedom of speech when it doesn’t fit their political agenda”…
-
Opinion: Ethiopia at risk of Balkanization
Jeffrey Feltman’s visit to Ethiopia on Thursday is the West’s last desperate attempt to rescue the tottering country. The US special envoy for the Horn of Africa will try topersuade Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to agree to a ceasefire and peace talks. The hope is to bring an end to the war between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray…
-
COVID: How India is vaccinating isolated tribes in insurgency-hit areas
Minpa village, an isolated settlement in Sukma district in Chhattisgarh state, has just over 650 residents. Located nearly 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the state capital Raipur, the village has no electricity, no potable drinking water supply and no road connectivity. One has to embark on an arduous journey to reach the place as it is located in the dense…
-
TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021
Perhaps revising their previous goal of 1 million international tourists in the next 2 months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping to hit a total of 700,000 international travellers in 2021. Thailand has launched a number of schemes to bring in foreigners during the Covid-19 pandemic to various levels of success so far. The Phuket Sandbox has been the…
-
Britain the first to approve Covid-19 antiviral pill Molnupiravir
Molnupiravir, the antiviral pill that fights Covid-19, has just been approved for use in Britain, the first country in the world to do so. The pill was developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms in patients infected with Covid-19. The drug is recommended to be used as soon as possible after a…
-
Burmese junta adds third charge for American journalist Fenster
The managing editor of Frontier Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster, has been held for months by the Burmese junta and has now been charged with a third criminal offence. He had originally been arrested in May when attempting to leave the country. After being held for nearly 6 months, Fenster is still on trial, accused of promoting dissent against the…
-
Thai health experts report three deaths linked to the Covid-19 vaccine
A committee under Thailand’s Public Health Ministry investigating fatalities following Covid-19 vaccination has found that the vaccine is linked to three deaths. So far, the committee investigated 842 of the 1,296 deaths following inoculation that have been reported as of October 24, according to an official from the Department of Disease Control. Out of the three people whose cause of…
-
Police raid Pattaya beach bar and arrest 30 customers
Police raided a beach bar in Pattaya at around 10pm last night and arrested 30 people for gathering and drinking alcohol, violating Chon Buri disease control measures which orders bars to remain closed and bans alcohol at restaurants. Officers on patrol last night heard loud music coming from Lisa on the Beach and found customers inside dancing and drinking alcohol…
-
Nonthaburi man arrested with stolen women’s underwear
In the Bangkok suburb of Nonthaburi, a local man has been apprehended by police for stealing women’s underwear, telling police that the 39 pairs that he had stolen he would wear himself. The 37-year old man was arrested on a warrant for burglary. The man admitted to a string of thefts at night in a housing estate in Nonthaburi called…
-
COP26: Saudi Arabia’s climate strategy: Greenwashing or genuine transformation?
It was a regular hot and sunny day in late October in Riyadh, when Dalia Samra-Rohte, delegate of the German Industry for Saudi Arabia, and Germany’s ambassador to the kingdom, Dieter Lamle, were busy planting a crown-of-thorns sapling in Bödeker Park. It won’t be growing tall alone — earlier this year, the Saudi kingdom revealed plans to plant 7.5 million…
-
Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts
Pro-tip: If a shop is selling Louis Vuitton pillows next to Doraemon pillows, they are fake. In a series of raids, police impounded 40 million baht worth of counterfeit goods – mostly bedding products – from storage facilities in Pathum Thani and Rayong. The Department of Special Investigation announced the haul yesterday. The bust was made with the help of…
-
Police bust counterfeiters selling fake US $100 bills on Facebook
A police raid led to uncovering an alleged counterfeiting ring that is suspected of producing 50,000 fake American banknotes in the Bangkok suburb of Nakhon Pathom. The criminal masterminds were discovered by police as they attempted the move the counterfeit bills in a not so sneaky way: advertising them for sale on Facebook. Police opened an investigation on the operation…
-
Cryptocurrency is now accepted at Silavadee Pool Spa Resort in Koh Samui
Press Release Silavadee Pool Spa Resort becomes the First Resort in Koh Samui to accept Cryptocurrency. Koh Samui, 2021 – Silavadee Pool Spa Resort is becoming the first resort in Koh Samui to accept cryptocurrency for hotel bookings worldwide. Miss Chonlada Soonthonvasu, Managing Director of Silavadee Pool Spa Resort said, “As the popularity of online booking channels grows, people are…
-
Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases; provincial totals
68 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,462 with 19,368 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,470 people in Thailand being…
-
Bangkok ranked 68th of 80 best global cities for remote workers
In a study that assesses liveability, living costs, infrastructure, and employment compliance, Bangkok was ranked 68th out of 80 cities around the world for remote working. The study was conducted by WorkMotion, an HR platform that helps match businesses with remote workers worldwide. Bangkok suffered low ratings in several key areas for remote work. They ranked 70th on housing access,…
-
Major political parties weigh in on whether to amend Thailand’s lèse majesté law
With an uptick of charges over the past year under Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law, which carries an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the monarchy, and protests calling on officials to abolish it, political parties have been voicing their opinions on the law, including the main opposition Pheu Thai Party which made a statement saying they were…
-
Bangkok Governor warns of stiff penalty for Loy Krathong fireworks
The celebration of the national holiday Loy Krathong is coming up on November 19, but Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang warns people to avoid the sale and use of fireworks, firecrackers and lanterns this year. The holiday is a modern take on a tradition dating to the 13th-century Sukhothai kingdom where people launch little boats called Krathong on waterways as a…
-
PM Prayut urges a new Thailand focused on tourism, sustainability
As the reopening of Thailand cranks the doors open wide to international travellers after cracking it open with Sandbox schemes over the past 4 months, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is focusing on tourism in reimagining Thailand moving forward. PM Prayut has called for all sectors of the nation to come together to transform the country in the “new normal” with tourism…
-
Airbnb reports surge in Thailand accommodation searches since re-opening
The accommodation website Airbnb has reported a spike in searches for properties in Thailand, following the country’s re-opening to vaccinated tourists from select countries. Searches for Thai accommodation over the next 6 months are double those of a year ago, with searches for villas being the most popular. The Bangkok Post reports that in terms of location, Phuket, Bangkok, Koh…
-
Department of Health begs for responsible drinking in restaurants
The Department of Health is warning people that the permission granted to serve alcohol in restaurants in key tourist destinations must be used responsibly without people overdoing the boozing. They are asking restaurants not to serve drinks after the allowed hours and asking patrons to not overdo their drinking. Now that the government has dedicated Blue Zones for the primary…
-
Thursday Covid Update: 7,982 new cases and 68 deaths
7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 68 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,029 recoveries. There are now 97,470 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 1,914,561…
-
More cuts at Thai Airways as flagship carrier continues rehab process
The chairman of the Thai Airways rehabilitation plan says the airline is making good progress with cost-cutting exercises. Piyasvasti Amranand says Thailand’s national carrier has managed to recover 44.8 billion baht by cutting its workforce and ending aircraft lease agreements. “Thai Airways’ operational performance has progressed satisfactorily in many aspects, including cost reduction and organisational restructuring.” According to a TTR…
-
New York’s mayor-elect Adams: The working-class candidate who embraces big businesses
New Yorkers on Tuesday elected Eric Adams as their next mayor in a landslide election in which the Democrat trounced Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa. Adams, a 61-year-old former police captain, will be the city’s 110th mayor and only the second Black man to lead the largest city in the United States — the first being Democrat David Dinkins, who was…
-
Kenya’s first female wildlife rangers unit
Team Lioness is Kenya’s first all female unit of community wildlife rangers. Created in 2019, the team is stationed near the traditional community land around Amboseli National Park on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) team of 16 female rangers. The unit patrols the community lands of the Olgulului-Ololarashi Group Ranch (OOGR). Through…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.