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. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored 10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Officials say woman who tested positive after vaccination was infected beforehand
The Disease Control Department says a vaccinated seafood vendor in Bangkok who tested positive for Covid-19 was infected with the virus prior to receiving the jab. Sophon Iamsirsithavorn from the DCD says the 29 year old market trader was tested for the virus on March 13, with that test coming back negative. At the time, she was not showing any…
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We took a poll in Phuket… re-opening the island in July
The Thaiger put up a poll on our YouTube channel yesterday. Completely unscientific, but trying to guage some of the viewers opinions about the latest plan, Phuket Sandbox, to open up Phuket, in July this year, as a pilot for future re-openings around Thailand for travellers, without quarantine. With the government claiming that the plan won’t go ahead unless 70%…
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Thousands of displaced Burmese flee to Thailand following military air strikes
As the situation escalates in Myanmar, and fears grow that civil war is about to break out, around 3,000 displaced Burmese villagers have fled to Thailand. The Bangkok Post reports that on Saturday, the Burmese army launched an air offensive on a village controlled by an armed ethnic group. The village in the southeastern Karen state is close to the…
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Phuket businesses welcome quarantine-free re-opening plan
Businesses on the southern island of Phuket have welcomed the government’s approval of a quarantine-free re-opening for vaccinated foreigners from July 1. From that date, Phuket will become the first province to waive mandatory quarantine for international arrivals who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The re-opening is expected to generate over 84 billion baht. Like many parts of the country…
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Bank of Thailand wrestles with cryptocurrency adoption
The Bank of Thailand is wrestling with cryptocurrency – how to adopt its usage and how to regulate it in the face of growing popularity, along with all the dynamics surrounding the new ‘currencies’.. The BOT admits they’re struggling with balancing the innovation in the financial world and protecting investors in a volatile and unstable market. Digital currency fluctuates much…
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Myanmar army kills over 100 citizens in 24 hours
As the country commemorated its annual Armed Forces Day, Myanmar army troops continued to turn on the country’s citizens with reports of more than 100 people killed over the past 24 hours. News site Myanmar Now report’s yesterday’s death toll had reached 114. On the BBC, more than 90 deaths in yesterday’s violence was confirmed by the Assistance Association for…
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Can Koh Pha Ngan’s Full Moon Party recover from Covid-19 hiatus?
After a year long hiatus, can Thailand’s world-famous Full Moon Party recover, or will it evolve in the post-Covid-19 era? Before April last year, Haad Rin Beach on Koh Pha Ngan was invaded each full moon by backpackers and partygoers. The beach hummed to the thump, thump of the music and the buckets of exotic cocktails (and plenty of other…
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64 protesters arrested as Government House protest camp cleared
64 protesters were taken into custody as police cleared the sites of a Government House demonstration camp early this morning. The site, located at Phra Ram 5 by the Khlong Phadung Krungkasem canal near the Government House, was raided at 6am by 4 battalions of the police’s Protection and Crowd Control Division. The protesters, many still asleep at the time,…
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Thailand aims for 30 million vaccines by August
Thailand is aiming for 30 million vaccines throughout the country by August in a new plan announced by the Public Health Ministry. The vaccinations will take place across all 77 provinces (76 plus Bangkok) in a progressive rollout. 100,000 people have received injections already in the national vaccination schedule, with 300,000 more set to be vaccinated in the next phase…
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11 countries must still do full 14 day ASQ quarantine when travelling to Thailand
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has announced the names of 11 countries that have been deemed to be carrying new Covid-19 mutations. Any people arriving from these countries will still be required to do the full 14 day quarantine quarantine when they arrive in Thailand. From 1 April the quarantine period will be reduced, but with some restrictions remaining. Read…
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Crude oil imports to Thailand at lowest level since 2015
Crude oil imports to Thailand were down in 2020 to the lowest level since 2015, according to data from Thailand’s energy department. Total imports fell 19,000 barrels per day from 2019 figures, down to 837,000 barrels. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic production also dropped along with the reduction in oil importing. Thai refineries decreased their production to 1 million…
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A guide to being respectful when visiting a Buddhist temple in Thailand
Not all tourists do their research before going to a temple. Some take photos with Buddha statues in a way that is disrespectful to some Thais. Some don’t dress appropriately. A security guard at the popular Wat Arun in Bangkok would blow a whistle at many tourists, telling them to cover their shoulders and knees. Here’s a guide on how…
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16 year old Thai may be jailed in alleged lèse-majesté case
A 16 year old Thai teenager may be jailed for alleged defamation against the Thai monarchy at a pro-democracy protest last Wednesday by wearing a crop-top with an anti-monarchy slogan written on his stomach. The teen is being charged under Thailand’s lèse-majesté law, informally called “Section 112”, the section that covers defaming, insulting or threatening members of the Thai royal…
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The cost of one stuck ship in the Suez Canal – rising costs of fuel, household goods, food
That container ship is still stuck in the Suez Canal. It’s created a huge traffic jam at either end – some 240 ships. Even if they clear the blockage (get the ship out of the way to let other ships pass) soon, it’s predicted to take most of April to clear the backlog. The cost to world shipping has been…
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Phuket to open on July 1 – first in Thailand
by Andrew J. Wood In a move largely expected after intense lobbying from the huge Travel and Tourism industry here in Thailand, the government approved the waiving of quarantine requirements for vaccinated visitors arriving on Phuket from July 1, the first significant reopening for the popular tourism destination. An economic panel chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday approved the proposal…
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At least 16 shot and killed by Myanmar military on Armed Forces Day
At least 16 people are dead after Myanmar’s military fired shots at protesters today despite it being Armed Forces Day. Despite widespread condemnation, the Burmese junta leader issued a statement that the military will “continue to protect its people and strive for democracy”. The protesters seemed to defy the military’s warnings that they could be shot in the head and…
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Thai man dies after motorbike hits tree in Phuket
A Thai man has died after over shooting a curb and hitting a tree in Phuket Town last night. 36 year old Narongchai Samat, from Phang Nga, became the 23rd person to die on Phuket roads this year. Phuket City Police were called around 10:15pm last night, to the scene of the accident, which was near the Phuket office of…
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80 new cases, 1 death – Thailand Covid update
Thailand is reporting 80 new cases of Covid-19 today, along with 1 new death, bringing the total amount of infections to 28,657 since the pandemic began. The CCSA says 73 of the new infections were domestic, while 7 were imported. 41 of the 73 local cases were found through contact tracing and in hospitals. The rest of the local infections…
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5 other provinces adopting Phuket’s sandbox reopening model
5 other Thai provinces will be adopting Phuket’s sandbox model between the months of October and December, with a full reopening of Thailand, set to take place in January 2022. The Tourism Authority of Thailand governor says the plan to reopen the tourism provinces will need local residents’ support and a detailed map of where tourists would be allowed to…
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UPDATE: Phuket’s tourism ‘sandbox’ plan gets approved by CESA
Phuket’s tourism sandbox plan has been approved, as of today, by The Centre for Economic Situation Administration. The meeting was chaired by the Thai PM. The scheme, which would allow vaccinated tourists to skip quarantine starting July 1, still needs to be discussed between the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the CCSA, and the Phuket governor before becoming official. Tourists who…
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Thailand News Today | More vaccine options for Thailand, the world’s oldest cat? | March 26
Click HERE to watch Friday’s Thailand News Today program, Thailand has reported its first death of a Covid vaccine patient. An investigation has been launched by the Public Health Ministry, but health officials suspect the death is not related to the vaccine and that the death is from natural causes. 10 days after being injected with the vaccine, a 60…
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Pattaya rounding up the homeless ahead of this weekend’s Pattaya Colorful event
Pattaya is rounding up homeless people ahead of its Pattaya Colorful event this weekend after locals complained. Officers from the Chonburi Social Development and Human Security Division, along with the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division inspected and interviewed homeless people and beggars on Pattaya Walking Street, Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya Beach and Soi Buakhow last night. Officials say most of the…
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Cannabis may ease lung inflammation from Covid-19, study
Cannabis may help ease and reduce lung inflammation for Covid-19 patients, according to a recent study. Researchers in the study claim the non-psychoactive component of cannabis, cannabinol, or CBD, has anti-inflammatory properties. More research should be done on how CBD and treating severe lung inflammation from the coronavirus, according to researchers from University of Nebraska and the Texas Biomedical Research…
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134 new Covid cases, 6 imported- Covid-19 Update
Thailand is reporting 134 new cases of Covid-19 today, raising the total number to 28,577 with 0 new deaths. 128 of the newly reported cases are locally-acquired, while 6 are imported. Bangkok reported the largest number of cases at 98, with 82 being found through pro-active testing and 16 being found amongst those in hospitals. Samut Sakhon, the centre of…
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Vaccinated visitors still required to undergo quarantine for 10 days from April 1
Despite shortening the required quarantine time for visitors to Thailand, those who are vaccinated won’t be able to skip quarantine just yet. Recently, the Thai government shortened quarantine times from 14 days to 10 starting April 1, but have not announced when or it vaccinated tourists will be able to forego quarantine altogether. The move to shorten quarantine was to…
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Roadside bomb explodes in Yala, injuring policeman and volunteer
A roadside bomb in Thailand’s southern Yala province, is being blamed for injuring a tourist policeman and a police volunteer. The bomb exploded, causing shrapnel to hit the pair while they were driving through Bannang Sata district at around 8pm. The pair was travelling on Road 410, the Yala-Betong route, when the bomb went off, hitting their pickup truck and…
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Bangkok’s famous airplane graveyard catches fire
Bangkok’s famous “Airplane Graveyard” caught fire yesterday evening. Firefighters believe blaze first started in dry grass nearby before spreading to one of the decommissioned planes. People living nearby reported thick black smoke and strong chemical smells coming from the junkyard, which is home to an abandoned Boeing 747 plane and 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft. Fire crews were called at 9pm and…
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Thailand’s richest man buys Pattaya hotel, expects tourism will rebound
Thailand’s richest man is expects tourism will rebound quickly. He’s so confident, that he’s now investing in hotels, including a hotel in Pattaya. Asset World Corp., the property arm of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s TCC Group, purchased a Pattaya hotel this month. The company is now searching for more properties. With the drastic slowdown of international travel over the past…
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TAT New York office to host a virtual Songkran from Chiang Mai
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is set to host a virtual Songkran celebration from Chiang Mai next month in its New York office to celebrate the Thai New Year. “Spring into Songkran Splendours” will be broadcast live from Chiang Mai and is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8 from 8pm-9pm Eastern Standard Time. Free registration is available online by following this…
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First death after Covid-19 vaccine reported in Thailand, death not linked to vaccine, health official says
Thailand has reported its first death of a Covid-19 vaccine patient. An investigation has been launched by the Public Health Ministry, but health officials suspect the death is not related to the vaccine and that the death is from natural causes. 10 days after being injected with the vaccine, a 60 year old patient had an abdominal aortic aneurysm, which…
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