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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Thai government considers easing restrictions for foreign business travellers
The Thai government is considering further easing entry restrictions for foreign travellers coming to conduct business in the Kingdom. Currently, around 11,000 businesspeople and work permit holders have been granted entry by the Centre for Covid-19 Administration Situation since they started allowing some foreigners back into the country after July. All arrivals have to submit to a mandatory 14 day…
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New police chief clarifies suspension of police checkpoints
Just days into his post, the new Chief of the Royal Thai Police, has clarified his decision to suspend roadside checkpoints. Suwat Jangyodsuk says the new rule only applies to drink-driving checkpoints, which he says must first pass transparency checks, and shows that tests of blood alcohol levels return accurate results. Royal Thai Police spokesman Yingyot Thepchamnong says all checkpoints…
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Possible delay of foreign tourists arriving to Phuket
Thailand is lifting its 6 month ban on international tourists, allowing only those who are on a Special Tourist Visa to arrive on select charter flights, but there are conflicting reports on when exactly they will arrive. Many reports say the tourists should arrive on Thursday, but a recent report from a respected Thai media outlet claims the plans are…
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7 foreign teachers found working illegally at Sarasas school
The Sarasas private school network continues to find itself in hot water, with revelations that 7 foreign teachers at one school have been working illegally. All 7 have been found to be employed without work permits at Sarasas Witaed Sainoi Pitiyakarn School, in the central province of Nonthaburi, around half an hour outside central Bangkok. All 42 Sarasas schools are…
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Thailand to set aside 3 billion baht for first doses of Covid-19 vaccine
Thailand’s National Vaccine Committee is to request nearly 3 billion baht in order to procure enough doses of a Covid-19 vaccine for half its population, beginning with frontline healthcare workers. The committee, chaired by Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, wants to set aside 2.93 billion baht to be able to purchase adequate supplies of the vaccine from overseas. The aim is…
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Head of economic recovery panel warns of collapse if borders not re-opened now
A businessman heading up an economic recovery panel is warning the government that unless Thailand’s borders are re-opened for the last quarter of the year, the country is headed for total economic collapse. The Bangkok Post reports that Pailin Chuchottaworn says the gradual easing of Covid restrictions in recent months is not enough, insisting the country must re-open to international…
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Phuket luxury resorts become quarantine facilities for travellers on the Special Tourist Visa
Thailand is opening its doors this week after a 6 month ban on international tourists, catering to those on the new Special Tourist Visa who have time on their hands and money to spend. The first group will arrive to Phuket from China on Thursday, but they all have to go through a mandatory 14 day quarantine and it isn’t…
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Global tourism plunges up to 80% in 2020
Internationally, tourism will plunge between 60 – 80% by the end of the year. The UN World Tourism Organisation makes the forecast in their latest report. The prediction, broad and probably conservative, will put millions of workers in the world’s tourism industry, out of work. In Thailand, with its reliance on tourism as a significant contributor to its GDP, will see…
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Phuket woman dies shortly after eating mangrove horseshoe crab
A 46 year old woman died after eating a horseshoe crab she caught in a mangrove forest near her home in Phuket’s Muang district. After eating the shellfish, Wanthana Phutcho vomited, complained of a headache and had trouble walking. She fell unconscious and died on the way to a hospital. Some people have mistaken mangrove horseshoe crabs, which are poisonous,…
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Man allegedly chained his uncle and beat him to death with a bat
A man allegedly chained his uncle to a staircase and beat him to death with a baseball bat. 27 year old Jetsada Raksutee was found at his Chon Buri house and police say he appeared to be in a catatonic state. The body of his 45 year old uncle, Sonthaya Arnpoe, was found covered in blood with his leg chained…
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Continuous rainfall expected throughout Thailand this week
Continuous rainfall is expected throughout parts of Thailand this week with the potential for flash floods in some areas – after all, it is the wet season and, statistically, October is the wettest month of the year. The Thai Meteorological Department has issued a weather warning saying an active low pressure cell in the South China Sea is likely to…
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Worst flood in years Chon Buri residents say, Pattaya City officials plan to build a flood barrier
Flooding from the weekend’s heavy storms damaged homes and local beaches in Pattaya and Banglamung in the Chon Buri province, with water levels on some roads 10 to 80 centimetres high. Some residents say it was the worst flood in years. Pattaya City officials are planning to build a flood barrier to prevent future flooding, according to Banglamung Sheriff Amnat…
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Ex-prisoner stabs 3 people when asked to put on a mask at Bangkok shopping mall
An ex-prisoner is back in custody after stabbing 3 people at a Bangkok shopping mall when he was asked to put on a face mask. A report in Nation Thailand says the 33 year old man has been incarcerated at Chiang Mai prison 3 times for robbery offences. It’s understood that when a security guard at The Mall, in the…
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Bangkok police prep for October 14 pro-democracy rally
Police are getting ready for the next pro-democracy rally planned for October 14 at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, marking the anniversary of the 1973 uprising which ended the military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn. Police are following social media pages associated with the rally, like Democracy Restoration Group, to try and get a head count to determine how many officers should…
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Phuket man shoots himself in the head in suspected suicide
A 47 year old Phuket man has shot himself dead, in what police suspect is a case of suicide. Nation Thailand reports that Kittichai Musiksong’s body was found on a couch at a property in the Taladyai sub-district. He had a bullet wound to his right temple and a blank gun model was found on the floor. The blank gun…
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Mother and daughter forced to sell home due to neighbour who won’t stop singing
A mother and daughter in the central province of Nonthaburi, just west of central Bangkok, are being forced to sell their home in an attempt to get away from their neighbour’s incessant singing. Thai Residents reports that 50 year old Somthop, and her 25 year old daughter, Kanchana, are now advertising the fact that the property “comes with a free…
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Students at northeastern university accuse police of disrupting rally, harassment
Students at Maha Sarakham University, in the north-east of the country, are accusing the police of harassing them and attempting to disrupt a planned rally. The leader of a pro-democracy student group has taken to Facebook to point the finger at plain-clothes and uniformed officers who arrived at the university to carry out a search, and to remind organisers of…
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Koh Phangan hotel probed after complaints of cultural appropriation for Angkor Wat design
A Koh Phangan hotel is saying sorry for using Cambodia’s culture and famous landmarks, including the popular Angkor Wat, in what looks to be a case of cultural appropriation, misusing or misrepresenting a culture and profiting off it. An investigation into the claims of cultural appropriation has been launched by Surat Thani Culture Office. Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is also…
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Officials threaten Ranong pier with closure over Covid violations
A pier in the southern province of Ranong is being threatened with closure after allowing the crew from a Myanmar fishing trawler to disembark and come ashore. This violates restrictions currently in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Myanmar is currently experiencing a surge in virus cases, going from 400 cases on August 20 to 17,794 cases today. The…
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Pattaya to host eating contest next weekend, everyone welcome
Pattaya will host a big eating contest next weekend with everyone welcome to join in the fun. Registration is now open for 4 person teams as well as individual contestants to participate in “The War Eating Contest 2020 #1.” The event will be held at the Royal Garden Plaza shopping centre with prizes worth more than 100,000 baht. Even organisers…
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Poll shows large majority believe child abuse at schools is not okay
A new poll finds the vast majority of Thais believe child abuse at schools is not okay. The Suan Dusit Rajabhat University Poll, or Suan Dusit Poll asked 1,896 people nationwide from September 29 – October 2, to gather their opinions on the recent spate of reported abuses of children in Nonthaburi and other Bangkok schools. (The Thaiger believes it’s…
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Man ran over by Bangkok-Ubon train in Nakhon Ratchasima province
A man has been run over by a Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani train early this morning in the northeastern province of Korat, with rescuers saying his body was cut in half. Police rescue workers say they discovered the man’s mutilated body at around 2am about 200 metres from the Huay Thalaeng district railway station. Police say the man appears to be between…
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UPDATE: Trump says he is “starting to feel good” after being hospitalised
After being transferred to a military hospital a mere 17 hours after being diagnosed with Covid-19, US president Donald Trump says he is “starting to feel good” as the White House published pictures of him working from his hospital bed. But his recent statement is contrary to some reports that his oxygen levels had ‘dropped rapidly’ with White House officials…
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Koh Chang hotel agrees to settle dispute with American if he retracts his bad online review
A Koh Chang hotel is agreeing to settle a dispute with an American being sued, if he agrees to retract his bad online reviews of the hotel. Wesley Barnes, is being sued by the hotel after refusing to stop leaving bad online reviews of the resort on TripAdvisor. Immigration police arrested Barnes and detained him on the island on defamation charges. …
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Pro-democracy leaders banned from speaking at Thammasat University massacre anniversary event
3 pro-democracy leaders have been sidelined from speaking at this year’s Thammasat University Massacre 44th anniversary forum. Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, co-leaders of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration and Arnon Nampa, a human rights lawyer, were apologetically singled out on committee member Krisadang Nutcharus’ Facebook post yesterday. He says university executives did not offer an explanation…
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Protest organisers have been silenced for Tuesday’s anniversary of the Thammasat University Massacre
The 44th anniversary of the 1976 Thammasat University massacre on October 6 will be commemorated by the university. But 3 prominent organisers of the latest round of student protests, attracting up to 30,000 people, will be denied an opportunity to speak at the event. Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, and human…
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Pattaya mopping up after flooding and erosion from heavy rains
Pattaya and Banglamung have been suffering from flooding and erosion after heavy rains battered the beaches and roads earlier this morning. Water levels on some roads reportedly measured from 10 to 80 centimetres high. Huge amounts of storm water of water have been running through to Pattaya’s beach and into the ocean. Parts of the beaches, some recently reclaimed and…
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UK battles big spike in new Covid-19 cases, but deaths remain low
The UK has reported 12,872 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, and 7,070 this morning. The Saturday report of Friday’s new cases were a record daily addition of new cases for the country, taking the overall total since the start of the pandemic to 480,017. The British government is blaming the jump on a “reporting delay” and saying the numbers in…
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Where’s Boss? Interpol red notice issued to nab the Red Bull heir
An Interpol red notice has finally been issued and being distributed to all member countries in a new effort to track down and arrest Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, the Red Bull Heir who has been dodging justice since 2012 and been a fugitive since fleeing Thailand in 2017. Boss is the grandson of the co-founder of Red Bull, Chaleo Yoovidhya. Boss…
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UPDATE: President Trump says he’s “going well”. 6 more associates test positive.
Just 17 hours after announcing he has tested positive for Covid-19, US president Donald Trump has now been moved to a military hospital after displaying “mild” Covid symptoms. Meanwhile, his campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus, along with a former senior adviser, and at least 2 senators after attending a White House event. More people who…
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