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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6 major zoos, 127 national parks to reopen tomorrow in Thailand
Starting Monday, 6 of Thailand’s major zoos will reopen for visitors free of charge, and 127 of the country’s 155 national parks are also set to open their doors again. The minister of natural resources and environment told a press briefing that Chon Buri’s Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo, Nakhon Ratchasima Zoo, Songkhla Zoo, Khon Kaen Zoo, Ubon…
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No Aussie dollars in Thailand for at least 3 months
As Thailand starts to poke its head out over the Covid-19 parapet and look towards its travel future, there is at least one country that won’t be lining up at Thai immigration any time soon. Australians, an enduring stalwart of Thai tourism traffic, are banned from leaving the shores of the land downunder for at least another 3 months. The…
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Policeman uses beer and hometown connection to coax man down from Bangkok building – VIDEO
A policeman in Bangkok has prevented a man from leaping to his death by chatting to him in his own dialect in an attempt to reassure him. A report in Coconuts says the police officer told the man there was nothing to be afraid of, pointing out they were both from the same hometown. VIDEO: RDNewsCH3 It’s understood the man,…
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Justice minister targets drug money laundering
With the government struggling to find revenue streams for its economic stimulus plans to rebuild an economy battered by Covid-19, Thailand’s justice minister thinks he has an idea to help. He wants authorities to target businesses that launder drug money from the Golden Triangle and has set a target of 1.5 billion baht by August. The minister says anti-drug forces,…
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Covid-19 update: 5 new cases, all imported (June 13)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced that 5 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the previous 24 hours. All 5 were imported cases of Thai students returning from Saudi Arabia. No new deaths were reported. The total number of confirmed cases since the beginning of the outbreak in Thailand now stands at 3,134. The death toll remains at…
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Homicide ruled out Ukrainian woman’s Koh Samui death
Police in the southern Surat Thani province now say the death of a Ukrainian woman on Koh Samui was either from natural causes or suicide, and have specifically ruled out homicide. Officers found 32 year old Olga Frolova’s phone in her knapsack and suggest that she died while resting in the forest from exhaustion and heat, or at her own…
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Schools, colleges, universities to reopen, restaurants and hotels can serve alcohol from Monday
The spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced yesterday that schools, colleges and other educational institutes will be allowed to re-open on Monday, and alcohol can again be served in restaurants and hotels, but NOT in pubs, bars or other entertainment venues. The national curfew is also being lifted as of Monday. International schools and tuition schools are…
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Heavy rains and flash floods predicted until next Tuesday from ‘Nuri’
The Thai Meteorological Department is warning that tropical storm ‘Nuri’ could bring heavy rains and cause flash flooding in at-risk areas across Thailand. A low-pressure system that developed in the Philippine Sea, and was tracked over the central Philippines has moved into the South China Sea, has become a tropical depression. At 4am today the department officially announced tropical storm…
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Dengue fever outbreak sickens nearly 6,000 Thai kids
While the Covid-19 outbreak is easing in Thailand, there is growing alarm over a nationwide outbreak of dengue fever, which has sickened nearly 6,000 children already this year. On June 2, Thailand had recorded 15,385 cases of dengue fever, which killed 11 people, according to the director-general of the Department of Disease Control. More than a third of those cases,…
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Chulalongkorn University defends shrine demolition for new condos
Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University is defending its plan to demolish a historic Thai-Chinese shrine on its grounds to clear the land for high-rise buildings with condominiums and dormitories. A statement from the university’s estate office says the Chao Mae Tabtim Saphan Luang Shrine will be rebuilt at a new location close to the original site within 6 months, with a re-opening…
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Phuket Airport is open for business. Flights available today.
Phuket International Airport is open from today. This island’s airport, closed from the start of April, re-opened just after midnight. Not that there are many scheduled flights today. It looks like the announcement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand caught the airlines by surprise as well but the airlines may add flights quickly to take advantage of the earlier…
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6 arrested for alleged child sex trafficking, 5 teen girls rescued
Police say 6 people in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, west of Bankok, have been arrested on suspicion of child sex trafficking. 5 child prostitutes, at least one as young as 14 were rescued in Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, and 6 people taken into custody. Acting on a tip, officers of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division yesterday arrested the 6 and…
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The one that didn’t get away… a fish tale with a happy ending
A man has been joyfully reunited with his prized, and very valuable, fish after leaving it in a pink Bangkok taxi. The fish’s owner hailed cab 6880 from Chatuchak market but got out of the vehicle in the Klong Toei area, leaving his “Channa Barca” snakehead fish inside in a plastic bag. The owner immediately contacted radio station JS 100,…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, June 12
4 Thais repatriated from India found with Covid-19 today Today the government announced 4 new cases of Covid-19, all were reported as repatriated Thai citizens from India. All have been quarantined in Chon Buri and tested positive during their 14 day stay. All have been mostly asymptomatic. India had the most Covid-19 cases in Asia with a total of 298,283…
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6 fisherman rescued from Phuket waters after their longtail boats sink – VIDEO
2 longtail boats carrying 6 fishermen sank in high seas this morning near Koh Mai Thon aka. Wooden Island, off the coast of Phuket. All 6 fishermen have now been rescued. The 2 boats and their crews left Phuket port last night to fish off Koh Mai Thon, but the crews sent out a distress call about 8am. The boats…
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Curfew lifted from June 15, many activities resume, pubs and bars will remain closed
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has officially approved lifting the national curfew effective Monday. The centre made the decision at its meeting today, which was presided over by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The 11pm-3am curfew will be lifted from June 15 but the national state of emergency in the country will continue. The centre has also decided to strictly…
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State hospital investigation into ‘suspicious’ drug company donations
More than a hundred hospitals will be investigated for allegedly receiving what health officials are describing as “suspicious” donations from pharmaceutical companies. The hospitals allegedly had a deal with the some of the drug companies – hospitals get a 5% discount and the rebate would be sent back to the hospital, labelling it as a “donation”. The 186 hospitals being investigated…
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Young girls raped in 2 separate cases
A Northern Thailand man was arrested for allegedly raping his stepdaughter after a complaint was filed by the biological father. In another case, an Isaan man was arrested for allegedly raping his niece’s 5 year old daughter. In Lampang, Northern Thailand, a 46 year old man was arrested yesterday. The 9 year old girl’s biological father says his daughter called…
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Alcohol association begs government for trial re-opening of bars
But they know it is unlikely to happen. The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing Emergency Decree have caused immeasurable economic impact across the country.Probably no sectors has been harder hit than hospitality, entertainment and nightlife. Although alcohol sales appear set to resume in restaurants next week, around 10,000 pubs, bars and entertainment venues nationwide – and their many casual staff…
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Thai doctors warn about the dangers of fashion braces
Those in Western countries don’t typically look back fondly on teenage years with a mouth full of braces and painful trips to the orthodontist. But in Thailand, having braces is seen as a symbol of wealth. They’ve even become a fashion trend with many fake braces being sold illegally (yes, really!). Thai doctors are warning about the risk of serious…
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7 year old daughter helps police prevent father’s suicide
When police in the central plains province of Uthai Thani learned of a shooting incident they rushed to the scene to find a woman with a gunshot wound to her face and a man threatening to shoot himself in the head. Rescue workers rushed the woman to hospital while police tried to calm the man down and stop him from…
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Anti-alcohol law has “bounty hunters” snitching for reward money
Educating people, or advertising, online about alcoholic beverages is a crime in Thailand – a lesson learned the hard way by the administrator of a Facebook page detailing thee differences in the many types of craft beers when he was fined 50,000 baht for “advertising” alcohol on social media. Police told him they received a “tip-off from someone”. Artid, the…
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No foreigners at Wat Pho, Bangkok temple says Thais only
The Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) is open, but only if you’re Thai. Foreigners are not allowed in, even if you’ve been living in Thailand for years. The famous Bangkok temple re-opened last week but are keeping foreigners over fears of the coronavirus. A sign with red letters, all capitalised “ONLY THAI PEOPLE … NOW NOT OPEN FOR…
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Massive elephant migration causes problems in the North
The Covid-19 crisis has shuttered elephant camps across Thailand’s North and Northeast, most of which relied primarily on tourist revenue. Now around 1,000 elephants, threatened by starvation, have journeyed through the hills of northern Thailand, making a slow migration to their homes. For many of the animals, home is the village of Huay Pakoot in Chiang Mai province, where generations…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, June 11
Transport Company resumes service, bans foreigners The wheels on the bus go round and round. But not for foreigners living in Thailand. It’s now official. If you’re a foreigner you won’t be allowed on intercity buses operated by the state owned Transport Company, under the auspices of the Thai Ministry of Transport. They announced today that foreigners are banned from…
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Anti-alternative tobacco report slammed by experts
A recent report titled “Today’s Teens, Tomorrow’s Customers” published by Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance is being slammed by the Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates and global health experts, who have dismissed it as “naïve” and “harmful.” Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA’s executive director, described the report as a product of perception by a group that is funded by…
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Health minister promises hospital graft investigation
Further to a story reported by The Thaiger, Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has pledged to investigate allegations that many of the ministry’s 186 hospitals have taken kickbacks from drug companies for buying their products. He says he’ll order a formal investigation, if there is any substance to the allegations, which he admits have tarnished the reputation…
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Rayong police raid huge illegal gambling den, arrest 118 – VIDEO
Authorities in the eastern province of Rayong raided a huge illegal casino and arrested 118 gamblers. 12 million baht was reportedly circulated through the gambling den daily. Officers from the Department of Provincial Administration and the Department of Special Investigation raided the den, named “RJ,” in Rayong’s main city district after an extensive investigation. Check the raid on video (below).…
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Thai man faces 8 charges for Tweets criticising the monarchy
A Twitter user is facing multiple criminal charges for this posts criticising the monarchy along with a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. The 20 year old man, going by the name “Niranam” which is Thai for anonymous, runs the Twitter account @ssji_2475 where he has made posts critical of the Thai royal family, violating Thailand’s tough lése majeste…
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Economist predicts economy will shrink 8.9% this year, despite easing of restrictions
A leading economist is predicting the Thai economy will contract by 8.9% this year despite the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, far higher than previous estimates from local and international economic pundits. Amonthep Chawla, head of the research office at CIMB Thai Bank says that although Thailand is heading toward the fourth phase of lockdown easing, with more businesses to be…
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