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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Tourism operators not getting their hopes up, still wary of government U-turns
Despite a further easing of entry restrictions at the start of the month, with the lifting of PCR testing on arrival, Thailand’s tourism sector is not getting its hopes up. According to a Bangkok Post report, tourism operators are concerned about several factors that have left them uncertain about any potential recovery. Chief among these is the risk of new…
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Store owner in northern Thailand donates school uniforms to needy families
As Thailand plans to reopen schools on May 17, a store owner in Northern Thailand’s province of Nakhon Sawan is donating old school uniforms to families who don’t have the money to buy their own. The store owner said that this is the second year the donation handout has been organised. He said that last year, there was a similar…
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Upcoming campaign to urge Bangkok to vote in governor election
Just 2 weeks ahead of Bangkok’s election for a new governor, the Election Commission will launch a campaign tomorrow urging the public to vote. The elections are to be held on May 22. Tomorrow (Monday), the campaign will be held at City Hall, and trucks with loudspeakers will drive through all 50 of Bangkok’s districts. Speakers will urge people to…
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Phuket prepares reforestation activity for National Tree Day
National Tree Day is coming up next Friday, May 13, and Phuket is getting ready to celebrate! Phuket authorities plan to host a public event where people can come and plant trees. The event will start at Wat Kosit Viharn Temple, off Thepkrasattri Road in Rassada, and move to Toh Sae National Forest reserve, which is behind the temple off…
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How to Apply for a Marriage Visa in Thailand
Getting married to a Thai national does not automatically grant you a Thai marriage visa. However, obtaining a marriage visa in Thailand is not as hard as you might think. Natty goes through the process and requirements to acquire a marriage visa. Follow these steps and live in Thailand with your loved one happily ever after.
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Major Thai police leader to discuss closing times in Pattaya, Phuket and elsewhere
Thailand’s most famous policeman, ‘Big Joke’, aka. Surachate Hakparn, has plans to discuss legal closing times for ‘restaurants’ in Pattaya, Phuket and other renowned tourist hotspots where the closing time issue continues to be a hot topic. Bars and clubs in Thailand, under official laws, are still only allowed to reopen as ‘restaurants’, and only until midnight at the moment.…
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South African woman, jailed in Thailand, gets to speak to mother
A young South African woman, 23 year old Ashley Oosthuizen, sentenced to life in a Thai prison has finally been able to speak to her mother after nearly 3 months of Covid ‘quarantine’ (as there was an outbreak in the prison). She was sentenced after being accused and convicted by a Thai court of accepting a package of MDMA at the Koh…
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Weekend Update | Nightlife Entertainment in BKK is Loud and Alive!
Entertainment in Khao San seems to be booming and business is starting to pick up! So Jay went to Khao San himself to find out! The Department of health is cautioning people over Bullfrog shots and finally after the big re-opening of Maya Bay, its going to close again temporarily. All this and more on todays Weekend Update.
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Young girl gets leg stuck in Pattaya gutter, sparks debate
A 12 year old girl fell into a gutter in Pattaya on Friday, which some bystanders claimed was not properly sealed and was an accident waiting to happen. Officers were able to help free the girl without injuring her in the process, however she was still transferred to a nearby hospital for observation. The incident happened in the parking lot…
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Tourists returning to Bangkok’s Khao San Road
The president of a business operators association on Bangkok’s tourist-trap of Khao San Road says the tourism numbers are making a comeback. This news comes following Thailand Pass‘s eased entry requirements for foreign arrivals, making travelling to Thailand slightly less tedious since May 1. The president told the Bangkok Post that the number of tourists to the walking street still doesn’t…
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University in Bangkok seeks approval for trials of its Covid-19 vaccine
One Bangkok university developing an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine is seeking approval from Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration to start the first 2 phases of trials of the vaccine on humans. The school, Chulalongkorn University, sent the vaccine for human trials in the US for the first phase, and the vaccine will be produced by BioNet-Asia in the second phase. The…
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Phuket Covid-19 clinic to close down this month
One Covid-19 clinic in Phuket is preparing to shut down on May 16, even though it only opened eight months ago in September last year. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office announced the upcoming closure of Aunjai Clinic yesterday in a briefing, and on Facebook. The clinic was established to provide locals who tested positive for Covid-19 with advice, medicines,…
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After big reopening, Krabi’s Maya Bay to temporarily close again
Just four months after its epic reopening in January, officials are announcing that Thailand’s Maya Bay, located on Koh Phi Phi Leh in Krabi, is planning to temporarily close again from August to September this year. The bay had reopened in January after closing in 2018, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, because of how much tourism had damaged the ecosystem.…
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Thailand officials still aiming for Covid-19 ‘endemic’ status in July
Thailand’s officials say their goal remains to achieve endemic status for Covid-19 on July 1 if certain benchmarks continue to be met. Thailand’s deputy public health minister said in a speech that, if Covid-19 is declared an endemic, mask-wearing rules might ease depending on the Covid-19 situation in each area. In the plan for endemic status, the number of infections…
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Phuket and Andaman coast warned of storms and rough seas for next few days
A weather alert from last night by the Phuket Info Centre is warning of possible flash floods and “wild water flows” in Phuket, and other provinces on the Andaman coast. The stormy weather and high waves are predicted to last from today until Monday (May 7-9). Sailors in the Andaman Sea are being warned not to sail in areas with…
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Thai royalists “outraged” over Lazada campaign “mocking disabled people”
Royalist groups in Thailand are in uproar, real or feigned, after a Lazada (online shopping platform) posted photos they claim mocked members of the Thai royal family and physically disabled people in a social media campaign. The group of Royalists fronted up to the Lazada office in Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok yesterday demanding answers over, what they perceive, as a controversial…
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Lazada apologises for controversial advert
E-commerce platform Lazada has removed a controversial advert from their website which was criticised by Thai netizens as both making fun of disabled people and being offensive to Thailand’s monarchy. Lazada have since issued a statement apologising for the advert. Lazada is a huge online store where people and companies can sell from their own inventories on the platform, based…
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Department of Health warns public that “Bullfrog Shots” might contain parasites
“Bullfrog shots” have become a new popular item on the menu around Thailand after going viral on Thai social media. The “shot” is comprised of a cooked bullfrog, spicy sauce, and dried chillis for garnish (but doesn’t contain alcohol). After the dish gained popularity, the Department of Health issued a warning that bullfrog shots could contain parasites and that anyone…
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What makes Phuket one of the best destinations in the world to retire
Have you been dreaming of spending your retirement years in a tropical paradise? Would you like to escape the hustle and bustle of busy city life? If the answer is yes, then Phuket can be a fantastic destination for you. There are so many excellent reasons to retire in Phuket. With its gorgeous beaches, lively nightlife, and fascinating culture, Phuket…
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Body of popular monk found floating on a river in southern Thailand
A revered Thai monk’s body was found floating on a river near a market in Surat Thani province, southern Thailand, yesterday at around 11am. Phra Udomthammapreecha, also known as Jamlong Kwandee, was an advisor to the head monk of Surat Thani province and acting abbot of Wat Borommathat Chaiya Ratchaworawihan in Chaiya district. Yesterday morning, officers from Muang Surat Thani…
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Thai woman arrested for selling macaques via Facebook
Today, a Thai woman was arrested in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province, for selling protected wildlife via Facebook. Undercover police pretended to be interested in buying a macaque so they could arrest the woman this morning. One macaque, a basket and a bottle of milk were seized by police. The woman was buying macaques and reselling them for a higher…
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Thai woman spends 300k baht on wedding but groom doesn’t turn up
A Thai bride welcomed all her guests to her wedding on May 1 in Prachinburi province, eastern Thailand, but the groom never turned up. The man claimed to be a soldier, but when he didn’t attend his own wedding, the bride asked the Royal Thai Army to locate him. When the army checked their database, they didn’t find any army…
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Phuket official suggests drawing tourists with sharks
After an animal, which some suspect was a shark, bit a child at a Phuket beach on this week, one official thinks sharks could be a cool new tourist attraction. Earlier, a lifeguard had voiced concern that if the attack was indeed a shark attack, this would impact tourism in the area. But Jutha Dumlak, the president of the Kamala…
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Friday Covid Update: 7,705 new cases; provincial totals
62 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 28,976 with 7,278 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,705 new Covid-19 cases and 11,252 recoveries. There are now 97,672 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded…
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Man speaking on the phone in northeast Thailand accidentally hit by train
A Burmese man has been run over by a train outside a construction site camp in Udon Thani province, northeast Thailand, at around 9:30pm yesterday. The man’s colleagues said he was using the train tracks to support his head while he lay down and spoke on the phone when the incident happened. In the grass, the body of 28 year…
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Several officials in Thailand wanted over child trafficking involvement in south
After several raids this week, police are investigating several officials over a sex trafficking case in the southern Thai province of Surat Thani. The director-general of Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth has been charged for hampering an investigation into a trafficking ring. Several other officials found to be involved in the ring include the chairman of a local savings…
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Anutin instructs 3 ministries to prepare to transition Covid-19 to endemic
Deputy PM and Thai health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has ordered his ministry to work with the Tourism & Sports Ministry and the Transport Ministry as Thailand prepares to declare Covid-19 endemic. According to a Nation Thailand report, government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul says the move is a result of the country’s falling infection rate. “The Deputy PM said the number of…
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In a ranking of the world’s top tourism destinations, Thailand slips in at number 4
It may have its critics, particularly in light of recent ham-fisted and bureaucratic attempts to revive tourism, but Thailand remains one of the most popular destinations in the world. At least, that’s what a study by financial services provider Visa has found. Nation Thailand reports that Thailand sits at number 4 among the world’s top tourism destinations, according to the…
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Anutin proposes getting rid of the Thailand Pass – for Thai returnees only
Thailand’s Public Health Minister wants to get rid of the Thailand Pass. But don’t get too excited, Anutin Charnvirakul is proposing scrapping it for Thai returnees only – at least for now. According to a Bangkok Post report, the health minister says he will submit the proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. However, when asked whether the emergency…
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Celebrity dentist accused of ‘online’ sexual assault by masturbating in front of two sisters
A “celebrity dentist” who is famous on Thai TikTok, now stands accused of sexual assault after 2 female teenagers file a complaint saying he made a video call and masturbated in front of their faces. 13 year old and 17 year old teenagers contacted a local news page to ask for help. ‘อยากดังเดี๋ยวจัดให้ รีเทริน์ part 3’ revealed on their private…
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