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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Sponsored Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever
If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...
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Thai authorities push to ban, censor news outlets and social media
Police are now cracking down on local media outlets covering the pro-democracy protests as well as activist group Facebook pages because they are a “threat to national security”. In addition to the police’s request to ban the content, the Digital Economy and Society Ministry is attempting to censor the Telegram social media application, saying it too poses a “threat to…
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Thailand News Today | Protest update, Samui wants cheap flights, Isaan croc hunters | October 19
Thailand News Today, a daily wrap up of the day’s news, delivered, free on YouTube and Facebook. Thailand’s most popular English-speaking news program, hosted by Tim Newton. Please subscribe to the YouTube Channel. House speaker proposes extraordinary parliamentary session in wake of political unrest A weekend of intense protest gatherings has resulted, if nothing else, in the Thai Parliament’s lower…
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New delivery application focuses on reducing Thailand’s food waste
The following story was sent to The Thaiger from the Yindii, a business focused on sustainability and reducing waste produced from the food industry. Yindii, a Thai anti-food-waste startup, launches a mobile application designed to match hungry, deal-seeking Bangkok residents with environmentally-conscious restaurants, grocery stores and cafes offering delicious food that could otherwise go to waste. Through its discounted “flash…
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“Open the borders, safely”, Bill Heinecke, Minor International interview – VIDEO
Bill Heinecke speaks to Bill Barnett. The two heavy-hitters of Thailand’s hotel and hospitality sector, mull over the current Covid situation and the reopening of Thailand’s borders to some form of tourism. Bill Heinecke is the Chairman and Founder of Minor International. Bill Barnett is the Managing Director of c9hotelworks.com Now the Thai government has approved the special long-term tourist…
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Isolated heavy showers forecast, but rainfall set to ease overall
Heavy wet season rainfall is taking its toll on 25 provinces around the country, with flash flooding and landslides affecting over 25,000 homes. 11 provinces are thought to be the worst-affected, as they continue to battle heavy flooding. They are Ubon Ratchathani and Nakhon Ratchasima, in the north-east of the country, Sa Kaeo in the east, the central provinces of…
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House Speaker proposes extraordinary parliamentary session in wake of political unrest
The speaker of the lower house of Parliament, Chuan Leekpai, is proposing an extraordinary session of parliament as the political protests around the country intensifies, especially around Bangkok. Nation Thailand reports that Speaker Chuan plans to discuss the matter with government and opposition politicians today. Anti-government protests, which began in mid-July, have grown in intensity and frequency, as activists demand…
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The 3 finger salute. Why did it become the symbol for Thai protesters? – VIDEO
The 3 finger salute, now adopted by Thai protesters as their “go to” symbol in the current round of rally’s and protests against the Thai government and establishment, emerged originally from pop culture. In the Hunger Games movie franchise, the residents of a dystopian future North America, forced to compete in a televised death match for the pleasure of…
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Former Thai PM Yingluck reminds Prayut of protests calling for her resignation
Former PM Yingluck Shinawatra has taken to social media to remind the current Thai leader of the situation she found herself in 6 years ago, when she faced mounting calls for her resignation from Prayut Chan-o-cha and the People’s Democratic Reform Committee. The PDRC were instrumental in organising anti-government protests between 2013 and 2014, which culminated in a military coup…
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How can the Thai government resolve the current protest crisis?
OPINION The Thai Government has no easy way out of the current protest situation. Over the past months an organic, mostly young Thais, political movement has been building. It’s different from every protest movement in the past. The people attending the rallies don’t really align themselves or identify with the past political factions. They’re not red shirts or yellow shirts.…
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Thailand’s media spend shrinks as brands shy away from ‘bad’ news
Young protesters, who use social media and messaging intuitively vs Thai officials and police who try and track those messages to keep up with the plans of the protest movement. Although Thai police have water cannons and brute force, the Thai youth at the core of the current protest movement also have a valuable weapon. And it’s being used more…
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Journalist detained during last night’s rally at Pathunwan intersection in Bangkok
Thai media are being targeted as part of the crackdown on the current round of protests. A Prachatai’s reporter was detained after casually asking attending police where he could stand to cover last night’s rally. The Thai Journalist Association posted a Tweet at 11pm saying that 6 journalist organisations “had been notified about the arrest and had been working with related parties”.…
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Foreign investors and businesspeople seek clarity about the current “situation” in Thailand
With Thailand battling to come up with a safe and sustainable manner of re-opening its borders, and the footage of the street protests reaching out to a world audience, foreign investors are saying they need more details of what they can or cannot do in Thailand under the new State of Emergency. The Thai Chamber of Commerce is calling for…
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Train-car collision kills 1, second fatal railway crossing incident this week
A passenger train collided with a car, killing a woman and injuring 2 others at a railway crossing in Phetchaburi’s Khao Yai district last night. Just earlier this week, a freight train smashed into a charter bus, killing 18 bus passengers and injuring another 44 at a crossing by the Khlong Kwaeng Klan railway station in the Chachoengsao province. Officials…
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Thailand Airbnb hosts to abide by new Covid-19 cleaning measures
Now that people in Thailand are travelling domestically again and international tourists could be coming in the near future, Airbnb has consulted with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and come up with Covid-19 safety measures which include “new normal” policies and the 5-step “enhanced” cleaning process: prepare, clean, sanitise, check and reset. All Airbnb hosts in Thailand must make sure…
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Human rights NGO, opposition parties, say State of Emergency infringes human rights
A Thai human rights NGO has criticised the government’s decision to declare a State of Emergency in Bangkok, as political unrest escalates in the capital and around the country. iLaw says the imposition of the emergency decree gives the PM the unrestricted right to use special powers that violate citizens’ human rights. iLaw points out that the new ban on…
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Thailand News Today | State of Emergency, Pattaya ‘online’, Veggie Festival plea | October 15
Bangkok in State of Emergency, protesters arrested, “vow to fight on” Bangkok is now in a State of Emergency. The new decree was imposed at 4am in an effort by the Thai government to quell the growing support of the latest protest movement. The “State of Emergency” places a ban on gatherings of any more than 5 people. The early…
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New budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint
The Thai government is working on to setting aside more money for emergency medicine after an “insufficient” budget is said to have caused delays in emergency work and response time for emergency 1669 hotline calls. The new budget request comes after emergency medicine expert Dr. Atchariya Phaengma complained that the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, or NIEM, wasn’t receiving adequate…
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Thailand News Today | BKK protest update, Chiang Mai ‘quiet’, Baby klong crocs | October 14
Daily TV news about what’s happening in and around Thailand. Check out the daily Thai News, uploaded around 5pm, Thai time, weekdays. “Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says Things are heating up ahead of this afternoon and this evening’s protests and planned march to Government House from the Democracy Monument. Even the United Nations Department…
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9 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine, all asymptomatic
9 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine in the past 24 hours. All were reported as asymptomatic and from those travelling back from India, Japan, South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand now reports a total of 3,652 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 59 deaths. 3,457 people have recovered and 136…
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Digital Economy Ministry dismisses “fake news” that mobile phones cause cancer
Thailand’s Digital Economy and Society Ministry says people shouldn’t fall for claims that leaving your mobile phone beside your head at night will result in cancer. The ministry is urging people not to believe that electromagnetic waves from the phone will cause brain cancer, adding that such a claim constitutes “fake news”, and saying citizens should refrain from sharing it…
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Thailand News Today | No STV tourists, Boss in Dubai, border fears in Tak | October 13
Daily news about Thailand. Latest information, and tourism and visa news. No one in Guangzhou applied for the Special Tourist Visa, Foreign Ministry In a stunning revelation yesterday, it turns out that not a single person from Guangzhou, China, actually applied for the new Special Tourist Visa. That’s the sad and bizarre truth, according to Thai media outlet Siamrath. Around…
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Royal Thai Police form new bureau to investigate cybercrime
The Royal Thai Police have formed a new organisation to investigate cyber-related crimes. Commissioner of the new Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, Kornchai Klaiklueng, says they will work with international counterparts, but officers need to train first before dealing with transnational cybercrime investigations. The bureau is short on staff and still needs to recruit more officers before it can begin operations, according…
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Domestic tourism survey indicates long road to recovery
“Entrepreneurs in the tourism industry need to adjust their strategy to suit consumer behaviour in the new normal era.” A government survey looking at the travel habits of domestic tourists indicates an uphill struggle for the tourism industry’s recovery. Pimchanok Vonkorpon, from the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office says around a quarter of those surveyed travelled during weekends…
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Thai police to verify “Boss” whereabouts with UAE embassy
Following recent reports that the elusive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, is living in Dubai, Thai police say they’re writing to the UAE embassy to verify the claims (the embassy is in Witthayu road… we can send you the address if you need so you can ‘drop in’ and have a chat). Boss is wanted in relation to a…
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Border schools close for cleaning, thousands test for Covid-19 after Burmese truck drivers test positive
Nearly a dozen schools in Tak’s Mae Sot district closed today to be disinfected and around 4,000 people in the community are expected to be tested for Covid-19 after 3 Burmese cargo truck drivers tested positive for the virus after crossing through a border checkpoint. Those in communities deemed at high-risk have been told not to leave their home, unless…
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Where’s Boss? Wanted Red Bull heir spotted in Dubai
Some say they’ve spotted the wanted Red Bull heir in Dubai. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya has an Interpol Red Notice out for his arrest and is wanted for allegedly killing a police officer in 2012 when he sped his Ferrari through Bangkok’s Thong Lo area, allegedly running over and dragging the police officer down the street. While Thai media reported the…
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Thailand News Today | Land bridge project, “Thai Bridge”, Chaing Mai black widow | October 12
Daily Thai TV News, with all the latest updates. Posted around 5pm, Monday to Friday. Protest leader says activists “in it for the long haul” Human rights lawyer and protest leader, Arnon Nampa, says political activists seeking to oust the current Thai government are “in it for the long haul”. The leader of the People’s Group (formerly the Free People…
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Covid-19 could lead to a crisis worse than the 1997 Asian financial crisis
With debt relief measures set to expire this month, Thailand’s financial woes, brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, might end up being worse that the 1997 Asian financial crisis, known in Thailand as the Tom Yam Kung crisis, according to the Bangkok Commercial Asset Management. The 1997 Asian financial crisis started in Thailand with the financial collapse of the Thai…
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4 Burmese men arrested after crossing Moei River to Thailand
Tak border patrols have arrested 4 Burmese men who allegedly waded across the Moei River, crossing the natural border into Thailand illegally. Border officials have tightened their patrol since Myanmar reported a second wave of Covid-19 cases in August, and even more after this past weekend when 3 Burmese truck drivers tested positive for Covid-19 after entering Thailand through the…
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Thai Airways seeks to conserve finances by offering unpaid leave, early retirement
Thailand’s long-suffering national carrier is trying to conserve what cash it has by offering staff early retirement or unpaid leave. Thai Airways says it’s seeking to reduce its workforce in an attempt to stretch its finances to April 2021. According to a Bangkok Post report, acting president Chansin Treenuchagron says 80% of the airline’s employees have agreed to salary cuts…
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