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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The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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There is no date for the reopening of general tourism in Thailand, except Phuket
Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul says Thailand will not be “fully reopened to foreign tourists” along the lines of Phuket’s “safe and sealed” model, because the government and CCSA has to consider too many details. Thailand’s largest island, Phuket, is going to be a pilot program for the partial re-opening to any tourist that wants to visit – but with…
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Debate rages behind closed doors on allowing return of foreign tourists
The debate over allowing foreign tourists back into Thailand is heating up, even as plans are being made for the “Phuket model” and airlines cautiously begin announcing charter flights for long-stay foreign tourists later in the year. Thailand has gone nearly 100 days without a confirmed locally spread case of Covid-19, putting it in a tough spot compared to countries…
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New lease on life for 7 of Thailand’s budget airlines
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today threw a lifeline to 7 of Thailands’ domestic low-cost airlines, beginning with the injection of 24 billion baht in soft loans for the struggling aviation sector, battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Representatives of Thai Air Asia, its long haul division Thai Air Asia X, Thai Smile, Thai Lion Air, Thai Viet Jet, Bangkok Airways and Nok…
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Human Rights Watch talks protests, democracy and foreigners attending protests
The Thaiger spoke to Brad Adams, the Asia Director for Human Rights Watch about some of the challenges of the current Thai government and the protests that are showing no signs of abating. Do you think the student movement, alone, will be enough to press the Thai government to make meaningful changes? The students are playing a leading role in…
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Should foreigners go to protests and get involved in Thai politics?
Should foreigners get involved in the Thai protests? Is it any of our business? Is there a danger of being targeted and thrown out of the country? Most foreigners, certainly the vast majority, will say they’re uncomfortable even discussing local politics with Thais, especially THAT other big topic. Most are happy to walk the beaches, explore or sit in the…
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Satellite captures flood devastation in Thailand’s lower-north
The devastation wreaked by heavy floods in Sukhothai and Phitsanulok, provinces in the lower-north of the country, can be seen from space. A report in Nation Thailand says an Italian satellite, Cosmo Skymed-1, has captured photos that show over 125,000 rai of land is submerged as a result of heavy rainfall in the area. PHOTO: Nation Thailand Around 100,000 rai…
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Pro-democracy activist mounts campaign near Bangkok memorial
Political activist Jatupat Boonpattararaksa has started a campaign he’s calling “Camp Not Jail” near a Bangkok memorial that commemorates pro-democracy activists who were killed in a 1973 rally in the capital. Jatupat, commonly known as “Pai Dao Din”, has erected a number of tents, where he screens documentaries about democracy to attract the attention of passersby. Nation Thailand reports that…
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Environmentalists concerned with rise of takeaway trash during lockdown
How much plastic do you toss in the garage bin when you’re done eating your takeaway order? An environmentalist says 1 person throws away about 1.5 kilograms of trash each day. With many stuck at home during the lockdown period, food delivery sales skyrocketed, but so did the amount of trash each person throws away. Thai environmentalists are concerned and…
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CCSA considers another 2 groups of foreigners for return to Thailand
The next batch of returnee categories is now being considered by the CCSA. This time, foreigners with permanent residences who have been stranded overseas for the past 6 months, and long-term foreign residents, will receive priority when the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announces the next date for the next phase of lifting the shutters on Thailand’s borders. The chairman…
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Thai Airways launching direct flights to Phuket for “Safe & Sealed” campaign
Thai Airways is dusting off its fleet and getting ready to relaunch international travel, with direct flights to Phuket from 6 countries planned to take off in the next few months. It’s all designed to co-incide with the announced “safe & sealed” campaign which the Thai government hope will re-boot tourism for the beleaguered island. Thai Airways flights have been…
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TikTok CEO quits amid pressure to sell
Kevin Mayer, the high flying CEO of TikTok, quit today under US pressure for the platform’s Chinese owner Bytedance to sell popular video app, which Washington says is a national security threat. In a letter to employees, Mayer said his decision to leave comes because the “political environment has sharply changed.” Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as CEO…
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Progressive MP raises “3 finger salute” in Parliament
An opposition MP from the eastern province of Chantaburi, along the Cambodian border, raised eyebrows today when she flashed the pro-democracy “3 finger salute” immediately after after speaking about state repression of student protestors. The salute has become the student movement’s trademark gesture of solidarity. Yanathicha Buapuean, an MP for the Move Forward Party said: “These actions are intended to…
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Human trials of Thai-made vaccine delayed by months
Thailand’s hopes of having a locally made coronavirus vaccine early next year appear to have been dashed; the head of Thai team developing the vaccine said in a press briefing yesterday that Thailand will delay human trials due to limited production capacity at overseas facilities. Kiat Ruxrungtham, director of the Chulalongkorn University’s vaccine development program, said health authorities had planned…
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PM issues ominous warning as students submit manifesto
Yesterday, leaders of the student movement Free Youth submitted their now-infamous 10 point manifesto on reforming the Monarchy to a House committee for consideration. Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul, a leader of a group calling itself the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, forwarded the 10-point manifesto, which was compiled at a demonstration on August 10 at Thammasat University, to Move Forward Party…
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Government orders social media companies to block more websites deemed offensive
The Minister of Digital Economy and Society says his ministry is asking social media companies to block access to content that breaches Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Buddhipongse Punnakanta has confirmed that court orders are in place to block over 1,000 links said to contain offensive content. Of those, 661 can be found on Facebook, 289 on You Tube, and 69…
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Stopped by police? Here’s the new fines for traffic violations
If you drive a motorbike in Thailand, odds are you’ll get stopped by police at a checkpoint. Most of the time police, are just checking for driver’s licenses and making sure those riding on motorbikes are wearing helmets. In the past, some police have charged up to 500 baht for not having a Thai driver’s license. Now it’s set at…
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Amnesty International accuses Facebook of caving in to Thai Government
“The company should not have given in to the demands in the first place.” Facebook has acquiesced to the Thai Government’s demands to remove a Facebook Group that had been critical of the Thai Monarchy. The page, “Royalist Marketplace”, had a following of a million people and administered by a self-exiled Thai living in Japan. The group’s page cannot be accessed in…
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International tourists ‘essential’ to Thai economy, PM says
“If nothing is done, things will get worse. Premises will be shut down. Employees will be laid off. How can the government afford to help them all?” Thailand needs tourists to pick its economy back up, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says, adding that a system needs to be put in place that would both prevent the spread of the coronavirus and…
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Man confesses to serial rape of mentally challenged 14 year old girl
Police in the eastern border province of Buri Ram said today that a man who confessed to raping a 14 year old girl is out on bail and not considered a flight risk. The victim’s family complained that police dragged their feet in the investigation. 65 year old Somchai Kerdpra confessed to police and the media to assaulting the girl,…
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Popular TV co-host forced to quit after insulting students
A boycott by those pushing for democracy led a popular TV personality to quit her job as a Thai news co-host. Activists boycotted her shows after she made a derogatory post on Facebook insulting students and calling them “demon kids.” Ornapa “Ma” Krisadee, a transgender woman, was forced to leave her job as a co-host for a news programme for…
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Prominent dissidents arrested, bailed again
A pair of prominent activists, outspoken lawyer Anon Nampa and Panupong “Mike Rayong” Jodnok, have been granted bail after their arrests Monday for sedition in connection with the Free Youth movement’s protest at Thammasat University, north of Bangkok on August 10. Both have been arrested before. Student activist, Panupong was arrested in the eastern Rayong province while waiting to greet…
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GrabFood hungry for more customers
The lockdown boosted food delivery sales, but GrabFood is still hungry for more customers. They’ve launched a major marketing campaign called “Feed Your Hunger” with discounts and deals to get more people ordering food through the mobile application. The campaign goes from now until October 4. They’re offering free delivery service for those in a 3 kilometre radius. Many of…
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“30 day minimum travel for tourists to Thailand” – False news
“Thailand has announced that foreign tourists will have to stay within the island-country (huh?) for a longer duration starting from October. The announcement was recently made by a government official as the government wants to give a boost to the tourism sector, which is the main source of revenue for the country.” This news has been published in Travel and…
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Thieving Suvarnabhumi cabbie nabbed
A shifty taxi driver made off with a bag that a previous passenger had left on a trolley at Suvarnabhumi airport. CCTV footage shows a man entering an orange cab with several bags but he forgetting a small backpack left dangling on a trolley. After a green and yellow cab arrived its place and some passengers had loaded up their…
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Thai Hotel Association demands international tourists be allowed to return
The Thai Hotel Association is urging the government to re-open the country to international tourists, pointing out that room occupancy is nearly zero and many smaller premises have had no choice but to close. THA chairman, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, says the government must look at ways it can admit tourists from certain countries or cities, using marketing promotions to lure…
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PM Prayut says rewriting Thai constitution has always been on his to-do list
Rewriting Thailand’s constitution is on his to-do list, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says. He told the media yesterday that he has no problem with amending it and it has always been a priority, he’s just had other tasks he’s needed to take care of first. The prime minister’s comments regarding the constitution come after a series of protests where pro-democracy activists…
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Truck driver blames GPS for ending up in klong
A young truck driver in Pathum Thani province, just north of Bangkok blamed his GPS after he and his truck ended up in a klong. 23 year old “Wittiwat”, who was driving a load of sand, told authorities GPS told him to cross a rickety wooden bridge over the Bang Pho canal, so he did… or rather, he tried. Locals…
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Democrats say ‘no’ to submarine proposal
Democrats give a hard “no” to the proposed plan to go ahead with the purchase of 2 submarines from China said to have a price ticket of 22.5 billion baht. They say the money would be better spent on coronavirus relief efforts rather than on new submarines for the Royal Thai Navy, according to the party’s deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi.…
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Thai exports low, expected to improve over time
Thai exports have significantly dropped, but the Thai Ministry of Commerce seems to have high hopes that it will get back on track. With the coronavirus prevention measures easing up and businesses getting back to normal, the ministry says the it is on the “path to recovery.” Thailand’s exports dropped by over 11.37% and imports plummeted by 26.38% when compared…
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I flew home to get a new visa – one person’s experience with the “new normal” in Thailand
Theo, from The Netherlands, flew back from Thailand to arrange a new visa in his home country. When he returned he had to stay in an Alternative State Quarantine hotel in Bangkok. What were his challenges? How much did it all cost? I am from the Netherlands, I am 44 years old, married with my Thai wife for over 5 years…
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