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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Education Ministry to reduce classroom time as part of “system upgrade”
Thailand’s Education Ministry says it plans to reduce the amount of time students have to spend in the classroom, in favour of more personal learning time. The initiative is part of a wider upgrade to the country’s education system and is expected to be implemented next year. 2020 has been a year of student-led protests, with Thailand’s youth railing against…
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COVID UPDATE: Bangkok bans, Anutin quarantined, another patient dies | VIDEO
A video summary of the current situation, today, as The Thaiger continues to keep you up to date with all the latest news about the current Covid-19 outbreak. The BMA’s order includes… bars with hostesses, horse racing tracks, cock-fighting arenas and massage parlours. But pubs and restaurants can stay open as long as they serve only food and drinks, and…
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Government launches seasonal road safety campaign ahead of New Year holiday
It’s that time of year again… The Thai government has launched its road safety and accident reduction centre, part of its annual road safety campaign for the “7 days of danger” over the New Year holiday. The campaign will run from today until January 4, in an attempt to reduce the carnage as holidaymakers take to the roads. The numbers choosing…
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Domestic tourism subsidy extended, 200,000 rooms booked in first 12 hours
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says an extension to the domestic tourism stimulus campaign has led to 200,000 hotel room bookings within the first 12 hours. TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, says average bookings before the extension were around 50,000 – 60,000 a day. Transactions under the scheme are now being closely monitored, following the discovery of fraudulent bookings during the…
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Thailand News Today | Rayong cluster, Samut Sakhon Gov Covid+, flights ‘quiet’ | Dec 28
The CCSA has reported 144 new Covid-19 infections today – 115 local infections, 14 migrant workers and 15 quarantined arrivals. The total number of cases in Thailand, since February is 6,285. 2,045 people are currently receiving medical treatment in Thailand for the coronavirus. The local infections are all linked to the cluster in Samut Sakhon 10 days ago. The current…
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Police raid factory, arrest man and detain 11 migrant workers
After announcing a crackdown on labour traffickers, police arrested a Chinese man who allegedly illegally operated a rubber glove factory and employed undocumented migrants. After a spike in Covid-19 cases involving more than 1,000 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, many who worked in the Mahachai area fishing hub, police said they would investigate migrant trafficking and make major arrests. Before…
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Murder-suicide at Songkhla Zoo linked to missing rare animal investigation
Investigators say the apparent murder-suicide at the Songkhla Zoo is related to the case of the missing rare deer and claims of illegal wildlife trade. Back in October, the zoo’s senior veterinarian shot and killed a top official from the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand before killing himself at his living quarters at the Southern Thailand zoo. The organisation’s director-general,…
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Private hospital in Bangkok told to take down vaccine pre-order ads
Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support is demanding a private hospital in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district to remove advertising for people to pre-order their Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccines they were advertising were from the US biotech firm Moderna. While the Moderna vaccine is now approved by food and drug authorities in Canada and the US, the vaccine still needs approval from…
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Red Bull heir ‘Boss’ has 6 more years until legally free of charges
At the start of the new year, Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya will have 6 more years until he is free from being formerly charged over a hit and run case, involving the death of a police officer, that took place in 2012. The current statute of limitations for reckless driving causing death, one of the charges against Boss,…
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Pro-democracy movement making little headway… monarchy’s powers remain untouched
The cost of pushing for change in 2020 by Thailand’s pro-democracy movement is still being splashed all over the news after more than 55 protesters sustained injuries at rally sites, mostly minor. And, as the year comes to an end, protest leaders say they are taking a break, only to come back stronger in 2021. But some question whether the…
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Covid-19 cases in Thailand on Sunday, December 27
“…provincial governors can now decide if a Covid-19 lockdown must be imposed.” A total of 6,141 people have now been infected in Thailand. Today (Sunday, December 27) the CCSA has announced there was 121 new cases of Covid-19, (+9 imported cases & +112 local cases). 18 of the new local cases are migrant workers. 4,161 people have now been discharged from…
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More pandemics to come if we don’t prepare for the future – WHO Chief
Today marks the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, and to some, such a day recognising the importance of thinking ahead, is long overdue. The WHO chief is warning that if preparations aren’t made for the future, more pandemics that rival Covid-19 will follow. Exactly 12 months today a number of mysterious respiratory cases presented at a hospital in Wuhan.…
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TAT launch new Alternative State Quarantine “one stop shop” in Thailand
The TAT have launched a new “one stop” shop for quarantine (Alternative State Quarantine) bookings in Thailand. The new website is designed to be a single place for booking quarantine hotels during the time when arrival in Thailand is welcomed with a mandatory 14 day stay (which seems to end up as 15 days in many cases) in a government-qualified…
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Covid-19 cluster confirmed following Koh Lanta “big bike” event
A “big bike” party on Koh Lanta, in the southern province of Krabi, has resulted in a cluster of Covid-19 infections, according to officials from the Department of Disease Control. The DDC says there are currently around 10 confirmed cases and 129 people considered “at risk”. The outbreak is linked to a patient who travelled to Koh Lanta from the…
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Thai government plans to amend business, immigration rules, for foreign investors
Foreign investors in Thailand have long decried the onerous, complex, and sometimes downright baffling, bureaucracy that comes with doing business in the Land of Smiles. And it appears officials in Bangkok are finally sitting up and taking notice. Nation Thailand reports that, in an effort to stimulate the ailing economy, the government plans to make some changes to the regulations…
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Minister’s insistence Thailand’s moon mission will go ahead sparks social media debate
Debate is raging on social media following a claim from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, that Thailand’s plan to orbit the Moon is going ahead. Anek Laothamatas adds that it will be “mission accomplished” within the next 7 years, costing, “only 3 billion baht”. A report in the Bangkok Post says that, according to Anek, Thailand…
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Thai government promises more long weekends in 2021, travel bubbles after April
In a bid to further boost domestic tourism, the Thai government plans to create more holidays in 2021, as well as introducing travel bubbles after April. The Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, says every month in the coming year could have a long weekend, as homegrown tourists continue to be the main focus for at least the first quarter…
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The etiquette of gift-giving in Thailand
During this festive period, whether to mark Christmas or the start of a new – and hopefully brighter – year, you may want to offer a gift to your Thai friends. Alternatively, it may be the birthday of a Thai friend, or you may have been invited to their home. What are the rules? Below is a short guide to…
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Total of 81 new Thai Covid infections in past 24 hours, including from Samut Sakhon
Thailand’s CCSA has reported 81 new Covid-19 infection – 37 are local Thais, 35 are migrant workers and 9 that were detected in quarantine after arriving from outside the country. The total in Thailand is now 5,910, 1,613 new infections detected in the past 7 days. The 9 quarantined arrival cases are from the US, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Myanmar and the…
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A very merry Christmas from The Thaiger team
Caitlin, Champ, Earth, Jett, May, Austin, Tim and Mike would like to wish every single one of our readers a heartfelt Merry Christmas. Whilst the challenges of 2020 have brought grief, confusion and sadness to many, it’s also reminded us about the importance of family and friendships. It’s also been a year of change for us too… we’re all in…
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Christmas stories are a little different in Bangkok’s slums
Christmas stories are a little different in Bangkok’s slums. One legend has it that Mary and Joseph didn’t make it to Bethlehem and Jesus was born under the local railroad bridge in Bangkok. Father Joe Maier knows quite a few stories told a little differently than the ones written in the Bible. The American priest has run the Mercy Centre…
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“Santa Claus of Rayong” rides motorbike through Northern Thailand
Instead of eagerly listening for sleigh bells on Christmas night, children in rural Northern Thailand are keeping an ear out for an engine hum from a motorbike driven by the local legend “Santa Claus of Rayong.” Thailand’s Old Saint Nicholas goes from Rayong to northern provinces every December, driving his motorbike piled high with toys and handing gifts out to…
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Merry Christmas, Thai style
Technically, Christmas is not celebrated in Thailand. The April holiday of Songkran, or Thai New Year, is probably the closest equivalent, when families come together in a celebration centered around Buddhist practices. But December 25 is not a public holiday, and in most cases, the only time you’d find a Thai having Christmas Day off, would be if it happened…
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Thailand News Today | No national lockdown, Bangkok schools closed, Abortion Bill | Dec 24
On behalf of the entire Thaiger team, Merry Christmas to all our readers and viewers. We really appreciate your support. May you have a few laughs and hugs tomorrow. • Despite a record high in new Covid-19 cases, the Thai government has not imposed any national lockdowns. Provinces are now classified on a colour-scale depending on their current level of…
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Man arrested for allegedly taking videos under students’ skirts
Police arrested a Thai man who allegedly snuck around universities and schools, secretly recording videos under students’ skirts, then posting the footage on Facebook. Allegedly, the 28 year old man, named by police as ‘Pathompong’, recorded over 1,000 videos. The videos had thousands of views on Facebook, and police say it led others to discuss online about how to secretly…
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House passes historic bill allowing first trimester abortion
In a historic decision, the Thai House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. Abortion is currently illegal under Thailand’s Criminal Code unless under certain circumstances, such as if the abortion is necessary due to health reasons or if the woman was a victim of rape. Under the bill, which was sponsored…
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PM to host Covid task force meeting as officials say no plans for national lockdown
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will host a special meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today, to debate potential additional disease prevention measures. Having seemingly gone months without a case of community transmission, Thailand finds itself in the grip of a sudden Covid-19 outbreak, linked to illegal migrants. Officials are currently insisting there is no talk of a nationwide lockdown,…
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Officials say no evidence of hoarding, price hikes, among face mask retailers
As demand for face masks spikes amid a new Covid-19 outbreak in the Kingdom, the Commerce Ministry has conducted checks on pharmacies and other retailers to ensure pricing is fair and there is no hoarding of supplies. Permanent secretary Boonyarit Kalayanamit says officials carried out spot-checks on 573 retailers yesterday and found no evidence of any wrongdoing. Masks are being…
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Thai police to crackdown on labour traffickers
Thai Police are shifting their focus from illegal migrants to labour traffickers, saying they plan to make major arrests after enough evidence is gathered. Fingers have been pointing at the Burmese migrant community after hundreds of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon tested positive for the virus. Since neighbouring Myanmar reported a rise in Covid-19 cases back in September, border patrol…
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Ayutthaya elephants “Santas” add a face mask to their Christmas costume
Each year, elephants dress up in Santa Claus costumes to spread Christmas cheer to children at a school in Ayutthaya. This year is a little different. Not only were all the students wearing a face mask, so were the elephants. Using their trunks, the 4 elephants also carried baskets of face masks to hand out to the students at the…
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