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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Thai Airways’ pilot under investigation for botched landing at Frankfurt
A Thai Airways International pilot, flying for Thailand’s national flag carrier, is currently being investigated by Germany’s BFU (Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung), the country’s civil aviation investigators, for flying a Thai Airways plane below the standard altitude as the flight he was piloting, was approaching Frankfurt International Airport. The flight had originated in Phuket. The incident has been related through the…
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Former head of the National Office of Buddhism has assets valued at nearly 600 million baht
Nice work if you can get it. Except you’re working for the National Office of Buddhism. Now the former director of the National Office of Buddhism, Nopparat Benjawattananant, has been pointed out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for being “unusually wealthy”, having “suspiciously” amassed assets worth about 575 million baht during his four year tenure. NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon says that…
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Thai teacher caught on video striking a student in Sa Kaew
A teacher in Thailand’s east has been caught on video flogging a student whilst screaming invectives at the young girl. The girl was struck at least three times, although the video appears to have started during the midst of the punishment. The video was posted on the Education For Liberation of Siam Facebook page. The school has been identified as…
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61 year old Chinese tourist being treated for new coronavirus in Thailand
A 61 year old Chinese tourist, found to be infected with the new strain of coronavirus dubbed “Wuhan or Chinese pneumonia” when she arrived in Thailand last week, is being treated in hospital and is expected to be discharged in a few days. This is from the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The woman is recovering at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases…
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New upper and lower highway speed limits to be introduced
Motorists using the right lane of any Thai highway or motorway, with more than four lanes of traffic, and drive slower than 90 kilometres per hour, will face charges in the future. A proposal to raise the speed limit to 120 kilometres per hour is also being considered. The new regulations are expected to be ready by next month. The…
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New rules for Royal road motorcades around Thailand
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has expressed concern about the motorcades of Royal Family members inconveniencing public road users. Around Thailand, when a member of the Royal Family travels by road, the roads are routinely closed off and hundreds of police stationed along the well-planned route to hold off traffic until the motorcade has passed through. Now HM The King…
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Court rejects Premchai’s request to remove electronic monitoring ankle bracelet
Premchai Karnasuta, the fallen business tycoon who was sentenced last year over a case of hunting and killing protected species in a Kanchanaburi national park, has been trying to get his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet removed by the court. But the Thong Phaphum provincial court today rejected Premchai’s application for the removal of his electronic ankle bracelet. The request was…
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Drought prompts Tesco Lotus to increase bottled water production
Tesco Lotus, the Thai division of Britain’s biggest retailer, is boosting bottled water production to help customers cope with drought. The chain says it will increase production of its own branded bottled water and also increase orders of other brands to sell at its branches nationwide, in response to this year’s drought and water shortages, which is predicted to be the…
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Thailand’s top cop embroiled in the Surachat car-shooting case – Audio clip released
“Stay away from Big Joke shooting.” A leaked phone conversation reveals Thailand’s senior police chief instructing a deputy to distance himself from the Surachat drive-by shooting case. Former Immigration Chief Pol Lt Gen Surachat Hakparn’s white Lexus SUV was shot at eight times in a Patpong soi in Bangkok on Monday night. There was no one n the car at the…
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Former immigration supremo says gunshots linked to airport biometrics project
“There’s only one motive” – Surachat Hakparn The former Thai immigration police chief Surachat Hakparn, aka.”Big Joke”, denies that the incident, where gunshots were fired into his car on Monday, was a staged stunt. But he has addressed a media scrum speculating the incident is linked to the Immigration Bureau’s controversial procurement procedures for its biometrics and smart car projects.…
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Cabinet threatens to open up fishing labour to migrant workers
Fisherman from 22 of Thailand’s 76 provinces are demanding the government solve the labour problem in the fisheries’ industry. The government, in turn, is threatening to invoke Article 83 of the Royal Ordinance on Fisheries, which would essentially allow immigrant labour in the sector. The relevant committee in the House proposes opening two registration periods for migrant workers, the first from…
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“Dr. Ganja” is helping promote medical marijuana in Thailand
The Thai health ministry has come up with a plush toy character to encourage children to better understand Thailand’s current stance on marijuana and cannabis, now championed by the Health Minister as a new agricultural industry in Thailand. Yes, that’s a photo of the Thai PM holding a toy Dr Ganja doll which will be used to promote marijuana and…
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Two out of three CEOs say the 2020 Thai economy will not improve – Survey
Many CEOs, based in Thailand, don’t expect Thailand’s economy to improve during 2020. Many surveyed cited global economic uncertainties, according to the “CEO Survey” of 100 individuals. The survey was conducted by Krungthep Thurakit newspaper a month ago. Around 68.4% of the respondents didn’t expect the economy to improve this year, while 31.6% were saying that the economy would fare…
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Thai PM Prayut’s father has died
It is with great sadness that The Thaiger announces the death of Colonel Prapat Chan-o-cha, the father of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Col. Prapat was being treated at Sriraj Hospital after a stroke. He was 97. A source close to the family said Prapat had shown symptoms of dementia for some time. He was pronounced dead shortly after 11:20. There…
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PM empowers embassy to evacuate Thais from Iran
The Thai PM, who also acts as the defence minister, has given Royal Thai Embassy officials in Iran the authority to evacuate Thai citizens if it becomes necessary due to rising tensions in the region. This follows the US airstrike that killed a revered Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani last week. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs…
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PM tells Thais to “stop bickering” and “build the country”
PHOTO: VOA With his approval rating dropping and facing a parliamentary reprimand, and with a massive demonstration calling for his removal planned for January 12, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging all Thais to put aside political differences and “stop bickering and spreading hatred.” “Make use of the mechanism of democracy to help build the country.” In an impromptu speech…
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Nearly 2 million Thai travellers head overseas for new year break
Nearly 2 million Thais travelled internationally for this year’s New Year celebrations. That’s a 3.9% increase over the previous year. Thai overseas travellers totalled 1,944,220 people. And although up 3.9% on outbound traffic the year before, it was 2.2% below estimates. Domestic travel between provinces totalled 4,298,626 people. That was down 6.4% from last year and 8% below estimates. Finally, travel within…
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Viral pneumonia outbreak in China prompts airport checkpoints for Thai-bound passengers
A viral pneumonia outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is causing concern across the region. At least 59 patients there have been placed under observation so far. As a precaution, Airports of Thailand has set up checkpoints at four of Thailand’s airports to measure body temperature as passengers deplane and filter out suspected carriers before they reach immigration.…
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Thai PM will head new drought command centre
Cabinet is expected to approve the establishment of a special command centre along with associated budget to tackle Thailand’s looming drought; expected to be the worst in four decades. The hot season is now well underway and is expected to continue until mid April. Narumon Pinyosinwat, a government spokesperson, says the “command centre” will be headed by Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha…
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Opposition’s gains foreshadow more government conflict – Poll
A new survey by Super Poll shows support for the current administration (the Palang Pracharat-led coalition) at 34% and support for the opposition parties at 36.6%. Super Poll’s CEO Noppadon Kannika says that increasing popularity of the opposition could indicate a looming showdown. The poll indicates the number of “politically silent” government supporters has decreased significantly, from 56.1% in April to…
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AOT sets up checkpoints to check passengers from Wuhan, China for virus
“Passengers with any suspicious symptoms detected during the initial screenings after landing will be quarantined for medical examinations.” Airports of Thailand says they are monitoring a the detection of some cases of viral pneumonia from Wuhan flights coming out of China. They say that six airports are now ready to cope with the situation by setting up international communicable diseases…
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Online app will enable volunteers to monitor Thailand’s ‘hazardous’ farm chemicals
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control and mobile phone service providers AIS are launching an online application to enable health volunteers and officials to monitor farmers’ use of the hazardous herbicide paraquat, and pesticides glyphosate and chlorpyrifos. In November, the National Hazardous Substances Committee cancelled a December 1 ban on glyphosate and delayed the enforcement of the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos…
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Thailand charges towards an electric car future, with a few speed bumps
Thailand has the biggest automotive industry in Southeast Asia and the 12th largest in the world. Most of those coming out of Thai factories, well just about all really, are standard internal combustion engines with a few ‘hybrid’ models sprinkled in there as well. The hybrids include electric motors and charging systems which saves fuel and load on the petrol engines. But there…
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Thai water officials warn local authorities to get ready for shortages
The Office of the National Water Resources is warning that water stored in the country’s large and medium size dams is now dropping to the minimum useable level, urging measures from local agencies to ease the impact on the public. This warning goes out with another three months of dry season hanging over Thailand’s head. The annual ‘wet season’ kicks…
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This year’s new year road toll in Thailand 20% lower than last year
This year’s Thai New Year holiday road toll has dropped 20%, compared to the same 7 days last year. In fact it’s the lowest level since 2015. But 373 people still lost their life over the “seven days of danger”, that encompassed the new year traffic and days before and after, as people returned to work. The “seven days of…
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Retiring in Thailand, most of the things you need to know
Please note: The information in this document is provided as a guide only. You should always check the latest information with a Thai Immigration official or professional visa agent. Thailand remains a popular world location for retirees – the beaches, climate, access to good medical care and great food. There may be a few more potholes in the roads and…
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Thai PM on the defensive before the censure debate even begins
“A soothsayer is always a soothsayer, but that does not mean I am insulting their predictions. I respect opinions based on astrology.” Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is warning the opposition parties not to censure the performance of his previous administration (the NCPO) and to concentrate on the current government, which has been operating for nearly five months. He reminded critics…
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Starbucks Thailand introduces paper straws from next Monday
The Thai operators of Starbucks Coffee says it will provide paper straws to customers at all stores across Thailand starting next Monday, January 6. The announcement is most likely in response to the national mood to reduce usage of single-use plastic items although the local Starbucks franchise say the announcement has been in the pipeline for the past year. Starbucks…
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31 Thai provinces bracing for “severe drought”
The drought situation across nearly half of Thailand is about to get worse. The water levels in the Mekong River is at its lowest level since 1992 and the Provincial Waterworks Authority is warning 31 provinces to prepare for severe drought this year. Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha is expressing concern over the situation and instructed officials to distribute water to…
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Ex-PM Thaksin reunites with daughter on New Year’s Eve
Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who’s been in self-imposed exile since being ousted in a 2006 coup, has appeared in a photo with his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on her Facebook page on New Year’s Eve. The accompanying message said that she is again celebrating New Year with her father abroad and that she misses her mother, siblings and three…
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