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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Bangkok is blooming: Flora Festival takes over several public parks until July
Sunflowers are blossoming in Bangkok. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is organising the Bangkok Flora Festival where flowers will be planted in various parks in the capital from now until July. The first garden is a sunflower field at the Vachitabenjatas Park or Suan Rot Fai Park near the Chatuchak Weekend Market. Over 1.5 acres of Suan Rot Fai Park is…
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Department of traditional medicine says it can treat Long Covid with Thai herbs
Long Covid, the often-debilitating series of symptoms some people are left with even after recovering from Covid-19, can be treated with Thai herbs. So says the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, which is offering treatment to Long Covid sufferers. The Bangkok Post reports that practitioners of traditional and alternative therapies have launched a mobile unit offering Thai herbs…
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CCSA says Test & Go could make a comeback soon – with a few tweaks
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets later today to discuss the fate of the Test & Go entry scheme, along with the potential easing of some restrictions. Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says Test & Go could make a comeback soon, but will involve stricter monitoring of foreign arrivals’ health. The Bangkok Post reports that the scheme could now require…
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Official population of Thailand 66,171,439, lower than previous figures
An announcement formally published in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday stated that the official population of Thailand as of December 31, 2021, is 66,171,439. That figure is a bit under 1% of the world’s population. Of that population, just 973,656 of those people are not Thai nationals while the vast majority, 65,197,783, are native to Thailand. The data of Thailand’s…
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Foreigners vaccinated in Thailand can apply for a digital vaccine passport for free until March 31
Digital vaccine passports through Thailand’s Public Health Ministry are being issued for free until March 31. Both Thai nationals and foreign residents who were inculcated in Thailand can register for the e-Vaccine Passport on the Mor Phrom application. A 13-digit number is needed to register on Mor Phrom. For Thais, this is their Thai ID number. Foreigners who have been…
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Rail to connect Thailand to China delayed 3 years to 2026
With recent plans fast-tracked to build a bridge to connect Thailand to the Chinese-La0 cargo train route, more rail projects are being focused on. But the plan to create high-speed rail service that travels 873 kilometres from Bangkok into China is now slated to begin operations 3 years later than originally planned. The first leg of the high-speed rail, which…
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Alleged Bengal tiger poachers must remove their homes from national park
Yesterday, rangers at Khao Laem national park in Kanchanaburi ordered the removal of four homes, belonging to five people suspected of hunting and killing two endangered Bengal tigers last week. The suspects and their families, or anyone else currently living in the homes, must leave within 30 days. Those who don’t comply will be charged with violating the National Park…
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Man in Phuket threatens new neighbour with 30 gunshots
A new resident was “welcomed” to the neighbourhood in Phuket with a man firing his gun into the area, saying he wasn’t afraid of anyone. The shooter, identified as “Mr. Yut,” allegedly fired his gun and a pump-action shotgun 30 times in the air. The new resident, Wisa Choo, had just moved into the neighbourhood after purchasing a plot of…
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Roadside bomb explodes on road in Deep South province, damages police truck
An improvised bomb exploded on a road in the Chanae District of Narathiwat yesterday, damaging a police pickup truck. The explosion left cracks in the windshield, and fragments of the bomb were scattered. No injuries were reported. Police Captain Yuthachai Rojsirimontree, a Chanae investigator, said the attack happened on the Chanae-Dusongso road at about 3.45pm. Police believe militants detonated the…
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Parents and teachers protest against ATK test and face mask mandates at schools
A group of Thai parents and teachers against mandates for ATK tests and face masks at schools held a protest outside of the Ministry of Education and Public Health yesterday. Many schools and universities in Thailand are back to on-site classes again, but under the Covid-19 prevention measure set by the Public Health Ministry. Every student has been asked to…
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Omicron accounts for 90% of new infections in Thailand
In Thailand, the highly transmissible Omicron variant is quickly overtaking the Delta variant as the primary strain of new Covid-19 infections in the country. The top virologists in the country have revealed that 90% of new infections in Thailand now are of the Omicron variant which is much more contagious than earlier strains but also generally less severe than the…
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British man fined for overstay after being forced into Bangkok quarantine
You take your PCR test after your stay in Thailand, before you return home to the UK. You test positive and are confined in a Bangkok hospital for 10 days. Then, to add insult to injury, you’re fined 4,000 baht for overstaying your visa when you go through immigration… purely because you were confined in hospital. This is the sad…
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Chinese New Year on Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road cancelled again due to Covid-19
Chinese New Year is expected to be celebrated on February 1 to welcome the Year of the Tiger. But with the raising Covid-19 infection rate, especially in Bangkok, the Chinese New Year event on the Yaowarat Road, known as Chinatown, is cancelled again this year. The Royal Jubilee Gate, or Odeon Gate, will still be decorated, and people are allowed…
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Officials considering Sandbox destinations in every region – Health Minister
Along with pushing for the resumption of the Test & Go scheme, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the ministry is discussing adding more Sandbox destinations to have the entry scheme open in every region of Thailand. The ministry will make formal proposals, including lowering the Covid-19 alert level to level 3, at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration general…
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Tourism Ministry pushing for return of Test & Go from February
Thailand’s tourism minister says he’s pushing for the return of the Test & Go entry scheme, potentially as early as next month. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the resumption of the scheme could mean at least 8 million international tourists this year. The CCSA meets tomorrow to discuss easing a number of restrictions and potentially rebooting Test & Go. The Omicron variant…
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Restrictions could be eased, Covid alert lowered after CCSA meeting tomorrow
As infections continue to decline in Thailand, the government meets tomorrow to discuss the easing of a number of restrictions. The CCSA is also expected to lower the country’s Covid alert, from Level 4 to 3. It was raised earlier this month amid concerns over the highly-contagious Omicron variant. The move followed the suspension of the Test & Go entry…
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Thailand’s Commerce Ministry sets up war rooms to combat high prices
In an effort to take legal steps against merchants selling products at unfairly high prices, the Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce Boonyarit Kalayanamit says he will chair war rooms to combat high prices. The secretary stated this yesterday in an urgent meeting with Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit. The director-general of the Internal Trade Department under the Commerce Ministry,…
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Popular “sexpat” blogger Stickboy leaves Thailand over dead nightlife, restrictions
The popular redlight district blogger (and “sexpat”) Stickboy has left Thailand, apparently due to the lack of nightlife over the past two years. Stickboy, whose real name is Mike McKay, has been a long time expat in Thailand. He calls himself a “party animal with hollow legs” and is known for his posts of busty women mixed in with general…
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Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry to propose reopening Test & Go registration by February
It’s no surprise that Thailand’s tourism officials are pushing to reopen registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme. The Tourism and Sports Minister told Thai media that the ministry, along with the Public Health Ministry, will make a proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to resume registration for the entry scheme by February. The minister, Pipat…
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Thai baht rises as officials consider resumption of Test & Go
Thailand saw strength in its currency “baht” today as expectations are high for the relaxing of quarantine for vaccinated visitors under “Test & Go” quarantine exemption scheme. Registration for the entry scheme was closed last month, but the Public Health Ministry is proposing the scheme be reopened again. The Public Health Minister says that if approved by the Centre for…
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More Burmese migrants detained along Thailand’s western border
Police arrested 63 Burmese migrants seeking jobs in Thailand for allegedly crossing the borders into Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts illegally yesterday. Two Thai men were also arrested for allegedly attempting to help smuggle the migrants across the border. One of them was reportedly caught driving 18 migrants in a pickup truck. The police found 12…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 6,397 new cases, provincial totals
18 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,956 with 258 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,397 new Covid-19 cases and 6,637 recoveries. There are now 81,952 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Teenagers arrested for allegedly stealing batteries, steel railings from a train station
Two 19 year olds were arrested and charged for allegedly stealing batteries from trucks who also admitted to stealing stainless steel railings from a train station in Samut Prakan yesterday. Following the warrant issued by the district court, police stopped the motorbike of two suspects on Soi Dan Samrong 24/66 in Muang district’s tambon Samrong Nuea and arrested them at…
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Bangkok field hospitals fill with patients, Prayut urges Thais not to let their guard down
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thais to not lower their guard when it comes to Covid-19, especially the new variant Omicron, and follow the universal measurements strictly, according to a government spokesperson. The reminder came after 2,611 new patients flocked to field hospitals in Bangkok over the weekend. Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the prime minister expressed his concern about…
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Tonga tragedy prompts PM to check if Thailand’s prepared for another tsunami
That reminds me… The recent volcanic eruption on the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai in Tonga has prompted the Thai PM to check Thailand’s preparedness in the event of another tsunami. According to a Nation Thailand report, the PM has instructed relevant agencies to keep an eye on developments in Tonga and to ensure Thailand’s disaster warning system is working. Government spokesperson…
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Thai government to help dropouts return to school
Several government agencies are collaborating on a new initiative to assist children who have dropped out of school to return and complete their education. At the project’s launch ceremony yesterday, Thailand’s Education Minister and heads of related agencies signed a memorandum of understanding for the project. Education ministry records have recorded 238,707 child dropouts in Thailand. Reasons for dropping out…
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A 29 year old man in Pattaya allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death
A 29 year old man in the eastern suburbs of Pattaya City was admitted to a local medical facility on Sunday night after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death before attempting suicide. At around 11pm on the night of the incident, police and emergency responders found the body of a 39 year old woman on the floor with five…
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Tourism ministry to cut budget for tour package subsidy after scheme flops
The government plans to cut the budget for its tour package subsidy scheme, which received a lukewarm reception among Thais. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism & Sports Ministry will also reduce the number of tour packages available from 1 million to 200,000. Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn admits the Tour Teaw Thai scheme hasn’t really had the desired…
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The return of Test & Go? Health Minister to propose entry scheme be restored
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says he’s backing the restoration of the Test & Go entry scheme as concerns about the Omicron variant subside. Test & Go was suspended around 4 weeks ago as the highly-contagious Covid-19 variant spread around the globe. Now, Anutin Charnvirakul says he’ll ask the CCSA to consider bringing it back, as well as easing a number…
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Senior Thai doctor says Covid-19 could lead to long term side effects
A Covid-19 infection could cause long-term side effects in people after they have recovered, including fatigue and cognitive impairment, according to a top doctor at the Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine. The doctor, Thira Woratanarat, analysed over 80 research works of Covid survivors. These long-term side effects, known as “long Covid,” can even impact people who were never hospitalised for…
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