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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Thaiger Radio News – Wednesday
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Government poised to cast tax net over online transactions
As the world continues its relentless move online, and away from traditional retail, governments are having to find new ways to track and tax online transactions. The Thai Revenue Department is poised to cast a wider net over online vendors and other businesses that have been evading taxes. The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is soon to approve amendments to the…
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PM says joining Palang Pracharat “is under consideration”
PHOTO: Asia Times In the first real official hint he may be about to enter the political fray for next year’s Thai general election, the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha admits that the pro-military Palang Pracharat Party would be a choice if he is to jump into politics. Normally shrugging off such questions, he was answering a reporter’s question and said aligning…
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How much should you be paid working in Thailand?
The Thailand Board of Investment has an entire website listing key jobs and the wages that should be expected to be earned in the land of smiles. The webpage also lists years of experiences, penalty rates, public holidays, overtime payments and severance entitlements. So, as a Senior accountant, with five years experience, you should be earning up to 80,000 baht…
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Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday
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December 4 – Thailand’s national day of shame
Today is Thai Environment Day. Today convenience stores, trade stores and shopping malls will refrain from providing single-use plastic bags to shoppers and at the same time will campaign for donation of cloth bags to be distributed to hospitals for containing medicines. Whether any of this actually happens, we will see. The proposed plastic bag-free day is the outcome of…
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Friday meeting to discuss lifting political restrictions
PHOTO: Facebook/prayutofficial The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is set to chair a meeting at the end of this week with representatives of the Election Commission and political parties at the Army Club in Bangkok to discuss issues related to the yet-unconfirmed February 24 election. The meeting expects to lift political restrictions and allow parties to launch election campaigns. Spokeswoman of…
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E-visas available from February 2019. China first country.
The Consular Affairs department is launching a new e-visa service from February 2019. It will initially available in China and then expand to other countries over a period of three years. Kasikornbank Bank is co-operating with the Consular Affairs unit to handle the e-payments, . The service will be available from February 15, 2019 and, initially, for residents of Beijing only.…
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Where do old Thai Airways 747s go?
A Chai Nat local loved the Thai Airways Boeing 747-400 Jumbo jets so much he bought an old one when it came up for auction. OneMileAtATime.com is reporting that Thai Airways is slowly phasing out its fleet of Boeing 747s with 10 still in active service, and a further 10 stored, or for sale. Given there are hundreds of 747s…
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Internet freebies rolled out for Christmas
The government is finalising plans to give more than 11 million low-income Thai citizens free internet SIM cards and other subsidies that will together cost taxpayers billions of baht. The roll out is part of a charm offensive from the ruling NCPO in the lead up to next year’s poll, scheduled for February 24. The Finance Ministry is proposing that…
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Measles outbreak closes Tak school
A school near the Myanmar border in Tak’s Mae Ramat district has been closed indefinitely after local public-health officials discovered 13 students were contagious with measles. Tak is on Thailand’s central west border with Myanmar. Six of the students from the New Road Learning Centre are currently in serious condition in hospital. Most of the school’s students are Burmese children…
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World AIDS Day Thailand: Know your status
The Ministry of Public Health has set a target to resolve AIDS problems by reducing the number of new cases of people infected with HIV to a maximum of 1,000, and the fatality rate of AIDS sufferers to not exceeding 4,000 cases per year by the year 2030. The announcements come on World Aids Day, December 1. Thai PBS reports…
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Five die in Sukhothai car smash
A man has died, along with his boyfriend, parents and aunt after his car crashed into a roadside tree in Sukhothai, central Thailand. Si Satchanalai police were alerted a few minutes after midnight on Saturday morning that the accident happened on the Si Satchanalai-Uttaradit road in Ban Huay Sak village in Tambon Pa Ngiew. 25 year old Saranyu Thanomjit was…
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Influx of Indian tourists expected over the next decade
PHOTO: LookEast Magazine Tourism from India will increase markedly over the next ten years. This prediction from the head of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, Wichit Prakorpkoson. By 2028 he says he expects 10 million Indian visitors each year. About Chinese tourism, the ATTA chief say he expected the numbers to slow from previous trends but there will still be 20…
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Thaiger Radio News – Saturday
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Import of birds and poultry from Russia suspended to avoid bird flu
The Livestock Development Department is imposing a 90 day slowdown of imports into or transit through Thailand of birds and poultry, as well as their carcasses from Russia, Togo and Congo to prevent a possible spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza HPAI H5N1 virus in the country (bird flu). Thai PBS reports that the department’s previous announcement for a…
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Government to give cash handouts to oil palm planters
The National Oil Palm Committee, led by Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, plans to give away 1,500 baht per rai cash handout to 150,000 oil palm planters in a massive subsidy for their production cost. The subsidies arrive with almost perfect timing for the ruling NCPO in the lead up to the national election in February and the rise of the…
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Thaiger Radio News – Friday
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Thai Khon now listed with UNESCO as ‘intangible heritage of humanity’
Thai khon drama, or the ‘masked dance’ drama, is now listed as an ‘intangible heritage of humanity’ by UNESSCO. On the ceremony yesterday, UNESCO also listed Cambodia’s khon drama as an intangible heritage of humanity. Reacting to UNESCO’s decision, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha posted in his Facebook page that he was pleased with the decision and he credited this achievement…
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‘Recognise all citizen’s right to create a family’ – Rainbow Sky Association
by Pratch Rujivanarom. PHOTO: Prasert Thepsri “LGBT activists are calling on the Thai government to recognise all citizen’s right to create a family.” The Nation reports that both the Civil Code’s marriage law and the new Life Partnership Bill are in violation of the Constitution’s gender-equality principle, gender-diversity campaigners asserted as they pressed for full marriage equality rather than a two-tier…
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Dam levels low in some regions – Dry season
PHOTO: Srinagarind Dam, Kanchanaburi The Royal Irrigation Department says there be enough water for domestic consumption this dry season. But they acknowledge that water reserves in many dams around the country are running low. The RID director-general, Thongplew Kongjun, is assuring the public that the country will have enough water for domestic consumption and businesses during this dry season. But…
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Bangkok man killed when pickup hits wild elephant
A Bangkok driver has been killed after his pickup truck appears to have hit a wild elephant on an unlit road in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district. The driver has been identified as 58 year old Nakharin Boonchai. Officials believe the pickup hit a large elephant as the road was dark and the driver could not see the large mammal. His…
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Thaiger Radio News – Thursday
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Education Ministry sets up investigation unit to fight corruption
The Education Ministry is poised set up its own version of a DSI (Department of Special Investigations) style department tasked with investigating corruption amongst education officials. Speaking to provincial education officials and legal affairs officials this week, Education Minister Thirakiart Charoensetthasilp says his ministry planned to form a special team of legal experts, similar to the DSI, to address corruption…
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Arrivals up 20% – visa fee waiver
The Tourism and Sports Ministry is sprouting anecdotal evidence that tourist arrivals are up a massive 20% for the second half of November. This follows the hastily prepared visa-on-arrival fee waivers for 21 countries, introduced on November 15 and intended to run through to January 13 next year. New visitors from India are part of the bounce back in tourist…
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Buffalo smiles end up in tears
by Thanapol Saengthong and Kornkamon Aksorndech Surat Paewkate, the 34 year old Chai Nat farmer who famously made headlines for his unusual friendship with a five year old buffalo called Thong Kham, has been separated from his four-legged best mate yesterday when police took the animal away over allegations that Surat had used this “friendship” to get money from others. Chai…
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Thai Airways – we need more planes
Thai Airways says it’s has lost 10 percent of its market share over the past three years due to a shortfall in available planes. It’s new business plan states that, if the national carrier wants to restore market share it needs at least 125 aircraft, according to Thai Airways president Sumeth Damrongchaitham. The national airline has submitted its business plan…
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Thaiger Radio News – Tuesday
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Tesco Lotus gets rid of single-use plastic bags. For one day.
Tesco Lotus had netizens talking yesterday after the retail giant released plans to abolish plastic bags for shoppers. Except that it was a mistake. It will only be for one day. Khaosod English jumped onto the Tesco media release earlier yesterday with the news that Tesco Lotus were jumping on the no-plastic bandwagon with a major commitment to get rid…
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Prosecutor confident of Premchai poaching case conviction
by Pratch Rujivanarom The prosecutors are confident that alleged wildlife poacher, Premchai Karnasuta and his alleged accomplices, will be found guilty in the black panther poaching case. The Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court begins examining the evidence and witnesses today after weeks of delays. The attorney for the Office of the Public Prosecution Region 7 says that the Thong Pha…
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