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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Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Ethnic group in Southern province complains losing residence due to tourism
Representatives of the Mani ethnic group in the Southern province of Satun in Thailand have handed a letter to the authorities complaining that they would lose their residence and couldn’t access a better quality of life due to the local tourism industry. The representatives told the authorities they didn’t even have a right to replace a thatched roof with a…
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Bangkok to open 9 community isolation centres with 970 beds for mild patients
Authorities from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration visited the new community isolation centre in the Thawee Wattana district of Bangkok. They were checking the centre before it officially opens. Nine more isolation centres will open, and are expected to offer 970 beds for Covid-19 patients in Thailand’s capital. The authorities also said the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre improved its contact system to…
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Thai actress missing after falling off a Chao Phraya speedboat
A Thai actress, who goes by the name Tangmo (water melon), fell from a speedboat into the Chao Phraya River near Rama VII Bridge last night. Authorities are still searching for her body. The speedboat had five others who were travelling with her. She fell in at around 10 pm, in Nonthaburi’s Muang district, just north of Bangkok. She was…
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Public health secretary says “drugs are not snacks, no Favipiravir given if not necessary”
Previously, the Public Health Ministry had decided to provide the anti-viral drug Favipiravir to more groups of Covid-19 patients, including patients who had only mild symptoms or no symptoms. However, the ministry secretary told Thai media yesterday that the direction has changed, and Favipiravir will be given to Covid-19 patients “only if necessary”. The authorities also warned of side effects…
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Indian mafia member arrested in Pattaya, confirmed no links to Phuket murder
An Indian mafia member was arrested in Pattaya after a red Interpol notice. He was allegedly involved in robbery, murder, human trafficking, ransom and money laundering in India. But Thai police have already confirmed that there is no links between the arrested man and the ‘hit job’ on Indian citizen Jimi “Slice” Sandhu on February 4. The Pattaya suspect reportedly…
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CCSA says no travel restrictions over Songkran this year, but no parties either
Even though it’s still 7 weeks away, the Thai government is taking the front foot on the forthcoming Songkran “new year” celebrations. The CCSA will meet next week to discuss potential disease prevention measures for the big Songkran holiday. However, it says it will not impose travel restrictions to prevent Thais from heading home for the annual commemoration. Supot Malaniyom,…
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Pro-democracy activist Parit granted bail after proving he has to sit university exams
Pro-democracy protest leader, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, has been freed on 3 months’ bail after proving to the Bangkok South Criminal Court that he needs to sit final university exams. The court had refused to grant bail until the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University issued Parit with a certificate to prove his status. Thai PBS World reports that bail…
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Thailand’s health ministry wants to declare Covid-19 endemic within 4 months
Thailand’s health ministry wants to declare Covid 19 as endemic in the next 4 months, according to a Bangkok Post report. Senior ministry official Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the Omicron variant has resulted in a much lower fatality rate than in previous waves and while lung infections are increasing, cases of severe illness are still lower than earlier waves of the…
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Pattaya Music Festival postponed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases
Next month’s Pattaya Music Festival 2022 is being postponed due to the surge in Covid-19 cases which hit 1,250 new infections in Chon Buri today. With the recent decision to hold off the music festival, some are worried authorities may also yet again cancel April’s Songkran festival, the massive water fight celebrating the Thai New Year. Pattaya Music Festival was…
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Trang residents with Covid complain of lack of food in government’s aid packages
A number of locals in the southern province Trang say provincial authorities have skimped on the aid packages for those in home isolation while they recover from Covid-19. During the 10-day mandatory time in self-quarantine, the residents say authorities have only been giving them instant noodles, canned fish, and rice… not the three meals a day they say they were…
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7 men arrested for allegedly posing as monks, asking for cash donations
Seven men are accused of posing as monks to scam residents in the eastern province Rayong by asking for cash donations. Reports say police found the men carrying fake monk identification cards. The seven “monks” were seen as unconventional as they refused to accept food and other offerings, and only accepted money. A local monk then reported them to the…
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Thursday Covid Update: 23,557 new cases; provincial totals
38 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,768 with 1,070 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,557 new Covid-19 cases and 16,131 recoveries. There are now 180,993 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Teenager reports sexual assault at co-ed isolation centre for Covid-19 patients
A teenager staying in a community isolation centre while recovering from Covid-19 says she was sexually assaulted by a young man staying in the same room, adding that there were no authorities monitoring the patients. Many of Thailand’s field hospitals and isolation centres have numerous beds made from cardboard boxes all in one large room, like a gymnasium. The 15…
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Universal coverage scheme has spent over 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment
Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients has spent more than 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment over the past two years. In 2020, the government spent 3.8 billion for treatments, and that number spiked to 97.7 billion last year. This year, the total treatment cost has been 32.4 billion baht. For patients with mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,…
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Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists
Bail applications from anti-government activists Anon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak have been rejected by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The decision follows an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court that granted bail of 2,079,000 baht in relation to other charges. The pro-democracy Ratsadon group did not have sufficient funds to pay the requested amount and launched an online crowdfunding…
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Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action
A bill awaiting senate approval that criminalises torture and forced disappearances could help parents and partners of missing Thai activists take legal action. Those convicted of political disappearances and torture cases involving death could be imprisoned between 15 and 30 years. After it had been delayed for decades, lawmakers in the house of representatives unanimously passed draft laws on Wednesday.…
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Anutin says reduced Test & Go insurance requirements enough to cover Covid costs
Following the CCSA’s decision yesterday to lower the insurance coverage required of overseas arrivals, the health minister says the new figure is enough to cover Covid treatment. The mandatory insurance coverage required to enter Thailand will be reduced from US$50,000 to US$20,000 from March 1. Anutin Charnvirakul says the amount was lowered in order to reduce the costs of travelling…
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Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced
Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars. Now, Phuket officials have launched new plans to…
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Thailand Test & Go update: No more Day 5 pre-paid hotel or PCR test
From the start of March, the requirement for the 2nd pre-paid PCR test on Day 5 after your arrival in Thailand will be dropped. But it will instead be replaced with a rapid antigen test you can take yourself (freely and cheaply available at any convenience store). In addition, the required ‘Covid’ insurance will be reduced from $50,000 to $20,000.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 21,232 new infections, provincial totals
39 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,730 with 1,032 of those fatalities since the start of this year, mostly related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,232 new Covid infections and 16,662 recoveries. There are now…
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Covid-19 patients found on Bangkok streets waiting for treatment after cases spike
Today, Thailand’s CCSA reported new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours have reached 21,232 with 39 Covid-related deaths. Thai media and volunteer groups are also reporting that the availability of beds is “at a crisis point”. Photos of patients being left to wait for treatment on the street or on temple grounds are also being shared around social media.…
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Tourists complain of more scams at a free public carpark at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier
Residents and Thai tourists are again complaining to Pattaya authorities saying that they were charged a parking fee at a ‘free’ public carpark at the Bali Hai Pier. The residents report there was a group of people around the carpark and demanding a fee of 300 baht per day from the drivers. Many tourists, both Thais and foreigners, weren’t aware…
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Thailand’s businesses appeal to government to lower labour import cost
Thai businesses say they need more workers, and have appealed to the Labour Ministry to reduce costs of importing migrant workers from surrounding countries like Myanmar and Cambodia. Labour ministers said business operators are concerned that if not enough workers are brought in on time, their businesses won’t be able to meet orders and will have to pay fines. PM…
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Officials to review Test & Go requirements at CCSA meeting today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to review the country’s entry requirements, with a decision expected on whether to ditch the day 5 PCR test. Under Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme, overseas arrivals are required to take 2 PCR tests, despite already having a negative test result prior to departure from their home country. The first test is…
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Tourism businesses respond angrily to Covid alert being increased to Level 4
Thailand’s tourism operators have slammed the government’s decision to raise the Covid-19 alert to Level 4, accusing officials of damaging domestic travel sentiment. They say people should be allowed to move to “living with the virus” instead of being discouraged from travel and taking a backward step in Thailand’s recovery. Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand says the…
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Public Health Ministry assures government will continue to cover covid treatment costs — for critical cases
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul assured Thai citizens that their Covid-related costs will continue to be covered after planned changes to the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme — or UCEP — takes effect in March. He also dispelled rumours that the existing scheme would be abandoned altogether, reaffirming that citizens infected with…
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Overpriced mangosteens in Phuket go viral on Tiktok – how much per kilo!?
A Thai TikToker has shared a video of a street vendor in Phuket selling mangosteens at the rather steep price of 500 baht per kilogram, considered too expensive for Thai people (or anyone for that matter). The Tiktoker said she didn’t mean to offend the seller by claiming that the price was ridiculously high, but merely sought out other people’s…
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Monks host funeral for scarecrow named ‘Covid’ to ward off disease
Well, anything is worth a try at this stage! Monks at a temple in the central Thai province of Suphan Buri have hosted the funeral for a scarecrow, which was named “Mr. Covid Omicron”. Thai locals believed this ceremony could help ward off evil, which is Covid-19 in this case. Residents were scared and worried about the spread of Covid-19…
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Top 5 pool villas in Phuket recommended by CBRE
Sponsored Article Whether you’re looking at Phuket for a permanent home, a vacation villa, or an investment opportunity, we have a range of properties that tick all the boxes necessary for enjoying a luxury lifestyle on the island. In addition to being visually stunning, these pool villas are situated within compounds with solid security, as well as being close to…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,363 new infections, provincial totals
35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,691 with 993 of those fatalities since the start of this year. The CCSA has recorded 18,363 new Covid infections and 15,651 recoveries. There are now 169,074 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today, 31…
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