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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Emergency Decree extended until January 31
The Emergency Decree has been extended until January 31, giving the Thai government sweeping powers to impose measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to extend the decree due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. The decree was imposed at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and…
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Thai police suspect fugitive Red Bull heir is living in Austria
The fugitive Red Bull heir who is wanted by Thai police for the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case is claimed to now be in Austria. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is wanted for speeding his Ferrari in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and running over a police officer, dragging his body several dozen metres, killing him. Boss managed to evade justice and fled the country…
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CCSA revises zoning: No more “dark red” zones with nightly curfews
No provinces will be under a mandated nightly curfew starting December 1. The CCSA approved new zoning today, reclassifying several provinces on its colour-coded zoning scale based on Covid-19 infection rates and reopening measures. Under the revised zoning, there are no provinces classified as “dark red” with stay-at-home orders. Kanchanaburi, Nonthaburi, and Pathum Thani were reclassified as “blue zones,” or…
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Soi Dog Foundation sends over 100 tonnes of dog and cat food for flood relief
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. Soi Dog Foundation’s ongoing relief effort for dogs and cats affected by the recent flooding in Central Thailand has seen the amount of food delivered to desperate dogs and cats exceed a whopping 100 tonnes. Following the initial distribution in late September of 64 tonnes of food to flood-affected…
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Transport Ministry says Thai land bridge will become transit port to rival Hong Kong
The transport minister is feeling optimistic about a new land bridge development which will connect the southern provinces of Ranong and Chumphon. The Bangkok Post reports that the project will link Chumphon, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, to Ranong, on the Andaman Sea. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says the result will be a transit port with…
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Thailand entry may be simplified by switching to antigen test
At the CCSA meeting on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health will propose easing entry requirements by replacing RT-PCR tests with a much cheaper and faster antigen test. Health authorities report that Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul will propose the revision at Friday’s meeting to be enacted from December on. The simplifying of the required Covid-19 test is part…
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Thailand signs procurement deal for 50,000 courses of Molnupiravir Covid pill
Thailand has signed a 500 million baht deal to purchase 50,000 treatment courses of the new Covid-19 drug, Molnupiravir. According to a Thai PBS World report, the Medical Services Department signed the deal yesterday, with Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul present to witness it. A course of treatment is made up of 40 x 200mg capsules. A patient will need to…
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Travel agents call for tourism fee to be postponed until industry recovers
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to postpone the implementation of a new tourism fee until the sector has fully recovered. Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn says Thailand has averaged around 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per day, since re-opening on November 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says confidence is low ahead of the coming high…
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Sexy street vendor’s sales spike after busty shirt goes viral
When photos and videos of the “sexy street vendor” went viral, the 24 year old Chiang Mai woman says her orders for the Thai pancakes, known as “khanom Tokyo,” multiplied… just by showing some cleavage. (This was a top story on The Thaiger yesterday. So, we’re doing a follow up, you know, for the readers.) The vendor, known as Olive,…
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MBC Club Ponzi scheme busted, 1,000 victims lost 1 billion baht
A scam company called MBC Club was busted by national police for running a Ponzi scheme with thousands of victims that caused 1 billion baht in damages. The scheme claimed to be earning huge profits from Foreign Exchange Market trading while duping people out of their money. The Royal Thai Police Deputy Commissioner-General announced the bust and arrest of a…
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Pattaya Music Festival attendees urged to get tested for Covid after positive cases
Those who attended the Pattaya Music Festival on November 12 and 13 are urged to get tested for Covid-19 after several people who went to the festival later tested positive for the virus. While the festival ran under Covid-19 prevention measures, with the audience seated to ensure social distancing, the government spokesperson says many people outside of the event area…
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Health Minister concerned that once bars reopen, they could be Covid “hotspots”
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says he’s concerned that places that serve alcohol could become Covid-19 “hotspots” as people who are intoxicated are less likely to follow disease control measures. Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says bars and restaurants serving beer and cocktails should strictly follow Covid Free Setting guidelines, which includes vaccinating staff and requiring customers show either proof of vaccination or…
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Pattaya Fireworks Festival starts tomorrow under strict Covid-19 prevention measures
Looking for a weekend trip to escape from the bustling city of Bangkok? The Pattaya International Fireworks Festival 2021 is set to run from tomorrow until Saturday from 4pm to midnight at Pattaya Central Beach. Mayor Sonthaya Khunplome says those entering the main event area close to the stage will need to show proof that they have received two doses…
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Over 4,000 healthcare workers in Thailand infected during Covid-19 pandemic
The Department of Disease Control says up to 4,270 Thai healthcare workers have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in February 2020. According to a Thai PBS World report, 198 are doctors and 34 are medical students. Dr. Sumanee Wacharasint from the DDC says the remainder are nurses, assistant nurses, public health academics, health volunteers, housekeepers, laboratory technicians,…
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PM digs in his heels, says he won’t quit while the country needs him
The Thai PM says he’s not going anywhere and will remain in position at least until next year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which Thailand is hosting. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to questions from reporters about the remainder of his 4-year term, which ends in March 2023. He says as long as the country needs…
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Blackpink’s Lisa tests positive for Covid-19
A Thai-born Lisa Manoban of the K-pop girl group “Blackpink” has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to reports. A South Korean news outlet Daum said Lisa was diagnosed with the coronavirus today, and her management YG Entertainment was awaiting the results of RT-CPR tests performed on three other members of the group. BLACKPINK YG Thailand, a Facebook page founded by…
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60 more Burmese nationals arrested for illegal crossing of Thai border
A total of 60 Burmese nationals in three groups were detained yesterday after they reportedly crossed the Thailand border illegally through Muang and Sangkhla Buri districts, according to the police. In the morning, nine men and four women from Myanmar’s Dawei, Magway, Yangon, and Bago provinces, were arrested near Moo 15 village in tambon Ban Kao, who claimed to pay …
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Man arrested after allegedly robbing gold shop, threatening employees with hammer
A man was arrested after he allegedly robbed a gold shop in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum. Surveillance camera footage from the shop shows a man threatening employees with a hammer. Reports say he ran off with gold necklaces valued at around one million baht. Police suspect 30 year old Sitthichok Khongthong went to the Yaowarat Krungthep gold shop in Big C…
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DDC focuses on low vaccination provinces, finds people missing
As the Department of Disease Control focuses its strategy on getting everyone vaccinated and planning booster shots for next year, one problem has emerged for vaccinating people in provinces with low vaccination rates: they’re not there. As officials try to incentivise people to get vaccines, they are finding that in some provinces, unvaccinated people simple don’t actually live at their…
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Tourists and hotels warned about abuse of Covid-19 rules
The CCSA is dealing with complaints from locals, businesses, hotels and tourists about Covid-19 regulations not being followed. There has been a problem with tourists refusing to wear masks and follow Covid-19 safety regulations that are mandatory, and on the other side, hotels have been found to be not disclosing all Covid-19 related expenses in their booking cost, frustrating arriving…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 5,857 new cases; provincial totals
55 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,544 with 20,450 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 5,857 new Covid-19 cases and 7,318 recoveries. There are now 81,577 people in Thailand being…
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Thai documentary “Hope Frozen: A Quest To Live Twice” wins Emmy Award
A documentary film about a story of a Thai family who cryogenically preserved their deceased two year old daughter in the hopes of bringing her back to life, won “best documentary” at the 49th International Emmy Award in New York on Monday. Pailin Wedel, a Bangkok-based Thai-American photojournalist, film director and founder of 2050 Productions, has directed the 79 minutes…
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Bangkok’s Red Line starts fares at 12 baht, maximum at 42 baht
Fares for Bangkok’s Red Line electric commuter train will start at 12 baht and go up to a maximum fare of 42 baht. The Ministry of Transport announced that they will start issuing tickets on November 29 for the Red Line and the starting fare will be set for the first three years from 2022 to 2025. The new line,…
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Thailand’s “We Travel Together” scheme generates 5.19 billion baht in third phase
Thailand has earned a total of 5.19 billion baht for the tourism industry since its reopening with the endowment from the government’s third phase of subsidy called “We Travel Together,” or “Rao Tiew Duay Kan” in the Thai. Government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says that 909,937 people had registered to enter Thailand, with 1.3 million rooms in 4,113 hotels already reserved,…
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Government reports over 90% of students 12-18 vaccinated
A spokesperson for the government reported that now over 90% of students in Thailand who are between the age of 12 and 18 years old have been vaccinated with at least one Pfizer dose. When looking at the numbers though, the figures are a bit… interpreted. The spokesman reported that there’s a total of 5,085,460 students in Thailand and that,…
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1.4 million doses in first shipment of US-made Moderna vaccines
The distributor of the Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Zuellig Pharma Thailand, has confirmed another shipment of 1.4 million vaccines. The shipment is in addition to 500,000 vaccines received already, for a total of 1.9 million doses that the Thai Private Hospital Association ordered for distribution to paying customers. It marks the first time Moderna vaccines have been received from manufacturers…
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Cabinet approves Thailand importing 30 million Pfizer vaccines
The Department of Disease Control will import another 30 million Pfizer vaccines with the Thai Cabinet approving the deal today. This agreement will double the amount mRNA vaccines Thailand has obtained from Pfizer for a total of 60 million doses. The deal also authorizes the DDC to sign and confirm the third amendment to the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement that…
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Miss Universe Thailand sued over inappropriate use of national flag in promo photo
Miss Universe Thailand is being sued for inappropriate use of the Thai flag. On the pageant organiser’s website, the promo picture for Anchilee Scott-Kemmis shows the beauty queen dressed in red, wearing a crown, and striking a pose while holding the national flag, which appears to be a digital image. The red, white and blue stripes appeared beneath her feet…
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Stunning new senior school opens at Shrewsbury, riverside – Thailand’s leading international school
Sponsored Article Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside has set a new benchmark with their ambitious 1.1 billion Thai Baht Senior school. The culmination of Project 2021 dramatically increases the provision for Science, Mathematics, Computing, Innovation, Robotics, Sixth-Form, Higher Education counselling, dining and sport at Thailand’s leading independent international school. Nestled on the banks of the famed Chao Phraya River, the…
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Foreign Minister says several European nations open to donating vaccines to Thailand
Thailand’s Foreign Minister told the press today at Government House before entering the weekly cabinet meeting that several countries in Europe are willing to donate Covid-19 vaccines to the kingdom. Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also the Deputy PM, did not mention the list of EU countries that wants to “give away” the vaccines. He said the Health Ministry of…
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