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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Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Who are these Thai student protesters, and what are they protesting about?
What’s behind all the protests in Thailand right now? What are the protesters demanding? Who are they? Since August, an organic – mostly young Thais – political movement has been building. It’s different from every other protest movement in the past. The people attending the rallies don’t really align themselves, or identify with, the past political factions. They’re not red…
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Singer and political activist plans to fight on, while sticking to bail conditions
A Thai singer-songwriter arrested for his role in pro-democracy protests, says he will continue the fight, while adhering to his bail conditions. Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, aka, “Ammy”, says he plans to continue singing and speaking at political gatherings, having discussed the matter with his lawyer. The singer says his lawyer has advised him that he can still speak at rallies, provided…
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Flights grounded, Thai Airways pilot becomes Grab driver
Some pilots are spending more time on the ground these days due to the pandemic-induced travel restrictions. One Thai Airways pilot is using his time away from the air to get to know the traffic on the ground as a Grab driver. “The sky is closed,” pilot Mahesak Wongpa wrote on Facebook in a post sharing his story about becoming a…
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Thailand News Today | More Thai Airways debt, Korean soldier, TripAdvisor warning | November 12
Today’s Thailand News Today coming to you from the 17th floor of The Thaiger Bangkok offices. Thai Airways adds another 21.5 billion baht in debt in Q3 report Thai Airways has accumulated more losses, on top of a decade of annual losses, for the latest quarter. At the moment the national airline’s debt is four times higher than last year’s…
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Hundreds of pigs killed in truck accident after driver allegedly fell asleep
A trailer truck packed with pigs flipped, killing hundreds of the pigs, after the driver allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel. Nation Thailand described the scene as a “horror film.” Lifeless bodies were stacked on top each other while injured pigs screamed and squealed in pain. The driver is facing reckless driving charges. The pigs were packed in a triple-decker…
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Thai Airways adds another 21.5 billion baht debt in Q3 report
Thai Airways has accumulated more losses, on top of a decade of annual losses, for the latest quarter. At the moment the national airline’s debt is four times higher than last year’s debt. The airline, already struggling, has been mostly grounded since the end of March. At the end of last week Thai Airways put 34 of its old planes…
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Police to deploy more female officers ahead of Saturday’s rally in Bangkok
Police in Bangkok say they plan to deploy more female officers to assist with crowd-control measures ahead of Saturday’s planned rally in the capital. The Royal Thai Police says most of those gathering at the Democracy Monument and the Education Ministry are expected to be students. RTP spokesman Yingyos Thepjamnong says that, while protesters have a right to voice their…
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Thai immigration officials confirm several yachts have applied for STV entry
Immigration officials say a number of Special Tourist Visa applications have been received from yachts hoping to enter Thailand. It’s understood most of the yachts, thought to be around 10 in total, are from Malaysia and Singapore, and seeking to dock in Phuket or Pattaya. Archayon Kraithong, deputy commission of the Immigration Bureau, says everyone on board the yachts will…
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Minister says lack of foreign visitors will have knock-on effect for domestic tourism
The Tourism Minister says Thailand can expect a significant drop in domestic tourism unless international tourism is revived. According to a Bangkok Post report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says local tourism figures are 40% of what they were in 2019, and are expected to drop further once the domestic travel stimulus scheme ends at the end of the year. The scheme has…
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Public concern prompts government to shelve 10-day quarantine plans
The Public Health Minister says concern from members of the public have led the government to shelve plans to reduce quarantine for overseas arrivals from 14 days to 10. Anutin Charnvirakul’s statement comes after a number of infections that have left officials a bit perplexed. One involves a woman recently returned from France who tested positive for Covid-19 after she’d…
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TripAdvisor slaps warning on Thailand’s ‘Sea View Resort & Spa’ review page
Be careful if you want to trash a Thai hotel in the land of fragile egos who use the handy tools of eager lawyers and draconian libel laws. Now TripAdvisor, the review website everyone loves to hate, is warning potential travellers to a particular Thai hotel that they could face severe consequences for sharing negative opinions about their experience. One visitor,…
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Monks prohibited from participating in political protests
Monks and novices are banned from joining political protests and urgent notifications have been sent to temples advising them that monks could be expelled for participating. As the pro-democracy movement continues, some monks have already been seen at rallies calling on government and monarchy reformation as well as a rewrite of the 2017 Constitution. The National Office of Buddhism director…
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Thailand News Today | PTT pays out, Revised visa requirements, Protester’s asylum | Nov 11
Today’s rather noisy Thailand News Today. Please like our YouTube channel whilst you’re there too! PTT pays millions in compensation after Samut Prakan gas pipeline explosion The Thai petrol company PTT has paid millions of baht in compensation to businesses and people affected by the Samut Prakan natural gas pipeline explosion last month. The explosion at an industrial estate in…
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North Taurid meteor shower visible from Thailand tomorrow night
A North Taurid meteor shower will be visible from Thailand tomorrow around 7pm with a few, but very bright meteors expected to light up the sky, according to National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand. Around 5 meteors could shoot across the sky per hour and the ones that do could be bright meteors known as “fireballs.” The Taurid meteor stream…
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Thai police warn about romance scammers on dating applications
Police are warning about a romance scam where people pose as attractive foreigners on dating applications and, after some sweet talking, convince victims to transfer money to an account for an “investment opportunity.” Police say the scammers claim the coronavirus pandemic has affected their business and they’ve started investing in the stock market as well as cryptocurrency. Police say the…
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TAT says government has relaxed tourist visa criteria for European nations
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the government has relaxed tourist visa requirements for some countries considered, “medium-risk”, in an effort to kick-start international tourism. Thapanee Kiatphaibool says tourist visa holders can be admitted for up to 60 days, with the possibility of extending their stay to 90 days, adding that, as of November 5, 1,465 foreign nationals have been…
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PM dismisses conflict of interest concern as Cabinet reviews golf quarantine proposal
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has dismissed concerns over a possible conflict of interest surrounding the idea of using golf resorts as alternative local state quarantine facilities. It’s understood Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul owns a golf course in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The PM says using approved golf resorts as ALSQ locations is, an “interesting idea”, but the…
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Protest leader calls on rally “guards” to refrain from violence
Prominent human rights lawyer and protest leader, Anon Nampa, is calling on guards at anti-government rallies to remain peaceful. He says that getting violent will only harm the movement and play into the hands of the government. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anon credits his next door neighbour in Chiang Mai for the advice. “Last night, while I drank…
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Thailand News Today | Thai official positive, Head-butt latest, protest letters | November 10
Thailand News Today for the second day of the week. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel, like and comment on the program. Diplomat in Thailand tests positive for Covid-19 after contact with Hungarian foreign minister A Hungarian diplomat who lives in Thailand has recently tested positive for Covid-19 in an apparent local transmission. The 53 year old diplomat had been…
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Sarasas school refuses to negotiate compensation for students allegedly abused by teachers
The Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School – under fire for numerous alleged child abuse incidents – will not negotiate compensation with parents of students allegedly abused by their teachers at the Nonthaburi school. Parents were each seeking around 5 million baht for damages, adding up to 130 million baht altogether, according to the lawyer representing the parents and chairperson of the…
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Police checking contents of protest letter boxes to decide if charges will be filed
Police in Bangkok say they will be reading the contents of 4 red letter boxes used at a rally in the capital on Sunday in order to decide whether or not to press charges. Pro-democracy protesters used the letter boxes to drop hand-written petitions and letters calling for reform of the Monarchy. The letters were addressed to HM The King.…
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Officials urge public to stick with Covid safety measures, warning that quarantine is not a catch-all solution
The Ministry of Public Health has issued a warning that quarantine alone is not enough, as it calls on people to continue with Covid-19 safety measures such as hand washing, social distancing, and the wearing of face masks in public spaces. Top medic Sophon Iamsirithavorn says that, despite the government’s best efforts, those arriving from overseas may still slip through…
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Sarasas teachers sentenced to jail for child abuse, parents want 120 million baht in damages
Parents of children allegedly abused by teachers at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchapruek school in Nonthaburi, a suburb outside Bangkok, are seeking compensation. A lawyer representing the parents made a post on Facebook saying that a group of 20 parents are seeking more than 120 million baht in damages. The parents have a meeting with the attorney general today, according to…
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Army chief dismisses rumours of impending coup – VIDEO
Thailand’s Army chief Narongpan Jitkaewthae has described the chances of a coup as, “less than zero”, insisting the current political unrest can only be solved by political means. Pro-democracy activists continue to put pressure on the government, repeating their demands for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a charter (constitution) re-write and reform of the role of the country’s revered…
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Less Thais visiting temples due to Covid-19, religious tourism at a loss
While Google searches for “prayers” spiked during the Covid-19 outbreak, people in Thailand are spending less time going to temples to pray. In a recent poll, less people are travelling to temples and making merit due to the pandemic, according to the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office. The office recently did a poll and found that 44% of…
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Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha congratulates US President-elect Joe Biden
After the tight race for United States president, Thailand’s prime minister sent a message congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory against incumbents President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Reports say that Biden’s win could benefit Thailand. The Bangkok Post says trade tension between the US and China could ease up. The Thai…
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A further threat to PM’s leadership as court set to rule in military housing case
The leadership of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha could be under threat, and not just from the tens of thousands of activists calling for his resignation. On December 2, the Constitutional Court will rule in a case that accuses the PM of abusing his power by occupying a military-owned residence, despite the fact that he retired from the army 6 years…
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Protesters use red letter boxes to receive petitions calling for reform of the Thai Monarchy
With police blocking their attempts to reach the Palace’s Household Bureau in Bangkok last night, anti-government protesters dropped their petitions and hand-written letters, calling for reform of the Thai Monarchy, into 4 ‘letter boxes’ instead. After the activists had brought the plastic red letter boxes with them, and, with police preventing them from marching to the Grand Palace, used them…
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Protesters face water cannons as they deliver thousands of letters to HM the King – VIDEO
Police turned the water cannons on thousands of protesters again as they marched to the Grand Palace to symbolically deliver hand-written letters to the Thai King. Thai media reports the crowd numbers were up to 10,000 – 12,000. Police say the crowd was around 7,000. The protesters were again demanding the resignation of the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a new…
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Play 18 holes during your quarantine in Thailand – new STV proposal
Quarantine, whilst wandering around a golf course, maintaining social distancing of course. That’s the latest STV proposal tabled for consideration by the CCSA to expand the current Special Tourist Visa and quarantine restrictions for golf tourists who may visit Thailand and do their quarantine in a secure golf course, whilst enjoying a few rounds at the same time. The proposal…
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