News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
BREAKING: Thailand drops PCR test on arrival, no SHA hotel, ATK test ‘optional’
Thailand’s CCSA has just announced major changes to the county’s Test & Go program, part of the broader Thailand Pass. International travellers will no longer need to take a PCR test on arrival. The requirement to book an SHA+ hotel as part of the Test & Go entry scheme is also dropped under today’s CCSA decision. On April 1 pre-travel…
-
BREAKING: Thailand ENDS Test & Go and Sandbox, changes for unvaccinated travellers
Thailand plans to scrap its unpopular Test & Go entry scheme, opting instead to adopt the simplified categories of “vaccinated” and “unvaccinated” for international travellers arriving in the kingdom. The actual Thailand Pass – the online pre-registration system – will remain, although the paperwork has been vastly simplified by these changes. The CCSA announced those major changes, among others, about…
-
Man in eastern Thailand tries to sell motorcycle to shop it was stolen from
A man in Thailand’s eastern province of Trat was (rather embarrassingly) busted when he tried to sell a used motorcycle to a shop it was stolen from two weeks before. The man told police in questioning that he got the bike from a friend in Laem Ngob district, who told him to sell it, and they would split the money. But the…
-
“Your old ATK tests are not art” – warning from Thai lab scientist
A medical laboratory scientist is warning Thai netizens to avoid keeping their used ATK tests after one Thai netizen collected all of his used ATK tests and put them into a picture frame to show friends on social media. A momento to be shared with his grandchildren, we suppose. The picture frame packed with used ATK tests went viral on…
-
Thai street food seller comes up with Mango Pad Kra Pao to follow Mango Sticky Rice fever
WARNING: This looks spicy!! To keep up with the current mango fever in Thailand, a food seller has offered a fusion dish, Mango Pad Kra Pao, and invited his customers to try it. The dish went viral on Thai social media, and many tried cooking it at home. The young Thai rapper, Danupa “Milli” Kanateerakul, created the mango fever in…
-
No quarantine for unvaccinated travellers in Thailand and other countries
International travellers who are unvaccinated for Covid-19 will soon be able to enter Thailand by air without quarantine, as long as they provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure. They’ll just need to upload their negative test result onto the Thailand Pass system before boarding their flight. Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Friday…
-
Surging violence at Al Aqsa mosque, Israel and Palestine
A new round of violence has broken out between Palestinians and the Israeli forces. Witnesses say this morning, young Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli police stationed at a gate outside the Al Aqsa mosque compound. The mosque is a sensitive spot between Israelis and Palestinians due to religious tensions. After the Palestinians threw rocks, the police, dressed in full riot…
-
Friday Covid Update: 21,808 new cases; provincial totals
128 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,520 with 5,822 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,808 new Covid-19 cases and 19,826 recoveries. There are now 190,780 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded today,…
-
Court lifts 4 year hijab ban at Pattani school
The court has lifted a ban on hijabs set four years ago at a school in Pattani, southern Thailand. The school claimed that wearing a hijab – or Islamic headscarf – to school went against the Education Ministry’s regulations. Four years of court battles between the school and parents finally ended yesterday when the Yala Administrative Court announced a ruling…
-
BREAKING: Big Thailand Pass changes
Tim will talk about Big Thailand Pass changes that Thailand drops PCR test on arrival, no SHA hotel, ATK test ‘optional’.
-
Queen of England gets personalised Barbie doll on 96th birthday
As Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 96th birthday and 70 years on the throne yesterday — i.e. “Platinum Jubilee” — toymaker Mattel delivered a plastic fantastic present: a special Barbie doll in the queen’s likeness. According to the company, the doll sports a replica of the Queen’s wedding day tiara, as well as blue and pink ribbons after those her…
-
Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players is “crazy”, says Djokovic
World tennis champion Novak Djokovic has condemned Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players as “crazy.” Earlier this week, the oldest tennis tournament in the world announced that players from Russia and Belarus are banned from playing in this year’s competition from June 27 – July 10 because of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision has been described as “complete…
-
Pattaya tourist claims thieves in ‘sexy dresses’ stole his 33,000 baht necklace
An Indian tourist in Pattaya claims that last night, a Thai woman, and a ‘transgender individual’, who both wore ‘sexy dresses’, stole his gold necklace worth about 33,000 baht. The tourist, 45 year old Sathishkumar Govindarju, told The Pattaya News the pair also tried to convince him to sleep with them. “I was walking along the road alone, returning from a…
-
Police allegedly selling dodgy ‘special tickets’ allowing Burmese to stay in Thailand
Four police officers from the main city Samut Sakhon Police Station, south west of central Bangkok, were dismissed from their positions after being reported for allegedly selling “special tickets” to trafficked Burmese migrants. The tickets required Burmese migrant workers to pay a monthly fee of 500 baht and carry the tickets everywhere to avoid arrest. On April 19, Thai media…
-
Donated Covavax doses to be offered to the unvaccinated, people with allergies
Donated supplies of the Covavax protein sub-unit vaccine will be offered to the unvaccinated, as well as people who are allergic to other vaccine types. Opart Karnkawinpong from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control says the doses, which were donated by India and partner countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, have already been sent to the Medical Sciences Department to be…
-
Putin declares Mariupol ‘liberated’ despite Ukrainian troops, civilians holding out
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. He declared it “liberated” despite more than a thousand civilians and Ukrainian troops still inside a massive steel plant. Winning the largest battle in the war in Ukraine is the type of moral victory the Russian leader wants to deliver on the eve of…
-
CCSA meets today to consider further easing of Covid entry restrictions
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to consider the further easing of Thailand’s entry restrictions. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will also discuss the possible re-opening of all land border checkpoints, as well as reviewing the colour-coding of provinces based on their infection rates. Nation Thailand reports that Supoj Malaniyom from the CCSA says officials will consider a…
-
Thailand’s Prayut urges schools to follow Covid-19 measures
Ahead of the upcoming new school semester, Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday called on schools to follow so-called ‘6-6-7’ safety measures for Covid-19. The first six measures of the plan include well known precautions such as social distancing, wearing masks, washing hands, and temperature checks. The next six measures include school check-in and check-out, surveys and examinations, and self-quarantine. The…
-
Pfizer Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, “strongly recommended” by WHO
The World Health Organisation has given its backing to Pfizer’s Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid, recommending it over the alternatives. The WHO says it “strongly recommends” the treatment for Covid patients with milder symptoms, who remain at high risk of being hospitalised. However, it adds that, as with vaccines, inequality in accessing the drug remains a problem for lower and middle-income countries.…
-
Blue by Alain Ducasse ranked No. 25 on list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
Press Release He did it! The key player of Blue by Alain Ducasse, Executive Chef Wilfrid Hocquet, had two goals for the restaurant when it opened. The first one he scored within the first year of opening doors. And now, he has made good on his second goal, with the restaurant being ranked at No. 25 on Asia’s 50 Best…
-
Chon Buri field worker believed to have died of heat stroke
A Chon Buri worker was found lying dead in the cassava field where he worked in Phanat Nikhom district yesterday. His co-worker, who found him, said she found his tractor still running with no one around it, so she went to check, and found the man lying completely motionless. Police suspect that the man, 58 year old Seree Hiranrat, died…
-
UPDATE: Autopsy indicates political activist ‘likely’ to have committed suicide
Following a report on the mysterious death of a political activist and finance officer of the Move Forward Party, the autopsy indicates he died due to a lack of oxygen. His mother has conceded that her child could have committed suicide, but she still couldn’t think of any reasons why he would have done so. The body of 27 year…
-
Thailand receives 200,000 Covavax doses donated by India, partners
Thailand’s health ministry has taken delivery of 200,000 protein-based Covid-19 vaccine doses and will distribute them to government hospitals around the country. The donated doses of the Covovax vaccine will be offered to the unvaccinated. According to a Bangkok Post report, the doses were donated by the Indian Embassy in Thailand, under an initiative by the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. This…
-
Cambodia reduces quarantine for unvaccinated visitors from 2 weeks to 1
Starting yesterday, visitors to Cambodia, who are not fully vaccinated, will only have to quarantine for one week, and not two. Cambodia’s health ministry said air travellers not fully vaccinated must take antigen tests on their last day of quarantine. The country has eased Covid-19 restrictions in the past month, and officially stopped requiring Covid-19 tests upon entry for vaccinated…
-
Members of Thailand’s Move Forward Party banned from renewing passports
A member of Thailand’s Move Forward Party told the press today that she and two other party members had been banned from renewing their passports on suspicion that they have committed treason. MFP member Pannika Wanich made the announcement after meeting with Phaya Thai police today, who she said made the order for the ban. The Department of Consular Affairs…
-
Two Ukrainian fugitives arrested in Phuket over US tax evasion scandal
Two Ukrainian nationals wanted for fraud and tax evasion in the US were arrested in Phuket on Tuesday. The men fled to Thailand after warrants for their arrest were issued in Florida earlier this month. The pair are accused of providing employment for hundreds of illegal immigrants in America from 2007 – 2021 and evading $10 million in employment taxes.…
-
European airlines assess mask rules for flights to United States
After US airlines stopped requiring people to wear masks on domestic flights last week, European airlines are assessing their mask rules for flights to the US. European carriers are now divided over policies on trans-Atlantic flights. British Airways told customers that the requirement to wear masks onboard depends on restrictions in the arrival destination. KLM, a Dutch airline, told passengers…
-
Pandemic economic impact hits Phuket hotels as 73% of new projects put on hold
Island’s transaction market heats up as owners face liquidity issues, while broad tourism sentiment wanes PHUKET, THAILAND: Thailand’s battered hotel sector is showing increased signs of fatigue as the global pandemic enters its third year. Nowhere is this more apparent than the resort island of Phuket, where over 73% per cent of new hotel developments either lay dormant or have…
-
UPDATE: Daughter has contacted missing family, police suspect economic hardship
Following the report on the missing family in the central province of Sukhothai, Thai media has updated the story that the daughter has been able to contact her family today and everyone was safe. However, she didn’t share more details about where her family was or why they had been impossible to contact. Police speculate that it may have been…
-
Southern Thailand province gets a wave of income from Full Moon Party, Songkran
Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani saw a wave of tourism income generated during the Songkran holiday. Many tourists came to the province for the famous Full Moon Party on Kho Pha Ngan, among other tourist attractions. Tourism officials said the province gathered up a total of 895.7 million baht from 83,000 visitors between April 13-17. The income is up…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.