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.
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PM calls on schools to implement strict Covid safety measures on re-opening
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the Education Ministry to ensure schools are equipped to manage Covid-19 when they re-open. According to government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the PM wants education facilities to implement strict Covid-19 prevention measures when they re-open on May 17. According to a Nation Thailand report, the measures include: • Conducting regular checks on the virus…
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Thai-Burmese border checkpoints prepare to re-open in Tak province
In the long road to ‘normal’, Thailand is now reopening many of its land border checkpoints from today. But the Thailand Pass is still in force for Thais or foreigners hoping to cross these borders. Many of the borders are reopening from today. Others this week. As the Covid-19 situation appears to ease, Thailand is preparing to re-open 2 border…
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Federation of Thai Industries concerned about plans for minimum wage hike
Thailand’s Federation of Thai Industries has expressed concern about the impact a rise in the minimum wage could have on small and medium-sized businesses. The federation says if a proposal to increase the minimum wage to 492 baht goes ahead, it will have a severe impact on such firms. According to a Bangkok Post report, the FTI was responding to…
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Feedback positive following cancellation of Test & Go entry scheme
Foreign tourists who’ve arrived since the cancellation of Test & Go have given the government’s decision the seal of approval, according to a Bangkok Post report. The publication spoke to a number of overseas arrivals to get their view on the simplified entry procedures. Canadian Kyle Sutherland confirmed that the decision to drop PCR testing on arrival has helped him…
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Another Phuket festival showcases the island’s traditional clothing
Another Phuket seafood festival, but this time, there’s a unique new feature! From Friday until Saturday night, officials in Kathu district Phuket organised the ‘Suk Jai Naithu’ festival. The festival included a parade of people dressed in colourful, elaborate costumes. These costumes are the traditional clothing of Phuket. ‘Suk Jai Nathu’ means ‘Happy Naithu’. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan and…
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Beijing’s strict Covid-19 policies limit holiday acitivties
This year’s May Day may not have been so fun for Beijing residents. The country’s ultra-strict so-called ‘zero-Covid’ policies mean buildings and housing complexes with Covid-19 cases are on lockdown. In Beijing, parks and tourist attractions are only allowing 50% of their normal capacity. All restaurants in the capital city are only serving customers take-out, with no dine-in services, from…
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How are expats coping with Thailand’s rising cost of living? – VIDEO
Sunday Thailand news update. Tim goes through the main headlines of the day then takes your questions and comments in our new weekend Thaiger Weekend Update. The main topic is the rising cost of living in Thailand and if it’s going to push out more expats who are on fixed incomes. But where will they go? An hour of the…
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Phuket driver filmed obstructing ambulance claims he didn’t hear it
A Phuket driver, who was caught on film driving slowly and erratically braking, obstructing an ambulance that was taking a seriously injured woman to a hospital, has now presented himself to police. A video clip was posted online on Thursday, causing outrage among Thai netizens. The driver presented himself at Phuket City Police Station yesterday (Saturday). He claims he didn’t…
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Floor of Bangkok condo collapses, 1 killed
One floor of a condominium in the Bang Sue district of Bangkok has collapsed between last night and this morning, killing a construction worker. Five other people were also injured when the floor came crashing down. It’s still unknown which floor in the 27 storey building collapsed, however, engineers and forensic investigators are inspecting the site today. The condo is…
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Cambodians caught dressing as monks in Thailand to be deported
Two Cambodian nationals who snuck across Thailand’s border illegally while dressed as Buddhist monks have been caught. The 2 men, one 30 years old and the other 27, first took a bus to Samut Prakan, just south east of Bangkok capital. They then headed into a woodland behind a market in the main city district, and built a temporary shack…
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Ships caught trying to smuggle palm oil out of Indonesia after export ban
Following a move by Indonesia’s government to ban crude palm oil from being exported from the country, 2 ships were caught trying to smuggle the product to India and the United Arab Emirates. There has been a palm oil shortage in Indonesia for the past month since the Russia-Ukraine crisis has impacted the supply of vegetable oil in the country,…
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Officials worried about low number of Irrawadday dolphins in Thailand
Thai officials are worried about the low number of dolphins of a particular breed in Thailand. Despite campaigns in past years to preserve Irrawaddy dolphins, only 14 of them were found in Songkhla Lake, and 89 in the Mekong River, according to a 2020 survey. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that dolphins often die when they get…
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Thai Navy seamen discharge follows investigation over trainee hazing
The Thai navy has quickly responded to yesterday’s public revelation about a Royal Thai Navy instructor who was dealing out punishments to new Navy recruits by forcing them to drink a cocktail including diluted human semen. The incident happened at the Sattahip Naval Base in October last year. Petty Officer Second Class Thaksin Ngokpilai was first transferred to an “inactive…
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Official promises to give Phuket’s sea gypsies housing
As part of a larger effort to provide housing for the Andaman region’s indigenous people, an official is promising to provide sea gypsies with housing in Phuket and other Andaman areas. The official, Deputy PM and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, made the announcement yesterday while visiting a sea gypsy village. Jurin has been in the news recently, as leader…
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Pattaya drug party busted with Thai, Burmese and Chinese nationals
After Pattaya police cracked down on people dealing the drug cocktail ‘happy water‘ last week, this morning they busted an alleged ‘Ketamine’ party. Officers say the substance needed to be tested before they could confirm exactly what it was, though. Officers from Pattaya Police found 16 people at the party including 5 Chinese men, 3 Chinese women, 1 Burmese man,…
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Russia’s FM Sergei Lavrov warns US not to supply Ukraine with arms
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is urging the US and NATO to stop supplying Kyiv (capital of Ukraine) with arms. “If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis, then first of all they should wake up and stop supplying the Kyiv regime with arms and ammunition.” Months into an invasion, the Russian army is now…
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Thailand tourism authorities want to attract 1 million tourists a month in final quarter
Things are looking up for Thailand’s tourism sector as several entry restrictions are set to ease tomorrow (Sunday). On April 25, it was reported that 713,183 international travellers had arrived in Thailand this year, more than 50% actual tourists. Now, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reportedly hopes to attract at least 1 million tourists every month heading into the next…
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Police keep Pattaya’s Walking Street safe after reopening to cars
After Pattaya’s Walking Street started reopening to cars again from 7pm to 6am, police went to the street last night to make sure tourists safe. A lieutenant from Pattaya Traffic Police told The Pattaya News that over 90% of business operators had cooperated with the closure, however, “some still don’t know the rules” and are parking in the area. Walking…
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Phuket police and park officers rescue American lost in jungle
Phuket Tourist Police and national park officers have rescued an American tourist who got lost in a jungle in Thalang district yesterday in central Phuket. The tourist, an unnamed 68 year old man, had become lost in the afternoon, but the team luckily found him in the early evening. He reportedly had some scratches on his leg, and was dehydrated,…
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Woman in northern Thailand allegedly planned to have husband killed
A woman in Thailand’s lower northern province of Nakhon Sawan allegedly planned to have her husband run over by a car, so that she and her friend could share his 10 million baht insurance payout. The woman, 48 year old Pratheep, and her friend, 60 year old Jaemchan, allegedly hired Jaemchan’s nephew to do the deed for them, running Pratheep’s…
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Employers in Thailand object to raising minimum wage
In the midst of Thailand’s worst worker’s debt in 14 years, Thai employers are opposing a new proposal to increase the country’s daily minimum wage. The currrent minimum daily wages range from 313 baht to 336 baht, depending on which part of the country you’re in. In Bangkok it’s 331 baht. Earlier this week, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee and…
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Southeast Asia is finally seeing visitors again
After the seemingly endless Covid-19 slump, Southeast Asia is finally reopening to the world! The number of people doing Google searches about Singapore travel has reportedly gone up among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. Flights to Singapore from several countries are expected to see a massive spike. Flights from Indonesia to Singapore are expected to quadruple…
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A solution for infected people to vote during Bangkok’s governor election
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health insists that the voice of even Covid-19 infected people won’t go unnoticed. The ministry says they’ve got a solution for infected residents to vote for their new Bangkok governor. The 11th election for the governorship of Bangkok will be held on May 22. It will take place 9 years after the last Governor election in…
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Inspections reveal 12 Thai prisons serving rotten food to inmates
Spot-check inspections conducted at prisons across Thailand reveal that a total of 12 prisons were serving rotten food to inmates. The prisons were serving chicken, pork, vegetables and condiments all past their use-by-date. Prison officers in the 12 prisons are thought to have profited from the scandal, according to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, who publicly addressed the results of the…
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Thailand’s police warn, don’t fall for ‘deepfake’ scams
A Thai deputy police spokesman warned people today that scammers are using so-called ‘deepfake’ technology to pretend to be police on video calls, and pressure people to transfer money to them. The spokesman pointed out that Royal Thai Police does not have a policy of making video calls to anybody involved in a criminal case, be it the defendant, suspect…
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Thailand successfully tests “Ultraman” electro-diesel trains
Thailand’s new electro-diesel trains – named after a Japanese superhero – are going on test runs before being deployed on long-distance journeys across the nation. The State Railway of Thailand, or SRT, received 20 “Ultraman” trains on Wednesday. Ultraman’s first test run between Bangkok’s Bang Sue Station and Chachoengsao was a success, according to the SRT. The trains will be…
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Freight trains between North Korea and China suspended due to Covid-19
A South Korean media agency said today that freight train services between China and North Korea have been suspended. The agency said services were suspended due to Covid-19 infections in the Chinese border city of Dandong. Meanwhile, South Korean authorities say they are keeping an eye on the situation. An official from South Korea’s unification ministry said the government is…
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Senior Thai naval officer allegedly forces marines to drink semen
In a video circulating online, a senior naval officer is seen forcing trainee marines to drink what he says is semen mixed with fish sauce. Today, a naval base in Chon Buri province confirmed that the clip is real and happened at Sattahip Naval Base in October last year. The Royal Thai Navy has launched an investigation into the incident…
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Chon Buri authorities reorganise vendors at Na Jomtien Beach
Municipal and traffic police are reorganising vendors on Na Jomtien Beach to give tourists more space to enjoy beach vibes after they received complaints that food carts are blocking the traffic and parking areas along the beach. Na Jomtien Beach had been improved to prevent coastal erosion and draw more tourists with a budget of 600 million baht. The beaches…
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Singapore airport deals with flight problems
Changi Airport in Singapore plans to reschedule some of its flights in the next few days. The country has a 4 day holiday coming up, now that authorities have scrapped all tests for vaccinated people, and this is expected to be a very busy time for travel. A report today says the airport also has yet to approve some additional…
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