News about Thailand: events, facts and developments on tafs uz.
9 stories
The Uzbekistan Foreign Ministry said that, following direct talks with Thailand, an agreement has been reached to sign an agreement on visa-free travel; the text of the document is currently being reviewed by the Thai side. This is a response to Thailand's abolition in September of the 60-day visa-free regime, which caused travel demand to fall sharply.
Aziz KarimovThailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports is preparing a proposal for 15-day visa-free entry for citizens of Uzbekistan, Colombia and Mexico. It will be submitted to the Visa Policy Committee meeting on November 9. The initiative is a response to visa issuance delays following the abolition of the 60-day visa-free regime in September, which caused a sharp drop in tourist flows from Uzbekistan.
Otabek YusupovHeavy rains on the Thai island of Phuket have led to floods and landslides. The Patong area was hit hardest, where on the night of October 26 water, mud and rocks came down from the mountain slopes. The authorities organized clearing operations and temporary shelters; ATOR reported that no Russian tourists were affected.
Aziz KarimovAccording to the updated Henley & Partners index for October 2026, Uzbekistan took 82nd place, dropping 10 positions compared to September 2025. The number of visa-free destinations fell from 62 to 57: Thailand abolished visa-free travel on September 15, while Egypt will introduce a visa regime on November 1. Singapore remains the leader of the ranking (193 destinations).
Javlon TursunovRussian blogger and tattoo artist Ivan Chesnokov stopped making contact on October 16 during a solo cycling trip from China through Vietnam and Laos to Thailand. His last message came from Prachuap Khiri Khan province, after which his geolocation disappeared. His family is preparing an appeal to the embassy, and a search with volunteers is planned for October 21.
Javlon TursunovIn October 2025, after a reduction in foreign aid, primarily from the US, Thailand for the first time allowed refugees from Myanmar to leave border camps to work. In the first year, according to authorities, 6,800 people found employment. Human rights advocates welcome the program but point to the absence of contracts, debt deductions from wages, and a weak complaint system.
Aziz KarimovAfter the 2011 floods, Thailand expanded dikes and spillways to protect Bangkok, Ayutthaya and industrial zones along the Chao Phraya. Commercial centers are protected, but low-lying villages that serve as floodwater release zones are flooded every year. Residents raise their houses on stilts at their own expense for 100,000 to a million baht, an environmentalist proposed a 'flood-free living tax,' and authorities are building a €700 million bypass canal by 2030.
Otabek YusupovIn Bangkok, protesters from across Thailand took part in a demonstration against the IMF and World Bank, accusing the institutions of making decisions without taking local communities' views into account. Police blocked the march near the meeting venue, and brief clashes occurred during an attempt to hang a banner on a pedestrian bridge.
Aziz KarimovThe final of the international male beauty contest Mister Global 2026 was held on October 10 in Nonthaburi near Bangkok. The winner was 21-year-old Turkish model Dilhan Divrikli, who lives in Brussels. Second place went to Nigeria's Betel Mbamara, third to the Philippines' M.J. Ordillano.
Shahnoza Ergasheva
