News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Krabi hotels pin hopes on Phuket sandbox success
Hotel operators in the southern province of Krabi will be watching Phuket’s imminent re-opening with great interest. The success of the Phuket “sandbox” will determine what happens in Thailand’s other tourism hotspots. According to the Bangkok Post, a successful re-opening for Phuket would mean Krabi and other destinations can look forward to re-opening their hotels and recruiting workers for the…
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Tourism bodies concerned vaccination uncertainty will disrupt re-opening
Earlier this week, Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, pledged to re-open the country to international tourism within 120 days. But tourism operators aren’t breathing a sigh of relief just yet. Many have voiced concerns over the delays in the vaccine rollout, fearing that if Thailand doesn’t get its act together on vaccination, the re-opening could be affected. According to the Bangkok…
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Over 350 vaccinated medical workers in Indonesia infected, dozens hospitalised
Hundreds of healthcare workers in Indonesia have tested positive for Covid-19, despite being vaccinated, with dozens hospitalised. According to a Reuters report, over 350 medical staff, all of whom have received the Sinovac vaccine, have been confirmed as infected. Most are asymptomatic, but dozens have been hospitalised with high fever and low oxygen levels. The infected healthcare workers are in…
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Nightlife businesses petition government to reopen, sell alcohol
After more than a year of closures, a coalition of nightlife business representatives is petitioning the government to reopen next month and to lift the alcohol ban. With the support of the Democrat Party deputy leader Prin Phannichphak, who also heads the Modern Business Group, a collection of event organisers, musicians, fitness business reps and entertainment industry reps submitted the…
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Nigeria: Has President Buhari lost control?
Less than a year after protests against police abuse turned into the largest anti-government demonstration in Nigeria’s 20-year-old democracy, an onslaught of political, economic and security crises along with various outbreaks of violence around the country have ensnared the government. Conflict Zone met with Nigeria’s ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar. The political brand and two electoral successes of President…
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Koh Larn 70% vaccinated as Pattaya eyes reopening
Speaking to local press, the mayor of Pattaya declared a number of successes in vaccinations and Covid-19 prevention, including that Koh Larn is 70% vaccinated. While the government has been hesitant to commit to any reopening sandbox plan for Pattaya, the city has been focused on finding a way to welcome back tourists as soon as possible. The Thai government…
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Afghanistan: District after district falls to the Taliban
The Taliban are intensifying attacks across Afghanistan to gain more territory ahead of NATO’s troop withdrawal in September. The militant group now controls vast swathes of land in the war-ravaged country. Heavy fighting in many Afghan districts in recent weeks has inflicted heavy losses on both the Taliban and Afghan forces. On Wednesday, more than 20 Afghan commandos were killed…
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Can South Korea’s archbishop help pave the way for a papal visit to North Korea?
The first Korean appointed to a senior position in the Holy See has wasted no time in announcing his plans to arrange a groundbreaking papal visit to North Korea. However, analysts and rights activists caution that there can be several hurdles associated with arranging such a visit. Pope Francis named Lazzaro You Heung-sik, the bishop of the South Korean city…
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Tar balls wash ashore on several Phuket beaches
An oil spill that hit the north end of Phuket on Sunday has now stretched the entire length of the island as tar balls have washed up on the southernmost beach in Phuket as well. No source of the oil has been identified yet. Tar balls first washed up a few days ago on Mai Khao Beach, a stretch of…
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2 dead following truck crash
One truck crashed into another truck early this morning in Si Racha, a subdistrict of Chon Buri, which is southeast of Bangkok. The accident left 2 dead. The driver and her passenger were both pronounced dead at the scene. The crash happened on the Nong Kwae/Amata City Road in Borwin. Emergency responders were alerted to the crash at 5:30 am.…
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Outbreaks at factories rise, operators ordered to file Covid risk assessment
With Covid-19 clusters reported at numerous factories in Thailand infecting thousands, the Industry Ministry is ordering all factory operators to fill out a Covid-19 risk assessment form by the end of the month, warning that operators that do not cooperate may face punishment. Around 150 factories in more than 20 provinces have reported outbreaks infecting a total of more than…
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Prayut going to Phuket, see if it’s Sandbox ready
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, is set to travel to Phuket and determine its “readiness” to reopen for the proposed reopening on July 1. This news comes from a report in Thai media. The report says Prayut and other ministers will go to Phuket next Friday. When he gets to the island, Prayut and his cohorts will “inspect” the full…
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Thai-English auto-translate down on Facebook due to “technical issues”
Facebook’s Thai to English auto-translation feature on posts and comments has been taken down due to “technical issues,” the social media company’s communications manager for Thailand and Laos wrote in a statement to The Thaiger. Some have pointed out that auto-translate displayed an incorrect and derogatory word for a post on a recent royal ceremony in Thailand. Facebook did not…
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Famous/infamous murder suspect out on bail wins lottery
A resident of Mukdahan, a northern Thai province, who’s also a: murder suspect, folk hero, actor in music videos, known as”Uncle Phol”, won the lottery yesterday. Chaipol Vipha, AKA “Uncle Phol” gave his happy news with his wife, Pa Taan, on their Youtube channel, Wednesday. They won with the last 2 digits, 17. 17, is Uncle Phol’s birthday. Chaipol’s “fan…
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Ghana is running out of time to reverse desertification
Ghana is one of the tropical countries that has suffered the most from deforestation in recent years. The area covered by forests has shrunk five times in 100 years. While the government promises measures, young people are seeking collective action to reverse desertification. SOURCE: DW News
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Police arrest 2 men for allegedly trying to extort 2 million baht from a man
Police arrested 2 men, including a Thai soldier, who allegedly extorted a businessman, threatening to post obscene photos of him on social media if he didn’t give them 2 million baht. 31 year old Nawatkorn Pongassaphon and 31 year old Vorasart Lailang, a Thai army corporal, were arrested yesterday evening at a shopping centre in Nonthaburi, a suburb just outside…
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Officials tinker with definition of “population”, “find” over 70% of Phuket is vaccinated
The population of Phuket has been “adjusted” by officials. They now state the island is 74% vaccinated. That is, they claim 74% have received at least 1 of the 2 necessary inoculations. This news comes from a report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department. It was posted earlier today. The report states that the Phuket Governor, Pichet…
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EU Free Trade Agreement talks resume after 7-year coup hiatus
After a 7-year delay following Thailand’s military coup, talks have resumed to create a Free Trade Agreement between Thailand and the European Union. The Ministry of Commerce hosted a meeting this morning between Thailand’s Commerce Minister, also a Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ambassador of the European Union to Thailand. The two met to have conversations about a variety of…
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Thursday Covid Update: 3,129 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 is on a downward curve with 33,853 active cases reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Although the daily tally of new cases remains high, with 3,129 infections confirmed today, new recoveries recorded each day continue to exceed the number of new cases. Today, the CCSA logged 4,561 new recoveries. 30…
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Large orange juice order leads to large “fine”
5 officials from the Excise Department are currently under investigation for allegedly asking for a 12,000 baht “fine” from a shop proprietor who had filled a substantial order for orange juice. The officials had been working in Bangkok at the time of their orange juice related fine giving. The 5 Excise officials have since been transferred to a different office…
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Rain giving phallus cracks under the elements
The giant phallus that was erected on a road in accordance with an ancient rain making ceremony in Chachoengsao, a province in central Thailand, East of Bangkok is deteriorating due to sun and rain. The phallus is now showing deep, veiny cracks from the base of the structure, snaking up to the glans of the penis. The local villagers had…
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Students in Thailand’s Isaan region go back to school on an elephant
Schools across the country reopened this week after closures due to Covid-19. Some students in the Isaan province Surin decided to go to school in a much different and unconventional way… on an elephant. Three boys, dressed in their school uniforms and carrying their backpacks, rode on top of an elephant together to the Banyawuek School in the province’s Chumphon…
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Covid vaccine advertisements by private hospitals to be tightly regulated
Advertisements for Covid-19 vaccines by private hospitals will be tightly regulated to prevent exaggeration or any statements that may mislead the public. The Public Health Ministry has set regulations for private hospitals offering to order Covid-19 vaccines for customers including guidelines on promoting injection services as well as rules to ensure quality and safety. Department of Health Service Support director-general…
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China launches first astronaut led space mission in 5 years
Yesterday, China, launched its first crewed space mission in 5 years. 3 “science minded” military pilots shot to a new orbiting station that they were expected to reach about midafternoon. It was launched in Jiuquan, a northwestern area of China. Like a scene out of a movie, the astronauts were watched by various spectators from space officials and other military…
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US Embassy in Thailand issues security alert due to violence near Myanmar border
Mortar shells and rocket-propelled grenades from Myanmar have landed in Thai border towns in the Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces. With the ongoing violence between the Burmese military and ethnic armies following the February coup now with clashes near Thai border towns, the US Embassy in Thailand has issued a security alert and is now requiring all US government…
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Hong Kong police arrest 5 executives and raid offices of pro-democracy newspaper
Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily, has confirmed that police have raided its offices and arrested 5 executives accused of foreign collusion under the national security law. The controversial law was introduced by Beijing a year ago and prohibits, “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” According to Apple Daily’s own report, CEO Cheung Kim-hung,…
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Thursday Covid Update: 3,129 new cases and 30 deaths
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story reported an incorrect number for the confirmed cases at correctional facilities. The correct number is 457 infections. 3,129 new Covid-19 cases and 30 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the most severe wave of Covid-19 infections in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 178,861 cases.…
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Medic says 10% of Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are Delta variant
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences says 10% of Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, formerly known as the Indian variant. According to a Bangkok Post report, 496 cases of the variant have been detected in the Kingdom between April 7 and June 13. DMS chief Dr Supakit Sirilak says 404 of those are in Bangkok,…
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“We’ll do better on vaccines, there’s loads more on the way” – Anutin
Thailand’s Public Health Minister has pledged to do better on vaccine rollout, saying many more doses are coming soon. Anutin Charnvirakul says 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived yesterday, with another 1 million arriving tomorrow. The Bangkok Post reports that yesterday, Anutin visited the vaccination centre at Bang Sue Grand Station in the capital, where he met with some…
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Ethiopia’s Oromia region is volatile ahead of elections
Kidane Bekele is farmer and a community leader in his small village of 2,000 people. With elections approaching, he spends his evenings guarding polling stations and surrounding areas, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Every night after dinner, he puts on the khaki uniform of Oromia’s militia and makes his way to the small compound of the election station, where…
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