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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AstraZeneca will remain Thailand’s primary vaccine, insists Health Minister
The Health Minister insists the AstraZeneca vaccine will remain Thailand’s primary Covid-19 jab, despite concerns over rare side-effects. Some countries have suspended its use, while Denmark is the first country in Europe to abandon it completely. However, Anutin Charnvirakul says it’s up to each country to make their own decisions and Thailand is pressing ahead with the jab. “There are…
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Alcohol sales may be banned in restaurants, but no lockdown for now
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says it believes a lockdown is currently unnecessary, despite a record 1,543 new Covid-19 infections yesterday. Of those, only 3 were imported. However, Health Minister Anutin Chanvirakul says the government is confident it can control the spread of the virus without having to lock down the country. “We have seen no point in imposing a lockdown…
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New red zone map shows where restrictions may apply after this afternoon’s CCSA meeting
This new map is up for discussion today when the CCSA meets today. 18 provinces are to be designated as red zones. The amount of red zones may changes as well after this morning’s CCSA update on new infections. The CCSA will meet later this afternoon, chaired by the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. According to some early notes on the upgraded…
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Bangkok sees 7.87 million vehicles over Songkran holiday
Covid-19 and its third wave be damned, close to 8 million vehicles travelled in and out of Bangkok so far during this year’s Songkran festival holiday period. Thailand’s Ministry of Transport released figures yesterday on the yearly holiday and revealed that more than 7.87 million cars, trucks, buses and motorbikes hit the roads and travelled into and out of Bangkok…
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Songkran road safety day 5: 37 deaths, 330 accidents
On the fifth day of Songkran’s infamous “seven dangerous days”, there were 330 road accidents resulting in 37 deaths and 328 injuries reported across Thailand. Songkran brings an increase in travel, and with it, an unfortunate increase in traffic accidents and road deaths. With Covid-19 severely curbing festivities this year, figures are generally down, but the government continues to encourage…
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Pattaya area man severely injured after pet pit bull attacked
A Pattaya area man sustained severe injuries when his pet pit bull attacked him in the early hours of the morning. The incident took place in Bang Lamung with authorities being called to the scene near Soi Bang Lamung Temple. The victim, 56 year old Wisit Sanguan, had been bitten by his own pet dog and was bleeding profusely from…
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Footbridges stop luxury yacht travelling from Phuket to Samui
Footbridges in Phuket stood in the way of a luxury yacht travelling from its home in Phuket to Koh Samui when the boat was too tall to pass. Police received a call around 8 pm last night from the truck driver after his trailer carrying the yacht had trouble getting under one of several bridges for walkers to pass over…
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Bang Lamung Hospital is full, province using field hospitals and ASQ hotels
A spokesperson from the Bang Lamung Hospital in Pattaya says that all the beds put aside for Covid patients are now full and doctors are now having to refer newly infected people to Sattahip where the Navy have set up a field hospital. They’re also referring some patients to ASQ hotels. The hospital said they had put aside 30 ward…
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New NGO law could target anti-governemnt activists
A controversial new NGO law was drafted with critics arguing it targets activists and the Thai government saying it ensures transparency. The Draft Act on the Operations of Not-for-Profit Organisations was written by the Office of the Council of State in February and debated in the second half of March, but could be passed into law soon. Human rights groups…
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Covid UPDATE: New cases rise to 1,543, DDC recommends work from home in red zone areas
Thailand’s Covid-19 infections are still on the rise, with the Kingdom reporting 1,543 new infections in the last 24 hours. Only 3 of those are imported with 1,540 being cases of community transmission. Thailand has now recorded 37,453 infections. 8,973 patients are receiving hospital treatment, 41 of whom have pneumonia. 11 people are currently in a serious condition on ventilators.…
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Vietnam passes Thailand as world’s top rice price
In undoubtedly only the second most important “r_ce war”, Vietnam has overtaken Thailand to become the highest-priced exporting rice in the world. First quarter prices were up nearly 19% over last year, reaching US $547 per tonne, with prices in March half a per cent higher than February’s rate. This run on pricing pushes Vietnamese rice past both Thailand and…
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Bangkok officials issue advice for Covid contacts required to self-isolate
The governor of Bangkok says anyone who has had contact with a Covid-19 patient must self-isolate for 10 days, the incubation period for the virus. Nation Thailand reports that Governor Aswin Kwanmuang has issued advice for those self-isolating, saying they must adhere to the following 4 steps. 1. Sleep in a separate room to other residents 2. Do not eat…
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Denmark becomes first country in Europe to ditch AstraZeneca vaccine
Denmark has announced that it is abandoning the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first European country to do so, amid concerns about very rare but serious blood clots. The rollout of the vaccine has run into problems in several countries, with its use either temporarily suspended or restricted to older age groups. When concerns first arose over the vaccine’s rare side-effects, Denmark…
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People and businesses to face legal action for spreading Covid virus
Health officials say those people and entertainment businesses who helped spur a third wave of Covid-19 in Thailand may face legal action against them. A 26 year old woman, who allegedly boarded a plane on April 11 in Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport after testing positive for the virus, has been pointed out by Chraspong Sukree, the chief of Nakhon Si…
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Individuals and businesses who spread Covid-19 to be prosecuted
Officials have vowed to take legal action against reckless individuals and irresponsible business owners who spread Covid-19. A number of businesses in Bangkok and Phuket are accused of violating the emergency decree and disease prevention measures by hosting large-scale parties that sparked a rise in infections that has now spread across the country. Meanwhile, the public health chief in the…
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Thailand provinces currently imposing travel restrictions
Here’s a list of Thai provinces current imposing restrictions on entry, by road or air, as you travel at this time. Today is the last day of the Songkran holiday, so there will be a return home for many people although it’s expected that many have also taken the Friday off to merge the Songkran break with the weekend. So…
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Red paint in Burmese streets mark 700+ deaths
Marking over 700 deaths in the Burmese military crackdown, anti-coup protesters in Myanmar are splashing red paint across the streets of Yangon to represent the blood of those killed in the growing crisis. Myanmar has ground to a halt as the military junta attempt to silence opposition to their February 1 takeover with deadly force. 714 deaths have been verified…
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Pattaya tourism remains open without quarantine, for now anyway
As province after province closes down more sectors, imposing stricter regulations, administers mandatory Covid-19 testing, and enacts quarantines for domestic travellers (in some cases), Pattaya is taking a different approach: heartily welcoming tourists to their city. Colourful Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome spoke yesterday saying that everyone from everywhere is welcome in Pattaya, and will not be required to quarantine or…
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Thailand News Today | 1,335 new infections, provinces adding travel restrictions | April 14
Thailand’s CCSA has announced 1,335 new infections today, after a slight dip in the 13 day surge yesterday. 1,326 of those new infections are local, not imported, and mostly from Bangkok. Today’s tally takes the national total to 35,910 since January 2020 when the first case outside China was detected in Thailand on January 13. The new infections have mostly…
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Hotel blog suggests Phuket should push ahead with July reopening despite Covid surge
A hotel information blog is claiming that, despite growing Covid-19 numbers, Phuket should stick to its schedule in reopening to travellers without quarantine in July. That’s only 2 and a half months away. In an interview with the Director of Travel and Tourism Consulting at GlobalData, they stressed that while it is crucial to rein in the spread of Covid-19…
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Tokyo Olympics still threatened by Covid-19 100 days out
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are 100 days away, but with Covid-19 surges, there are still many hurdles to jump. With Coronavirus infections on the rise in many places around the world, and even in Japan, there are debates on if the Olympics can carry on – or even if they should. Japan has seen outbreaks forcing them to retighten recently…
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Chon Buri adds 99 new Covid-19 infections today
The Chon Buri Covid-19 cluster is spreading with the Chon Buri Provincial Public Health Office confirming 99 new cases today. The province, which contains Pattaya, seems to be following a growing infection trend. The Pattaya area saw 47 new cases, and Mueang Chon Buri had 41 cases, with other districts having less than 5 each. 2 people infected with Covid-19…
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Northern Thai provinces starting Covid restrictions as 3rd wave spreads
Thailand’s northern provinces are starting to impose more self-quarantines or travel restrictions to combat the recent Covid-19 outbreak that has spread quickly throughout northern Thailand. Phichit and Lampang provinces are the latest in northern Thailand to impose a variety of covid-19 restrictions on people entering. A Thailand Interior Ministry told Chiang Rai Times that the longer list emphasises the seriousness…
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Travelling from the UK? Here’s some details on restrictions….
As the summer holiday is just around the corner, many in the UK are wondering if and how they will travel abroad during the Covid pandemic. Despite it being against the law to travel abroad for holiday and leisure in the UK, those who need to travel may want to know what requirements certain countries have in order to enter.…
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Thailand approves 8 vaccines for foreign travellers seeking shortened quarantine
Thailand has approved a total of 8 Covid-19 jabs for vaccinated tourists hoping to avail of reduced quarantine on arrival in the Kingdom. Despite a third wave of infections gripping the country, officials are pinning their hopes on the return of international visitors in order to revive the decimated tourism sector. In 2019, approximately 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand…
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Songkran holiday eerily quiet after Covid mutes celebrations
Thailand rang in another Lunar New Year, or Songkran, without its normal festivities, highlighting the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on the world. For the 2nd year, the biggest Thai holiday was subdued without water-splashing, parties, and concerts. Instead, the predominantly Buddhist nation turned to its more muted, traditional activities of making merit to observe the 3 day…
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Bangkok police tracking down owners of Thong Lor clubs where virus resurfaced
Police in Bangkok are on the hunt for the owners of 2 nightclubs considered ground zero for a third wave of Covid-19 currently spreading around the country. The Krystal Club and Emerald Thonglor 13, in the capital’s fashionable Thonglor district, are currently closed, with the managers of both sentenced to 2 months’ imprisonment. However, officials are now attempting to track…
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Thailand stocking up on Covid-19 drugs, private jabs may arrive later this year
Thailand is stockpiling Covid-19 treatment, including the antiviral medication, Favipiravir, as a third wave of Covid-19 spreads across the country. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation says is it is distributing supplies of Favipiravir to hospitals and placing more orders for the drug. It currently has 411,200 tablets in stock and has ordered another half a million. More than 4,000 people have…
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Officials in Chiang Mai and Hua Hin express concern amid rapid rise in infections
Health officials in the northern province of Chiang Mai and the western province of Prachuap Khiri Khan are on high alert amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Prachuap Khiri Khan has now reported 334 cases, with infections rising by 141 yesterday. The outbreak is primarily centred around the Hua Hin district, with provincial health official Suriya Khuharat saying most people…
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US pauses use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after “rare and severe” blood clots
Health officials in the United States have decided to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine while they investigate a number of cases of “rare and severe” blood clots. According to a CNN report, a 45 year old woman has died and another patient is in critical condition. In total, there were 6 blood clot incidents, out of…
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