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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Education Ministry to reduce classroom time as part of “system upgrade”
Thailand’s Education Ministry says it plans to reduce the amount of time students have to spend in the classroom, in favour of more personal learning time. The initiative is part of a wider upgrade to the country’s education system and is expected to be implemented next year. 2020 has been a year of student-led protests, with Thailand’s youth railing against…
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COVID UPDATE: Bangkok bans, Anutin quarantined, another patient dies | VIDEO
A video summary of the current situation, today, as The Thaiger continues to keep you up to date with all the latest news about the current Covid-19 outbreak. The BMA’s order includes… bars with hostesses, horse racing tracks, cock-fighting arenas and massage parlours. But pubs and restaurants can stay open as long as they serve only food and drinks, and…
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Rayong police chief transferred over Covid-19 outbreak at alleged gambling den
Following his claim that there was no illegal gambling den involved in a Covid-19 outbreak in the eastern province of Rayong, provincial police chief Papatdet Katephan has been transferred. The order came from national police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk, following a cluster of infections linked to an alleged illegal gambling venue. One of the patients has since died. There were bizarre…
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Government launches seasonal road safety campaign ahead of New Year holiday
It’s that time of year again… The Thai government has launched its road safety and accident reduction centre, part of its annual road safety campaign for the “7 days of danger” over the New Year holiday. The campaign will run from today until January 4, in an attempt to reduce the carnage as holidaymakers take to the roads. The numbers choosing…
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190 Bangkok clinics and hospitals accused of corruption
190 clinics and hospitals in Bangkok are accused of falsely billing the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, for medical treatment that never happened. Back in July, NHSO filed a complaint against 18 clinics in Bangkok for 72 million baht in fraudulent claims under the government’s “Gold Card” universal healthcare scheme. The NHSO found that clinics and hospitals falsely billed…
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Domestic tourism subsidy extended, 200,000 rooms booked in first 12 hours
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says an extension to the domestic tourism stimulus campaign has led to 200,000 hotel room bookings within the first 12 hours. TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, says average bookings before the extension were around 50,000 – 60,000 a day. Transactions under the scheme are now being closely monitored, following the discovery of fraudulent bookings during the…
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Bangkok entertainment venues hit with temporary closure order amid rise in cases
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered all entertainment venues in the capital to close until January 4, with the exception of bars and restaurants serving food and drinks. The establishments affected by the closure order include hostess bars, horseracing venues, cockfighting arenas, and massage parlours. Pubs and restaurants serving food and drinks only can remain open provided they observe strict…
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Man arrested for allegedly stealing from fatal car accident victims
A man was arrested for allegedly stealing valuables from victims of a fatal traffic accident where a 2 pickup trucks collided, killing 2 people and injuring 4. Police say the man pretended to help emergency responders during the rescue and stole valuables from both the deceased and the injured victims. The accident occurred around 11:50am this morning on Mitrapap highway…
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Police raid factory, arrest man and detain 11 migrant workers
After announcing a crackdown on labour traffickers, police arrested a Chinese man who allegedly illegally operated a rubber glove factory and employed undocumented migrants. After a spike in Covid-19 cases involving more than 1,000 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, many who worked in the Mahachai area fishing hub, police said they would investigate migrant trafficking and make major arrests. Before…
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Police called after Bangkok bus passenger removes his mask to blow his nose
Police were called after a passenger on a public Bangkok bus blew his nose and spit in a tissue. Thai media reports that the bus driver ordered the man to get off the bus in Bangkok’s Petchkasem area and that the passenger eventually agreed after the police were called. The man had removed his mask and was wiping and blowing…
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2021’s new normal – the digital Covid passport
Looking forward to travelling, shopping, going to the movies? Now that Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to be rolled out around the world, you may now need something in addition to the actual vaccine. Documentation… a vaccine passport. Documentation, including your current Covid status and vaccination details, will become 2021’s biggest challenge as governments, businesses, and world travel, try and re-establish…
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Murder-suicide at Songkhla Zoo linked to missing rare animal investigation
Investigators say the apparent murder-suicide at the Songkhla Zoo is related to the case of the missing rare deer and claims of illegal wildlife trade. Back in October, the zoo’s senior veterinarian shot and killed a top official from the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand before killing himself at his living quarters at the Southern Thailand zoo. The organisation’s director-general,…
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Thai returnee commits suicide from quarantine facility balcony
A Thai returnee from South Korea has reportedly committed suicide off the balcony of her quarantine facility in Bang Kapi today. The woman, whose name has been withheld, allegedly leaped to her death off of the 8th storey of the facility, with her body landing on the 2nd storey. The 51 year old woman tested negative for the virus initially…
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Bangladesh moves towards relocating Rohingya refugees, UN denies involvement
Despite rights groups advising not to relocate Rohingya refugees anymore, Bangladesh is pressing on to move a 2nd group of refugees from Myanmar to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal this month. The new group consists of about 1,000 refugees and is in addition to more than 1,600 refugees that were moved earlier this month,…
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3 people summonsed after allegedly attacking world-renowned Buri Ram dancer
3 young men are being summonsed in connection with the assault of Nopparat Boonrat, a world-renowned dancer and Buri Ram native. Buri Ram is a north eastern province. The men, aged 20-23, whose names have been withheld at this stage, are accused of severely injuring Nopparat last Wednesday night at a restaurant in Lahan Sai district in this northeastern province.…
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Japan suspends entry for non-resident foreigners amidst new Covid variant
Japan is suspending nonresident foreign nationals from entering the country starting tomorrow through late January as a precaution to stop the spread of a new and possibly more transmissible strain of the Covid-19 virus. Japanese citizens and foreign residents alike will also have to submit negative virus test results within 72 hours of departing to Japan from countries and territories…
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Phuket Governor warns face mask price gougers
Phuket’s Governor is warning profiteers against face mask price-gouging after news of a second wave of Covid-19 has rattled Thais. There has been 1 new case of Covid-19 reported this week. Governor Narong Woonciew says violators could face a fine of up to 100,000 baht or up to 5 years imprisonment. Narong issued the order just a week after news…
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Red Bull heir ‘Boss’ has 6 more years until legally free of charges
At the start of the new year, Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya will have 6 more years until he is free from being formerly charged over a hit and run case, involving the death of a police officer, that took place in 2012. The current statute of limitations for reckless driving causing death, one of the charges against Boss,…
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Pro-democracy movement making little headway… monarchy’s powers remain untouched
The cost of pushing for change in 2020 by Thailand’s pro-democracy movement is still being splashed all over the news after more than 55 protesters sustained injuries at rally sites, mostly minor. And, as the year comes to an end, protest leaders say they are taking a break, only to come back stronger in 2021. But some question whether the…
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Covid-19 cases in Thailand on Sunday, December 27
“…provincial governors can now decide if a Covid-19 lockdown must be imposed.” A total of 6,141 people have now been infected in Thailand. Today (Sunday, December 27) the CCSA has announced there was 121 new cases of Covid-19, (+9 imported cases & +112 local cases). 18 of the new local cases are migrant workers. 4,161 people have now been discharged from…
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12 months ago a number of “mysterious” respiratory cases came to the notice of a Chinese doctor
A year ago nothing much was known about the coronavirus that has now decimated the world’s economy and killed 1,764,697 people (as of Saturday morning, December 27, 2020 Thai Time). Exactly 12 months later there are now 80,720,204 positive infections registered around the world. On December 27, 2019, there was little known about the mysterious new coronavirus. How infectious was…
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More pandemics to come if we don’t prepare for the future – WHO Chief
Today marks the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, and to some, such a day recognising the importance of thinking ahead, is long overdue. The WHO chief is warning that if preparations aren’t made for the future, more pandemics that rival Covid-19 will follow. Exactly 12 months today a number of mysterious respiratory cases presented at a hospital in Wuhan.…
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Thailand remembers the 16th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
It was Boxing Day, now 16 years distant, when the Andaman Coast of Thailand, and coastlines around the Indian Ocean, suffered one of nature’s most disastrous events of our generation. The tsunami reached Phuket and provinces nearby around 10am on Boxing Day, December 26, 2004, and caused uncountable losses. Official Thai government statistics estimate 4,812 souls were lost to the…
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Booze ban in Thailand? Not for now.
There’s not going to be a national booze ban. Well, not for now anyway. A Thai Government spokesperson has walked back rumours that an alcohol ban is about to be enforced around the country. Rumours of the ban on the sale and distribution of alcohol started circulating online last week on the back of the cluster of new cases that…
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Covid-19 cluster confirmed following Koh Lanta “big bike” event
A “big bike” party on Koh Lanta, in the southern province of Krabi, has resulted in a cluster of Covid-19 infections, according to officials from the Department of Disease Control. The DDC says there are currently around 10 confirmed cases and 129 people considered “at risk”. The outbreak is linked to a patient who travelled to Koh Lanta from the…
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Thai government plans to amend business, immigration rules, for foreign investors
Foreign investors in Thailand have long decried the onerous, complex, and sometimes downright baffling, bureaucracy that comes with doing business in the Land of Smiles. And it appears officials in Bangkok are finally sitting up and taking notice. Nation Thailand reports that, in an effort to stimulate the ailing economy, the government plans to make some changes to the regulations…
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Minister’s insistence Thailand’s moon mission will go ahead sparks social media debate
Debate is raging on social media following a claim from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, that Thailand’s plan to orbit the Moon is going ahead. Anek Laothamatas adds that it will be “mission accomplished” within the next 7 years, costing, “only 3 billion baht”. A report in the Bangkok Post says that, according to Anek, Thailand…
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South Korea confirms Covid-19 outbreak in 32 Thai workers, 28 others awaiting results
South Korean officials have announced a Covid-19 outbreak in 32 Thai workers, with a further 28 waiting for test results. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the development, with spokesman Tanee Sangrat saying the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul has been in touch with the affected workers and is ready to help if needed. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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CCSA threatens lockdowns by March “if situation spirals out of control”
The spokesperson for Thailand’s CCSA, Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, yesterday stated that, if the “situation spiralled out of control”, there would be a “nationwide lockdown by March”. The Christmas Day warning followed a week of tracking and tracing from an outbreak that centred on the Mahachai seafood market in Samut Sakhon, specifically, and Burmese migrant workers in the fishing and seafood…
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The etiquette of gift-giving in Thailand
During this festive period, whether to mark Christmas or the start of a new – and hopefully brighter – year, you may want to offer a gift to your Thai friends. Alternatively, it may be the birthday of a Thai friend, or you may have been invited to their home. What are the rules? Below is a short guide to…
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