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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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Economy to lose billions of baht from Covid-19 lockdown – Kasikorn Research Centre
The economy will lose billions of baht following the Covid-19 outbreak in Samut Sakhon, just southwest of Bangkok, according to Kasikorn Research Centre. Shutting down the seafood industry in the province, calling off New Year parties in Bangkok and trips being cancelled due to virus fears will cost the economy a total of at least 45 billion baht over the…
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Samut Sakhon employer allegedly “dumps” migrant workers at a highway outside Bangkok
A group of Burmese migrant workers ended up on the side of a highway near Bangkok after their employer allegedly told them to get in a van to go get tested for Covid-19. The incident caught media attention as many coronavirus prevention measures focused on migrant workers were recently imposed after hundreds of workers at a seafood market in Samut…
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Health officials confirm Phuket’s first case of local transmission in months
Phuket officials have confirmed a case of Covid-19 in the province and given a timeline of the new infection. The patient is a 40 year old Thai man from the Kathu district, who recently returned from a “big bike” event on Koh Lanta, in Krabi province. The man belongs to a “big bike” afficionados’ group and travelled to an event…
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Several migrant workers flee Samut Sakhon detention, 3 re-captured in Chon Buri
A group of Burmese workers managed to flee a detention area in the Covid-19 hotspot of Samut Sakhon yesterday, with 3 later re-captured in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that photos showing a broken wall went viral on social media, with claims that several migrant workers had smashed the wall and torn down wire fences…
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Thai PM calls for unity in latest Covid fight, hints at further restrictions
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has called on all citizens to unite in the fight against Covid-19, while implying further restrictions may be introduced. In a televised address to the nation, he said the virus outbreak in the central province of Samut Sakhon has now resulted in over 1,000 infections but is being dealt with through strict measures. He added…
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Thai government may replace emergency decree with strict amendment to Communicable Disease Act
The Thai Public Health Minister says the government is considering repealing the emergency decree come the new year and replacing it with a tougher amendment to the Communicable Disease Control Act. Anutin Charnvirakul says the proposal was raised at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Addressing the Thai media, he said the amendment would allow the Disease Control Committee more authority to…
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Thailand News Today | 427 new C19 infections, Pattaya countdown cancelled, Elite Visa update | Dec 22
Plenty of talk around today about future lockdowns, but NOTHING IS CONFIRMED at this stage. The Thaiger will keep you up to date with the latest. Possibility of an “end of year travel boost” has been shattered As if things weren’t already bad enough for Thailand’s tourism sector, the events in Samut Sakhon in the past week have just made…
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High number of Thai migrant worker deaths in South Korea
Hundreds of Thais in South Korea have died in the past 5 years, many from “unknown causes,” according to data reported by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The majority of recorded deaths are migrants, who are less likely to report abuse or have access to healthcare. The report from Reuters prompted the United Nations to look into the cases as well…
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Driver allegedly obstructs and stops ambulance, patient dies
A driver may face serious charges after he allegedly cut in front of and stopped an ambulance that was rushing to pick up a patient who later died on the way to a local hospital. Emergency responders received a call to pick up a patient who was in critical condition and being given CPR at his home in Samut Prakan,…
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2 police officers fired for allegedly planting drugs on a woman, demanding money and sex
The Samut Prakan police chief fired 2 officers for allegedly planting methamphetamine pills on a woman and extorting her for 25,000 baht, then later demanding sex. The sacked police officers may also face criminal charges. The 34 year old woman sought help from the “Help Crime Victim Club,” claiming that the 2 police officers in Samut Prakan, a province just…
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Pattaya cancels end of year countdown events
Pattaya officials have cancelled all public gatherings planned over the next few weeks. A Chonburi provincial order has banned the events, including the 3 day Pattaya New Year Countdown Music Festival. All other provincial countdowns have also been cancelled as a precaution against the current outbreak in Samut Sakhon which is now spreading to neighbouring provinces, including Bangkok. The Koh…
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Possibility of an “end of year travel boost” has been shattered
As if things weren’t already bad enough for Thailand’s tourism sector, the events in Samut Sakhon in the past week have just made them a lot worse. Just as the few hotels open in Thailand’s major tourist hot spots were hoping for a bounce in traffic over Christmas and New Year, the hopes have been largely dashed by the outbreak…
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Holiday season travel expected to drop by 5 million trips due to recent Covid-19 cases
Due to the recent cluster of Covid-19 infections in Samut Sakhon, hitting a record high in daily infections, tourism officials say the yearly tally for domestic trips is likely to fall by 5 million. With lockdown measures and international travel restrictions this year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand focused on local travel and set a goal of 100 million domestic…
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Official says Thailand can handle rise in demand for face masks
The director-general of the Internal Trade Department says there will be sufficient face masks to meet a spike in demand as a result of the outbreak in Samut Sakhon. Wattanasak Sur-iam says he’s asked manufacturers to step up production from a current combined capacity of 5 million masks a day. He adds that the retail price of surgical masks will…
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30 property developers expected to sign up to Elite visa incentive scheme
The president of Thailand Privilege Card, which runs the Elite Visa scheme, says around 30 real-estate developers have expressed interest in offering foreign buyers 5-year visas in return for investing at least 10 million baht in Thai property. Somchai Sungsawang says the scheme, known as the Elite Flexible One launches on January 1, with cards valid for 2 years. Nation…
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WHO calls for calm over new coronavirus variant
The World Health Organisation is calling for calm over the emergence of a new strain of Covid-19 in countries including Britain and South Africa. WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan says virus mutation is to be expected and is not a cause for major alarm. His comments come as a growing number of countries impose travel bans on passengers from the…
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Thailand News Today | 800+ cases in Samut Sakhon, Countries block UK travel | Dec 21
Back in Bangkok for this week’s Thailand News Today, wondering if we’re going to be locked down again? All the latest news at thethaiger.com More than 800 Covid-19 cases now linked to seafood market More than 800 Covid-19 cases are now linked to the Samut Sakhon province seafood market outbreak. Up to the weekend the largest number of cases reported…
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Amnesty International campaign urges PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on protesters
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on a number of activists for their role in the pro-democracy movement and to repeal, or at least amend, Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. …
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Bangkok city employee found shot to death in Surat Thani
Police have opened a homicide investigation after a Bangkok city employee was found shot to death in her car in the Southern province Surat Thani. A resident noticed a Toyota Yaris was parked along a road in the Phun Phin district for 3 days. Yesterday evening, the resident decided to check it out and saw a woman’s body in the…
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More than 800 Covid-19 cases now linked to seafood market
More than 800 Covid-19 cases are now linked to the Samut Sakhon province seafood market outbreak. With the largest increase in daily cases reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday, health officials say they are now conducting mass testing to contain the virus. As of this morning, 723 Covid-19 cases are linked to the Mahachai Market in Samut…
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New Covid-19 variant prompts many countries to stop travel from the UK
A new strain of Covid-19 quickly spreading in southern England has prompted a number of countries to ban travel from the United Kingdom while other nations are mulling similar restrictions. The new coronavirus variant is said to spread more quickly than others. British PM Boris Johnson placed London and southeastern England on a Tier 4 lockdown. He announced that both Christmas…
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Patient allegedly shoots and kills doctor in Phetchaburi for overcharging
A patient allegedly shot and killed a doctor for overcharging him. When police arrested 22 year old Denphum “Phum” Sangthong and took him back to the doctor’s office to reenact the crime, a regular practice in Thai law enforcement, a crowd of around 300 people gathered at the scene, some calling for Phum to be executed. 40 police officers were…
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Thailand plans large-scale 5G adoption by next year
Thailand could adopt a large-scale 5G network by next year. The fifth generation wireless technology has higher speeds, lower latency and the ability to connect more devices. The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, or NBTC, says they are ahead of schedule. Along with the mass adoption of 5G, the commission’s strategic plan for next year includes promoting a telecom infrastructure-sharing…
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Samut Sakhon update: PM urges calm, BMA issues restrictions for Bangkok
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thai people not to panic over the “new wave” of Covid-19 infections that have swept through Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, and to keep themselves informed with updates. In a Facebook post today, the PM urged people “not to lower their guard and to wear face masks at all times while outdoors,…
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Samut Sakhon outbreak reaches 689 cases, spreads to Bangkok and Samut Prakan
There’s been an update in Covid-19 cases stemming from the Samut Sakhon outbreak. Thailand’s Public Health Ministry have now upgraded the provincial cluster, including mostly Burmese migrant worker, to 689 cases, all identified through contact tracing. Most worked in and around the provinces coastal fishing market according to the Department of Disease Control. Some traced cases have been located in…
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Covid outbreak spreads- 10,000 people to be tested
Thailand has now confirmed 689 new coronavirus infections today, including 516 migrant worker cases linked to the outbreak in Samut Sakhon yesterday. In Bangkok, there are now 19 locally-infected cases being reported on top of the ones found in Samut Sakhon. There are also 41 imported cases being reported. Most of the cases reported were of Myanmar migrant workers with…
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Khon Kaen mandates Covid testing for travellers to and from Samut Sakhon
The Khon Kaen governor is taking action after the recent Covid surge in Samut Sakhon by mandating that people returning to the province must undergo a Covid-19 screening. Somsak Jangtrakul says the new measures include those returning as of December 1 after he called a meeting of the provincial disease control today. At the meeting, it was decided that those…
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Poll reveals Thais took better care of their health in 2020
A recent poll has revealed that Thais are taking better care of their health in 2020, after being plagued by various other problems, including the Covid pandemic. According to the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University poll, which was conducted online between December 12 and 17 on 1,135 people nationwide, 68% said that they have paid more attention to their health this year.…
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Netizens demand Minister of Public Health to resign after Covid surge
Today, Thai netizens are demanding the resignation of Thailand’s Minister of Public Health after the largest daily amount of Covid infections is being reported in Samut Sakhon Province. That number of infections, reported today, is now up to 576, 516 of which includes migrant workers who have been in the news recently after several were found to have entered Thailand…
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2 local Covid cases reported today- Bangkok and Ayutthaya
Thailand is reporting 2 new local cases of Covid-19 today, 1 in Ayutthaya and the other in Bangkok. The first cases is a 29 year old Thai female from Ayutthaya, who was returning from work in Chiang Mai. The woman took a Covid test at Bang Pa Hospital on December 18 and is currently being isolated at the hospital without…
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