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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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Thailand News Today | Bangkok protests, Special Tourist Visa, Prisoners slippery escape | October 16
Thailand news on The Thaiger. Posted daily around 5pm, Thai Time. Hosted by Tim Newton. Train-car collision kills 1, second fatal railway crossing incident this week A passenger train collided with a car, killing a woman and injuring 2 others at a railway crossing in Phetchaburi’s Khao Yai district last night. At last night’s incident, police found the Toyota Vios…
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Mae Sot immigration chief transferred after inmate escape
Following the escape of 2 inmates, the immigration chief in Tak’s Mae Sot district has been transferred while an investigation takes place. The 2 Uighur inmates escaped by using soap to corrode the iron cell bars. They rubbed dish soap on the cell bars routinely. Over time, the iron started to rust and they were able to break the bars.…
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Bangkok in “State of Emergency” for 1 month, PM warns about possible curfew
For the next month, Bangkok will be in a “State of Emergency” with a ban on public gatherings of more than 5 people. If protests persist and get out of hand, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned today that the government will invoke a nightly curfew, prohibiting people from leaving their homes during certain hours. It should be said, that even…
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Train-car collision kills 1, second fatal railway crossing incident this week
A passenger train collided with a car, killing a woman and injuring 2 others at a railway crossing in Phetchaburi’s Khao Yai district last night. Just earlier this week, a freight train smashed into a charter bus, killing 18 bus passengers and injuring another 44 at a crossing by the Khlong Kwaeng Klan railway station in the Chachoengsao province. Officials…
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Thailand Airbnb hosts to abide by new Covid-19 cleaning measures
Now that people in Thailand are travelling domestically again and international tourists could be coming in the near future, Airbnb has consulted with Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health and come up with Covid-19 safety measures which include “new normal” policies and the 5-step “enhanced” cleaning process: prepare, clean, sanitise, check and reset. All Airbnb hosts in Thailand must make sure…
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Inmates escape from Thai prison using soap to rust the cell bars
2 Turkish inmates escaped from a Thailand prison in a daring, if not slippery, escape. Their main tool? Soap. They used soap to cover the bars of their cell in the Tak’s Mae Sot district. Over time, the soap caused the metal to rust and they were able to break the cell bars. Apparently, this isn’t their first cunning escape…
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2 activists could face life in prison for alleged violations against a royal motorcade
2 pro-democracy activists could face life in prison for alleged intention to harm HM the Queen’s liberty during Wednesday afternoon’s rally in Bangkok, which happened to coincide with the same time and same route as a royal motorcade. The Criminal Court issued the arrest warrants yesterday. Violence against the Queen or her liberty, in Section 110 of Thailand’s Criminal Code,…
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Human rights NGO, opposition parties, say State of Emergency infringes human rights
A Thai human rights NGO has criticised the government’s decision to declare a State of Emergency in Bangkok, as political unrest escalates in the capital and around the country. iLaw says the imposition of the emergency decree gives the PM the unrestricted right to use special powers that violate citizens’ human rights. iLaw points out that the new ban on…
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“Thai authorities should not repress peaceful protests”, Human Rights Watch
OPINION The Thai government’s declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok is a pretext for a crackdown on peaceful demonstrations, Human Rights Watch said today. Since the declaration of a state of emergency on October 15, 2020, the police have arrested at least 22 activists, including several protest leaders, in front of Bangkok’s Government House. “The Emergency Decree provides…
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Activists vow to push ahead with political protests in Bangkok today
A mass gathering of protesters at Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection and Ratchadamri Road ended around 10pm last night, with activists vowing to return for more of the same today. Members of Khana Ratsadon 2563 (People’s Party 2020) announced they will reconvene today to keep pouring pressure on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. Among the group’s demands are a call for the PM…
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5,000 pack Bangkok’s central shopping district to continue the protest
Police have been taken aback by the huge amount of support for a protest at Bangkok’s famous Ratchaprasong Intersection, the site of the 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing incident where 20 people died. Bangkok, currently under a State of Emergency, declared by the Thai government in the early hours of this morning, is on edge this evening as huge crowds swarmed…
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After protest cleared, Government House hosts first foreign minister since the Covid-19 outbreak
After all the commotion outside Bangkok’s Government House this morning, with the protest broken up by a State of Emergency order and at least 20 people arrested, Thailand welcomed the first foreign minister since the Covid-19 outbreak. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi visited PM Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Government House today, the first since the pandemic. He arrived after pro-democracy…
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Human rights lawyer Anon Nampa arrested, flown to Chiang Mai for sedition charges
After being arrested in Bangkok early this morning, along with numerous other protesters, human rights lawyer and pro-democracy activist leader Anon Nampa is apparently being flown up to Chiang Mai to face sedition charges for allegedly criticising the Thai Monarchy at a past event in the northern province. In Bangkok today, at least 20 protesters, who intended to camp out…
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Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival expected to draw in 350 million baht
WARNING: Graphic photos and video below. After months and months of an economic slowdown induced by the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of tourists, thousands of people are expected to arrive to Phuket over the next 2 weeks to take part in the annual Vegetarian Festival. It’s expected to generate more than 350 million baht, according to the Tourism Authority…
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Protester arrests after emergency decree “unjustified,” Amnesty International says – VIDEO
The State of Emergency imposed in Bangkok at 4am this morning, banning public gatherings and leading to the arrests of at least 20 people, is a “vague, drastic order that will lead to more people unfairly arrested, detained and prosecuted,” according to an official from the human rights group Amnesty International. The emergency decree broke up a pro-democracy demonstration intended…
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“Limit the level of torturing” at Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival, mayor says
WARNING: Content below contains graphic images of self-mutilation that some may find disturbing. While Phuket’s annual Vegetarian Festival was given the “okay” to move forward with plans, the event will need to abide by “new normal” rules to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. So called “mah songs,” who often practice self-mutilation to enter a trance-like state and channel spirits,…
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Pattaya bar ladies use YouTube to make money during pandemic – VIDEO
Can’t visit the ladies in Pattaya? Just go to YouTube and type “Pattaya bar live” in the search bar. A number of videos and live streams will come up from various bars in Pattaya. The area was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic with a ban on international tourists, battering the local economy that heavily relied on foreign visitors. But…
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Gunman surrenders after holding Phuket woman hostage for 4 hours
A man who held a Phuket shopkeeper hostage at gunpoint has surrendered following a 4 hour stand-off with police. Nation Thailand reports that the incident occurred in the sub-district of Srissontorn last night. Police say they had earlier pursued a group of teenagers wanted for drugs offences. 1 of the suspects ran into a motorbike repair shop near the Banya…
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Residents in border areas accuse officials of lax control over Burmese drivers
Residents in the Mae Sot district of Tak province, bordering Myanmar, have criticised what they see as lax checking of Burmese truck drivers arriving from the Covid-hit neighbour next door. Concerned residents are calling for the Friendship Bridge to be temporarily closed in light of a surge in virus cases in Myanmar. The bridge, which spans the Moei River, connects…
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UPDATE: Bangkok under a State of Emergency, protests ‘cleared’, 20+ arrested,
Bangkok awakes to a State of Emergency, imposed at 4am to quell the growing support of the latest protest movement. The Thai government has used its emergency decree powers to impose a “State of Emergency” in Bangkok, and placed a ban on gatherings of any more than 5 people. The tough new security laws, put in place early this morning,…
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Parents press ahead with class-action against school at centre of abuse claims
A school in the central province of Nonthaburi is facing a class-action lawsuit from parents, amid allegations of abuse at the facility. The claims originally came to light when a teacher was captured on CCTV physically abusing students in her care. In the footage, Ornuma Plodprong, aka, “Khru Jum”, can be seen repeatedly hitting students, pushing one to the floor,…
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Protest planned at Bangkok’s Rathchaprasong intersection, despite State of Emergency
Despite the recent emergency decree banning public gatherings, as well as warnings from police, pro-democracy activists are planning to gather at Bangkok’s Rathchaprasong intersection at 4pm today. Bangkok’s State of Emergency was imposed at 4am this morning, banning gatherings of more than 5 people. At least 20 people were arrested after the decree was announced, according to deputy police spokesperson…
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Anti-government activists arrested at Democracy Monument rally denied bail
20 pro-democracy activists, arrested at yesterday and last night’s rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, have been denied bail and continue to be held in a prison in the capital. The protesters, who include Jatupat Boonpattararaksa, aka, “Pai Dao Din”, and Chaiamorn Kaewwiboonpan, a singer-songwriter known as “Ammy”, have been charged in relation to the political gathering on Tuesday and Wednesday.…
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Police arrest protest organiser after she calls for a new rally in Bangkok this afternoon
Police have arrested 2 more key organisers of the pro-democracy rally after one of them read a statement calling for another protest in Bangkok shopping precinct this afternoon. Panussaya Sitthijirawattanakul, a critic of the monarchy and one of the protest organisers, was arrested at a Bangkok hotel just after hosting a Facebook, livestream, “calling on people to join a rally planned…
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Phuket tax revenue plummets during pandemic – VIDEO
The Covid-19 pandemic led has tax revenue in Phuket to be cut in half. Border closures, banning international tourists, has caused the tax revenue for the popular island destination to plummet. From January to August, total tax receipts year on year fell by more than 46%, according to data from the Phuket Area Revenue Office, obtained by The Phuket News. In…
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Activists dispersed, protest leaders arrested, as State of Emergency declared in Bangkok
“It is extremely necessary to introduce an urgent measure to end this situation effectively and promptly to maintain peace and order.” This was how state television announced the imposition of a State of Emergency in the capital in the early hours of this morning, effectively ending a political rally at Government House that had been set to continue “indefinitely”, according…
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Truck drivers carrying ‘royal supporters’ face charges for travelling on expressways
6 truck drivers carrying loads of ‘royalists’ to the Democracy Monument, are facing charges pressed by the Expressway Authority of Thailand, or EXAT. The yellow-clad ‘supporters’ of the royal family stood tightly packed on the bed of Department of Law Enforcement trucks, riding down the Kamphaeng Phet-Yommarat tollway. They were all dressed in yellow, a colour that symbolises the Thai Monarchy.…
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6 people found guilty for “pretty” Bangkok model’s death
A man has been sentenced to 8 years in prison for the death of Thitima “Lunlabelle” Noraphanpiphat, a 25 year old model who was found dead last year in the lobby of a Bangkok condominium. Rachadech “Nam Oon” Wongthabutr was found guilty of illegally detaining Lunlabelle and leaving her dead body in the condominium. 5 other people were found guilty…
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New budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint
The Thai government is working on to setting aside more money for emergency medicine after an “insufficient” budget is said to have caused delays in emergency work and response time for emergency 1669 hotline calls. The new budget request comes after emergency medicine expert Dr. Atchariya Phaengma complained that the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, or NIEM, wasn’t receiving adequate…
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Thailand News Today | BKK protest update, Chiang Mai ‘quiet’, Baby klong crocs | October 14
Daily TV news about what’s happening in and around Thailand. Check out the daily Thai News, uploaded around 5pm, Thai time, weekdays. “Elevated risk of unrest” after 21 activist arrests, UN department says Things are heating up ahead of this afternoon and this evening’s protests and planned march to Government House from the Democracy Monument. Even the United Nations Department…
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