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.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
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....
-
Van packed with 39 illegal burmese workers stopped in Phichit
A tip-off led to police uncovering a van packed full of 39 illegal Burmese immigrants in the lower Northern province of Phichit. The van was stuffed tightly with 17 Burmese men and 22 Burmese women with one admitting that they had crossed the border illegally and were heading to Nakon Sawan to work at construction sites. The police in Phichit…
-
Vietnam to test reopening starting with Phu Quoc Island
Vietnam was one of the earliest countries to lockdown due to Covid-19, a strategy that had done it well until a massive outbreak in April, just like Thailand. And now, also like Thailand, they are looking to relaunch their tourism industry after close to two years of closures. Vietnam is now looking to reopen in late November, starting with the…
-
Chinese law to limit homework and tutoring pressure on kids
It’s been a common trope that Asian students keep their nose to the grindstone with long school hours, after school study, and mountains of homework. But China is taking action to address the stress of both homework and off-site tutoring in core subjects by passing a law requiring local governments to regulate these “twin pressures”. According to official Chinese news…
-
Thai man takes grandfather hostage in Bangkok standoff
A 70 year old Thai grandfather was taken hostage by his 35 year old grandson in a Bangkok hotel leading to a standoff that ended when police tased the man. The incident took place in the Charoen Krung area of Bang Rak in the capital city. The grandson had recently been released from prison one month prior after serving a…
-
Covid-19 clusters prompt lockdown in 3 Korat villages
In Nakhon Ratchasima, aka Korat, 3 villages in the Non Sung and Bua Yai districts are experiencing Covid-19 outbreaks causing a lockdown until early November. Ban Don Faek Moo 8 and Ban Faek Pattana Moo 15 in tambon Phon Songkhram and Khuem Muang village Moo 13 in Bua Yai district were ordered into lockdown. The lockdown was put in place…
-
Thammasat University says vaccines slowed by government docs
After striking several deals to import vaccines, Thammasat University has expressed frustration with how bureaucratic red tape is delaying the arrival of 3 million Moderna vaccines donated from Poland. They called for the government to expedite the process to get the Moderna vaccine into Thailand. The 3 million vaccines that Poland had donated to the university were scheduled to arrive…
-
Covid-19 Saturday: 74 deaths, 9,742 infections, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,742 new Covid-19 infections, down 68 since yesterday, and 74 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,812,268 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,182 recoveries, up 331…
-
Thailand reopening roundup: What happens November 1
Things are moving fast towards the November 1 reopening which in the last few days swelled from 10 countries being allowed entry to Thailand to 46 countries, 3 entry plans, replacing the Certificate of Entry, and even an attempt to reopen nightlife. Below is a round-up of the plans as they stand now. “TEST & GO”: COUNTRIES THAT CAN ENTER…
-
Thailand Pass website launching, accepted from November 2
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun the process of replacing the Certificate of Entry with the new Thailand Pass which will be accepted from November 2. The Ministry announced that tp.consular.go.th will be live for people arriving in Thailand after November 2 to register for the Thailand Pass. The information comes from the Ministry of Interior’s Phuket office who…
-
Thailand’s chicken industry suffering from lack of migrant workers
Thailand, one of the world’s major producers of chicken products, is struggling to keep up with exports. Japanese food companies, one of the major importers of Thai chicken, are feeling the pinch. Like many industries, it’s a labour shortage causing many of the issues. Around the world, supply chains have been severely disrupted by the Covid pandemic and labourers have…
-
US man arrested for bank fraud 1 day before statute of limitation
In the sort of scene usually reserved for action movies, an American man wanted for bank fraud was captured at the last minute, one day before the statute of limitation expired on his crimes. Thomas Grimm, a 63 year old man from the US, was arrested at a hotel in Hua Hin accused of a scam 15 years ago where…
-
Ethiopia: Renewed airstrikes pummel Tigray region
Ethiopian authorities have confirmed that its military launched airstrikes on Tigray’s regional capital Mekele on Friday. It is the fourth wave of airstrikes to hit Mekele since Monday as the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed seeks to regain control of the northern region from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Getachew Reda, a TPLF spokesperson, told Reuters news agency…
-
Tourism Minister proposes reopening entertainment venues November 1
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be opening up Thailand to international travellers, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is aiming to open up entertainment venues to those international travellers. The Tourism Minister plans on officially proposing that entertainment venues, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, pubs and other nightlife venues be reopening in the Blue Zones, the new term for the…
-
Turkey’s Osman Kavala case: A break with Europe?
Turkish philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala has never been convicted of a crime — yet he has been in prison for almost four years in Turkey, despite the ruling of a top European court. On September 17, the Council of Europe issued Turkey its final warning to release the 64-year-old entrepreneur, warning that infringement proceedings against Ankara would start at…
-
Full details on the 3 ways to travel to Thailand from November 1
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a summary of the new plans to reopen Thailand to allow international tourists to travel on November 1. Thailand will reopen without quarantine for fully vaccinated people travelling from 46 approved countries, who will only have to take a Covid-19 test on arrival and wait in an approved hotel for the results. Those…
-
Philippines: What happened to the victims of Marawi’s deadly siege?
The siege had been raging for two days before Gilda could contact her son Jessie. He worked in a bakery in Marawi, a city on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. Aged 17, he wanted to help his mother provide for his three sisters. “He said there was no electricity and they had nothing to eat. He said it was…
-
Niger’s Festival of Nomads
The Cure Salee, or Festival of Nomads, takes place at Ingal, northern Niger. Here, nomadic people of the Sahara celebrate their culture, music and animals. The camel race is just one of the event’s highlights. SOURCE: DW News
-
EU leaders call for tougher migration controls amid border surge
The divisive issue of refugees and migrants was top of the agenda as European Union leaders met in Brussels for the second day of their summit. Their meeting came amid a surge of migrants and refugees trying to cross the Belarusian border into Poland, Lithuania and Latvia from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Many EU leaders have accused…
-
1 dead, 1 injured in prop gun shooting on Alec Baldwin movie set
A prop gun malfunction on the set of a movie in Santa Fe, New Mexico in the US led to 1 death and 1 person in emergency care after being shot on set. The film “Rust”, a Western movie produced and starring Alec Baldwin and directed by Joel Souza was the site of the tragedy where what should have been…
-
Biden reaffirms US would defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
US President Joe Biden said that the US would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack. He was asked about this hypothetical situation yesterday during a CNN town hall segment. His response is a departure from the typical US stance on the Taiwan issue, but follows the trend of increasingly firm policy approaches towards China. China, historically, considers…
-
Covid-19 Friday: 66 deaths, 9,810 infections, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,810 new Covid-19 infections, up 83 since yesterday, and 66 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 7 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,802,526 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,513 recoveries, up 438 from…
-
Thai car production expected to grow
Car production in Thailand is expected to grow, according to the Federation of Thai Industries. With the rates of Covid-19 infections falling and the careful management of the semiconductor shortage, the target of 1.6 million units is expected to be surpassed. Lockdowns and other restrictions are being eased in many countries that buy cars produced in Thailand, which means that…
-
Vienna Tourist Board censored by Facebook, shares art on OnlyFans
OnlyFans has been in the news a lot, growing fame or infamy as a place for creators to share content, girls to sell explicit pictures and videos, and now, a place to see ancient works of art? After falling victim to Facebook and Instagram’s censorship algorithms, the Vienna Tourist Board has moved to OnlyFans to display great works of art.…
-
Man arrested after allegedly raping young girl 18 years ago
A fugitive for 18 years, police just caught up with a man accused of raping a young student 18 years ago. The 42 year old man was arrested in Bangkok after evading police for nearly 2 decades since 2003 when it is alleged that he raped a young girl in Phayao in the north of Thailand. The crime suppression division…
-
China to prioritize foreign students returning
The Chinese ambassador said on Wednesday that students from Thailand would be one of the first groups allowed to return to China when the country reopens. This was announced during an online interview with the media, which was also attended by a top Chinese education official. Thailand has more than 30,000 students enrolled in educational programmes in China, the nation…
-
Thailand’s focus on wealthy tourists won’t benefit small business
With the November 1 reopening, the government has not been looking to welcome back any and all travellers that want to come to Thailand. Instead, they’ve been narrowly focused on attracting the “right” tourists, attempting to lure wealthy investors and retirees to dump money into Thailand, while often brushing aside the moderate and budget tourists that have for years been…
-
Covid-19 infected patients to receive vaccine after recovering
Covid-19 infected patients who have had at least 1 month to recover are now approved to get a Covid-19 vaccine. The Public Health Ministry says it will provide AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccines. Sophon Mekthon, assistant to the public health minister, announced the decision this week. Those who have been infected that have yet to be vaccinated or who have received only…
-
“Together Phuket Stepping Forward”: tourism plan after Sandbox
“Together Phuket Stepping Forward” is the new tourism campaign designed to be the successor to the Phuket Sandbox now that the government is firming their plans to open without quarantine to a newly-expanded list of 46 countries. The plan grew out of a town hall meeting yesterday with private and public agencies along with the Phuket Tourist Association. Phuket Governor…
-
Southern Thailand to receive 500,000 vaccine doses to combat Covid-19 surge
The head of the Disease Control Department says half a million vaccine doses are being sent to 4 southern provinces. Opart Karnkawinpong says the allocation is to help the region battle a surge in Covid-19 infections. The southern provinces have already received an earlier allocation of 500,000 vaccines doses. According to a Thai PBS World report, the southern province of…
-
Expelled monk returns to southern Thailand to celebrate birthday
A former monk who was expelled from monkhood has returned to southern Thailand to celebrate his birthday. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, who is now known as Winai La-Ongsuwan, became disgraced from monkhood after alleged sexual misconduct. Although he has often returned to Thailand after his criminal defamation case against him in 2014, Covid-19 has kept him away for the past…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.