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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty
Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, along with 6 other police, will be indicted this week over 4 charges relating to the alleged torture and subsequent murder of a 24 year old drug suspect. The 7 police now facing official charges are… Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon (head of the station) Pol Maj Rawirot Ditthong Pol Capt Songyot Khlainak Pol Lt Thoranin…
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First 10 days: 30,000 arrivals; 147,000 Thailand Pass applicants
The Tourism Authority of Thailand totalled up some data for the first 10 days of Thailand’s reopening, with over 30,000 arrivals so far and nearly 150,000 applications submitted for the Thailand Pass to gain entry to the country. The TAT’s report states that the combined total of international travellers arriving at all of Thailand’s international airports – both Bangkok airports,…
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Thitisan ‘Joe Ferrari’ and his officers now facing death penalty
The 7 police officers including Pol Col Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon, who were arrested after a video leaked of them suffocating a suspect to death during interrogation, will now face full charges as the Attorney-General has given the go-ahead to begin prosecution. The 7 will be tried for multiple charges including premeditated murder by means of torture, coercion, illegal detention,…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY: 55 deaths, 7,057 new infections
Today, the CCSA reported 7,057 new Covid-19 infections, down 248 since yesterday, and 55 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 4 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,982,458 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,393 recoveries, up 507 from…
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Nigerian interfaith women’s group awarded Aachen Peace Prize
“We were so happy, we are still happy and will continue to be happy,” exclaimed Daharatu Ahmed Aliyu. “And now we are international superstars!” added Elizabeth Majinya Abuk from the background, laughing. The two women arrived in Germany from Nigeria two days before they will receive the award on behalf of their organization: Women’s Interfaith Council (WIC). The women’s organization…
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France: Far-right TV star Eric Zemmour shakes up presidential race
Until a few months ago, France’s next presidential election was largely expected to be a predictable duel between President Emmanuel Macron and the leader of the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National), Marine Le Pen. That was until Eric Zemmour, a far-right French commentator and TV celebrity, burst onto the political scene and sparked a media frenzy with inflammatory views on…
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Iran: President Raisi’s hardline government stalling on progress
Conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurated as Iran’s sixth president in August, coming into office an uncompromising hardliner contrasting with his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. As a supporter and close confidant of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Raisi can count on the backing of Iran’s parliament, where hardliners have held a majority since early 2020. Raisi began his term pledging a “revolutionary”…
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A German photographer’s unique images of the Spanish Civil War
To escape from Nazi Germany, Walter Reuter moved to Spain in 1933. There, he documented the civil war from start to finish. Thousands of the images he captured were discovered only in 2016 and are still being studied. SOURCE: DW News
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The 77 Percent – The controversy surrounding bridal payment in Africa
Host: Isaac Kaledzi SOURCE: DW News
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The 77 Percent — The controversy around bride price in Africa
Host: Isaac Kaledzi SOURCE: DW News
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Burmese junta hands down 11-year sentence for US journalist Fenster
US journalist Danny Fenster, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar who was arrested while attempting to leave the embattled country in May has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The military court found the 37 year old guilty of incitement and unlawful associations as well as immigration violations. While the court backed down so far on charges of terrorism…
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Pattaya restaurant busted serving alcohol for the fourth time
Fourth time’s the charm? After 3 previous raids with apparently little effect, the Pattaya Police have once again raided a restaurant near Bali Hai for breaking Covid-19 restrictions, selling alcohol and shisha. The raid took place last night and police found about 100 people at the restaurant that were not wearing masks, socially distancing, or taking any Covid-19 safety precautions.…
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Zipair is the first budget airline to fly from Asia to the US
As tourists finally begin to take to the skies again, a low-cost airline in Japan is set to become the first budget carrier to fly from Asia to North America. Zipair Tokyo Inc announced today that it is launching flight service between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Los Angeles International Airport in California, the first budget airline to do so. Zipair…
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Indonesian religious council forbids crypto for Muslims
While cryptocurrency is growing steadily in popularity, Indonesia’s council of religious leaders have announced that crypto and digital assets are banned for Muslims. Indonesia holds the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, and the National Ulema Council is the religious authority that makes decisions based on Shariah law. In their deliberation and consultation with experts, they determined…
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Public Health Minister barred entry to Switzerland over vaccine requirements
Switzerland barred entry to Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, reportedly for not meeting the country’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements, and Thai media reports that the minister missed a World Health Organisation meeting. Anutin was the first person in Thailand to be injected with a Covid-19 vaccine on February 28, kicking off the country’s mass immunisation campaign. He was injected with…
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Flooding rains hamper Koh Samui for 2 days
The rain has stopped in Koh Samui… For a few minutes. On the island, there has been at least a drizzle nonstop for the past 2 days, with fits of torrential downpour pelting anyone who braves the weather.A popular Facebook group, Thunder Road Reporters, is a community group that members snap photos and post live updates of road conditions they…
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Reopening of bars and nightclubs pushed to mid-January 2022
It’s going to be at least two months until you’ll be able to legally drink a beer at a bar in Thailand… The long-awaited reopening of bars and nightlife venues has been pushed to January 15, 2022. The CCSA held a general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today and decided to push back the reopening date for entertainment venues.…
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RT-PCR Covid-19 tests still required for international arrivals – CCSA
After talk of whether to replace the mandatory RT-PCR Covid-19 test for international arrivals with the rapid antigen test kit method, the CCSA decided to continue to use RT-PCR tests to screen travellers upon arrival in Thailand. The antigen test kits, or ATKs, will be used for travellers on days 6 and 7, or if they develop coronavirus symptoms, according…
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List of provinces by the CCSA’s colour-coded zoning, in effect Tuesday
In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to approved the following zoning, starting next Tuesday, November 16. The “dark red” zones have been reduced from seven provinces to six, with Chanthaburi reclassified as a “red” zone under less stringent disease control measures. A spokesperson says the nightly curfew in “dark red” zones from 11pm to…
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Modern luxury cultivated in Thai tradition
Sponsored Article The Thailand International Boat Show is delighted to have the InterContinental Phuket Resort as one of its key exhibitors and sponsors. “It is quite an achievement for the island of Phuket to stage the Thailand International Boat Show 2022 in January as soon as tourism starts to assume normalcy,” says Bjorn Courage, the general manager of the Intercontinental…
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Dogs to help Thailand’s prisoners prepare for reintegration into society
Dogs are going to some of Thailand’s prisons as part of a new therapy programme by the Department of Corrections to help psychologically prepare inmates for reintegration into society after release and to improve the mental health of inmates by reducing anxiety and depression. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin also said some convicts will learn vocational skills that could potentially help…
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Bangkok Airways to resume flights between Suvarnabhumi and Phnom Penh
Bangkok Airways has confirmed it will resume flights to Cambodia from December, with a service between Suvarnabhumi airport and Phnom Penh. TTR Weekly reports that the announcement follows an earlier sales email from the carrier’s Phnom Penh office that promoted one-way fares to Bangkok. An Airbus A320 will operate the route 4 times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and…
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3 clinics raided with unlicensed South Korean chiropractic doctors
In Bangkok, 3 health clinics were raided by the Consumer Protection Division Police who found unregistered South Korean doctors working there. The raids took place in Chitlom and Sri Nakharin in Bangkok, and Muang Thong Thani housing estate in neighbouring Nonthaburi and were carried out under the coordination of Ministry of Public Health Ministerial Aide Sathit Pitudecha. The raids took…
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Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers
Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…
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Woman’s climb to friend’s apartment ends in third floor fall
A Laotian woman in Chon Buri was hospitalised with 2 broken arms after attempting to climb across a balcony from her third-story apartment to her friend’s room next door and falling. The 43 year old woman plummeted from the third story, but her fall was broken by an awning on the first floor. The incident took place in an apartment…
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Thailand will give fourth vaccine for those who need it for travel
Apart from the growing evident reality of global inequality of access to vaccines, across Thailand there is still a gap where some people are struggling to get access to their first vaccine while others have had their third booster shot already. Now Thailand is beginning a round of fourth Covid-19 vaccine injections for those who require one, mainly for international…
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Moderna vaccine rollout finally begins in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai marked a step in the right direction yesterday as, after a months-long wait, the province began its first injections of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. The Northern province has been experiencing a spike in Covid-19 infection in the last few weeks that has made it one of the daily most infected provinces in Thailand, so the first batch of…
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Government warns pro-democracy activists to behave
The Thai government has warned pro-democracy activists to cease any activity they see as a threat to the monarchy. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam issued the warning in the wake of a Constitutional Court ruling that found 3 activists guilty of plotting to overthrow the monarchy. Anon Nampa, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul all deny the accusations, insisting they…
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Tales from the Border (2): Ocean Viking – Saved by the ‘big boat’
Imagine the hellish fire from the oil rigs at night as migrants drift towards them, believing they have reached land. Hear tales of suffering and sexual violence as rescued migrants visit the nurses on board the Ocean Viking and reveal what they have experienced. And share in the joy as a stand-off ends and the time finally comes to disembark.…
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Israel’s bet on early COVID booster shots pays off
People wait in line patiently at a pop-up vaccination center inside a city building in West Jerusalem. “I am here to get my third shot — it’s really important so Israel can open up,” says Leah Powell, a student visiting from the US. “There is still a mask mandate in some places, but it feels like real life is coming…
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