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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 Where to shop for sports gear at Jungceylon Phuket
Phuket might be known for its beaches and nightlife, but the island also has a thriving fitness culture. From Muay Thai gyms to beach runs at sunrise, staying active is part of daily life for many who live here (as...
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“Dark red” zone curfew, other rules remain until the end of the month
The nightly curfew for the 29 provinces classified as “dark red” zones for high Covid-19 infection rates will remain in place, at least until the end of the month. Those in Bangkok and other “dark red” provinces must stay home from 9pm to 4am, unless travel is essential. In a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting today chaired by PM Prayut…
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Egypt: New ruling on hymen repair stirs up controversy
During a recent live Facebook broadcast in Arabic, Dr Ahmed Mamdouh, director of the Sharia Research Department of Egypt’s highest religious authority, the Dar al-Ifta, said that “in some cases, patching is required and legitimate for a girl who has been raped or deceived and wants to repent and turn a new page.” This new fatwa — the name given…
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Foreign investors keep a close eye on struggling Pattaya hotels
With Pattaya hotel operators in dire financial straits brought on by the lack of tourists during the pandemic, foreign investors are apparently keeping a close eye on the situation. The hotel operators in the tourist city are being warned that if they do not get assistance for their outstanding loans, then their businesses could be taken over by foreign investors.…
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Ministry of Public Health rules AstraZeneca vaccine cause of blood clot death
The Ministry of Public Health has determined a person whose death came from a blood clot and thrombocytopenia ultimately died as a result of one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. This instance was the only one out of 628 cases that have been studied by the committee on Adverse Events Following Immunisation that concluded that a vaccine from AstraZeneca was…
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Friday Covid Update: 14,403 new cases; provincial totals
189 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 13,920. Of that number, 13,826 fatalities were during the country’s latest and most severe wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1. In the past 24-hours since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 14,403 new Covid-19…
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Island of rubbish: Koh Samui’s pollution problem remains unsolved
No one can argue with the appeal of visiting Thailand’s exotic, tropical islands. With their glistening palm trees, crystal-clear waters, and powdery, white sands, a trip down south is what many yearn to cross off their bucket lists. One of Thailand’s most iconic islands is that of Koh Samui. As the largest and most developed island in the Gulf of…
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Prediction for international travellers to Thailand lowered again
Tourism researchers have once again downgraded their expectations for the total number of international travellers in 2021 after Thailand has yet to recover from the third wave of Covid-19 starting in April that brought the Delta various and huge infection numbers across the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, known for its rose-tinted predictions and press releases, had predicted in…
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3 arrested in Nong Gina abduction, trafficking suspected
New developments bring a twist in the strange case of Nong Gina, the 2 year old girl abducted by a Burmese man who claimed he left her in a cave as a sacrifice to nature spirits. As reported yesterday, the Mirror Foundation suspected more sinister trafficking reasons for the abduction, and police have now taken three people into custody for…
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Koh Phi Phi self-isolating for a week after new Covid-19 infections reported
The picturesque Phi Phi island, in Krabi province, usually hugely popular with tourists, is self-isolating for the next week, following the detection of 7 confirmed Covid-19 infections. Officials have introduced temporary restrictions to limit traffic on and off the island, in a bid to curtail the spread of the virus. The Bangkok Post reports that 2 police officers on Koh…
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Friday Covid Update: 189 deaths and 14,403 new cases
189 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,403 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the past 24-hours since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 15,610 recoveries. There are now 141,642 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, first recorded on April 1, the…
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Officials to review curfew, Covid-19 restrictions in dark red provinces today
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to review the curfew in place in dark red provinces, and to discuss the easing of some restrictions. However, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the CCSA will be asked to keep the 9pm – 4am curfew as is until the end of this month. While the hours…
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Vietnam to trial sandbox re-opening to foreign tourists on Phu Quoc island
Vietnam will trial a sandbox project on Phu Quoc, re-opening the island to vaccinated foreign tourists by the end of the year. The plan has been confirmed by the Vietnamese PM, Pham Minh Chinh, according to a TTR Weekly report. The government hopes to attract 2 – 3 million foreign tourists through the Phu Quoc sandbox, although officials have not…
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PM Prayut ousts Thamanat Prompow and Narumon Pinyosinwat
Just days after defeating a vote of no-confidence that spawned suspicions of a rift in the party, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ousted controversial Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Thamanat Prompow as well as Deputy Minister of Labour Narumon Pinyosinwat, who was a spokeswoman for Prayut before her 1 year tenure at the Labour Ministry. The command was issued yesterday…
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2 hospital data breaches on Monday exposed patient data
Two prominent hospitals were the victims of data breaching hackers in the last few days with each hospital having over 40,000 patients’ personal information at risk. On Monday, Phetchabun Hospital had the personal data of 46,000 of their patients compromised while Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital had the data from 40,000 patients stolen in parallel attacks. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau…
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How much is gold worth to these young miners in Ghana?
Osino is a community rich in gold. Mining moves the economy for years here. But illegal mining in eastern Ghana causes concern.”Galamsey” is done on a small scale and without a license. Young men are arrested, and their tools are destroyed. Miners dump waste into the water sources. There is no recovery of the exploited land. Traditional leaders worry about…
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The lone hero of Abidjan’s cleanup
Djo Drigbé is 37 years old and has one mission: to see the city of Abidjan clean. He removes trash from beaches, streets, and gutters. He is unemployed and doesn’t receive any salary for his work. Donations guarantee a meal for his family. Drigbé lives with his partner and son. His dedication has drawn admiration. Drigbé dreams of working for…
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Mor Prom app to be used as a Digital Health Pass for travel
To coordinate and ease air travel for those who have been full vaccinated, the Ministry of Public Health announced plans to launch an air travel platform as part of the Mor Prom Line app. Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha chaired a meeting to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation, taking the first steps to develop the addition to the…
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Afghan families flee to Pakistan over Taliban forced marriage fears
Khalid Shinwari, 25, has taken a sigh of relief after managing to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and reaching Pakistan in recent days. A father of three, Shinwari’s family first moved to Pakistan during the Afghan civil war of the 1990s that brought the Taliban to power. “My father then thought that Pakistan would be a safe place to come to, given…
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Saliva Covid-19 test kits not accepted for entry into Phuket
The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office is warning people arriving in Phuket that any antigen test kit they use as proof they don’t have Covid-19 needs to be a nasal cavity swab, and not merely a saliva test. The health officials warned they will not issue confirmation documents for ATKs that only use saliva and those who arrived with those…
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Alex Albon will return to Formula 1 alongside Nicholas Latifi
The Red Bull supported Thai driver, Alex Albon will go back to Formula 1 for the next season as a Williams driver. He will be racing alongside Canadian driver, Nicholas Latifi. 25 year old Alex has been a test and reserve driver for Red Bull throughout 2021. He also competed in the German Touring Car championship after being discarded by…
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The comeback of Gambia’s dictator
Human rights groups in the Gambia have decried the possible return of former President Yahya Jammeh, who ruled the Gambia from 1994 until he was forced into exile after refusing to accept defeat in the 2016 elections. Jammeh is accused of human rights violations and killings of political opponents during his 22-year reign. Ahead of upcoming presidential elections in December,…
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Rescued Chiang Mai child doing better, still needs time to heal, says doctor
The toddler that was recently rescued in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province is recuperating well and has allowed her parents to hug her, but still needs time to heal both physically and mentally, says a doctor. Gina’s father says his daughter has a healthy appetite and looks fresher and healthier than she did the day before. A doctor cautions that…
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New disease control law planned to replace Emergency Decree, Covid task force to change
With talk of an end to the Emergency Decree, which was put in place to combat Covid-19 and extended several times, the government is looking into imposing a new disease control law and transitioning the Covid-19 task force, which was formed under the emergency order, into a new body. According to the Bangkok Post, the government said the Centre for…
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Secure your future and protect your health with cancer insurance
Sponsored Aside from purchasing health insurance to cover common health issues and emergencies, many don’t realise that a cancer diagnosis could mean that they will be paying for treatment out of pocket. As many health insurance companies don’t cover or partially cover cancer treatments, it is important to think of possible future health issues. At The Thaiger, we care about…
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Officials mull rehabilitation over incarceration for drug offences following fire at Indonesian prison
Yesterday, the Thaiger wrote about a fire at an Indonesian prison that killed 41 people. Now, the death toll has risen to 44. Prison officials have declared that they will look into whether more inmates could receive rehabilitation for drug related offences to reduce overcrowding in prisons. The death toll, originally placed at 41 lives, saw 3 more people who…
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Phuket officials keeping an eye out for crocodile, possibly a water monitor lizard
Phuket sandboxers have 1 more thing to keep track of as a crocodile may still be on the loose. Officials from the Sirinat National Park are still on the lookout for a crocodile in the region after a search yesterday did not uncover the scaly reptile. Officials speculate that the crocodile may actually be a water monitor lizard. Park officials…
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Thursday Covid Update: 16,031 new cases; provincial totals
An uptick of 16,031 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 1,338,550 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,309,687 of those infections.…
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Foundation suspects darker motive in missing girl’s kidnapping
After a bizarre case where a baby known as Nong Gina disappeared on Monday and was thankfully recovered unharmed yesterday, the suspect later admitted to leaving her at a cave in the forest as a sacrifice to spirits that had spoken to him. Now an organisation that helps find missing people is casting doubt on the story, saying they suspect…
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Phuket police raid gambling den in Wichit, arrest 15 people
In Cape Panwa, Wichit late last night, Phuket police raided and shut down an illegal gambling den and arrested 15 people there. The raid came just after midnight early this morning or late last night as Region 8 Police captured 14 people, all aged between 44 and 58 years old. The police also confiscated hundreds of green cards and orange…
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Landslide in Chaiyaphum partially destroys temple isolation centre while patients are away
10 people who were isolating at a temple in the northeastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum returned from getting Covid tests yesterday to discover the temple they had been isolating in had been struck by a landslide while they were out. Rocks, dirt and other debris had propelled down the hillside and partially destroyed the monastery that was being used as…
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