News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Indonesia’s deadly prison blaze highlights region’s overcrowded jails
A blaze broke out at Tangerang prison near Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta last week while inmates were sleeping. In total,41 prisoners died and eight others were seriously injured. The facility houses over 2,000 inmates, exceeding its official limit of 600, according to government data. Block C, where the fire broke out, housed 122 inmates at the time — far over…
-
Red Cross to get 946 million baht to purchase 1 million doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine
The cabinet has decided to allocate around 946.3 million baht from the Central Fund to the Thai Red Cross Society so they can buy 1 million doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine, which will be used to vaccinate specific target groups, for free. Zuellig Pharma Company, the representative for Moderna in Thailand has offered to sell the US produced vaccine…
-
Cabinet approves measure to entice “high potential” foreigners to Thailand
The cabinet has approved a measure to entice “high potential” foreigners, such as wealthy retirees and specialists, to spend a prolonged period in Thailand. The measure is a bid to promote foreign investment and to improve the struggling economy. The 4 groups that the government hopes to attract to Thailand are high income earners, foreign retirees, experts in different fields,…
-
Germany and the Middle East: A tale of morals and markets
On its homepage, Germany’s foreign ministry lists, “peace and security, the promotion of democracy and human rights, and commitment to multilateralism,” as the guiding principles of German foreign policy. Just a few lines later, however, there is another commitment whereby Germany, as a trading nation, has a particular interest in an effective external economic policy, “that helps companies to tap…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 11,786 new cases; provincial totals
Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 136 coronavirus-related deaths and 11,786 new Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has recorded a total of 1,406,542 confirmed Covid-19 cases. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,377,679 of those cases. …
-
Thailand to overhaul reopening plans for pilot areas, one system policy to be adopted
Thailand is overhauling their reopening plans to simplify and unify current protocols. The new idea is to adopt a “One SOP, One System policy, with SOP standing for standard operating procedure. The new plan will toss out mandatory quarantine and sealed routes for pilot areas sometime this year. They will also slash Covid tests costs in half, in some instances.…
-
Korat closes noodle shop and a Tesco following Covid outbreak
The northeastern Thai province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known by its shorter form, Korat, continues to see Covid issues. The province has announced that it has 2 new Covid clusters located in the Bua Yai district. One of the outbreaks is at a noodle shop and the other is at a Tesco Lotus. 14 people have tested positive for Covid. The…
-
Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew
Bangkok police continue to wield the merciless hammer of law and order. They brought it down last night on a 12 year old, arresting the child for allegedly violating curfew at the Din Daeng intersection. The minor was riding his bike to observe a protest, says a group of lawyers and activists. At least 11 other people were also arrested.…
-
Japan plans to donate 1.3 million AstraZeneca doses to several Asian countries, 300,000 heading to Thailand
Japan is planning to donate 1.3 million AstraZeneca vaccines to several Asian countries, including 300,000 doses to Thailand. The newest donation from Japan should go out as soon as possible and includes 400,000 doses for Vietnam, 300,000 for Thailand, and 100,00 doses for Brunei. With 500,000 doses heading to Taiwan, Japan’s total donation to the island will be just shy…
-
Police claim that officer didn’t commit a hit and run, admit the driver hit someone and left
The Metropolitan Police Bureau is claiming that the officer who allegedly plowed his truck through a group of pro-democracy protesters over the weekend did not commit a hit and run. 1 protester was injured as a result of the incident. Pol Lt Gen Phukphong Phongpetra concedes that a prisoner transport vehicle was involved in the incident but claims that it…
-
Teen allegedly robs gold shop after losing money in investment scam
A 17 year old girl was arrested for allegedly robbing a gold shop and threatening the manager with a kitchen knife after she lost money in an apparent scam. The teenager reportedly told officers that she had gotten involved in what appeared to be an online investment website. She had seen an advertisement on Instagram and decided to invest the…
-
Cathay Pacific crew fired after refusing to get vaccinated
In what could be a global first, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has fired an unspecified number of crew after they refused Covid-19 vaccines. The carrier has defended the sacking of air crew who it says refused available vaccines without providing any medical justification, adding that it can’t operate without its crew being vaccinated. “The pandemic has had a huge…
-
Tourism Minister says Pattaya will become part of “Sandbox 7+7” extension
Pattaya’s forthcoming re-opening to foreign tourists will see it join the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 extension programme, according to Thailand’s Tourism Minister. According to a Pattaya News report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed the plan while on a visit to the area on Sunday. It’s understood the proposal will go to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this Friday, along with proposals for…
-
On-site learning to resume in November, subject to students being vaccinated
The Education Minister says schools can re-open for in-classroom learning from November 1, provided enough students are vaccinated. Addressing a press conference, Treenuch Thienthong confirmed the plan to re-open schools following consultation with health officials and the interior ministries. According to the minister, the re-opening hinges on the rollout of Pfizer vaccine doses, which will be offered to students between…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 136 deaths and 11,786 new cases
136 coronavirus-related deaths and 11,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,738 recoveries. There are now 129,025 people being treated for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA…
-
Campaign to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated starts
Thailand is increasing its efforts to vaccinate pregnant women. They have recently kicked off a campaign to encourage pregnant women to get vaccinated. From yesterday until October 13, the Ministry of Public Health plans to vaccinate as many as 100,000 pregnant women, says Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha. Sathit says that pregnant women are inherently vulnerable as they are…
-
Quarantine, sealed routes may be ditched as government revises re-opening plan
Mandatory quarantine and sealed routes could be scrapped as officials reconsider the rules for re-opening the country. The adoption of the “One SOP, One System” model for the re-opening of Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Cha-am, and Bangkok from October 1 is being submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next week and also includes a proposal to halve…
-
Why Pakistan’s new school textbooks are sparking backlash over gender
Pakistan’s ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched its revised Single National Curriculum (SNC) in August this year, deeming it “a milestone to end disparity in the education system.” Following the recent release of the curriculum’s accompanying new textbook, many have taken to social media to criticize what they view as patriarchal gender norms in the book. The outrage is similar…
-
South Africa eases lockdown restrictions despite low vaccination rates
The road to Thulamahashe is full of potholes. The town is located close to Kruger National Park in the province of Mpumalanga, one of the poorest in the country. But the roads remain quite busy — especially on social grant payday, as hundreds make their way from the villages to the nearest town over. Carlos Mavanga is one of them.…
-
Africa: COVID lockdowns blamed for increase in teenage pregnancies
“I’m five months pregnant by a young man who works in the barracks,” says 16-year-old Elsa. “He is a soldier and helps me buy food and other things for school, because my family could not afford to send me to school otherwise.” Elsa is one of many girls in Africa who have found themselves in a similar situation during the…
-
Texas abortion ban has ‘vast psychological consequences’
When Sam realized she was pregnant, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. “I woke up with morning sickness a few weeks after a one-night-stand and immediately scheduled an appointment with Planned Parenthood,” said the financial advisor, who asked we use her nickname, in an interview with DW. The year was 1982 and Sam, who was 19 years old…
-
Man drunkenly climbs antenna tower in Bang Lamung following argument with wife
A man had to be rescued after he allegedly drunkenly climbed an antenna tower in Bang lamung, which is part of the Chon Buri province, last night. Rescue workers and local media went to the scene to find the man, whose name has been withheld, 17 metres up the pole around 9pm. Rescue workers and residents worked at getting the…
-
CCIB fights virtual crimes and celebrates a year of crime solving
Virtual crimes are on the rise, growing stronger in form and frequency, which has resulted in the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau expanding its crime stopping responsibilities as they celebrate their first anniversary. The newish CCIB has provided the Royal Thai Police with formidable crime prevention weaponry with the bureau forever on the lookout for cyber crimes. They aim to catch…
-
Cambodian officials blame Thai truck drivers for spreading Covid in border province
Cambodian officials believe truck drivers from Thailand have brought more than just their goods into Cambodia. The officials suspect the drivers have spread Covid into their country, specifically, to the border province of Battambang. The chief of the district, Sok Sokhun, says truckers that routinely cross the border could be why Covid is spreading throughout Battambang. He says it is…
-
Police say Din Daeng protests will end by next month
The daily protests at the Din Daeng intersection will end by October, says the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau. The police did not specify how the protests would end. The daily demonstrations have been held since last month. They have been organised by locals, who call themselves “ThaluGas”, as well as protests by Ratsadorn Taliban, and Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy. There have…
-
23 Rohingya rescued from human trafficking operation in Tak
Police and soldiers rescued 23 Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority that predominantly lives in Myanmar, from a human tracking ring based out of 2 locations in the northern Thai province of Tak. The rescue happened yesterday. The operation is a result of the police determining that human traffickers had smuggled multiple Rohingya from the Myanmar border into Thailand. At one…
-
NACC nearing conclusion in case of police allegedly smuggling liquor
The National Anti-Corruption Commission is nearing a conclusion in their case of police planes being allegedly used to smuggle liquor out of Hat Yai, a southern Thai province, to Bangkok, says deputy secretary general of the commission, Niwatchai Kasemmongkol. Niwatchai’s comments are in response to a post on the Facebook page “@Watchdog.ACT”, which brought up the investigation into the case.…
-
Nakhon Si Thammarat named Thailand’s most murderous province
Nakhon Si Thammarat, a southern Thai province, is proving worrisome for the Crime Suppression police as they have named the area the country’s most murderous province since the start of 2021. Police suspect the abundance of households that possess guns is partially to blame for the high murder rate. The Crime Suppression police have expressed their alarm at the number…
-
The Thaiger Digital Summit – Seven Thai Tech Start-Ups Speak Out
Disrupt or Die. Tune in to a full-tilt, one-hour online event led by The Thaiger’s Co-Founder and leading digital entrepreneur Michael Kenner. On the virtual stage will be fast-paced conversations with seven amazing start-up disruptors who are set to change Thailand’s online space. From super apps, the sharing economy, big data, to taking business off the sois and onto digital…
-
Student launches campaign to stop demolition of iconic Bangkok cinema
A campaign to save Bangkok’s iconic Scala Cinema and prevent its demolition to make way for a shopping centre is garnering significant online support. The Bangkok Post reports that many netizens are backing the campaign started by a student and his friends. Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal launched the campaign following news that the Scala was to be demolished to make way for…
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.