Hot News
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Sponsored The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand
The Thaiger key takeaways Not declaring pre-existing conditions can result in denied claims, high costs, or visa problems. Cigna provides coverage for common chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis with high limits and direct billing. Honest disclosure ensures proper coverage,...
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Chiang Mai airport welcomes first international flight, 83 tourists
Chiang Mai has officially joined Thailand’s big reopening launch as the first international flight brought tourists to the “Charming Chiang Mai” programme. After nearly 2 years of being closed to international flights, Chiang Mai Airport welcomed a flight of 83 travellers from South Korea last night. The first flight was operated by Korean carrier Jeju Air and departed from Seoul’s…
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New ABBA album, the 40 year wait and ABBA-tars on the way
The usual time between albums for a music outfit… maybe 1-2 years. Up there in amongst the top 30 artists of all time, ABBA, who couldn’t speak a word of English when they first started recording, have just released their latest album… 40 years after their previous album in 1981 and they split up in 1982. And coming soon they’re touring…
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Department of Corrections fires 10 prison officials for misconduct
10 prison officials have been dismissed by the Department of Corrections after a variety of serious breaches of conduct have been investigated. The dismissals range from smuggling to gross negligence and misconduct relating to 5 murders, and authorities fear that the egregious misconduct has shaken people’s confidence in the Department and the prison system. The Director-General of the DoC detailed…
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Thailand now equipped to perform 120,000 RT-PCR tests daily
The Department of Medical Sciences has been ramping up their testing capabilities and have declared it can now perform 120,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 tests per day. They say it can complete the tests and offer results within 24 hours at any of their 443 active labs that are certified to conduct the tests. Anyone travelling to Thailand is already required to…
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Thailand reopening sees 13,000 travellers, 10 Covid-19 infections
After the first 4 days of Thailand’s big reopening, over 13,000 people have arrived with just 10 of those travellers testing positive for Covid-19. According to the Director of Risk Communication and Health Behavior Development Bureau from the Ministry of Public Health Dr Sumanee Watcharasin, 13,229 people have entered Thailand in the last 4 days, and 10 international travellers –…
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Police say there’s enough evidence to convict “Joe Ferrari” on all 4 charges
The Royal Thai Police say they have gathered enough evidence to convict the former police superintendent “Joe Ferrari” on all four charges he faces, including killing by torture, which carries a maximum penalty of death. The officer, Thitisan Uthanapol, is accused of suffocating a suspect to death while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. The police handed over a 2,000+…
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Pattaya Music Festival begins tonight under Covid-19 safety measures
The Pattaya Music Festival is set to begin tonight… but don’t expect packed crowds and beer. Rather than the audiences squeezing tight to get close to the stage, last year, attendees sat in chairs with each seat placed a certain distance apart to prevent the spread of Covid-19. With Thailand still experiencing a wave of the coronavirus, the festival needed…
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American woman convicted of mother’s murder deported from Indonesia to USA to face charges
An American woman who was convicted of murdering her mother in Indonesia, has been deported to the US to face charges in her home country. Heather Mack, from Chicago, Illionois, was convicted back in 2015, for killing her mother in Bali. Her boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, was also charged. Police say the couple stuffed her mother, Sheila von Wiese Mack’s dead…
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Despite errors, over 65,000 have applied for Thailand Pass
Despite a rash of technical issues, in just 4 days since launching the Thailand Pass, over 65,000 people have applied for it in order to reenter Thailand. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported the figures yesterday and stated that 13,000 people have already been approved in the new scheme. From November 1 until yesterday morning, 65,338 applications for the Thailand…
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4 new holidays in Thailand hoped to stimulate domestic travel
Apparently in an effort to boost tourism revenue in Thailand, the Thai Cabinet has approved the creation of 4 new holidays in the middle of next year that allows for extra-long weekends. The government hopes that the creation of these long holiday weekends will encourage domestic travellers to take short getaway holidays around Thailand and stimulate the economy. The move…
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Soft tourism openings expected for Hua Hin and Cha-am in last quarter of 2021
The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects a soft re-opening for the holiday destinations of Hua Hin and Cha-am during the last quarter of 2021. In total, deputy TAT governor Nithee Seeprae says both resort cities are only expected to receive 5% of 2019’s foreign tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says foreign tourists cannot stay in either…
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TAT revises goal to 700,000 international travellers to Thailand in 2021
Perhaps revising their previous goal of 1 million international tourists in the next 2 months, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is hoping to hit a total of 700,000 international travellers in 2021. Thailand has launched a number of schemes to bring in foreigners during the Covid-19 pandemic to various levels of success so far. The Phuket Sandbox has been the…
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AG’s Office to finish review of “Joe Ferrari” case within the next 2 weeks
A review of the death in custody case involving the now notorious former police station chief known as “Joe Ferrari” is expected to be finished within the next two weeks, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The ex-station chief in the rural province Nakhon Sawan and six of his subordinates are facing several charges, including killing by torture, which carries…
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Fake goods valued at 40 million baht seized in police busts
Pro-tip: If a shop is selling Louis Vuitton pillows next to Doraemon pillows, they are fake. In a series of raids, police impounded 40 million baht worth of counterfeit goods – mostly bedding products – from storage facilities in Pathum Thani and Rayong. The Department of Special Investigation announced the haul yesterday. The bust was made with the help of…
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Police bust counterfeiters selling fake US $100 bills on Facebook
A police raid led to uncovering an alleged counterfeiting ring that is suspected of producing 50,000 fake American banknotes in the Bangkok suburb of Nakhon Pathom. The criminal masterminds were discovered by police as they attempted the move the counterfeit bills in a not so sneaky way: advertising them for sale on Facebook. Police opened an investigation on the operation…
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Bangkok ranked 68th of 80 best global cities for remote workers
In a study that assesses liveability, living costs, infrastructure, and employment compliance, Bangkok was ranked 68th out of 80 cities around the world for remote working. The study was conducted by WorkMotion, an HR platform that helps match businesses with remote workers worldwide. Bangkok suffered low ratings in several key areas for remote work. They ranked 70th on housing access,…
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PM Prayut urges a new Thailand focused on tourism, sustainability
As the reopening of Thailand cranks the doors open wide to international travellers after cracking it open with Sandbox schemes over the past 4 months, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is focusing on tourism in reimagining Thailand moving forward. PM Prayut has called for all sectors of the nation to come together to transform the country in the “new normal” with tourism…
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Airbnb reports surge in Thailand accommodation searches since re-opening
The accommodation website Airbnb has reported a spike in searches for properties in Thailand, following the country’s re-opening to vaccinated tourists from select countries. Searches for Thai accommodation over the next 6 months are double those of a year ago, with searches for villas being the most popular. The Bangkok Post reports that in terms of location, Phuket, Bangkok, Koh…
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More cuts at Thai Airways as flagship carrier continues rehab process
The chairman of the Thai Airways rehabilitation plan says the airline is making good progress with cost-cutting exercises. Piyasvasti Amranand says Thailand’s national carrier has managed to recover 44.8 billion baht by cutting its workforce and ending aircraft lease agreements. “Thai Airways’ operational performance has progressed satisfactorily in many aspects, including cost reduction and organisational restructuring.” According to a TTR…
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Chinese travellers forced to stay home as rest of Asia re-opens to tourism
With Asian countries re-opening to foreign arrivals, there will be one significant tourism market missing for now – the Chinese. In China, according to a Reuters report, international air travel is currently at just 2% of pre-pandemic levels, as officials continue to pursue zero-Covid status. The absence of Chinese visitors will mean a US$255 billion annual spending hole in the…
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4.4 billion baht Supreme Court corruption case about futsal courts
The Supreme Court of Thailand has accepted a major corruption case to go to trial regarding low-quality futsal courts nearly 10 years ago worth 4.4 billion baht. The wide-reaching case regarding poorly built playing areas for futsal, a game similar to football that is popular in Thailand, will require Thailand’s chief whip, Wirat Rattanaseth, to cease his MP role while…
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Thailand ranks ninth on Global Climate Risk Index for “extreme weather events”
When it rains, it pours in Thailand… and torrential downpours during the country’s monsoon season is known to cause severe flooding, damaging property and leading to injuries, sometimes deaths. The weather in Thailand is considered so intense that the country is ranked ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 on nations most affected by “extreme weather events” between 2010…
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4,510 travellers arrived in 2 days of reopening, 6 with Covid-19
According to data released today, in the 2 days since Thailand’s grand reopening, 4,510 international travellers arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Of those arrivals, only 6 tested positive for Covid-19, less than 1% of arriving passengers, according to the Hazard Communication Director of the Department of Disease Control. The top countries arriving in the first two days of the…
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Thailand’s reopening expect to boost Phuket’s tourism industry
The reopening of Thailand on Monday is expected to boost Phuket’s hard-hit tourism industry. Yesterday, the President of the Phuket Tourism Association said that the island is expected to receive up to 10,000 visitors a day in December, and as many as 1 million arrivals in the first quarter of 2022. This comes after the recent Airports of Thailand announcement…
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National Anti-Corruption Commission finishing up probe into Joe Ferrari’s unusual wealth
The ex-police chief accused of suffocating a suspect to death during interrogation is also being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission for his unusual wealth, especially for a police officer in a rural area on an around 40,000 baht per month salary. The officer is said to have made millions of baht from confiscating luxury cars that had been smuggled…
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Easing of alcohol restrictions hinges on Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation rate
The National Security Council says any easing of alcohol restrictions will depend on the Covid-19 situation. NSC boss Supoj Malaniyom adds that the 17 provinces open to tourists are likely to be the first to see nightlife permitted to return. According to a Bangkok Post report, the sale of alcohol in restaurants could also be extended, provided the Covid-19 situation…
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Airports of Thailand expects 726,000 passengers in November, mostly domestic
The president of Airports of Thailand says the country’s airports can expect around 726,000 passengers this month, following Thailand’s re-opening. However, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn says most of those will be domestic travellers, with around 270,529 expected from overseas. The Bangkok Post reports that 31 flights, carrying around 2,600 passengers, landed at Suvarnabhumi yesterday. Around 1,500 were international arrivals. Meanwhile, Anucha Nakasai…
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Bangkok landmarks like Wat Po are not seeing many tourists
The doors are open, flights are landing, international tourists are finally allowed back in the country as of Monday. But popular tourist attractions like Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew are so far not seeing an increase in foreign visitors. The temple complex by the Grand Palace that holds such national treasures as the Reclining Buddha and the Emerald Buddha…
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Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case
Disgraced police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon and 6 other officers have been charged in an investigation into the death of a man in custody. The victim, 24 year old Chiraphong Thanapat, died while under interrogation at a police station in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan in August. Video footage that showed Thitisan placing several plastic bags over the drug suspect’s…
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PM says Thailand will step up fight against climate change
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to step up Thailand’s focus on tackling climate change. He made this announcement yesterday in Glasgow at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as the COP26. This convention is a forum in which world leaders can meet and make plans to address relevant climate issues. Prayut…
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