Hot News
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Sponsored Thailand health insurance that covers chronic conditions: What expats need to know
The Thaiger key takeaways Managing chronic conditions in Thailand requires health insurance that covers specialist visits, medications, tests, and hospital stays. Cigna offers high-coverage plans with access to top hospitals, direct billing, and telemedicine support for convenient long-term care. Expats...
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US cybersecurity agency alleges Russian hacking campaign
A cyberattack, which was first identified when US government agencies were targeted, has also been aimed at cyber targets worldwide, raising fears about global computer security. Microsoft has already announced that it’s notified more than 40 large customers hit by the malware which allegedly originated from hackers linked to the Russian government. The malware has been allowing attackers unfettered access…
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Deputy PM says pandemic exposed problems in Thai economy, time to improve
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit economies all over the world with business closures and travel bans, issues with Thailand’s economy were exposed, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The country cannot go back to the way it was before the global outbreak, he says. Thailand’s large tourism industry was battered by the lack of foreign visitors. Small and medium businesses…
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Phase 2 of travel stimulus may be cancelled due to fraud, as PM said to be “furious”
Officials are considering cancelling the next phase of the government’s domestic tourism stimulus campaign, after multiple cases of fraud emerged. To date, over 200 people have been prosecuted for corruption in the domestic travel campaign, as well as in other government stimulus schemes. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that, in conjunction with the Tourism and Sports Ministry, it has…
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Satirical fashion show leads to lèse majesté charges
A satirical fashion show led to a pair of young pro-democracy activists, one just 16 years old, to be charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law after one of them dressed in traditional Thai dress, said to be mocking a royal consort, while the other wore a crop top. (An outfit a certain “someone” has been photographed wearing in…
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Thailand to ease travel restrictions for some countries
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed the government intends to ease travel restrictions for arrivals from some countries, but the 14 day quarantine remains in place for now. Spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin says the easing of restrictions will be applied to 56 countries, including Australia, the US and France, whose nationals will not require visas to enter Thailand. However,…
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Discounts on services for old cars to reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality
To help ease air pollution in Bangkok, several car manufacturers are offering discounts on maintenance services for old cars as part of a campaign launched by the Automotive Industry Club Federation of Thai Industries, known as the FTI. Deals on car inspections, oil changes and other services will be going on from now until the end of February. This week,…
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Man nicknamed “Spider-Man” arrested in Bangkok on robbery charges
Spider-Man was arrested in Bangkok… but not your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. It was 33 year old Somkid Taem-ngam who got the nickname “Kid Spider-Man” after he was seen using a zipline to come down from a ceiling during a robbery. Kid was previously arrested back in 2016 and recently got out of prison. He was arrested today for allegedly stealing…
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Bank of Thailand says being on US currency “watchlist” won’t have a “material impact”
Thailand being added to the United States Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation won’t impact foreign trade and investment too much, the Bank of Thailand says. Now that Thailand is on the “monitoring list,” US government says it will keep “close attention” on the country’s currency practices to determine if any measures are intended to gain an unfair advantage in…
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Siam Commercial Bank issues warning to customers after mobile app scam
Siam Commercial Bank has posted a statement on its Facebook page, urging customers to beware of phishing attempts via text message. The warning comes after the arrest of 3 Chinese nationals accused of sending messages to SCB customers advising them to update their details. Customers were then taken to a fake platform and asked to input their ID card number,…
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Thailand on US Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation
Thailand is now on the United States Treasury’s “monitoring list” for suspected currency manipulation, unfair policies to gain an advantage in international trade. Vietnam and Switzerland were both labeled currency manipulators in the US Treasury’s recent report “Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States.” Along with Thailand, the Treasury also added Taiwan and India…
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New Year bookings slow amid delay in tourism subsidy
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the delay in extending the domestic travel stimulus scheme is hurting bookings over the western New Year period. The addition of 1 million room nights has been postponed while officials look into multiple claims of fraud. TAT and the Tourism and Sports Ministry have filed a police report against more than 500 hotels and…
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China’s Moon probe successfully returns to Earth this morning | VIDEO
China’s Chang’e-5 mission has arrived safely back on Earth after a successful 3 week mission to the Moon, collecting rocks and soil from the surface, and then retuning. It’s the first time since the 1970s a space mission like this has been completed. China becomes only the 3rd country in the world to successfully collect rocks from the moon. The mission…
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Monk arrested for firing gun at Chon Buri temple
A monk was arrested for allegedly firing a gun at a temple in Chon Buri’s Ban Bueng district after a drunk and heated argument between the other monks. The monk, 42 year old Kritsana Yoosi, actually hasn’t been a monk for very long. Just about 2 months… and only because he told his family that if he wins the lottery…
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Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating subsidy scheme
Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating the government’s “We Travel Together” subsidy scheme which was intended to help tourism businesses financially hit by the coronavirus pandemic and stimulate travel. Instead of lowering prices to draw in more travellers, some hoteliers and restaurateurs allegedly raised their prices to get more subsidies. The scheme paid 40% of room…
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Thai Protesters Vs Thai Government, the latest situation
OPINION In 1932, the old Siam Kingdom went through a fundamental change when, on June 24 the King, Rama 7, woke up to find his powers as an absolute monarch stripped from him by a new democracy movement. A new constitution would limit the King’s powers, under a constitutional monarchy. In 1933 there was a military coup, the first of…
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Thai police seize ketamine and heroin suspected to be trafficked to Taiwan
Police seized 300 kilograms of ketamine and 228 kilograms of heroin in a series of raids in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, a suburb just outside the city. Police suspect the drugs were awaiting shipment to Taiwan. The Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau teamed up with Taiwan’s Central Criminal Investigation Bureau for the operation. Yesterday, police raided a warehouse in Nonthaburi, seizing 300…
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Protest leader Parit distances himself from Free Youth’s justification of communism
Pro-democracy protest leader Parit Chiwarak, aka “Penguin”, has sought to distance himself from the Free Youth group, following the movement’s defence of republicanism and communism. Thai PBS World reports that Parit’s move comes after a statement by the group, declaring that communism does not mean dictatorship. The statement, which appeared on a banner posted online by Free Youth, came shortly…
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3 Chinese nationals arrested in Bangkok over banking app fraud
Immigration Police have arrested 3 Chinese nationals accused of a phishing scam involving the Siam Commercial Bank mobile app. The men all entered Thailand illegally and are accused of defrauding SCB customers by conning them into providing their personal data and passwords. Sompong Chingduang, chief of the Immigration Police, says Yong Hua and Yue Dian were arrested at a property…
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Recover from Covid-19, then go to jail: Illegal returnees could face charges
After they recover from Covid-19, at least 3 Thai women who crossed the border illegally from Myanmar’s Tachileik will face criminal charges, according to Provincial police Region 5 commissioner Prachuap Wongsuk. If found guilty, the returnees could go to jail. The Thai women worked at entertainment venues at the border town, many at the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, a so-called “Covid-19…
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Addition of 1 million hotel nights delayed as fraud detected in domestic travel scheme
The government’s plan to add 1 million hotel nights to its domestic tourism stimulus campaign has hit a snag, amid reports of fraud. Officials say irregularities have been detected in the transactions of around 514 hotels and other businesses registered with the scheme. The revelation comes as officials investigate allegations of fraud in the government’s co-payment scheme, “Let’s Go Halves”…
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Police say they found a gram of ketamine in failed drug bust
After a failed drug bust, mistaking around 12 tonnes of the cleaning agent and food additive trisodium phosphate for the drug ketamine, police are now saying that they did find a little ketamine. Just 1.2 grams. In November, police announced “Thailand’s largest ketamine drug bust,” saying they busted a major multinational drug network and seized $1 billion USD worth of…
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Chiang Mai man arrested for allegedly stealing women’s underwear
A 25 year old man in Chiang Mai was arrested for allegedly stealing women’s underwear. Apparently, the man, identified as Fang, has been stealing the women’s bras and panties for the past 2 years, police say. Police opened an investigation after a 29 year old woman staying at a Chiang Mai hotel reported that her suitcase was stolen. Officers reviewed…
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Ministry investigating multiple cases of corruption in government’s co-payment scheme
The government’s “Let’s Go Halves” (Khon La Khrueng) co-payment stimulus campaign has fallen foul of 100s of incidents of fraud, according to the Finance Ministry. Under the scheme, the government subsidises 50% of the cost of food, drink, and other products, up to a maximum of 150 baht per person per day, capped at 3,000 baht per person for the…
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Minister says Thailand plans to build spacecraft to orbit the moon within 7 years
Government minister Anek Laothamatas says that within 7 years, Thailand will have built and launched a spacecraft that will orbit and explore the moon. The Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation was speaking at a press conference at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, where an update on Covid-19 vaccines was being provided to the media. He says that, in addition to…
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Holiday weekend road death toll: 67
67 people were killed in road accidents during the long holiday weekend while another 388 people were injured, according to the Transport Ministry. Most of the fatalities were motorcycle riders. Thursday and Friday were public holidays for Constitution Day and Father’s Day which commemorates King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday. Many people were off work and travelled. The ministry estimates more than…
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Cheaper flights to Phuket a possibility to help revive the tourism industry
Some say cheaper flights to Phuket will entice people to visit the island and get the once booming tourist destination back on its feet. Along with talk of lowering the price of tickets, those at a stakeholder meeting at the Thai Airways International headquarters in Bangkok say more direct international flights to the island also need to be reinstated. The…
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The smog returns to Bangkok
The air pollutant PM2.5 is at unhealthy levels in and around Bangkok. 34 areas in the city and in surrounding provinces have levels of PM2.5 exceeding the safety standard, according to an air quality report by the Department of Pollution Control. The air pollutant PM2.5 is fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. At high levels, the pollutant…
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Covid overshadows New Year’s plans for many – Dusit poll
As if 2020 wasn’t bad enough, many Thais say ringing in the New Year will be overshadowed by Covid-19 concerns, followed by financial woes and the overall world economy. The Suan Dusit Rajabhat University Poll, asked for opinions on the matter from 1,277 people nationwide on December 4 through December 10, to gauge their New Year’s travel plans. Each respondent…
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Majority says school uniforms should remain mandatory – NIDA Poll
According to a new poll, a majority of Thai people think the student uniforms should remain mandatory in Thai schools, while others say casual outfits should also be allowed some days of the week. The latter opinion, which was part of the recently conducted National Institute of Development Administration Poll, was reportedly due to keeping the peace and easing tensions…
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PM Prayut set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless skytrain
Thailand’s PM Prayut is set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless Skytrain as he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Green Line extension and the Gold Line monorail on Wednesday, December 16. The Skytrain extension will travel from Mo Chit station through Saphan Mai station and ends at Khu Kot. The Gold Line monorail, which features the driverless train,…
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