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Thailand hot news, breaking stories, crime, politics, tourism, and business—stay updated with in-depth reports and exclusive interviews on the latest events across the country. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Thailand news source.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Legal proceedings expected this week for “Joe Ferrari” death in custody case
Officers from the Crime Suppression Division have completed their investigation into the former police chief known as “Joe Ferrari” who is accused of suffocating a suspect to death while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. Nation Thailand reports that prosecutors will launch legal proceedings this week against the station chief of rural province Nakhon Sawan and six of his subordinates.…
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Truck stopped in Chiang Mai with methamphetamine and heroin
A driver was arrested at a military checkpoint in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai with a truck full of heroin and crystal methamphetamine pills. The Isuzu pickup truck was stopped and searched and found to be carrying over 1.2 million meth pills as well as about 8.75 kilogrammes of heroin. At a press conference today, the commander of the…
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Police arrest British man in Koh Samui for marijuana
A British man on Koh Samui was arrested by immigration police for illegal possession and use of marijuana, according to the provincial immigration police chief. Police say that 32 year old Paul Mathew Kennedy was arrested on Monday at his home in Moo 5 in tambon Bophut. Immigration police say an informant tipped them off to Kennedy, accusing him of…
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Used car market set for further growth following Covid-19 pandemic
While local industries have broadly suffered in the wake of the Covid pandemic, apparently the used car market in Thailand has been doing fairly well. According to the Bangkok Post, the Association of Used Cars says the pandemic has contributed to strong market growth. With commuters fearful of catching the virus on public transport, many have decided to buy a…
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Health Ministry says Delta Plus variant won’t stop Thailand re-opening on schedule
The Health Ministry says the discovery of the new Delta Plus variant in Thailand will not affect the country’s November 1 re-opening. Sathit Pitutecha, deputy public health minister, says the mutation has not been categorised as a variant of concern. “Because viruses mutate all the time, only a mutation that causes severe illness and makes the virus spread easier or…
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Tourism Ministry to invite K-pop megastar to perform at Phuket NYE celebration
Thai-born K-pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, from the band Blackpink, is being invited to perform during New Year celebrations on the southern island of Phuket. The cost won’t be cheap, but the government is defending the move. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the superstar’s presence will help promote Thailand’s re-opening to the world. “The main key reason for bringing global…
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Chulalongkorn students drop royal parade on grounds it promotes “authoritarianism”
The Student Union of Chulalongkorn University has controversially ditched its tradition of holding a royal parade ahead of its annual football match with Thammasat University. The decision to scrap the Phra Kiew parade, which students say promotes authoritarianism and inequality, has sparked fierce debate between Thailand’s progressive thinkers and its traditional conservatives. The Chulalongkorn student body has issued a statement…
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Thai PM defends plan to spend 100 million baht on New Year’s Eve celebrities
The Thai PM is standing firm amid fierce criticism of a plan to spend 100 million baht on 2 global singing stars for New Year’s Eve festivities in Phuket. Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended the government’s plan to spend around US$3 million dollars to secure Italian tenor, Andrea Bocelli, and Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal, from the K-pop band, Blackpink. The Bangkok Post…
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Bangkok and surrounding provinces warned to prepare for dust pollution
Now’s a good time to shore up your collection of PM2.5 masks and make sure your air purifier is running smoothly, with dust pollution forecast to hit Bangkok and its surrounding provinces from the end of October. According to a Thai PBS World report, weather conditions – namely the arrival of high atmospheric pressure – will be ripe for the…
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Foreign airlines give up 80% of their slots at Thailand’s airports amid uncertainty of next 5 months
The managing director of Airports of Thailand says international carriers have returned around 80% of their slots at Thailand’s airports. Nitinai Sirisamatthakarn says around 80% of slots between October 31 and March 26 next year have been returned, indicating that airlines are uncertain about any imminent recovery in the aviation sector. Airport slots are the landing and take-off permissions that…
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Big vaccination push in Chiang Mai in bid to combat Covid-19 surge
The president of the Tourism Council of Chiang Mai is hoping a ramp-up of vaccination efforts will help combat a surge in Covid-19. Punlop Saejew says health officials are pulling out all the stops in a bid to get the northern province ready for the November 1 re-opening. “The current clusters have affected local confidence towards re-opening. Everyone is working…
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Government under pressure to lift alcohol ban, allow nightlife to resume
As Thailand prepares to waive quarantine for vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries, the government is coming under pressure to ease some Covid-19 restrictions. In particular, the Bangkok Post reports on calls to allow restaurants to sell alcohol and for nightlife to resume. Countless bars and clubs remain shuttered, with many operators questioning how Thailand’s re-opening can succeed under such conditions.…
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Bank of Thailand plans real-world test of digital currency in 2022
The Bank of Thailand recently announced plans to do some real-world testing of digital currency in the near future as the popularity of cryptocurrency continues to grow. They plan to test their Central Bank Digital Currency in a real-world environment sometime in the second quarter of 2022. The BOT has been studying the CBDC since 2018 and is aware that…
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Hua Hin calls for delay in reopening amid Covid-19 infections
Prachuap Khiri Khan, the Western province that is home to tourist magnet Hua Hin, may not be ready for reopening in just over a week. Amid spiking Covid-19 infections, some officials in Hua Hin are calling for a delay, pushing back reopening for the town until December. The province had 240 infections in today’s report, half as many as the…
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Chiang Mai Covid-19 infections swell ahead of reopening
November 1 is fast approaching and with it a major reopening effort all across Thailand. But a few of the target Blue Zone areas that the government has focused on due to their popularity with foreign tourists are struggling, as Chiang Mai in particular has been battling a swell in Covid-19 infections. Chiang Mai has seen their daily infection numbers…
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs sings praises of Thailand Pass
The promotion engines are rolling as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a global charm offensive to win over travellers regarding the new Thailand Pass that will replace Certificates of Entry for international travellers to Thailand as the country reopens on November 1. The Thailand Pass, a collaboration between the Department of Consular Affairs and the Digital Government Development…
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Thai man takes grandfather hostage in Bangkok standoff
A 70 year old Thai grandfather was taken hostage by his 35 year old grandson in a Bangkok hotel leading to a standoff that ended when police tased the man. The incident took place in the Charoen Krung area of Bang Rak in the capital city. The grandson had recently been released from prison one month prior after serving a…
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Thailand reopening roundup: What happens November 1
Things are moving fast towards the November 1 reopening which in the last few days swelled from 10 countries being allowed entry to Thailand to 46 countries, 3 entry plans, replacing the Certificate of Entry, and even an attempt to reopen nightlife. Below is a round-up of the plans as they stand now. “TEST & GO”: COUNTRIES THAT CAN ENTER…
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Thailand is open for tourism again, sort of
OPINION The opening you have when you’re not quite open. Quarantine-free arrival, except that you’ll still need to book at least 1 night of stay in an approved hotel or AQ (alternative quarantine). No bars are open (officially) and, in most parts of the country, most shops remain closed. In tourist-dependent places like Phuket, more than 90% of the formerly…
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Thailand Pass website launching, accepted from November 2
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun the process of replacing the Certificate of Entry with the new Thailand Pass which will be accepted from November 2. The Ministry announced that tp.consular.go.th will be live for people arriving in Thailand after November 2 to register for the Thailand Pass. The information comes from the Ministry of Interior’s Phuket office who…
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Tourism Minister proposes reopening entertainment venues November 1
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be opening up Thailand to international travellers, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is aiming to open up entertainment venues to those international travellers. The Tourism Minister plans on officially proposing that entertainment venues, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, pubs and other nightlife venues be reopening in the Blue Zones, the new term for the…
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Full details on the 3 ways to travel to Thailand from November 1
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a summary of the new plans to reopen Thailand to allow international tourists to travel on November 1. Thailand will reopen without quarantine for fully vaccinated people travelling from 46 approved countries, who will only have to take a Covid-19 test on arrival and wait in an approved hotel for the results. Those…
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Biden reaffirms US would defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
US President Joe Biden said that the US would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack. He was asked about this hypothetical situation yesterday during a CNN town hall segment. His response is a departure from the typical US stance on the Taiwan issue, but follows the trend of increasingly firm policy approaches towards China. China, historically, considers…
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Curfew lifted October 31 for all or part of 17 Thai provinces
Just ahead of the big November 1 reopening to international tourists, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that curfew will be lifted entirely in all or part of 17 provinces on October 31. The order has already been signed into effect and published in the Royal Gazette late last night. The order means that when the doors are opened to fully…
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Man arrested after allegedly raping young girl 18 years ago
A fugitive for 18 years, police just caught up with a man accused of raping a young student 18 years ago. The 42 year old man was arrested in Bangkok after evading police for nearly 2 decades since 2003 when it is alleged that he raped a young girl in Phayao in the north of Thailand. The crime suppression division…
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Thailand’s focus on wealthy tourists won’t benefit small business
With the November 1 reopening, the government has not been looking to welcome back any and all travellers that want to come to Thailand. Instead, they’ve been narrowly focused on attracting the “right” tourists, attempting to lure wealthy investors and retirees to dump money into Thailand, while often brushing aside the moderate and budget tourists that have for years been…
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“Together Phuket Stepping Forward”: tourism plan after Sandbox
“Together Phuket Stepping Forward” is the new tourism campaign designed to be the successor to the Phuket Sandbox now that the government is firming their plans to open without quarantine to a newly-expanded list of 46 countries. The plan grew out of a town hall meeting yesterday with private and public agencies along with the Phuket Tourist Association. Phuket Governor…
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Expelled monk returns to southern Thailand to celebrate birthday
A former monk who was expelled from monkhood has returned to southern Thailand to celebrate his birthday. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, who is now known as Winai La-Ongsuwan, became disgraced from monkhood after alleged sexual misconduct. Although he has often returned to Thailand after his criminal defamation case against him in 2014, Covid-19 has kept him away for the past…
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Phuket officials confirm island’s recovery plan following sandbox “success”
The southern island of Phuket is looking to the future, with ambitious plans to evolve into a tourism, education, and service innovation hub between 2023 and 2027. The Bangkok Post reports that officials are preparing to launch the “Together Phuket Stepping Forward” campaign, in line with the country’s imminent re-opening. Governor Narong Woonciew says the campaign will follow on from…
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Expect thunderstorms and strong winds in parts of Thailand until Sunday morning
Thailand is expected to see thunderstorms and heavy winds across Thailand that may last through tomorrow. A rain warning was issued for October 21-23. There are easterly and southeasterly winds prevailing over northern Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea. The South will see continuous rains with the Gulf of Thailand seeing wave heights over 1…
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