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Sponsored Travel vs international health insurance: Which coverage do you need overseas?
The Thaiger key takeaways Travel insurance is ideal for short-term trips, covering emergencies, cancellations, and lost luggage, but not routine care. International health insurance suits expats and long-term residents, offering full medical coverage, including checkups, maternity, and chronic care. Choosing...
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Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport task force cracks down on drug trafficking
Authorities at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport are cracking down on drug trafficking, specifically packages being mailed from Thailand to overseas, after major busts in Australia and South Korea last month involving drugs trafficked from Thailand. Over the weekend, the Narcotics Control Board announced that the airport’s task force found 580 grams of methamphetamine hidden in motorcycle parts in a package destined…
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Over 1.5 kilos of heroin found hidden in notebooks at Suvarnabhumi Airport
Over a kilo and a half of heroin has been found concealed in notebooks at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to a report by Thai Residents. It’s understood the shipment of 1.65 kilos of heroin was discovered after the Airport Interdiction Task Force received a tip-off about a suspicious consignment destined for Australia. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board made…
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Motorbike thieves arrested after a million baht of bikes stolen
This week Pattaya Police arrested a group of motorbike thieves that they say are responsible for about a million baht worth of stolen bikes. The gang were arrested at a condo in Jomtien on Thursday afternoon by the Pattaya City Police Department. The raid captured 3 suspects, all between the ages of 22 and 23. The trio were nabbed after…
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300 tourism businesses given SHA Plus certification in Phuket
Part of the much-debated Phuket Sandbox reopening is guests must stay in SHA Plus-certified hotels, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand just gave certification for more than 300 tourism-related businesses on the island. The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus Certificate was presented to the businesses yesterday, and those establishments will now display the SHA Plus logo, assuring international…
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Thai PM not happy with soccer gambling
Prayut Chan-o-cha, has voiced his concern that there has been an uptick in illegal gambling by Thai people throughout the UEFA European Soccer Championship (AKA Euro 2020). The PM told the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and “relevant agencies” to tighten the scrutiny of illegal gambling, with an emphasis on online gambling. He also asked…
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Illegal casino operator accused of 4 charges including murder
A man who is alleged to have been running illegal casino operations is now facing indictment on 4 charges, including murder. The Crime Suppression Division has called for the charges to be filed against Somchai Jutikitdecha, the 56 year old suspect that goes by Longjoo Somchai. The CSD first arrested Longjoo back in February of 2020, accusing him of being…
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Goverment kind of discloses what the secret budget is spent on
The Thai government has shed some light on its “secret budget allocations” to parry criticisms that it should increase transparency about money being used on defence. The Prime Minister Operations Centre shared details on its Facebook page. They say the secret allocations taken out of the 3.1 trillion baht budget deal amounted to only .03% of the total (930 million…
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Penis statue works as village sees rain after erection
Laugh and make jokes if you must (we certainly did!) but yesterday’s report on the village that erected a giant penis to bring rain has a, erm, happy ending. We’ll give you one guess on what the weather is like in the Yothaka sub-district of Chachoengsao province this weekend. If you guessed that the penis statue and rain blessing ceremony…
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TAT declares Phuket “is ready” to reopen for tourism on July 1
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn attended a meeting with Phuket officials yesterday following months of vacillation by local tourism officials and central government departments. The tug-of-war between public health imperatives and Thailand’s battered tourist industry has caused a constant barrage of changes to announced details. “There will be no quarantine for foreign visitors under the Phuket Sandbox scheme…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 2,804 new infections and 18 Covid-related deaths
The Thai public health department has announced another 18 Covid-related deaths and 2,804 new infections. 409 of today’s cases come from the prison system. The numbers coming out of the public health department, and announced each morning at around 11.30am by a CCSA spokesperson, have been statistically similar for the past 2 months, with the exception of the cases coming…
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Pattaya October reopening hampered by obstacles
Pattaya has been working on its reopening plan, aiming to bring back international tourism in the fourth quarter of 2021. Officials have launched the “Pattaya, Move on” scheme which aims to open back up the popular tourist city in October, but the Public Health Ministry disagrees with their plan so far. The goal is to reopen Pattaya without the need…
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UPDATE: Tourism Minister reportedly says July 1 ‘sandbox’ won’t happen
UPDATE By the conclusion of a meeting in Phuket this afternoon the only confirmation was that the July 1 date for a re-opening of Thailand, via the Phuket sandbox was “still on”, according to Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com who attended the meeting. More details when they emerge. Bottomline, nothing is confirmed until the Thai Cabinet discusses the issue, probably Tuesday,…
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Village need rain? Have you considered a giant penis?
Yothaka Subdistrict of Chachoengsao province is a fertile low river plain along the Nakhon Nayok River with rich agriculture. Since the residents there are heavily dependant on farming and therefore rain for their crops, locals in one village have a tradition to call in the rainy season by really using their (other) heads. Bringing new meaning to the phrase “member…
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Thai Airways to offer international flights to 16 destinations next month
Starting next month until September, Thai Airways will offer international flights from Bangkok to 16 destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, London, Paris and Frankfurt. The airline’s chief commercial officer says there’s an increase in demand for air travel and they plan to increase flights later this year under its 2021 Winter Programme. The airline says it “prioritises hygiene excellence” and strictly…
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Meth production still going strong in Southeast Asia, despite Covid hurdles
Yesterday, counter narcotics agency, UNODC said the meth production has only gotten stronger in Southeast Asisa this last year, even though border restrictions were put in place due to Covid-19. A record was even set in 2020 for meth seizures. Almost 20% more meth was seized than in 2019 says the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. About 75% of…
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China arrests 1,100 in cryptocurrency money laundering bust
In what will only fuel perception in China that cryptocurrency is nothing more than a money laundering tool, security officials have arrested 1,100 people accused of using criminal profits to buy crypto. Chinese officials have been cracking down on cryptocurrency trade, which is banned in the country. The Ministry of Public Security in China says that Chinese police reportedly caught…
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Former prosecutors face corruption charges in Phuket land encroachment case
2 former public prosecutors in Phuket face charges of corruption after allegedly seeking a bribe from a company accused of land encroachment in a national park. The Office of the Attorney-General confirms that Thamma Sornchai and Wanchat Choonhathanom are being indicted on bribery charges. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thamma is accused of asking a foreign-run company for a…
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Police quell gun dealing network in Bangkok
Yesterday in Bangkok, the Crime Suppression Division reported a major quelling on illegal gun sales online in Bangkok. They think the guns are part of a weapon smuggling network that had a circulating fund of at least 100 million baht. Part of the quelling was a raid where 23 “short and long guns” and more than 1,000 cartridges of ammunition…
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Property market in tourism areas relying on vaccines for recovery
Tourism destinations in Thailand are pinning their hopes on Covid-19 vaccines to revive their decimated economies, including in the real estate sector. Vichai Viratkapan from the Real Estate Information Centre says the property sector’s recovery will be driven by the rollout of vaccines, particularly in tourist destinations that have borne the brunt of the economic devastation. “Tourism destinations like Phuket,…
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Bangkok man arrested for allegedly selling sex toys
A seller in Bangkok has been arrested for allegedly possessing illegal sex toys for sale. Thaweesak a 28 year old Bangkok seller was arrested today after police received a tip that he had sex toys in his possession. After obtaining a search warrant from Phra Khanong Criminal Court, detectives staged a raid on the suspect’s house and seized 169 items.…
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Man warns public of online durian scam
After filing a police report in Samut Sakhon, a central Thai province, a 55 year old man hopes to warn others of the perils of buying durian online. The man had attempted to buy “volcano durian” through an online dealer, but after sending the durian dealer money, the seller allegedly vanished. Busamat, the would-be durian buyer, says he wanted to…
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11 dead in Mumbai building collapse
Last night, a residential building collapsed in Mumbai, India’s city that is situated on the west coast. The collapse claimed 11 lives. Of the 11 dead, 8 were children. Indian media says the incident happened around 10:15 pm. Police say 18 people have been extracted from the debris, albeit only 7 lived. It is reported that the injured have been…
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Former Thai PM absolved of any wrongdoing
According to an insider from the investigative panel of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Thailand’s former PM, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her cabinet have been absolved of any wrongdoing in relation to the approval of around 1.9 billion baht payment for victims of political protests and the quelling of red shirt protests by troops from 2005 to 2010. They were absolved by…
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Police crack down on drugs in Phuket neighbourhoods
In an ongoing effort to crack down on drugs in Phuket neighbourhoods, police conducted a series of raids where they seized dozens of grams of crystal methamphetamine and thousands of methamphetamine pills as well as dozens of rounds of firearm ammunition. Phuket Provincial Police also recently arrested 5 people in the various raids. Provincial police captain Chaiwat Chuwang has been…
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South Korea looks into travel bubble agreement with Thailand
South Korea could soon open its borders to fully vaccinated people travelling from Thailand. The country is looking into travel bubble agreements with Thailand as well as Singapore, Taiwan, Guam and Saipan, according to the South Korean Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry. Quarantine-free travel could start as early as next month. Under the travel bubble scheme, travellers who are fully…
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Bangkok university student dies after allegedly beaten by a group of students
A 22 year old engineering student died after he was allegedly beaten by a group of students at the Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok in Bangkok. Police say they are requesting arrest warrants from the Criminal Court to for 12 university students who were allegedly involved. On May 27, surveillance camera footage shows the 22 year old second-year student and…
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Phuket governor asks for funds for tourist tracking app
We’re not sure of the exact date when the Phuket sandbox idea was born, but we’re pretty sure the Thaiger had fewer grey hairs and definitely fewer wrinkles back then. What’s certain is that there has been a lot – a lot – of talk about Phuket’s July 1 re-opening and how exactly it will work. Rules have been introduced,…
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Top 10 notebooks to buy online
Are you looking for the best notebook to buy online? Notebooks have become another indispensable product for almost all ages in recent years, especially in this era of virtual meetings and online schools. Whether you need it to study, work, play games, or simply surf the internet, it’s important to buy a good notebook that can meet your needs. With…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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Police at Bangkok airport seize methamphetamine from parcel en route to Australia
Police at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport seized crystal methamphetamine that was hidden in an express mail parcel destined for Australia. The Airport Interdiction Task Force searched the EMS package addressed to Melbourne and found bags containing a total of around 750 grams of crystal methamphetamine hidden in 3 large motorcycle parts. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin recently announced that the ministry is…
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