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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Koh Kood closed from today until May 1 after 2 hotel employees contract Covid
Koh Kood, an island in Thailand’s southeastern Trat Province, is closing as of today after 2 hotel workers were found to be infected with Covid-19. The island will close until May 1 as a safety precaution. A hotel bartender was the first to register a positive test for the virus, and, after tests on other employees, another infection was found.…
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Thai chef pleads for justice after child kills her cat in New York park
A Thai-born chef, who now lives in New York, has launched a social media campaign calling for justice for her pet cat after the feline was attacked and killed by a child. Suchanan “Rung” Aksornnan says she was walking her cats, Ponzu and Kimchi, along with her dog, Tofu, and parakeet, Mango, in a Brooklyn park, when a boy ran…
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Search continues for missing Indonesian submarine with 53 crew on board
Officials in Indonesia are continuing to search for a submarine that disappeared while on a routine exercise on Wednesday, with 53 crew members on board. The Indonesian military has issued a warning about unverified information and speculation after the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine went missing. It’s understood the vessel is expected to run out of oxygen within hours. Military spokesman Achmad…
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Tourism officials revise revenue forecast, insist Phuket will re-open on schedule
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand admits it may need to revise its 2021 revenue forecast, but insists the Phuket “sandbox” project is still going ahead – and on time too. Yuthasak Supasorn says tourism officials will set a new revenue target, for both domestic and international tourists, as Thailand battles with a third wave of Covid-19. In…
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Russia agrees to sell Sputnik V vaccine doses to Thailand
Thailand is to take delivery of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, along with 10 million doses from US vaccine manufacturer Pfizer. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced on his Facebook page that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has agreed to sell the vaccine to Thailand through a “government to government” contract. The PM says the…
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Myanmar summit Saturday tests ASEAN’s effectiveness
Leaders from the 10 countries of ASEAN will meet Saturday at a summit to discuss the crisis in Myanmar in what many see as a credibility test for the organisation. As the military junta in Myanmar have ramped up violence and lethal force against pro-democracy protestors, the country is descending into what the UN high commissioner for human rights referred…
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Thailand aims for only electric vehicles by 2035
Thailand has announced an ambitious plan to move to only sell zero-emission electric vehicles by 2035 as it aims to be at the forefront of the electric car market. Right now in Thailand, less than 1% of the vehicles on the road are electric but an advisor to the Energy Ministry’s national policy committee said that it’s clear the world…
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New Covid-19 wave could cause the Thai economy to lose 100 billion baht per month
With more than 18,000 Covid-19 cases in 22 days, the new wave of infections may have a dramatic impact on the Thai economy… possibly a 100 billion baht loss per month, according to the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce. They say the outbreak is likely to primarily impact the service sector and the number of workers is expected…
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K-Pop’s BTS launching pop-up in Bangkok May 1
Thai BTS fans are celebrating as the first official BTS pop-up in Thailand is set to open in Bangkok on May 1. The world-famous K-Pop group will launch the Map of the Soul pop-up at EmQuartier in Bangkok. Until now, Thai fans, or ARMY as they are known, have waited while pop-ups shops were launched around the world. The exhibit…
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Expats condemn Phuket’s “xenophobic” rapid-test payment policy
Expats living in Thailand are up in arms after Phuket officials confirmed that foreigners arriving on the island would have to pay for a rapid Covid-19 test that is free for Thais. The testing requirement is part of new restrictions now in force to combat the spread of the virus. However, it is not the cost of the test –…
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Thailand News Today | 2-tier pricing uproar, Ministry to pay 11.8 B baht compensation | April 22
Expats and other foreign travellers living in Thailand are up in arms after Phuket officials confirmed that foreigners arriving on the island would have to pay for a rapid Covid-19 test that is free for Thais. The testing requirement is part of the latest restrictions now in force to combat the spread of the virus on the island. However, it…
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Bangkok Airways suspends some flights due to ongoing Covid-19 situation
In the midst of another wave of Covid-19 infections, Bangkok Airways announced it is suspending some flight routes due to the ongoing spread of the virus. The airline is suspending the Phuket-Hat Yai route from April 23 to October 30 and its Bangkok-Sukhothai and Bangkok-Trat routes from May 1 to 31. Travellers can change their flights without an additional charge.…
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Killer pit bull attends victim’s funeral to apologise
An unexpected guest was seen yesterday at the Bang Lamung, Pattaya funeral of the victim of a pit bull attack. Giant, the guilty dog, was brought to apologise by his new owner. The Thaiger has been following the tragic story of the 55 year old man who was sleeping next to his pet pit bull when his son witnessed the…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,470 new Covid-19 infections, 7 deaths, provincial totals
1,470 new Covid-19 infections and 7 deaths were reported today by the CCSA. 446 new cases are in Bangkok which remains the hotzone of new infections, although the latest outbreak has now spread to most Thai provinces. Out of the 7 deaths, one was a 24 year old Thai woman with a history of visiting an entertainment venue in the…
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8% March growth for Thai exports in promising recovery
An 8% increase in exports is expected for March fueled by online officials connecting foreign buyers with Thai exporters. Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit touted the success of this plan to have officials working as salesmen to promote Thai products worldwide, the results of which produced 14.4 billion baht in exports last year. The Trade Policy and Strategy Office will release…
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Jet fuel tax reduction extended again to aid airlines, tourism
A tax reduction, for jet fuel that has been in place to help the airline industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been extended until the end of 2020. With international travel decimated, this tax cut is aimed to help airlines stay afloat and get more customers with lower prices while travel figures are massively down. The extension was scheduled to…
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Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 3 to 4 years – WHO
Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 4 years, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO says Thailand is one of 8 countries that can potentially get rid of the mosquito-borne disease by 2025, a goal in line with the country’s strategic plan to eliminate the infectious disease by 2024. Malaria was a leading cause of death…
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Police inspect Pattaya restaurants for compliance with alcohol sales ban
Police in Pattaya have carried out inspections at local restaurants to ensure a ban on alcohol sales is being adhered to. The prohibition is part of the latest Covid-19 restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Officers from Banglamung police station, led by district chief, Wutthisak Singhadaechor, and police chief, Sakchai Suwannukun, have dropped in on multiple eateries…
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Petition site Change.org back online in Thailand after 6 month ban
The popular petition website, Change.org, is once again available to activists in Thailand, after being temporarily blocked last October. Coconuts reports that a statement on the site’s social media account confirms that it’s back up and running in the Kingdom. “Throughout these months we had worked hard, fighting through the legal process for our mission to have the website’s access…
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Police officer infected with Covid-19 commits suicide at hospital
A police officer infected with Covid-19 killed himself yesterday at a Bangkok hospital. The Royal Thai Police spokesperson says 59 year old Boonchu Panklin committed suicide due to stress after testing positive for the virus. The railway police deputy inspector was also diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. He tested positive for Covid-19 after coming in contact with another patient. At first,…
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Deputy transport minister investigated by anti-corruption commission
Thailand’s deputy transport minister and his wife are being investigated after a debt of 10 billion baht was somehow written off. The National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC, is reviewing documents related to the debt, according to the commission’s Secretary General Worawit Sukboon. If the commission finds that Weerasak and Yolanda Wangsuphakijkosol attempted to conceal their wealth, the case could go to the…
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Thailand’s covid vaccine passport – will it only be used for travel?
Hi. Im Tim Newton. Just upfront saying that these are my personal opinions and don’t necessarily reflect that of The Thaiger. So today the Thai Government now has officially announced vaccine passports. The documents are going to be the next big thing in the long and winding Covid road. Firstly, before some comments, the details that we actually know. This…
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Thailand to continue with Chinese vaccine after side-effects in small number of cases
Government-appointed medical experts say there are no plans to suspend use of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine after adverse side-effects were reported in 7 recipients. 6 of them were medical staff in the eastern province of Rayong, who developed “stroke-like” symptoms after receiving the first dose of the CoronaVac jab from Sinovac Biotech. Side-effects included numbness in the limbs and drowsiness,…
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Pattaya prepares for around 2,000 US soldiers to visit for Cobra Gold
Despite Thailand’s record high Covid-19 count, around 1,000 to 2,000 United States soldiers are still expected to travel to Thailand in August for the annual Cobra Gold multinational military exercise, which is co-sponsored by the US. Thai soldiers teach American and other foreign soldiers jungle survival skills, from identifying edible plants to decapitating snakes, drinking the blood, and then cooking…
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India sees record Covid-19 infections, oxygen shortages
India is experiencing record infections and deaths due to Covid-19 and is now running dangerously low on oxygen supplies. The countries second wave of the virus includes a dangerous virus variant that is spreading quickly and has infected 3.5 million people just this month. In the last 24 hours, 295,000 new infections occurred with just over 2,000 deaths. Prime minister…
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Human Rights Watch calls on Thailand to release activists detained on lèse majesté charges
The Human Rights Watch is calling on Thai authorities to release pro-democracy activists who are detained on lèse majesté charges which carry an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the Thai Monarchy. HRW says the charges should be dropped because the activists’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly have been violated. 2 of the detained activists, both…
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Phuket requires Covid-19 vaccination or 72-hour test
To help wrangle the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak in Phuket, strict controls for everyone entering the island go into effect today until the end of April. The provincial communicable disease committee approved the measures in an effort to stop the proliferation of Covid-19 in the province. The new regulations state that only people who have received both doses of…
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Thailand to purchase additional 35 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Thai government will purchase another 35 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in addition to the 65 million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The prime minister made a post on his Facebook page today announcing that Thailand will produce the additional doses from 2 or possibly 3 companies. Out of the 35 million…
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CCSA Update: 1,458 new Covid-19 cases, provincial totals
1,458 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing, stabilising the recent upward spike of new infections since the outbreaks at nightlife venues in Bangkok. Since April 1, 17,780 Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths have been reported by the CCSA. The 2 additional Covid-related deaths today were a 56 year…
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Free media threatened by Covid-19-inspired laws
The International Commission of Jurists is warning that media and journalists in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam are seeing legal repression grow during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group outlined the expanding threat. New laws that many claim violate human rights also serve to throttle the space…
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