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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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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Phuket’s nightlife. Yes, bars and clubs are still open | VIDEO
There was the original Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns back in April and May in 2020, then again just before Christmas and New Year when the new clusters emerged in Samut Sakhon and the eastern coastal provinces, Patong’s nightlife was quiet enough, almost non-existent. Now when the restrictions are lifted, Nimz will take you through Phuket’s famous nightlife spot Bangla Road,…
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WildAid launches ad campaign in Thailand to raise awareness about illegal wildlife trade
The following is a press release submitted by WildAid, a non-profit organisation pushing to end illegal wildlife trade. In honor of World Wildlife Day, WildAid is launching a series of advertisements highlighting the plight of endangered species, a result of poaching to meet consumer demand for wildlife products such as elephant ivory, rhino horns, shark fin, tiger parts and helmeted…
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“Sawadee Thailand” travel insurance covers Covid-19 medical expenses
The following is a press release submitted by AXA Thailand on its “Sawasdee Thailand” travel insurance which covers the required Covid-19 medical insurance for those travelling to Thailand. AXA Thailand General Insurance is offering “Sawasdee Thailand”, a comprehensive travel insurance that includes health coverage for foreigners traveling to Thailand, offering up to 3.5-million-baht of medical expenses including COVID-19 which meets…
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Muay Thai added to European Games 2023
Thailand’s national sport Muay Thai has been added to the European Games 2023, set to be held in Poland. While Asia has been leading the sport for decades, many recent Muay Thai champions are from Europe, according to Sakchye Tapsuwan, president of the International Federation of Muaythai Associations, the governing body for the sport. “Europe has grown in strength, evidenced…
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Bangkok Military Court issues arrest warrant for medic accused of injecting troops with fake Covid-19 vaccine
The Bangkok Military Court has issued an arrest warrant for a Royal Thai Army medic who is accused of injecting troops with a fake Covid-19 vaccine. He reportedly made more than 100,000 baht by charging troops, who were on a United Nations mission, 500 baht each for a tetanus vaccine and a fake Covid-19 vaccine, which an internal army investigation…
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Deceased Phuket expat’s body stuck in hospital due to passport mix-up
In a nightmarish scenario, a deceased Phuket expat’s body is stuck in a Thai hospital as his step‐daughter claims hospital administrators won’t release the body due to a passport mix‐up. Gemma Swift, the step‐daughter of 75 year old David Donoghue, who died 2 weeks ago, says she is pleading with embassy staff in Thailand to resolve, what she says, is…
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Thai navy sailors rescue adorable cats from ship fire
In an act of good deed, navy officials have rescued 4 cats from a ship that had caught fire and began to sink about 13 kilometres off Adang Island in the southern province of Satun. The ship’s 8 member crew had jumped off the sinking vessel and were rescued by a passing fishing ship, but the cats were left onboard.…
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Cabinet approves budget of over 6.3 billion baht for 35 million more vaccine doses
The Thai government has approved a budget of 6.387 billion baht to procure an additional 35 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines. The budget was approved at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, according to a government spokesperson. Nation Thailand reports that the budget will be divided into 5.6 billion baht, which will be spent on AstraZeneca vaccines, with 700 million baht going…
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Covid-free Samui, Phangan, Tao offer tourism discounts until end of April
The Covid-free gulf islands of Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao are offering special discounts and privileges to tourists until the end of April. Over 80 tourism operators are taking part in the scheme which can be accessed by clicking on www.samui-phangan-tao-speciallink.com. Surat Thani, which includes Koh Samui, is 1 of 4 provinces to receive the first delivery of…
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Governor of Samut Sakhon recovering from Covid-19 after more than 40 days on ventilator
The governor of the central province of Samut Sakhon is slowly recovering after more than 2 months battling Covid-19. Weerasak Wichitsangsri tested positive for the virus in late December and subsequently ended up on a ventilator for over 40 days. It’s understood Weerasak’s time on the ventilator was a record for the hospital and at times, medics were unsure if…
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Thai PM orders Foreign Ministry to conduct vaccine passport study
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says the government will look into the possibility of a vaccine passport policy, with discussions set to take place on Monday. The PM has asked the Foreign Ministry to carry out a study on the use of vaccine passports, but adds that there is no guarantee such a system would work at international level. “So,…
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Gunman kills mayoral candidate, injures 4 other municipal candidates at funeral
UPDATE: Recent reports say 6 people were injured in the shooting. The suspect has surrendered to police. A gunman shot and killed a woman running for mayor and wounded 4 others at a funeral in Ratchaburi, a province west of Bangkok near the Myanmar border. Police say they suspect the shooting was politically motivated. Out of the 4 people injured,…
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Thai army medic accused of injecting troops with fake Covid-19 vaccine during UN mission
UPDATE: Recent reports say the medic’s license has not been revoked, but the Medical Council is considering revoking his doctor’s license. The Bangkok Military Court has also issued a warrant for the medic’s arrest. A medic for the Royal Thai Army was dismissed and his medical license revoked after injecting troops with fake Covid-19 vaccines during a United Nations peacekeeping…
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Massive 6-metre-long python caught in Chon Buri
While tending to his land and preparing to cut down some banana trees, a Chon Buri man came across a massive 6-metre-long, 100-kilogram python. 8 people worked together to pull the giant snake out from the vegetation. The python tried numerous times to escape. It took around 30 minutes to catch the snake. The landowner told Thai media reporters that…
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Japan asks China to stop anal Covid-19 tests after travellers report “psychological distress”
After complaints that China’s anal swab Covid-19 test caused “psychological distress,” Japan has asked China to stop using the new, much more invasive method of testing on Japanese citizens entering the country. For the anal test, reportedly done on some travellers entering China from overseas, a 3 to 5 centimetre long cotton swab is inserted into the anus and gently…
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Police investigate reports of women’s underwear stolen from Phuket homes
Police in Phuket are looking for a suspect who residents say has been stealing women’s underwear. Surveillance camera footage from a resident’s home shows a teenager driving through a neighbourhood, then stopping and stealing ladies panties that were hanging up to dry. One resident told Phuket News that numerous residents in Thalang’s Baan Lipon area have reported missing underwear. “Recently…
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Cannabis could generate 8 billion baht for Thai pharmaceutical industry by 2025, expert says
Cannabis could become a major cash crop in Thailand. An expert says the cannabis-based medicinal products could generate up to 8 billion baht for the Thai pharmaceutical industry by 2025. Medical cannabis has been legal in Thailand for the past couple years, but recently the government agreed to allow parts of the plant with very, low traces of the “high-inducing”…
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Bike rider killed after crashing motorbike into parked truck in Chon Buri
An 18 year old motorbike driver has been killed after ploughing his bike into the back of a parked truck. The Pattaya News reports that the incident took place at the weekend, in the eastern province of Chon Buri. Emergency workers arrived at the scene in the Baan Suan sub-district to find Sahapat Tippuang with serious head injuries. It’s understood…
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Thailand considering vaccine passport policy in bid to revive international tourism
Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, says he has asked the Public Health Ministry to approve a vaccine passport scheme aimed at reviving the devastated tourism sector. According to Pipat, the government is looking to the World Health Organisation to issue a statement on vaccine passports before it makes a decision on the matter. The Tourism Minister adds that having a…
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Suspect arrested in Hat Yai murder and rape of schoolgirl
The suspect of a schoolgirl’s disturbing rape and murder in Hat Yai is now under arrest. The alleged criminal, 49 year old Prathom Iadkhao, known as Bangmad Kongra, was already a convicted sex offender who spent 1 year in prison back in 2002. He was convicted of taking a young girl from her parents for lewd purposes in Songkhla. Now,…
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Covid-19 vaccine registration to begin in May
Thailand’s Deputy Health Minister, Sathit Pitutecha, says registration for Covid-19 vaccination will begin in early May, with the national vaccine rollout starting the following month. Members of the public who wish to register for inoculation will be able to do so via a dedicated app, Mor Prom (“Doctors Ready”). Sathit says the government is expecting a large supply of the…
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PM defends measures used against Sunday protesters
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended police action against protesters taking part in Sunday’s anti-government rally in Bangkok. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau used tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets in an effort to drive protesters back from the PM’s residence at the 1st Infantry Regiment barracks, King’s Guard. The PM insists the actions were in line…
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Researchers claim Thailand’s bats not responsible for Covid pandemic
Thai researchers are claiming that horseshoe bats are not responsible for transmitting the Covid virus to humans. Supaporn Wacharapluesadee, a researcher with the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases-Health Science Centre, says hat even though the bats have tested for a coronavirus, it is not the strain that is transmissible to humans. “They are in the same family [of coronaviruses],…
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Another drug bust near the Mekong River, 500 kilograms of cannabis seized
In another drug bust in Northeastern province Nakhon Phanom, police arrested a man and seized 500 kilograms of compressed cannabis. Just yesterday, border patrol police in the province seized 920 kilograms of compressed cannabis from a boat on the Mekong River. In both cases, police suspect the cannabis came from Laos, just across the river. Police say they searched a…
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Thailand News Today | Bangkok protest fallout, northern fire bans | March 1
Coming up today… the fallout from yesterday’s latest protest violence in Bangkok, the first vaccine in Thailand who got it, and a major drug haul along the Mekong. But first we’ll start up north where Lampang Province is joining other northern provinces todday by putting a total fire ban in place from today, March 1, until the end of April.…
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Nearly 300 cats rescued from Bangkok home shelters
Nearly 300 cats, many in wire cages, were found in 2 recently abandoned home shelters in Bangkok. Some cats were found dead and an animal activist who rescued the cats says the homes were filthy and smelled of cat feces. The owner of the homes was initially providing shelter for the stray cats, but due to the financial problems brought…
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Samut Sakhon shrimp market, recent Covid-19 wave’s epicentre, is back open and bustling
The Samut Sakhon seafood market, the epicentre of the recent wave of Covid-19 infections, has reopened. The Central Shrimp Market had been shut down, sealed off and sprayed down after hundreds of vendors, migrant workers and visitors were infected with the coronavirus. Now, 10 weeks later, the market at a fishing hub just southwest of Bangkok, is not only back…
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CCSA Update: 80 new Covid-19 cases, active infections on a downward slope
80 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing while 142 new cases were reported on Saturday and Sunday. Since the start of the pandemic, Thailand has reported 26,031 coronavirus infections and 83 deaths. There are currently 624 active Covid-19 infections, a record low for Thailand since the December outbreak at a Samut…
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Thai PM says Covid-19 jab is safe, urges people to get vaccinated
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has assured people the Covid-19 vaccine is safe as he called on citizens to get vaccinated. Nation Thailand reports that the PM was speaking at a vaccination drive taking place at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, in the central province of Nonthaburi. It’s understood Prayut himself will receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, having been deemed too old…
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Bryde’s whale in Gulf of Thailand gives birth to third baby
A Bryde’s whale living in the Gulf of Thailand has given birth to her third baby whale. Nation Thailand reports that Mae Thong Dee was photographed by wildlife photographer Jirayu Ekkul, whose team has been monitoring the whale. It’s understood she has a number of injuries, including a ripped dorsal fin and serious eye injuries. “We found Mae Thong Dee…
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