News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Thai baht rises as officials consider resumption of Test & Go
Thailand saw strength in its currency “baht” today as expectations are high for the relaxing of quarantine for vaccinated visitors under “Test & Go” quarantine exemption scheme. Registration for the entry scheme was closed last month, but the Public Health Ministry is proposing the scheme be reopened again. The Public Health Minister says that if approved by the Centre for…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport’s passenger terminal to be extended for future tourists
In the next 10 years, Thailand could rank as the world’s ninth busiest travel hub welcoming 200 million passengers each year, according to a forecast from the International Air Transport Association. To prepare for the anticipated post-pandemic uptick, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is extending its east side of the main passenger terminal. The government approved an initial budget of 7.8 billion…
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More Burmese migrants detained along Thailand’s western border
Police arrested 63 Burmese migrants seeking jobs in Thailand for allegedly crossing the borders into Thong Pha Phum, Sai Yok and Sangkhla Buri districts illegally yesterday. Two Thai men were also arrested for allegedly attempting to help smuggle the migrants across the border. One of them was reportedly caught driving 18 migrants in a pickup truck. The police found 12…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 6,397 new cases, provincial totals
18 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,956 with 258 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 6,397 new Covid-19 cases and 6,637 recoveries. There are now 81,952 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Chinese sperm imposter sued in Japan after lying about ethnicity, education, wife
A Tokyo woman who sought impregnation from a “sperm donor” has given up her child for adoption, after she learned the father is actually a Chinese imposter, and has sued him for nearly US$3 million. The woman, whose husband suffers from an unnamed heredity disease, was reportedly desperate for a second child when she sought out a sperm donor online.…
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Bangkok field hospitals fill with patients, Prayut urges Thais not to let their guard down
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thais to not lower their guard when it comes to Covid-19, especially the new variant Omicron, and follow the universal measurements strictly, according to a government spokesperson. The reminder came after 2,611 new patients flocked to field hospitals in Bangkok over the weekend. Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the prime minister expressed his concern about…
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Vietjet to resume two weekly flights between Vietnam and Thailand this week
Starting Friday, Vietnam’s national flag carrier, Vietjet, will resume flights between Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, with two weekly round trips every Friday and Saturday in order to boost international operations. The flights will connect travellers to and from Tan Son Nhat International Airport and Thailand’s main aviation hub, Suvarnabhumi International Airport, with complimentary Covid-19 RT-PCR test packages for…
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7 people rescued after speedboat from Koh Chang hits rocks, sinks
A group travelling by speedboat from Koh Chang had to be rescued after the boat hit rocks, causing it to take on water and sink. The seven people on board the speedboat, including the skipper, were floating in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Trat’s Koh Lim for around two hours. The group had been travelling from the…
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Thai government to help dropouts return to school
Several government agencies are collaborating on a new initiative to assist children who have dropped out of school to return and complete their education. At the project’s launch ceremony yesterday, Thailand’s Education Minister and heads of related agencies signed a memorandum of understanding for the project. Education ministry records have recorded 238,707 child dropouts in Thailand. Reasons for dropping out…
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A 29 year old man in Pattaya allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death
A 29 year old man in the eastern suburbs of Pattaya City was admitted to a local medical facility on Sunday night after he allegedly stabbed his girlfriend to death before attempting suicide. At around 11pm on the night of the incident, police and emergency responders found the body of a 39 year old woman on the floor with five…
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Tourism ministry to cut budget for tour package subsidy after scheme flops
The government plans to cut the budget for its tour package subsidy scheme, which received a lukewarm reception among Thais. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism & Sports Ministry will also reduce the number of tour packages available from 1 million to 200,000. Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn admits the Tour Teaw Thai scheme hasn’t really had the desired…
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Over 95% of content Thailand asks Google to remove is government criticism – the highest rate in the world
A study by virtual private network firm Surfshark shows that since 2011, Thailand has submitted 1,147 requests for Google to remove content. The Bangkok Post reports that over 95% of those requests was about content considered critical of the government – the highest rate in the world. As part of the study, Surfshark says it analysed Google’s Transparency Report. Thailand…
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The return of Test & Go? Health Minister to propose entry scheme be restored
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says he’s backing the restoration of the Test & Go entry scheme as concerns about the Omicron variant subside. Test & Go was suspended around 4 weeks ago as the highly-contagious Covid-19 variant spread around the globe. Now, Anutin Charnvirakul says he’ll ask the CCSA to consider bringing it back, as well as easing a number…
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Senior Thai doctor says Covid-19 could lead to long term side effects
A Covid-19 infection could cause long-term side effects in people after they have recovered, including fatigue and cognitive impairment, according to a top doctor at the Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine. The doctor, Thira Woratanarat, analysed over 80 research works of Covid survivors. These long-term side effects, known as “long Covid,” can even impact people who were never hospitalised for…
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126 Burmese migrants seeking jobs arrested in Kanchanaburi, Chiang Mai for illegal entry
Thai border authorities arrested 126 people from Myanmar for allegedly crossing the Thai border illegally on Sunday, evading the mandatory quarantine and immigration screening. The arrested people had reportedly crossed into Chiang Mai and Kanchanaburi provinces. Four men and eight women were caught in Sangkhala Buri District, while patrols found 38 men and 38 women hiding in bushes next to…
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ASEAN backlash over Cambodian PM’s visit to Myanmar
Following Cambodian PM Hun Sen’s visit to Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw earlier this month, Cambodia’s year-long ASEAN chairmanship began with the postponement of a high-level conference amid a heated discussion on “who should represent Myanmar” after the post-coup country fell into a tottering loophole. The two-day summit, in which Cambodia had shown confidence in hosting an in-person ASEAN meeting for the…
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City Guide: Where to shop till you drop in Bangkok
Bangkok is known the world over for it markets, temples, street food, walking streets, tuk tuks and ladyboys, to name a few. But this bustling city also offers a dazzling array of shopping hotspots. From its countless, colourful night markets indulging the bargain hunter’s dream to the glitz and glamour of upscale shopping malls — which one is the best…
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19 year old arrested for allegedly smuggling 2 million methamphetamine pills
A 19 year old was arrested for alleged smuggling of more than 2 million methamphetamine pills to northeast Thailand’s Nong Khai province from the Mekong River on Saturday night. The suspect is identified as Phayu Phikhawong and was recruited for 300,000 baht to deliver 2,164,000 methamphetamine pills, known as “ya ba” meaning “crazy drug,” from Phon Phisai district in Nong…
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Swedish man enjoying a beer on Pattaya Beach files police report after being slapped, threatened by Thai men
A Swedish man says he was attacked and threatened while he was enjoying a beer on Pattaya Beach. Apparently, one Thai man went up to him and slapped him, and then another yelled and threatened him last Friday night. The 49 year old foreigner filed a report with police 11pm that night. Officers have been looking for the two suspects…
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Peace talks held in Phuket with Islamist rebel group
Leaders of the Islamist rebel group Barisan Revolusi Nasional Melayu Patani joined a peace dialogue panel in Phuket with the secretary-general of Thailand’s National Security Council, Wanlop Raksanoh, to discuss solutions to the religious separatist insurgency by the Malaysian border. The panel was held at Le Meridian Phuket Beach Resort and lasted from Saturday to Sunday. Also present at the…
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Philippines to spend US$620 million on 32 new Black Hawks for disaster relief
The Philippines will become another Southeast Asian nation to upgrade its military capability in 2022, probably for different purposes, as the Thai Cabinet approved the government’s plan to purchase four more fighter jets to strengthen the potency of its Royal Thai Air Force earlier last week. According to defence secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Philippines will spend over US$620 million on…
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Thailand’s Health Ministry to propose reopening Test & Go registration
The Public Health Ministry plans to make a proposal to reopen registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told Thai media today of his plan to make the proposal to the CCSA for this week’s meeting. The proposal needs approval from Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration before travellers can register for the entry…
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Monks were amongst those who fled to safety in eastern Myanmar conflicts
Hundreds of monks were among the thousands of people who fled2 major towns in Mynamar’s Kayah (Karenni) State last week as fighting has intensified in the southern region between the military and local militia groups, known as the People’s Defense Forces which oppose the regime, The UN estimates that over 90,000 individuals have fled Loikaw city in the region where…
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Aung San Suu Kyi is “indispensable” for Myanmar peace talk, says Philippines FM
The Philippines, amongst other neutral ASEAN members, made a strong statement on solving the Myanmar crisis yesterday as its foreign minister urged the 10 member bloc to invite the deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to any peace talks, citing she’s the key figure in restoring democracy to the turmoiled Southeast Asian nation, regardless of her conviction. The Philippines Foreign…
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Thailand reports second Omicron-related death, Covid fatality toll on a downward slope
The second death related to the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Thailand was reported today by the CCSA. Both deaths were elderly women with serious pre-existing health conditions who contracted the virus from infected family members. While cases involving the highly transmissible Omicron variant are on the rise in Thailand, the strain has proven to be less severe and the country’s…
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Thailand’s first virtual monk targets at new generation Buddhists
Thailand is now using artificial intelligence to spread Buddhist messages. Meet Phra Maha AI, Thailand’s first virtual monk. He’s 30 years old, but says he understands the “teenage world.” The AI abbot shares easy-to-understand doctrine in an effort to target the new generation. He just had his first interview with Thai media, telling reporters that his Thai creator and developing…
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Pandemic creates labour shortages in Thailand
The Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to an ageing population and declining birth rates, has created a labour shortage in Thailand. Over the past two years, unemployed Thais have started to leave their jobs to work as freelancers or run their own businesses. The National Economic and Social Development Council states that the number of Thais in the workforce will go…
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Hackers target Twitter account of Thai Revenue Department
The government has advised netizens to be cautious after the Revenue Department’s Twitter account was hacked by unknown attackers. According to a Thai PBS World report, the hackers deleted nearly all previous tweets on the account and changed its name to Revenue/NFT. They then posted just one tweet, which read, “I’m looking to collaborate with NFT projects. DM (direct message)…
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413 Bars in Bangkok ask permission to reopen as restaurants
More than 400 bars, nightclubs, and entertainment venues in Bangkok have applied for permission to reopen as restaurants. The venues have been closed since April due to strict disease control measures. The government delayed its plan to allow bars and nightclubs to reopen in mid-January due to the Omicron outbreak in Thailand, but decided to allow the venues to apply for…
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Teachers in Bangkok mark Teachers Day by making 7 demands of government
Teachers in Bangkok have marked National Teachers Day with a 7-point manifesto that calls for reform of the education system. National Teachers Day was first celebrated in 1945 and is held every year on January 16. Yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha marked the day with the slogan, “Develop teachers, develop children, learn for the future.” However, from a Nation Thailand report,…
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