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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 The hidden costs of ignoring pre-existing conditions in Thailand
The Thaiger key takeaways Not declaring pre-existing conditions can result in denied claims, high costs, or visa problems. Cigna provides coverage for common chronic conditions like diabetes and arthritis with high limits and direct billing. Honest disclosure ensures proper coverage,...
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A kayak tour of Argentina for environmental protection
Juan Camelia is not really much of a sportsman. He got his kayak just six years ago, to paddle about on the Parana River and go camping in the great outdoors. Now, he is one of more than 40 kayakers who have caused a considerable stir in Argentina with their spectacular environmental campaign to get the Congress to pass a…
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Soldier injured by pipe bomb in Yala
A soldier has been injured after a pipe bomb was tossed into a military base in Yala, the “deep south” province near the Malaysian border with occasional violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. The incident occurred last night and was detailed in a report from the Muang police station. The Bangkok Post reports that the attack happened around 8pm…
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Probe into alleged mishandling of Red Bull heir fatal hit-and-run case is underway
The investigation into the alleged mishandling of the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case where the Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya allegedly sped through Thong Lor, running over a police officer with his Ferrari, is underway and is expected to be closed in 16 months. Boss managed to evade justice and has since fled the country. Now, 15 senior police officers,…
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TAT plans to launch Chiang Mai tourism plan in October
Chiang Mai is getting ready to launch a “Bubble and Sealed” tourism plan where visitors can travel to 4 districts in Chiang Mai, the northern Thai province. The plan comes by way of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The 4 districts are the Mueang District, the Mae Rim district, the Mae Taeng district, and the Doi Tao district. The opening…
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Don’t spray ethyl alcohol on your food, warns FDA
Thailand’s FDA is cautioning people against spraying ethyl alcohol onto their food, under the misguided belief that this will get rid of Covid. While used in the making of sanitiser gel and other products, ethyl alcohol is not supposed to be eaten as it is toxic. The TFDA says there are different grades of alcohol, such as food-grade alcohol, which…
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Phang Nga hopes to welcome 30,000 visitors under 7+7 travel scheme
Tourism officials in the southern province of Phang Nga hope to welcome 30,000 foreign tourists in the last quarter of the year. Such numbers should generate around 2.5 billion baht in revenue, according to a Bangkok Post report. The Tourism Authority of Thailand says that after the opening of Certificate of Entry registration for the 7+7 extension scheme, over 700…
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Red Shirts to lead anti-government “car mob” protest on Sunday
An anti-government protest planned for Bangkok on Sunday will be led by 2 prominent Red Shirt activists, ahead of a no-confidence debate in parliament. The Bangkok Post reports that Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar will lead the “car mob” rally, which will take place at 2pm in front of the Thai PBS office on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Posting on Facebook,…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 17,165 new cases and 226 deaths
17,165 new Covid-19 cases and 226 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Another 20,059 patients were marked as “recovered” in the 24-hour period since the last count. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,055,088 Covid-19 cases.…
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Are India’s emergency visas for Afghans issued based on religion?
Days after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, the Indian government introduced a new category of visa to fast-track the applications of Afghans who want to come to India and flee what has become a growing humanitarian crisis. It was announced that all Afghans, irrespective of their religion, could apply for the so-called e-Emergency X-Misc Visa online. However, the announcement…
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Could Afghanistan under Taliban rule become a haven for Islamist militants?
As the US withdraws its military from Afghanistan, it is clear that Washington’s goal in the country has always been to guarantee American security. President Joe Biden left little doubt to this effect during a speech last week. “Our single most vital interest in Afghanistan remains what it always was, to prevent a terrorist attack on our country.” Biden’s assertion…
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Rwanda’s military intervention in Mozambique raises eyebrows
On August 9, the Rwandan military announced it had taken the strategically important northern Mozambican port of Mocimboa da Praia from al-Shabab militants. Kigali daily, “New Times,” quoted Brigadier-General Pascal Muhizi saying the Rwandan army had chased out the al-Shabab fighters. The jihadists had occupied Mocimboa da Praia in the Cabo Delgado province for over a year but fled towards…
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Chon Buri governor orders the temporary closure of a company, worker camp, and 2 dormitories
The governor of Chon Buri has ordered the closure of a company, a worker camp, and two dormitories in Si Racha and Ban Bueng for the next month due to the spread of Covid-19. The closure order was posted last night by the Chon Buri Public Relations office. Chon Buri, which includes Pattaya, is classified as a “dark red” zone under…
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Indonesia’s former social affairs minister sentenced to 12 years in prison
Indonesia’s former social affairs minister has been handed a 12 year prison term due to a multi-million dollar Covid graft scandal. The Jakarta Corruption Court made its ruling today. An unnamed judge says the former minister, Juliari Batubara, was “convincingly guilty of corruption” following Juliari’s acceptance of 32.4 billion rupiahs in payoffs related to the obtainment of goods meant for…
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Thousands of Covid relief bags handed out, funded by donated salaries from PM and other ministers
Thousands of Covid-19 relief bags are being handed out to those in vulnerable groups. The bags were funded by donated salaries from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, other cabinet ministers, and the Government Spokesperson’s team, as well as by donations from the private and public sectors. Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri says the care packages are being distributed to 6,800 people in vulnerable…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,491 new cases; provincial totals
17,491 new Covid-19 cases and 242 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 22,134 recoveries from Covid-19 have been reported. There are now 195,454 people being treated for the coronavirus. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 1,066,786 Covid-19 infections. The latest and most…
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All Ho Chi Minh City residents to be tested for Covid; military sent in to help distribute food, enforce restrictions
The Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chính, has ordered that all Ho Chi Minh City residents get tested for Covid following the decision to have the military sent in to distribute food and enforce Covid restrictions. Confusion swirled in the city as officials released conflicting information about food buying restrictions. Vietnamese media showed swarms of residents flocking to markets…
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UPDATE: Gunman holds two people hostage on Bangkok bus
UPDATE: The man who allegedly hit a bus conductor in the head with a gun and held two people hostage at gunpoint told police he was stressed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Coconuts Bangkok. The suspect, Pheeranat Saengchan, who is around 23 or 24 years old, also tested positive for drugs. He was charged with drug use and coercion…
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Police arrest 35 protesters after clash at Bangkok’s Din Daeng intersection
In another clash with riot police at Bangkok’s Din Dang intersection, where numerous protests against the government have taken place, at least 35 protesters were arrested yesterday. A report from the Bangkok Post says a group of young activists on motorcycles called “Mob Thalugaz,” which means “mob that goes through tear gas,” drove to the intersection at around 5pm and…
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Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt
The Royal Thai Police are looking into a report that claims a police officer from the northern Thai province Nakhon Sawan accidentally killed a suspect while the officer was attempting to extort the suspect for 2 million baht. The investigation came about after celebrity lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanan publicised the claim on Facebook. Decha’s post stated the case starts with the…
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Man holds 2 people hostage on Bangkok Bus, driver allegedly dips out early to do paperwork
A 24 year old man commandeered a Bangkok bus with a gun holding the conductor and a passenger hostage last night. The gunman surrendered early this morning after a standoff that took hours to resolve with Lat Phrao police. The negotiations reportedly sped up when the man’s mother talked him into surrendering. Police were notified at 9:30 last night that…
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Pattaya re-opening threatened by rise in infections, slow vaccine rollout
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the eastern tourist spot of Pattaya has a number of challenges to overcome in order to re-open to foreign tourism. Chief among them is the fact that standard operating procedures submitted to the provincial health office are still awaiting approval. Meanwhile, Covid-19 infections are rising and the vaccine rollout is sluggish. According to a…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,491 new cases and 242 deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 17,491 new Covid-19 cases today and 242 coronavirus-related deaths. A total of 1,037,923 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since April 1, the start of the latest and most severe wave of the coronavirus in Thailand. There are now 195,454 people being treated for Covid-19. The number of active cases has been on…
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Age of latest Covid-19 fatalities ranges from 7 months to 101 years old
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has reported a wide age range in the latest Covid-related fatalities, with the youngest being a 7 month old baby. Among the 233 deaths reported yesterday, there were also 2 pregnant women, an 88 year old doctor, and a patient who was 101 years old. According to a Bangkok Post report, 155 deaths were…
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2 Samui partygoers have Covid-19, raiding police quarantine
Following the raid and breakup of a party at a luxury villa in Koh Samui 2 nights ago, it was revealed that 5 of the people in attendance at the party had previously had Covid-19, likely from the Black Bamboo Club cluster resulting from another illegal party. Now at least 2 of the party attendees have tested positive for Covid-19,…
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Pattaya reopening plan for September 1 unlikely to happen
Chiang Mai, which recently reported that, due to the Covid-19 situation and slow vaccination, they will delay their planned September reopening to October at the earliest, like many tourism areas that have seen plans to welcome back international tourists dashed by the intensity of the pandemic in Thailand. Now Pattaya has also acknowledged that their plan for reopening on September…
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Charming Chiang Mai plan to reopen pushed to October or later
With Covid-19 still running rampant in Thailand, several tourist locations that were anticipating reopening in August or September are revising their plans to push back until October or later. Officials say that Chiang Mai will now delay their plans to reopen to international tourists due to Covid-19 issues. The deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced yesterday that…
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Koh Samui flights resume Wednesday despite Covid-19
The Samui Plus international reopening plan has seen a fraction of the success of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and were hampered by the grounding of nearly all domestic flights in Thailand, despite an exception for Sandbox flights. Now the province that’s home to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao will continue the Samui Plus programme and expects flights to…
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All remaining Thai nationals now evacuated from Afghanistan
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan nearly a week ago on Monday, thousands of foreign nationals raced to the airport in hopes of assistance in fleeing the country while it was still possible. Now Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has confirmed that all Thai nationals have left Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry believes that there were 4 remaining Thai people in…
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German man found dead in apparent suicide in Phuket Hotel
A German national has been found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in a Phuket hotel room. Thai media reports that police believe the wound is self-inflicted. The apparent suicide was reported at 7:44 pm, yesterday, at the Amata Patong Hotel, says a police investigator identified only as Chompunut. Police and a doctor were called in to investigate.…
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New Covid-19 team aims to correct bad information, not censor it.
A special media team the government created to try to tackle the epidemic of fake news regarding Covid-19 in Thailand has been met with suspicion they will serve a broader censorship role. The team denies the idea that the team will suppress free speech and dissent, claiming that their focus is on getting factual information disseminated about the public health…
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