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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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Czech Republic: Health care professions become fashionable
In the Czech Republic, the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak in late 2020 and early 2021: The country of 10.5 million led the world in per-capita infections and deaths. In all, some 1.7 million Czechs became ill and to date more than 25,000 people in the EU state have died as a result of COVID-19. The only…
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Mass screenings of markets in dark red provinces planned, antigen test kits to be used
The Ministry of Public Health is seeking the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s approval for a plan to screen up to 200,000 people who reside in and around markets that are in “dark red” provinces. The people will be tested using rapid antigen test kits. Dr Traisulee Traisoranakul, the Deputy Government Spokesperson, says that the Ministry of Public health is…
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Phuket sees third consecutive day over 100 Covid-19 infections
For the third day in a row, new Covid-19 infections in Phuket had topped 100 people as 126 new local infections were identified in the province yesterday. 2 new infections were found in Phuket Sandbox travellers as well. There were no new deaths reported yesterday, and the total remains at 17 fatalities from Covid-19’s third wave. The rolling weekly total…
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Covid UPDATE: 233 deaths, provincial infection numbers, vaccine update
The Thai public health department has announced an additional 19,014 infections for Sunday along with another 233 Covid-related deaths. 20,672 patients have been released from state care, again exceeding the number of new cases over the past 24 hours. 5,239 patients remain in a serious condition and another 1,117 are on artificial respiration. The published numbers extend a general trend…
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Protesters clash with police for over 4 hours in Bangkok, 5 officials injured
After an over 4 hour clash with protesters, 5 police officers were reportedly injured in Bangkok last night. Piya Tawichai, the Police Major General from the Metropolitan Police Bureau says the Thalu Fah pro-democracy group gathered in front of the UN building on Ratchadamnoen Road at 2 pm yesterday. He says the group peacefully protested for about 2 hours. They…
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Father and daughter drown in Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom, police suspect murder-suicide
A father and his 7 year old daughter jumped into the Mekong River and drowned yesterday afternoon. The incident happened in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Phanom. The working theory is that it was a murder-suicide, says Thai media. Jamras Srihata, from the Muang Police, says the incident happened around 6:30 pm yesterday in front of the governor’s riverside…
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Thalu Fah presents UN with letter requesting international support
The pro-democracy group “Thalu Fah” delivered a letter requesting international support from the Office of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations in Bangkok, yesterday. They then gathered outside the office for a couple of hours of protest. After delivering the letter to the United Nations, the group offered nearly 2 hours of…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 233 deaths but over 20K released from state care
The Thai public health department has announced an additional 19,014 infections today along with another 233 Covid-related deaths. 20,672 patients have been released from state care, again exceeding the number of new cases over the past 24 hours. 5,239 patients remain in a serious condition and another 1,117 are on artificial respiration. The published numbers extend a general trend over…
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Hungary vs EU: Is Orban striving for Huxit?
Hungary’s unofficial government newspaper Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation) often floats issues that Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government would like to gauge public opinion on without addressing those issues themselves. Last weekend, it happened again. On Sunday (August 15), the paper opened debate on an issue that had previously been deemed off-limits even in Hungarian government circles: Hungary’s exit…
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MP challenges PM Prayut to kickboxing for prime ministership
Many people have challenged PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s competence to lead the nation, especially through the Covid-19 pandemic. But MP Mongkolkit Suksintharanon took it one step further, challenging PM Prayut to a bare-knuckled kickboxing match for the prime ministership. The parliament member is the leader of the Thai Civilised Party and posted a message on Facebook Thursday making the challenge to…
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China eyes booster shots to hit herd immunity by year’s end
If they can achieve over 80% vaccination rate, China may reach herd immunity by the end of the year, according to the country’s top respiratory disease expert. He believed that booster shots would make up for the loss of efficacy after 6 months of vaccines from China and others used in the country. Officials in China believe that they will…
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24 arrested at illegal party in Koh Samui luxury villa
Perhaps people are getting fed up with Covid-19 restrictions keeping them isolated and unable to socialize and party. Or maybe the police are cracking down more on the illegal parties that often become Covid-19 clusters or superspreader events. Either way, stories of private parties in violation of Covid-19 Emergency Decree restrictions being busted seem to be cropping up more and…
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Africa: Vaccination rollout hindered by hesitancy, low supply
A new wave of COVID-19 infections across Africa, and the inequitable distribution of vaccines, has further highlighted the multifaceted inequalities both within the continent and across the globe. While in some parts of the world, the challenge is overcoming vaccine hesitancy. In others, the problem is getting the vaccines to the needy — explains Nicholas Crips, South Africa’s Deputy Director…
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Phuket Sandbox order revises rules to cancel or modify
A new updated Phuket Provincial Order revises the international reopening scheme to include the new Sandbox 7+7 program but also slips in a revision to the parameters for cancellation or modification of the Phuket Sandbox. The order issued yesterday mostly revises the rules to include conditions for travelling to other destinations in Thailand after the first 7 days in Phuket.…
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Friends, enemies, neighbors? The Taliban and the Middle East
A recent editorial in Al-Alam, an Iranian-owned Arabic-language publication, warned people not to trust the Americans the way the Afghan people did. The people of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya “link the fate of their countries and their people with America and believe this will open a new door, through which they will enter into a bright and brilliant…
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Airlines pushing for September reopening for domestic flights
Struggling airlines are backing a push to reopen domestic flights in September from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, a hub for low-cost carriers. Negotiations are in progress with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, and budget airlines to create travel and safety regulations to resume flights. Airlines are struggling to remain liquid as nearly all domestic…
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Police officers seen dining in restaurant despite Covid-19 rules
A picture and story have gone viral on Thai social media where people complained about the inequality in who has to follow rules and who doesn’t. The uproar was caused by 2 police officers who were spotted dining in a local restaurant in Bangkok despite continued Covid-19 restrictions prohibiting dine-in service. The police officers were identified to be from the…
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Real estate trends across Thailand’s resort markets
Where are property investors looking in Thailand at the moment? How has Covid impacted the resort property markets of Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Koh Samui? Tim Newton speaks to Brennan Campbell, CEO of Thai proptech group FazWaz, in this rundown of current and future trends in Thailand’s most popular resort destinations. And there’s a few surprises too.
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 261 Covid-related deaths, news briefs
This morning the Thai public health department has added a further 20,571 infections to the Covid totals. 235 of today’s infections are from Thai prisons. There’s also been 261 new deaths announced from the past 24 hours. 23,159 patients have been released from hospitals and field hospitals in the past 24 hours as well. Provincial totals will announced early this afternoon. •…
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Police arrest 21 people at Pattaya party violating Covid-19 decree
Yet another party breaking all Covid-19 restrictions was just broken up in Central Pattaya tonight, with 21 people arrested. The event was in front of the Tree Town Market area on Soi Buakhao and police raided the party just before 9 pm. Pattaya and the rest of the Chon Buri province is now a maximum control dark red zone, and…
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Vaccine developers calls for 3 billion baht to release by Songkran
A research leader for one of the 4 Covid-19 vaccines developers in Thailand has pushed for a government fund of 3 billion baht to accelerate development and have vaccines out by Songkran 2022. Kiat Ruxrungtham, the research team lead for Chula-VAC001, an mRNA vaccine being developed by the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University, has spent the last few days…
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Austrian firm rolls the dice on Japan’s first casino project
An Austrian gaming company has made what analysts describe as a “significant breakthrough” in the campaign to open the first casino in Japan, although there is still deep concern in society about the introduction of a new form of gambling. The prefectural government of Nagasaki, in the far southwest of Japan, has awarded priority negotiation rights to the Japan unit…
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Old man attacked by dogs, loses arm, when delivering lemons
Attempting to drop off a bag of lemons at a neighbour’s house, a 79 year old man instead lost his arm as the neighbour’s dogs viciously attacked him. The attack took place in the Panat Nikhom district of Chon Buri on Wednesday. Rescue workers were called to the aid of Juea “Keang” Kitijutirakun after he sustained serious injuries from multiple…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says restrictions are likely to be eased by early September
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says disease control measures, including nightly curfews and business closures in Bangkok and other “dark red” zones, are likely to be eased by early September as the Covid-19 infection rate, while still high, is beginning to decline. The prime minister made the announcement on his Facebook page saying that while the Covid-19 case count has been around…
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Protester injured and loses sight in one eye, family plans legal action
A 29 year old protester injured in a Bangkok rally last week has lost sight in one eye. Tanat Thanakitamnuay’s family says his right eye was hit by a “blunt cylindrical object” – which Coconuts Bangkok says was a tear gas canister – tearing the cornea, rupturing the eyeball, and causing his retina to peel off. Several protesters have been injured…
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Former Future Forward leader Thanathorn faces new lese majeste charges
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the leader of the now-dissolved Future Forward Party, is facing new trouble with 2 new lese majeste charges. The charges come from statements he made months ago about AstraZeneca being produced domestically in Thailand by Siam Bioscience, a company wholly owned by a subsidiary of Crown Property Bureau. Section 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the…
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Afghanistan: Local journalists as cornerstones of reporting
“In front of me, the American military is firing warning shots in the air. Behind me, the Taliban are storming the airport compound.” This was Natalie Amiri on German television, quoting a telephone conversation she had with an Afghan colleague who called her from Kabul airport on Wednesday. As the presenter of Weltspiegel, a foreign affairs magazine program on German…
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Traveling abroad? This helpful tool lets you check visa requirements all at once
Press Release As the world slowly opens up, more and more people are itching to get out of the house and take a much-needed vacation. However, with so many new visa-free arrangements and entry rules, it can be hard to keep up with the requirements for each individual country. Thanks to this, many are left scratching their heads and asking…
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Friday Covid Update: 19,851 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s total Covid-19 case count since the start of the pandemic has surpassed 1 million. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 19,851 new Covid-19 cases and 240 coronavirus-related deaths today. Out of the 1,009,710 Covid-19 cases reported since the start of the pandemic last year, 980,847 have been reported in the latest and most severe wave, first recorded on…
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Alexi Navalny poisoning marked ‘point of no return’ for Kremlin critics
“I have just flown home. I’m going to passport control. All day I’ve only been thinking about how they will search me in particular because I am a foreign agent,” journalist Olga Churakova tells her podcast listeners in an emotional recording from a Moscow airport. She describes a sense that she is not safe in her home country. Churakova tries…
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