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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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Minister: Foreigners, migrant workers are cared for amid Covid-19
Facing mounting criticism of the plight of migrant workers, often Burmese or Cambodian immigrants, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin has spoken out in defence of the treatment of foreigners within Thailand. He stressed to the press that all laws and policies are non-discriminatory and that the government has addressed the concerns and safety of foreign…
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“Withhold Intubation” for certain older Thammasat Hospital patients
Thammasat University Hospital, overwhelmed with Covid-19 infections, has decided to implement a fatal “Withhold Intubation Rule” for patients over 75 years old with severe conditions like incurable cancer and AIDS. The hospital is experiencing an extreme shortage of ventilators and together critical life-saving equipment, and was forced to make the tough decision that will inevitably lead to unnecessary deaths. The…
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Bang Sue vaccination centre open for expats 60+, under must wait
Bangkok’s Central Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station is open to expats 60 years old and up for their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a spokesperson for the CCSA reiterated today, adding that some younger foreigners had been showing up to the centre seeking a Covid-19 vaccine. Photos of the vaccination centre show the area packed with people…
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Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure
While the science may be on the fence, herbal extracts are still growing in popularity as a Covid treatment. krachai khao, AKA fingerroot is providing generous returns for growers in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province. Sales are also booming for the extract of the green chiretta plant AKA fah talai jone, which is used in “traditional” medicine and is…
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19 year old man drowns in a Kanchanaburi river while rescuing his puppy
A 19 year old man drowned after he jumped into a river to rescue his puppy yesterday. The victim identified as “Aphisit” and his co-worker drove to the Mae Klong River in the western province of Kanchanaburi to fetch some water for their construction work. His puppy fell in the river, but he didn’t notice until it had been swiped…
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Online registration site up for interprovincial travel permission
Those travelling between provinces, especially from “dark red” zones under maximum control, are advised to fill out a registration form online for permission to travel. A QR code will then be scanned by relevant authorities at checkpoints. Click HERE for a registration form in English. Many interprovincial transportation services in “dark red” zones, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces, are suspended until…
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18 infections today in Phuket creeps closer to 90/week threshold
Today saw an infection spike in new local Covid-19 cases in Phuket, crossing the daily average number that threatens the future of the Sandbox scheme. Officials had laid out several factors that could cause the Sandbox to be reconsidered or even cancelled, chief among them was if weekly infections crossed over 90 people a week. Today saw 18 new local…
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BMA plans to open 53 “community isolation centres”
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has announced their intentions to open 53 “community isolation centres”…early next month. The centres will be for people who Covid and are waiting to be admitted to a hospital, says governor Aswin Kwanmuang, today. It is reported that City Hall is hoping to open 23 centres “right away”. There will be 3,390 beds for people who…
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Phuket company plans to pitch “Diving Sandbox” for liveaboard trips
A local diving company is working on a project to offer liveaboard dive excursions to travellers entering Thailand through the “Phuket Sandbox” travel scheme. Under the plan in the works by Seafarer Divers, travellers would get picked up directly from the airport after arriving in Thailand and be transferred to a dive tour boat. While on board the boat, the…
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Baan Kru Ja in Pattaya gets a week’s worth of food
Recently, a pair of companies in Pattaya spent a whole week cooking and distributing food for Pattaya children. The Fair Tech Company/Colour Ocean Company cooked food for children at the Baan Kru Ja Anti Human Trafficking and Child Abuse Center. Fairtech Company and Colour Ocean Company cooked food for children at the Baan Kruja Anti Human Trafficking and Child Abuse…
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Buffalo charges at motorbikes and cars stopped at intersection – VIDEO
A water buffalo ran into the middle of a traffic intersection yesterday afternoon, charging at cars and motorbikes stopped at a red light in the Deep South province Narathiwat near the Malaysian border. People quickly fled out of the buffalo’s path and some jumped off their motorbike. The buffalo knocked over a motorbike with its horns and charged at 2…
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Friday Covid Update: 14,575 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 14,575 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 467,707. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 438,844 of those infections. Thailand now has 143,744…
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Pro-choice women struggle against spiritual detractors
Starting in February, women who sought an abortion could legally get one, in the first trimester. However, pro-choice activist Supecha Baotip says women still encounter discrimination in the form of spiritual objections. Supecha says that many nurses and doctors do not want to assist women who want help, despite the procedure’s legality. She says it’s “more than just a feeling.…
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Man pilfers tip box from Bangkok cafe run by people with disabilities
Yesterday, a man stole a tip box out of a cafe that is run by people with disabilities in Bangkok Thai media says a well dressed man walked into “Yimsoo” and ordered a coffee. When the employee looked away, the man was filmed putting the tip box inside a plastic bag. He then swapped the tip box with an empty…
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“Sandboxers” can travel to specified islands and beaches after 7 days in Phuket
A new rule for the “Phuket Sandbox” was passed allowing visitors under the reopening scheme to travel to specified islands after spending 7 days in Phuket. The rule goes into effect on August 1. The islands include Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, which are off the coast of Surat Thani in the Gulf of Thailand. The trio…
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Anonymous Thai artist creating works of satire from current events
An anonymous Thai artist is using the current crisis as inspiration for work that highlights what he sees as the government’s mismanagement of the pandemic. According to a Coconuts report, the artist, known only as Uninspired by Current Events, has produced images of lab rats being given random vaccines and armed police wearing panda masks and opening fire. A more…
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Friday Covid Update: 14,575 new cases and 114 deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded another 14,575 new Covid-19 cases and 114 coronavirus-related deaths. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 438,844 confirmed infections. Over the past week, daily infections have exceeded 10,000. The uptick was expected by the CCSA due to the emergence…
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Tampons reclassified as cosmetics bringing regulation, tax
In a story that 50% of people may find insignificant while the other 50% find it infuriating, Thailand has officially reclassified tampons as cosmetics. The plan had been in the works since last month, with Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul signing the original plan June 29, but today’s publishing in the Royal Gazette makes the plan official. The move…
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More places closed in new Chon Buri restrictions tonight
This evening the governor of Chon Buri added to the growing list of Covid-19 restrictions and closures as infections swell in the province and around Thailand. As the province reports hundreds of new infections every day, safety measures and restrictions seem to be implemented nearly daily to attempt to curb the spread. Tonight’s restrictions closed all Chon Buri tourist attractions…
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Pegasus spyware: Mexico one of the biggest targets
It was Saturday afternoon when Marcela Turati discovered that she was one of the 25 journalists in Mexico who had been allegedly targeted by Pegasus spyware technology, just hours before an international network of researchers released information about the surveillance project that sent shockwaves around the world. At first, Turati was stunned and couldn’t believe it — but it soon…
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Tokyo Olympic Games: 41 Thai athletes compete for gold
The pandemic-delayed 2020 Olympics are finally set to get underway in Tokyo on July 23, under heavy Covid-19 restrictions as Japan still battles the virus. But as the Olympic Games are gearing up to begin, Thailand has sent 41 hopeful athletes to compete for the gold medal in Tokyo. Thailand will be competing in 15 events in the Tokyo Olympics:…
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COVID, scandals and controversies taint Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games stumbled into a new scandal on Thursday, just hours before the official opening event at the new National Stadium, with a senior organizer of the event dismissed for jokes he made in the past about the Holocaust. Kentaro Kobayashi, a comedian and one of the creative directors of Friday evening’s opening ceremony, was fired after…
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Egypt: ‘Facebook Girl’ may be free, but oppression remains rife
This week’s Muslim holiday, Eid al-Adha, brought great news to around 40 detainees in Cairo’s prisons: that they were free to go. Among them were three popular journalists and three human rights activists. However, these releases don’t yet mean they have been acquitted: All 40 still have to appear in court at trials slated for at some time later this…
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Nonthaburi security guard commits suicide waiting for bed
A septuagenarian security guard hanged himself in his room in Nonthaburi, a province to the north of Bangkok. The Covid infected man was waiting for a hospital bed when he killed himself. The man’s body was found this morning. A public health volunteer, 51 year old Parisa Phuwanartsupakit, found 73 year old Chao Singtordead on his 4th floor balcony in…
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Poland and Hungary lash back against EU rule of law report
Bad faith, blackmail, political attack, double standards: Such were the terms used in reactions from government politicians in Poland and Hungary after the European Union presented its second report on the state of the rule of law in EU member states in Brussels on Tuesday, July 20. The report describes the situation in Poland and Hungary in particular as highly…
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Vaccine Jai program aims to fight Covid-19 related suicide
A new campaign has been launched that puts a spotlight on the problem of people driven to suicide as a result of the devastating effects of Covid-19 on life in Thailand now. Vaccine Jai translates literally to a “vaccine for your heart” and is the name of a program created by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to address Covid-19 related…
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Parks, hair salons and other additional closures in Bangkok until August 2
More venues and businesses in Bangkok are ordered to close for the next couple of weeks to curb the spread of Covid-19. Parks, sports fields and courts, museums, hair salons, barbershops, and tattoo studios must close until August 2. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration ordered the closures following a recommendation from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The order, in addition…
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Nestle’s “Negrita” cookie to get new, non race based name
The multinational food and drink giant Nestle announced yesterday it plans to change the name of a high-selling cookie in Chile, the country on South America’s western edge. The cookie formerly known as “Negrita” will henceforth be called “Chokita”. Negrita translates to “little black person” in Spanish. The packaging also used to include the image of a black woman. It…
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Monkey sneaks into Lop Buri home and steals food from the refrigerator – VIDEO
A monkey was caught sneaking into a home in Thailand’s Lop Buri province and stealing food from the refrigerator. Earlier this week, 59 year old Phimonthip Rungphant walked into her kitchen and found the monkey walking around the room eating her food. She says she had been wondering why her food seemed to be disappearing. Lop Buri is known for…
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Woman with high blood pressure died after mixing vaccines
A woman with high blood pressure was found dead by her family in her home after the controversial practice of mixing vaccines, receiving one Sinovac vaccine and one AstraZeneca vaccine Monday. The woman from Prachuap Khiri Khan was a 39 year old private tutor before her untimely death. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.…
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