Bangkok News
Dive into the latest happenings in Bangkok with The Thaiger. Our team delivers up-to-date news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from the heart of Thailand’s dynamic capital. Keep your finger on the pulse of Bangkok’s ever-evolving political, economic, and cultural scene, as well as its thriving entertainment and nightlife. Stay informed about local events, transportation updates, and expat experiences in this vibrant metropolis.
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Sponsored Top 10 reasons for expats to get a comprehensive health insurance in Thailand
Moving to Thailand offers plenty of excitement and adventure, but the local healthcare system can be complex to navigate as an expat. From unique health risks to high costs at private hospitals, having a comprehensive health insurance plan is essential....
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Total of 81 new Thai Covid infections in past 24 hours, including from Samut Sakhon
Thailand’s CCSA has reported 81 new Covid-19 infection – 37 are local Thais, 35 are migrant workers and 9 that were detected in quarantine after arriving from outside the country. The total in Thailand is now 5,910, 1,613 new infections detected in the past 7 days. The 9 quarantined arrival cases are from the US, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Myanmar and the…
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Green transport in Bangkok’s khlongs, and it’s free | VIDEO
You can still go on a completely free ride along the Khlong Phadung Krungkasem, that’s a canal that runs through some of Bangkok’s most historic areas. The Thai PM launched the new ‘green’ canal boat services at the end of November 2020. The service is operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation. As a bit of background the canal ferry boats…
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Bangkok’s Christmas – The Thai capital gets out the tinsel | VIDEO
Christmas is a time to rejoice, a chance for families to come together, for Christians to celebrate and for Thais, to get out the tinsel and dress up Bangkok. A trip along Bangkok’s shopping centre strip reveals a winter wonderland of eclectic displays and dazzling decorations. What’s amazing about all this is that Thailand is, mostly, a Buddhist country where…
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Bangkok cosmetic surgeon sentenced to prison for patient’s death
A cosmetic surgeon is sentenced to 5 years in prison for the death of a woman who had a severe allergic reaction to the anaesthetic during a facelift procedure. The Thai Criminal Court sentenced the 51 year old Thanapol Thongprasert, who ran a clinic in Bangkok, to jail for recklessness causing the death of 72 year old Nattamol Prachaseri ,…
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Bangkok schools, nurseries, close for 12 days in bid to curtail Covid spread
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed all 437 municipal schools and 292 nurseries in the capital, amid confirmation of an additional 121 cases of Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon. The central province has become a hotspot of local transmission, with infection primarily concentrated on its migrant worker population. BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang adds that most city officials have been ordered to…
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Something fishy about the Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak – who’s responsible?
Here are 2 resources for the above story… https://thethaiger.com/news/national/… http://www.rapid-asia.com/blog/forced… Until the weekend many people would have never heard of Samut Sakhon, a province just south west of Greater Bangkok and sharing a provincial border with the capital. The province is best known as a major hub for Thailand’s shrimp and fishing industry, packed with markets around the coastal tributaries…
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Amnesty International campaign urges PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on protesters
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on a number of activists for their role in the pro-democracy movement and to repeal, or at least amend, Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. …
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More than 800 Covid-19 cases now linked to seafood market
More than 800 Covid-19 cases are now linked to the Samut Sakhon province seafood market outbreak. With the largest increase in daily cases reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday, health officials say they are now conducting mass testing to contain the virus. As of this morning, 723 Covid-19 cases are linked to the Mahachai Market in Samut…
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Samut Sakhon update: PM urges calm, BMA issues restrictions for Bangkok
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is urging Thai people not to panic over the “new wave” of Covid-19 infections that have swept through Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, and to keep themselves informed with updates. In a Facebook post today, the PM urged people “not to lower their guard and to wear face masks at all times while outdoors,…
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Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cancels NY countdown events, asks workers to work from home
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the municipal organisation in charge of the Greater Bangkok city area, has announced that all New Year countdown events have been cancelled after new cases of Covid-19 were found in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. But organisations who have already organised events will be able to ask for specific permission. The BMA is also asking the workers…
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576 cases in one day – Latest test results from Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak
UPDATE: The number of cases linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak has risen to 576. Earlier the figure was published as 516 cases. Thailand’s CCSA has announced more than 500 Covid-19 cases among migrant workers at the centre of its seafood industry, on an enormous 1-day rise in a country that had gone into mild panic after just 1 or…
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Satirical fashion show leads to lèse majesté charges
A satirical fashion show led to a pair of young pro-democracy activists, one just 16 years old, to be charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law after one of them dressed in traditional Thai dress, said to be mocking a royal consort, while the other wore a crop top. (An outfit a certain “someone” has been photographed wearing in…
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Covid-19 found on doorknobs at quarantine facility where health workers tested positive
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed that traces of the virus have been found on doorknobs at an alternative state quarantine facility, where a number of healthcare workers tested positive. CCSA spokesman Taweesin Wissanuyothin has called on cleaning staff in the facility to disinfect door handles and not just floors. Yesterday, Thailand reported 15 new cases in quarantine,…
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3 Chinese nationals arrested in Bangkok over banking app fraud
Immigration Police have arrested 3 Chinese nationals accused of a phishing scam involving the Siam Commercial Bank mobile app. The men all entered Thailand illegally and are accused of defrauding SCB customers by conning them into providing their personal data and passwords. Sompong Chingduang, chief of the Immigration Police, says Yong Hua and Yue Dian were arrested at a property…
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Minister says Thailand plans to build spacecraft to orbit the moon within 7 years
Government minister Anek Laothamatas says that within 7 years, Thailand will have built and launched a spacecraft that will orbit and explore the moon. The Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation was speaking at a press conference at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, where an update on Covid-19 vaccines was being provided to the media. He says that, in addition to…
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HM the King says “I’m just like other human beings”
“I’m just like other human beings. On some days I feel despondent. On some days I feel sad.” In a rare occurrence, His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn sat down and spoke with a group of student volunteers at the 11th Infantry Regiment, the King’s Guard. He explained, candidly, to the 200 high school students “I am just like other…
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When did Bangkok have its ‘good old days’?
When did Bangkok have its golden era? Of course it depends on when you were visiting, how long you were here, where you stayed, and what you were doing at the time. But the city has certainly had some ‘eras’ in the past that people nostalgically and whimsically recall as ‘special’. Here’s a few of the responses about when Bangkok…
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Thailand’s Universal Healthcare adds Smart ID tech
“Hospitals and clinics which participate in the universal healthcare scheme have made preparations for this and many are now ready to use the smart ID cards and implement the new procedure.” If you’re a subscriber to Thailand’s universal healthcare scheme, you’ll will be required to provide smart ID cards to verify your identity when receiving treatment and services at participating…
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2 motorbike riders killed in Bangkok after woman allegedly falls asleep behind the wheel
A Bangkok woman allegedly fell asleep while driving near Benjakitti Park toward Asok and crashed into multiple vehicles, killing 2 motorbike riders and injuring 2 other people. Thong Lor police reviewed the woman’s dash camera footage from her Toyota Yaris and say the car hit a Honda Mio, then a Honda PCX and then another bike. Photos from the accident…
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Man arrested for allegedly running illegal e-cigarette business
A 26 year old man was arrested for allegedly running an illegal electronic cigarette business from his Bangkok condominium. The man, identified as Thanakrit, allegedly sold e-cigarette products through a Facebook page named “Jenny Vape.” Police say Thanakrit processed around 40 to 50 orders a day worth a total of 100,000 baht. At his condominium, police found 50 electronic smoking…
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Thai Airways delays resumption of domestic flights due to local Covid-19 cases
Thai Airways flights to Phuket and Chiang Mai were supposed to start back up on Christmas day, but the recent Covid-19 local transmissions have led the airline to push the relaunch date back. Now the flights from Bangkok will take off on January 1, but if the virus continues to spread, the airline might decide to delay the flights indefinitely.…
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Cher calls for Thailand’s only gorilla to be rescued after 30 years in Bangkok shopping mall zoo
US singer Cher has taken to Twitter to expose the plight of a Thai gorilla known as Bua Noi, who has lived above a shopping mall for 30 years. With her mate having died several years ago, she is Thailand’s only gorilla. Cher’s mission to rehome Bua Noi comes just after her rescue of 36 year old Kaavan in Pakistan,…
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Bangkok officials relay additional info on infected healthcare workers
With the announcement of a sixth Bangkok nurse testing positive for Covid-19, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have provided more details of the timelines around the first 5 infections. All of the patients are healthcare workers at alternative state quarantine facilities. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang from the BMA says it’s believed they became infected in the course of their work, adding that their…
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Protesters gather at Bangkok’s United Nations, call to abolish lèse majesté law
Pro-democracy protesters gathered in front of the United Nations building in Bangkok, calling on the organisation to step in after many activists were recently arrested for allegedly violating Thailand’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law carries prison sentences from 3 to 15 years for insulting or defamatory statements about the Thai Monarchy. Activists say the law violates human rights. Today’s protest…
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UPDATE: 5 men arrested for allegedly abducting foreigner in Bangkok
UPDATE: 5 men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 43 year old Chinese businessman, forcing him into a white Mitsubishi Champ sedan on Sukhumvit 39 in Bangkok’s Phrom Phong area. The abduction was allegedly over a lawsuit filed by the businessman, who had invested in several spas, against one of the suspects who is a construction contractor. Apparently, the contractor…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s legal team to review new activist movement
A new movement, at least their “branding”, by the pro-democracy activist group Free Youth has caught the attention of many after it posted a new logo that resembles the Communist party’s hammer and sickle symbol, either by design or co-incidence. It has also caught PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s attention who says he’s asked his legal team to look into the new campaign…
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19 protest guards arrested for removing barbed wire from public street
19 volunteer guards associated with the pro-democracy protests were arrested last night for allegedly stealing government property after they removed barbed wire that was partially blocking a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok’s Phaya Thai district. The barbed wire may have been left behind by authorities after protests in October. The guards, known as WeVo, meaning “We Volunteer,” are associated with the…
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Police investigate possible abduction of foreign woman in Bangkok
Police have opened an abduction investigation after a Chinese woman was reportedly forced into a car off Sukhumvit soi 39 in Bangkok’s Phrom Phong area. The Thong Lor department confirmed they have opened an investigation after rumours were spread on Facebook about alleged kidnappings in the area. A woman made a Facebook post last night saying a condominium security guard…
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How to buy gold in Thailand – from bracelets to baht
Jett Gunther visits Bangkok’s Chinatown and discusses why you should buy gold in Thailand, and how. Bangkok is home to one of the largest Chinatowns in the world, and the Chinese love gold! Not only is gold highly regarded as a sacred metal, gold has held its value for thousands of years! In the past 20 years alone, the price…
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More trees for Bangkok, city’s arborist says a “green future” will take time
More trees will be planted throughout Bangkok as part of the city’s master plan “Green Bangkok 2030.” While in western countries, eco-friendly master plans are driven by science, Thailand has spiritual influences that also come into play. Photos and news of big trees being cut down are often shared on social media. Some people in Thailand believe spirits inhabit some…
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