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 Do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?
Thailand’s healthcare system is well-regarded across Southeast Asia, with options ranging from public hospitals to world-class private facilities. But when it comes to foreign residents or tourists, healthcare access isn’t as straightforward. So, do foreigners get free healthcare in Thailand?...
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Six alleged drug traffickers killed in gunfight with Chiang Rai police
Six suspected drug traffickers shot and killed in a clash with army border patrol officers in Chiang Rai’s Mae Fa Luang district. Officers say the alleged smugglers were “fully armed” and were carrying more than 1.8 million methamphetamine pills. At around 4am yesterday, officers monitoring the border crossing by Myanmar’s Tachileik encountered 10 to 15 men. According to the deputy…
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20 year old Hong Kong activist convicted
The youngest Hong Kong pro-democracy activist yet has been convicted and jailed under the territory’s harsh national security laws. BBC reports that the 20 year old Tony Chung was being tried for the crimes of secession and money laundering, and has been sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison. Beijing has been cracking down on activists ever since…
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Government reports over 90% of students 12-18 vaccinated
A spokesperson for the government reported that now over 90% of students in Thailand who are between the age of 12 and 18 years old have been vaccinated with at least one Pfizer dose. When looking at the numbers though, the figures are a bit… interpreted. The spokesman reported that there’s a total of 5,085,460 students in Thailand and that,…
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1.4 million doses in first shipment of US-made Moderna vaccines
The distributor of the Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Zuellig Pharma Thailand, has confirmed another shipment of 1.4 million vaccines. The shipment is in addition to 500,000 vaccines received already, for a total of 1.9 million doses that the Thai Private Hospital Association ordered for distribution to paying customers. It marks the first time Moderna vaccines have been received from manufacturers…
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British Airways launches Black Friday fares on Singapore – London route
British Airways has introduced special Black Friday offers on its Singapore – London route from this week. The UK’s flagship carrier has confirmed return economy fares will start from SGD849 in World Traveller Class (around 21,000 Thai baht) and SGD3,999 in Business class (approximately 98,000 baht). According to a TTR Weekly report, bookings must be made by December 2. Noella…
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Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024: White House
The White House has confirmed that US President Joe Biden will run again in the 2024 presidential elections. According to a Reuters report, spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the president intends to run for a second term. At the time of her media address, Biden was on board Air Force One, on his way to a Thanksgiving event with US troops…
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Cabinet approves Thailand importing 30 million Pfizer vaccines
The Department of Disease Control will import another 30 million Pfizer vaccines with the Thai Cabinet approving the deal today. This agreement will double the amount mRNA vaccines Thailand has obtained from Pfizer for a total of 60 million doses. The deal also authorizes the DDC to sign and confirm the third amendment to the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement that…
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Chon Buri issues Covid-19 warning for Ban Bueng restaurant
The Chon Buri Public Health Office has released another warning against a possible Covid-19 cluster outbreak, this time for a restaurant in Ban Bueng district. The restaurant, Non Hua Kun Jae, located in Klong Giw, was named as having a positive Covid-19 infection identified in someone who had attended the restaurant. The provincial public health officials warned that anyone who…
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Taliban bans TV shows with female actors, orders female journalists to wear “Islamic hijab”
The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has released a set of orders targeting female actors and women in the media. According to a Reuters report, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has confirmed a ban on TV shows that use female actors and a rule that female news presenters must wear Islamic dress. In total, the ministry has issued 9 rules,…
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PM calls for diesel price to be brought below 30 baht a litre
The Thai PM has ordered the Ministry of Energy to accelerate measures to reduce the price of diesel. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha met with several of his deputies yesterday to discuss the ongoing crisis, which has led to truck drivers around the country coming out in protest. The Ministry of Energy has stated that measures will…
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Myanmar’s shadow government raises US$6.3 million for “revolution”
In a campaign for a “revolution” against Myanmar’s military following the February 1 coup and bloody crackdown, the country’s shadow government began issuing special “treasury bonds” and say they raised more than US$6.3 million on the first day. The National Unity Government, or NUG, is a coalition of pro-democracy organisations, ethnic minority militaries, and remnants of the country’s deposed civilian…
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Stunning new senior school opens at Shrewsbury, riverside – Thailand’s leading international school
Sponsored Article Shrewsbury International School Bangkok Riverside has set a new benchmark with their ambitious 1.1 billion Thai Baht Senior school. The culmination of Project 2021 dramatically increases the provision for Science, Mathematics, Computing, Innovation, Robotics, Sixth-Form, Higher Education counselling, dining and sport at Thailand’s leading independent international school. Nestled on the banks of the famed Chao Phraya River, the…
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Congo: Entrepreneur delivers sustainable water supply to Goma
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds half of the fresh water reserves of the entire African continent, according to UNICEF. But not even half of the Congolese population has access to clean drinking water. Entrepreneur Jack Kahorha didn’t want to accept that. So, four years ago, he and two friends founded the water company Yme Jibu in Goma, the…
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Foreign Minister says several European nations open to donating vaccines to Thailand
Thailand’s Foreign Minister told the press today at Government House before entering the weekly cabinet meeting that several countries in Europe are willing to donate Covid-19 vaccines to the kingdom. Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also the Deputy PM, did not mention the list of EU countries that wants to “give away” the vaccines. He said the Health Ministry of…
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Young man arrested for allegedly selling homemade guns
A man was arrested yesterday for the alleged possession of 4 homemade guns. The arrest took place in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, and police reported that the suspect is an 18 year old by the name of Kraiwit Issara. Commander of the Provincial Police Region 1 reported that officers made the arrest around 5 pm yesterday after setting…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 5,126 new cases; provincial totals
53 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,489 with 20,395 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 5,126 new Covid-19 cases and 7,748 recoveries. There are now 83,093 people in Thailand being…
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63 million baht in stolen donations returned to revered abbot
Three people, including a temple caretaker, were arrested for allegedly embezzling around 63 million baht donations from a Buddhist temple in the central province Nakhon Sawan. The Bangkok Post reports that the cash has been returned to Wat Huai Duan and police gathered for a formal handover of the more than 63 million baht in cash to the highly respected…
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The future of Thailand’s Maya Bay – Report #1 | VIDEO
Should Maya Bay reopen? Of course it probably will, at the start of 2022. But there are fears that, despite the best intentions, it will be back to mass tourism and ‘market forces rule’. Maya Bay is the Andaman region’s most popular tourist destination, based on interest generated from the 2000 Hollywood movie “The Beach” from the Alex Garland novel…
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CCSA clarifies fines for ignoring mask mandate
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration released a reminder to the public that there is still a mask mandate in place that needs to be respected. But in response to concerns over the reported 20,000 baht fine for being caught without a mask, yesterday the CCSA assured the public that such a high fine would only be for repeat offenders…
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The Benefits of Having Comprehensive Car Insurance
The Thaiger presents the following deal on car insurance. Comprehensive car insurance has a number of benefits, the most important of which is that it protects you financially. If you don’t have insurance, you’ll have to pay for the losses yourself and deal with the aftermath on your own. If you’ve ever been in an accident, you’ll know how time-consuming…
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Health officials wonder why so many Thais refuse to get jabbed
Despite the fact that Thailand has suffered tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still millions of Thais who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. The secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has asked public health workers across the country to try and figure out why so many people don’t want the vaccine. The ministry thinks that if…
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Monty Python’s John Cleese is coming to Bangkok this January
John Cleese from the British comedy group Monty Python is coming to Bangkok in January as part of his “Why There Is No Hope” tour. Tickets start at 1,500 baht and go on sale on Friday. Live Nation Tero members can purchase pre-sale tickets on Thursday. To attend the show, patrons must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or test negative…
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American Music Awards – BTS, first Asian band to win Artists of the Year
South Korean band BTS had a huge night at the American Music Awards. They not only won the highly coveted ‘Artist of the Year’, they also picked up the Best pop song of the year and Best duo or group. Significantly, BTS are the first Asian musicians to pick up the main award in an otherwise white-washed US pop industry.…
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End of an era – last trains to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong in December
It’s the end of an era as the State Railway of Thailand looks to ceasing train services to and from Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong railway station. The expensive patch of land, where the famous station is located, is slated for a swish new commercial development. The decommissioning of the famous old station will happen at the end of the year. Hua…
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Pro-democracy activist accuses Thai movie director of slapping, kicking her
A prominent pro-democracy activist has accused a Thai film director of assault following a cultural event in Bangkok on Sunday evening. According to a Coconuts report, Rukchanok Srinork, aka “Ice”, took to social media to accuse Yuthalert “Tom” Sippapak of slapping her in the face and kicking her in the stomach. Rukchanok says she has filed a complaint against the…
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Singapore’s travel pass site went down as applications for Malaysians open
The SafeTravel website of Singapore, which allows foreign visitors to apply for a vaccination travel pass before entering, was down for several hours yesterday, which was the first day people from Malaysia could apply. Around noon, the website had a message that said “it was undergoing regular maintenance.” It was then restored around 3pm, but a text box recommended customers to…
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CCSA admits some hotels are scamming Thailand Pass travellers
Some Thai hotels are deceiving foreign arrivals by letting them book a room without transport or Covid testing, then trying to sell them a new package on arrival. CCSA spokesperson Apisamai Srirangson says some hotels are deliberately only selling a room, whereas the Thailand Pass requirements stipulate that the package must include transportation from the airport to the hotel and…
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Philippines waives quarantine for “Green List” countries
The Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from countries classified on the government’s “green list.” The Philippines, home to over 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia, is now accepting fully vaccinated visitors from countries on the “Green List”, but they must submit a negative RT-PCR test done within 72 hours of departure, rather than quarantine or an on-arrival…
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Brazil’s skateboarders who choose self-confidence over crime
When it comes time for Sandro Soares’ free lessons, the kids and teens usually knock on the gate with their skateboards. Soares, known to most as Testinha, in June resumed training sessions several times a week after classes were put on hold for many months due to the coronavirus pandemic. His wife Leila, an educator, supports the passionate 43-year-old skateboarder.…
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Sudan: Is Hamdok’s return a signal of democracy or military victory?
Sudanese protesters have taken to the streets to call for democracy and an end to military rule after the deposed civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, pledged to return to the government jointly led with the military. Nearly four weeks after a military coup, Hamdok was reinstated on Sundaywhen he signed a 14-point power-sharing deal with General Abdel-Fattah Burhan. “Sudanese blood…
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