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.
-
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?...
-
Thailand will give fourth vaccine for those who need it for travel
Apart from the growing evident reality of global inequality of access to vaccines, across Thailand there is still a gap where some people are struggling to get access to their first vaccine while others have had their third booster shot already. Now Thailand is beginning a round of fourth Covid-19 vaccine injections for those who require one, mainly for international…
-
Moderna vaccine rollout finally begins in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai marked a step in the right direction yesterday as, after a months-long wait, the province began its first injections of the Moderna mRNA vaccine. The Northern province has been experiencing a spike in Covid-19 infection in the last few weeks that has made it one of the daily most infected provinces in Thailand, so the first batch of…
-
Government warns pro-democracy activists to behave
The Thai government has warned pro-democracy activists to cease any activity they see as a threat to the monarchy. Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam issued the warning in the wake of a Constitutional Court ruling that found 3 activists guilty of plotting to overthrow the monarchy. Anon Nampa, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul all deny the accusations, insisting they…
-
Government considers easing entry rules, antigen testing may replace PCR test
In anticipation of more international arrivals in the coming months, the Thai government is reviewing current entry requirements. According to a Bangkok Post report, officials may replace the PCR test with antigen test kits and rules could be relaxed for people unfortunate enough to have sat near an infected passenger during their flight. Any amendment of the current rules would…
-
Israel’s bet on early COVID booster shots pays off
People wait in line patiently at a pop-up vaccination center inside a city building in West Jerusalem. “I am here to get my third shot — it’s really important so Israel can open up,” says Leah Powell, a student visiting from the US. “There is still a mask mandate in some places, but it feels like real life is coming…
-
TikTok hand signal: Is social media the next frontier to battle domestic violence?
When countries around the world first started going into lockdown in early 2020, women’s organizations had to think of ways to help people who might be trapped at home with their abusers. One of them, the Canadian Women’s Foundation, came up with a hand signal to show that one is in distress: tucking one’s thumb into the palm and curling…
-
Teen sought in fatal Phuket stabbing yesterday turns himself in
A brutal stabbing yesterday in Rawai resulted in an 18 year old Thai man being killed and a manhunt for the 19 year old man accused of stabbing him. Now Boonyapat ‘Not’ Petcharat has turned himself in to the Wichit Police Station seeming to be confessing to the crime. He turned himself in at 3 am and also surrendered a…
-
CCSA meeting tomorrow to revise colour zones and restrictions
Tomorrow the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will hold a general meeting to consider possible colour zone adjustments and additional disease control measures for the country. The CCSA meeting will be chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and will discuss all areas of pandemic management. According to the Government House, the 3 primary topics of tomorrows meetings will be continuing and…
-
Pakistan: Imran Khan slammed for negotiating with Peshawar school attackers
Dost Muhammad was shellshocked when he heard that the Pakistani government had started negotiating with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The group was responsible for attacking a military-run school in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, laying siege to it, and killing 132 schoolchildren. Muhammad lost his 14-year-old son, Asad Aziz, a grade 8 student, in the attack, which is dubbed “the…
-
Covid-19 medications are a boon, but don’t replace vaccines
The good news of several new anti-viral pills that have shown to be effective in greatly reducing Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths, coupled with statistically rare vaccine side effects or deaths that some people latch onto, may tempt many to skip getting vaccinated and rely solely on medication once they get infected. But a Thai expert on crisis communication with the…
-
Thailand Pass problems? Support beefed up with 24-hour hotlines
The Thai government has been touting the success of the Thailand Pass programme while quietly acknowledging a cornucopia of shortcomings and problems users have encountered and publicly complained about. But, due to the high volume of complaints about problems in attempting to register on the Thailand Pass website, the Department of Consular Affairs has beefed up their helplines with a…
-
Government panel created to defend consumers online from fraud
A new panel was established by The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, which will be in place to protect online shoppers from fraud. As Thailand’s internet economy experiences massive growth, problems related to online transactions are rising, too. With this panel, the government aims to help protect consumers from these internet scams. Secretary general of the Thailand Consumer Council…
-
Internet economy of SEA expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030
The internet economy of Southeast Asia is growing… fast. Industries like online shopping and food delivery have grown exponentially since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters reports, citing an industry report released yesterday. The region’s internet economy is expected to continue growing, and eventually reach US$1 trillion by 2030. This joint report was released by Google, business consultancy group…
-
Lawsuit filed against Baldwin, set gun handler claims conspiracy
Following a tragic fatal accidental shooting on the set of a Hollywood movie being filmed in New Mexico, crew members of the movie are suing actor and producer Alec Baldwin who fired the fatal shot. The famous actor was starring in as well as producing “Rust”, an Old West film, when he was handed a gun to rehearse a scene…
-
Loy Krathong celebration by ICONSIAM to be “magical” and under SHA standards
The Tourism Authority of Thailand partners with ICONSIAM, Thai Chamber of Commerce and alliance to preserve the Thai traditional festival of Loy Krathong by organizing ICONSIAM A Magical Loy Krathong Upon The Chao Phraya River under a high level of hygienic and safety measures according to SHA The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with ICONSIAM and business alliances…
-
Teenager stabbed to death at Phuket home
An 18 year old was stabbed to death in a fight last night in the Rawai neighborhood of Phuket and officers are now looking for those involved. When emergency responders arrived to the home at around 7pm and found Nakarin Somboon unconscious on the floor and severely bleeding from 10 stab wounds, including a deep cut to his right chest.…
-
50 year old man arrested accused of sexual abuse of 9 year old girl
Accused of sexually abusing a 9 year old girl, police in Bang Lamung arrested a 50 year old man working at a wood factory. The Huayyai Police responded to a complaint in the Pattaya area from a man and his 9 year old niece alleging the sexual abuse on Tuesday. The man reported to police that, in speaking with the…
-
Hackers seized Constitutional Court website after protester ruling
In response to the Constitutional Court making a controversial decision that pro-democracy demonstrations, and the speeches leaders gave at them, were considered an illegal attempt to overthrow the government and monarchy, computer hackers took over the Court’s website homepage and did some redecorating. The website was hacked and text was changed to display the phrase “kangaroo court” – a slang…
-
Southeast Asia’s internet economy boosted by record investments
Southeast Asia’s internet economy is being boosted by a record number of investments. In the first half of this year, global investments amounted to US$11.5 billion into tech companies, with the bulk of funds being directed at e-commerce and the digital financial services sector. The number of deals during the same time period rose by 65% compared to the same…
-
Singapore-Malaysia vaccinated travel lane to open November 29
A Singapore-Malaysia vaccinated travel lane is set to open on November 29 after all issues are resolved. The move is the first step in reopening travel between the 2 countries. Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore, Datuk Azfar Mohamad Mustafar, says issues including testing regimes, cross-border processes, and health are now being ironed out before its opening. But he says the…
-
Things to know about the Thailand Pass. And some rumours.
Ah, the Thailand Pass. Like it or hate it, it is what it is, and you’ll need to wade through it if you want to come to Thailand in the foreseeable future, both foreigners and Thais. For a start, here’s the link to the application page for the Thailand Pass. There’s a list of the 63 countries that are currently…
-
Flooding in Chon Buri from rising sea level
Many roads in Chon Buri have flooded this week because of the rising sea levels. On Monday, water from the ocean poured onto beach roads in the Bang Plasoi sub-district, flooding them with seawater as much as 30 centimetres deep. The flooding on the road caused significant traffic delays, and even caused some smaller vehicles to get stuck. Duangduan Pantumaopas,…
-
National park visits rising as tourists brave the cold weather
As Thailand reopens and tourism, both international and domestic, begins to grow, many tourists are turning away from chasing warm sunny beaches. An influx of tourists has been seen heading to some of Thailand’s chilliest national park destinations and attractions. In the northern province of Loei, the Phu Ruea National Park viewpoint, renowned for its beautiful sunrises, has seen many…
-
Thailand to face Timor in first round of Suzuki Cup
Thailand’s mens national football team will face Timor Leste in the opening match of the AFF Suzuki Cup next month in Singapore. The Timor Leste team was originally set to face Brunei, but the Brunei team had to pull out as Covid-19 made them unable to prepare for the tournament. The AFF Suzuki Cup is a contest amongst the ASEAN…
-
Road safety campaign aimed at Thailand’s motorbike riders
Thailand’s road safety record is once again up for discussion, with the launch of yet another safety campaign. In this instance, officials are focusing on motorbikes, which account for the vast majority of road traffic accidents in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, around 80% of bike accidents result in deaths. From Monday, a new campaign in the…
-
Government defends lèse majesté law against UN criticism
Following criticism from a number of United Nations member states, the Thai government has defended the country’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law, or section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai monarchy and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Reuters reports that yesterday, a number of UN member countries voiced…
-
Thursday Covid Update: 7,496 new cases and 57 deaths
7,496 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 7,452 recoveries. There are now 96,450 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 1,968,106 confirmed Covid-19…
-
Air Asia boss: Recovery in 3 months if countries ditch quarantine, testing
The chief executive of the Air Asia Group says the aviation sector could return to normal in about 3 months, if governments ditch quarantine and PCR testing. Tony Fernandes says if countries can re-open without such requirements, demand will rise significantly. According to a Bangkok Post report, Air Asia has sold over 300,000 tickets to Langkawi since the island re-opened.…
-
AfricaLink on Air – 10 November 2021
Nnamdi Kanu-Nigerian separatist leader’s trial adjourned after lawyer walks out++Ethiopia detains 72 World Food Programme truck drivers in war-hit north++Zambia plans to abolish dowry. SOURCE: DW News
-
Belarus border residents rattled by migrant crisis on their doorstep
The Kamenets district near the well-known national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a rather deserted area on the Belarusian-Polish border. There’s only one border crossing here to get to neighboring Poland legally. But, the Pestschatka checkpoint hardly sees any traffic nowadays due to coronavirus restrictions in Belarus. Residents of the surrounding Belarusian villages, however, have been watching their country’s western border…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.