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 9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Vietnam’s COVID woes trigger supply chain issues for EU firms
Optimism has been returning for European investors after Vietnam’s communist government began rolling back lockdown measures in mid-September, and the majority of restrictions in the southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City were lifted on October 1. Last year, Vietnam was heralded as one of the few global success stories amid the pandemic. The country of 96 million people recorded…
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Pandora Papers: How will the revelations impact Pakistan’s politics?
Several people surrounding Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, including ministers and family members, have been named in the Pandora Papers leaks. The papers, which were shared by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), reveal that many of the country’s powerful military generals, businessmen and media owners have transferred millions of dollars through offshore companies. More than 700 prominent Pakistanis…
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UK fuel crisis: Measures branded ‘sticking plaster solutions’ as army deployed
The long-awaited images of military personnel driving fuel tankers follow almost two weeks of misery and chaos for British consumers. Panic buying of fuel amid the shortage of truckers has led to chaotic scenes across major cities with queues of drivers lining up outside gas stations. A perfect storm of labor shortages as a result of Brexit and the continued…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 9,869 new cases; provincial totals
92 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 17,203 with 17,109 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 has reported 9,869 new Covid-19 cases and 11,152 recoveries. There are now 108,373 people in Thailand…
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Phuket bar owner arrested for allegedly serving booze after 10pm
The owner of a bar in Phuket was arrested for allegedly selling alcohol after 10pm, a violation of the provincial order limiting alcohol sales in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 through socialising. Phuket News reports that the 29 year old who ran the bar was arrested after midnight yesterday at the City Bar on the outskirts of…
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Four suspected insurgents on the run killed in clash with “Deep South” soldiers
In the “Deep South” province Narathiwat, four suspected insurgents were killed in a gunfire exchange with soldiers on Sunday and an army officer was killed in another clash with insurgents the night before, according to the Bangkok Post. Reports say the insurgents killed in the incident were all wanted on court warrants, most of them facing charges for deadly attacks.…
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Several political parties name candidates for PM, ruling party reportedly supports Prayut
In the heat of calls and protests pushing for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign or be removed from office, political parties are now starting to name prime ministerial candidates for the next election, which will be in 2023. Prayut and his government also faced a no-confidence hearing last month. Although the vote ruled in Prayut’s favour, many issues were raised…
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Phuket “Sandbox” slow start for tourism; Philippines police investigated over “war on drugs” | Thailand Top Stories | October 5
Phuket “Sandbox” slow start for tourism; Philippines police investigated over “war on drugs” | Thailand Top Stories | October 5 |Caitlin gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: Phuket Sandbox slowly reviving the tourism industry, Police seek court approval to extend detention for American rape suspect, …
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Tuesday Covid Update: 9,869 new cases and 92 deaths
Today, the CCSA reported 9,869 new Covid-19 cases and 92 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 1,628,368 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 11,152 recoveries. There are now 108,373 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Bali to partially re-open to travellers from select countries next week
A government minister in Indonesia has confirmed the island of Bali will partially re-open to arrivals from certain countries. However, the list does not currently include Australia, a significant tourism market for Indonesia prior to the pandemic. According to an AFP report, Luhut Panjaitan says that from October 14, Ngurah Rai International Airport will open for arrivals from South Korea,…
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Former cop accused of torture and murder was involved in seizure of over 400 luxury cars
A man accused of murder and fired from his role as police chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan was involved in the confiscation of over 400 luxury cars. According to deputy national police chief, Suchart Thiraswasdi, disgraced former cop Thitisan Utthanaphol was involved in the seizure of 410 high-end vehicles that had been smuggled into Thailand from Malaysia…
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Our take on the new GWM Haval H6 ULTRA
The recent launch of Great Wall Motor’s 2021 Haval H6 ULTRA Hybrid SUV in Thailand, has definitely set car lovers’ tongues wagging. Around 3 months ago, GWM announced it would be introducing the new H6 Haval ULTRA (the top model for the Thai range) with an accompanying theme of ‘It’s Time to CHANGE.’ The SUV is a true hybrid, including…
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Pandora Papers find holes in EU’s fight against tax evasion
European Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant appeared cautious in Brussels as she was questioned about the Pandora Papers. “We have seen that in the media as you have,” she said in response to questions from reporters. “We are not in a position to make any comments on individual names or individual entities mentioned in those papers.” It is likely that the…
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Iran clamps down on teachers demanding fair pay
Aziz Ghasemzadeh is a spokesman for the teachers’ union in Iran’s northern province of Gilan. Last week, he was arrested while he was doing an interview on his phone with a Persian-language broadcaster. The phone’s camera was still on and captured footage of the arrest at his parents’ home; you can hear his mother’s voice pleading with the officers not…
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Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram are down as the Facebook data centre crashes
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are all down on this Monday evening. Users of Facebook’s suite of social media platforms are all non-responsive as millions of users try to access their accounts. Users on mobile, desktop and tablets are all affected. Issues started around 22:44 Thai Time and are currently impacting users worldwide with the hashtag #facebookdown trending on Twitter. We’re…
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Bangladesh: Who killed Rohingya leader Mohibullah?
Mohibullah, a high-profile figurehead for the Rohingya who have fled Myanmar, was killed by unidentified gunmen last week, in an event which has left investigators looking for a culprit. Mohibullah was shot last Wednesday, Sept. 29, in one of the sprawling camps in the coastal Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar. The leader left for Bangladesh when over 730,000 Rohingya Muslims…
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COVID: Will India see a third wave in winter?
India has seen a significant dip in its coronavirus caseload over the past few weeks. However, health care workers and policymakers are warning of a possible third wave during the winter months. As of Monday, the country’s active case count stood at 271,550, marking the lowest figure in 199 days. The R-value, the number which measures the rate of transmission,…
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Monday Covid Update: 9,930 new cases; provincial totals
97 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 17,111 with 17,017 of those fatalities during the country’s latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 9,930 new Covid-19 cases and 12,336 recoveries were reported. Thailand now has 109,748 active cases. Since the…
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Khon Kaen police seek court approval to extend detention of American rape suspect
Police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen are seeking court approval to extend the detention of the sexual assault suspect, who allegedly beat and raped a Thai masseuse. The chief of the Muang Khon Kaen police station says officers want to detain the American for another 12 days due to concerns that the man might try to flee. 37 year…
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Swiss man arrested for allegedly beating a man to death, claiming self-defence
A 63 year old Swiss man was arrested for allegedly beating a Thai man to death. Police say the Swiss national, identified as Rudolf, told officers that the man had come to his home, pointed a gun at his head, and demanded money. Officers say Rudolf confessed to beating the man, but did not intend to kill him, adding that…
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Graft, drug trafficking threaten Albania’s chances of joining EU
Prosecutor Altin Dumani knows there is a lot to do. A lot. His office, in Albania’s capital, Tirana, is crammed with stacks of documents. All of the cases deal with organized crime, especially drug trafficking and corruption, problems that have hindered the small southeastern European country for decades, Dumani told DW. The 46-year-old is the deputy head of Albania’s relatively…
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Vaccination drive accelerated in Pattaya to prepare for November reopening
The rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations is being accelerated in Pattaya to prepare for reopening in November. The city’s mayor Sonthaya Kunplome says he expects more than 80% of the population in Pattaya to be fully vaccinated by October 15. Pattaya City Hospital is being used as the main vaccination centre with up to 2,600 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinopharm being…
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Thai AirAsia operating 20 domestic routes from this month
From this month, Thai AirAsia is resuming a number of domestic routes, as well as introducing new ones. TTR Weekly reports that the low-cost carrier is now operating flights from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Phitsanulok, Nan, Loei, Sakon Nakhon, Surat Thani, Krabi, and Trang. It will also launch a new route from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin from October…
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All countries now eligible for Thailand’s sandbox programme
The Thai government has got rid of its list of “approved countries”, opening up the sandbox tourism programme to fully vaccinated visitors from anywhere in the world. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has welcomed the move, which means Indonesian and Malaysian tourists can now visit the kingdom. Prior to Covid-19, Malaysia was Thailand’s second…
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Thailand to charge foreign arrivals 500 baht “tourism fee” from next year
Despite Thailand struggling to reboot its decimated tourism sector, the government is pushing ahead with a proposed tourism fee – and has increased it by 200 baht. The National Tourism Policy Committee originally approved a fee of 300 baht at the start of this year, which would be used to develop tourism destinations and provide tourists with insurance benefits. According…
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Vaccination of over 5 million school students gets underway
The vaccination of Thai school students gets underway today, with over 5 million students expected to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccination drive is in preparation for the new school term in November. According to a Bangkok Post report, students between the ages of 12 and 18 will be vaccinated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, starting with those in dark…
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Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed
The Pandora Papers investigation has revealed that 35 current and former world leaders — including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the king of Jordan and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta — as well as powerful billionaires were affiliated with companies that use offshore tax havens. Offshore accounts are often used to secretly manage and move large sums of money to…
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Son of rape victim rebukes police for cancelling American suspect’s crime reenactment
Following the cancellation of the traditional re-enactment of his crimes, the son of the Thai masseuse who was raped in Khon Kaen, allegedly by 37 year old American Robert Gordon victim criticised the double standard of how police treated Gordon as a foreigner. The son and other relatives of the 45 year old masseuse that Gordon allegedly brutally beat and…
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NACC: Trisara resort faces illegal land ownership charges
Following on from last week’s disclosure of a probe into the upscale Sri Panwa property in Phuket, another luxury property, Trisara resort, faces a similar investigation into illegal land ownership by the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The probe by the NACC into Trisara resort named 29 officials involved in the illegal document issuing, with ex-Phuket Vice Governor Weeraway Janpen being singled…
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Army to cut spending on foreign weapons, buy domestic instead
The army is recognising that, with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, they shouldn’t be spending massive money to obtain weapons from abroad. Instead, they will look for domestic sourcing for the weapons they purchase and spend on maintaining what they have already. The chief of staff for the army acknowledged that the Thai military is reconsidering its spending since much…
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