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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Thai government apologises for data leak, blames “temporary glitch”
The Thai government has released a statement apologising for the data leak on Monday which saw people who registered for a Covid vaccine have their personal information revealed. The government says there was a “temporary glitch” on the thailandintervac.com vaccination booking website and the error was because of “urgent system maintenance”. Soon after the website launched, multiple expats complained that…
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6 school closed after infections are found
6 schools in the northern province of Phitsanulok have been ordered to close until further notice after parents and a cable technician were determined to be infected with Covid-19. Luechai Chunakha, the Phitsanulok provincial educational chief says he received a report from a subordinate that the parents of a student from the Huaychangthang School in Suan Miang subdistrict were infected…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,331 new cases; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 2,331 new cases and 40 coronavirus-related deaths, an update in fatalities over the past week. The recent and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, infecting 175,732 people since April 1, is on a downward track with the number of active cases getting lower each day as the daily recovery count continues…
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Thai police chief donates 100,000 baht to Phuket man shot by a drunk officer
Thailand’s national police chief has donated 100,000 baht to support the man in Phuket who was shot and critically wounded by a drunk, off-duty police officer on the island’s Bangla Road, a popular nightlife area in Patong. Aroon Thongplad, a noodle vendor at the Phuket walking street, was grabbing a bowl from a customer when he was shot in the…
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Renowned Thai doctor cautions against letting tourists avoid 14 day quarantine
Yesterday, a renowned Thai doctor, told media that he and his colleagues strongly opposed any program designed to admit foreign tourists, even the vaccinated, if the tourists aren’t required to do a strict 14 day quarantine. Further, Dr Prasit thinks that the quarantine should be even longer, depending on the variant. The doctor, and Dean of Faculty of Medicine at…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says sorry again for delays in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has again apologised for holdups in the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, saying there were a number of reasons for the delays. Earlier this week, 25 vaccination sites in Bangkok postponed inoculations. Several hospitals also delayed vaccinations over the weekend due to a limited supply. “As the prime minister and director of CCSA, I am the top executive…
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Trial begins in Myanmar for former leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Trials are now underway for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate, a beacon for democracy in Myanmar, and the ousted Burmese leader that has been held prisoner by the military junta for 4 months after their coup on February 1. The former leader of Myanmar is on trial for sedition and a number of lesser and archaic law violations.…
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Blacktip reef sharks get protected status as Environment Minister blasts video cruelty
Thailand’s Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment has blasted a TikTok video that shows Krabi boatmen shooting at blacktip reef sharks. Varawut Silpa-archa has slammed what he describes as an act of gratuitous violence and says the sharks will be added to the list of protected marine species. According to the Bangkok Post, the video surfaced on Monday and…
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100 neglected cats rescued by Save Elephant Foundation
CORRECTION: An earlier report said another organisation rescued the cats. The correct organisation is the Save Elephant Foundation. 100 neglected cats were rescued from homes just north of Bangkok, many caged and kept in dark rooms piled with junk with poor ventilation. Dead cats were found under piles of trash and junk. 6 dogs were also kept in a small…
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Leading Thai doctor calls on government to accelerate vaccine rollout
A prominent Thai doctor has called on the government to ramp up the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, amid concerns at the low number of doses administered to date. The Bangkok Post quotes Dr Prasit Watanapa from Siriraj Hospital, who used a Facebook Live broadcast to urge officials to do more. He says Thailand must accelerate efforts to achieve herd immunity…
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Thonburi Healthcare Group to import 5 million doses of Moderna
A private healthcare group in Thailand says it’s planning to purchase 5 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. The Thonburi Healthcare Group says the vaccine will be purchased through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the only mechanism through which the private sector can import Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that THG expects GPO approval within the coming month, with…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,331 new infections and 40 deaths
2,331 new Covid-19 cases and an uptick of 40 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 infections, 175,732 cases have been recorded since April 1. While the daily case count remains high, the wave of infections is on a downward slope with the number of recent…
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Location-tracking wristbands and punishments for escapees: Phuket gets ready to welcome vaccinated tourists
As the date of Phuket’s re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists draws closer, officials are busy preparing all necessary measures prior to the influx. The “sandbox” scheme kicks off on July 1 and provincial officials have been rehearsing immigration and Covid-19 control measures at Phuket airport, the island’s ports, and the Tha Chat Chai checkpoint by the bridge onto the island.…
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Afghanistan: Polio vaccinators killed in ‘coordinated attack’
The Taliban have denied attacking five health workers who were gunned down at three separate locations on Tuesday. Four other workers were also wounded, with two of them in critical condition. But police spokesman Farid Khan said the Taliban were ‘’targeting health workers to deprive people of polio vaccines.” The attack has now halted the inoculation drive in the city…
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How local journalism can help rebuild democracy
When democratic principles are chipped away, what does it look like? Whether it’s the apparent hijacking of a plane to detain a critical journalist or arresting opposition leaders, the disruption of democracy is consequential and often punitive. So as technology and the media evolve, particularly in the digital age, such a powerful platform also has its vulnerabilities. Timothy Snyder, a…
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What can India gain from its ‘engagement’ with the Taliban?
Reports published in Indian media last week suggest that New Delhi is willing to start a dialogue with factions of the Afghan Taliban. The outreach is reported to be led by security officials and is limited to the Taliban factions that are considered “nationalist” and not under the influence of Pakistan or Iran. The reported move comes months after the…
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Central Bankruptcy Court approves Thai Airways debt restructuring plan
The high profile restructuring plan to tackle Thai Airways International’s around 400 billion baht debt was approved by the Central Bankruptcy Court today. While the pandemic hit airlines across the globe, Thai Airways has been recording losses for nearly a decade. The record loss of 141.2 billion baht posted last year prompted the struggling airline to file for bankruptcy protection.…
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Burkina Faso: ‘Terror is a big part of the economy’
Burkina Faso recently lived through one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in its history. On the first weekend of June, armed men attacked the village of Solhan in Yagha province in the north of the Sahel state, set houses on fire and killed at least 138 people. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore described the arrack as “barbaric.” Violence and insecurity…
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Japan’s enduring love affair with Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Every morning, as Kazunori Kamiyoshiwara starts his working day in the bustling Chuo district of Tokyo with a mug of coffee, it reminds him of the spectacular peaks of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, where the haze creeps through the valleys and gives the region its name. It may be almost exactly 12,900 kilometers (8,015 miles) from Tokyo to the…
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Australian man arrested for alleged child sex abuse in Thai border town
After being on the run for 6 months, an Australian man who allegedly sexually assaulted Burmese children in the Tak’s Mae Sot district near the Myanmar border was arrested. A warrant had been issued for Adam James Fox back in December of last year after he failed to show up to court. Adam had been arrested in March of last…
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Bangkok Post and Fazwaz join together to galvanise property listings platform
For those seeking to own property in Thailand, FazWaz is seeking to make your property owning dreams easier. They are partnering with Bangkok Post to advertise the country’s biggest offerings of verified direct properties for sale and rent. All will be available on 1 platform. FazWaz, a property technology firm, wants to make the property buying process more streamlined. They…
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CCSA has yet to begin talks on lifting alcohol ban at Bangkok restaurants
Authorities haven’t begun to mull over whether to allow restaurants in Bangkok to serve alcohol again. The booze ban at restaurants and the closure order on bars is intended to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The idea is that with nowhere to go out for a drink, gatherings would be reduced. To lift the ban on alcohol at restaurants, the…
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Yala enters lockdown today
Yala, a southern Thai province just north of the Malaysian border, is entering a lockdown from today until at least July 7. The lockdown is hoped to control the latest surge of new Covid cases. Yala’s Provincial Governor, Chaisit Panitpon, has imposed measuress to ensure people can’t get in or out of the Yala province. “If everyone follows the measures, I…
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Indonesian fisherman rescued after 9 days adrift at sea
Over the weekend, an Indonesian fisherman who had been drifting in a small boat after his boat engine died, was rescued and brought to Vachira Phuket Hospital. He had been adrift at sea for 9 days before he was rescued by a Phuket fishing boat. Vice Admiral Choengchai Chomchoengphaet says that the fishing crew “Boonlaap 2” told the navy at…
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Thai amulets come to blockchain, blessed by grandmaster of spells and charms
Thailand is introducing Thai amulets on the blockchain. Crypto Amulets are selling Amulet non-fungible tokens (i.e., NFTs). However, unlike other NFTS, this crypto has been blessed by a grand master monk of spells and charms. The monk is LP Heng and the company’s website that sells Crypto Amulets touts the monk for his mystical powers. The company, Crypto Amulets, praises…
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Dogs from Thailand and more than 100 countries banned from US due to risk of rabies
Dogs from Thailand as well as more than 100 other countries are banned from entering the United States for the next year due to a high risk of rabies. The US Centre for Disease Control released a notice yesterday on the temporary suspension of dogs from countries classified by the CDC as high risk for rabies among dogs. Dog rabies…
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Bangkok elderly can register for vaccine
Elderly residents can now register for a vaccine through the Mor Prom app, says the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The news comes during a time of confusion, blame game playing, ex-pats’ personal information being leaked online, and everything going “according to plan“. Residents who are no less than 60 years old, and residing in Bangkok, are now able to register to…
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“Bubble and seal” method to contain outbreaks at factories, keep business afloat
With a number of Covid-19 clusters at large factories, the Thai government has been working to contain the virus quickly and rollout of vaccinations to the workers to prevent a downfall in the industrial sector. One of the controversial methods of containing the virus is the so-called “bubble and seal” policy at factories where a cluster of infections has been…
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Taxi driver attacks woman at bus stop, has a history of violence
A taxi driver that attacked a woman standing at a bus stop has been arrested on assault charges. He was arrested yesterday and brought to the Phra Khanong police station, a district in Bangkok. Allegedly, the taxi driver approached the woman at the bus stop, pulled off her face mask, and threatened her with a stick. 46 year old Nana…
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Vaccine registration website for expats back up after data leak
The Covid-19 vaccination website for foreign residents is back up after an apparent data leak yesterday where others could see personal information, including passport numbers, of those who had registered for a vaccine. The faulty site is live again, but for us at The Thaiger, the button to set an appointment isn’t working. Posts of the ThailandIntervac.com data leak were…
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