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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Phuket “car mob” protest demands the removal of PM, calls for mRNA vaccines
Hundreds of cars and motorcycles drove through Phuket in a so-called “car mob” rally, calling for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the procurement of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines. Many have criticised the Thai government as it grapples with the most severe wave of Covid-19, a limited supply of vaccines and the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant. Earlier…
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Samut Sakhon Governor Veerasak offers to resign if communication in his province doesn’t improve
Veerasak Vichitsangsri, the governor of central Thai province Samut Sakhon, has offered to resign if Samut Sakhon officials are unable to contact Covid patients who are in community isolation facilities/pre-admission centres within 24 hours of the patients requesting to be transferred to hospitals for medical attention. Yesterday, on the “COVID-19 Samut Sakhon ” Facebook page, the governor confessed that communication…
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Sunday Covid Update: 15,335 new cases; provincial totals
15,335 new Covid-19 infections and 129 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The latest wave, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 468,439 of the 497,302 infections reported since the start of the pandemic last year. Of the new cases, 641 infected were found in correctional facilities. More than 40,000 inmates at Thailand’s overcrowded…
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Covid UPDATE: 15,335 new infections, provincial numbers
5,335 new infections & 129 Covid-related deaths for Sunday. 641 of today’s announced cases came from Thai prisons. The number of new infections detected in the past 24 hours is another record for Thailand. Provincial totals published, thanks to the NBT… Number of people who received Covid-19 vaccines in the past 24 hours. – 1st dose: +117,421 – 2nd dose:…
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Inside story behind the Thailand property seachange
by Bill Barnett of c9hotelworks.com For Thailand’s real estate market, Covid-19 has brought massive changes in lifestyle and ongoing pandemic fatigue is pushing many domestic buyers to shift property investment preferences in favour of resort or countryside destinations. Whether you call it Plan B, a sea change or an escape plan, one thing for certain is that change is in the…
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Domestic flights added to Phuket/Samui, CAAT says be careful
Yesterday, additional, domestic flights, were added going to and from Phuket. Bangkok Airways also confirmed it was bringing back its Phuket to Samui route. Nok Air resumed its Phuket to U-Tapao route. The announcement comes on the heels of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand issuing a reminder to airlines/passengers to adhere to all conditions for safe travel. The CAAT…
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4th body found on a Bangkok street
Yesterday morning, an octogenarian, who tested Covid positive, was discovered dead on a Bangkok street. This marks the 4th time someone was found dead on a Bangkok street in the past week. The 80 year old’s body was located near the Victory Monument at 7:30 am. Nearby vendors spotted the man’s body and then alerted health officials. At first, the…
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OPINION: Where have all of Thailand’s boat shows gone?
OPINION by Paul Poole (The opinions stated here are those of Paul Poole’s and do not necessarily represent the thoughts of the boating industry or those of The Thaiger) In 2017, ahead of the usual stream of boat shows and yachting events scheduled around the Kingdom, and before the current worldwide pandemic, I was asked if there was room for…
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Man with Covid-19 disguised as his wife to board flight
Stories have been going viral about how after lockdowns and travel restrictions, airlines are struggling with defiant and badly behaved passengers. But an Indonesian man who is infected with Covid-19 went to extreme measures to sneak aboard a flight this week disguised by dressing up as his Covid-19 negative wife. The man who had tested positive for Covid-19 swapped identities…
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Kitchen raiding elephant breaks same wall in house for more food
They say elephants have exceptional memories, and today one proved that true by finding his way back to a familiar place. Perhaps Thailand’s most memed elephant, Phlai Boonchuay, has returned to the home he infamously broke into just one month ago to search for more food. The wild elephant went viral around the world when he broke down the kitchen…
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1st Taekwondo Olympic gold as Panipak wins for Thailand
Panipak Wongpattanakit brought home a historic gold medal today – Thailand’s first in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, first-ever in taekwondo, and 10th gold medal of all time. The 23 year old has won 2 world championships and is currently ranked number 1 in the world. She barely edged out her competitor, the current European Championship winner Adriana Cerezo Iglesias…
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The Netherlands gears for future with flood-control project
“We were really lucky,” says Jan Heymans from the Dutch village of Neer on the Maas river. “The new flood wall was completed just a few months ago. Without it, everything here would have been flooded.” With massive steel gates and 10-cm-thick (4-inch-thick) glass panels at the top, the wall was able to resist the heavy rainfall from Germany and…
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Opinion: The Cuban authorities are afraid of us
No one in the queue speaks. A woman looks down at her shoes, while a young man drums his fingers on the wall. Some time has passed since Cubans took to the streets in a protest unprecedented in the last 62 years, and the outrage is still very palpable. As images of police brutality, more testimonies from mothers whose children…
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Surat Thani announces new Covid-19 measures for Samui Plus
Less than 10 days after the less-than-thrilling Samui Plus reopening that saw just 31 international arrivals to Samui (with 2 to Koh Phangan and 1 to Koh Tao) so far and 110 people from the Phuket Sandbox, Surat Thani province in which the islands reside has announced immediate Covid-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus. The announcement today…
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West Africa’s liver cancer cases linked to hepatitis
The World Cancer Research Fund collects data on the prevalence of cancer types across the globe. When it comes to liver cancer, 8 West African nations are in the top 25 countries with highest prevalence of liver cancer. These include Liberia, Guinea, Ghana Burkina Faso and Senagal. In fact, liver cancer is the most common cancer in the Gambia, with…
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His Majesty the King donates 2.8 billion baht in Covid-19 aid
Chulabhorn Royal Academy posted on Facebook that His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn has donated more than 2.8 billion baht of his personal money in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The King had made donations to institutes and hospitals involved in the treating and care of people infected by the Covid-19 virus. In the post to Facebook yesterday, the academy…
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Autopsy results for woman who died after mixing vaccines
Just as the government was launching their plan for people who have received a Sinovac vaccine already to give them AstraZeneca as a second shot, a tragic case occurred of a woman who received just that and died the following day at home in her bed. Now an autopsy has been completed on the woman who received mixed vaccines and…
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DR Congo faces major challenges in COVID-19 vaccine rollout
Almost every day, there are huge traffic jams in front of the district hospital in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cars, motorcycle cabs and pedestrians clog the road as friends and relatives come to pick up the deceased to bury them. For several weeks, an increasing number of COVID-19 patients have been among the dead…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 14,260 new infections, news briefs
The Public Health Department have announced another 14,260 infections and 119 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. 655 cases have been detected in Thai prisons. Whilst a slight drop from yesterday’s total new infections it maintains a rising trend in new infections around the country. 3,984 are currently in critical hospital care and 900 people remain on ventilators. The…
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Department head predicts Covid-19 could last up to another year
Depending on the actions the government and the people of Thailand take, the Director-General of the Department of Medical Services predicts Covid-19 could continue for just a few months or drag on for another year. Director-General Somsak Ankasil asserted that declaration in a recorded video message this week made to thank the medical officials across the nation. In it, he…
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The EU and North Macedonia: More ‘trauma’ before membership?
North Macedonia was officially included in the agenda for EU enlargement in 2005; the promissory note that Brussels offered Skopje on the conditions of good behavior and reforms is now older than the country’s new name. Yet with a track record of steady reforms, Skopje has seen the process slowed down to a virtual halt, which has not only raised…
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Swedish prison hostage situation resolved with pizza
Have you ever just had a really strong food craving? In a Swedish prison this week, 2 inmates were able to take 2 guards hostage and refused to release them until their demand was met: pizza. The pair of inmates incarcerated in Hallby high-security prison outside of Eskilstuna on murder charges were able to force their way into a secure area…
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Minister: Foreigners, migrant workers are cared for amid Covid-19
Facing mounting criticism of the plight of migrant workers, often Burmese or Cambodian immigrants, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin has spoken out in defence of the treatment of foreigners within Thailand. He stressed to the press that all laws and policies are non-discriminatory and that the government has addressed the concerns and safety of foreign…
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“Withhold Intubation” for certain older Thammasat Hospital patients
Thammasat University Hospital, overwhelmed with Covid-19 infections, has decided to implement a fatal “Withhold Intubation Rule” for patients over 75 years old with severe conditions like incurable cancer and AIDS. The hospital is experiencing an extreme shortage of ventilators and together critical life-saving equipment, and was forced to make the tough decision that will inevitably lead to unnecessary deaths. The…
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Nakhon Sawan farmers make large profits growing fingerroot as Covid cure
While the science may be on the fence, herbal extracts are still growing in popularity as a Covid treatment. krachai khao, AKA fingerroot is providing generous returns for growers in Nakhon Sawan, a northern Thai province. Sales are also booming for the extract of the green chiretta plant AKA fah talai jone, which is used in “traditional” medicine and is…
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Leaked document: military arranging private Moderna vaccines
A controversial and unconfirmed leaked document appears to show that the Thai military attempted to get Moderna vaccines for themselves while the rest of Thailand only had access to Sinovac and later AstraZeneca vaccines. The document seems to be of the military requesting a private supply of the Moderna vaccine from the Thai Red Cross for army personnel and their…
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19 year old man drowns in a Kanchanaburi river while rescuing his puppy
A 19 year old man drowned after he jumped into a river to rescue his puppy yesterday. The victim identified as “Aphisit” and his co-worker drove to the Mae Klong River in the western province of Kanchanaburi to fetch some water for their construction work. His puppy fell in the river, but he didn’t notice until it had been swiped…
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Online registration site up for interprovincial travel permission
Those travelling between provinces, especially from “dark red” zones under maximum control, are advised to fill out a registration form online for permission to travel. A QR code will then be scanned by relevant authorities at checkpoints. Click HERE for a registration form in English. Many interprovincial transportation services in “dark red” zones, including Bangkok and surrounding provinces, are suspended until…
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BMA plans to open 53 “community isolation centres”
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has announced their intentions to open 53 “community isolation centres”…early next month. The centres will be for people who Covid and are waiting to be admitted to a hospital, says governor Aswin Kwanmuang, today. It is reported that City Hall is hoping to open 23 centres “right away”. There will be 3,390 beds for people who…
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Rural Kanchanaburi students struggle with lessons
The Covid situation has affected nearly all walks of life in Thailand and throughout the world. In a rural location in Kanchanaburi, western Thailand students can be seen several kilometres outside of their villages. They stare at smartphones in their hands. They’re not making Tik Tok videos and they’re not playing games. They are in their online classes. The students…
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