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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. 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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Asia News Today | Japan to ease border controls & Fears of Cambodian surveillance
A new internet gateway in Cambodia, set to be launched today, is being delayed, apparently due to issues related to Covid 19 in the country. When enacted, all Internet traffic in Cambodia will be routed through the government-run National Internet Gateway, allowing authorities to monitor online activity, intercept and censor digital communications, and collect users’ personal data. But the Telecommunications…
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Thai woman’s OnlyFans content stolen, officers say she could face pornography charges
A Thai woman who posts sexually explicit photos and videos on her OnlyFans account says her content, which was intended only for those who pay for a subscription to her page, was taken without permission and spread for free on a gambling website. She reported the incident to the Thai police, but officers have now put the 25 year old…
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Six police officers investigated for allegedly demanding bribes, not reporting drug seizure
Six Thai police officers were transferred from their positions and now face disciplinary action after they allegedly demanded a bribe and for not reporting their drug seizure with the department. The officers in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom allegedly demanded a bribe from a man running a delivery service for the release of two of his employees who had been…
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Travel Guide: Top places to retire in Asia 2022
Retiring in Asia is a dream for many, with fond memories of short or longer travel to some of the humid and exotic countries in the region. All that exquisite cuisine, diverse sceneries, fascinating histories, intriguing temples, tropical adventures, colourful nightlife, and markets and malls for shopping. Lots of shopping. So it’s easy to become enamoured with all things “Asia.”…
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Asia News Today | Daily news from around Asia in 10 minutes
US prosecutors have accused a former Goldman Sachs banker of taking 35 million USD in kickbacks on the first day of a trial over the multibillion-dollar looting of the infamous 1MDB Malaysian government fund.Roger Ng, Goldman’s former head of investment banking in Malaysia, stands charged with conspiring to launder money. The trial is renewing scrutiny of Goldman Sachs’s role in…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 14,373 new cases; provincial totals
27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,489 with 791 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,373 new Covid-19 cases and 11,551 recoveries. There are now 132,728 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Snake on a plane forces Malaysian AirAsia flight to make an emergency landing
Like a scene of the cult-classic Samuel L. Jackson film “Snakes on a Plane,” (but far less dramatic), a snake slithering loose in an AirAsia passenger airplane led the pilots of the Malaysian budget carrier to detour from the scheduled route and make an emergency landing. A video from the aircraft’s cabin shows the silhouette of a long snake slithering…
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How cross-border payments fintechs like DeeMoney are empowering the gig economy
Press Release Even before COVID-19 changed the world of work forever, there was a trend towards a greater reliance on freelancers. In fact, they now make up 35 per cent of the global workforce – that’s about 1.1 billion people. Unsurprisingly, that number has been skyrocketing during the pandemic, with a growth of 24% recorded in just a single quarter…
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Chon Buri barbershop goes viral after haircut for the nephew of Brunei Sultan
Men are flocking to a barbershop in Chon Buri after the nephew of the Sultan of Brunei came in for a haircut. Faiq Jefri Bolkiah, who is also a professional footballer, recently started playing for the Chon Buri Football Club and has become very popular among Thais, many saying he is friendly. The owner of Chang Tee Barbershop says many…
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4 Thai tourists hospitalised after wooden pier breaks in Koh Larn off Pattaya coast
Four Thai tourists were injured when the railing of a pier broke and they fell onto the rocks around two metres below. The tourists were taking a photo and leaning against the railing of the pier on Koh Larn, an island off the Pattaya coast, when it broke. Three of them are being treated for serious injuries. Reports say those…
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Top paediatrician says 2 doses of mRNA vaccine enough to protect children
One of Thailand’s top paediatricians says there’s no need to give children a cocktail of an inactivated vaccine dose and an mRNA dose. Instead, Somsak Lolekha from the Paediatric Society of Thailand says 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine are enough to protect children from becoming severely ill with Covid-19. He adds that booster doses are not necessary for most…
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23 hotels in Thailand sold for a total of 13.2 billion baht in 2021
The following is a press release from JLL, a professional services firm specialising in real estate and investment management. Ease of travel restrictions will lead to a brighter tourism market outlook and more participation of foreign investors this year The latest report from property consultant JLL reveals that Thailand saw 23 hotels sold in 2021 with approximately 3,000 keys and…
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Mother in Sa Kaeo allegedly drives a motorbike drunk, drops 4 month old baby
A four month old baby was found in the middle of a road in the eastern province Sa Kaeo, which borders Cambodia. Reports say the mother was drunk and accidentally dropped her baby while on a motorbike, but didn’t realise until she had driven home. Locals found the baby lying in the middle of the Suwannasorn Road at around 9pm…
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Indonesia considers ditching all quarantine rules for international arrivals from April
A government official in Indonesia says the country could lift all quarantine requirements for international arrivals from April, as the Covid-19 hospitalisation and death rates are now under control. According to a Bloomberg report, the suggestion was made by Luhut Panjaitan, who oversees the government’s pandemic response on the islands of Java and Bali. He went on to say that…
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Covid-19 infections will soon begin to level off and drop for most of the country – CCSA
The government’s Covid-19 task force expects overall case numbers to level off and start dropping soon, but 10 provinces could still see rising numbers. Yesterday, Thailand reported 14,900 new infections and 26 Covid deaths, compared to 15,882 cases and 25 deaths the day before. Bangkok reported 2,892 and 10 deaths, with daily infections doubling during the first 6 weeks of…
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Domestic travel demand weakened by rising Covid infections, high prices
A spike in daily new infections, coupled with high prices for goods and services, has stymied the recovery of domestic tourism. La-Iad Bungsrithong from the northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association says this is despite government schemes such as We Travel Together and other incentives designed to attract visitors, such as local events. “Bookings from the fourth phase of…
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Koh Phi Phi officials say keep sea clean after pregnant shark trapped in hat dies
The head of Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park is advising people to keep the Andaman Sea clean after divers found a pregnant blacktip reef shark dead, her body stuck in what appears to be part of a woven straw hat that had unravelled and gotten tied up in coral. In a video from the divers, the brim and top…
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Thailand is revising surrogacy laws to allow foreigners to hire Thais to bear children
Thailand is revising surrogacy laws to allow foreigners to hire Thai surrogate mothers without requiring one partner to be Thai. Under the proposed changes, foreigners will also be allowed to bring the eggs and sperm out of Thailand for surrogacy overseas. Revisions to the law are aimed at promoting Thailand as a medical hub, gaining more income for the country.…
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15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates
Following its reopening of borders to fully-vaccinated visitors last week, the Philippines immigration reportedly denied entry to 15 Malaysians due to their vaccination in Malaysia yesterday. Their passports are reportedly being held and they will be deported from the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. A passenger told The Star reporters that the Philippines immigration officials did not accept the…
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Monday Covid Update: 14,900 new cases; provincial totals
26 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,462 with 764 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,900 new Covid-19 cases and 9,810 recoveries. There are now 129,933 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Love is in the air… and the beer… and the Prosecco
Origins of Valentine’s Day, with a Thai twist, by Barry Daniel Saint Valentine’s Day is traditionally a time for romance, flowers, candle-lit dinners and the whispering of sweet nothings into the shell-like ear of the object of your affections. But in Phuket there can be other distractions! History is unclear on whether any of The Beatles had journeyed to Thailand…
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Russia’s figure skating sweetheart Kamila Valieva continues Olympic pursuit after interim doping ban
Russia’s figure skating star Kamila Valieva has been allowed to continue competing in the Winter Olympics after successfully appealing an interim ban, which came in light of a late failed doping test she took more than a month before the games began in Beijing. The Court of Arbitration for Sport made the ruling on Monday morning, allowing the 15 year…
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Oil still pollutes Rayong beach, Thai tourist says oil on his body after a swim
Following the second oil leak in Rayong, not only was leaked crude oil still on Mae Ramphueng Beach, but a Thai tourist says water reeked of oil and his body was covered in oily stains after a swim. Another local shared a picture of what looks like a coral-covered with a black strain. Locals say they are worried about the…
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Thailand’s tiger and elephant attractions call for support after two years of losses
After a two-year hit on tourism, elephant and tiger attractions in Thailand have run low on money and are asking the government for financial assistance. Zoo operators met with the Tourism Commission yesterday at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, citing their struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic. The daily income for Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, as well as the location…
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Tourist who sat on endangered reef faces 10 years in prison, up to 1 million baht fine
A Thai tourist who posted a photograph of himself sitting on an endangered coral reef faces a fine of up to 1 million baht and a 10-year prison sentence. Wisutr Rattanasathian shared a photograph on his Facebook page on Saturday, which shows him sitting on the protected reef off Koh Khram Noi, in the Sattahip district of Trat province, eastern…
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Thai-Malaysia border to re-open from next month
The Thai government says it will re-open the country’s border with Malaysia from next month, in an effort to kickstart the recovery of tourism and the economy in the southern provinces. According to a Bangkok Post report, spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek says PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the CCSA to work with the tourism and sports emergency operation centre on Covid-19…
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Hong Kong “overwhelmed” as it battles “onslaught” of Covid-19 infections
Hong Kong has found itself overwhelmed by an ongoing surge in Covid-19 infections, according to leader Carrie Lam. She has described the situation as an “onslaught” that has significantly affected the territory’s capacity to manage the spread, with daily infections reaching record highs and overwhelming the global financial hub. According to a Reuters report, in the last 2 weeks, daily…
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Perfect your Valentine’s dining at Siam Paragon
Sponsored Article The season of love is approaching and it’s time to treat your special someone for lunch or dinner on Valentine’s day. Siam Paragon, a shopping centre located in the heart of Bangkok is known for its world-class food destination. This shopping centre offers a variety of classic restaurants where you can celebrate your sweet momentous occasion. Lovebirds can also…
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Health Minister urged to extend Covid treatment coverage to April
The government is being urged to reconsider its decision to end coverage for Covid-19 treatment under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had previously announced that Covid treatment would be excluded from the UCEP scheme from March 1. However, his deputy, Sathit Pitutecha, argues now is not the time, given that infections are on…
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Thailand to ban alcohol sales on February 16, Makha Bucha Day
Don’t we all love those alcohol bans that come time to time in Thailand! This coming Wednesday, February 16, you won’t be able buy alcohol because Thailand, along with some other south east Asian countries, will mark the Buddhist holy day of Makha Bucha Day. The day commemorates Buddha gathering with his first 1,250 disciples in the bamboo grove where…
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