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 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
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Khao Yai hotel threatening 3 million baht lawsuit for bad review named
More details have emerged as the hotel in Khao Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima has held tight in their vow to sue a woman who left a slightly negative review for 3 million baht. The names of the resort and the woman involved were made more public as a lawyer representing the woman gave details about the incident. Sittra Biebangkerd said…
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Couple stranded in Singapore for 18 months rescued by New Zealand navy
A couple stranded in Singapore for 18 months due to their health and dwindling finances, which had made it difficult for them to survive in the most expensive country in Asia, were rescued by the New Zealand navy during a rare merciful mission last year. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the pair were unable to fly to New Zealand, claiming…
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Phuket immigration confirms vaccination not needed for extension
In order to combat rumours swirling online and amongst nervous anti-vax foreigners, the Phuket Immigration Office reassured people that vaccination is not required in order to get an extension of their stay in Thailand. The office in Phuket Town made the announcement via their Facebook page, though they did not address well several other complaints and issues that have been…
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Thailand’s updated Covid guidelines: What to do if you test positive or have symptoms
Following the surge in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, the government has announced an update on guidelines on the treatment and management of Covid-19 patients. Cases involving the highly contagious Omicron variant is on the rise, but Thai health officials say that luckily most patients have mild to no symptoms and do not need to undergo treatment at…
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Third foreigner this week dies from building fall in Pattaya
Less than one week after a 72 year old foreigner fell to his death from a popular unnamed Pattaya condo building, a second similar incident occurred. This time, a 64 year old Norwegian man believed to be an expat was found dead after his fall last night from his 5th-floor condominium in Jomtien. Once again, there was no immediate sign…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 7,681 new cases; provincial totals
19 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,869 with 171 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,681 new Covid-19 cases and 3,350 recoveries. There are now 66,286 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thailand recognises Taiwan’s Medigen vaccine, inoculated travellers eligible for Sandbox entry
A Covid-19 vaccine developed by Taiwan’s Medigen Vaccine Biologics has been recognised by the Thai government, allowing those who have been fully inoculated with the Medigen vaccine to enter Thailand under the Sandbox travel scheme, according to Thailand’s Department of Consular Affairs. Under the scheme, vaccinated travellers from overseas can roam freely in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, or the Surat…
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Ununiformed checkpoint police face charges for shooting at truck
5 young men left a camping trip outside Ban Phikunthong village in Narathiwat to run to town to grab some food at a 24-hour convenience store. As they were driving through Muang district they approached 3 men dressed in street clothes signalling them to pull over. Unsure of what they wanted in the middle of the night, and with no…
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Pattaya Karaoke bar raided afterhours for violating Covid-19 rules
A karaoke bar in Pattaya flagrantly ignoring all Covid-19 regulations was raided by police last night as more than 50 people drank and partied inside. Police raided Jacky Karaoke around 11:30 pm last night after receiving an anonymous tip from someone reported to be worried about the illegal venue spreading Covid-19 in their area. The karaoke bar, located on Soi…
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Facebook post seeking Thai escort to infect client with Covid-19 goes viral
A post on Facebook looking for an escort in Thailand, but the client has a special request… He wants the woman to be infected with Covid-19. The post reads “Infected only. Work starts at 10pm. The client wants to be positive.” It says the client has a budget of 3,000 baht to 5,000 baht with a 600 baht commission for…
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Survey shows many Thais suffering suicidal thoughts and depression during pandemic
A recent survey shows that many Thais are enduring suicidal thoughts, depression, and burnout as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Amporn Benjaponpitak from the Department of Mental Health says the online poll assessed the mental health of over 2.5 million people in Thailand. A Thai PBS World report carries a breakdown of some of the results. Over 8% of…
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Another 300 hotel quarantine rooms set aside for infected tourists in Phuket
As Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Phuket, the southern island is creating more self-isolation facilities for infected foreign tourists. According to a Nation Thailand report, cases are surging on the island, with new infection numbers rising from 238 last Wednesday to 742 on Sunday. Most infections are cases of local transmission, but infections are being reported in sandbox tourists…
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Applicants for Thai citizenship must pass new Thai language test
The Thai government has introduced new regulations that require those who apply for Thai citizenship to pass a new Thai language test. According to a Bangkok Post report, government representative Rachada Dhnadirek says the fees for citizenship have also doubled. Up until now, Thai citizenship was based on regulations in place since 1967, which required applicants to speak and understand…
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Phuket seeing healthy tourism demand, with 4,000 Thailand Pass applications a day
The president of the Phuket Tourism Association says the island is proving popular with foreign tourists, receiving 4,000 applications a day through the Thailand Pass system. Bhummikitti Ruktaengam says most of those visitors are from Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. Bhummikitti credits the success of the island’s Covid-19 measures for inspiring confidence among foreign…
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Air passengers from Thailand to be banned from transiting in Hong Kong over Omicron spread
There are unconfirmed reports that air travellers from Thailand and a number of other countries are to be banned from transiting through Hong Kong. The ban applies to all Group A countries, which have been designated high-risk for Covid-19. Group A includes a number of popular transit routes, such as Singapore, Australia, and several European countries, as well as Thailand.…
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Vindicated in visa court case, Djokovic seeks historic victory in a different court
World Number 1 player Novak Djokovic tweeted a picture of himself standing with his team on a tennis court in Melbourne, Victoria late Monday evening, writing he was “pleased and grateful” that a judge overturned his visa cancellation. Game. Set. Match! Judge Anthony Kelly of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia had earlier ordered Djokovic’s release from an immigration detention…
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No VIP isolation beds at field hospitals, better facilities through health insurance
When it comes to a stay at a Thailand field hospital, there’s no VIP section, according to the country’s Public Health Minister. For some who are not eligible for home isolation, it’s either a field hospital, where the stay is free, but the beds are made of cardboard, or a hospital, which can be expensive. Along with cardboard beds, some…
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American man becomes first to get a genetically-modified pig heart transplant
A 57 year old American man in Baltimore has become the first human to get a heart transplant from a genetically engineered pig after undergoing seven-hour experimental surgery. The day before the surgery, the patient David Bennett told reporters “it was either die or do this transplant,” that the experimental surgery is a “shot in the dark,” but it’s his…
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Nearly 30,000 Covid-19 cases reported in the Philippines in a single day
The Philippines reported 28,007 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, three times bigger than Thailand’s number yesterday, reaching over 3 million in total since the pandemic began in March 2020. A total of 52,511 patients have died so far. The Southeast Asian country’s hope to end the pandemic is now long gone, despite its vaccine efforts, following the uptick…
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Huawei reportedly working with Thai government for 5G
Thailand has taken the next step in the 5G scene by joining hands with Huawei Technologies, although the Chinese tech giant remains on the blacklist of the US government’s cyber-security list. Last year, Huawei Thailand CEO Abel Deng was seen attending the inauguration event of Siriraj World Class 5G Smart Hospital with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a month after the prime…
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Laos PM visited Vietnam’s capital for three days to enchance bilateral relations
Laos Prime Minster, Phankham Viphavanh, has visited Hanoi for three days to meet with Vietnam’s Pham Minh Chinh on Saturday to enhance bilateral relations between the two nations, according to official reports. The two leaders then discussed ways to improve economic cooperation and agreed to increase connections between their economies, particularly through land-road, railway, aviation, and marine port projects, including…
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Two police officers ordered to pick up dog poop as punishment for minor violation
As punishment for a minor violation, two police officers have been ordered to pick up dog poop outside of the local station for the next month. Apparently, the officers have been parking their cars in spaces reserved for residents. When their superior officer found out, they were ordered to do pick up dog faeces during their community service outings throughout…
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Yacht docked at Pattaya pier catches fire
A yacht docked in Pattaya caught fire today, sending a dark cloud of smoke billowing above buildings along the coast. The Shiraz yacht docked at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club caught fire at around 10:58am today. It took firefighters 30 minutes to control the flames. Firefighters are still investigating, but the cause is suspected to be a short circuit. The…
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Pattaya police raid bars serving alcohol past 9pm, arrest two managers
Two bar managers in Pattaya were arrested for violating the disease control measures last night. Bars across Thailand are ordered to remain closed, but some have opened up as restaurants. In “blue zones,” which includes Pattaya, alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants are allowed until 9pm. At around 9:30pm, Pattaya police officers went to Soi Bua Khao and Walking Street…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 7,133 new cases; provincial totals
12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,850 with 152 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,133 new Covid-19 cases and 3,306 recoveries. There are now 61,974 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Hospitals must urgently admit children infected with Covid, have proper medication on hand
After reports that an 8 month old sick with Covid-19 had to wait in a queue before being treated at a hospital, the government is instructing all hospitals in Thailand to admit child Covid-19 patients immediately, adding that no child infected with the virus should be turned down and staff must have the appropriate medication on hand to treat them. The…
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Bank of Thailand forecasts lower economic growth during Omicron outbreak
With the emergence of the Omicron variant in Thailand and an uptick of cases after the New Year holiday, the country’s central bank says the economy might grow slower in the first half of the year. The kingdom has seen a revival in tourism, especially over the past two months with the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme. Registration for…
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Mysterious “ghost ship” might have been an illegal oil tanker, expert says
An expert told Thai media that he suspects the mysterious abandoned Chinese vessel found in the Gulf of Thailand might have been an illegal oil tanker distributing oil to various countries. The Jin Shui Yuan 2, which many are calling a “ghost ship,” was reported by staff at an oil rig off the coast of the southern province Songkhla last…
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Thailand ranks as the best country in Asia to retire – International Living magazine
Is Thailand the best country in Asia to retire? Some think so. Thailand was ranked as the best country in Asia for retirement in 2022 by International Living magazine. And out of a list of 25 countries, the magazine listed Thailand as number 11, with Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico topping the list. The magazine’s annual global retirement index is…
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Major fire guts incense warehouse in Chon Buri
An incense warehouse in the eastern province of Chon Buri has been completely destroyed by fire. The Pattaya News reports that the fire broke out at a joss sticks warehouse in the district of Ban Bueng on Sunday. 10 fire engines attended the blaze in Soi Intara and it took firefighters over an hour to bring the fire under control.…
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