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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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Thai Covid-19 experimental vaccine to proceed to human testing from April 2021
A Thai start-up developing an experimental Covid-19 vaccine is said to be making good progress, with the candidate passing testing on laboratory animals. Baiya Phytopharm, a Thai firm developing a vaccine from plant leaves, is to sign an agreement to begin production for use in human trials. Thewin Wongwanich, from the State Enterprise Development Planning Subcommittee, says the firm is…
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Festival-goers claim event shut down over pro-democracy content, not Covid-19
Social media users are accusing officials of shutting down a music festival in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima due to its pro-democracy content. The claims follow a statement from governor Wichian Chantaranothai, who says the festival was terminated early due to Covid-19 risks. He accuses organisers of failing to implement adequate preventative measures, saying there was no limit on…
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No “drink voting” – Alcohol ban on Saturday and Sunday during elections
CORRECTION: Dates for the alcohol ban were incorrect in an earlier report. The correct dates are Saturday, December 19 to Sunday, December, 20. Possibly in an effort to make sure no one stumbles to the voting polls and casts their ballots drunk, alcohol will be banned from 6pm Saturday until 6pm Sunday during Thailand’s municipal council elections across the country.…
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Chiang Rai officials insist province is now safe to visit
Officials in the northern province of Chiang Rai are assuring potential tourists from the rest of the Kingdom that it is safe to visit, saying the Covid-19 situation is under control. Chiang Rai hit the headlines in recent weeks, when a number of Thai nationals entered the province illegally from Myanmar. After bypassing health checks and quarantine, several subsequently tested…
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Covid-19 cases could lead to a drop in revenue for New Years, economist says
A rise in local Covid-19 infections could discourage many people from travelling and going out for New Years celebrations, costing Thailand’s tourism industry 14 billion baht to more than 16 billion baht, according to economist Anusorn Tamajai. Recently, 17 Thais tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from the Myanmar border town Tachileik, crossing the border illegally and dodging the mandatory…
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Holiday weekend road death toll: 67
67 people were killed in road accidents during the long holiday weekend while another 388 people were injured, according to the Transport Ministry. Most of the fatalities were motorcycle riders. Thursday and Friday were public holidays for Constitution Day and Father’s Day which commemorates King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s birthday. Many people were off work and travelled. The ministry estimates more than…
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Thai man could get $4.2 million USD for whale vomit known as “floating gold”
NOTE: Readers with a sensitive stomach are advised not to eat while reading this article. Floating gold… sounds mystical. Actually, it’s just hardened whale vomit known as the more elegant name “ambergris.” It’s a rare find that can cost thousands of US dollars. Recently, a man in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat found what might be the world’s largest…
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Narathiwat villager shot and killed, suspected insurgent camp found nearby
After a villager was shot and killed while he was hunting wild pigs, a military and police task force searched the area in the Southern province Narathiwat’s Si Sakhon district and found a deserted camp on Bilo mountain that they suspect was used by insurgents. 55 year old Sophon Thasuk went up to the mountain to go hunting with a…
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Malaysia coast guard busts record methamphetamine shipment, possibly smuggled from Golden Triangle
Malaysia’s coast guard made its largest bust, seizing more than 2 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine that was hidden in packets of Chinese tea. The shipment of illegal drugs, worth 105.9 million ringgit, or 789 million baht, is part of a large-scale drug trade across Southeast Asia, China and Australia. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director general, Mohamad Zubil Mat Som,…
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25 Burmese arrested for allegedly crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally
Military and police patrol arrested 25 Burmese people for allegedly crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally to Kanchanaburi’s Muang district. With Covid-19 cases rising by more than 1,000 each day in the neighbouring country, some Thais fear that migrants crossing the border illegally, avoiding the mandatory 14 day quarantine, could potentially spread the virus to people in Thailand. Covid-19 fears were…
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Foreign media express anxiety over Thailand’s press freedoms
Foreign journalists in Thailand are expressing concern about what they are calling restrictions on press freedom. Speaking at a recent Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand forum, speakers said that the current laws are “proving to be an obstacle to reporting of the anti-government protests”, despite government assurances there have been no curbs on freedom of expression. The “Journalism Without Fear…
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US launches most complex vaccine distribution today as Covid soars
Today, the US is launching its largest and most complicated vaccine distribution process in its history after Covid has continued to wreak havoc on its citizens for months. The site of the distribution, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is filled with tractor trailers loaded with suitcase-sized containers of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine. US regulators authorised the vaccine from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech…
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Returnees from Myanmar account for 9 of 17 new Covid infections today
Today, Thailand has reported 17 new cases of the novel coronavirus found in people entering Thailand from other countries, with 9 infected returnees coming from Myanmar through the Mae Sai district in northern Chiang Rai. All 9 were women who had worked at nightspots in Tachilek, the Burmese border town, featuring the now infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, which was the site…
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Majority says school uniforms should remain mandatory – NIDA Poll
According to a new poll, a majority of Thai people think the student uniforms should remain mandatory in Thai schools, while others say casual outfits should also be allowed some days of the week. The latter opinion, which was part of the recently conducted National Institute of Development Administration Poll, was reportedly due to keeping the peace and easing tensions…
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Man dies searching for shells while another dies in marathon
A man has died while searching for shells off Jomtien Beach, just south of Pattaya, after running out of oxygen. The man reportedly ran out of oxygen 9 metres underwater, when using scuba diving gear in deep waters. Rescue divers arrived at the scene and found 10 fishing boats about 1 kilometre away from the beach where local fishermen were…
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PM Prayut set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless skytrain
Thailand’s PM Prayut is set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless Skytrain as he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Green Line extension and the Gold Line monorail on Wednesday, December 16. The Skytrain extension will travel from Mo Chit station through Saphan Mai station and ends at Khu Kot. The Gold Line monorail, which features the driverless train,…
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Laos – the ‘battery’ of Asia and a ticking environmental time bomb
LAOS POWER FACTS: Number of power plants soon to be completed by the end of 2020: 53 hydropower plants under construction or in the planning stage, including those set to be completed this year; there will be more than 90 hydropower plants in Laos with a combined installed capacity of almost 14,000MW. Transmission lines that connect with neighbouring countries: 14 carry power to…
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Thai government threaten to boycott new Lao hydro electric dam project
Loas officials have announced the announcement of yet another Laos hydro electric dam and Thai authorities aren’t happy. The long list of Laos and Chinese dams along the Mekong River have hugely affected the life of communities downstream of the Mekong in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. And Laos. The Lao PDR has been described as South East Asia’s ‘battery’ and…
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Thai man strikes it rich after finding whale vomit
A Thai man in Nakhon Si Thammarat is striking it rich after finding whale vomit on the local beach. Narit Suwansang thought his discovery was just a large rock, but had an inkling that it could be something more. US$4.2 million more, that is! The whale vomit, also known as ambergris, usually looks like a rock, with yellow-beige colouring. After…
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When did Bangkok have its ‘good old days’?
When did Bangkok have its golden era? Of course it depends on when you were visiting, how long you were here, where you stayed, and what you were doing at the time. But the city has certainly had some ‘eras’ in the past that people nostalgically and whimsically recall as ‘special’. Here’s a few of the responses about when Bangkok…
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Thai arrested over alleged smuggling of 12 illegal Laos migrants
Police have arrested an Ubon Ratchathani resident over the alleged smuggling of 12 illegal migrants from Laos in a pick-up truck on Friday night. Authorities have stepped up patrols along Thailand’s northern and north eastern borders over recent weeks to stem the flow of illegal crossings into Thailand in the wake of the prostitutes and other Thai workers who were…
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Phuket taxis and tuk tuks under the microscope again after passenger ripped off
Local Phuket transport and provincial officials are AGAIN trying to tackle the island’s notorious taxi and tuk tuk ‘mafias’, after another passenger complained of being ripped off. The island has a long history of extortionate transport costs for local taxis and tuk tuks, giving Phuket a poor and infamous reputation for over-priced transport and rude drivers. Efforts to attract travellers…
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US approves Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine
The US has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, a situation that now permits the rollout of the new mRNA coronavirus vaccine. President Donald Trump promised the first immunisations will now take place “in less than 24 hours”, hailing the development. “Through our partnership with FedEx and UPS, we have already begun shipping the vaccine to every state and zip code…
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Thai border officials capture 14 illegal Burmese migrants at Tak border areas
The Thai military has captured 14 illegal migrants from Myanmar, in 2 operations in the northern province of Tak yesterday. The first occurred in the district of Mae Sot, when officials arrested 11 Burmese nationals, 1 male and 10 females, who were in the process of crossing the Mei River into Thailand. All 11 have been sent to a Tak…
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US Supreme Court rejects state bid to overturn presidential election
The US Supreme Court has rejected a last ditch bid from the Texas’ state attorney general, supported by President Trump, to block ballots of millions of voters in key battleground states that voted for President-elect Joe Biden. The Supreme Court order was unsigned, and the court did not provide a vote count from the sitting judges, but there were no…
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Health officials say all Covid patients in Thailand have been accounted for
The head of Thailand’s Disease Control Department says all Covid-19 cases across 7 provinces where infected returnees from Myanmar travelled, have now been accounted for. Opas Karnkawinpong says Thailand now has a total of 49 cases linked to Thai nationals who crossed illegally from Myanmar, bypassing health checks and quarantine. “So far, 49 cases have been found to be related…
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Pro-democracy activists to beef up security with professionally trained personnel
Protest leader Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”, says activists will no longer rely on volunteer security officers, but will instead bring in trained professionals. The Bangkok Post reports that Parit took to Facebook to announce that the People’s Movement has disbanded its team of volunteer security guards. He says the group will now seek professionally trained personnel, to ensure their safety…
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Senators, MPs, voice support for Thailand’s lèse majesté law
Politicians have come out in support of the Kingdom’s lèse majesté law, amid calls from pro-democracy activists to have it abolished. The law, officially Section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits criticising, defaming, or insulting the Thai Monarchy. At least 12 political activists have recently been charged with lèse majesté offences for their role in various anti-government rallies. On Thursday,…
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Thailand News Today | 45 day tourist visa, Cher campaign for gorilla, Pattani arrests | Dec 11
Last day of the week and the middle of the long of a 4 day long weekend for Thailand. Be safe on the roads and we’ll see you on Monday. All the latest news will continue on thethaiger.com. 45 day tourist visa exemption proposal to be presented to Cabinet After the prime minister told officials to hurry up and relax…
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BTS are the Time Magazine Entertainer of the Year 2020
Music supergroup BTS has been named Entertainer of the Year by Time Magazine, capping another year ascending through the bamboo ceiling of the world’s music industry. The South Korean K-Pop group, who debuted in 2013, has become the world’s most popular band thanks their meaningful lyrics, themed albums, an army of adoring fans (who are actually called ARMY), positive messages and…
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