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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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Thai research institute identifies global post-pandemic trends
There is no doubt that in many ways, the world looks like a very different place now than it did before Covid-19. The Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) has identified a number of global megatrends that they say will be a big part of post-pandemic life. The institute says that industries will have to learn to adapt to these new…
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British Airways launches Black Friday fares on Singapore – London route
British Airways has introduced special Black Friday offers on its Singapore – London route from this week. The UK’s flagship carrier has confirmed return economy fares will start from SGD849 in World Traveller Class (around 21,000 Thai baht) and SGD3,999 in Business class (approximately 98,000 baht). According to a TTR Weekly report, bookings must be made by December 2. Noella…
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Joe Biden will run for re-election in 2024: White House
The White House has confirmed that US President Joe Biden will run again in the 2024 presidential elections. According to a Reuters report, spokeswoman Jen Psaki says the president intends to run for a second term. At the time of her media address, Biden was on board Air Force One, on his way to a Thanksgiving event with US troops…
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Cabinet approves Thailand importing 30 million Pfizer vaccines
The Department of Disease Control will import another 30 million Pfizer vaccines with the Thai Cabinet approving the deal today. This agreement will double the amount mRNA vaccines Thailand has obtained from Pfizer for a total of 60 million doses. The deal also authorizes the DDC to sign and confirm the third amendment to the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement that…
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Miss Universe Thailand sued over inappropriate use of national flag in promo photo
Miss Universe Thailand is being sued for inappropriate use of the Thai flag. On the pageant organiser’s website, the promo picture for Anchilee Scott-Kemmis shows the beauty queen dressed in red, wearing a crown, and striking a pose while holding the national flag, which appears to be a digital image. The red, white and blue stripes appeared beneath her feet…
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Taliban bans TV shows with female actors, orders female journalists to wear “Islamic hijab”
The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has released a set of orders targeting female actors and women in the media. According to a Reuters report, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue has confirmed a ban on TV shows that use female actors and a rule that female news presenters must wear Islamic dress. In total, the ministry has issued 9 rules,…
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PM calls for diesel price to be brought below 30 baht a litre
The Thai PM has ordered the Ministry of Energy to accelerate measures to reduce the price of diesel. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha met with several of his deputies yesterday to discuss the ongoing crisis, which has led to truck drivers around the country coming out in protest. The Ministry of Energy has stated that measures will…
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Myanmar’s shadow government raises US$6.3 million for “revolution”
In a campaign for a “revolution” against Myanmar’s military following the February 1 coup and bloody crackdown, the country’s shadow government began issuing special “treasury bonds” and say they raised more than US$6.3 million on the first day. The National Unity Government, or NUG, is a coalition of pro-democracy organisations, ethnic minority militaries, and remnants of the country’s deposed civilian…
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EU lawmakers pass Common Agricultural Policy deal — but green critics sound alarm
After years of negotiations, European lawmakers voted to reform the bloc’s huge farming subsidy program — the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The farm deal worth €386.6 billion will be implemented from January 1, 2023, and makes up one-third of the EU’s budget. It will be the bloc’s farming policy till 2027 and aims to meet the EU’s climate sustainability goals…
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Congo: Entrepreneur delivers sustainable water supply to Goma
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) holds half of the fresh water reserves of the entire African continent, according to UNICEF. But not even half of the Congolese population has access to clean drinking water. Entrepreneur Jack Kahorha didn’t want to accept that. So, four years ago, he and two friends founded the water company Yme Jibu in Goma, the…
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Foreign Minister says several European nations open to donating vaccines to Thailand
Thailand’s Foreign Minister told the press today at Government House before entering the weekly cabinet meeting that several countries in Europe are willing to donate Covid-19 vaccines to the kingdom. Minister Don Pramudwinai, who is also the Deputy PM, did not mention the list of EU countries that wants to “give away” the vaccines. He said the Health Ministry of…
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Young man arrested for allegedly selling homemade guns
A man was arrested yesterday for the alleged possession of 4 homemade guns. The arrest took place in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, and police reported that the suspect is an 18 year old by the name of Kraiwit Issara. Commander of the Provincial Police Region 1 reported that officers made the arrest around 5 pm yesterday after setting…
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Too many wires: Prayut says he wants communication cables underground
Wires throughout Thailand’s urban areas, haphazardly bunched and looped on posts, look like an electrician’s nightmare. Now, according to Thai media, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he wants that to change and is proposing that the National Telecommunications Commission work with relevant agencies to get communication lines underground. Thai media points out that during actor Russell Crowe’s highly publicised trip to…
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63 million baht in stolen donations returned to revered abbot
Three people, including a temple caretaker, were arrested for allegedly embezzling around 63 million baht donations from a Buddhist temple in the central province Nakhon Sawan. The Bangkok Post reports that the cash has been returned to Wat Huai Duan and police gathered for a formal handover of the more than 63 million baht in cash to the highly respected…
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The future of Thailand’s Maya Bay – Report #1 | VIDEO
Should Maya Bay reopen? Of course it probably will, at the start of 2022. But there are fears that, despite the best intentions, it will be back to mass tourism and ‘market forces rule’. Maya Bay is the Andaman region’s most popular tourist destination, based on interest generated from the 2000 Hollywood movie “The Beach” from the Alex Garland novel…
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CCSA clarifies fines for ignoring mask mandate
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration released a reminder to the public that there is still a mask mandate in place that needs to be respected. But in response to concerns over the reported 20,000 baht fine for being caught without a mask, yesterday the CCSA assured the public that such a high fine would only be for repeat offenders…
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Hundreds arrested, thousands of motorbikes seized in street racing crackdown
In a nationwide, 10-day crackdown on illegal street racing, Thai police arrested nearly 1,000 people and confiscated around 20,000 motorbikes and cars. The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that the Thai government is also pushing to amend the Land Traffic Act to include an “attempted racing” offense for gathering near public roads to participate in races. Royal Thai Police…
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Health officials wonder why so many Thais refuse to get jabbed
Despite the fact that Thailand has suffered tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still millions of Thais who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. The secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has asked public health workers across the country to try and figure out why so many people don’t want the vaccine. The ministry thinks that if…
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Monty Python’s John Cleese is coming to Bangkok this January
John Cleese from the British comedy group Monty Python is coming to Bangkok in January as part of his “Why There Is No Hope” tour. Tickets start at 1,500 baht and go on sale on Friday. Live Nation Tero members can purchase pre-sale tickets on Thursday. To attend the show, patrons must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or test negative…
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American Music Awards – BTS, first Asian band to win Artists of the Year
South Korean band BTS had a huge night at the American Music Awards. They not only won the highly coveted ‘Artist of the Year’, they also picked up the Best pop song of the year and Best duo or group. Significantly, BTS are the first Asian musicians to pick up the main award in an otherwise white-washed US pop industry.…
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Cambodian refugees under UN protection arrested after deportation from Thailand
Following the arrest of a third Cambodian refugee deported from Thailand, the UN Refugee Agency says it is “dismayed” by Thai authorities’ move to force refugees back to the territory where they face prosecution. Earlier this month, two Cambodian nationals, who were both registered refugees under UN protection, were expelled from Thailand. This past Saturday, a third refugee, who is…
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Pro-democracy activist accuses Thai movie director of slapping, kicking her
A prominent pro-democracy activist has accused a Thai film director of assault following a cultural event in Bangkok on Sunday evening. According to a Coconuts report, Rukchanok Srinork, aka “Ice”, took to social media to accuse Yuthalert “Tom” Sippapak of slapping her in the face and kicking her in the stomach. Rukchanok says she has filed a complaint against the…
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Singapore’s travel pass site went down as applications for Malaysians open
The SafeTravel website of Singapore, which allows foreign visitors to apply for a vaccination travel pass before entering, was down for several hours yesterday, which was the first day people from Malaysia could apply. Around noon, the website had a message that said “it was undergoing regular maintenance.” It was then restored around 3pm, but a text box recommended customers to…
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CCSA admits some hotels are scamming Thailand Pass travellers
Some Thai hotels are deceiving foreign arrivals by letting them book a room without transport or Covid testing, then trying to sell them a new package on arrival. CCSA spokesperson Apisamai Srirangson says some hotels are deliberately only selling a room, whereas the Thailand Pass requirements stipulate that the package must include transportation from the airport to the hotel and…
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Minister confirms all train services at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will end
Rail services to Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station will soon be no more, according to Thailand’s Transport Minister. Saksayam Chidchob says services to the station will initially be decreased from 118 a day to 22, before being phased out completely. No date has been confirmed for the termination of all services, but an earlier proposal has it pencilled in for December…
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Brazil’s skateboarders who choose self-confidence over crime
When it comes time for Sandro Soares’ free lessons, the kids and teens usually knock on the gate with their skateboards. Soares, known to most as Testinha, in June resumed training sessions several times a week after classes were put on hold for many months due to the coronavirus pandemic. His wife Leila, an educator, supports the passionate 43-year-old skateboarder.…
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Sudan: Is Hamdok’s return a signal of democracy or military victory?
Sudanese protesters have taken to the streets to call for democracy and an end to military rule after the deposed civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, pledged to return to the government jointly led with the military. Nearly four weeks after a military coup, Hamdok was reinstated on Sundaywhen he signed a 14-point power-sharing deal with General Abdel-Fattah Burhan. “Sudanese blood…
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Crime Fighters: A Caring Family Counts
Too many pregnancies in a short space of time led 20-year-old Linda Malongo to exhaustion. But her husband, Tommy, didn’t understand why women need time to recover between births, or why unplanned pregnancies can put the health of both mother and child at risk. Sitting under the papaya tree in his backyard, Tommy tells us his story, wishing he could…
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India farm laws — what impact will the repeal have on Modi’s standing?
Thousands of farmers continue to protest in India even after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unexpectedly rolled back contentious agricultural laws his government rammed through parliament last year arguing that they would modernize the nation’s farm sector. The laws sparked yearlong protests from tens of thousands of farmers, who feared new rules would dramatically reduce their incomes. The row…
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Mask up! Foreign visitors warned of penalties for violating disease control laws
Foreign visitors are being told to mask up and follow Thailand’s disease control laws, or face prosecution… possibly even a 20,000 baht fine for not wearing a mask. The warning comes after reports that many foreigners travelling for business have not been wearing masks and many have gathered for parties, which a spokesperson says led to Covid-19 transmission. In today’s…
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