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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 Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Thailand to welcome British Foreign Secretary as part of Southeast Asia visit
The British Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, will visit Thailand as part of a Southeast Asia trip that will also see her travel to Malaysia and Indonesia. According to a Reuters report, the purpose of the week-long trip is to strengthen the UK’s economic and security ties in the region. The UK is increasingly looking to countries beyond Europe as it…
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Village chief in Isaan calls police after mistaking mannequin for naked man
Police in the Isaan province Ubon Ratchathani received a call from the village chief Friday afternoon reporting that a naked man was standing by a resident’s home, but when officers went to approach the man, they discovered it was just a mannequin. According to The Pattaya News, the Bang Yang village headman Mongkolchai Phongsri called the Don Mod Daeng Police…
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Aide to Thai PM says repealing lèse majesté law would be “impossible”
A representative of the PM’s Secretariat Office has described Thailand’s controversial lèse majesté law as untouchable, amid calls for it to be repealed. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thipanan Sirichana says repealing the law, formally known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, would contravene the constitution. She says Thailand’s constitution dictates that the king’s position is one of…
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“We’re fixing it” – Government responds to Thailand Pass complaints
A government spokesman says efforts are underway to fix glitches that have affected the Thailand Pass system since its launch. Social media has been awash with criticism from both Thais and foreigners attempting to use the system. Many have complained about delays in receiving the QR code required for travel, while others say they never received it at all. The…
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Burmese, Cambodian jobseekers caught entering Thailand illegally
Unscrupulous people smugglers are taking advantage of Burmese and Cambodian workers who are desperate to find employment in Thailand. With the re-opening of the country to international tourism, migrant workers are paying illegal brokers to secure employment and transport into the kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that yesterday, police in the western province of Kanchanaburi arrested 97 Burmese nationals who…
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Tension in Ethiopia as TPLF fighters advance
When Adam* returned to his home after a haircut on the morning of Saturday, November 6, he saw his parents and sister being forced into a police van. With them were two other families living in the compound – all of them of Tigrayan origin. Before leaving, Adam’s mother was able to lock the house, he said, taking with her…
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Tension in Ethiopia as Tigrayan forces advance
When Adam* returned to his home after a haircut on the morning of Saturday, November 6, he saw his parents and sister being forced into a police van. With them were two other families living in the compound – all of them of Tigrayan origin. Before leaving, Adam’s mother was able to lock the house, he said, taking with her…
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WHO: Global pandemic exposed unpreparedness and inequality
A new report by the World Health Organisation Global Preparedness Monitoring Board says that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the world’s lack of preparedness, accountability, and equality. The first year of Covid-19 showed that so many countries failed to be serious about preparedness and taking action on scientific data, while national Covid-19 responses ignored the interconnectedness of the world, revealing massive…
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How realistic is Bangladesh’s climate prosperity plan?
At the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on wealthy nations to fulfill their pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide the promised $100 billion (€86 billion) annually in financial aid to less wealthy countries to help them adapt to climate change and mitigate further rises in temperature. Only a tiny fraction of…
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COVID-19 means disruption, change for new set of ‘boomerang kids’
Not much had changed in the room where Faissal Sharif spent his childhood, in a small village in a remote part of the central German state of Hesse. Various posters, his old bed, a desk covered by a thin layer of dust — it was all still there. He set out to explore the world at the age of 18,…
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Thailand reopening: 20,000 total entered, 50,000 Passes approved
Following reports that 16,595 foreigners total have entered Thailand during the first 5 days of the grand reopening that began on November 1, here are the latest arrival stats for people coming to the Kingdom or at least attempting to come to the country: THAILAND PASS Many people have struggled to obtain their Thailand Pass to enter the country, but…
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Successes and failures in the Thailand Pass programme
Now that the Thailand Pass has been open for about a week, some successes and failures of the revised system replacing the Certificate of Entry are noticeable. The government has issued a warning against a fake registration site, Hotmail accounts not working, and why you might not receive your confirmation, while at the same time applauding more than 50,000 Thailand…
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Body of dead man found in Chon Buri lagoon by shell collector
A woman in Chon Buri was shocked when she went out searching for shells in a lagoon and instead stumbled upon a dead body. The incident took place in Bor Thong district of Chon Buri on Thursday afternoon, as the woman visited the lagoon to find and collect shells. The lagoon is in the Tat Thong sub-district and Bor Thong…
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Smart city programme to use digital technology to improve lives
In an effort to increase the standard of living for people through digital technology, 15 areas have been earmarked for the government to implement the development of smart cities. A meeting was held of the National Smart City Steering subcommittee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Meeting saw attendance from the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Smart City…
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COVID-19 SUNDAY: 53 deaths, 7,960 infections, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 7,960 new Covid-19 infections, down 507 since yesterday, and 53 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 16 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,939,126 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 6,950 recoveries, up 1,338 from…
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PM Prayut pushes for pre-ordering of Molnupiravir and Paxlovid
The Ministry of Public Health has been pushed by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to pre-order Molnupiravir and Paxlovid, the anti-viral drugs that have proven effective in treating Covid-19. The drugs, produced by Merck and Pfizer respectively, have been shown in testing to reduce the severity of Covid-19 symptoms, hospitalisations and death due to the virus. Molnupiravir recently became the first approved…
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Banking on a Shinawatra revival – Pheu Thai kicks off their 2023 election campaign
No surprise, despite some conservative media painting it as a shock political move. The official announcement of Paethongtan Shinawatra’s role at in the Pheu Thai election machine as “chief adviser in participation and innovation” has been spoken about for the past month. The return of a ‘Shinawatra’ – the former fugitive PM’s youngest daughter no less – will re-focus additional…
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UN Security Council calls for ceasefire in Ethiopia
For the first time in six months, the UN Security Council (UNSC)called for an end to the intensifying conflict in Ethiopia on Friday, and for unhindered access for humanitarian aid to tackle the world’s worst hunger crisis in a decade in the war-torn Tigray region. “Today the Security Council breaks six months of silence and speaks again with one united…
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The era of tech whistleblowing is here — but will it lead to lasting change?
Whistleblower Frances Haugen says she hates attention so much she stopped throwing birthday parties years ago. She never wanted the world to know her name. And the idea of stepping in front of thousands of people gives her anxiety. And yet, the data scientist decided to give up her anonymity to expose wrongdoing at tech giant Facebook, she told some…
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Vaccinated riders get 20% off on Transport Co interprovince buses
For those who have been fully vaccinated, Thailand’s state-run long-distance bus operator is offering a 20% discount on all fares until the end of November. The Transport Co operate the public buses that travel between provinces across the country, and they are offering the deal the boost ridership as tourism grows. The move is also hoped to counteract the losses…
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First flight from Russia lands in Phuket today with 275 travellers
Phuket just welcomed the first international flight arriving from Russia as an Aeroflot flight from Moscow landed at Phuket International Airport today. 275 passengers rode the inaugural flight since Russia was added to the list of 63 approved Test & Go countries that can travel to Thailand without quarantine (aside from an overnight wait for a negative RT-PCR test in…
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Who are the Tigray fighters, and why is Ethiopia at war with them?
Since early November 2020, the Ethiopian government and Tigray fighters have been exchanging fire in a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and has left more than 400,000 people facing famine, according to a recent UN estimate. The conflict has escalated rapidly since June, when fighters began to retake most of Tigray and expand into neighboring regions. The fighters…
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Phuket officials prepare for road accidents with 17 new banners
Phuket disaster officials are working on a public awareness campaign to try to reduce road accidents, especially with an expected influx of tourists after Thailand’s reopening on November 1. The plans were drawn up in Phuket Town at the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Center Region 18 headquarters during a meeting of the Phuket Road Safety Committee. The meeting…
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Chiang Mai airport welcomes first international flight, 83 tourists
Chiang Mai has officially joined Thailand’s big reopening launch as the first international flight brought tourists to the “Charming Chiang Mai” programme. After nearly 2 years of being closed to international flights, Chiang Mai Airport welcomed a flight of 83 travellers from South Korea last night. The first flight was operated by Korean carrier Jeju Air and departed from Seoul’s…
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Yazidis still displaced in their own country
A wide gravel road extends into the distance and blurs into the horizon. To the left is a sea of corrugated metal containers and electric poles — beyond that, nothing. This is where the Mam Rashan camp ends. The refugee camp in the Nineveh district of the autonomous Kurdistan region is like a small town. Over 1,500 Yazidi families live…
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Covid-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: Provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 8,467 new Covid-19 infections, up 317 since yesterday, and 69 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 11 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,931,166 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 8,288 recoveries, up 50 from…
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Paxlovid by Pfizer reduces Covid-19 hospitalisation, death by 89%
Hot on the tail of Merck winning approval for use in the UK for its anti-viral Molnupiravir pill treatment, Pfizer announced yesterday that clinical trials show their new drug, Paxlovid, to be highly effective in treating Covid-19. The pharmaceutical giant was quick to point out that their pill was developed with the specific goal of fighting Covid-19, unlike the Merck…
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Thailand now equipped to perform 120,000 RT-PCR tests daily
The Department of Medical Sciences has been ramping up their testing capabilities and have declared it can now perform 120,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 tests per day. They say it can complete the tests and offer results within 24 hours at any of their 443 active labs that are certified to conduct the tests. Anyone travelling to Thailand is already required to…
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Pattaya sees no tourism boost so far, looks ahead to events
The tourism sector in Pattaya is looking to the near future after they say no new international tourists have been seen in the first few days of Thailand’s reopening so far. Tourism businesses say that they’re seeing domestic travellers coming for weekend trips and long holidays, and the heads of the industry say they don’t foresee numbers to increase for…
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Africalink 05.11.21 – 16 UTC – MP3-Stereo
Ethiopia rebels ‘join forces to defeat Abiy government +++ Preparations are in top gear in Cameroon for tomorrows celebration of Paul Biya’s 39 years in power, but his opponents see it as a mockery. +++ Nigeria state votes in key test for the presidential race++++Sports SOURCE: DW News
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