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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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Moving from Australia to Thailand is a big step that brings exciting new experiences, a rich culture, and often a more affordable way of living. To settle in with less stress, you need to plan ahead. This means sorting out...
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Firefighter in this month’s factory fire dies suddenly of Covid-19
One of the brave firefighters who battled the recent factory fire in Samut Prakan July 5 was diagnosed today with Covid-19, just hours before he died from the virus. Naruphon Wongyaem was among the teams that responded to the explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical Co factory just south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli district. After putting out…
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Kenya: Elephant herds seen from a unique angle
The sunrise at Amboseli National Park is breathtaking. A hot air balloon is prepared for a fascinating experience. Tourists will view animals from a different angle. The balloon can fly up to 20 meters. And the elephants remain undisturbed. The unique view delights everyone. Amboseli National Park has over 3,000 elephants. There has been no single case of elephant poaching…
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New Phuket checkpoint rules see 392 people denied yesterday
New restrictions for entering Phuket announced Sunday went into effect yesterday, causing a rash of nearly 400 people to be turned away at the entrance checkpoint. While previous rules allowed unvaccinated people meeting certain criteria to enter, now everyone who enters Phuket needs to be fully vaccinated in addition to testing negative for Covid-19. This new strict requirement applies to…
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AfricaLink On Air – 21 July 2021
News+++Tanzania arrests opposition leader+++Fighting domestic violence in Niger+++Kidnapped Nigerians freed+++Slow Niger Delta clean up angers locals+++Sexual harassment on Rwanda’s mines+++Veritcal farming grows in Kenya SOURCE: DW News
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Tokyo Olympics unable to heal Japan-South Korea rift
Hopes that Japan and South Korea might finally be able to build new bridges through a summit of their leaders on the sidelines of the Tokyo Olympic Games have been dashed after Seoul announced that President Moon Jae-in would not be going to the opening ceremony on Friday. The northeast Asian neighbors have long been at loggerheads over differing interpretations…
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Russian arms trader working closely supplying Burmese military
The head of a Russian state arms trader was attributed as saying that Russia is working closely with the Burmese military junta to supply military equipment. According to the Interfax news agency, the head of Rosoboronexport, the arms trader in question, spoke of the partnership between the military coup that overthrew the government in Myanmar on February 1 and the…
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Bangkok’s Bang Sue vaccination centre open to expats 60 and above
Expats ages 60 and above in Bangkok and surrounding provinces can now register from an AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine appointment at the Bang Sue Grand Station Central Vaccination Centre. Walk-in services are offered to foreign residents who are 75 years old and older from 9am to 4pm. Foreign residents who are at least 60 years old must fill out a registration…
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Pegasus spyware allegations leave Indian democracy hanging by a thread
The Indian government has found itself at the heart of a spyware scandal that has sent seismic waves across the entire political world. A collaborative investigation, based on information accessed by non-profit Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International and shared with a host of publications, into the Pegasus spyware has revealed a list of potential targets for surveillance. More than 300…
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Lifeguard rescues Polish man in Phuket
A lifeguard at Phuket’s Nai Harn beach saved a Polish man who got caught in the rough current while he was swimming this afternoon. The lifeguard swam out and pulled the man to the beach where he administered first aid and provided oxygen to help the man’s breathing. With the quick reaction provided by the lifeguard, the man made a…
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Interprovincial transport suspended in “dark red” zones; bus services stop nationwide
All interprovincial public transport services have been suspended in the 13 “dark red” provinces under maximum control to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the Department of Land Transport announced today. Domestic flights in and out of those provinces have also been suspended. The suspensions are in place at least until August 2. The public transportation company, known as BorKorSor,…
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Pattaya restaurants suffering, closing over dark red restrictions
New severe Covid-19 restrictions go into effect as Chon Buri province and Pattaya inside it were classified as dark red zones, causing already hard-hit restaurants to suffer and some to close completely. Being pushed to take-away only after their customer base is already severely reduced by international borders being all but closed to tourism for over a year has left…
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Boat tours to nearby islands offered to Phuket “Sandbox” travellers
“Phuket Sandbox” tourists can travel to nearby islands on special “sealed” boat tours during their required 14-day stay in the province. Travellers must enable the tracing application “Mor Chana” and notify the Phuket Marine Office or the Phuket Sandbox Command Center at least 6 hours before the trip. Groups of tourists who wish to travel and participate in marine activities…
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Sandbox traveller escaped to Chon Buri, faces prosecution
A person who came into Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox plan left the island before completing the 14-day stay and now faces prosecution. A Thai national stayed just 9 days in their SHA Plus hotel before disappearing without checking out, according to Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon. The person’s gender was not revealed, but it was…
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Wednesday Covid Update: Record high of 13,002 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 13,002 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand now has 131,411 active Covid-19 cases. Another 108 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 3,610. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 439,477 Covid-19 infections. The latest…
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Locked in a construction worker camp in Bangkok – Thailand’s hidden Covid tragedy | VIDEO
Friso Poldervaart and Greg Lange, founders of the Bangkok Community Help Foundation, spoke to The Thaiger this week about the critical problems emerging in some of the worker and construction camps. Some 80,000 people – mostly Burmese, Cambodian and Thai workers – have been isolated in these shanty towns, basically imprisoned. They are guarded by Thai police and army. Some…
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Covid-19 “survival boxes” funded by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s donated salary
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha waived his salary for the next 3 months to support the public amid the most severe wave of Covid-19 infections. Some of the funds will be used for so-called “survival boxes” to distribute to those in “dark red” zones, according to government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri. Several cabinet members and other public officials announced they would temporarily forgo…
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Muay Thai recognised by International Olympic Committee
Muay Thai might soon be an Olympic sport. The International Olympic Committee has fully recognised the traditional martial art and its governing body, the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations, or IFMA, a committee member announced yesterday during the 138th IOC session in Tokyo. “This is the beginning of the possibility of Muay Thai to become an Olympic sport.” Thailand’s…
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Teenager arrested after student allegedly killed with an axe at Singapore school
High school students in Singapore have been left reeling after the murder of a 13 year old boy on campus. A 16 year student is in custody, charged with murder, after the horrifying event at River Valley High School. Coconuts reports that the unnamed student, who appeared in court via video link, has been sent for a psychiatric assessment. Singapore’s…
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Private sector says lockdowns won’t work without vaccines, mass testing
Industry representatives in Thailand say Covid-19 lockdowns won’t work unless accompanied by mass screening and vaccination. Supant Mongkolsuthree from the Federation of Thai Industries has expressed scepticism that the proposed tightening of restrictions in 13 high-risk provinces will bring the virus under control. Instead, he says the proposal could cost the economy around 100 billion baht and will be ineffective…
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39 year old dies after AstraZeneca vaccine, a second dose following Sinovac
A 39 year old teacher died the day after she was injected with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, according to reports in Thai media. Her first dose was the Sinovac vaccine. She also had pre-existing health conditions. Under the Thai government’s new so-called “mix-and-match” Covid-19 vaccine policy, the AstraZeneca shot is being used as a second dose for those who had…
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Ethiopia: Fear Tigray conflict could trigger all-out war
Special forces and militias from a number of Ethiopia’s regions are mobilizing to back the federal government’s military operations in Tigray, signaling a widening of the conflict. Regular forces from Amhara — a large region abutting the south of Tigray — have been fighting alongside federal troops ever since Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched the military offensive in Tigray…
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President Pedro Castillo has radical plans for Peru
Only one road leads to Puna. The village in Tacabamba District consists of two dozen houses scattered around a few fields and paths — and a school where Jose Pedro Castillo Terrones taught until 2017. From here it takes a whole day to travel to the regional capital, Cajamarca, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) away. Born in Tacabamba in 1969,…
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FDA says don’t buy South Korean Covid home test kits
Thailand’s FDA is cautioning people against ordering the South Korean manufactured Covid home test kits sold online. The FDA says they have not approved them, yet. The seller, who is offering the Covid tests on their Facebook, says their kits have already been approved in South Korea. And by the World Health Organization! Also, the test kits can tell the…
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Baccarat bust fall out, Phuket City police under investigation
Over the weekend, an illegal game of Baccarat was busted, Now, Phuket city police are under investigation for their lack of intervention Vis-à-vis gambling in their jurisdiction. The Region 8 Police Commander, Kitrat Panpetch gave an order yesterday to transfer the 5 officials from Phuket City Police Station. They will temporarily work out of the Region 8 headquarters at a…
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Tak landslides blocks highway 105, army helps clear
Highway 105 in Northern Thailand’s Tak province was blocked by trees/landslides between the Mae Ramat and Tha Song Yang district due to result of heavy rains last night. The highway had to be closed at approximately the 81 kilometre marker in the Tha Song Yang district, also between Ban Samae and Mae Tuen. Tha Song Yang and Mae Ramat chiefs…
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Korat governor Kobchai Boon-Orana urges residents to self-quarantine
“Many people are still careless”, says Korat governor Kobchai Boon-Orana Inhabitants of the northeastern province Nakhon Ratchasima (AKA Korat) are being encouraged to self-quarantine by their governor Kobchai Boon-Orana. The measure is to keep residents safe from Covid. The advice is in keeping with the fact that vaccinated inhabitants are not close enough to the number needed to build herd…
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Police open murder investigation after worker’s body found underneath home
Police have opened a murder investigation after the remains of a 42 year old building contractor were found under a home he was doing construction on. The man’s face was severely injured and his skull cracked open, police say. The body had been stripped down to the underwear and wrapped in a curtain. The body was decaying and officers suspect…
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Motorbike taxis allegedly hiking up fares at Bangkok’s Bang Sue station
Yesterday, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the police, Damrongsak Kittipraphat, said motorcycle gangs have been offering people who are attempting to use Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grandstation’s parking lot rides at exorbitant prices. Damrongsak says the duplicitous drivers claimed the parking lot is full and then offered people rides at inflated rates. The commander says they have made multiple arrests pertaining to the…
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Police detain all 4 inmates who escaped from Phetchabun prison
Police detained all 4 inmates who broke out of the Phetchabun Provincial Prison early yesterday morning. The inmates, all facing drug charges, escaped from the prison in province north of Bangkok at around 2:30am yesterday. The escapees did not run off too far and were all found within the district later that day. Just hours later at around 6am, officers…
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Foodpanda rider arrested on lèse majesté charges
Recently, Foodpanda faced public backlash and calls to be boycotted after they said they planned to fire a rider who was branded a terrorist. Yesterday, the same rider was arrested in Pathum Thani, a central province near Bangkok, on lèse majesté charges, arson and violation of the Emergency Decree’s ban on gatherings. The rider has been identified as 25 year…
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