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 How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Body of unidentified Asian man found floating off Pattaya’s Koh Sak
The body of an unidentified man has been found floating floating off Koh Sak in Pattaya Bay yesterday afternoon. Pattaya City Police were notified of the gruesome discovery about 2pm. Police and emergency responders arrived at the scene, 2 kilometres from Koh Sak. The man, of Asian descent but unknown nationality, appeared to be in his thirties, and was wearing…
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Thailand growing more expensive for expats
According to Employment Conditions Abroad, Bangkok and Chiang Mai are among the 30 most expensive cities for expats in Asia. The capital of Turkmenistan might not spring to mind when with considering the priciest cities, but according to ECA International it ranks first on both the global and Asian tables, a 5 point rise up the rankings due to an…
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WHO clarify the early days of the novel coronavirus
As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, adding a million new infections in less than a week, NGOs and governments, alike, are starting to publish their official narrative about the early days of Covid-19. For the World Health Organisation, they now strenuously deny any complacency toward China and have published a series of notifications and communications with Chinese authorities outlining the…
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UK lifts non-essential travel ban for many countries starting July 10
No bubbles, no air-bridges. The UK is ditching the 14 day quarantine plans for people arriving from 75 countries. The UK will shortly lift the ban on non-essential travel to just about all EU countries plus Turkey, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand, as well as territories Bermuda and Gibraltar. The new rules will apply from July 10. Countries like China,…
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Hospital director proposes importing overseas Covid-19 patients for treatment
With the Covid-19 situation in Thailand apparently well in hand (there have been no locally transmitted cases for well over a month), a hospital director in Bangkok is proposing flying in patients from abroad for treatment at his hospital. The director of Mongkutwattana Hospital is considering medical flights to bring international Covid-19 cases to the hospital for treatment, in an…
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Thailand targeting specific Chinese provinces for “tourism bubble”
Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports says his ministry will target specific provinces in China in a bid to attract tourists back to the resort island of Phuket as travel restrictions are gradually eased. Pipat Ratchakijprakarn says the ministry will not splash out money launching a tourist campaign all across China but rather target some of the many provinces that…
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Visa amnesty extension for foreigners “being considered”
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau is considering extending the current visa amnesty for foreigners stranded in Thailand. The Foreign Ministry’s deputy spokesperson made the announcement at this morning’s daily Covid-19 briefing by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The Cabinet’s last resolution was to grant an automatic visa extension for foreigners stranded here to stay until July 30. The deputy spokesperson asked…
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Bangkok’s shopping malls struggle under tourist ban, fierce competition
Suvarnabhumi, the name of Bangkok’s second international airport, means “realm of gold,” and was given by His Majesty the late King Rama IX to Bangkok’s eastern outskirts (technically in Samut Prakhan province), once a marshland called Nong Nguhao (Cobra Swamp). With its overtones of wealth, the name represents the hopes of developers, who are turning the area into a retail…
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Medical, wellness tourists will be first to be allowed in: CCSA
The government plans to allow local tours for overseas medical and wellness tourists beginning this month, and the start of tourism “travel bubbles” in September. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said medical and wellness tourists will be welcomed from this month on. If they are properly handled during their 14 day quarantine and treatment at…
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Chon Buri police hire a steam roller to destroy over 700 illegal motorbike exhausts
Since the national curfew was lifted last month, illegal motorbike racing has returned to Thailand’s streets with increased popularity. From June 20-30, police arrested more than 5,600 racers and seized more than 17,700 motorcycles nationwide. Chon Buri Police yesterday used a steam roller to very publicly crush more than 700 illegal exhaust pipes seized from road racers, known locally as…
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Finalised “travel bubble” list to be submitted to CCSA
Thailand’s tourism and sports minister says foreign tourists will be allowed back into the Kingdom in August under a 3 phase “travel bubble“ strategy, which will include countries who are considered at a low-risk of the Covid-19 contagion and will be allowed to travel on specific routes or itineraries “booked through small agencies.” After discussions with the Tourism Authority of…
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Chiang Mai International Airport sees more traffic
Northern Thailand’s gateway airport is recovering some of its flight and passenger traffic. With the easing of travel restrictions enforced to fight the spread of Covid-19, the director of Chiang Mai’s international airport says traffic is picking up, and more flights and passengers are expected this month. On average, the airport received 40 flights and about 4,000-5,000 passengers per day…
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Crew rescued as dive boat catches fire off Pattaya – VIDEO
A boat has caught fire near Koh Larn, off the coast of Pattaya, with the captain and crew rescued by nearby boats and jet skis. A report in The Pattaya News says the fire appears to have broken out on the upper level of the “Rung Arun”, which has sustained extensive damage in the blaze. The yellow dive boat was…
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Thousands arrested nationwide for illegal motorbike racing
Since the lifting of the national curfew on June 14, gangs of illegal street racers, known as “dek waen” or “vanz boys” have quickly returned to Thailand’s roads. From June 20-30, police arrested more than 5,600 racers and seized more than 17,700 bikes nationwide. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned against gatherings and street racing, and says that regardless of the…
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113 bodies recovered in Myanmar jade mine mudslide
At least 113 are dead after a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar. The Myanmar Fire Services Department says that the incident took place early today in the jade-rich Hpakant district of the northern Kachin state after a heavy rainfall. Photos in the post showed a search and rescue team wading through a valley apparently flooded by the…
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2 arrested in Narathiwat with 1,420 kilograms of meth – VIDEO
Police in the southern province of Narathiwat, on the Malaysian border, arrested 2 men and seized and 1,420 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine hidden in a trailer truck in Tak Bai district in the early hours of this morning. A team of police, soldiers and local officials was sent to Padador village in tambon Na Nak following a tip that a…
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Bangkok’s Ying Charoen wet market reopens after fire
Most of the Ying Charoen market in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district reopened after fire destroyed about 160 stalls. Earlier estimates put the number at around 50 stalls. No injuries were reported. The blaze in the 30 rai compound reportedly began at a bakery at about 3am and quickly spread to nearby stalls. It took firefighters about 2 hours to control…
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HK man arrested for allegedly stabbing officer in security law protests
Police in Hong Kong arrested a man aboard a flight to London this morning on suspicion of stabbing a police officer during protests of the Chinese territory’s new security law. About 370 people were arrested during and after yesterday’s protests against the new laws, imposed by China to curb activities surrounding the anti-government protests that have racked Hong Kong for…
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Uruguay’s Covid-19 Policy of “freedom with responsibility” shows success
To the Government of Uruguay’s relief, their policy of “independence with responsibility” in the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have been successful… so far. Yesterday, when Europe opened its borders to 15 countries, Uruguay became the only Latin American country to be included. With less than 1,000 registered Covid-19 cases and just 27 deaths, the 3.4 million-plus nation is…
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Pattaya’s Sukhawadee House burns… AGAIN – VIDEO
Pattaya’s venerable tourist attraction Sukhawadee House, a repository of Buddhist relics and artifacts, caught fire late last night, AGAIN. The second time in a day. A fire raged through the complex yesterday morning on the first day it was to reopen after closing for nearly 4 months due to the Covid-19 response. Firefighters were again notified of the second fire…
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Australia and UK may offer a safe haven to Hong Kong citizens
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia is “actively considering” providing a safe haven for Hong Kong citizens to migrate to the country after controversial national security laws enforced by China have come into effect. Yesterday, hundreds of people were arrested after protesters took to the streets to protest the new laws introduced by China to suppress dissidents. When asked…
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Kanchanaburi park officials remove entry ban for foreigners
A ban on foreigners visiting the Srinakarin Dam National Park in the western province of Kanchanaburi has been rescinded. Park officials say both foreigners and Thais are now welcome to enjoy the park as it re-opens to visitors. A report in Khaosod English says the ban on foreigners was originally announced on the park’s official Facebook page two weeks ago.…
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Thai nightlife grapples with “new normal”
Thailand’s nightlife scene is grappling with a ‘new normal’ as changes upon its recent reopening see facemasks joining the normal bikini wear in red-light districts across the Kingdom. After being forced to close for more than 3 months in order to stop the spread of Covid-19, bars, karaoke venues and massage parlours are in the latest category of businesses allowed to…
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Tesla becomes the world’s most valuable car maker
Tesla has become the world’s most valuable carmaker, surpassing Japan’s Toyota after its stock rose to a record high. Shares in Tesla hit US$1,134 on Wednesday before dropping before the close, leaving it with a market cap of $209.47 billion (£ 165 billion), around $4 billion higher than Toyota’s existing market value. Shares in the electric car maker have risen…
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Customers help woman detained for shoplifting school uniforms
Customers have come to the aid of a woman after she was detained for shoplifting school uniforms for her children in southern Thailand. The woman says she is struggling financially due to the Covid-19 pandemic and had no choice but to shoplift as she is unable to afford the cost of the uniforms. The woman, aged 26, was with her…
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Thai Airways to shed only 5% of employees, while appointing new president
Debt-ridden Thai Airways has confirmed that it will only shed 5% of its 20,000 employees as part of its reorganisation. The former president of the carrier’s labour union says he met with the rehab panel, along with union and airline staff representatives, with the panel now aiming to cut only 5% of the airline’s workforce-down from the initial target of…
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Nightlife operators warned: follow the rules or face closure
Bangkok police have issued a stern warning to nightlife venue operators… follow the rules or be closed again. National police chief Chaktip Chaijinda has instructed officers to make sure entertainment venue operators comply with disease control regulations and that both service providers and customers understand the “new normal.” The warning comes after a meeting of senior city police, the Health…
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World travel business faces slow recovery – UN report
Plenty of businesses are suffering and recovery will be slow, and lumpy. One of the hardest hit, and probably one of the most difficult industries to re-start, is the world travel business. Hotels, airlines, tour companies, travel agencies and online booking systems… and the millions of people employed to make all those work together as a working machine. Now a…
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Are BTS the world’s biggest band?
Simple answer, yes. But there are still people that have never heard of the group or might have been living under a rock for a few years. The South Korean group has risen up through the ranks of K-Pop, somewhat of a musical blood sport, since 2013. From their almost unnoticed debut as pimply hip-hop ‘try hards’, the 7 members are…
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Up to 2.7 million Thai travel, hospitality and tourism workers unemployed by September
The president of the Thai Tourism Industry Council says confidence among Thailand’s tourism business operators fell to the lowest level in a decade during the second quarter this year, with about 2.6 million workers already unemployed and about another 100,000 expected to be laid off in Q3 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The gloomy forecast is the result…
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