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 10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Foreign teenage boy falls to his death from 14th floor condo
In a condominium building in Sattahip, a 17 year old foreign boy was found dead on the ground after a fall from a 14th-floor condo. The boy’s nationality was reported as either Irish or British but has not been confirmed. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning on Soi Na Jomtien 18 at a mixed-use condo and hotel building. The boy’s…
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Finnair launches nonstop flights from Stockholm to Phuket
Finnair has launched its nonstop flight service from Stockholm to Phuket, with the first flight arriving on October 25. The Nordic region has traditionally brought many big-spending tourists to Phuket and Thailand, and Finnair will operate flights twice a week from Sweden’s capital to Phuket. The flights are great news after reports that many international carriers are dropping their slots…
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Thai PM expected to embark on first overseas trip since start of pandemic
The Thai PM is expected to attend the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, his first overseas trip since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Pattaya News report, there are reports Prayut Chan-o-cha will travel to Glasgow for the conference, which kicks off at the end of this month. Over 120 world leaders are expected to attend the…
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Tourism minister confident new Thailand Pass system will increase visitor numbers
The tourism minister is already praising the yet-to-be-launched Thailand Pass, saying it will lift tourist numbers significantly. Thailand Pass replaces the much-maligned Certificate of Entry from Monday and Pipat Ratchakitprakan is expecting to see visitor numbers rise. “Hotel bookings under the Phuket Sandbox scheme for November went up considerably after October 21, when the list of 46 low-risk countries from…
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Senior hotels association member says NYE stars will boost Phuket tourism
The president of the Thai Hotels Association’s southern chapter is backing the government’s decision to spend millions of baht on Phuket’s end-of-year festivities. Officials have confirmed that K-Pop star Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform in Phuket on New Year’s Eve. Critics have derided the plan due to the cost involved, with many suggesting the money…
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Thursday Covid Update: 9,658 new cases and 84 deaths
9,658 new Covid-19 cases and 84 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 8,526 recoveries. There are now 99,144 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has recorded 1,856,110 confirmed Covid-19 cases. Out…
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Private sector expresses fear over Covid surge if alcohol ban lifted in Bangkok
Some members of the private sector have expressed concern about a spike in Bangkok’s infections if the alcohol ban is lifted from December, as planned. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TAT is expecting 300,000 visitors to Bangkok during the last 2 months of the year. This has prompted some to voice concern about the Covid-19 risks, particularly if…
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Tourism operators urge government to agree travel bubbles
Thailand’s tourism sector is urging the government to agree travel bubbles with other countries, to ensure quarantine-free travel in both directions. Suthiphong Pheunphiphop from the Thai Travel Agents Association would like to see reciprocal arrangements in place once Thailand re-opens to 46 countries from November 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says such an agreement would mean Thai…
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Kashmir: Artisans fight for survival amid dying art of pottery
As the paddy harvest season is nearing its end with the onset of winter, Dilshada Bilal, 35, is busy producing earthenware including fire pots and electric cooking heaters. Her modest workshop in the village of Larm-Ganjipora in southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district has a potter’s wheel, an oven, and storage space for her work. She lives a few meters away in…
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The route from Iraq to Belarus: How are migrants getting to Europe?
To put it into perspective: Since the beginning of October, there have been 11,300 attempts to illegally enter Polish territory from Belarus. So far this year, around 23,000 such attempts have been registered. From there, many make their way to the German border. Three German states border Poland: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony. Border police say there have been around…
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Madagascar hunger crisis exacerbated by global warming
The impacts of global warming are getting worse around the world. An example is Madagascar, an island nation which is currently experiencing its worst drought in 40 year. For months, aid organizations have been sounding the alarm over this forgotten crisis, since hundreds of thousands of people in Madagascar are malnourished and suffer from hunger; and many have been so…
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Crude oil price fluctuations expose Africa’s fossil fuel dependence
As fuel prices skyrocket around the world, it has become clearer that African countries will remain exposed to the detrimental impacts of sporadic fluctuations — at least until the global shift to renewable energy is realized. The economies of many African nations are fueled by petroleum, leaving the continent particularly vulnerable to volatile international fuel price fluctuations. In most countries,…
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Alcohol ban predicted to damage Thailand’s reopening, reputation
With Thailand’s November 1 reopening fast approaching, Thai businesses are calling on the government to quickly lift all the restrictions on alcohol sales in the country. They advise that the nightlife that millions flocked to Thailand for before the Covid-19 pandemic, is being destroyed by the long-term closures. Furthermore, they warn that reopening without any nightlife will discourage people from…
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Woman who cut safety rope of workers offers feeble excuse
People have been shocked with the continuing story of workers doing repairs on the outside of a condo building in Nonthaburi on October 12 when their safety ropes were cut, leaving them dangling 26 floors above the street below until they were luckily rescued. Now the woman who stands accused of cutting the rope of the workers has allegedly confessed…
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Police seize Covid-19 antiviral drugs allegedly stolen by hospital manager
A number of arrests have been made following the seizure of antiviral drugs used to treat Covid-19, with hundreds of boxes of Favipiravir pills allegedly stolen by a hospital manager and destined for online sale. The Bangkok Post reports that nine suspects were arrested on Tuesday in coordinated raids in Bangkok, Saraburi, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi. In total, police recovered…
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Student dies after receiving second Covid-19 vaccine shot
A Phang Nga Community College student who developed blood clots after receiving her second Covid-19 vaccine shot has died of a haemorrhagic stroke following brain surgery. As reported by the Bangkok Post, the student, 20 year old Ketsiree Kongkaew, who had had her left leg amputated, died on Monday morning at Songklanagarind Hospital in Hat Yai. Having first received the…
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Travellers now exempt from quarantine advised to directly contact AQ hotels for refund
With changes to entry requirements for international arrivals starting Monday, travellers who are exempt from quarantine, but have already booked a stay in advance are advised to directly contact hotels where their reservation was made. Starting November 1, travellers who are fully vaccinated and from 46 countries and territories classified by the Thai government as a “low risk” for Covid-19…
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Legal proceedings expected this week for “Joe Ferrari” death in custody case
Officers from the Crime Suppression Division have completed their investigation into the former police chief known as “Joe Ferrari” who is accused of suffocating a suspect to death while demanding a 2 million baht bribe. Nation Thailand reports that prosecutors will launch legal proceedings this week against the station chief of rural province Nakhon Sawan and six of his subordinates.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 8,452 new cases; provincial totals
57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 18,922 with 18,828 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,452 new Covid-19 cases and 8,449 recoveries. There are now 98,096 people in Thailand being…
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Police bust Bangkok pub serving alcohol, 61 arrested
After receiving complaints that alcohol was being illegally served in violation of Covid-19 restrictions, Thong Lo Police raided a pub serving alcohol illegally on Soi Sukhumvit 23 in the Wattana district of Bangkok. The raid that took place last night led to the arrest of 61 guests found drinking alcohol without social distancing. 35 women and 26 males were taken…
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Thai government forms panel to probe the export of used medical gloves
The Thai government has formed a panel to investigate the export of millions of used medical gloves from Thailand to the US. The investigation follows a recent CNN report into the international trade of substandard medical equipment, with an underground industry having emerged in Southeast Asia, seeking to capitalise on Covid-fuelled global demand. Reporters found that tens of millions of…
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Myanmar no-show a focus as ASEAN summit gets underway
The exclusion of Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing from the ASEAN summit is looming over the annual regional meeting, with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha pointing to international focus on ASEAN’s response to the situation. As reported by Reuters, Prayut noted that the role of the regional association in addressing the matter is of “paramount importance”, with action taken to “have…
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China removes top financial news outlet from official media list
In recent weeks, the Chinese government has revealed new plans to consolidate its control over the media landscape in China. On October 8, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, which oversees the country’s social and economic policies, released the “2021 Negative List of Market Access” and stated that “non-public capital” can’t invest in the establishment and operation of news organizations.…
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Police arrest 3 vans in Korat with 1.82 tonnes of marijuana
In Korat, the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, police found 4 men in possession of more than 1.8 tonnes of dried marijuana and arrested them. The arrest took place this morning according to the Provincial Police Region 3 commissioner. Police had ramped up patrols of the Mitrapap highway after receiving a tip that a large shipment of compressed marijuana would…
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PM highlights Thailand example in urging Southeast Asian countries to reopen
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is stressing that Southeast Asian nations follow Thailand’s lead in reopening borders to get tourism back up and running in the wake of the Covid crisis. Prayut addressed the issue via teleconference at the annual ASEAN summit, which this year is taking place online, telling other members the region should be weighing up steps to allow for safe…
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Used car market set for further growth following Covid-19 pandemic
While local industries have broadly suffered in the wake of the Covid pandemic, apparently the used car market in Thailand has been doing fairly well. According to the Bangkok Post, the Association of Used Cars says the pandemic has contributed to strong market growth. With commuters fearful of catching the virus on public transport, many have decided to buy a…
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Over 98% of new Covid-19 cases in Thailand are Delta variant
Expert predictions about the Delta variant of Covid-19 becoming the dominant strain in Thailand by August came true several months ago, but testing shows that the Delta variant is now responsible for 98.6% of all new infections in Thailand. This data from the Department of Medical Science comes as the Delta Plus strain has been found in Thailand and may…
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CCSA in bid to reassure Thais that November 1 re-opening will be safe
CCSA spokesperson Dr Apisamai Srirangsan says Thai residents shouldn’t worry about the country’s imminent re-opening to select countries. From November 1, vaccinated tourists from a list of 46 low-risk countries can enter Thailand with minimal quarantine. They will be required to show evidence of being fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of departure from their…
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Health Ministry says Delta Plus variant won’t stop Thailand re-opening on schedule
The Health Ministry says the discovery of the new Delta Plus variant in Thailand will not affect the country’s November 1 re-opening. Sathit Pitutecha, deputy public health minister, says the mutation has not been categorised as a variant of concern. “Because viruses mutate all the time, only a mutation that causes severe illness and makes the virus spread easier or…
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Cambodia confirms partial reopening to international tourists from November 30
The Tourism Ministry in Cambodia has confirmed that the country will reopen partially to vaccinated travellers from the end of next month. The country’s prime minister also reportedly ordered that quarantine be waived for air arrivals from Thailand. The first areas in Cambodia set to reopen to overseas travellers are the popular tourist destinations of Sihanoukville and Koh Rong, as…
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