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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. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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What’s not covered by health insurance in Thailand?
Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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Mombasa’s no-nonsense female rickshaw driver
In Mombasa’s Old Town Farida Shenga starts her day tidying up her rickshaw. Shenga became a rickshaw driver in 2005 after her husband died, leaving her as the family’s sole breadwinner. After buying a new rickshaw with a friend, she then had to learn how to use it. On the road, she is an iron lady: careful, but tough. Men…
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Pakistan: Will a Premier League partnership jumpstart professional football?
Michael Owen, a former England national team and Real Madrid football player, has signed a three year contract to promote football in Pakistan, with a Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) approved league. However, PFF, the country’s controversial football governing body, is not recognized by FIFA. Owen last week was announced as the official ambassador of the Pakistan Football League (PFL), launched…
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Thursday Covid Update: 11,646 new cases; provincial totals
107 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 16,727 with 16,633 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 11,646 new Covid-19 cases and 10,887 recoveries were reported. There are now 116,075 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment…
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Chao Phraya River in Bangkok still below flood levels
While officials have been warning of floods and overflows downstream from dams, in Bangkok, the Chao Phraya River is fortunately still flowing below the embankment levels with no risk of flooding just yet. The river that runs through Bangkok has not overflowed into any areas along its banks as the water has not yet reached the flood embankment levels as…
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Updated regulations on Thailand’s quarantine period for international arrivals
Starting tomorrow, the mandatory quarantine period for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand will be reduced from 14 days to seven. Those who are either unvaccinated, or who cannot show proof of their vaccination status, face a longer quarantine period of between 10 to 14 days. The mandatory isolation period is waived for vaccinated travellers entering Thailand through the pilot reopening projects…
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Rumour dispelled: The UN did not dedicate December 5 as ‘King’s Day’
Despite a rumour and video going viral on Thai Facebook and Twitter, the UN has NOT declared December 5 “international king’s day” in honour of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama 9, the former King who died in 2016 after over 70 years reigning over Thailand. The information came to light following a ‘fact checking’ article published by AFP. The post began…
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Thailand inks deal for 60 million AstraZeneca vaccines in 2022
A new deal signed with AstraZeneca confirms the purchase of 60 million vaccines next year for Thailand to use as booster shot third vaccines. The Ministry of Public Health signed the deal with the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer to acquire the booster shots over the course of 3 quarters of 2022. The signing was accompanied by a ceremony attended by Minister…
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Ex-police chief, lawyer accused of involvement in altering Red Bull heir hit-and-run report
A former national police chief and a lawyer for the fugitive Red Bull heir, Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, are being investigated over the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case and are accused of ordering an officer to change the reported speed the billionaire was driving when sped his Ferrari through Bangkok’s Thong Lor district, running over a police officer and killing him. Reports…
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Pickup truck falls 6 stories from 8th floor parking garage
In a bizarre accident in Nakhon Ratchasima that amazingly resulted in only 2 injuries and no deaths, a pickup truck smashed through a wall and plummeted 6 floors. The truck crash took place last night in Muang district on the 8th floor of a hospital parking building. The crash took place at about 7 o’clock in the evening at the…
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“Sandbox” period in Phuket shortened to 7 days for vaccinated travellers
With the recently relaxed rules on the quarantine period for overseas arrivals, those who enter Thailand under the “Phuket Sandbox” will only be required to stay in the province for seven days instead of the previous 14. The “Sandbox” pilot reopening project allows vaccinated travellers from abroad to roam freely on the island rather than isolate in a hotel. The…
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Phuket Covid-19: hospital beds and occupants jumped this week
One new death from Covid-19 was reported in Phuket last night, along with a new Sandbox infection and another arrival from abroad that was not part of the Sandbox and 195 daily infections. September has seen 55 deaths, bringing the total to 75. Among Phuket Sandbox travellers, 116 infections have now been uncovered as well as 26 infections from abroad…
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Beijing Winter Olympics to take place without overseas spectators
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will take place without any overseas fans present, according to a decision made by the Chinese organisers. The decision was announced by the International Olympic Committee yesterday. Attendance at the games will be limited to people living in China, in a bid to mitigate the risks posed by Covid-19. The games are scheduled to take…
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Minister Don meets US officials over vaccine donation to Thailand
In Washington DC, Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and US Senator Tammy Duckworth to discuss the 1 million Pfizer vaccines the US donated that Thailand has yet to collect. Last week both sides argued that they were waiting on the other’s bureaucratic red tape to complete the donation, with Minister of…
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Thursday Covid Update: 11,646 new cases and 107 deaths
Today, the CCSA reported a slight uptick of 11,646 new Covid-19 cases and 107 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in Thailand’s latest wave of the virus, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,574,612 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 10,887 recoveries. There are now 116,075 people in Thailand currently receiving…
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Indonesian officials look to Phuket sandbox amid tentative re-opening plans for Bali
Tourism officials in Indonesia are monitoring the Phuket sandbox as they consider gradually re-opening Bali to foreign tourists. According to an AFP report, a final decision on re-opening the normally hugely popular island of Bali could happen today. However, the country’s tourism minister, Sandiaga Uno, says any re-opening will have to proceed with caution. “My recommendation is that we move…
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Opposition accused of misinterpreting how long PM has left in office
A spokesperson from the PM’s Secretariat Office has slammed opposition parties for trying to end the PM’s term prematurely. Thippanan Sirichana accuses opposition MPs of trying to damage Prayut Chan-o-cha’s reputation because they’re concerned he might score a second term in office. According to a Bangkok Post report, the confrontation is the result of a difference of opinion as to…
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Opinion: Sweden continues to stand out on COVID-19 strategy
Seen from the outside, all Scandinavians seem to resemble each other: very progressive, accustomed to affluence and a high standard of living, and they pay extremely high taxes on beer. But all this is, of course, nonsense. In reality, there are differences between individual Scandinavian nations that run as deep as a Norwegian fjord. It starts with the fact that…
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Indian Right Livelihood winner: ‘Blurred lines between ecology and human rights’
Ritwick Dutta, a founding lawyer of the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), which works with communities through a grassroots approach, was thrilled to receive the Right Livelihood Award. “Our work is not so publicized and to be honored in this way is definitely a recognition of the fight against some of India’s most significant environmental threats,” Dutta told…
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Police arrest protesters yesterday including naked woman
Anti-government protests have escalated in recent weeks and have begun to resemble a Hollywood movie, full of conflict and drama and explosions, and now… nudity? Among the arrests and charges of protesters stemming from yesterday’s demonstrations at Nang Lerng intersection orchestrated by the Talufah group, police say one woman faces charges of indecent exposure for stripping naked in protest. The…
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The Egyptian women reviving an ancient musical tradition
SOURCE: DW News
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Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis: What’s the latest?
After months of rising tensions, fighting broke out in northern Ethiopia’s Tigray region in November 2020, pitting Tigrayan forces against the central government and forces from neighboring Eritrea. Nearly a year later, both sides face allegations of human rights abuses as the conflict continues. William Davison, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, updates us on the situation. SOURCE: DW…
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The music spurring on Tigrayan soldiers and refugees
A conflict between the central government in Ethiopia and the northern region of Tigray has spawned a dire humanitarian situation. Amid widespread famine and death over the past year, Tigrayan soldiers and refugees alike have taken comfort in the healing power of their own musical traditions. Reporter Emily Johnson met with some of the musicians at a refugee camp in…
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Paramotor pilot flies supplies to flooded Sukhothai residents
A paramotor – similar to a paraglider with a fan-like propellor on the back – has been soaring above Sukhothai delivering essentials to flood victims in need. Like Santa in his sleigh, 38 year old Vichai Tiyasan glides above the rain drench flood plains swooping down to drop gift care packages to the stranded people below. The adventurous paramotor pilot…
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Court rules for Health Ministry, calls dual pricing beneficial
In a closely-followed court case, the Administrative Court in Phetchaburi ruled that multi-tiered “dual pricing” in Thai hospitals are not discriminatory as they benefit Thailand, according to the media outlet Coconuts Bangkok. Ewrin Buse, who sued the Ministry of Public Health after discovering he was being charged more for his cancer treatment as a foreigner, vowed to appeal the decision.…
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Guinea’s coup leaders try to keep investors happy
In the view of one official working in Guinea for the Russian aluminum giant Rusal, the military coup of September 5, which toppled President Alpha Conde, has not disrupted the mining sector as much an some had predicted. “Everything is stable, business is going on,” he told he told news agency AFP. “It’s just a transition period we are going…
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Tunisia’s opposition stands up to president’s power grab
At first, they praised him for taking such direct action to resolve Tunisia’s problems. But over the past few days, President Kais Saied has come under increasing pressure from some of his former allies. On July 25, faced with economic turmoil, the COVID-19 pandemic and political gridlock, Saied suspended Tunisia’s parliament, dismissed sitting Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and granted himself…
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2 officers killed, 4 injured in roadside bomb explosion in Thailand’s Deep South
A roadside bomb explosion in the Deep South province Narathiwat killed two police officers and injured four others yesterday afternoon. Small bombings and other attacks in the southernmost provinces near the Malaysian border happen frequently and are often related to the religious separatist insurgency. The bomb was made with a cooking gas cylinder and then placed in a sewer pipe…
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Koh Phangan begins booster shot vaccine drive from today
Koh Phangan kicked off its drive to give third booster shot vaccinations to the local population today, ahead of the October target in Thailand, with a goal of 1,300 injections today and more to come. The event took place at the Koh Phangan Sueksa School in Thongsala Moo 1 near Big C. At the school, workers were administering AstraZeneca booster…
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The tragedy of Babi Yar: An assembly line of death in Kyiv
Anna Furman has been able to identify around 28,300 names so far. “In the past year, more than 1,000 new names were added,” the project manager at the Ukrainian Babi Yar Memorial Center told DW. But Furman and her colleagues still have a lot of work to do. Exactly 80 years ago, on September 29 and 30, 1941, the Nazis…
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2021 Right Livelihood winners fight for climate and justice
Marthe Wandou Marthe Wandou has been fighting against sexual violence and promoting women’s and children’s rights in Cameroon for decades. Founded in 1998, her nongovernmental organization, Action Locale pour un Developpement Participatif et Autogere (ALDEPA), applies a holistic approach focusing on education, abuse prevention, and providing psychosocial care as well as legal counsel. ALDEPA also seeks to effect broad societal…
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