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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Four suspected insurgents on the run killed in clash with “Deep South” soldiers
In the “Deep South” province Narathiwat, four suspected insurgents were killed in a gunfire exchange with soldiers on Sunday and an army officer was killed in another clash with insurgents the night before, according to the Bangkok Post. Reports say the insurgents killed in the incident were all wanted on court warrants, most of them facing charges for deadly attacks.…
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Several political parties name candidates for PM, ruling party reportedly supports Prayut
In the heat of calls and protests pushing for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign or be removed from office, political parties are now starting to name prime ministerial candidates for the next election, which will be in 2023. Prayut and his government also faced a no-confidence hearing last month. Although the vote ruled in Prayut’s favour, many issues were raised…
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Phuket “Sandbox” slow start for tourism; Philippines police investigated over “war on drugs” | Thailand Top Stories | October 5
Phuket “Sandbox” slow start for tourism; Philippines police investigated over “war on drugs” | Thailand Top Stories | October 5 |Caitlin gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: Phuket Sandbox slowly reviving the tourism industry, Police seek court approval to extend detention for American rape suspect, …
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Former massage parlour boss arrested on sex trafficking charges after 5 years on the run
A massage parlour boss has been arrested on charges of sex trafficking and child prostitution, after evading police for 5 years. Nation Thailand reports that 63 year old Prasert Sukkhee, the former owner of the Nataree massage parlour, was arrested by anti-people trafficking officers in the Bangkok Noi district of the capital. The case against Prasert dates back to 2016,…
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Bali to partially re-open to travellers from select countries next week
A government minister in Indonesia has confirmed the island of Bali will partially re-open to arrivals from certain countries. However, the list does not currently include Australia, a significant tourism market for Indonesia prior to the pandemic. According to an AFP report, Luhut Panjaitan says that from October 14, Ngurah Rai International Airport will open for arrivals from South Korea,…
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Former cop accused of torture and murder was involved in seizure of over 400 luxury cars
A man accused of murder and fired from his role as police chief in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan was involved in the confiscation of over 400 luxury cars. According to deputy national police chief, Suchart Thiraswasdi, disgraced former cop Thitisan Utthanaphol was involved in the seizure of 410 high-end vehicles that had been smuggled into Thailand from Malaysia…
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Our take on the new GWM Haval H6 ULTRA
The recent launch of Great Wall Motor’s 2021 Haval H6 ULTRA Hybrid SUV in Thailand, has definitely set car lovers’ tongues wagging. Around 3 months ago, GWM announced it would be introducing the new H6 Haval ULTRA (the top model for the Thai range) with an accompanying theme of ‘It’s Time to CHANGE.’ The SUV is a true hybrid, including…
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Widespread flooding easing across affected provinces
Officials say the widespread flooding that has affected Bangkok and several other provinces is showing signs of easing. However, there are already forecasts of another storm that could affect Thailand from next week. AP News reports that so far, 8 people have been killed by the floods, with 1 woman still missing. Thousands of homes have been affected, across 32…
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Iran clamps down on teachers demanding fair pay
Aziz Ghasemzadeh is a spokesman for the teachers’ union in Iran’s northern province of Gilan. Last week, he was arrested while he was doing an interview on his phone with a Persian-language broadcaster. The phone’s camera was still on and captured footage of the arrest at his parents’ home; you can hear his mother’s voice pleading with the officers not…
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Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram are down as the Facebook data centre crashes
Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram are all down on this Monday evening. Users of Facebook’s suite of social media platforms are all non-responsive as millions of users try to access their accounts. Users on mobile, desktop and tablets are all affected. Issues started around 22:44 Thai Time and are currently impacting users worldwide with the hashtag #facebookdown trending on Twitter. We’re…
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Bangladesh: Who killed Rohingya leader Mohibullah?
Mohibullah, a high-profile figurehead for the Rohingya who have fled Myanmar, was killed by unidentified gunmen last week, in an event which has left investigators looking for a culprit. Mohibullah was shot last Wednesday, Sept. 29, in one of the sprawling camps in the coastal Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar. The leader left for Bangladesh when over 730,000 Rohingya Muslims…
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China’s Taiwan military incursions test the limits of airspace
Over the past four days, more than 120 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft have passed by Taiwan in separate maneuvers, entering the self-governing island’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). On Saturday, coinciding with the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) founding holiday, the PLA flew a 39 aircraft into the ADIZ, including bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. The flybys…
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Monday Covid Update: 9,930 new cases; provincial totals
97 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 17,111 with 17,017 of those fatalities during the country’s latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 9,930 new Covid-19 cases and 12,336 recoveries were reported. Thailand now has 109,748 active cases. Since the…
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Khon Kaen police seek court approval to extend detention of American rape suspect
Police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen are seeking court approval to extend the detention of the sexual assault suspect, who allegedly beat and raped a Thai masseuse. The chief of the Muang Khon Kaen police station says officers want to detain the American for another 12 days due to concerns that the man might try to flee. 37 year…
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Swiss man arrested for allegedly beating a man to death, claiming self-defence
A 63 year old Swiss man was arrested for allegedly beating a Thai man to death. Police say the Swiss national, identified as Rudolf, told officers that the man had come to his home, pointed a gun at his head, and demanded money. Officers say Rudolf confessed to beating the man, but did not intend to kill him, adding that…
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Passenger train in Deep South’s Yala province attacked by gunmen
Gunmen opened fire at a passenger train in the Deep South province Yala, damaging the train’s braking system. All southbound trains to Narathiwat are now being terminated in Yala and the Hat Yai branch of the State Railway of Thailand labour union is calling for increased security measures, according to the Bangkok Post. Insurgent-related violence happens frequently in the southeast…
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Vaccination drive accelerated in Pattaya to prepare for November reopening
The rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations is being accelerated in Pattaya to prepare for reopening in November. The city’s mayor Sonthaya Kunplome says he expects more than 80% of the population in Pattaya to be fully vaccinated by October 15. Pattaya City Hospital is being used as the main vaccination centre with up to 2,600 doses of AstraZeneca and Sinopharm being…
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Thai AirAsia operating 20 domestic routes from this month
From this month, Thai AirAsia is resuming a number of domestic routes, as well as introducing new ones. TTR Weekly reports that the low-cost carrier is now operating flights from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Phitsanulok, Nan, Loei, Sakon Nakhon, Surat Thani, Krabi, and Trang. It will also launch a new route from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin from October…
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All countries now eligible for Thailand’s sandbox programme
The Thai government has got rid of its list of “approved countries”, opening up the sandbox tourism programme to fully vaccinated visitors from anywhere in the world. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has welcomed the move, which means Indonesian and Malaysian tourists can now visit the kingdom. Prior to Covid-19, Malaysia was Thailand’s second…
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Monday Covid Update: 9,930 new cases and 97 deaths
Today, the CCSA reported 9,930 new Covid-19 cases and 97 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,618,499 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 12,336 recoveries. There are now 109,748 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19.…
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Vaccination of over 5 million school students gets underway
The vaccination of Thai school students gets underway today, with over 5 million students expected to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. The vaccination drive is in preparation for the new school term in November. According to a Bangkok Post report, students between the ages of 12 and 18 will be vaccinated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine, starting with those in dark…
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Pandora Papers: Secret tax havens of world leaders, celebrities revealed
The Pandora Papers investigation has revealed that 35 current and former world leaders — including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the king of Jordan and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta — as well as powerful billionaires were affiliated with companies that use offshore tax havens. Offshore accounts are often used to secretly manage and move large sums of money to…
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Son of rape victim rebukes police for cancelling American suspect’s crime reenactment
Following the cancellation of the traditional re-enactment of his crimes, the son of the Thai masseuse who was raped in Khon Kaen, allegedly by 37 year old American Robert Gordon victim criticised the double standard of how police treated Gordon as a foreigner. The son and other relatives of the 45 year old masseuse that Gordon allegedly brutally beat and…
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Sri Panwa resort face punishment for illegally acquired land
Just as the National Anti-Corruption Commission probed Trisara resort, the luxury resort Sri Panwa in Southeast Phuket is facing legal action for land the Department of Special Investigation says was acquired illegally. The resort is accused of acquiring one plot over 3 rai in area with a Nor Sor 3 Gor land document – papers with ownership privileged just short…
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Army to cut spending on foreign weapons, buy domestic instead
The army is recognising that, with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, they shouldn’t be spending massive money to obtain weapons from abroad. Instead, they will look for domestic sourcing for the weapons they purchase and spend on maintaining what they have already. The chief of staff for the army acknowledged that the Thai military is reconsidering its spending since much…
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Floods bring higher prices on vegetables to Vegetarian Festival
The world-famous Phuket Vegetarian Festival is set to begin on Wednesday, but aside from Covid-19, the flooding in Thailand has also proved to be damaging the upcoming festivities by driving up the cost and scarcity of vegetables. The heavy rains from tropical storm Dianmu have damaged many crops including vegetables in the central, north, and northeastern regions. Plus floods have…
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Sunday Afternoon Covid-19 Update: Provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 10,814 new Covid-19 infections and Coronavirus-related deaths remained below 100 for the second day in a row with 77 deaths. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,608,569 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 11,894 recoveries, 1,233 less than yesterday.…
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South Korea looks to Germany for reunification pointers
With just seven months left before he steps down as president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in and his government remain committed to their long-held dream of reuniting the two halves of the Korean Peninsula into a single nation. And, with Germany as one of the very few countries with recent experience of a similar amalgamation of two states, Unification Minister…
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Taxi hailing apps legalised, fares from 40 baht, 10,000 in Bangkok
Taxi hailing apps, with fares starting at 40 baht, have now been officially approved for use in Thailand, having received the sign off by Minister of Transport Saksayam Chidchob. The new ruling allows companies to apply for permissions to operate using mobile apps, subject to a 30-day trial period. The Minister expects 10,000 taxis of up to 7 passenger capacity…
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Police say American man confesses to rape and assaults, blames drug use
The 37 year old American man now identified by police as Robert Andrew Gordon has allegedly confessed to police to committing rape and sexual assault. Police say Gordon told officers that his use of the illegal drug speed was the cause of his behaviour. According to the Deputy Commander of the Royal Thai Police, the man said he took the…
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