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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PM Prayut visits Ubon Ratchathani province to see floods, dam
Continuing his tour of the provinces of Thailand affected by heavy rains and flooding, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is visiting the Northeastern province on Ubon Ratchathani today to survey the water and flood management situation. The prime minister is visiting along with several other ministers including Minister of Energy Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Minister of Interior Anupong Paochinda, and Minister of Digital Economy…
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Confronting France’s colonial past: Harkis eye reparations
When Algerian-born Serge Carel joined the army of colonial power France during the Algerian war of independence in 1957, he felt incredibly proud. “My whole family was working with the French — we’ve always loved France,” Carel told DW, while sitting in an armchair in his home 50 kilometers south of Paris. Joining the Algerian National Liberation Front, known as…
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Thailand plans huge reopening event with matching price tag
Thailand is planning on throwing a massive extravaganza to celebrate the country’s reopening. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is planning on hosting concerts in Bangkok and Phuket, with a budget of 500-600 million baht. The concerts will feature famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Thai K-pop singer Lisa Monaban. Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says bringing the 2 artists…
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Koh Phangan and Koh Tao islands relax visitor restrictions today
Joining the rush for restrictions easing as Thailand aims for the big leap to unquarantined reopening (for some) without a certificate of entry (for some) on November 1, the popular tourist islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao have eased their entry requirements starting today. The governor of Surat Thani, home to the Samui Plus Sandbox reopening as well as…
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5 no-quarantine countries named, 17 Thai provinces reopening
As restrictions are easing and Thailand moves towards a more streamlined and accessible reopening, 5 countries have been named in the plan to waive arrival quarantine for 10 countries. Though true to Thai style, nothing has been officially confirmed just 2 weeks before the grand reopening, the US, UK, Germany, China, and Singapore are more than likely candidates to be…
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Health Ministry’s plan to purchase new Covid-19 treatment pill gets the green light
Yesterday, the CCSA approved a proposal from the Public Health Ministry to procure a new oral treatment for Covid-19. The ministry plans to purchase 50,000 courses of the anti-viral Molnupiravir drug developed by pharmaceutical firm Merck. The proposal now goes to Cabinet for final approval. The news was confirmed by CCSA spokesman, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, who would not be drawn…
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CoE will be replaced by Thailand Pass, in development
The much-maligned certificate of entry is on its way out, with the digital Thailand Pass set to replace the CoE for most – but not all – people from November 1. The Digital Government Development Agency is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create an online system to replace the CoE process for international flight arrivals. The Thailand…
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Bali re-opens, waits for international flights to resume
Bali has re-opened to foreign tourists, but international flights to the former tourist hotspot have yet to resume. The Bangkok Post reports that while the island has re-opened for the first time since March 2020, there are still no international flights scheduled. Bali’s airport has waived landing fees for all carriers between now and the end of the year, in…
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AfricaLink on Air – 14 October 2021
US President Joe Biden hosts Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta++Pro-democracy protests flare up in Eswatini++Abu Musab al-Barnawi was the leader of ISWAP dead SOURCE: DW News
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Pakistan struggles to balance ties between Washington and Beijing
Pakistan-US relations have remained strained since the Taliban takeover of neighboring Afghanistan in mid-August. Over the years, Washington has criticized Islamabad for supporting the Taliban. Since US President Joe Biden came into the White House, he has not engaged with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. Some analysts claim Pakistan now has its eyes set on Beijing instead. Islamabad has repeatedly…
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India: Why violence keeps flaring up at the Assam-Mizoram border
Police forces of two northeastern Indian states clashed at a contentious border area on July 26. The clashes between Assam and Mizoram police left six Assamese policemen dead and more than 70 people injured, prompting widespread anger among the Assamese people. In response, some Assamese residents blocked trucks transporting essential supplies, including medicines to treat COVID-19 patients, from entering Mizoram.…
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The woman in charge of the EU mission in the Sahel
Antje Pittelkau is in charge of the EU mission in the Sahel. The 54-year-old police officer was born in Freiburg, Germany. She worked in Berlin for several years, served for four years in Afghanistan and arrived in Niger in 2018 on the EUCAP mission. The EUCAP mission supports security in Niger. It is part of the EU’s Common Security and…
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Retired teacher decides to domesticate zebras in Kenya
These wild zebras live together with domestic animals and share food on this rural property. Deforestation in Kilgoris usually causes zebras to migrate. But these zebras found their own piece of paradise. Deforestation is caused by new infrastructure and housing developments in western Kenya, but Saeni didn’t want to clear his land. The retired teacher soon noticed that zebras were…
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Family attempts to sell eyes and kidneys to save home and farm
After signing as a guarantor for a lifelong friend’s tractor purchase who defaulted, a man and his family in Ubon Ratchathani are trying to sell their eyes and kidneys to save his home and farm. The man, along with his wife and 2 sons, is currently walking 100 kilometres in the rain from their home to the provincial capital where…
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Desperate migrants trapped between Belarus, Poland amid geopolitical row
Neda and her husband Abozar sit under a tree in a remote field in Poland freezing, starving and losing hope. “I tumbled six days ago and fell down,” Neda tells DW. “I bled and now I am no longer pregnant.” The Iranian couple left the Belarusian capital of Minsk 10 days ago and say they have now been pushed back…
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Moderna vaccines scheduled to arrive weekly from November
The good vaccine news for Thailand keeps coming! After the World Health Organisation approved Thai-made AstraZeneca for emergency use, now word has been released to expect Moderna vaccines to finally arrive in Thailand in November. Zuellig Pharma, the company that distributes the much sought after Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, have said to expect weekly shipments to arrive in Thailand with…
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Curfew shortened, dark red zones reduced in CCSA meeting
Following this morning’s news of big discussions in today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting, several of the expected proposals were passed, including a curfew curtailment and reduction in the number of dark red zones in Thailand. For dark red zones, the curfew will be shortened from 10 pm to 4 am to instead last only 4 hours, from 11…
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Ethiopia: War in Tigray continues as government stays silent
An air and ground offensive in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region is intensifying according to Tigrayan forces, with the Ethiopian government pressing a fresh attack . The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) says the fighting began with air strikes launched by the federal government last week. However, the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has not acknowledged the offensive. The office…
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Thai Airways adding 39 international flight routes on October 31
Beleaguered national airline Thai Airways says they’re resuming full service on 36 foreign routes to destinations in Europe, Asia and Australia, many of which will resume from October 31. The implementation is in step with the Thai government’s commitment to reduce many of the impediments and restrictions to international arrivals from November 1. The decision was announced today by Thai…
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Chinese war blockbuster fuels anger in South Korea
Across China, war epic “The Battle at Lake Changjin” is filling cinemas and shattering box office records. The film, set in the Korean Peninsula and deals with the bloody 1950-53 Korean War, is on course to be the biggest grossing movie in the world this year. The movie has been met with fierce criticism in South Korea, raising the possiblility…
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Covid-19 Thursday: 112 deaths, 11,276 infections, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 11,276 new Covid-19 infections, a change of +1,212 since yesterday, and 112 Coronavirus-related deaths, a change of +30 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,722,841 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 10,407…
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Cobra Gold expected to be back to normal by 2022
The military exercise known as Cobra Gold is expected to be back to it’s normal size by 2022. This massive joint military training operation between Thailand and the United States has been scaled down due to concerns over Covid-19. The exercise is one of the longest running military training events in the world that is has been held annually since…
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Flights returning to Asia with airlines launching routes and sales
With Covid-19 restrictions and international border closures finally starting to ease around Asia, airlines in the region are prepping for their resurgence, relaunching their flights and promoting with sale fares. Domestic flights have been increasing in Thailand and travel agencies are reporting growing interest now that countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia are allowing domestic flying to resume as well.…
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Critics believe Singapore’s new ‘foreign interference law’ will further stifle free speech
Critics of Singapore’s new foreign interference law are worrying about how the island-nation’s government may weaponise the new Bill to stifle free speech. But the Singaporean government maintains that its new Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act “is needed to prevent outside meddling in the city state’s domestic affairs”. Singapore’s strict regulatory and licensing environment, sweeping censorship and libel laws, has pushed…
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Pandemic, climate change and conflict fuel sharp rise in global hunger
World hunger was set to end by 2030 — that was a goal set by United Nations in 2015. After years of progress reducing numbers of undernourished people since 1960, reaching zero hunger by 2030 sounded like an attainable target for the international community. But now, “the fight against hunger is dangerously off track,” the latest Global Hunger Index indicates.…
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Anutin opposes limiting quarantine-free re-opening to 10 countries
It appears there’s dissension amongst the ranks once more, as Thailand’s Health Minister disagrees with restricting the PM’s proposed re-opening to just 10 countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand should re-open to vaccinated tourists from MORE than 10 “low risk” countries. On Monday night, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha carried out a televised address in which he…
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Violence continues between military and insurgents in Thailand’s deep south
The fighting between the military and insurgents in the Southern border provinces of Thailand continues. Yesterday the Thai military killed a suspected insurgent after a shootout in a peat swamp in the Bacho district of Narathiwat, a province on Thailand’s southern border. This marks the sixth insurgent killed in the area in the last week. A combined force of Thai…
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Pattani Covid-19 spike fills nearly all field hospital beds
In the Deep South province of Pattani, health officials are reporting that field hospital beds are about full with 4,000 patients in care as Covid-19 numbers surge in the region. The Pattani Provincial Public Health Office is racing to create community isolation treatment centres to house up to 10,000 patients as Covid-19 infections continue to mount. The region is imposing…
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Covid-19 in Southern provinces prompts Songkhla checkpoints
As Thailand’s Deep South faces surges in Covid-19 infections, people crossing from the three southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala will face checkpoints when crossing into Songkhla. The checkpoints will stop travellers crossing the southern provincial border to do random Covid-19 screening. Pattani recorded 566 new Covid-19 infections yesterday, the most cases out of the southern provinces, and…
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Curfew reduction, easing more restrictions on CCSA agenda today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets later today to debate a further easing of restrictions ahead of the country’s planned re-opening on November 1. The Bangkok Post reports that the CCSA is set to discuss a reduction in curfew hours, as well as reducing the number of provinces in various coloured zones. Among the proposals to be discussed is the…
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