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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Thailand is a popular place for digital nomads because it is affordable, culturally rich, and convenient for remote work. With friendly locals, great weather, and delicious food, it offers a high quality of life. Cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and...
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Body of missing resort manager found on Koh Phi Phi
The body of a resort manager missing on Koh Phi Phi has been located in a forest on the island. Austrian national, Florian Hallermann, who was the General Manager of the Zeavola Resort, was found dead 4 days after he went missing. The 56 year old was last seen on CCTV footage as he walked on the beach on September…
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Re-opening of Bangkok pushed back 2 weeks to reach 70% vaccination goal
Following a meeting between the Bangkok governor and the tourism minister, officials have decided to delay the re-opening of the capital by 2 weeks. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the capital’s re-opening will be pushed back to October 15, as most residents are still waiting for their second vaccination. Currently, just 37% of residents are fully vaccinated. The Bangkok Post…
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Aunjai Clinic planned to aid newly infected Covid-19 patients
Aunjai is a Thai word that means “peace of mind” and also the name of a new clinic at the centre of Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew and his team’s plan to deal with Covid-19 and the severe hospital bed shortage the island is experiencing, with less than 10% of beds currently available for infected patients. The goal of the new…
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Phuket unveils new strategy for Covid-19, hospital shortages
After the release of official figures showing that Phuket is down to its last 10% of available beds for Covid-19 patients, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew announced a revamping of the province’s strategy on the pandemic. The governor also insists that there’s plenty of beds in the hospitals and there is no shortage despite what the official numbers and math show.…
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An end to neo-Islamism in the Middle East?
Last week, the party that previously held a majority in the Moroccan parliament suffered a crushing setback. In the country’s federal elections last Wednesday, the Justice and Development Party lost 113 of the 125 seats it had won in the last election. In previous ballots of 2016 and 2011, the party, commonly known as the PJD, ended up with a…
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Tanzania: Unlocking Lake Tanganyika’s economy
The women fishers of Kigoma want to increase their income. Annually, fishers catch more than 53,000 tons of fish from Lake Tanganyika. The volume could be higher if proper equipment were available. Fish spoil due to lack of proper storage. Fishers need basic items and guidelines for the business. Hundreds work in seafood processing that lacks refrigerators, processing facilities, and…
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Rwanda: The mysterious deaths of political opponents
The death of former Rwandan lieutenant Revocant Karemangingo, a critic of President Paul Kagame, is the latest addition to a list DW has compiled of Rwandan opposition voices that have died under suspicious circumstances. The regime of President Kagame, who has effectively ruled Rwanda since 1994, is accused of suppressing dissenting views. International rights groups claim opposition politicians, journalists, and…
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What does the end of the Merkel era mean for Southeast Asia?
Germany’s federal elections this month are unlikely to dominate the headlines in Southeast Asia. But experts agree that the outcome of the ballot will be important for the region nevertheless. The elections mark the end of Merkel’s 16 years as chancellor. Pundits think there is also a chance that the new government will be formed without Merkel’s once-dominant alliance of…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 13,798 new cases; provincial totals
144 coronvirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 14,765. Out of that number, 14,671 were recorded after April 1, during the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 13,798 new Covid-19 cases and 14,133 recoveries were…
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Booster for those with 2 Sinovac vaccines coming by October
Those already vaccinated in Thailand may be getting a shot in the arm by next month or even sooner, as Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul declared that booster shot administering will begin imminently for those who received 2 Sinovac vaccines already. He stressed that the actual timing will be up to the Disease Control Department but predicted it will be…
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Samut Prakan man allegedly extorts residents for their registration plates
A man has allegedly been extorting people in the central Thai province of Samut Prakan to get their car registration plates back. The alleged criminal entrepreneur was exposed when a young woman posted on Facebook to say that a man had forced her boyfriend to hand over 100 baht to get his plate back after it came loose in floodwaters.…
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Deputy inspector of police booze smuggling case not commenting
The deputy inspector on a case that is investigating police officers involved in smuggling illegal bootleg alcohol into Bangkok is remaining curtly tight-lipped regarding the case. When asked about the recent investigation, he refused to comment, telling reporters they should ask the main inspector directly. He said the inspector could provide more information and commentary and making remarks to the…
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“Sandbox Safety Zone in School” says 85% vaccination to reopen
In order to safely reopen schools for on-site learning, the Department of Health has declared that, for red and dark red zones, a minimum of 85% of all students, teachers, and staff in the school must be fully vaccinated before reopening. The issue of Education has become a quandary worldwide as countries weigh the need for children to receive an education…
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Motorbike accident kills 26 year old woman near Pattaya
A 26 year old woman from Chiang Rai died in an accident when her motorbike crashed into a power pole in Bang Lamung late Monday night. The Nongyai Police received word of the accident at around 10:45 in the evening. They arrived along with emergency responders at the crash site at Soi Chaiyapruek 1 in Huayyai. The woman was found…
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Krabi starts partial lockdown, curfew; Phi Phi closure extended
After a rash of Covid-19 outbreaks over the last two days, Krabi province has gone into a partial lockdown with a curfew from today, and the closure of Koh Phi Phi has been extended until September 24. The announcement by the Krabi Provincial Health Office stated that from today anyone travelling into Krabi must have at least one AstraZeneca dose…
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North Korea launches 2 ballistic missiles off their coast
North Korea blasted 2 ballistic missiles into waters off their east coast today, says Japanese and South Korean officials. The Defence Ministry says the objects did not penetrate Japanese territory. The possible missiles are thought to have landed somewhere outside of Japan’s economic zone, says the coast guard. The BBC says it’s unclear where the missiles were intended to go…
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Lacking gov’t aid, Phuket nightlife advises opening as restaurants
The president of the Patong Entertainment Business Association took a harsh stance against the long-term closures of nightlife venues in Phuket and the lack of assistance from the government of Thailand. In a fiery interview, he called on bars and clubs to open as restaurants despite the action being legally dubious and chastised the government for the long-term closure without…
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Daily Covid Update | Wednesday, September 15 |
Caitlin gives you the daily covid 19 figures while going through the upward and downward trends in Thailand.
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Nearly 40 border officials quarantined for testing after 9 migrant workers they arrested test positive for Covid
Nearly 40 officials in Songkhla, a southern Thai province, are quarantined for testing after 9 out of 14 illegal Burmese migrant workers, whom the officials arrested previously, tested positive for Covid. The migrant workers were arrested by immigration police and administrative officials at a border section near Ban Rai Tok, opposite the Kedah State of Malaysia, on Saturday. The workers…
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Phuket Covid-19 totals: 40 dead, 91 Sandboxers, hospitals 90% full
Phuket has just about hit the 90% hospital bed occupancy rate as infections and hospitalisations climb with new beds not being added quickly enough to keep pace. There were 229 infections today, 20 less than yesterday, and no new deaths reported, though details were released of the 1 death confirmed yesterday. A 63 year old Thai man was the 40th…
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2 defence corps volunteers arrested for alleged involvement in stealing defence corps guns
3 suspects have been arrested in Sa Kaeo, an eastern Thai province, for their alleged involvement in stealing 65 firearms from an armoury in the Muang Sa Kaeo District Office in May. 2 of the suspects, 36 year old Weeraphan Nakphitak and 40 year old Lek Khamneung are members of the Sa Kaeo Volunteer Defence Corps and worked at the…
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Department of Airports to lose 3 facilities to Airports of Thailand
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob has confirmed that 3 airports under Department of Airports management are to be transferred to Airports of Thailand in a bid to boost tourism. Udon Thani, Krabi, and Buriram airports will all be managed by AoT in the hope that they can be transformed into hubs that can handle higher tourist numbers. According to a Bangkok…
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Up to 20% of Thais report suffering from lingering Covid effects, says Department of Medical Services
The Department of Medical Services has announced that 10% to 20% of Thai Covid patients suffer from lingering Covid effects, a post-syndrome that is also known as “long Covid”, but the department adds that multiple terms have been used to characterise the syndrome. Long Covid can persist for weeks, and sometimes months after a patient has recovered from the virus. Dr…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 144 deaths and 13,798 new cases
144 coronavirus-related deaths and 13,798 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, in the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has recorded 1,391,477 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,133 recoveries. There are now 128,546 people being…
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Covid or no Covid, October 1 re-opening going ahead – Tourism Minister
There will be no rowing back on the planned October 1 re-opening of Bangkok, Chon Buri, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Chiang Mai, despite the Covid-19 crisis. So says Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, confirming that the government is sticking to the re-opening date previously announced by the PM. According to a Bangkok Post report, the minister has also…
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Chon Buri man allegedly kills man for staring at him
A man has been arrested for allegedly killing another man with a hand truck in Chon Buri, a province on the Gulf of Thailand, for staring at him. The 34 year old suspect, Wisathorn Tawanna, has been charged with murder after he allegedly beat 42 year old Sawasdee Moonta to death with a handcart. Wisathorn has allegedly confessed to the…
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15 people fled hidden in truck to escape Covid-19 in Vietnam
A refrigerated truck travelling north from Southern Vietnam was discovered to be holding 15 stowaways trying to escape the Covid-19 surge. Vietnamese state media reported on the story of the 15 people, one of which was just 7 years old, attempting to escape from the south which has been overwhelmed with Covid-19 infections. According to reports from Ho Chi Minh…
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Pakistan: How ‘blood money’ laws allow murderers to be pardoned
In January 2018, Asma Rani, a medical student in her third year, was on a semester break in her hometown of Kohat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Asma and her sister-in-law were on their way back to their house when two men opened fire. Three bullets hit Asma. Before her death, she identified her attacker as Mujahidullah Afridi, a…
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Indonesia’s deadly prison blaze highlights region’s overcrowded jails
A blaze broke out at Tangerang prison near Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta last week while inmates were sleeping. In total,41 prisoners died and eight others were seriously injured. The facility houses over 2,000 inmates, exceeding its official limit of 600, according to government data. Block C, where the fire broke out, housed 122 inmates at the time — far over…
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Red Cross to get 946 million baht to purchase 1 million doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine
The cabinet has decided to allocate around 946.3 million baht from the Central Fund to the Thai Red Cross Society so they can buy 1 million doses of the Moderna mRNA vaccine, which will be used to vaccinate specific target groups, for free. Zuellig Pharma Company, the representative for Moderna in Thailand has offered to sell the US produced vaccine…
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