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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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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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Government asks opposition not to invite public to vote to remove PM from office
A government spokesman has asked the opposition Pheu Thai party to drop its plan to invite the public to vote on the PM’s removal from office. Thai PBS World reports that the opposition party is planning to ask the public to cast their votes online during, or shortly after, a no confidence debate against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 5 of…
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Friday Covid Update: 18,702 new cases and 273 deaths
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,702 new Covid-19 cases and 273 coronavirus-related cases today. Since April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,110,708 Covid-19 infections. In the 24-hour period since the last count, 20,163 recoveries were reported. Thailand now has 185,200 active Covid-19 cases. With the latest and most severe wave on a downward trend, there…
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Runaway cop wanted for alleged murder turns himself in in Chon Buri
A police chief who allegedly killed a suspect while in custody has surrendered to police in Chon Buri, saying he was just trying to protect society from the dangers of drugs. A video of Thitisan Utthanaphon allegedly suffocating a suspect by placing plastic bags over his head has gone viral, leading to the dismissal of 7 officers, including Thitisan. He…
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Terror in Afghanistan: Who is Islamic State Khorasan
What many had feared happened on Thursday: Scores of people were killed in several explosions at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport. The blast came after Western intelligence agencies warned citizens not to travel to the airport because of a credible terror threat. The Afghan offshoot of the terror organization “Islamic State,” known as ISIS-Khorasan, IS-K or ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the…
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Vaccine inequality may see poorer countries lose $2.3 trillion
A new study found that the global economy will lose US $2.3 trillion due to slow Covid-19 vaccinations and that less wealthy countries will suffer disproportionately. The study by the Economist Intelligence Unit stated that because vaccine rollouts are much slower than those of wealthy nations, the developing and emerging countries will see the most loss. The Asia-Pacific Region is…
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Lebanon: Life without gas and electricity
Lebanon is suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history. Dramatic shortages of electricity, gas and other supplies make life in the country extremely difficult. SOURCE: DW News
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Government says yes, no, yes, no, yes on Chinese ATK deal
If you are a casual reader of The Thaiger you are may have read that the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation made a deal to import 8.5 million antigen test kits at the urging of hospitals desperate to quickly test and treat Covid-19 patients. Perhaps you even followed up and learned about the pause on purchasing after the Rural Doctors Society blasted…
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German-Africa Summit: Chancellor Merkel’s good-bye and the end of an era
Officially, the event is called the “Compact with Africa Conference.” But in reality, an era is coming to an end this Friday when German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets a good dozen African heads of state, some of whom will be tuned in virtually. The conference would mark an era in which Africa played a greater role in German politics than…
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YouTube pulled 1 million Covid-19 misinformation videos
More than 1 million harmful videos have been removed from YouTube since February 2020 for containing Covid-19 misinformation. The video-sharing platform that is one of the most visited websites in the world, second only to its parent company Google, announced on Wednesday the total after criticism that YouTube is a major source of Covid-19 disinformation. Politicians and government leaders have…
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Inside Europe
You can also listen to this episode of Inside Europe wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox and all other podcast players and platforms. Please follow/subscribe to our podcast and, if you enjoy Inside Europe, share it with a friend. Thank you for listening! SOURCE: DW News
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Public Health Ministry to propose easing of restrictions for vaccinated residents
With the number of active Covid-19 cases on a downward trend, the Public Health Ministry plans to make a proposal to ease measures for those who are fully vaccinated, or who have passed Covid-19 tests, in provinces classified as “dark red” and “red” for high infection rates. The ministry plans to propose dine-in services at restaurants to be allowed for those…
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Fugitive police Chief Joe said to be captured in Myanmar
[UPDATE: Media is now reporting to have received confirmation from police sources of the information below.] A few Thai media websites are reporting the alleged capture of Pol Col Thitisan “Chief Joe” Utthanaphon, the police station superintendent seen in video with a group of officers released this week putting a plastic bag over a suspect’s head, reportedly suffocating a suspect…
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NACC investigating cars and wealth of fugitive Chief Joe
As the story of the 7 police officers accused of suffocating a man to death while trying to extort him for 2 million baht continues to unfold, 2 of the officers are currently fugitives, including Pol Col Thitisan “Chief Joe” Utthanaphon whose incredible wealth and fleet of cars has come under intense scrutiny. Now the National Anti-Corruption Commission has launched…
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Thai Vietjet to resume flights to Singapore and Taiwan starting October
Thai Vietjet will resume international flights to and from Taiwan and Singapore starting on October 20 and 21 respectively. Flights from Singapore will have routes to Bangkok and Phuket. Sealed domestic flights connecting for those entering under the Phuket “Sandbox” will be available for those on the Taipei-Bangkok flights. Passengers are required to comply with immigration regulations and are liable…
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Japan to stop using 1.63 million doses of Moderna after contaminations found
Japan is set to stop using the 1.63 million doses of Moderna after reports of contamination in multiple vials came out, says drugmaker Takeda and the health ministry today. Takeda says they had received reports from multiple vaccinations centres that “foreign substances” had been discovered inside unopened vials. The drugmaker adds that they consulted with the health ministry and decided…
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Phuket hoteliers looking to winter wonderland to bolster the Sandbox
by Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com As the Phuket Sandbox program continues to be the international gateway for overseas travellers to Thailand, island hoteliers are looking at what the winter season could look like. Traditionally a legacy market, many visitors during this period are called ‘snowbirds’ and are from Northern and Eastern Europe. Snowbird travellers are long-stay visitors, with a key…
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Phuket Covid-19 over 3000 total, nearly 900 this week, 189 today
Today’s Covid-19 numbers in Phuket push the overall total above 3000, bring the weekly total to just about 900 (10 times the original threshold for reevaluating the Phuket Sandbox), and sets yet another daily record. 189 new domestic cases of Covid-19 were reported yesterday, making the count for 6 of the last 7 days over 100 infections. 3 new Sandbox…
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7 police officers face charges relating to suspect’s death in custody
Arrest warrants have been issued for seven police officers who were allegedly involved in the incident where a plastic bag was put over a drug suspect’s head before he was beaten, allegedly by officers demanding a 2 million baht bribe. Reports say the man died from suffocation, but officers wrote the death off as a drug overdose. As of this…
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Red Cross pleads for blood donations due to shortage
The Red Cross Society is pleading with the public to donate blood as Thailand’s hospitals are currently experiencing a severe shortage of blood reserves for patients. The shortage has led to the postponement of multiple surgeries. Director of the National Blood Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, Dr Dutjai Chaivanichsiri, spoke earlier today to say the Covid situation has…
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Police bust gang that allegedly transported migrant workers
A gang that allegedly took Laotian migrant workers from Bangkok to the northeast of Thailand has been busted. The Chief of Immigration, Sompong “Big Oud” Chingduang told the media about the bust involving a gang is reportedly called “Jay Wan”. Multiple sources had reported the group’s alleged illicit behaviour. According to Thai media, the group had the workers book their…
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19 arrested for gambling and drugs in Suphan Buri
Police arrested 19 people in the central province of Suphan Buri for illegal gambling and holding a gathering that violates the Emergency Decree. Officers also seized methamphetamine and a gun. Officers arrived at the scene and confiscated 3 bags of methamphetamine pills and a pistol. All the 19 suspects, between the ages of 23 and 50, also face drug charges.…
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7 teenagers arrested for allegedly planning to use small bombs at protest
Police arrested seven teenagers for allegedly possessing ping pong bombs with plans to use them at an upcoming protest in Bangkok. Officers raided a home in Nakhon Pathom, right outside the capital, at around 3:30am yesterday and seized 18 ping pong bombs. The teenagers at the home, ages 12 to 19, were arrested. Police also confiscated 3.69 grams of marijuana,…
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UNICEF says ongoing closure of schools is affecting child development
The United Nations Children’s Fund says many young children are missing the milestone of their first day at school as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a Bangkok Post report, UNICEF says ongoing school closures risk harming children’s development and mental health. UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore says countless children have already missed out on months of face-to-face…
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Man assaulted at Pattaya worker camp
A Cambodian worker at a camp in Pattaya sustained a severe head injury after he was reportedly beaten by teenagers. Police were alerted to the attack at 11pm a few days ago. When police got to the worker camp, they found the man lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from his head. The worker, identified 28 year old “Mr Mai,”…
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Figures show Covid-related deaths 2.5 times higher among pregnant women
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says Covid-related deaths in Thailand are 2.5 times higher in pregnant women. Assistant spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan says the deaths are mainly caused by respiratory failure. Thai PBS World reports that findings from December to August 11 show that the deaths of pregnant Covid-19 patients accounted for 0.43% of all Covid-related fatalities. The Royal College…
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Officials meet today to discuss easing some Covid-19 restrictions
Government officials are to meet today to discuss the possibility of easing some restrictions, ahead of a meeting of the Covid-19 task force tomorrow. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the proposal to ease some curbs is being driven by a fall in the infection rate across the country. Today, Thailand reported 18,501 new cases, compared…
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Restaurant operators accept rules for re-opening dine-in services
Restaurant operators are happy to accept new rules for re-opening as laid out by the Public Health Ministry, if it means they can get back to business. The measures are strict and include the need for all customers to show proof of full vaccination. According to a Bangkok Post report, the re-opening of dine-in services would be done under a…
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Manhunt launched for ex-cop who allegedly killed suspect in custody
Thai police are out to catch one of their own, with a manhunt launched for former police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon, who is on the run. The ex-cop, previously chief of police in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan, is accused of causing the death by suffocation of a drug suspect in custody. The dead man has been named as 24-year-old…
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Bangkok Sandbox: open businesses to vaccinated customers
Perhaps feeling a bit jealous of more easily isolated tropical islands with their Sandboxes, who are reopening despite their own rising Covid-19 infections, the private sector has proposed its own reopening in the capital they are calling the Bangkok Sandbox. A “Factory Sandbox” has already been put into use in the industrial sector that maintains safety and confidence in the…
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Wanted police superintendent has mansion, 13 luxury cars
The appalling story of the Mueng Nakhon Sawan Police suffocating a man to death while trying to extort him for 2 million baht continues with more and more shocking turns. Now details are emerging of the accused police station superintendent Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon’s luxury house on a large plot of land in Bangkok with 13 high-end cars. First, the…
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