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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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10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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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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Cabinet approves measure to entice “high potential” foreigners to Thailand
The cabinet has approved a measure to entice “high potential” foreigners, such as wealthy retirees and specialists, to spend a prolonged period in Thailand. The measure is a bid to promote foreign investment and to improve the struggling economy. The 4 groups that the government hopes to attract to Thailand are high income earners, foreign retirees, experts in different fields,…
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Germany and the Middle East: A tale of morals and markets
On its homepage, Germany’s foreign ministry lists, “peace and security, the promotion of democracy and human rights, and commitment to multilateralism,” as the guiding principles of German foreign policy. Just a few lines later, however, there is another commitment whereby Germany, as a trading nation, has a particular interest in an effective external economic policy, “that helps companies to tap…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 11,786 new cases; provincial totals
Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 136 coronavirus-related deaths and 11,786 new Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has recorded a total of 1,406,542 confirmed Covid-19 cases. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,377,679 of those cases. …
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Thailand to overhaul reopening plans for pilot areas, one system policy to be adopted
Thailand is overhauling their reopening plans to simplify and unify current protocols. The new idea is to adopt a “One SOP, One System policy, with SOP standing for standard operating procedure. The new plan will toss out mandatory quarantine and sealed routes for pilot areas sometime this year. They will also slash Covid tests costs in half, in some instances.…
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Korat closes noodle shop and a Tesco following Covid outbreak
The northeastern Thai province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known by its shorter form, Korat, continues to see Covid issues. The province has announced that it has 2 new Covid clusters located in the Bua Yai district. One of the outbreaks is at a noodle shop and the other is at a Tesco Lotus. 14 people have tested positive for Covid. The…
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Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew
Bangkok police continue to wield the merciless hammer of law and order. They brought it down last night on a 12 year old, arresting the child for allegedly violating curfew at the Din Daeng intersection. The minor was riding his bike to observe a protest, says a group of lawyers and activists. At least 11 other people were also arrested.…
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Japan plans to donate 1.3 million AstraZeneca doses to several Asian countries, 300,000 heading to Thailand
Japan is planning to donate 1.3 million AstraZeneca vaccines to several Asian countries, including 300,000 doses to Thailand. The newest donation from Japan should go out as soon as possible and includes 400,000 doses for Vietnam, 300,000 for Thailand, and 100,00 doses for Brunei. With 500,000 doses heading to Taiwan, Japan’s total donation to the island will be just shy…
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Police claim that officer didn’t commit a hit and run, admit the driver hit someone and left
The Metropolitan Police Bureau is claiming that the officer who allegedly plowed his truck through a group of pro-democracy protesters over the weekend did not commit a hit and run. 1 protester was injured as a result of the incident. Pol Lt Gen Phukphong Phongpetra concedes that a prisoner transport vehicle was involved in the incident but claims that it…
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Teen allegedly robs gold shop after losing money in investment scam
A 17 year old girl was arrested for allegedly robbing a gold shop and threatening the manager with a kitchen knife after she lost money in an apparent scam. The teenager reportedly told officers that she had gotten involved in what appeared to be an online investment website. She had seen an advertisement on Instagram and decided to invest the…
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Cathay Pacific crew fired after refusing to get vaccinated
In what could be a global first, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has fired an unspecified number of crew after they refused Covid-19 vaccines. The carrier has defended the sacking of air crew who it says refused available vaccines without providing any medical justification, adding that it can’t operate without its crew being vaccinated. “The pandemic has had a huge…
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Tourism Minister says Pattaya will become part of “Sandbox 7+7” extension
Pattaya’s forthcoming re-opening to foreign tourists will see it join the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 extension programme, according to Thailand’s Tourism Minister. According to a Pattaya News report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn confirmed the plan while on a visit to the area on Sunday. It’s understood the proposal will go to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this Friday, along with proposals for…
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On-site learning to resume in November, subject to students being vaccinated
The Education Minister says schools can re-open for in-classroom learning from November 1, provided enough students are vaccinated. Addressing a press conference, Treenuch Thienthong confirmed the plan to re-open schools following consultation with health officials and the interior ministries. According to the minister, the re-opening hinges on the rollout of Pfizer vaccine doses, which will be offered to students between…
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