News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
The Thaiger is your essential resource for staying connected with Thailand’s captivating blend of tradition and modernity. To remain in the loop with the country’s most trusted news source, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
-
Sponsored This Valentine's Day, protect your loved ones with comprehensive health insurance
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, care, and the bonds we share with those who matter most. This Valentine’s Day, show your love in a thoughtful and lasting way by choosing health insurance for your loved ones. Unlike...
-
Sandbox latest, CCSA says all regions reopening must reach 70% local vaccination
Discussions about re-opening Thailand have spread beyond Phuket with the latest decisions from the CCSA. Meanwhile, Phuket’s Sandbox re-opening date of July 1 looms. The main narrative out of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is the need for regions or provinces, slated for re-opening to vaccinated overseas travellers, to have vaccinated 70% of their resident population before they can…
-
Covid UPDATE Saturday: 3,667 new infections and 32 deaths
The trend of new Covid infection continues to steadily rise. Saturday’s totals are 32 new Covid-related deaths and 3,667 cases. 435 of today’s announced cases are from Thai prisons. Provincial totals will be available early afternoon on The Thaiger as usual. In other Covid-related news today… • The Department of Land Transport is resuming driving tests, issuing and renewing licences…
-
Thamanat elected to role of head ‘fixer’ in Palang Pracharat party
Thamanat Prompow, still the Thai deputy agricultural minister, now has a firm grasp of the reigns of the ruling Palang Pracharat Party, the leading coalition party of the Thai government. Thamanat’s stay in an Australian prison for 4 years of a 6 year sentence on heroin trafficking charges back in the 90s, has not swayed his fellow MPs in electing…
-
Juneteenth: An important holiday, that changes little
The US has made June 19, or Juneteenth, a public holiday. This second independence day, as it were, commemorates the liberation of enslaved Afro-Americans. It dates back to June 19, 1865, when Union Major General Gordon Granger proclaimed the abolition of slavery in Galveston, Texas. It brought to an end the second genocide on US soil — after the forced…
-
India: COVID vaccine disparity makes inoculation a challenge
As India emerges from a devastating second wave of the coronavirus, experts have warned that the country’s slow vaccination drive and the easing of restrictions could soon lead to a third wave. The vaccination campaign, which began in January this year, aimed to inoculate 300 million of India’s 1.4 billion people by August. But by May, India had only fully…
-
Why are sanctions against Belarus not more effective?
Dictators like to win elections. In the past 27 years, Alexander Lukashenko has stood for election six times, and each time he was victorious. Or supposedly victorious, that is, in what has been widely seen as rigged elections. Sanctions against him have been in place for the majority of his rule, and stricter punitive measures are set to come into…
-
Made in Germany: Ukraine pendants without Crimea
S.W.W. Schmuckwaren is a company based in southern Germany that produces and sells jewelry, including gold and silver pendants shaped like the outlines of countries. They cost €22.95-€295.95 ($27-$350) and most of the countries are shaped in such a way that corresponds to their internationally recognized borders. There is one pendant, however, that is missing a region: Ukraine does not…
-
Government plans 10 million vaccines for July
As vaccinations are finally picking up around much of Thailand, some areas are reporting shortages of vaccines, but the government announced plans to administer 10 million vaccines in July and every month thereafter. A senior spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said that the vaccines will be distributed with a priority focus on Bangkok and making sure 70%…
-
Sierra Leone: Black Johnson Beach sold to China for industrial fishing harbor
Sierra Leone’s government cut a $55 million deal with China to finance the construction of a new harbor. The people living along the pristine beach fear losing their jobs and land. SOURCE: DW News
-
Sierra Leone: Black Johnson Beach to become fishing harbor under China deal
Sierra Leone’s government cut a $55 million deal with China to finance the construction of a new harbor. The people living along the pristine beach fear losing their jobs and land. SOURCE: DW News
-
How is Beijing reshaping Hong Kong through the national security law?
A day after 500 police officers raided its newsroom and arrested five executives, Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily printed 500,000 copies featuring the raid and the arrest on its front page. “We must press on,” read the headline, citing a passage from the paper’s CEO Cheung Kim-hung. On Friday, police formally charged Cheung and Editor-in-Chief Ryan Law with “collusion…
-
Ethiopa announces ‘period of silence’ ahead of elections
Ethiopia’s national electoral board ordered a “period of silence” before Monday’s parliamentary elections, which includes a ban on campaign rallies and new rules for local media houses. “Mass media outlets are not allowed to broadcast any kind of election-related activities during this period of silence. In addition, these institutions are not allowed to interview political party candidates,” the commission said…
-
Pattaya bars plead for government help
Beer sellers of Pattaya are pleading with the government to let them open for foreign tourists. Also, to relax closure measures that apply to the entertainment businesses. Barring that, they ask for significant financial aid. The proprietors of beer-related businesses say they are suffering greatly due to the economic crisis. As per their statements to the associated press this week.…
-
Colour-coded zoning revised, restrictions to ease nationwide
Disease control restrictions are easing nationwide and the colour-coded zoning was recently revised by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The new regulations will go into effect on Monday. Nationwide, all entertainment and nightlife venues including bars, pubs and nightclubs must remain closed. Face masks are still required to be worn in public. All zones have limits on the number…
-
Department of Land Transport will reopen, issue licenses
After suspending services on April 16th due to the third wave outbreak of Covid-19, the Department of Land Transport has announced they will reopen next week. The agency will restart renewing driving licenses in issuing new licenses, as well as giving driving tests. Services are set to resume all across the country at all DLT offices on June 21, according…
-
Krabi schedules 82 flights per week from late October
Despite no official legal plans to reopen Thailand to international tourism, and perhaps on the heels of PM Prayut’s surprise announcement in a speech Wednesday that he intends to fully reopen Thailand by mid-October, 8 airlines received slots for international flights into Krabi from the end of October. The allotment was determined as part of the IATA Slot Conference, this…
-
Worker falls off roof in Chon Buri, sustains multiple injuries
Last night, a worker suffered multiple injuries after falling off an incomplete factory roof. The tumble happened in Bang Lamung, a district in the Chon Buri province, central Thailand. At 8:30 pm emergency responders were alerted to the man’s fall at the construction site. The emergency responders and local media got to the site to find the injured worked, 31…
-
Talad Kaset market in Phuket reopens
The Talad Kaset market in Phuket reopened today. The staff of Phuket City Municipality/vendors gave the market a rigorous cleaning to bolster local’s confidence. The market had shut down 2 weeks prior after an 86 year old woman’s death was connected to the market. 2 day ago, Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, reassured the…
-
PM Prayut tests negative after parliament maid has Covid-19
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was tested for Covid-19 this morning after being exposed to someone with an infection, but was confirmed negative for the virus. The prime minister and close aides were all tested for Covid-19 after it was discovered that a maid working in a reception room at parliament had tested positive for the virus. All those tested came back…
-
Myanmar: American journalist’s detention extended 2 more weeks
Yesterday, a Myanmar court extended the detention of American journalist Danny Fenster. The extension is for 2 more weeks. The U.S. State Department has strongly requested they have consular access to Danny. Frontier Myanmar says their managing editor (Danny) faces charges that could land him a 3 year prison term. The charge is reportedly often used against dissidents and journalists.…
-
Thai DDC probe into Covid-19 vaccine recipient deaths to finish next week
Thai health officials are finishing up an investigation into deaths involving those who had received the Covid-19 vaccine. The Department of Disease Control is looking into 68 deaths and plans to report the cause of death of each case next week. So far, 13 of the cases are not directly related to the vaccine, according to the director of the…
-
Thammanat Prompaew said to be PPRP’s next secretary-general
MP Thammanat Prompaew, the controversial convicted drug smuggler turned politician, is favoured to become the next secretary-general of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, sources say. A meeting of the party’s general assembly will take place in Khon Kaen province today where an announcement may be made. The embattled Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister is considered to be the likely successor…
-
Pattaya security guard dies after crashing into garbage truck
Last night in Pattaya, a security guard drove his motorbike into the back of a garbage truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The 43 year old security guard was driving on Road Number 36 on the Pattaya Rayong Bypass. His name has been withheld from media until his relatives have been notified of his passing. Police say the…
-
Killer’s sentence reduced from 10 years to 3, plus community service
4 years ago, 56 year old Suthep Pochanasomboon, was convicted of killing 17 year old Nawaphol Poengpai after an argument about a parking space. Now, Suthep’s sentence has been commuted by the Supreme Court to 3 years. The shooting which led to Suthep’s temporary incarceration happened close to the Ang Silla market, which is in the Chon Buri Province. Suthep…
-
142 new Covid infections in Chon Buri, clusters in market workers and close contacts
The eastern province of Chon Buri has reported 142 new Covid-19 infections today, bringing its total in the latest outbreak to 5,786, with 35 deaths. Another death has been reported today, although no further details have been released. According to a Pattaya News report, 993 patients are currently receiving medical treatment, while 4,758 recovered patients have been released, 64 of…
-
Phuket 62% vaccinated, Sandbox ready to play in, hopefully
The government has “confirmed” that Phuket is 62% vaccinated. Further, they indicate that they are ready to go ahead with the Phuket Sandbox reopening. This would let limited quarantine-free tourism to fully vaccinated international visitors. The government says Phuket’s vaccine rollout is picking up momentum From a report posted by NNT yesterday: “Phuket province is now just steps away from…
-
Friday Covid Update: 3,058 new cases and 22 deaths
3,058 new Covid-19 cases and 22 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The recent and most severe wave of the virus, infecting 181,919 people since April 1, is now on a downward trend as the number of recoveries recorded each day continues to exceed the number of new cases. Today, the CCSA reported 4,094…
-
Krabi hotels pin hopes on Phuket sandbox success
Hotel operators in the southern province of Krabi will be watching Phuket’s imminent re-opening with great interest. The success of the Phuket “sandbox” will determine what happens in Thailand’s other tourism hotspots. According to the Bangkok Post, a successful re-opening for Phuket would mean Krabi and other destinations can look forward to re-opening their hotels and recruiting workers for the…
-
Over 350 vaccinated medical workers in Indonesia infected, dozens hospitalised
Hundreds of healthcare workers in Indonesia have tested positive for Covid-19, despite being vaccinated, with dozens hospitalised. According to a Reuters report, over 350 medical staff, all of whom have received the Sinovac vaccine, have been confirmed as infected. Most are asymptomatic, but dozens have been hospitalised with high fever and low oxygen levels. The infected healthcare workers are in…
-
Nightlife businesses petition government to reopen, sell alcohol
After more than a year of closures, a coalition of nightlife business representatives is petitioning the government to reopen next month and to lift the alcohol ban. With the support of the Democrat Party deputy leader Prin Phannichphak, who also heads the Modern Business Group, a collection of event organisers, musicians, fitness business reps and entertainment industry reps submitted the…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.