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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9 Hong Kongers arrested on terror charges, 6 out of 9 teenagers
Hong Kong police announced today that 6 of 9 Hong Kongers that were arrested on terror charges for allegedly trying to make a bomb were kids. Police say 5 males and 4 females between the ages of 15 and 39 were arrested on suspicion of “conspiracy to use explosives for terrorist activities”. 6 are teenage students and 3 are adults…
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Government shifts focus in vaccine rollout after rise of elderly Covid patient deaths
With the rise of Covid-related deaths involving elderly patients, the Thai government has revised its plan for the next stages of the nationwide Covid-19 vaccination campaign to focus first on those in Bangkok who are at a high risk of severe infection if they contract the coronavirus. Those who are at least 60 years old or who have certain underlying…
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16 apprehended near Myanmar border
From yesterday to today, 16 people were apprehended today near the Myanmar border in Tak, a northern Thai province The apprehended include 11 illegal migrants, 3 Thais who assisted the migrants, and 2 Chinese nationals who had escaped from quarantine. A concealed army patrol saw a pickup truck pull up close to a natural border crossing in the Wang Takhian…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 5,420 new cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 294,653 and the Covid death toll to 2,333. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 265,790 of the total confirmed…
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After Samut Prakan fire, hazardous materials new concern
Earlier today, the Samut Prakan plastics factory was finally put out after over 25 hours. Now, the attention is on possible hazardous materials left in the fire’s wake. The hazardous materials are reported to be harmful to both the environment and people who live near the site of the fire. One of the main concerns is Styrene. Thai media reports…
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Chiang Mai field hospital to reopen
A Chiang Mai field hospital that closed early last month is reopening today to combat the rising Covid infections. Yesterday, Chiang Mai reported 17 new infections. Local authorities will reopen the hospital, located at the international convention and exhibition centre this afternoon. Beds and other equipment were also put back. Dr Amporn Iamsri, the director of the Chiang Mai field hospital,…
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Phuket official says taxi fares have gone down since the pandemic
Following posts shared on social media on the notoriously high taxi fares amidst Phuket’s reopening under the “Sandbox” model, a provincial transport official is apparently saying the posts are old and the prices do not reflect the current rates. A local transport official says the prices have actually gone down. The Facebook post from a tourist planning a trip to…
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Northern Thai police seize assets, drugs valued at over 900 million baht
Northern Thai police have seized assets/drugs valued at $31.127 million US dollars (over 900 million baht) from a drug cartel that has been based out of the Golden Triangle. Secretary General of the Office of the Narcotics Board Wichai Chaimongkol, said yesterday that the cartel moved heroin from Northern Thailand into Malaysia by way of a production centre somewhere in…
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LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
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5 protest leaders to have bail revoked following weekend rallies in Bangkok
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed it is filing to have bail revoked for 5 pro-democracy leaders accused of breaking their bail conditions. The move comes after a number of political rallies in Bangkok last weekend. The Pattaya News reports that Sukhun Prommayon from the MPB says that an investigation into the behaviour of protest leaders attending the rallies shows…
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1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by US to go to senior citizens, pregnant women
The Thai government plans to administer 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60 and to pregnant women. Priority will be given to those in areas with high rates of infection. The doses have been donated to Thailand by the US government. According to a Nation Thailand report, a leaked memo shows that…
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Survey shows most hotels can only cover operation costs for less than 3 months
A survey by the Bank of Thailand shows that most hotels can only cover their operating costs for less than 3 months. 220 properties were surveyed between June 14 and 27. Of those, 17 are alternative state quarantine facilities, while 3 properties serve as “hospitels”. 68% of those surveyed say they only have enough liquidity to cover their operating costs…
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Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July
More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end…
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Phuket reports 7,347 “sandbox” hotel bookings for July
There have been 7,347 hotel bookings made for the southern island of Phuket as its “sandbox” re-opening continues. In the first 4 days of the scheme, the island has welcomed 1,416 international arrivals, most of whom are foreign nationals. Below is the breakdown: Day 1: 479 (303 foreign nationals, 176 Thais) Day 2: 544 (467 foreign nationals, 77 Thais) Day…
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Donald Tusk returns to Poland’s political fray
Determined, confident, combative and goal-oriented — that’s how Donald Tusk presented himself at his comeback appearance in Warsaw on Saturday. A man who knows what he wants, which is to defeat the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which has been in power since 2015. The next parliamentary election will be held in just over…
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Journalists under threat: July’s 10 most urgent cases
Across the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert a toll on the way we live, it has also reshaped the way journalists work. Covering the pandemic and its aftermath has led to direct exposure to the virus, but just as concerningly, journalists have been exposed to the whims of authorities in some countries that use the contagion as…
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COVID: High medical expenses take toll on poor families in India
Anindita Gupta, a resident of the eastern city of Kolkata, said she had to sell some of her jewelry to pay for the treatment of her brother-in-law at a private hospital. Her brother-in-law, who had contracted COVID-19, needed the support of an ECMO, which is used to pump and oxygenate a patient’s blood outside the body. So, at the end…
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Thailand’s CCSA warns against domestic travel as Covid wave hits record high
With the number of Covid-19 patients now at a record high, and the fast-spreading Delta variant becoming more prevalent, health officials are urging people not to travel. During the daily press briefing by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, a spokesperson said “the CCSA would like to urge everyone to avoid trans provincial travel at all costs.” “And, if travel…
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UPDATE: Rescuer killed, at least 60 injured in Samut Prakan factory explosion
UPDATE: A rescue foundation firefighter was killed and more than 60 people were in the fire at a chemical factory in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok. The Ming Dih Chemical Co factory exploded overnight, sending black toxic smoke into the air. Helicopters were deployed to the scene to spray flame retardant foam. By this evening, the fumes were headed toward Bangkok.…
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Power outages coming to Kathu, again
Power outages are coming to Kathu, Phuket again. The power will be out in parts of Kathu from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The affected areas will be along the Kathu-Koh Kaew road. This includes the Ban Suan Loch Palm housing estate, Golf Land View housing estate, Red Mountain Golf Club, Phanason Private Home housing estate, Soi Kathu 4 and…
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Thailand low on Covid-19 vaccines, priority given to at-risk groups
Thailand is running low on vaccines, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged today. With the most severe wave of Covid-19 continuing to rise, and the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials are giving priority to those most at risk of a severe infection. The elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions, particularly…
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Pattaya parents want reduced or waived tuition fees
We have tried as much as we can to work with our parents Pattaya school closures are making Pattaya parents want tuition fees to be reduced or waived. Reportedly, more and more Pattaya area parents have been complaining about the educational fees staying the same as their children remain learning from home. It should be noted that parents whose children…
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PM in self-isolation after close contact with Covid-19 at “Sandbox” reopening
A public official who attended Phuket’s official reopening under the “Sandbox” model last week, and took a “selfie” with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, later tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to his home province. The prime minister, who is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, tested negative for Covid-19, but will be in self-isolation for 14 days as a precaution, Thai media…
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Deputy Health Minister officially reopens Phuket Town’s Lard Yai Walking Street, encourages Covid cooperation
On Sunday, the Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha made an appearance in Phuket to officially reopen the once upon a time popular Lard Yai Walking Street market in Phuket town. Satit said his Phuket visit was done to “[re]open a safe, confident country without Covid-19”. He further articulated a 3 point plan to achieve this goal. The points are:…
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Monday Covid Update: 6,166 new cases, Delta variant on the rise, provincial totals
The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 continues to rise with 6,166 new Covid-19 cases and 50 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 289,233 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 2,276 virus-related deaths. Of those numbers, 260,370 cases and 2,182 were…
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Man films stranger leering at him in Pathum Thani shopping Centre bathroom
Yesterday, a video shared on the Jay Moi V Plus page on Facebook showed a man leaning over a bathroom’s cubicle wall to watch his neighbour in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani. The bathroom was reported to be in a “well known shopping centre” in the Rangsit area. According to the person who shared the video, they heard…
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Chaiyaphum man allegedly slits father’s throat
Last night, a man allegedly slit his father’s throat with a kitchen knife in the central province of Chaiyaphum. Thai media adds that the alleged assailant is mentally ill. Police Captain Pirom Malasi, says the attack was reported in Ban Wang Hin in tambon Ban Thao. Rescue workers and police rushed to the scene. At the house, the assembled rescue…
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Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital closes emergency room until further notice
Yesterday, Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital in Bangkok declared that it has to temporarily close its Emergency Room, until… further notice, as there are more patients than there is room. The hospital played coy as to when the ER will resume normal operations. However, they did apologise to people for the inconvenience. Another hospital, Rajavithi Hospital announced they would be stopping general…
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Phuket reviews taxi rates after “Sandbox” tourists report high prices
The notoriously high taxi rates in Phuket have been looked into after reports of overcharging the “Sandbox” tourists. The governor says he ordered local authorities to review claims of overpriced rides and found that rates are appropriately priced. From the Phuket International Airport to Patong, a “Sandbox” tourist can pay 600 to 1,050 for a ride. One tourist planning a…
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