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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The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
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Lat Phrao shopping centres insist they are not the source of new Covid clusters
Central Plaza Lat Phrao, Imperial World, and Union Mall located (mostly) in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district, deny they are the shopping centres the CCSA was referring to on Wednesday when the CCSA said there was a “Covid cluster from a mall”. The confusion stems from the fact that the CCSA did not specify which mall was responsible for the cluster.…
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Patong Thieves cite unemployment for theft
Yesterday morning in Patong, a town in Phuket, 2 men, 42 year old Samran Luiprasert and 34 year old Amphon Boonchuaynamphon, were arrested by Patong police for stealing a coffee machine and 2 televisions from a restaurant. The men said they needed money to survive. In the police report, it was said the alleged criminals were found after the owner…
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Fire in Rayong kills 1, injures 6
Yesterday morning in Rayong, a province on the Gulf of Thailand, a fire broke out in an entertainment venue that was under renovation. 1 worker was killed and 6 workers were reportedly injured. Around 8 am yesterday morning the Rayong fire department showed up at the scene, after being alerted to the fire. The fire department discovered a large one…
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Man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman during a live stream
Police arrested a 31 year old man for allegedly sexually assaulting a Canadian woman while she was recording a live stream video near Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. In the video, a man runs up from behind the woman and appears to reach his hand below her waist. The woman made a post on Twitter after the incident saying she was going…
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Over 80% of massage shops in Pattaya closed “permanently”
The Eastern Spa and Wellness Associations says 80% of massage shops in Pattaya have closed forever, with fewer than 100 still able to operate. Speaking to the Pattaya News, the association’s president, Chairat Ratananophas, says the remaining businesses need financial support and clarity on when they can re-open. Currently, Covid-19 restrictions in the eastern province of Chon Buri mean massage…
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American suspect in Bangkok kidnap for ransom case arrested at airport
Police arrested an American man, another suspect in the kidnap for ransom case in Bangkok, at the Suvarnabhumi Airport just as he was preparing to leave the country. 38 year old Matthew Wilson is the tenth suspect to be arrested for alleged involvement in the abduction of a Taiwanese businessman after a failed business deal. Other suspects include 2 other American…
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Thailand’s quarantine hotels consider move to hybrid model
Hotels currently operating as alternative state quarantine facilities are considering moving to a hybrid model, as bookings drop ahead of Phuket’s re-opening. ASQ hotels say reduced demand means they may adopt a model whereby they accept both quarantining guests and regular guests from the second half of the year. Prin Pathanatham from the ASQ-ALQ Club Thailand says bookings have started…
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Vaccination of foreigners kicks off next week
It’s the moment you’ve all – okay, many of you – have been waiting for. The Thai government says that from Monday, foreigners living in the Kingdom who have registered for Covid-19 inoculation, will start to receive the vaccine. It’s been a long road of anxiety, confusion, and chaos to get to this point and there are probably many who…
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Another 700 7-Eleven stores to open across Thailand
The operator of the 7-Eleven chain of convenience stores has confirmed it will open another 700 shops in the Kingdom this year. According to a Bangkok Post report this morning, CP All plans to spend between 11.5 and 12 billion baht on expansion in 2021. The company has opened 155 new 7-Eleven stores so far this year, meaning there were…
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Courts order ISPs block 8 users from web, social media
Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn confirmed today court orders instructing internet service providers to block or remove 8 users the government says used social media or their own websites to post fake news. The ISPs met with the ministry to receive the court order to block the users. The court ordered the ISPs to either remove or block…
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Nong Chompoo uncle surrenders to police on murder charges
In an update to the report published this morning when a warrant was issued for his arrest, the uncle of Nong Chompoo has surrendered to the police and is facing murder charges. Chaiphol Wipha, the uncle of a 3 year old girl found dead in Mukdahan last year, turned himself in to the Royal Thai police late this morning. He…
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Serbian volleyball player makes racist gesture during Thai match
A volleyball match in the Nations League is making waves after a Serbian volleyball player made a gesture many considered racist during a game with the Thai team. Sanja Djurdjevic was signalling her teammates during the match when she tugged on the corner of her eyes, narrowing them into a gesture that has often been used as a racist jab…
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Vietnam Ministry of Labour cracks down on illegal workers
In the struggles facing Vietnam with a new Covid-19 outbreak, the country has announced a crackdown on illegal foreign workers. The Ministry of Labour – Invalids and Social Affairs has requested tightening on the rules and enforcement of expats working in Vietnam in an official announcement. They urged provincial and municipal officials to get strict on foreign workers and consider…
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ASEAN delegation to visit Myanmar to help find a solution to ongoing crisis
To help find a solution to the ongoing situation in Myanmar following the military coup, an ASEAN delegation will visit Myanmar tomorrow to meet with the leaders of the junta’s State Administrative Council, which has taken the place of the elected civilian government led by the National League of Democracy. Since the February military takeover, an estimated more than 800…
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Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority details international flight rules
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has announced some specific flight rules on the procedure for international travellers flying into Phuket after July 1. This comes just after the Tourism Authority of Thailand laid out more general rules for travel within Thailand for international tourists. Tourism officials from TAT and the island have been steadfastly determined to reopen under its…
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WHO assigns alternative names for Covid variants based on Greek alphabet
After criticism over naming new variants of Covid-19 based on the country it was first detected, the World Health Orginisation has announced alternative names for the “variants of concern” based off the Greek alphabet… Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc. Last week, media outlets in the UK released reports last week saying more than 100 people had tested positive for the…
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KLM to introduce Amsterdam – Phuket flights from October
KLM has announced an expansion to its network from this coming winter, including flights from Amsterdam to Phuket, with a touchdown in Kuala Lumpur. The southern Thai island is one of 6 new destinations being introduced, the others being Mombasa in Kenya, Orlando in the US, Cancun in Mexico, Bridgetown in Barbados, and Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.…
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Arrest warrant issued for murder suspect who became a minor celebrity during the investigation
A murder suspect, who became famous in Thailand during the investigation, now has a warrant for his arrest over the death of his 3 year old niece. With the continuous and overdramatised media coverage on the case, the 44 year old suspect Chaiphol Wipha became a minor celebrity and gained a fan base, some who have raised donations to help…
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Philippines confirms delay in imports of AstraZeneca doses from Thailand
The Philippines has announced that the arrival of a first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines being imported from Thailand has been delayed. The delivery of the vaccines, manufactured in Thailand and ordered by the Philippines, has now been pushed back by several weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, the development gives rise to questions about Thailand’s distribution plans for Southeast…
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Health Minister confident AstraZeneca doses will arrive on time
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says the delivery of 6 million doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is on schedule. Anutin Charnvirakul says the doses are expected to arrive in batches, throughout the month of June, and he’s confident the first lot will be here by June 7, when the national rollout begins. “I’m confident the first lot will be put…
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Thai Navy stands by decision to purchase 3 Chinese tanks
A spokesman yesterday defended the Royal Thai Navy’s decision to buy 3 Chinese tanks, while the country struggles to purchase an adequate supply of Covid-19 vaccines. According to a Bangkok Post report, Navy spokesman Chettha Chaipiam says the purchase was agreed prior to the arrival of the pandemic. He points out that, the 398-million-baht agreement was signed during the 2020…
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It’s a yes: WHO approves Sinovac for emergency use
The CoronaVac vaccine from Chinese firm Sinovac has been approved for emergency use, making it the second Chinese vaccine to be approved by the World Health Organisation. The approval paves the way for more widespread global distribution, particularly as part of the Covax scheme. The scheme aims to provide poorer countries with equal access to Covid-19 vaccines but up to…
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Phuket foreigners can register for vaccine leftovers
Starting tomorrow, foreigners residing in Phuket can register for a Covid-19 vaccine. On Thursday and Friday, they can receive a vaccination from the “surplus” of doses still available. To register for the vaccine, foreigners are instructed to use the “Phuket Must Win” web portal. Mr Pracha Asawathira, who is with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and “involved” with…
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324 schools open in Lampang
Today, 324 schools across 13 districts in Lampang, a northern Thai province, opened their doors for the first semester in the “New Normal” system. At one Lampang school, Boonwart Wittayalai, students are set to alternate the days they go to school with, presumably, days they don’t go to school and learn online. Before entering a classroom, students must wash their…
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Malaysia imposes lockdown
Starting today, Malaysia imposed a strict lockdown on its country. The region avoided the first Covid-19 wave, thanks largely to decisive action: closing borders, issuing curbs. However, Southeast Asia has become the new Covid-19 epicentre, as their efforts to curb outbreaks have been impeded by recent Covid outbreaks, glacial slow vaccine rollouts, and citizens who have restriction fatigue. Malaysia has…
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Southeast Asia: The new covid-19 epicentre
Some western countries appear to have turned the tide against Covid-19 (China and India have also administered between 640 million and 208 million doses, respectively). The middle East is showing promise in vaccinating its citizens. But health experts predict some countries could be months or even weeks from being able to come out on the other side of their current…
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Countries push back against being associated with variants, new system may be coming soon
It is one thing to hear a foreign country be connected to the name of a virus, it’s another thing when it’s your country. It feels personal. Last week, many Thais were incensed to have their country associated with a Covid variant. Likewise, the Indian government has called for having all references to the “Indian Variant” scrubbed from social media. They…
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State of emergency extended in Japan
A month before the Olympic Games begin, a state of emergency has been extended in 9 Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo. The extended decree is in force until June 20 and covers Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Okinawa. In the prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Gifu, and Mie, strict non-emergency restrictions are in force and have…
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Thai government allegedly ticked-off with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
The government is becoming increasingly irritated by the Bangkok Governor and his administration, according to a Thai Enquirer report. The media outlet says senior officials at the Public Health Ministry and at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration are critical of the governor’s random handling of the pandemic and its associated restrictions. The report is based on feedback from an…
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Police officers arrested for alleged involvement in Bangkok kidnap
Two high ranking police officers in Bangkok have been arrested for alleged involvement in the kidnap of a 60 year old Taiwanese businessman for a US$3 million ransom. Police say the man was abducted in broad daylight from a restaurant in the Thong Lor district over a failed business deal for rubber gloves. The March 28 incident where 60 year…
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