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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Defrocked American priest on trial in East Timor for alleged child sex abuse
The trial has started for the 84 year old defrocked American priest who allegedly sexually abused girls at an orphanage he founded in East Timor back in the early 1990s. Richard Daschbach, once revered by the Southeast Asian community for founding the Topu Honis Shelter to support impoverished children and orphans, is now facing charges of sexual abuse, child pornography and…
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11 dead in Mumbai building collapse
Last night, a residential building collapsed in Mumbai, India’s city that is situated on the west coast. The collapse claimed 11 lives. Of the 11 dead, 8 were children. Indian media says the incident happened around 10:15 pm. Police say 18 people have been extracted from the debris, albeit only 7 lived. It is reported that the injured have been…
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More than 300 people in 11 provinces infected with Delta Covid-19 variant
More than 300 people in 11 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have tested positive for the Delta variant of Covid-19, the mutated strain of the virus that was first detected in India. The vast majority of the cases have been in Bangkok, according to Thai Medical Sciences Department director-general Supakit Sirilak. Samples were taken from 4,185 Covid-19 patients. 3,703 of the…
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Former Thai PM absolved of any wrongdoing
According to an insider from the investigative panel of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Thailand’s former PM, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her cabinet have been absolved of any wrongdoing in relation to the approval of around 1.9 billion baht payment for victims of political protests and the quelling of red shirt protests by troops from 2005 to 2010. They were absolved by…
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Burmese junta tells Doctors Without Borders to stop aid in Dawei
Thousands of lives have been placed in peril after the Burmese military junta currently controlling Myanmar commanded Doctors Without Borders to cease operation. The well-known medical charity famous for providing emergency healthcare worldwide regardless of geopolitical borders warns of the urgent danger of stopping care on thousands of HIV and tuberculosis patients. Yesterday the junta order that all medical charity…
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Police crack down on drugs in Phuket neighbourhoods
In an ongoing effort to crack down on drugs in Phuket neighbourhoods, police conducted a series of raids where they seized dozens of grams of crystal methamphetamine and thousands of methamphetamine pills as well as dozens of rounds of firearm ammunition. Phuket Provincial Police also recently arrested 5 people in the various raids. Provincial police captain Chaiwat Chuwang has been…
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Thailand proposes digital nomad visa among others to benefit expats, economy
Thailand has always been a favourite of long-term travellers, and staying longer in the country may be getting easier. As the country was recently voted the best in which to live for digital nomads, allowing such workers to stay may be the key to boosting the economy. With pristine beaches, cheap living costs, and modern cafes with some of the…
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Thursday Covid Update: 2,310 new cases, provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 2,310 new Covid-19 cases today and 43 coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 187,538 Covid-19 infections and Covid-related death toll to 1,375. There are now 46,876 active cases. The active case count has been steadily declining over the past few days after the wave…
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New online entry packages offered by AXA to welcome in tourists
PRESS RELEASE Tadoo, Thailand’s up-and-coming insurance, and finance comparison platform have announced a partnership with AXA, one of the world’s largest and most trusted insurance providers. One of the highlighted standout products from the new partnership is the Entry package to Thailand during covid-19, comprising of the Covid-19 Insurance Certificate and Covid-19 Travel Insurance. The Entry Package to Thailand is…
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BTS meal closes Indonesian McDonald’s amid Covid-19 fears
McDonald’s in Indonesia was the site of a BTS-inspired frenzy that forced them to close at least 13 stores for fears of a Covid-19 outbreak. The world-famous Korean Pop band partnered with the world-famous American burger joint to make a BTS meal deal that had rabid K-Pop fans swarming the restaurants. After yesterday’s release of the BTS meal deal, 5…
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South Korea looks into travel bubble agreement with Thailand
South Korea could soon open its borders to fully vaccinated people travelling from Thailand. The country is looking into travel bubble agreements with Thailand as well as Singapore, Taiwan, Guam and Saipan, according to the South Korean Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ministry. Quarantine-free travel could start as early as next month. Under the travel bubble scheme, travellers who are fully…
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Bangkok university student dies after allegedly beaten by a group of students
A 22 year old engineering student died after he was allegedly beaten by a group of students at the Rajamangala University of Technology Tawan-ok in Bangkok. Police say they are requesting arrest warrants from the Criminal Court to for 12 university students who were allegedly involved. On May 27, surveillance camera footage shows the 22 year old second-year student and…
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12 deaths after vaccination not linked to Covid-19 vaccine
Results are still pending on 16 cases, but investigations on 12 people who died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine were concluded, finding their deaths to be coincidental. The Department of Disease Control said yesterday that the Covid-19 vaccine was not the cause of death in these 12 cases. The director for emergency health hazards and disease within the DDC reported…
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Phuket governor asks for funds for tourist tracking app
We’re not sure of the exact date when the Phuket sandbox idea was born, but we’re pretty sure the Thaiger had fewer grey hairs and definitely fewer wrinkles back then. What’s certain is that there has been a lot – a lot – of talk about Phuket’s July 1 re-opening and how exactly it will work. Rules have been introduced,…
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Fines for not wearing face masks range from 1,000 baht to 20,000 baht
In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, wearing a face mask is mandatory in public. Earlier announcements said those who do not wear a mask while in a public place could face a fine of up to 20,000 baht. An official revision of the rule was recently published in the Royal Gazette detailing the range of…
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Local carriers lack confidence in sandbox scheme, hold off resuming Phuket flights
Local airlines are in no rush to be part of Phuket’s much-anticipated July 1 re-opening, due to uncertain demand and the strict rules governing the sandbox model. Tassapon Bijleveld from Asia Aviation, the largest shareholder in Thai AirAsia, says strict domestic travel restrictions implemented on red zone provinces as a result of the third wave, have led to plummeting load…
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Koh Samet marks 100% success rate in vaccinating target group
Koh Samet, in the eastern province of Rayong, has been hailed by the Public Health Ministry after achieving a 100% success rate in vaccinating the target group on the island. Everyone living on the island, including locals, foreign workers, and officials working in the national park, have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine – 1,800 people in total.…
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Investigation launched into death of woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine
Thailand’s Health Minister says an investigation will be launched into the cause of death of a 46 year old woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Anutin Charnvirakul was speaking as he paid his condolences to the family of Panyapat Itthithanawong, who lived in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok. The Bangkok Post reports that Panyapat received a dose of the…
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Serbian Volleyball player sanctioned for racist gesture
A Serbian volleyball player has been sanctioned by the International Volleyball Federation after an incident during a match with the Thai national team. During the match, Sanja Djurdjevic made a gesture pulling at the corner of her eyes which she said was to warn her teammates to watch their opponent’s strategy but was widely considered a racist gestures demeaning Asian…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand predicts 3 million tourists in 2021
In their ever-optimistic estimations, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has announced that they are aiming for 3 million foreign tourists visiting this year. The number seems ambitious as it’s only a 25% reduction from the TAT’s earlier projection in April of 4 million visitors, just before the onset of the massive and pervasive third wave of Covid-19 that brought Thailand…
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Malaysia reports delay for orders of the Thai-made AstraZeneca vaccine
Several countries have reported delays for orders for the Thai-made AstraZeneca vaccine, and now Malaysia’s science minister says the country is expecting a delay. The reports of delays from the Thai vaccine plant come amid Thailand’s most severe wave of Covid-19 with limited vaccine doses available. Just over the past week, company Siam Bioscience handed over 1.8 million doses to…
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So expats can get vaccines in the rollout. But… how?
With mass vaccination finally underway, one demographic hangs in an uncertain balance for vaccines more than any other: Thailand’s 3 million expats. After months of back and forth with foreigners being told they will get vaccines, then they wouldn’t, then they’d have to pay, then they’d have to wait until after all Thais, and finally that all expats would be…
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Around 900,000 doses administered since yesterday’s launch of the mass vaccination campaign
Around 900,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered since Thailand launched its mass immunisation campaign yesterday… making steps closer toward the goal of 96 million doses administered in the next 200 days. The Thai government first started rolling out vaccines for those in priority areas and those at a high risk of infection on February 28. Public Health…
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More details uncovered in billionaire couple’s Koh Tao death
Details are emerging on the tragic drowning death of a billionaire hotel owner and his wife in Koh Tao last week as police investigate further. Along with a more detailed picture of the events of the day, a few inconsistencies emerged from the original information as the story broke, including a time gap between the first shouts of trouble were…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,669 new cases, provincial totals
Although the daily Covid count remains high, with 2,680 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the number of active cases have decreased. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily Covid situation report in English, says that today more recoveries were reported than new cases, with the…
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Burmese migrants headed toward Malaysia arrested in Songkhla
Police arrest a group of Burmese migrants and an alleged guide from Myanmar in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district. Officers say the guide was leading the migrants from Moulmein, a city on Myanmar’s western coast, then across the Thai border to the southern province Ranong, headed toward Malaysia where they had jobs lined up. The migrants allegedly told police that they…
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PM’s brother Preecha investigated by Anti-Corruption body
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s younger brother is in hot water with the National Anti-Corruption Commission charging Senator Preecha Chan-o-cha with concealing assets. The NACC voted unanimously on acknowledging the charge and serving notice to the PM’s sibling on these allegations. The younger Chan-o-cha was a member of the parliamentary body the National Legislative Assembly between 2014 and 2019, and is accused…
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Phuket’s main Covid vaccination centre offers drive-through service for elderly patients
A drive-through Covid-19 vaccination service has opened up at Phuket’s main vaccination centre, allowing those 60 years old or above, and those with underlying health conditions, to get inoculated without getting out of their car. Health officials started offering the service after noticing that many elderly people had trouble walking through the large Saphan Hin Gymnasium to get a vaccine. Before…
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Health Ministry orders hospitals not to postpone vaccination appointments
The Public Health Ministry has instructed Thai hospitals to honour vaccination appointments, even though they may not have received the number of doses expected. According to Thai PBS World, Satit Pitutacha from the Health Ministry says it’s vital that people over the age of 60, as well as those with 1 or more of 7 underlying health conditions, receive a…
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Thai travel agents say ongoing third wave means no return of Chinese tourists for now
The Association of Thai Travel Agents says the ongoing reporting of over 2,000 new Covid-19 infections every day means there will be no Chinese visitors coming for a while. ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn points out that China has imposed tough restrictions on their citizens leaving the country, including mandatory quarantine on their return. “We can assume the Chinese government will…
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