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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Where is the best place in Thailand for digital nomads?
Thailand is a popular place for digital nomads because it is affordable, culturally rich, and convenient for remote work. With friendly locals, great weather, and delicious food, it offers a high quality of life. Cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and...
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Burmese military in a shootout near Thai border
Burmese military exchanged gunfire with unknown opposition last night opposite the Three Pagodas Pass near the Myanmar-Thailand border. Local media reports that gunshots broke out around 10:30 pm when members of the 32nd Infantry Battalion of the Burmese army fired at as-yet-unidentified armed fighters. The exchange took place in Payathonzu, a town near the Thai border in the Burmese Karen…
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3 family members shot and burned in Pattani attack
A heavily-armed motorbike gang in Pattani shot and then burned 3 family members making a delivery from Songkla to Narathiwat in an alleged terrorist attack. The murders took place early on Saturday morning on the main road from Narathiwat to Pattani, where forensic teams have found more than 30 bullet casings. Police expect swift arrests and blame local insurgents for…
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Clubhouse app a new platform for political debate
Clubhouse, a popular audio social media app, is attracting political debates, despite the Thai government threatening prosecution under the Computer Crime Act. The law forbids posting against the monarchy or government, but the app creates a perfect channel for government and politicians to directly connect to targeted social groups. The appeal of the Clubhouse app comes in its exclusivity, as…
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500,000 Sinovac doses arrive in Thailand
Half a million more Sinovac vaccines have arrived in Thailand, while tomorrow another 2 million Favipiravir antiviral pills arrive. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has been pushing to increase Thailand’s supply of both vaccines and medicine to treat patients already infected with Covid-19. This brings Thailand up to 2.5 million Sinovac jabs in the race to vaccinate the population amid…
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Famous Thai gamer dies from Covid after waiting 5 days for test
A famous Thai gamer is the latest to die of Covid-19 after waiting for 5 days to receive a test, sparking even more concerns over Thailand’s medical sector’s ability to handle the increase in infections. Kunlasub Wattnaphon, known as Up the gamer, detailed his experience as a Covid patient in Thailand on his personal Facebook page, causing his case to…
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Thai PM gives Covid curfew powers to individual provinces
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is giving individual provinces the power to set curfews and other measures to contain the spread of Covid-19. PM Prayut’s Facebook page also details new guidelines for the management of hospital beds to make sure that all who are infected with the virus have access to treatment, and screening to determine whether they should be admitted…
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Lest we forget – ANZAC Day 2021 for Australians and New Zealanders
ANZAC Day, April 25, is when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate and remember those who fought for their countries and the Commonwealth with the origins of the event forged in the crucible of war at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It is the most solemn day in the annual calendar of those two countries and usually commemorated with dawn services in…
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All hopes dashed as Indonesian submarine found, 53 people presumed dead
All hopes are being dashed as officials say they have found debris from a missing Indonesian submarine, signaling that there are no survivors. 53 people were on the German-made KRI Nanggala-402 submarine when it lost contact during a torpedo military exercise in the Bali Strait early last Wednesday morning. Yesterday, searchers announced they had found oil and some debris in an area…
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ASEAN leaders speak about Saturday’s Myanmar summit
In Jakarta on Saturday, leaders of the ASEAN countries met to convince Burmese junta leader Min Aung Hlaing to work with them towards progress. Full cover from The Thaiger of what was discussed at the meeting can be found here. During and after the meetings, nation leaders and representatives voiced their concerns and goals regarding the crisis in Myanmar. Tim…
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Summit: Burmese military open to ASEAN delegation visits
Today’s ASEAN summit in Jakarta has yielded progress regarding the situation in Myanmar with Burmese junta leader Min Aung Hlaing stating he’s not opposed to a special envoy being created and dispatched to Myanmar. The military leader also said he would consider several other steps proposed by the leaders of the Asian nations. With leaders or representation from most countries…
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Thailand and Bali race for Southeast Asia’s 1st digital nomad visa
The popularity of the digital nomad lifestyle has been skyrocketing and with Covid-19 teaching many businesses that telecommuting works, it will only increase. Now, Thailand and Indonesia are in a slow-motion race to lure these lucrative travellers with the first digital nomad visa in Southeast Asia. Currently, many people work online from their beach houses and tropical Villas on Thai…
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A look at Thailand’s Covid-19 growing field hospitals
Field hospitals have become a necessity across Thailand as Covid-19 cases surge after the Songkran holiday and hospitals struggle to accommodate patients. 20,000 people have now been treated for the coronavirus with thousands of them being admitted to these pop-up medical facilities. And with today seeing a huge jump in Covid-19 infections, the number of people in field hospitals will…
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ASEAN Summit on Myanmar – will it achieve anything? | VIDEO
Today the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold a special summit today to discuss the crisis in Myanmar. The meeting is being held at the current secretariat for the Bloc, in Jakarta. There will be huffing and puffing, a group photo, a few grand-standing leaders shaking their fingers at the Burmese chiefs, and then everyone will go home. And,…
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Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine re-approved in the US
The pause on the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine was officially lifted in the US yesterday by the Centre For Disease Control And Prevention and the US Food And Drug Administration. They will add a warning label about the risk of blood clots, but vaccination can resume today. The CDC’s Advisory Committee For Immunization Practices recommended unpausing the Johnson &…
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Search teams zero in on suspected location of missing Indonesian submarine on last day of its oxygen supply
Search teams say they are focusing on an area where the missing Indonesian submarine could be located. The area of interest is about 40 kilometres north of Bali, where oil has been found on the surface of the water. The head of the Indonesian military’s central information unit says the oil is near a dive point and where an object…
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Shopping centres, supermarkets and convenience stores to close an hour earlier in Red Zones
With the rising reported cases in Thailand, The Thai Retailers Association and Thai Shopping Centre Association has adjusted closing times for shopping centres, supermarkets and your local convenience stores. The situation applies for red zone provinces only at this stage. The new closing times will operate until at least May 2. • Shopping centres will close at 8pm • Supermarkets…
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Phuket finds 4 Covid infections from newly-mandated rapid antigen tests
Phuket is reporting 4 new Covid-19 infections from those arriving from red zone provinces on the first day of the new requirement for such travellers to undergo rapid antigen tests. As of Thursday, all people arriving from the 17 red zoned provinces must undergo the test if they can’t prove that they have been fully vaccinated or have received a…
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Face masks required in 31 provinces, fine is 20,000 baht for not wearing
Face masks are now being required in 31 Thai provinces with a fine of 20,000 baht going to those who don’t wear them. Chiang Rai is one of the new provinces to be included in the list, but so far, Chiang Mai is being left out. As daily Covid-19 infections have reached an all-time high, it is only a matter…
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Top 10 most useful apps in Thailand for expats and tourists
Apps have changed the way we do a lot of daily, ordinary, tasks. Living in Thailand ,we have bench tested a range of apps and decided on the Top 10 most useful apps currently available, most of them are free, or have a free version. So many previously complicated or time-consuming tasks are now so much simpler, and sitting in…
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Phuket officials stick to their dual-pricing “covid test” guns
Following a few days of negative publicity over its dual-pricing policy for rapid Covid antigen test for passengers at the airport, or at Tha Chatchai checkpoint for people coming by road, you would have thought there’d been some “there’s been a misunderstanding” noises coming out of city hall. But no. In fact Phuket officials are doubling down on the controversy…
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India: Double mutant Covid-19 variant depletes oxygen supply
India has been overrun with the new “double mutant” Covid-19 virus variant, overwhelming hospitals and depleting oxygen supplies. Over 330,000 new Covid-19 infections were announced today with 2,000 deaths per day. Hospitals around the country are desperate for oxygen supplies for patients on ventilators, as Max Smart Hospital and Max Hospital Saket even took to Twitter to plead for supplies.…
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Thailand News Today | Covid numbers spike, Phuket’s ‘sandbox’ still on track | April 23, 2021
In today’s episode we look at… Thailand’s daily Covid-19 infection report hit a record high at 2,070 today, Thai Immigration’s online system for 90 day checks for foreigners living in Thailand is back up and running…. or is it? Phuket have started their extensive screening process of all arrivals, Tourism Authority says Phuket Sandbox model is still “on track”, and…
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Biochar could solve smoke pollution problem in Chiang Mai
The emerging technology of biochar may be at the forefront of dealing with Chiang Mai and its globally infamous smoke and air pollution. After another terrible burn season where the air quality was rated among the worst in the world, Chiang Mai is often rated the most polluted city in the world. As scientists worldwide tackle climate change, Chiang Mai…
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2 young Thai women suffering from obesity die after contracting Covid-19
A 24 year old and a 29 year old both died this week after contracting Covid-19. The deaths of the 2 young women were rare as the vast majority of Covid-related deaths involve those over 60 who have pre-existing conditions such as diabetes and chronic illnesses. Not much was reported about the young Thai women who recently passed away, but…
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High-risk warning issued for Phuket International Airport passenger van riders
A high-risk warning is being issued to those riding in a passenger van from Phuket International Airport on April 15. The warning is urging those who were in the van from 8:30pm to 9pm to contact the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, at 094-5938876 as health officials have deemed those passengers to be at a high-risk of contracting Covid-19. The…
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Pattaya, Chon Buri gives timeline of visited places of those infected with Covid
Chon Buri health officials are releasing a timeline of visited places by those recently infected with Covid-19. Chill Zone at Zen Siri Market in Sattahip on April 7th from 11:00pm to 1:30am Siam Commercial Bank at Central Marina Pattaya on April 7th to April 16th from 11:00am to 6:30pm Oishi Ramen restaurant on the 3rd floor at Central Plaza Chonburi in the…
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More staff to man Covid-19 hotlines after complaints of unanswered calls
Thousands of people have been calling Thailand’s Covid-19 hotline each day and many calls from those seeking hospital beds, medical attention or ambulance services are going unanswered. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha even called 2 of the hotline numbers and he says no one answered his calls. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to revamp the emergency call centre with plans to…
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Lumbini Airport aim to bring Buddhist Thais to Nepal
Nepal is hoping to attract Buddhist pilgrims from Thailand to the birthplace of Lord Buddha with the opening of the Lumbini Airport scheduled later this year. The area is an important Buddhist site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nepalese officials hope to attract Buddhist Thai travellers on sacred pilgrimage trips. The Nepal Tourism Board recently met with the Royal…
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PM Prayut will skip ASEAN summit addressing Myanmar situation, says he needs to deal with Covid situation
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will skip out of attending the Asean summit in Jakarta, Indonesia this Saturday, saying he needs to stay to deal with the country’s Covid-19 situation. The summit was to specially address the worsening situation in the neighbouring country of Myanmar, which saw a military coup February 1. The decision for PM Prayut to skip out is…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,070 new infections, provincial totals
2,070 new Covid-19 cases and 4 coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed today by the CCSA, raising the total number of cases since the outbreak on April 1 to 21,230 and this month’s Covid death toll to 27. The reported number is the highest daily total ever reported in Thailand. There are now 15,642 people being treated in hospitals for Covid-19, including…
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