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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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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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Thailand News Today | Waiting for vaccine, new face of Thailand expats, teacher complaints | Oct 1
Daily Thai news on The Thaiger. All the latest information about Thailand, Monday to Friday on Thaiger News Today. Thailand beaches may limit visitors until Covid-19 vaccine is available Beaches and national parks might not fully open to international tourists until a Covid-19 vaccine is available. The claim comes from the Tourism Council of Thailand president. Around 120 to 150…
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Travel agents push to end quarantine for tourists from countries at low risk for Covid-19
Travel agents are pushing to end the 14 day quarantine required for foreign tourists arriving from countries classified as a very low risk for spreading Covid-19, hoping the government will agree with the idea and start in December. The move could bring in at least 100,000 tourists per month, according to president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents, or…
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Opening borders could cause a second Covid-19 outbreak, epidemiologist says
Opening Thailand’s borders to foreign tourists may open a “Pandora’s box” of Covid-19 infections, according to leading epidemiologist on the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine Thira Woratanarat. After a 6 month ban on international tourists, the first group of travellers on the new Special Tourist Visa are set to fly from China to Phuket on October 8. Thira says the…
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Retiring army chief failed to fulfil promises of military reform after Korat mass shooting, critic says
The retiring Thailand army chief vowed to reform the military’s business operations after the February 8 mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima where an armed soldier shot and killed 30 people and injured 57 others. He failed to fulfil his promise, according to co-founder of the Progressive Movement and a staunch critic of the army Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. The gunman shot and…
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Buy a meal on a Thai Vietjet flight, get a 40% discount at a hotel
Now that the ban on inflight food and drink has been lifted for domestic flights, Thai Vietjet is offering deals to promote their meals. Those who buy a hot meal, either purchased onboard the flight or reserved online, will get a 40% discount for a stay at Serene Phla Resort and Restaurant. The airline just resumed inflight food and beverage…
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Suvarnabhumi Airport extension ready by April, capacity to increase by 15 million passengers
A new terminal extension at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport is finishing up after construction was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The addition would not only reduce overcrowding, but also increase the amount of passengers at the airport. The Satellite Terminal 1, or SAT-1, extension is 95% done and expected to be open to the public by April 2021, according to…
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More reports of alleged student abuse, parents file complaint against teacher
More reports of teachers allegedly abusing their students have come to light after a Nonthaburi teacher was caught on video pushing a kindergarten student to the floor, pulling a student across the floor and repeatedly hitting other students. Now more classroom videos of teachers allegedly abusing their students are being widely shared online as well as photos of children’s marks…
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Thai Airways to provide flights to some international destinations this month
Thai Airways, the beleaguered national carrier currently undergoing a “rehabilitation” process (code for bankruptcy and restructure proceedings), says it’s laying on a number of special flights to destinations outside the Kingdom this month. Nation Thailand reports that the airline is introducing flights to Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Executive Vice President Wiwat Piyawiroj says the flights are being…
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Contestant eliminated from Miss Universe Thailand after manager infiltrates organising committee
One of the favourites to take the Miss Universe Thailand title when the contest is held on Saturday, October 10, has just been kicked out for breaking the rules. Chayathanus Saradatta, also known as “Cheraim”, is accused of allowing her manager and chaperone to infiltrate the organising committee. It’s understood Sitthichai Rewviroj, aka “Ken”, attended numerous committee meetings, potentially getting…
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83% drop in foreign tourists expected by the end of 2020
Travel restrictions brought on by the Thai government, as a response to the coronavirus pandemic, have contributed to a drastic decline in number of foreign tourists with an expected drop of 83% from last year’s count of 39.8 million foreign tourists to this year’s predicted total of 6.74 million foreign tourists, according to President of the Tourism Council of Thailand…
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Bangkok’s Khao San Road re-opening for local trade
Bangkok’s Deputy Governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul says the capital’s iconic Khao San Road is set to re-open for trade, targeting the local market of Thais and expats. The street is normally a mecca for international tourists, in particular, younger backpackers making the rite-of-passage pilgrimage through Southeast Asia. There was a pre-Covid botched attempt to meddle with the area’s long-established, and rather…
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Pro-democracy movement raises issues on LGBT and women’s rights
The pro-democracy movement is now shedding light on issues on gender equality and LGBT rights in Thailand. Some people at the September 19 rally in Bangkok were collecting signatures calling on the decriminalisation of abortion and prostitution. Even a booth called “Pussy Gallery” was set up where people could draw colourful vaginas, raising awareness that the colour does not value…
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Thailand News Today | Phuket re-opens, TripAdvisor review saga, Samut Prakhan chem spill | Sept 30
Daily TV news about Thailand. Updates and all the latest information from thethaiger.com. Phuket prepares to welcome first Chinese tourists in over 6 months The first group of tourists to arrive under Thailand’s new Special Tourist Visa scheme will land in Phuket on October 8. The flight from Guangzhou in southern China will carry 120 tourists, who will spend their…
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2 inmates escape from Krabi prison
Police are looking for 2 men who allegedly escaped from a prison in Krabi. The inmates allegedly cut an iron bar and exited through a window. The inmates were then able to climb over a barbed wire fence, using 3 blankets tied together as a rope for support. Prison guards guess the men, 32 year old Arnon Denmad and 47…
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23 Koh Samui hotels seek alternative state quarantine certification
Nearly 2 dozen hotels and resorts in the Thai Gulf island resort of Koh Samui are seeking certification to be alternative state quarantine facilities. Talk of a potential travel bubble scheme to the island is also set for today, the Nation Thailand reports. 8 of the 23 hotels have already gone through a government check and the rest will be…
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How has Thailand avoided the worst of Covid-19? – VIDEO
We examine some of the reasons Thailand has been able to avoid the surges and 2nd waves of Covid-19. Whilst many countries are now suffering a 2nd and 3rd wave of the coronavirus, Thailand has locked itself in a bubble of its own making. Almost zero cases and any new cases coming from repatriates. Now the country has to figure…
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PM dismisses rumours of alliance with opposition to form new government
Thai PM Prayuth Chan-o-cha has rubbished rumours that the ruling coalition parties plan to join forces with the opposition Pheu Thai party to form a new government. While the PM initially didn’t respond to the question, instead bidding reporters a good day and walking away, he did mumble that he had enough of a headache with just one party. Thai…
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Around 10 villagers hospitalised after chemical spill in Samut Prakan
Around 10 people were hospitalised after a chemical tank spilled at a village in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. Those near the spill reported feeling nauseous and some had trouble breathing. Officials do not known what chemical was in the tank. The 1 metre tank had been taken to the woods by 2 employees at a Bangphli Niwet Village…
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Thailand’s ban on hazardous farming chemicals to remain in place
Despite fears to the contrary among those in favour of it, the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos is to remain in place. The Hazardous Substances Committee has confirmed that production, possession, and importing or exporting either substance remains illegal, under legislation introduced on June 1 of this year. Thai PBS World reports that Industry Minister, Suriya Juangroongruangkit, says a discussion…
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Minister calls for all complaints against Sarasas schools to be monitored amid abuse allegations
The Education Minister, Nataphol Teepsuwan, is asking the Office of the Private Education Commission to closely monitor all complaints filed against all Sarasas Witaed School branches around the country. Nation Thailand reports that 34 out of 42 have had complaints filed against them. Allegations of abuse first emerged when the actions of an abusive teacher at a branch of the…
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The man who wrote the bad reviews for Koh Chang’s Sea View Resort has a criminal record
In the ongoing stoush between the American, Wesley Barnes, and Koh Chang’s Sea View Resort, the story is now reaching way beyond Thailand’s borders, being reported in mainstream media around the world. Much of the media discussion has focused on whether it is appropriate to be able to sue people over a bad review with criminal defamation. Defamation is a…
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Cabinet to approve co-payment of 3,000 baht each for 10 million consumers
In its latest round of direct economic stimulus, the Thai government is to offer a co-payment of 3,000 baht each to 10 million Thai citizens for a period of 3 months. The scheme is expected to kick off on October 23 and run up the end of the year, with the co-payment subsidising half the cost of purchases, but excluding…
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Phuket prepares to welcome first Chinese tourists in over 6 months
The first group of tourists to arrive under Thailand’s new Special Tourist Visa scheme are expected to land in Phuket on October 8. The Bangkok Post reports that a flight from Guangzhou in southern China will carry 120 tourists, who will spend their first 14 days in alternative state quarantine. They are reported to be travelling under the government’s new…
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The world’s Top 10 languages, spoken by native speakers
I battle to speak one language, English, and can barely order my lunch in Thai. And, whilst studying French for 7 years at school, I can only ask a French-speaker for the time or order coffee. Sacre Bleu! The world’s most common languages changes over time and a world interlinked on the internet and aviation, like never before, is making…
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Woman arrested for abandoning newborn baby on a bench in Phuket
Police tracked down and arrested a Burmese woman who allegedly left her newborn baby on a bench in Phuket’s Patong area last week. The mother faces charges of abandoning a baby. The newborn was left in a reusable shopping bag on a bench behind a Krungthai Bank branch. A woman in the area heard the baby crying and found the…
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7-Eleven delivery worker saves customer’s life
7-Eleven employee reportedly saved a customer’s life who collapsed on the floor at the while taking a delivery in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district. Wipassri Wanwichai had an asthma attack at the door and dropped to the ground, hyperventilating. The 7-Eleven delivery person Sumonsri “Tae” Pengthab called the emergency line and started giving her CPR. “It would have been my last…
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Thailand News Today | Visa amnesty extended, first STV tourists, teacher sacked | September 29
Daily TV news on thethaiger.com, Thailand News Today. Get your visa figured out by October 31 In a surprise decision that arrived late yesterday afternoon, following a week of denials and threats to prosecute foreigners on overstay, the Thai government has granted another stay of grace to foreigners up to the end of October. Foreigners stuck in Thailand will now be…
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Explosion at new oil refinery kills 2 technicians
An explosion at a Central Thailand oil refinery killed 2 people while technicians were testing out new machines. The GRD Energy oil refinery in Samut Sakhon, just southwest of Bangkok, is less than 2 months old and refines old motor oil into industrial fuel. 8 staff members were working at the refinery this morning, conducting tests on new machinery this…
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Russian man allegedly stabs Chiang Mai park officer, tries to break into tourist bungalow
A Russian man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to break into tourist bungalows and stealing property at a Chiang Mai national park and stabbed a park officer with a pair of scissors. The incident follows months of complaints from Thai tourists at the national park reporting missing property. Thai media reports the 32 year old Russian man as…
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Alcohol ban for the end of Buddhist Lent this Friday
An alcohol ban is looming for this coming Friday, as Buddhists mark the end of the Lent period. While officials have so far remained silent on the possibility of a ban on the purchase and consumption of alcohol, previous years have seen one implemented at the end of Buddhist Lent. The ban has not been formally announced but our Thai…
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