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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What’s not covered by health insurance in Thailand?
Health insurance in Thailand has important limits that everyone should know. Many policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, motorcycle accidents, extreme sports, or specific treatments. These gaps can lead to unexpected costs during emergencies. Coverage for outpatient care and hospital...
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WHO and intelligence community awaiting evidence from US President Trump about “Wuhan lab” claims
The World Health Organisation says they’re awaiting evidence to support “speculative” claims by the US President and Secretary of State that the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab in Wuhan. The Five Eyes, a network involving UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada intelligence officials, say they do believe that Beijing has not necessarily been transparent about how coronavirus initially spread…
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Broke Russian family deported from Indonesia for busking – VIDEO
A Russian couple and their young child have been deported from Indonesia, after a video of them busking illegally at a market on Lombok island went viral. Coconuts reports that officials did not charge them with violating the conditions of their visa, with the Head of the Mataram Immigration Office saying he understood the family had been caught up in…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, May 4
Coronation Day in Thailand Today is the first anniversary since HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne and became the tenth king of the Chakri dynasty. Last year’s ceremonies were held between May 2 – 4 with the actual coronation of the new King happening on the third day. One thing Thailand does particularly well is grand ceremony and HM’s…
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South Korean supergroup BTS suspends their world stadium tour
South Korea’s hugely successful music export, BTS, are suspending their world stadium tour over worries about the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Map to the Soul Tour, was to build on the back of the success of their latest album, Map to the Soul:7, one of this year’s biggest selling albums in the world and, underlining the achievement, its…
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Local markets in Asia retreat as US President Trump talks up revised trade war
Steep losses are the order of the day as local markets follow the lead from a sell off in New York after US President Trump foreshadowed a new round of trade sanctions on China. The US President and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have openly accused the Chinese government that the Covid-19 started in a lab in Wuhan, and that…
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Pattaya bar raided, 8 arrested for violating emergency decree – VIDEO
Police in Pattaya have raided a small bar just outside the city for violating the Covid-19 emergency decree by being open and selling alcohol. The Pattaya News reports that the raid took place at The Pussycat Club near Village Number 6 in Nongprue at 9pm on Saturday. Police officers were acting following a tip-off that the bar was open and…
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Blacktipped reef sharks return to Koh Hong, Krabi – VIDEO
Yesterday morning, while Than Bok Khorani National Park staff were checking the area, they came across dozens of Blacktipped reef sharks swimming and feeding along the shores of Koh Hong in Krabi province. They reported that there could be a group up up to 50 Blacktipped reef sharks, with a body length of almost 1 metre. They were chasing after…
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Number of Covid-19 cases passes 3.5 million worldwide
The number of Covid-19 cases around the world yesterday passed the 3.5 million mark, with a worldometers.com tally confirming 84,004 new cases in the last 24 hours. However, the growth in new cases is finally starting to slow down – flattening the curve. Nearly a quarter of a million people have now died from the virus, with Europe and the…
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Two women in Rayong fined 15 million baht each for ciggie smuggling
A Thai ‘auntie’ and her daughter from Rayong have been fined 15 million baht for smuggling 37 crates of cigarettes, valued around 200,000 baht, from Cambodia. 53 year old Pisamai and 34 years old Somradee tried to smuggle nearly 19,000 packets of cigarettes over the border. Investigators raided their apartment in Muang Rayong. They were caught red handed loading the cases…
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3 suspected insurgents killed in Pattani
Authorities shot and killed 3 suspected insurgents on Thursday in Pattani province in Thailand’s deep South, long the home of a bloody separatist insurgency. Security forces believe the men were planning to mount an attack during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The shootings are the first act of violence since Malaysia’s Barisan Revolusi Nasional, or National Revolutionary Front rebels…
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Hello world! Kim Jong-un resurfaces after 20 day absence
Dispelling recent rumours that he was in a “vegetative state” or even dead after an apparent heart attack and a botched surgery, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has resurfaced and made his first public appearance after a 20 day absence. Well, either him or a very good replica. North Korean state media reported today that he “celebrated the completion of…
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Surat Thani governor confirms that residents coming back from Phuket will be quarantined
With the exodus of people from Phuket heading back to their home provinces, officials from Surat Thani have confirmed that they will be quarantined at home for 14 days when they arrive. Surat Thani is about a 3-4 hour drive northeast from Phuket. The Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto has ordered all district chiefs in the province to quarantine visitors…
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New plans for managing Thailand’s 2020 public debt
The Thai Cabinet has approved new plans for managing the fiscal 2020 public debt that was previously proposed by the Ministry of Finance. Deputy Government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced that… “according to the new plans, the amount of ‘new’ debt has been adjusted up to 1.497 trillion baht from 894.005 billion baht.” “The plan for the management of ‘existing’ debt has…
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Thai baht up 3% against USD over past month
Potential tourists and expats shipping in money from overseas were hoping the Thai baht would continue to fall against the US dollar. But they’d be surprised that the baht has rebounded in April against the greenback – about 3% in value. But Thailand’s Central Bank is warning that the recent strengthening of the baht against the USD may “not be sustainable”.…
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Malaysian authorities round up migrant workers over Covid-19 fears
After the recent debacle in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysian authorities are locating undocumented migrants to contain potential spread of Covid-19. Already around 700 migrants and refugees have been detained in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia does not formally recognise refugees, regarding them as illegal migrants. Singapore’s recent surge in Covid-19 case numbers has been mainly from migrant workers living in cramped…
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Trump claims “evidence” that virus originated in Wuhan lab, WHO wants to join investigation
US President Donald Trump claimed yesterday in a nationally televised address that he “has seen evidence” the the Covid-19 coronavirus originated in a Wuhan epidmiology lab, an assertion roundly disputed by scientists and intelligence agencies, and which threatens to turn into a diplomatic disaster. He declined to share the evidence, claiming he is “not allowed.” The claim was almost immediately contradicted…
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Committee votes to ban harmful pesticides from June 1
The National Hazardous Substances Committee has voted to push ahead with the ban on two pesticides, effective June 1. The products are paraquat and chlorpyrifos, 2 of 3 toxic weed killers that have come under scrutiny. It was agreed to allow the controlled use of glyphosate, the third chemical, until the end of November this year. The vote comes following…
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Woman brutally murdered in Chonburi
Yesterday at 1pm Police Colonel Chiddecha Songkhong, director of Nong Prue Police Station, Bang Lamung District in Chonburi province, was notified of a murder. The incident was reported as a murder of a Thai woman at a village in Nong Prue Sub-district. Chiddecha along with Police Somboon Osammaitee, Pattaya Travel Inspector Police, medical staff from Bang Lamung Hospital Sawang and…
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Former union leader calls for total overhaul at Thai Airways
The former president of the Thai Airways union is calling for a complete revamp of the airline, including the ousting of all existing board members. The call follows years of crippling losses, bailouts and promises of a corporate cleanout. The Bangkok Post reports that Chamsri Sukchotrat made the call in a Facebook post, addressing PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in his role…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 30
Thailand Covid-19 update: 7 new cases, no new deaths The CSSA has announced this morning that Thailand had only 7 new cases of the Covid-19 nationwide in the previous 24 hours. 3 of the new cases were imported, meaning that they came from Thai nationals returning to the country from overseas. All were immediately quarantined. Only 4 cases came from…
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Antiviral Remdesevir has “significant effect” – VIDEO
The controversial antiviral drug Remdesevir got a boost today after Dr Anthony Fauci, the most trusted voice in the US when speaking of Covid-19, announced the drug has has a “clear-cut” effect in helping Covid-19 patients recover. “The data show that Remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery, proving that a drug can block…
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2 Aussies win $7,500 each in racial discrimination suit
After being turned away from a Thai restaurant in Sydney’s central business district, 2 caucasian Australian men have been awarded A$7,500 each for racial discrimination. 32 year old Luke Masters, and Wayne Clothier aged 33, were awarded the payout today after they were prevented from entering Mr B’s Hotel on Pitt Street in Sydney’s CBD in September 2017. A security…
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Government details symptoms in bid to stop the spread of African Horse Sickness
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness, also known as African Plague, has now killed hundreds of horses in Thailand. The Government Gazette has now detailed the symptoms of AHS, after the contagion was first detected on March 25. First found in Nakhon Ratchasima, the disease has now spread via mosquitoes, gnats and gadflies to other parts of the country, killing…
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Thai Airways gets another lifeline from the government
Thai Airways is finally getting a reprieve, after years of financial woes and corporate drama. The struggling national carrier is getting a lifeline in the form of a bailout loan. Finance permanent secretary Prasong Poontaneat made the announcement yesterday, after a meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The State Enterprise Policy Committee meeting approved “in principle” the proposal to rehabilitate…
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Man steals 5,000 baht handout from kidney patient
A 47 year old man undergoing treatment for kidney disease at a hospital in Nang Rong, near Buriram, north-east Thailand, has had his 5,000 baht government handout stolen – by a relative. The man, named only as Narongsak, applied for the aid package, put in place to ease the economic hardship caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, and asked a family…
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200 baby turtles born at beach in front of Banyan Tree Samui
The birth of more than 200 green turtles has brought some much-needed joy to staff at one of Thailand’s top hotels on Koh Samui. Between April 4 and 24, three nests hatched on the secluded beach at Banyan Tree Samui resort, and a total of around 200 baby turtles emerged under the watchful gaze of the hotel’s resident marine biologist,…
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South Korean fire kills 38 workers – VIDEO
According to reports, at around 1:30pm local South Korean time, a fire at a warehouse in Icheon killed 38 construction workers and left another 10 injured. The fire was reported at a warehouse that was under construction in the  city of Icheon, 80 kilometres south of the capital). Local news sources report that “all the victims are believed to be…
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This year’s wet season expected to be later, drier
Thailand’s annual rainy season usually arrives sometime around Songkran, the Thai New Year festival, on April 13 each year. But the Thai Meteorological Department is warning that the start of heavy rains are unlikely to start around the country until around the third week in May. They also forecast rainfall this year to be approximately 5% lower than average, adding…
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Outgoing UN envoy claims Burmese military may be committing war crimes again
Neighbouring Myanmar’s military is committing atrocities which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the outgoing UN human rights envoy. Fighting between government troops and ethnic minority rebels has flared up again in the country’s Rakhine and Chin states. Burmese military spokesmen did not answer phone calls for comment with Reuters, nor did the official government…
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Thai Health Minister pushes ahead with ban on harmful pesticides
Taking a break from handing out face masks and berating “dirty farang”, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed yesterday that the proposed ban on three hazardous pesticides will go ahead as scheduled on June 1. According to a Nation Thailand report, Minister Anutin refused to entertain proposals from both the Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit and the Chairman of the…
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