News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourismāstay 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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Whatās 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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137 Thai evacuees head home after 14 day quarantine
137 Thai evacuees, repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan on February 4, were given a warm farewell as they started on their journeys back home from the Royal Thai Navyās Sattahip base, south of Pattaya this morning. The Thai Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutaecha, Chon Buri governor Pakkarathorn Thienchai, naval officers and medical personnel sent the group on…
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Passengers leave Yokohama virus ship, China toll tops 2000
Passengers onboard the Diamond Princess, the coronavirus-wracked cruise ship which has been quarantined in Yokohama’s harbour for two weeks, began disembarking today after testing negative for the disease that has now claimed more than 2,000 lives in China. The ship proved a fertile breeding ground for the COVID-19 coronavirus, with at least 542 positive cases, the largest cluster of confirmed…
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3 solutions to Thailandās English teacher shortage
by Eric Haeg Thailand needs 10,000 English teachers.Ā News of a teacher shortage is no surprise, but news that the Ministry of Education has recently urged embassies to find English teachers has raised eyebrows. Ā The US Embassy confirmed it participated in the meeting, and it has also been reported that over 20 other embassies participated in the discussions. According to Thailandās…
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Bangkok gunman arrested this morning in Phetchaburi
A lone, jealous gunman, who killed his ex-wife in her place of employment in a shopping centre near Victory Monument yesterday afternoon, has been arrested. The 34 year old gunman was arrested in a home in Phetchaburi, south west of Bangkok, at 4.30am today. He has been charged with pre-meditated murder, illegal possession of a weapon and carrying a gun…
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1 dead, 1 injured in Bangkok mall shooting, gunman escapes
One woman is dead and a bystander injured after a gunman opened fire at a shopping mall in downtown Bangkok on this afternoon. The incident occurred in front of a beauty clinic inside Century Movies Plaza, just steps away from a tourist shopping area. The victim killed was a 28 year old employee of the clinic, while the injured victim…
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Thailand’s General Motors plant sold to China’s Great Wall Motors
China’s Great Wall Motors has agreed to buy the General Motors’ Thailand manufacturing plant in Rayong. It’s expected than the transaction will be completed by the end of this year.Ā GM announced this week that it is accelerating a retreat from “unprofitable markets”, becoming more dependent on the US, China, Latin America and South Korea for its manufacturing. Read more about…
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Chon Buri police say illegal beauty clinics dumped dozens of syringes in canal
Police in Chon Buri province are investigating after dozens of needles and blood capsules were found yesterday in a canal in the Samae San area near Sattahip. The Chonburi Public Health Department and Provincial Health Administration confirms that none of the needles or capsules came from local hospitals, clinics or government organizations. After investigating the needles and samples, officials say…
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Cambodia’s carelessness over coronavirus could bring disaster
When passengers from the MS Westerdam disembarked in Sihanoukville, Cambodia on Valentine’s Day last week, it was smiles and handshakes all around, as Prime minister Hun Sen greeted them with roses. Protective masks were nowhere to be seen. Not only did the PM not wear one, his bodyguards ordered people wearing masks to take them off. The next day, the…
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The Great Hong Kong Toilet Roll Heist of 2020
And now from the files of the ‘Laws of Unintended Consequences’, a coronavirus story with a twist. Police in Hong Kong have arrested two men and are still searching for a third following a toilet paper roll heist. Some 600 paper rolls were stolen in a panic-theft linked to shortages over the coronavirus. Yesterday morning a delivery was being made…
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Thai government ponders nine day Songkran holiday
With the impact of the coronavirus cutting deep into the Thai tourism industry, and tourism accounting for around 18% of the Thai GDP, the government are eyeing some additional public holidays to boost spending and activity. The Thai PM announced yesterday that the government is considering adding two public holidays to the annual Songkran festival. Songkran, the Thai new year…
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Four people arrested after posting fake news about coronavirus
Thai police have co-ordinated raids in four province and arrested four separate people over allegations of spreading fake news about the coronavirus outbreak. Officials from the Thai Ministry of Digital for Economy and Society, Technology Crime Suppression Division along with local authorities, raided houses in Bo Win district of Chon Buri, Ban Po district of Chachoengsao province and Muang districts…
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German man dead after jumping from Pattaya condo, refusing medical assistance
A 34 year old German man is dead after he argued with his girlfriend and jumped from his fourth floor condominium in Pattaya this morning. He initially survived the fall, but refused medical assistance. Pattaya City Police were notified of the incident at 5am. Police, emergency responders and reporters arrived at the scene to find the man sitting on the…
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Countdown to reopening – contracts awards for new Maya Bay infrastructure
by Sawat, Five Star Thailand Tours New plans are now being enacted which will lead to the re-opening of Maya Bay to tourism again. With a new development project in the works, it wonāt be long until visitors will once again be able to visit āThe Beachā, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.Ā Maya Bay was shut down to…
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Cooler weather in north, cloud and possible rain in south
The TMD (Thailand Meteorological Department) says that another high-pressure system originating in China is covering Thailand’s north-east and affecting weather in the South China Sea, while weak easterly winds continue to prevail across the Gulf of Thailand. The forecast is that cool to cold conditions will prevails in the mornings across the North and the Northeast. Temperatures in the North…
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21 Vietnamese fishermen taken for coronavirus testing in Songkhla
21 Vietnamese crew from four Vietnamese fishing boats looking for sea cucumbers have been taken ashore to a Songkhla Navy hospital by Royal Thai Navy officialsĀ last night. They are being quarantined whilst being tested for coronavirus. Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched…
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Three Thai lottery winners take home 6 million baht each
781403. That’s the magic six numbers you needed for yesterday’s lottery, which would award you with a grand prize of 6 million baht if you had a winning lottery ticket. Three people won, a convenience store owner in Nakhon Ratchasima and married couple from Rayong. Suwarn Sinthao bought her ticket hoping to win a three-number prize of 4,000 baht but…
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Police say the ‘Skullbreaker Challenge’ could lead to injury, death and jail terms
Thai Police are warning teenagers against copycat versions of a idiotic and dangerous craze known as the ‘Skullbreaker Challenge’ citing victims ending up with spine and head injuries. And even death.Ā The online fad, gaining notorietyĀ on social media, involves tricking someone into jumping into the air before friends on either side kick the player’s legs out causing them to fall heavily…
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Thai Airways starts to trim back schedules due to loss of demand
Thai Airways is cutting back services to South Korea and Singapore out of Bangkok due to “a dramatic fall in demand” and cancellations caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The vice president of sales at Thai Airways, Nond Kalinta, says the national carrier had adjusted flight schedules to match commercial demand. He confirmed the following changes. ā¢ Flights reduce on the…
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Thailand welcomes cruise ship shunned in Vietnam over virus fears
German cruise ship AIDAvita has been welcomed in Thailand, days after it was blocked from docking in Vietnam due to fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus spreading across the region. Authorities in Vietnamās Quang Ninh province, home to UNESCO world heritage site Ha Long Bay, barred passengers on the AIDAvita from disembarking on Thursday, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Germanyās…
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A week after Korat massacre, questions remain
A week after a rogue soldier went on a shooting spree, killing 29 and injuring 58, no one seems willing to take responsibility for the Armyās lack of security, which allowed the man to raid an armoury, steal weapons of war and kill and maim innocent civilians, Thailand Today reports. The massacre has prompted many, from all walks of life,…
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Thai Army chief promises overhaul of army business involvement and practices
Thailand’s Army commander in chief General Apirat Kongsompong is planning a dramatic make-over to the inner workings of the Thai military’s business operations. The moves are in the wake of last weekend’s mass shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima on February 8 where 29 people were shot and killed by an armed soldier (who was also shot and killed). 58 other were…
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Bangkok shooter granted bail despite drugs
A Bangkok shop owner who set offĀ a panic by firing dozens of gunshots on Friday morning was released on bail after his first court appearance yesterday. Forty-eight year old Ekachai Jaruksin faces charges of attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a public area, narcotics possession and using illicit drugs. Police took him to the Criminal Court yesterday morning to…
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Man claims he was attacked and robbed by “foreigners”
A student in Chiang Mai says he was mugged by āforeigners from Europe.ā Twenty-four year old Theerapat Saen-in posted his alleged ordeal on Thai social media earlier this week. According to his post he was taking photographs at a view point on Doi Suthep when he was approached by “farangs.” He says they bashed him on the head with a…
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Heroin smuggler busted in Chiang Rai
A man has been arrested in Chiang Rai’s airport attempting to smuggle heroin. 27 year old Jatuporn Saeuan was searched and detained before boarding a flight to Bangkok when security officers found his behaviour suspicious. Security officers say Jatuporn “kept wandering back and forth in front of the entrance” to Mae Fah Luang Airport, so they asked demanded to inspect…
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New coronavirus case confirmed in Thailand, brings total to 34
A new case of the coronavirus (covid-19) has now been confirmed in Thailand which brings the total in the country to 34 since the start of this year. The public health ministry made the announcement yesterday. The new case is a 35 year old Thai female, a medical personnel, who was infected after contact with a patient, Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchia, according…
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More than 200 couples exchange vows on Valentine’s Day 2020 in Phuket
Knots were tied, brooms were jumped, rings were donned and brides were kissed. All three of Phuket’s district offices, Muang Phuket, Kathu and Thalang, were packed yesterday as couples vied to get married on Valentineās Day. 109 couples registered their marriage at the Muang District Office alone, with the island’s vice governor present as a witness. The 109 couples, of…
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German man falls to his death from Pattaya condo
A German man is dead after falling from a condominium in Jomtien, Pattaya, yesterday. Police learned of the incident, in Soi Na Jomtien 18, at 6pm and rushed to the scene with rescue workers and local media to find the body of a 78 year old German national . Police told the media the man had health issues. No sign…
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Thousands gather for merit-making ceremony in Korat
Tens of thousands of mostly residents of Nakhon Ratchasima attended a Buddhist merit making ceremony in Korat today to pay tribute to the late King Narai the Great, founder and heroine of the north eastern province, Thao Suranaree, during the early days of the Chakri Dynasty, and to remember the victims of the mass shooting last Saturday. The gunman was…
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‘Leaving Thailand’ – From Phuket with love and heartaches Ā
“In his new memoir āLeaving Thailand,ā a former journalist, film tech and Phuket resident looks back on his life and loves in the kingdom that continue to haunt and inspire him.” By Jim AlgieĀ Iām wary of memoirs set in Thailand in which a sex-starved Western man descends on the country to get caught up in the carnal circus of…
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Attempted murder charge for Bangkok gunman
Multiple charges have been lain against against the man who allegedly fired more than 50 shots in downtown Bangkok early yesterday, including attempted murder. Police say the charge was filed because a ballistic examination showed some of the gunshots were aimed at people opposite the suspectās position. Other charges include carrying gun without a permit, discharging a firearm in a…
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