News
Stay up-to-date with the latest news from across Thailand and beyond with The Thaiger. Our dedicated team brings you breaking news, in-depth analysis, and exclusive stories from this stunning part of the world, covering a diverse range of topics, including local politics, business, culture, and tourism. Keep yourself informed about the Kingdom’s rich history, stunning landscapes, and thriving expat communities, as well as updates on events, attractions, and transportation.
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Officers find suspected hideout of alleged hitman on Thailand’s most wanted list
The alleged hitman who evaded arrest after shot an M16 rifle, killing an officer during a highspeed chase, has reportedly fled from police again. The man, who is on Thailand’s most wanted list for multiple charges involving murder, is believed to be hiding out in a forest on Khao Cao Mountain in southern province Songkhla. A team of more than…
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Siriraj Hospital announces Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant
Thailand’s first successful multi-visceral transplant, where one of the intestines is replaced along with other abdominal organs, was completed by Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital. The surgery is a simultaneous transplant of multiple organs, including the liver, small intestines and sometimes the stomach. For the patient in Thailand, surgeons transplanted the intestine, liver, pancreas, and stomach. The…
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Thailand’s Navy intercepts one of three Vietnamese fishing boats in Gulf
Yesterday, Thailand’s navy intercepted one of three Vietnamese fishing boats seen in the Gulf of Thailand on Tuesday night. The navy first tried firing warning shots at three ships. The ships ignored the warning and fled. The navy managed to catch one of the ships yesterday, and arrested five people for illegally fishing in Thai waters. The five face charges…
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Thailand’s elephant crisis: 22 elephants die during pandemic at Chiang Mai camp
Another elephant from Maesa elephant camp in Chiang Mai died on Friday, making it the 22nd elephant to die at the camp in the past two years. Without almost no income from tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic, many camps and sanctuaries have been struggling to provide care and food for the animals. A 50 year old male elephant named Krung…
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Spotlight shines on more shady street lamp projects by local Thailand governments
In another street light corruption case involving local governments in Thailand purchasing fancy lamp posts at exorbitant prices, photos of the decorative lamps lining a dirt road in an Isaan province is raising questions from Thais about why the government is spending its funds on what’s considered to be lavish purchases instead of improving infrastructure. The lamp posts adorned with…
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Director of Betong Airport transferred to inactive post
Oh dear, it all looked so promising… Following on from Nok Air’s declaration that it was suspending services to the newly-opened Betong Airport due to low uptake, the airport’s acting director has now been sacked. According to a Nation Thailand report, Duangporn Suwanmanee was removed from her position just 4 days after Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha arrived on the airport’s…
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Deltacron circulating in Thailand since December, all patients recovered
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences says the Deltacron mutation has been circulating in Thailand since at least December, but is not a cause for concern. According to a Thai PBS World report, Dr. Supakit Sirilak says 73 cases were detected during December and January, and all patients have recovered. Deltacron is thought to be a combination of…
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‘Deltacron’ in Thailand? Pft! We got this – Public Health Minister
Don’t fear new virus variants — we can handle it. That’s the main message from Thailand’s public health ministry, which says the country is well equipped to handle any new Covid-19 strains, including the so-called “Deltacron” variant, a possible combination of Delta and Omicron. Speaking at the Thailand International Health EXPO 2022 on Thursday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said…
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Thailand’s tourism minister wants all border checkpoints in South opened by May
Thailand’s tourism minister says he expects all border checkpoints with Malaysia to be open by May 1, adding that the move will benefit both countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says his ministry will coordinate with the Foreign Affairs Ministry to agree the re-opening with the Malaysian authorities, including deciding Covid-19 prevention measures to be implemented at…
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Bangkok instant noodle shop draws thousands of teens
A Bangkok instant noodle shop that opened in October last year has drawn thousands of teenagers since its opening. The shop, called Good Noodle, is stocked with noodles from Indonesia, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Good Noodle doesn’t just sell noodles, though. It also allows customers to to prepare their meals and eat there, even though the noodles…
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Air crash investigators baffled by China Eastern nosedive from cruising altitude
A preliminary look into the possible causes of a fatal China Eastern crash on Monday has investigators baffled, according to a Bloomberg report. In particular, mystery surrounds why the Boeing 737-800 appeared to enter a sudden nosedive from a cruising altitude of 29,000 feet, an hour before it was scheduled to land. The aircraft was flying from the southern city…
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UPDATE: Russia claims it destroyed Ukraine ‘weapons depot’ with hypersonic missile
UPDATE: In their daily fact-checking segment, France 24 has debunked Russia’s false claim that it struck an underground weapons depot with a hypersonic missile. Their journalist explains that, while the Russian military might have indeed used a hypersonic missile, they actually struck a farm, NOT a military target… “The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that they launched hypersonic missiles against…
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No Songkran water fights in Pattaya, mayor confirms
The mayor of Pattaya has approved the Songkran celebration but has changed the spotlight to traditional and religious activities instead. With fears and concerns about Covid-19, water and foam events, as well as alcohol consumption and celebrations will be prohibited for another year. Masks must be worn at all times, including outdoors. To meet with the “Covid Free Setting” guideline,…
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Family in Prachinburi find poisonous centipede in tin of fish
A family in Prachinburi, east of Bangkok, were put off their dinner on Sunday after opening a tin of fish to find a 2-centimetre long, poisonous centipede. The family never expected that such a creature would be found in the tinned fish, produced by a famous brand. The family, from Si Maha Phot district, ordered two tins of fish from…
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Cryptocurrency payments banned in Thailand, trading still okay
You can put your hopes to rest as Thailand will ban any use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. Officials believe that its widespread use will harm the country’s financial system and economy. The new rules that prevent using digital currencies as a form of payment will take effect from April 1. Businesses are given extra time until the…
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“Thai Riviera” coastal road planned for province along the Andaman Sea
CORRECTION: An earlier report incorrectly stated the cost of the road. The proposed budget for the design is 80 million baht and the total cost for construction has not been determined. A “Thai Riviera” road is being planned to be built along the coast six of Thailand’s Andaman provinces, if the Office of Transport’s request for 80 million baht for…
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Black box flight recorder found in China Eastern wreckage
One of the black box flight recorders, a key for determining the cause of the China Eastern Airlines crash, was found today by aviation investigators searching the wreckage. The Boeing 737-800, known as the workhorse in commercial aviation and one of the safest aircraft, suddenly declined into a nosedive during a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou carrying 132 people, crashing…
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Upcoming seafood festival at Nai Yang Beach this Friday and Saturday, Phuket
Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival will be hosted at Nai Yang Beach this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. The festival will start at 4pm on Friday, and end at 11pm on Saturday, March 25-26. The festival will host over 100 food stands, live ‘Luk Thung’ Thai folk music, and cooking competitions with chili paste and grilled seafood. The…
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Department of Special Investigation releases music video to warn about call centre scams
A music video was released by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations, warning people about call centre scams and advising them to think before they transfer money. But the video, featuring celebrities, has drawn criticism from Thais. Many have been questioning why the DSI, which is known to be Thailand’s counterpart to the FBI in the US, is spending time and…
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Asia News Today | Tourists found dead in Philippines & China-Laos railway
The crash of the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane in China’s southwest ignited a fire big enough to be seen from space. Rescuers continue today to cold through the wreckage on the rugged, remote mountainside, just outside the city of Wuzhou. Investigators admit that just two days following the crash, there appears more questions than answers. Rescue workers have resorted to…
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Buriram battle: 50 youths shoot guns, throw explosives and glass bottles
A 50 man fight broke out in the middle of the street at 1am this morning after the annual Red Cross music festival held in the northeastern province of Buriram. Two groups of young men, approximately 50 in total, started out by arguing and chasing each other on motorcycles and then began throwing glass bottles, homemade grenades and shooting guns…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 25,164 new cases; provincial totals
80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,497 with 2,799 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,164 new Covid-19 cases and 24,770 recoveries. There are now 237,128 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Myanmar calls US Rohingya genocide accusation “far from reality”
The United States announced on Monday it will classify Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya ethnic group in 2017 as a genocide. Now, Myanmar has hit back. Its foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday that the United States’ remarks are “far from realities”, claiming the United States made the decision based on “unreliable and unverifiable” sources. In 2018, the US…
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70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant
A 70 year old woman from Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand spent Saturday night in a jail cell after she and her relative were arrested for growing one cannabis plant each. After 24 hours without freedom, they were granted bail of 10,000 baht each. The grandma told police she boils the leaves to make medicine to treat her illnesses. However,…
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Phuket governor presents campaign to create 10,000 new minimum-wage jobs
As Phuket struggles to pick up its disheveled tourism economy, provincial Governor Narong has a plan for recovery. In a meeting with local government agencies yesterday, Narong presented his plans on a whiteboard. He said the provincial government will work with local government organisations to create 10,000 vacancies. The vacancies, he said, would pay the minimum wage of 336 baht…
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Delivery staff finds 3-metre king cobra inside parcel box in Isaan Thailand
A 3-metre long king cobra – alive and likely agitated – was found in a package at a delivery company in Thailand’s Isaan region. Staff saw a cardboard box moving and could hear a hissing sound. They called a rescue team, who then opened the parcel and unzipped the black bag inside, releasing the long, venomous snake. The delivery company…
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Thailand’s FDA warns sausages could cause serious illnesses
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration warns people that eating a lot of sausages might cause food poisoning, as well as more long-term health problems. The FDA secretary-general urges consumers to check packaging to make sure sausages have official FDA seals before they buy them. This news comes after 14 children throughout Thailand were hospitalised for a blood disorder after eating…
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Cabinet approves 500-million-baht budget for Paxlovid antiviral treatment
The Thai government has approved a budget of 500 million baht to purchase supplies of Pfizer’s antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. It’s understood the fund is part of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht pandemic budget. Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul has confirmed budgetary approval for the procurement of Paxlovid. The Bangkok Post reports that most of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht Covid-19 budget – 7.7 billion…
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Survey shows no country in the world met WHO air quality criteria during 2021
A survey of air pollution data in 6,475 cities shows that not a single country met the World Health Organisation’s air quality standards in 2021. According to a Reuters report, smog even returned to pre-pandemic levels in some regions, after a brief respite during Covid-19. The data was collated by Swiss firm, IQAir, a pollution technology company that monitors air…
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Award winning Thai author and journalist dies
An award winning Thai author who fled Thailand in 2014 has passed away in France due to health reasons, according to his daughter. The author, Wat Wallayangkoon, wrote the novel Transitor Love Story, which was adapted into a film in 2001. The story is about a rural man who dreams of becoming a singer. Wat won a prestigious Thai award in…
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