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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.
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How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Navy rescues German man with heart failure from cruise ship in Gulf of Thailand
Officers from the Royal Thai Navy battled against strong waves to help a German man who suffered from heart failure on a cruise ship in Thailand‘s waters last night. The MEIN SCHIFF 5 cruise ship departed from Chon Buri province and was headed for Singapore when 73 year old passenger Bernd Joachim Max Thiele, of German nationality, fell unwell about…
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Thailand tops BBC poll for Southeast Asia travel
A recent BBC poll saw Thailand on the top of the list of most desired destinations to travel to in Southeast Asia. BBC News conducted a poll of people planning a trip from Europe and North America to Southeast Asia in July. Thailand topped the list with 57.4% of people responding that they would be likely to visit the kingdom.…
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China releases first Covid fatality rates after loosening restrictions
China is reporting its first fatality rates after the recent loosening of Covid restrictions. According to CNBC, three people died over the weekend after contracting Covid-19 marking the first fatalities since the last report in May. All three were aged 87 to 91 and lived in Beijing. Last Sunday alone, Beijing reported more than 26,000 infections, both symptomatic and asymptomatic.…
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As Thailand’s large waves rage, officials raise red flags on Hua Hin beaches
As large waves rage in the Gulf of Thailand, officials have raised red flags at Hua Hin’s beaches. Officials said people are strictly prohibited from venturing into the sea while the red warning flags are raised, Hua Hin Today reported yesterday. Some beach vendors and restaurants have also closed due to the waves, and the local fishing boat fleet remained ashore.…
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Finnish man found sleeping in road after motorbike crash
When it comes to drinking, some people know their limits. And some people… well… some people are like a Finnish man recently scooped up off the street in Pattaya late at night. The tourist wasn’t dead though. He was just so drunk that he passed out driving his motorbike home and was found sleeping in the middle of the busy…
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Over 2,000 tourists leave Koh Samui by plane amidst huge waves
Over 2,000 tourists left Koh Samui by plane yesterday amidst the ongoing huge waves wreaking havoc on Thailand’s waters. Waves were up to 4 metres high in the Gulf of Thailand near Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, and Koh Tao. Boats were banned from leaving ports on Koh Samui yesterday, and a total of 2,400 tourists left the island by…
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The UN reaches historic biodiversity agreement to protect one-third of planet by 2030
The United Nations has reached a historic biodiversity agreement that will aim to protect one-third of the planet by 2030. The landmark deal is aimed at safeguarding diversity by protecting vital ecosystems such as wetlands and rainforests and indigenous peoples’ rights. The agreement came at the COP15 UN biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada. Previously the summit was set to be…
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy requests weapons systems from Western leaders
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy is asking Western leaders for a wide range of weapons systems to assist the country in its fight against Russia’s invasion. According to Thai PBS World, he asked leaders of countries in the Joint Expeditionary Force, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, to meet in Latvia to discuss his request for assistance. “I ask you to…
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Thailand to open all land border crossings next year
Thailand is planning to open all land border crossings with neighbouring countries next year. The move is reportedly part of an effort to facilitate the transportation of goods to help restart one aspect of the economy. The Department of Foreign Trade says it will negotiate with Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Malaysia to reopen all 97 land borders and hold trade…
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Body and 9 sailors found alive by oil tanker are not from HTMS Sukhothai, says navy
UPDATE 2 The Royal Thai Navy says the nine sailors found alive and one dead body discovered by an oil tanker in the Gulf of Thailand are not crew members from the HTMS Sukhothai which sank off the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province last night as widely reported in Thai media. At least four boats sank in Thailand’s waters…
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Pheu Thai Party wants to reform tourism, cut red tape
The Pheu Thai Party is calling for reform of the way Thailand approaches tourism, though its focus seems to be the same as the ruling party’s. The opposition party held a brainstorming session on Friday to discuss how to improve tourism in Thailand. They stressed branching out and eliminating outdated red tape, but also put their hope squarely on medical…
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Blaze damages Bangkok luxury condominium
A blaze damaged a luxury condominium in Thailand’s capital of Bangkok this afternoon. The fire damaged a unit on the 40th floor of the 42-floor Saichol Mansion B, located in Bangkok’s Klong San district. Officials evacuated over 100 residents from the building, while firefighters worked for about 15 minutes to put out the blaze. Luckily, no casualties were reported. Police…
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Builder discovers corpse inside water tank in Bangkok, Thailand
Police are launching a murder investigation after a builder discovered a corpse stuffed into a water tank at a disused building in Bangkok this morning. Doctors estimate that the deceased died six months ago. At 10:10am, officers from Bangkok’s Hua Mak Police Station travelled to a four-storey building in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 1 in Suan Luang district to investigate the discovery of…
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Fierce snowstorm pounds Japan, disrupts public transport
A fierce snowstorm is pounding Japan after starting its wrath on the Sea of Japan coast one day ago, disrupting public transportation. The snowfall caused five trains on the Yamagata Shinkansen line to be suspended due to fallen trees and pantograph problems. The line runs between Tokyo and the northeast city of Shinjo. Meanwhile, one train from Tokyo to Yamagata…
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UK Tesco accused of using slave labour in Thailand
The UK’s Tesco supermarket chain is being accused of using slave labour in Thailand. According to a Guardian investigation, Burmese workers who made jeans for Tesco Lotus in Thailand, allegedly worked 99-hour weeks. And, their received wages were allegedly too low to make the cut legally. The investigation also found that their working conditions were considered quite harsh. Tesco faces…
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Animal activists call for ban on US monkey imports
Animal activists are calling on the US government to ban imports of primates for laboratory use after a government report revealed that deadly pathogens entered the country through imported monkeys from Cambodia. The report detailed that between 2018-2021, six cases of Burkholderia pseudomallei were identified in such imported primates from Cambodia. The rare but deadly disease has a mortality rate…
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Navy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 84 rescued, 1 dead, 21 missing
False information in this story has been updated. In total, 84 members of the Royal Thai Navy have been rescued from the Gulf of Thailand after the HTMS Sukhothai navy vessel sank to the bottom of the sea last night amid rough conditions. One body has been recovered and 21 crew members are still missing. As of noon today, the…
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ASEAN members to allegedly hold non-official meeting on Myanmar situation
ASEAN members are allegedly being invited to join an open-ended consultative meeting concerning the situation in Myanmar on December 22. Thailand is allegedly hosting the meeting, according to an anonymous source for Teak Door. The source says the meeting is not an official ASEAN meeting, but rather an initiative to update and exchange views informally among colleagues interested in and…
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Messi says he will keep going after World Cup win
Football star Lionel Messi says he will keep going after his team’s World Cup win. Despite the Argentinian star accomplishing his lifetime goal of winning the international competition, Messi says he wants to experience a few more matches with his new title of world champion. The 35 year old says his career, indeed, is almost finished, as he noted that…
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Buddha statue in Cambodia will be world’s 3rd tallest
The owner of the hotel group in Cambodia is taking on a big challenge. A big, tall challenge. The owner of the Sokha Hotel Group in Cambodia has pledged to build one of the world’s tallest Buddha statues. His scheme would see the construction of a 108-metre tall Buddha on Bokor Mountain. While news coverage in the Phnom Penh Post,…
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Body of Canadian man washes up on beach in southern Thailand
The body of a 63 year old Canadian man washed up on a beach on the mainland of Surat Thani province in southern Thailand yesterday evening. He went missing from Koh Pha Ngan island six days ago. At 8pm, officers from Khanom Police Station rushed to Khanom Beach after a decaying body was discovered on the shore in front of the…
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Falling power pole kills woman in Chantha Buri
A woman met a surprising and untimely demise after a power pole fell on her in Chantha Buri province. She’s been walking through a waterfall park in the province yesterday morning when strong winds suddenly felled the power pole, killing her instantly. The freak accident took place in the Priew Waterfall National Park did the far eastern province bordering Cambodia.…
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POLL: Thai politics unchanged, honesty and transparency wanted
A new poll shows that most people in Thailand don’t believe that politics have really changed much. They like responsible, honest politicians and hate people who break promises and abuse authority. They want their political parties to be honest and transparent with a clear goal. Corruption is the biggest issue they want to be tackled. Poll respondents said that they…
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Shakira speaks up for young Iranian football player on death row
Shakira, Shakira! Prominent figures across the globe are speaking up about the plight of Iranians, and the latest to do so is music sensation Shakira. On Saturday, Shakira tweeted her support for Amir Nasr-Azadani, a young Iranian football player sentenced to death after protesting. Twenty-six year old Nasr-Azadani was arrested in Isfahan last month, after taking part in a protest…
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Best Christmas Movies, Ever!
The Thaiger is following up on the success of its Best Christmas Singles, Ever! This time the team selected its favourite Christmas movies. With so many films to choose from many readers may disagree with our choices and be disappointed to discover that their favourite Xmas flick is missing from the list. But it’s always a great topic to debate…
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Free tune-up offered for all vehicles before New Year’s Eve
Thailand is trying a new angle to increase road safety during the upcoming busy New Year’s holiday. Before people climb into their cars and make long-distance journeys they might not normally make in their day-to-day life, the government is helping to provide free comprehensive tune-ups for all vehicles. By partnering with public and private businesses, the Land Transport Department is…
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Hard rain stops train services in Thailand’s south
Heavy rain and high tides are bringing widespread flooding to Songkhla, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Narathiwat. Red flags in Songkhla’s Chalatat Beach advise people not to venture into the 4-metre waves that are pounding the coast. In Narathiwat province, those living close to the Kolok River are ready to move themselves and their valuables to higher ground as the water…
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Long-time Chinese overstayer goes viral asking for petrol money in Phuket
A long-time Chinese overstayer has gone viral on social media for footage of her asking for petrol money from people at a Phuket petrol station. The woman, 47 year old Fan Yang, had been overstaying her visa for a whopping 1,316 days. The footage circling on TikTok shows some of Fan’s interactions with people at the station on Bypass Road…
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Navy ship sinks in the Gulf of Thailand, 73 rescued, 33 missing
This story has been updated. The Royal Thai Navy‘s HTMS Sukhothai sank in the Gulf of Thailand last night, around 20 miles from the coast of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, with 106 navy personnel on board. Navy vessels, tug boats and oil tankers rescued 73 crew members from the water, three of whom are in critical condition, and are still searching…
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Surat Thani authorities optimistic about tourism as another cruise ship arrives in Koh Samui
Officials in Thailand’s southern province of Surat Thani are remaining optimistic about the recovering tourism sector as another cruise ship arrives around Koh Samui island. As the industry continues to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic, the government is urging businesses to uphold the country’s positive reputation. According to the Pattaya Mail, 31 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in Koh…
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