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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Recent crimes in Phuket are damaging its reputation
Just when Phuket thought it was about to revive its crippled tourism economy, the recent murders, thefts, and taxi ripoffs on the Island province are scarring its public image. The most high profile recent event is the murder by two hitmen of deported Canadian gangster Jimi Sandhu at a villa in Rawai, on the southern coast of the island. The…
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Tourism authorities will co-host fun events in Phang Na and Krabi to boost economy
In an effort to boost tourism income in Phang Na and Krabi, the Thailand Tourism Authority is helping host some new fun events. This comes after tourist areas in Thailand have been devastated by Covid-19. The first events will be two car rallies. People will drive along a route between the two cities, and stop at various sites to tour…
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NZ authorities show no mercy, weaponise Barry Manilow ballads to repel truck protest
Truck protests are spreading as fast as Omicron itself. The protests are variously against vaccine mandates, ongoing Covid-related restrictions and face masks. They are certainly helping to galvanise a weary global electorate after 2 years of lockdowns and precautionary mandates. But even the Canadians haven’t stooped to the sheer terror inflicted on NZ truckies and other protesters who have gathered…
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UPDATE: Phuket gunmen named, possible related shooting in Canada last Tuesday
Police have identified the 2 gunmen who are being sought over the apparent gangland killing of Indian-born Jimi Sandhu on February 4 in Rawai, Phuket. Arrest warrants for 2 Canadian men have been issued. The alleged gunmen have been named as 36 year old Gene Karl Lahrkamp and Matthew Leandre Ovide Dupre, also 36. The arrest warrants follow an intensive…
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Thailands new long term 10 year visa for wealthy foreigners & Digital nomads
Thailand is offering new long term 10 year visa for wealthy foreigners and digital nomads. What are the specifics and regulations regarding this visa? Is it going to be similar to the smart visa plan? Where do the digital nomads fit in all of this? Tim sits with Ben Hart from Integrity legal to find out more.
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Six police in Thailand’s Northeast allegedly demand money to release drug dealers
Six cops in Nakhon Phanom, a Northeastern province in Thailand, allegedly demanded a drug dealer to pay them money in exchange for releasing his accomplices. A Facebook page posted a photo of a man and a woman with a sack that had 200,000 methamphetamine pills in it, with an audio clip of a man who claimed to be a drug…
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Robbers shoot and kill customer in Northern Thailand gold shop
Three robbers fired bullets through a glass door of a gold shop yesterday in Tak, in Northern Thailand, killing one customer. The customer was a 30 year old man. He died after being rushed to the hospital. The robbers smashed another glass door of the shop with a hammer. They then smashed the showcases where the gold was being displayed.…
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Thai soldiers and police arrest 246 more Burmese migrants in Kanchanaburi
Thai soldiers and police have arrested 246 Burmese migrants in 6 border areas across 4 districts of Kanchanaburi, a Western province, yesterday and today. The migrants say they paid job brokers between 15,000 and 25,000 baht to get them jobs in several Thai provinces. Thai authorities also caught 4 guides helping the migrants, and charged them with assisting illegal border…
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Test and Go report card and arrivals – First 10 days of February
The CCSA has had their first report card for Thailand’s Covid situation following the reopening of the Test & Go program on February 1. After a doubling of daily infections over the past 2 weeks, there were fears that the CCSA may tighten restrictions. But, in the end, nothing was changed at the bi-weekly meeting. Even the provincial zonings remain…
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21 Thai fraud gangsters caught in Cambodia, will be deported back home
A joint team of Thai and Cambodian police caught 21 Thai fraud gangsters in Cambodia who allegedly tricked Thais into investing in fake digital assets. The 21 people are part of three different gangs headed by Chinese nationals. The director of the Police Cyber Task Force says one gang stayed in a hotel, and tricked Thais into investing in fake…
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Fisheries Department will temporarily halt gulf fishing for marine breeding season
The deputy director-general of the Fisheries Department announced yesterday that in coming months, four areas of the gulf will be closed to fishermen for marine breeding season. From February 15 to May 15, waters near the coasts of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, and Surat Thani will close. From May 16 to June 14, the foot of Khao Ta Mong Lai…
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Thai Health Department warns that trendy “squid shots” can cause food poisoning
Live squid dumped in a shot glass with a spicy Thai sauce, and then consumed while the squid is still squirming, has been a new food trend in Thailand, with many sharing the phenomenon on TikTok and other social media outlets. But the director of the country’s Department of Health is warning people that the so-called “squid shots” could be…
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Volunteer teams clean trash and weeds from Phuket canal
Two volunteer organisations are joining forces to clear garbage and weeds from the Bang Yai Canal, which runs from Samkong into Phuket Town on Phuket’s east coast. The organisations are the Royal Thai Volunteers and the Rak Bang Yai Club, who announced the cleanup plan on video teleconference yesterday. The groups say they hope to clear the “bad smells” coming…
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Bangkok is back – Thailand’s capital roars back to life
OPINION Before the pandemic, Bangkok was the most-visited city on the planet – a thriving hive of energy and activity which attracted over 22 million international visitors per year. Then, without warning, it all went quiet. Now, following the reboot of the Test & Go re-entry into Thailand on February 1, 2022, Bangkok is back. The city is welcoming the…
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Thailand, post Covid. What needs to change?
OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from behind the Covid curtain, many expats and potential travellers are wondering if much will change after 2 years of lockdowns, closures re-openings and re-entry ‘plans’. Will we see changes in visas, property ownership, entry requirements and business laws? One of our YouTube commenters wrote in with his current ‘wish list’ (below). As…
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Northeastern cave forced to close for a week after tourists test positive
Nakee Cave in Nakhon Phanom, a Northeastern province, will be closed until Thursday now that seven people who visited tested positive for Covid-19. This included tourists, and tour guides. Authorities might make exceptions for tourists who already booked air tickets, or have arrived at the site, who can try to get permission from authorities to enter. Authorities will then look…
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First 10 days of February arrival figures for Thailand – Test & Go V2 “sluggish”
So who is travelling to Thailand at the moment, and how many are coming through the turnstiles? For the first 10 days of February, there was a total of 55,823 travellers entering Thailand. 23,036 travellers entered on the Test and Go program, another 27,667 through the Sandbox scheme and 5,120 arrived to do the Alternative Quarantine program at a qualified…
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New Thailand cave-rescue film ‘Thirteen Lives’ gets record pre-screening scores, high hopes for box office
Ron Howard’s Thailand documentary Thirteen Lives about the famous cave rescue mission has received outstanding test scores in pre-release screenings, prompting MGM to promote the film’s release date from Easter weekend to mid-November, coinciding with awards season. The film follows the true story of a group of young boys and their soccer coach, who were trapped for weeks in the…
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More kids aged 5-11 getting Covid-19
More kids aged 5-11 are getting Covid-19. A spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today that the infection rate for this age group was 6.6% between January 1 and February 2. He said the rate has risen now that the Delta and Omicron variants have broken out, and the total number of cases for this group was…
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Chon Buri nurse allegedly steals debit card from dying patient, withdraws money
Chon Buri police officers arrested a woman working as a nurse at Bang Lamung Hospital for allegedly stealing 4,500 baht from a dying patient. Police say the nurse confessed that she stole a debit card while the patient was unconscious inside an emergency room on February 1 and withdrew money from an ATM the next day. The patient’s family says…
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Father asks police to investigate accident, claims American crashed golf cart, injured his son
A father is seeking justice after his son was hit by a golf cart driven by an American man nine months ago, saying legal proceedings have made no progress. Although, the question of who is to blame for the accident has been up for debate. Some people who saw a video of the accident on social media say the motorbike…
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Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients to no longer cover Covid-19 starting March
Thailand’s Public Health Minister announced today that come March 1, Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients will no longer cover Covid-19 infections, meaning Thais will need to pay out of pocket if they are admitted to a private hospital or facility for treatment. A night at “hospitel,” which is a hotel that works with a hospital to offer isolation services,…
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Nok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai
The low-cost carrier Nok Air has been given the “okay” to run round-trip domestic flights from the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, to the popular tourist destinations Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is allowing the airline to offer seven flights per week to each destination starting in the second quarter…
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Friday Covid Update: 15,242 new cases; provincial totals
23 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,387 with 689 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 15,242 new Covid-19 cases and 8,955 recoveries. There are now 111,393 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Isaan students support free contraceptive initiative, say schools should offer sex ed
Students in Thailand are welcoming moves from the government to promote safe sex and the use of contraceptives. Earlier this month, the National Health Security Office handed out birth control plans and, in April, they plan to give away free condoms to students 15 years old and above. The effort is aimed at prevent teen pregnancies as well as the…
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Russia enters war games with Belarus as NATO nations rush to defuse conflict in Ukraine
Russia has entered war games with ally Belarus, after amassing more than 100 thousand troops on its border with Ukraine in recent days, while NATO leaders are scrambling for diplomatic talks in hopes of avoiding potential conflict in Europe. Russia has sent an estimated 30 thousand troops, including missile launchers, armoured vehicles and fighter jets, for 10 days of joint…
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Thailand’s popular dish pad krapao tied to high altitude balloon for space experiment
A plate of Thailand’s popular meal, pad krapao, was tied to a high altitude balloon, sending it 30 kilometres up into the sky for a space experiment by Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To mark Thailand’s first space experiment using a high-altitude balloon, a large plate of pad krapao was sent up as well. Pad krapao, one of…
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Thailand to boost aviation industry by hosting first international airshow in Rayong in 2027
As part of a push to boost Thailand’s aviation industry, the country will host its first ever international airshow in 2027 at U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong. The show is expected to help boost Thailand’s aviation by 1.2 trillion baht, and will be an exciting opportunity for Thailand to show itself off as a centre for aviation among ASEAN countries.…
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Thailand ranks 72 in Democracy Index 2021
The Economist Intelligence Unit has officially deemed Thailand a “flawed democracy” out of four categories: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. It ranked Thailand 72 out of 167 countries in its “Democracy Index 2021,” which ranks countries for how democratic they are. The EIU says democracy has declined across the globe since 2020. That year, 49.4% of…
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Sharp rise in Southeast Asia flight bookings as countries ease border controls
Online flight search engine Skyscanner has reported a sharp rise in flight bookings for Southeast Asia as several countries ease border restrictions. This will come as welcome news to the region’s airlines, after international travel in Asia-Pacific plummeted 93% last year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. According to a Reuters report, many carriers are relying heavily on the cargo market to…
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