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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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5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Thailand News Today | Stray car on runway, Indonesian quake, 300 baht tourist fee | January 15
A man has driven his car onto the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport while allegedly under the influence of illicit substances. AOT officials are now trying to figure out how the man was able to breach airport security and drive onto the airport runway. Airport security vehicles were seen escorting the car off the runway, passing by waiting planes. The…
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A wild elephant kills 80 year old camper in Khao Yai
A wild elephant killed an 80 year old man camping in Khao Yai National Park early this morning. Park officials believe the bull elephant was in musth, which is when the elephant has rise in reproductive hormones and becomes aggressive. 80 year old Prayot Jitbun was sleeping in his tent when the elephant attacked. Other nearby campers alerted park officials…
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40 arrested in a suspected gambling house in Nonthaburi
Last night, police raided a house in Nonthaburi and arrested 40 people for allegedly gambling. According to the deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, 33 are Thais and 7 are migrant workers of the casino. The officials also confiscated decks of cards of the Dragon-Tiger game, plastic chips and some cash as evidence. During the raid, the migrant workers…
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Former finance minister proposes legalisation of gambling
With Covid-19 cases linked to some illegal gambling dens, causing a headache for health officials trying to track down elusive gamblers to contain the virus, the former Finance Minister floated the idea to legalise gambling. The former Finance Minister and current leader of the Kla Party, Korn Chaitkavanich, claims legalising gambling will help contain the spread of Covid-19. He also…
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Covid-19 projected to reduce Americans’ life expectancy – USC/Princeton study
With Covid-19 linked to more than 336,000 deaths in the United States, American’s life expectancy will decline, especially among black and latino people, according to researchers from the University of Southern California and Princeton University. The study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years to…
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Customers steadily decline at seafood market due to Covid-19 fears
The tourists’ well-known Mae Klong Seafood Market in the coastal province Samut Songkram is seeing a steady decline of seafood buyers due to fear of Covid-19. Samut Songkram is a neighboring province of Samut Sakhon, a hot spot of the new wave of the Covid-19 outbreak. Although the Samut Songkhram Municipality has imposed stringent measures on all markets in the…
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UPDATE: At least 34 dead and 600 injured after Indonesia earthquake
UPDATE: At least 34 people were killed after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s Sulawesi island just after midnight today. As of this evening, reports say more than 600 people were injured during the earthquake which caused buildings to collapse and residents to flee their homes in the dark. Original story below… Indonesian island Sulawesi was shook by a 6.2…
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Pattaya hotels want official closure order to get unemployment benefits
Pattaya hotels and tourism businesses want to close… just temporarily until the Covid-19 situation improves, but they say an official closure order needs to be issued by the Chon Buri governor so employees can claim unemployment benefits. The hospitality and tourism industry in the 5 highest risk red zones (the coastal provinces Chonburi, Rayong, Chantaburi, Rayong, Samut Sakhon, and Trat)…
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Police say Phuket school won’t be charged for employing foreign teachers without a work permit
An international school in Phuket is not facing charges for employing foreign teachers without a work permit, police told the Phuket News. Back in November, 2 British nationals were arrested at the Palm House International School in Rawai in a raid by Phuket Immigration officers, acting on a tip that teachers were working at the school without a work permit.…
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Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger | VIDEO
Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments to The Thaiger YouTube videos. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower of Babble each day. Go to our YouTube channel and…
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Man drives car onto Bangkok airport runway while allegedly under the influence of drugs
A man drove his car onto the runway at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday afternoon while allegedly under the influence of drugs. The airline officials are now trying to figure out how the man was able to breach airport security and drive onto the airport runway. Airport security vehicles were seen escorting the car off the runway, passing by an airplane.…
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Koh Samui senior police officer faces charges for allegedly raping a suspect
A senior police officer in Koh Samui faces charges for allegedly raping a 21 year old Burmese woman at the Bo Phut Police Station. The officer, who was an investigation squad leader at the Bo Phut station, has been suspended and is now in detention at the Koh Samui Court, according to Nation Thailand. The senior sergeant major allegedly took…
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Student arrested in dormitory at night, charged with lèse majesté offences
A student at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus has been arrested and charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. Ironically, it was his calls for the law to be abolished that led to Sirichai Natueng, aka, “New”, being charged. The group, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, has confirmed the student’s arrest on its Twitter page. After being taken into custody,…
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Do you want to be a full-time video vlogger with The Thaiger?
You’re a budding vlogger. You have skills in writing, presenting and maybe even shooting videos. You look good in front of a camera and are comfortable being there. You may have graduated from a video-making course or even started your own channel. Come and work for The Thaiger and we’ll train you to produce amazing and quality content. This is…
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Covid-19 measures and safety restrictions to be reviewed at the end of the month
The government’s Covid-19 task force is to review current restrictions at the end of the month, but spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin says it’s too early to think about lifting them, particularly in provinces designated “highly-controlled”. He adds that while nearly all cases of the virus are being traced and managed, the government cannot promise that rules will be eased or lifted…
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Thailand to introduce 300 baht “tourism fee” to insure foreign visitors, manage tourist destinations
Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, has confirmed a proposal to charge foreign tourists a fee of 300 baht per visit. The fee will be used to develop tourist destinations as well as providing visitors with insurance benefits while in the Kingdom. The proposal has been approved by the National Tourism Policy Committee and is set to be announced in the…
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Price control on 55 items, face masks and alcohol included
The government decided to maintain the price control list for 55 product items including face masks, raw materials for medical face mask production, alcohol (not the stuff you drink!) and alcohol-based hand sanitiser, and recyclable paper. According to the Commerce Minister Jurin Lakanawisit, price controls on 55 items for daily use will continue, especially the price for face masks. A…
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Chon Buri announces a list of 2 Covid-19 hotspots, visitors are urged to get a virus screening
Chon Buri Provincial Health Office is urging people who visited 27 Covid-19 hot spots in the province between December 20 and 31 to get a test at their local districts. Those who have outstanding Covid-19 symptoms after visiting the listed venues are also asked to report to the district public health offices they live in. Here’s the list… James Boy…
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Wildfires hit Mae Hong Son’s Pai district
Several wildfires have broken out in Mae Hong Son’s Pai district in Northern Thailand. The governor says he believes that several blazes happening in the area are a result of the dry season arriving earlier than usual. Using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer system, the local forest fire control centre detected 155 so-called “heat points” in the Pai district from…
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Thailand News Today | Governor off respirator, sex-trafficking arrest, condo prices falling | January 14
The Samut Sakhon governor is continuing to recover from a dangerous bout of Covid-19 and is expected to be taken off a ventilator today. The 58 year old was in “critical condition” after contracting the virus on December 27. His infection was reported just a week after the outbreak at one of the largest seafood markets in the coastal province…
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High school students call for final exams to be postponed due to Covid-19
Many Thai high school students are calling for final exams to be postponed after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted much of the school year. Some say they’ve struggled with online learning. Students are sharing the now-trending Twitter hashtag #เลื่อนสอบ, literally means “postpone exams,” and are expressing their concerns with the upcoming tests. One Twitter user says online learning has been a…
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UFO? Shooting star? Prachuap Khiri Khan locals find out bright object is the ISS
A bright object streaked across the sky last night, catching the attention of locals in Prachuap Khiri Khan and even shocking the local astronomy team observing the stars. It’s not a UFO. It’s not a comet. It’s actually the International Space Station. Astronomers from the province’s King Mongkut Science Park were observing the stars and photographed the streaks of line.…
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Samut Sakhon governor recovering from Covid-19, to be taken off ventilator
The Samut Sakhon governor is recovering from Covid-19 and is expected to be taken off a ventilator today. 58 year old Verasak Vichitsangsri was in “severe condition” after contracting the virus on December 27, according to the Bangkok Post. His infection was reported just a week after the outbreak at a major seafood market in the province where hundreds of…
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Tower of Babble – we respond to your comments | VIDEO
‘Tower of Babble’ is a new daily program on The Thaiger as we review your comments at our YouTube channel. Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments to The Thaiger YouTube videos. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any…
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Bangkok condo prices expected to continue to fall this year
Condo prices in Bangkok are falling and are expected to continue to fall throughout the year. The real estate market isn’t anticipated to pick back up again until the Covid-19 pandemic eases. The average prices of new condos in Bangkok are expected to fall by 5%, according to Nexus Property Marketing. The real estate marketing firm Juwai IQI Group says the average…
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Department of Land Transport eases rules for licence renewal to mitigate virus risk
The Department of Land Transport has suspended the need for written or practical tests for anyone renewing their driving licence between now and March 31. The department posted the decision on its Facebook page, saying tests are being cancelled in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid-19. According to a Nation Thailand report, the suspension applies to the following…
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Food factory converted into 3-zone quarantine facility in Samut Sakhon
The government’s Covid-19 task force says Thailand’s first factory quarantine facility is now up and running in the central province of Samut Sakhon. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the Pattaya Food Group has converted its factory into a facility to house quarantined Covid-19 patients. “The factory used to manufacture canned foods under the Nautilus brand, but it is…
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Thai brothers charged with trafficking Thai women to Brunei for prostitution
3 people, including 2 brothers, have been arrested on charges of sex trafficking, accused of sending women to Brunei for prostitution purposes. Brothers Somchai Sukson, 55 years of age, and 49 year old Rachen Suksorn, were detained under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court, charged with a sex trafficking operation involving over 3 people. Following the arrest of…
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Pattaya massage shop raided for allegedly violating closure order
A Pattaya massage shop was raided and 7 women were arrested for allegedly violating the Emergency Decree and disease control measures ordering the certain nonessential businesses to close. Police say the shop was “pretending” to be closed by pulling the shutter partly down and keeping the lights off. The owner of the massage shop on Central Pattaya Road in Nongprue,…
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Health Ministry requests more info on Chinese vaccine after effectiveness rate revised down
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has called for more information from the makers of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine, after its effectiveness rating was revised downwards by researchers in Brazil. The Sinovac Biotech jab was originally confirmed as 78% effective in trials in the South American country, but that has now changed to just over 50%. The research team at Brazil’s Butantan…
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