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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Tuesday Covid Update: 7,133 new cases; provincial totals
12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,850 with 152 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,133 new Covid-19 cases and 3,306 recoveries. There are now 61,974 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Hospitals must urgently admit children infected with Covid, have proper medication on hand
After reports that an 8 month old sick with Covid-19 had to wait in a queue before being treated at a hospital, the government is instructing all hospitals in Thailand to admit child Covid-19 patients immediately, adding that no child infected with the virus should be turned down and staff must have the appropriate medication on hand to treat them. The…
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Bank of Thailand forecasts lower economic growth during Omicron outbreak
With the emergence of the Omicron variant in Thailand and an uptick of cases after the New Year holiday, the country’s central bank says the economy might grow slower in the first half of the year. The kingdom has seen a revival in tourism, especially over the past two months with the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme. Registration for…
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Mysterious “ghost ship” might have been an illegal oil tanker, expert says
An expert told Thai media that he suspects the mysterious abandoned Chinese vessel found in the Gulf of Thailand might have been an illegal oil tanker distributing oil to various countries. The Jin Shui Yuan 2, which many are calling a “ghost ship,” was reported by staff at an oil rig off the coast of the southern province Songkhla last…
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Thailand ranks as the best country in Asia to retire – International Living magazine
Is Thailand the best country in Asia to retire? Some think so. Thailand was ranked as the best country in Asia for retirement in 2022 by International Living magazine. And out of a list of 25 countries, the magazine listed Thailand as number 11, with Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico topping the list. The magazine’s annual global retirement index is…
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Major fire guts incense warehouse in Chon Buri
An incense warehouse in the eastern province of Chon Buri has been completely destroyed by fire. The Pattaya News reports that the fire broke out at a joss sticks warehouse in the district of Ban Bueng on Sunday. 10 fire engines attended the blaze in Soi Intara and it took firefighters over an hour to bring the fire under control.…
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Thai virologist echoes WHO, other experts, in dismissing claims of “Deltacron variant”
Following recent media reports in Cyprus that a new “Deltacron” variant had been discovered in the country, a number of virology experts have downplayed the claims. Leonitios Kostrikis from the University of Cyprus says his researchers have identified 25 cases of the so-called variant. It supposedly combines the traits of both the Delta and Omicron variant, but experts now believe…
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Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok denies data breach after post lists patient records for sale
In what appeared to be the latest breach of the country’s public health sector, around 39 million patient records from Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok have been listed for sale on an internet database-sharing platform, raidforums.com. The hospital is now denying that its database was hacked. The Bangkok Post reported that the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University, which…
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Health ministry says Covid-19 will become endemic in Thailand this year
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry plans to move Covid-19 from pandemic status to endemic status this year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit says this can be achieved thanks to people cooperating with the vaccine rollout. While the Omicron variant is highly-contagious and spreading rapidly across the country, symptoms are milder and the death rate is lower. “The…
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CCSA warns that new Covid infections could jump to 20,000 a day
The CCSA says new Covid-19 infections in Thailand could reach 20,000 a day if the public do not take disease prevention measures seriously. According to a Bangkok Post report, 5,397 Omicron infections have been reported across 71 provinces so far. However, Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says deaths remain low due to the high vaccination rate. “Even…
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National park officers save wild boar from trap, locals hunt following pork price crisis
The surge in prices for pork over the past month as affected Thais throughout the country. Some street food vendors have upped their prices for pork soup and dishes by 5 to 10 baht, while others have just stopped selling due to the high market prices. Some locals in Prachuap Khiri Khan started hunting wild boar. Officials at the Namtok…
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Myanmar’s Suu Kyi slapped with jail terms
Myanmar’s deposed leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to four years in jail for three charges brought by a Naypyidaw court under the military junta this afternoon, according to reports. The court ruled that 76 year old Suu Kyi, who was detained since the military took power in early February 2021, was found guilty of two offences linked…
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Travellers from Africa told to re-register for Thailand Pass to change entry scheme
Starting tomorrow, some entry restrictions lift for those travelling to Thailand from countries in Africa. Those from nations in Africa who have been approved to enter through the Alternative Quarantine scheme can now apply to enter under the more relaxed Sandbox entry scheme, which allows travellers to roam freely in a designated province or district rather than undergoing isolation at…
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Monday Covid Update: 7,926 new cases; provincial totals
13 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,838 with 21,744 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,926 new Covid-19 cases and 3,612 recoveries. There are now 58,159 people in Thailand being…
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Man arrested for tricking a 12 year old into sending sexual videos on Free Fire
Thai police arrested a 24 year old man for allegedly deceiving a 12 year old girl into sending sexually explicit videos of herself through Thailand’s popular online survivor shooter game Free Fire, which is played on a smartphone. He allegedly used the photos to blackmail the girl’s parents. The child’s parents filed a complaint with local police in November and…
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“Ghost ship” found off Thailand coast, Navy investigates abandoned Chinese vessel
What many are calling a “ghost ship” was found sinking in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat. The abandoned Chinese cargo ship was spotted by staff working at an offshore oil rig. No one was on board the vessel. The staff at the Chevron rigs reported the vessel to the 2nd Naval Area Command in…
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Man focused on GPS drives into Chon Buri pond, sinks car
A man focusing on the directions on his GPS drove into a pond in Chon Buri. He was able to escape through the car’s window and swim to shore, but his car sunk in the 15-metre deep pond. The man says he was driving from Bangkok to Chon Buri to visit relatives over the weekend when he went onto a…
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Omicron cases rise, Bangkok residents flock to Bang Sue Vaccination Centre
Following an uptick in Omicron Covid-19 cases, Bangkok’s major inoculation centre at Bang Sue Grand Station was packed with those waiting to get vaccinated. Individuals who haven’t received their vaccine are welcome at Bang Sue Station with a walk-in service, while those who want a second or third dose need to register through a mobile network, either AIS, TRUE, DTAC,…
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Koh Chang national park closed due to Covid-19, but island remains open
The popular tourist destination of Mu Koh Chang, on the Gulf of Thailand’s eastern seaboard, has been partially-closed, as a result of Covid-19. Officials have decided to close camp sites and other tourism facilities in the national park. However, the remainder of the island remains open to visitors. According to a Thai PBS World report, there had been some initial…
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Hospitals in the Philippines prepare more beds amid surge in infections in Manila
Officials in the Philippines have ordered hospitals to prepare more beds and resources, in response to a surge in infections in Manila. According to a Reuters report, the capital leads the way with record case numbers, with nearly 60% of 28,707 infections reported in the Manila region. Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles says health authorities have also been ordered to…
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New York apartment fire kills at least 19, including 9 children
A fire that ripped through a high-rise apartment building in New York has left at least 19 people dead, 9 of them children, according to media reports. The fire broke out mid-morning on the second and third floors of a building on East 181st Street in the borough of the Bronx. According to an AFP report, New York city mayor…
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Bangkok opens new Covid-19 testing centre amid surge in infections
A new Covid-19 testing centre, capable of conducting up to 1,000 tests a day, will open in Bangkok tomorrow, as the capital grapples with a surge in new cases. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says it will be on the first floor of Car Park Building B at the government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road. According to a Bangkok Post…
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NEW RULES: Test and Go cut-off dropped, 3 new Sandboxes, 8+18 Blue Zones
So the new Covid-19 restrictions and regulations have been passed by the CCSA and put into effect by the Royal Thai Government now. What exactly are the rules now with Test & Go, Sandboxes, and Blue Zones? TEST & GO CUTOFF New applications for the Test & Go programme, that allowed people to enter without quarantine, requiring only a short…
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1-year ceasefire declared in Myanmar by junta leader
After nearly a year of deadly conflict between the Burmese military junta that overthrew the government and citizen protesters and rebel insurgent groups, Burmese junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing has declared a ceasefire in Myanmar after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. The Prime Minister met with the junta leader on Friday after months of the Association of…
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NIDA Poll: No optimism about pandemic, economy, and politics
A new NIDA Poll asked people about their thoughts on 2022, asking about politics, the economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic, with the majority of respondents not having a particularly positive outlook on the coming year. They were asked if the economy will improve, if the pandemic will subside, and also if PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will remain in power or what…
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Nonthaburi to give free vaccines for Thais as 3rd and 4th booster
Get your booster shots! Officials in the Nonthaburi Health Office announced that they would be offering free third and fourth vaccines as booster shots to all Thai people on January 13 and 14. The vaccines will be offered for free, but those who want to take advantage of the vaccination must register in advance for the shots. Vaccines will be…
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COVID-19 SUNDAY UPDATE: 8,511 infections, 12 deaths
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge upward, the CCSA reported 8,511 new Covid-19 infections today, up 248 since yesterday, and 12 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 2 from yesterday. Since April 1, 2021, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,240,677 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported, with 21,825 total deaths from the pandemic. In the 24…
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France Saturday: 105,000 protest vaccine, 303,669 get Covid-19
French President Emmanuel Macron made waves recently when he came out hard against unvaccinated people saying that he would make life harder for them and “piss off” those who refused inoculation as it hurts the society as a whole. Yesterday, over 100,000 people came out to protest the government restricting the rights of people who refuse a vaccine all across…
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Have a Test & Go QR code to enter Thailand? Read this.
Details emerging from last Friday’s deliberations by the CCSA have now been published in the Royal Gazette, enacting them into law. Missing from the published guidelines about changes to the Thailand Pass, is any reference to a cut-off date which was both stated and then published by government representatives on Friday following a meeting of the CCSA. Speaking to the…
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6 European tourists found who disappeared after positive Covid-19 test
After a brief hunt, 6 European tourists who were tested for Covid-19 and left their hotel before the results were returned, test results which came back positive, have now all been located and moved to the hospital. Authorities rounded up 2 French tourists, 2 Polish tourists, a Swiss tourist, and a Norwegian tourist. The 6 tourists had all come to…
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