News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
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Sponsored 10 biggest challenges retirees face in Thailand (and how to overcome them)
Retiring in Thailand comes with many benefits, like warm weather, affordable living, and a rich culture. However, it also brings challenges. Retirees must deal with visa rules, healthcare costs, language barriers, and cultural differences. Rising medical expenses, required insurance, and...
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Bangkok to open 9 community isolation centres with 970 beds for mild patients
Authorities from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration visited the new community isolation centre in the Thawee Wattana district of Bangkok. They were checking the centre before it officially opens. Nine more isolation centres will open, and are expected to offer 970 beds for Covid-19 patients in Thailand’s capital. The authorities also said the Bangkok Emergency Medical Centre improved its contact system to…
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Indonesia will manufacture mRNA vaccines
After being chosen by the World Health Organization to get a technology transfer to become Southeast Asia’s Covid-19 vaccine centre, Indonesia might begin producing its own messenger ribonucleic acid vaccines. PT Bio Farma will begin producing mRNA doses under an undisclosed brand. With a capacity of 3.2 billion doses per year, the company is one of the region’s largest vaccine…
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Tourism authorities claim Russia-Ukraine conflict will affect industry
After yesterday claiming that the situation in Ukraine wouldn’t affect UK to Thailand flights, officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand now say the Russia-Ukraine conflict WILL impact tourism to Thailand. TAT’s deputy governor for marketing communications has now told the Bangkok Post that people might decide to cancel trips to Thailand because many airlines have had to divert or cancel…
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Asia News Today | Asia’s stocks fluctuate, gold and Bitcoin rally
In the Asia Pacific region, only Japan, South Korea and Australia have so far officially condemned the actions of Russia after its invasion of Ukraine yesterday. They’ve said they will join with the US in imposing international sanctions but have so far declined to add unilateral sanctions. Indonesia has taken a slightly different tack and is calling for negotiation and…
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Public health secretary says “drugs are not snacks, no Favipiravir given if not necessary”
Previously, the Public Health Ministry had decided to provide the anti-viral drug Favipiravir to more groups of Covid-19 patients, including patients who had only mild symptoms or no symptoms. However, the ministry secretary told Thai media yesterday that the direction has changed, and Favipiravir will be given to Covid-19 patients “only if necessary”. The authorities also warned of side effects…
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Friday Covid Update: 24,932 new cases; provincial totals
41 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,809 with 1,111 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,932 new Covid-19 cases and 15,774 recoveries. There are now 190,110 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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UK hits Russia hard with economic sanctions for Ukraine invasion; targets banks, oligarchs, airlines
In an address to members of parliament, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced what he is calling “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen”. The new sanctions target Russian oligarchs and banks, which will now be excluded from UK’s financial system. Additionally, the Russian national airline Aeroflot will be banned from landing flights…
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Indian mafia member arrested in Pattaya, confirmed no links to Phuket murder
An Indian mafia member was arrested in Pattaya after a red Interpol notice. He was allegedly involved in robbery, murder, human trafficking, ransom and money laundering in India. But Thai police have already confirmed that there is no links between the arrested man and the ‘hit job’ on Indian citizen Jimi “Slice” Sandhu on February 4. The Pattaya suspect reportedly…
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Asian stocks rise with new Russian sanctions, market volatility increases worldwide
Asia markets ticked higher at opening on Friday, encouraged by a rebound of the US stock market, after Russia was struck with a flurry of international sanctions. US President Joe Biden has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, crippling its ability to conduct business in major currencies. Many indexes were in the green on Friday morning, including Tokyo’s…
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Pro-democracy activist Parit granted bail after proving he has to sit university exams
Pro-democracy protest leader, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, has been freed on 3 months’ bail after proving to the Bangkok South Criminal Court that he needs to sit final university exams. The court had refused to grant bail until the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University issued Parit with a certificate to prove his status. Thai PBS World reports that bail…
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Thailand’s health ministry wants to declare Covid-19 endemic within 4 months
Thailand’s health ministry wants to declare Covid 19 as endemic in the next 4 months, according to a Bangkok Post report. Senior ministry official Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the Omicron variant has resulted in a much lower fatality rate than in previous waves and while lung infections are increasing, cases of severe illness are still lower than earlier waves of the…
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Dozens killed as Russia launches attacks across Ukraine
Russian forces have reached the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as the US and Europe respond with more sanctions. Dozens of people have died since Russia invaded its neighbour, with missiles and shells striking cities across Ukraine. AFP reports that at least 100,000 people have been displaced, with many seeking shelter in underground metro systems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky…
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LATEST: Russia invades Ukraine, attacks in major cities, more than 40 dead
UPDATE: Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky says his nation’s armed forces are trying to repel the Russian advance in several areas of the country, including eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region. But Russia claims it has met weak resistance, with Ukrainian border guards reportedly surrendering, as the two countries further engage in an information war to control the narrative. Russian state media has…
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Covid-19 cases rising among children in Thailand ages 5 and under
Covid-19 infections are on the rise among young children in Thailand, with more than 100,000 children ages five and under affected since the pandemic began. Last month, around 1,000 children under six years old tested positive for Covid-19. But that number spiked last week to 6,000 children in that age group infected, according to the deputy director-general of the Department of…
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Pattaya Music Festival postponed due to a rise in Covid-19 cases
Next month’s Pattaya Music Festival 2022 is being postponed due to the surge in Covid-19 cases which hit 1,250 new infections in Chon Buri today. With the recent decision to hold off the music festival, some are worried authorities may also yet again cancel April’s Songkran festival, the massive water fight celebrating the Thai New Year. Pattaya Music Festival was…
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Malaysian PM visits Thailand to discuss border reopening, deep-south conflict
Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yakob is undertaking his first official visit to Thailand today as his nation’s prime minister. During his 3 day visit, he’ll be meeting with his Thai counterpart, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, to discuss bilateral cooperation, vaccines, and the reopening of the countries’ shared border, according to a statement from the Malaysian foreign office. “Focus areas include economic…
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Trang residents with Covid complain of lack of food in government’s aid packages
A number of locals in the southern province Trang say provincial authorities have skimped on the aid packages for those in home isolation while they recover from Covid-19. During the 10-day mandatory time in self-quarantine, the residents say authorities have only been giving them instant noodles, canned fish, and rice… not the three meals a day they say they were…
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UN expert claims Russia, China, and Serbia arming Myanmar junta against civilians
A United Nations human rights expert released a report on Tuesday saying Russia, China, and Serbia are supplying weapons to Myanmar’s junta government, knowing they will be used against civilians. The human rights expert, Thomas Andrews, said Russia and China are providing the junta with fighter jets. Myanmar’s military and Russia’s foreign ministry couldn’t be reached by Reuters on time…
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7 men arrested for allegedly posing as monks, asking for cash donations
Seven men are accused of posing as monks to scam residents in the eastern province Rayong by asking for cash donations. Reports say police found the men carrying fake monk identification cards. The seven “monks” were seen as unconventional as they refused to accept food and other offerings, and only accepted money. A local monk then reported them to the…
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Thursday Covid Update: 23,557 new cases; provincial totals
38 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,768 with 1,070 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,557 new Covid-19 cases and 16,131 recoveries. There are now 180,993 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Asia News Today | Starving Burmese Refugees & Terrorist groups in Philippines
South Korea’s PM is calling for calm after a record number of Covid infections, amid warnings that the latest surge is still yet to peak. He says that serious cases and deaths were still at “manageable levels”, after health authorities reported 171,452 new infections yesterday, a sharp increase from the 99,573 cases a day earlier and the previous all-time high…
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Oil tanker investigated after Thai Navy spots waste off the coast of Chon Buri
Thai authorities are investigating an oil tanker after waste was found floating near an island off the coast of Chon Buri’s Sattahip district, according to a Royal Thai Navy spokesperson. Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy’s corvette reported a waste spill about 9 kilometres away from the island and said it spread across a large area of the Gulf of Thailand.…
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Cabinet approves the use of chemical castration on repeat sex offenders
The Thai Cabinet approved a bill aimed at preventing repeated sexual offense cases, which includes chemically castrating sexual predators, if at least two medical professionals agree with the procedure and the offender gives consent. MP and spokesperson from the Palang Pracharath Party, Pacharin Sumsiripon, and Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin had proposed the so-called “Sex Act” to prevent repeated sexual offense…
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Roof tiler fractures skull after falling through school roof in Sri Racha, Chon Buri province
A man seriously fractured his skull after he fell through a roof on Tuesday in Bang Phra, a sub-district of Sri Racha district in Chon Buri province. The man’s colleagues say he stepped on a broken piece of roof at the auditorium of a school. He fell six metres onto the cement floor. He also bled heavily, although The Pattaya…
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Universal coverage scheme has spent over 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment
Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients has spent more than 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment over the past two years. In 2020, the government spent 3.8 billion for treatments, and that number spiked to 97.7 billion last year. This year, the total treatment cost has been 32.4 billion baht. For patients with mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,…
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Thai Embassy in Poland preparing to evacuate Thai citizens from Ukraine
The Thai Embassy in Poland says it’s making preparations to evacuate Thai nationals from Ukraine as a result of the escalating tensions with Russia. A spokesman for the embassy in Warsaw says officials have created a special Line group with which to communicate with 250 Thai citizens living in Ukraine. The embassy is preparing to evacuate them to safe houses…
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Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists
Bail applications from anti-government activists Anon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak have been rejected by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The decision follows an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court that granted bail of 2,079,000 baht in relation to other charges. The pro-democracy Ratsadon group did not have sufficient funds to pay the requested amount and launched an online crowdfunding…
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Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action
A bill awaiting senate approval that criminalises torture and forced disappearances could help parents and partners of missing Thai activists take legal action. Those convicted of political disappearances and torture cases involving death could be imprisoned between 15 and 30 years. After it had been delayed for decades, lawmakers in the house of representatives unanimously passed draft laws on Wednesday.…
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Thailand working on 4 Covid-19 vaccines that could be ready by 2023
Thailand is currently developing 4 different Covid-19 vaccines, which could be ready for public use next year. According to a Nation Thailand report, the CCSA was briefed on the progress of each vaccine at its meeting yesterday. Chula-Cov19 is an mRNA vaccine being developed by a team at Chulalongkorn University and has received over 2.7 billion baht in funding from…
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Anutin says reduced Test & Go insurance requirements enough to cover Covid costs
Following the CCSA’s decision yesterday to lower the insurance coverage required of overseas arrivals, the health minister says the new figure is enough to cover Covid treatment. The mandatory insurance coverage required to enter Thailand will be reduced from US$50,000 to US$20,000 from March 1. Anutin Charnvirakul says the amount was lowered in order to reduce the costs of travelling…
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