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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PM Prayut orders Thailand Pass to be improved, says tourists are essential
After some glitches with the Thailand Pass, which is required to enter the country, the system is being improved to make it more convenient for those travelling to Thailand. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered government agencies to quickly fix the system to ensure there are no delays with the approval process, adding that foreign tourism is essential for reviving Thailand’s economy,…
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Thai respiratory specialist calls for total overhaul of how government handles Covid
A highly-respected specialist in respiratory illnesses says the Thai government needs to completely change tack in the way it’s dealing with Covid-19. Posting on his Facebook page, Dr Manoon Leechawengongs from Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital has called for an overhaul in how new infections are dealt with and wants expensive PCR tests ditched altogether. The prominent medic says that as it…
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Pattaya tourism officials pin hopes on proposed travel bubble with India
Pattaya is looking to India to salvage what’s left of tourism during the forthcoming low season, as Thailand plans a travel bubble with the South Asian nation. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is preparing a marketing plan targeting would-be visitors from India. The country is one of the few short-haul markets that doesn’t require…
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It’s official: Vietnam will reopen to tourists on March 15
In a move made three months earlier than planned, Vietnam will completely reopen to tourists starting March 15. Visitors to the country will still have to quarantine for 24 hours, and test negative for Covid-19 before departure and upon arrival. The Vietnamese government said in a statement that the reopening is part of its new response to controlling Covid-19, which…
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Bangkok officials set up another 1,000 isolation beds amid surge in infections
As Covid-19 infection numbers surge in Bangkok, officials have set up another 1,000 beds in isolation facilities across the capital. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has instructed all 50 district offices to create more community isolation facilities. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang says the additional isolation facilities will help ease the burden on hospitals and the…
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Despite Covid-19, tourism authorities still optimistic about this coming year
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is keeping its chin up, and has high hopes for tourism income this year. The TAT governor told the Bangkok Post today he hopes to target wealthy travellers, skilled professionals, and remote workers. The target age groups include millenials and retirees alike. He says the goal for tourism this year is to earn the country…
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Amnesty says Thailand’s attempts to expel it should serve as a warning to other NGOs
The human rights organisation Amnesty International says the government’s attempts to kick it out of the country should serve as a warning to other non-governmental organisations operating in Thailand. Kyle Ward, Amnesty’s deputy secretary general, says the calls for expulsion can be linked to a new draft law that seeks to intensify scrutiny of NGOs operating in Thailand. He says…
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3 men arrested after allegedly selling tiger, leopard skins to undercover police
Three men were arrested yesterday after they were allegedly caught selling clouded leopard and tiger hides to an undercover officer. Along with three live leopard kittens, tiger and leopard hides valued at two million baht were seized by national park officers and police at a resort in Kanchanaburi, which borders Myanmar. Officers had received a tip that illegal wildlife traders…
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Thailand’s crazy cannabis laws explained
Thailand’s recent changes to the laws around cannabis have sparked confusion across the country, with many questioning, “Is weed legal now?” Well.. not the weed that will cause a high. There’s a limit on the plant’s psychoactive component, known as THC, so you won’t get stoned when you order a cannabis-infused tea or dish topped with a pot leaf. Those…
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Taiwan to ease entry restrictions, cut quarantine to 10 days in March
Taiwan plans to relax its strict COVID-19 quarantine policy beginning in March, in order to reopen to the world and gradually resume normal life, the government said on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has enforced a blanket two-week quarantine on everyone arriving to the island, even while its neighbours in Asia began implementing reopening strategies last year,…
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Bangkok to be officially named “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”
The official for Thailand’s capital is in the process of being changed to its more formal name “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon,” but its common name “Bangkok” will still be recognised. The Thai Cabinet approved the name change in principle, but the order still needs to be vetted by government officials. Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or “Krung Thep” as most Thais…
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Former street food vendor making more money from homemade dog food business
A former street food vendor in the western province of Kanchanaburi has launched a new business venture selling homemade dog food. According to a Nation Thailand report, Surachet Kangsri now makes more money from his dog food business and has stopped selling human food. Surachet says he came up with the idea when he realised customers who were buying his…
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Security ramped up at Ukrainian, Russian embassies in Bangkok as tensions mount
Bangkok police say they have increased security in the areas surrounding the Ukrainian and Russian embassies as tensions between the 2 countries mounts. Conflict broke out when Russia threatened to avenge any move by Ukraine to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The ongoing tension, with Russia amassing troops at the Ukrainian border, has world leaders on edge. Kritsana Patanacharoen…
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Omicron subvariant BA.2 accounts for 18% of Covid-19 infections in Thailand
The Department of Medical Sciences says the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.2 makes up 18.5% of Covid-19 cases in Thailand. However, department boss Supakit Sirilak says that while BA.2 appears to be faster spreading, there is no indication it results in more severe illness or is more likely to evade vaccines. According to a Bangkok Post report, the DMS examined…
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Interpol Red Notices issued for 2 Canadians wanted for Phuket hit job
Interpol has issued Red Notices for both suspects wanted in the targeted killing of an Indian national in Phuket. Alleged gang member Jimi “Slice” Sandhu was gunned down in the car park of his villa near Rawai beach on the evening of February 4. Police are searching for 2 ex-servicemen from Canada in relation to the killing, believed to be…
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Makha Bucha Day 2022: All about the public holiday in Thailand
For Thai Buddhists, Makha Bucha, also written Māgha Pūjā, is a day of abstinence, reflection and visits to the local temple, which culminate in picturesque candle-lit ceremonies in the evening. For those who don’t follow the Buddhist traditions, it’s a day of no alcohol sales. In fact, there is always a 24 hour alcohol ban imposed on the day, from…
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Thai woman’s OnlyFans content stolen, officers say she could face pornography charges
A Thai woman who posts sexually explicit photos and videos on her OnlyFans account says her content, which was intended only for those who pay for a subscription to her page, was taken without permission and spread for free on a gambling website. She reported the incident to the Thai police, but officers have now put the 25 year old…
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Six police officers investigated for allegedly demanding bribes, not reporting drug seizure
Six Thai police officers were transferred from their positions and now face disciplinary action after they allegedly demanded a bribe and for not reporting their drug seizure with the department. The officers in the Isaan province Nakhon Phanom allegedly demanded a bribe from a man running a delivery service for the release of two of his employees who had been…
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Travel Guide: Top places to retire in Asia 2022
Retiring in Asia is a dream for many, with fond memories of short or longer travel to some of the humid and exotic countries in the region. All that exquisite cuisine, diverse sceneries, fascinating histories, intriguing temples, tropical adventures, colourful nightlife, and markets and malls for shopping. Lots of shopping. So it’s easy to become enamoured with all things “Asia.”…
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Bangkok’s crazy cables and wires to go underground, project starts this year
Bangkok’s cables and wires, looped haphazardly above the city’s streets, is known not only to be an eye-sore, but also an electrician’s nightmare. Now, the capital’s officials are planning to get around 1,400 kilometres of electrical cables and communication lines underground within the next three years. Work for the project will start this year. This year, 450 kilometres of communication…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 14,373 new cases; provincial totals
27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,489 with 791 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,373 new Covid-19 cases and 11,551 recoveries. There are now 132,728 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Snake on a plane forces Malaysian AirAsia flight to make an emergency landing
Like a scene of the cult-classic Samuel L. Jackson film “Snakes on a Plane,” (but far less dramatic), a snake slithering loose in an AirAsia passenger airplane led the pilots of the Malaysian budget carrier to detour from the scheduled route and make an emergency landing. A video from the aircraft’s cabin shows the silhouette of a long snake slithering…
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How cross-border payments fintechs like DeeMoney are empowering the gig economy
Press Release Even before COVID-19 changed the world of work forever, there was a trend towards a greater reliance on freelancers. In fact, they now make up 35 per cent of the global workforce – that’s about 1.1 billion people. Unsurprisingly, that number has been skyrocketing during the pandemic, with a growth of 24% recorded in just a single quarter…
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Tourism officials in Vietnam push for a full reopening to foreign travellers on March 15
Vietnam plans to reopen borders for foreign travellers on March 15, although the date is not yet official. According to the local media outlet VN Express, a draft proposal is in the works to fully allow inbound and outbound tourism starting in mid-March. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is now getting input from relevant agencies before submitting the…
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4 Thai tourists hospitalised after wooden pier breaks in Koh Larn off Pattaya coast
Four Thai tourists were injured when the railing of a pier broke and they fell onto the rocks around two metres below. The tourists were taking a photo and leaning against the railing of the pier on Koh Larn, an island off the Pattaya coast, when it broke. Three of them are being treated for serious injuries. Reports say those…
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Top paediatrician says 2 doses of mRNA vaccine enough to protect children
One of Thailand’s top paediatricians says there’s no need to give children a cocktail of an inactivated vaccine dose and an mRNA dose. Instead, Somsak Lolekha from the Paediatric Society of Thailand says 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine are enough to protect children from becoming severely ill with Covid-19. He adds that booster doses are not necessary for most…
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23 hotels in Thailand sold for a total of 13.2 billion baht in 2021
The following is a press release from JLL, a professional services firm specialising in real estate and investment management. Ease of travel restrictions will lead to a brighter tourism market outlook and more participation of foreign investors this year The latest report from property consultant JLL reveals that Thailand saw 23 hotels sold in 2021 with approximately 3,000 keys and…
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Anutin says removal of Covid-19 from emergency treatment list to go ahead
Despite calls to delay removing Covid-19 treatment from the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients scheme, Thailand’s health minister is pushing ahead. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin Charnvirakul says the move will go ahead as planned as it’s part of the government’s policy to downgrade the virus. He was responding to calls from a number of quarters, including his…
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Indonesia considers ditching all quarantine rules for international arrivals from April
A government official in Indonesia says the country could lift all quarantine requirements for international arrivals from April, as the Covid-19 hospitalisation and death rates are now under control. According to a Bloomberg report, the suggestion was made by Luhut Panjaitan, who oversees the government’s pandemic response on the islands of Java and Bali. He went on to say that…
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Covid-19 infections will soon begin to level off and drop for most of the country – CCSA
The government’s Covid-19 task force expects overall case numbers to level off and start dropping soon, but 10 provinces could still see rising numbers. Yesterday, Thailand reported 14,900 new infections and 26 Covid deaths, compared to 15,882 cases and 25 deaths the day before. Bangkok reported 2,892 and 10 deaths, with daily infections doubling during the first 6 weeks of…
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