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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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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Phuket Immigration officers to visit quarantine hotels to help with visa extensions
Immigration authorities are reportedly visiting each centre, hotel and resort in Phuket approved for Covid-19 isolation and quarantine to assist foreign Covid-19 patients who need to extend their visa, but cannot visit the Immigration Bureau Office because they isolating or receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. Yesterday the authorities visit Patong Resort to bring documents for foreign visitors who need…
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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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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 officials in Phuket warn of bed shortages amid rise in Covid infections
Health officials in Phuket say hospital beds are running out as the infection rate begins to climb once more on the southern island. Kooksak Kookiatkul says that, as of Sunday, Phuket has reported 742 new cases. According to a Bangkok Post report, 513 of those are in local residents, with 2 in foreign residents. 133 have been imported by the…
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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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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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Australian government mulls deportation of unvaccinated tennis star Djokovic after judge orders his release
The Australian government has exceeded a four-hour time limit to decide whether to deport Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic, after a federal judge ordered his release from detainment on Monday afternoon, allowing the tennis star to remain in the country — at least for tonight. The world No. 1 tennis player has been detained since Thursday for allegedly breaking the…
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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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“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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Merchants ask government to import pork as local prices surge
Have you noticed that many Thai street vendors have upped their price for pork dishes by around 5 baht? Some have even stopped selling pork dishes altogether. The price of pork has surged in Thailand and many merchants are now demanding the government to import pork quickly to control the fluctuating prices. They say the high prices are pushing away…
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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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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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Officials set up child treatment facilities, expecting a surge in cases in the young
The Public Health Ministry is working with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to prepare treatment and isolation facilities for young children infected with Covid-19. According to a Thai PBS World report, officials are anticipating a surge in infections in the young. Dr. Adisai Pattanatang from The Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health says the facility can accommodate young Covid-infected patients…
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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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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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Police apprehend man who killed 2, injured 3 at Phuket market
After a shooting on Friday at the Phuket City Municipality Fresh Market 1 that left 3 injured and 2 dead, police announced today that they have apprehended the suspect they hold responsible for the shootout. Investigators have been tracking his escape after he fled the scene of the crime and managed to pick him up this morning. He allegedly confessed…
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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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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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Experts say Omicron variant infections widely underreported
While the Omicron variant is now estimated to account for about 30% of all new Covid-19 infections in Thailand, experts believe that the actual number of cases of the strain is massively underreported. Dr Yong Poovorawan, the chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University, says that the more intensive testing…
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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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Child abducted 33 years ago finds family with map shared on TikTok
After being kidnapped in 1989 and sold in a child trafficking ring, a man in China was reunited with his family 33 years later with the help of TikTok and a hand-drawn map. Li Jingwei drew a rudimentary map of land features he remembered from his village as a child, memories of a 4 year old preserved for decades. After…
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Phuket to 8 foreign reps: your citizens must obey Covid-19 rules
When children in class misbehave, teachers contact the parents and tell them to keep their kids in line. But what do you do when foreign tourists are misbehaving in your country? Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew met today with Consul Generals and Honorary Consuls from 8 countries to ask them to warn their citizens to follow the rules – especially Covid-19…
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