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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Thai traditions for ringing in the New Year
”Sawas Dee Pee Mai” is how Thais say “Happy New Year.” Did you know that Thailand actually celebrates the New Year three times? Thai people celebrate the internationally-recognised New Year on 31 December, the Chinese New Year around January to February, and Thai traditional New Year in April, which is known as Songkran. Below are the activities that Thais do…
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Here’s what happened in Thailand in 2021
Thailand reopened to (almost) quarantine-free tourism, the prime minister faced a no-confidence debate, and the cannabis industry boomed. Here’s what happened this year in Thailand… Thailand reopens to tourists Thailand started its reopening with the Phuket Sandbox on July 1, which allowed fully vaccinated travellers from overseas to enter the island province without being isolated at a hotel or quarantine…
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Meanwhile, in Thailand… Some of the weirdest stories of 2021
It’s been a crazy year in Thailand. Here are some of the weirdest stories of 2021. 1. Tak locals try to ward off “widow ghost” Some locals in Tak tried to ward off the spirit of a widow after the deaths of 10 men in the community. Some believe that the ghost was looking for a husband. 2. Overfed monkey…
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Water fights, dancing dragons, and dumpling soup: New Year traditions around Asia
In Western countries, the start of a new year is usually celebrated with fireworks and parties – and often topped off with drunken renditions of Auld Lang Syne. Not so in Asia, where traditional New Year celebrations are a little bit different. As we welcome 2022 (and plead with it to go easy on us), here’s what New Year festivities…
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Doi Inthanon sees rush of New Year’s campers
In Chiang Mai, Thailand’s highest mountain peak is riddled with tents as tourists flock to the mountains to celebrate the New Year’s holiday in nature. The campgrounds at Doi Inthanon were full of campers enjoying the cool weather and beautiful scenery. At 2,565 metres above sea level, Doi Inthanon is the tallest mountain in Thailand and a popular getaway for…
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Tourists flock to Koh Phangan for New Year’s beach party
Expats and tourists are flocking to Koh Phangan for the legendary Full Moon Countdown New Year’s party on Haad Rin Beach, packing ferries and overwhelming some in the tourism industry after a quiet two years due to the pandemic. While many hostels and hotels remain shuttered, those that are open are reporting to be sold out and in some cases…
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1 killed in shootout between students driving by a petrol station
A brawl involving gunfire between vocational students in Bangkok ended in one Thai person being killed and two more people being injured. The melee took place in the Bang Khun Thian district of the capital city, as 2 groups of students clashed in what appeared to be a shootout on the back of motorbikes that passed in front of a…
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Chinese netizens pay tribute to the doctor who tried to warn the world
He will forever be known as a hero, but Dr Li Wenliang, the Chinese ophthalmologist who first sounded the alarm over Covid-19, was initially shut down and threatened by his government. Now, nearly 2 years after his own death from the virus, thousands of Chinese netizens have posted messages to honour the Wuhan medic who tried to warn the world.…
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Officials say jailed wildlife killer Premchai is fine and has finished Covid quarantine
Premchai Karnasuta, former boss of Italian–Thai Development, now behind bars for hunting and killing wildlife, is “doing fine” according to officials. The Bangkok Post reports that the Corrections Department have confirmed Premchai is sleeping well in prison and has completed an initial 21-day stay in a Covid-19 quarantine area. He will now begin a second 21-day quarantine period inside the…
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New Year’s countdown events in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Phangan
New Year’s countdowns will be a little different this year. As a gift for the holiday, the Thai government loosened alcohol restrictions – but just for the night – allowing booze to be sold at restaurants and approved venues until 1am. But restrictions will still be tight for large events, many requiring participants to be fully vaccinated and test negative…
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EU, US, UK, Argentina and Australia break Covid records
543,856 infections of Covid-19 have been reported in the US in the past 24 hours, fueled mostly by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. And in the words of one doctor, Dr. James Phillips, chief of disaster medicine at George Washington University Hospital, the situation “is crushing hospitals across the United States” as he described “packed emergency rooms”. Worldometers.info show the top…
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Omicron variant infections set to surpass 1,000 in Thailand
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread quickly in countries throughout the world, and Thailand is no exception. After the first case of Omicron was detected just three weeks ago in the Kingdom, outbreaks and superspreader events saw the case number quickly climb to 200, then 500, then over 700, and now to nearly 1,000 infections. The latest…
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Superspreader Omicron cluster may lead to 30,000 daily Covid infections
Thailand will likely see a surge in Covid-19 infections in the coming weeks as health authorities have classified the Omicron variant cluster in Kalasin as a superspreader event. The outbreak was identified on Christmas Eve in the Northeastern province and proliferated out to hundreds of infections sprawling throughout 11 provinces. The cluster was traced to a couple returning from Belgium…
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92 Phuket Sandbox, Test & Go travellers positive for Covid, tests to determine variant
Phuket’s Public Health doctor, Kusak Kukieatsak, says the Covid-19 test results for 92 travellers who recently entered the country from overseas are being examined to determine if they are infected with the Omicron variant. The doctor added that he believes most of the results will come back positive for the mutated strain. The travellers tested positive for Covid-19 after entering…
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Transport Minister launches measure for random ATK tests on train and bus passengers
With Omicron on the rise, the Thailand’s Minister of Transport launched a measure to conduct rapid antigen tests randomly on passengers at train stations and bus terminals before the trips start. The minister added that there will be many passengers traveling via public transport this New Year holiday, so the measure is needed. Passengers who travel using public transportation are…
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Thailand news today | Samui urges government to reconsider entry schemes
Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. The Public Health Ministry says the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Thailand and has now been confirmed in 33 provinces.
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Cryptocurrency ban in China fuels Thailand’s crypto mining boom
China’s recent ban and crackdown on cryptocurrency has fuelled a cryptocurrency mining boom in Thailand as small investors quickly buy up the equipment that are now useless in China. In September, China’s central bank declared all digital currency trading and mining illegal. Some of the largest Bitcoin mining operations in the world relocated while many smaller miners are now selling…
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Russians the top demographic in Phuket, will likely remain so
Over the Christmas holiday, Russian tourists were the number 1 demographic in Phuket, and with the tightening restrictions on entry to Thailand except for the Phuket Sandbox, that trend is expected to continue into the New Year holiday and beyond. Before the whole Covid pandemic kicked off, pre-2019, Russians were already a major tourism force in Phuket. Now, after being…
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Thai Health Ministry refutes claim that cloth masks don’t protect against Omicron
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is insisting that cloth face masks can provide a level of protection against the Omicron variant – provided they’re worn correctly. Dr Supakit Sirilak was responding to a statement from the Covid-19 Information Centre which cited data from Dr Leana Wen at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Wen, who is…
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Officials blame Kalasin bar for Omicron spread, poor disease prevention measures
The Department of Disease Control says the Kalasin couple who inadvertently sparked a cluster of Omicron infections visited 3 restaurant/bars unaware they were infected. Of those, “Bar K” has come in for some harsh criticism from DDC boss, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong. The Bangkok Post reports that the cluster has now spread to 248 patients across 12 provinces in the north…
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Wife of tycoon jailed for killing protected wildlife pleads for him to be hospitalised
The wife of the former head of Italian-Thai Development has pleaded with authorities to transfer him out of prison and into hospital. Earlier this month, Premchai Karnasuta was jailed for 3 years and 3 months for hunting and killing protected wildlife in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. The offences took place nearly 4 years ago. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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Omicron variant spreading rapidly, infections highest in Bangkok, North-East
The Public Health Ministry says the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Thailand and has now been confirmed in 33 provinces. Dr Supakit Sirilak says that out of 740 infections, 489 have been imported and the remainder are cases of community transmission. Bangkok currently has the highest number, which Supakit attributes to increased testing at Suvarnabhumi to screen international arrivals.…
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Omicron infections in Thailand up to 729
Dr Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, has reported an update on the quickly growing number of Omicron infections in Thailand. The latest data shows 488 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 brought in from abroad as well as 251 troublesome locally transmitted infections of the highly transmissible variant. The doctor also noted that most of the…
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5,000-baht payouts go out to registered nightlife workers
Plans for a one-time cash payout to aid registered nightlife workers made unemployed by Covid-19 restrictions are coming to fruition with the first round of payments going out today. About 30,000 workers in the entertainment and nightlife sectors should receive a payment of 5,000 baht. The payment is the first of several intended to go out to each of the…
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100% Wear a Helmet campaign will have police lend a helmet to offenders
The “100% Wear a Helmet” campaign was intensified by Phuket Police with an event at Region 8 Police headquarters in Tha Chatchai aimed at increasing public awareness. The event was held on Monday in an attempt to push everyone in Phuket to wear motorbike helmets when driving, with helmets being handed out to students and motorbike taxi drivers as part…
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Many in Chanthaburi get diarrhoea, local health official says watch what you eat
While health officials across Thailand are monitoring Covid-19, doctors in Chanthaburi are trying to figure out why so many residents have diarrhoea. A provincial public health official is now advising people to watch what they eat. Locals have reached out to each other on social media, trying to figure out why so many people, even those travelling through the province,…
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Hong Kong police raid pro-democracy news media, arrest 6 people
About 200 Hong Kong police stormed local pro-democracy news media outlet Stand News in the early morning today, arresting six employees for allegedly publishing stories against the state following the massive and frequently violent democratic protests two years ago. Stand News interim editor-in-chief Patrick Lam was amongst those who got arrested, including Hong Kong pop diva Denise Ho, barrister Margaret…
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Boeing 737 MAX to fly again in Indonesia three years after fatal crash off Jakarta
Indonesia’s transport ministry is allowing the Boeing 737 MAX to resume flights three years after the fatal crash, which killed all 189 people onboard minutes after takeoff from Jakarta. The US lifted its ban on the aircraft last year, as well as the EU about a month later. In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 took off at Jakarta. Air…
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Bangkok revises closure order, bars and nightclubs to stay closed until January 15
Bangkok officials revised its provincial closure order and extended the date the order is in effect to January 15, requiring bars and entertainment venues to remain shut for at least the next two weeks, which is in line with government’s nationwide closure order. Approved New Year countdown events still can continue under the “Covid-19 Free Setting” measures, which require proof…
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How is the work culture for women in Thailand? | Ask the Girls (Pt. 1)
What do women think about equal rights and opportunities at the workplace? How does their country differ from Thailand? Are women supportive of other women at the work place? Join Natty as she ask’s the girls.
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