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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9 most common health issues covered by insurance for expats in Thailand
Thailand is a popular destination for expats due to its affordable lifestyle and excellent healthcare system. However, settling in a new country often brings health concerns. To ensure you’re covered for the most common medical needs, understanding what expat health...
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Bangkok instant noodle shop draws thousands of teens
A Bangkok instant noodle shop that opened in October last year has drawn thousands of teenagers since its opening. The shop, called Good Noodle, is stocked with noodles from Indonesia, South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Good Noodle doesn’t just sell noodles, though. It also allows customers to to prepare their meals and eat there, even though the noodles…
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Air crash investigators baffled by China Eastern nosedive from cruising altitude
A preliminary look into the possible causes of a fatal China Eastern crash on Monday has investigators baffled, according to a Bloomberg report. In particular, mystery surrounds why the Boeing 737-800 appeared to enter a sudden nosedive from a cruising altitude of 29,000 feet, an hour before it was scheduled to land. The aircraft was flying from the southern city…
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UPDATE: Russia claims it destroyed Ukraine ‘weapons depot’ with hypersonic missile
UPDATE: In their daily fact-checking segment, France 24 has debunked Russia’s false claim that it struck an underground weapons depot with a hypersonic missile. Their journalist explains that, while the Russian military might have indeed used a hypersonic missile, they actually struck a farm, NOT a military target… “The Russian Ministry of Defence claims that they launched hypersonic missiles against…
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Motorcycle event organisers apologise for allowing father to carry baby during big bike test drive
Organisers from a recent motorcycle event are apologising for allowing a man to test drive a big bike while his baby was still in a carrier strapped to his back. An official from the event said people were allowed to test drive the big bikes on the track, but no one noticed the man was carrying a baby. The official…
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Family in Prachinburi find poisonous centipede in tin of fish
A family in Prachinburi, east of Bangkok, were put off their dinner on Sunday after opening a tin of fish to find a 2-centimetre long, poisonous centipede. The family never expected that such a creature would be found in the tinned fish, produced by a famous brand. The family, from Si Maha Phot district, ordered two tins of fish from…
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Cryptocurrency payments banned in Thailand, trading still okay
You can put your hopes to rest as Thailand will ban any use of cryptocurrencies as a form of payment. Officials believe that its widespread use will harm the country’s financial system and economy. The new rules that prevent using digital currencies as a form of payment will take effect from April 1. Businesses are given extra time until the…
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“Thai Riviera” coastal road planned for province along the Andaman Sea
CORRECTION: An earlier report incorrectly stated the cost of the road. The proposed budget for the design is 80 million baht and the total cost for construction has not been determined. A “Thai Riviera” road is being planned to be built along the coast six of Thailand’s Andaman provinces, if the Office of Transport’s request for 80 million baht for…
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Blackpink’s Lisa heads back home, Buriram meatball vendors prepare to serve star’s favourite snack
Sales at meatball stalls in the Isaan province Buriram have shot up over the several months after the Thai star from the K-pop band Blackpink said it was her favourite place in her hometown. The meatball vendors in Buriram say they will offer free food to fans of Lalisa “Lisa” Manobal if the singer returns home to celebrate her 25th…
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Upcoming seafood festival at Nai Yang Beach this Friday and Saturday, Phuket
Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival will be hosted at Nai Yang Beach this coming weekend on Friday and Saturday. The festival will start at 4pm on Friday, and end at 11pm on Saturday, March 25-26. The festival will host over 100 food stands, live ‘Luk Thung’ Thai folk music, and cooking competitions with chili paste and grilled seafood. The…
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Department of Special Investigation releases music video to warn about call centre scams
A music video was released by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations, warning people about call centre scams and advising them to think before they transfer money. But the video, featuring celebrities, has drawn criticism from Thais. Many have been questioning why the DSI, which is known to be Thailand’s counterpart to the FBI in the US, is spending time and…
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Asia News Today | Tourists found dead in Philippines & China-Laos railway
The crash of the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane in China’s southwest ignited a fire big enough to be seen from space. Rescuers continue today to cold through the wreckage on the rugged, remote mountainside, just outside the city of Wuzhou. Investigators admit that just two days following the crash, there appears more questions than answers. Rescue workers have resorted to…
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Chon Buri farmer catches huge python in his chicken coop
PHOTO: Top News Thailand A farmer in Ban Beung district of Chon Buri province says he walked in on a huge python in his chicken coop yesterday. The farmer called rescue workers to get the snake out of the coop, and they took five minutes to force the snake into a sack. The farmer said one of his chickens had…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 25,164 new cases; provincial totals
80 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 24,497 with 2,799 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 25,164 new Covid-19 cases and 24,770 recoveries. There are now 237,128 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Myanmar calls US Rohingya genocide accusation “far from reality”
The United States announced on Monday it will classify Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya ethnic group in 2017 as a genocide. Now, Myanmar has hit back. Its foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday that the United States’ remarks are “far from realities”, claiming the United States made the decision based on “unreliable and unverifiable” sources. In 2018, the US…
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70 year old grandma in Isaan Thailand arrested for growing one cannabis plant
A 70 year old woman from Khon Kaen in northeast Thailand spent Saturday night in a jail cell after she and her relative were arrested for growing one cannabis plant each. After 24 hours without freedom, they were granted bail of 10,000 baht each. The grandma told police she boils the leaves to make medicine to treat her illnesses. However,…
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UKRAINE UPDATES: Zelensky warns Italy of Putin’s end game; Russia could use nuclear weapons under ‘existential threat’
As Russia’s invasion of a sovereign European nation under false pretexts marks one month, here’s the latest headlines from the war in Ukraine…. • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Italian parliament via video call on Tuesday. He warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ultimate goal is to take Europe. He said that Putin’s aim is “to have influence and…
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Delivery staff finds 3-metre king cobra inside parcel box in Isaan Thailand
A 3-metre long king cobra – alive and likely agitated – was found in a package at a delivery company in Thailand’s Isaan region. Staff saw a cardboard box moving and could hear a hissing sound. They called a rescue team, who then opened the parcel and unzipped the black bag inside, releasing the long, venomous snake. The delivery company…
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Thailand’s FDA warns sausages could cause serious illnesses
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration warns people that eating a lot of sausages might cause food poisoning, as well as more long-term health problems. The FDA secretary-general urges consumers to check packaging to make sure sausages have official FDA seals before they buy them. This news comes after 14 children throughout Thailand were hospitalised for a blood disorder after eating…
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Cabinet approves 500-million-baht budget for Paxlovid antiviral treatment
The Thai government has approved a budget of 500 million baht to purchase supplies of Pfizer’s antiviral treatment, Paxlovid. It’s understood the fund is part of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht pandemic budget. Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul has confirmed budgetary approval for the procurement of Paxlovid. The Bangkok Post reports that most of the government’s 8.4-billion-baht Covid-19 budget – 7.7 billion…
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Not so fast: Thai epidemiologist questions plans to declare Covid-19 endemic by July
A leading epidemiologist has questioned Thailand’s rush to declare Covid-19 endemic as infections and deaths surge and the country remains under Level 4 alert. Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology, is suggesting officials slow down a bit, as he cast doubt on the wisdom of trying to declare the virus endemic by July 1. Despite placing the…
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Award winning Thai author and journalist dies
An award winning Thai author who fled Thailand in 2014 has passed away in France due to health reasons, according to his daughter. The author, Wat Wallayangkoon, wrote the novel Transitor Love Story, which was adapted into a film in 2001. The story is about a rural man who dreams of becoming a singer. Wat won a prestigious Thai award in…
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Health minister urges over 2 million elderly to come forward for vaccination
As the government plans to administer booster vaccines to 70% of the elderly population before Songkran, Thailand’s health minister is urging them to come forward. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin Charnvirakul is telling 2.1 million elderly people to make sure they’re protected before the Thai New Year holiday next month. The Department of Disease Control is liaising with…
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Recovery operation underway following fatal China Eastern crash
A recovery operation is underway in the mountains of Guangxi, China, where a China Eastern flight came down on Monday. All 132 passengers and crew are thought to have been killed in the crash, with the cause yet to be established. The Civil Aviation Administration of China says the flight crew did not respond to repeated attempts by air traffic…
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10.8 million baht found in dead abbot’s quarters, dean of monks says family has no right to the money
After 50 days of merit-making, Luang Phor Yen Satchitto’s minimalist hut was opened on Sunday by relatives who found over 10.6 million baht in cash under the bed. Relatives and locals estimate the figure should be nearer to 40 million and suspect a burglary has taken place, but forensic officers think otherwise. The cash was deposited into a joint account…
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Non-profit Watchdog Thailand saves over 20 cats locked in house, 5 found dead
Over 20 cats were found starving inside a locked house yesterday in Samut Prakan province, just south of Bangkok. Activists from the non-profit organisation Watchdog Thailand saved 17 of the cats while four escaped and a total of five dead cats were found inside the house. The cats are now being cared for at Watchdog’s shelter. Villagers contacted Watchdog Foundation…
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Couple having sex in car allegedly attempt to run over security guard after confrontation
A security guard narrowly dodged getting run over after asking a couple who were having sex in a parked car at a Bangkok market to move along. When the head of security approached the car in the early hours of Sunday morning, the driver attempted to run him over and fled the scene. No one was injured. 20 year old…
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Wildlife rangers capture aggressive elephant that killed a villager
An aggressive elephant wanted for killing an elderly woman and raiding plantations in Prachin Buri has been caught and taken back to a sanctuary after an effort involving around 150 forestry and wildlife rangers as well as volunteers. The 25 year old hot-tempered elephant had been causing extensive damage to orchards and farms for months, and stomped a 73 year…
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Tourism officials push for all entry restrictions for vaccinated travellers to be lifted by June 1
Thailand’s tourism officials want an end to all entry restrictions for vaccinated travellers by June 1. That means no quarantine, no Test & Go rules, no Sandbox zones, no Covid-19 tests. A plan to gradually lift restrictions over the next few months, leading up to the removal of all restrictions by June 1, has been drafted by the Tourism and…
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No survivors in China Eastern Boeing 737 crash carrying 132 people
Rescuers searching the wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines passenger jet say there are no survivors. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying 132 people crashed into a mountainside in southern China’s Guangxi region after a sudden nosedive. Rescuers are searching a deep pit in the mountainside to find the plane’s black box, which holds flight data and voice recordings from the…
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Asia News Today | China plane crash latest & HK looking to relax restrictions
Investigators are now trying to piece together the final moments of a Boeing 737 flight in southern China yesterday before it plummeted into a hilly area as it was approaching Guangzhou. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 jet, flight MU5735, carrying 132 people crashed in Wuzhou. The sudden nosedive of the plane has left aircraft accident specialists baffled as authorities…
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