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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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Thailand signs procurement deal for 50,000 courses of Molnupiravir Covid pill
Thailand has signed a 500 million baht deal to purchase 50,000 treatment courses of the new Covid-19 drug, Molnupiravir. According to a Thai PBS World report, the Medical Services Department signed the deal yesterday, with Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul present to witness it. A course of treatment is made up of 40 x 200mg capsules. A patient will need to…
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Travel agents call for tourism fee to be postponed until industry recovers
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to postpone the implementation of a new tourism fee until the sector has fully recovered. Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn says Thailand has averaged around 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per day, since re-opening on November 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says confidence is low ahead of the coming high…
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Foreign Minister shrugs off lack of invite to democracy summit
Thailand’s Foreign Minister has shrugged off the fact that Thailand has not been invited to a democracy summit being hosted by the US. Thai PBS World reports that Don Pramudwinai says the event is, “nothing more than pure politics”. The summit is scheduled to take place from December 9-10 and Thailand has been left off the guest list. Controversially, Taiwan…
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France and UK engage in blame game over English Channel tragedy
At least 27 people attempting to seek refuge in the UK have died after their boat capsized in the English Channel, just off the northern port of Calais. According to French authorities, three young children were amongst those who lost their lives at sea. The UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the tragedy was the “largest loss of life”…
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African women tell of experiences of violence
Violence against women, or gender-based violence (GBV), includes many types of abuse, ranging from physical, sexual, and emotional violence to female genital mutilation and trafficking. The rate of GBV in sub-Saharan Africa is higher than the global norm. Around 44% of African women, or more than two in five, have been subjected to gender-based violence, a 2020 study found. Survivors…
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India battles floods amid spike in extreme weather events
After dozens lost their lives in severe flooding in southern India, climate experts are now calling on government officials to prioritize climate-proof infrastructure and take measures to prevent further destruction from major weather events. India’s tech hub Bengaluru was inundated by floodwaters, following torrential downpours which killed scores of people across the south of the country over the past few…
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Myanmar military will not attend Asia-Europe Meeting, sources say
Myanmar’s military has reportedly notified Cambodia that it will not attend the 13th ASEM Summit, where leaders from Asia and Europe meet (virtually) for two days, saying it would only send a technical team to watch the talks. The meeting, which starts today and ends tomorrow, will focus on the interaction of four main ideas: multilateralism, growth, sustainable development, and…
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Going bananas for hair
A Ugandan company makes artificial hair from banana plant byproducts, using the strands from stems. It makes for a stronger and environmentally friendly hair extension. SOURCE: DW News
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Sexy street vendor’s sales spike after busty shirt goes viral
When photos and videos of the “sexy street vendor” went viral, the 24 year old Chiang Mai woman says her orders for the Thai pancakes, known as “khanom Tokyo,” multiplied… just by showing some cleavage. (This was a top story on The Thaiger yesterday. So, we’re doing a follow up, you know, for the readers.) The vendor, known as Olive,…
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Pattaya mayor expresses frustration over no entertainment venues
In Pattaya, the fight goes on to allow alcohol in restaurants and to reopen entertainment venues, at least in time for New Year’s festivities. After petitions and protests from various sectors, business groups, and tourism associations, Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunploem is again calling for nightlife businesses to be allowed to reopen in the city famous, or perhaps infamous, for…
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Phuket daily Covid infections rise over 100 again, cluster reported on Bangla Road
Covid infections in Phuket are creeping up again after 3 weeks of increased arrivals and a revival of nightspots and bars around the island, despite officially being illegal. Phuket’s Governor Narong Woonciew has confirmed that the number of new infections has been rising steadily over recent weeks. The island’s bars and nightlife have been keen to take advantage of the increase…
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Human Rights Watch: Gender-based violence remains rampant in South Africa
A new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed the dire state of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa and is urging the government to do more to combat the troubling findings. Described as the country’s “second pandemic” by President Cyril Ramaphosa, GBV in South Africa is still increasing at an alarming rate, making it one of the world’s…
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Pattaya Music Festival attendees urged to get tested for Covid after positive cases
Those who attended the Pattaya Music Festival on November 12 and 13 are urged to get tested for Covid-19 after several people who went to the festival later tested positive for the virus. While the festival ran under Covid-19 prevention measures, with the audience seated to ensure social distancing, the government spokesperson says many people outside of the event area…
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Philippines prepares for reopening as quarantine lifted for 44 countries
Following the headline on Tuesday that the Philippines is waiving quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors from 44 “green list” countries, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is reportedly gearing up for the eventual reopening of Philippine borders to international tourists, despite a steady decline in Covid-19 cases in the country. According to the Manila Times, the Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente…
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Covid test required to enter CentralWorld’s Groove area in Bangkok
Shoppers entering CentralWorld’s Groove area in Bangkok will need to take a rapid antigen test to enter the two-storey section in one of the Thailand’s largest shopping centres. Alcohol sales and consumption at the Groove zone, which has a variety of cafes, restaurants, and space to hang out, is still allowed. Customers who enter test negative in an ATK (antigen…
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US Summit for Democracy excludes Thailand, includes Taiwan
US President Joe Biden is convening a Summit for Democracy next month, inviting over 100 countries to participate with one notable exception — Thailand — and one controversial inclusion — Taiwan. The event, which will take place virtually on December 9 and 10, has invited 110 participants, according to a list published yesterday from the US State Department. While Thailand…
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No leave for Christmas and New Year holidays, Indonesia’s officials say
Looks like there’s a “Grinch” in Indonesia. This year, there those working in the Southeast Asian country will be barred from taking leave on Christmas and New Years. According to the order issued by the Ministry of the Interior on Tuesday, about 4.2 million civil officials and two million workers in state-owned businesses will be affected, with many more in…
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Covid-19 infections hit Phuket schools and Bangla Road
Phuket is struggling with 2 clusters of Covid-19 that have health authorities worried, with one in schools and one in the centre of tourism on Bangla Road in Patong. The Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital detailed the 2 main clusters and warned that infections are increasing on the island. Phuket had fallen from a time when daily infections were…
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Gay rights advocacy groups seek help from opposition
LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are now turning to the opposition Pheu Thai Party for their support on attaining marriage equality in Thailand. This is coming on the heels of a major Constitutional Court ruling that essentially upheld the ban on same-sex marriage in the country. These groups are campaigning to revise the Civil and Commercial Code, which at the moment only…
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North Korea sentences man to death for smuggling copies of Netflix’s “Squid Game”
A man has been sentenced to death by firing squad in North Korea. A student has been jailed for life, and his teachers and school administrators were fired, facing banishment to work in remote mines or themselves. Six people were also sentenced to five years in prison. And their crime? Smuggling and watching Netflix’s most popular South Korean TV show,…
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Over 4,000 healthcare workers in Thailand infected during Covid-19 pandemic
The Department of Disease Control says up to 4,270 Thai healthcare workers have contracted Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in February 2020. According to a Thai PBS World report, 198 are doctors and 34 are medical students. Dr. Sumanee Wacharasint from the DDC says the remainder are nurses, assistant nurses, public health academics, health volunteers, housekeepers, laboratory technicians,…
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PM digs in his heels, says he won’t quit while the country needs him
The Thai PM says he’s not going anywhere and will remain in position at least until next year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which Thailand is hosting. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to questions from reporters about the remainder of his 4-year term, which ends in March 2023. He says as long as the country needs…
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Tourism recovery in Phang Nga still sluggish
Thailand may have re-opened but there’s little sign yet of any significant recovery in the southern province of Phang Nga. The Bangkok Post reports that most businesses in the tourist area of Khao Lak are still suffering. Despite the coastal resort being open for over 3 weeks now, there are only a handful of tourists in the region. Chayabol Hirankanokkul…
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Blackpink’s Lisa tests positive for Covid-19
A Thai-born Lisa Manoban of the K-pop girl group “Blackpink” has been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to reports. A South Korean news outlet Daum said Lisa was diagnosed with the coronavirus today, and her management YG Entertainment was awaiting the results of RT-CPR tests performed on three other members of the group. BLACKPINK YG Thailand, a Facebook page founded by…
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Ethiopia: Peace increasingly elusive as violence escalates
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former soldier, arrived on the front lines of the ongoing Tigray conflict on Tuesday, according to a government spokesperson. No details have been given on his precise location Abiy’s decision is being widely interpreted as an attempt to mobilize Ethiopians in the fight against Tigray forces. “You could comment…
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Afghanistan: What Taliban’s new media rules mean for female actors
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers unveiled a new set of restrictions on Afghan media on Sunday, banning television channels from showing dramas and soap operas featuring women actors. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice — which replaced the Ministry of Women’s Affairs after the Islamic fundamentalist group seized power in the country in August — also told…
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New Zealand sets to reopen to tourists from April 30, 2022
International travellers who have been fully vaccinated will be able to enter New Zealand starting April 30, 2022, with the reopening to be phased in over time, according to Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins, after two years of border shut down since March 2020. Fully vaccinated residents and Australians with a residence visa can travel to New Zealand starting January…
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60 more Burmese nationals arrested for illegal crossing of Thai border
A total of 60 Burmese nationals in three groups were detained yesterday after they reportedly crossed the Thailand border illegally through Muang and Sangkhla Buri districts, according to the police. In the morning, nine men and four women from Myanmar’s Dawei, Magway, Yangon, and Bago provinces, were arrested near Moo 15 village in tambon Ban Kao, who claimed to pay …
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40 million baht illegal online lending operation busted
An illegal lending business that raked in over 40 million baht in just 3 months by gouging people in desperate financial need with high-interest rates has been broken up. A Chinese man was arrested in Bangkok for running the loan shark operation online. The man identified by the Metropolitan Police Bureau as Jia Liew was arrested in Huai Khwang in…
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DDC focuses on low vaccination provinces, finds people missing
As the Department of Disease Control focuses its strategy on getting everyone vaccinated and planning booster shots for next year, one problem has emerged for vaccinating people in provinces with low vaccination rates: they’re not there. As officials try to incentivise people to get vaccines, they are finding that in some provinces, unvaccinated people simple don’t actually live at their…
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