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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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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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New variant casts shadow over Thailand Motor Expo, concerns outbreak could affect the industry
The uncertainty of the newly identified Covid-19 variant Omicron looms over today’s opening of the Thailand International Motor Expo as firms promote their new electric vehicle options. Many of the manufacturers at the exhibition worry that the new variant may force countries to return to lockdowns or take other measures that will hurt business as the global economy and Thai…
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Cabinet sets aside over 5 billion baht to improve Bangkok’s public transportation
Yesterday, the two biggest transportation groups in Thailand, Bangkok Mass Transit Organisation (BMTA) and the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), received subsidies from the Cabinet to cope with the loss as well as increase their liquidity. A total of 5 billion baht was given, with 2.28 billion going to BMTA and 3.38 billion going to SRT. The Cabinet has also…
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Victoria’s Secret Thailand supplier faces labour abuse by laid off workers
Garment workers from Victoria’s Secret supplier Brilliant Alliance Thai Global filed a complaint yesterday with the National Human Rights Commission at the Government Complex in Bangkok. The complaint follows the charges filed against six labour activists for protesting illegally outside the Government House in Dusit district on October 19. The movement was led by the Triumph International Workers Union as…
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Most face masks on sale in Thailand do not meet industry quality standards
The Thailand Consumer Council says that out of 60 face masks available in the country, only a fifth have passed quality tests. According to a Bangkok Post report, the TCC has called on the Thai Industrial Standards Institute to mandate the same safety standards for disposable face masks, which is currently a voluntary requirement. In July, the TCC randomly chose…
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Cha-am permitted to sell alcohol in restaurants from December 1
While tourist areas all across Thailand are fighting to be allowed to sell alcohol, Cha-am will be the next tourist pilot area to get to sell drinks. The Phetchaburi Provincial Communicable Disease Committee is preparing to test allowing restaurants and shops to sell alcohol in the tourist city until 10 pm. The trial run of the new permission will be…
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UN boss says global vaccination is only way out of pandemic
The United Nations secretary-general says the only way out of the Covid-19 pandemic is through global vaccination. According to a Xinhua report, Antonio Guterres has called for greater equality in the global distribution of vaccines, tests, and treatments. “The only way out of a global pandemic and out of this unjust and immoral situation is through a global vaccination campaign.”…
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Hungry Hub Bangkok Rooftop Festival 2021
It’s almost coming towards the end of the year so if you are looking for a great rooftop atmosphere to celebrate, you have come to the right place! Hungry Hub is organizing Bangkok Rooftop Festival 2021 and offering exclusive deals at the finest rooftop bars in the city. Below are the lists of the greatest rooftop restaurants in Bangkok, all…
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Moderna leader says vaccine likely less effective against Omicron
The head of American vaccine maker Moderna said in an interview with Financial Times that their vaccine may not be strongly effective against the new Omicron variant. Stephane Bancel said in an interview published yesterday that it will take months to develop a new version of the vaccine that is tested and confirmed to be effective against the new strain…
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Si Racha sushi restaurant patrons warned to test for Covid-19
Following in a string of Covid-19 outbreak warnings, the Chon Buri Public Health Office released a new bulletin for anyone who visited sushi stalls in a Si Racha market where Covid-19 infections were identified. Unlike other warnings over the past several weeks that gave one- to two-week date ranges for exposure, this alert is very time and location-specific. Health officials…
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Is Jordan doing Syrian dictator’s dirty work?
Earlier this month, a Syrian journalist working in Jordan was arrested. Freelance journalist Ibrahim Awwad was taken to Azraq, a United Nations-run refugee camp, east of Amman, where he apparently remains under house arrest. “He is now threatened with deportation to Syria, where he would face probable reprisals,” said media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), expressing concern about the…
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Omicron Covid-19 variant sparks growing curbs on global travel
B.1.1.529 is the scientific name of the new coronavirus variant discovered last week in South Africa. It has since been detected in several other countries, with Germany, Portugal, Great Britain, Israel and Canada, for instance, all reporting omicron infections. There are fears that the new mutant could be even more contagious than the currently rampant delta variant and that vaccines…
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AfricaLink on Air – 30 November 2021
Ethiopia denies carrying out attacks inside Sudan+++Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers state of nation address+++France seeks EU-British agreement to solve Channel migrant crisis SOURCE: DW News
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Kashmir: Why is anger rising over secretive militant burials?
Mushtaq Ahmad Wani cried out for public support after Indian security forces refused to return the body of his teenage son, who was killed in a controversial operation on the outskirts of Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. “Today it’s about my son. Tomorrow it will be your son as well,” Wani shouted while he was being taken away by Indian police…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says PCR tests will remain a requirement for foreign arrivals
Thailand will continue using the RT-PCR method to screen arrivals for Covid-19 as a preventative measure to keep the Omicron variant from reaching Thai soil. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced today that the Cabinet decided to reverse the CCSA’s decision to change the testing method to the faster, yet less reliable ATK method. The Thai government says the order on PCR…
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More venues in Thailand require proof of vaccination, or ATK test, at the door
Thailand’s future looks… vaccinated. More and more venues and events are embracing the government’s “Covid Free Setting” guidelines which call for not only staff, but customers to be fully vaccinated, or test negative for the virus, to be considered a “Covid free” area. Bangkok’s Khao San Road was blocked off the other weekend with bouncers checking documents and digital vaccination…
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Pfizer CEO says new version of vaccine under development to target Omicron
Pfizer has reportedly begun developing a new version to combat the Omicron and the tests have been running since last Friday, according to CEO Albery Bourla yesterday, following the warning from the World Health Organisation on the new variant. While Bourla says he doesn’t “believe the immunisations will fail to protect,” he says a study could the study could reveal that…
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Shanghai halts 500 flights, issues closure order after 3 three local Covid cases
After three locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases were reported in Shanghai on Friday, hundreds of flights were cancelled, schools were closed, and tourists activities were shut down. The three positive cases, according to a municipal government statement, were friends from the nearby city of Suzhou who attended an old architecture lecture last week. The three friends had close contact with nearly 200…
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Bangkok’s SRT Red Line launches commercial service, fares 12 to 42 baht
After four months of trial operation, commercial services on the Red Line commenced yesterday, with fares ranging from 12 baht to 42 baht, with its operating hours extended until midnight every day. The director-general of SRT Electrified Train Co., Suthep Panpeng, said that with the termination of free services, ridership will initially drop by 20% to roughly 8,000 per day,…
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Two South African travellers test positive for Omicron at Singapore airport
Singapore’s health ministry says two South African travellers tested positive for the new Covid-19 variant “Omicron” transit at Changi Airport on their way to Australia yesterday. Contact tracing has begun for airport personnel who may have come into contact with two travellers. According to the ministry, the two residents of Johannesburg with pre-departure negative tests before boarding a Singapore Airlines…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 4,306 new cases; provincial totals
37 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,771 with 20,677 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 6,407 new Covid-19 cases and 6,165 recoveries. There are now 75,673 people in Thailand being…
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Verdicts in Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi trial postponed until Monday
According to a source acquainted with the proceedings in Myanmar, the first verdicts in the trial of former State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were adjourned to Monday by a court under the military junta. The court was set to rule on allegations of incitement and violations of Covid-19 guidelines under a natural disaster law today, one of nearly a…
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Foreigner claims Bangkok taxi pocketed 1,000 baht for ride down Sukhumvit
A foreigner in Bangkok claims he was ripped off by a taxi driver who drove him from Thong Lor to Sukhumvit Soi 11, saying the driver didn’t use a meter and pocketed 1,000 baht. Apparently, the driver claimed the passenger had handed him 100 baht. A Thai woman posted a video of the confrontation with the taxi driver on TikTok…
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Flash floods from heavy rain hit three districts in Surat Thani
Last night, villages in three districts in Southern Thailand’s Surat Thani province were hit by flash floods due to heavy rain and local rescue teams along with the military assisted residents in moving their belongings to higher ground. Governor Wichawut Jinto and Chamnong Sawatwong, chief of the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office, led the relief effort, which included territorial…
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Thailand entry restrictions on African countries in response to Omicron
In response to the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 strain, which is designated by the World Health Organisation as a “variant of concern,” the Thai government has set a travel ban on those from eight African countries said to be of high risk of the newly found variant and imposed restrictions on those from other countries in Africa. Issuance of…
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PM asks for public to be consulted on plans for Hua Lamphong station
The Thai PM has asked the Transport Ministry to gauge the public’s view on the redevelopment of Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong station. The Bangkok Post reports that the station is set to close in around 3 weeks’ time. A government spokesman says PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has tasked all relevant agencies to take public opinion into account in any commercial development proposals.…
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Bangkok’s Yellow Line skyrail starts test runs
The newest addition to Bangkok’s skyrail is here.The Yellow Line, which travels from Lat Phrao to Samrong in Samut Prakan, has reportedly begun its test run since last Thursday from the maintenance depot near Sri Iam station in Bang Na district. The Yellow Line, which is a joint venture worth 54,768.455 million baht between Thailand’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority and…
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Tourism officials welcome Czech movie filming in Phuket and Krabi
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is celebrating Thailand’s re-opening to international movie stardom once more. The southern provinces of Krabi and Phuket are being used as locations for a Czech movie currently being filmed in the kingdom. Nation Thailand reports that a film crew, consisting of 22 actors, directors, producers, and technicians are in Thailand to film a romantic comedy…
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Thai PM to visit Udon Thani tomorrow
According to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will visit Udon Thani, one of Thailand’s largest cities, in the north east of the country, tomorrow to meet with the public and private sectors in the region to discuss provincial development and welcoming tourists under the Udon Plus scheme. Politically, the north east has always seen as a strong region…
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Bangkok Metropolitan Administration opens up registration for free Covid-19 vaccines
To coincide with the Smart Entry scheme for public safety, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has opened the Covid-19 vaccine registration for Thais and non-Thais aged 18 and up. The programme will deliver the first dose, as well as the second and third doses. From now on, registration will be done through the QUEQ application. Those who intend to vaccinate in…
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Public Health Ministry monitoring Omicron variant, public urged not to panic
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says the public shouldn’t panic over the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit says the ministry is monitoring the situation and on alert for possible Omicron cases. Meanwhile, people should continue to observe existing disease prevention measures. “The departments of Medical Sciences and Disease Control have been tasked with monitoring the new variant…
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