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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India: Rohingya refugees fear deportation
Indian officials have called for the deportation of nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees, many of whom live in dire conditions. The government claims they are a threat to national security, but critics say it is a campaign of discrimination. SOURCE: DW News
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Pro-monarchy academic says lèse majesté law needs to be more clear
With Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law in the spotlight as continuous youth-led protests call on an end to law which carries a lengthy prison sentence for insulting the Thai Monarchy, a well-known academic and supporter of the royal family says the law needs to be amended to make it more clear. Under Section 112 of the Thailand’s Criminal Code, also…
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Thursday Covid Update: 6,901 new cases; provincial totals
55 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 20,254 with 20,160 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 6,901 new Covid-19 cases and 7,556 recoveries. There are now 90,672 people in Thailand being…
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“Visit Thailand Year 2022” tourism campaign launching
“Visit Thailand Year 2022” has been approved by the Cabinet as a new tourism campaign as the CCSA creates a special panel to address tourism industry problems due to Covid-19. The campaign is following PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s goal of bringing back the ailing industry according to Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan who proposed the programme for the cabinet’s…
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Covid-19 falling, even in Deep South, but still dire in Chiang Mai
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the good news is that, throughout Thailand, Covid-19 infection rates are successfully falling. The bad news is that Chiang Mai, traditionally a popular tourist and expat living destination, is a notable exception to the rule, with an increasingly dire situation on the ground there. Infection numbers in the Deep South of Thailand continue…
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First international tourist group arrives in Vietnam since start of the pandemic
After a two-year hiatus due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the first group of 29 international tourists has arrived at Da Nang Airport in Quang Nam province, under the vaccine passport programme. The Vietnam Airlines charter flight which departed Incheon Airport in South Korea boarded nationals from Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, South…
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Thai authorities issue warning on Trang temple’s cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency investors in Thailand are being warned not to invest in Somdejcoin, or SDC, which is named after a revered Buddhist monk and developed by a temple in the southern province Trang. Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, issued an official statement yesterday warning traders and investors about the decentralised finance token, claiming that the coin’s investment data is…
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Belarus-Poland crisis: Death and misery at the border
He was only 19 years old when he died — and was buried this week in a quiet ceremony in the tiny Polish village of Bohoniki, near the Kuznica border crossing to Belarus. The location is a place where Muslim Tartars settled in the 17th century and, while only a handful of them live there today, the small community felt…
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Constitutional Court ruling on marriage a setback for same-sex couples
In a setback for the LGBTQ+ community, Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled that the current law, which says marriage is between a man and a woman, is constitutional. Same-sex marriage activists have argued that the wording of the law, Section 1448 of the Civil and Commercial Code, basically blocks same-sex couples from being legally married. A petition had been filed with…
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Winners of the 2021 Press Freedom Awards unveiled
In December of 2019, a mysterious new lung disease spread through the city of Wuhan in central China. At the time, no one imagined it would soon become a global pandemic. The Chinese authorities played down the incident as infections went into overdrive. On January 23, 2020, the city went into total lockdown — with estimates that thousands of inhabitants…
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“People’s Constitution” to take down “Prayut regime” rejected by parliament
Parliament rejected a draft of the so-called “People’s Constitution,” a proposed legislation to take down what Thais call the “Prayut regime” and scrap the 20 year national strategy. A former Democrat candidate told Thai PBS World that “Prayut regime” essentially allows the prime minister to control the Senate and other organisations mandated under the charter. The “People’s Constitution” draft was…
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Scoot announces new service between Singapore and London Gatwick via Bangkok
Low-cost carrier Scoot, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, has confirmed a new service between Singapore and London, via Bangkok. TTR Weekly reports that the new service will launch on December 16. The announcement means Scoot is the only low-cost airline offering non-stop flights between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi and London. The flight to Gatwick Airport will also be Scoot’s first service to…
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Assistant village chief allegedly shoots and kills his 2 year old daughter
An assistant village head in Southern Thailand allegedly killed his two year old daughter after he fired a shot at his wife, but the bullet missed and hit the child. Reports say he then turned the gun to his head and shot himself. Reports say the man was drunk and lashed out at his wife’s birthday party in Nakhon Si…
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US says free press integral to democracy, pledges support for Thai journalists
The Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Bangkok says the United States pledges to support a free press and independent journalism in Thailand. Michael Heath has described a free press as a vital component of democracy and freedom of expression. The Bangkok Post reports that he was addressing reporters who were attending a seminar at the embassy. The event…
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Emirates A380 to return to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi to meet increased demand
The A380 is to return to the skies over Bangkok as Emirates upgrades capacity on flights to the capital to meet increased demand. TTR Weekly reports that Thailand’s recent re-opening to vaccinated tourists from approved countries has led to strong demand, with around 10,000 arrivals registered at Suvarnabhumi every day. In order to add capacity and frequency to its services,…
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Pangolin wanders out of jungle and is captured in Kamala, Phuket
The Phuket sub-district of Kamala in Kathu district had a shocking visitor recently as local residents spotted a pangolin, sometimes known as a scaly anteater, creeping out of the area jungle. The often trafficked animal was seen by the Water Production Plant in Kamala on Tuesday in the Khlong Nam area. The locals who spotted the pangolin notified the Kamala…
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Deadly storm hits Canada
Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in the Canadian province of British Columbia. At least one person has died. SOURCE: DW News
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Desperate Afghans forced to sell children
An already ailing economy that has been hard hit by a prolonged drought and with the Taliban at the helm, Afghanistan’s future is looking bleak. The Taliban, which is still struggling for international recognition in the wake of its seizure of power in mid-August, is struggling to grasp Afghanistan’s deteriorating situation — and it is the poor who are paying…
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Cameroon’s nightmare plots
Demand for land has surged in Bamenda, Cameroon. Scammers pretend to own land and take money from buyers who believe they are purchasing land to build a home. SOURCE: DW News
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Cambodia targets Mother Nature group in latest crackdown on dissent
Though it was founded less than a decade ago, Mother Nature Cambodia has quickly become a major nuisance for Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen’s government. The NGO’s efforts to shed light on environmental issues which are threatening the Southeast Asian country’s diverse ecology as well as its dwindling natural resources, has prompted the Cambodian government to take action. While six…
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Thai Red Cross offers free Moderna booster for those qualifying
For those that qualify, the Thai Red Cross Society will be offering free Moderna booster shots in late November at their headquarters in Bangkok. The booster shots of the mRNA vaccine long-awaited in Thailand will be given to people who are fully vaccinated and are over 70 years old. They will also offer the free shots to women over the…
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Ethiopia: Daniel Bekele, a rights defender or government stooge?
“I hope this report presents such a unique opportunity to start a new chapter in the history of this political crisis,” Daniel Bekele said as he recently presented an investigation into alleged human rights violations in Tigray. Ethiopia’s Human Rights Commission (EHRC), headed by Daniel Bekele, collaborated with the United Nations (UN) in conducting the research. “It’s very worrying,” the…
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Flooding in Bangkok expected during Loy Krathong as Chao Phraya continues to rise
The Chao Phraya River is expected to continue rising as the Loy Krathong festival draws near. A Royal Thai Navy Hydrographic Department report said yesterday that sea levels are rising, which will cause the river to rise, too. Bangkok and other communities near the river have been experiencing flooding over the past few weeks, and the Chao Phraya has repeatedly…
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Doctors successfully perform Thailand’s first “acardiac twin” surgery
Surgeons reportedly performed Thailand’s first surgery involving twin reversed arterial perfusion sequence, or TRAP, where the cardiac system of one normally developed foetus is supplying blood for another, known as the “acardiac twin,” which is poorly developed, often missing a heart, head, and limbs. On Wednesday, surgeons at Srinagarind Hospital of Khon Kaen University successfully performed the surgery, stopping the…
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Man arrested for allegedly shooting his 88 year old father to death in Southern Thailand
Police arrested a man for allegedly killing his 88 year old father at his home in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district. On Monday, father and son were reportedly in a heated argument when 60 year old Seree Kuldamrongwiwat allegedly fired shots at his father. The Bangkok Post reports that the fatal shooting was caught on surveillance cameras. Saree was arrested yesterday…
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Military eyes reopening Myanmar to tourists, shadow government says “stay away”
The State Administrative Council under the Myanmar military junta on Tuesday said it will reopen the country by next month, starting with border crossings with China and Thailand, ahead of a scheduled resumption of welcoming international tourists in the second quarter of 2022. It comes amid continued internal clashes between civilian and military troops in the aftermath of the military…
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Malaysia sees over 95% of adults, 81% of teens fully vaccinated
While countries around Southeast Asia have been working on their reopening plans, Malaysia is looking at reopening Langkawi as the country has now surpassed a 95% vaccination rate of the adult population. Thailand’s neighbour to the south is reporting reaching 95.4% of all the adults in Malaysia having been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with 2 doses. The figure is still…
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New Thailand tourism music video features PM Prayut
The Thai Khu Fah Facebook page that is run by the government to encourage tourism has launched a new music video starring PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The video features photos of the prime minister and the group of government officials that accompanied him on a recent trip to Nopparat Beach in Krabi. The pictures and video of the prime minister on…
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RT-LAMP test could reduce time and cost of Covid-19 testing
A new style of Covid-19 test has been created in Thailand by a team at Chulalongkorn University and is said to be accurate, easy, and cheap. The 3-gene RT-LAMP method test was developed by the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Science, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Microbiology, and the Innovation Hub of Chulalongkorn University. The Covid-19 test…
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Slovenia’s press agency gets financial reprieve — but at what cost?
After nearly a year since cutting off funding for Slovenia’s lone news agency STA, the government has said it will resume payments. But journalists and editors have warned that the new contract can still leave staff vulnerable. After 312 days, the agreement ended a period of huge uncertainty for the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), which narrowly avoided bankruptcy. Prime Minister…
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