World News
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Sponsored 5 hidden healthcare costs in Thailand and how to avoid them
Thailand's healthcare system is affordable and supported by the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) scheme, offering essential services to most citizens. However, hidden healthcare costs can surprise patients and lead to unexpected expenses. These include specialist fees, insurance gaps, emergency services,...
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Booming regional meth industry – Thailand, Myanmar, China and Laos
“At the same time significant investment has been made in new highways and bridges in an out of Myanmar, Thailand, China, Laos, Bangladesh and Vietnam. This has provided a boom in movement of products like food and clothing. And drugs.” A UN Drugs and Crime report released this year states that the methamphetamine trade is now worth a staggering US$30-61…
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Family of Burmese rebel leader arrested in Thailand
PHOTO: Major General Tun Myat Naing and his wife Ma Hnin Zar Phyu – The Irrawaddy Thai Immigration police arrested the wife and children of a top commander, Major General Tun Myat Naing of the Arakan Army, an active insurgent group fighting for greater autonomy in western Myanmar. Officials at the Thai Immigration Bureau’s Chiang Mai office arrested Ma Hnin Zar…
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Thailand delays introduction of new visa requirements for Taiwanese tourists
…and other proposed nationalities as well. Thailand has decided to postpone the requirement for Taiwanese travellers to present financial statements when applying online for a visa. The Taiwan News is reporting that the new requirements are being delayed until at least March, 2020. The Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei has announced that online Taiwanese applicants for travel to…
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Taiwan challenges Thai government over new visa requirements for their citizens
The Taiwanese government says it’s concerned about new Thai government visa rules being imposed on its citizens travelling to Thailand. A new application scheme launched on November 29 by the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei now requires applicants to show evidence of sufficient funds for their trip. The requirement, which asks Taiwanese nationals to submit bank statements from…
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China retaliates on pro-democracy bill by imposing sanctions on US
PHOTO: South China Morning Post Following US President Trump’s signing of a bill to protect the rights of Hong Kong pro-democracy campaigners, China has hit back, with foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announcing a suspension of US warship visits and sanctions against American NGOs. “In response to the unreasonable behaviour of the US side, the Chinese government has decided to…
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Hong Kong Finance Chief warns of first budget deficit since 2004
Hong Kong’s Finance Chief, Paul Chan, says the city is about to record a budget deficit as a result of the protests that have rocked the territory since June, coupled with the ongoing US-China trade war. It will be the first budget deficit in fifteen years, the last one having been caused by the SARS crisis that hit the region hard,…
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The baht keeps surging – and other predictions for the Thai economy in 2020
The last time the Thai baht’s value against theUSD touched 29 baht/US dollar was back in 2013. But the currency appreciation situation was quite different then. Today it’s floating around 30 baht in its 22nd year as a floating international currency. How will all that affect the Thai economy in 2020? Now the strong baht is a result of the…
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Thai border troops placed on alert as Mon rebels prepare attack
Troops deployed at the western Thai border with Myanmar have been placed on alert in anticipation of renewed fighting between Burmese government troops and ethnic-Mon rebels. Fighting broke out a last week when a Mon National Liberation Army base in Ban Bor Yeepoon was taken over by Burmese troops. About 1,000 Mon refugees fled across the border into Kanchanaburi. Shelters…
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Thailand’s Pulse Clinic now opens in Hong Kong
PHOTO: Jonathan Wong Today is World Aids Day. Whilst the treatments and social acceptance of HIV and AIDS has come a long way since those scary days in the early 80s, stigmas remain, particularly in Asia. The Thaiger would like to commemorate the day by featuring a story about local Thai hero Dr Deyn Natthakhet Yaemim who has made knowledge about…
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Thailand and Hong Kong sign five trade agreements
PHOTO: TNA.mcot.net Thailand has signed five MoUs (memoranda of understanding) with Hong Kong, in a commitment to forge “greater economic ties between various creative, technological and development agencies” in both countries. The Nation reports that the MoUs were signed by Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak and Hong Kong CEO Carrie Lam, as they co-chaired the 1st Thailand-Hong Kong Special Administrative Region…
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Two K-Pop stars sentenced to prison for sexual assault, filming it and sharing it
PHOTO: soompi.com 30 year old K-Pop singer and songwriter, Jung Joon-young, and 29 year old musician Choi Jong-hoon have been convicted of conspiring in the sexual assault of a woman who was incapable of resisting. The decision was handed down by the Seoul Central District Court yesterday. The Court also found Jung guilty of filming women against their will and…
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Mon refugees continue to flee Myanmar to Thailand
PHOTO: Piyarat Chongchaoren Myanmar’s ethnic Mon civilians continued pouring across the border into Thailand yesterday, fleeing from the fighting between Burmese troops and rebels on the border near the western province of Kanchanaburi. The fighting began on Wednesday morning in Myanmar’s Bo Yeepun village, about 2km from the Three Pagodas border pass in Sangkhla Buri district. More than 700 people…
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US President Trump signs bill protecting Hong Kong rights
PHOTO: Voice of America Despite fears in some corners that he would attempt to veto it, President Trump has signed into law a US bill in support of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. It’s a move that is unlikely to assist in the current negotiations as the trade war between China and the US continues. AFP reports that Trump had…
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Thai Airways absent from new Top 10 list of world airlines
PHOTO: airlineratings.com The airline review website AirlineRatings has just announced its list of the Best Airlines 2020 and Thailand’s national carrier is absent. In fact Thai Airways isn’t even in the top 20 airlines, as compiled by the website. The Nation reports that the list was drawn up by seven editors with a combined 200 years’ experience in the travel…
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300 flee over border to Thailand from fighting in Myanmar
PHOTO: Facebook\Day SA About 300 ethnic Mon people have fled from Myanmar into Thailand to escape fighting near their village, between Burmese troops and Mon rebels, according to a border source. Joint forces of Myanmar’s army and the Karen Border Force on Wednesday engaged the rebel army near the Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai border. The incident happened in…
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Thai exports to neighbouring countries may lose out to China
PHOTO: asia.nikkei.com The director of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce’s Centre for International Trade Studies says Thailand risks losing the export markets of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) to China within five years. Aat Pisanwanich says that between 2004 and 2018, exports from ASEAN nations to China were 4.1 times higher and valued at US$194.54 billion,…
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New cruise to Lan Ha Bay, Vietnam
PHOTO: sunlightcruise.com Thailand has Phang Nga Bay, Vietnam has the famous Ha Long Bay and the lesser-known Lan Ha Bay. Vietnamese cruise operator Indochina Sails has a new route starting this December, sailing from Hai Phong to the Lan Ha Bay region, northern Vietnam. They say that joining this new cruise will be more convenient for guests as the home-port…
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10 months later, no action to catch Bea’s murderer – Phuket
PHOTO: Dimitrios ‘Dim’ Chairopoulo, wanted and believed to be living in Greece “We are all in desperate need of some answers so that justice can be served for the family.” It’s been over 10 months since the murder of a local Phuket beautician 43 year old Niramon ‘Bea’ Aewkaew. But her alleged Greek murderer Dimitrios ‘Dim’ Chairopoulos remains on the…
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Thailand signs 3 MoUs with South Korea during PM’s visit
PHOTO: Thai PBS World Thailand has signed three MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with South Korea during PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s official visit, taking place from November 24-27 for the 2019 ASEAN – Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit. Thai PBS World reports that the three agreements were signed yesterday, the first being between Thailand’s Ministry of Higher Education Science, Research and Innovation…
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Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dies
The last Sumatran rhino in Malaysia has died after a battle with cancer. The rhino, named Iman, died at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Sabah on Saturday afternoon Malaysia’s cultural and tourism minister announced that it was “…with great sadness that the Sabah Wildlife Department announces the death of Iman, the last Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia.” “The death was natural and…
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“The greatest propaganda machine in history” – Sacha Baron Cohen slams Facebook
“The Silicon Six – all billionaires, all Americans – who care more about boosting their share price than about protecting democracy.” Speaking at the Anti Defamation League’s International Leadership summit, actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen caned Facebook and other social media as “the greatest propaganda machine in history.” Sacha was accepting an award when he opened up on his thoughts…
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Nium partners with Visa for new instant money transfers in SE Asia
‘Nium’, a new digital cross-border payments platform, will now enable users to make real-time money transfers to Visa debit cardholders across Southeast Asia including Viet Nam. It is based on Visa’s real-time push payments solution called Visa Direct. Nium is the first fintech-based money transfer service provider in Southeast Asia to offer instant money transfer through recipients’ 16-digit Visa debit…
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Paralyzed Canadian hockey player moves legs after experimental Thai surgery
A Canadian hockey player paralyzed in a tragic bus crash has begun moving his legs after receiving experimental spinal surgery in Thailand. Ryan Straschnitzki was one of 13 injured when a truck ran a stop sign and collided with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team’s bus in Saskatchewan in 2018. Sixteen others died in the incident. Straschnitzki was paralyzed from…
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Indian man posing as a pilot bought fake Lufthansa ID in Bangkok
PHOTO: DNA India “The passenger disclosed that he used to shoot YouTube videos on aviation and had obtained the Lufthansa fake ID card in Bangkok.” It was all going so well, until he was eventually caught. An Indian man who regularly pretended to be a pilot, in order to get free upgrades and impress women, has been arrested in Delhi…
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China slams US bill on Hong Kong rights
PHOTO: Reuters China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemns the passing by US Congress of a bill designed to protect the rights of Hong Kong citizens, accusing the US of “trying to destroy Hong Kong”. The Daily Star quotes the minister as saying the bill “indulges violent criminals” and seeks to “muddle or even destroy Hong Kong” with China vowing to…
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Severe drought predicted for Thailand and neighbouring countries
FILE PHOTO Experts are warning that over the next two to three months, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam can all expect severe drought conditions which will affect agricultural production. Of the four countries, Thailand and Cambodia are expected to suffer the most, according to the report. A statement issued by the Mekong River Commission confirmed that water levels in the…
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Indonesian suicide bomber wounds six, dozens arrested in Sumatra
Dozens of suspected militants have been rounded up after a suicide bomber killed himself and wounded six others in a police station attack in Indonesia. Around 45 suspects have been arrested since Wednesday’s bombing in Medan, Sumatra, while two bomb-makers were shot dead during a raid. A National Police spokesman told reporters in Jakarta that the pair resisted arrest and tried…
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US Senate gives unanimous approval to Hong Kong rights bill
PHOTO: FT.com In a move that makes clear its displeasure over Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong freedoms, the US Senate has unanimously backed a bill in support of protecting the rights of the Chinese Special Administrative Region. As the legislation was passed yesterday, Washington threatened to revoke the special status granted to Hong Kong in retaliation at China’s reaction to…
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“Only China can make decisions on Hong Kong constitution” – Beijing
Beijing has reacted angrily after a HK court overturned the ban on face masks, popularly used by protesters. Authorities in China have hit back at the decision by a Hong Kong court to overturn a ban on face masks, insisting that only China can rule on constitutional matters in the territory. AFP reports that such a reaction could fuel further unrest…
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The ‘flat-earth’ business is going global. Ummm, hang on…
PHOTO: ‘Earthrise’ taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders in December 1968 – NASA Last week saw the running of the third annual Flat Earth International Conference, held in suburban Dallas, Texas. The conference attracted around 600 die-hard flat-earthers – people that actually believe that the earth isn’t spherical, it’s a flat plate floating in space. Actually many of the…
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