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    Planning to extend your Thai visa? Why health insurance is more important than ever

    If you plan to stay longer in Thailand, having health insurance is now more important than ever. Thai immigration often asks for proof of medical coverage when you apply to extend your visa. This applies to many types of visas,...

  • Starbucks Thailand to make drinking and shopping a “thing” | Thaiger

    Starbucks Thailand to make drinking and shopping a “thing”

    Thanks to Starbucks, it may now be possible to drink and shop at Bangkok’s Iconsiam mall, as long as the government grants its approval. The US company has introduced its first store in Thailand to offer an alcoholic beverage menu, one that surely will help visitors to the mall relax a bit. The managing director of Starbucks Coffee Thailand, Nednapa…

  • Thai herb studied for alternative Covid-19 treatment | Thaiger

    Thai herb studied for alternative Covid-19 treatment

    A study on the efficacy of a Thai herb for treating Covid-19 will move forward after a trial which alternative medicine officials say had promising results. Although, the trial was basic and only involved 6 people. Initial results show that the herb “andrographis paniculata,” or “fah talai jone” in Thai, can improve patients’ conditions and relieve symptoms without major side…

  • CCSA mulls the easing of Covid-19 restrictions | Thaiger

    CCSA mulls the easing of Covid-19 restrictions

    Late night diners rejoice. Your option to eat all that great Thai food around the country looks to be back on the table as the government looks to lift some of the current restrictions on dining and business operating hours. Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced that they’re likely to lift restrictions on dining, currently set…

  • Efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines will drop during mass inoculations: Thai virologist | Thaiger

    Efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines will drop during mass inoculations: Thai virologist

    Thai virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan from Chulalongkorn University, has spoken about claims that the efficacy of every vaccine available today, including Covid-19 vaccines, tend to lower after being used in mass inoculations, compared to the findings from the laboratory during human testing trials. He recommends that people should not rely solely on the vaccines alone because uncertainty will remain during…

  • The race for a vaccine: who to look out for | Thaiger

    The race for a vaccine: who to look out for

    Background COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2 from the coronavirus (CoV) family. CoVs are enveloped, positive-stranded RNA viruses with nucleocapsid, including the SARS-CoV of 2003 and MERS-CoV of 2012. CoVs generally cause respiratory illnesses that could also affect other organs, and those infected have a 2 – 14 day latency period, where patients are asymptomatic. This has made it much harder…

  • Promoting Wellness and Health in Full-Time Working Students | Thaiger

    Promoting Wellness and Health in Full-Time Working Students

    Online education has become increasingly popular in 2020, especially for those who need to continue to work either in an essential position or to provide for themselves and their families. Far too often, even in a country such as Thailand, which is renowned for its wellness retreats, and is very commonly referred to as “The Land of Smiles”, working students…

  • Online alcohol sales banned from today | Thaiger

    Online alcohol sales banned from today

    That ban on sales of alcohol online kicks in today. Announced 3 months ago, the actual ban starts from today. The Royal Thai Police and Public Health Ministry reminded us about the start of the new law on Friday, that prohibits the sale or advertising of alcoholic beverages through digital and social media channels. “From Monday, December 7, the sale…

  • Ministry of Public Health advises public to keep eye on their health this winter | Thaiger

    Ministry of Public Health advises public to keep eye on their health this winter

    The Thai Ministry of Public Health is advising the general public to keep an eye on their health in winter as familiar flu-like symptoms could be from Covid-19. Such concerns were also echoed by The Department of Disease Control as an increase in such common cold and flu cases could signal the possible spread of the novel coronavirus. It further…

  • The World’s 50 Best Foods… Thai massaman curry tops the list | Thaiger

    The World’s 50 Best Foods… Thai massaman curry tops the list

    The humble Thai massaman curry has topped a list of the World’s 50 Best Foods, compiled by the CNN Travel team. Thailand’s smooth coconut milk and potato-based curry (add meat, tofu or vegetables of your choice) comes in at Number 1, with 2 other popular Thai dishes also making it into the World’s Best food list. The hot and spicy…

  • Top Gastric Treatments in Turkey | Thaiger

    Top Gastric Treatments in Turkey

    You might have heard positive chat regarding plastic and cosmetic surgery in Turkey, but you might not have heard that the country is also an attractive destination for other medical procedures. Like Thailand, Turkey’s popularity for medical tourism is not limited to just plastic surgery – besides treatments such as hair transplants and cosmetic dentistry, you can also undergo gastric…

  • Has Thailand’s suicide rate increased due to Covid-19 restrictions? – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Has Thailand’s suicide rate increased due to Covid-19 restrictions? – VIDEO

    Another Thaiger video on Thaiger TV. Please subscribe.   Before Covid, around the world every 40 seconds someone lost their life to suicide and nearly 800,000 people die due to suicide every year, according to statistics from the WHO. In Thailand, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds, after road fatalities. Now, an apparent rise…

  • Top 10 things that changed in Thailand during the Covid outbreak | Thaiger

    Top 10 things that changed in Thailand during the Covid outbreak

    Things have changed. In some cases they’ve changed a lot and may never be the same again. Many people are suffering as a result of the impacts of lockdowns and the border closures. Entire industries, like aviation and entertainment, have been profoundly affected. Some people are being forced to re-invent their lives as a result. Fears over Covid-19 are causing…

  • Things that have changed in Thailand in the Covid Era | Top 10 | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Things that have changed in Thailand in the Covid Era | Top 10 | VIDEO

    Top 10 things that have changed in Thailand during the Covid-era Things have changed. In some cases they’ve changed a lot and may never be the same again. Many people are suffering as a result of the impacts of lockdowns and the border closures. Some people are being forced to re-invent their lives as a result. Here are some of…

  • Riding and renting a motorbike in Thailand | Top 10 tips | VIDEO | Thaiger

    Riding and renting a motorbike in Thailand | Top 10 tips | VIDEO

    Motorbikes and scooters are the most popular mode of transport in Thailand, and most of south east Asia. In many cases, they’re the ‘engine’ for the local economies. Most of them just go and go and go, they’re astonishingly reliable. Getting around on a motorbike is easy enough and will get you to your destination faster, whilst the cars and…

  • Miss airplane travel? Here’s some flight experiences that don’t leave the ground | Thaiger

    Miss airplane travel? Here’s some flight experiences that don’t leave the ground

    Since international travel is still on pause, some are getting their flight experience on the ground. Airplane cafes and flight experiences are becoming more and more popular. Thai Airways has not only opened a pop-up café to sell airplane food, but they are also offering flight simulations to the public. The stimulator flying experiences start at 12,000 baht for 30…

  • Top 10 ways life is different in the Covid Era | Thaiger

    Top 10 ways life is different in the Covid Era

    Get used to it. Things have changed. There is no ‘new normal’, there is just NEW. We’re living in the Covid era and all having to adjust to economic calamity, changed schedules and some things, previously easy, are now difficult, or banned altogether. What are some of the things that have changed? Wearing masks Like it or not, the wearing…

  • Top 10 English-language news sources in Thailand (2020) | Thaiger

    Top 10 English-language news sources in Thailand (2020)

    This post is mainly for newbies, tourists and people-interested-in-Thailand news and views. Locals probably already have their favourite daily news sources, or trawl through many of these. All these Top 10s do it well, in their own way. Some do it better than others, whilst punching out daily news. We think they’re all stars because doing media in Thailand, in English,…

  • Beware bogus beef – online sales and vendors caught with suspicious steak | Thaiger

    Beware bogus beef – online sales and vendors caught with suspicious steak

    Buying beef online? Is it real beef or faux beef? Almost all of the samples of ‘beef” ordered online, or taken as samples from schools in Bangkok and Prachinburi province, were found to be fake. The Halal Science Centre at Chulalongkorn University did the checks and was astonished to find that much of the beef bought online was actually cheaper…

  • Thailand approves use of marijuana in local health promotion hospitals | Thaiger

    Thailand approves use of marijuana in local health promotion hospitals

    The blending of marijuana with other pharmaceutical products for the purpose of medical treatment is being given the go-ahead by the Thai government. Nation Thailand reports that the Ministry of Public Health has approved 17 formulations for use in local health promotion hospitals. “Sub-district Health Promoting Hospitals are hospitals that are operated by either the MOPH or Department of Local…

  • Thai farmers mystified as government classifies harmless herbs as “hazardous” | Thaiger

    Thai farmers mystified as government classifies harmless herbs as “hazardous”

    Following a backlash from the country’s farmers, Thailand’s Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has agreed to update its list of “Type 2” hazardous substances to remove 13 herbs and vegetables. The government says it will instead move these to the “Type 1” list, meaning farmers don’t have to be registered as producers, but will still have to inform officials when exporting…

  • Thai virology expert says no need to panic over new swine flu threat | Thaiger

    Thai virology expert says no need to panic over new swine flu threat

    One of Thailand’s leading virologists says that while the new swine flu recently discovered in China does have the potential to become a pandemic, there is no reason to panic at this stage. However, Dr. Yong Poovorawan adds that the catchily named G4 EA H1N1 virus is a mutation of the H1N1 virus, which took hold back in 2009. Because…

  • Thailand may ease up on medical cannabis restrictions | Thaiger

    Thailand may ease up on medical cannabis restrictions

    Thailand may be getting a little more cannabis-friendly. The Food and Drug Administration has drafted a bill to allow private companies to produce medical marijuana. Another stipulation would allow international travellers to bring medical cannabis for personal use if they have the proper import and export license. Attorney Wirot Poonsuwan wrote an article for Khaosod English explaining the legislations that…

  • Chon Buri coffee shop in a converted aircraft ordered to close temporarily – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Chon Buri coffee shop in a converted aircraft ordered to close temporarily – VIDEO

    A novel coffee shop set up in a decommissioned Airbus 330 has been ordered to close temporarily after the business simply became too popular after going viral on social media. It’s understood thousands of customers a day were arriving for a latte or cappuccino from “Coffee War” in Sattahip, a district in the south of Chon Buri province. Manager Suttipong…

  • Thailand disease expert says salmon cannot be infected with Covid-19 | Thaiger

    Thailand disease expert says salmon cannot be infected with Covid-19

    Fish lovers can relax, says the deputy director-general of Thailand’s Disease Control Department. “It is not possible for salmon to be contaminated with Covid-19.: Dr. Thanarak Palipat’s reassurance comes amid reports that chopping boards used for imported salmon at a market in China could carry the virus. Beijing’s Xinfadi Market is at the centre of a new Covid-19 outbreak, with…

  • Pattaya police chief battles Thailand’s Iron Chef in cook-off for the needy – VIDEO | Thaiger

    Pattaya police chief battles Thailand’s Iron Chef in cook-off for the needy – VIDEO

    Police in Pattaya are doing more than continue their project to cook food for the needy and unemployed: yesterday they had an upbeat cook-off between the police chief and a famous Thai TV chef. The project is designed for locals who are unemployed or furloughed due to the current Covid-19 crisis. Read more about that HERE. The Pattaya City police…

  • Social distancing pandas fill empty seats at Bangkok restaurant | Thaiger

    Social distancing pandas fill empty seats at Bangkok restaurant

    An “X” usually marks the seats in restaurants and other establishments to make sure people are social distancing to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Sometimes the “X” on the empty is marked with red tape, unintentionally sending a negative message. Now one Vietnamese restaurant in Bangkok has found a more fun way to make sure people are sitting apart but…

  • Thailand to manufacture anti-viral drug to treat Covid-19 patients | Thaiger

    Thailand to manufacture anti-viral drug to treat Covid-19 patients

    The state-owned enterprise responsible for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals in Thailand says it plans to produce a licenced version of Favipiravir, the anti-viral drug that has proved successful in treating some Covid-19 patients. Nation Thailand reports that The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation developed the drug in March, but there is a waiting period of about a year before the product can…

  • Obesity on the rise in the Land of Smiles | Thaiger

    Obesity on the rise in the Land of Smiles

    Thailand has a health problem and it appears to be an even bigger concern than the current Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organisation says nearly one third of the Thai population is now overweight and 9% of the country is obese. Malaysia currently holds the dubious honour of having the highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia – but Thailand is…

  • Cooking with Bibi – let’s make papaya salad (somtam) | Thaiger

    Cooking with Bibi – let’s make papaya salad (somtam)

    Bibi heads out onto the streets to try some home-made Somtam, that spicy Papaya Salad that makes the eyes water of even the most chilli-loving farang. Then she puts on the chef hat and tries for herself. Let’s go cooking on Thailand’s streets with Bibi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZAzyNwXLE&fbclid=IwAR0EgQmfLX-F0aYBMI7u3YykJXuQ_2T-ZzIJ-OTtD35OzMxUjwpecQLWqmA  

  • The top 10 most expensive condominiums in Bangkok | Thaiger

    The top 10 most expensive condominiums in Bangkok

    Bangkok is never short on luxury condominiums, and one new project keeps overtaking the others, in terms of price and amenities. Here are the 10 most expensive condominium units in Bangkok for sale, in 2020. The most expensive condominium on the list is priced at 650 million baht (20 million US$). Which one is for you? No.1 98 Wireless –…