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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.
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Ring road collapses leaving at least 10 injured in Nakhon Ratchasima
An elevated section of a ring road in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima has collapsed, leaving at least 10 workers injured. The incident occurred on Sura Narai Road in tambon Khok Sung in Muang district at around 2pm today. The injured included 1 Thai and the others Cambodian and Burmese nationals. Most had cuts on their bodies while some…
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Phuket national park officer fired over peeping Tom incident
A national park officer has been fired after being accused of spying on a woman in the public toilet on January 17 at Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. 28 year old Abdulrama Mahaderi, was accused by a woman named Sopita and her boyfriend Panupong Rungrueng of climbing a wall that separates the men’s and women’s sections of the toilet at Nai…
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Hong Kong partially locks down, forcing thousands to undergo Covid screening
Hong Kong’s government is forcing a partial lockdown until 10,000 residents of an area in the Kowloon peninsula, complete a Covid-19 test. The 2 day lockdown in the city’s poorest neighbourhood of Jordan, comes after a new strain of the coronavirus was identified, making it the 1st lockdown that the city has seen. The area, which features many deteriorating buildings…
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Border districts screening cars for smuggling illegal migrants
Security officers in Thailand’s 3 border districts are under strict orders to screen all cars at security checkpoints for illegal migrant smuggling. The orders come after the arrests of 3 Thais who allegedly smuggled illegal migrants into the country using their own cars, with all cases being linked to each other. The smugglers tried to escape being detected by authorities…
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Eastern provinces growing impatient with safety measures as Covid cases decrease
Thailand’s eastern provinces are growing impatient as local businesses and residents await a relaxation in Covid-19 safety measures after seeing a drop in cases. Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Trat and Rayong are under a “highly controlled” status set by the CCSA (Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, also falls into the same category at this time). These provinces, along with Samut Sakhon…
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Opposition to provide evidence against government in upcoming debate
Thailand’s opposition party members are preparing to provide evidence to back the charges being made against the government in an upcoming censure debate. The government is accused of policy-oriented corruption and of playing a part in structural conflicts. The allowance of illegal immigrants into the country and illegal gambling dens is expected to be discussed as it has been attributed…
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198 new infections, 1 death – Thailand’s Covid-19 update
After a week of high and lows in the reporting of the latest clusters, Thailand officials are reporting 198 new infections of Covid-19 today, with 180 being locally transmitted. 69 of those local infections were found via tests at medical facilities and 111 were found by proactive testing. Most of the proactive tests were found in Samut Sakhon, where the…
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Thai PM is ready to work closely with the US President
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha sent a letter of congratulations to US resident Joe Biden. He says the Thai government is ready to work closely with the US government to promote cooperation in all aspects and all levels. He also says that Thailand and the US have a long relationship that dates back over 200 years. And, as Thailand is the…
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Patong, Phuket Town, Chalong to fund residents’ vaccination
Patong and Phuket Town are planning to fund registered residents’ Covid-19 vaccines, Thai and foreign, with the hope to speed up the inoculation process without waiting for the national government. The mayors of both cities say they have already allocated the funds to move forward with purchasing the vaccines after the government approves which ones may be used. Like any…
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Courteous thief apologises to Bangkok convenience store: Sorry I’ve a kid
A young man armed with a knife allegedly robbed a convenience store in Ladprao district of Bangkok, stealing 1,800 baht. Before fleeing on a motorcycle, he apologised to the staff, saying “Sorry. I’ve a kid”. It’s really hard to find a thief with good manners these days. The female staff who was in the store when the man came in…
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Education minister’s wife plans to run for governor of Bangkok
The education minister of Thailand’s wife is planning to run for the governor of Bangkok when the city poll is called, in a move that puts her in direct competition with others for the backing of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party. Nataphol Teepsuwan confirmed on Friday that his wife Taya Teepsuwan, a former core member of the now-defunct Peoples’ Democratic…
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Chinese propaganda flick released about the Wuhan lockdown
A new, state-backed film marking the anniversary of the Covid-19 Wuhan lockdown, is using propaganda to praise the central Chinese city. The documentary “Days and Nights in Wuhan” chronicles the suffering that the city’s 11 million residents endured during the 76 day lockdown. 30 filmmakers contributed to the film which included footage of medical staff and front-line workers. The film…
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Chon Buri province reports 0 cases of Covid today
Chon Buri province is reporting 0 new cases of Covid-19, marking 3 out of 4 days with no new infections. Despite the good news, The Chonburi Department of Public Health is warning residents to “stay vigilant”. A migrant worker tested positive for the virus yesterday but all close contacts, 93 people, to the person have tested negative and went into…
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CCSA Update: 309 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand
The CCSA’s daily briefing today started with an update about a NBT news presenter who has attended the daily briefings at the CCSA studio and testing positive for Covid-19. The CCSA spokesman then announced that all people working in the CCSA studio, including himself, are defined as a “low risk” group for infections. The CCSA spokesman says he, together with…
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Son lights himself on fire after asking mom for lottery money
A woman’s 32 year old son, in northern Thailand’s Phrae Province, is in critical condition from lighting himself on fire after falsely believing that his mother had won the lottery and would not share her winnings with him. Police at Denchai Police Station were alerted of a man who burned himself in Ban Mai Jua, Denchai District and notified a…
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Thai tourism operators want to offer vaccination-inclusive packages
Vaccination seems to be the great new hope of most of Thailand’s businesses battered by Covid-19, especially the tourism industry. Thai tour operators are now floating the idea of “vaccination tour packages” to attract inbound travellers after the first inoculations are distributed in February. Sort of an STV with vaccination included. The tourism plan is expected to potentially benefit those…
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Chinese businessmen hand out food in Pattaya
Chinese businessmen are helping to feed people in Pattaya after handing out over 1,000 meals to the needy last night. The handouts occurred near Third Road with Pattaya City Police nearby to help ensure social distancing and other safety measures. Hundreds of locals were seen queing for the event well before it was scheduled to start, indicating the increasing need…
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Thailand’s broadband internet speed ranks #1
Thailand’s broadband internet speed is ranking number 1 after a speed test was conducted in December of last year. It’s ranking climbed 2 spots from the previous speed test out of 176 countries by the Speedtest Global Index, beating out the stiff competition. Singapore and Hong Kong are now at 2nd and 3rd place according to the test, which is…
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Famous Thai actor tests positive for Covid-19
A famous Thai actor has announced he is infected with Covid-19 after posting a video on Instagram. He says both him and his mother were tested, but he was the only one with a positive test result. Techin Ployphet, aka DJ Matoom, says he met an infected but asymptomatic friend on January 9, but that friend didn’t know he was…
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13 Bangkok businesses allowed to reopen tomorrow
Tomorrow, 13 types of businesses in Bangkok are being allowed to reopen but must have strict disease control measures in place. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration made the decision which would undoubtedly give many businesses some relief as well as potential customers. Such businesses with restrictions include: Banquet venues, which will need authorisation from BMA for events with over 300 participants…
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Banned politician says government silencing him by invoking Lese Majeste law
A banned politician, who criticised the government’s Covid-19 vaccine plan, is claiming the government is silencing him (again) by invoking the Lese Majeste law against him. The alleged defamation case concerns his questioning of using one of the king’s companies as part of the Covid-19 vaccine strategy that he says will slow down the process of inoculations. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit accused…
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Thailand News Today | Gambling crackdown, Seafood market to reopen, Vlogger challenge | Jan 21
In a nationwide crackdown on gambling, police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a warehouse and seized more than 400 slot machines. Acting on a court warrant, police searched the warehouse. The locks on the door had been changed and police had to break into the warehouse. Inside, canvases covered 418 slot machines. Police say the machines were “plug…
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Government is to allow people to use “legal” parts of cannabis in business
With intentions to promote cannabis as the country’s potential new cash crop, the government is preparing guideline to allow people to produce, sell or own cannabis and hemp. The permitted businesses, including textile, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics will be able to register to receive FDA permissions from January 29. According to the FDA secretary-general, leaves, stalks, stems, roots, flowers, and seeds…
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Pattaya hotels take food to the streets in bid to survive
Pattaya’s hotels are taking their restaurants to the streets by offering food stalls outside and delivery in a bid to save their businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such changes in their attempts to avoid closing, come as city officials say they will use funds to spruce up the city for Chinese New Years on February 12. As Chonburi province is…
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Thai senior and disabled citizens will receive 2,000 baht handouts
While the government’s economic stimulus packages continue to roll out, there is also a concern for the disabled and senior citizens who are excluded from the criteria to get benefits from the government’s major aids at this stage. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security plans to distribute 2,000 baht handouts to that demographic of the Thai population. According…
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CCSA Update: 142 new Covid-19 infections
After the welcome drop of new Covid-19 infections yesterday, the CCSA today reports an increase of 142 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. 88 cases were found in general health care institutions, while 37 cases are detected on the proactive tests and 17 cases in the state quarantine. The CCSA says the situation is still not stable with…
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Pattaya cleaning up its Walking Street act in time for Chinese New Year
Pattaya City is planning to clean up its Walking Street act in time for the upcoming Chinese New Year. But, as the second wave of Covid-19 mostly destroyed what was left of any foreign or domestic tourism, it might all be in vain. Thousands of businesses remain closed due to Chon Buri province being a “highly controlled” Covid-19 zone, which effectively…
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US Ambassador to Thailand quits after Biden inaugurated
The US Ambassador to Thailand seems to have quit after only serving less than 1 year in office and moments after President Biden’s inauguration. Michael George DeSombre, who was appointed by President Trump in early 2020, made the announcement of his departure on the embassy’s official social media platform yesterday. A day before, he met with PM Prayut to “thank…
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Thailand’s poorer areas may suffer if vaccines funded by local municipalities
Thailand’s poorer areas may suffer if Covid-19 vaccine distribution is given the green light to be funded by local municipalities. Suspicions are already being raised as critics say many municipalities who offer to fund the vaccines may have alterior political motives. As many as 20 municipalities are reporting that they have already set aside funding. Ratchaburi Town Municipality, for example,…
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Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger – January 21
Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments made on The Thaiger YouTube videos, as well as our website thethaiger.com and Facebook page. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower…
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