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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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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Thailand, post Covid. What needs to change?
OPINION As Thailand starts to peer out from behind the Covid curtain, many expats and potential travellers are wondering if much will change after 2 years of lockdowns, closures re-openings and re-entry ‘plans’. Will we see changes in visas, property ownership, entry requirements and business laws? One of our YouTube commenters wrote in with his current ‘wish list’ (below). As…
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Northeastern cave forced to close for a week after tourists test positive
Nakee Cave in Nakhon Phanom, a Northeastern province, will be closed until Thursday now that seven people who visited tested positive for Covid-19. This included tourists, and tour guides. Authorities might make exceptions for tourists who already booked air tickets, or have arrived at the site, who can try to get permission from authorities to enter. Authorities will then look…
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Boosters much less effective after 4 months, US officials say
The US Centres of Disease Control and Prevention published a study yesterday that found that third jabs of Pfizer and Moderna lose much of their effectiveness four months after they’re given. The study compared how likely vaccinated and unvaccinated people were to test positive. It found that vaccines were 87% effective for people two months after they had their third…
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First 10 days of February arrival figures for Thailand – Test & Go V2 “sluggish”
So who is travelling to Thailand at the moment, and how many are coming through the turnstiles? For the first 10 days of February, there was a total of 55,823 travellers entering Thailand. 23,036 travellers entered on the Test and Go program, another 27,667 through the Sandbox scheme and 5,120 arrived to do the Alternative Quarantine program at a qualified…
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More kids aged 5-11 getting Covid-19
More kids aged 5-11 are getting Covid-19. A spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today that the infection rate for this age group was 6.6% between January 1 and February 2. He said the rate has risen now that the Delta and Omicron variants have broken out, and the total number of cases for this group was…
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Chon Buri nurse allegedly steals debit card from dying patient, withdraws money
Chon Buri police officers arrested a woman working as a nurse at Bang Lamung Hospital for allegedly stealing 4,500 baht from a dying patient. Police say the nurse confessed that she stole a debit card while the patient was unconscious inside an emergency room on February 1 and withdrew money from an ATM the next day. The patient’s family says…
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Thailand-based natural gas company stalls move on Myanmar following coup
Following the withdrawal of its French and US partners from a gas production project in Myanmar, Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Plc is stalling its next move by saying that it will make an official announcement early next month on whether to keep ties with the military in Myanmar or not. US-based Chevron Corp and France-based Total Energies both announced…
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Father asks police to investigate accident, claims American crashed golf cart, injured his son
A father is seeking justice after his son was hit by a golf cart driven by an American man nine months ago, saying legal proceedings have made no progress. Although, the question of who is to blame for the accident has been up for debate. Some people who saw a video of the accident on social media say the motorbike…
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Nok Air announces domestic flights from Korat to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai
The low-cost carrier Nok Air has been given the “okay” to run round-trip domestic flights from the Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Korat, to the popular tourist destinations Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hat Yai. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is allowing the airline to offer seven flights per week to each destination starting in the second quarter…
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Friday Covid Update: 15,242 new cases; provincial totals
23 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,387 with 689 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 15,242 new Covid-19 cases and 8,955 recoveries. There are now 111,393 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Man left with shrapnel wounds after another bomb attack in Thailand’s Deep South
A man was rushed to a hospital with shrapnel wounds on his torso after an attacker threw a bomb next to a security booth last in Yala in Thailand’s Deep South, a region with ongoing violence related to the religious separatist insurgency. Earlier that night, gunmen shot another man on a motorcycle in Bannang Sata, the same district of Yala…
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Isaan students support free contraceptive initiative, say schools should offer sex ed
Students in Thailand are welcoming moves from the government to promote safe sex and the use of contraceptives. Earlier this month, the National Health Security Office handed out birth control plans and, in April, they plan to give away free condoms to students 15 years old and above. The effort is aimed at prevent teen pregnancies as well as the…
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Thailand’s popular dish pad krapao tied to high altitude balloon for space experiment
A plate of Thailand’s popular meal, pad krapao, was tied to a high altitude balloon, sending it 30 kilometres up into the sky for a space experiment by Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. To mark Thailand’s first space experiment using a high-altitude balloon, a large plate of pad krapao was sent up as well. Pad krapao, one of…
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Thailand to boost aviation industry by hosting first international airshow in Rayong in 2027
As part of a push to boost Thailand’s aviation industry, the country will host its first ever international airshow in 2027 at U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong. The show is expected to help boost Thailand’s aviation by 1.2 trillion baht, and will be an exciting opportunity for Thailand to show itself off as a centre for aviation among ASEAN countries.…
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Airport CCTV shows 2 suspects of Phuket murder case leaving Thailand
Police say they’ve obtained surveillance camera footage showing the two suspects in the Jimi Sandhu murder case in Phuket preparing to leave the country at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Sandhu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and was deported for “serious criminality.” He entered Thailand last month by private jet and was found dead with more…
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Thailand ranks 72 in Democracy Index 2021
The Economist Intelligence Unit has officially deemed Thailand a “flawed democracy” out of four categories: full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes. It ranked Thailand 72 out of 167 countries in its “Democracy Index 2021,” which ranks countries for how democratic they are. The EIU says democracy has declined across the globe since 2020. That year, 49.4% of…
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Indonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France
The defence minister in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta says the country is buying six Rafale fighter jets, confirming that a deal was signed with France yesterday as part of an order of 42 warplanes. Jakarta is replacing its ageing fleet of warplanes, which are mostly American F-16 fighter jets and Russian Sukhoi fighter jets. Indonesia’s first order for French fighter jets…
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Government expected to postpone tourism fee until they decide how to collect it
A 300-baht tourism fee which was set to be introduced from April 1 now looks likely to be postponed. The Bangkok Post reports that officials have not yet decided how best to collect the levy. Implementation is expected to be pushed out by around 2 months, although tourism operators have said they’d like to see the idea ditched completely, at…
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Studio Ghibli exhibition at Central World in Bangkok starts today, lasts until late March
The trendy clothing store Uniqlo is hosting a Studio Ghibli exhibition that starts today at Central World in Bangkok and will run until March 27. The exhibition will display a giant Totoro and the cat bus from the movie My Neighbor Totoro. At the exhibition, people can order special T-shirts only available in Thailand. The T-shirts have photos and drawings by…
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Digital health pass on Mor Prom app accepted in 60 countries
Residents of Thailand can now travel to 60 countries, including 27 EU nations, where the Mor Prom Digital Health Pass is accepted. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his deputy Sathit Pitutecha confirmed the development at a media briefing. The Thailand Digital Health Pass has been accorded the same recognition as the EU’s Digital Covid Certificate since December. According to…
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Burma or Myanmar? Myanmarese or Burmese?
We refer to Myanmar a lot in our news because it’s a bordering foreign country to Thailand and many people from Myanmar work in and around Thailand. It’s also subject of an ongoing coup after the Burmese military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. But is it Myanmar or Burma? And are the people that live there Myanmarese or…
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Police in Phuket find guns suspected to have been used to murder Jimi Sandhu
Police have found two guns at a beach in Phuket which they believed were used in the recent murder of 32 year old Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, a notorious gangster from Canada. Sandhu, who was born in India, was deported from Canada for “serious criminality” in 2016. He entered Thailand by private jet on January 27 carrying a fake Canadian passport…
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Bollywood actor to become monk for 15 days, wants to promote Buddhism in India
A Bollywood actor who recently ordained into monkhood in Bangkok said he wants to spread the message of Buddhism in India. In a Facebook post, he said it was time for him to learn Dhamma, understand impermanence, gain knowledge, and “roll the wheel of Dhamma in India.” The actor, Gagan Malik, will only live as a monk for 15 days,…
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Kanchanaburi gunman robs more than 7,000 baht from 7-Eleven
A gunman in Kanchanaburi robbed over 7,000 baht from a 7-Eleven early this morning. The two store employees who were working at the store when it happened said the gunman looks 30 to 40 years old, and about 170 centimetres tall. They added that he was barefoot, and wore a white and grey shirt with brown trousers. He had a…
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Central Festival Samui opens Covid test centre for Test & Go, Sandbox tourists
A Covid-19 testing centre has opened on Koh Samui to travellers entering under either the Sandbox or Test & Go travel schemes. Koh Samui Hospital and Bangkok Hospital Samui have teamed up with Central Festival Samui to open the “Samui Swab Centre” to offer convenient Covid-19 RT-PCT tests for tourists who are required to take two tests after entering Thailand.…
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Phuket conservationists butt heads with locals on coral reef
Conservationists are fighting to stop a bay being dredged in Ao Kung in Pa Khlok, on Phuket’s east coast, as they say it will damage nearby coral reefs. A former village headman says the bay needs to be dredged because fishing boats have a hard time getting to the port at low tide. At a meeting with representatives of local…
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Interpol turns down Myanmar military’s request to assist them counter “terrorism”
In response to the Myanmar military’s appeal to assist them in countering “terrorism” threats in the post-coup nation, the international police organisation Interpol turned down the request and said it will not intervene in any nation’s domestic political affairs. An Interpol spokesperson told CNA that the organisation does not comment on specific cases or operations of member countries unless in…
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Take a healthy bite of hipster paradise with plant based ‘smoothie bowls’ at Paco Club Bangkok
Looking for a boutique cafe that offers a unique blend of delicious and decor? Check out Paco Club Bangkok. With an artsy design and all natural, plant based desserts called “smoothie bows,” this colourful hole in the wall will rock your hipster socks off. Not smoothies in the traditional sense, their signature creations are comprised of your choice of fresh…
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German celebrity says she was mugged at a Thailand beach, Phang Nga police investigate
While on a trip to Thailand, Cathy Hummels, the wife of German footballer Mats Hummels from Borussia Dortmund, was allegedly mugged. She told German media that she was hit by a stranger and robbed at a beach in Thailand. Some of the reports repeat her claims that she was mugged on the southern island of Phuket, but local police say…
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Vin Diesel doppelganger in Thailand drives car inspired by Fast and Furious
Thought you’d seen Vin Diesel driving around Thailand in a lookalike of the iconic black 1970 Dodge Charger from Fast and Furious? Your eyes may not have been that far off. There’s a Thai Vin Diesel ‘sort of’ lookalike living in Chiang Rai who drives a black (makeshift) Ford Mustang. In one photo he captioned “Win Diesel Thailand.” The man…
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