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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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Man arrested in northeast Thailand, accused of producing fake bank notes
Police in the north-eastern province of Si Sa Ket have arrested a 37 old man accused of producing counterfeit currency. Phichaphob Phankham was detained at a property in the Nong Phai district as part of an investigation into a trail of fake 100 baht notes in circulation in Si Sa Ket and neighbouring provinces. Police say his arrest follows the…
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Thai man finds rare orange pearl possibly worth millions of baht in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A Thai fisherman man found a 7.6 gram orange pearl that is supposedly worth millions of baht on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat. A potential buyer even plans to fly to Thailand and undergo a 14-day quarantine to see the pearl in person. In the same province just a couple months ago, another Thai man struck it rich when…
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Krabi mayor hopeful tourism crisis will be over soon
As is the case in many popular tourist spots in Thailand, the economy in the southern province of Krabi has been decimated due to Covid-19. Nation Thailand reports that tourist numbers in Krabi have fallen sharply, from a yearly average of 6 million to just 1.5 million last year. Revenue from tourism has plummeted from around 120 billion baht to…
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Thailand to receive additional AstraZeneca jabs from Asia factory, amid EU export row
AstraZeneca says it will send 150,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Thailand from a plant in Asia, as a result of an EU ruling that restricts exports of the vaccine to countries outside the bloc. The doses had been due to come from Italy. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says officials have received a letter from the pharmaceutical giant that…
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HM the King donates 2 tonnes of pet food to Soi Dog Foundation
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn has donated 2 tonnes of dog and cat food to the Soi Dog Foundation, as well as a number of other animal welfare organisations. The donation marks the birthday of Chao Khun Phrasinat Philas Kalayanee Kalayani, His Majesty’s royal noble consort. The food was presented to Soi Dog and 13 other organisations during a ceremony at…
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Ask The Thais | EP.3 | Ladyboys, Covid situation, Bad Students’ protest
“Ask The Thais” is a new segment on The Thaiger where we ask some of our Thai staff to explain some of the unusual and sometimes inexplicable little nuances of Thai culture. You have a question? Send it in and we’ll get our MUCH BETTER LOOKING Thai staff to explain, from a Thai youth perspective, some of their culture and…
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Police seize 500,000 baht worth of illegal whitening cream in multiple raids
More than 500,000 baht worth of unregistered skin whitening cream containing banned substances, an initial examination found, were seized in factory raids in Chachoengsao, Sa Kaeo, Chon Buri and Ayutthaya. The “Cambodian cream with red cover” was advertised on social media with claims that it could whiten skin within 7 days no matter how dark the skin is. Apparently, the…
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Muay Thai trainer opens restaurant to make up for losses during pandemic
A Muay Thai trainer opened up a restaurant in Bangkok after his Thai boxing camp lost more than 80% of its revenue, adding to business downfalls brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The trainer, Charoenthong Khunmanee, says the number of trainees also drastically dropped. The gym went from an average of 20 to 30 trainees to only 5 or 6.…
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Driver says thick smog led to 3-vehicle pileup in Chon Buri
A driver in a serious 3-vehicle pileup in Chon Buri blames the thick smog for the accident, saying it limited visibility. Two people were injured in the accident, including a 30 year old man who was stuck inside his sedan and rescuers used the “jaws of life” hydraulic tool to remove him from the vehicle. Another 39 year old man…
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Bangkok’s future is green, forest park project set to finish next year
Bangkok’s future is green. The “Benjakitti Park” in the city’s Asoke area is expanding and becoming a “forest park.” The new addition will feature a 1.5 kilometre elevated walkway surrounded by tropical trees and a bicycle track that will connect to Lumpini Park. Along with a variety of plants, the park will also have canals and ponds. Phases 2 and…
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Thai principal pulls out gun at school assembly amid sexual abuse allegation
A principal at a school in Southern Thailand pulled out a gun at a morning flag assembly after a criminal complaint was filed with police claiming that he had a sexual relationship with a student. The principal at Thepha School in Songkhla, Sayan Chaleephol, was discussing the school’s budget at the assembly, but then changed the subject and started asking…
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Gambling advocate and net idol arrested for allegedly running online gambling operation
An internet idol once called the “Gambler King” by the Bangkok Post was arrested for allegedly running an online gambling operation. The 29 year old self-professed gambler, Apirak “Sia Po” Chat-anon, is known for advocating for the legalisation of gambling. The Thai government even asked him to be an advisor on a committee reviewing Thailand’s laws on gambling. Police from…
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AstraZeneca vaccine to arrive this month, despite EU export restrictions – Public Health Ministry
While there’s no exact date on the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines, the Public Health Ministry is assuring the public that the first order of the AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive this month, despite the European Union’s restrictions on Covid-19 vaccine exports. The National Vaccine Institute is working on getting the first shipment this month, according to the ministry’s permanent secretary. Thailand…
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PM approves new financial aid package for social security recipients
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has given the go-ahead to another stimulus measure, this time aimed at social security beneficiaries. The scheme, known as Rao Rak Kan (“We Love Each Other”) will provide recipients with a cash payment via the Pao Tang application. All social security beneficiaries are eligible, provided they are Thai nationals and do not have more than…
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Most Thai provinces have been Covid-free for 7 days – CCSA
The government’s Covid-19 task force says 46 Thai provinces have had no new case of Covid-19 for 7 days. Taweesilp Visanuyothin from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says another 14 provinces have not recorded any infections at all in the latest outbreak. However, both the central province of Maha Sarakham, and the northern province of Tak, have recorded a…
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Foodpanda driver boats across river to deliver an order
A Foodpanda driver went above and beyond to deliver a meal to a customer. After picking up the order and driving from the restaurant, the driver took a small motorboat out to a customer who was out fishing at Chachoengsao’s Bang Pakong River. Still wearing his hot pink motorbike helmet, the driver boated across the river and then paddled to…
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Industry representatives call on government to prioritise vaccination, include tourism workers in first rollout
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking is urging the government to make the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines a national agenda and to prioritise those working in the tourism industry. According to a Bangkok Post report, the JSCCIB says tourism workers need to be vaccinated to keep them safe while interacting with travellers. It has also suggested that…
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Phuket aims to vaccinate 70% of population, re-open to foreign tourists by October
Phuket is going it alone as it eyes herd immunity as the only lifeline for its devastated tourism industry. Business groups on the southern resort island have announced a plan to finance the vaccination of 70% of the island’s population, in the hope of being able to open to foreign tourists from October. The groups involved, which include the Phuket…
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Thai Red Cross is calling on recovered Covid-19 patients to donate plasma
The Thai Red Cross Society is urging fully recovered Covid-19 patients to donate their plasma. They say the plasma could contain antibodies that can be used to treat infected patients. According to the director of the Red Cross’s National Blood Centre, the plasma of the recovered patients contain antibodies against the coronavirus. The potential plasma or the so-called “Covid-19 Convalescent…
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Around 100 foreigners allegedly scammed by housing project company
A housing project in the central province Phetchaburi is under fire after it allegedly defrauded around 100 foreigners with damages totalling 2 billion baht. The housing project allegedly issued illegal land documents and lured in foreign buyers, primarily from the United Kingdom and Russia, advertising the project on websites marketed toward those overseas. Most of the land title deeds for…
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Police in Bangkok arrest 13 people for allegedly running an online gambling operation
Police in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district arrested 13 people for allegedly operating an illegal online gambling operation where people could place bets on lottery outcomes. The bust is part of a major crackdown on illegal gambling carried out after Covid-19 outbreaks at gambling dens in Rayong and Chon Buri. Acting on a search warrant, police raided a home off Soi…
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Covid-19 immunisations to start as soon as vaccines arrive… whenever that is
Covid-19 immunisation in Thailand will start within a week after the the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines arrive… whenever that is. Health officials initially pushed for Valentine’s Day to roll out immunisations, but no official date has been set and it’s unclear if the vaccine will even arrive this month. Khaosod English says “health officials can’t even agree on Covid…
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What’s happening in Myanmar? The background noise that led to an Army coup
Myanmar’s military has assumed control of the country in a coup in the early hours of Monday, February 1st. It wasn’t a total surprise as some of the Military’s leaders had been huffing and puffing out load about the November general elections when Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party won all but 33 seats of the 476 seat national parliament.…
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Pattaya banker detained on theft charges, allegedly defrauded local expats in investment scam
Pattaya police detained a former assistant manager of a local bank branch after he allegedly scammed numerous foreigners, tricking some of them into investments that led to significant losses and using invalid documents to fake transactions. A group of foreigners filed a complaint with the Pattaya City Police against the bank branch’s former assistant manager Chaisit Sappermphool on fraud charges.…
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Elderly Thai man killed in violent attack in California
An 84 year old Thai man has died after being brutally attacked outside his home in San Francisco, in the US state of California. CCTV footage shows Vicha Ratanapakdee being approached by a man who pushes him violently to the ground before running away. The attack took place on the footpath outside Vicha’s home early on Thursday morning, with the…
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Court rejects police request to further detain 2 activists from Burmese embassy protest
A court has rejected a police request to further detain 2 of the 3 activists arrested following a protest at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on Monday. Thai and Burmese activists had gathered to protest the military coup in Myanmar and the detention of several government figures, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Police arrested 3 suspects in total, who have…
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Medical expert calls on Thais to trust vaccines and help control Covid-19
The dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital is calling on Thai people to have faith in Covid-19 vaccines and cooperate with efforts to halt the spread of the virus. Dr. Prasit Watanapa was speaking during a Facebook Live broadcast, saying Thailand needs to build up herd immunity if the virus is to be suppressed. With over 100…
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UPDATE: “Hundreds” of investors caught in alleged Kasikorn Bank branch fraud in Pattaya
CORRECTION: In an earlier story about this case we referred to a Chinese man losing 130 BILLION baht in the scheme. The amount was actually 130 MILLION baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been allegedly defrauded by an assistant bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The assistant manager, named in…
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Samut Sakhon’s shrimp market to remain closed until February 15
Samut Sakhon’s Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of Thailand’s recent wave of Covid-19, will remain closed until February 15. The market can reopen once the overall hygiene situation at the market and surrounding area has improved, according to the province’s disease control committee. Local officials say the shrimp market needs to remain closed until the market structure and nearby residential…
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Thailand News Today | Pattaya bank scam & Burmese coup update | February 2
CORRECTION: In the first story Jett referred to a Chinese man losing 130 billion baht. The correct amount was 130 million baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been defrauded by a bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The manager, named in a police report as “Mr. Gob”, was promising investors…
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