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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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Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic to be deported after visa saga
After a rollercoaster ride regarding 9-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic having his visa approved and revoked several times as courts debated his status as unvaccinated but recovered from a Covid-19 infection, the tennis star will now be deported from Australia. Novak lost a court appeal to try to reverse the cancellation of his visa when 3 judges upheld the…
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Poll: majority favour new draft bill that regulates NGOs
In a new NIDA poll, questions about a controversial draft bill aimed at regulating NGOs operating in Thailand showed that people generally support the regulation. The poll, conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration, asked people a variety of questions about how non-governmental organisations operate within Thailand. The topic has been controversial with many activists and some human rights…
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Can you protest in Thailand as a foreigner?
Can a foreigner in Thailand go out on to the streets and protest and express his opinion? Will you get dragged away by the police and put into jail? Should you be protesting at all even though it might not have anything to do with you as a guest in the country? What are the things you can and can’t…
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COVID-19 SUNDAY: Record low deaths, 8,077 infections
Today, Covid-19 deaths fell to single digits for the first time since at least the beginning of April of last year, hospitalisations have increased, but severe cases in the ICU have fallen. The CCSA reported 8,077 new Covid-19 infections (though the provincial reports say only 7795), up 284 since yesterday, and 9 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 9 from yesterday. Since April…
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Bus driver who fled 2007 accident with multiple deaths finally arrested
A tour bus driver who fled a horrific accident in Nakhon Ratchasima that left multiple injuries and fatalities and that he was deemed at fault for in 2007 has finally been caught and arrested. The now 52 year old man was arrested in Bangkok for the crime of negligent driving that led to the accident on the Friendship Highway 15…
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Police seek Russian couple after wife tests positive for Covid-19
After mild punishment for the first widely reported case of someone leaving their approved hotel before their quarantine period was over, it seems the floodgates are open. In Koh Chang, 6 people who tested positive for Covid-19 left their hotel and had to be tracked down. A few days ago a Russian man with Covid-19 who was supposed to be…
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Pork, petrol and noodles – inflation impacting prices in Thailand
Heading into 2022, the ‘I’ word is spooking economists around the world as they look at tools to try and control rampant inflation. Even in Thailand there has been big rises in staples, making headlines this week, particularly in the pork industry. Meat and produce prices have been sneaking up and now impacting the cost of living for everyone living…
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Nong Khai bridge the final step in China-Laos-Thailand Railway
In order to connect Thailand to the new China-Laos Railway, the State Railway of Thailand has received orders from the Cabinet to build a second bridge across the Mekong River, this on for trains to link Nong Khai province to Laos. The SRT was instructed to design and build the bridge as quickly as possible. A meeting was held at…
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Police raid Bang Lamung pool party in violation of Covid-19 rules
In what has become a common occurrence, police in Pattaya raided another illegal party in violation of Covid-19 regulations, this time a pool party in Bang Lamung. Police described the venue, saying it was like a tavern or villa converted into a pool party location that was serving drinks and blasting music long after curfew with no regard for Covid-19…
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A second Russian man with Covid-19 missing from Phuket hotel
A Russian man who tested positive for Covid-19 is being sought after disappearing from his hotel room and not returning yet. Wait! Don’t click away! This isn’t a story about the Russian man who was the subject of a manhunt Thursday and Friday. This is another very similar incident and police are still searching for the missing Covid-infected man. Anton…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY: Hospitalisations double in a week, 10 million boosters
Today, the CCSA reported 7,793 new Covid-19 infections, down 365 since yesterday, and 18 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 3 from yesterday. Since April 1, 2021, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,287,535 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported, with 21,916 total deaths from the pandemic. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the…
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Covid-19 exposure quarantine may be reduced to 7 days
As officials reevaluate the Covid-19 restrictions piled on with the outbreak of the Omicron variant, the current directive of 14-day quarantine for groups who are considered at risk with Covid-19 infections may be reduced to just 7 days. The Permanent Secretary for Public Health said that the Ministry of Public Health is considering reducing the time that people are kept…
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Singapore requires office-workers to be vaccinated, few exemptions
Get vaccinated or lose your job. That’s the thrust of new workplace laws being introduced in Singapore. From today an earlier concession, allowing negative-testing employees to keep working in offices, is dropped. Employers now have the option to redeploy unvaccinated staff to ‘working from home’ duties, put the staff on leave without pay, or simply sack them if they are…
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Woman stole 59b of food, stabbed Mini Big-C staff to escape
A woman was caught when she stole 59 baht worth of snack items at a Mini Big C in Nontha Buri, but things escalated quickly when she stabbed the employee that caught her to make her escape. The sad story took place on December 29, but after a warrant was issued for her arrest, police just managed to track the…
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Herbal remedy could be up to 96 percent effective against Covid-19
While Thailand is developing its own version of the Covid-19 fighting Molnupiravir pill, a more traditional treatment may also prove to be useful in fighting the pandemic. Thai herbal fever medication has been found, in a laboratory environment at least, to allegedly “contain” the Covid-19 virus according to research by the Thai Department of Medical Sciences and reported in Thai…
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Molnupiravir, the Covid-19 pill, to be developed in Thailand
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is planning to partner with Chulabhorn Research Institute to develop a domestic version of Molnupiravir, the Covid-19 antiviral pill. The announcement was made by Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul in response to the rising Omicron variant outbreak proliferating across Thailand, sending daily infection rates soaring again. Molnupiravir was developed in the US by a joint…
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Malaysia hands 3 suspected insurgents to Thailand following peace talks
Officials in southern Thailand told reporters that Malaysia had delivered three suspected militants on Wednesday after Thai authorities and rebel groups finished their negotiations. Reports say it was their first in-person peace talk in nearly two years. The rare handover marked the first official transfer of convicts linked to the ethnic and religious separatist insurgency in Thailand’s Deep South region near…
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Change of mood over Covid restrictions as demands rise to reboot Test & Go
There’s a change of mood in some government circles as plans are afoot to ease some current restrictions imposed since the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The CCSA will meet again next Friday to consider the current restrictions and curbs to control the spread of Covid-19. Now, the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is publicly noting the low…
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Citi to sell consumer banking business in Southeast Asia to Singapore’s United Overseas Bank
Citigroup announced on Thursday its agreement to sell its consumer banking operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam to United Overseas Bank (UOB) for approximately US$2.97 billion. UOB stated that as part of the agreement, it will acquire Citi’s retail deposit divisions, loan portfolios and wealth management, in the four countries’ consumer banking sectors. “We are excited to announce this…
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Phuket has surging Covid-19, but 95% of infections are mild
Phuket is experiencing a surge in new Covid-19 infections, with daily figures skyrocketing to some of the highest levels since the pandemic began. But, the Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital says that there is a silver lining, because about 95% of new cases are experiencing either mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. The Deputy Director said yesterday that…
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First Pfizer vaccine batch for children arriving by early February
Expect a delivery of Pfizer vaccines in late January or early February at the latest says the Department of Disease Control. The newest batch of the Covid-19 vaccine is intended to begin vaccinating children in Thailand between the ages of 5 and 11 years old. The previous campaign to vaccinate those 12 to 18 years old has been fairly successful…
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Father allegedly shot and killed his wife and daughter’s boyfriend in Chon Buri
A father in Chon Buri allegedly shot and killed his wife and soon-to-be son-in-law at his daughter’s birthday party before hanging himself to death. Both his daughters reportedly witnessed the incident. His youngest daughter, who is just 8 years old, was shot in the foot and taken to the hospital for treatment. Police arrived at the home in Nong Ree…
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Police doubt the story as 5th suspect in tigers case is arrested
After the shocking discovering of a camp in Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum National Park barbequing tiger meat while drying the pelts of 2 slain tigers, police have now taken into custody the fifth and final suspect in the investigation. The man was arrested last night and denies taking any part in the killing, skinning, or cooking of the tigers, which are…
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Deputy PM tells Thais to stay positive about price hike for pork, other goods
Pork prices aren’t the only costs rising. Prices for chicken prices, eggs, public boat fees, and toll fees are also increasing and Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow is now encouraging Thais to stay positive with the price hikes and is saying that it is temporary. He says the price increases are normal due to the law of supply and demand. In…
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More than 349,000 people displaced due to violence in Myanmar since February coup
Official figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs this month show that about 349,800 individuals were displaced in the southeast and northwest of the country and needed humanitarian aid since the February 2021 military coup. Fights have intensified between Myanmar’s military and the People’s Defence Forces, locally known as PDFs. Thousands have reportedly fled to…
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First batch of 35 baht ATKs from the GPO on sale today
To combat the rising prices and scarcity of antigen test kits as the Omicron variant and Covid-19 fears spread throughout Thailand, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation announced the purchase of 3.5 million ATKs to be sold at 35 baht each, with millions more in the works. This morning, the first batch of ATKs went on sale at GPO branches and were…
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Friday Covid Update: 8,158 new cases; provincial totals
15 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,898 with 200 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,158 new Covid-19 cases and 3,942 recoveries. There are now 74,795 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Japan-Thailand cooperation discussed by PM Prayut and Japanese Minister
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha met at Government House yesterday with the Japanese Minister of Economy Trade and Industry to discuss cooperation between Japan and Thailand for future investments. They discussed the benefit to Thailand of the technology that Japan has supplied as well as a plan to meet sustainable development goals for the future. The Prime Minister spoke of the contribution…
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Police raid art gallery opened as nightclub, 100 partygoers reportedly fled from police
In another police raid in Pattaya, more than 100 people reportedly fled a party held at a local art gallery at 10:30pm last night, past the 9pm cutoff time for alcohol sales at restaurants. The Pattaya News says partygoers were jumping fences and climbing out windows to flee from police at the Ma Ha Na Cafe and Art Gallery in…
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Artificial intelligence intended to prevent abuse of state welfare
As a new round of registration is set to commence, the Ministry of Finance is planning to use artificial intelligence to ensure that the state welfare cards issued this year are given only to eligible low-income earners. The Ministry plans to implement new technology to cut down on fraud and to keep urgent financial assistance money from going to those…
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