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From the beautiful to the bizarre: 6 Christmas traditions from around Asia
Wherever you find yourself on Christmas Day this year, it’s sure to be slightly different to previous years – or even extremely different, depending on how severe the Covid-19 situation is in your location. But in happier, more normal times, these 6 Asian countries have their own unique ways in which to celebrate the holiday. Eating KFC in Japan Did…
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Green transport in Bangkok’s khlongs, and it’s free | VIDEO
You can still go on a completely free ride along the Khlong Phadung Krungkasem, that’s a canal that runs through some of Bangkok’s most historic areas. The Thai PM launched the new ‘green’ canal boat services at the end of November 2020. The service is operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation. As a bit of background the canal ferry boats…
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A very merry Christmas from The Thaiger team
Caitlin, Champ, Earth, Jett, May, Austin, Tim and Mike would like to wish every single one of our readers a heartfelt Merry Christmas. Whilst the challenges of 2020 have brought grief, confusion and sadness to many, it’s also reminded us about the importance of family and friendships. It’s also been a year of change for us too… we’re all in…
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Reasons to celebrate being in Thailand for Christmas
Let’s face it, if you live in Thailand but normally spend Christmas in your home country or elsewhere, that’s unlikely to be happening this year. And if you don’t live in Thailand but have found yourself stuck here (and what a place to be stuck!), then consider yourself incredibly lucky. There are far worse places to spend Christmas – and…
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Thai social media gets nasty as old animosities resurface over the Burmese migrants
A Covid-19 outbreak in Samut Sakhon, centred around a seafood market and the local fishing industry’s Burmese migrant population, has unbottled a new wave of anti-Burmese sentiment in Thai social media, never bubbling far beneath the surface. The revelations of an outbreak of some 1,000+ positive infections has opened a long-standing wound between the two countries, including straight out online…
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Christmas stories are a little different in Bangkok’s slums
Christmas stories are a little different in Bangkok’s slums. One legend has it that Mary and Joseph didn’t make it to Bethlehem and Jesus was born under the local railroad bridge in Bangkok. Father Joe Maier knows quite a few stories told a little differently than the ones written in the Bible. The American priest has run the Mercy Centre…
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“Santa Claus of Rayong” rides motorbike through Northern Thailand
Instead of eagerly listening for sleigh bells on Christmas night, children in rural Northern Thailand are keeping an ear out for an engine hum from a motorbike driven by the local legend “Santa Claus of Rayong.” Thailand’s Old Saint Nicholas goes from Rayong to northern provinces every December, driving his motorbike piled high with toys and handing gifts out to…
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Merry Christmas, Thai style
Technically, Christmas is not celebrated in Thailand. The April holiday of Songkran, or Thai New Year, is probably the closest equivalent, when families come together in a celebration centered around Buddhist practices. But December 25 is not a public holiday, and in most cases, the only time you’d find a Thai having Christmas Day off, would be if it happened…
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Thailand News Today | No national lockdown, Bangkok schools closed, Abortion Bill | Dec 24
On behalf of the entire Thaiger team, Merry Christmas to all our readers and viewers. We really appreciate your support. May you have a few laughs and hugs tomorrow. • Despite a record high in new Covid-19 cases, the Thai government has not imposed any national lockdowns. Provinces are now classified on a colour-scale depending on their current level of…
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Laos temporarily bans seafood from Thailand after Covid-19 outbreak
Following a Covid-19 outbreak at a major fishing hub in Thailand, neighbouring Laos has banned seafood imports from the Kingdom due to fears that the seafood could be contaminated with the virus. More than 1,200 people in Samut Sakhon have tested positive for the coronavirus, with cases concentrated around a seafood market in Mahachai and largely affecting the migrant population in…
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Bangkok’s Christmas – The Thai capital gets out the tinsel | VIDEO
Christmas is a time to rejoice, a chance for families to come together, for Christians to celebrate and for Thais, to get out the tinsel and dress up Bangkok. A trip along Bangkok’s shopping centre strip reveals a winter wonderland of eclectic displays and dazzling decorations. What’s amazing about all this is that Thailand is, mostly, a Buddhist country where…
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Pattani villager shot and killed while walking home
A 26 year old villager was shot and killed while walking along a street to his home in Pattani’s Sai Buri district, an area plagued with violence related to the religious separatist insurgency in Thailand’s “deep south.” Police say the man’s body was found lying on the road, but did not give any additional details about the case. The Thai…
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Bangkok cosmetic surgeon sentenced to prison for patient’s death
A cosmetic surgeon is sentenced to 5 years in prison for the death of a woman who had a severe allergic reaction to the anaesthetic during a facelift procedure. The Thai Criminal Court sentenced the 51 year old Thanapol Thongprasert, who ran a clinic in Bangkok, to jail for recklessness causing the death of 72 year old Nattamol Prachaseri ,…
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House passes historic bill allowing first trimester abortion
In a historic decision, the Thai House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy. Abortion is currently illegal under Thailand’s Criminal Code unless under certain circumstances, such as if the abortion is necessary due to health reasons or if the woman was a victim of rape. Under the bill, which was sponsored…
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PM to host Covid task force meeting as officials say no plans for national lockdown
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will host a special meeting of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today, to debate potential additional disease prevention measures. Having seemingly gone months without a case of community transmission, Thailand finds itself in the grip of a sudden Covid-19 outbreak, linked to illegal migrants. Officials are currently insisting there is no talk of a nationwide lockdown,…
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Officials say no evidence of hoarding, price hikes, among face mask retailers
As demand for face masks spikes amid a new Covid-19 outbreak in the Kingdom, the Commerce Ministry has conducted checks on pharmacies and other retailers to ensure pricing is fair and there is no hoarding of supplies. Permanent secretary Boonyarit Kalayanamit says officials carried out spot-checks on 573 retailers yesterday and found no evidence of any wrongdoing. Masks are being…
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The best places to see 2020 Christmas lights in Bangkok
If you live in Bangkok and you’re a fan of all things Christmas, you won’t want to miss out on some of the best light installations in the capital. With the city alive with Christmas decorations, trees, and Santa installations, here’s a round-up of some of the must-see attractions. Let’s Celebrate at Central Embassy Santa Claus is everywhere at this…
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Thai government urged to offer amnesty to illegal migrants and their employers
The Thai government is being urged to grant amnesty to undocumented migrant workers in the Kingdom and to extend the reprieve to their employers. The call has been picked up by a number of Thai media outlets, as well as Thai citizens concerned about the latest Covid-19 outbreak. Those calling for the amnesty say it would stop workers fleeing quarantine…
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Officials on the hunt for corrupt border guards blamed for Covid spread
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has put the Deputy Defence Minister in charge of hunting down crooked border officials whose corruption is thought to be behind the latest Covid-19 outbreak. With most of the new infections detected in Burmese migrant workers in the central province of Samut Sakhon, it’s believed many have been smuggled into Thailand illegally, bypassing mandatory quarantine.…
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Bangkok schools, nurseries, close for 12 days in bid to curtail Covid spread
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed all 437 municipal schools and 292 nurseries in the capital, amid confirmation of an additional 121 cases of Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon. The central province has become a hotspot of local transmission, with infection primarily concentrated on its migrant worker population. BMA spokesman Pongsakorn Kwanmuang adds that most city officials have been ordered to…
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Thai police to crackdown on labour traffickers
Thai Police are shifting their focus from illegal migrants to labour traffickers, saying they plan to make major arrests after enough evidence is gathered. Fingers have been pointing at the Burmese migrant community after hundreds of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon tested positive for the virus. Since neighbouring Myanmar reported a rise in Covid-19 cases back in September, border patrol…
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Police identify armed robbery suspect after he allegedly dropped his phone at the scene
Police have identified a man wanted for armed robbery charges after he allegedly dropped his mobile phone as he took off with 800,000 baht worth of gold stolen from a Chon Buri shop. Using the mobile phone, police identified the suspect as 44 year old Utit Puangthong from Chon Buri’s Koh Jan district, according to Mueang Chonburi Police Chief Colonel…
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Ayutthaya elephants “Santas” add a face mask to their Christmas costume
Each year, elephants dress up in Santa Claus costumes to spread Christmas cheer to children at a school in Ayutthaya. This year is a little different. Not only were all the students wearing a face mask, so were the elephants. Using their trunks, the 4 elephants also carried baskets of face masks to hand out to the students at the…
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US conservative media walk back allegations on voter fraud
Some of America’s biggest right-leaning media have spent the last week walking back on their earlier promotion of conspiracy theories surrounding alleged voter fraud and tampering from the November 3 election. Both Fox News and Newsmax have aired segments this week contradicting earlier stories about election fraud and claims focusing on vote machines manufacturer Smartmatic. Without specifically retracting their earlier…
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Economy to lose billions of baht from Covid-19 lockdown – Kasikorn Research Centre
The economy will lose billions of baht following the Covid-19 outbreak in Samut Sakhon, just southwest of Bangkok, according to Kasikorn Research Centre. Shutting down the seafood industry in the province, calling off New Year parties in Bangkok and trips being cancelled due to virus fears will cost the economy a total of at least 45 billion baht over the…
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Samut Sakhon employer allegedly “dumps” migrant workers at a highway outside Bangkok
A group of Burmese migrant workers ended up on the side of a highway near Bangkok after their employer allegedly told them to get in a van to go get tested for Covid-19. The incident caught media attention as many coronavirus prevention measures focused on migrant workers were recently imposed after hundreds of workers at a seafood market in Samut…
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Health officials confirm Phuket’s first case of local transmission in months
Phuket officials have confirmed a case of Covid-19 in the province and given a timeline of the new infection. The patient is a 40 year old Thai man from the Kathu district, who recently returned from a “big bike” event on Koh Lanta, in Krabi province. The man belongs to a “big bike” afficionados’ group and travelled to an event…
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Several migrant workers flee Samut Sakhon detention, 3 re-captured in Chon Buri
A group of Burmese workers managed to flee a detention area in the Covid-19 hotspot of Samut Sakhon yesterday, with 3 later re-captured in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that photos showing a broken wall went viral on social media, with claims that several migrant workers had smashed the wall and torn down wire fences…
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Thai PM calls for unity in latest Covid fight, hints at further restrictions
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has called on all citizens to unite in the fight against Covid-19, while implying further restrictions may be introduced. In a televised address to the nation, he said the virus outbreak in the central province of Samut Sakhon has now resulted in over 1,000 infections but is being dealt with through strict measures. He added…
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Thai government may replace emergency decree with strict amendment to Communicable Disease Act
The Thai Public Health Minister says the government is considering repealing the emergency decree come the new year and replacing it with a tougher amendment to the Communicable Disease Control Act. Anutin Charnvirakul says the proposal was raised at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Addressing the Thai media, he said the amendment would allow the Disease Control Committee more authority to…
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