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Sponsored See the best of Northern Thailand this winter on a budget
The Thaiger key takeaways Peak season brings higher prices, but smart planning and local know-how can help you experience Northern Thailand affordably. Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai offer plenty of free or low-cost attractions, from temples and canyons to...
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Thai officials warn prisons over forced fishing net labour
Following a December investigation by Thomson Reuters Foundation about abuse of Thai prisoners forced to make fishing nets, officials are warning prisons. The investigation found that prison guards beat prisoners who didn’t meet certain targets, and disallowed them to shower. Prisoners were also not paid minimum wage, and sometimes not paid at all. In February, 31 Thai and international rights…
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Biden condemns Putin, praises Ukrainian people in State of the Union address
Read the opening pages of US President Joe Biden’s prepared speech for his State of the Union address to lawmakers on Tuesday night at the Capitol, in which he addresses the most urgent situation: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its threat on the free world… PRESIDENT BIDEN: Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President, our First Lady and Second Gentleman. Members of…
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Australian officials find $55 million worth of meth and heroin in shipment from Thailand
Border police in Australia have uncovered AU$55 million worth of smuggled meth and heroin in a shipment from Thailand, according to a report from the Australian Associated Press. The shipment was concealed in boxes of green tea and magnets and discovered at Melbourne Airport. The 27 boxes had been shipped from Thailand on February 19 and came to light when…
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Spokesperson says Covid-19 treatment budget adjustment will not affect quality of care
Following yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, a spokesperson explained the decision to decrease the budget covering Covid-19 treatment costs, saying the price of some medical supplies have gone down. He told reporters that the budget adjustment will not affect the quality of care for Covid-19 patients. Thai media reports do not mention how much the budget is, but say medical centres and…
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Students with Covid-19 can sit university aptitude tests with doctor’s consent
Government officials have decided that students infected with Covid-19 who need to sit university aptitude tests can do so at specially-prepared sites, if their doctor agrees. Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong says pre-university students who need to sit the General Aptitude Test/Professional and Academic Aptitude Test, scheduled for March 12 – 15, as well as other tests on March 19 and…
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National park officers rescue 5 German tourists lost in Koh Phang Ngan forest
Officers from the Than Sadet National Park on Koh Phang Ngan have rescued a group of 5 German tourists after they got lost yesterday while on a forest hike. The 4 women and 1 man had been doing the Khao Ra hike, which takes in the highest peak on the island, when heavy rainfall caused them to get lost. A…
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Tourism authorities greet first Saudi direct arrivals, plan new schemes
The Tourism Authority of Thailand greeted Saudi tourist arrivals with traditional Thai performances and a water salute on Monday. The flight was the first direct flight to Thailand from Saudi Arabia in 32 years landed in Bangkok, at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This flight symbolised the recent reconciliation between Thailand and Saudi Arabia after decades of frosty relations following the Blue Diamond…
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Thailand to remain neutral on Russia-Ukraine conflict
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says Thailand will keep a neutral stance toward the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking to MPs during their cabinet meeting yesterday, Prayut said they must consider Thailand’s the long-standing relations with Russia and tread carefully, an unnamed government official told the Bangkok Post. “We need to be composed and make decisions carefully. Thailand must maintain a neutral stance…
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Thailand-India air travel bubble gets the greenlight to start this month
Thai and Indian airlines are now allowed to offer flights through the travel bubble scheme between the two countries, allowing citizens and visa holders to travel between Thailand and India. Reports say Thai officials have been in talks with their counterparts in India for the past month. India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation has confirmed on its website that India has created an…
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Ukraine Embassy in Thailand asks for donations to support its citizens, save lives
The Embassy of Ukraine in Thailand is seeking donations to support Ukraine and to save lives following Russia’s invasion. The embassy made a post on its Facebook page saying two special accounts in Thai baht have been opened to support the efforts. Donations can be made to Bangkok Bank account 911-0-20757-9. The embassy says “each donation matters.” Both Ukrainian and…
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Cabinet approves budget to make Phuket a “world class health destination”
Thai officials plan to make Phuket a “world class health destination.” The Cabinet just approved a 1.411 billion baht budget to develop health and wellness centres on the island and improve medical services. Over 45 acres of state-owned land in Phuket will be used to develop health centres and facilities. The project was expected to take four years to complete…
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LATEST: Massive Russian convoy nears Kyiv, Kharkiv bombed, as peace talks falter
On the fifth day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, satellite images show a mammoth convoy of Russian armoured vehicles with militia about 64 kilometres long is slowly slithering down from the north toward the capital of Kyiv. The serpentine convoy is now less than 30 kilometres away. Air raid sirens have been sounded again, with Russian strikes on the…
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MP questions submarine purchase from China, says it will be delivered without an engine
A MP from the Pheu Thai Party claims that the submarine that the government recently brought from China will be delivered without an engine after issues with a German supplier. The MP, and also Pheu Thai party leader, Yuttapong Charasathien, is criticising the 12.42 billion baht submarine purchase from a Chinese firm, saying the “deal lacked transparency”. Yuttapong says the…
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First flights of Thai evacuees from Ukraine to arrive on Wednesday
As Russia’s attack on Ukraine enters its fifth day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says around a hundred Thai citizens evacuated from the country are set to arrive in Thailand on Wednesday in a first round of repatriation flights. The ministry said the first group of 38 Thai evacuees would depart from Bucharest today and arrive in Thailand on Thai…
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Foreigner’s body found on Koh Larn beach off the coast of Pattaya
A man’s body was found on a beach on Koh Larn, an island off the coast of Pattaya, this morning. Police have not identified the body, but claim the man “is a foreigner”. At around 8am, the man’s body was found on the island’s Tien Beach. There were wounds on his right eye and eyebrow, and he was wearing two…
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Russian Ambassador meets with Phuket officials, discusses establishing a sister city
Impeccable timing! The Russian Ambassador to Thailand met with officials in Phuket to discuss establishing Russia’s Kamchatka Krai Administrative Region as a sister city and other matters that affect the roughly 8,000 Russian citizens on the island. Vice Governor Pichet Panapong says Thai authorities are in the process of reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding with the region, adding that it…
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Tangmo’s friend reenacts incident for police to show how the actress fell in the Chao Phraya River
A friend of the Thai actress who was found dead in the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok reenacted the celebrity’s fall off the speedboat today. The friend claims the actress, Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong, fell in the river while she was trying to pee off the back of the speedboat. Many people, including Tangmo’s mother, have questioned the claims and suspect…
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Asia News Today | Asian countries start ramping up pressure on Russia
Asia-Pacific market have risen today as investors navigated the changing situation in Russia and Ukraine.Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 1.4%. The S&P 200 in Australia was up 1.2%. In South Korea markets are closed for a holiday today. Chinese tech giant Baidu is also expected to announce its fourth-quarter results today…. pundits are expecting a softer Q4 than expected.China’s official manufacturing…
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Thai scientists say “anti-Covid-19” nasal spray will be available later this year
A new “anti-Covid-19” nasal spray is being developed by Thai scientists and the medication, which is said to prevent a coronavirus infection, is expected to be available to the public later this year. In studies using lab animals, the nasal spray has been shown to block the virus from entering the body. The Health Systems Research Institute, Silpakorn University, Chulalongkorn University,…
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French expat with Alzheimer’s rescued after getting lost in Chiang Mai forest
More than 200 people teamed up for a rescue effort to find a French expat with Alzheimer’s disease who went missing in Chiang Mai. He was found the next morning in an abandoned temple in a forest. The 70 year old man says he was driving to the French Embassy in Chiang Mai when he forgot the way home. His…
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Human rights lawyer Anon Nampa granted 3-month conditional bail
Political activist and human rights lawyer, Anon Nampa, has been granted bail by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The Ratsadon pro-democracy group leader has been in custody for over 200 days, on charges of lèse majesté and other charges related to political protests. His temporary release was tweeted by Norasate Nanongtoom of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. According to Norasate,…
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Hong Kong officials eye China-style lockdown, as bodies pile up in hospitals
Hong Kong officials have not ruled out imposing a strict lockdown, similar to those imposed in China at the start of the pandemic. Officials are facing an increasingly desperate situation as the Omicron variant has run amok in the territory, destroying any hope of attaining the so-called zero-Covid status. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that Reuters reports…
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Health officials admit ongoing surge in infections affecting Favipiravir supply
Thailand’s Department of Medical Services says it’s struggling to maintain adequate supplies of Favipiravir tablets, due to the ongoing surge in Covid-19 infections. DMS chief Dr Natthaphong Wongwiwat says the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is both producing and importing the pills, but the increase in demand is outstripping available resources. He says the situation should stabilise this week, with additional supplies…
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Health officials say Thailand’s Covid cases could reach 100,000 a day by Songkran
Thailand’s daily Covid-19 infections could reach 100,000 by the Songkran holiday next month. That’s the worst-case scenario prediction from the Department of Disease Control, according to a Bangkok Post report today. The DDC says everything hinges on how strictly disease prevention measures are adhered to. These include avoiding group activities, working from home, avoiding non-essential travel, and maintaining high vaccination…
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UPDATE: What really happened to Tangmo? All we know (and the stuff we don’t)
What really happened to Thailand’s Nida Patcharaveerapong, known lovingly by her fans as “Tangmo” (pronounced Daeng-moo) or “Watermelon,” who died last Thursday night after reportedly “falling” from a speedboat into the Chao Phraya River? The Thai TV actress had starred in countless dramas and advertisements in her nearly 20 year career, living in the limelight since childhood. In 2007, a…
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More than 100 officers investigate local politician fatal shooting
More than 100 law enforcement officers have been assigned to investigate a case where gunmen attacked a van carrying members of a tambon administrative organisation, or TAO, on Valentine’s Day in the central province Nakhon Nayok. A politician of the tambon, or subdistrict, and the driver were killed in the shooting. A TAO chairperson was injured. In an order by…
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Thailand’s ban on “claw” machines could be reversed after Chiang Mai ruling
The popular “claw” machines at arcades and malls, some filled with stuffed animals or toys, are actually banned in Thailand because, back in 2020, the Interior Ministry announced that the games of technique and chance were considered “gambling tools.” But the two-year ban could be reversed after a recent ruling in Chiang Mai. Earlier this month, the Chiang Mai public…
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China straddles diplomatic tightrope on Russia’s invasion, Ukraine’s sovereignty
China has refused to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine, insisting it is not an invasion, and is standing by its biggest alley — without condoning its actions of unprovoked aggression on a sovereign nation. But its diplomatic ambiguity is forcing it to straddle an awkward line between Russia and the West. Like it or not, China’s Xi Jingping has become…
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Ukrainians and Russians in Thailand gather in Phuket to call for peace
Ukrainians and Russians in Thailand have been gathering in various locations in Phuket to call for peace and urge to stop the violence. Crowds waved flags and balloons in Ukraine’s national colours yellow and blue as they called for an end to the conflict. This morning, over 80 Ukrainian and Russian tourists and expats were on the roadside by the…
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Suspect in Jimi Sandu murder case arrested in Canada
A suspect in the Jimi Sandu murder case was arrested in Canada and a request for his return to Thailand has been submitted. Matthew Dupre, from Canada, was allegedly one of two hitmen who fired multiple shots at Sandu outside a villa in Phuket. Sandu, who was born in India, was a notorious gangster in Canada and had entered Thailand…
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