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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 Moving with family? Here’s how to cut health costs in Thailand
Relocating to Thailand with your family brings exciting new opportunities, but it also comes with the challenge of managing healthcare costs in a new system. Thailand has both public and private healthcare options, each offering different prices and quality of...
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Fire breaks out at Pattaya nightclub, millions of baht in damage estimated
A nightclub caught on fire last night on Walking Street in Pattaya. Officials estimate the fire has caused millions of baht in damage. The fire happened at the Nashaa nightclub around 9:30pm, last night. There were no reported injuries or fatalities as a result of the fire. More than 10 Fire department units attacked the blaze, which could be spotted…
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Monday Covid Update: 132 deaths and 12,583 new cases
132 coronavirus-related deaths and 12,583 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 16,304 recoveries. There are currently 132,113 patients in Thailand being treated for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the…
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Thai PM calls on state agencies to disburse allocated funds quickly to revive economy
The Thai PM is calling on state agencies to inject funds into the economy for the new fiscal year in October, in order to help its recovery. According to a Bangkok Post report, deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul says budget spending is vital to the revival of an economy decimated by Covid-19. “In light of the pandemic, the state budget…
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FBI releases 9/11 file documenting probe into Saudi Arabia’s possible role
The FBI has released a document pertaining to its investigation into any involvement by the Saudi Arabian government in the 9/11 terror attacks. The release was ordered by US President Joe Biden following demands from the victims’ families, but does not provide any proof of official Saudi involvement. According to a Nation Thailand report, in 2019, the Trump administration responded…
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Digital Health Pass for Covid-19 safety rolling out now
The Public Health Ministry has launched the Digital Health Pass through the Mor Prom app and it will likely become a part of everyday life in Thailand. All residents in Thailand are encouraged to download it right away, though there have been some problems already. But the Thai government is pushing ahead with the hopes of creating Covid-free zones across…
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Police arrest 78 protesters, bystanders, medics and minors
Last night, protesters and crowd control police met at Din Daeng in a heated confrontation that resulted in 78 people being arrested including bystanders, volunteer medics, and even underage people. Those who were taken into custody were held in several different police facilities, and the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights observed and reported on the arrests. They said 20 people…
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German election: What’s at stake for India?
At the end of October 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel embarked on one of her last major international visits before the pandemic struck. Accompanied by a dozen key government officials, as well as a high-profile business delegation, Merkel traveled to India with the specific goal to “deepen and consolidate” a relationship that has undoubtedly grown in importance since she became…
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Man stabbed his common-law wife in front of police station
After getting into an argument in front of a police station this morning, a man stabbed his common-law wife to death. The crime took place at about 9:30 am this morning in front of Cha-uat Police Station in Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of Thailand. After an argument that became more and more heated in front of the police station, with the…
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Koh Samui partiers fined 10,000 baht, commuted 15-day sentence
In an update to our story yesterday regarding an illegal birthday party on Koh Samui that saw 48 partiers taken into custody, charges have apparently been filed against 44 party attendees. A report in Thai media said 44 of the 48 partiers at Maithy Pool Lounge & Restaurant inside a luxury resort in the hills behind Bangrak on the northeast…
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COVID-19 Sunday afternoon Update, provincial totals
180 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,029 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the past 24-hours since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 15,742 recoveries. There are now 135,966 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, first recorded on April 1, the…
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2 new Covid-19 deaths in Phuket, only 15% of hospital beds open
2 new deaths and a reduction in total hospital beds lead the bad news on Covid-19 for Phuket today. The daily infections have held steady with 230 new infections, a few less than yesterday, but marking the 13th day in a row with infections above 200 per day. The total deaths in the last 8 days stands at 19, one…
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Phuket plans to set up 10 more isolation centres as Covid concerns linger
The escalating Covid situation in Phuket has prompted officials to establish 10 more isolation centres. Phuket’s governor, Narong Woonsiew said yesterday that the rise in infections mirrors the Covid situation in Bangkok 2 months ago. Phuket has been averaging 200+ Covid cases a day for the past 13 days (between 206 and 258 new daily infections), which “represents a serious…
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Market closes for 4 days in Nakhon Ratchasima following discovery of Covid cluster
Talad Suranaree, a market that specialises in agricultural fare in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, is closed from today until next Wednesday after nearly 80 traders tested positive for Covid. The provincial communicable disease committee announced the closure, today. 1,444 traders from the market were tested on Friday and the results came out yesterday, which showed 79 people…
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NIDA poll suggests many Thais don’t think Prayut will be PM again
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s current term as prime minister might be his last, says the respondents to a new survey by the National Institute of Development Administration. The NIDA poll was taken from September 6 to September 9 by phone. 1,310 people, 18 and older, of various levels of education and different occupations throughout the country were queried on their opinions…
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2 dogs found dead in Pattaya, owner suspects poisoning
2 dogs have been discovered dead in Pattaya, a city in Chon Buri. The owner of the dogs suspects they were poisoned. The dogs, a golden Labrador about 8 months old, and a pit bull about 5 months old were found dead in front of a house in Nongprue. Residents discovered the dogs foaming at their mouths and seemingly immobile.…
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Suspect in Chiang Mai kidnapping faces 2 new charges
Siew, the man who is suspected of being involved in the disappearance of the toddler “Nong Gina”, is facing 2 new charges: depriving a child under 15 of parental care and detaining a child, says the superintendent of Bo Luang police station, Kriangsak Prom-Uthai. The toddler who is just shy of 2 years old went missing from her home last…
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Sunday Covid Update: 180 deaths 14,029 new cases
180 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,029 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the past 24-hours since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 15,742 recoveries. There are now 135,966 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, first recorded on April 1, the…
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Italy: Palermo puts migrant children center stage
When the Rainbow Choir reunited for its first rehearsals after the pandemic last summer, the sense of excitement was palpable. “Louder,” bellowed the ensemble’s maestro, snapping his fingers as he paced around the room. The young singers needed little encouragement — grinning in unison, they soared through another verse of an Italian movie soundtrack. Run by the Teatro Massimo, Palermo’s…
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48 arrested at Covid-19 violating luxury Koh Samui birthday party
Yet another illegal gathering, a party on Koh Samui, was busted by police for breaking the Covid-19 emergency restrictions. Early this morning, police raided Maithy Pool Lounge & Restaurant at a luxury resort in the hills behind Bangrak on the northeast corner of the island and arrested 48 people having a birthday party in defiance of Covid-19 rules. 27 foreigners…
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Super Typhoon Chanthu and Tropical Storm Conson hit SE Asia
Thailand is not alone in the massive storms and flooding it has experienced over the past week or two. Southeast Asia is looking down the barrel of two major storm systems, Super Typhoon Chanthu lumbering towards Taiwan and Tropical Storm Conson advancing on Vietnam, both expected to make landfall this weekend. Super Typhoon Chanthu The super typhoon will batter…
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Covid-19 AFTERNOON UPDATE Saturday: provincial totals
Covid-19 infections and deaths have been fairly consistent over the past week but today’s 253 deaths reported over the last 24 hours is a disappointing jump from the 189 deaths reported yesterday. The number of daily Covid-19 infections remained steadily around the 15,000 mark for more than a week, with the past 24 hours seeing 15,191 infections. 726 of those…
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Police launch mobile Covid-19 testing for officers and families
Considered high-risk for contracting Covid-19 due to their frequent close interaction with the public, the Royal Thai Police launched a proactive screening campaign for officers and their family members to be tested for Covid-19. Mobile testing units have been dispatched from police headquarters to provide antigen tests to stations, starting with Bangkok. The national police force has created 10 mobile…
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Kidnapped baby Nong Gina was not sexually assaulted
After the bizarre excuse given for Nong Gina’s kidnapping, that the 2 year old was left at a cave as a sacrifice to the nature spirits, police and missing persons groups suspected more sinister motivations. Police are looking into the possibility that a human trafficking network had targeted Nong Gina, and questioned 3 additional suspects. Now after a physical examination,…
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Hua Hin reopening could hurt bigger domestic tourism market
With Covid-19 restrictions being eased a bit and allowing for some domestic movement, Hua Hin has seen an influx of Thai domestic travellers coming for a much-needed holiday. The seaside town in Prachuap Khiri Khan province is seeing a boom but the Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association is advising that the planned reopening for foreigners may do more…
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Covid-19 UPDATE Saturday: 253 deaths, rate of infections steady
Covid-19 infections and deaths have been fairly consistent over the past week but today’s 253 deaths reported over the last 24 hours is a disappointing jump from the 189 deaths reported yesterday. The number of daily Covid-19 infections remained steadily around the 15,000 mark for more than a week, with the past 24 hours seeing 15,191 infections. 726 of those…
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Is Africa ready to produce a malaria vaccine?
There’s a ray of hope in the fight against tropical diseases: German pharmaceutical company BioNTech said it wants to develop vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis. Clinical trials are expected to start by the end of 2022. The vaccines will use use BioNTech’s messenger RNA technology that’s already proven effective against COVID-19. BioNTech also said it wants to produce the vaccines…
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Angela Merkel in Poland: Bidding good-bye to a difficult partner
After Angela Merkel was elected chancellor of Germany in the fall of 2005, Warsaw was one of the first capitals she visited, along with Paris and Brussels. Poland had joined the European Union a year earlier. Germany was full of hope as it eyed its new partner on the right bank of the Oder River. Sixteen years later as Merkel…
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9/11, the ‘war on terror’ and the consequences for the world
Twenty years have passed since the September 11 attacks. At Ground Zero in New York, the towers of a new World Trade Center rise above the skyline, and there is a memorial to the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks. The city has bounced back and now has more residents than in 2001. Until the pandemic, the economy was booming. …
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9/11 through African eyes
Kenya Zainab Aziz I knew about the attack immediately because I was a journalist, working for the national broadcaster in the capital, Nairobi. In my heart and mind I was thinking of the people inside those buildings. I was shocked, even before I knew the details. The attack gave me flashbacks to the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania…
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Officials expect 400,000+ Covid-19 infections from free ATK plan
The Chinese-made Lepu Medical Technology antigen test kits at the centre of a controversial importing deal are now scheduled to be distributed free across Thailand from September 16. Health officials are anticipating a spike of several hundred thousand new Covid-19 cases as a result of ATK distribution. The National Health Security Office expects that as a result of the influx…
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