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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 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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COVID-19 SUNDAY UPDATE: Vaccinations, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 7,079 new Covid-19 infections, up 22 since yesterday, and 47 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,989,547 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 6,917 recoveries, down 476 from…
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Bulgaria’s expats pushing for reforms as country votes
“Whether we mention Bulgaria in Chicago or Sofia, we do it with love,” says Wanya Kramer, who has lived in the US for 20 years. Together with advertising experts in her home country and activists who, like her, live and work abroad, she’s organized the “You have the right to Bulgaria” campaign. It has aimed to encourage Bulgarian expats to…
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Thai flights up 25%, experts suggest travel bubbles, cheaper Covid tests
Thailand’s reopening isn’t just a boost for Thai tourism businesses; it also provided a ray of hope in Asia for the battered airline industry as the first reopening in the region. The Executive Chairman of Thai AirAsia’s largest shareholder, Asia Aviation, says this sets the tone for flights, the tourism economy, and businesses in the country. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok,…
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Tourism in Thailand is slowly returning, still a long road ahead
Though the government’s expected flood of tourists entering Thailand since the reopening 2 weeks ago has been closer to a trickle, businesses are seeing a bit of an uptick in tourism. Still, they are calling on the government to loosen Covid-19 restrictions and asking for federal financial programs to be extended and expanded to help speed recovery. The president of…
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Phuket to get 3 new tourist attractions
4 months after the launch of the Phuket Sandbox, a pilot reopening scheme that has now morphed into a country-wide reopening plan for international travellers, the local Phuket government are talking about spending 100 million baht on new landmarks to help attract tourists. The first of 3 landmark projects is a glass skywalk which would allow visitors to walk along…
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Border crisis: Baltics and Poland blame Belarus
Reports from the border between Poland and Belarus are becoming more and more tragic. On Saturday, Polish TV station TVN reported that the body of a young Syrian man aged about 20 had been found in the forest near Wolka Terechowska. “The cause of death has not yet been determined,” a newsreader said, citing Polish border guards. It also reported…
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Alleged Constitutional Court website hacker tracked down
A 33 year old man in Ubon Ratchathani was arrested today by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau for allegedly hacking the Constitutional Court website on Wednesday. The man was arrested at his home in Warin Chamrab district of the Northeastern province after an investigation by the CCIB. The CCIB started an investigation immediately after the hack was reported by the…
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Van full of marijuana leads police on chase in Nakhon Phanom
Police in tambon Tha Uthen in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom signalled a van to pull over at a checkpoint at Ban Na Nua village after noticing it had Bangkok licence plates and wanting to search it. But officers were surprised when the van instead sped away, as they quickly raced after the car in hot pursuit. After a…
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Unlicensed construction may be cause of Koh Larn resort death
A simple and tragic case of a girl who was found dead in her resort bathroom on the popular holiday island of Koh Larn has taken a twist as officials say the property had no construction license. Though the first information released about her death last week implied a night of heavy drinking led to a fatal accident, poor building…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: Provincial Totals
Today, the CCSA reported 7,057 new Covid-19 infections, down 248 since yesterday, and 55 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 4 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,982,458 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,393 recoveries, up 507 from…
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Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?
OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…
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‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty
Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, along with 6 other police, will be indicted this week over 4 charges relating to the alleged torture and subsequent murder of a 24 year old drug suspect. The 7 police now facing official charges are… Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon (head of the station) Pol Maj Rawirot Ditthong Pol Capt Songyot Khlainak Pol Lt Thoranin…
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Thitisan ‘Joe Ferrari’ and his officers now facing death penalty
The 7 police officers including Pol Col Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon, who were arrested after a video leaked of them suffocating a suspect to death during interrogation, will now face full charges as the Attorney-General has given the go-ahead to begin prosecution. The 7 will be tried for multiple charges including premeditated murder by means of torture, coercion, illegal detention,…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY: 55 deaths, 7,057 new infections
Today, the CCSA reported 7,057 new Covid-19 infections, down 248 since yesterday, and 55 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 4 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,982,458 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,393 recoveries, up 507 from…
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Hospital in Bangkok catches fire, no injuries reported
A fire broke out at Mongkutwattana Hospital in Bangkok yesterday morning, though it appears everyone was evacuated and no one was harmed. The hospital, on Chaeng Wattana Road in the Laksi district of northern Bangkok, was reported to have gone up in flames around 7 am yesterday. Thai media published photos of crowds outside the hospital in what appears to…
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Nigerian interfaith women’s group awarded Aachen Peace Prize
“We were so happy, we are still happy and will continue to be happy,” exclaimed Daharatu Ahmed Aliyu. “And now we are international superstars!” added Elizabeth Majinya Abuk from the background, laughing. The two women arrived in Germany from Nigeria two days before they will receive the award on behalf of their organization: Women’s Interfaith Council (WIC). The women’s organization…
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Iran: President Raisi’s hardline government stalling on progress
Conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi was inaugurated as Iran’s sixth president in August, coming into office an uncompromising hardliner contrasting with his predecessor, Hassan Rouhani. As a supporter and close confidant of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Raisi can count on the backing of Iran’s parliament, where hardliners have held a majority since early 2020. Raisi began his term pledging a “revolutionary”…
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A German photographer’s unique images of the Spanish Civil War
To escape from Nazi Germany, Walter Reuter moved to Spain in 1933. There, he documented the civil war from start to finish. Thousands of the images he captured were discovered only in 2016 and are still being studied. SOURCE: DW News
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China: How has a new ‘historical resolution’ cemented Xi Jinping’s power?
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Thursday approved a rare resolution that is set to consolidate President Xi Jinping’s authority and cement his status as one of the most important leaders in Chinese history . The resolution can also pave the way to a likely third presidential term next year. Experts believe that the resolution indicates a turning point for…
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The 77 Percent – The controversy surrounding bridal payment in Africa
Host: Isaac Kaledzi SOURCE: DW News
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Burmese junta hands down 11-year sentence for US journalist Fenster
US journalist Danny Fenster, the managing editor of Frontier Myanmar who was arrested while attempting to leave the embattled country in May has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. The military court found the 37 year old guilty of incitement and unlawful associations as well as immigration violations. While the court backed down so far on charges of terrorism…
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Pattaya restaurant busted serving alcohol for the fourth time
Fourth time’s the charm? After 3 previous raids with apparently little effect, the Pattaya Police have once again raided a restaurant near Bali Hai for breaking Covid-19 restrictions, selling alcohol and shisha. The raid took place last night and police found about 100 people at the restaurant that were not wearing masks, socially distancing, or taking any Covid-19 safety precautions.…
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COP is just a ‘PR event for world leaders,’ says India climate activist
Disha Ravi, founder of the Indian chapter of the “Fridays for Future” climate movement, says net-zero carbon emissions aren’t going to ensure a safer planet. SOURCE: DW News
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Zipair is the first budget airline to fly from Asia to the US
As tourists finally begin to take to the skies again, a low-cost airline in Japan is set to become the first budget carrier to fly from Asia to North America. Zipair Tokyo Inc announced today that it is launching flight service between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and Los Angeles International Airport in California, the first budget airline to do so. Zipair…
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Public Health Minister barred entry to Switzerland over vaccine requirements
Switzerland barred entry to Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, reportedly for not meeting the country’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements, and Thai media reports that the minister missed a World Health Organisation meeting. Anutin was the first person in Thailand to be injected with a Covid-19 vaccine on February 28, kicking off the country’s mass immunisation campaign. He was injected with…
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Flooding rains hamper Koh Samui for 2 days
The rain has stopped in Koh Samui… For a few minutes. On the island, there has been at least a drizzle nonstop for the past 2 days, with fits of torrential downpour pelting anyone who braves the weather.A popular Facebook group, Thunder Road Reporters, is a community group that members snap photos and post live updates of road conditions they…
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Friday Covid Update: 7,305 new cases; provincial totals
51 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,934 with 19,840 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,305 new Covid-19 cases and 7,900 recoveries. There are now 95,804 people in Thailand being treated for…
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Reopening of bars and nightclubs pushed to mid-January 2022
It’s going to be at least two months until you’ll be able to legally drink a beer at a bar in Thailand… The long-awaited reopening of bars and nightlife venues has been pushed to January 15, 2022. The CCSA held a general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today and decided to push back the reopening date for entertainment venues.…
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List of provinces by the CCSA’s colour-coded zoning, in effect Tuesday
In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to approved the following zoning, starting next Tuesday, November 16. The “dark red” zones have been reduced from seven provinces to six, with Chanthaburi reclassified as a “red” zone under less stringent disease control measures. A spokesperson says the nightly curfew in “dark red” zones from 11pm to…
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Modern luxury cultivated in Thai tradition
Sponsored Article The Thailand International Boat Show is delighted to have the InterContinental Phuket Resort as one of its key exhibitors and sponsors. “It is quite an achievement for the island of Phuket to stage the Thailand International Boat Show 2022 in January as soon as tourism starts to assume normalcy,” says Bjorn Courage, the general manager of the Intercontinental…
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