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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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Anutin opposes limiting quarantine-free re-opening to 10 countries
It appears there’s dissension amongst the ranks once more, as Thailand’s Health Minister disagrees with restricting the PM’s proposed re-opening to just 10 countries. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand should re-open to vaccinated tourists from MORE than 10 “low risk” countries. On Monday night, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha carried out a televised address in which he…
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Violence continues between military and insurgents in Thailand’s deep south
The fighting between the military and insurgents in the Southern border provinces of Thailand continues. Yesterday the Thai military killed a suspected insurgent after a shootout in a peat swamp in the Bacho district of Narathiwat, a province on Thailand’s southern border. This marks the sixth insurgent killed in the area in the last week. A combined force of Thai…
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Pattani Covid-19 spike fills nearly all field hospital beds
In the Deep South province of Pattani, health officials are reporting that field hospital beds are about full with 4,000 patients in care as Covid-19 numbers surge in the region. The Pattani Provincial Public Health Office is racing to create community isolation treatment centres to house up to 10,000 patients as Covid-19 infections continue to mount. The region is imposing…
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Chiang Mai ready to re-open despite new cluster of infections
The governor of Chiang Mai says the province is ready for the planned November 1 re-opening to foreign tourists. Despite a new cluster of infections being detected at the large market of Talad Muang Mai, Prajon Pratsakul insists the northern province is ready to re-open. The Bangkok Post reports that 478 Covid-19 cases have been traced to the market, which…
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Curfew reduction, easing more restrictions on CCSA agenda today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets later today to debate a further easing of restrictions ahead of the country’s planned re-opening on November 1. The Bangkok Post reports that the CCSA is set to discuss a reduction in curfew hours, as well as reducing the number of provinces in various coloured zones. Among the proposals to be discussed is the…
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Return of the tar balls on Phuket’s northern beaches
The tar balls are back. During a scheduled beach clean yesterday along Phuket’s north-coast Nai Yang Beach, volunteers noticed the return of the mysterious tar balls that were washing up along the coast in the weeks before Phuket’s Sandbox started on July 1. Michelle from Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation contacted The Thaiger this morning with the news of the return…
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Inside the EU’s offer to scrap most Northern Ireland checks
The European Union says its new proposals to solve the post-Brexit Northern Ireland conundrum go far beyond tinkering around the edges: halving customs paperwork on goods entering Northern Ireland from the British mainland and scrapping the majority of checks on food. EU officials are already in London to discuss their suggested changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol, but, with big…
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AfricaLink on Air – 13 October 2021
Rwanda education sector in shock after 60,000 students fail+++Ethiopian offensive in two northern regions intensifies+++Guinea’s military ruler, Col. Mamady Doumbouya, force some 42 military generals to early retirement+++Nigeria approves electronic transfer of election results+++Elderly fend off sexual predators through learning Karate SOURCE: DW News
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World in Progress: How Niger is fighting radicalization with education
This report by Bettina Rühl is presented by Ineke Mules. SOURCE: DW News
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What is the future of Indian investment in Afghanistan?
New Delhi spent billions of dollars on infrastructure and humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan after the United States toppled the Taliban regime in 2001. From building highways to transporting food and building schools, India “invested time, money and effort” into rebuilding Afghanistan, according to an Indian business expert. The expert, who asked not to be named, said Indian projects in Afghanistan…
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Minister of Tourism is sure tourists will flood Thailand November 1
Though often criticised for its overly-optimistic tourism predictions seemingly pulled out of thin air, this time the Thai government is sure people will be flooding back in as the borders reopen on November 1. Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan said that Thailand needs to brace itself for an onslaught of international travellers flooding into the country come November…
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COVID: Will European tourists return to Southeast Asia?
It’s little wonder Southeast Asia is now in a rush to welcome back tourists: in 2019, the sector was worth $393billion (€340 billion) for the regional economy. For countries like Cambodia and Thailand, tourism accounted for around a third and a fifth of their entire GDP, respectively. But the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard. The region welcomed 143 million tourists…
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2 Thai women arrested transporting 7 Burmese migrants
At a checkpoint in Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, 2 Thai women were arrested smuggling 7 Burmese migrants and a child, apparently attempting to transport them back to Myanmar. The stop took place at around 7 am this morning and the women were arrested in violation of provincial communicable disease committee orders to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Officials at…
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Samut Prakan prison teams up with industrial sector for work release programme
More than 100 prison inmates are going to work in the industrial sector as part of a vocational programme through the Samut Prakan Central Prison, which is southeast of Bangkok. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin says it aims to provide inmates with “an opportunity to improve their industrial skills and increase the chance of employment after they finish serving their sentence.”…
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Pattaya police respond to call reporting a “ghost”
Police in Pattaya responded to a call for a ghost… Yes, a ghost. Locals heard crying and howling coming from an abandoned shophouse. It was so disturbing that they called the police, worried that the empty shop was haunted. Turns out the ghost was actually a homeless man who seemed to be having an emotional breakdown. Officers responded to the…
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Korea to donate 470,000 AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced that it will donate nearly 1.6 million AstraZeneca vaccines combined to Thailand and Vietnam. The agency announced yesterday that South Korea will donate 470,000 vaccines to Thailand and 1.1 million vaccines to Vietnam. Korea is now managed to vaccinate nearly 80% of its population, about 41.6 million of its 52 million citizens.…
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Thai government to review law after World Anti-Doping Agency non-compliance ruling
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision last week, ruling Thailand non-compliant with the agency’s requirements, the Thai government is now putting more focus on regulating banned substances at international sports competitions. The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that authorities are working on issuing laws that correspond with the agency’s national standard. Thailand, Indonesia, and North Korea were ruled non-compliant…
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Ministry defends Pfizer vaccines against radiation accusations
Pfizer mRNA vaccines are facing accusations of being contaminated with radiation, and Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is fighting back against the allegations. The Ministry reassures that all the vaccines in use currently in Thailand are tested and safe for use. At the Department of Disease Control, Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director of the Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control Division,…
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Thailand Top Stories | Thai PM vows to reopen the country to fully vaccinated tourists from November 1 | October 13
Natty gives us a quick update on the national Covid-19 situation as well as the top headlines in Thailand and Southeast Asia: Thai PM vows to reopen the country to fully vaccinated tourists from November 1, police crack down on street racing, adult pleasure toys seized by Thai police, China to set up a 230 million USD to finance efforts…
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Man blames 50 million baht of withdrawals on adopted daughter
A 77 year old businessman in Phitsanulok discovered that 50 million baht was missing from his bank account and has accused his adopted daughter of stealing it. The money is claimed to have disappeared from 6 bank accounts without the man’s knowledge and he has now asked the bank for detailed statements to identify when and how the money was…
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Phuket, Samui to ease entry restrictions for domestic tourists from this weekend
From this weekend, entry restrictions for the islands of Phuket and Samui are being eased for fully vaccinated domestic tourists. Local travellers who can show proof of being fully vaccinated will no longer need to submit to Covid-19 testing to enter Phuket and will no longer have to quarantine after arriving on Samui. The move comes as the government launches…
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Anutin warns Nov 1 reopening could close again if Covid-19 surges
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul may have dampened the excitement over Thailand’s November 1 reopening when he announced that it is possible that the country could close up its borders in the event of a serious Covid-19 outbreak. The announcement on Monday by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that he had told the Ministry of Public Health and Centre for Covid-19…
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Prosecutors to decide Thanathorn’s fate on November 4 following vaccine comments
On November 4, prosecutors will decide whether or not to indict Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit over comments he made about Thailand’s AstraZeneca technology-transfer deal. At the start of the year, the founder of the Progressive Movement criticised the government for being overly-reliant on Siam Bioscience for Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that Thanathorn faces charges of violating Thailand’s defamation law and…
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More rain forecast for Thailand as storm Kompasu makes landfall in Vietnam
Parts of Thailand are braced for more wet weather as Tropical Storm Kompasu makes landfall in upper Vietnam. The Thai Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain for the north-east of the country, while several other regions will be affected by the seasonal monsoon conditions. The Bangkok Post reports that Kompasu’s wind speed has recorded a high of 100 kilometres…
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Thai industry bodies encouraged by tourism re-opening plan
The chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries has welcomed the plan to re-open Thailand to vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries. Supant Mongkolsuthree says the planned November 1 re-opening will accelerate economic growth and increase business confidence. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supant predicts the return of foreign tourism could see GDP growth achieve its target of 0% –…
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Gold theft suspect drops phone while fleeing the scene
A gold theft suspect in Chon Buri allegedly stole nearly 200,000 baht worth of gold from a shop in the Don Hualor district, but police say he dropped something when he ran out… his phone. An employee at the gold shop told police that a man went into the store on Sunday and asked to see gold items because he…
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Health experts weigh in on risks of re-opening Thailand without quarantine
Following Monday night’s announcement by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that Thailand will re-open quarantine-free for select vaccinated tourists from November, health experts have voiced concern. The Bangkok Post reports that some prominent medics are worried re-opening without quarantine will provoke a surge in Covid-19 infections. Thira Woratanarat from the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University has warned that daily case numbers…
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Indonesia shortens quarantine, to reopen to travellers from 18 countries
Indonesia is reopening its border to allow arrivals from 18 countries and the mandatory quarantine period will be cut down from 8 days to 5. An official overseeing the country’s pandemic response did not specify which countries are included in Indonesia’s reopening plan. Indonesia’s borders have been gradually reopening and the airport on the tourist island Bali will resume international…
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Japan bids to harness the energy of super typhoons
At the peak of its power on September 27, Mindulle was classified as the third super typhoon to form in the Western Pacific this year, with winds gusting up to 195 kilometers (121 miles) an hour. The powerful storm, which had originated close to the Pacific island of Guam, made its way north and by the last week of September…
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India’s main opposition attempts overhaul amid leadership crises
The Indian National Congress, often referred to as the “grand old party of India,” is set to have a high-level meeting on Saturday. The agenda is clear: to find a new chief to invigorate the country’s main opposition party. The Congress — which held power for more than 50 of independent India’s 74 years — secured less than 10% of…
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