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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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African nations miss out on climate funding
Rich nations pledged more than a decade ago to pay $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries cut their own emissions and reduce the already-felt impacts of climate change. At the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow, African negotiators want this financing for climate mitigation and adaption to be scaled up to $1.3 trillion per year…
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Internet economy of SEA expected to reach US$1 trillion by 2030
The internet economy of Southeast Asia is growing… fast. Industries like online shopping and food delivery have grown exponentially since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Reuters reports, citing an industry report released yesterday. The region’s internet economy is expected to continue growing, and eventually reach US$1 trillion by 2030. This joint report was released by Google, business consultancy group…
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Lawsuit filed against Baldwin, set gun handler claims conspiracy
Following a tragic fatal accidental shooting on the set of a Hollywood movie being filmed in New Mexico, crew members of the movie are suing actor and producer Alec Baldwin who fired the fatal shot. The famous actor was starring in as well as producing “Rust”, an Old West film, when he was handed a gun to rehearse a scene…
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Loy Krathong celebration by ICONSIAM to be “magical” and under SHA standards
The Tourism Authority of Thailand partners with ICONSIAM, Thai Chamber of Commerce and alliance to preserve the Thai traditional festival of Loy Krathong by organizing ICONSIAM A Magical Loy Krathong Upon The Chao Phraya River under a high level of hygienic and safety measures according to SHA The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with ICONSIAM and business alliances…
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Thursday Covid Update: 7,496 new cases; provincial totals
57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,883 with 19,789 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 7,496 new Covid-19 cases and 7,452 recoveries. There are now 96,450 people in Thailand being…
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50 year old man arrested accused of sexual abuse of 9 year old girl
Accused of sexually abusing a 9 year old girl, police in Bang Lamung arrested a 50 year old man working at a wood factory. The Huayyai Police responded to a complaint in the Pattaya area from a man and his 9 year old niece alleging the sexual abuse on Tuesday. The man reported to police that, in speaking with the…
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Hackers seized Constitutional Court website after protester ruling
In response to the Constitutional Court making a controversial decision that pro-democracy demonstrations, and the speeches leaders gave at them, were considered an illegal attempt to overthrow the government and monarchy, computer hackers took over the Court’s website homepage and did some redecorating. The website was hacked and text was changed to display the phrase “kangaroo court” – a slang…
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Southeast Asia’s internet economy boosted by record investments
Southeast Asia’s internet economy is being boosted by a record number of investments. In the first half of this year, global investments amounted to US$11.5 billion into tech companies, with the bulk of funds being directed at e-commerce and the digital financial services sector. The number of deals during the same time period rose by 65% compared to the same…
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Motorbike law breakers: report them and win up to 20,000 baht
In an effort to increase traffic safety, or perhaps the fines that come with it, police are enlisting a new weapon in enforcement: you. A new program would offer the chance to win prizes of up to 20,00 baht from the Thai National Police for citizens who record and report motorbike drivers breaking traffic laws. The new programme, announced by…
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Things to know about the Thailand Pass. And some rumours.
Ah, the Thailand Pass. Like it or hate it, it is what it is, and you’ll need to wade through it if you want to come to Thailand in the foreseeable future, both foreigners and Thais. For a start, here’s the link to the application page for the Thailand Pass. There’s a list of the 63 countries that are currently…
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Flooding in Chon Buri from rising sea level
Many roads in Chon Buri have flooded this week because of the rising sea levels. On Monday, water from the ocean poured onto beach roads in the Bang Plasoi sub-district, flooding them with seawater as much as 30 centimetres deep. The flooding on the road caused significant traffic delays, and even caused some smaller vehicles to get stuck. Duangduan Pantumaopas,…
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National park visits rising as tourists brave the cold weather
As Thailand reopens and tourism, both international and domestic, begins to grow, many tourists are turning away from chasing warm sunny beaches. An influx of tourists has been seen heading to some of Thailand’s chilliest national park destinations and attractions. In the northern province of Loei, the Phu Ruea National Park viewpoint, renowned for its beautiful sunrises, has seen many…
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Pattaya Loy Krathong festival is a go, despite cancellation rumours
Contrary to rumours of cancellation, Pattaya Public Relations officials have confirmed again that the city will hold a Loy Krathong festival on November 19. Rumours have been seen spreading on social media and even some Thai language news outlets ran stories earlier this week suggesting the event would not take place. But Pattaya PR firmly denied the rumours and say…
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Road safety campaign aimed at Thailand’s motorbike riders
Thailand’s road safety record is once again up for discussion, with the launch of yet another safety campaign. In this instance, officials are focusing on motorbikes, which account for the vast majority of road traffic accidents in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, around 80% of bike accidents result in deaths. From Monday, a new campaign in the…
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Government defends lèse majesté law against UN criticism
Following criticism from a number of United Nations member states, the Thai government has defended the country’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law, or section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai monarchy and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Reuters reports that yesterday, a number of UN member countries voiced…
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Thursday Covid Update: 7,496 new cases and 57 deaths
7,496 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 7,452 recoveries. There are now 96,450 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 1,968,106 confirmed Covid-19…
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US parents split over COVID vaccines for young children
Louise*, mother of a first-grader in Washington DC, was so keen on getting her daughter vaccinated against COVID-19 that she didn’t mind going a bit out of her way. Friday around lunchtime she found out that a rec center across town had around 300 open spots for kids aged 5 to 11 the following day. She immediately signed up ―…
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AfricaLink on Air – 10 November 2021
Nnamdi Kanu-Nigerian separatist leader’s trial adjourned after lawyer walks out++Ethiopia detains 72 World Food Programme truck drivers in war-hit north++Zambia plans to abolish dowry. SOURCE: DW News
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Belarus border residents rattled by migrant crisis on their doorstep
The Kamenets district near the well-known national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a rather deserted area on the Belarusian-Polish border. There’s only one border crossing here to get to neighboring Poland legally. But, the Pestschatka checkpoint hardly sees any traffic nowadays due to coronavirus restrictions in Belarus. Residents of the surrounding Belarusian villages, however, have been watching their country’s western border…
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Benin liberalizes abortion law
Claudia can still remember when her mother forbade her to ever consider having an abortion. She was a 16-year-old school student in Cotonou, Benin’s economic hub. “She said, ‘If you get pregnant, you have to have the child’. She would never have allowed me to get an abortion,” Claudia, who is now 28, told DW. Claudia says that for many…
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What does India want to achieve through Afghanistan talks?
India on Wednesday hosted senior diplomats and security officials from Afghanistan’s neighbors, with the notable exceptions of China and Pakistan, to discuss how to deal with the Taliban. The Delhi Regional Security Dialogue for Afghanistan was attended by representatives from India, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Afghan representatives were not invited. Officials from Pakistan and China declined…
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Thailand focuses tourism on first-time visitors and India
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has expanded its target demographic a bit in its plan to reinvigorate the tourist economy in the country. The new plan the TAT is embracing is to focus not just on the so-called “high quality” tourists, but also to chase first-time visitors to Thailand. Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn is confident and hopeful,…
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North Korea teeters on the brink of famine as winter approaches
The last of the harvest was gathered shortly before the first snow fell in North Korea this year, but the yield was significantly less than the amount needed to feed the isolated nation’s 26 million people. This June, a report issued by the South Korea-based Korea Development Institute estimated that the North gathered just over 4.4 million tons of crops…
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Thammasat University vs. Foreign Affairs Ministry: 1.5 million vaccines lost
It seems that the dust is still settling on the back and forth that pitted Thammasat University Hospital against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a struggle to import 1.5 million free Moderna vaccines donated by Poland. Each side argues that it was the other’s failure that prevented the vaccine from being received in Thailand. The university had coordinated a…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 6,978 new cases; provincial totals
62 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,826 with 19,732 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 6,978 new Covid-19 cases and 7,697 recoveries. There are now 96,463 people in Thailand being…
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Government wants 76 billion baht to support rice farmers
The Finance Ministry has announced a plan to use a 76 billion baht package to support Thai rice farmers. The ministry is working with the Budget Bureau to create a scheme that ensures a guaranteed income for the farmers, which would offer some cushion against the unpredictable issues that plague farming such as floods, droughts and pestilence. There is already…
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US journalist Fenster faces charges of terrorism and sedition
Danny Fenster, the American journalist that was taken into custody as he attempted to leave Myanmar in May, has had additional charges of terrorism and sedition levied against him today. He is now facing a maximum sentence of life in prison for those charges, a grave turn from the original 6 years he was facing for the accusation of promoting…
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Opposition wants to look into ‘misuse of law’ to silence protesters
An opposition party is backing a motion to form a panel to looking misuses of laws they say are used to silence political dissent, including Thailand’s draconian lese majeste law, which carries an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the royal family. With the rise of the youth-led pro-democracy movement over the past year, where many have raised…
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AirAsia flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket return for Sandbox scheme
AirAsia has announced that it will resume its flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phuket. This comes in the wake of Thailand’s reopening to international travelers on November 1. This flight will allow visitors to enter the country through the Phuket sandbox programme. The first flight was an Airbus A320 that took off from Kuala Lumpur at 11:15am. The route is currently…
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British Foreign Secretary arrives in Thailand for talks with government officials
The UK’s Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, has arrived in Thailand, where she will meet with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and other government officials. Thailand is her second Southeast Asia stop, following a visit to Malaysia in which she met with PM Ismail Sabri and Foreign Affairs Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. The UK is seeking to strengthen its ties with Southeast Asia and other…
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