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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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FDA passes on using Sinopharm vaccine for children over 3 years old
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration has denied Sinopharm’s request to administer Covid vaccinations to children over 3 years old. The FDA cited a lack of data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Dr Paisan Dankhum, the Deputy Secretary General of the FDA, says the FDA committee and experts across many agencies had discussed the safety and effectiveness of…
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October Pattaya reopening on schedule according to mayor
Despite Chon Buri having the fourth highest Covid-19 infection rate in the country, the mayor of Pattaya City said that they are ready and on schedule to reopen international tourism on October 1. While there has been a lot of doubt over partial or full reopening next month for Thailand, the mayor assured that the “Pattaya Move On” Sandbox program…
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Communicable disease law may be amended to replace emergency decree
Thailand’s Communicable Disease law is likely to replace the emergency decree from the end of September, after Cabinet approved a draft amendment to the 2015 Act. The emergency decree was enacted in March 2020 and granted the government sweeping powers to control the spread of Covid-19 through the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The decree is due to expire at…
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Travel data to Thailand for 106 million people unprotected online
106 million visitors to Thailand over the last 10 years were discovered to have had their personal information unsecured online. Comparitech, a cyber security firm that discovered the database, revealed that the data has been unprotected online without any password protection possibly for the last decade. The unprotected data included people’s full names, passport numbers, gender, residency status, date they…
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Namibia debates German genocide deal
Namibia’s parliament on Tuesday resumed debate around the signing of a joint declaration with Germany regarding the former colonial power’s recognition that it perpetrated genocide in the early 1900s. Parliamentary debates in June had been suspended as Namibia battled a devastating wave of COVID-19 infections, which delayed the National Assembly in agreeing to Berlin’s May offer of a formal apology…
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Is reconciliation with New Delhi possible in Indian Kashmir?
“Just like everything else in Kashmir, I am a shadow of my previous self,” says 58-year-old Shabir, a boatman from the city of Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir. Shabir, whose name has been changed, used to be the proud owner of a traditional yellow Shikara boat on Dal Lake. The lake’s floating market had been Shabir’s bread and butter. That was…
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Opinion: How real is the threat of Taliban infighting?
In recent days, reports have abounded of disputes within the Taliban, purportedly fueled by the formation of a hard-line, noninclusive interim government disdained by the group’s moderate factions because of its lack of non-Taliban leaders and ethnic minorities. Several accounts have provided striking details of a physical altercation earlier this month between lead representatives of the moderate and hard-line camps…
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Soldier allegedly assaults neighbours following horn honking
A soldier in Nonthaburi, a central Thai province, allegedly assaulted his neighbours at their home because one of the victims had honked his motorbike’s horn to let his wife know he was home. The victims, 39 year old Piamsuk Bunruang and 42 year old Alisa Choksinsombun filed a police report yesterday following the attack. Thai Residents says the soldier punched…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 10,919 new cases; provincial totals
143 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, 15,612 people infected with Covid-19 have died with 15,518 of those fatalities during the country’s latest wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 10,919 new…
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Officials clarify Korat police van stopped at the beach after collecting murder suspect
Cops in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima, AKA Korat, recently came under fire, figuratively, for allegedly using an official police van to take a trip to the beach. Police launched a fact-finding committee to investigate after pictures and videos surfaced of the police van arriving at a beach in Phetchaburi, a central Thai province, and people getting out…
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OnlyFans content creators arrested by Thai police on pornography charges
Two OnlyFans content creators have been arrested by Thai police on pornography charges. The Thai government is warning people who live in Thailand and post sexually explicit content on OnlyFans, they are breaking Thai law and they could face hefty fines, even jail time. OnlyFans is an online subscription service where content creators can make money off of those who…
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Scientists study bats in Cambodia to find clues about Covid
Scientists are collecting samples from bats in Cambodia to better understand the Covid pandemic. The researchers chose the region as a similar virus was found there in bats years ago. 2 samples were taken from horseshoe bats back in 2010 in the Stung Treng province, which is close to Laos. The samples were placed in freezers at the Institut Pasteur…
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Update: government official that allegedly stole from fund meant for the disabled spent all the money on gambling
In an update to yesterday’s story, Pisal Sukjaitham, the government official who was arrested for allegedly embezzling 13 million baht from a fund meant for the disabled, allegedly confessed, after being interrogated, that he spent all the money he stole on gambling. In another development in the story, INN says that officials are now saying 45 million baht was stolen…
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Flight restrictions to the US to ease in November – US government
The US of A has announced that it will remove Covid travel bans on air travel for all passengers starting in November, provided the passengers are fully vaccinated and have submitted to testing and contact tracing. The Covid response coordinator for American president and Corvette fan Joe Robinette Biden, Jeffrey Zients says the new “consistent approach” will take effect sometime…
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Government warns that posting pornographic material is illegal following OnlyFans creator being questioned by police
Fans of posting videos and pictures of themselves naked or having intercourse be wary: The Thai government is warning people who post content on OnlyFans that if they reside in Thailand and release content that could be deemed “obscene” or pornography by Thai law, they could face harsh fines and maybe even spend years in jail if they are found…
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Bali to re-open for international yachts with fully vaccinated crew, passengers
The director of a Bali yachting firm says Indonesia is preparing to ease entry restrictions for yachts and fully vaccinated crew and passengers. Thomas Taatjes from Asia Pacific Superyachts says foreign nationals will be required to present proof of Covid-19 vaccination when applying for a visa. “Foreigners who apply for the visa must have a certificate showing they are fully…
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Strapped for cash, Thai Airways puts 3 more aircraft up for sale
The beleaguered national carrier, Thai Airways International, is to sell 3 more aircraft in a bid to raise some much-needed funds. Also up for grabs is a flight simulator, as the airline continues with its rehabilitation plan and attempts to modernise its fleet. The Bangkok Post reports that the airline is selling 3 of its Airbus A330-300s, all of which…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 143 deaths and 10,919 new cases
Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 10,919 new Covid-19 cases and 143 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in Thailand’s most severe wave of the virus, 1,471,242 people have tested positive for Covid-19. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 11,694 recoveries. There are now 131,655 people currently receiving treatment for the coronavirus. Out of…
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Phang Nga asks for tourists to be allowed travel directly from Phuket airport
Phang Nga’s tourism operators are urging the government to allow foreign tourists to travel directly to the province from Phuket airport, skipping the 7+7 extension scheme. Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn from the Tourism Council of Phang Nga says tourists are being put off by the bureaucracy involved in the certificate of entry application process and the 7+7 scheme which mandates that tourists…
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Party at luxury villa in Phuket raided, homeowner allegedly assaults police officer
Over the weekend, a party at a luxury villa in Phuket was raided and 19 people were arrested. One officer was allegedly assaulted in the course of the raid. The house was raided in the early morning hours in the Rawai sub-district. Police arrived at the villa around 1am after being tipped off that an illegal gathering was taking place.…
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Tunisia’s political crisis: What role will the military play?
The video, shot late at night, shows a group of mostly men in suits approaching a metal gate in Tunis. Beyond the gate stand several soldiers guarding the country’s parliament buildings. Politely, it is explained that the gathering includes some of the most senior politicians in the country, including Rachid al-Ghannouchi, Tunisia’s parliamentary speaker and chairman of the moderate Islamist…
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South Korea’s balancing act amid US-China Indo-Pacific rivalry
As the US bolsters its alliances to counter China throughout the Indo-Pacific region, medium-size regional powers are coming under growing pressure to choose a side. South Korea has been militarily aligned with the United States since the 1950-53 Korean War, and is also deeply economically intertwined with neighboring China. Analysts say Beijing is putting pressure on South Korea to move…
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South Korea squeezed by US-China Indo-Pacific rivalry
As the US bolsters its alliances to counter China throughout the Indo-Pacific region, medium-size regional powers are coming under growing pressure to choose a side. South Korea has been militarily aligned with the United States since the 1950-53 Korean War, and is also deeply economically intertwined with neighbor China. Analysts say Beijing is putting pressure on South Korea to move…
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Pathum Thani man allegedly lights building on fire, sticks around to laugh and smile
Over the weekend, a man in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani allegedly lit a residential building on fire but rather than fleeing the scene after his criminal act, the man allegedly stuck around to laugh and smile at the destruction. The man allegedly started the fire in the early morning hours, around 2am in the Lam Luk Ka…
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Insect snacks hit Japanese vending machines
Vending machines sell a variety of products. Some vending machines sell soda and candy, some sell full meals, and others, which are a bit harder to find, sell used underwear. Now, Japan is introducing vending machines that sell snacks with insect extract and edible insects. Such a machine has been installed in Miyaki Town in Western Japan, recently. Thai PBS…
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Monday Covid Update: 12,709 new cases; provincial totals
106 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death in Thailand to 15,469. Of that number, 15,375 deaths were during latest and most severe wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 12,709 new Covid-19 cases and…
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Pattaya laundry shop reports ladies’ underwear thief is on the loose
Pattaya women who dry their clothes outside beware: a panty snatching thief was recently captured on CCTV as he stole women’s undergarments from a laundry shop in Pattaya. The 36 year old shop owner who is referred to as Onuma says that last week a motorbike driving man stole 8 women’s panties that were drying on a clothesline in front…
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Hanoi to ease Covid restrictions this week
Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is going to ease Covid restrictions currently in place as new cases decrease and most of the adult population is at least partially vaccinated, says the government of Vietnam. The restrictions will ease this week and the majority of construction projects will be able to start up again by Wednesday. More restrictions will be cut…
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Government believes more suspects involved in theft from budget meant for the disabled
An investigation into the embezzlement of 13 million baht allocated for the disabled is looking to uncover just how many officials were involved in the graft. The Social Development and Human Security Ministry plans to investigate the matter further and Permanent secretary Patcharee Arayakul says the investigation is already in motion. The investigation comes on the heels of a C-6…
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Around 20 people arrested at Koh Samui restaurant for drinking alcohol, gambling, playing pool
A mixture of Thais and foreigners were arrested at a restaurant in Koh Samui over the weekend for allegedly drinking alcohol and gambling. They were also allegedly witnessed playing pool. The bar patrons were in violation of Surat Thani’s Provincial Orders that forbids gatherings, notably gatherings that include drinking alcohol. Around 20 customers were busted for drinking alcohol when police…
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