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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 Why long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht
Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...
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Covid-19 task force to consider easing Samut Sakhon restrictions from next week
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is to discuss the easing of restrictions in the central province of Samut Sakhon next week, as new cases continue to fall. Health officials recently introduced a “seal and bubble” strategy to contain the spread of the virus at the epicentre of its resurgence late last year. Yesterday, the province reported 129 new cases,…
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Bangkok police threaten to use full riot-control equipment at future rallies
Following confirmation that several officers were injured at a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police Bureau says it may resort to using full riot-control equipment in future. This would imply a return to the water cannon and tear gas deployed by police late last year. Pakapong Pongpetra from the MPB says 7 police officers were injured by…
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Head of army band shot dead at military base in north-east Thailand – VIDEO
An army band leader has been shot dead at a military camp in the north-eastern province of Nakhon Phanom, with police launching a murder investigation. 34 year old Rungchalerm Pansawasdi was shot 3 times in the head and neck, at the Phra Yod Muang Kwang army base on Wednesday evening. He had just returned from having dinner with his wife,…
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Chinese New Year – The Year of the Ox – Thailand 2021 | VIDEO
The Thaiger visited the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town this morning where the island’s huge Thai-Chinese community flock to commemorate Chinese New Year. So what’s the annual Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, all about? Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) The date of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar and takes place in January…
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Health Ministry says 2 million vaccine doses to be administered by April
Thailand’s Health Ministry says it hopes to have vaccinated over 960,000 people across 10 provinces come April. The Bangkok Post reports that Sopon Mekthon from the government’s Covid-19 vaccine task force says the initial rollout will target high-risk groups, such as those over the age of 60, those with underlying conditions, as well as frontline healthcare workers and disease control…
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Thailand News Today | Home-made Thai vaccine ready to start trials | February 11
Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin, is now claiming that the first stage of human trials of a locally-produced vaccine brew will get underway next month. The local Thai vaccine is a joint collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University. It’s understood the vaccine has performed satisfactorily in animal testing, showing an ability to…
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Human Rights Watch says Thailand abuses lèse majesté law to silence protesters
The Human Rights Watch is speaking up against Thailand’s use of the lèse majesté law after 4 prominent pro-democracy activists were denied bail by the Bangkok Criminal Court and ordered into pretrial detention for allegedly insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. The HRW says the activists could be in detention for years until their trials are concluded. At a time…
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PETA calls on Thai officials to ban photos with exotic animals due to Covid-19
After reports that some exotic cats and primates in captivity have tested positive for Covid-19, animal rights activists are calling on Thailand’s public health minister to ban all photo opportunities with the exotic animals to avoid potential coronavirus outbreaks either from human to animal, or from animal to human. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known as PETA,…
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Police arrest alleged gambling den boss in Rayong
An alleged gambling den boss in Rayong has been arrested in the Muang district of the province this morning. The man, Somchai Chutikidecha, aka Longchu Somchai, allegedly operated a large illegal gambling den, which was thought to be the source of a major Covid-19 outbreak. Police say he was found in a house surrounded by high walls, in Soi Ratsamakhi…
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DSI raids Thai model agency, finds 500,000 photos and videos of child pornography
Around a half a million pornographic photos and videos of children allegedly from a Thai modelling agency were seized by officers from the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI. Officers raided the modelling agency, which is run from a home in a Pathum Thani neighbourhood, and arrested the owner of the agency. Police say the home had a studio with…
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201 new cases, 185 locally transmitted- Covid-19 Update
Today, Thailand has reported 201 new Covid-19 cases, with 185 being locally-transmitted. 16 of those cases were imported, raising the total number of cases in the country to 24,104 since the outbreak began. An assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says 96 new cases were confirmed at hospitals and 89 others through active case finding. Samut Sakhon,…
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Singapore begins flying with Covid-19 vaccinated employees
Singapore Airlines is beginning to fly with Covid-19 vaccinated employees. The airline says pilots and cabin crew on 3 international flights from the country have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The airline said pilots and cabin crew on 3 international flights from Singapore had received both of the required doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The move to become…
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Man arrested for allegedly killing baby step-daughter who wouldn’t stop crying
A 25 year old man has been arrested in the eastern town of Si Racha, after he allegedly confessed to killing his 1 year old step-daughter because she wouldn’t stop crying. The Pattaya News reports that Worakit Jitprasong told police he didn’t mean to kill the child, only to stop her crying. Officers who arrived at the property in the…
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US issues sanctions against Myanmar after coup
US President Joe Biden is issuing sanctions against Myanmar’s military regime after it staged a coup which saw the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi placed under arrest along with other senior members of the National League for Democracy. The executive order will prevent Myanmar’s generals from accessing US $1 billion in assets in the US while keeping…
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Human trials of Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine to begin next month
Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says the first stage of human trials of a locally-produced vaccine will get underway next month. The jab is a joint collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University. It’s understood the vaccine has performed satisfactorily in animal testing, showing an ability to stimulate immunity. Pannee Pitisutthitgan from…
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Pattaya, Phuket, launch campaigns to re-ignite tourism
The normally vibrant tourist hotspots of Pattaya and Phuket are aiming to re-ignite domestic tourism, now that the Covid-19 resurgence appears to be on the decline. Both locations had become completely dependent on domestic tourists following the first wave of the virus, but then had to contend with a second blow when Covid-19 staged a comeback in December. Now, the…
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Phuket’s tourism representatives petition PM over ban on local vaccine purchase
Representatives from various tourism associations on the southern island of Phuket have reacted with dismay to a government ban on local administrations and the private sector purchasing Covid-19 vaccines. In January, the Public Health Minister stated that the government was not opposed to local authorities purchasing their own vaccine supplies, provided the jabs had been approved by the Food and…
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Pro-democracy groups vow to intensify rallies in 2021, aim for 2 million protesters a day
Pro-democracy activists have pledged to continue and increase their protest action this year, aiming for 2 million protesters a day. The Bangkok Post reports that protest leader Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka “Rung”, confirmed the intention yesterday, a day after 4 fellow activists were denied bail by the Criminal Court in Bangkok. Around 1,000 protesters gathered at the Pathumwan intersection in the…
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Thailand News Today | Violence in soap operas and SPM Shopping Mall scam update | February 10
The governor of the eastern province of Rayong has given the go-ahead for bars and other entertainment venues to re-open after they were closed at the start of January to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The province has now gone 9 days without any new Covid-19 infections. On February 1 Rayong’s Covid zone status was changed from red to orange.…
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No Valentine’s Day marriage licenses will be issued in Bangkok due to Covid-19
Couples in Bangkok wishing to tie the knot on Valentine’s Day will have to wait. Bangkok officials have banned the issuing of marriage licenses on Valentine’s Day in all 50 districts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the holiday. District offices are packed every year on February 14 with hundreds of couples queuing up to get marriage licenses, especially…
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CCSA Update: 157 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death
157 new Covid-19 cases and 1 new death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 4,909 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 23,903 Covid-19 infections and 80 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of the 157 new cases, 106 cases were detected in active…
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Thai Public Health Ministry starts cannabis cultivation project in Buri Ram
A cannabis cultivation project is being launched by Thailand’s Public Health Ministry in the Isaan province Buri Ram. 6 cannabis plants will be given to each member of the local Non Malai Community Enterprise as a pilot project on commercial cultivation of cannabis, according to the director of the ministry’s cannabis research group, Kitti Losuwannarak. Cannabis flowers and buds will…
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North Korea steals $300 million USD in cryptocurrency for nuclear weapons – UN report
Hackers in North Korea stole cryptocurrency worth more than $300 million USD to pay the government’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on the country’s capital Pyongyang. From 2019 to November 2020, North Korea stole around $316.4 million USD worth of “virtual assets,” according to AFP, which obtained a copy…
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Sick pet cats and dogs to be tested for Covid-19 in Seoul, South Korea
Cat and dog owners in Seoul, South Korea are now asked to keep their pets 2 metres away from both people and other pets while sick cats and dogs with flu-like symptoms will be tested for Covid-19. The new health measures for pets comes after the country reported its first feline coronavirus case in January when a kitten in the…
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Outrage on Twitter as rape scenes continue to be portrayed in Thai soap operas
It’s a debate that’s been raging in Thailand for years now, and yet, little appears to have changed. The portrayal of rape in Thai soap operas, done in a manner which critics say normalises sexual assault and victim blaming, is once more under fire. Thai PBS World reports that yesterday, the hashtag #ข่มขืนผ่านจอพอกันที (#NoMoreRapeOnScreen) became the fastest trending hashtag on…
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Bangkok police say over 1,000 officers to be deployed at MBK Skywalk rally today
The deputy chief of Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police says 1,085 police officers have been lined up to deal with today’s planned rally at the MBK Skywalk over the Pathumwan Intersection in the capital. Piya Tawichai says 7 companies of officers will be deployed to manage the 5pm gathering, which has been organised by pro-democracy group Ratsadon. “3 of the companies will…
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200 people file complaints with Pattaya police after losing money from alleged pyramid scheme
Pattaya police say 200 people have filed complaints after losing money to the dodgy online money-making app by “SPM Shopping Mall,” which appears to be a huge pyramid scheme. This week alone, 70 people, Thai nationals and foreigners, filed complaints with Pattaya City Police. Officers suspect around 10,000 people in Thailand fell victim to the scam, losing millions of baht…
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Court refuses bail applications for 4 pro-democracy activists
4 prominent members of the pro-democracy Ratsadon group have had their bail applications rejected at a court hearing in Bangkok. The Criminal Court denied bail for activist and human rights lawyer, Anon Nampa, and for fellow activists, Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”, Somyos Prueksakasemsuk, and Patiwat Saraiyam, aka, “Bank”. The 4 activists are being charged with sedition under section 116 of…
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Thailand aims for 30% electric vehicle production by 2030
By 2030, Thailand aims to have 30% of car production to be electric vehicles in an effort to minimise air pollution as the air quality in a number of provinces in Thailand, especially Bangkok and Chiang Mai, has been at levels classified as unhealthy and even hazardous in reports by IQAir. Electric vehicles would include cars, motorbikes and buses. Industry…
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Man arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a police officer outside a petrol station
A 23 year old man was arrested for allegedly shooting and killing a police officer outside a petrol station station in Suphan Buri. The 53 year old police officer, who was wearing civilian clothes, had approached a group who were drinking outside the PTT station, telling them to turn down the music and advising them to go home, a witness…
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