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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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Pattaya authorities call for patience amid confusion over rules for nightlife reopening
As the owners of bars, clubs, and other entertainment venues look forward to being allowed open their doors from July 1 (sort of), officials at Pattaya City Hall have been inundated with calls about the new rules that govern reopening. A report in The Pattaya News says there is plenty of confusion, as the government’s Covid-19 task force has issued…
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The futuristic Segway will soon be a thing of the past
The Segway vowed to revolutionise how people got around, one of the main attractions being its futuristic look and feel when travelling on the 2-wheeled personal transporter. When first released in 2001, Segways took the market by storm and proved especially popular with tourists and police officers. In recent years they’ve been primarily seen at airports, shopping malls, military bases…
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Baby elephants abused to “break” them for tourism- VIDEO
The plight of Thailand’s many elephants has made plenty of headlines since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in January, especially in the North, where the many elephant camps and “sanctuaries” were the a major draw for tourist revenue until the Emergency Decree and travel ban forced many to close. To avoid starvation, thousands made the long journey back to…
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Surat Thani “cockle wars” are over, says navy chief
The chief of the Royal Thai Navy says local figures wielding influence are being “neutralised” and the disruptive, sometimes violent dispute between cockle farmers and local small-boat fishermen is drawing to an end. Admiral Ruechai Ruddit says the conflict off the coast of Bandon Bay in the southern province of Surat Thani has eased, after cockle farmers began dismantling the…
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What happens to leftover Guinness from Covid-19 lockdowns?
Humans aren’t the only ones who become merrier when drinking Guinness, as apparently Christmas trees also enjoy the occasional splurge, and have been used to soak up the leftovers thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown imposed on many bars and pubs. The thousands of pints of Guinness, that weren’t drunk during the Covid-19 lockdown, are being used to fertilise Christmas trees…
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Antarctic penguins thrive around less icy waters
Penguins in the Antarctic seem to be much more well off when there is less ice in the sea and now biologists know why. The reason is simple: penguins are slow movers when walking, but much more agile when swimming. The times when less ice is in the waters, biologists say it has a ripple effect for the penguins. Less…
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Ambulance explodes just before patient is loaded
An ambulance exploded in front of a Central Thailand hospital just moments before a patient was being moved into the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured and the medical team moved the patient away from the scene in time. But Thai media says if the explosion happened just seconds later, it would’ve been a different story. The driver had just…
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Chinese citizens in Russia caught forging Covid-19 results
The Chinese Embassy in Moscow has caught several of its citizens trying to forge Covid-19 test results in order to be allowed to fly back to China. But the numbers of those producing counterfeit tests is unclear and the embassy has not revealed what cities or areas of Russia the hopeful returnees were residing. It is also unclear how many of…
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Australia reports largest rise of Covid-19 in two months
Australia’s second most populous state of Victoria has deployed ambulances and mobile test centres after recording the largest rise of daily Covid-19 infections in two months. 33 people have reportedly tested positive in the southern state for coronavirus in the past 24 hours, marking nine days of double digit new cases. Desperate to contain the outbreak, authorities are beginning a testing…
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Graffiti in historic Trang cave means public access restricted
A historic cave in the southern province of Trang, said to be in use by humans for at least a 1,000 years, will no longer be open the the public after it was defaced by graffiti. After a millennium of human use, the Khao Pina Cave, famous for its stalagmites and stalactites, was found scribbled with names and nonsense soon…
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5.9 magnitude earthquake hits New Zealand’s Milford Sound
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hits Milford Sound in New Zealand, with over 3,000 people reportedly feeling the earth shake. The quake struck 25 kilometres west of the Milford Sound in the nation’s southwest region. Citizens in Alexandra, Gore, Haast, Lumsden, Milford Sound, Queenstown, and Wanaka, felt the quake which occurred at a depth of 5 kilometres. Here’s the epicentre…
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Covid-free Mexican mother gives birth to triplets who test positive for Covid-19
Mexican health authorities are baffled after a healthy, Covid-free mother has given birth to triplets who tested positive for the virus. The babies’ father was also covid-free, making it the first reported case of its kind. The triplets, a girl and two boys, were tested last week, four hours after being born at 7 1/2 months. Initially, authorities thought the mother was…
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Abbot hits back after criticism of ‘cheap’ temple makeover
The abbot of a 300 year old temple at the centre of a controversial renovation project has hit back at his critics, saying the work was carried out in accordance with Buddhist beliefs. His comments come after academic Wara Chanmanee lodged a complaint with the Fine Arts Department after Wat Bang Duan Nok was refurbished using cheap floor tiles and…
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Qantas cuts 6,000 jobs to recover huge revenue losses
Australia’s Qantas Group is cutting at least 6,000 jobs after a massive revenue loss due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The jobs losses will be spread across all parts of the business while continuing to stand down 15,000 employees in an effort to recover. The Qantas Group includes the Qantas ‘full service’ brand and the JetStar discount airline offshoot. 20 % of…
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UK starts human testing on experimental Covid-19 vaccine
The UK is joining the race to develop a Covid-19 vaccine with volunteers already getting jabbed as the testing continues. But the new vaccine isn’t merely a weaker version of the actual virus- it ‘clones’ the virus so its receivers don’t actually get infected with Covid-19. Imperial College London is behind the new vaccine which uses synthetic strands of genetic code,…
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Chon Buri minivan lands in pond after SUV collision
A minivan in Chon Buri’s Mueang district ended up in a pond after being struck by an SUV. Highway police were notified of the accident in the mid-afternoon on Motorway Road in Nong Kangkok subdistrict Police, emergency responders and reporters arrived at the scene to find a damaged SUV on the road. In a nearby pond they spotted a white…
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Pakistani plane crash “due to pilot error”
A preliminary report over last month’s Pakistani plane crash reveals the pilots made errors that caused them to crash the plane, resulting in the loss of 98 lives. The pilots were reportedly distracted as they were chit-chatting about the coronavirus and didn’t even bother to lower the plane’s landing gear. Furthermore, they tried to land the aircraft when they were…
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Miner hits jackpot finding largest-ever tanzanite gems
One Tanzanian miner’s day just got a lot brighter after finding the largest Tanzanite gems in history. The finding has now made him US$3.35 million richer, and he plans to share his newfound wealth with those around him. Saniniu Laizer, the small-scale subsistence miner who made the discovery, said he will first have a party and then work on plans…
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Open for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.
Thailand has now gone over a month without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, and July 1, approaching quickly, will see the resumption of all businesses and activities originally suspended under the Emergency Decree, including bars, pubs and “soapy” massage parlours. Spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the announcement yesterday. He told the media…
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Brazilian court rules President Bolsonaro must wear face mask
A judge in Brazil has ruled that the country’s controversial leader, President Jair Bolsonaro, must wear a face mask in public as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the country. Brazil is second only to the US in terms of the number of confirmed cases and deaths. To date, 53,874 people have died from the virus, with 1.2…
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Woman injured after falling through broken drain cover in Trang
A woman has injured her leg after slipping through a broken drain cover in the southern city of Trang. The woman, named only as “Ms B” was on her way home from a restaurant in the city when her right left slipped through a gap in the drain cover as she was walking to her car. Her leg, which was…
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Bangkok school accused of cafeteria corruption by watchdog group
One Bangkok school is under fire after it was revealed that ‘free’ milk is being sold for 5 baht a cup and the provided breakfast is just cheap instant noodles. The Thai Anti-Corruption Club Facebook page has been posting photos of the cheap breakfast and has sparked discussion about where the money allocated for student food is going. Napat Food…
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JLL sees bright future for post-Covid Thai real estate market
Thailand’s hospitality industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and Bangkok’s serviced apartments are no exception. A study by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle indicates that serviced apartments have generally fared better than hotels in current and past times of distress. The report expects the pandemic to boost the growing trend of mixed-use premises offering hotel rooms and…
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Australian fugitive caught hiding in air vent on a ship
Australian police reported that a 31 year old man, who was facing alleged sexual assault charges in Sydney, attempted to leave Australia on a yacht… but ended up ditching the yacht and hiding in an air vent on a cargo ship. On Saturday, the man set off from New South Wales (a state in eastern Australia) in his own small yacht,…
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UPDATE: Pregnant woman killed in hit-and-run, driver surrenders
UPDATE: Today, the car mechanic who ran over and killed a pregnant woman on Sunday handed himself over to the police. Police in Bangkok’s Min Buri district had previously issued an arrest warrant for 48 year old Kawin Sathorn, for running over a woman who was 5 months pregnant. The 21 year old victim, Nadiyah, was on a motorbike with her…
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Arrival ban to end on July 1… some foreigners will be allowed in
“Dr. Taweesilp says about 50,000 foreigners are expected to visit the country under the new rules.” Thailand will begin allowing foreigners to enter the country from July 1, easing the months-long arrival ban. But foreign tourists will still be banned. Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesperson of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says that the first group will comprise businessmen…
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Massage parlours will be allowed to reopen, must track and report customers to government
Post-Covid nightlife in Thailand is likely to be a bit duller than before, but at least “soapie massage” is back on the menu. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that massage parlours of every description will be allowed to reopen along with bars, pubs and other venues in the next phase of easing restrictions. But, there will be…
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Thai cabinet endorses raising age of criminal responsibility
The Cabinet has approved a draft bill increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It also gave the go-ahead to changing the age during which measures other than criminal punishments can be applied, from 10-15 to to 12-15, under the same code. The changes are…
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Update on Asia’s quest for a Covid-19 vaccine
Partnerships have formed between some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, as well as collaboration between countries as Asia’s best minds are working together in a bid to be the first to create a Covid-19 vaccine. Here is an update on four leading countries in Asia, in the search to find a cure for the notorious Covid-19 virus which was swept the…
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Music festival sparks fears of second wave in France
In France, thousands of people gathered to party at the annual Mid-Summer Music Festival. Those who attended were advised to use face masks and social distance from each other. This was largely ignored as people danced and sang along to bands and DJs in crowds in the streets, with many not even wearing face masks. Many spectators who witnessed the crowded street party…
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