Month: February 2020

  • Covid-19 News

    2 year old girl hospitalised in Israel over virus after arriving from Thailand

    A two year old girl who recently flew from Thailand to Israel is in hospital due to fears she might be infected with the 19nCoV coronavirus. It isn’t clear whether the girl is an Israeli citizen. Hospital staff say she’s suffering from fever and diarrhea, and “this is currently a condition that requires hospitalization in isolation.” Israel’s Health Ministry yesterday…

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  • Thailand Weather Updates

    Northern Thailand warned to brace for stormy weather

    Thunderstorms and high winds are forecast for Thailand’s North and Northeast. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) is warning northern and northeastern provinces to brace for stormy weather from tomorrow to Thursday. DDPM director-general Monton Sudprasert said yesterday that high pressure from China and strong winds from the west will create thunderstorms, high winds and harsh weather. Provinces…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Coronavirus UPDATE – over 100,000 Chinese are still in Thailand

    This morning there remain 25 confirmed coronavirus cases in Thailand. The death toll has now reached 724 with a total of 34,878 confirmed cases in the past six weeks. Over 2,000 have now fully recovered. Meanwhile, around Thailand, many Chinese tourists and expats continue to circulate after being in the Kingdom for more than 2-3 weeks. Around 100,000 Chinese tourists…

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  • Thai Life

    Makha Bucha Day – Why does Thailand have a public holiday?

    For Thai buddhists the day is a day of reflection and visits to the temple. For many others it’s a day of alcohol abstinence. In fact there is always a 24 hour alcohol ban imposed on the day, from midnight to midnight. Buddhist commemorations make up a number of the public holidays on the Thai calendar, among them is Makha…

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  • Thailand News

    No alcohol sales today – Makha Bucha Day

    A 24 hour ban on alcohol sales for Makha Bucha Day will remain in effect until midnight tonight (Saturday). Makha Bucha is a sacred Buddhist holiday which refers to a day to honour the third lunar month and, in particular, the Buddha and the teachings that he delivered on the full moon day of the fourth lunar month. The 24 hour…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Dr Li Wenliang, the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus, and failed censorship

    In a country where media, especially social media, is tightly controlled, the events surrounding the death of young doctor Li Wenliang have been particularly surprising. An outpouring of frustration, grief and anger, directed at the Chinese government, made its way onto the Chinese social media platforms and was shared by millions before, as expected, finally being taken down. Such is…

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  • Việt Nam

    Việt Nam nuôi cấy thành công virus corona mới

    Hôm nay Viện Vệ sinh Dịch tễ Trung ương công bố vừa nuôi cấy và phân lập thành công virus corona mới trong phòng thí nghiệm. Đại diện Viện Vệ sinh Dịch tễ Trung ương cho biết việc nuôi cấy này sẽ tạo điều kiện thuận lợi để xét nghiệm nhanh các trường hợp nhiễm và nghi nhiễm nCoV. Nhờ…

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  • Entertainment

    Cast of popular TV show claim they were stiffed

    The cast of a popular Thai costume drama allege they haven’t been paid. Actors in the semi-historical TV drama Lued Suphan or “Blood of Suphan” have accused the producer of withholding about 2 million baht in wages. The cast went to the Crime Suppression Division head office in Bangkok Thursday to file a complaint, saying the production company refused to…

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  • Road deaths

    Biker decapitated in Lampang

    Police and rescue services in the northern Lampang province were confronted with a gruesome scene after the driver of a Kawasaki Z650 hit a metal lamp post in the middle of a downward section on the Lampang-Chiang Mai superhighway. The biker’s head, out of its helmet, was on one side of the road, his body on the other. The biker…

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  • Việt Nam

    Tài xế Trung Quốc đeo 12 khẩu trang tránh virus corona bị chỉ trích

    Một tài xế ở Trung Quốc vừa bị chỉ trích khi mang 12 chiếc khẩu trang để chống virus corona, khi khẩu trang đang là mặt hàng khan hiếm tại đây. Theo SCMP, một tài xế tại thành phố Đông Hoản, tỉnh Quảng Đông, Trung Quốc đeo 12 chiếc khẩu trang khi đang lái xe và đã phải gỡ từng…

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  • Bangkok News

    1 killed, 1 injured as plane hits tug at Don Mueang – VIDEO

    One employee is dead and another injured after an accident this morning at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport. A Nok Air plane hit a tug towing it to the passenger ramp at Don Mueang airport, killing the tug driver and injuring another employee. The incident occurred around 8am. Don Mueang’s general manager told reporters that Nok Air flight DD6458, bound for…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Thai Health Minister apologises for his comments that ‘farang’ should be kicked out

    UPDATE: The Thai Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has had a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease since this morning, after being panned in social media for his comments at a government PR gathering to promote the wearing of face-masks following the coronavirus outbreak in China. The minister has apologised for his earlier comments about ‘farang’ , when he said that they…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Health minister says no travel ban

    Thailand’s public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul now says imposing a travel ban on Chinese citizens won’t help the government’s fight against coronavirus 2019nCov epidemic. Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Anutin said the infection is being found even in countries and territories that have restricted or closed their borders to Chinese travelers. Instead of a travel ban, he says, the…

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  • Environment News

    Drought disasters plague the nation

    Between October 17 and yesterday, drought disasters were declared in 116 districts across Thailand, legally obliging the government to provide assistance, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reports. The disasters were in 20 provinces – Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Phetchabun, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Nakhon…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Kick foreigners, not wearing face-masks, out of Thailand – Minister

    Thailand’s mercurial Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has slammed foreign tourists who aren’t wearing face masks, or refuse to wear them when offered a free one offered by the government, says they “should be kicked out.” He was handing out government freebies this morning at the Siam BTS station as part of the Thai government’s education about coronavirus. “They don’t…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Japan cruise ship virus cases triple to 61

    41 more cases of the Novel Coronavirus, or 2019nCoV, have been found on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, currently quarantined in Japan’s Yokohama Harbour, bringing the total to 61. The virus has killed hundreds of people, nearly all in China, and infected more than 30,000 on the Chinese mainland. The ship was quarantined after a former passenger, who disembarked in…

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  • Phuket News

    Austrian man dies in Patong condo fall

    A 68 year old Austrian man is dead after falling from his 12th floor condominium in Patong. His body was found at about 10 last night, on the ground outside the Patong Night Plaza condominium, where police say he lived alone. According to his passport he entered Thailand on December 19 on a 90 day visa. Blood pressure diabetes medications…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Coronavirus UPDATE – 31,481 infections world-wide, the search for a cure

    “…the coronavirus has proven itself to have higher infection rates and lower fatality rates when compared with Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)” As the coronavirus outbreak in China surges past the 30,000 mark, having infected 31,481 people, the global scientific community are racing to find a reliable treatment and vaccine. Most of the people…

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  • Việt Nam

    Bác sĩ cảnh báo sớm về virus corona qua đời ở tuổi 34

    Bác sĩ Li Wenliang từng cảnh báo về sự nguy hiểm của virus corona vừa qua đời tại bệnh viện ở thành phố Vũ Hán. Theo Guardian, ông Li Wenliang, bác sĩ nhãn khoa Bệnh viện Trung ương Vũ Hán từng cảnh báo đồng nghiệp và nhân viên y tế về virus corona, vừa qua đời tại Vũ Hán sau…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Tourist police make video to encourage “Chinese family”

    Facing a massive slump in tourism from China, the Tourist Police Bureau has produced a video for Chinese to boost the morale of people dealing with the Novel Coronavirus. The video has drawn plenty of praise and shares since being posted on social media yesterday. Tourist Police Commissioner Chadtha Komonwattana says the bureau is deeply concerned about the virus situation,…

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  • Central Thailand News

    Deputy village chief in trouble over racy Facebook photos

    What was she thinking?! A deputy village chief in the central province of Ang Thong has found herself in hot water after her sexy Facebook photos were shared online yesterday, Khao Sod reports. “I think what she did was a disgrace for our religious and community leaders, who must take action against her,” wrote one Facebook busybody member, who posted…

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  • Crime News

    Disabled Canadian man robbed in Pattaya

    A paraplegic Canadian man was robbed in Pattaya yesterday evening, reportedly by a Thai woman. 46 year old Ryab Boumer filed a report with Pattaya City Police alleging the theft of his wallet containing 50,000 baht. A Thai witness, 21 year old Wanchai Chinpeng, told police that he recently met Boumer, who hired him as a caretaker to help him…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Coronavirus UPDATE: Thursday afternoon, 1,200+ patients now fully recovered

    As of Thursday afternoon, World Health Organisation officials have raised the death toll to 565, with a total of 28,299 cases identified around the world. The number of full recoveries now exceeds 1,200 and rising fast as many of the earlier cases progress to full recovery. Below we’ve catalogued a lot of the latest news from around the world from…

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  • Environment News

    New bikes must meet Euro 4 emissions standards

    A new government policy, which will take effect on March 29, requires all new motorbikes sold in Thailand to meet Euro 4 emissions standards. Officials of the Thai Industrial Standards Institute met yesterday with representatives of more than 40 motorbike manufacturers, including Honda and Yamaha, informing them of the requirements. The measure is intended to help tackle Thailand’s PM2.5 dust…

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  • World News

    3 dead, 179 injured in Istanbul aircrash

    Three people are dead and 179 injured, some seriously after a Pegasus Airlines plane heading into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into three pieces upon landing yesterday. Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters that three died in hospital, with 179 of the 183 aboard wounded. Ali Yerlikaya, Istanbul’s governor, says…

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  • Việt Nam

    TP HCM đề xuất cho học sinh nghỉ thêm một tuần vì virus corona

    Để tránh bùng phát dịch nCoV, Sở Giáo dục và Đào tạo đã gửi tờ trình xin UBND TP HCM cho học sinh các cấp nghỉ học đến hết ngày 16/2, thay vì ngày 9/2. Sở Giáo dục và Đào tạo cho biết việc nghỉ thêm là cần thiết nhằm chống dịch xâm nhập, lây lan trong môi trường học…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Cruise ships save the day in Koh Samui

    It’s Europeans to the rescue in Koh Samui, as the last group of Chinese tourists for the foreseeable future left on Tuesday. Two cruise ships brought thousands of European visitors yesterday to save this southern resort island’s struggling economy. About 3,500 passengers, mostly from Britain and Germany, arrived aboard the German-flagged AIDAbella and the British-registered Marella Discovery. Groups of tourists…

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  • Road deaths

    2 crushed as truck overturns in Suphan Buri

    Two men were crushed to death when tractor-trailer truck overturned in Suphanburi province in central Thailand yesterday. Horrific CCTV footage showed the moment the truck, carrying animal feed, overturned, crushing the two, who were travelling on a motorcycle with a sidecar. The deceased were identified as 64 year old Montha and 56 year old Phra Manop, a monk at the…

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  • Phuket News

    Bibi does Bangla – What is the Thai girl experience with foreign boyfriends?

    Bibi heads to Soi Bangla in Phuket’s seaside party town of Patong. She’s inquiring about Thai girls’ opinions, even the working girls in the clubs. Have they had experience with a foreign boyfriend? What about their foreign boyfriend experiences, good and bad? What are their expectations? Is it all about money or are the Thai women more romantic than the…

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  • Covid-19 News

    First Thai to catch and recover from Coronavirus tells people not to worry

    The first Thai to contract, and recover from, the Novel Coronavirus is giving the thumbs up and telling the public not to panic. 73 year old Jaimuay Sae-ing was interviewed on the Palang Pracharat party’s Facebook page yesterday. Jaimuay fully recovered from the virus after nine days in Nakhon Pathom hospital, around 50 kilometres west of Bangkok, under the care…

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  • Politics News

    Thailand’s plastics industry wants the government’s help to keep afloat

    There may be less plastic bags being handed out around Thailand, and that’s a good thing. But there’s been a down side – the failure of an entire industry and the people it employees. Now the Thai Labour Minister is being asked to step in and help the dozens of Thai plastic bag manufacturers which are at risk of closing…

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  • Environment News

    Thai government scraps Mekong blasting project

    The government has officially abandoned a controversial plan to blast rapids on the Mekong river in Chiang Mai province. The Chinese-led dredging and blasting plan, initiated in 2001, met with fierce opposition from locals and environmental groups, and the Cabinet agreed to scrap it at a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The plan was to enable ships to carry goods from…

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  • Bangkok News

    Passenger leaps to safety as taxi crashes, driver asleep

    A girl leaped from a moving taxi yesterday, possibly saving her life, as the car immediately crashed into the tollway wall, causing a 4-car pileup. The taxi driver had fallen asleep. The incident occurred on the north tollway at the Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok province intersection northeast of Bangkok. The girl posted on Twitter that the taxi driver was in a deep…

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  • Covid-19 News

    Coronavirus UPDATE – 28,276 confirmed cases, many people continue to recover

    The month-long outbreak of the novel coronavirus shows no sign of letting up with the death toll rising, along with the list of new cases and an increasingly long list of full recoveries. Chinese health officials have raised the death toll to 565, with a total of 28,276 cases identified around the world. The number of full recoveries now exceeds…

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  • Crime News

    4 foreigners, 2 Thais nabbed in 3 drug busts

    Four foreign nationals and two Thais have been arrested in three separate drug seizures involving heroin, ecstasy pills, cocaine, MDA, LSD and marijuana. The first bust saw two Taiwanese men arrested yesterday while trying to smuggle 15 kilograms of heroin out of Thailand in instant noodle packages and powder cans. The two, identified as Li Chun Hui and Li Chai…

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  • Việt Nam

    Bé 30 giờ tuổi nhiễm virus corona tại Vũ Hán

    Một em bé ở Vũ Hán vừa được xác định dương tính với virus corona theo kết quả xét nghiệm sau 30 giờ sinh. Trước đó, người mẹ đã dương tính với virus corona. Em bé có các dấu hiệu sinh tồn ổn định, nhưng có triệu chứng khó thở, theo thông tin từ các bác sĩ tại Vũ Hán…

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  • Việt Nam

    Điện Biên: Toàn tỉnh nghỉ học vì 34 học sinh nghi nhiễm virus corona

    UBND tỉnh Điện Biên vừa quyết định cho toàn bộ học sinh được nghỉ học để phòng chóng sự lây lan của virus viêm phổi cấp corona. Theo thông tin từ Phòng GD-ĐT huyện Nậm Pồ (Điện Biên), trước đó đã có 34 học sinh và hai giáo viên trong huyện xuất hiện các biểu hiện như ho, sốt được…

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