Month: March 2020
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Stranded. Nearly 21,000 Russians struggling to get home.
The Russian Ambassador to Thailand claims there are about 20,800 Russian citizens stranded in the Land of Smiles. Ambassador Tomikhin says they’re desperate to get home. He says that most of them are stuck in Phuket and neighbouring provinces (Phuket is in virtual lockdown with the airport being closed to all passenger flights on April 10). Another 8,000 in and around…
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Immigration: Beware online swindlers claiming they can extend your visa
After a wave of complaints, the Immigration Bureau yesterday issued urgent advice to tourists and visitors about extending their visas amid the Covid-19 coronavirus crisis. While some immigration offices have requested that expats to file their 90 day residence reports reports online to promote social distancing and avoid crowded conditions, officers say fraudsters have been going online on Facebook and…
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Thailand News Today – Tuesday, March 31
“Far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region – WHO update The World Health Organisation says that the coronavirus pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region. Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, says “Let me be clear. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot let down our guard, we need…
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Buriram quarantine violators to be housed at racetrack
Well known north-eastern politician, tycoon and local “kingmaker” Newin Chidchob posted on Facebook today that officials in the northeastern province of Buriram have prepared the Chang International Circuit as a special place for “stubborn people” who ignore self-quarantining rules. Officials confirmed that those who ignore the 14 day self-isolation guidelines will be housed at the race track building until their…
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Canadian family of 4 among Phuket’s coronavirus infections
Authorities in the southern island province of Phuket today announced that 3 more members from a Canadian are among 7 new confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus infections. The new cases include a 37 year old Canadian woman, her 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter. All are believed to be infected by the woman’s husband, and children’s father, also a…
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Lockdowns, closures mean cleaner air in European cities
Lockdowns, travel restrictions and factory closures due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic are having some unexpected positive consequences. Satellite images show that cities around Europe, including Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt, are showing a huge reduction in air pollution average levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide over compared with the same period last year. New images, including heat maps, released…
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Chon Buri bans alcohol sales 6pm to 6am
Chonburi’s governor has banned the sale of alcohol in the province, including Pattaya, from 6am to 6pm, effective immediately, and restaurants are now only allowed to offer takeaways – all to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. The order is over and above all other closures in the province over the past two weeks. The provisions of the order…
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“Far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region – WHO update
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially announced today, that the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region. Regional Director for the Western Pacific at the WHO, Takeshi Kasai, says… “Let me be clear. The epidemic is far from over in Asia and the Pacific. This is going to be a long-term battle and we cannot…
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Pattaya eyes hotel as quarantine area
Pattaya’s Committee for the Surveillance and Prevention of Covid-19 is proposing to use the city’s Grand Bella Hotel as a temporary medical shelter for people under investigation for Covid-19 coronavirus symptoms. Pattaya currently has 12 total cases, with a total of 16 in Bang Lamung and 53 in Chon Buri province. 105 people are currently being scrutinised for the virus…
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No more shutdown announcements in Bangkok, for now
“Bangkok will not announce any further measures or continue to shut down the city.” This, from Taweesin Visanuyothin a spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. “Due to the daily number of confirmed cases remaining at a stable level, Bangkok officials have come to an agreement that they will not announce any more measures or force people to…
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Abandoned newborn girl discovered in Chiang Mai
An infant girl was found abandoned outside a grilled pork stand in Chiang Mai Province in Thailand’s north early yesterday. The baby was found by a “drunken man” at 6:30am. Abandoned children are a common problem in Thailand. Unwanted pregnancies, pregnancy out of wedlock, family problems and other issues can cause young mothers to cast aside their babies. The infant was…
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All public transport to Phuket, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat suspended
Thailand’s Land Transport Department has suspended all public transport in an out of Phuket, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, due to the rapid spread of Covid-19. The four provinces are in the south of Thailand. The department’s director-general, Chirut Visarnchit, says that the suspension includes under-provincial and chartered services, but public transport to the other destinations is unaffected, but certain measures…
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Bangkok monks now sporting bespoke facemasks
Monks (well, some of them, anyway) in the nation’s capital have begun wearing custom face masks and even facial shields, as they make their daily morning alms rounds. Abbot Phra Maha Somkiat Yansuttho and his novices from Bangkok’s Wat Matchan Tikaram temple, aka. Was Noi, wore face masks while they went out to ask for alms and chat with neighbouring…
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Ministries will give up 10% of their 2020 budget to fight Covid-19 in Thailand
The third round of government measures are set to apply 10% of the country’s fiscal 2020 budget allocated to each ministry, and put into a central funding pool to battle against the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the rehabilitation of the economy. Deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says that the central fund will be overseen by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. “The measures…
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Phuket records 7 new cases, total 69 (Tuesday)
The southern island of Phuket, closed to land and sea, and inter-provincial public transport yesterday to stem the spread of the disease, has reported 7 new cases today (Tuesday). It brings the total in Phuket to 69 confirmed cases. Details of today’s new cases are as follows… Case 63: An Australian man, aged 69, a manager at a Khao Lak hotel.…
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127 new coronavirus cases in Thailand (Tuesday), total 1651, 10 deaths
The Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Public Health today (Tuesday, March 31) confirmed 127 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases in its daily press briefing. 1 more death was reported, bringing the national total to 10 since the outbreak began in January. The latest number raises the total number of confirmed infections in Thailand to 1,651 The southern island…
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30,000 Thai hotels to lose all revenue during April
According to the Thai Hotels Association, out of the 32,564 hotels registered in Thailand, 95% will lose all revenue during April as the temporary lockdown escalates around the country. Adviser to the THA, Surapong Techaruvichit says that the number of hotel closures is growing every day as more provinces have imposed stricter lockdown policies. “Phuket is the latest major tourism destination…
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Government says they won’t allow Thai Airways to collapse
“All rumours about a lay-off aren’t true. News involving Thai Airways that didn’t come from the Finance Ministry should be considered false.” Thailand’s deputy PM Somkid Jatusripitak says the government won’t allow its struggling national airline Thai Airways to collapse. He dismissed rumours of impending lay-offs due to the virus outbreak. Thai Airways has been a financial basket-case for the…
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Third stimulus package coming, valued at 500 billion baht
Thailand’s economy has been hit hard by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, as it’s heavily reliant on exports and tourism. As of yesterday, Thailand had reported 1,524 cases of coronavirus and nine deaths as a result of the outbreak. So the finance minister yesterday announced a new stimulus package valued at more than 500 billion baht to alleviate the impact. The…
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8 killed as Medevac plane crashes in Manila – VIDEO
“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident.” A plane evacuating a Covid-19 coronavirus patient exploded during takeoff in the Philippine capital of Manila on Sunday, killing all eight passengers and crew. The victims included an American and a Canadian. The plane, owned by a Philippine-registered charter service Lionair, was bound for Japan. It burst into flames at the end of the runway…
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Restrictions announced for Chon Buri, that means Pattaya too
New restrictions are now in force in the eastern province of Chon Buri, due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. Chon Buri’s governor and the Chonburi Committee for Communicable Diseases have come to several new resolutions regarding restrictions and closures… Extensions on all entertainment venue closures, such as bars, nightclubs, spas, massage shops, gogos, etc. The anticipated end date will be…
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Government aims to limit travel around Thailand by 90%
It won’t do much for oil prices, but it will flatten Thailand’s Covid-19 ‘curve’ and help with the country’s air pollution problems. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is aiming to cut public transport use by as much as 90% around the country in order to stem the rise of Covid-19 coronavirus infections. Just yesterday, Thailand’s Department of Land Transport announced that…
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