Month: April 2020
- Covid-19 News
Experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir fails first clinical trial
Reports are emerging that the experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir, developed by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, has failed in its first randomised clinical trial to treat Covid-19, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization and seen by the Financial Times. Gilead disputed how the now deleted post characterised the findings, saying the data showed a…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
15 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand (Friday), no new deaths
At this morning’s daily press briefing from the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, announced somewhat of a stabilising of cases. 15 new confirmed Covid-19 cases were announced. This brings the total since the start of the outbreak to 2,854. 60 more people recovered and were released in the same 24 hour period. The total number of patients…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand seeks more quarantine locations as residents return from OS
The director of the Institution for Urban Disease Control says more Covid-19 quarantine sites are needed in Bangkok and elsewhere around the country as more Thais arrive back from overseas. Nation Thailand reports that Anek Mungaomklang confirms that the government is looking for appropriate places to house repatriated Thai residents, who must undergo a mandatory 14 day quarantine period. There…
Read More » - World News
Japan cruise ship: 14 more crew test positive for Covid-19
The Costa Atlantica, the cruise ship docked in Nagasaki, Japan, has had 14 more crew members test positive for the Covid-19 virus. The additional cases come on top of 34 confirmed cases earlier this week. Thai PBS World reports that the ship has been in Nagasaki since January, when it docked to have maintenance work carried out. It’s believed to…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Hungry residents in Bangkok queue for rice handouts
Thousands of Bangkok residents who have had their income cut off or severely reduced by the Covid-19 restrictions have been queueing for supplies of rice donated by some of the city’s Good Samaritans. Thai Residents reports that officials were on hand yesterday to check the lines of people in Santiphap Park in the city’s Ratchathewi district and ensure social distancing…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
4 new Covid-19 cases in Phuket, all in Bang Tao
Phuket has reported 4 new Covid-19 cases today, up from just 1 yesterday, all in the Cherngtalay sub-district of Bang Tao on the island’s west coast. A 2 year old boy was among 4 new cases. Phuket has the highest rate of Covid-19 cases per capita in Thailand, and the highest number outside of Bangkok (201 as of today), but numbers…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Strict rules set to govern a possible return of domestic flights from May 1
The director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is eyeing May 1 as a possible date for some domestic flights to once more take to the skies. Nation Thailand reports that this could start in provinces where ‘lockdown’ conditions are set to be eased, particularly where there are popular tourist hot-spots. But the CAAT boss Chula Sukmanop is warning…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Buriram and Chon Buri get ready for easing of restrictions starting May 1
“Anyone leaving the province will have the stickers removed and, upon their return to the province, will have to enter quarantine..” – Buriram Governor Two of Thailand’s provinces have already declared they will begin relaxing provincial ‘lockdowns’ from May 1. Buri Ram, in the north east, and Chon Buri, south east of Bangkok, have separately announced a progressive relaxing of lockdown…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Migrant workers arrested in Bangkok for working through curfew
Bangkok police have arrested 15 migrant workers accused of violating the emergency decree by working during curfew hours (10pm – 4am). Khaosod English reports that the construction workers were stopped at a checkpoint on the Bangna-Trad road as they were making their way home from having worked overtime on the Yellow Line monorail project. Their employer, Ploichanok Sirowet, disputes the…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Security Council eyes extending state of emergency, easing some restrictions
Next Monday, the day before the weekly Cabinet meeting, Thailand’s National Security Council will present a proposal to extend the national state of emergency to PM Prayut Chan-o- cha, recommending the relaxation of some current restrictions to allow some businesses and daily activities to resume amid the Covid-19 crisis. The NSC met with other security agencies to evaluate the current state…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
320,000 of Singapore’s migrant workers living in Covid-19 limbo
As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps the world, some countries are faring better than others. Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and as late as March, Singapore, had all been hailed for using the hard-won lessons of the 2003-04 SARS outbreak to combat the new virus, a relative of SARS. For Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the story might well have been one…
Read More » - Crime News
“It’s all a misunderstanding” – 4 people arrested for trespassing Phuket Zoo
2 foreigners and 2 Thai citizens have been arrested for trespassing private property and violating Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Police allege that they climbed over a perimeter wall of the Phuket Zoo in Chalong, southern Phuket. The report alleges that they filmed videos of the crocodiles and tigers and posted an edited version with narration on YouTube. The report also…
Read More » - Crime News
Four arrested for shooting videos at Phuket Zoo and soliciting donations
“Their lawyer claims the situation was ‘all a misunderstanding’.” Following last week’s posting of a video taken at the Phuket Zoo ‘whilst on a walk’, 2 foreigners and 2 Thais have now been arrested after allegedly scaling a wall at the Phuket zoo. They shot videos of crocodiles and tigers then edited and posted them online with a narration asking for…
Read More » - World News
China opens 2 more border points to allow transport of Thai fruits
The director-general of the Department of Agriculture announced today that China has opened two more points at its Vietnam border to allow the transportation of Thai fruits during the Covid-19 crisis. The move comes after the existing Youyi Guan checkpoint was overwhelmed with 15 kilometre queues of Thai and Vietnamese goods vehicles. The Department of Agriculture together with National Bureau of…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 23
Thousands of tourists stranded on a trio of Gulf islands An estimated 10,000 foreign tourists are stranded on three islands in the Gulf of Thailand – Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. More than half of them, around 5,700 are on Koh Samui, another 3,300 foreign tourists on Koh Phangan and about 1,000 on Koh Tao, after passenger flights…
Read More » - World News
Thailand names 5 more ASEAN countries as ‘high risk’, 4 are border nations
A Ministry of Public Health announcement yesterday, signed by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and published in the Royal Gazette, claims the Covid-19 situation in 5 nearby countries is escalating. Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar have now been added to the list of countries and territories considered as high risk areas for infection. On March 6,…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Airbus pulls the plug on the joint Thai Airways’ maintenance facility at U-Tapao
Airbus, the European multinational aircraft manufacturer, has pulled the plug on an 11 billion baht joint venture with Thai Airways. The project was to develop a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the U-Tapao Airport in Rayong province. The airport also serves the seaside resort of Pattaya. The pull out is a huge blow to the Thai Government’s much hyped…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Police officer clings to hit-and-run car for 2 kilometres – VIDEO
A policeman in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat was taken on an unplanned car ride yesterday when a Mitsubishi Mirage tried to run him down, forcing him to jump onto the front of the car and hold on for about 2 kilometres. The incident was caught on security cameras. Officer Montri Nitichai of Tha Sala police station says…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Phuket eyes lifting restrictions on Tambons that are virus-free for 14 days
Phuket’s outgoing governor Pakkapong Tawipat recently extended emergency measures in the southern province until April 30, including severe travel restrictions on the island. Now there is speculation the incoming governor, Narong Namsouw, currently the governor of the northeastern Chaiyaphum province, will extend them, though there has been no confirmation of this. Governor Pakkapong says the provincial government is seeking opinions from…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
No new Covid-19 cases for Chonburi today
Good news coming out of Chonburi, just east of Bangkok, as zero new cases of Covid-19 infections were reported today. The province, home to the popular seaside resort Pattaya, has had 86 cases in total since the virus first struck Thailand. 2 people have died and a further 22 are still undergoing hospital treatment. 62 patients have fully recovered. The…
Read More » - Crime News
Man allegedly shoots his wife after argument over money for alcohol
A man has allegedly shot and killed his wife as she lay next to their baby yesterday after, according to neighbours, she refused to give him money to buy more alcohol. Nation Thailand reports that Police in Samut Songkhram province, south west of Bangkok, say the alleged killer was still on the run. They found the body of 36…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 cases drop to 13, lowest in weeks, with 1 new death
Health officials reported just 13 new Covid-19 patients nationwide today, down from yesterday’s 15 and marking the fifth consecutive day of declining new cases. The total is now 2,839 since the outbreak began in Thailand. There was 1 more death, bringing the cumulative toll to 50. 13 more cases have recovered and were sent home from hospital in the past…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Huge rise in single-use plastic during Thailand’s lockdown
One positive of the world shutting down is nature being given a much-needed chance to heal and recover. Sadly though, another not so nice consequence of the Covid-19 lockdown has been the significant increase in Thailand’s plastic waste. Why? Coconuts Bangkok says the Thailand Environment Institute blames the rise on more people availing of single-use plastic during this time for…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
March tourist arrival numbers worse than predicted
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 outbreak has been disastrous for Thailand’s tourism sector, long considered a vital lifeline of the nation’s already battered economy. Data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports today showed foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand slumped 76.4% in March compared to a year earlier. This follows a 42.8% drop the previous month, as the…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Buriram police officer injured as knife-wielding man has meltdown
A former convict went into meltdown yesterday, screaming and brandishing a knife as he made his way around an apartment building Buriram, north-eastern Thailand. Thai Residents reports that the building’s residents alerted police when they spotted a clearly deranged man screaming and swinging a knife like a samurai sword. Police officers arrived and discovered the man wandering around on the second…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Baby becomes youngest Covid-19 patient to recover in Thailand
As of 10.45am today, Thailand has a reported 2,826 Covid-19 cases. 2,352, or 83% of those have recovered and been discharged from hospital. Today we can add one more to that list – a 1 month old boy has become Thailand’s youngest coronavirus patient to successfully make a full recovery from Covid-19, after a team of medics used of a…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Health Minister wants Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine trials speeded up
PHOTO: CDC on Unsplash Back in the news again, Thailand’s expect-the-unexpected Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says he wants to see trials of a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine speeded up. Thai PBS World reports that Anutin wants to cut the current six month development period in half, saying guidelines for vaccine development must be completed in three months if production is set…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Flights won’t return to ‘normal’ before October 2021 – Airports of Thailand
“Recovery of international routes will depend on how quickly a vaccine or antiviral drugs can be made available.” The president of Airports of Thailand, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, says air travel should be back to pre-Covid19 levels by October 2021. Yes, 18 months away. But for the rest of this year, the Thai aviation sector is expecting a significant drop in flights…
Read More » - Environment News
Bangkok, before and after. A birds-eye view.
Content creator Manit Monsur, a certified drone pilot, has taken to the skies of Bangkok giving us a unique insight into the sights, sounds and daily life of the Big Mango, before and now. Travel restrictions and business closures have severely impacted on the city’s ability to function. One of the biggest changes, he notes, is the clear skies above…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thousands of tourists stranded on a trio of Gulf islands
An estimated 10,000 foreign tourists are stranded on three islands in the Gulf of Thailand, more than half of them, around 5,700 on Koh Samui, after passenger flights were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Surat Thani province’s tourism and sports chief Tikamporn Sutti-udomrat, said yesterday that apart from the 5,700 visitors on Koh Samui, there are another 3,300 foreign…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Tropical storms on the menu today for northeastern, northern and central provinces
Thailand’s northeastern, central and eastern provinces are threatened with tropical storm today. The country is currently in the shoulder season transitioning from the dry season to the wet season. Traditionally, Songkran, on April 13 each year, is the celebration of the coming wet season, coinciding with the Thai New Year. “According to the Thai Meteorological Department, a high-pressure wedge will…
Read More » - Hot News
Where is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?
Although North Korean media has not mentioned anything about Kim Jong Un’s health, or whereabouts, there is intense international speculation that Kin Jong Un has fallen ill due to cardiovascular problems. It was first mentioned after CNN’s chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto kept claiming that “Kim Jong Un was in grave danger after surgery.” However, South Korea’s presidential office…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Wednesday, April 22
Thailand confirms 15 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death (Wednesday) Thai health officials have confirmed 15 new cases of Covid-19 and 1 death today. The new cases bring Thailand’s total to 2,826 since the outbreak began, of whom 2,352, or 83% have now been released from hospital and returned home. Today’s new death brings Thailand’s total to 49. 3 of the…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai companies urged to tighten up Covid-19 measures for migrant workers
The Director General of the Department of Employment Suchat Pornchaiwiseskul says that he has sent an urgent letter to companies asking them to ensure stricter disease control measures for migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The letter follows a serious outbreak of more than 7,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 among migrant workers living in cramped conditions in Singapore. “The Centre for…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s top 20 wealthiest ready to help in time of crisis
After PM Prayut-cha-0-cha sent an open letter to the county’s 20 wealthiest people seeking advice to help lift Thailand out of the Covid-19 pandemic (read more HERE), today Thailand’s top business leaders said they’re ready to help the government ease the crunch of the coronavirus crisis, and will offered their ideas to lift the country out of its economic dilemma.…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
PM says he won’t bow to pressure on easing emergency restrictions
In a public address after yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha said he will not bow to increasing private and public pressure to ease restrictions and closures of businesses caused by Covid-19. Prayut stated that the priority is the health of the public, and that although he deeply sympathises and understands the pain of the people, with an estimated…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Bangkok to cut checkpoints from 89 to 52
Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau announced yesterday it will reduce the number of checkpoints from 89 to 52 during the night curfew, effective until further notice. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a nationwide curfew from 10pm to 4am starting April 3, in a bid to curb new Covid-19 infections. Police checkpoints have been set up since then throughout Bangkok to enforce the…
Read More »
