Month: May 2020
- Covid-19 News
Phuket bus driver shares government quarantine facility with coffin
A bus driver who left Phuket to return to his home city of Trang was left feeling a little, well, uneasy when he realised he would be sharing his government quarantine facilities with a coffin. Were the authorities just ‘planning ahead’? Or just a ‘whoops’ moment? The man had left Phuket as part of the exodus of some 50,000 people…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Bangkok’s largest international hospital hurts from halt in medical tourism
The coronavirus outbreak has hospitals across the world at their limits, but at one Thailand’s largest and most famous hospitals, the number of patients has been cut in half. Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok heavily relies on medical tourism. Since the pandemic has ground much of international travel to a halt, Bumrungrad is getting hit hard. 50% of the patients at…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Health officials say they’re ready for a “second wave” of Covid-19
As countries around the world start to ease some of the restrictions put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19, the fear of a “second wave” persists. Now a report in Nation Thailand says healthcare officials in Thailand are using the lessons from the past fews months, in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, tracing and testing, and are prepared…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Survey shows a third of people believe Thailand will be Covid-free in 3-6 months
A survey conducted by the Super Poll Research Office shows that a third of people believe Thailand will be free from the Covid-19 virus within 3 to 6 months. Thai Residents reports that Super Poll conducted a survey of 1,255 citizens on May 6, which also revealed that over 32% believe the virus will be gone in as little as…
Read More » - Bangkok News
“Bangkok’s tap water is safe for cooking” – Metropolitan Waterworks
When people travel to Thailand they’re always warned not to drink the tap water. Or cook with it. But improved sanitation over the past few decades has now improved the quality of tap water around parts of the country, especially in the capital. Now the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority say that it is safe to use tap water to cook rice.…
Read More » - Politics News
Bangkok police hunt activists who projected slogans onto landmarks of 2010 protests
The slogan Seek the Truth (in Thai) has been projected onto several Bangkok landmarks in what appears to be a commemoration of the violent end to political demonstrations in 2010. That year, protests rocked Bangkok for 3 months between March and May, when over 100,000 supporters of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (known as the “Redshirts”) descended on the city, demanding elections.…
Read More » - Crime News
Fake survey promises gifts from the Thailand Post
“Your chance to win… ” tends to be too good to be true, every time. Go with your gut if you come across a chance to earn a free gift from the Thailand Post. It’s fake. An internet scam, posing as the country’s mail carrier, is luring people in with gifts such as smartphones and vouchers. Thailand Post, for their…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
A 16 year old girl has now come forward in Mukdahan school rape case
Three of the teachers, suspected in a gang rape case against a 14 year old girl at a school in Mukdahan province in Thailand’s northeast are now likely to face charges for the sexual assault of a 16 year old student as well. The teenager has been placed into the custody of the ministry of Social Development and Human Security.…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
The next batch of reopenings in Thailand, coming this Sunday
We should find out more today about the next raft of re-opening for Thailand’s businesses. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has been consulting with the private and public sector to make the next move as Thailand reboots its economy in a second phase of re-openings. The Thai cabinet will meet today to discuss the proposals. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Monday, May 11
Thailand national figures for Covid-19 – May 11 This morning 6 new cases of the Covid-19 cases have confirmed across the country, bring the total in Thailand to 3,015 cases. Of the 6 cases, 4 were reported in Phuket yesterday afternoon but were not included in yesterday’s national tally of 5 cases. Today Phuket has announced no new cases. The…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
24 people arrested after police raid on Samui bar
22 foreigners and 2 Thai nationals have been arrested at a bar called La Bohemia on the Gulf island of Koh Samui last night. All were charged with breaking the emergency decree, which prohibits restaurants selling alcohol and gatherings of people. Acting on a tip off from local residents, police from the Bo Phut police station raided the La Bohemia…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
24 Patong police placed under quarantine
Today at around 1pm, 24 Patong police officers were placed under quarantine at a prominent three-star hotel on Rat U Thit Road, Patong. This was after a police officer was confirmed as one of the cases founded in Phuket yesterday. Read more HERE. While 20 tested negative, 4 are still waiting on the results from supervising medical staff. Thai media…
Read More » - South Thailand News
Human Rights Watch says Thailand should free detained migrants
A significant number of migrants in Thailand’s Songkhla immigration detention centre have the coronavirus and the Human Rights Watch is saying all them should be free due to the dangers of the coronavirus pot the other detainees. In an article urging the release of the migrants, the HRW said the virus infections “spread like wildfire in squalid lockup” and that…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Food sharing pantries across Thailand help the hungry
The coronavirus outbreak hit some families hard and some are without income and in need of basic food. Community pantries, stocked with basic, yet essential, food items have been popping up all over Thailand to help the hungry and people simply knocked sideways by the suddenness of the impact from the outbreak. The project is called “Pantry of Sharing.” One sign says…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Operating hours for airports across Thailand – CAAT
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, along with the Ministry of Transport, has published the operational hours for Thailands’ recently re-opened airports. The operational hours and applicable provinces are as follows… • Operational hours between 7am – 7pm, includes Nan, Phitsanulok, Phrae, Mae Sot, Mae Hong Son, Lampang, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Phanom, Buri Ram, Roi Et, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani,…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand national figures for Covid-19 – May 11
This morning Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Administration, announced in his daily press conference that 6 new cases of the Covid-19 cases were confirmed across the country, bring the total in Thailand to 3,015 cases. Of the 6 cases, 4 were reported in Phuket yesterday afternoon but were not included in yesterday’s national tally…
Read More » - Thailand Weather Updates
Zoo animals eat frozen treats to chill out in high heat
It’s hot. And humid. So hot that zookeepers are getting creative when it comes to cooling down the animals. Lions and tigers are licking on frozen blood cubes while bears are munching on fruit popsicles made by zookeepers at Khon Kaen Zoo in Northern Thailand. Temperatures have recently reached over 40 degrees Celsius, sometimes for days on end. Along with…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
China on alert as 17 new Covid-19 cases reported, highest in two weeks
China has recorded its highest daily increase in new Covid-19 cases since April 28, with 17 new cases. Five of those are in Wuhan, where the outbreak began in late 2019, and is the highest number recorded there since March 11. A Reuters report says that 7 of the cases recorded yesterday involve arrivals from overseas, a big jump from…
Read More » - Education
Online learning system to support re-opening of schools
Thailand’s Ministry of Education is launching an online learning system designed as a back-up in the event that the re-opening of schools is deemed unsafe. With Thaialnd’s schools set to reopen their doors from July 1, a televised and online system is being tested to supplement children’s learning. The new system, set to be tested next Monday, May 18, will…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand to introduce contact-tracing app in bid to constrain virus
More news is expected today about a new contact-tracing app being launched as part of the Thai government’s latest efforts to constrain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. A report in Nation Thailand says authorities will shift their focus from location targeting to increased testing of six groups considered high-risk. They include healthcare workers, those in state quarantine and newly…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Phuket’s tourist-driven economy faces crisis – Phuket Chamber of Commerce
Phuket’s tourism-driven economy is facing what one city official calls a crisis, comparing the economic impact to what it was after the 2004 tsunami. Phuket’s economy has become increasingly focused on tourism and hospitality over the past 2 decades. The Phuket Chamber of Commerce President Thunusak Phungdet said at a meeting last Thursday that Phuket has no income right now.…
Read More » - Thailand Weather Updates
TMD announces storm warnings for 53 central and northern provinces
Today the Thai Meteorological Department has officially announced a warning for 53 upper Thailand provinces. The announcement says that from May 11-13, there will be high pressures winds from China covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea. In addition, southerly and southeasterly winds have brought humidity to cover upper Thailand, causing that area to have summer storms, thunderstorms, gusts…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Businesses banned from shutting down during emergency decree
Employers have been left perplexed by an order from the Thai Labour Ministry forbidding them from shutting down their businesses during the emergency decree. The same order bans employees from taking part in any industrial action. A report in Nation Thailand says companies that have already closed are being instructed to re-open, and employees advised to return to work, with…
Read More » - Crime News
Man kills Buddhist monk in a fit of anger in Lampang
A Buddhist monk was killed last week after he spoke up about a man’s drinking habits. Villagers in Lampang found the body of 69 year old Phra Bundhit Prom-iam over the weekend in his pick-up truck. His body was decaying and “gave off a strong smell”. As police investigated the incident, evidence led them to 44 year old Sakol Pumthong who eventually…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Pattaya shopkeeper and family attacked after refusing to sell alcohol to curfew breakers
A Pattaya shop-owner and his family have been left shaken after an attack by a group of curfew breakers, apparently angry that they weren’t able to buy alcohol. The Pattaya News reports that the 19 year old daughter of the shopkeeper, Thipthida Chaisat, says around 10 young Thai males, who appeared very drunk, arrived at her father’s shop in the…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai provinces put on alert to screen anyone travelling from Phuket
Phuket’s on a blacklist of sorts, at least as far as the Interior Ministry is concerned. Thailand’s provincial governors have been put on alert to screen everyone arriving from the island province of Phuket. They also been instructed to quarantine anyone suspected of being infected with Covid-19. Chalerm Promlet, the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary, issued the instructions to provincial governors…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Ministries, business leaders meet to discuss further reopenings
A meeting this weekend, chaired by the director-general of the Department of Disease Control and secretary to the Covid-19 Center for Situation Administration, discussed suggestions and assessments of businesses ready to reopen, which will be forwarded to the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha for consideration early in the week. Representatives of the Interior Ministry and Tourism Ministry along with those of multiple…
Read More » - World News
Border patrols nab 29 Thais sneaking back from Malaysia
Border patrol police arrested 29 Thai nationals for illegal entry yesterday, as they were attempting to sneak over the Malaysian border into the Sabayoi district of Thailand’s southern Songkhla province, mostly heavily wooded forest. The group – 18 men and 11 women – rode through forests on 15 motorbikes to avoid immigration checkpoints. They were intercepted by police on a…
Read More » - Thailand Weather Updates
Summer storms, thunderstorms, hail – weather warnings
The Thailand Meteorological Department is predicting summer storms for vast areas of upper Thailand, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds. Hail is possible in some areas of the North, the Northeast, the East, and the Central regions. Whilst any meaningful wet season rain is yet to transpire in much of the country, the summer storm systems usually bring sudden,…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid-19 update: 5 new cases, no deaths (Sunday)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 5 new national cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total in Thailand to 3,009. No additional deaths were reported, leaving the accumulated toll at 56. Today’s number, while higher than yesterday’s 4, continues the encouraging trend of single-digit daily increases There were 4 more infections on the resort island of Phuket this morning,…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
5 teachers, 2 others accused of sexually assaulting 2 schoolgirls
A public school in the upper northeastern Mukdahan province has suspended 5 teachers who stand accused of repeated sexual assaults against a 14 year old girl. 2 school alumni are also accused of taking part, and all 7 are said to have taken video of the acts. The assaults reportedly began in March last year but the victim’s grandmother only…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Former deputy PM says government should focus on solutions, not threats
Thailand’s former Deputy PM Chaturon Chaisang yesterday posted on his Facebook page and other social media that, in his opinion, the government is focusing on threats versus solutions during the current Covid-19 crisis. His post has been widely shared and gained a lot of traction in Thai-language media. Chaisang, a former Minister of Education in addition to being a Deputy…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Most Thais want restrictions lifted – NIDA poll
The National Institute of Development Association recently conducted a poll that asked 1,259 Thais from various walks of life about their thoughts on lifting the current Emergency Decree restrictions, such as the closure of businesses and the national curfew. The poll was taken from Thursday to May 9 and comprised Thai nationals over the age of 18 from various backgrounds,…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket reports 4 new Covid-19 cases, breaking 7 day streak
Phuket Health authorities reported 4 new cases the Covid-19 coronavirus, breaking a week-long streak with no new reported cases on the island. The number of officially confirmed infections since the outbreak began in Phuket has now risen to 224. Here are the details of today’s new cases… Case 221: A 23 year old Thai woman, a secretarial assistant who lives…
Read More » - Crime News
Spaniard arrested for brutal Koh Phangan murder
Police in the southern Surat Thani province have arrested a Spanish man on the island of Koh Phangan for the stabbing death of a Chilean man. Authorities say the brutal murder took place at 1am yesterday. Officers say when they arrived at the scene of the murder, a rented house on Koh Phangan, they found 31 year old Chang San…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s GDP to contract up to 5% for 2020 – business thinktank
Thailand’s GDP is expected to contract between 3-5% for 2020, and exports by up to 10%. The predictions from Suphan Mongkolsuthee, president of the Federation of Thai Industries and chairman of the private sector joint committee. He also believes that the Thai economy has probably reached its ‘low point’ and will start recovering from now. He said that, as the…
Read More » - Entertainment
Rock legend Little Richard – dead at 87
The music world has lost an icon: Little Richard, a pioneer who, with a few others, transformed Chicago (electric) blues into the frenzied new style called rock ‘n’ roll, has died. He was 87. His outrageous antics showmanship and lightning-fast rhythms intoxicated crowds in the 1950s with hits like “Tutti Frutti” and “Long Tall Sally.” Rolling Stone magazine said yesterday…
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