Month: July 2020
- Thai Life
6 escaped buffalo rescued by Buddhist nun
6 buffalo who broke loose from a Bangkok slaughterhouse and onto city streets this morning will be saved by a nun who owns a farm for rescued farm animals. Phakjira Hatthakitchamroen, who owns Punissarapab Farm in the western province of Ratchaburi, is collecting funds to buy the animals from the slaughterhouse in the Srinagarindra area. They were spotted wandering On…
Read More » - Crime News
Chiang Mai eatery fined for alcohol promotion
A Chiang Mai restaurant is warning other eateries to be very careful about promoting alcohol after being raided and fined. Police went to Ai ToMoE restaurant in Chiang Mai after a tip that it was promoting beer in its 499 baht buffet menu, according to the restaurant’s Facebook post yesterday. Offices arrested the chef, named “Boy”, and fined him 50,000…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Isaan students say they’ll defy protest ban
Students at Isaan’s Mahasarakham University say they’re going ahead with a planned anti-government rally despite a ban from the institution. Organisers of the protest made the announcement earlier today. The university initially said yesterday that any rallies held on campus grounds must abide by the laws and refrain from anti-monarchy rhetoric. The university later revised its policy and banned all…
Read More » - Politics News
Government says Emergency Decree extension won’t ban protests
Although the Emergency Decree was officially extended again today, through the end of August, the government says political gatherings and rallies won’t be banned. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the extension earlier today but officials insist the emergency measures are strictly for guarding against the resurgence of Covid-19 and unrelated to the ongoing protests. According to the secretary-general of the National…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
310 out of 50,000 repatriates tested positive for Covid-19: minister
Thailand’s foreign affairs minister has reported to the Senate that full assistance is being provided to Thai nationals stranded overseas due to the Covid-19 world pandemic. This is despite the recent controversy surrounding an Egyptian airman visiting Thailand who tested positive after visiting shopping spots in the eastern Rayong province. The minister responded to questions from Senators, pointing out that…
Read More » - Tourism News
Tourism sector facing massive closures
Thailand’s tourism sector, long seen as a lifeline for the nation’s battered economy, is in a meltdown; more than 30% of tourism-related businesses have left the market with many more expected to follow, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand. The president of the TCT says the tourism industry predicts further deterioration after 6 months of the Covid-19 crisis, as…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Covid task force to make preparations in event of “second wave”
The spokesman for Thailand’s Covid-19 task force. Dr. Taweesin, says the government is making sure it’s ready to handle any potential second wave of the virus. Dr Taweesin Visanuyoth says the recent mishaps with an infected Egyptian soldier in Rayong and a Covid-positive Sudanese child in Bangkok, have taught the government a valuable lesson. Taweesin stresses the importance of being ready…
Read More » - Crime News
Bangkok police seize fake drugs, cosmetics, supplements in factory raid
Police and officers of the Food and Drug Administration seized 119 items made using hazardous substances and sporting fake labels in a raid on an illegal factory near Bangkok’s Pratunam intersection. The products were valued at 200,000 baht. The FDA reported the production of illegal healthcare products, which led police to Tofu Skincare based in the capitol’s Ratchathewi district. The…
Read More » - Thailand News
Woman says emergency operator joked and hung up on her as father lay dying
A young woman in Ratchaburi province, western Thailand, says an emergency operator joked that he couldn’t hear her, then said, “beep, beep” before hanging up on her. The woman, 18 year old Pronrawin Ongpisut, was trying to reach emergency services to help her dying father. The man has since passed away. A report in Coconuts says Pronrawin first called the…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
China orders mandatory Covid-19 testing for all international arrivals
China’s Civil Aviation Administration has announced that all passengers entering the country from overseas will need to be tested for the Covid-19 virus 5 days before travelling. The statement has been made in conjunction with China’s General Administration of Customs and other government departments. International passengers, whether Chinese citizens or foreign nationals, will be required to take a nucleic acid…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
PM approves Emergency Decree extension
PM Prayut Chan O’Cha has signed off on a proposal by the National Security Council and the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration to extend the Emergency Decree until the end of August. The Emergency Decree gives the government sweeping powers to manage the Covid-19 crisis at the national level from a “top down” perspective. It also provides draconian penalties for…
Read More » - Expats
Video catches Thai immigration officials asking for a bribe
Officers from an immigration office near Bangkok have been “suspended” after a Facebook video showed an immigration official asking for money to help “speed up his visa process”. The caption read… “This is real, such a shame, when will the cheating stop”. “Thailand is good, foreigners get Visas to work in the country. They go to the Nonthaburi Immigration for…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Bangkok slum fire injures 3, damages 5 homes
A fire in central Bangkok’s Khlong Toei slum area last night injured 3 and damaged at least 5 houses with many more reportedly losing their possessions. It took firefighters around 30 minutes to bring the blaze under control. An initial police inspection indicated that the the blaze may have been started in a house whose residents made a small fire…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Bangkok entertainment venues still face strict safety checks
Although there have been no community transmitted cases of Covid-19 in Thailand for 60 days, a deputy governor in Bangkok is urging authorities and the public not to let their guards down, after details were revealed in the case of a Sudanese diplomat’s daughter who tested positive for the virus. The deputy governor chaired a meeting yesterday in which he…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Bangkok university professor says no “travel bubbles” for at least 6 months
A professor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says Thailand’s “travel bubble” plan, which would allow small groups of foreign tourists to visit Thailand, should be put on hold for at least another 6 months. In a Facebook post yesterday, he said that the global Covid-19 situation remains “of serious concern”, as new infections are still surging, with more than 200,000 new…
Read More » - World News
5 killed during heavy flooding in northern Vietnam
Heavy rains and flooding in the far north of Vietnam are causing havoc. So far at least 5 people, including 3 children have died in the Ha Giang Province. The region has experienced heavy flooding over the past 3 days due to torrential rains causing traffic jams, landslides and cutting off some remote areas. Streets in the region’s main towns…
Read More » - Tourism News
Government to increase value of mid-week hotel vouchers by 300 baht
In an effort to further boost mid-week travel, the government has agreed to increase the value of accommodation vouchers offered as part of its domestic travel stimulus package from 600 baht to 900 baht. It’s hoped the move will lead to an uptake in domestic travel between Monday and Thursday. Nation Thailand reports that the Cabinet has also decided to…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
PM insists proposed emergency decree extension not due to anti-government protests
As PM Prayut Chan-o-cha looks set to approve an extension to Thailand’s emergency decree, he insists his reasons for doing so have nothing to do with the political protests taking place in cities around the country. Accusations that the extension is politically motivated have dogged the PM since the decree was extended for a second time at the end of…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Welfare officials visit homeless people living in Pattaya’s abandoned bars
Social welfare officials have paid a visit to a group of homeless people in Pattaya, who have taken refuge in some of the city’s abandoned beer bar complexes. Following a report in The Pattaya News, officials pledged to allow those living there to continue to do so and to provide them with further help. Most of them have lost their…
Read More » - Environment News
Phuket plans a drought-proof future
In the high season of 2018/2019 a water shortage emerged on Phuket and reached a critical phase just as the wet season of 2019 began. For a few months there seemed to be more water trucks delivering expensive water to residents than tourist passenger vans on the road (usually ubiquitous). Phuket’s three water sources were critically low, one of them…
Read More » - World News
South east Asia’s budget airline dilemma
South east Asia’s low-cost carriers are staggering as demand plunges, and countries are ever-wary about re-opening their borders, raising questions whether they will be needing any new planes in the short to medium term. Malaysia’s AirAsia Group and Vietnam’s VietJet are publicly canvassing their cashflow and funding problems. Indonesia’s Lion Air has shelved a planned flotation this year. But prior…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Extension of visa amnesty, extension of emergency decree
In a big day of important announcements, the Cabinet has approved an extension to the emergency decree as well as an extension to the visa amnesty for foreigners. The extension of the visa amnesty will now run until September 26. It now allows foreigners to stay in Thailand without renewing their visa as long as their visa did not expire before…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Protesters start a hunger strike out the front of Government House
A group calling themselves the New Life Network is staging a hunger strike at the front of Government House, again calling for PM Prayut Chan-o-Cha to stand down and dissolve parliament. They are complaining that the economy is getting worse and that the gap between Thailand’s rich and poor is widening. They say the situation has deteriorated since the military…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai Cabinet extends the visa amnesty for foreigners
The Thai Cabinet has extended the visa amnesty for foreigners so they can remain in Thailand during the Covid-19 global pandemic. This is the second extension to the visa amnesty and will be a huge relief for tens of thousands of people who have been in a visa limbo, some without many other options other than staying in Thailand whilst…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Tourism minister says he’ll punish hotels price-gouging during “We Travel Together”
Hotel operators around Thailand will face being “delisted” and fined if they are found to be raising hotel room rates under the new stimulus campaign being rolled out by the Thai government, called “We Travel Together”. The campaign is designed to boost domestic tourism and covers 40% of a hotel’s room rate, as long as it doesn’t exceed 3,000 baht per…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
CCSA recommend an extension to the emergency decree in Thailand
It has been decided to extend the emergency decree beyond the end of July 31. The National Security Council and the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration) have jointly agreed to extend the situation and will present the proposal to the Thai PM tomorrow. Opponents of the decree say the emergency decree is unnecessary now that Thailand has had 55 days…
Read More » - Thailand News
Nearly 80% of Thai prisoners able to find jobs following training during detention
The Thai Corrections Department is considering using foreign prisoners to teach English to other prisoners as part of their occupational training. Thailand’s Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin has suggested the idea during a meeting between his ministry and the Thai Labour Minister. They both signed an agreement to step up further cooperation between the Thai Justice and Labour ministries to come up…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Navy officer jumps in to save driver after car plunges into Chon Buri canal
An officer from the Royal Thai Navy has been thanked by the driver he rescued after the man’s car plunged into a canal in Sattahip, in the eastern province of Chon Buri. Lieutenant Commander Boonlert Kunmkrong says he checked his rear-view mirror while driving and saw the car behind him enter the canal. He stopped his vehicle and jumped into…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Government announces 3,000 baht payment for elderly, infant, disabled population
The Thai government has pledged to provide a 3,000 baht Covid-19 handout to the country’s elderly, infant, and disabled citizens. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security says the payment will be made to vulnerable sectors of society and covers around 6 million eligible people. Each person is entitled to a one-off payment of 3,000 baht, which will be…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Buri Ram school cleaner claims he was sacked for exposing a predatory teacher
A 50 year old former cleaner at a school in Buri Ram, north east Thailand, has come forward and told police he was sacked 4 months ago because “he knew too much about a teacher”, who was an alleged sexual predator. A number of stories appeared during May and June about predatory school teachers in the north east. Nation Thailand…
Read More » - Thailand News
Dozens of Cambodians arrested for attempting to enter Thailand illegally
Thailand’s border patrol forces are upping their game in the fight to prevent the Covid-19 virus being imported by illegal migrants. A report in The Pattaya News says officials have arrested dozens of Cambodian workers for entering the country illegally. The arrests took place in Sa Kaeo, in the east of the country, less than 50 kilometres from the Cambodian…
Read More » - World News
Hong Kong facing prospect of curfew amid rise in Covid-19 cases
Medical experts are warning that a curfew may have to be imposed after Hong Kong has seen nearly 500 new cases of Covid-19 in the last week. Yesterday alone saw 73 new cases with 66 being community transmitted. However, officials say they have only identified the sources of transmission for around 30 of those reported cases. A restaurant at the…
Read More » - Central Thailand News
“Ghost-riding” bikers charged after leaving scene of fatal accident
A woman, who allegedly caused a fatal road accident, has told police that she didn’t stop to help the victims because “others were helping”. 50 year old Jampa Boonmajuab was riding her bike in the wrong direction, or “ghost-riding” as it is commonly referred to, which caused the death of one woman and injured another. The accident occurred in Samut…
Read More » - Politics News
Thai Army wants to purchase 1.35 billion baht replacement VIP plane
With most of the country’s fleets of commercial jets grounded due to the bans on international travel and limited domestic flights, the Thai Army says they’re planning to buy a new aircraft for “general use”. The plane is reported to be a Gulfstream 500 private jet valued at 1.35 billion baht. The plane would be bought under the 2021 fiscal…
Read More » - Central Thailand News
Staff injured, property damaged as gang rampages through 2 Bangkok hospitals
Gang members have gone on a rampage through 2 Bangkok hospitals, injuring medical personnel and causing significant damage to property. Violence first erupted at Vibharam-Chaiprakan Hospital in Samut Prakan, just south of the city, when doctors were unable to save the life of one gang member who’d been injured in a fight a few hours before. His death led to…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Smaller protest group outside Army HQ in Bangkok last night
A much smaller group of activists gathered outside the Royal Thai Army headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, Bangkok last night in protest against an opinion expressed by the now-former deputy spokesperson. The protesters, part of the ‘Free Youth’ group who protested in Bangkok at the Democracy Monument on Saturday afternoon, rallied outside the main gate of the Thai army HQ early in…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand pries open its borders for Phase 6 of re-openings
Phase 6 is on the way which will allow more groups of foreigners back into Thailand and pry open the borders another incremental step. The next phase will allow the entry of foreign migrant workers from neighbouring countries to ease a current labour shortage. The two industries for migrant worker re-entry are the construction industry and food export businesses. CCSA spokesman…
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