Year: 2020
- Bangkok News
Experts say just arresting teens doesn’t stop street racing
It’s going to take more than simply arresting street racers to stop the so-called ‘dek waen’ motorbike riders from speeding through city streets, police say. The next step in eradicating the illegal races is to crack down on the mechanic shops and garages that juice up the engines. Young dek waen racers took off again last week after the nightly…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Bangkok’s revamped Khaosan Road may reopen in August, without international tourists
Bangkok’s Khaosan Road, for decades a pilgrimage for backpackers from all over the world, looks set to reopen in August. A well-loved tourist mecca for browsing, eating and night life, the thoroughfare has undergone a revamp during lock-down, and now boasts a new road surface, traffic barriers and newly-planted trees. Similar work is planned for the city’s Kraisi, Rambuttri and…
Read More » - World News
New breathalyser underway to detect Covid-19
Israel has reportedly developed a breathalyser that may be able to detect the Covid-19 virus in those who don’t even show symptoms, making it a potentially promising way to control the spread of the virus. The new technology is set to be used on airplanes and other methods of travel where it can identify if the virus is present on someone’s breath-at…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thousands of curfew violators arrested in 72-day span
Police arrested more than 40,000 people for breaking the nightly curfew which lasted 72 days. An average of 582 people were arrested per day during the restriction period, police say. Many people intercepted simply didn’t have a good reason for being out of their home late at night, according to police. They say a common reason for breaching curfew was…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai PM expresses condolences after repatriated man dies in state quarantine
Following the death in state quarantine of a repatriated Thai man, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has offered his condolences to the family and ordered a postmortem to establish the exact cause of death. A report in Thai PBS World says the man, named as Pongsak Kidkha, returned from Japan on June 9, and was placed in state quarantine at a Bangkok…
Read More » - World News
Asia stocks rise along with coronavirus cases
Asian stocks are rising along with the number of coronavirus cases after the WHO reported the highest daily rise since the pandemic began. The fine line between a second wave in cases and the removal of lockdowns seems to favour a more conservative approach in the stock market as caution is being taken. The Nikkei 225 ranked 0.3% higher in…
Read More » - Environment News
More sea turtles lay eggs on Koh Samui
It’s been years since sea turtles have been seen laying eggs on Koh Samui beaches. But this year more than a dozen sea turtle nests have popped up around the island’s coast. Just over the weekend, 70 eggs were found by villagers at Laem So beach by the Ban Sai Ree Hotel. It’s rare for the turtles to come to…
Read More » - World News
Ring of fire delights photographers around Asia
Those who stepped outside in parts of Asia yesterday got a rare photography opportunity as the solar eclipse (partial solar eclipse in Thailand), aka. the ‘Ring of Fire’, darkened daylight during the event. Skywatchers from parts of West Africa, the Arab Peninsula, South Asia, southern China and Taiwan were the lucky ones to see the full eclipse, which features the moon…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
3 new imported cases of Covid-19 virus reported in Thailand (June 22)
Today, the Centre of Covid-19 Administration reported 3 new cases of the coronavirus with no additional deaths. This takes the total number of infections in Thailand to 3,151 and 58 deaths since the beginning of the outbreak. Today also marks the 28th consecutive day with no confirmed local transmissions of Covid-19, a milestone that is sure to give the CCSA…
Read More » - World News
Wealth disparity between blacks and whites in America becomes more apparent
Despite African Americans in the US making up 13% of its population, the minority group reportedly only earns 3% of America’s wealth. The statistics are alarmingly similar to the current war on racism in the States as many activists are pointing out the governmental and institutional bias surrounding black Americans. Since slavery was abolished over 150 years ago, the amount of…
Read More » - World News
WHO reports the highest daily increase of Covid-19 cases
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported the largest single-day increase in cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, with over 183,000 new cases detected in the past 24 hours. Key points: The significantly larger number of cases could be due to both increased testing and wider spreading of infections There are now more than 8.7 million cases worldwide, with…
Read More » - Road deaths
3 killed, 2 injured in Nakhon Si Thammarat crash
3 people have been killed, one an 11 year old girl, and 2 others seriously injured, after the pick-up they were travelling in collided with a roadside tree. They were all from the same family, driving in a Ford Ranger heading to a family burial. Police say the pickup they were travelling in ran off the road, hitting a roadside tree…
Read More » - World News
Doomsday comes and goes
Apparently doomsday has proven itself to be a hoax after it has came and went yesterday. The Mayan Calendar predicted June 21 as the day that the world would come to an end, and obviously we are all still here. But many are increasingly following such theories after the coronavirus has some saying that there will be a new world…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Police warning: Pattaya’s beaches remain party and alcohol-free zones
Police in Pattaya are warning beach-goers that a ban on parties and the consumption of alcohol on the city’s beaches remains in force. Officers are monitoring all local beaches, particularly at weekends, when numbers increase, issuing reminders that, in addition to the ban on alcohol, people must not mingle outside their own group and must wear masks when not in…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Khon Kaen police investigate tyre puncture epidemic
10 vehicles have been damaged after hundreds of nails were dumped on a road in Khon Kaen, north east Thailand. Police don’t know whether the nails were maliciously dumped on the road or if it was an accident. The nails were found in front of the Nong Go school in Khon Kaen. At least 10 motorbikes and cars have been…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Australia on guard as Covid-19 cases jump in Victoria
Restrictions have been tightened once again in the Australian state of Victoria, as a surge in new Covid-19 cases has officials on high alert. A state of emergency has been prolonged by a further 4 weeks, and private homes can now have no more than 5 visitors at a time, down from the previous 10. Plans to increase the number…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Asia on alert for Covid’s second wave
Last week’s surge in new, locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in China, serves as a reminder to the rest of Asia that the possibility of a second wave may be all too real. A similar surprise second wave hit Singapore at the start of April after it appeared the island nation had been successful in containing the new virus. As restrictions…
Read More » - World News
Trump campaign and media tussle over Tulsa rally turnout
“In an increasingly globalised online world, the world’s youth have started getting involved in the narrative for this November’s US Presidential election.” In the days leading up to Saturday night’s election rally for US President Donald Trump – his first since March – the campaign management were touting figures suggesting that as many as 1 million people had signed up…
Read More » - Crime News
Unemployed Chiang Mai teacher arrested for child pornography
Police in Chiang Mai province have arrested an unemployed teacher after finding child pornography on his computers. The 33 year old man had previously worked as a music and dance teacher at a private school. He was reportedly paying a LINE app group to download sexual images of children as young as 10. Chiang Mai police collaborated with the Thailand…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
China traces Beijing Covid-19 outbreak to European strain
China says it’s identified a European strain of Covid-19 as having sparked the recent spike in south west Beijing suburbs, but the World Health Organisation will only say it was imported from outside the city and needs further investigation. China has released genome sequencing data which officials claim identifies a European strain of the coronavirus. 183 people have contracted the…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid-19: 1 new imported case, 27 days with no local transmissions (June 21)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this morning announced 1 new case of Covid-19 discovered in state quarantine over the previous 24 hours. The case is a 6 year old Thai boy who recently returned from South Africa on a repatriation flight. Thailand has reached 27 consecutive days without a domestically transmitted case. As of today, the total number of…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Injured adventure cyclist rescued in Chon Buri forest – VIDEO
An off-road adventure bicyclist was rescued after a bicycle accident in a forest in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district yesterday. Rescue workers were notified of the accident at 10am in a forest near the Khao Maikaew area. Rescue workers had to hike 2 kilometres from the nearest road into the forest to find the injured cyclist, 31 year old Thanachai Poecharoen.…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Relaxation on some social distancing measures for travel
The Thailand Civil Aviation Authority has further relaxed the restrictions on domestic airline services by removing the need for on-board social distancing (so that middle seat is now likely to be sold) CCAT Director Chula Sookmanop says that domestic airlines can sell all their seats on each flight Airlines no longer need to leave some of the seats vacant for…
Read More » - World News
Welcome to Cambodia! Bring your wallet.
If you’re thinking about planning a trip to Cambodia soon, reconsider, unless you’re willing to put down US$3,000, a fortune for a backpacker in Southeast Asia. The country wants foreigners to make the deposit at a local bank upon entering to make sure any potential medical or quarantine costs can be met. And that’s just the start. Even if you…
Read More » - Thailand News
Baby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi
2 baby elephants have apparently been electrocuted in the Tha Mai district of the eastern province of Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border, when they touched an electric fence put up by an orchard owner to keep foraging animals out. A local police officer said he would summon the orchard owner for questioning about the electrified fencing. Authorities are awaiting the…
Read More » - Crime News
Russian charged with credit card fraud on Koh Samui
Police in Koh Samui, in the southern province of Surat Thani, have arrested a 35 year old Russian man for allegedly using counterfeit credit cards to buy goods on the resort island. When he was arrested there were 8 fake credit cards found on him. The arrest comes after a bank employee told police of suspected irregularities in the use…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
31 illegal Cambodian migrant workers apprehended in border town
Thai immigration authorities arrested 3 Thais and 31 illegal Cambodian migrants travelling in 3 pickup trucks in Sa Kaeo, about 200 kilometres east of Bangkok, near the Cambodian border yesterday morning. 4 other vehicles managed to evade officials. The Thais stand charged with assisting illegal migrant workers. They have been identified as 39 year old driver Yotha Nadkhiew, 42 year old…
Read More » - Crime News
10 arrested over spreading ‘fake news’ online
10 more suspects have now been arrested for allegedly spreading fake news by officials from the Anti-Fake News Centre. Seksarn Artasarn, admin for a Facebook page, ‘Bunterm Saikeaw’ with over 200,000 followers, has been arrested on charges of spreading fake news along with a series of drug charges. The suspect was arrested in his home in Pathum Thani province, just…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai immigration crackdown on illegal migrants flowing back into the country
Thailand borders four countries. Most of the borders are just jungle or the mighty Mekong River. In all cases the borders are easily crossed if someone wants to avoid the correct border channels. The country’s porous borders have been an ongoing issue with some 5 million+ illegal immigrants floating around Thailand at any one time. There has been recent attempts…
Read More » - Thailand News
Partial solar eclipse today, starts just after 1pm
A partial solar eclipse will be visible this afternoon, if your local weather allows. Bu in some other parts of Asia and Africa, residents will be treated to a spectacular total eclipse. If you miss this phenomenon today, the next solar eclipse, a total eclipse, on view in the Thai skies will be on April 20, 2023. For Bangkokians, the…
Read More » - Politics News
Ruling PP party denies coercing opposition parties to join
A source from the ruling Palang Pracharat party says that rumours that it was trying to “coerce and persuade” members of the opposition or current coalition member to join the party, were untrue. Over the past month, Thai politicians had been gossiping that the party has been allegedly syphoning cash from the 1.9 trillion baht “coronavirus relief fund” to recruit parliamentarians…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Over 100 arrested for illegal motorcycle night racing in Nonthaburi
Over 100 teens and adults have been arrested for involvement in illegal night motorcycle racing in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok city, since yesterday. Those arrested include riders, passengers, and supporters of the illegal races. Nonthaburi police said today that 102 people have been arrested in a collaborative effort between 11 police stations in the province. The operation is in…
Read More » - Crime News
UPDATE: Kidnap/murder suspect Banyin in suicide bid
UPDATE: According to Thai PBS World, former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangphaporn tried to commit suicide at a maximum security prison last night, after prison officials uncovered alleged plots to kidnap the wife of the prison warden to hold hostage in return for his release, and to escape while being taken to the court on Monday, if that plan failed.…
Read More » - Crime News
Pregnant woman dead, husband wounded over Ratchaburi land dispute
A pregnant woman in the western Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, was shot and killed yesterday, and her husband seriously wounded. Police there say a 70 year old man has turned himself in for the crime, claiming a land dispute drove him to open fire on their car. Krit Thanathavornrit surrendered to authorities late last night and handed over the…
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