Year: 2020
- Environment News
Bangkok’s Skypark could inspire more green areas across the region
“It is an example of how to repurpose an abandoned structure and increase green spaces in Bangkok through cost-effective design.” Bangkok’s new “Skypark,” built on an abandoned, never-completed Skytrain track, could become be a model for turning the capital’s unused spaces into much-needed green areas. Such an initiative would also boost public health and mitigate the impacts of climate change,…
Read More » - Tourism News
Koh Samet will reopen next month
The eastern Rayong province’s Koh Samet will reopen to the public on July 1, after being closed since the enactment of the Emergency Decree to halt the spread of Covid-19. The reopening follows with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s policy to reopen all national parks nationwide. Koh Samet is a part of the Khao Laemya – Koh Samet…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 20)
The Ministry of Public Health’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new confirmed case of Covid-19 this morning. The new case is an imported case, by a student returning from from Bharain. The student is in state quarantine and has had no contact with the general population since returning. Today is the 26th day in a row with no…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Korat restauranteur will change your perception of airline food
An entrepreneur in Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province is transforming an old Airbus A330 jetliner (formerly flying with Thai Airways) into a restaurant, hoping his new business will take off after months of being ‘grounded’ by lockdown restrictions enforced by the Thai government. 33 year old Sirikorn Phimparat, manager of Airways Land, says the aircraft is now being refurbished as a…
Read More » - Business News
Thai Airways staff balk at cuts in perks and benefits
The Labour Ministry will invite the management of Thai Airways International for talks over a complaint submitted on Friday to the ministry by the airline’s labour union over unreasonable cuts in work benefits, especially healthcare welfare. Nares Puengyaem, the president of Thai Airway’s labour union, together with two representatives of State Enterprises Workers’ Relations Confederation , yesterday submitted to…
Read More » - Economy News
Finance ministry to consider incentives to stimulate shopping, retail sector
Thailand’s finance minister says his ministry is ready to consider retailers’ proposals for tax breaks on shopping to stimulate domestic spending. The ministry has assigned related agencies, including the Fiscal Policy Office, the Revenue Department and the Excise Department, to examine the possibilities, Uttama Savanayana said yesterday. His remarks come after retailers asked the government to apply a shopping tax break…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Pattaya soi dog, caught in fence, rescued
In a heartwarming story, a stray dog was rescued after it got stuck in a fence at a house in Pattaya earlier this week. Sawang Boriboon Rescue workers were notified of the unfortunate animal’s plight at a house in Naklua Thursday afternoon. Rescue workers and The Pattaya News arrived on the scene to find the dog stuck in the fence,…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Meeting to discuss reopening of nightlife venues
Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha has stated his wish to see all professions return to work and earning an income. This follows a public petition, especially from Thailand’s estimated 100,000 self-employed musicians, from the entertainment industry, The Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thai Alcoholic Beverage Business Association and even members…
Read More » - Crime News
Police investigate alleged Banyin prison break, kidnapping plot
In yet another twist to a criminal case that stretches credulity, the Crime Suppression Division is investigating an alleged jailbreak plot by murder suspect Banyin Tangpakorn involving a threat to kidnap the wife of a prison chief. A source at the CSD told reporters of the investigation yesterday. Banyin, a former MP, deputy commerce minister and police lieutenant, is in…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Travel bubbles to initially exclude tourists
“20,000 foreign businesspeople, Thai work permit holders, and international school students and teachers have registered to return to Thailand.” Health Minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul says Thailand’s “travel bubble” scheme will open first to business groups and international-school teachers who can be easily tracked, and not to the world’s tourists. He made the announcement after a meeting with Japanese…
Read More » - Economy News
U-tapao and Eastern Airport City deal officially signed
The deal for a public/private partnership for the U-tapao International Airport and Eastern Airport City projects has been officially signed. The agreement is between the Eastern Economic Corridor Office of Thailand and U-tapao International Aviation Company. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired the signing ceremony yesterday at Government House. The deal is for a major infrastructure project to upgrade U-tapao, which serves…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Health minister wants travel bubbles to begin in July, but not for tourists
“No one will be allowed to arrive masquerading as a businessperson in order to go on holiday.” Thailand’s public health minister and deputy PM Anutin Charnvirakul said yesterday that businesspeople, international students and ‘experts’ will be the first groups of foreigners allowed to reenter Thailand next month under the travel bubble model. Anutin revealed the timetable after discussing a travel…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Tourism minister says pandemic provides “opportunity to reset tourism sector”
Needless to say, Thailand’s tourism sector, considered a lifeline to an already battered economy, has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the government is rethinking its strategy for the Covid era… The new tourism revival strategy is “quality over quantity”, target big spenders seeking privacy and social distancing, rather than try to attract large numbers of visitors. In an…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Government considering unlocking music venues, meetings today
Thailand’s often flamboyant and occasionally controversial Public Health Minister and Deputy PM, Anutin Charnvirakul, spoke to reporters this morning after significant recent media coverage of the estimated 100,000 musicians still out of work due to the continued closure of the entertainment and nightlife industry. Anutin says he himself was once a musician (yeah, we can see that…) and he “feels for…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Friday, June 19
5 cases – all imported Thais returning from Saudi Arabia on the same flight as another 11 people that have already been detected. 224 arrested in another Mae Sot gambling raid Police raided a large and sophisticated online gambling operation, arresting more than 200 people at a hotel in the Mae Sot district in Northern Thailand, close to the Burmese…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Health minister is in the front of the line for the first human dose of Thai-made vaccine
Guess who called first dibs on the locally brewed coronavirus vaccine? Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Apparently he wants to be the first person to try out the vaccine the Chulalongkorn University’s National Vaccine Institute has been working on. If he goes through with it, Charnvirakul would be next up for a jab after the monkeys. The National Primate Research…
Read More » - Central Thailand News
Dog finds missing owner’s dead body in Central Thailand
After an initial search for a missing man, a dog sniffed out his owner’s trail and found the man, sadly, dead in a canal. The man had been out cutting banana leaves by his home in Samut Songkhram, Central Thailand. The family says he left early but never returned. “We tried to search for him,” the man’s sister in law told…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand eases up on social distancing requirements for domestic travel
The requirement for Thailand’s airlines to leave every second seat empty, as part of the conditions under which domestic services could resume, is being done away with. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says carriers can now sell every seat on a flight (whether or not airlines manage to do so is another matter). However, the CAAT says airlines must…
Read More » - Crime News
224 arrested in another Mae Sot gambling raid
Police raided a large and sophisticated online gambling operation, arresting more than 200 people at a hotel in the Mae Sot district in Northern Thailand, close to the Burmese border, as part of an on-going investigation into Chinese-related online gambling. Apparently, there was a crackdown on the illegal gambling in the Myanmar town Myawaddy, causing those involved to flee to…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Musicians want to get back on the mic
Can we have music again? Musicians are asking for restrictions to be lifted so they can hold night performances and get back to work. Around 50 musicians petitioned the Thai PM, asking that night entertainment venues reopen by next week. Bars are still closed as social gathering mixed with alcohol might be too risky right now. But many bars and…
Read More » - World News
Amnesty International urges global petition for investigation of Thai activist’s abduction
The alleged abduction of Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit in Cambodia, and the inaction and apparent lack of interest on the part of both governments, has left people around the world to demand urgent action by writing a petition to Cambodian PM Hun Sen calling for an “effective, thorough and transparent” investigation into the disappearance. It also urges people to demand…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Bangkok bar raided, nearly 100 revellers charged with breaching emergency decree
Nearly 100 partygoers have been arrested and charged with violating the emergency decree after police raided a bar in Bangkok in the early hours of this morning. Following a tip-off that an illegal party, involving drugs and alcohol, was being held at the Fake Illusion bar in the Beung Kum district of the capital, 50 officers were sent to check…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Woman runs drug syndicate from Bangkok prison
Police cracked down on a drug network allegedly and discovered that it was being run by a female inmate in the Bangkok Remand Prison, using a gold shop to launder more than 3 billion baht in illegal drug money. The woman, Daorueng Somsaeng, as well as 9 other inmates in various jails and prisons across Thailand, are facing money laundering…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Survey shows majority of Thai people uneasy about returning to “normal”
A poll conducted with over 500 workers in Thailand and Malaysia reveals that a majority of Thai people are anxious about going back to work and being expected to return to normal behaviour. The majority of employees want to see significant health and safety measures put in place, with 1 in 3 Thais saying they don’t believe behaviour will ever…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Defence chief favours lifting Thailand’s Emergency Decree
“In terms of disease control, we’ve managed to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.” The chief of Thailand’s defence forces raised no objection yesterday to calls for the national state of emergency to be lifted, saying security operations will not be affected if the Emergency Decree, set to expire at the end of June, is not extended. Pornpipat Benyasri, who is charge…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Uproar as Bolivian TV program live broadcasts Covid-19 death
A Bolivian television channel TV channel sparked outrage yesterday after it broadcast live the last minutes of a dying Covid-19 patient as doctors battled in vain to save him. A spokesman for the “No Lies” program says it took the decision to show a Covid-19 patient’s death in the eastern city of Santa Cruz to jolt authorities, who have neglected health…
Read More » - Economy News
International medical hub proposed by outgoing Phuket governor
Local Thai media reported that Phuket has proposed a new project called “The International Medical and Public Health Service” to create more long term financial security and diversification, and value-added tourism in Phuket, as the island has taken a heavy financial hit due to the effects of Covid-19 pandemic. The project will use state owned property near the Tha…
Read More » - Expats
British expat petitions government to help desperate elephants, handlers
The closure of elephant camps and sanctuary-style tourist attraction throughout the northeastern provinces has left thousands of elephants facing starvation. Some have made the long march back to their home villages, where their arrival is creating more problems than it solves. Susan Field, a British citizen living in Koh Samui, yesterday presented a petition with nearly 65,000 signatures to the Thai…
Read More » - Environment News
Clean up Bangkok waterways: Report on littering, get paid
Need some extra cash? Catch someone dumping garbage into Bangkok canals and half the money in fines will go to you. The effort is to clean up the so-called “Venice of East” which has so much trash, city officials say it’s scary. The maximum fine is 10,000 baht, so potentially you could get up to 5,000 baht for one report. To…
Read More » - Economy News
Somkid outlines a bright future for Thai economy
Thailand is poised to soar in the global market with heightened investment attraction and a massive budget earmarked to rejuvenate the economy in the fourth quarter, as the Covid-19 pandemic eases, according to Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak. Mr Somkid says the government also plans to enhance financial cooperation with China and Hong Kong that will lead to business expansion…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Thursday, June 18
Covid-19 update: 6 new cases, all detected in quarantine (June 18) Breaking a 3 day streak of zero new cases, there’s been 6 new cases of Covid-19 over the last 24 hour period, all detected in state quarantine. 5 are male students, aged 23-26, who were asymptomatic and returned recently from Saudi Arabia. A 26 year old female student, who…
Read More » - Crime News
Online marijuana dealer arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Authorities in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat have arrested a young man whose online marijuana sales soared during the Covid-19 outbreak. Human trafficking suppression police today apprehended 24 year old Nanthapong Phuetsawanit at a house in tambon Sra Kaeo of Tha Sala district and confiscated 41 marijuana plants, 1.5 kilograms of dried marijuana, quantities of cannabis oil and…
Read More » - Chiang Mai News
Aussie woman arrested for shoplifting in Chiang Mai – VIDEO
Police in the northern province of Chiang Mai yesterday announced the arrest of a 38 year old Australian woman who allegedly stole 6 inexpensive items from a store in tambon Chang Moi, in Mueang Chiang Mai district. “Emily C.” was traced after she got into a white Toyota Prius and returned to the hotel where she had been staying for…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Illegal online gun dealer nabbed in Nonthaburi
Police in Nonthaburi province, on the northern outskirts of Bangkok, arrested a man this morning for selling guns illegally online, and seized 2 firearms found in his possession. Crime Suppression Division police raided a townhouse at Piyawararom housing estate in Bang Bua Thong district, acting on a tip it was the hideout of a man already wanted on an arrest…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
CAAC chief: International flights unlikely before September
Dashing hopes that international arrivals (code for ‘tourist flights’) could resume on July 1, Thailand’s senior civilian aviation regulator says that they’re are likely to resume as late as September. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand’s director says none of the airlines he’s met expressed any interest in resuming international flights next month, when the order shutting down the country’s…
Read More » - Politics News
Thai LGBT advocates push for equal rights for same-sex marriage
LGBT equality advocates are calling on Thailand to allow same-sex marriage, asking that laws regarding marriage simply change the words “man and woman” so same-sex couples can have the same rights as traditional married couples. A Civil Partnership Bill allows same-sex couples to register in a civil union, but the so-called “partnerships” are not treated the same as marriages. If…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
“World Health Organisation is an unreliable source on health issues” – Thai doctor
With the Covid-19 crisis has all but passed in Thailand (today marks the 24th consecutive day without a local transmission), Thais now view the World Health Organisation as an unreliable source on health issues, at least according to a specialist at Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital. He complains that the WHO is slow in providing information. “Especially when they inform the public…
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