Month: January 2021
- World News
Britain to apply for membership with Asia Pacific free trading bloc
In the wake of Britain’s Brexit and separation from the EU trading bloc, the UK is now applying to become part of the free trade bloc made up of 11 Asia and Pacific nations. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership also includes Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, a potential market population of around 500 million. The countries generate more…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Sunday’s Covid-19 report for Thailand, 829 new infections
829 new Covid-19 infections have been announced today at the daily briefing of the CCSA from the past 24 hours, bringing the accumulated national total 18,782 since Thailand’s first case was announced in January last year. Sunday’s new infections comprised 822 local cases and 7 imported from overseas arrivals. Read about Thailand’s first case, and the first case of Covid-19 outside…
Read More » - Visa Information
“Yes, we want tourists back… but with quarantine” – Survey
Most Thai residents and tourism operators want Thailand to reopen its borders to international tourists, as long as a 14 day quarantine remains in place, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand survey. The TCT surveyed 785 operators in tourism-related business and 1,444 Thais from November 11 to December 10. 60% of surveyed locals and 50% of tourism operators agree…
Read More » - Transport News
Railway union rejects plans to close the Hua Lamphong Station which is set to be closed in November
Trains, planes and buses in Thailand all have restricted travel at the moment. In the case of the flights, domestic carriers have been forced to cancel or reschedule hundreds of flights due to the high drop off of passenger traffic since the start of Thailand’s second wave of Covid-19 which kicked off on December 20 last year. But amidst the…
Read More » - Visa Information
Visa Emergency Extension extended to May 30 this year for stranded tourists
Stranded foreign tourists, either genuinely stuck in Thailand since April 2020, or stuck here by choice, are able to stay in Thailand until May 30, according to an order signed by the Immigration Bureau last week. The order empowers local officers to grant a 60 day visa extensions from January 29 up to May 30. The order coincides with the…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
North East aviation college faces funding shortfall and allegations of corruption
Almost 200 million baht has “disappeared” from the bank account of the International Aviation College, part of the Nakhon Phanom University. They’ve now approached the Thai government for support to help tackle its liquidity problems. Without an injection of cash the aviation college may have to close down. The IAC has trained thousands of Thailand’s commercial pilots in one of the…
Read More » - Thailand News
Lights, camera, Covid – Tourism Ministry wants film crews to come to Thailand now
Without much luck with their ‘cunning ideas’ to draw back a few of the remaining world’s travellers, Thailand’s tourism officials are turning to the film industry to attract some people and investment. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming to generate around 3 billion baht from foreign film crews and is targeting film projects with an investment over 100 million baht.…
Read More » - Thailand News
UPDATE: Thailand Covid zones and your restrictions
Which of the five coloured zones are you living in? A green zone? Red zone? Pale red zone? hat’s the difference and what’s open and what’s not? If you’re not in Samut Sakhon, the coastal province just south west of Bangkok, then some of the restrictions imposed by the CCSA have recently been lifted. Here’s a quick look at what’s…
Read More » - Economy News
Pattaya Beach, fly over the pristine but horrifyingly empty beaches | VIDEO
The Thailand Discovery YouTube channel has captured an empty Pattaya beach front for the first month of 2021. The first month of any year would usually be one of the busiest months of the year and the beaches should be heaving with tourists in the post Christmas/New Year break and the lead up to the Chinese New Year travel burst.…
Read More » - Economy News
7 million Thais already signed up to latest stimulus package
7 million Thais have already registered for the latest economic stimulus package – Rao Chana (We Win). But Thailand’s Finance Minister believes that 10 million will finally register for the new relief in the wake of the second wave of Covid-19 infections sweeping the Kingdom. The new scheme is similar to other government stimulus packages where recipients aren’t just given…
Read More » - Transport News
Road sweeper finds an unexploded shell on Chon Buri highway
A 56 year old road sweeper did more than just clean a Chon Buri highway yesterday, he cleared the road completely. The man found a large piece of explosive ordnance on the main city motorway yesterday afternoon. Chon Buri city police were notified of the 45 centimetre long ‘shell’ found on the side of the road on the main motorway. The…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid-19 – Thailand report for Saturday
The CCSA has announced the Saturday totals for new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours. A total of 930 new cases of Covid-19 has added to the country’s total, since the start of the outbreak, of 17,953. A 31 year old Thai man, who suffered from cirrhosis and alcoholism, also died from complications of the Covid-19 infection. He contracted Covid-19…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Week in review | January 30
Thailand News Today covers five days of the news week. Now we have a weekend edition which goes over the biggest, or best stories, from the past week. Out every Saturday afternoon, catch up with Jett and Tim’s major Thai news stories. Welcome to the Thailand News Today Week in Review.
Read More » - Thailand News
Thai police officers crippled by accumulated 270 billion baht debt
Thailand’s police officers have amassed a total of 270 billion baht in debts. The staggering accumulated debt trap of the country’s individual police officers was revealed yesterday by the national police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk. During Covid there has been fewer hours and overtime for duty policeman. And in the popular tourist areas there have been fewer tourists to ‘police’ and…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Re-openings and easing of restrictions in Chon Buri, effective Monday, February 1
Re-open for business, sort of. Chon Buri province’s PR department has released its latest list of orders which will come into force on Monday. It follows the CCSA changing the Chon Buri provinces Red Zone classification into an Orange Zone. More about the latest provincial zones and restrictions HERE. The hard-hit bar and entertainment scene in Pattaya will be breathing…
Read More » - Thailand Protest News
3 arrested over January 16 ping pong bomb attack in Bangkok
3 men have been arrested in over a bomb attack that injured 5 people who were part of a a pro-democracy demonstration near Chulalongkorn University earlier this month. The 5 people injured included 3 police and 2 protesters. The injuries were only minor. The arrested men are 23 year old Pornchai Prakapuang, 30 year old Weerayut Sumritruangsri and 19 year…
Read More » - World News
Myanmar Election Commission pours cold water on the Army’s claims of election fraud
Tensions are high in Myanmar with rumours swirling of a possible military coup. Some in the leadership of the Burmese military have openly circulated inflammatory statements regarding possible electoral fraud. The US embassy, along with 16 other countries including former colonial power Britain and EU countries, released a statement yesterday urging for the military “adhere to democratic norms”. They’ve expressed…
Read More » - Phuket News
Body dumped on the roadside in Phuket
A woman’s body was discovered wrapped in blankets on the roadside between Patong and Karon yesterday morning. Police and the local Kusoldharm Foundation headed to the location near the Phuket Provincial office of the Agricultural Land offices on Patak Road, Karon, in response to a report of what appeared to be a dead body on the side of the road.…
Read More » - Transport News
Taxi and transport drivers calling for help from the Thai government
Unions of Thai Taxi workers and Thai automobile drivers have handed over an official request to a government labour committee to file a request to the government seeking financial support. Thai Taxi workers passed over their requests to Suthep Yoo-on, the chairman of the Labour Committee officially seeking industry support. Just about all sectors of the country’s transport infrastructure have…
Read More » - Visa Information
Koh Pha Ngan partygoers and organiser get a fine and suspended sentences
109 partygoers who attended a party at cliff-top bar on Koh Pha Ngan, including 89 foreigners and 22 Thais, have received suspended jail terms and fines for breaking Thailand’s emergency decree and Covid-19 restrictions. A judge sentenced each of the attendees to 1 month in jail, suspended if they have a good behaviour record for a year. He also fined…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Monk busted over ‘ice’ alms | January 29
Police arrested a 45 year old Buddhist monk for allegedly getting high on methamphetamine at a temple in the north eastern province of Buriram. The monk allegedly told police that a follower gave him the drugs as a merit gift and convinced him to take it. Local police say they received a complaint from the Baan Kok Mueng temple’s abbot…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Chon Buri hotels and tourism businesses ordered to close
Hotels and tourist attractions in Chonburi must close, according to an official order from the province’s communicable disease committee. Hotel and other businesses related to the tourism industry, who struggled due to the provincial travel restrictions, actually requested the order so employees could get unemployment benefits. With the official closure order, the employees can receive 3 month compensations from the…
Read More » - Environment News
600 factories ordered to monitor emissions to help reduce air pollution
To reduce air pollution, hundreds of factories across Thailand are ordered to monitor their emissions. Air quality in Bangkok has reached unhealthy to even hazardous levels in recent weeks due to the excessive levels of the ultra-fine dust PM2.5, according to IQ Air. Under the new regulations set by the Industry Ministry, factories that are most likely to emit PM2.5…
Read More » - Thailand News
Hemp now legal to grow in Thailand
Hemp is now legal to grow in Thailand, the Food and Drug Administration announced. The general public can seek permission to grow hemp for commercial, medical, educational, personal, traditional, and cultural purposes. There will be training sessions to educate the public about laws and regulations on hemp as well as health-related products made from hemp. According to the FDA deputy…
Read More » - Transport News
Taxis and tuk tuks ask Thai government for help
Unions of Thai Taxi workers and Thai automobile drivers have handed over an official request to a government labour committee to file a request to the government seeking financial support. Thai Taxi workers passed over their requests to Suthep Yoo-on, the chairman of the Labour Committee officially seeking industry support. Just about all sectors of the country’s transport infrastructure have…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s immunisation plan might be delayed, EU threatens ban on vaccine exports
Thailand plans to receive the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines within the next couple of weeks, but the mass immunisation campaign might be put on hold due to possible restrictions on exports from the European Union. The EU warned pharmaceutical companies, like AstraZeneca, that they would take legal action and possibly block exports if the drugmakers do not deliver shots…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Monk arrested on drug charges, allegedly told police methamphetamine was a merit gift
Police arrested a 45 year old Buddhist monk for allegedly getting high on methamphetamine at a temple in the Isaan province Buriram. The monk allegedly told police that a follower gave him the drugs as a merit gift and convinced him to take it. Satuek district police say they received a complaint from the Baan Kok Mueng temple’s abbot claiming…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 802 new Covid-19 cases
802 new Covid-19 cases were detected today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 5,551 active cases. The CCSA has reported a total of 17,023 cases and 76 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic last year. Most of the cases were found in active case finding, which was rolled out in Samut Sakhon,…
Read More » - Visa Information
The Koh Pha Ngan party kept rolling at the local police station
Police have arrested 89 foreigners on the Gulf island of Koh Pha Ngan, breaking any number of laws related to the emergency decree about crowds, mask wearing and current restrictions. They raided a party at the ThreeSixtyBar. 22 Thais were also detained in the raid on Tuesday night after the well-publicised event attracted plenty of local party-goers. Koh Pha Ngan is…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Chon Buri tutoring centre owner arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a student
A 59 year old teacher and owner of a tutoring centre in Chon Buri’s Bang Saen district was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a 15 year old student. Police say the sexual abuse was caught on camera. In a video obtained by police, the teacher was seen touching the girl’s breasts and then moving his hand under her skirt while…
Read More » - Road deaths
Man killed and 2 injured after sports car collides with van in Bangkok
A man was killed and 2 others were injured in a traffic accident last night in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district. Thai media says 35 year old Natthawat was driving a “souped up” Nissan Skyline when he lost control of the sports car, driving over the median and colliding with an oncoming van. Police responding to the accident on Petchkasem Road…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Study claims Covid-19 can negatively impact a man’s sperm, experts are skeptical
A Covid-19 infection could negatively impact the quality of a man’s sperm, potentially affecting fertility, according to a study published in the journal Reproduction. But some experts are skeptical and have criticised the study, one saying any virus can temporarily cause a drop in sperm count. The study claims a coronavirus infection can cause impairments to a man’s semen. German…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Germany advises AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine only be given to adults under 65
German officials advise that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should only be administered to people between the ages of 18 and 64. The recommendation follows reports that the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed in partnership with Oxford University, has an efficacy less than 10% in those over 65 years old. The pharmaceutical firm shot down the claims saying the reports are “completely incorrect.”…
Read More » - Business News
Scrub away Pattaya’s restrictions with a Walking Street wash-a-thon
Without much other good news on the horizon, Pattaya officials have celebrated almost two weeks of no new Covid-19 infections with a celebratory ‘wash down’ of Walking Street. The ritual ‘wetting’, in the Songkran tradition, was seen as a new beginning, washing away the bad spirits and the bad times that had fallen on the once-busy red light district. Sonthaya…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Island Party Crackdown | January 28
Around 9,000 people will face criminal charges for allegedly defrauding the “We Travel Together” subsidy scheme which was launched to stimulate the local tourist economy and to help hotels and restaurants ravaged from the long list of restrictions and international border closure. The national police chief says the police plan to prosecute around 9,000 people for conspiring with hotel operators…
Read More » - Health
Thai herb studied for alternative Covid-19 treatment
A study on the efficacy of a Thai herb for treating Covid-19 will move forward after a trial which alternative medicine officials say had promising results. Although, the trial was basic and only involved 6 people. Initial results show that the herb “andrographis paniculata,” or “fah talai jone” in Thai, can improve patients’ conditions and relieve symptoms without major side…
Read More » - Thailand News
15,000 people in Samut Sakhon at high risk of infection, health officials concerned
The rising number of infections in Samut Sakhon, most detected through proactive testing, has prompted serious concerns over a “high risk” group of 15,000 people, many who still work and travel as normal. The number for the high risk group is a rough estimate based on the assumption that there are at least 3 people who came in close contact…
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