Month: August 2021
- Thailand News
Police investigate claims that officer accidentally killed a man in extortion attempt
The Royal Thai Police are looking into a report that claims a police officer from the northern Thai province Nakhon Sawan accidentally killed a suspect while the officer was attempting to extort the suspect for 2 million baht. The investigation came about after celebrity lawyer Decha Kittiwittayanan publicised the claim on Facebook. Decha’s post stated the case starts with the…
Read More » - Thailand News
Man holds 2 people hostage on Bangkok Bus, driver allegedly dips out early to do paperwork
A 24 year old man commandeered a Bangkok bus with a gun holding the conductor and a passenger hostage last night. The gunman surrendered early this morning after a standoff that took hours to resolve with Lat Phrao police. The negotiations reportedly sped up when the man’s mother talked him into surrendering. Police were notified at 9:30 last night that…
Read More » - Tourism News
Phuket tourists rescued after being caught 3 kilometres off-shore while kayaking
Phuket Tourist Police have rescued a Dutch couple who became trapped 3 kilometres off-shore while kayaking. The Pattaya News reports that strong waves meant the couple, who are on the island as part of the sandbox scheme, were unable to paddle back to shore. The incident happened around 1.30pm yesterday, with police responding to a report of the couple’s plight.…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand to start offering booster doses, vaccinating children from next year
The Public Health Ministry says that from next year, Thailand will begin offering booster doses to fully vaccinated people, as well as vaccinating children. According to a Nation Thailand report, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says research shows that the immunity granted by 2 doses of vaccine, regardless of the type, will decline over time. For…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Pattaya re-opening threatened by rise in infections, slow vaccine rollout
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the eastern tourist spot of Pattaya has a number of challenges to overcome in order to re-open to foreign tourism. Chief among them is the fact that standard operating procedures submitted to the provincial health office are still awaiting approval. Meanwhile, Covid-19 infections are rising and the vaccine rollout is sluggish. According to a…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Monday Covid Update: 17,491 new cases and 242 deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 17,491 new Covid-19 cases today and 242 coronavirus-related deaths. A total of 1,037,923 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since April 1, the start of the latest and most severe wave of the coronavirus in Thailand. There are now 195,454 people being treated for Covid-19. The number of active cases has been on…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket tourism operators more hopeful after Sputnik approval
Phuket’s tourism operators are feeling slightly more confident about the last quarter of the year, following the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has added the Russian vaccine to the list of vaccines that will be accepted when granting entry to foreign tourists arriving through the Phuket’s sandbox scheme. Thailand’s tourism sector has taken…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Age of latest Covid-19 fatalities ranges from 7 months to 101 years old
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has reported a wide age range in the latest Covid-related fatalities, with the youngest being a 7 month old baby. Among the 233 deaths reported yesterday, there were also 2 pregnant women, an 88 year old doctor, and a patient who was 101 years old. According to a Bangkok Post report, 155 deaths were…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
2 Samui partygoers have Covid-19, raiding police quarantine
Following the raid and breakup of a party at a luxury villa in Koh Samui 2 nights ago, it was revealed that 5 of the people in attendance at the party had previously had Covid-19, likely from the Black Bamboo Club cluster resulting from another illegal party. Now at least 2 of the party attendees have tested positive for Covid-19,…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid-19 violating gathering of 23 students and teachers busted
If you have been following along, mark Nakhon Ratchasima down on your “Covid-19 restriction violating party” bingo card. Last night a group of students and teachers in the Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima were caught gathering with an abundance of alcohol and a noticeable lack of Covid-19 safety measures. The bust is one of an increasing number of illegal parties…
Read More » - Pattaya News
Pattaya reopening plan for September 1 unlikely to happen
Chiang Mai, which recently reported that, due to the Covid-19 situation and slow vaccination, they will delay their planned September reopening to October at the earliest, like many tourism areas that have seen plans to welcome back international tourists dashed by the intensity of the pandemic in Thailand. Now Pattaya has also acknowledged that their plan for reopening on September…
Read More » - Chiang Mai News
Charming Chiang Mai plan to reopen pushed to October or later
With Covid-19 still running rampant in Thailand, several tourist locations that were anticipating reopening in August or September are revising their plans to push back until October or later. Officials say that Chiang Mai will now delay their plans to reopen to international tourists due to Covid-19 issues. The deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced yesterday that…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
Koh Samui flights resume Wednesday despite Covid-19
The Samui Plus international reopening plan has seen a fraction of the success of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and were hampered by the grounding of nearly all domestic flights in Thailand, despite an exception for Sandbox flights. Now the province that’s home to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao will continue the Samui Plus programme and expects flights to…
Read More » - World News
All remaining Thai nationals now evacuated from Afghanistan
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan nearly a week ago on Monday, thousands of foreign nationals raced to the airport in hopes of assistance in fleeing the country while it was still possible. Now Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson has confirmed that all Thai nationals have left Afghanistan. The Foreign Ministry believes that there were 4 remaining Thai people in…
Read More » - Thailand News
Por Tor Festival still going in Phuket, no street processions
Phuket’s annual Por Tor Festival, AKA the “Hungry Ghosts Festival” is currently going on in Phuket Town. The festival is being held without street processions due to the Covid situation and will go until August 28. The annual celebration comes on the seventh lunar month in the Chinese calendar. This date is considered the time when the gates of hell…
Read More » - Phuket News
German man found dead in apparent suicide in Phuket Hotel
A German national has been found dead with a gunshot wound to his head in a Phuket hotel room. Thai media reports that police believe the wound is self-inflicted. The apparent suicide was reported at 7:44 pm, yesterday, at the Amata Patong Hotel, says a police investigator identified only as Chompunut. Police and a doctor were called in to investigate.…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 team aims to correct bad information, not censor it.
A special media team the government created to try to tackle the epidemic of fake news regarding Covid-19 in Thailand has been met with suspicion they will serve a broader censorship role. The team denies the idea that the team will suppress free speech and dissent, claiming that their focus is on getting factual information disseminated about the public health…
Read More » - World News
Czech Republic: Health care professions become fashionable
In the Czech Republic, the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic reached its peak in late 2020 and early 2021: The country of 10.5 million led the world in per-capita infections and deaths. In all, some 1.7 million Czechs became ill and to date more than 25,000 people in the EU state have died as a result of COVID-19. The only…
Read More » - Thailand News
Mass screenings of markets in dark red provinces planned, antigen test kits to be used
The Ministry of Public Health is seeking the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s approval for a plan to screen up to 200,000 people who reside in and around markets that are in “dark red” provinces. The people will be tested using rapid antigen test kits. Dr Traisulee Traisoranakul, the Deputy Government Spokesperson, says that the Ministry of Public health is…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket sees third consecutive day over 100 Covid-19 infections
For the third day in a row, new Covid-19 infections in Phuket had topped 100 people as 126 new local infections were identified in the province yesterday. 2 new infections were found in Phuket Sandbox travellers as well. There were no new deaths reported yesterday, and the total remains at 17 fatalities from Covid-19’s third wave. The rolling weekly total…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 233 deaths, provincial infection numbers, vaccine update
The Thai public health department has announced an additional 19,014 infections for Sunday along with another 233 Covid-related deaths. 20,672 patients have been released from state care, again exceeding the number of new cases over the past 24 hours. 5,239 patients remain in a serious condition and another 1,117 are on artificial respiration. The published numbers extend a general trend…
Read More » - Thailand News
Food, medical allowance to be cut for Covid patients that are in isolation
Covid patients that are isolating at home or in a community isolation centre are having their allowance shrunk from 1,000 baht to 600 baht per day. The allowance slashing comes from Thailand’s National Health Security Office in order to get rid of duplication of allowances and will go into effect on September 1. Dr Jadet Thamtat-aree from the National Health…
Read More » - Thailand News
Protesters clash with police for over 4 hours in Bangkok, 5 officials injured
After an over 4 hour clash with protesters, 5 police officers were reportedly injured in Bangkok last night. Piya Tawichai, the Police Major General from the Metropolitan Police Bureau says the Thalu Fah pro-democracy group gathered in front of the UN building on Ratchadamnoen Road at 2 pm yesterday. He says the group peacefully protested for about 2 hours. They…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Father and daughter drown in Mekong River in Nakhon Phanom, police suspect murder-suicide
A father and his 7 year old daughter jumped into the Mekong River and drowned yesterday afternoon. The incident happened in the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Phanom. The working theory is that it was a murder-suicide, says Thai media. Jamras Srihata, from the Muang Police, says the incident happened around 6:30 pm yesterday in front of the governor’s riverside…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thalu Fah presents UN with letter requesting international support
The pro-democracy group “Thalu Fah” delivered a letter requesting international support from the Office of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations in Bangkok, yesterday. They then gathered outside the office for a couple of hours of protest. After delivering the letter to the United Nations, the group offered nearly 2 hours of…
Read More » - Crime News
650 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine found off Trang’s coast
650 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine has been found off the coast of Kantang which is in the southern Thai province of Trang. Reportedly, the methamphetamine was loaded into fertiliser sacks which were then tied to barrels that floated along the sea. An unnamed marine generator vessel alerted officials to the suspicious buoy like objects that were floating between Koh Laoliang…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE Sunday: 233 deaths but over 20K released from state care
The Thai public health department has announced an additional 19,014 infections today along with another 233 Covid-related deaths. 20,672 patients have been released from state care, again exceeding the number of new cases over the past 24 hours. 5,239 patients remain in a serious condition and another 1,117 are on artificial respiration. The published numbers extend a general trend over…
Read More » - World News
Vietnam Covid-19 surges, Ho Chi Minh enters lockdown Monday
With soaring Covid-19 infections, Ho Chi Minh City has issued a stay-at-home order enacting a strict lockdown that bans people from leaving their home starting Monday. The megacity of 9 million people has accounted for a full 80% of all Covid-19 deaths and 50% of Covid-19 infections in Vietnam and less harsh lockdown restrictions aren’t making headway. The deputy head…
Read More » - World News
Hungary vs EU: Is Orban striving for Huxit?
Hungary’s unofficial government newspaper Magyar Nemzet (Hungarian Nation) often floats issues that Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his government would like to gauge public opinion on without addressing those issues themselves. Last weekend, it happened again. On Sunday (August 15), the paper opened debate on an issue that had previously been deemed off-limits even in Hungarian government circles: Hungary’s exit…
Read More » - Politics News
MP challenges PM Prayut to kickboxing for prime ministership
Many people have challenged PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s competence to lead the nation, especially through the Covid-19 pandemic. But MP Mongkolkit Suksintharanon took it one step further, challenging PM Prayut to a bare-knuckled kickboxing match for the prime ministership. The parliament member is the leader of the Thai Civilised Party and posted a message on Facebook Thursday making the challenge to…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
China eyes booster shots to hit herd immunity by year’s end
If they can achieve over 80% vaccination rate, China may reach herd immunity by the end of the year, according to the country’s top respiratory disease expert. He believed that booster shots would make up for the loss of efficacy after 6 months of vaccines from China and others used in the country. Officials in China believe that they will…
Read More » - Koh Samui News
24 arrested at illegal party in Koh Samui luxury villa
Perhaps people are getting fed up with Covid-19 restrictions keeping them isolated and unable to socialize and party. Or maybe the police are cracking down more on the illegal parties that often become Covid-19 clusters or superspreader events. Either way, stories of private parties in violation of Covid-19 Emergency Decree restrictions being busted seem to be cropping up more and…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 261 Covid-related deaths, provincial totals
This morning the Thai public health department has added a further 20,571 infections to the Covid totals. 235 of today’s infections are from Thai prisons. There’s also been 261 new deaths announced from the past 24 hours. 23,159 patients have been released from hospitals and field hospitals in the past 24 hours as well. Here are today’s provincial totals… • Thailand’s Surat…
Read More » - World News
Africa: Vaccination rollout hindered by hesitancy, low supply
A new wave of COVID-19 infections across Africa, and the inequitable distribution of vaccines, has further highlighted the multifaceted inequalities both within the continent and across the globe. While in some parts of the world, the challenge is overcoming vaccine hesitancy. In others, the problem is getting the vaccines to the needy — explains Nicholas Crips, South Africa’s Deputy Director…
Read More » - Phuket News
Phuket Sandbox order revises rules to cancel or modify
A new updated Phuket Provincial Order revises the international reopening scheme to include the new Sandbox 7+7 program but also slips in a revision to the parameters for cancellation or modification of the Phuket Sandbox. The order issued yesterday mostly revises the rules to include conditions for travelling to other destinations in Thailand after the first 7 days in Phuket.…
Read More » - World News
Friends, enemies, neighbors? The Taliban and the Middle East
A recent editorial in Al-Alam, an Iranian-owned Arabic-language publication, warned people not to trust the Americans the way the Afghan people did. The people of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Libya “link the fate of their countries and their people with America and believe this will open a new door, through which they will enter into a bright and brilliant…
Read More » - Transport News
Airlines pushing for September reopening for domestic flights
Struggling airlines are backing a push to reopen domestic flights in September from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport, a hub for low-cost carriers. Negotiations are in progress with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, and budget airlines to create travel and safety regulations to resume flights. Airlines are struggling to remain liquid as nearly all domestic…
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