Year: 2021
- Covid-19 News
400 illegal migrants test positive for Covid-19- UPDATE
Earlier today, Thailand authorities announced that almost 300 allegedly illegal migrants tested positive for Covid-19, and now, that number has raised to almost 400. The migrants are being housed in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district awaiting to be transferred to a field hospital, with authorities saying the situation is “under control.” Sompong Chingduang, commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, said on Tuesday…
Read More » - Crime News
7 people arrested for allegedly trafficking 8 million methamphetamine pills
7 people were arrested for allegedly trafficking a large quantity of methamphetamine pills. Police say they followed a suspicious vehicle to a warehouse in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok. Officers searched the vehicle and say they seized 8 million methamphetamine pills. The suspects allegedly told police that they were transferring the drugs to the warehouse and that they were…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand’s PM speeds up stimulus measures to boost domestic spending
Thailand’s PM is speeding up economic stimulus measures to continue the effort to boost domestic spending throughout the year. In a meeting yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha told the Finance Ministry to push forward the rollout of the 3rd phase’ co-payment scheme, financial relief scheme and the Section 33 We Love Each Other programme. Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow, noted that the…
Read More » - Crime News
Activists try to call off auction for cats confiscated in drug trafficking raid
With pedigree cats worth tens of thousands of baht up for auction by the Narcotics Control Board after being seized in a suspected drug network raid, animal rights activists in Thailand are calling on officials to suspend the auction. The cats, 5 Scottish Folds and a Bengal, were seized last week along with 35 million baht in assets suspected of…
Read More » - Events
Supporters raise 17 million baht to open Vipassana Mindfulness Centre in Nakhon Pathom
More than 150 students and supporters of world renowned Buddhist teacher and author Ajarn Supawan Green gathered for the inauguration of an international mindfulness centre in Puttamonthon, Nakhon Pathom, to the west of Bangkok, on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Construction of the ‘Bring your Mental Self Back Home Centre’ was made possible with financial and technical support from patrons of…
Read More » - Phuket News
More on the “sandbox” plan to reopen Phuket to foreign tourists, idea to be pitched to CCSA
The so-called “sandbox” travel bubble idea, which would allow vaccinated travellers from certain low risk countries to enter Thailand without undergoing quarantine, will be pitched by the tourism officials at Friday’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting. Phuket is set to be the first area to try out the sandbox model once the scheme is approved. If the CCSA moves…
Read More » - Crime News
Police officer’s son caught on camera firing shots at Thai restaurant
The son of a local police officer and 2 other men were caught on camera firing shots and pointing guns at employees at Thai barbeque restaurant in the southern province Trang. Surveillance camera footage shows the men parking a pickup truck nearby and the man, identified as the police officer’s son, holding a gun and then shooting it at the…
Read More » - Tourism News
Banyan Tree Krabi – Bringing Thailand’s luxury brand to Krabi
Krabi is a fabulous place to stay and home to some of Thailand’s most beautiful views and landscapes. Some of Thailand’s best known brands have already built resorts in the area but there was one of Thailand’s key hospitality brands missing… the iconic luxury brand of Banyan Tree. But here it is, after just over two years of painstaking and…
Read More » - Bangkok News
UNAids staffer who reported sexual assault at a Bangkok hotel loses dismissal case
A former policy advisor for a United Nations programme fighting AIDS, who claims she was sexually assaulted in a Bangkok hotel elevator by a then-senior official for the agency and was later fired after going public with the accusations, lost her appeal against her termination from UNAids. The 41 year old Martina Brostrom from Sweden says she was sexually assaulted…
Read More » - Crime News
Petrol station attendant stabbed to death allegedly by a motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas
A petrol station attendant was stabbed to death yesterday morning allegedly by motorcyclist who refused to pay for gas. Staff members at the Esso gas station in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok, say a motorcyclist pulled out a knife, refusing to pay for 40 baht worth of fuel before stabbing the pump attendant, 39 year old Sorawut Nakwichai. Police say…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death, most at an immigration detention centre
401 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most of the cases were at an immigration detention centre in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district Thailand now has 1,419 active Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 28,277 coronavirus infections and…
Read More » - Thailand Protest News
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand condemns shooting of reporters at Bangkok protest
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand has issued a statement condemning the shooting of reporters at an anti-government protest in Bangkok at the weekend. Saturday night’s protest, around the Sanam Luang area of the capital, ended with at least 33 people injured, including 3 reporters. The statement referred to United Nations guidelines that say rubber bullets should only ever be…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thai hoteliers want Emergency Decree to be used to speed up vaccines
Thailand’s hoteliers are wanting the Emergency Decree to be used to speed up vaccinations to fast track the scheduled reopening of the country by July. They say PM Prayut should use the power of the decree to let companies import vaccines with the FDA helping the move by approving more vaccines at reasonable prices. William Heinecke, founder and chairman of…
Read More » - World News
Children in Thai border town trained to duck and cover in case of Myanmar conflict
With the ongoing violence in Myanmar following last month’s coup, children just across the border in Thailand’s northern Mae Hong Son province are being trained by Thai army rangers to duck, crawl and take cover, just in case potential conflict between the military in Myanmar and ethic armies makes its way to the Thai-Myanmar border. According to Reuters, there are…
Read More » - World News
Furious pageant fans accuse Laos of copying Thai contestant’s fishy costume
Beauty pageant fans in Thailand are furious about a move by neighbouring Laos that could create a major diplomatic incident between the 2 countries. Supporters of Miss Universe Thailand, Amanda Obdam, say Miss Laos, Phatthana Khidaphone, has stolen Obdam’s costume idea and plans to wear it at an earlier pageant in Bangkok this week. According to a Coconuts report, the…
Read More » - Thailand Protest News
Protest leader Parit sentenced to 15 days’ additional detention for contempt of court
Pro-democracy activist Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”, has been handed an additional 15 days’ detention for contempt of court. The leader of the Ratsadon group is already being held at Bangkok Remand Prison on other charges. The new ruling relates to a March 15 incident, in which Parit tried to read a statement at the end of a court hearing, during…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand’s detention centres see almost 300 immigrants test positive for Covid-19
Almost 300 immigrants to Thailand have positive test results for Covid-19, according to The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The immigrants, in which most allegedly entered Thailand illegally, were tested at the Immigration Bureau’s detention centres in Suan Phlu and Bang Khen, with 297 testing positive for the virus. The overcrowded centres have stopped accepting new detainees as the bureau…
Read More » - Thailand News
Oops! Culture Ministry deletes website suggestion that traditional Thai garment could be used to commit suicide
Thailand’s Culture Ministry is in hot water after suggesting on its website that one of the many uses for the Thai waistcloth (pha khao ma) could be to hang oneself. The suggestion appeared on the website as part of a list of ways the traditional garment could be used. Other helpful suggestions included using it as a towel or a…
Read More » - Crime News
Man falls asleep while allegedly robbing a home in Phetchabun – VIDEO
A 22 year old man was arrested on burglary charges after the homeowner found him asleep in his daughter’s bed at his home in the central province Phetchabun. Apparently, the man had broken into the house at around 2am, but felt sleepy, so he turned on the air conditioner and laid down on the bed, Thai media reports. When the…
Read More » - Tourism News
Phuket to present reopening plan this Friday with fingers crossed
Phuket is expected to present a reopening plan for approval that would allow vaccinated tourists visit without undergoing quarantine starting in July. The plan will be submitted to the Centre for Economic Situation Administration this Friday. Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says the Phuket Tourism Sandbox plan can only be successful if the Andaman island achieves…
Read More » - World News
EU, US imposes sanctions on 11 Burmese officials over coup violence
The European Union, along with the US is issuing sanctions on 11 Myanmar officials over military violence against anti-coup protesters. 10 top military officers were among those to receive sanctions which include travel bans and the freezing of assets. 2 senior officals, including the national police chief were also targetted by the EU. The eleventh person to be sanctioned is…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Bangkok police officer caught on film following actress into public toilet
A Thai actress, who has previously been critical of the government, has accused a Bangkok police officer of following her into a public toilet at a petrol station. Siralapas Kongtrakan, also known as, “Mew”, says the incident took place on March 6 at 11.30pm in the Lad Phrao district and she managed to film it on her mobile phone. She…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Thailand starts human trials of local Covid vaccine
Thailand is beginning human trials on its locally-developed Covid-19 vaccine, while setting its sights for a rollout of the vaccine next year. While the process seems sluggish compared to other vaccines, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the development would enable Thailand to be self-reliant as the country would not have to rely on vaccines from other nations. “Production is…
Read More » - Tourism News
Phuket and Koh Samui request bulk deliveries of AstraZeneca Covid vaccines
Now Thailand’s Covid vaccine roll out has begun, it is starting to gather speed. The southern resort islands of Phuket and Koh Samui have made requests to the Public Health Ministry for enough doses to vaccinate the majority of the islands’ residents in anticipation of an early return to some semblance of tourism. Both holiday islands have a high reliance…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand’s fusion of religious beliefs: Buddhism, Animism and Brahmanism
Thailand’s people are known for being devout Theravada, or orthodox, Buddhists. In fact, the country’s government is a theocracy in which many public holidays and ceremonies are officially recognised in its calendar of events. Schools close and government institutions shut down in order to give its residents the day off to celebrate and to take part in national Buddhist ceremonies. …
Read More » - Thailand News
Soi Cowboy bar owner says the business has survived the pandemic, but revenue has fallen by 70%
Bangkok’s notorious red light district Soi Cowboy has survived the pandemic, but barely. An owner of a bar along the street said the business is only earning enough to cover operating costs. Bars and nightclubs were hit hard by disease control restrictions with the government banning alcohol, shutting down the venues and limiting operating hours during peaks in the pandemic.…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Fallout from weekend protest violence, Samut Prakan Covid cluster | March 22
We apologise for some poor patches of sound in the opening of today’s Thailand News Today… the fallout from the weekend’s protests in Bangkok and the violence that followed, the latest from the Samut Prakan Covid cluster, next door to Bangkok, and a wind-fall for a couple in Nakhon Si Thammarat digging around their backyard. The Thaiger is unable to…
Read More » - Tourism News
“Samui Wonder Island” safe and sealed travel scheme to launch in July
Under the new safe and sealed foreign travel campaign “Samui Wonder Island,” foreign visitors will be able to visit Koh Samui under disease control measures starting in July. Travellers will undergo a rapid Covid-19 swab test on their second or third day at the alternative state quarantine hotel or resort. The results will come back within 3 hours. If the…
Read More » - Visa Information
Russians in Pattaya arrested for allegedly selling fake bank statements for retirement visas
Police in Pattaya arrested a Russian man and woman for allegedly creating fake bank documents for retirement visas and selling the fraudulent paperwork to other foreigners. The suspects allegedly sold the fake documents to foreigners who did not have enough money in their bank account required under Thai law for a retirement visa, police say, according to Pattaya News. Retirement…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Health minister says locals on Phuket and Koh Samui will be vaccinated before tourists return
Thailand’s health minister is reassuring the public that there will be enough vaccines to immunise locals, particularly on the popular holiday islands Phuket and Koh Samui, before Thailand reopens to foreign tourists. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says 800,000 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine arrived in Thailand over the weekend. He says 100,000 doses will go to Phuket and…
Read More » - Thailand News
Backhoe driver digs up 100,000 baht in cash buried in Nakhon Si Thammarat
A construction worker came across around 100,000 baht in cash that had been buried underground while he was using a backhoe to level out land in the southern province Nakhon Si Thammarat. Nataya Wakwatee said her father, who used to live on the property, had told her sometime before he died that something was hidden under his bed. She assumed…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 73 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death
73 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 1,122 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA reported a total of 27,876 coronavirus infections and 91 deaths. A 60 year old Thai man in Bangkok died after testing positive for Covid-19. He…
Read More » - World News
Australian couple detained in Myanmar as they tried to flee the country
As violence continues after the Myanmar coup with the death toll now past 200, an Australian couple was detained as they were trying to leave the country on a relief flight, according to Agence France-Presse. They are now believed to be on house arrest. Reports say Matthew O’Kane and Christa Avery ran a consultancy business in Yangon, the country’s largest…
Read More » - World News
Burmese healthcare workers take to the streets to protest military coup
Healthcare workers in Myanmar staged a dawn rally yesterday, in protest at the February 1 military coup that deposed the government of civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The group of doctors and nurses took to the streets just before dawn, in a bid to avoid a clash with security forces. The protest action follows another weekend of military crackdowns…
Read More » - Thailand Protest News
Thailand’s media organisations issue joint statement in wake of political violence
The 6 organisations that represent Thailand’s media have issued a joint statement, calling on all sides in the current political conflict to show restraint. The statement comes following ugly scenes at Saturday’s anti-establishment protest in Bangkok. At least 33 people were injured near Sanam Luang, including police officers and journalists. Police officers used tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets…
Read More » - Thailand News
Most Thais want a new constitution – NIDA Poll
Pro-democracy activists have been calling on monarchy and government reform along with a rewrite of the 2017 military-backed constitution. While Thais seem to be split on the issues around government and monarchy reform, a recent poll found that most Thais want a new constitution. Since the 1932 revolution ending nearly 800 years of absolute monarchy and transitioning to a constitutional…
Read More » - Thailand Protest News
Thai PM to chair National Security Council meeting today following protest violence
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, is set to chair a meeting of the National Security Council today, following violent clashes between police and pro-democracy activists at the weekend. The police have been sharply criticised by academics and protesters, after water cannon, tear gas, and rubber bullets were used against protesters in the capital on Saturday. According to media reports, the…
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