Year: 2022
- Phuket News
On, off, on, off: PM Prayut rips off face mask mid-speech in Phuket
On Monday, just days after the requirement to wear face masks outdoors was re-imposed in Phuket province, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dramatically ripped off his face mask mid-speech at a tourism event in Phuket, asking the crowd, “Are you ready?” On June 1, Thailand’s Ministry of Health announced that it was no longer a requirement to wear a mask…
Read More » - Phuket News
Man dies after being swept out to sea in Phuket
A man in Phuket’s Thalang district has died after being swept out to sea when he went fishing near a beach earlier this week. Rescuers found the man’s body between several giant rocks near Banana Beach on Monday (June 6). The man’s girlfriend said he had been fishing on a rock on Sunday as she accompanied him. When a huge…
Read More » - Thailand News
BREAKING NEWS: Former police chief ‘Joe Ferrari’ sentenced to life in prison
The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases in Bangkok today sentenced to death former cop, Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, before later commuting his sentence. Thitisan was the police chief in Nakhon Sawan in central Thailand, when he led the torture and eventual death of a suspected drug trafficker in August last year. The Court today ruled that…
Read More » - Crime News
Alleged child rapist/murderer attacked during re-enactment in central Thailand
A man who allegedly raped and murdered two children in 2008 was attacked during a crime re-enactment in Khao Yoi district in the central province of Phetchaburi on Monday, reports Sanook. The suspect, 53 year old Chert Srijoon, went on the run for 14 years after allegedly raping and murdering 13 year old June and 16 year old Naen in…
Read More » - Thailand News
Even Thailand’s monkeys don’t have monkeypox
Thai officials have now run tens of thousands of tests for monkeypox on monkeys throughout Thailand (we’re not quite sure why). There have so far been 25,000 tests, out of 50,000 monkeys in 222 locations across the country. Yesterday, a veterinarian at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Phattarapol Mee-on, announced that all the tests have turned…
Read More » - Thailand News
Thailand exempts entry visa for Saudi tourists allowing 30-day stay
Thailand yesterday moved a step further to its future relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia when it announced a 30-day visa exemption will be available to all Saudi citizens. Saudis can now enter Thailand and stay for 30 days without applying for a visa before departure. The move comes as both nations step up to restore diplomatic relations which…
Read More » - World News
Cambodia officially becomes ‘Covid-Free’
Cambodia now claims it is now completely free of Covid-19, according to a statement released by the country’s health ministry yesterday. The last recorded case has recovered and Cambodia has entered a state of “Covid Zero.” The southeast Asian nation – which has a population of 16.7 million – recorded a total of 136,262 cases, 133,206 recoveries and 3,056 Covid-19…
Read More » - Phuket News
Newborn baby allegedly has broken arm after staying in Phuket hospital
A new mother in Phuket is dealing with a horrifying situation after a nurse informed her that her baby had a broken arm. The baby has had to stay in the hospital since she was born on May 23, and a doctor said she choked on amniotic fluid and needed a lung X-ray. The mother, 30 year old Aujchara Jantararat,…
Read More » - Transport News
Angry central Thai locals go bananas over poor road conditions
Residents in Ang Thong, in central Thailand, are so angry with officials in the Department of Rural Roads about the treacherous state of their roads that they have planted banana trees in the cracks of the tarmac in protest. Ang Thong locals have reported the dangerous conditions of their highways, roads and thoroughfares, to officials on a number of occasions…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Work by convicts cleaning Bangkok’s sewage system starts next month
City Hall has cleared a request by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to work with the Department of Corrections to clean the sewers and improve flood irrigation management using prisoners with good behavioral records. City Hall insists human rights must be respected, use only volunteer inmates, pay wages, use protective equipment, and offer welfare benefits. Around 1,000 inmates from 10 of the…
Read More » - Thailand video news
Civil partnerships and French ‘dicks’ | Good Morning Thailand
Out of nowhere, but perhaps inspired, or prompted by the Pride Month activities around Bangkok, the Thai cabinet has approved what is considered the first step towards same sex marriage in Thailand, a Civil Partnership Bill. This bill will allow same-sex couples to ‘register’ their partnership, not get legally married. The new Bill defines a civil partnership as a “couple…
Read More » - Thailand News
New Civil Partnership Bill in Thailand passed by the cabinet
Now the Bill needs to survive its first reading in the lower house of the Thai parliament. Out of nowhere, but perhaps inspired, or prompted by the Pride Month activities around Bangkok, the Thai cabinet has approved what is considered the next step towards same sex marriage in Thailand, a Civil Partnership Bill. This bill will allow same-sex couples to…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Ministry of Public Health insist there is no plan to roll out fifth Covid vaccine
The Department of Disease Control yesterday announced Thailand has no plans to roll out a fifth Covid-19 vaccine. The Ministry of Public Health has yet to decide whether a fifth shot would be needed and whether it would even be safe and effective to do so. DDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong says concerned members of the public should discuss the matter…
Read More » - Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | CCSA confirms possible easing of mask mandate
The CCSA has acknowledged that face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped. Although no date has been announced yet, the CCSA says the easing of mask-wearing in some public locations is on the table, as well as allowing night venues to stay open until 2 am. Nightlife venues were allowed to “officially” open until midnight starting June 1, although…
Read More » - Economy News
Thai stock market is a favorite among foreign shareholders
Last month, foreign investor confidence in Thai stocks stayed strong, with the kingdom’s stock exchange recording net inflows of nearly 140 billion baht for the sixth month in a row. International investors believe that any food shortages will have a minimal effect on the Thai economy and that the tourism sector will rebound in the second half of 2022, according…
Read More » - Northern Thailand News
Restaurant feels heat from police after expanding business into bus stop
A restaurant was left with a sour taste in its mouth after being warned about expanding its business into a nearby bus stop. Local police officials were notified by a Facebook blogger, ขาเกือบพลิก, who complained that a restaurant in the northeastern province of Khon Kaen had taken over a bus stop and was serving food to customers. The Facebook page,…
Read More » - World News
Quarantine waivered allowing 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand
In an effort to stop illegal border crossers looking for work, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will allow more than 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand without having to go through the quarantine procedure. Workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have been given a free pass from tomorrow through the MoU signed if they have been fully vaccinated with…
Read More » - Bangkok News
French Thai kickboxer makes a dick of himself
French Muay Thai Kickboxer, Jimmy Vienot, unintentionally made a bit of an idiot of himself after his recent triumph over Petchmorakot Petchyindee at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok. The Frenchman, who defeated Petchmorakot on May 20, wanted, มวยไทย, meaning Muay Thai, inked on his arm, but the result came back not just wrong, but terribly wrong. Instead, a communication…
Read More » - Central Thailand News
Thai thrill-seeker charged for high-jinks riding on a highway
A Thai thrill-seeker has been charged with riding his motorbike dangerously in the central province of Nakhon Sawan. The 49 year old, named Chat, was recorded on video riding with no hands down a highway and at one stage almost ran into the back of a refrigerator truck. The terrifying spectacle was recorded by another motorist who uploaded the video to…
Read More » - World News
Indonesia jumps ahead of Thailand with new 5 year digital nomad visa
Yes, remote workers have finally got a break with Indonesia’s announcement of a visa specifically for the digital nomad crowd. In the post-Covid world, with world office and work habits going through such profound changes, the option for a digital nomad visa, where remote workers could work in a south East Asian resort location rather than a dank office, will…
Read More » - Tourism News
Hospitels close the door on Covid and hotels reopen for business as usual
With Covid-19 projected to be labelled as endemic next month, hospitels and alternate quarantine sites have resumed normal operations. Hospitels are hotels that provided rooms for people who had mild Covid symptoms. They helped ease the strain on the kingdom’s hospitals during the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic. But now the service is consigned to history, according to the…
Read More » - Bangkok News
Penny-pinching government owe 150 police officers more than 1 million baht in overtime
Government House security police yesterday acknowledged they are still owed more than 1 million baht for special overtime services from last year. Some 150 police officers, from the Supervision Division 4 of the Special Branch Bureau 3, who take care of Government House security, say they informed their superiors in the relevant departments about their missing salary but claim that…
Read More » - Covid-19 News
Wearing face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped
But no date announced yet…. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged there is a chance the Thai government will soon drop mask-wearing requirements in some public locations and allow night venues to stay open until 2am. Some restrictions were lifted at nightlife venues on June 1, well at least allowing them to “officially” stay open until midnight (including bars,…
Read More » - World News
Singapore hails Thailand a leading digital nation in ASEAN
The Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, travelled to Singapore yesterday to sign a digital partnership agreement with Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong. Chaiwut, together with the Thai ambassador to Singapore, and the Thai PM’s secretary, met with Gan Kim Yong and agreed to promote 8 items on the MoU agenda, including digital transformation, e-commerce policies,…
Read More » - Health
Top 6 yoga studios in Thailand for 2022
With its mindful atmosphere and beautiful surroundings, Thailand has long been a great place to practice the art of yoga. World-class yoga studios continue to blossom in the country, welcoming both dedicated yogis and beginners. There’s no shortage of great options to learn yoga and exchange knowledge with like-minded yogis from across the globe. The yoga studios in the country…
Read More » - Crime News
Policeman attacked as former Sgt major causes mayhem at a Pattaya housing project
A Pattaya policeman was seriously injured after a former senior sergeant major went on a violent rampage. Jetsadabhon Reungrit was arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment after a number of anti-social incidents at a Na Jomtien housing government project, in Chon Buri. Residents alerted security guards to a scene after Jetsadabhon began hammering on residents’ doors and…
Read More » - Thailand video news
Time to get rid of Thailand Pass, midnight close time and face masks | GMT
There’s a strong push from many stakeholders to extend midnight closure to 2am, along with removing or reducing any other residual impediments to a full reopening of Thailand’s tourist and hospitality industry. There’s even growing support to get rid of the requirement to wear facemarks, which is covered under the emergency decree. Thailand Tourism and Sports Minister is also calling…
Read More » - Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Bangkok Governor proposes easing of mask mandate
The new Bangkok Governor is pushing the CCSA to consider extending the current closing times for the capital’s nightlife and an easing of the face mask requirements. His requests follow a flip flopping of the easing of mask wearing in Phuket last week, where the local governor had announced that the mask mandate was dropped in outdoor areas, but the…
Read More » - Thailand News
UPDATE: GT200 bomb detectors only good enough to be used as a ‘cat poop scoop’
UPDATE Royal Thai Army spokesperson, Santipong Thammapiya, yesterday announced that the investigation into GT200 bomb detectors has officially ended. Santipong says the NSTD had completed its examination of 320 devices, and the budget spent investigating it, and concluded that the Royal Thai Army would have to return around 3 million baht from the 7.5 million baht budget allocated to the…
Read More » - Crime News
Englishman arrested in Pattaya on child pornography charges
A 45 year old Englishman was arrested yesterday in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri in connection with child pornography charges. The man, referred to as “William”, was previously caught by Scotland Yard Police in England on allegations of making, possessing, and spreading child pornographic material between 2008 and 2013 in the UK. But during the judicial procedure, he was…
Read More » - World News
Indonesia opens office doors to remote workers with 5 year visa offer
Temping tourists to travel to Indonesia shouldn’t be a difficult task. After all, the largest archipelago in the world is rich with cultural gems, stunning beaches, and every kind of natural beauty. But the Indonesian government has decided against taking the scenic route, instead they are tempting the business community with an appetising 5 year visa. The nation’s Tourism Minister,…
Read More » - Transport News
SRT Red Line is experiencing a spike in commuters
The State Railway of Thailand yesterday revealed passengers using the new SRT Red Line is on the up. As of last week, 14,000 people have been using the SRT Red Line on a daily basis. Back in November 2021, there were only around 2,000 to 3,000 commuters taking the train. But since the beginning of the year it jumped from…
Read More » - Thailand News
“Beware, shakedowns in Thailand’s property market” I Lawyers, Guns and Money
There are great opportunities in Thailand’s real estate and property markets. Plenty of people buy, live in and sell, sometimes for a profit. Some live in their properties and some purchase them for investment. But there are well-publicised problems and even scams that have blunted the image of Thailand’s property industry, particularly the tourist magnets where beaches and a…
Read More » - Thailand News
Sexy makeover of Thai wealth goddess ‘Nang Kwak’ goes viral
A tattoo artist’s controversial sexy makeover of a Thai goddess on his Facebook page has gone viral. Tattoo artist Ajarn Joe changed the traditional costume on a Thai wealth goddess, ‘Nang Kwak,’ to a sexy dress and it lit the blue touch paper on social media. The response to the post has been mixed, with some passionately defending the makeover…
Read More » - Tourism News
Tourism minister calls for an end to the Thailand Pass scheme
The queue to beat up on the much-hated Thailand Pass is growing longer by the day. Now Thailand’s Tourism Minister is joining in. Tourism and Sports Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakan, says he will use the next Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting to push PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to pull the plug on the Thailand Pass digital gateway. If the scheme is…
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