- Covid-19 News
Thousands allowed to leave cruise ship quarantined in Hong Kong
Around 3,600 passengers and crew on the cruise ship World Dream, quarantined for four days in Hong Kong amid fears some staff could have contracted the 2019nCoV coronavirus, have been allowed to leave. Another cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, where dozens of cases have been confirmed, remains in quarantine off Japan. Authorities reported on Saturday that 64 people had been…
- Northern Thailand News
PM orders security review for nation’s armouries in wake of mass shooting
The death toll from the weekend’s shooting rampage in Korat has climbed 30, with 57 others injured. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, himself a general, yesterday ordered a review of security at the nation’s armouries. “If we had fully followed the standard security procedure, we would have been able to mitigate the degree of violence in this incident. Even if we insisted…
- Northern Thailand News
Thai PM orders tighter controls on guns at military bases – 30 dead, 57 injured
“He was able to broadcast, unhindered, for nearly 5 hours before his stream was eventually taken down.” 30 people are now confirmed dead (including the gunman) as a result of Saturday’s Korat massacre, 57 people were injured. Thailand’s Prime Minister General Prayut Cha-o-cha listed the sad toll when facing the media yesterday. He also ordered a review of security measures…
- World News
New criteria push the number of suspected virus cases to 615
The director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said on Friday there were 615 people in Thailand suspected of carrying the 2019-nCoV coronavirus. He attributed the rise in suspected cases to updated criteria generating more details and redefining the term “suspected.” The number of confirmed cases has risen to 32 as of today, 10 of whom have recovered and…
- Environment News
Rare leatherback turtle lays eggs in Phuket’s Mai Khao
Officials of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and army personnel rushed to build a fence at Mai Khao Beach on Friday after learning from a village headman that a leatherback sea turtle laid eggs there. The area is located in the Sirinart Marine National Park, one kilometre north of Phuket’s airport. Officials built the fence and posted army…
- Crime News
Soldiers seize 100 kilograms of crystal meth in Chiang Mai
A clash with drug runners in Chiang Mai province today resulted in the seizure of around 100 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” valued at about 100 million baht. Soldiers, acting on a tip-off, laid an ambush and were waiting for the drug runners. About 10 smugglers are thought to have been wounded in the the clash, which…
- World News
PM to launch “Green City” intiative
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) will officially launch the “Green City Initiative by MOAC” campaign at Siam Paragon Shopping Complex in downtown Bangkok today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the official opening ceremony, which will include distribution of seedlings of six plants known to be effective in absorbing pollution. The goal is to tackle air pollution caused…
- Covid-19 News
Seven more coronavirus cases found in Thailand
Seven new cases of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus were discovered in Thailand yesterday, including three Thais and four Chinese. The new cases brought the total reported in the country to 32, the third highest number of infections outside of China, Japan and Singapore. The global death toll from the virus is now at least 805, surpassing the number of fatalities from…
- Bangkok News
Court suspends Chao Phraya promenade project
A court has ruled that Bangkok City Hall’s project to build a promenade along both sides of the Chao Phraya River is illegal, and on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension of works. The Administrative Court ruled that the 14 billion baht project, which comprises two elevated walkways complete with a bicycle lane running for 57 kilometres along both sides of…
- Chiang Mai News
44th Chiang Mai Flower Festival in full bloom
The Chiang Mai Flower Festival kicked off at the city’s Suan Buak Had park yesterday. Mayor Tassanai Buranupakorn officially opened the festival which he hopes will bring much-needed tourists to the city. Tassanai said Suan Buak Had was Chiang Mai’s first public park and has always been the location of the annual Flower Festival, now in its 44th year. This…
- Pattaya News
Second unidentified foreigner falls to death in Pattaya
An unidentified foreigner is dead after falling from a luxury hotel in Pattaya early this morning, the second such incident in a week. Emergency responders were notified of the incident at the luxury hotel on Pattaya Second Road near the Dolphin Roundabout and Terminal 21 Mall. They arrived at the scene to find the body of the foreigner, around 50…
- Covid-19 News
2 year old girl hospitalised in Israel over virus after arriving from Thailand
A two year old girl who recently flew from Thailand to Israel is in hospital due to fears she might be infected with the 19nCoV coronavirus. It isn’t clear whether the girl is an Israeli citizen. Hospital staff say she’s suffering from fever and diarrhea, and “this is currently a condition that requires hospitalization in isolation.” Israel’s Health Ministry yesterday…
- Entertainment
Cast of popular TV show claim they were stiffed
The cast of a popular Thai costume drama allege they haven’t been paid. Actors in the semi-historical TV drama Lued Suphan or “Blood of Suphan” have accused the producer of withholding about 2 million baht in wages. The cast went to the Crime Suppression Division head office in Bangkok Thursday to file a complaint, saying the production company refused to…
- Road deaths
Biker decapitated in Lampang
Police and rescue services in the northern Lampang province were confronted with a gruesome scene after the driver of a Kawasaki Z650 hit a metal lamp post in the middle of a downward section on the Lampang-Chiang Mai superhighway. The biker’s head, out of its helmet, was on one side of the road, his body on the other. The biker…
- Bangkok News
1 killed, 1 injured as plane hits tug at Don Mueang – VIDEO
One employee is dead and another injured after an accident this morning at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport. A Nok Air plane hit a tug towing it to the passenger ramp at Don Mueang airport, killing the tug driver and injuring another employee. The incident occurred around 8am. Don Mueang’s general manager told reporters that Nok Air flight DD6458, bound for…
- Covid-19 News
Health minister says no travel ban
Thailand’s public health minister Anutin Charnvirakul now says imposing a travel ban on Chinese citizens won’t help the government’s fight against coronavirus 2019nCov epidemic. Speaking at a news conference yesterday, Anutin said the infection is being found even in countries and territories that have restricted or closed their borders to Chinese travelers. Instead of a travel ban, he says, the…
- Covid-19 News
Japan cruise ship virus cases triple to 61
41 more cases of the Novel Coronavirus, or 2019nCoV, have been found on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, currently quarantined in Japan’s Yokohama Harbour, bringing the total to 61. The virus has killed hundreds of people, nearly all in China, and infected more than 30,000 on the Chinese mainland. The ship was quarantined after a former passenger, who disembarked in…
- Phuket News
Austrian man dies in Patong condo fall
A 68 year old Austrian man is dead after falling from his 12th floor condominium in Patong. His body was found at about 10 last night, on the ground outside the Patong Night Plaza condominium, where police say he lived alone. According to his passport he entered Thailand on December 19 on a 90 day visa. Blood pressure diabetes medications…
- Covid-19 News
Tourist police make video to encourage “Chinese family”
Facing a massive slump in tourism from China, the Tourist Police Bureau has produced a video for Chinese to boost the morale of people dealing with the Novel Coronavirus. The video has drawn plenty of praise and shares since being posted on social media yesterday. Tourist Police Commissioner Chadtha Komonwattana says the bureau is deeply concerned about the virus situation,…
- Central Thailand News
Deputy village chief in trouble over racy Facebook photos
What was she thinking?! A deputy village chief in the central province of Ang Thong has found herself in hot water after her sexy Facebook photos were shared online yesterday, Khao Sod reports. “I think what she did was a disgrace for our religious and community leaders, who must take action against her,” wrote one Facebook busybody member, who posted…
- Environment News
New bikes must meet Euro 4 emissions standards
A new government policy, which will take effect on March 29, requires all new motorbikes sold in Thailand to meet Euro 4 emissions standards. Officials of the Thai Industrial Standards Institute met yesterday with representatives of more than 40 motorbike manufacturers, including Honda and Yamaha, informing them of the requirements. The measure is intended to help tackle Thailand’s PM2.5 dust…
- World News
3 dead, 179 injured in Istanbul aircrash
Three people are dead and 179 injured, some seriously after a Pegasus Airlines plane heading into Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport skidded off the end of a wet runway and broke into three pieces upon landing yesterday. Turkey’s health minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters that three died in hospital, with 179 of the 183 aboard wounded. Ali Yerlikaya, Istanbul’s governor, says…
- Covid-19 News
Cruise ships save the day in Koh Samui
It’s Europeans to the rescue in Koh Samui, as the last group of Chinese tourists for the foreseeable future left on Tuesday. Two cruise ships brought thousands of European visitors yesterday to save this southern resort island’s struggling economy. About 3,500 passengers, mostly from Britain and Germany, arrived aboard the German-flagged AIDAbella and the British-registered Marella Discovery. Groups of tourists…
- Road deaths
2 crushed as truck overturns in Suphan Buri
Two men were crushed to death when tractor-trailer truck overturned in Suphanburi province in central Thailand yesterday. Horrific CCTV footage showed the moment the truck, carrying animal feed, overturned, crushing the two, who were travelling on a motorcycle with a sidecar. The deceased were identified as 64 year old Montha and 56 year old Phra Manop, a monk at the…
- Environment News
Thai government scraps Mekong blasting project
The government has officially abandoned a controversial plan to blast rapids on the Mekong river in Chiang Mai province. The Chinese-led dredging and blasting plan, initiated in 2001, met with fierce opposition from locals and environmental groups, and the Cabinet agreed to scrap it at a weekly meeting on Tuesday. The plan was to enable ships to carry goods from…
- Bangkok News
Passenger leaps to safety as taxi crashes, driver asleep
A girl leaped from a moving taxi yesterday, possibly saving her life, as the car immediately crashed into the tollway wall, causing a 4-car pileup. The taxi driver had fallen asleep. The incident occurred on the north tollway at the Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok province intersection northeast of Bangkok. The girl posted on Twitter that the taxi driver was in a deep…
- Crime News
4 foreigners, 2 Thais nabbed in 3 drug busts
Four foreign nationals and two Thais have been arrested in three separate drug seizures involving heroin, ecstasy pills, cocaine, MDA, LSD and marijuana. The first bust saw two Taiwanese men arrested yesterday while trying to smuggle 15 kilograms of heroin out of Thailand in instant noodle packages and powder cans. The two, identified as Li Chun Hui and Li Chai…
- Covid-19 News
First locally infected virus patient cured, discharged
Thailand’s first locally infected victim of the Novel Coronavirus has been given a clean bill of health and discharged from hospital. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today that the taxi driver, the first person to be infected in Thailand had been treated, cleared and discharged by Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute. All relatives and those who were in close contact…
- Politics News
Prawit defends police chief promoting his own son
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday that there is nothing illegal about the police commissioner promoting his own son to a senior police rank despite not meeting all of the criteria. The Royal Thai Police Office insists that Chanant Chaijinda was promoted on merit, and not because he’s the son of national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda. The RTPO was responding…
- Covid-19 News
10 on quarantined cruise test positive for Coronavirus
If you’ve got to be quarantined, it may as well be on a luxury cruise ship. But Japan’s health minister Katsunobu Kato announced today that 10 people on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama Harbour, have tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus. The 3711 guests and crew are still being tested, after a former passenger, who disembarked…
