- Covid-19 News
Covid 19 update: 4 new imported cases found in quarantine (June 26)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says that 4 women tested positive for Covid-19 in state quarantine over the previous 24 hour period. There have been no domestic Covid-19 cases for 32 days. Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin reports that 2 of the women, 22 and 27 years old, showed symptoms upon returning from Sudan on June 24 and were diagnosed positive…
- Transport News
Thai Air Asia to resume all domestic routes, flights in July
Thai Air Asia will return to full domestic services in Thailand during July, with all routes and flights back in action for a total of 23 destinations and 25 routes. The announcement was made this afternoon. Thai Air Asia’s CEO told Associated Press that the airline has been slowly ramping up its domestic routes since May and is now ready…
- Crime News
Dozens arrested in money laundering and drugs case
61 people have been arrested in one of Thailand’s biggest money laundering cases of the year, said to be worth more than 10 billion baht. The suspects are believed to be part of a drug syndicate and money laundering network, allegedly run by a 45 year old Chinese man identified as “Chien Ma,” who was caught earlier in Bangkok. Provincial…
- Thai Life
Stranded Russian and friends help monk build houses in Chiang Mai – VIDEO
When Nikita Proshin left his home in Russia in January to travel for a year, he had no idea he would spend the last 5 months in Thailand. Although he ended up stranded in the Kingdom, through a work-exchange program, he’s helping a Buddhist monk build houses. The 25 year old says he doesn’t know what will happen next, but he…
- Environment News
Baby elephants abused to “break” them for tourism- VIDEO
The plight of Thailand’s many elephants has made plenty of headlines since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak in January, especially in the North, where the many elephant camps and “sanctuaries” were the a major draw for tourist revenue until the Emergency Decree and travel ban forced many to close. To avoid starvation, thousands made the long journey back to…
- Crime News
Surat Thani “cockle wars” are over, says navy chief
The chief of the Royal Thai Navy says local figures wielding influence are being “neutralised” and the disruptive, sometimes violent dispute between cockle farmers and local small-boat fishermen is drawing to an end. Admiral Ruechai Ruddit says the conflict off the coast of Bandon Bay in the southern province of Surat Thani has eased, after cockle farmers began dismantling the…
- Crime News
Saraburi man arrested for firing at radio station, fleeing in stolen pickup
Police in the central Saraburi province, about 120 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, arrested a man early today for allegedly firing a gun at a radio station and stealing a pickup truck in which he fled. Officers of the Nong Khae Police Station were informed at 6:30pm yesterday about a shooting incident at the Public Relations Department’s radio station in Nong…
- Crime News
Graffiti in historic Trang cave means public access restricted
A historic cave in the southern province of Trang, said to be in use by humans for at least a 1,000 years, will no longer be open the the public after it was defaced by graffiti. After a millennium of human use, the Khao Pina Cave, famous for its stalagmites and stalactites, was found scribbled with names and nonsense soon…
- Covid-19 News
Open for business. Just about all business restrictions in Thailand lifted from July 1.
Thailand has now gone over a month without a locally transmitted case of Covid-19, and July 1, approaching quickly, will see the resumption of all businesses and activities originally suspended under the Emergency Decree, including bars, pubs and “soapy” massage parlours. Spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin made the announcement yesterday. He told the media…
- Covid-19 News
Q&A with David Barrett on travel, tourism and MICE
Industry expert and respected marketeer David Barrett chatted with travel writer and media consultant Andrew J Wood on the recovery from the impact of Covid-19 on Thailand’s formidable travel and tourism industry. AW. As Thailand starts to emerge from lockdown what do you believe are the most important points to consider to ensure success? DB: As we begin to recover,…
- Economy News
JLL sees bright future for post-Covid Thai real estate market
Thailand’s hospitality industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and Bangkok’s serviced apartments are no exception. A study by property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle indicates that serviced apartments have generally fared better than hotels in current and past times of distress. The report expects the pandemic to boost the growing trend of mixed-use premises offering hotel rooms and…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Wednesday, June 24
July Songkran plans pushed back to later in the year People won’t be throwing or spraying water on each other next month. Celebrations for Thai New Year – Songkran – were rumoured to be moved from April to July, but it now looks like it’s going to be pushed back later this year. The annual celebrations could even be separated to…
- Covid-19 News
Massage parlours will be allowed to reopen, must track and report customers to government
Post-Covid nightlife in Thailand is likely to be a bit duller than before, but at least “soapie massage” is back on the menu. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today that massage parlours of every description will be allowed to reopen along with bars, pubs and other venues in the next phase of easing restrictions. But, there will be…
- Crime News
Thai cabinet endorses raising age of criminal responsibility
The Cabinet has approved a draft bill increasing the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 in line with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It also gave the go-ahead to changing the age during which measures other than criminal punishments can be applied, from 10-15 to to 12-15, under the same code. The changes are…
- Expats
TM30 immigration reporting requirements updated
The immigration reporting requirements for foreign visitors and residents have changed: the Immigration Bureau has announced an update to the requirement for TM30 reporting, clarifying when a TM30 report is due under section 38 of the Immigration Act. Here is an unofficial translation of the crucial part of the announcement for expats, in Section 2.2: “2.2: After the householder, owner…
- Politics News
Deputy PM to become leader of ruling Palang Pracharat party
In a widely anticipated move, 74 year old Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan, dubbed Thailand’s “Rolex General,” has accepted the invitation to become the new leader of Thailand’s ruling Palang Pracharat party. The move is seen as a way of strengthening unity within the main coalition party, which has been plagued by factional conflicts, and to provide unity for the government…
- Crime News
Prisoner escapes hospital, turns himself in hours later
A prisoner fled from the hospital in the eastern Prachin Buri province where he had been admitted for a hernia operation, but surrendered to authorities less than 3 hours later. Authorities in the Kabin Buri district office say 38 year old Marut Kongchan was serving a drug sentence at Krabin Buri Prison. He slipped out of Kabin Buri Hospital about…
- World News
Military weapons seized near Burmese border
Police in the Mae Sot district of the Tak province, near the Burmese border, have seized a massive cache of military weapons, including 33 M16 and AK47 assault rifles, M79 grenade launchers and PK general purpose machine guns, together with a large quantity of ammunition of different calibers. 2 Thai men were arrested, but no details were available as to…
- Thailand News
July 4-7 long weekend holiday
Be forewarned: the Buddhist holidays of Asarna Bucha Day and Buddhist Lent fall on July 4 & 5 this year, but because they fall on a weekend, the days before and after will also become holidays making it a 4 day long weekend. So the usual alcohol ban may be extended for the full 4 days but nothing official has…
- Crime News
Unemployed Chiang Mai teacher arrested for child pornography
Police in Chiang Mai province have arrested an unemployed teacher after finding child pornography on his computers. The 33 year old man had previously worked as a music and dance teacher at a private school. He was reportedly paying a LINE app group to download sexual images of children as young as 10. Chiang Mai police collaborated with the Thailand…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19: 1 new imported case, 27 days with no local transmissions (June 21)
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration this morning announced 1 new case of Covid-19 discovered in state quarantine over the previous 24 hours. The case is a 6 year old Thai boy who recently returned from South Africa on a repatriation flight. Thailand has reached 27 consecutive days without a domestically transmitted case. As of today, the total number of…
- Thailand News
Baby elephants killed by electric fence in Chantaburi
2 baby elephants have apparently been electrocuted in the Tha Mai district of the eastern province of Chanthaburi, near the Cambodian border, when they touched an electric fence put up by an orchard owner to keep foraging animals out. A local police officer said he would summon the orchard owner for questioning about the electrified fencing. Authorities are awaiting the…
- Crime News
Russian charged with credit card fraud on Koh Samui
Police in Koh Samui, in the southern province of Surat Thani, have arrested a 35 year old Russian man for allegedly using counterfeit credit cards to buy goods on the resort island. When he was arrested there were 8 fake credit cards found on him. The arrest comes after a bank employee told police of suspected irregularities in the use…
- Northern Thailand News
31 illegal Cambodian migrant workers apprehended in border town
Thai immigration authorities arrested 3 Thais and 31 illegal Cambodian migrants travelling in 3 pickup trucks in Sa Kaeo, about 200 kilometres east of Bangkok, near the Cambodian border yesterday morning. 4 other vehicles managed to evade officials. The Thais stand charged with assisting illegal migrant workers. They have been identified as 39 year old driver Yotha Nadkhiew, 42 year old…
- Bangkok News
Over 100 arrested for illegal motorcycle night racing in Nonthaburi
Over 100 teens and adults have been arrested for involvement in illegal night motorcycle racing in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok city, since yesterday. Those arrested include riders, passengers, and supporters of the illegal races. Nonthaburi police said today that 102 people have been arrested in a collaborative effort between 11 police stations in the province. The operation is in…
- Crime News
UPDATE: Kidnap/murder suspect Banyin in suicide bid
UPDATE: According to Thai PBS World, former deputy commerce minister Banyin Tangphaporn tried to commit suicide at a maximum security prison last night, after prison officials uncovered alleged plots to kidnap the wife of the prison warden to hold hostage in return for his release, and to escape while being taken to the court on Monday, if that plan failed.…
- Crime News
Pregnant woman dead, husband wounded over Ratchaburi land dispute
A pregnant woman in the western Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, was shot and killed yesterday, and her husband seriously wounded. Police there say a 70 year old man has turned himself in for the crime, claiming a land dispute drove him to open fire on their car. Krit Thanathavornrit surrendered to authorities late last night and handed over the…
- Environment News
Bangkok’s Skypark could inspire more green areas across the region
“It is an example of how to repurpose an abandoned structure and increase green spaces in Bangkok through cost-effective design.” Bangkok’s new “Skypark,” built on an abandoned, never-completed Skytrain track, could become be a model for turning the capital’s unused spaces into much-needed green areas. Such an initiative would also boost public health and mitigate the impacts of climate change,…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 update: 1 new imported case (June 20)
The Ministry of Public Health’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 1 new confirmed case of Covid-19 this morning. The new case is an imported case, by a student returning from from Bharain. The student is in state quarantine and has had no contact with the general population since returning. Today is the 26th day in a row with no…
- Northern Thailand News
Korat restauranteur will change your perception of airline food
An entrepreneur in Isaan’s Nakhon Ratchasima province is transforming an old Airbus A330 jetliner (formerly flying with Thai Airways) into a restaurant, hoping his new business will take off after months of being ‘grounded’ by lockdown restrictions enforced by the Thai government. 33 year old Sirikorn Phimparat, manager of Airways Land, says the aircraft is now being refurbished as a…
