- Northern Thailand News
2 drunk monks arrested in north east
A case of Bud Enlightenment? 2 Buddhist monks were arrested in their pickup truck in the early hours yesterday morning in the lower northeastern province of Sisaket. They have been charged with breaking the national curfew and drunk driving. The two were detained in their pickup truck shortly after midnight in the province’s Muang, or city district. Police say both…
- Covid-19 News
Cabinet officially extends Emergency Decree until the end of May
In a widely anticipated decision, the Thai Cabinet has approved a 30 day extension of the national state of emergency declared in March to fight the spread of Covid-19. The national curfew from 10pm to 4am will also continue. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke briefly to the public after today’s weekly Cabinet meeting to discuss the extension and the possibility of…
- Covid-19 News
Indonesia’s death toll from Covid-19 is probably 2,200 – Reuters report
A Reuters review of data from 16 of the Indonesia’s 34 provinces shows that more than 2,200 people have died with acute symptoms of Covid-19 but were not recorded as victims. Indonesian medical experts say the figures indicate the national death toll is likely far higher than the official figure of 765. Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, has…
- Covid-19 News
Alcohol industry asks PM to lift booze ban nationwide
Thailand’s alcohol industry is banding together to ask PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to lift the ban on alcohol sales, imposed as part of the national state of emergency to halt the spread of Covid-19. Alcohol-industry organisations, led by the Thai Fruit Wine and the Local Spirit Producer Association, the Thailand Bartender Association and Thai Wine Association, have made their case to…
- Covid-19 News
World’s wealthiest dig deep to fight Covid-19
With the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe and fatalities rising, some of the world’s richest are digging into their deep pockets to ease the pain for the poorest people and fight back against the deadly disease. Contributions range from supporting their employees financially and donations to the vulnerable, to procuring medical equipment for hospitals and funding vaccine research. In Thailand,…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s emergency decree extended until May 31
Thailand’s Emergency Decree will be extended for another month after it expires this Thursday. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Monday recommended to extend the decree which would be extended to the end of May. The emergency decree gives the Thai PM sweeping powers and is provided for in the Thai Constitution for situations like the current Covid-19 outbreak.…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand turns to China to revive post-Covid tourist economy
The Covid-19 pandemic has crushed Thailand’s tourism sector, long considered a lifeline for the nation’s already battered economy, as numbers of foreign visitors have dropped below even the worst predictions plunging 76.4% in March from last year after a 42.8% drop in February. For an economy that derives 12-14% of its gross domestic product from tourism, receipts, the impact of…
- Covid-19 News
25 more arrested entering Thailand by wading across river from Malaysia
Another 25 Thai workers were arrested this morning for illegal border crossing after wading across the Kolok River from Malaysia to Thailand. They were placed in mandatory 14 day quarantine and charged with illegal entry. They are part of a group of Thai workers left stranded in Malaysia, which has extended its lockdown order to May 12. Their desperation is…
- Covid-19 News
Curfew subjects Thailand’s many homeless to arrest
“The homeless can’t stay at home.” Earlier this month, Police in Chiang Mai arrrested “Tui,” a homeless man, for violating the national curfew imposed as part of the Emergency Decree to contain the spread of Covid-19. Police say they “found him wandering on the streets without permission from authorities or valid reasons,” and the court then sentenced Tui to 15…
- Covid-19 News
Park chief, officers arrested for house party
A group of 8 officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation are in trouble after being spotted drinking and socialising at a house party in Ngao Waterfall National Park in the southern Ranong province. They’ve all been arrested for defying the Emergency Decree. Police told reporters yesterday the 8 were rounded up last Friday night after…
- Covid-19 News
15 new national virus cases, 5 imported (Sunday)
Thailand’s health officials have confirmed a total of 15 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus. Of these, 5 were imported cases of Thai nationals recently repatriated from abroad who were sent directly to mandated state quarantine. No new deaths were reported in today’s daily media update. 2,922 people have been infected in Thailand since the beginning of the outbreak in…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 4 new Covid-19 cases, all in Bang Tao (Sunday)
The southern province of Phuket reports 4 new confirmed Covid-19 cases today, all in the Bang Tao area of the island’s Cherngtalay subdistrict, bringing the total in Phuket to 206 since the outbreak began in January. One more patient has recovered, bringing that total of recovered patients to 161. 45 cases are still in hospital of which 4 are ‘severe’.…
- Environment News
With humans indoors, nature makes a comeback
With millions around the world housebound for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic, Netflix and YouTube are making a killing and lots of people are finding new hobbies. But there’s another consequence to fewer humans on the streets and trampling around nature. Animals on land and in the sea are taking back areas claimed by humans over the past weeks…
- Covid-19 News
Tourism minister, TAT hope for a return of limited domestic travel
For weeks, interprovincial travel has been heavily restricted if not outright banned due to the Emergency Decree announced on March 24 to combat the spread of Covid-19. And although the National Security Council is expected to present a proposal on Monday to extend the Decree, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakan expects the government to ease some measures and allow…
- Technology News
Online video platform TikTok assessing live streaming in Thailand
TikTok, the most downloaded app in the world for 2 years running and the world’s leading short-video platform, has announced a trial of its first live streaming series in Thailand as part of its push to develop platform experiences for users around the world. TikTok’s first live streaming in Thailand was hosted by Vuthithorn “Woody” Milintachinda, a celebrity and influencer,…
- Economy News
“Thai Airways will survive”. Emergency meeting next Wednesday.
“Thai Airways will not collapse. The fact that Deputy PM Somkid stepped in to handle the issue means the government will rescue it.” It’s no secret that Thailand’s national carrier has been a financial basket case for over a decade, bleeding money and marketshare as the years pass. The top-heavy Thai company is bailed out by the Thai government each…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand reports 53 new cases today, 1 more death (Saturday)
A spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced 53 new Covid-19 cases confirmed over a 24 hour period, and 1 additional death. Most of today’s new cases are imported from outside the country. 42 of the new cases are illegal migrant workers currently at the detention centre at the Sadao checkpoint bordering Malaysia, another 7 in Yala,…
- Crime News
Knicker-sniffing panty thief arrested in Chiang Mai – VIDEO
After receiving complaints, police in Chiang Mai have arrested a food delivery driver for stealing women’s knickers (panties) while making deliveries throughout the city. 27 year old Nontawat Intanachan was arrested after at least one woman reported to police that her knickers had frequently been stolen while hanging out to dry. When police examined the surveillance footage, they saw a…
- Covid-19 News
Housing registration not required to receive free masks, says ministry
False reports are circulating online that housing registration details are required to receive free face masks from the government, and the Ministry of Industry is publicly warning people not to believe them, calling them “fake news.” A spokesperson says that reports are appearing on online media that the ministry plans to distribute free cloth masks by post, but only after…
- Covid-19 News
Public health must take priority – Thai PM
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressed that public health will take priority when the government makes a decision on Tuesday whether to ease restriction imposed by the Emergency Decree to fight the spread of Covid-19. At a press briefing at Government House yesterday, Prayut said that although Thailand has, up to now, managed to flatten the infection curve, the nation “cannot…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials announce colour-coding for provinces based on virus risk
Officials at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced a colour coding system for Thailand’s 77 provinces, based on the number of Covid-19 cases in each province or how long the province has gone without a new case being reported According to The Nation Thailand, green provinces, those where no Covid-19 cases have been found, include: Nan, Kamphaeng Phet,…
- Covid-19 News
“Healthy stickers” to be required of all Buriram residents starting May 1
Buriram, one of Thailand’s major provinces in the lower northeastern region know as Issan, will soon require residents to carry a “healthy sticker” whenever they go outside. The provincial governor made the announcement yesterday and said the measure will come into effect on May 1. The sticker, to be attached to residents’ ID cards, will be required as a proof…
- Covid-19 News
Government ramps up production of 5 anti-Covid-19 medicines, procurement of others
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is increasing production of five drugs used treat Covid-19 to ensure adequate stocks for all patients. A GPO spokesmansaid that excluding Favipiravir also known as Avigan, Thailand has five drugs to treat Covid-19, totalling 39.6 million tablets: there are 1.8 million tablets of Chloroquine, an anti-malarial drug; 30.6 million tablets of an antiretroviral drug containing Lopinavir and…
- Covid-19 News
Experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir fails first clinical trial
Reports are emerging that the experimental antiviral drug Remdesivir, developed by the American pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, has failed in its first randomised clinical trial to treat Covid-19, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization and seen by the Financial Times. Gilead disputed how the now deleted post characterised the findings, saying the data showed a…
- Covid-19 News
4 new Covid-19 cases in Phuket, all in Bang Tao
Phuket has reported 4 new Covid-19 cases today, up from just 1 yesterday, all in the Cherngtalay sub-district of Bang Tao on the island’s west coast. A 2 year old boy was among 4 new cases. Phuket has the highest rate of Covid-19 cases per capita in Thailand, and the highest number outside of Bangkok (201 as of today), but numbers…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Security Council eyes extending state of emergency, easing some restrictions
Next Monday, the day before the weekly Cabinet meeting, Thailand’s National Security Council will present a proposal to extend the national state of emergency to PM Prayut Chan-o- cha, recommending the relaxation of some current restrictions to allow some businesses and daily activities to resume amid the Covid-19 crisis. The NSC met with other security agencies to evaluate the current state…
- Covid-19 News
320,000 of Singapore’s migrant workers living in Covid-19 limbo
As the Covid-19 pandemic sweeps the world, some countries are faring better than others. Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and as late as March, Singapore, had all been hailed for using the hard-won lessons of the 2003-04 SARS outbreak to combat the new virus, a relative of SARS. For Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong, the story might well have been one…
- World News
China opens 2 more border points to allow transport of Thai fruits
The director-general of the Department of Agriculture announced today that China has opened two more points at its Vietnam border to allow the transportation of Thai fruits during the Covid-19 crisis. The move comes after the existing Youyi Guan checkpoint was overwhelmed with 15 kilometre queues of Thai and Vietnamese goods vehicles. The Department of Agriculture together with National Bureau of…
- World News
Thailand names 5 more ASEAN countries as ‘high risk’, 4 are border nations
A Ministry of Public Health announcement yesterday, signed by Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and published in the Royal Gazette, claims the Covid-19 situation in 5 nearby countries is escalating. Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar have now been added to the list of countries and territories considered as high risk areas for infection. On March 6,…
- South Thailand News
Police officer clings to hit-and-run car for 2 kilometres – VIDEO
A policeman in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat was taken on an unplanned car ride yesterday when a Mitsubishi Mirage tried to run him down, forcing him to jump onto the front of the car and hold on for about 2 kilometres. The incident was caught on security cameras. Officer Montri Nitichai of Tha Sala police station says…
