- Covid-19 News
PM urges Thailand to observe Songkran at home on April 13
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on all citizens and residents to refrain from celebrating Songkran, cancel their trips home and avoid all gatherings during the 3 day festival, which kicks off on Monday. The government announced last month that the Songkran holidays would be postponed to later, unspecified dates, in line with efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
Viral video urges Indonesian Muslims to march on virus hotspots – VIDEO
A video clip, showing Indonesian Muslim pilgrims being urged to gather at Covid-19 hotspots is getting lots of attention. Some are concerned that the best intentions of the muslim leaders could lead to uncontrolled local outbreaks of Covid-19. In the clip, Muslim worshippers on a “Dawah” (missionary) pilgrimage are encouraged not to be afraid of the virus and to march…
- Covid-19 News
Germans arrested for removing coronavirus barrier in Chiang Mai
A number of German expats have been arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly trying to remove a community Covid-19 coronavirus barrier. The expats claim the barrier was blocking access to their home. Locals, however disagreed, claiming the barrier was vital in stopping the spread of Covid-19 and filed a police report. The district headman claims the moving of their barrier…
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 cases fall to 45 in Thailand
45 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases were confirmed at this morning’s briefing by the the Ministry of Public Health and the Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Response Centre, a slight drop from yesterday’s 5o and Thursday’s 54. Two more deaths were also reported. The total number of infections since the outbreak began now stands at 2,518. 35 patients have died. The cases span…
- Covid-19 News
Chiang Rai restricts travel in and out until April 30
Chiang Rai, Thailand’s northernmost province, has now been partially locked down, effective today until April 30, by order of its governor. Only four routes in or out will remain open. Vehicles and passengers will undergo strict screening at entrance and exit checkpoints. Those with a fever or who fail to wear facemasks will be not allowed to enter. Until April…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 2 new Covid-19 cases (Saturday)
Continuing a hopeful downward trend, the southern province of Phuket today reported only 2 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, down from yesterday’s 9 and Thursday’s 21. Many if not most of cases originate from the island’s Patong subdistrict, which is now has restricted access, and especially its legendary Bangla Road red light area. The island province has taken stringent measures to…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket residents instructed to stay home for at least 14 days
All residents living in the southern province of Phuket are being directed to stay in their homes for at least two weeks, starting next Monday, April 13. The provincial governor announced the measure last night to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus on the island, which now has the highest rate of infections in Thailand and is the second…
- Covid-19 News
Coronavirous cash handouts may not last full 6 months
The much touted 5000 baht handouts to “informal workers” affected by the Covid-19 coronavirus, originally announced for 3 months but later extended to 6, may not actually last that long, Thailand’s finance minister said yesterday. More than 20 million people have signed up for the grants, but only some 9 million of them are eligible, and the government has issued…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports 9 new coronavirus cases (Friday)
Phuket, which has now closed all points of entry by land and sea, and today closed its airport, has reported 9 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases today (Friday). That’s less than half of yesterday’s 21 cases and even lower than Wednesday’s 14. The new cases bring the total on the southern island to 170 since the outbreak began in January. No…
- Northern Thailand News
Stricken horse farm owners consider suing government over AHS virus outbreak
An outbreak of African Horse Sickness has already killed more than 200 horses in 4 provinces, including Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chon Buri and Phetchaburi since it was first reported on March 26. Now, at least 1 owner of a horse farm is considering suing the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, along with other agencies, for approving imports…
- Covid-19 News
Illegal Chinese casino in Pattaya operating after curfew – VIDEO
Police from several units, including the Transnational Crime Unit of Chon Buri, led a raid last night on an illegal casino in Pattaya where nearly a dozen people were gambling. It was located above a Chinese Restaurant. Police went to the Fu Manow Chinese Restaurant at about 10:15pm after a tip that there was an illegal gathering happening in a…
- Technology News
Mobile users can now register for 30 days of free data
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission yesterday gave details on how to register for 30 days of free mobile internet and a broadband speed upgrade. Registration begins today. The move supports the government’s policy of social distancing and encouraging people to work from home, while helping people cut utility bills during the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. But you need…
- Covid-19 News
Did an Issan woman get coronavirus for a second time?
A 38 year old woman from Thailand’s northeastern Chaiyaphum province in the Issan region appears to have contracted the Covid-19 coronavirus for a second time, after she was ‘cured’ of the virus in Bangkok in the middle of March. The woman, who in March had only recently returned from overseas, was found to be infected with the virus and was…
- Covid-19 News
90 day ban on transporting horses to control AHS virus outbreak
Thailand has issued an order banning the movement of all horses nationwide in an effort to stop the spread of African Horse Sickness , which has already killed more than 200 horses in the kingdom. The Ministry of Agriculture announced the order yesterday, effective for 90 days. The disease has already killed nearly 200 horses in the country. A spokesman…
- Northern Thailand News
North still choked with dangerous smog
Chiang Mai takes the number one spot for air pollution yet again today, as a thick shroud of smog blankets huge areas of the province. Thailand’s Pollution Control Department reported today that dangerously thick smog covered the upper northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. A red alert signifying severe air pollution was posted for the…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand confirms 54 new coronavirus cases, 2 new deaths (Thursday)
A spokesman for the Health Ministry and the Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Response Center confirmed 54 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Thailand today, less than half of yesterday’s 111. The new cases bring the total number of infections in the country to 2,423. Two additional deaths were reported as an 82 year old Thai man and a Frenchman aged…
- Covid-19 News
21 new coronavirus cases in Phuket, total now 161 (Thursday)
The southern province of Phuket today (Thursday) confirmed 21 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases, up from 14 yesterday. All the new cases are Thai citizens and are centred around Patong’s Bangla Road or Bang Tao. Today’s new cases bring the total in Phuket to 161 cases since the start of the outbreak in January. Phuket has become a hotbed for new…
- Covid-19 News
Who will receive free coronavirus testing?
Free Covid-19 coronavirus testing will be provided for 4 groups of people who are considered ‘patients under investigation’… this from the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Thailand has vastly raised the number of centres and clinics certified to perform testing for the virus, and more are expected by the end of this month. A former deputy PM yesterday posted…
- Covid-19 News
Police say most Chiang Mai curfew violators drunk
More than 250 people have been arrested in Chiang Mai province since the national state of emergency was enacted on April 3 to fight the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, after breaking its subsequent curfew. Police say most were drunk. Another 43 people were arrested overnight on Tuesday for violating curfew. Police report that amongst those arrested, 2 were in…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Visa amnesty signed by PM
UPDATE: PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today signed an executive order granting visa amnesty to foreigners left stranded in Thailand by the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. The order, released by the Ministry of Interior, grants “special permission for some classes of aliens to stay in the Kingdom.” It was signed by Prayuth and head of the Ministry of Interior, Anupong Paochinda. ORIGINAL STORY:…
- Covid-19 News
Former Deputy PM stresses need for more testing, emulating South Korean model
“Test, test, test was the former Deputy PM’s message, especially now that the country has the labs to do so.” Dr Surapong Seubwonglee, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand posted on Facebook urging the government to investigate the number of people tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus in Thailand and appeal for wider testing. He gave several reasons why testing…
- Covid-19 News
111 new Thai coronavirus cases. 3 more deaths, all foreigners
Thailand’s National Covid-19 Coronavirus Disease Management Centre has announced 111 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus today. Total cases now stand at 2,369 nationwide. 3 foreign men died, pushing the total death toll up to 30. 42 of today’s new cases were all returnees from a religious festival in Indonesia. The new fatalities include a 48 year old Russian man…
- Covid-19 News
Chiang Mai bans booze to battle coronavirus
There’s likely to be a rush on for booze over the next few days in Chiang Mai. The northern province is banning alcohol sales for 10 days, from April 10 – 20 in its local battle with the Covid-19 coronavirus. Provincial governor Charoenrit Sanguansat issued the order yesterday. He says the Chiang Mai Communicable Disease Committee has already issued emergency…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry begs children to ‘save parents’ and avoid Songkran visits
Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year festival, is typically a week long celebration including a mass exodus to the provinces as dutiful children visit their homes bringing best wishes to their elders. This year’s celebrations have been postponed indefinitely to prevent that exodus, for fear of spreading the Covid-19 coronavirus to the provinces and among the elderly. Now the the Department…
- Covid-19 News
Boris Johnson ‘stable’ but on oxygen support as he battles coronavirus
Britain’s PM Boris Johnson spent his second night in an intensive care unit receiving supplemental oxygen, as Britain reels under the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic that’s confined its exuberant leader to a bed reserved for the sickest patients. Johnson is the first world leader to fall sick with the virus. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is carrying out the PM’s…
- Covid-19 News
Government doubles cash stimulus period for informal workers
The Thai government is doubling the period of monthly cash handouts for “informal workers,” from 3 months to 6. Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana made the announcement after yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting. The government initially only planned to provide cash to 3 million people for 3 months. The new stimulus marks a huge investment by the Thai government to keep the…
- Covid-19 News
More than 600 prosecuted for violating emergency decree
The national state of emergency declared on March 26 and the resultant curfews are no laughing matter, and violators are being prosecuted to the full extent of the law. More than 600 people nationwide have been prosecuted for defying the emergency decree invoked to contain the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus. A spokesman for the Office of the Attorney General says…
- Crime News
Facebook page advocates violence against ‘shit tourists’ in Phuket
Following up from yesterday’s report there has been no action taken to remove a Facebook page advocating violence against “shit tourists” stranded in Phuket. ‘Spotlight Thailand’, usually a ‘whistleblower’ for local corruption and fuelled by the admin’s political views, has nearly 600,000 followers. Now this week’s posts are going viral, spreading a disturbing message from local Phuket ‘vigilantes’, commenting about…
- Covid-19 News
New coronavirus cases in Thailand fall to 38, 1 more death
“The lower number of daily new cases and the slower increase in accumulated patients apparently resulted from the nationwide curfew starting on April 3.” In another dramatic drop, Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported only 38 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, and one additional death in its daily press briefing today (Tuesday). The cumulative death…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket adds Kathu and Chalong sub-districts to ‘lockdown’ list
Chalong and Kathu districts are now being added to Phuket’s “lock down” list by the Phuket Governor. The notices, like the others for Rawai, Karon and Patong, say all non-essential vehicles are banned entry or exit into these two areas, including public transport. “People are asked to say in their homes, and public health teams will be deployed to check…
