- 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…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket eyes lifting restrictions on Tambons that are virus-free for 14 days
Phuket’s outgoing governor Pakkapong Tawipat recently extended emergency measures in the southern province until April 30, including severe travel restrictions on the island. Now there is speculation the incoming governor, Narong Namsouw, currently the governor of the northeastern Chaiyaphum province, will extend them, though there has been no confirmation of this. Governor Pakkapong says the provincial government is seeking opinions from…
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 cases drop to 13, lowest in weeks, with 1 new death
Health officials reported just 13 new Covid-19 patients nationwide today, down from yesterday’s 15 and marking the fifth consecutive day of declining new cases. The total is now 2,839 since the outbreak began in Thailand. There was 1 more death, bringing the cumulative toll to 50. 13 more cases have recovered and were sent home from hospital in the past…
- Covid-19 News
March tourist arrival numbers worse than predicted
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 outbreak has been disastrous for Thailand’s tourism sector, long considered a vital lifeline of the nation’s already battered economy. Data released by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports today showed foreign tourist arrivals in Thailand slumped 76.4% in March compared to a year earlier. This follows a 42.8% drop the previous month, as the…
- Covid-19 News
Thousands of tourists stranded on a trio of Gulf islands
An estimated 10,000 foreign tourists are stranded on three islands in the Gulf of Thailand, more than half of them, around 5,700 on Koh Samui, after passenger flights were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Surat Thani province’s tourism and sports chief Tikamporn Sutti-udomrat, said yesterday that apart from the 5,700 visitors on Koh Samui, there are another 3,300 foreign…
- Covid-19 News
PM says he won’t bow to pressure on easing emergency restrictions
In a public address after yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting, PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha said he will not bow to increasing private and public pressure to ease restrictions and closures of businesses caused by Covid-19. Prayut stated that the priority is the health of the public, and that although he deeply sympathises and understands the pain of the people, with an estimated…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok to cut checkpoints from 89 to 52
Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau announced yesterday it will reduce the number of checkpoints from 89 to 52 during the night curfew, effective until further notice. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered a nationwide curfew from 10pm to 4am starting April 3, in a bid to curb new Covid-19 infections. Police checkpoints have been set up since then throughout Bangkok to enforce the…
- Covid-19 News
Second visa amnesty approved, will be automatic, free
The government has announced a second automatic visa extension for foreigners who are stranded in the country by the Covid-19 pandemic. A spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Cabinet approved the automatic visa extension today. Natapanu Nopakun, deputy spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said. Foreigners whose visa expired after March 26 will be permitted to…
- Covid-19 News
2 Songkhla immigration officers infected with Covid-19, 70 at risk
2 immigration officials from the southern province of Songkhla are reported to be infected with Covid-19, putting about 70 others at risk after close contact with the officials. The provincial communicable disease committee made the announcement today. The new cases, both officers working at the Sadao border checkpoint, brings the tally in the province to 39 after 2 weeks with…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand confirms 15 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death (Wednesday)
Thai health officials have confirmed 15 new cases of Covid-19 and 1 death today. The new cases bring Thailand’s total to 2,826 since the outbreak began, of whom 2,352, or 83% have now been released from hospital and returned home. Today’s new death brings Thailand’s total to 49. 3 of the 15 were reported in Phuket. 2 school teachers and…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket new Covid-19 cases up to 3 (Wednesday)
In a small jump, the southern island province of Phuket today confirmed 3 new Covid-19 infections, bringing the total to 5 since last Thursday. 1 case was reported yesterday and 1 on Friday. Previous to yesterday there had been 3 consecutive days without any infections. The announcement will likely prevent Phuket from being part of a wide-scale lifting of nationwide…
- Crime News
Car thief rammed as the owners take matters into their own hands
A car thief has been apprehended by the owner of the car he stole. Police in the central Samut Sakhon province, just west of Bangkok, arrested 32 year old Not Jeankow on Monday. The theft took place at around half past midnight at a used car lot. ‘Not’ already had a warrant out for motor vehicle theft and broke the…
- Politics News
An English translation of the PM’s letter to Thailand’s 20 richest
Much has been written and said about PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s letter to Thailand’s 20 richest people, requesting their “input and ideas,” with even Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam stepping in to clarify that the letter is “not begging for money.” Here is an English translation of the PM’s letter, which he announced following a nationally televised 10-minute speech on Friday. The…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket reports one new case, an 83 year old Italian
Phuket has added 1 new case today, taking the total number of cases up to 193 in the Province. The latest cases is 83 year old Italian man who had a history of going out into Bangla Road and have recently been to private hospital where he exhibited no specific symptoms relating to Covid-19. 17 people are said to be at…
- Covid-19 News
27 new virus cases, no deaths for third straight day, recovery rate passes 70%
Thailand reported 27 new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours but no additional deaths today. The new figure is 5 fewer than the 32 cases reported yesterday, and the lowest number of daily cases recorded since March 14. The highest daily number was the 188 logged on March 22. There have now been 2,792 confirmed cases across the…
- Environment News
Chiang Mai still struggling for some fresh air
Chiang Mai is suffering yet another day of poor air quality index, according to aqicn.org. And whilst the air quality is bad, it’s still a lot better than it was a month or so ago when the readings zoomed up to 300-400, and somedays, even higher. aqicn.org data reports that Chiang Mai’s air quality index had a PM2.5 level of…
- Environment News
Air pollution in Bangkok falls to lowest level in 2020
Bangkok recorded the lowest air quality index in 2020 today, according to aqicn.org. The website data show that Bangkok air quality index (AQI) had a PM2.5 level of only 53 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3) on average. The AQI is a standard that indicates the level of air pollution. 100 AQI is considered ‘moderate’. The suburbs with the lowest PM2.5…
- Covid-19 News
4 pro golfers, 131 students allowed to return to Thailand
4 of Thailand’s most successful international golf champions, including Ariya Jutanugarn, her sister Moriya and Kiradech Aphibarnrat arrived home last night after weeks trapped in the US. They now face 14 days of mandatory quarantine. They had spent almost two months in the US. The number of infections in the US is growing at an alarming rate and the 3…
- Covid-19 News
“Thailand’s Covid-19 death rate is a quarter of the world average, recovery rate is high”
A spokesman for Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health claimed that the country’s mortality rate from Covid-19 is about a quarter of the world average at just 1.7%, while the recovery rate has climbed past 69%. The world average mortality rate is estimated at 6.4%, in the US it’s around 5.3%, Germany 3.1%, Italy 13.1% and the UK 13.5%. The published…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s new Covid-19 infections drop to 32 today, 0 deaths reported
A spokesman for the Thailand Covid-19 Coronavirus Situation Centre announced a total of 32 new cases of Covid-19 at this morning’s daily press briefing, down from yesterday’s 33, bringing the national total to 2765 since the start of the outbreak in January. No new deaths were reported, and the toll remains steady at 47. The spokesman told reporters that an…
- Crime News
Monk defrocked and arrested after allegedly shooting man in the testicles
A monk at Wat Mongkhol Nimit in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok, has been defrocked and arrested for shooting another man who was living at the same temple. Police arrested 46 year old Phra Apiram Ruengthip at his living quarters on Friday evening. The former monk claims he only shot in self-defense. Police say they seized an unregistered handgun…
- Covid-19 News
Sa Kaeo becomes Thailand’s 10th virus-free province
Thailand now has 10 provinces that are free of Covid-19, as Sa Kaeo in Thailand’s east, bordering Cambodia, discharged its final patient and joined Kamphaeng Phet, Chai Nat, Trat, Nan, Bueng Kan, Pi Jit, Ranong, Sing Buri and Ang Thong to make 10. The staff of Sa Kaeo Crown Prince Hospital yesterday celebrated the release of their last Covid-19 patient,…
- Covid-19 News
Navy delays sub purchases as it slashes budget by a third
All ministries in the Thai government have been instructed to contribute 10% of their 2020 budgets to the fight against Covid-19. Last week the Royal Thai Army announced it would also delay most of its purchases of new military hardware until the situation improves. A spokesman says that The Royal Thai Navy has gone further and will cut 33%, or…
- Covid-19 News
13 foreigners among those arrested at Pattaya pool party
Police in Pattaya yesterday arrested a group, including 13 foreigners, having what they described as a pool party at the Momento Beach Resort in Pattaya. The announcement was made through the police department’s social media channels last night. The seaside resort town has been under near-total lockdown since April 9, a situation expected to continue until at least April 30.…
- Business News
PM asks public to cool down on selling their gold
Massive unemployment due to the national state of emergency and the Covid-19 outbreak has pushed gold prices to near a 7 year high, and gold shops throughout the country are running out of cash because so many people are cashing in. In a briefing this week in Bangkok, PM Prayut Chan-Ocha asked the public to show restraint and not to…
- Covid-19 News
CP Group delivers first 100,000 masks from its new factory
Thailand’s largest private company and one of the world’s largest conglomerates. the Charoen Pokphand Group, better known as CP, presented the first batch of 100,000 surgical facemasks from its own factory to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital late this week. Group Chairman Dhanin Chearavanont says he is delighted that the factory was built in just five weeks, at a cost of some…
- Transport News
Four more Skytrain stations slated to open in June
Bangkok’s BTS Skytrain is as ubiquitous in Bangkok as good street food and fake Viagra, and it’s about to add four new stops to extend its reach. A spokeman says test runs to 4 new stations beyond Kasetsart University station (N13) began on April 8. The system currently comprises 43 stations along two lines: the Sukhumvit Line running northwards and…
- Covid-19 News
33 new Covid-19 cases (Saturday), no deaths, as recovery rate passes 65%
Health officials today reported 33 new cases of Covid-19 but no deaths, raising total cases in Thailand to 2,733, while the death toll remains at 47 since the outbreak began in January. The first case of human-to-human transmission in Thailand was reported on January 31. 68 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have reported infections. The number of recovered patients is now…
- Covid-19 News
Tourist numbers and revenue expected to plunge, exceeding worst predictions for 2020
It’s no secret that the Covid-19 outbreak has been disastrous for Thailand’s tourism sector, long considered a vital lifeline of the nation’s already battered economy. Now the Tourism Authority of Thailand is projecting that Thailand is likely to close the year with only 16 million international tourists and 60 million domestic trips, far below the pre-virus targets of 40 million…
- World News
Indonesia now leads SE Asia in Covid-19 cases
Indonesia is now leading the region with the highest number of Covid-19 cases. 407 new coronavirus cases were announced yesterday, taking the total of reported infections to 5,923, passing the Philippines as the country with the highest number of cases in Southeast Asia. At the start of April Indonesia had only reported 1,677 cases leaving epidemiologists to ponder how the…
