Caitlin Ashworth
- Bangkok News
Royalists crowd Bangkok’s Lumpini Park to support Thai Monarchy
Bangkok’s Lumpini Park was crowded with royalists yesterday afternoon after gathering to show their support and respect for the institution of the Thai Monarchy. The gathering is in response to a series of pro-democracy protests over the past 2 weeks, specifically, and the the last 3 months more generally, calling on government reform and questioning the role of His Majesty…
- Phuket News
Phuket told to prepare “response plan” in case of second Covid-19 outbreak
As Phuket awaits foreign tourists, city officials are told to prepare a “response plan” in case of a second wave of Covid-19. An official from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports held a workshop in Phuket today to discuss the risk of another outbreak as the country opens up to those on the Special Tourist Visa. The ministry’s permanent secretary…
- Visa Information
Don’t forget to extend your visa! Thai Immigration warns about fines for late applicants
Still need to extend your visa? You have until Halloween, October 31. With the visa amnesty deadline approaching, Thai Immigration Bureau is reminding foreigners to get their visa in order by the end of this month. Late applicants will be fined, they say. No matter when the visa is extended, as long as it’s before the deadline, it will go…
- Northern Thailand News
Man allegedly burns down house because his wife refused sex
A 33 year old man was arrested after he allegedly set a house on fire because his wife didn’t want to have sex with him. Narongchan Paksarom allegedly drove his motorcycle to a house in the Isaan province Buriram where his wife was living and approached the home wearing nothing but a towel, according to his wife Ratchaneekorn Yeeram. She…
- Bangkok News
Royalists rally at US Embassy, call on Americans to stop “interfering” with Thai politics
Royalists gathered this morning at the United States Embassy in Bangkok and called on Americans to stop a so-called “hybrid war,” implying that the US government is interfering with Thailand politics during a time of ongoing pro-democracy protests. Dressed in yellow, the colour symbolising the Thai Monarch, the protesters held signs calling on an end to an alleged hybrid war.…
- Covid-19 News
3 new Covid-19 cases in quarantine, all asymptomatic
3 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine, all asymptomatic, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand’s total number of confirmed Covid-19 is now at 3,746 with 3,551 recoveries and 59 deaths. 136 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. 53 year old British engineer travelling from Qatar tested positive for Covid-19 while in an alternative…
- Pattaya News
6 face extortion charges after allegedly posing Thai immigration police officers
Police have arrested 3 people and issued arrest warrants for 3 others on extortion charges after they allegedly posed immigration police officers in Rayong and visited business owners with migrant staff, asking them for money. Police say 6 men wearing immigration police uniforms visited business owners in Rayong on September 15. They allegedly asked for money from the businesses with…
- Visa Information
145 more on Special Tourist Visa arrive in Bangkok
145 people on the new Special Tourist Visa arrived in Bangkok yesterday from Guangzhou, China, the second group after Thailand’s 7 month ban on international tourists. 39 people on the new long stay visa arrived last week, a small, yet significant step forward for Thailand as it pries open the borders for tourists, albeit with a lot of paperwork, restrictions…
- Politics News
Thanathorn, other former Future Forward Party officials, are facing criminal charges
16 people from the dissolved Future Forward Party, including the former leader Thanathorn Juangroonruangkit, could face criminal charges pressed by the Election Commission for a large donation that exceeds the maximum allowed under the Political Parties Act. The timing of the politically-charged legal action coincides with a peak of anti-government protest activity. The 191 million baht loan, which exceeds the…
- Covid-19 News
100+ test negative after Koh Samui Covid-19 case of the Thai/French woman
So far, more than 100 people have tested negative for Covid-19 after a 57 year old French/Thai woman tested positive for the virus in Koh Samui. Her case is the first on the island in 7 months and health officials are investigating to determine if she came in contact with the virus on the island, when travelling from France or…
- Bangkok News
Thai protesters head to German Embassy to file controversial petition
There was a spontaneous rally outside the German Embassy in Sathorn Road by government supporters and yellow-shirted royalists early this afternoon, a prelude to this afternoon’s march by anti-government protesters walking from the Sam Yan intersection to the embassy, a route of about 1.5 kilometres. Protesters say they will submit a petition considered to be unprecedented and controversial in Thailand,…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri fire kills 1, injures another
A building in Chon Buri caught fire yesterday afternoon, killing 1 person and seriously injuring another. The fire started on the second floor of the 4 storey building on Pattaya’s Sukhumvit Road and it took firefighters an hour to extinguish. The second floor was destroyed and a burnt body was found in one of the rooms. Another person was severely…
- Thailand News
Expert says all rail crossings should be upgraded after fatal train-bus collision
After the fatal freight train-charter bus collision earlier this month, authorities are looking into ways to make the rail crossings safer and to prevent potentially deadly incidents from happening in the future. An expert in rail engineering says all rail crossings need to upgraded, urgently, while unofficial or illegal crossings should either be permanently closed off or upgraded with the proper…
- World News
Malaysian PM called to quit, criticised for “abuse of power” during Covid-19 crisis
While protesters in Thailand are calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign, the Malaysia PM Muhyiddin Yassin is experiencing similar calls after he attempted to declare a state of emergency amid a rise in Covid-19 infections, but the request was rejected by the Malaysian King. Some say the prime minister’s attempt to impose the order was intended to suspend parliament…
- Thailand News
Schools advised to improve online learning in case of second Covid-19 outbreak
Thailand schools are told to get ready for a possible second wave of Covid-19 and prepare to for lockdown measures – just in case – to make sure all children have equal access to education. An economist warns that the education gap between rich children in urban areas and poor children in rural areas could widen if schools shut down…
- Bangkok News
Parliament to discuss political protests in 2 day special session
The Thai Parliament is now holding a 2 day ’emergency’ parliamentary session to discuss the ongoing pro-democracy protests. House Speaker Chuan Leekpai says he wants MPs and senators to work together to find a solution, but some commentators say it will just cause more conflict between parties. Even amongst the government coalition there are some 20 different political parties that…
- Crime News
Expat in Koh Samui Prison on drug charges, nearly $3,000 raised to get her out
A 21 year old South African woman is locked in Thai prison after she allegedly signed for a package containing 250 grams of MDMA, an ingredient in ecstasy, according to a GoFundMe account. People say she’s innocent and have raised $2,966 USD to get her out. She’s apparently facing drug charges that carry life imprisonment. Ashley Oosthuizen has been living…
- Thailand News
Foreign yachts allowed to dock in Thailand, tourists to quarantine onboard
Overseas yachts are now allowed to dock in Thailand, but foreign tourists and crew members still need to adhere to strict health measures, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Tourists will need to quarantine onboard the yacht for 14 days and be tested for Covid-19 tests 3 times before entering Thailand, according to the CCSA spokesperson Taweesilp Visanuyothin.…
- Thailand News
1 killed, 20 injured in gas pipe explosion in Samut Prakan
A gas pipe explosion at a Samut Prakan industrial site killed 1 and injured 20 others. Flames burst in the air and those at homes in the province’s Bang Bo district fled the area. At this time, there’s been 1 confirmed death, an elderly bedridden woman, but Thai media reports there could be another death. Around 40 to 50 fire…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Floods across Thailand kill 3, affect thousands of households
Floods from the wet season’s heavy rainfall over the past 2 weeks have killed 3 people and affected 63,672 homes across Thailand, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. 33 provinces have been impacted by floods since October 7, the department says. While conditions have improved in 14 of the provinces, the flood levels in other 17 provinces…
- Thailand Protest News
Government lifts Bangkok’s State of Emergency
Bangkok’s State of Emergency has been lifted, according to a statement published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The order, banning large public gatherings, and censoring critical media commentary, was imposed last Thursday morning by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, leading to the breaking up a protest and the arrests of a number of activists. “The current violent situation that led…
- Covid-19 News
AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine trial volunteer dies
A volunteer for a Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial in Brazil has died. But he never actually received the experimental vaccine, although he was involved in the trial groups. He did, however, die of Covid-19. But trials on the vaccine, being developed by Oxford University and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, are set to continue. The university says “there have been no…
- Northern Thailand News
4.4 million methamphetamine pills seized near Laos border
Police seized 4.4 million methamphetamine pills worth more than 400 million baht after a police chase in the Northeastern province Bueng Kan near the Thai-Laos border. Thai media says the alleged drug traffickers threw black bags full of the drugs out onto the road during the police chase and drove off into a rubber farm in the Bung Kla district.…
- Visa Information
Negative Covid-19 results for first group on the Special Tourist Visa
Surely, the most anticipated and followed tourists ever to grace Thailand’s shores. All 39 visitors who flew in from China this week on the new Special Tourist Visa have tested negative for Covid-19. While it’s a small group, they’re the first foreign tourists to arrive since travel restrictions were imposed in late-March. More international tourists are expected to arrive next…
- Thailand News
Samut Prakan woman bitten by snake while using the toilet
A python has bitten a woman on her backside and finger while using the toilet at a home in Samut Prakan, southeast of Bangkok. Rescue volunteers were called to her home, and said there was a lot of blood at the scene. The woman was later taken to the hospital. The incident may sound shocking to some, but in Thailand,…
- Thailand Protest News
One more person faces possible life sentence for alleged acts during royal motorcade
Police have issued an additional arrest warrant for a protester who allegedly attempted to “harm the HM the Queen’s liberty” during a royal motorcade last week. The motorcade happened to be on the same day and same route as a pro-democracy protest in Bangkok. So far, 3 protesters face charges for an alleged “act of violence against the HM the…
- Thailand Protest News
Criminal Court reverses decision to close down some Thai media
Today was a win for Thai media companies after some authorities had attempted to close them down amid the current pro-democracy protests. The court initially ruled to suspend Voice TV for allegedly violating State of Emergency orders, but today the court reversed the ruling, saying Thailand’s Constitution does not give the court power to shutdown the media platforms. Along with…
- Pattaya News
Royalists gather in Chon Buri to support the Thai Monarchy amid anti-government protests
While pro-democracy protesters have been gathering nationwide over the past week, especially in their cat-and-mouse “pop up” protests around the capital, calling on an end to the military-run government and pushing the Thai PM to resign, royal supporters gathered at Chon Buri’s Banglamung District Office to show their support for Thailand and the Thai Monarchy. They say they welcome discussion…
- Environment News
Large “chunk” breaks off Krabi island, damaging coral reef at popular dive site
A large chunk of an island near Koh Phi Phi in southern Thailand has broken off and collapsed on top of a coral reef at a popular dive site. No one was around when the cliffsides sheered off and collapsed into the sea, but national park officers on a routine patrol noticed a section of the island had broken off…
- Economy News
“Protests could affect the economy” – Bank of Thailand
The ongoing political protests could have a negative impact on Thailand’s already crippled economy by weakening domestic consumption and tourism even more, according to the Bank of Thailand. The bank’s newly appointed governor Settaput Suthiwart-Narueput, who started this month, says they need to keep a close watch on the situation. “Basically, the political factor is one of the uncertainties… It…
