Caitlin Ashworth
- Covid-19 News
Public Health Minister gets first Covid-19 vaccine shot in Thailand
Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine campaign started with Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who was jabbed with China’s Sinovac vaccine. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was initially planned to be the first to kick off Thailand’s immunisation plan with the AstraZeneca vaccine, but due to problems with paperwork, the prime minister’s injection was postponed. Doctors advised Prayut to get the AstraZeneca vaccine due to…
- Bangkok News
Royal Thai Police accused of “ticket” promotion system to buy senior positions
The Royal Thai Police are being accused of using so-called “elephant tickets” to buy their way into promotions and pay their way up the police force’s chain of command. The corruption among the police force and the buying of positions without meeting the requirements for a promotion has been a longtime problem, according to the Bangkok Post. The “elephant ticket”…
- Crime News
Woman talks about the life of a Thai “pretty” after model’s death
Following the news of a model who died after working as a hostess at a Bangkok party, Thai media spoke with a woman, known in Thailand as a “pretty,” about what it’s like to work in the lucrative, yet shady Thai model entertainment industry where many work as hostesses at parties and events that often involve alcohol, drugs and sex…
- Covid-19 News
Foreign tourists must use Covid-19 tracking app when travelling to Thailand
Foreign tourists travelling to Thailand will need to download the Covid-19 contact tracking mobile application “ThailandPlus” before arriving in Thailand and use it throughout their stay. The app will notify travellers if they have been in close contact with any confirmed cases. Throughout their trip to Thailand, tourists will need to keep the app “on” and check in and out…
- Crime News
Police officer arrested for allegedly stealing grenade launcher and other weapons
A police officer was arrested for allegedly stealing a M79 grenade launcher and other weapons from a police station armoury in Mae Hong Son, a province in Northern Thailand bordering Myanmar. Police say officer Santichai Luerat planned to sell the guns and ammunition to a buyer who would then sell the weapons to members of an ethnic minority across the…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui to start Covid-19 vaccinations early next month
Covid-19 vaccinations on Koh Samui will start early next month with 2,500 doses planned to be given to 1,250 people on the island, according to Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto. Island authorities are also proposing that foreign visitors be allowed to quarantine on their yacht, at a villa hotel or at a wellness centre. The tourist island off the coast…
- Pattaya News
Another Thai man claims to have found a rare Melo pearl, shell was sold at a Pattaya market
Another Thai man is claiming to have found a rare Melo pearl. The Pattaya chef says he bought a shell from a local market a decade ago and had no idea the object inside was a rare pearl. After hearing the news about the man in Nakhon Si Thammarat finding what he believes is a Melo pearl possibly worth millions…
- Crime News
Thailand law enforcement gets new “laser” narcotics analysers
Thailand law enforcement will now use a new “laser” narcotics analyser to test suspicious substances and chemicals in major drug busts. It’s apparently a more accurate method to identify illicit drugs than the current colour test. The new portable drug test happens to come a few months after Thailand claimed to have seized 11.5 tonnes of ketamine in the “biggest…
- Phuket News
Phuket police officer charged with attempted murder for shooting and critically injuring a noodle vendor
The drunk, off-duty police officer in Phuket who has caught on camera shooting and beating a noodle vendor on Bangla Road is now facing attempted murder charges as well as charges of carrying a firearm in public without a necessary reason and firing a weapon in a public area. The commander of the Phuket police station said he ordered investigators…
- Covid-19 News
AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is also set to arrive in Thailand today
While news has been focused on today’s arrival of China’s Sinovac vaccine, it’s now being reported that 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will also arrive in Thailand today. The vaccines will be distributed to 13 provinces, including 9 that are considered the “highest risk” of Covid-19 infection as well as 4 popular tourist destinations that are of “economic significance”…
- Thailand News
Thai Airways president says “no,” they’re not buying more airplanes in 2025
After news that the bankrupt airline was planning to buy 20 to 30 more passenger jets in 2025, the Thai Airways International acting president says “no,” there is no plan to purchase more aircraft, and if flight demand goes up, the strapped-for-cash company will consider renting first. Nation Thailand reported that the airline was planning to buy up to 30…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok bars are back open, restaurants serving booze again
Bangkok bars are back in business. People flocked to the city’s streets last night after hearing the news that bars could reopen and restaurants could start serving alcohol again… as long as they close by 11pm. Some started rolling out their mobile bars stocked beer and liquor, setting it up along a busy street. Restaurants changed their signs, erasing 9pm…
- Phuket News
Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket
A Phuket police officer was caught on camera beating and shooting at a noodle vendor on Bangla Road in Patong, critically injuring the young man. Reports vary on exactly what happened before the shooting, but apparently the police officer had been drinking until nearly dawn this morning before the incident. Surveillance camera footage shows the 25 year old vendor suddenly…
- Covid-19 News
Thai FDA approves Sinovac vaccine, 13 provinces to get the first doses
The first phase of Thailand’s Covid-19 immunisation plan is ready to roll out with the first 200,000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine set to arrive tomorrow. The Chinese-made vaccine was just approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration. The decision was made “just in time,” Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul wrote on Facebook with a photo of the official…
- Crime News
Police launch murder investigation after Thai boxer found dead in Bangkok’s On Nut area
Police in Bangkok have launched a murder investigation after the body of a Thai boxer was found covered in blood in the city’s On Nut area. His throat was slit. Photos of the crime scene show blood splattered and smeared across the hood of a white Toyota Vios. Around 10pm Sunday night, local residents heard screams and called police. The…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya mayor pushes to vaccinate residents and become an “area quarantine”
The Pattaya City mayor is pushing for the city to become a “safe bubble” for tourists and residents. The idea is to vaccinate all residents and workers in the tourism industry, designating Pattaya as an “area quarantine,” Mayor Sonthaya Khunpluem says. He adds that the city has prepared a proposal for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The mayor says…
- Thailand News
Thai FDA expedites the process to list cannabis as an “essential medicine”
Cannabis could soon become an “essential medicine” in Thailand. While the plant’s euphoria-inducing buds are still illegal and classified as a narcotic, other parts of the plant that do not cause a “high,” like the leaves, are being pushed into the food and medicine industry. The Thai Food and Drug Administration is even trying to speed up the process to…
- Thailand News
Polygamy is not under Thai law, but the lifestyle is still practiced
While polygamy in Thailand isn’t as prevalent as it was a century ago and the marriages aren’t recognised under Thai law, the lifestyle is still practiced by some. Thai media reporters recently interviewed a polygamous trio and apparently “life is good,” according to the husband with 2 wives. The wives didn’t seem to do much talking in the interview. Reporters…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok restaurants to be allowed to serve alcohol until 11pm
Bangkok’s nightlife is coming back to life… slowly, very slowly. Restrictions are easing and restaurants in the city will soon be allowed to serve alcohol, but just until 11pm. At a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the administration decided to ease restrictions. A formal announcement will be made tomorrow. Bangkok, as well as other neighbouring…
- Covid-19 News
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha offers to be first up for Covid-19 vaccine
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has offered to be the first in Thailand to get jabbed with China’s Sinovac vaccine, which is set to arrive on Wednesday. Apparently, the prime minister had said in the past that people over 60 years old should not get the coronavirus vaccine. Prayut is 66. Last month, Prayut made a post on Facebook saying he won’t…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 89 new Covid-19 cases
89 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 1,060 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic, the CCSA has reported a total of 25,504 coronavirus infections and 83 deaths. The mass testing campaign, primarily in the epicentre of infections Samut Sakhon and recently in Pathum Thani after an…
- Thailand News
China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is on its way to Thailand
The first 200,000 doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine is set to arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is expected to formally accept the delivery at Thai Airways warehouse. Thai officials have made an event out of the first vaccine delivery, calling it “Covid vaccines, restoring the Thai Smile.” The Chinese-made vaccine has yet to be approved…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok bars and nightclubs may soon reopen, CCSA announcement expected today
Bangkok bars and other nightlife venues may soon reopen. An announcement by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on the easing of disease control restrictions is expected today, according to Thai media. The Ministry of Public Health has proposed reclassifying Bangkok as well as the neighbouring provinces Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani, from “red” to “orange” zones. As an…
- Cannabis News
Thai government hopes cannabis will be a primary cash crop for farmers
While marijuana traffickers are still getting busted by police, many smuggling the plant across the Mekong River, the Thai government is encouraging local farmers to grow cannabis, as long as they partner with a provincial hospital to use the plant for medicinal purposes. A deputy government spokesperson told Reuters the government hopes that cannabis and hemp will be a “primary…
- Thailand News
Southern Thailand man arrested for allegedly selling protected animal carcasses online
Wildlife protection officials arrested a man for allegedly possessing and selling protect animal carcasses. The Phaya Susa National Park and Wildlife Protection Unit raided the 32 year old man’s home in the southern province Phatthalung and seized 31 protected animal carcasses. Under the Wild Animals Conservation and Protection Act, possessing and selling animal carcasses of protected animals carries a penalty of up…
- Thailand News
Cash-strapped Thai Airways plans to buy 20 to 30 aircraft in 2025
UPDATE: The acting president for Thai Airways says the company does not plan to buy more airplanes in 2025 and if flight demand goes up, the company will consider renting first. A source told Nation Thailand that the airline plans to buy more planes when the aviation industry recovers, but acting president Chansin Treenuchagron says that is just a “rumour.” …
- Crime News
Police raid “Hippie Festival Samui,” arrest French musicians for allegedly working without a permit
Police on Koh Samui broke up the “Hippie Festival Samui” at a restaurant on Lamai Beach and arrested 4 French musicians, who were performing at the event, for allegedly working without a work permit. The manager of the restaurant, 48 year old Kannika Thongreuang, was arrested for selling alcohol during hours when alcohol sales are prohibited. Around 100 Thai and…
- Crime News
Man in Samut Prakan arrested for allegedly selling assault rifles on Instagram
Police arrested a man in Samut Prakan, southeast of Bangkok, for allegedly possessing war weapons and attempting to sell assault rifles online through Instagram under the account “dewaffen,” the name of a Nazi military branch. The “dewaffen” Instagram page for “Oz John Woo” has a combination of cat photos and gun photos. The bio says “military support/ small arms import/export…
- Phuket News
Why do foreign men like Thai women? A Thaiger vlogger wants to know
Why do foreign men like Thai women? Bibi, a vlogger for The Thaiger, went out to the Patong walking street in Phuket (before Covid-19) and asked foreign men “do you like Thai girls?”
- World News
Burmese nationals in Bangkok gather at US Embassy, call for action after military coup
Burmese people living in Thailand are calling on the United States government to step in and protect their fellow citizens after the military coup in Myanmar. A group of Burmese nationals gathered outside the US Embassy in Bangkok to submit a letter addressed to the US president. A demonstrator told Nation Thailand that they are worried about their families back…
