- Covid-19 News
Thailand deemed too wealthy to produce generic Molnupiravir
Thailand has been deemed to be too rich to produce a generic version of the anti-viral drug Molnupiravir that reduces the negative effects of Covid-19 infections. Merck, the producer of the drug, had made an agreement to license the virus-fighting drug to production companies in poor countries to help in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. But the World Bank has…
- Thailand News
Tourism Minister: “Maybe we should’ve confirmed Lisa first”
In a rare apology from the government, Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan says they announced that Blackpink megastar Lisa would play a New Year’s event without considering any details (like if she was available or interested). After the bold announcement of a massive countdown party to call global attention to Thailand reopening to tourism, multiple government agencies and…
- Tourism News
Bangkok officials consider allowing alcohol sales at restaurants
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering allowing alcohol sales at restaurants starting Monday as the capital reopens to international arrivals. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced during a CCSA press briefing this afternoon that the BMA was meeting with relevant authorities to decide whether to lift the alcohol ban. Bangkok is also being reclassified on the Thai…
- Technology News
Meet Meta, the newly rebranded parent company of Facebook
Don’t forget to like our posts and follow us on Facebook, er, Meta! Facebook, the social network recently under fire for knowingly ignoring the harm their algorithms were doing, has announced a parent company rebrand to their new name: Meta. Founder Mark Zuckerberg says the name change is to represent a move beyond the social network to a virtual reality…
- Technology News
Centara Hotels suffer data breach by hackers Desorden Group
Centara Hotels and Resorts, the luxury chain in Thailand, confirmed a data breach this month at the hands of the infamous hacker Desorden Group. The CEO, Thirayuth Chirathivat, said the hack was detected October 14 and an investigation confirmed that guest details had been compromised. Names and ID photos, booking information, email addresses, phone numbers and home addresses have all…
- Covid-19 News
ICUs in Chiang Mai nearly full amidst Covid-19 surge
In Chiang Mai, surging Covid-19 infections have filled ICUs and plunged the province into crisis, just days before international reopening. Doctors are warning that the province is near critical levels as it has just two hospitals that are capable of treating severe Covid-19 patients and they are reporting that their intensive care units are nearly at full capacity. Daily infections…
- Tourism News
Phuket taxi drivers told to be fair, safe, friendly ahead of reopening
Authorities are urging the taxi drivers of Phuket, along with other transportation providers, to be more professional as Thailand’s full reopening launches in 3 days. Ahead of the November 1 reopening to international tourism, a meeting at Phuket city hall yesterday included plans to hold taxi drivers to certain standards in order to make Thailand more welcoming. The Permanent Secretary of…
- World News
Alec Baldwin could face criminal charges for shooting on set
In the tragic accident on the set of his new movie “Rust” where a prop gun fired killing the cinematographer and injuring the director, the local district attorney said criminal charges against Alec Baldwin are not out of the question. The Santa Fe district attorney said of the possibility of Baldwin facing charges, “all options are on the table; No…
- World News
55 million meth pills seized in Laos in biggest SE Asian bust ever
One for the record books – police in Laos have made the largest drug bust in East and Southeast Asia’s history, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Police in Laos stopped a shipment and seized over 55 million meth pills and more than 1.5 tonnes of crystal methamphetamine yesterday. The bust was confirmed by 2 security…
- Bangkok News
Khao San Road expects very slow recovery, even after reopening
Though it’s technically a long, flat stretch, the recovery for Bangkok’s backpacker tourist hub of Khao San Road will be a steep uphill battle. While the government plans the November 1 reopening, entertainment venues, clubs and bars that are a mainstay on the previously vibrant, cacophony of a strip are unlikely to reopen then, and businesses along the infamous road…
- World News
World’s first unisex condom invented by Malaysian gynaecologist
Using materials applied in dressing injuries and wounds, a Malaysian gynaecologist has invented the world’s first unisex condom. The unique Wondaleaf Unisex Condom uses medical-grade materials and is like an extended condom with adhesive flaps to attach to the body around the sexual organ to provide coverage and avoid skin to skin contact. The adhesive can be reversed, so a…
- China News
Chinese travel to Thailand may resume late next year
Chinese authorities may let their citizens travel to Thailand again in about one year, according to predictions from the Association of Thai Travel Agents. While China has made the elite list of 46 countries allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine in the Test & Go scheme starting November 1, harsh travel restrictions in China will prohibit Chinese tourists, an important…
- Pattaya News
Foreign teenage boy falls to his death from 14th floor condo
In a condominium building in Sattahip, a 17 year old foreign boy was found dead on the ground after a fall from a 14th-floor condo. The boy’s nationality was reported as either Irish or British but has not been confirmed. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning on Soi Na Jomtien 18 at a mixed-use condo and hotel building. The boy’s…
- Tourism News
Finnair launches nonstop flights from Stockholm to Phuket
Finnair has launched its nonstop flight service from Stockholm to Phuket, with the first flight arriving on October 25. The Nordic region has traditionally brought many big-spending tourists to Phuket and Thailand, and Finnair will operate flights twice a week from Sweden’s capital to Phuket. The flights are great news after reports that many international carriers are dropping their slots…
- Tourism News
Entry requirements for international arrivals starting November 1
The Thailand Pass is set to launch in 5 days, aiming to ease the process to get approval to enter Thailand. The entry requirements for international travellers still require some hoops, but the government hopes this streamlining will help welcome back much-needed tourism to the country. The website for the Thailand Pass has been created at tp.consular.go.th but it is…
- Tourism News
Alcohol ban predicted to damage Thailand’s reopening, reputation
With Thailand’s November 1 reopening fast approaching, Thai businesses are calling on the government to quickly lift all the restrictions on alcohol sales in the country. They advise that the nightlife that millions flocked to Thailand for before the Covid-19 pandemic, is being destroyed by the long-term closures. Furthermore, they warn that reopening without any nightlife will discourage people from…
- Covid-19 News
Foreign Ministry denies blocking Poland’s donation of vaccines
After Thammasat University was set to receive 3 million Moderna vaccines donated by Poland last Tuesday, the deal was suddenly stymied by the Thai government not completing the required paperwork. Then the university appealed to the Foreign Ministry for help, and was rejected, being told they should be going through official channels to import vaccines. Now the Foreign Ministry is…
- Bangkok News
Police bust Bangkok pub serving alcohol, 61 arrested
After receiving complaints that alcohol was being illegally served in violation of Covid-19 restrictions, Thong Lo Police raided a pub serving alcohol illegally on Soi Sukhumvit 23 in the Wattana district of Bangkok. The raid that took place last night led to the arrest of 61 guests found drinking alcohol without social distancing. 35 women and 26 males were taken…
- Bangkok News
Russell Crowe bids Bangkok goodbye after much-praised tweets
Hollywood movie star Russell Crowe has been causing a sensation among Thai social media, first visiting and praising the Phuket Sandbox, and later travelling around Bangkok. Now his much-celebrated trip is coming to an end as he posts a goodbye message to Bangkok on Twitter. Crowe first got attention as he arrived in Phuket on September 18 to do his…
- Northern Thailand News
Police arrest 3 vans in Korat with 1.82 tonnes of marijuana
In Korat, the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, police found 4 men in possession of more than 1.8 tonnes of dried marijuana and arrested them. The arrest took place this morning according to the Provincial Police Region 3 commissioner. Police had ramped up patrols of the Mitrapap highway after receiving a tip that a large shipment of compressed marijuana would…
- Crime News
Police arrest British man in Koh Samui for marijuana
A British man on Koh Samui was arrested by immigration police for illegal possession and use of marijuana, according to the provincial immigration police chief. Police say that 32 year old Paul Mathew Kennedy was arrested on Monday at his home in Moo 5 in tambon Bophut. Immigration police say an informant tipped them off to Kennedy, accusing him of…
- Covid-19 News
Over 98% of new Covid-19 cases in Thailand are Delta variant
Expert predictions about the Delta variant of Covid-19 becoming the dominant strain in Thailand by August came true several months ago, but testing shows that the Delta variant is now responsible for 98.6% of all new infections in Thailand. This data from the Department of Medical Science comes as the Delta Plus strain has been found in Thailand and may…
- World News
Ho Chi Minh launches 3-stage reopening plan, international on January 1
Shortly after announcing plans to restart tourism tentatively beginning with Phu Quoc Island, the Vietnamese government launched a road map to reopen Ho Chi Minh City to international travellers at the beginning of next year. The megacity and financial hub of Vietnam has a 3-stage plan for tourism recovery with strict Covid-19 safety measures in place. The plan is designed…
- Thailand News
Border shacks to be demolished for aiding Burmese immigrants
In a unique twist on a common encroachment story in Thailand, vendor stalls on government land in Kanchanaburi along the highway in Sangklha Buri are being ordered to be demolished. But this time it’s not a land ownership debate, rather the government suspects that the vendor shacks are being used to shelter people after crossing the Burmese border illegally. These…
- Economy News
Bank of Thailand plans real-world test of digital currency in 2022
The Bank of Thailand recently announced plans to do some real-world testing of digital currency in the near future as the popularity of cryptocurrency continues to grow. They plan to test their Central Bank Digital Currency in a real-world environment sometime in the second quarter of 2022. The BOT has been studying the CBDC since 2018 and is aware that…
- Hua Hin News
Hua Hin calls for delay in reopening amid Covid-19 infections
Prachuap Khiri Khan, the Western province that is home to tourist magnet Hua Hin, may not be ready for reopening in just over a week. Amid spiking Covid-19 infections, some officials in Hua Hin are calling for a delay, pushing back reopening for the town until December. The province had 240 infections in today’s report, half as many as the…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai Covid-19 infections swell ahead of reopening
November 1 is fast approaching and with it a major reopening effort all across Thailand. But a few of the target Blue Zone areas that the government has focused on due to their popularity with foreign tourists are struggling, as Chiang Mai in particular has been battling a swell in Covid-19 infections. Chiang Mai has seen their daily infection numbers…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 Sunday: Deaths fall to low of 56, provincial data
Today, the CCSA reported 9,351 new Covid-19 infections, down 391 since yesterday, and a long-time low of 56 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 18 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,821,619 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 in prison: outbreaks from overcrowding now subsiding
The Thai prison system has suffered from an overcrowding problem for years, but the Covid-19 pandemic has starkly illustrated the dangers of it. In prisons, there have been 72,359 Covid-19 infections, making them more infected than any single province except Bangkok (1st) and its neighbours Samut Prakan (2nd) and Samut Sakhon (4th) and Chon Buri (3rd). Thailand has the 6th…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 deaths receding, but still here; 1 month old baby dies
Deaths as a result of Covid-19 in Thailand have fallen significantly from an average of around 250 at the beginning of last month, and today set a low over the past several months of 56 fatalities. But there is still a human toll to the tragedy of the pandemic, where 18,755 people have died since the beginning of the third…
