- Covid-19 News
Mor Prom Covid-19 vaccine registration Line account scrapped
Less than a month after its not-so-triumphant launch, the Mor Prom Line account for vaccine registration, like so many Covid-19 plans before it, has been scratched. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the government decided to discontinue to online registration scheme in anticipation of the platform being overwhelmed by coming sign-ups. The plan is now to keep Mor Prom…
- Crime News
6 arrested in Pattaya for illegal online gambling operation
In Pattaya today, 6 people were arrested, accused by the Police Cyber Taskforce of running illegal online gambling websites. The task force raided the Pattaya home yesterday afternoon along with the Pattaya City Police.2 women and 4 men, all Thai nationals, were taken into custody after being found running Baccarat gambling websites from the Baan Suan La La Na house…
- Economy News
DIT chews on regulations to lower food delivery service fees
After pressure from the Department of Internal Trade, food delivery services in Thailand will lower their rates to aid struggling food vendors during Covid-19. Restaurants have been complaining about the high commissions that food delivery services like Food Panda, Gojek, Grab, and Line Man charge restaurants, typically taking a 30% bite out of profits. The DIT has requested that food…
- Transport News
Thailand gets onboard with ridesharing taxi app regulations
Never one to be late to a trend, Thailand is jumping on the bandwagon, after hailing the bandwagon first using a ridesharing app. Many countries have wrestled with how to regulate the taxi-hailing app concept and the grey area it occupies between not-quite-a-taxi and not-quite-a-private-car, and now Thailand is looking to implement regulations within a month. A deputy spokesperson for…
- Phuket News
400k baht in donations for noodle vendor shot by off-duty police
The unfortunate noodle vendor that was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a drunken off-duty police officer fired a stray shot that paralysed the vendor has received nearly 400,000 baht in donations. Aroon Thongplab was accidentally shot on Bangla Road in Patong in the early morning of Feb 23 by the agitated inebriated officer. The bullet hit…
- Crime News
57 men arrested in drug and sex party in Bangkok sauna shop
A Bangkok area sauna shop was raided after reports of a drug and sex-fueled party and 57 men were arrested inside. The shop is located in the Wang Thonglang district of Bangkok, and local residents complained last night of large groups gathering at the establishment. Police arrested the 57 men for a variety of charges including drug crimes and violation…
- Thailand News
Suan Dusit Poll: most people will get gov’t Covid-19 vaccine
A new Suan Dusit Poll this week reveals that a majority of people in Thailand are willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by whatever shot is available from the government. The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, surveyed 2,644 people online throughout Thailand between May 17 and May 20 about their opinions on the government’s push to vaccinate people…
- Covid-19 News
Doctor urges Pfizer, Moderna vaccine to fight B.1.351 variant
Reacting to the news that the B.1.351 variant of Covid-19 (commonly nicknamed the South African variant) has now been found in Thailand, a senior doctor at the Siriraj Centre of Research Excellence Management has called upon the government to obtain Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccine as quickly as possible. In a Facebook post yesterday, the doctor suggested that…
- Crime News
350kg of compressed marijuana seized off Mekong River
Navy officers in the Laos-bordering province of Nakhon Phanom seized a compressed marijuana shipment of about 350 kilogrammes as it was being offloaded from the Mekong River. 2 men were arrested while 3 more fled and have not been apprehended yet in the bust that took place late Friday night. The northern province, separated from Laos by the Mekong River,…
- Crime News
Pattaya mansion shooting suspect in jail, 6 associates lose visas
The suspected gunman in last week’s Pattaya luxury mansion shooting remains in custody while 6 others believed to be living there have had their visas revoked. Region 2 Police officers confirm that the suspect, who opened fire on two police officers while they were attempting to serve a search warrant at the mansion, is being held in the Nong Plalai…
- Covid-19 News
B.1.351 South African Covid-19 variant found in Thailand
Like the world’s most morbid bingo game, Thailand can mark off B.1.351 on its Covid-19 scorecard. The strain of Coronavirus, sometimes called the South African variant, has been detected in undocumented migrants working in the southern province of Narathiwat. After studying samples collected May 13 from the cluster in the Tak Bai district, the Covid-19 Network Investigations group and independent…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 outbreak in Phetchaburi factory of 682 employees
682 employees in a Cal-Comp Electronics factory in Phetchaburi have been infected with Covid-19, forcing a 14-day closure. The company has 3,300 employees and results are still pending for 2,000 more employees Covid-19 tested in the outbreak. The factory owners intend to take care of all their employees during this voluntary shutdown. The cluster has widespread repercussions, as the provincial…
- Covid-19 News
Rawai bar charged for Covid-19 violation, serving alcohol
The Honey Pot, a popular bar in Rawai, Phuket, was raided last night, with the manager being charged for serving alcohol in violation of Covid-19 restrictions. The Chalong Police arrived around 10:20 pm after receiving a tip about a local bar selling alcohol the foreigners. The bar manager was taken into custody and brought to the Chalong Police Station. The…
- Covid-19 News
DDC justifies plan to get 2 extra doses per AstraZeneca vial
The Department of Disease Control in Thailand has come under fire for plans to stretch vials of AstraZeneca to get more Covid-19 vaccines out of each vial. While the official recommendation is to produce 10 vaccines out of each AstraZeneca vial, the DDC argues that there’s enough material inside to produce up to 12 shots. The government has been receiving…
- Technology News
For the 0.81%: Microsoft officially retires Internet Explorer
If you are a tech dinosaur who misses his flip phone and is still mourning the loss of MySpace and AOL, perhaps you’d better sit down before reading on. After a 25 year run, Microsoft announced that it is officially retiring Internet Explorer, once the browser that ruled the internet. Before you fire up your old Netscape Navigator to Ask…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket pushes for proactive vaccination to reach 70% goal
A push is underway to get people registered for mass vaccination in Phuket in an effort to still reach the 70% threshold to reopen to international tourists on July 1. In a meeting on the Phuket Tourism Sandbox plan at the provincial hall on Thursday, a new proactive scheme was hatched to get people registered and vaccinated. Phuket has set…
- Tourism News
Domestic tourism in China booming despite Covid-19
With international tourism all but dead for many parts of the world as governments keep borders tightly under control, China is experiencing a renaissance in domestic tourism. Perhaps it’s ahead of the curve, as the first country to deal with Covid-19, or perhaps it’s the strict handling of the virus keeping infections to almost nothing for many months, but a…
- Tourism News
Thailand focuses on international, but needs domestic tourism
With Covid-19 closing borders for more than a year, the damage from losing international tourism has revealed a major weakness in Thailand’s overall tourism strategy. With up to 18% of the country’s GDP brought in by tourism, the disproportionate dependence on foreign travellers and lack of attention to domestic tourism has ravaged the industry and the national economy. Thailand had…
- Crime News
Drug bust: Phuket couple has 22,000 meth pills, ice, heroin
A drug bust just north of Phuket Town has netted a cache of 22,000 meth pills, over 480 grams of crystal meth, and almost 8 grams of heroin. Police arrested a man and a woman in the Rassada area on Tuesday in the early evening according to a press release today from the Phuket Office of the Public Relations Department.…
- Covid-19 News
Labour Ministry to provide 9.2 million workers with vaccine
Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin announced that under Section 33 of the Social Security Act, over 9 million employees will receive a Covid-19 vaccine and don’t need to register on the Mor Prom Line account. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha posted on Facebook Wednesday that these 9.2 million workers would receive priority vaccines as at-risk essential workers. Insured employees that have to work…
- Crime News
Man arrested in Bangkok accused of raping 30+ young women
A man has been arrested in Bangkok, accused of raping many young women who he met through dating apps and then blackmailing them with videos of the sex. Ratchaphol Jinda, a 26 year old salesman from Samut Prakan was sought for 3 arrest warrants for rape, attempted rape, and extortion. At least 10 women have come forward so far with…
- Covid-19 News
1.5 million more Sinovac vaccines arrive in Bangkok
This morning officials from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation received another 1.5 million Sinovac vaccines from China for a total of 6 million jabs so far. The containers arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport at about 5:35 am, marking the 8th delivery from Sinovac since Thailand made a deal to secure vaccines from the Chinese manufacturer. The GPO managing director confirmed the…
- Phuket News
Phuket police officer who shot noodle vendor denied bail.
A Phuket Provincial Police officer was denied bail today after drunkenly shooting a noodle vendor on Patong’s Bangla Road while off-duty. Pornthep Channarong, the officer involved in the incident, was off-duty and said to be out drinking all night before shooting Aroon Thongplab in the stomach in the early hours of February 23. The Phuket Provincial Court made the decision…
- Covid-19 News
Private hospitals must test and treat Covid-19 patients free
In an effort to increase Covid-19 testing and care, the National Health Security Office confirmed private hospitals should not be charging patients for Covid-19 treatment. Hospitals were instructed to consider Covid-19 infections as emergency patients, and in Thailand, hospitals are obligated to administer emergency services without charging patients, as the NHSO will reimburse costs. Recently some private hospitals were criticised…
- Northern Thailand News
Gold necklace raffle for vaccinated people in Khon Kaen
Provinces around Thailand have schemed to increase Covid-19 vaccine sign-ups, and one district in Khon Kaen has just launched a gold necklace giveaway to registered vaccinated residents. The mayor of the Phon district in Thailand’s northeastern province of Khon Kaen has announced a prize for 3 lucky winners. The plan is to sign up people to get vaccinated and then…
- Covid-19 News
Experts urge Covid-19 recovered people to still get vaccinated
The head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University issued a statement today advocating for people who have already had Covid-19 to still get vaccinated. Virologist Yong Poovorawan posted on Facebook saying that recovered Covid-19 patients are still at risk and should be vaccinated. The post was in response to a question from someone confused about…
- Pattaya News
Elderly Chon Buri woman sets house on fire to thwart thieves
If an intruder breaks into your house, you have some options of how to react, but an old woman in Chon Buri discovered that maybe you shouldn’t respond by setting your house on fire. The old woman heard thieves trying to break into her house in the Hua Tanot sub-district of Panat Nikhom. She lives alone, and when she heard…
- Covid-19 News
Pattaya Remand Prison maintains zero Covid-19 infections
With Thailand’s prison system in the spotlight after massive outbreaks at jails around the country, Pattaya Remand Prison has reported that they have no Covid-19 infections after testing all their inmates. In a statement released yesterday, the prison confirmed that not a single covid-19 infection has been found inside the prison. They credited their success to carefully following all the…
- Crime News
British man with a machete in Chiang Mai temple arrested
A British man was arrested in Chiang Mai after brandishing a machete at Wat Eranthawan, a temple in the south of the northern city. Clive George Davidson was arrested by police after a stand-off while taking him into custody and is being charged with multiple crimes. CCTV footage shows 50 year old Davidson getting out of his car and pacing…
- Tourism News
Covid-19 delivers another brutal quarter for airlines
As the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, airlines experienced another terrible quarter, with less passengers and less revenue year-on-year. The president of Bangkok Airways reported dismal numbers saying that the airline is adjusting its flight plans to try to match the depressed market. Only 151,900 travellers flew on Bangkok Airways in the first quarter of 2021, an 88.5% drop over last…
