- Pattaya News
Monks, police, health dept help Chon Buri Covid-19 success
Covid-19 infections have decreased significantly in Chon Buri province which was recently downgraded from the highest Covid-19 restriction zone, but what was the key to their success? Law enforcement and public health officials each have their own opinion, but a group of Buddhist monks that hosted a massive prayer session believe that they successfully prayed away the Coronavirus. After receiving…
- World News
PM weighs in after Thai national injured in Gaza explosion
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has made statements expressing concern and sorrow for the violence in the Gaza Strip as recent explosions have injured a Thai national. Thailand has a quota for agricultural labourers that work on exchange in Israel, with about 250 workers travelling to Israel each week on a charter flight. 3,100 Thai workers are currently already working in Israel.…
- Crime News
Priceless Buddha statue stolen in March found at a bus stop
In Lop Buri’s Tha Wung district, a rare Buddha statue went on a mysterious and strange trip having been stolen in March and just found at a bus stop nearby. The statue was stolen from a local museum in the Central Thailand province at the beginning of March and was spotted yesterday morning sitting at a bus stop. The statue…
- South Thailand News
Norwegian-flagged ship with 6 Covid-19 infections off Songkla
A Norwegian-flagged ship is currently floating off the coast of Songkla in the south of Thailand with 6 crew members infected with Covid-19. The offshore support vessel is named the Boa Deep C and is currently anchored near Ko Nu Island and awaiting further instructions. A spokesman for the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre confirmed that the boat has been…
- Covid-19 News
Sinovac, AstraZeneca over 97% effective in immune system boost
A new study highlights the often maligned effectiveness of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, showing they are both quite effective in boosting the immune system against the Coronavirus. The Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University conducted the study that found that one month after the first shot of AstraZeneca, over 97%…
- South Thailand News
Bizarre final calls of 2 Southern insurgents killed in standoff
The bizarre final moments are coming to light of 2 insurgents in the south of Thailand that were killed in a standoff after shooting a member of the Thai paramilitary forces. The pair shot the soldier and then retreated to a shack made of corrugated metal while security forces tried to convince them to surrender. But during that time the…
- Bangkok News
Stricter Covid-19 rules for Bangkok area construction sites
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has set out instructions to large construction companies and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to implement stricter regulations to curb Covid-19 in worker housing facilities. The decree comes after clusters of outbreaks were found at housing facilities at construction sites in the Wattana and Laksi districts. The CCSA spokesmen cited cramped living conditions and a…
- Health
Increase in suicide feared in Thailand as Covid-19 grows
Suicides increasing may be the most unfortunate side effect of living through a pandemic. In Thailand, those living in red and dark red zones, and people afflicted with Covid-19, or with close relatives or friends affected, are the most vulnerable to suicide according to the Thai Department of Mental Health. The increased restrictions tend to lead to depression and high…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 mask violators in Phuket forced to exercise
For those who have more pounds on their body than pounds in their pocket, exercise punishment seen in Phuket yesterday for mask violators may or may not be welcome. Officials have walked back the strict 6,000 baht punishment for the first warning against someone not wearing a mask and were spotted forcing those who have gone out without a mask…
- Covid-19 News
1,000 to 6,000-patient field hospital opened at IMPACT complex
IMPACT Muang Thong Thani exhibition centre in Nonthaburi has just opened as a massive field hospital that will be supervised by the Public Health Ministry. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda were all in attendance for the launch yesterday. Situated in the northern suburb of Bangkok, the huge commercial complex has ample space…
- Phuket News
Phuket may ditch light rail and build smart bus system instead
A proposal to drop the light rail planned for Phuket and replace it with a smart bus system is under an in-depth review as ordered by Phuket Transport Minister. Advocates for the smart bus – automated driverless buses on city streets – say that the project would bring mass transportation to Phuket Island for 15.2 billion baht cheaper than a…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s zones change from Monday – easing of Covid restrictions
From tomorrow we’ll see the resumption of limited dine-in services in restaurants located in the remaining 4 Dark Red zones of Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan. Restaurants in these 4 provinces will now be able to resume dining on premises, until 9pm. But they can only seat 25% of their full capacity. So, a table for 4 can…
- Northern Thailand News
Buriram sets deadlines for vaccine sign-up, imposes penalties
Buriram is pushing hard to get everyone signed up for Covid-19 vaccination and plan on penalties for any at-risk people who refuse the vaccine. The Issan province in Northeast Thailand bordering Cambodia is now the first province in the country to impose punishments for refusal to vaccinate. The government has been strongly urging everyone living or working in Buriram over…
- Covid-19 News
506 Covid-19 infections found in Klong Prem Central Prison
Yet another Bangkok prison has reported a Coronavirus outbreak, as Klong Prem Central Prison now confirmed 506 Covid-19 infections. The Corrections Department deputy director-general Dr Weerakit Harnpariphan confirmed that this outbreak was discovered through active screening, and a lot more testing still needs to be done. The prison houses a total population of at least 20,000 inmates amongst the many…
- Covid-19 News
English announcement of Phuket policy: no house gatherings
The Public Relations Department of Phuket updated Covid-19 restrictions with an English notice confirming among other things that no house parties or gatherings are allowed in the province. The policy was instated this week and went into effect officially Thursday, posting in English seen below. The new restrictions are in place until at least the end of the month. The…
- Economy News
Market down as good US economy drives interest rate fears
After US inflation exceeded targets and increased 4%, global stock markets including Thailand plummeted yesterday with fears of rising interest rates. Almost 144 billion baht was traded yesterday with the market at one point diving down 70 points in the late afternoon before recovering to a 23.72 point loss, closing at 1548.13. 2% is a high rate of inflation so…
- Pattaya News
Pickup truck catches fire in Chonburi, passengers escape
A pickup truck erupted into a flaming inferno with the occupants narrowly escaping the fire in Phanat Nikhom district of Chon Buri. The driver and passenger managed to climb out of the burning truck and run to safety. Local police received notification of the incident which happened on Suk Prayoon Road in the Kut Ngao subdistrict on Wednesday. By the…
- World News
Burmese military declares martial law in border city after attack
After blaming attacks on a bank and a police station on armed terrorist the Burmese military Junta has declared martial law in the town of Mindat in Chin State. Ethnic rebels have been increasingly battling the military in these border regions – the Chin State borders India – and about 100 people were reported over the last 2 days to…
- Thailand News
Bangkok uncovers 8 new Covid-19 cluster outbreaks
Eight clusters of Covid-19 outbreaks have been reported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration with 4 districts slowing but 2 spreading quickly. Outbreaks in the Dusit and Din Daeng districts are showing a higher rate of infection and increasing spread, so authorities are closely monitoring the areas. Crowded communities and dense populations are causing faster transmission of the Covid-19 infections in…
- Economy News
Bank of Thailand announcing 3rd phase case-by-case debt aid
Today the Bank of Thailand will announce the third phase of their plan to reduce debt strain on people affected by the third wave of Covid-19. The phase is part of a continued effort to help individual borrowers cope with their debts by implementing restructuring measures. Financial aid is planned to be given to those in need after evaluation on…
- Environment News
Asia holds 99 of the 100 most environmentally at-risk cities
If you live in 1 of the 100 most environmentally vulnerable cities in the world, then unless you live in Lima, Peru, we can guess what continent you’re on. According to a recent risk assessment study, 99 out of the top 100 most environmentally vulnerable cities are located in Asia with 80% of them in India or China alone. 1.5…
- Covid-19 News
3 organisers of Phuket’s Kolour superspreader event charged
As Thailand still wrestles to control the third wave of Covid-19, much of which stems from entertainment venues in Bangkok and a massive party in Phuket, Patong police announced that the managers of the Phuket venues that hosted the Kolour superspreader event will be charged under the Emergency Decree. The case report was filed with the public prosecutor yesterday according…
- Economy News
Lungtoo, A PM Prayut-themed Thai meme crypto, debuts
For those looking to get into the cryptocurrency craze in the shadiest way possible while also offending the Thai government, the perfect option now exists. Say hello to Lungtoo, the newest meme crypto be making its way through the Thai blockchain community. The name is pronounced like the Thai translation of Uncle Tuu, the affectionate nickname given to PM Prayut…
- Thailand News
Supreme streetwear makes deal over T-shirt featuring monk
Wat Ban Rai, a small temple in Nakhon Ratchasima, has reached an agreement with popular streetwear brand Supreme for using an image of their monk. In February the temple became aware that the global clothing brand was using a stylised photo of a well-known monk from their temple, Luang Por Khun, without having ever asked permission. They had threatened lawsuits…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy criticised for Koh Pha Ngan holiday
Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy Chermarn Boonyasak has drawn a formal complaint from Koh Pha Ngan’s district chief officer after a careless holiday. The Pha Ngan chief officer met with the police superintendent yesterday to file the complaint after Ploy spent 2 weeks on Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, on holiday from Bangkok. She did not self-quarantine, as is…
- Politics News
Opposition party forms new subcommittee to remove Thammanat
The opposition party has created a new subcommittee to push for the removal of embattled Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompaew after the Constitutional Court’s ruling last week that he is fit to serve despite his Australian drug trafficking conviction. The Court ruled that the minister, a member of the Palang Pracharath Party, is qualified despite spending 4 years…
- Covid-19 News
Walk-in vaccination centres planned to speed up rollout
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced plans for walk-in vaccination centres to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine distribution in Thailand. At a meeting of the National Committee on Vaccines, the decision was made to provide alternative channels to encourage more people to get the vaccine quickly. Also in the works is a plan to develop a new application…
- Covid-19 News
Lampang province sets example for vaccine registration
Vaccine hesitancy is proving to be a big problem in the quest to reach herd immunity and reopen Thailand, but Lampang province has outdone all the others in jab registration. In the northern province with just 740,000 people, nearly 224,000 have already registered for their Covid-19 vaccine, a number only topped by Bangkok’s 7 million residents registering just over 500,000…
- Economy News
Bangkok’s Union Mall will close until May 27, casualty of Covid-19
In another sign of Thailand’s Covid-19 battered economy, the Union Mall in Bangkok has announced that it will close temporarily, purportedly for Covid-19 safety but likely because of a lack of customers during the pandemic. The mall, in Ladprao opposite the Central Ladprao shopping mall, took to Facebook this week to announce that they were closing. Mall management made an exception…
- Expats
Pineapple defamation case finally dismissed for activist Andy Hall
After fighting multiple defamation charges for nearly 10 years, British activist Andy Hall has been finally cleared of the last pending charge. Hall had lived for 12 years in Thailand before leaving in 2016 after fighting charges brought by the pineapple company Natural Fruit in Prachuap Khiri Khan when he had reported on their poor work conditions. In 2012, Hall…
