- Pattaya News
Nong Pong, a new lagoon park nearing completion in Pattaya
Project developers have announced that they are nearly finished building Nong Pong, a large new public park on Jomtien Second Road in the Pattaya area. The park began construction last May with an original completion date of August which the construction crew says should be met without a problem. The Pattaya park features a large lagoon creating beautiful scenery and…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Nakhon Phanom man struck and killed by lightning bolt
An unfortunate farmer seems to have been killed by a lightning bolt in his rice field in the Phon Sawan district of Nakhon Phanom. His wife found his body on Monday afternoon in a condition described as unconscious and burned. Kamol Praking was 49 years old and lived and farmed near Huay Hai Village. After calling for emergency help, medics,…
- Covid-19 News
Pfizer vaccine OK for US children 12-15, critics urge better use
While drug regulators authorised Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 in the US, critics are saying that the jabs would be more useful if sent to poor countries. The American Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine on Monday, saying that it was safe for children over the age of 12, and the US Centres for Disease Control…
- Thailand Protest News
Jailed activists Penguin and Ammy finally granted bail
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the high-profile student activist leader that has been jailed for months, has finally been granted bail after 10 requests. Another student protester champion, singer Chaiamorn “Ammy the Bottom Blues” Kaewwiboonpan, was also released yesterday. Both activists were being held without bail in Bangkok Remand Prison, charged under Thailand’s strict lèse majesté laws that prohibit anyone from speaking…
- World News
Third supsect arrested in bomb attack of Maldives ex-president
After a bomb attack in the Maldives attempting to assassinate former president Mohamed Nasheed, police have arrested a third suspect. The Manhunt has continued in the Maldivian capital city of Malé as the police appealed to the public for any information they may have about another suspect. Religious extremists have been blamed for the attempt on the former president’s life.…
- Covid-19 News
Illegal border crossings bringing in new Covid-19 infections
Authorities are worried about illegal border crossings into Thailand bringing in the Coronavirus after 5 recent Covid-19 infections from such crossings. Bypassing all health and security checkpoints along the border, 5 Thai nationals were identified today as being positive for Covid-19 after they snuck into the country, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Authorities nabbed 2 after border…
- Covid-19 News
9 student nurses experience side effects from Sinovac vaccine
After receiving the Sinovac vaccine, 9 student nurses at Thammasat University have complained of side effect according to the Facebook page of the Student Organization of Thammasat University. After 88 student nurses received the Chinese-made vaccine on April 23 and May 5, 2 experienced minor side effects of a little pain in the arm they were vaccinated in, while 7…
- World News
Testing increased in Singapore after unlinked Covid-19 cases
Singapore, where there has been over 61,000 Covid-19 infections and 31 deaths, is increasing testing to find sources for recent unlinked cases. Over the past few weeks, new cases of Covid-19 have been cropping up without any apparent connection to known Coronavirus infections. The Health Ministry of Singapore said yesterday that a junior college student and 3 staff members at…
- Thailand News
Thailand searches for cow vaccine for lumpy skin disease
Move over Covid-19 there’s a new disease sweeping the country as Thailand’s cow population is afflicted with a lumpy skin disease. The Department of Livestock Development is now working on procuring vaccines from overseas manufacturers to import and treat the cattle population in Thailand. The lumpy skin is caused by pustules that are the most visible symptom, perhaps more detectable…
- Tourism News
Covid-19 third wave cuts Thai domestic flights predictions by 38%
The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand is predicting a 38% drop in travel by domestic flights due to the effect of the third wave of Covid-19. Aerothai is a department under the Ministry of Transport that provides aeronautical communication and air traffic control in Thailand. With Covid-19 experiencing a rapid spread beginning in April and not yet under control, infections across…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand now plans on 150 million Covid-19 vaccines
Thailand upped its target from 100 to 150 million vaccines in an announcement on social media by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. This expanded goal would be enough to cover the necessary 2 jabs for every person in the country, and possibly all the foreign residents that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is again reassuring will get vaccines. The original plan…
- Covid-19 News
Private Moderna vaccine price set at under 3000 baht
Officials announced that private hospitals will offer the two shots of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for a maximum of 3000 baht total. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation expect to order Moderna first in the process of importing vaccines for paid usage, according to the Private Hospital Association. The GPO will act as the middleman because manufacturers generally only work with governments.…
- Hot News
Today’s Chinese rocket debris not expected to hit land
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has assured the public that the debris from a large rocket re-entering the atmosphere today is not likely to do any harm. They said the majority of the Chinese rocket will mostly be burned up on re-entry. The Long March 5B rocket left the Earth on April 29th, launching from Hainan island in China. This…
- Covid-19 News
For travellers to Phuket, testing is out, quarantine is in
The on-again-off-again plans for testing people for Covid-19 as they arrive in Phuket will be replaced by quarantine after May 15, according to Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong’s latest announcement. In an online video broadcast last night, the vice governor confirmed the new scheme after Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew first mentioned it in an executive meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday.…
- Covid-19 News
Like Songkran, Sri Lanka New Year’s brings Covid-19 wave
Sri Lanka has seen a huge wave of new Covid-19 infections in part due to large New Year’s celebrations in mid-April at the same time as Thailand’s Songkran Festival. From the beginning of April until now, the island nation has experienced a fivefold increase in daily cases, with 1,895 infections reported yesterday. February had previously been the worst month in…
- Covid-19 News
With Indian neighbours sealing borders, Maldives welcomes tourists
Tuesday saw a new Daily Record for Covid-19 cases in the 26 islands of the Maldives, with 601 new infections. The tiny nation’s Health Emergency Operations Centre reported this week that hospitalisations due to Covid-19 had tripled in a few days and they suspect that a new variant may now be present in the country. The capital city of Malé…
- World News
Once Covid-19 free, Cambodia eases lockdown amidst surge
After remaining relatively unscathed during the global pandemic in 2020, Cambodia, like other countries in the region, is in the midst of a massive Covid-19 surge. As recently as late February, the country had only seen about 500 cases in their population of 16 million. But just two days ago, 650 new cases and 4 fatalities were recorded nationally. Cambodia…
- World News
Covid-19 Indonesia: Indian variant, reused swabs, holiday travel ban
Indonesia is experiencing an average of 5,000 new Covid-19 cases each day over the past week, and the Indian variant has now arrived as well. The Health Ministry confirmed this week that 2 patients had been infected by what has been identified as the B.1.617 variant of the Coronavirus, commonly known as the more contagious Indian strain. Indonesia is often…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19: Thailand struggles with South and Southeast Asia
In 2020, Thailand was hailed worldwide for its iron-fisted lockdown that curbed Covid-19 spread almost completely. Thailand was the second country in the world after China to identify a Covid-19 infection in January of last year but managed to keep its numbers impressively low, at least until December’s second wave of outbreaks. That wave drove the numbers up to nearly…
- Covid-19 News
King and Queen of Thailand gift critical oxygen supplies to India
Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand are sending a gift of desperately needed oxygen supplies for Covid-19 patients to India today. The Royal Thai Air Force will deliver the oxygen along with care packages of aid and relief items donated by the Indian Institute of Technology Alumni Association, the India-Thai Chamber of Commerce, and the Indian Association of…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya fisherman surprised by friendly whale shark visit
A local Pattaya fisherman had a shocking surprise visitor and was conscious enough to record a video to share with the world. The man, a fisherman for 10 years, posted 2 videos to Facebook on Wednesday of what appears to be a friendly whale shark casually visiting his fishing boat. Sightings in Pattaya of the majestic sea creature are relatively rare.…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket red zone list adds Krabi, Trang, Ranong, Phatthalung
Visitors to Phuket from Krabi, Trang, Ranong, and Phatthalung will now have to prove they’re vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of arrival, as they’ve been added to the red zone province list. People entering without those qualifications will have to take a rapid antigen test on the spot before being allowed into Phuket. The 4…
- Economy News
Stimulus package gives more back the more you spend
A new stimulus package targeting middle and high-income people aims at increasing spending by offering more e-voucher the more you spend. Ying Chai Ying Dai, which translates to “the more you spend the more you get”, will reward those who spend between 46,000 and 70,000 baht with a 7,000 baht e-voucher. This part of the government’s 225 billion baht stimulus…
- Politics News
Deputy PM declares Thammanat Prompow controversy finished
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam says that the debate is over regarding Thammanat Prompow, the controversial Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives and influential Palang Pracharath Party ‘fixer’. The Constitutional court has already ruled that he is qualified to hold office under Thai law and will keep his position, though a huge backlash followed the ruling, and the public wondered how…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Pattaya fishing boat capsized in storm, 2 crew rescued, 2 missing
2 members of a fishing boat crew are still missing after a strong storm that capsized their boat off the Pattaya coast. Yesterday morning 2 people on board the boat were rescued after it was flipped in the high waves but confirmed that 2 more crew were aboard the ship and have not been found. The accident took place off…
- Cannabis News
Cannabis drinks now available in Thailand convenience stores
From darkened back alleys to brightly lit 7-11 aisles, people in Thailand can now get their once-illegal cannabis fix in flavoured drinks at convenience stores and vending machines. The nation’s biggest bottled tea producer Ichitan Group has launched 2 new drinks with terpenes, the compounds that give that ganja smell. The cannabis drinks Ichitan launched are not aimed at the…
- Crime News
Police bust 4 drug runners with 150 million baht of meth
About 150 million baht worth of methamphetamine pills were impounded in Nakhon Phanom today in a bust of 4 suspected drug runners. Police and military cooperated to nab 4 men, aged 21 to 36 hailing from Mukdahan. Nakhon Phanom is a northeastern Thai province that borders Laos, separated by the Mekong River. A press conference was held this afternoon at…
- Thailand News
Education program ends September, 1,964 teachers face layoffs
Nearly 2,000 maths and science teachers are calling upon the Education Ministry to help them avoid layoffs in September. The teachers were hired in 2018 under a special project by the Office of the Basic Education Commission to improve maths and science teaching standards in Thailand. Now 1,964 teachers may face unemployment if action is not taken. The OBEC had…
- Thailand Protest News
Activist Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul granted bail
Jailed student activist leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul has been granted bail of 200,000 baht today after repeated denials of bail requests over the last 2 months. Rung was detained on charges using Thailand’s strict lese majeste laws that carry a 15-year maximum sentence for insulting the royal monarchy and has been held without bail since March 8. She joined her…
- Covid-19 News
160 infected in Bangkok’s Bang Kae Covid-19 cluster
An outbreak of about 160 new Covid-19 infections was identified today in Bangkok’s Bang Kae district, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 1,413 people were tested by health workers in a Bang Kae department store on three dates – April 28, April 30, and May 1 – after 9 Cambodian employees in the store were confirmed to have…
