- Covid-19 News
6 million unemployed in tourism alone – a stark outlook for Thailand’s tourist industry
More accurate predictions are starting to emerge as the full impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand start to become clearer, and we still don’t have the shops open yet. Reports from the UN’s International Labour Organisation, in collaboration with the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, have already made stark predictions about the problems that lay ahead for…
- Covid-19 News
Stranded Russian student earns his room and board at Surat Thani temple
Ivan’s life has taken quite an unexpected turn. The young Russian student probably never expected to be handing out meals alongside Buddhist monks in somewhere in southern Thailand, but that’s how he spends his days now that he’s broke and stranded. He survives on meals from, and helps out where he can, at a temple in Surat Thani. Phra Khru…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Wednesday, April 29
Covid-19 update (Wednesday) 9 new cases, 0 new deaths Health officials at this morning’s national daily briefing announced 9 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand today, bringing the total to 2,957. No new deaths were reported and the tally remains at 54 since the beginning of the outbreak in January. 2,665 people have recovered and been discharged, making the recovery rate…
- World News
Outgoing UN envoy claims Burmese military may be committing war crimes again
Neighbouring Myanmar’s military is committing atrocities which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the outgoing UN human rights envoy. Fighting between government troops and ethnic minority rebels has flared up again in the country’s Rakhine and Chin states. Burmese military spokesmen did not answer phone calls for comment with Reuters, nor did the official government…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Unsettled weather across Thailand
Today’s forecast from the Thailand Meteorological Department says that “a cell covers the lower North and the upper Central creating hot weather conditions in upper Thailand”. “A high pressure system covers Laos, Vietnam and the South China Sea, bringing the southerly and southeasterly winds to the upper country. Isolated thundershowers are likely in the areas with gusty winds in the…
- Covid-19 News
Zero cases reported in Phuket today (Wednesday)
Phuket has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours. That’s great news after a number of new cases kept popping up in a cluster in the island’s Bang Tao community. The outgoing Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana announced yesterday afternoon that island officials would start opening up the island’s sub-districts with most travel restrictions between tambons…
- Covid-19 News
Possible two day ‘window’ to purchase alcohol before bans re-imposed
You may be able to purchase alcohol again. But you’ll have to be quick. A short 2 day window for alcohol sales is being considered by the CSSA. The current alcohol ban on sales has a sunset clause of tomorrow night (Thursday). But the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday discussed that the ban could be renewed again starting from…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket to remove most tambon travel restrictions
Phuket will start opening up again with most travel restrictions between sub-districts to be lifted, excepting five areas on the island which are still considered ‘at risk’. Phuket’s outgoing Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana announced the lifting of the restrictions for travel between the island’s tambons, introduced back on April 13. Checkpoints were set up restricting non-essential travel between the island’s 17…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Tuesday, April 28
Cabinet disagrees with the cancellation of Thai public holidays in May Yesterday, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha chaired a meeting about the postponement of Thai holidays in May. There were four public holidays coming up next month. The matter was going to be presented to today’s cabinet meeting. The four holidays are… Friday, May 1, Labour Day Monday May 4, Coronation Day…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok Airways to resume Samui flights
Bangkok Airways is set to head back to the skies starting May 15, resuming their monopoly on the Bangkok-Samui route. There will be two flights a day from the capital to Koh Samui, and back. The airline last year disclosed that the flights into Samui are its most profitable services. The operator says that flights will strictly comply with the…
- Covid-19 News
7 new cases in Phuket today, total 214 (Tuesday)
There has been 7 new cases announced in Phuket today. The island has had the highest, per capita, number of reported cases in Thailand. 5 more people been allowed to return home in the past 24 hours, 39 remain in hospital under treatment with 2 in a critical condition. 127 people remain as ‘high risk personnel’ and are under observation. 6 of…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Monday, April 27
Recommendation for the Emergency Decree to be extended for another month Thailand’s Emergency Decree is now very likely to be extended for another month after it expires this Thursday. The emergency decree gives the Thai PM sweeping powers and is provided for in the Thai Constitution for situations like this. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today decided to extend the…
- Covid-19 News
To wear or not to wear, that is the question. Face masks in a Covid-19 world.
The hot topic du jour is face masks – to wear or not to wear. Are they useful? Do they just make wearers ‘feel’ protected, or can they actually contribute to the prevention of spreading Covid-19, or any other virus for that matter. In Asian countries, generally, it’s become a common look, as people move around and go shopping while…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket’s new Covid-19 cases today (Monday)
There has been one new case announced in the southern island of Phuket today at the daily briefings. Case number 207 is a 66 year old Thai women. Her occupation is a maid and had a history of close contact with workers in the same house as confirmed case number 204. She lives in Bang Tao, Cherngtalay, and is showing…
- Covid-19 News
Suvarnabhumi poised to re-open to limited domestic scheduled flights this Friday
Thailand’s biggest airport is getting ready to re-open this week. Suvarnabhumi International Airport resumes scheduled services this Friday when local airlines restart limited flights following the month of airline groundings due to lack of passengers and restrictions imposed by the Thai Government. But the BKK Airport director, Sutheerawat Suwannawat, says the lack of passengers has allowed some areas of the airport…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Scheduled passenger flight ban extended until end of May
The inbound passenger flight restriction is now going to be extended another 31 days, until the end of May, whilst more repatriation flights for Thai citizens will continue this week. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says they will extend the ongoing ban, currently scheduled to end on April 30. The first of the temporary closures was announced on April 4. CAAT…
- Covid-19 News
NY Governor offers evidence that the virus entered the US from Europe
China has been in the sites of many as the world tries to apportion blame of the origins of Covid-19, including some world leaders. Now New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has laid out some research showing that the strains of the novel coronavirus arrived in New York from Europe, not China. He also claimed that travel bans enacted by the…
- Covid-19 News
5G, Bill Gates, Chinese Labs and more Covid-19 myths
From Covid-19 (aka. SARS-COV-2) being a ‘man-made virus’ to 5G spreading the virus to coronavirus being ‘no worse than the seasonal flu’. The time spent at home has given crackpots extra time to search the dark corners of the internet to spin crazy theories that defy science or logic, and spreading more misinformation around the web. The impacts from this…
- Phuket News
Ethical sanctuaries looking after over 250 elephants in southern Thailand
The Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, and elsewhere in Thailand, have been forced to close their doors in late March. As people around Thailand been hunkering down in our houses waiting for the virus outbreak to pass, some of the country’s elephants are suffering? As mentioned in the original story, Lek had been in touch with camps from all over…
- Covid-19 News
Colour-coding gives insight to Government’s post-April 30 strategy
The government and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is coding the 77 provinces of Thailand into colours. From green, where no Covid-19 cases have been found, up to red, where new, infected patients are discovered in the past 7 days. The National Security Council is expected to present a proposal tomorrow to possibly extend the Emergency Decree, Tourism and Sports Minister…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand reports 53 new virus cases, 1 more death (Saturday)
A spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today announced 53 new Covid-19 cases confirmed over a 24 hour period, and 1 additional death. Most of today’s new cases are imported from outside the country. 42 of the new cases are illegal migrant workers currently at the detention centre at the Sadao checkpoint bordering Malaysia, another 7 in Yala,…
- Bangkok News
3 people jump to their deaths within 24 hours
Unfortunately 3 people are reported to have jumped to their deaths yesterday, 2 in Bangkok and a third in Sara Buri, about 90 kilometres to the northeast. It’s believed the man jumped to his death from his 31st floor condominium in Ramkhamhaeng district at about 8:30 yesterday morning. The body of the man, who was not identified and who appeared…
- Environment News
Thailand’s wildlife is thriving in shutdown, but maybe not for long
by Ben Schaye There have been a lot of viral news stories going around Thailand the last few weeks about the way wildlife is rebounding while humans are all hunkered down at home under Covid-19 lockdown. Dugongs (sea cows) have been seen frolicking off the coast of Trang, a pod of false killer whales appeared near Koh Lanta, and endangered leatherback…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Friday, April 24
15 new Covid-19 cases in Thailand, no new deaths 15 new confirmed Covid-19 cases were announced today. This brings the total since the start of the outbreak to 2,854. 60 more people recovered and were released in the same 24 hour period. The total number of patients recovered is now 2,490. Only 314 patients remain in hospital undergoing specific Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
Buriram and Chon Buri get ready for easing of restrictions starting May 1
“Anyone leaving the province will have the stickers removed and, upon their return to the province, will have to enter quarantine..” – Buriram Governor Two of Thailand’s provinces have already declared they will begin relaxing provincial ‘lockdowns’ from May 1. Buri Ram, in the north east, and Chon Buri, south east of Bangkok, have separately announced a progressive relaxing of lockdown…
- Crime News
“It’s all a misunderstanding” – 4 people arrested for trespassing Phuket Zoo
2 foreigners and 2 Thai citizens have been arrested for trespassing private property and violating Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Police allege that they climbed over a perimeter wall of the Phuket Zoo in Chalong, southern Phuket. The report alleges that they filmed videos of the crocodiles and tigers and posted an edited version with narration on YouTube. The report also…
- Crime News
Four arrested for shooting videos at Phuket Zoo and soliciting donations
“Their lawyer claims the situation was ‘all a misunderstanding’.” Following last week’s posting of a video taken at the Phuket Zoo ‘whilst on a walk’, 2 foreigners and 2 Thais have now been arrested after allegedly scaling a wall at the Phuket zoo. They shot videos of crocodiles and tigers then edited and posted them online with a narration asking for…
- Pattaya News
Airbus pulls the plug on the joint Thai Airways’ maintenance facility at U-Tapao
Airbus, the European multinational aircraft manufacturer, has pulled the plug on an 11 billion baht joint venture with Thai Airways. The project was to develop a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at the U-Tapao Airport in Rayong province. The airport also serves the seaside resort of Pattaya. The pull out is a huge blow to the Thai Government’s much hyped…
- Environment News
Bangkok, before and after. A birds-eye view.
Content creator Manit Monsur, a certified drone pilot, has taken to the skies of Bangkok giving us a unique insight into the sights, sounds and daily life of the Big Mango, before and now. Travel restrictions and business closures have severely impacted on the city’s ability to function. One of the biggest changes, he notes, is the clear skies above…
- Northern Thailand News
Tropical storms on the menu today for northeastern, northern and central provinces
Thailand’s northeastern, central and eastern provinces are threatened with tropical storm today. The country is currently in the shoulder season transitioning from the dry season to the wet season. Traditionally, Songkran, on April 13 each year, is the celebration of the coming wet season, coinciding with the Thai New Year. “According to the Thai Meteorological Department, a high-pressure wedge will…
