- Thailand News
Here’s what happened in Thailand in 2021
Thailand reopened to (almost) quarantine-free tourism, the prime minister faced a no-confidence debate, and the cannabis industry boomed. Here’s what happened this year in Thailand… Thailand reopens to tourists Thailand started its reopening with the Phuket Sandbox on July 1, which allowed fully vaccinated travellers from overseas to enter the island province without being isolated at a hotel or quarantine…
- Thailand News
Meanwhile, in Thailand… Some of the weirdest stories of 2021
It’s been a crazy year in Thailand. Here are some of the weirdest stories of 2021. 1. Tak locals try to ward off “widow ghost” Some locals in Tak tried to ward off the spirit of a widow after the deaths of 10 men in the community. Some believe that the ghost was looking for a husband. 2. Overfed monkey…
- Thailand News
New Year’s countdown events in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Phangan
New Year’s countdowns will be a little different this year. As a gift for the holiday, the Thai government loosened alcohol restrictions – but just for the night – allowing booze to be sold at restaurants and approved venues until 1am. But restrictions will still be tight for large events, many requiring participants to be fully vaccinated and test negative…
- Phuket News
92 Phuket Sandbox, Test & Go travellers positive for Covid, tests to determine variant
Phuket’s Public Health doctor, Kusak Kukieatsak, says the Covid-19 test results for 92 travellers who recently entered the country from overseas are being examined to determine if they are infected with the Omicron variant. The doctor added that he believes most of the results will come back positive for the mutated strain. The travellers tested positive for Covid-19 after entering…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: 3,037 new cases; provincial totals
25 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,672 with 21,578 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 3,037 new Covid-19 cases and 3,115 recoveries. There are now 33,399 people in Thailand being…
- Thailand News
Cryptocurrency ban in China fuels Thailand’s crypto mining boom
China’s recent ban and crackdown on cryptocurrency has fuelled a cryptocurrency mining boom in Thailand as small investors quickly buy up the equipment that are now useless in China. In September, China’s central bank declared all digital currency trading and mining illegal. Some of the largest Bitcoin mining operations in the world relocated while many smaller miners are now selling…
- Thailand News
Many in Chanthaburi get diarrhoea, local health official says watch what you eat
While health officials across Thailand are monitoring Covid-19, doctors in Chanthaburi are trying to figure out why so many residents have diarrhoea. A provincial public health official is now advising people to watch what they eat. Locals have reached out to each other on social media, trying to figure out why so many people, even those travelling through the province,…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok revises closure order, bars and nightclubs to stay closed until January 15
Bangkok officials revised its provincial closure order and extended the date the order is in effect to January 15, requiring bars and entertainment venues to remain shut for at least the next two weeks, which is in line with government’s nationwide closure order. Approved New Year countdown events still can continue under the “Covid-19 Free Setting” measures, which require proof…
- Thailand News
Myanmar military and ethnic army clashes continue, bullets land on Thai soil
Bullets from the ongoing clashes between the Myanmar military and the armed wing of the Karen National Union have reportedly landed on Thai soil. A fight between the state military and the ethnic troops broke again at around 10am yesterday morning. Thai media reports that two Karen soldiers and several state military soldiers died. Three people who were injured by…
- Covid-19 News
Chiang Mai hoteliers ordered to strictly follow Covid prevention for Test & Go travellers
Chiang Mai health officials are ordering hoteliers to be more strict when it comes to Covid-19 preventative measures, especially when it comes to the Test & Go entry scheme, after two foreign travellers in the northern province tested positive for the Omicron variant. Under the Test & Go scheme (registration is closed), fully vaccinated travellers can enter Thailand after passing…
- Thailand News
Movie theatre set up at Prachinburi graveyard to entertain the dead
An outdoor movie theatre was set up at a graveyard in the central province Prachinburi, but the films weren’t playing for the living. The movies were intended to entertain the spirits. The owner of a local movie theatre wanted to make an offering to his ancestors and others buried at the cemetery. Apparently, this is the fourth time the theatre…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand Omicron update: More than 500 cases, many Test & Go travellers
As of yesterday, there have been 514 Omicron cases reported in Thailand, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Of that number, 147 are local transmissions while others are from overseas, many who travelled to Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme. The entry programme allows fully vaccinated travellers from approved countries to enter Thailand after passing…
- Thailand News
Pattaya residents and expats accuse bank manager of fraud, hold protest
Around 50 to 100 Thais and foreigners in Pattaya held a protest last Friday accusing the assistant manager of a local Kasikorn Bank branch of scamming them out of more than 300 million baht. A report was filed back in February accusing the assistant bank manager of defrauding people out of millions of baht, for some it was their life…
- Thailand News
Evacuation drills run for students in Thailand’s border region as violence in Myanmar escalates
With clashes just across the border between the Myanmar state military and the ethnic army troops so close that bullets are landing on Thai soil, students in Mae Hong Son are being trained on how to escape if the gunfire reaches the school grounds. Soldiers and teachers ran drills over the weekend for students at the Baan Ta Fang school.…
- Thailand News
700 inmates fight at Isaan prison, 3 seriously injured
A fight involving around 700 inmates broke out at a prison in the Isaan province Sisaket over the weekend, seriously injuring three of the prisoners. Ten other inmates were also injured. At around 9am on Sunday, as they were finishing breakfast, more than 700 prisoners divided into two sides and started fighting, some using toothbrushes they had sharpened as a…
- Covid-19 News
Monday Covid Update: 2,437 new cases; provincial totals
18 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,598 with 21,504 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 2,437 new Covid-19 cases and 3,845 recoveries. There are now 34,436 people in Thailand being…
- Thailand News
Camps set up in Tak for more than 5,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar
The governor of the Tak province, bordering Myanmar, set four temporary camps supporting victims who escaped the escalating violence between the Myanmar military and the armed wing of the Karen National Union. The camps are all located in Maesot Districts of Tak spreading to four sub-districts including Mae Tao, Mae Ku, Mahawan, and Phop Phra. Around 5,358 refugees who fled…
- World News
Christmas and New Year travel woes continue around the world
Worldwide, the travel misery lingers with Christmas in the rear view mirror but the new year holiday ahead. Another 1,300+ flights have been cancelled for Monday – Chinese and US destinations are the worst affected, according to FlightAware. The majority of the flights cancelled in China include 366 flights by China Eastern and another 127 from Air China. The most…
- Thailand News
17 year old drowns on Christmas while swimming at Southern Thailand beach
On Christmas Day, a 17 year old drowned while swimming at a beach in southern Thailand. His body was found yesterday about 500 to 600 metres from shore. The teenager went to the Nai Pret beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Khanom district with two of his friends. The current was strong on Saturday and were around two to three metres…
- Bangkok News
Body of a foreign man found in Bangkok canal
A body of a foreign man, said to be around 50 years old, was found in canal in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong area yesterday. Earlier that day, at around 7am, a maid working nearby saw a man by the canal and said it looked like he was trying to catch fish using a black plastic bag. Her nephew later called her…
- Thailand News
Christmas in Thailand… Santa travels by motorbike and elephants give gifts
Christmas is a little different in Thailand. In some provinces, Santa Claus is known to travel by motorbike with gifts loaded on – Thai style – going from Rayong to northern provinces handing out gifts to children. In Central Thailand’s Ayutthaya, elephants hand out gifts to children at a local school. And in Bangkok’s Khlong Toey slum, another version of…
- Covid-19 News
Friday Covid Update: 2,671 new cases; provincial totals
27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,528 with 21,434 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 2,671 new Covid-19 cases and 2,766 recoveries. There are now 38,192 people in Thailand being…
- Bangkok News
Government-hosted New Year’s events in Bangkok cancelled
Government-hosted New Year’s countdown events and holiday celebrations in Bangkok will be cancelled, the vice governor, Kriangyos Sudlabha, announced today, adding that the decision is due to the emergence of the Omicron variant and follows the World Health Organisation’s recommendations. The countdown event in front of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Office will be canceled as well as other events organised by…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: 2,940 new cases; provincial totals
30 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,501 with 21,407 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 2,940 new Covid-19 cases and 2,798 recoveries. There are now 38,314 people in Thailand being…
- Koh Samui News
Koh Samui tourism officials, businesses call on government to open Sandbox registration
The Phuket Sandbox is now the only quarantine substitution programme open for registration, but those on the Gulf of Thailand island Koh Samui are calling on the government to allow the Samui Sandbox scheme to continue as usual. Since the government’s announcement yesterday on closing registration for the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme and the Sandbox scheme, with the…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: 2,532 cases; provincial totals
31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,471 with 21,377 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 2,532 new Covid-19 cases and 3,191 recoveries. There are now 38,202 people in Thailand being…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in
UPDATE: Thai media reports that the traveller who tested positive for Covid-19 and left his quarantine hotel without permission has contacted the Embassy of Israel in Thailand to turn himself in to police in Koh Samui. The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson for told Thai media the travellers could face criminal charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Officials are still looking…
- Thailand News
Soi Dog Foundation warns of dangers of sheltering amid distemper outbreak on Koh Kood
The following is a press release from the Soi Dog Foundation. Soi Dog Foundation is warning against the unmanaged sheltering of stray dogs following an outbreak of canine distemper virus at a government-run facility on the island of Koh Kood in Trat province. Transmitted through direct contact and airborne exposure – namely sneezing, coughing and sharing food and water bowls…
- Covid-19 News
Tuesday Covid Update: 2,476 new cases; provincial totals
32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,440 with 21,346 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 2,476 new Covid-19 cases and 3,649 recoveries. There are now 38,892 people in Thailand being…
- Thailand News
Drinking water plant forced to suspend operations after fish found in sealed jug
A drinking water plant in Thailand’s Isaan region has been forced to temporarily close after a Siamese fighting fish was found swimming in a sealed 10-litre container. The Ubon Ratchathani plant must suspend its operations until it obtains a license from the Thai Food and Drug Administration. A customer in a nearby village discovered the small fish swimming in a…
