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  • Thailand NewsThai traditions for ringing in the New Year

    Thai traditions for ringing in the New Year

    ”Sawas Dee Pee Mai” is how Thais say “Happy New Year.” Did you know that Thailand actually celebrates the New Year three times? Thai people celebrate the internationally-recognised New Year on 31 December, the Chinese New Year around January to February, and Thai traditional New Year in April, which is known as Songkran. Below are the activities that Thais do…

  • Thailand NewsHere’s what happened in Thailand in 2021

    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 NewsMeanwhile, in Thailand… Some of the weirdest stories of 2021

    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 NewsNew Year’s countdown events in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Phangan

    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…

  • Thailand NewsTransport Minister launches measure for random ATK tests on train and bus passengers

    Transport Minister launches measure for random ATK tests on train and bus passengers

    With Omicron on the rise, the Thailand’s Minister of Transport launched a measure to conduct rapid antigen tests randomly on passengers at train stations and bus terminals before the trips start. The minister added that there will be many passengers traveling via public transport this New Year holiday, so the measure is needed. Passengers who travel using public transportation are…

  • Covid-19 NewsThursday Covid Update: 3,037 new cases; provincial totals

    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 NewsCryptocurrency ban in China fuels Thailand’s crypto mining boom

    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 NewsMany in Chanthaburi get diarrhoea, local health official says watch what you eat

    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,…

  • Thailand NewsWednesday Covid Update: 2,575 new cases; provincial totals

    Wednesday Covid Update: 2,575 new cases; provincial totals

    17 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,647 with 21,553 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 2,575 new Covid-19 cases and 2,695 recoveries. There are now 33,502 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand NewsMyanmar military and ethnic army clashes continue, bullets land on Thai soil

    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 NewsChiang Mai hoteliers ordered to strictly follow Covid prevention for Test & Go travellers

    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 NewsMovie theatre set up at Prachinburi graveyard to entertain the dead

    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 NewsTuesday Covid Update: 2,305 new cases; provincial totals

    Tuesday Covid Update: 2,305 new cases; provincial totals

    32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,630 with 21,536 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 2,305 new Covid-19 cases and 3,070 recoveries. There are now 33,639 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand NewsPattaya residents and expats accuse bank manager of fraud, hold protest

    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 NewsEvacuation drills run for students in Thailand’s border region as violence in Myanmar escalates

    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 News700 inmates fight at Isaan prison, 3 seriously injured

    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…

  • Thailand NewsSome Tak locals say the deaths of 10 men are related to a ghost looking for a husband

    Some Tak locals say the deaths of 10 men are related to a ghost looking for a husband

    Locals reportedly believe that the deaths of 10 men in a community in the western province Tak, bordering Myanmar, were related… to a ghost of a widow. Some local men have even moved away for the time being until the “ghost” problem is solved. At one house, locals hung up a red shirt with a sign that read in Thai…

  • Thailand NewsCamps set up in Tak for more than 5,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar

    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 NewsChristmas and New Year travel woes continue around the world

    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 News17 year old drowns on Christmas while swimming at Southern Thailand beach

    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…

  • Thailand NewsTop 7 Christmas trees to check out in Bangkok

    Top 7 Christmas trees to check out in Bangkok

    Celebrating Christmas in Bangkok? Many shopping centres on lights and decorations reminding you that the best time of the year is here. Here are the most popular spots to get into the Christmas spirit in Bangkok. 1. CentralWorld CentralWorld’s holiday display is one of the biggest in Bangkok and will be up into the new year, ending around 5 January.…

  • Thailand NewsChristmas in Thailand… Santa travels by motorbike and elephants give gifts

    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 NewsFriday Covid Update: 2,671 new cases; provincial totals

    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 NewsGovernment-hosted New Year’s events in Bangkok cancelled

    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…

  • Crime NewsHong Kong officials seize heroin hidden in canned fruits imported from Thailand

    Hong Kong officials seize heroin hidden in canned fruits imported from Thailand

    Hong Kong’s Custom Department arrested two suspects on Monday after finding 22 kilograms of heroin in canned fruits shipped from Thailand. The cargo was delivered to a seaport in Hong Kong last Thursday and was declared as 40 boxes of canned rambutan and lychee. Officers searched the shipment and found that more than 72 cans from three of the boxes…

  • Koh Samui NewsKoh Samui tourism officials, businesses call on government to open Sandbox registration

    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 NewsWednesday Covid Update: 2,532 cases; provincial totals

    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 NewsUPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in

    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 NewsUPDATE: Registration closes for Test & Go and Sandbox, except Phuket

    UPDATE: Registration closes for Test & Go and Sandbox, except Phuket

    Registration is closing today for travellers wishing to enter Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption programme and the Sandbox entry scheme, with the exception of Phuket. In an urgent meeting this afternoon, chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration decided to stop accepting new tourists under the entry schemes starting at midnight. The government…

  • Covid-19 NewsTuesday Covid Update: 2,476 new cases; provincial totals

    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…