- Economy News
Local markets in Asia retreat as US President Trump talks up revised trade war
Steep losses are the order of the day as local markets follow the lead from a sell off in New York after US President Trump foreshadowed a new round of trade sanctions on China. The US President and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have openly accused the Chinese government that the Covid-19 started in a lab in Wuhan, and that…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket departees “spread coronavirus to his province” – Krabi deputy governor
As thousands of non-residents left Phuket over the weekend, one of the neighbouring officials was quick to air his feelings about Phuket departees entering his province. The deputy governor of Krabi province, Somkuan Khan-ngern, claimed that “they had spread coronavirus to his province”. Later he retracted the comment and apologised to the media saying that his comments were “a thoughtless accusation,…
- Covid-19 News
More Thai airports open for special international flights
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has opened up more airports for special international flights as of today. Now Krabi, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin, Surat Thani and Hat Yai have been given permission to handle international flights which are repatriating foreign nationals, or Thai citizens coming home. Scheduled, commercial flights in and out of overseas destinations, remain…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok Governor orders 34 ‘at risk’ businesses to stay closed
Here’s 34 types of businesses that will remain closed around Bangkok until at least May 31. Bangkok’s Governor Aswin Khwanmuang ordered the temporary closure of these 34 locations that pose a risk for Covid-19 infection. This only pertains to businesses in Bangkok. 1. Theatre, cinema, playhouse 2. Pub, bar, entertainment venue 3. Water park, amusement park 4. Playground, children’s play…
- Crime News
Two women in Rayong fined 15 million baht each for ciggie smuggling
A Thai ‘auntie’ and her daughter from Rayong have been fined 15 million baht for smuggling 37 crates of cigarettes, valued around 200,000 baht, from Cambodia. 53 year old Pisamai and 34 years old Somradee tried to smuggle nearly 19,000 packets of cigarettes over the border. Investigators raided their apartment in Muang Rayong. They were caught red handed loading the cases…
- Pattaya News
Ride with the lockdown patrol – Pattaya’s volunteer police
On Saturday, April 25, 2020, ??? was granted a full accesss ride-along with the Pattaya Volunteer Police Services to document the Lockdown in Pattaya City due to Covid-19 Pandemic. https://www.facebook.com/ExtremeCityEntertainment/videos/247397636644057/ This breif micro-vlog of vignettes was made to show what the volunteers do to assist the city and protect its residents on its nightly patrols after the 10:00pm curfew. What stands…
- Covid-19 News
Quarantine awaits passengers at 5 reopened airports
It’s all in the fine print and passengers, eager to get to certain provinces, are being met with an unannounced surprise today. Yesterday 4 domestic airlines – Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air and VietJet Air – resumed flights to 14 provincial airports across Thailand. Now the the Department of Airports director-general Tawee Gasisam-ang says travellers landing at 5…
- Hot News
Surat Thani governor confirms that residents coming back from Phuket will be quarantined
With the exodus of people from Phuket heading back to their home provinces, officials from Surat Thani have confirmed that they will be quarantined at home for 14 days when they arrive. Surat Thani is about a 3-4 hour drive northeast from Phuket. The Surat Thani governor Witchawut Jinto has ordered all district chiefs in the province to quarantine visitors…
- World News
Malaysian authorities round up migrant workers over Covid-19 fears
After the recent debacle in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysian authorities are locating undocumented migrants to contain potential spread of Covid-19. Already around 700 migrants and refugees have been detained in the capital Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia does not formally recognise refugees, regarding them as illegal migrants. Singapore’s recent surge in Covid-19 case numbers has been mainly from migrant workers living in cramped…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand re-opens its doors tomorrow
Thailand springs back to life tomorrow (Sunday) with the alcohol sales ban being lifted and a raft of shops and services allowed to re-open, but under strict guidelines. Expect a lot of taking of temperatures, hand sanitisers at the entry of all shops, and the need to adhere to social distancing guidelines and the wearing of face masks. The list…
- Covid-19 News
54 Covid-19 deaths compared to 26,000 road deaths
OPINION by Brian Hull, long-term expat From time-to-time The Thaiger adds some different perspectives from guest posts. Expat Brian Hull gave us permission to repost his social media rant about the road deaths in Thailand, comparing them with the death toll from the Covid-19 outbreak. Thailand, with a population of 67 million, has done a good job to date in…
- Covid-19 News
Helping Thailand’s starving elephants whilst the tourists are away
PHOTO: A recent delivery of food to two elephant owners, ‘Rawang’ and ‘Chuslip’, who both had their elephants, Kornkow and Meatoy, leased to an elephant park in Khao Lak. Now they are having to care for the elephants themselves, and they were relieved and grateful to receive the food supplies. The Southern Thailand Elephant Foundation is helping to supply vital food to…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 30
Thailand Covid-19 update: 7 new cases, no new deaths The CSSA has announced this morning that Thailand had only 7 new cases of the Covid-19 nationwide in the previous 24 hours. 3 of the new cases were imported, meaning that they came from Thai nationals returning to the country from overseas. All were immediately quarantined. Only 4 cases came from…
- Covid-19 News
Booze ban extended as some businesses allowed to reopen
Although some businesses will be allowed to reopen in some locations as of Sunday, a government spokesman has today confirmed that the ban on alcohol sales will remain in place until further notice. While there is no national order banning alcohol sales, all 77 provinces have done so and have now been ordered by PM Prayut Chan-ocha to keep all…
- Environment News
Rare pink dolphins spotted off Koh Phangan – VIDEO
Pink dolphins are extremely rare, mainly found in only a few spots in the world, including parts of China, Hong Kong waters and sections of the Amazon river. So it was a surprise for fishermen in the Gulf of Thailand to have a rare encounter with pink dolphins, which scientists say are becoming bolder in the absence of tourists The…
- Economy News
Thai Airways gets another lifeline from the government
Thai Airways is finally getting a reprieve, after years of financial woes and corporate drama. The struggling national carrier is getting a lifeline in the form of a bailout loan. Finance permanent secretary Prasong Poontaneat made the announcement yesterday, after a meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. The State Enterprise Policy Committee meeting approved “in principle” the proposal to rehabilitate…
- Covid-19 News
Sub-district restrictions remain intact for 5 locations in Phuket
Phuket’s outgoing Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has confirmed that the island’s sub-district lockdowns will end tonight (or technically at 4am Friday morning because of the national curfews). But five ‘at risk’ locations on the island will remain closed off with checkpoints to curb any further re-ignition of the Covid-19 infections on the island. 3 more cases were announced for the island…
- Environment News
200 baby turtles born at beach in front of Banyan Tree Samui
The birth of more than 200 green turtles has brought some much-needed joy to staff at one of Thailand’s top hotels on Koh Samui. Between April 4 and 24, three nests hatched on the secluded beach at Banyan Tree Samui resort, and a total of around 200 baby turtles emerged under the watchful gaze of the hotel’s resident marine biologist,…
- Covid-19 News
Tourism ministry floats long-stay travel packages
The Covid-19 outbreak has crushed Thailand’s tourism industry, already battered by a flat high season in the previous year, and with the national ban on international arrivals extended until at least May 30, and domestic travel still heavily restricted, the situation isn’t likely to improve soon. But the coronavirus crisis, like all things, will pass, and Thailand’s Tourism and Sports…
- Thailand Weather Updates
This year’s wet season expected to be later, drier
Thailand’s annual rainy season usually arrives sometime around Songkran, the Thai New Year festival, on April 13 each year. But the Thai Meteorological Department is warning that the start of heavy rains are unlikely to start around the country until around the third week in May. They also forecast rainfall this year to be approximately 5% lower than average, adding…
- 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…
