Tim Newton

Tim joined The Thaiger as one of its first employees in 2018 as an English news writer/editor and then began to present The Thaiger's Daily news show in 2020, Thailand News Today (or TNT for short). He has lived in Thailand since 2011, having relocated from Australia.
  • Covid-19 NewsMonday Covid UPDATE: 1,630 new cases and 22 deaths

    Monday Covid UPDATE: 1,630 new cases and 22 deaths

    Monday’s totals have been announced for Covid-19 infections and new deaths over the past 24 hours. The Thai public health ministry reports 22 deaths and 1,630 infections. • The only 5 imported Covid-19 cases yesterday were from neighbouring countries, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar. Authorities say that patrols will have to be stepped up at this time to control the illegal border…

  • Covid-19 NewsSunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths, 2,101 covid infections, provincial totals

    Sunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths, 2,101 covid infections, provincial totals

    For Sunday, the numbers for new infections and Covid-related deaths from Bangkok and the Thai provinces over the past 24 hours were announced early this morning. There has been 17 deaths and 2,101 new cases announced by the CCSA. Thailand has now reached 83,375 total cases since January 2020 and 399 deaths. Out of the 17 deaths, 8 were male and 9…

  • Tourism NewsThailand ploughs ahead with plans for re-opening tourist areas

    Thailand ploughs ahead with plans for re-opening tourist areas

    The Thai government says they’re pressing ahead with plans to waive the current mandatory quarantine for vaccinated visitors to Bangkok and and 5 other major tourist destinations from October this year as an effort to reboot the country’s battered tourism industry. Dr. Traisulee Traisoranakul from the CCSA says the new measures will provide easier access to the main tourist locations…

  • Covid-19 NewsSunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths and 2,101 covid-related infections

    Sunday Covid UPDATE: 17 more deaths and 2,101 covid-related infections

    For Sunday, the numbers are out tallying the new infections and Covid-related deaths from Bangkok and the Thai provinces over the past 24 hours. There has been 17 deaths and 2,101 new cases. Thailand has now reached 83,375 total cases since January 2020 and 399 deaths. • Meanwhile, Thai restauranteurs are pleading with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to ease the Covid-19…

  • Covid-19 NewsEverything you need to know about Covid vaccines in Thailand right now

    Everything you need to know about Covid vaccines in Thailand right now

    Which Covid vaccines are available in Thailand? Thailand’s FDA has licensed 3 Covid-19 vaccines – AztraZeneca/Oxford University, Sinovac from China and Johnson Johnson. Only the AztraZenaca and Sinovac vaccines are currently delivered and available in Thailand at this time. Others will likely be approved for use in Thailand in the next few months, including the Pfizer/Moderna mRNA vaccine (paperwork submitted)…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 2,112 new infections and 15 Covid-related deaths

    Covid UPDATE: 2,112 new infections and 15 Covid-related deaths

    There has been 2,112 new Covid-19 infections announced for Wednesday, according to the Thai health ministry. 15 people have also been reported as dying from Covid-related symptoms in the past 24 hours. 30,222 people are still under state care and observation in hospitals or field hospitals. 1,886 were discharged from care yesterday. 10.042 patients are listed as in serious condition and 343 are…

  • Covid-19 NewsVaccines reserved for Thais, not expats – Public Health Ministry

    Vaccines reserved for Thais, not expats – Public Health Ministry

    Sorry, you’ll just have to wait. The Ministry of Public Health has muddied the waters further about foreigners or expats being able to access Covid vaccines in Thailand. Ministry spokesperson Rungrueng Kitphati has rolled back some of the comments that have already been made about the matter and the real world situation where some expats already registering for the next…

  • Covid-19 News6 of Thailand’s top tourist zones WILL start opening for quarantine-free travel in July – TAT

    6 of Thailand’s top tourist zones WILL start opening for quarantine-free travel in July – TAT

    Full steam ahead. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s insists that the sandbox re-opening plans for 6 of Thailand’s most economically sensitive tourist magnets will start on July 1… July 2021. Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Koh Samui, Pattaya and Chiang Mai will, according to the TAT, be open to foreign tourists who have received 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine (or 1…

  • Covid-19 NewsPhuket adds ‘soft’ curfew but sets up checkpoints to enforce

    Phuket adds ‘soft’ curfew but sets up checkpoints to enforce

    Phuket is now added to the list of provinces in Thailand that have introduced “soft” curfews – strongly worded requests for residents to stay home during specific hours. Phuket residents are being asked to stay at home between 10pm and 4am daily. The announcement is now in force. Checkpoints are being set up to advise and warn people who don’t cooperate.…

  • World NewsSingapore now demands state 14 day quarantine for all travellers out of Thailand

    Singapore now demands state 14 day quarantine for all travellers out of Thailand

    Things were starting to ease up for travellers around SE Asia, and travel bubbles were being discussed at high levels. But with some localised surges in new Covid infections around the region the shutters are coming back down again. The Singapore Ministry of Health has announced that all travellers coming from Thailand, including Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long term…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 31 people die, 2,041 new infections, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 31 people die, 2,041 new infections, provincial totals

    Today the daily 24 hour infection report for Covid-19 has jumped to back over the 2,000 mark with 2,041 new cases reported by the Thai health ministry. 31 people have died from Covid-related illness as well, a new high. Yesterday the death toll for a single day was 21. The CCSA report that most of today’s reported deaths were from…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 1,940 new Covid infections, 21 new deaths

    Covid UPDATE: 1,940 new Covid infections, 21 new deaths

    Sunday’s report from the Thai health ministry says that there has been 21 new deaths in the last 24 hour reporting period. and 1,940 new cases. There has been 82 people dying over the past 5 days in the current 3rd wave surge of Covid 19 around Thailand. Whilst there’s been a general trend downward over the past week, the…

  • Tourism NewsSriracha Tiger Zoo in Chon Buri closes its doors forever

    Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chon Buri closes its doors forever

    One of Thailand’s most popular and visited Tiger zoos has announced that it’s closing its doors, permanently. Sriracha Tiger Zoo, a Chon Buri tourist magnet, located in Nong Kham, was in operation for 24 years. Wasan Temsiriphong, the MD of the Sriracha Tiger Zoo operation said that they will meet with employees on Monday to discuss termination payments and the…

  • South Thailand NewsThailand’s Southern Insurgency – who’s fighting who?

    Thailand’s Southern Insurgency – who’s fighting who?

    Trouble in the ‘south’. Attacks against civilians and rangers. Insurgents attack Thai soldiers – the sorts of headlines that people have read about Thailand’s southern conflict for the past 70 years or so. Thaiger readers may wonder who’s fighting who, and why. The area has been coined the ‘deep south’ or the ‘restive south’ and has become, statistically, a more…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 21 Covid-related deaths, infection numbers rise, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 21 Covid-related deaths, infection numbers rise, provincial totals

    All the provincial totals (below) from the NBT. Today’s Covid-19 infections were announced this morning and feature a new high in Covid-related deaths. 21 people have succumbed over the past 24 hour reporting period, according to the Thai Health Ministry. The people that died include 9 men and 12 women, aged between 39 and 90. 28,745 people remain in state-controlled…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 1,891 new infections, 21 deaths

    Covid UPDATE: 1,891 new infections, 21 deaths

    Today’s Covid-19 24 hour infections report features a new high in Covid-related deaths. 21 people have succumbed over the past 24 hour reporting period, according to the Thai Health Ministry. 1,891 new Covid infections have also been reported. Thailand’s total cases has now reached 67,044 since the start of the pandemic in Thailand in January 2020. 1,884 of those are local…

  • Politics NewsOpposition calls for the Thai PM to stand down, Democrats re-iterate their support

    Opposition calls for the Thai PM to stand down, Democrats re-iterate their support

    Seizing the opportunity, Thailand’s opposition political parties are taking advantage of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s current poor standing amidst a crisis of high Covid infections and botched vaccine roll out. Opposition parties jointly issued a statement demanding the PM’s resignation. Among a list of general failures, they also accused PM Prayut of “causing irreversible damage to the nation”. The opposition bloc, led…

  • Thailand NewsThailand News Today | Scrap THAI and rebuild, Phuket promises expats will be vaccinated | April 28

    Thailand News Today | Scrap THAI and rebuild, Phuket promises expats will be vaccinated | April 28

    Plans to create a new national airline to replace the struggling Thai Airways are meeting opposition from the national airlines’ employee union, Phuket’s resident foreigners are being called out again over their alleged failures to comply with Covid-19 safety measures. Phuket Governor re-promises that expats and foreigners will be vaccinated. 2,012 new Covid-19 infections and 15 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported…

  • OpinionPM takes over Thailand’s vaccine roll out. Public Health Minister found under bus – OPINION

    PM takes over Thailand’s vaccine roll out. Public Health Minister found under bus – OPINION

    OPINION I went to register my name at a local private hospital in Phuket last Saturday for a place in the Covid vaccine queue. It was at the Bangkok Hospital Phuket. The first response from the reception area after the customary welcoming wai was “do you have insurance?” I said yes, but that was not relevant to why I was…

  • EventsTuesday’s full moon will be a SUPER full moon

    Tuesday’s full moon will be a SUPER full moon

    Tonight there will be a full moon. But not just ANY full moon, a SUPER full moon. Whoooaaa! Whilst Koh Pha Ngan’s monthly full moon party has been shelved for the meantime, we can still appreciate this monthly phenomenon (well, not quite monthly). The The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand says that the April astronomical phenomenon coincides with the…

  • Covid-19 NewsMore closures in Bangkok, in force now

    More closures in Bangkok, in force now

    It’s not a formal lockdown, but it may as well be, with newly announced closures from the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority. From Monday, April 26, a lot more services, public spaces and businesses around Bangkok are now closed. Additionally events will be limited to just 20 people, down from the former limitation of 50 people. Face mask-wearing will be enforced with…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: Sunday 2,438 new infections announced, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: Sunday 2,438 new infections announced, provincial totals

    Today there are another 2,438 new Covid-19 infections and 11 coronavirus-related deaths, including a young woman who was 25 weeks pregnant. Meanwhile the BMA have announced the closure of 31 additional business types as of midnight tonight around Bangkok. There are additional announcements pending for other Thai provinces today. The number is a slight drop on Saturday’s total of 2,839…

  • Thailand NewsLest we forget – ANZAC Day 2021 for Australians and New Zealanders

    Lest we forget – ANZAC Day 2021 for Australians and New Zealanders

    ANZAC Day, April 25, is when Australians and New Zealanders commemorate and remember those who fought for their countries and the Commonwealth with the origins of the event forged in the crucible of war at Gallipoli in Turkey in 1915. It is the most solemn day in the annual calendar of those two countries and usually commemorated with dawn services in…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai PM under pressure to go “full lockdown” as infections surge

    Thai PM under pressure to go “full lockdown” as infections surge

    With many more businesses being told to pull down their shutters in Bangkok from midnight tonight, there are now calls to just go the next step and impose a full lockdown as the infection numbers keep mounting up. With the additional 31 types of business closed, on top of the current restrictions in Bangkok, the BMA has all but imposed…

  • World NewsASEAN Summit on Myanmar – will it achieve anything? | VIDEO

    ASEAN Summit on Myanmar – will it achieve anything? | VIDEO

    Today the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will hold a special summit today to discuss the crisis in Myanmar. The meeting is being held at the current secretariat for the Bloc, in Jakarta. There will be huffing and puffing, a group photo, a few grand-standing leaders shaking their fingers at the Burmese chiefs, and then everyone will go home. And,…

  • Economy NewsShopping centres, supermarkets and convenience stores to close an hour earlier in Red Zones

    Shopping centres, supermarkets and convenience stores to close an hour earlier in Red Zones

    With the rising reported cases in Thailand, The Thai Retailers Association and Thai Shopping Centre Association has adjusted closing times for shopping centres, supermarkets and your local convenience stores. The situation applies for red zone provinces only at this stage. The new closing times will operate until at least May 2. • Shopping centres will close at 8pm • Supermarkets…

  • Covid-19 NewsPhuket officials stick to their dual-pricing “covid test” guns

    Phuket officials stick to their dual-pricing “covid test” guns

    Following a few days of negative publicity over its dual-pricing policy for rapid Covid antigen test for passengers at the airport, or at Tha Chatchai checkpoint for people coming by road, you would have thought there’d been some “there’s been a misunderstanding” noises coming out of city hall. But no. In fact Phuket officials are doubling down on the controversy…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s covid vaccine passport – will it only be used for travel?

    Thailand’s covid vaccine passport – will it only be used for travel?

    Hi. Im Tim Newton. Just upfront saying that these are my personal opinions and don’t necessarily reflect that of The Thaiger. So today the Thai Government now has officially announced vaccine passports. The documents are going to be the next big thing in the long and winding Covid road. Firstly, before some comments, the details that we actually know. This…

  • Covid-19 NewsMore restrictions announced for Nonthaburi, Surat Thani and Ayutthaya

    More restrictions announced for Nonthaburi, Surat Thani and Ayutthaya

    • Nonthaburi, directly to Bangkok’s north and west along the Chao Phraya River, has now had additional restrictions added to the provincial measures imposed over the weekend. The new measures are effective from today and will apply until further notice. Amulet trading venues and all public swimming pools, including including the community areas in housing estates and condo, must remain closed.…

  • Thailand NewsCovid UPDATE: 1,443 new infections, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 1,443 new infections, provincial totals

    After a 20% drop in new infections reported yesterday by the CCSA, Thailand has today recorded 1,443 cases. 4 more deaths have also been recorded. 55 people are now on ventilators under state care. The government claims there are 10,000 ventilators available. 666,210 people in Thailand have now received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. Only 2 of…