- Tourism News
‘One Night In Bangkok’, an unlikely hit about a bygone era in Thailand
“One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free” When ‘One Night In Bangkok’ was released in 1984 it was an unlikely hit. It was the opening song from a (at the time) little-known stage pop-opera called ‘Chess’. The song made Number 1 in South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia,…
- Politics News
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 News
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…
- 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…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s “problem foreigners” who don’t wear masks. Really?! | VIDEO
UPDATE: Even the Thai PM has been fined for not wearing a mask at a meeting at Government House yesterday. Phuket’s vice governor has stirred the pot by singling out, what he described as, “problem foreigners” who weren’t wearing their mask in public. Over the past week there has been renewed attention to the wearing of masks at all times…
- Covid-19 News
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 News
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 News
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 News
Covid UPDATE: 2,839 new infections reported, Provincial totals
Another record high in Covid cases around Thailand today with 2,839 new infections reported to the CCSA in the past 24 hours. 8 more deaths have also been reported. It’s the highest number of deaths to be recorded in a single day as well. Yesterday there were 2,070 new cases announced, the first time over 2,000 people since the start…
- World News
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 News
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 News
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 News
Thailand goes shopping for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Still waiting for your vaccine? You’re not alone with only around 0.9% of Thailand currently vaccinated. With the Public Health Ministry nailed to just two international vaccines at this stage – the Chinese Sinovac and the AstraZeneca vaccines – it has found itself running short as it tries to catch up to regional neighbours and the rest of the world.…
- Covid-19 News
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 News
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…
- World News
Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia – surprise spikes in Covid infections
For Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand, the Covid situation was ‘under control’. Everything was going fine and the countries were mulling re-opening borders to general travel. Well everything was going fine, until it wasn’t. In just 3 bewildering weeks, Thailand has gone from ‘let’s re-open Phuket’ to setting up thousands of field hospital beds. The daily infection totals over the past…
- Covid-19 News
No room at the inn – Bangkok hospitals turning away people seeking Covid tests
Today’s drop in newly reported infections by the CCSA has dampened Thai’s desire for a Covid test in and around Bangkok. Now, many hospitals around the city are restricting the numbers of patients tested. And if you want to be tested, Thai or foreigner, you better be ready to pay for it. Thai Enquirer is reporting that at least 3…
- Pattaya News
Thailand provincial figures for Monday’s Covid cases
The NBT has published an infographic including all the provincial data on new Covid infections over the past 24 hours in Thailand. Note that some of the data is released by the provinces one day but not reported by the CCSA as a national tally until the following day. Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri, again, lead the way with…
- Thailand News
Covid UPDATE: 1,390 new infections, 3 new deaths
Thailand’s CCSA has reported a total of 1,390 new Covid infections today, tallied from Thailand’s 77 provinces in the past 24 hours. The tally is a welcome drop in new case reports after the last 5 days’ record levels of new infections. Yesterday there were 1,767 new infections reported by the CCSA. 3 more people have died of Covid-related illnesses, 14,851…
- Covid-19 News
Australia and New Zealand welcome the first passengers in the southern travel bubble
Whilst travel bubbles remain a bureaucratic nightmare for most SE Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand have opened their first green lanes since April last year, nearly 400 days. For the two countries it allows family and friends to re-unite. For New Zealand it opens the gates for its largest chunk of tourists. In 2019 some 1.5 million tourists visited New Zealand…
- Pattaya News
Covid UPDATE: 1,767 new infections for Sunday. Provincial totals.
1,767 new Covid infections were reported this morning, the highest ever daily report of new cases in Thailand. The spokesperson for the CCSA also reported that there were also 128 people in serious condition, with 28 people on ventilators. 608,521 people have now received at least their first dose of Covid vaccine. Bangkok continues to lead the way in the…
- Covid-19 News
Should International IB schools in Thailand be conducting on-site exams at this time?
A student has sent The Thaiger this email addressing their concerns about the continuation of exams in the current situation. The government have closed down all schools and any further teaching needs to be online. Except, it appears, for some international schools which seem intent on going ahead with on-site exams. What do you think about this person’s letter? The…
- World News
The Queen sits as a lonely figure as she bids farewell to her husband Prince Philip
Prince Philip was laid to rest Saturday afternoon, UK time, in a simple but soulful funeral ceremony honouring his lifetime of service to the UK, the Commonwealth and his wife of 73 years, Queen Elizabeth II. Clad in black, her head bowed in prayer, the elderly monarch set an example for the UK community during the Covid pandemic, socially distancing…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok is now a red zone. Government gives people today to get back from Songkran break.
…. before the next round of restrictions come into force at midnight tonight. Bangkok and 17 other Thai provinces (there are 77 in total) are now declared maximum control areas. These “red zones” are the feature of the Thai Government’s new restrictions to get a grip on its rising Covid infection numbers since the start of April. The restrictions will last for…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s July Sandbox no-quarantine model “needs a major revamp”
Thailand’s Sports and Tourism minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is acknowledging that Phuket’s ‘Sandbox’ model for a no-quarantine re-opening in July will need “a major revamp”. As the Songkran travel bubble bursts and the monsoon season waves start to roll onto the island’s west coast beaches, Phuket’s scheduled July re-boot suddenly seems a long way off. Minister Phiphat says he plans to meet…
- Covid-19 News
New restrictions start from midnight tonight (Saturday), more could come later
The Thai government has resolved to ‘manage’ its way out of the current Covid outbreak. There won’t be lockdowns or curfews, but there will be earlier closing times and alcohol bans to help provinces stem the growth in new infections. The past 3 days of reporting new infections in Thailand are the highest numbers since the start of the Covid-19…
- Thailand News
BREAKING: Covid Provincial restriction update – latest from the CCSA
The CCSA has announced its updated restrictions for the 18 ‘red zone’ provinces this afternoon. The new measures start on Sunday, April 18, and will be in place for at least 2 weeks. The restrictions are basically as we published earlier today. There are no ‘lockdowns’ or curfews despite a popular blogger jumping the gun and posting that there were…
- Covid-19 News
Friday’s Covid-19 cases, province by province
Today’s provincial totals, as reported in the past 24 hours. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (including Pattaya) and Prachuap Khiri Khan and Samut Prakan lead the way. Other prominent locations include Phuket with 30 new cases, Surat Thani, which includes the 3 Gulf islands of Samui, Pha Ngan and Tao, with 11, and Chiang Rai with 77. Infographic from NBT…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya, Phuket and Hua Hin brace for increased restrictions
Three of Thailand’s biggest expat areas are seeing sharp rises in new infections, partly from pre-Songkran traffic. The Songkran holidays, now officially over (but will see many people taking today off and making a weekend Songkran extension), and the government says they are expecting to see a rise in the cases numbers reported in the popular holiday locations. Chon Buri…
- Covid-19 News
New red zone map shows where restrictions may apply after this afternoon’s CCSA meeting
This new map is up for discussion today when the CCSA meets today. 18 provinces are to be designated as red zones. The amount of red zones may changes as well after this morning’s CCSA update on new infections. The CCSA will meet later this afternoon, chaired by the PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. According to some early notes on the upgraded…
