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 NewsUPDATE: Phuket extends current Covid restrictions from June 1 “until further notice”

    UPDATE: Phuket extends current Covid restrictions from June 1 “until further notice”

    UPDATE: Today’s planned vaccination of foreign staff and teachers at Phuket Headstart International School was cancelled last night at 9pm without explanation. Also information about kids travelling to Phuket with parent from July 1 HERE. ORIGINAL STORY: On one hand Phuket officials are extending restrictions to control the Covid situation, and on the other hand the TAT is talking up the…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Sunday: 4,528 Covid infections and 24 death, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE Sunday: 4,528 Covid infections and 24 death, provincial totals

    Today the public health department has reported another 4,528 Covid infections and 24 C-19 related deaths. Another huge proportion of todays cases – 1,902 – are from Thai prisons. We will post the provincial totals early in the afternoon as usual. Here’s all today’s provincial totals as announced this morning for the past 24 hours… • Thailand’s Department of Disease…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Sunday: 4,528 Covid infections and 24 death

    Covid UPDATE Sunday: 4,528 Covid infections and 24 death

    Today the public health department has reported 4,528 Covid infections and 24 C-19 related deaths. Another huge proportion of todays cases, 1,902, are from Thai prisons. We will post the provincial totals early in the afternoon as usual. • Chon Buri officials have announced 90 new Covid infections today, and 1 new death, mostly driven by clusters at factories and migrant…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Saturday: 4,803 cases and 34 deaths, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE Saturday: 4,803 cases and 34 deaths, provincial totals

    This morning Thailand’s public health department has announced another 34 deaths and 4,803 new Covid infections in the past 24 hours. A staggering 2,702 of the new cases have emerged from Thailand’s overcrowded prisons. More than 30 people have died each day from Covid-related causes over the past 4 days. Bangkok had 1,054 cases reported in the past 24 hours…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Saturday: 4,803 cases and 34 deaths

    Covid UPDATE Saturday: 4,803 cases and 34 deaths

    This morning Thailand’s public health department has announced another 34 deaths and 4,803 new Covid infections in the past 24 hours. A staggering 2,702 of the new cases have emerged from Thailand’s overcrowded prisons. More than 30 people have died each day from Covid-related causes over the past 4 days. A total of 120,916 people in Thailand have now been…

  • World NewsMalaysia heads into another 2 week full lockdown

    Malaysia heads into another 2 week full lockdown

    Malaysia is going back into a full lockdown for 2 weeks, starting this Tuesday. The Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin announced the nationwide “total lockdown” as the country battles with a new surge of Covid-19. The lockdown will run from June 1 – 14 and only essential and emergency services would remain in operation. According to the prime ministers office, the…

  • Thailand NewsVisakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday

    Visakha Bucha Day 2021, Buddhist holiday

    Today is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakha Bucha Day, the most significant day in the Buddhist calendar, commemorating three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha… his birth, attaining enlightenment at 35 years old, and then his death 45 years later, which all occurred on the full-moon day of the sixth lunar month. There is…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Tuesday: 3,226 new infections, 26 deaths

    Covid UPDATE Tuesday: 3,226 new infections, 26 deaths

    Thailand’s public health ministry has reported 26 new Covid-related deaths and 3,226 new infections for today. 882 of the new infections were from prisons. • The Thai government has rescheduled the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines “16 weeks after the first dose”. This is instead of the previously announced 10 weeks. But they’re insisting the delay to the second vaccine…

  • Thailand NewsCovid Sunday UPDATE: 3,382 new infections and 17 deaths

    Covid Sunday UPDATE: 3,382 new infections and 17 deaths

    This morning the public health ministry has announced 3,382 new cases of Covid-19 and 17 new deaths across Thailand. The daily numbers, again, are oddly statistically consistent with the daily toll around 1,900 – 2,500 for the past month (with few variations). Although the daily totals, even without the prison numbers, are slowly creeping up, mostly as a result of…

  • Thailand NewsCovid UPDATE: 3,052 new cases, 24 Covid-related deaths, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 3,052 new cases, 24 Covid-related deaths, provincial totals

    This morning the public health ministry added another 3,052 infections and 24 new Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. Out of today’s new cases, 605 came from the country’s prisons where major clusters have emerged. The daily totals, even without the prison numbers, show a slow upward trend in new cases, the vast majority around Bangkok in high-density housing…

  • World NewsThai PM orders a crackdown on Thailand’s leaky borders

    Thai PM orders a crackdown on Thailand’s leaky borders

    Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is asking the country’s security authorities to “step up” surveillance along the country’s four borders – with Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos – to help stem the flow of illegal migrants sneaking into Thailand. Thailand shares a massively long 2,500 kilometre border with Myanmar, most of the area undefined and littered with walking tracks through dense…

  • World NewsBTS smash YouTube records with their new song “Butter” and are courted by Rock royalty

    BTS smash YouTube records with their new song “Butter” and are courted by Rock royalty

    On Thursday the internet-of-music went into a minor churn when the band Queen’s Twitter account commented about the forthcoming BTS release of ‘Butter’, the South Korean band’s second full-English track. “Are you ready, hey are you ready for this? Another One Bites The Dust.” Was Queen doing a collaboration with the 21st century’s biggest music act? A quick listen to…

  • Crime NewsUPDATE: Chinese man arrested after shooting and injuring police in Pattaya

    UPDATE: Chinese man arrested after shooting and injuring police in Pattaya

    UPDATE: According to Daily News, Pol Capt Phanthep Sribunnak remains in a coma following the shooting. Pol Sen Sgt Maj Kreetha Thipnet was also injured with a shot to his right leg, although reports already say he is “out of danger”. ORIGINAL STORY: A Chinese man, with citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis, is in custody after shooting and injuring 2 Pattaya…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Friday: 3,481 new infections and 32 Covid-related deaths

    Covid UPDATE Friday: 3,481 new infections and 32 Covid-related deaths

    There have been 3,481 new infections announced today and 32 Covid-related deaths in the past 24 hours. 951 of today’s new cases come from Thailand’s prisons. There will be more detailed announced in our daily afternoon Covid UPDATE. Check out our latest video about some great deeds being done in the Klong Toey slum…   • The Thai government are going…

  • Bangkok NewsForeigners feeding thousands in Bangkok’s Klong Toey slums during Covid

    Foreigners feeding thousands in Bangkok’s Klong Toey slums during Covid

    https://www.facebook.com/BkkCommunityHelp https://www.facebook.com/dinnerfromthesky They’ve been doing it for a year now! There are some amazing people helping out their local Thai communities to get through this Covid mess in Thailand. Without much in the way of concrete day-to-day assistance from the Thai Government, free daily food, care packs and supplies are being acquired and distributed by volunteers. We salute you all!…

  • Thailand NewsCovid UPDATE Thursday: 2,636 new infections and 25 deaths

    Covid UPDATE Thursday: 2,636 new infections and 25 deaths

    Today the public health department has reported 2,636 new cases and 25 new Covid-related deaths. 671 of today’s cases come from Thailand’s prisons. The average daily case report remains consistent. • The Transport Minister has advised that the planned walk-in Covid vaccination service at new Bang Sue Central Station in Bangkok was still “under discussion” after the PM scotched the…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Wednesday: 3,394 new infections and 29 deaths

    Covid UPDATE Wednesday: 3,394 new infections and 29 deaths

    Today the public health department has reported 3,394 new cases and 29 new Covid-related deaths. 1,498 of today’s cases come from Thailand’s prisons (more below). Taking the shameful inmate toll out of the equation and the trend is still steady with around 2,000 – 2,500 new cases each day over the past 3 weeks across Thailand. Around the world the…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE Tuesday: 2,473 new cases, 35 deaths

    Covid UPDATE Tuesday: 2,473 new cases, 35 deaths

    In Tuesday’s report of Covid cases in Thailand, the public health ministry has announced 2,473 new infections and 35 Covid-related deaths. The number of active cases continues to rise. Yesterday the state recorded 35,055 people still under care in hospitals or field hospitals. Most of these people remain asymptomatic. Around the world there are now 164,262,554 reported infections since the…

  • Thailand NewsMonday Covid UPDATE: 9,635 Covid infections and 25 death

    Monday Covid UPDATE: 9,635 Covid infections and 25 death

    Today’s high infection report stems from more positive infections emerging from Bangkok’s prison system (below). In the past 24 hours Bangkok and Thailand’s provinces have accumulated another 9,635 infections and 25 Covid-related deaths. 6,853 of today’s total is from Bangkok prisons. If you take the new prison cases out of the equation, there has been an additional 2,782 cases for…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths, provincial totals

    The CCSA have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. 35,055 people remain under treatment at public and field hospitals. More news briefs on the Covid situation below.…

  • Covid-19 NewsSunday Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths

    Sunday Covid UPDATE: 2,302 new infections and 24 deaths

    For Sunday the public health department have announced 2,302 new infections and 24 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There’s now been a total of 101,447 infections and 589 deaths since the start of Thailand’s tally on January 18, 2020. More than 64,000 are registered as ‘recovered’. • Starting Monday, restaurants in Bangkok, Nonthaburi (immediately north of Bangkok), Pathum Thani, and…

  • Tourism NewsThai public health and tourism ministers on Phuket to push the July 1 Sandbox reopening

    Thai public health and tourism ministers on Phuket to push the July 1 Sandbox reopening

    Bangkok has sent a couple of ministerial heavyweights to Phuket today to keep pushing the July 1 ‘Sandbox’ bandwagon, insisting that Phuket will open to fully vaccinated tourists from July 1. The Deputy PM and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ,along with the Sports and Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, are doing the island PR tour today delivering a message from…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths, provincial totals

    The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. Provincial totals below. • The CCSA has announced adjustments…

  • Phuket NewsKeeping hopes alive – Feeding the people of Phuket | VIDEO

    Keeping hopes alive – Feeding the people of Phuket | VIDEO

    To make contact with Shaun or his team, go to their Facebook page, follow the progress of the project and contact them if you can help. https://www.facebook.com/5StarMarinePhuket After a year of zero foreign tourism, the Thai island of Phuket is now at a critical juncture. There are hundreds of thousands of people, previously employed or sustained from the tourist industry,…

  • Covid-19 NewsSaturday Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths

    Saturday Covid UPDATE: 3,095 new infections, 17 deaths

    The Thai public health ministry has announced 3,095 new cases of Covid-19 along with 17 new deaths from the past 24 hours of provincial totals. 877 of the new infections emerged from Thai prisons again after 3 days of reports with high numbers of cases coming out of key Bangkok prisons. • Diners may be able to eat at Dark…

  • Covid-19 NewsFriday Covid Update: 2,256 new infections and 30 deaths

    Friday Covid Update: 2,256 new infections and 30 deaths

    Thailand’s public health department has reported its tally for the past 24 hours from around the country. There has been 30 new Covid-related deaths and 2,256 new cases. Out of today’s new infection total, 183 of those were from the prison system. Yesterday the numbers jumped substantially because of the release of case numbers from two highly infected prisons –…

  • Covid-19 NewsThursday Covid UPDATE: 32 deaths and 4,887 new infections

    Thursday Covid UPDATE: 32 deaths and 4,887 new infections

    The public health ministry has announced 32 new Covid-related deaths and 4,887 new infections from the past 24 hours. 2,835 of the new cases are from 2 of Bangkok’s largest prisons (below). • In another major blow to Thailand’s worst bout of Covid-19, 2,835 inmates from the Bangkok Remand Prison and the Central Women’s Correctional Institution, 2 of the largest prisons in…

  • Covid-19 NewsUPDATE: Phuket restrictions and bans extended, new ‘party’ clause added

    UPDATE: Phuket restrictions and bans extended, new ‘party’ clause added

    UPDATE: Including a new clause… “5.2 Participating in eating or drinking of alcohol, in the family home or in any other place of residence, must not be attended by outsiders. In addition, gathering together or the organising of any other activities is prohibited. If the person who violates or commits this offence is a foreigner, the permission to remain living…

  • Covid-19 NewsWednesday Covid UPDATE: 34 deaths and 1,983 new infections

    Wednesday Covid UPDATE: 34 deaths and 1,983 new infections

    The Thai public health ministry is reporting an additional 34 Covid-related deaths and 1,983 new infections from the past 24 hours of Bangkok and provincial reports. We’ll post all the provincial numbers just after lunch when they become available. • Bangkok health officials are aiming to get around 70% of the Bangkok’s residents – about 5 million people – vaccinated…

  • Phuket NewsBritish citizens fined 6,000 baht each for illegal ‘party’ in Phuket

    British citizens fined 6,000 baht each for illegal ‘party’ in Phuket

    An unedited video circulating, showing Phuket police raiding an illegal gathering in Cherngtalay, ended up with 2 UK citizens, working in Phuket, being fined 6,000 baht each. The Cherngtalay police are also calling on another 4 foreigners attending the party to present themselves to the police station to be charged as well. Cherngtalay Police descended on the property around 5pm…