Tim Newton
- Covid-19 News
Monday’s CCSA meeting to announce further easing of restrictions
New Year is looming and Thailand still plods along under a long list of restrictions, both for daily life in the Kingdom but also for travellers trying to enter Thailand. Tomorrow the CCSA will meet to debate an easing of guidelines at a time when the number of new Covid infections and deaths continue to drop, not swiftly but certainly…
- Thailand News
“All Thais are equal but some are more equal than others”
OPINION “We decided to adopt this system, so we must have confidence in the democratic system.” Words from the Thai Parliamentary president Chuan Leekpai urging, or willing, the Thai voters not to “become disheartened with the current state of Thai politics” and to have “confidence in the democratic system”. The democratic system? Constitution Day was on Friday as Thais commemorate…
- World News
Meta bans Myanmar military-owned telco from Facebook
Myanmar’s military junta chief has woken up to find his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being barred from Facebook as Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s new company umbrella, is pulling the plug on business related to the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military. Facebook has nearly 29 million users in Myanmar, in a country with a population of 54 million. Mytel is on of…
- Bangkok News
UPDATE: Huge soapy massage ‘club’ in Bangkok bought within 24 hours of being up for sale
FOR SALE: One Soapy Massage Complex in Bangkok Just what you need to diversify your property portfolio. Your very own gentleman’s club, complete with soap and bubbles. It’s not everyday that a large soapy massage venue gets listed publicly in Thailand. The owner of the 5 storey venue in Bangkok has put his venue and business up for sale for…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: Still no Omicron, today’s infections drop to 4,000
Generally good news on the Covid front in Thailand with the daily new case reports mostly under 5,000 for the past week and the number of deaths also reaching new lows of 30-50 each day, both huge reductions from August this year when the number of daily deaths from Covid were exceeding 300. And for the Omicron trackers, we’re happy…
- World News
Boeing’s Max 737 returns to Chinese skies
The beleaguered Boeing 737 Max will resume services in China next year after being certified as “airworthy” by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The paperwork sets the stage for the accident-prone jet to return to China’s airline schedules following months of negotiations between Beijing and Boeing. The decision clears the way for 100s of the best-selling US-manufactured planes to…
- Transport News
Hua Lamphong “won’t be torn down” | VIDEO
As the final trains pull into the historic Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok over the next few months, public hearings are being called to examine redevelopment options. Bangkok’s old railway hub is officially moving to the much larger, new Bang Sue Grand Station this month. The first hearing about Hua Lamphong’s future is being held on December 14. But,…
- Tourism News
Maya Bay on hold, but preparations for an eventual reopening continue | VIDEOS
This week The Thaiger revealed that Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, may remain closed beyond its proposed January 1 reopening, following a groundswell of local support to keep the famous Bay closed. For a while anyway. This is partly spurred on by environmental concerns for the iconic bay which has been closed to visitors since July 2018, and…
- Tourism News
Maya Bay reopening likely to be postponed | VIDEO
Maya Bay, on Koh Phi Phi Leh, in between Krabi and Phuket, was slated for a reopening on January 1. But now there’s a building swell of local support to keep the famous Bay closed, for a while anyway. A Line group used by the Marine National Park, along with tour operators and other stakeholders, has revealed a groundswell of…
- Food
Bug-eating challenge with Natty, feat. Mark Abbott | VIDEO
Eaten bugs and insects in Thailand? You’ve probably seen the fried up bugs being sold in the local market. But do you have the stomach to challenge yourself to eat the famous Thai bugs? Join Natty as she challenges guest Mark Abbott to a bug eating challenge. Who wins? Find out in our latest Thailand Challenge. Eating insects in Thailand…
- Thailand News
New variant could dampen Thailand’s reopening enthusiasm
Thailand was the first country in Asia to more fully reopen to foreign travellers, and it is seeing a slow recovery, with more bookings for hotels, and new faces along shopping strips and markets in the country. November 1 was the launch of the Thailand Pass and a broader reopening to fully vaccinated travellers and tourists from 63 low-risk countries.…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s nightlife venues and bars told to keep closed until January 16
Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. Following deliberations from the CCSA yesterday, entertainment venues will have to keep their doors closed until at least January 16. To put an exclamation mark after the latest announcement, the Thai government has also extended the emergency decree…
- World News
American Music Awards – BTS, first Asian band to win Artists of the Year
South Korean band BTS had a huge night at the American Music Awards. They not only won the highly coveted ‘Artist of the Year’, they also picked up the Best pop song of the year and Best duo or group. Significantly, BTS are the first Asian musicians to pick up the main award in an otherwise white-washed US pop industry.…
- Tourism News
TAT touts another rosy outlook for 2022 arrivals into Thailand – VIDEOS
Whilst the Ministry of Tourism and Sports approve marketing spending for 2022, their tourism promotion arm, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, have been throwing around more highly optimistic arrival figures for next year. “TAT set the revenue target from tourism in 2022 at 1.5 trillion baht, or about 50% of tourism revenue in 2019 (before the Covid-19 situation)”, according to…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s Maya Bay set to reopen in January
Maya Bay. Remember that breathtakingly pretty beach on Koh Phi Phi Leh off Krabi? Now, the beach that featured in “The Beach” is now poised to reopen. The iconic natural cove of limestone karsts, turquoise waters and THAT beach was one of Thailand’s most popular attractions for a decade with up to 6,000 visitors everyday. But in the end even…
- Covid-19 News
Why wasn’t the Thai deputy PM allowed into Switzerland?
Sorry, must be another misunderstanding. Poor Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul. The mercurial Thai deputy PM and leader of the Bhumjaithai political party, continues to be barred from entering Switzerland until he receives another booster Covid vaccine. But confusion surrounds his misgivings last week. He was heading to a World Health Organisation meeting at the end of November but was…
- Tourism News
Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?
OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…
- Crime News
‘Joe Ferrari’ and 6 other police, face death penalty
Thitisan Utthanaphon, aka. Joe Ferrari, along with 6 other police, will be indicted this week over 4 charges relating to the alleged torture and subsequent murder of a 24 year old drug suspect. The 7 police now facing official charges are… Pol Col Thitisan Utthanaphon (head of the station) Pol Maj Rawirot Ditthong Pol Capt Songyot Khlainak Pol Lt Thoranin…
- Opinion
Banking on a Shinawatra revival – Pheu Thai kicks off their 2023 election campaign
No surprise, despite some conservative media painting it as a shock political move. The official announcement of Paethongtan Shinawatra’s role at in the Pheu Thai election machine as “chief adviser in participation and innovation” has been spoken about for the past month. The return of a ‘Shinawatra’ – the former fugitive PM’s youngest daughter no less – will re-focus additional…
- Technology News
New ABBA album, the 40 year wait and ABBA-tars on the way
The usual time between albums for a music outfit… maybe 1-2 years. Up there in amongst the top 30 artists of all time, ABBA, who couldn’t speak a word of English when they first started recording, have just released their latest album… 40 years after their previous album in 1981 and they split up in 1982. And coming soon they’re touring…
- Visa Information
Thailand Pass – BKK on a Friday evening. Where was everyone? | VIDEO
Tim does his weekly jaunt to Phuket from BKK. Thailand is ‘open’ again with almost-quarantine-free travel to fully vaccinated travellers. But the government’s promised surge of tourists has had a slow start. Plenty of articles about the Thailand Pass – search ‘The Thaiger Thailand Pass’ for numerous articles and links if you want to return to Thailand at this time.…
- Phuket News
New Foundation in Phuket to provide grants for the most vulnerable communities
Living Waters Phuket was launched this week, the first fully established legal structure to provide grants to projects investing in sustainable community solutions across Phuket and the surrounding islands. A united Foundation This one-of-a-kind and brand-new Foundation, launched as Living Waters Phuket this week, is working to combine the efforts of registered charities, foundations, private companies and government organisations. The…
- Tourism News
Thailand is open for tourism again, sort of
OPINION The opening you have when you’re not quite open. Quarantine-free arrival, except that you’ll still need to book at least 1 night of stay in an approved hotel or AQ (alternative quarantine). No bars are open (officially) and, in most parts of the country, most shops remain closed. In tourist-dependent places like Phuket, more than 90% of the formerly…
- Business News
Thailand’s chicken industry suffering from lack of migrant workers
Thailand, one of the world’s major producers of chicken products, is struggling to keep up with exports. Japanese food companies, one of the major importers of Thai chicken, are feeling the pinch. Like many industries, it’s a labour shortage causing many of the issues. Around the world, supply chains have been severely disrupted by the Covid pandemic and labourers have…
- World News
Singapore Airlines launches 60 minute A380 flights
It’s designed to ferry lots of people long distances, in an ultra-quiet flying experience. So flyers would be used to flying the huge Airbus A380 from LA to London, Bahrain to Frankfurt, Melbourne to Hong Kong. The massive super jumbo airliner wasn’t designed for a short 1 hour hop. But that’s exactly what Singapore Airlines have planned now they’re getting…
- Visa Information
So long, farewell to Thailand’s Certificate of Entry – November 1
But what will replace it? Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced an update to procedures for arrival in the Kingdom, post November 1. The Ministry says that the unpopular Certificate of Entry, currently required for all international visitors, is set to be replaced by a new system they’re calling the Thailand Pass system. It is set to start on…
- South Thailand News
Violence continues between military and insurgents in Thailand’s deep south
The fighting between the military and insurgents in the Southern border provinces of Thailand continues. Yesterday the Thai military killed a suspected insurgent after a shootout in a peat swamp in the Bacho district of Narathiwat, a province on Thailand’s southern border. This marks the sixth insurgent killed in the area in the last week. A combined force of Thai…
- Phuket News
Return of the tar balls on Phuket’s northern beaches
The tar balls are back. During a scheduled beach clean yesterday along Phuket’s north-coast Nai Yang Beach, volunteers noticed the return of the mysterious tar balls that were washing up along the coast in the weeks before Phuket’s Sandbox started on July 1. Michelle from Sustainable Mai Khao Foundation contacted The Thaiger this morning with the news of the return…
- Events
Thammasat University Massacre – 45 year on | VIDEO
Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the infamous October 6 massacre at Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1976, when 4,000 police and military forces blocked all exits from the university before firing machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and other military-grade weapons on the students after increased anti-government protests. Officially, some 45 people were killed and over 145 injured, but…
- World News
Activists call on Facebook and Twitter to follow YouTube’s lead in blocking anti-vax content
Following YouTube’s blocking of all anti-vaccine content, and anti-vax-themed conspiracy channels, social media activists are now turning their attention to some of the other big platforms to follow YouTube’s lead. Twitter and Facebook are now targets to do more in stopping misinformation from spreading online. YouTube already had “misinformation” policies in place to prevent some of the more outrageous anti-vax…
