Bangkok News
Bangkok news, politics, business, crime, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s capital. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Bangkok news source.
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New terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport to be field hospital
A new plan will have Bangkok residents heading to the airport, but not in a good way, as authorities have decided to convert Suvarnabhumi Airport’s new terminal into a field hospital. The recently built Satellite 1 facilities are large enough to house a minimum of 5,000 beds for Covid-19 infected patients as outbreaks surge in the capital city. With 216,000…
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Whispered but not proposed – could a lockdown be coming?
This week Thailand’s complicated relationship with Covid-19 finds the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration open to considering a lockdown. The CCSA indicated they would consider possible proposals from the Ministry of Public Health to stop the spread of Covid-19, up to and including a lockdown. National Security Council Secretary-General Natthapon Nakpanich clarified today that there are no official proposals currently,…
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Bangkok doctor in critical condition after being stabbed by patient, blood donations needed
A doctor at a Bangkok hospital is in critical condition after she was stabbed in the chest by a psychiatric patient. B positive blood donations are urgently needed to treat the Chulalongkorn Hospital doctor. Donations can be made directly at the hospital or through the Thai Red Cross Society. Police say a 24 year old psychiatric patient a the hospital…
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More than 80,000 people affected by chemical factory fire in Samut Prakan
The massive fire at the chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok, billowing toxic gas into the air, affected around 80,000 people. An explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical polystyrene factory in Samut Prakan, just outside the capital, led to a chemical fire that took more than 25 hours to put out. Those in Bangkok could see the smoke. A…
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5 protest leaders to have bail revoked following weekend rallies in Bangkok
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed it is filing to have bail revoked for 5 pro-democracy leaders accused of breaking their bail conditions. The move comes after a number of political rallies in Bangkok last weekend. The Pattaya News reports that Sukhun Prommayon from the MPB says that an investigation into the behaviour of protest leaders attending the rallies shows…
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Thailand low on Covid-19 vaccines, priority given to at-risk groups
Thailand is running low on vaccines, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged today. With the most severe wave of Covid-19 continuing to rise, and the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials are giving priority to those most at risk of a severe infection. The elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions, particularly…
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Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital closes emergency room until further notice
Yesterday, Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital in Bangkok declared that it has to temporarily close its Emergency Room, until… further notice, as there are more patients than there is room. The hospital played coy as to when the ER will resume normal operations. However, they did apologise to people for the inconvenience. Another hospital, Rajavithi Hospital announced they would be stopping general…
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Covid alert issued for Thai smile flight from Bangkok to Phuket, arrived last Thursday
Phuket officials have issued an alert for all passengers who were on the Thai Smile flight WE201 that went from Bangkok to Phuket on Thursday, July 1. The passengers are being asked to get tested for Covid-19 ASAP at the nearest government hospital. The alert extends to any customers that went into 2 different Starbucks at the Floresta and Festival…
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Bangkok Red Line launches August 2 free rides for 3 months
If you’ve ever spent time in Bangkok, you know it’s easy to be taken for a ride. But for once, this is a good thing, as the Thailand Transport Ministry announced today they are giving free rides to many commuters to launch their new service line. Bangkok’s Red Line rail route is ready for its soft launch next month and…
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Father commits suicide after daughter dies of Covid
An octogenarian father jumped off his condominium in Bangkok not long after his daughter had died of Covid. He jumped either last night or early this morning. Early this morning, police discovered 84 year old Peng Ki’s body in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi district after he jumped to his death. His daughter’s body, 57 year old Pranee was found in a bed…
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Taxi explodes after hitting truck, driver burns to death
Early this morning, a taxi cab in Bangkok hit a freight truck. The taxi then exploded, trapping the driver inside who burned to death. The incident happened on “On Nut Road”, says Pornprasit Malamai, investigation chief at Prawet police station The fire ripped through the cab taking fire crews over 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. The fire was so…
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Doctor documents people camping out for Covid treatment
A doctor is documenting the struggle of people hoping for a hospital bed for Covid treatment. His pictures capture winding lines of people sitting on the ground, sleeping in the backs of cars. He provided the images last night of the scene outside the Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok Thiravat Hemachudha whos is a neurologist and director of the Health Science…
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More than 100 doctors sent to Bangkok as Covid-19 deaths hit a record high
While PM Prayut Chan-o-cha attends the welcoming of foreign tourists under the “Phuket Sandbox” reopening scheme, more doctors have been sent to Bangkok following a spike in Covid-19 cases and a record high in coronavirus deaths. Hospitals in the capital, the epicentre in the latest and most severe wave, are experiencing a shortage of beds in intensive care units to…
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ICU beds full at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital
The head of the respiratory disease and tuberculosis division at Siriraj Hospital says the facility has run out of beds in its intensive care unit. Dr. Nithiphat Chiarakun says at least 5 Covid-19 patients have been left waiting for an ICU bed as healthcare workers try to juggle what’s available. The Bangkok Post reports that one Covid patient whose symptoms…
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Entertainment and nightlife reps submit petition for aid, reopening
At 10 o’clock this morning a rally of owners, staff, musicians and entertainment sector workers gathered at the House of Representatives to submit a petition for support after long-term Covid-19 closures or permission to reopen August 1. Dozens of representatives from the entertainment industry took part in the demonstration after 3 continuous months of shuttered businesses due to the pandemic…
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Police arrest woman for possession of 20,000 meth pills she claims she found next to electrical pole
Police in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok have arrested a 56 year old woman for possessing 20,000 meth pills. Yesterday, the Sai Mai police arrested 59 year old “Somgsong” yesterday for possessing 20,00 meth pills that she claims she found the pills next to an electrical pole. The woman allegedly confessed that pills were in her room in a…
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Police in Bangkok seize 2 truck loads of sex toys valued at 1 million baht
Sex toys valued at 1 million baht were seized by police in Bangkok. Reports don’t say exactly how many sex toys were seized by police, but apparently, police filled 2 large trucks with the dildos, vibrators and other pleasure enhancing products. A Chinese man was arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal sex products into Thailand and selling them online. Photos from…
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Petrol station heist possibly inside job
Last week, a petrol station in the Bang Bon district of Bangkok was robbed. New information has come to light to suggest that the robbery was an inside job. “Information” has come out that the petrol station employee acted as a lookout while his friend burglarised the station. Police arrested the main suspect “James” on Tuesday and interrogated him, but…
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Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 57 deaths; 5,533 new infections
5,533 new Covid-19 cases and a record high of 57 Covid-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 235,971 Covid-19 cases. Out of the new cases, 44 were reported in correctional facilities, showing an improvement in the Covid…
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Bangkok airport police stop Chinese with babies, seize fake birth certificates
Police are investigating a suspected illegal surrogacy operation after 2 Chinese nationals were stopped at a Bangkok airport as they were attempting to leave the country with 2 baby boys. Police say they seized fake birth certificates. The Chinese nationals were at the Suvarnabhumi Airport with the 6 month old and 1 year old boys. Airport officers stopped and checked…
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Restrictions may be eased at some Bangkok camps to allow essential work to continue
Tough restrictions on movement at construction camps in Bangkok may be eased slightly to allow essential work to go ahead. Natthapol Nakpanich from the National Security Council says officials discussed the issue at a meeting yesterday, noting that the suspension of some works could pose a risk for engineering reasons or by delaying hospital builds. For this reason, construction work…
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Bangkok sex workers and bar staff call for monthly cash handouts
High heels were lined up on the ground and underwear was tied to a gate outside the Government House in Bangkok this morning as the city’s sex workers and other bar and nightlife staff called for monthly cash handouts. Covid-19 restrictions shut down bars and nightclubs, leaving many out of work for months. Only a group of around 20 gathered,…
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Chief medic says Delta variant will become dominant strain in Bangkok
The Department of Medical Sciences says it expects the Delta Covid-19 variant to become the prevalent strain in Bangkok within the coming months. The variant was first reported in Thailand in April, when it was detected in migrant workers in the Laksi district of the capital. The spread of the variant has sparked concern globally due to it being highly…
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Restrictions imposed in areas at risk of a “public health crisis,” spokesperson says
Disease control restrictions have tightened in Bangkok and surrounding provinces which are at risk of becoming a “public health crisis,” according to a Thai government spokesperson. The restrictions were published in the Royal Gazette over the weekend and went into effect today. Of the restrictions set for the next 30 days, restaurants in Bangkok and surrounding provinces are prohibited from…
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Covid-19 screening centre in Bangkok temporarily closed to migrant workers
After many migrant workers infected with Covid-19 were reportedly abandoned at the Public Health Ministry’s Pre-Admission Centre in Bangkok, it is now temporarily closed to migrant workers. The centre is used to screen people who are infected with the virus before sending them to a facility for treatment. Apparently, a number of workers have been dropped off at the centres.…
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First case of Beta variant reported in Bangkok
Bangkok has reported its first case of the Beta variant of Covid-19, originally detected in South Africa. According to a Bangkok Post report, the patient had contact with an infected person in the southern province of Narathiwat. Hundreds of cases of the Beta variant have already been reported in southern Thailand and are believed to have been imported from Malaysia.…
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Businesses in dark red zones appeal for government aid
Businesses that have been affected by the latest round of Covid-19 restrictions imposed in Bangkok and 9 other provinces are appealing for state aid. New measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus come into force today, in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Pattani, and Yala. They include a ban on eating…
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Activist group seeks to dissolve ruling Palang Pracharath Party, PM’s resignation
An activist group that goes by the name Prachachon Khonthai (People Of Thailand, or POT), say they are filing a petition to dissolve the ruling Palang Pracharath Party next week. The 30 members strong group had come together yesterday on Phitsanulok Road, Bangkok. They gathered surrounded by 300 nearby police officers. The leader, Nititorn Lamlua, who was previously a People’s…
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Military, police deployed to seal off nearly 600 construction worker camps
As Thailand polishes up the immigration desks to welcome back international travellers from this Thursday, the military and police are being deployed to seal off nearly 600 construction worker camps in the Bangkok and inner provincial area to ensure the inhabitants don’t leave before their camps are sealed off as a prevention measure against the latest Covid outbreaks. The Thai…
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Multiple business associations oppose lack of Bangkok lockdown
After the government announced yesterday a one-month closure of construction camps, the Federation of Thai Industries and many other business associations complained that the action was too weak. The FTI and other business groups believe that a full lockdown is necessary to control Covid-19 outbreaks in Bangkok and half-measures like this are ineffective at best. The federation is one of…
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