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Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 3 to 4 years – WHO
Thailand has the potential to eliminate malaria within the next 4 years, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO says Thailand is one of 8 countries that can potentially get rid of the mosquito-borne disease by 2025, a goal in line with the country’s strategic plan to eliminate the infectious disease by 2024. Malaria was a leading cause of death…
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Police inspect Pattaya restaurants for compliance with alcohol sales ban
Police in Pattaya have carried out inspections at local restaurants to ensure a ban on alcohol sales is being adhered to. The prohibition is part of the latest Covid-19 restrictions aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Officers from Banglamung police station, led by district chief, Wutthisak Singhadaechor, and police chief, Sakchai Suwannukun, have dropped in on multiple eateries…
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Petition site Change.org back online in Thailand after 6 month ban
The popular petition website, Change.org, is once again available to activists in Thailand, after being temporarily blocked last October. Coconuts reports that a statement on the site’s social media account confirms that it’s back up and running in the Kingdom. “Throughout these months we had worked hard, fighting through the legal process for our mission to have the website’s access…
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Police officer infected with Covid-19 commits suicide at hospital
A police officer infected with Covid-19 killed himself yesterday at a Bangkok hospital. The Royal Thai Police spokesperson says 59 year old Boonchu Panklin committed suicide due to stress after testing positive for the virus. The railway police deputy inspector was also diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. He tested positive for Covid-19 after coming in contact with another patient. At first,…
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Deputy transport minister investigated by anti-corruption commission
Thailand’s deputy transport minister and his wife are being investigated after a debt of 10 billion baht was somehow written off. The National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC, is reviewing documents related to the debt, according to the commission’s Secretary General Worawit Sukboon. If the commission finds that Weerasak and Yolanda Wangsuphakijkosol attempted to conceal their wealth, the case could go to the…
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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…
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Thailand to continue with Chinese vaccine after side-effects in small number of cases
Government-appointed medical experts say there are no plans to suspend use of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine after adverse side-effects were reported in 7 recipients. 6 of them were medical staff in the eastern province of Rayong, who developed “stroke-like” symptoms after receiving the first dose of the CoronaVac jab from Sinovac Biotech. Side-effects included numbness in the limbs and drowsiness,…
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Pattaya prepares for around 2,000 US soldiers to visit for Cobra Gold
Despite Thailand’s record high Covid-19 count, around 1,000 to 2,000 United States soldiers are still expected to travel to Thailand in August for the annual Cobra Gold multinational military exercise, which is co-sponsored by the US. Thai soldiers teach American and other foreign soldiers jungle survival skills, from identifying edible plants to decapitating snakes, drinking the blood, and then cooking…
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India sees record Covid-19 infections, oxygen shortages
India is experiencing record infections and deaths due to Covid-19 and is now running dangerously low on oxygen supplies. The countries second wave of the virus includes a dangerous virus variant that is spreading quickly and has infected 3.5 million people just this month. In the last 24 hours, 295,000 new infections occurred with just over 2,000 deaths. Prime minister…
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Human Rights Watch calls on Thailand to release activists detained on lèse majesté charges
The Human Rights Watch is calling on Thai authorities to release pro-democracy activists who are detained on lèse majesté charges which carry an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the Thai Monarchy. HRW says the charges should be dropped because the activists’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly have been violated. 2 of the detained activists, both…
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Phuket requires Covid-19 vaccination or 72-hour test
To help wrangle the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak in Phuket, strict controls for everyone entering the island go into effect today until the end of April. The provincial communicable disease committee approved the measures in an effort to stop the proliferation of Covid-19 in the province. The new regulations state that only people who have received both doses of…
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Thailand to purchase additional 35 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Thai government will purchase another 35 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in addition to the 65 million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The prime minister made a post on his Facebook page today announcing that Thailand will produce the additional doses from 2 or possibly 3 companies. Out of the 35 million…
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CCSA Update: 1,458 new Covid-19 cases, provincial totals
1,458 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing, stabilising the recent upward spike of new infections since the outbreaks at nightlife venues in Bangkok. Since April 1, 17,780 Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths have been reported by the CCSA. The 2 additional Covid-related deaths today were a 56 year…
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Free media threatened by Covid-19-inspired laws
The International Commission of Jurists is warning that media and journalists in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam are seeing legal repression grow during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group outlined the expanding threat. New laws that many claim violate human rights also serve to throttle the space…
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‘Entry Thailand’ website launched to facilitate process for international travellers
To facilitate the process for travellers entering Thailand, tourism officials have launched a website as a one-stop-shop to make arrangements to travel to Thailand including booking an alternative state quarantine hotel. As to who these travellers would be at this time, that hasn’t been made clear. The “Entry Thailand” website set up by the Tourism Authority of Thailand outlines 6…
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Thai monk beheads himself with guillotine in attempt to reach nirvana, followers could face charges
A monk, apparently ‘seeking nirvana’, has beheaded himself with a handmade guillotine in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Police are now investigating to determine if any of the monk’s followers should be charged for helping the abbot with his untidy path to enlightenment. The monk, Dhammakorn Wangphrecha, reportedly spent 5 years planning his death and believed it would…
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Health officials advise on how to handle Covid-19 risk
Health authorities in Thailand are seeking a balance between testing at-risk people for Covid-19 and keeping the public calm in the face of a growing pandemic. While those who have been in contact or close proximity with Covid-infected patients need to be tested, many people are becoming hypochondriacs, fearing every symptom or ailment, from a simple cold to a headache,…
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Thai police to focus on busting house parties and other social gatherings
Police are now focusing on busting house parties and other social gatherings in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19. With large parties and nightclub hopping setting off a new wave of the coronavirus, with the epicentre in nightlife district in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area, the Royal Thai Police are now ordered to delay its crackdown drunk driving to…
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Thai hotels consider temporary shutdown amid low tourist demand
The president of the Thai Hotels Association says many properties are considering shutting down for the low season as a result of the Covid-19 resurgence. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi says smaller hotels that don’t necessarily have the resources of the large chain properties are struggling with cash flow and crippled by low tourist demand. Many are considering shutting up shop between…
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Group rallies outside US Embassy in Bangkok, calls for America to stop interfering in Thai politics
In the midst of a pro-democracy movement in Thailand, some claim the United States government is influencing Thai politics and even fueling the divide between political parties, particularly those who support the Thai monarchy and the younger activists who are pushing for democracy and monarchy reform. Yesterday, a group rallied outside the US Embassy in Bangkok calling on the American…
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Thailand launches Covid-19 vaccine passport for international travel
The Thai government has confirmed it is adopting a vaccine passport scheme, to provide vaccinated residents with proof of Covid-19 inoculation. The vaccine passport will be an official document which can be used by vaccinated people travelling abroad. Details of the scheme have now been published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The Bangkok Post reports that the Royal…
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7 people develop adverse side-effects after receiving Chinese vaccine
A doctor at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says 7 people developed temporary partial paralysis after receiving a Covid-19 jab. The 7 were all inoculated with CoronaVac, the vaccine from Chinese manufacturer, Sinovac Biotech. All were in the east of the country, with 6 in Rayong and 1 in Chon Buri. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha says all 7 improved after they were given…
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PM says safety was the reason behind limited vaccine procurement
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha says the limited procurement of Covid-19 vaccines was for safety reasons, as well as being based on the situation in the country at the time. “Initially, the purchases Thailand made were based on the situation at that time, when we were successful in containing the outbreak.” He was responding to criticism from several quarters about…
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PM Prayut will send Foreign Minister to Myanmar summit
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that he won’t attend the ASEAN summit regarding Myanmar, but will send Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai in his place. The summit, to be held in Jakarta this Saturday will address the increasingly dangerous situation in Myanmar where fear is growing that the ongoing protests against the February 1 coup could descend into civil war. The meeting…
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Entertainment venues the source of 6,020 Covid-19 infections
As the Covid-19 third wave reaches in Thailand’s provinces, the main culprit in the spread of the infectious new strain is entertainment venues such as bars, clubs and pubs. With around 1,000 – 1,500 new daily infections over the past week, 71 provinces throughout the country have traced Covid-19 infections back to clusters in bars and nightclubs. The CCSA announced…
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Thailand aims to secure 5-10 million Pfizer vaccines
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced yesterday that Thailand is negotiating to buy 5 to 10 million Pfizer-BoiNTech Covid-19 vaccines. 61 million SinoVac and AstraZeneca vaccines are scheduled for delivery over the next 9 months, but with limited effectiveness against the B117 strain and the third wave of Covid-19 spreading around the country, Thailand is trying to supplement its supply, in quantity…
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223 Covid-19 patients currently in critical condition
Covid-19’s recent rapid spread, with more than 1000 new cases a day consistently, 223 infected patients are now in critical condition. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration points out that the number of dire cases is in line with the increase in cases, pointing out that as Coronavirus cases spread, we will see over time an increase in critical condition…
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Thailand News Today | Phuket’s new arrival restrictions, ‘home quarantine’ under consideration | April 20
Starting today with the Covid figures… and after a 20% drop in new infections reported yesterday by the CCSA, Thailand has today recorded 1,443 cases. 4 more Covid-related deaths have also been recorded and 55 people are currently on ventilators under state care. The government claims there are 10,000 ventilators available while over 666,000 people in Thailand have now received…
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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.…
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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…
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