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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Where to shop for sports gear at Jungceylon Phuket
Phuket might be known for its beaches and nightlife, but the island also has a thriving fitness culture. From Muay Thai gyms to beach runs at sunrise, staying active is part of daily life for many who live here (as...
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Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved for emergency use in Thailand
It’s been rolled out successfully around the world for several months now, with a seemingly high efficacy rate. And now, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has finally been approved in Thailand. The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that the mRNA vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the Kingdom. mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells in the body to make…
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1 dead 99 unaccounted for in Florida building collapse
What that tells you is…. nothing like this was foreseeable Last night, a building collapsed in Miami, Florida. 1 person is reported dead, dozens are missing, and 99 people are unaccounted for. 102 people have been located, so far. It is unknown how many people were in the building when it went down. A search and rescue effort is currently…
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Airlines participate in trials of IATA Travel Pass app
A number of airlines worldwide are participating in trials of a Travel Pass app from the International Air Transport Association. TTR Weekly reports that at Montréal-Trudeau airport in Canada, Air France is trialling the app for outbound flights until July 15, just one of a number of airlines testing it globally. The app is designed to ease passengers’ concerns about…
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A bed in the sky: Shanghai opens world’s highest luxury hotel
China’s largest city has just opened the world’s highest luxury hotel – and it doesn’t come cheap. The J Hotel in Shanghai has a restaurant 120 floors up and wealthy travellers (who don’t suffer from vertigo) can enjoy personal butler service 24 hours a day. The hotel is located on the top floors of the Shanghai Tower, in the financial…
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Phuket officials in last-minute scramble to fix sandbox hiccups
The president of the Phuket Tourist Association says clarity is needed around a number of issues if the island’s July 1 re-opening is to proceed smoothly. According to a report in the Bangkok Post, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam says confusion over tracking apps and vaccine certificates are just 2 of the issues that need to be sorted out. The sandbox scheme was…
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Slovenia: Trapped in the spirit of the past after 30 years of independence?
“Dreams are allowed today, tomorrow is a new day” are words etched into the historical memory of Slovenians, also known as Slovenes. On 25 June 1991, they were uttered by Milan Kucan, then president of the Yugoslav Socialistic Republic of Slovenia and subsequently twice president of independent Slovenia. On that day, Slovenia declared its independence and officially separated from Yugoslavia.…
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TAT claims 1,500 travellers arriving in Phuket July 1
The much-maligned and restriction heavy Phuket Sandbox plan might open with a bang, as the Tourism Authority of Thailand announced that 1,500 people would arrive on July 1. The governor of TAT said that international flights scheduled to arrive in Phuket on the first day of reopening have 1,500 tickets booked so far. The island intends to welcome back the…
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EU condemns Ethiopia’s deadly Tigray airstrike
Eyewitnesses are adding more details to what started as a rumor about one or more explosions with dozens of civilian casualties in the village of Togoga in Ethiopia’s restive Tigray region. According to health workers, who spoke to international media outlets mostly on the condition of anonymity, an airstrike hit the village market on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 50…
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Biden-Ghani meeting: Afghan president makes last-ditch effort to stop Taliban gains
US President Joe Biden will host his Afghan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, and other high-ranking Afghan officials, at the White House on Friday. The meeting is taking place at a crucial time for Afghanistan. NATO forces have already started pulling out from Afghanistan after their two-decade presence in the war-ravaged country. The withdrawal of all foreign troops is expected to be…
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Tokyo Olympics: A month to go, protesters intent on postponing games
Atsuko Nagayama is so angry that she is physically shaking. Standing with around 250 protesters in front of the headquarters of the Tokyo metropolitan government, she is holding a simple homemade placard with the words: “Cancel the Olympics.” “It is much too dangerous to go ahead with the gamesbecause we know that there are many variants of the coronavirus already…
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Apple Daily journalists say ‘press freedom is dead’ in Hong Kong
Hours before Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy newspaper, Apple Daily, announced Wednesday it would cease operations once and for all, dozens of its journalists arrived at the printing plant early Thursday morning to observe the last edition roll off the press. Emily, who joined the paper in 2019, said she had been on the front lines of the 2019 pro-democracy protests…
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Covid-19 round-up for expats 3: Are countries helping Thailand?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
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Covid-19 round-up for expats 1: Should you travel to Thailand?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
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Myth busted: Drinking alcohol does not kill Covid-19 – VIDEO
With the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, spreading quickly from clusters at Bangkok bars and nightclubs to provinces across Thailand, nightlife venues were the first to close and will probably be the last to reopen. Alcohol bans at restaurants in provinces with high numbers of active Covid-19 cases are also likely to stay in effect for a while. Thailand’s move…
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Power outages coming to Kathu, again
Electricity will be temporarily cut in parts of Kathu, Phuket tomorrow, announced the Provincial Electricity Authority. Further work is being done to install high voltage cables. Affected areas the westbound section of Phra Phuketkaew Rd, from Kathu intersection to Si Kor intersection. The power will only be out from 9 am to pm. The PEA apologises for any inconvenience not…
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List of countries by Covid-19 risk level, classified by Thailand’s DDC
Under the “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel models, travellers not only need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be eligible to enter Thailand under the schemes, but they also need to be travelling from countries classified by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control as a low to medium risk for Covid-19. The DDC posts a new list on the…
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Phuket police raids nab suspects for allegedly having guns, drugs, kratom
Yesterday, a raid in Phuket grabbed 5 alleged drug dealers. They confiscated over 1,000 Yaba pills (meth), crystal meth, guns and ammunition. One man was also arrested for allegedly having kratom leaves. According to the police report 33 year old Theerasat ‘Jack’ Onrat was arrested for allegedly possessing 940 yaba pills. Police confiscated his mobile phone and his pickup truck…
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Antivirus legend John McAfee apparent suicide in Spanish prison
Software pioneer and wanted fugitive John McAfee died by suicide in a Spanish prison cell on Wednesday after the country’s High Court authorised his extradition to the United States on charges of tax evasion and fraud. McAfee’s lawyer said the antivirus titan died by hanging and could not stand any more time in jail in the Brian 2 penitentiary outside…
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Thursday Covid Update: 4,108 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 4,108 new Covid-19 cases today, a rise in the daily case count over the past few days. The uptick in cases is “quite alarming,” according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily CCSA report in English. There are now 39,517 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. There are currently…
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Bar girls in Pattaya arrested for allegedly violating Covid restrictions while live streaming
Yester evening in Pattaya, 29 out of work “bar girls” (and one foreign national) were arrested by Chon Buri police. They allegedly broke Covid-19 rules as they gathered in a small area to live stream performances for overseas customers. The entrepreneurs were allegedly filming themselves either solo or in groups as they danced and “interacted” with guests for virtual drinks…
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Police arrest suspect who allegedly killed Covid patient and 7-Eleven clerk
Police have arrested the suspect who allegedly shot and killed an employee at a Bangkok 7-Eleven and then broke into a Pathum Thani field hospital, killing a Covid-19 patient early this morning. 23 year old Kawin Saengnilkul, a former special forces soldier, was reportedly holding a person hostage at a relative’s home in Ranong when the police arrive at the…
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Multiple Bangkok hospitals stop Covid testing, citing fear of insufficient beds
Multiple hospitals in the Bangkok area have stopped doing PCR swab tests for Covid-19. Their rationale is that if some test comes back positive, there won’t be beds for the patients. Other hospitals have “scaled down” the swab tests because their staff is too busy, says Dr Suppachok Kirdlarp. Dr Thiravat Hemachudha, head of the Thai Red Cross Emerging Infectious Diseases…
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Chon Buri governor says Pattaya bars will stay closed for now, Covid cases remain high
With ongoing calls from Pattaya bar and nightclub owners to reopen, the Chon Buri governor recently addressed the business owners saying restrictions and disease control measures will stay the same for now as the province still has a number of Covid-19 cases, mostly clustered at markets, factories, construction sites, and migrant worker dormitories. Governor Phakharathorn Tieanchai says many businesses in…
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15 year old stabbed at private school
Earlier this week, a mother posted on Facebook to detail her story about her grade 9, 15 year old getting stabbed in school. The stabbing happened at a private school in the northern Phitsanulok Province. The student had been stabbed by a classmate and was subsequently rushed to the hospital. Thai media had contacted 35 year old Orasa Singhavee to…
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PM orders investigation into pricey street lamps
Thailand’s PM has ordered an investigation into accused corruption over decorative street lamps in Samut Prakan. Prayut Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation into local governments for the purchase of 600 kinaree (animal-human hybrid/Buddhist mythical figures) street lamps in the Racha Thewa sub-district. The Racha administrative organisation is accused of blowing through over 642 million baht to install 6,773 lamps.…
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Phuket governor outlines plans to track and trace foreign arrivals
The governor of Phuket says the authorities and provincial officials are creating a command centre for the purpose of tracking and tracing foreign tourists under the island’s sandbox scheme. The island re-opens in 1 week’s time to vaccinated tourists from low to medium-risk countries. According to a Pattaya News report, governor Narong Woonciew says a meeting was held yesterday between…
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Thursday Covid Update: Latest wave exceeds 200,000 cases
The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand has exceeded 200,000 infections. Since April 1, when the clusters at Bangkok nightlife districts were detected, 203,784 Covid-19 infections have been reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Today, the CCSA reported 4,108 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of the new cases, 229 were found in correctional…
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Guitarist from “Playground” dies in road incident
The guitarist from a well known Thai, alt-rock band “Playground” died in a fatal car accident yesterday morning. The band is seeking the public’s help in providing footage from the incident. 41 year old Watchara “Tui” Chaiphan was involved in a road accident just before 8 am. He was riding a classic motorcycle when he crashed into the back of…
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Flight traffic to Phuket expected to increase by 6% next month
The state agency Aeronautical Radio of Thailand says it expects a 6% uptick in traffic to Phuket International Airport, once the southern island re-opens in a week’s time. Spokesman Tinnakorn Chuwong says the airport is ready to welcome foreign tourists under the sandbox scheme, which has now been given the go-ahead by Cabinet. The Bangkok Post reports that, while overall…
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Hotel platform predicts increasing demand for holidays in Thailand
With just days to go before Phuket re-opens, and talks underway to re-open the country as a whole in October, one of the world’s largest hotel platforms says the data shows things are looking up for Thailand. Bradley Haines from SiteMinder says Thai hotel operators should feel some encouragement from current booking trends around the world. According to Haines, the…
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