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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 Why retirees in Thailand are choosing long-term health insurance over quick fixes
Retirees in Thailand are increasingly seeing the importance of health insurance in protecting their well-being during retirement. With insurance requirements for retirement visas and rising healthcare costs, many are moving away from short-term plans and choosing long-term coverage. Long-term health...
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Walk-in vaccine centre plan limping, not ready to launch
After proud announcements of walk-in vaccine sites launching in Bangkok and around Thailand, now there seems to be more walking back than walking in. Hospitals were flooded with calls from people looking to book a walk-in appointment to receive a Covid-19 vaccine but were told that there were no jabs currently available. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said that this whole thing…
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Private hospitals in Thailand working to offer more choices in Covid vaccines
The Private Hospital Association is now working to offer a variety of Covid-19 vaccine brands to Thais in an effort to help boost herd immunity. Thailand currently has only 2 Covid-19 vaccine brands that are currently available and covered by the Thai government’s free inoculation programme. AstraZeneca and Sinovac are on the list, but recipients have no choice in which…
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Update on Phuket’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign
So far, around 22% of the population in Phuket has been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The island province aims to vaccinate 70% of the population by the end of June to reach “herd immunity”. Officials remain committed to the original plan to reopen to vaccinated foreign travellers by July 1, as ambitious as…
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Hong Kong budget airline HK Express puts in-flight trolleys up for sale
A limited number of in-flight trolleys and galley boxes put up for sale by budget airline, HK Express, have sold out in a day. The Hong Kong carrier had advertised the items on its website, pointing out they’d be the ideal accessory for a costume party. “Each plated with our first-generation logo and a unique license plate, these trolleys are…
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Prison officials say activist Panusaya did not get Covid while behind bars
The Corrections Department says the recently released pro-democracy activist, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, did not contract Covid-19 in prison. The 22 year old protest leader confirmed she was infected earlier this week. She was released from Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institution on May 6. The Bangkok Post reports Weerakit Harnpariphan from the Corrections Department as saying Panusaya was in quarantine…
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Moderna Covid-19 vaccine now approved in Thailand
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Thailand. The country’s Food and Drug Administration announced the authorisation yesterday. Thailand’s vaccination started in late February. So far, only the Sinovac vaccine and the AstraZeneca vaccine have been used to vaccinate the public. The local company Siam Bioscience is now producing the AstraZeneca vaccine in Thailand. The locally-made…
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PM representatives file police complaint against Thai singer and government critic
Representatives of Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, have filed a police complaint against the Thai singer Suthipong Tadpitakkul, aka, “Heart”. Suthipong has criticised the government’s vaccine procurement plan, a move that has led to accusations of violating the Computer Crime Act and Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law. The PM’s lawyer, Apiwat Kanthong, and his assistant minister, Seksakon Atthawong (aka “Rambo Isan”)…
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Tourism authority downgrades domestic tourism forecast
The third wave of Covid-19 has led the Tourism Authority of Thailand to cut its forecast for domestic tourism for this year. The TAT was already forced to cut its goal at the end of April from 160 million trips to 100 – 200 million, as a result of the resurgence of the virus over the Songkran period. During the…
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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 –…
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Asia holds 99 of the 100 most environmentally at-risk cities
If you live in 1 of the 100 most environmentally vulnerable cities in the world, then unless you live in Lima, Peru, we can guess what continent you’re on. According to a recent risk assessment study, 99 out of the top 100 most environmentally vulnerable cities are located in Asia with 80% of them in India or China alone. 1.5…
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Phuket tightens restrictions: No parties, no visits from friends
No, your friends can’t come over. No parties. No drinking with friends. No large gatherings. As part of Phuket’s efforts to stop the spread of Covid-19, local authorities have tightened restrictions and say friends are not allowed to gather at private homes. “No parties of any kind allowed… No house party, no friends gathering in the residence.” Along with temporary…
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3 organisers of Phuket’s Kolour superspreader event charged
As Thailand still wrestles to control the third wave of Covid-19, much of which stems from entertainment venues in Bangkok and a massive party in Phuket, Patong police announced that the managers of the Phuket venues that hosted the Kolour superspreader event will be charged under the Emergency Decree. The case report was filed with the public prosecutor yesterday according…
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Thailand News Today | Covid case jump, Airlines ask for loans, Penguin hunger strike over | May 13
4,887 new infections from the past 24 hours, 7 member airlines are pushing for a meeting with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to discuss the option of soft loans, and Chiang Mai has reported a new cluster of Covid-19 after 3 patients lied about being infected.
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Lungtoo, A PM Prayut-themed Thai meme crypto, debuts
For those looking to get into the cryptocurrency craze in the shadiest way possible while also offending the Thai government, the perfect option now exists. Say hello to Lungtoo, the newest meme crypto be making its way through the Thai blockchain community. The name is pronounced like the Thai translation of Uncle Tuu, the affectionate nickname given to PM Prayut…
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Human Right Watch calls for Thailand to immediately act on Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons
In response to the recent Covid-19 outbreaks in Thailand prisons, the Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying Thai authorities need to take immediate steps to tackle overcrowding in prisons and release inmates that do not pose a serious risk to the public. The organisation also notes that under international human rights law, the government must provide equal and accessible…
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Supreme streetwear makes deal over T-shirt featuring monk
Wat Ban Rai, a small temple in Nakhon Ratchasima, has reached an agreement with popular streetwear brand Supreme for using an image of their monk. In February the temple became aware that the global clothing brand was using a stylised photo of a well-known monk from their temple, Luang Por Khun, without having ever asked permission. They had threatened lawsuits…
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Thai health official dies a week after being injected with the Covid-19 vaccine
A Thai health official died a week after being injected with the Covid-19 vaccine. The woman, who worked for Public Health Ministry’s administration division, suffered from heart failure and was admitted to the Phra Nang Klao Hospital in Nonthaburi, a suburb outside of Bangkok. The woman died 7 days after being injected with the Covid-19 vaccine, according to deputy permanent…
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196 Chaeng Wattana Road construction camp workers test positive for Covid-19
A construction camp off Bangkok’s Chaeng Wattana Road, which also features the Immigration Office, is reporting that 196 out of 300 workers have tested positive for Covid-19. Palang Pracharat MP Sira Jenjaka made the announcement after an inspection of the camp ended in testing many for Covid. Tomorrow, another 500 workers at the camp are scheduled to take Covid tests.…
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Covid UPDATE: 4,887 new cases and 32 deaths, provincial totals
A spike in daily new Covid-19 infections was reported in Thailand today with more than half of the 4,887 infections confirmed today linked to outbreaks at 2 Bangkok prisons. Thailand now has 32,661 active Covid-19 cases, a record high in Thailand since the start of the pandemic last year. There has been a total of 93,794 Covid-19 infections since last…
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Australian government provides grant to cover 1 million vaccine doses in Laos
To help the mass rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Laos, the Australian government is providing a 15.2 million AUD grant to cover around 1 million vaccine doses in the Southeast Asian country. The grant also covers training for healthcare workers on how to safely administer the vaccines. Laos reported a spike in cases over the past month, after a year…
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Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy criticised for Koh Pha Ngan holiday
Covid-19 infected Thai actress Ploy Chermarn Boonyasak has drawn a formal complaint from Koh Pha Ngan’s district chief officer after a careless holiday. The Pha Ngan chief officer met with the police superintendent yesterday to file the complaint after Ploy spent 2 weeks on Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, on holiday from Bangkok. She did not self-quarantine, as is…
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More illegal border crossers from Myanmar arrested in western Thailand
In Thailand’s western province of Kanchanaburi, police have caught 2 more groups of migrants crossing the border from Myanmar. Police say they arrested them and their guide as they crossed over the border illegally, searching for jobs. An army ranger patrol says they saw 20 people carrying baggage. They were walking along a track at Ban Patrudan border village in…
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Opposition party forms new subcommittee to remove Thammanat
The opposition party has created a new subcommittee to push for the removal of embattled Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompaew after the Constitutional Court’s ruling last week that he is fit to serve despite his Australian drug trafficking conviction. The Court ruled that the minister, a member of the Palang Pracharath Party, is qualified despite spending 4 years…
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Covid-19 vaccination hub opens at Central Plaza mall in Bangkok
A Covid-19 vaccination hub opened up at the Central Plaza Lardprao in Bangkok, making it the first immunisation centre outside a hospital. Yesterday, around 1,000 people were inoculated at the new centre after registering for a vaccine on the Mor Prom mobile application. Most of those vaccinated yesterday were government officers, volunteers or those who are at a high risk…
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Walk-in vaccination centres planned to speed up rollout
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced plans for walk-in vaccination centres to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine distribution in Thailand. At a meeting of the National Committee on Vaccines, the decision was made to provide alternative channels to encourage more people to get the vaccine quickly. Also in the works is a plan to develop a new application…
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Chiang Mai hospital reports 7 new cases after patients lied about being infected
A hospital in the northern province of Chiang Mai has reported a new cluster of Covid-19 after 3 patients lied about being infected. The Central Chiang Mai Memorial Hospital has 7 new cases of the virus after the patients concealed the fact that they had Covid-19 and subsequently passed it to 7 healthcare workers, as well as putting at least…
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Unvaccinated MPs must show negative Covid-19 result before each parliament session
Under new measures for Thai Cabinet sessions, members of parliament who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 must test negative for the coronavirus before each new meeting. The parliament president Chuan Leekpai says the new orders are to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among Cabinet members. If an MP has not been vaccinated and does not show a negative result…
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Human rights group calls for transparency on Covid outbreaks in Thai prisons
Yesterday, Thailand’s Department of Corrections announced that thousands of inmates in Bangkok prisons have tested positive for Covid-19. 1,795 inmates at Bangkok Remand Prison are infected, along with 1,040 at the Central Women’s Correctional Institution. The announcement comes after political activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after her release on bail. According to a Coconuts report,…
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Amnesty International calls for Thailand to limit ‘unnecessary detention’ to reduce Covid-19 at prisons
Human rights activists are calling on the Thai government to reduce unnecessary detention to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at prisons. So far, more than 2,000 inmates at 2 Bangkok prisons and at least 7 political prisoners have tested positive for Covid-19. Amnesty International Thailand addressed an open letter to the Justice Ministry says the move to stop placing suspects…
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TAT looks forward to welcoming 129,000 foreign tourists to Phuket
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it expects 129,000 tourists to arrive on the southern island of Phuket in the first 3 months of its re-opening. Officials still insist the island will re-open for quarantine-free travel for vaccinated foreign tourists from July 1. And according to the Bangkok Post, the TAT also plans to team up with airlines to offer…
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