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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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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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First delivery of Sinopharm vaccines approved for distribution
The first lot of Sinopharm doses ordered by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy have passed quality checks and can now be distributed. 1 million doses of the second Chinese vaccine approved for emergency use in Thailand arrived in the Kingdom on June 20, according to a Bangkok Post report. Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says his department took…
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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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Covid-19 task force pushes back on Bangkok lockdown proposal
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is so far resisting calls for a 7-day lockdown for Bangkok as cases in the capital soar. Yesterday, Thailand reported 3,174 new infections and a record high of 51 deaths, most of them in Bangkok. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA says the pros and cons of locking down the capital…
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Hungary anti-LGBT+ law dispute overshadows EU summit
Tensions between Hungary and the European Commission over the country’s controversial anti-LGBT+ law intensified ahead of Thursday’s EU summit. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the Hungarian bill is a shame.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban immediately refuted the criticism. Von der Leyen sent a letter to Orban, protesting against what she said was a bill that “clearly discriminates…
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Meteor causes explosion, green glow above Northern Thailand
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a…. bolide?! Last night in Nothern Thailand, sounds like an explosion were heard while many witnessed a mysterious greenish turquoise glow in the skies above. Scientists suspect it may have been a bright type of meteor called a bolide. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand explained that the sights and sounds many…
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India-China tensions drive Ladakh infrastructure overhaul
As the stalemate between India and China along the fiercely contested Line of Actual Control, the de facto border between the two countries, drags on, the mountainous region of Ladakh is seeing a major infrastructural overhaul, triggering both hope and fear among the local people. New tunnels and roads are being carved out in the toughest terrains of the Himalayan…
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Phuket governer reviews rules, new details for July 1 arrivals
In announcing what is expected for the first arrivals in the Phuket Sandbox plan on July 1, Governor Narong Woonsew mostly reconfirmed the rules set out, though a few details and additions came to light. Thailand will welcome back international travellers with the first international flights arriving next Friday. The first arrivals to Phuket will be fully vaccinated Europeans from…
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Shipment of 2 million Sinovac vaccines arrive from China
Today marks the delivery of another 2 million of the Chinese-made Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines arriving in Thailand from China. This delivery is the second this month, following the June 5 arrival of 500,000 vaccines from the Chinese manufacturer, donated by China to help Thailand in its vaccination drive that launched June 7. The arrival of these 2 million additional Covid-19…
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Pakistan picks up its COVID vaccination drive just in time
Laiba Zainab, a 25-year-old journalist in Pakistan’s central city of Multan, was eager to receive a shot of China’s Sinopharm COVID vaccine on June 10, after spending five months waiting for her age group to be called. Pakistan’s vaccination drive got off to a bumpy startearlier this year, beset by lack of supply and vaccine hesitancy. In February, only senior…
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What’s the secret of Niger’s women’s markets?
These events are organized by few people. But they’ve proliferated in the Nigerien capital. The fairs take place after female entrepreneurs are trained. More than 50 women exhibited some 300 items. Handicraft and agricultural products are exhibited for three days. The turnover is up to €15,000. The fairs attract many customers, including foreigners. Whether they are Nigeriens or foreigners, everyone…
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Indonesia: COVID cases surge as ‘pandemic fatigue’ sets in
Over the past few days, Hendra has been hearing ambulance sirens more often from the window of his home in Depok city, in Indonesia’s West Java Province. “The sound of an ambulance siren can be heard continuously every day,” the 38-year-old journalist told DW, pointing out that it’s due to the alarming rise in COVID cases in the region. Hendra…
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Despite corruption allegations, street lamp project continues in Samut Prakan
High-priced decorative lamp posts purchased by local governments have been in the public eye for possible corruption and heavily criticised. The lamp posts, equipped with solar cells and adorned with mythical and traditional Thai figures, have been seen as extravagant purchases during the pandemic. Several provinces are being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the purchases of overpriced street…
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CCSA gives details on “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes
The “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes were approved by the Thai Cabinet yesterday, allowing the islands to reopen to travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Phuket is set to reopen on July 1 while the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, is set to reopen on July 15.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: Daily death count hits record high; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,174 new Covid-19 cases today, raising Thailand’s total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 228,539. A record high of 51 coronavirus-related fatalities was recorded today, most in Bangkok, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 1,744. The new high in the daily death count is “quite a worrying…
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US is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who live overseas
The United States Department of State is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who are currently overseas as the US government’s global vaccine effort focuses on distributing millions of vaccines to countries seriously impacted by the pandemic, the Embassy of the US in Thailand Charge d’Affaires Michael Heath wrote in a statement addressed to Americans in Thailand. The US…
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Sandbox could be revised, cancelled if Covid-19 outbreaks occur
With Phuket scheduled to reopen to international travellers next Friday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has put together a “Plan B” for closing the Sandbox in case of outbreaks. Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information Natapanu Nopakun, who also acts as the Deputy Spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, outlines possible scenarios in an English address during the…
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US Warns its citizens against traveling to Thailand
While Thailand is pushing full steam ahead to reopen to international tourism, the United States government issued a statement warning Americans not to travel to Thailand citing Covid-19 risks and civil unrest in the south. The US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs regularly updates travel information for US citizens wishing to go abroad, issuing a Travel Advisory Level…
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Driver killed after truck crashes from bridge, explodes in Hat Yai
A truck driver was killed in an explosion yesterday night after the vehicle drove off a bridge in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district and burst into flames. The truck transporting containers full of racks of eggs had passed the Sadao border checkpoint and was headed toward Nakhon Pathom. Officers investigating the incident say the truck crashed through a railing on the…
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Bangkok public hospitals run low on beds for Covid-19 patients in critical condition
In the midst of the most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, public hospitals in Bangkok are running extremely low on available beds for patients in critical condition. Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms occupy all but 20 of the beds. Health authorities say they must keep 20 beds open for those who need emergency treatment. Bangkok is the epicentre in…
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Lao woman rejected while trying to register for Covid-19 vaccine
A formal investigation is being launched after a woman from Laos was refused registration for a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s understood the woman is married to a Thai man and has lived in Thailand for 14 years. The political activist, Srisuwan Janya, has lodged a petition with the Ombudsman, requesting an investigation into the case. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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First person charged under Hong Kong security law goes to trial – without a jury
The trial of the first person to be charged under a controversial national security law gets underway in Hong Kong today – and there will be no jury present. The national security law was imposed by Beijing last year, following huge pro-democracy protests. It signifies a landmark change in Hong Kong’s political and legal landscape and has been slammed by…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,174 new cases and 51 deaths
3,174 new Covid-19 cases and an uptick of 51 coronavirus-related deaths recorded by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today. In the recent and most severe wave of infections, the CCSA has reported 199,626 Covid-19 infections since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 36 were found in correctional facilities, a downward trend after more than 30,000 inmates…
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Restrictions eased in yellow zones
The government has confirmed that some Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed in “yellow zone” provinces, although provincial governors are still free to introduce their own, stricter measures if necessary. Schools and educational facilities can re-open fully and shopping malls and department stores can return to normal hours. Convenience stores and supermarkets can also revert to normal operating hours. Restaurants can…
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It’s happening: Phuket sandbox approved by Cabinet
It’s been talked about until the buffalo came home – and then some. It was on, it was off, it was delayed, then it wasn’t. Finally, it’s been confirmed. After being closed to foreign tourists for over a year, the southern island of Phuket is set to re-open on July 1. Yesterday, the sandbox scheme, which will see the island…
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EU sanctions on Belarus go ‘beyond symbolic’
EU figures admire Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn for his directness. And he didn’t hold back after Monday’s decision to target key sectors of the Belarus economy with fresh sanctions. “We are clearly showing that Stalinism and state terror no longer have a place in the 21st century,” said Asselborn, referring to Minsk’s forced diversion of a Ryanair passenger plane…
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COVID: India sees a surge in underage marriages
Neelam, a 15-year-old girl in Murshidabad, got married in May just days before Cyclone Yaas hit the West Bengal state in eastern India. Already under pressure because of the pandemic, her family decided to marry her off knowing that the cyclone would further damage their livelihood. West Bengal is one of the five states in India that have a high…
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Thailand: Hazing rituals in universities foster authoritarianism
Thai universities’ infamous orientation activities have again come under the spotlight following the tragic death of a 22-year-old student Veeraphan Tamklang in the capital, Bangkok, this month. He was kicked to death by a group of 12 senior students as punishment for not pitching any ideas for hazing activities. These sorts of stories still regularly make headlines in Thailand, in…
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