Hot News
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Sponsored Best 5 things to do for a restorative break in Bangkok
Living in a big city like Bangkok, most people find themselves caught up in the daily grind. However, a restorative break from it all is something everyone needs once in a while. Luckily, the city has plenty of options for...
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Tourism Minister proposes reopening entertainment venues November 1
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may be opening up Thailand to international travellers, but Minister of Tourism and Sports Pipat Ratchakitprakan is aiming to open up entertainment venues to those international travellers. The Tourism Minister plans on officially proposing that entertainment venues, bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, pubs and other nightlife venues be reopening in the Blue Zones, the new term for the…
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Full details on the 3 ways to travel to Thailand from November 1
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a summary of the new plans to reopen Thailand to allow international tourists to travel on November 1. Thailand will reopen without quarantine for fully vaccinated people travelling from 46 approved countries, who will only have to take a Covid-19 test on arrival and wait in an approved hotel for the results. Those…
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Biden reaffirms US would defend Taiwan against Chinese attack
US President Joe Biden said that the US would defend Taiwan in the case of a Chinese attack. He was asked about this hypothetical situation yesterday during a CNN town hall segment. His response is a departure from the typical US stance on the Taiwan issue, but follows the trend of increasingly firm policy approaches towards China. China, historically, considers…
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Curfew lifted October 31 for all or part of 17 Thai provinces
Just ahead of the big November 1 reopening to international tourists, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that curfew will be lifted entirely in all or part of 17 provinces on October 31. The order has already been signed into effect and published in the Royal Gazette late last night. The order means that when the doors are opened to fully…
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Man arrested after allegedly raping young girl 18 years ago
A fugitive for 18 years, police just caught up with a man accused of raping a young student 18 years ago. The 42 year old man was arrested in Bangkok after evading police for nearly 2 decades since 2003 when it is alleged that he raped a young girl in Phayao in the north of Thailand. The crime suppression division…
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Thailand’s focus on wealthy tourists won’t benefit small business
With the November 1 reopening, the government has not been looking to welcome back any and all travellers that want to come to Thailand. Instead, they’ve been narrowly focused on attracting the “right” tourists, attempting to lure wealthy investors and retirees to dump money into Thailand, while often brushing aside the moderate and budget tourists that have for years been…
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“Together Phuket Stepping Forward”: tourism plan after Sandbox
“Together Phuket Stepping Forward” is the new tourism campaign designed to be the successor to the Phuket Sandbox now that the government is firming their plans to open without quarantine to a newly-expanded list of 46 countries. The plan grew out of a town hall meeting yesterday with private and public agencies along with the Phuket Tourist Association. Phuket Governor…
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Expelled monk returns to southern Thailand to celebrate birthday
A former monk who was expelled from monkhood has returned to southern Thailand to celebrate his birthday. Phra Yantra Amaro Bhikku, who is now known as Winai La-Ongsuwan, became disgraced from monkhood after alleged sexual misconduct. Although he has often returned to Thailand after his criminal defamation case against him in 2014, Covid-19 has kept him away for the past…
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Phuket officials confirm island’s recovery plan following sandbox “success”
The southern island of Phuket is looking to the future, with ambitious plans to evolve into a tourism, education, and service innovation hub between 2023 and 2027. The Bangkok Post reports that officials are preparing to launch the “Together Phuket Stepping Forward” campaign, in line with the country’s imminent re-opening. Governor Narong Woonciew says the campaign will follow on from…
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Expect thunderstorms and strong winds in parts of Thailand until Sunday morning
Thailand is expected to see thunderstorms and heavy winds across Thailand that may last through tomorrow. A rain warning was issued for October 21-23. There are easterly and southeasterly winds prevailing over northern Thailand, the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea. The South will see continuous rains with the Gulf of Thailand seeing wave heights over 1…
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Road safety group says bad roads to blame for many motorbike accidents
The director of the road safety group, ThaiRAP, says bad roads are a significant contributor to motorbike accidents in the kingdom. Kasem Choocharukul was commenting on Thailand having the highest number of deaths from motorbike accidents in the world. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says 3 out of 4 roads, covering a distance of 1,000 kilometres, have been…
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Government outlines 3 entry schemes for international travellers from November
With confirmation that international travellers from 46 “low-risk” countries can enter Thailand with minimal quarantine, the government has outlined 3 entry schemes effective from November. The Bangkok Post reports that the first scheme, “Test & Go” will apply to tourists from the aforementioned countries, who will need to show evidence of being fully vaccinated at least 14 days before their…
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46 countries permitted to enter Thailand from November 1
… and everything you want to know, as of today, about re-entry into Thailand. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just released a list of 46 countries and/or territories that have been approved to take part in the planned reopening of the country from November 1. The list of countries is detailed below as per a .pdf file that was…
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Bangkok’s 2 airports prepared to welcome international travellers
As the November 1 reopening nears, Bangkok’s two airports are finalizing their plans on how to welcome and process international travellers for the first time since Covid-19 closed the borders. Suvarnabhumi Airport and the secondary Don Mueang International Airport, which traditionally caters to budget airlines and short-haul flights, are adopting an arrival style similar to that in place for the…
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Alleged launderer for drug kingpin arrested, 70 million in assets seized
A man alleged to be a money launderer for a major drug trafficking ring has been arrested. The alleged money launderer was linked to alleged drug kingpin “Nu Chen” and police seized about 70 million baht worth of assets at his house in central Bangkok. Police impounded 2 cars, 2 title deeds, 18 kilogrammes of gold bars, US $10,000, and…
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Vatican launches Click to Pray 2.0 app to encourage prayer
The Vatican is updating it tech in an attempt to modernise religion. But don’t expect Pope Francis to be dancing on TikTok anytime soon. The Click to Pray mobile app has a new update that just rolled out, hoping to help keep prayer in modern busy lifestyles. Click to Pray 2.0 is the first update to the Vatican’s prayer app…
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Court rules “Jo Ferrari” suspect died of deliberate suffocation
In the wake of the Jo Ferrari scandal that uncovered police brutality and opulence in a painfully public way, a court just ruled that the suspect – who died after having his hands tied and plastic bags placed over his head – was the victim of deliberate suffocation. Pol Col Thitisan “Jo Ferrari” Utthanaphon was captured on video in a…
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Governor says income distribution essential to Phuket recovery
The Governor of Phuket announced in a speech yesterday that his goal was to maximize income distribution as the island begins to open up more. Phuket is expecting an influx of tourists to arrive after the November 1 reopening, and a campaign is being launched to make sure that the benefit from the increased tourism can be shared by all.…
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Woman arrested for alleged social media accounts hack scam
A 21 year old Thai woman was arrested by the Economic Crime Division for fraud, accused of hacking Facebook and Line accounts. The woman was arrested at Nornee Apartment building in Minburi in northern Bangkok after an arrest warrant was issued. Police from the Economic Crime Division took the woman into custody at her apartment, accused of gaining access to…
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Global Covid-19 recovery efforts will have lasting impact on climate
A comprehensive environmental assessment has warned that the global Covid-19 recovery efforts will have a long lasting impact on the climate. The assessment highlighted countries’ heightened use of fossil fuels as a part of their recoveries, and explained the risk that this poses to the environment and human health. The Lancet Countdown is the largest annual assessment on what impacts…
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Bangkok Airways to resume Phuket-Hat Yai direct service flights
Bangkok Airways is resuming its direct service flights between Phuket and Hat Yai starting October 31. According to The Phuket News, the service will be operated by an ATR72-600 aircraft, starting with 1 flight daily. The outbound flight PG298 departs Phuket airport at 9:45am and arrives at Hat Yai airport at 10:50am. The inbound flight PG299 departs Hat Yai at…
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Today’s Awk Phansa holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat period
Today’s Awk Phansa holiday marks the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat period or ‘Phansa.’ In Buddhist beliefs, Awk Phansa commemorates Buddha returning to earth from heaven after a 3 month retreat visiting his mother. Upon his return to Earth, his followers give gifts of food to him and visit temples to make merit. The occasion is also celebrated by…
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Government outlines 7 conditions of quarantine-free re-opening
As the grand re-opening date of November 1 approaches, with little clarity as to what that will look like, here’s some of what we know – and what we don’t. According to a Thai PBS World report, the government has outlined 7 conditions that will determine if someone can enter the kingdom quarantine-free. The following conditions have been communicated by…
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Constitutional Court rules that Paiboon can stay as MP
The Constitutional Court determined yesterday that the Palang Pracharath Party deputy leader can keep his position as MP. Paiboon Nititawan was under investigation for a number of alleged political and financial indiscretions, and potentially faced losing his job, while having to pay back millions of baht to the government. But the court has ruled that he acted legally and will…
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PM tells reporters to focus on economy, doesn’t want to talk about election
The Thai PM says he can cope with everything he has to deal with and is not bothered by rumours of political disagreements. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, he then asked journalists to stop asking about the election and focus their questions on the economy instead. Prayut Chan-o-cha was addressing the media after yesterday’s meeting of the Defence…
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Travellers after November 1 told to book quarantine hotels
While many are excited that Thailand is finally reopening at least somewhat without quarantine to certain people in certain locations, the confusion and lack of confirmation of rules until the last minute is creating some conflicting information. Thai embassies are telling potential foreign travellers that they will still need to book quarantine accommodations before they are permitted to travel. Many…
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Bangkok authorities and hotels prepare for returning travellers
Bangkok authorities and hotels are gearing up to welcome back international tourists on November 1, setting up swab hubs and preparing for an influx of travellers. The Tourism Authority of Thailand said they will set up testing stations outside the airport and are strategising to avoid congestion and bottlenecking as international travellers arrive into Thailand. The plan is instead to…
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Digital literacy a must for bank card holders after recent cyber fraud incident
In light of the recent cyber fraud incident, in which 40,000 people were victimised in Thailand, a cybersecurity expert is emphasizing the need for digital literacy. Prinya Hom-anek, president of the ACIS Professional Centre, an IT security consulting service, says bank card holders are the most vulnerable in the payment ecosystem. This vulnerability sees criminals targetting the group first, as…
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Thailand requires 3 million baht insurance for ‘retirement’ visas
In a revision to the rules for non-immigrant OA visas, foreigners will now be required to hold a minimum of 3 million baht in health insurance, for in-patient services, in order to be eligible for long-term stays in Thailand, 8 times more than the 400,000 baht that has been previously required. The OA visa is also known as the Retirement…
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