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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 long-term expats in Thailand say insurance is worth every baht
Thailand’s warm weather, low cost of living, and good healthcare attract many long-term expats, including retirees and remote workers. Life here feels easy and affordable, but medical costs can be high if something goes wrong. Private hospitals are popular because...
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Denmark becomes first country in Europe to ditch AstraZeneca vaccine
Denmark has announced that it is abandoning the AstraZeneca vaccine, the first European country to do so, amid concerns about very rare but serious blood clots. The rollout of the vaccine has run into problems in several countries, with its use either temporarily suspended or restricted to older age groups. When concerns first arose over the vaccine’s rare side-effects, Denmark…
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People and businesses to face legal action for spreading Covid virus
Health officials say those people and entertainment businesses who helped spur a third wave of Covid-19 in Thailand may face legal action against them. A 26 year old woman, who allegedly boarded a plane on April 11 in Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport after testing positive for the virus, has been pointed out by Chraspong Sukree, the chief of Nakhon Si…
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Individuals and businesses who spread Covid-19 to be prosecuted
Officials have vowed to take legal action against reckless individuals and irresponsible business owners who spread Covid-19. A number of businesses in Bangkok and Phuket are accused of violating the emergency decree and disease prevention measures by hosting large-scale parties that sparked a rise in infections that has now spread across the country. Meanwhile, the public health chief in the…
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Thailand provinces currently imposing travel restrictions
Here’s a list of Thai provinces current imposing restrictions on entry, by road or air, as you travel at this time. Today is the last day of the Songkran holiday, so there will be a return home for many people although it’s expected that many have also taken the Friday off to merge the Songkran break with the weekend. So…
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Red paint in Burmese streets mark 700+ deaths
Marking over 700 deaths in the Burmese military crackdown, anti-coup protesters in Myanmar are splashing red paint across the streets of Yangon to represent the blood of those killed in the growing crisis. Myanmar has ground to a halt as the military junta attempt to silence opposition to their February 1 takeover with deadly force. 714 deaths have been verified…
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Pattaya tourism remains open without quarantine, for now anyway
As province after province closes down more sectors, imposing stricter regulations, administers mandatory Covid-19 testing, and enacts quarantines for domestic travellers (in some cases), Pattaya is taking a different approach: heartily welcoming tourists to their city. Colourful Pattaya Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome spoke yesterday saying that everyone from everywhere is welcome in Pattaya, and will not be required to quarantine or…
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Thailand News Today | 1,335 new infections, provinces adding travel restrictions | April 14
Thailand’s CCSA has announced 1,335 new infections today, after a slight dip in the 13 day surge yesterday. 1,326 of those new infections are local, not imported, and mostly from Bangkok. Today’s tally takes the national total to 35,910 since January 2020 when the first case outside China was detected in Thailand on January 13. The new infections have mostly…
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Hotel blog suggests Phuket should push ahead with July reopening despite Covid surge
A hotel information blog is claiming that, despite growing Covid-19 numbers, Phuket should stick to its schedule in reopening to travellers without quarantine in July. That’s only 2 and a half months away. In an interview with the Director of Travel and Tourism Consulting at GlobalData, they stressed that while it is crucial to rein in the spread of Covid-19…
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Tokyo Olympics still threatened by Covid-19 100 days out
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are 100 days away, but with Covid-19 surges, there are still many hurdles to jump. With Coronavirus infections on the rise in many places around the world, and even in Japan, there are debates on if the Olympics can carry on – or even if they should. Japan has seen outbreaks forcing them to retighten recently…
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Chon Buri adds 99 new Covid-19 infections today
The Chon Buri Covid-19 cluster is spreading with the Chon Buri Provincial Public Health Office confirming 99 new cases today. The province, which contains Pattaya, seems to be following a growing infection trend. The Pattaya area saw 47 new cases, and Mueang Chon Buri had 41 cases, with other districts having less than 5 each. 2 people infected with Covid-19…
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Northern Thai provinces starting Covid restrictions as 3rd wave spreads
Thailand’s northern provinces are starting to impose more self-quarantines or travel restrictions to combat the recent Covid-19 outbreak that has spread quickly throughout northern Thailand. Phichit and Lampang provinces are the latest in northern Thailand to impose a variety of covid-19 restrictions on people entering. A Thailand Interior Ministry told Chiang Rai Times that the longer list emphasises the seriousness…
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Travelling from the UK? Here’s some details on restrictions….
As the summer holiday is just around the corner, many in the UK are wondering if and how they will travel abroad during the Covid pandemic. Despite it being against the law to travel abroad for holiday and leisure in the UK, those who need to travel may want to know what requirements certain countries have in order to enter.…
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Thailand approves 8 vaccines for foreign travellers seeking shortened quarantine
Thailand has approved a total of 8 Covid-19 jabs for vaccinated tourists hoping to avail of reduced quarantine on arrival in the Kingdom. Despite a third wave of infections gripping the country, officials are pinning their hopes on the return of international visitors in order to revive the decimated tourism sector. In 2019, approximately 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand…
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Songkran holiday eerily quiet after Covid mutes celebrations
Thailand rang in another Lunar New Year, or Songkran, without its normal festivities, highlighting the impact that the Covid pandemic has had on the world. For the 2nd year, the biggest Thai holiday was subdued without water-splashing, parties, and concerts. Instead, the predominantly Buddhist nation turned to its more muted, traditional activities of making merit to observe the 3 day…
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Bangkok police tracking down owners of Thong Lor clubs where virus resurfaced
Police in Bangkok are on the hunt for the owners of 2 nightclubs considered ground zero for a third wave of Covid-19 currently spreading around the country. The Krystal Club and Emerald Thonglor 13, in the capital’s fashionable Thonglor district, are currently closed, with the managers of both sentenced to 2 months’ imprisonment. However, officials are now attempting to track…
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Thailand stocking up on Covid-19 drugs, private jabs may arrive later this year
Thailand is stockpiling Covid-19 treatment, including the antiviral medication, Favipiravir, as a third wave of Covid-19 spreads across the country. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation says is it is distributing supplies of Favipiravir to hospitals and placing more orders for the drug. It currently has 411,200 tablets in stock and has ordered another half a million. More than 4,000 people have…
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Officials in Chiang Mai and Hua Hin express concern amid rapid rise in infections
Health officials in the northern province of Chiang Mai and the western province of Prachuap Khiri Khan are on high alert amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. Prachuap Khiri Khan has now reported 334 cases, with infections rising by 141 yesterday. The outbreak is primarily centred around the Hua Hin district, with provincial health official Suriya Khuharat saying most people…
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US pauses use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine after “rare and severe” blood clots
Health officials in the United States have decided to pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine while they investigate a number of cases of “rare and severe” blood clots. According to a CNN report, a 45 year old woman has died and another patient is in critical condition. In total, there were 6 blood clot incidents, out of…
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UPDATE: Field hospitals being established in Covid hot zones around Thailand
UPDATE: The field hospital in Bangkok’s Bang Bon district, west of the Chao Phraya river, had its first 10 Covid patients today. The director of the medical services office of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says that the 10 patients into the makeshift hospital, located at the Chalerm Phra Kiat Stadium, will enable assessment of the performance by the medical team,…
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Thailand News Today | Tour bus disaster, Covid infections drop slightly | April 13
A sad start to Songkran day after 5 people have perished, including 2 children, and another 12 seriously injured after a double-decker interprovincial bus caught fire near Khon Kaen. It was heading to Bangkok. The bus erupted into flames just after midnight on the Mitrapap highway. There were 33 passengers on board. The bus driver was also injured. 965 people…
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Thailand looks at proposal to make it easier for expats and long-termers
Thailand is looking to make it easier for expats and long-term visa holders to stay in the country. The Immigration Bureau is hoping to boost investments and the economy once the pandemic is over. The proposed changes could do away with 90 day reporting requirements which have been well-received by expats. Recently, the online website to report 90 day check-ins…
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Covid UPDATE: Daily infection number drops slightly on Tuesday
965 people have been detected as infected with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The daily total is the first drop in daily numbers for 13 days. 28,288 people have fully recovered. The total deaths remains at 97 people since the start of the pandemic in Thailand. 6,190 people remain under hospital care or are being monitored. 654 of today’s…
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Burmese students to hold Bangkok cultural event to support Civil Disobedience Movement
Burmese students in Thailand are holding an art and culture concert to raise awareness and funds for the Civil Disobedience Movement. The concert, called “Myanmar Spring,” will be held on April 24 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The event will help fund the movement, which has staged protests over the February 1 coup in Myanmar by the military.…
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5 killed, including 2 children, in north east Thailand bus disaster
5 people are dead, including 2 children, and another 12 seriously injured after a double-decker interprovincial bus caught fire near Khon Kaen. It was heading to Bangkok. The bus erupted into flames just after midnight on the Mitrapap highway. There were 33 passengers on the bus. The bus driver was also injured. The 407 Pattana Company bus left Bung Kan…
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Off to a field hospital? Here’s what to pack
A Thai netizen has posted a useful list of “must pack” items for anyone being admitted to a field hospital for Covid-19 treatment. As concerns rise that the rapid rise in infections may lead to a shortage of hospital beds, officials are planning a number of field hospitals, some of which have already opened. A total of 10 field hospitals…
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‘Vice’ removes retouched pics of Khmer Rouge victims
US/Canadian media company Vice has removed Photoshopped photographs of Khmer Rouge victims from its website after a furious backlash. The grim photos, originally taken before the victims were tortured and methodically killed, had been colourised and, in some cases, had smiles added. “Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. Developing from Vice magazine, originally based…
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2 police officers transferred over Covid cluster linked to Bangkok nightlife
2 senior police officers in Bangkok’s fashionable Thonglor district have been transferred pending an investigation into a Covid-19 cluster linked to pubs and clubs in the area. According to Thai PBS World, the superintendent of Thonglor police station, Duangchote Suwancharas, and the inspector for suppression affairs, Thanakorn Ngamyen, were re-assigned to the operations centre of the Metropolitan Police Bureau’s 5th…
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China may combine its Covid-19 vaccines to improve efficacy
Health officials in China say they may consider combining vaccines to boost their efficacy, after admitting the protection rate is “low”. In a rare acknowledgment of weakness, Gao Fu from the Chinese Centres for Disease Control and Prevention admitted the country’s vaccines do not offer high levels of protection. He was addressing a conference in the south-western city of Chengdu…
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UK Covid strain not more severe than others- The Lancet
2 studies by The Lancet say there is no evidence that the recent UK Covid-19 variant, B117, is not more severe than other strains. Despite the bit of good news, the study did say that the particular strain is more transmissible, meaning its viral load is higher and well as its reproduction rates. The recent study, indeed, gives backing to…
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UK variant more contagious but not more deadly – Lancet study
Studies published in the renowned peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet have found no evidence that the so-called UK strain of Covid-19 is more deadly. However, they do confirm that it is more contagious. The B117 variant, to give it its official name, has now been detected in Thailand, originally found in a cluster of infections from Bangkok nightlife venues. It…
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