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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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Covid cluster spreads from Yala to other southern provinces
A Covid cluster in Thailand’s southern province Yala has widened to 190 infections in multiple provinces, says the Disease Control Department. The cluster started at a madrasa, an Islamic boarding school. The majority of the infections (69) were discovered in Yala. Some of the infections by province are as follows: Satun: 37 Songkhla: 17 Pattani: 14 Krabi:14 Narathiwat: 13 Surat…
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Proposed start date now July 15 for “Samui Plus” reopening
The proposed reopening date for the “Samui Plus” travel scheme is now July 15. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao, islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast, are planned to reopen to travellers from overseas who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Initially called the “Samui Sealed Route,” the proposed travel scheme will allow those who are…
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Ministry of Interior backtracks on decision to prioritise ThaiBev for vaccine allocation
Last Thursday, an urgent message was sent to all provincial governors telling them to allocate “spare vaccines” to ThaiBev employees and family. Now, the Ministry of Interior is backtracking on said orders after the decision proved controversial. ThaiBev is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest “beverage” companies and one of its most popular products is Chang beer. The company had asked…
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Hotel association survey shows average occupancy at around 6%
A survey carried out by the Thai Hotels Association shows that average occupancy for June is not expected to increase from the 6% seen in May. In a further blow to the hotel industry, TTR Weekly reports that occupancy in alternative state quarantine facilities is predicted to fall to 10%, down from 13% last month. THA president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi,…
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Wild elephant breaks into home and raids kitchen in Hua Hin – VIDEO
A wild elephant busted into a home in Prachuap Khiri Khan’s Hua Hin district yesterday, breaking through the wall and poking its head into the home’s kitchen. The elephant’s trunk reached into a shelf, knocking over kitchen supplies and grabbing what appeared to be a bag, then stuffing it into its mouth. The homeowner posted photos and a video on…
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Phuket reports sixth Covid-19 death in current outbreak
The southern island of Phuket, just days away from launching its pilot re-opening scheme, has recorded a sixth death from Covid-19. The death has been reported in the Phuket News this morning, following an announcement from the island’s Provincial Public Health Office. The patient is the fourth Phuket person to die of Covid-19 in the last 3 weeks. Officials have…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,175 new cases and 29 deaths
3,175 new Covid-19 cases and 29 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the recent and most severe wave of infections, the CCSA has recorded a total of 192,443 Covid-19 cases including more than 30,000 at Thailand’s overcrowded prisons. Out of the new cases reported by the CCSA today, 140 infections were…
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Lockdown in 3 Chon Buri locations to control Covid-19 spread
The governor of the eastern province of Chon Buri has ordered a lockdown in 3 locations in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19. According to a Pattaya News report, Phakkhrathon Thianchai issued the closure order last night. The province reported 175 new infections yesterday, the highest since the start of the current outbreak in April. The Pattaya News…
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Restaurant operators repeat calls for financial aid
Thailand’s restaurant owners are pleading for state relief as they struggle to stay afloat amid tight Covid-19 prevention measures. Taniwan Koonmongkon from the Thai Restaurant Association says the PM’s aim of re-opening the country fully by October provides some hope but for now, restaurants are struggling. “Restaurant operators feel hopeful after the premier on Wednesday set a goal of fully…
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PM Prayut asks everyone to work together towards reopening
Now that it’s been a half week since PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that Thailand will be reopening in 120 days, mid-October, multitudes of plans are underway to get the country ready. In a statement online tonight, the prime minister asked for unity, requesting people and government offices to work together to achieve this massive undertaking. PM Prayut reiterated his declaration…
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Bangkok restrictions lifted on 8 categories, including swimming
Break out your footballs, reading glasses, and – yes, finally – swimsuit! The governor of Bangkok has just approved the reopening of 8 categories of businesses and locations, with previous Covid-19 safety restrictions being lifted. And you’ve only got to wait a few hours for the ban to be lifted as the order goes into effect Monday. This afternoon, Bangkok…
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In Egypt, online group Qawem saving hundreds of women from sextortion
Last summer, Mohammed Elyamani was hit by the news that a 17-year-old girl who had reached out to him for help after her ex-boyfriend threatened her with “sextortion” had committed suicide. When the girl messaged Elyamani about her case, the 35-year-old social activist — who uses Facebook to raise awareness about sexual harassment and sextortion, threats to distribute private and…
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Technician electrocuted to death while trying to fix jacuzzi
On Saturday, a man was electrocuted while repairing a jacuzzi. The shocking incident happened in the Cherng Talay area of Phuket. Police and rescue workers were called around 6:50 pm last night to find 45 year old Surapol Samthong’s body next to the jacuzzi. Rescue workers were able to safely remove Suapol’s body from the scene. His body was then…
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Pattaya pushes for August 1 Sealed Route reopening plan
Pattaya is steadfastedly pushing forward with plans for reopening the tourist city on August 1, with 8 tourism associations submitting a proposal to the governor of Chon Buri. The city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, but has been later on the schedule due to difficulties in controlling its porous borders, as opposed to islands like…
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Mother alleges that Doctor mistakenly gave her 10 year old sleeping pills
Allegedly, a doctor mistakenly gave a 10 year old boy 8 sleeping pills that were meant for a different patient. The misadventure happened somewhere in the northern Thai province of Buriram. Supat, the boy’s 35 year old mother shared the story on Facebook. She says after he took the pills, her son slept for a “very long time”. The doctor…
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1 million Sinopharm doses arrived Sunday
1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Bangkok on Sunday. This coming from a Facebook post by the CRA Secretary General Dr Nithi Mahanonda. The vaccines will travel to the Medical Sciences Department to be tested on it efficacy and safety. This should take 2 days to finish. “Then, the vaccine will be distributed to hospitals picked by…
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Reopening guidelines for Phuket and Samui
In a press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently sought to lay out and clarify guidelines for how Thailand’s reopening will begin. The Phuket Sandbox plan rolls out first on July 1 (awaiting final approval), followed by a proposal for Surat Thani province reopening Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao on a sealed route July 15. Here’s the…
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Covid UPDATE: 3,682 new cases, 20 covid-related deaths, provincial totals
Today the CCSA have confirmed 3,682 new infections of Covid-19 and 20 new deaths. 578 of today’s announced infections are from the Thai prison system. Today’s figures continue a slow rise in the daily case detections over this week. The median age of the people that died in the past 24 hours was 66. Over the past 24 hours, 2,401…
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Poll shows schools, students, parents, “not ready” for online learning
A recent poll from Suan Dusit has indicated that schools, students and parents are “not ready” for online learning. The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit of Suan Dusit University from June 14 to June 17 provides several reasons why many are not ready for online learning. The poll, which queried 3,749 people such as: school administrators, teachers, students/students’ parents, on…
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Man returns lost parakeet, gets rewarded with BBQ
Recently, a man in Bang Lamung, a district in the eastern Thai province of Chon Buri, returned a missing parakeet to its owner. The delighted owner repaid the man with a BBQ dinner. Recently, a man in Bang Lamung, a district in the eastern Thai province of Chon Buri, returned a missing parakeet to its owner. The delighted owner repaid…
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Reopening details for Phuket, Samui and beyond laid out
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha made the bold announcement Wednesday that Thailand would be reopening in 120 days and now more details are being solidified for different regions around the country. The Phuket Sandbox leads the way July 1, and new plans look to launch Samui Plus on July 15, with Krabi, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Buri Ram, and Phang Nga expected to…
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Multiple Chiang Rai schools to close after infections found
Per the Chiang Rai governor’s orders, multiple school’s in Chiang Rai have been ordered to close. Schools had reopened on Monday. The Chiang Rai governor, Prajon Pratsakul, says the following schools are doing classes online: Samakkhi Witthayakhom School Chiang Rai Technical School Chiang Rai Kindergarten School Also, schools that fall under the authority of the Chiang Rai municipality are also…
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Woman falls off building on Pattaya’s Walking Street
Last night in Pattaya, a woman fell off a building. She fell an estimated 4 metres on the well known Walking Street. The woman, whose identity is unknown, fell around 11:30 pm. Emergency responders got to the scene to see a woman they believe is Thai and about 35 years old. She was lying on the ground in a pool of…
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Refinements to the Sandbox as the countdown continues to Thailand’s reopening
Nearing the 10 day countdown to the Phuket sandbox and it couldn’t be a more important milestone for Thailand’s battered tourist industry. The official re-opening to world travellers and tourists to the tropical island in southern Thailand is a vital pilot program for the rest of the country. This week the PM proclaimed that all of Thailand will be open…
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In Lebanon, one crisis follows the next
Many classrooms in Lebanon remain closed these days, and it has nothing to do with the coronavirus. “It is becoming more difficult for us as teachers to commute to our workplace because of the lack of gasoline,” says Taghreed Taki, who teaches at a public school in Rashaya, two hours from the capital Beirut. “If you want to get gas…
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Dole pineapple factory has 34 new Covid-19 cases, 413 total
A Dole pineapple factory in Hua Hin confirmed another 34 Covid-19 infections, accounting for most of the 45 new infections in Prachuap Khiri Khan today. The canned pineapple plant previously had nearly 400 infections. In a quarantine facility within the Dole Thailand pineapple factory, mass testing people consider to be at-risk turned up the 34 new infections. The factory in…
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Chinese Sinovac vaccine debuts in Singapore to high demand
While Sinovac is much maligned in Thailand, when it became available in Singapore yesterday, there was an overwhelming demand for the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine. Singapore has been using Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to inoculate nearly half of the 5.7 million residents on the small country so far. Despite those 2 vaccines having shown to be over 90% effective against symptomatic…
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Drug smuggler caught in Kalasin with 300 kg of marijuana
A police chase in Kalasin early this morning ended in the arrest of a suspected drug smuggler and the impounding of 300 kilogrammes of compressed marijuana. The chase took place around 2 am through the streets of the Na Khu district when police received a tip-off prompting them to attempt to pull over the car. The Chevrolet Captiva with Chon…
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Gender Health Clinic opens in Bangkok for transgender needs
One of the first clinics focused primarily on the needs of the transgender community has opened as part of Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok. The new Gender Health Clinic opened with the goal of being leaders in the ways clinics communicate and give treatment to transgender people. A co-founder of GHC pointed out that trans people often have special needs…
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30 million baht added to vaccine side effects compensation fund
The National Health Security Office had set up a 100 million baht fund to be used as compensation for vaccinated people experiencing side effects. Now the government has approved an additional 30 million baht to be made available as needed in the Loan Executive Decree in paying out those affected negatively by the vaccine. A previous poll showed 80% of…
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