News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
South Korea, US at odds over deal to end Korean War
The governments of South Korea and the United States have publically reiterated that they are making progress in discussions on an agreement that all sides in the 1950-53 Korean War can agree to and finally formally end the conflict. Analysts suggest, however, that the show of unity is forced and designed to give the impression that the alliance remains resilient.…
-
Bitkub company and crypto-coin value surges as SCB buys 51% of shares
Cryptocurrencies just got a big boost in Thailand as Siam Commercial Bank Group’s parent company SCBX struck a deal to take over 51% of shares of Bitkub from its parent company Bitkub Capital Group Holdings, a deal valued at 17.85 billion baht. SCB Securities will hold the shares and collaborate with Bitkub to create a national infrastructure with a digital…
-
US approves Pfizer vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old
US health officials have announced that children 5-11 years old can now receive the Pfizer BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine. This approval came yesterday after both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centre for Disease Control gave their authorisation. This approval qualifies around 28 million American children to now receive the Covid vaccine. President Joe Biden expressed his approval in a…
-
Thailand ranks ninth on Global Climate Risk Index for “extreme weather events”
When it rains, it pours in Thailand… and torrential downpours during the country’s monsoon season is known to cause severe flooding, damaging property and leading to injuries, sometimes deaths. The weather in Thailand is considered so intense that the country is ranked ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index 2021 on nations most affected by “extreme weather events” between 2010…
-
Thailand’s reopening expect to boost Phuket’s tourism industry
The reopening of Thailand on Monday is expected to boost Phuket’s hard-hit tourism industry. Yesterday, the President of the Phuket Tourism Association said that the island is expected to receive up to 10,000 visitors a day in December, and as many as 1 million arrivals in the first quarter of 2022. This comes after the recent Airports of Thailand announcement…
-
Central plans 500 million baht reboot for New Years festival season
After months of restrictions for shopping centres, with promotional events banned in areas with high Covid-19 infection rates, 35 Central shopping centres across Thailand are preparing for the holiday shopping season with a multimillion baht market campaign to boost sales. Central Pattana Plc is set to spend as much as 500 million baht this New Years festival season in an…
-
AstraZeneca finally delivers over 10 million vaccines in a month
AstraZeneca has had a turbulent relationship with Thailand and the Thai government after expectations of 10 million vaccines a month fell well short followed by a lot of finger-pointing and threats. But in October, AstraZeneca delivered 10.5 million vaccines, the first time it met the quota of what was expected or promised, depending on who you believe. When the deal…
-
Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases; provincial totals
56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,394 with 19,300 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,585 people in Thailand being…
-
Ethiopia: The Tigray crisis one year on
Ethiopia’s Tigray crisis in pictures SOURCE: DW News
-
Man believed drunk fell 7 floors down garbage chute to death
A Thai man was found dead after police believe he was very drunk and attempting to vomit down a garbage chute on the 7th floor of a Chon Buri apartment complex and fell into it to his death. The accident took place this week in Mueang Chon Buri Nong Maidang district and the Don Hualor Police received notification of the…
-
Government red tape loses Thammasat University free vaccines
After Thammasat University struck several deals to import millions of vaccines to Thailand, they hit a snag with government bureaucracy blocking the donation of 3 million Moderna vaccines from Poland. After struggling to get the necessary paperwork approving the vaccine donation from the government, the university had to give up and Thailand will lose the donated vaccines, the first 1.5…
-
New road and construction planned to improve U-Tapao Airport
Plans are underway to ease traffic to U-Tapao Airport in Rayong, the primary airport to Pattaya, by linking it to a nearby street by constructing a 2-kilometre road. The Department of Highways announced the plan yesterday, saying the project will cost 4.5 billion baht and will break ground next year with a completion date set for 3 years from now.…
-
Bang Sue Station offers teenagers vaccination this week
Walk-in vaccination is available for teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 to receive a Pfizer vaccine at the Central Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station. The program opened yesterday and will operate until November 10, administering first vaccines to any teenagers from 12 to 18 years old. There are few restrictions on the vaccine drive, welcoming Thai…
-
Studying in Phuket As Foreigner – Education Visa
The Thaiger offers the following deal on Education Visas… Every year, millions of tourists flock to Phuket for the weather, beaches, culture, food, and shopping. Many of them are long-term guests who have come to spend their vacations here. This country has so many facets that it would be hard to see everything in one or two three-week vacations. Many…
-
Easing of alcohol restrictions hinges on Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation rate
The National Security Council says any easing of alcohol restrictions will depend on the Covid-19 situation. NSC boss Supoj Malaniyom adds that the 17 provinces open to tourists are likely to be the first to see nightlife permitted to return. According to a Bangkok Post report, the sale of alcohol in restaurants could also be extended, provided the Covid-19 situation…
-
Airports of Thailand expects 726,000 passengers in November, mostly domestic
The president of Airports of Thailand says the country’s airports can expect around 726,000 passengers this month, following Thailand’s re-opening. However, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn says most of those will be domestic travellers, with around 270,529 expected from overseas. The Bangkok Post reports that 31 flights, carrying around 2,600 passengers, landed at Suvarnabhumi yesterday. Around 1,500 were international arrivals. Meanwhile, Anucha Nakasai…
-
Wednesday Covid Update: 7,679 new cases and 56 deaths
7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,482 recoveries. There are now 97,585 people in Thailand currently being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded…
-
Facebook facial recognition system being ditched amid growing privacy concerns
Facebook is getting rid of its facial recognition system, which currently identifies and suggests tagging of individuals in photos and videos. The company’s vice-president of artificial intelligence, Jerome Pesenti, says the technology is being ditched due to uncertainty over its use. “Regulators are still in the process of providing a clear set of rules governing its use. Amid this ongoing…
-
Disgraced cop Thitisan and 6 other officers charged in death-in-custody case
Disgraced police chief Thitisan Utthanaphon and 6 other officers have been charged in an investigation into the death of a man in custody. The victim, 24 year old Chiraphong Thanapat, died while under interrogation at a police station in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan in August. Video footage that showed Thitisan placing several plastic bags over the drug suspect’s…
-
PM says Thailand will step up fight against climate change
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to step up Thailand’s focus on tackling climate change. He made this announcement yesterday in Glasgow at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, also known as the COP26. This convention is a forum in which world leaders can meet and make plans to address relevant climate issues. Prayut…
-
How Germany’s new government could impact young Africans
It’s young, developing and brimming with potential. Yet, the African continent doesn’t seem to feature prominently on Germany’s foreign policy agenda. Just over a month after Germany’s much-anticipated federal election, coalition talks are still ongoing. Headline-grabbing issues like climate change and migration are on the agenda: But many young Africans are also keenly waiting for the outcome, with the new…
-
Vaccinations accelerated for inmates following Covid-19 outbreaks at prisons
More than 74,000 inmates at Thailand’s overcrowded prisons and detention centres have tested positive for Covid-19 over the past several months, which is about a fourth of the total number of prisoners in the country. Correctional facilities stopped allowing visits earlier this year and vaccinations have been accelerated. According to Nation Thailand, Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said prisons will start…
-
Bangkok man busted for distributing pornography on social media
Thai police arrested a man for allegedly posting pornography on the Russian social media network VK after a woman reported that her photographs and videos were posted on the page without her permission. The page, which Nation Thailand reports was under the name “VK Nen-Jook,” reportedly had around 59,000 followers. More than 50,000 sexually explicit photos and videos had been…
-
One Free Press Coalition spotlights rampant impunity in killings of journalists
Since 2011, 278 journalists have been killed in line of duty. In the past seven days alone, two journalists in Mexico and one reporter in the Phillippines have been killed, one of them even tortured. Last week, the Committee to Protect Journalists published its Global Impunity Index stating that 81% of journalists’ murders in the past decade remained unsolved. In…
-
6,600+ arrive on first day of Thailand’s reopening
Thailand reopened yesterday with quarantine free international travel for vaccinated visitors, with more than 6,600 travellers entering the country. It’s a major step forward for the country after closing borders at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Fully vaccinated passengers from 63 countries can now enter without having to go through quarantine, with just a minimal isolation period…
-
Indonesia approves Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
The Indonesian government has approved the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the first country in the world to do so. The Bangkok Post reports that the manufacturer and its partner, Serum Institute of India, has confirmed the approval. The vaccine will be sold under the brand name Covovax. The manufacturers have applied for emergency use authorisation in several countries,…
-
Stabbing spree on Tokyo train Halloween night injures 17
A man dressed in what appears to be a costume of Joker from the Batman comics and movies allegedly went on a stabbing spree on a Tokyo train Halloween night, injuring 17 people. The train had to make an emergency stop and riders escaped the train through the windows. The alleged attacker, 24 year old Kyota Hattori, was arrested and…
-
Thailand aviation sector optimistic following November 1 re-opening
Following Thailand’s re-opening yesterday to vaccinated tourists from 63 approved countries, the aviation sector is feeling positive. According to a TTR Weekly report, Thai carriers are hopeful that the re-opening will mean they can restore their schedules to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. The current situation is that Thai Air Asia is operating just 10 of its…
-
Tuesday Covid Update: 7,574 new cases and 78 deaths
7,574 new Covid-19 cases and 78 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,279 recoveries. There are now 98,444 being treated for Covid-19 in Thailand. The number of active Covid-19 cases has been on a downward trend over the past month. In the latest and most severe wave…
-
Bangkok governor says no to extending alcohol sales to 11pm
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang is refusing to budge on the law that bans restaurant alcohol sales after 9pm, at least for now. He was responding to a call from Thanakorn Kuptajit of the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association, who has called for sales to be extended to 11pm. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn believes allowing eateries to sell…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.