Bangkok News
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Quarantine hotel near Suvarnabhumi airport evacuated after fire
A fire erupted at an alternative quarantine hotel in Samut Prakan, just southeast of Bangkok. Yesterday night, around 80 people evacuated the building when they noticed black smoke. The hotel provides accommodation for the mandatory 14-day quarantine for those entering Thailand from overseas. No injures were reported. The fire took place at the Siam Mandarina Hotel Suvarnabhumi on King Kaew…
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Lawyer-activist plans International Criminal Court filing over 1976 massacre
Yesterday, on the 45th anniversary of the 1976 massacre at Bangkok’s Thammasat University, a lawyer-activist now says he plans to bring the perpetrators to the International Criminal Court. The Thammasat University graduate and Ratsadon group lawyer, Kritsadang Nutcharas, made a speech, calling for justice over the bloody crackdown on anti-government protests where police and military forces blocked the exits to…
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Thai woman nabbed for alleged 47 million baht face mask fraud
A Thai woman has been arrested, accused of running a face mask scam that defrauded an American company out of 47 million baht. The woman stands accused of fraud under false pretences and using false documents. The United States-based company ABA USB Corp filed the complaint against the woman, alleging they had entered into an agreement to purchase 1.3 million…
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Airport bosses says Don Mueang is prepared for flooding threat
The director of Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport says the facility can cope with the threat of flooding and mechanisms are in place to drain floodwater. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanee Chuangchoo says the airport has the means to drain excess water from runways, taxi-ways, and the aircraft apron within 3 hours. Thanee says the airport’s drainage system consists…
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Vigil to mark 45th anniversary of Thammasat University massacre
Today marks the 45th anniversary of the infamous October 6 massacre at Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1976, when 4,000 police and military forces blocked all exits from the university before firing machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and other military-grade weapons on the students after increased anti-government protests. An alms-giving ceremony this morning started the day of remembrance. Organizations…
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2 year old nearly loses eye after work camp dog attack
In Bang Khen, Bangkok, a two year old girl has nearly lost her eye completely after an attack from what appears to be an abandoned dog at a factory camp. a couple reported that a stray dog at a cement factory camp had attacked their two-year-old daughter doing severe damage to her left eye. The little girl’s mother had been…
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Former massage parlour boss arrested on sex trafficking charges after 5 years on the run
A massage parlour boss has been arrested on charges of sex trafficking and child prostitution, after evading police for 5 years. Nation Thailand reports that 63 year old Prasert Sukkhee, the former owner of the Nataree massage parlour, was arrested by anti-people trafficking officers in the Bangkok Noi district of the capital. The case against Prasert dates back to 2016,…
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Widespread flooding easing across affected provinces
Officials say the widespread flooding that has affected Bangkok and several other provinces is showing signs of easing. However, there are already forecasts of another storm that could affect Thailand from next week. AP News reports that so far, 8 people have been killed by the floods, with 1 woman still missing. Thousands of homes have been affected, across 32…
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American man arrested over alleged rape of massuese, attack of young girl
A 37 year old man was taken into custody, accused of brutally beating and raping a masseuse as well as assaulting and attempting to rape a 12 year old girl in an attack shortly after. The man, who was originally suspected to be Australian, has now been identified only as an American named ‘Robert’. He was arrested today on Soi…
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Chao Phraya River in Bangkok still below flood levels
While officials have been warning of floods and overflows downstream from dams, in Bangkok, the Chao Phraya River is fortunately still flowing below the embankment levels with no risk of flooding just yet. The river that runs through Bangkok has not overflowed into any areas along its banks as the water has not yet reached the flood embankment levels as…
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Police arrest man believed to have shot teenager at protest
In Kanchanaburi province, police have arrested a suspect that they believe may have shot a 15 year old boy during protests in front of the Din Daeng Police Station in August. The shooting caused huge controversy with many accusing the police of using live ammunition and firing into the crowd of protesters. Police have always maintained that they used only…
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Police arrest protesters yesterday including naked woman
Anti-government protests have escalated in recent weeks and have begun to resemble a Hollywood movie, full of conflict and drama and explosions, and now… nudity? Among the arrests and charges of protesters stemming from yesterday’s demonstrations at Nang Lerng intersection orchestrated by the Talufah group, police say one woman faces charges of indecent exposure for stripping naked in protest. The…
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Central Thailand told to prepare for possible flooding
Officials from Bangkok and the nearby provinces of Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani are being told to prepare for possible flooding, following the Royal Irrigation Department’s decision to accelerate the discharge rate of water from the Chao Phraya Dam in Chai Nat in expectation of more rain. Thanakorn Tantikul, director of the Ayutthaya irrigation projects says the move was made to…
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Curfew shortened, Bangkok spas, gyms, cinemas can re-open from October
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved the re-opening of 10 business types in Bangkok and other dark red provinces. According to a Coconuts report, from Friday, spas, cinemas, and indoor gyms can re-open, along with pre-schools, museums, and tattoo parlours. The news is not so good for the owners of bars and clubs, which must still remain closed…
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Partitions to be added to 3,000 taxis to fight Covid-19
A pilot project is underway, launched by the Department of Land Transport, to install 3,000 partitions in taxis for Covid-19 safety throughout the month of October. The Minister of Transport Saksayam Chidchob stated they hope the move instils confidence in hired transportation services and increases public safety against the spread of Covid-19. The acrylic partitions will be installed in taxies…
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Bang Sue Station begins 150k vaccine booster shots tomorrow
Bang Sue Grand Station will begin the rollout of Thailand’s booster shot program, a third vaccine to bolster the effectiveness of those that received 2 Sinovac vaccines previously. The director of the Bang Sue central vaccination centre confirmed the rollout will begin at 11 am tomorrow. The first round of injections will be for 150,000 people who initially were vaccinated…
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Officials say Bangkok could re-open from November 1, if 70% are vaccinated
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has indicated that Bangkok could re-open to international tourism from November 1, provided 70% of the population are fully vaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that this is the first time the CCSA has used the November 1 date when discussing the re-opening of the capital. The original date given by the tourism ministry for…
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Update: government official that allegedly stole from fund meant for the disabled spent all the money on gambling
In an update to yesterday’s story, Pisal Sukjaitham, the government official who was arrested for allegedly embezzling 13 million baht from a fund meant for the disabled, allegedly confessed, after being interrogated, that he spent all the money he stole on gambling. In another development in the story, INN says that officials are now saying 45 million baht was stolen…
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Governor says Bangkok will only re-open when safe to do so
The governor of Bangkok says 3 criteria need to be met before the capital can re-open, in order to protect the health and safety of residents. Aswin Kwanmuang says while Bangkok is anxious to re-open and reboot its economy, it can only do so when it’s safe. This means the re-opening could be pushed out to mid-November, according to a…
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Bangkok residents warned of flooding risk as torrential rain forecast this week
The Meteorological Department has warned of the risk of flooding in Bangkok as a result of torrential rainfall forecast for this week. The capital has been experiencing wet weather for 3 weeks in a row now, meaning the water level in eastern Bangkok canals is already high. Bangkok governor, Aswin Kwanmuang, says water pumps need to be deployed to drain…
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Bangkok Governor: NO reopening October 15 despite PM plans
As any well-informed reader of the news in Thailand knows, Bangkok will definitely be reopening on October 1. Also, it won’t be. It will be pushed back 2 weeks to October 15, the definitive date of Bangkok’s reopening for sure. Or… not. The Governor of Bangkok avowed today that despite the national government’s ever-changing and lofty plans, Bangkok will NOT…
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Desperate hotel operators look to Bangkok re-opening for signs of hope
Even with plans still up in the air and nothing confirmed, Thai hotel operators are pinning their hopes on Bangkok’s proposed re-opening next month. The president of the Thai Hotels Association says that while hotels don’t expect a huge uptake in bookings immediately, they are hopeful that average occupancy might reach 15 – 20% in the last 3 months of…
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Re-opening of Bangkok pushed back 2 weeks to reach 70% vaccination goal
Following a meeting between the Bangkok governor and the tourism minister, officials have decided to delay the re-opening of the capital by 2 weeks. Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the capital’s re-opening will be pushed back to October 15, as most residents are still waiting for their second vaccination. Currently, just 37% of residents are fully vaccinated. The Bangkok Post…
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Bangkok police arrest 12 year old and others at Din Daeng intersection for violating curfew
Bangkok police continue to wield the merciless hammer of law and order. They brought it down last night on a 12 year old, arresting the child for allegedly violating curfew at the Din Daeng intersection. The minor was riding his bike to observe a protest, says a group of lawyers and activists. At least 11 other people were also arrested.…
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Police say Din Daeng protests will end by next month
The daily protests at the Din Daeng intersection will end by October, says the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau. The police did not specify how the protests would end. The daily demonstrations have been held since last month. They have been organised by locals, who call themselves “ThaluGas”, as well as protests by Ratsadorn Taliban, and Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy. There have…
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Student launches campaign to stop demolition of iconic Bangkok cinema
A campaign to save Bangkok’s iconic Scala Cinema and prevent its demolition to make way for a shopping centre is garnering significant online support. The Bangkok Post reports that many netizens are backing the campaign started by a student and his friends. Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal launched the campaign following news that the Scala was to be demolished to make way for…
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Police arrest 78 protesters, bystanders, medics and minors
Last night, protesters and crowd control police met at Din Daeng in a heated confrontation that resulted in 78 people being arrested including bystanders, volunteer medics, and even underage people. Those who were taken into custody were held in several different police facilities, and the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights observed and reported on the arrests. They said 20 people…
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Study shows 99.7% of Bangkok wearing masks properly
While anti-mask sentiment can seem widespread and popular on social media, a new survey shows that, in Bangkok at least, almost 100% of people are wearing their masks. The surprising “AI Mask” project by the Ministry of Higher Education Science Research and Innovation found that 99.7% of Bangkok residents were not only wearing their masks but wearing them correctly. The…
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“Dark red” zone curfew, other rules remain until the end of the month
The nightly curfew for the 29 provinces classified as “dark red” zones for high Covid-19 infection rates will remain in place, at least until the end of the month. Those in Bangkok and other “dark red” provinces must stay home from 9pm to 4am, unless travel is essential. In a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting today chaired by PM Prayut…
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Officials to review curfew, Covid-19 restrictions in dark red provinces today
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to review the curfew in place in dark red provinces, and to discuss the easing of some restrictions. However, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the CCSA will be asked to keep the 9pm – 4am curfew as is until the end of this month. While the hours…
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