Bangkok News
Bangkok news, politics, business, crime, and nightlife—stay updated with breaking stories, events, and expat updates from Thailand’s capital. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Bangkok news source.
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Something fishy about the Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak – who’s responsible?
Here are 2 resources for the above story… https://thethaiger.com/news/national/… http://www.rapid-asia.com/blog/forced… Until the weekend many people would have never heard of Samut Sakhon, a province just south west of Greater Bangkok and sharing a provincial border with the capital. The province is best known as a major hub for Thailand’s shrimp and fishing industry, packed with markets around the coastal tributaries…
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Amnesty International campaign urges PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on protesters
The human rights group Amnesty International has launched a campaign calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to drop charges pressed on a number of activists for their role in the pro-democracy movement and to repeal, or at least amend, Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law which carries a punishment of 3 to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. …
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More than 800 Covid-19 cases now linked to seafood market
More than 800 Covid-19 cases are now linked to the Samut Sakhon province seafood market outbreak. With the largest increase in daily cases reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration yesterday, health officials say they are now conducting mass testing to contain the virus. As of this morning, 723 Covid-19 cases are linked to the Mahachai Market in Samut…
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Bangkok’s commercial property market struggles through 2020
This year Thailand’s developers had to work around the effects of government lockdowns and restrictions because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed significant changes have occurred to the commercial property market in Thailand. CBRE Research reports that the Bangkok office market suffered a significant change in the net up-take, whilst the retail market consumer confidence index fell and the hotel market…
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Bangkok Metropolitan Administration cancels NY countdown events, asks workers to work from home
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the municipal organisation in charge of the Greater Bangkok city area, has announced that all New Year countdown events have been cancelled after new cases of Covid-19 were found in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. But organisations who have already organised events will be able to ask for specific permission. The BMA is also asking the workers…
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576 cases in one day – Latest test results from Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak
UPDATE: The number of cases linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak has risen to 576. Earlier the figure was published as 516 cases. Thailand’s CCSA has announced more than 500 Covid-19 cases among migrant workers at the centre of its seafood industry, on an enormous 1-day rise in a country that had gone into mild panic after just 1 or…
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Satirical fashion show leads to lèse majesté charges
A satirical fashion show led to a pair of young pro-democracy activists, one just 16 years old, to be charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law after one of them dressed in traditional Thai dress, said to be mocking a royal consort, while the other wore a crop top. (An outfit a certain “someone” has been photographed wearing in…
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Man nicknamed “Spider-Man” arrested in Bangkok on robbery charges
Spider-Man was arrested in Bangkok… but not your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. It was 33 year old Somkid Taem-ngam who got the nickname “Kid Spider-Man” after he was seen using a zipline to come down from a ceiling during a robbery. Kid was previously arrested back in 2016 and recently got out of prison. He was arrested today for allegedly stealing…
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3 Chinese nationals arrested in Bangkok over banking app fraud
Immigration Police have arrested 3 Chinese nationals accused of a phishing scam involving the Siam Commercial Bank mobile app. The men all entered Thailand illegally and are accused of defrauding SCB customers by conning them into providing their personal data and passwords. Sompong Chingduang, chief of the Immigration Police, says Yong Hua and Yue Dian were arrested at a property…
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Minister says Thailand plans to build spacecraft to orbit the moon within 7 years
Government minister Anek Laothamatas says that within 7 years, Thailand will have built and launched a spacecraft that will orbit and explore the moon. The Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation was speaking at a press conference at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, where an update on Covid-19 vaccines was being provided to the media. He says that, in addition to…
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HM the King says “I’m just like other human beings”
“I’m just like other human beings. On some days I feel despondent. On some days I feel sad.” In a rare occurrence, His Majesty the King Maha Vajiralongkorn sat down and spoke with a group of student volunteers at the 11th Infantry Regiment, the King’s Guard. He explained, candidly, to the 200 high school students “I am just like other…
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PM Prayut set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless skytrain
Thailand’s PM Prayut is set to ride Bangkok’s first driverless Skytrain as he will preside over the opening ceremony of the Green Line extension and the Gold Line monorail on Wednesday, December 16. The Skytrain extension will travel from Mo Chit station through Saphan Mai station and ends at Khu Kot. The Gold Line monorail, which features the driverless train,…
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Thailand’s Universal Healthcare adds Smart ID tech
“Hospitals and clinics which participate in the universal healthcare scheme have made preparations for this and many are now ready to use the smart ID cards and implement the new procedure.” If you’re a subscriber to Thailand’s universal healthcare scheme, you’ll will be required to provide smart ID cards to verify your identity when receiving treatment and services at participating…
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2 motorbike riders killed in Bangkok after woman allegedly falls asleep behind the wheel
A Bangkok woman allegedly fell asleep while driving near Benjakitti Park toward Asok and crashed into multiple vehicles, killing 2 motorbike riders and injuring 2 other people. Thong Lor police reviewed the woman’s dash camera footage from her Toyota Yaris and say the car hit a Honda Mio, then a Honda PCX and then another bike. Photos from the accident…
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Man arrested for allegedly running illegal e-cigarette business
A 26 year old man was arrested for allegedly running an illegal electronic cigarette business from his Bangkok condominium. The man, identified as Thanakrit, allegedly sold e-cigarette products through a Facebook page named “Jenny Vape.” Police say Thanakrit processed around 40 to 50 orders a day worth a total of 100,000 baht. At his condominium, police found 50 electronic smoking…
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Man arrested after police find 8 crocodiles in a Pathum Thani apartment
After getting a call about a man screaming and acting out at an apartment in Pathum Thani, a province just outside Bangkok, police entered the room and found 8 small crocodiles. The man had moved to the apartment just a month ago and trashed the place. Messages in Thai were written all over the walls. It also appeared that the…
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Cher calls for Thailand’s only gorilla to be rescued after 30 years in Bangkok shopping mall zoo
US singer Cher has taken to Twitter to expose the plight of a Thai gorilla known as Bua Noi, who has lived above a shopping mall for 30 years. With her mate having died several years ago, she is Thailand’s only gorilla. Cher’s mission to rehome Bua Noi comes just after her rescue of 36 year old Kaavan in Pakistan,…
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Bangkok officials relay additional info on infected healthcare workers
With the announcement of a sixth Bangkok nurse testing positive for Covid-19, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration have provided more details of the timelines around the first 5 infections. All of the patients are healthcare workers at alternative state quarantine facilities. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang from the BMA says it’s believed they became infected in the course of their work, adding that their…
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Protesters gather at Bangkok’s United Nations, call to abolish lèse majesté law
Pro-democracy protesters gathered in front of the United Nations building in Bangkok, calling on the organisation to step in after many activists were recently arrested for allegedly violating Thailand’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law carries prison sentences from 3 to 15 years for insulting or defamatory statements about the Thai Monarchy. Activists say the law violates human rights. Today’s protest…
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Prosecutors say they can’t indict Red Bull heir until police arrest him
Prosecutors in the never-ending saga that is the case against Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, are shifting the blame for a lack of prosecution and pointing the finger at police. Prayuth Petchkhun from the Office of the Attorney-General says prosecutors’ hands are tied until Boss is arrested and brought to trial. The Red Bull’s exact whereabouts are unknown, but he is almost…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s legal team to review new activist movement
A new movement, at least their “branding”, by the pro-democracy activist group Free Youth has caught the attention of many after it posted a new logo that resembles the Communist party’s hammer and sickle symbol, either by design or co-incidence. It has also caught PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s attention who says he’s asked his legal team to look into the new campaign…
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19 protest guards arrested for removing barbed wire from public street
19 volunteer guards associated with the pro-democracy protests were arrested last night for allegedly stealing government property after they removed barbed wire that was partially blocking a pedestrian bridge in Bangkok’s Phaya Thai district. The barbed wire may have been left behind by authorities after protests in October. The guards, known as WeVo, meaning “We Volunteer,” are associated with the…
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Police investigate possible abduction of foreign woman in Bangkok
Police have opened an abduction investigation after a Chinese woman was reportedly forced into a car off Sukhumvit soi 39 in Bangkok’s Phrom Phong area. The Thong Lor department confirmed they have opened an investigation after rumours were spread on Facebook about alleged kidnappings in the area. A woman made a Facebook post last night saying a condominium security guard…
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Man gets life sentence for fatal shooting of ex-wife at Bangkok beauty clinic
A 28 year old man, who fatally shot his ex-wife and injured her colleague at their place of work, has been sentenced to life in prison. Danusorn Numcharoen was originally sentenced to death at yesterday’s hearing in Bangkok’s Criminal Court, with the sentence commuted to life imprisonment because he confessed. He must also pay compensation to the victim’s family, set…
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More trees for Bangkok, city’s arborist says a “green future” will take time
More trees will be planted throughout Bangkok as part of the city’s master plan “Green Bangkok 2030.” While in western countries, eco-friendly master plans are driven by science, Thailand has spiritual influences that also come into play. Photos and news of big trees being cut down are often shared on social media. Some people in Thailand believe spirits inhabit some…
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Man allegedly steals excavating tractor, smashes into police pickup truck
A man was arrested after he allegedly stole a backhoe excavating tractor and smashed the digging bucket into a motorcycle and a police pickup truck. 42 year old Rungniran Songsan was charged with theft and criminal damage. Police were called to the scene after Rungniran allegedly took off on the backhoe in a rural road in Pathum Thani, north of…
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Thousands come out to show support for Thai King on Rama 9 birthday
Yellow-shirted supporters and royalists greeted HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn yesterday as he headed up birthday commemorations for his revered late father, the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. It was the latest in a series of high profile public appearances that coincides with unprecedented challenges to the Thai monarchy from student-led protesters. December 5 is commemorated as Fathers Day each year in…
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Khao San Road remains empty during the day, night crowds keep the street alive
Without foreign tourists at Bangkok’s infamous backpacker mecca, Khao San Road has gone quiet. While nights draw local crowds, it’s not what it used to be and the once bustling street remains empty during the day time. While locals frequent the nightclubs and bars on the street, Khao San Road is not nearly what is was like before the pandemic.…
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Schoolgirl bursts into tears meeting Panasaya, fearing for activist’s safety
Protest leader Panusaya Sitthijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, has been pictured consoling a young schoolgirl who broke down in tears, concerned about the activist’s safety. Rattapol Kaiipah Promsuwan, who witnessed the exchange, has shared a photo of the moment on social media. She says the girl, who is in Grade 6 (making her around 11 years old), had gone to the organisers’…
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K-Pop fan-funded billboards move from BTS and MRT stations to tuks tuks to support protesters
K-Pop fan-funded “happy birthday” billboards are moving from mass transit stations in Bangkok to tuk tuks after the BTS Skytrain and MRT Bangkok Metro temporarily shut down services during pro-democracy protests last month. The world’s K-Pop fans are weaponising their huge numbers and online ‘power’ by supporting Thailand’s pro-democracy movement. In 3 days last month, Thai and overseas K-pop fans…
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