Bangkok News
Dive into the latest happenings in Bangkok with The Thaiger. Our team delivers up-to-date news, insightful analysis, and exclusive stories from the heart of Thailand’s dynamic capital. Keep your finger on the pulse of Bangkok’s ever-evolving political, economic, and cultural scene, as well as its thriving entertainment and nightlife. Stay informed about local events, transportation updates, and expat experiences in this vibrant metropolis.
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Available Covid patient beds at Bangkok hospitals hit “critical level”
The available beds at Bangkok hospitals for Covid-19 patients have hit a “critical level” with only 10% of beds now open for those with severe coronavirus symptoms, according to the Public Health Ministry. With the uptick in Covid-19 cases over the past several months and a sharp increase over the past few weeks, said to be due to the spread…
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Proposal: stop Covid-19 testing foreign workers in dark red zones
Thailand’s Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin is scrambling to explain away a leaked alleged proposal to stop testing foreign migrant workers for Covid-19 after Thai social media exploded all day with criticism. The order had been sent to the Bangkok Employment Office Area 1-10 on July 5, but just came to light yesterday. The proposal to cancel testing for foreign…
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CCSA clarifies what shops can and can’t open in Bangkok
With the lockdown restrictions launched Monday that shut down all but the most essential businesses, some shops are unsure of if they are essential or not. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration added some clarification today on what shops could and could not open for lockdown. They released details for Bangkok and the surrounding 5 provinces of Nakhon Phathom, Nonthaburi,…
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Man allegedly breaks into Bangkok 7/11, argues with police
A man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into a Bangkok 7/11 and rooted around for a bit, early Tuesday morning. According to police, 33 year old Songyot Tharanukan broke a glass door with a brick and then gained illegal entry into the ubiquitous convenience store. Police also say the man was none too happy to have to deal…
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First night of curfew: 299 arrested
From last night to this morning, police arrested 299 people across 10 provinces. The suspects were allegedly not adhering to the new curfew, says police spokesperson Yingyot Thepjamnong. The breakdown of arrested is as follows: 57 arrested in Bangkok 187 arrested throughout: Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, and Pathum Thani 7 arrested in Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon 48 arrested in Songkhla,…
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More than 1,000 people file damage complaints related to Samut Prakan chemical fire
More than 1,000 residents in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phili district have filed damage complaints relating to the Ming Dih Chemical Company explosion and massive fire last week which took more than 24 hours to control. Helicopters were deployed to spray fire retardant foam. Residents within a 5 kilometre radius were told to evacuate. Toxic black smoke billowing from the chemical…
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Bangkok Government Complex provides free Covid testing, registering online first imperative
For people who wish to get a free Covid test at the Government Complex, they must register online first, says the National Health Security Office, today. The test will be the rapid antigen test. The testing location is on Chaeng Wattana Road and will be open until July 30. The hours are 8 am and 4 pm, but not on…
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5 movie theatres in Bangkok temporarily close
Yesterday, Major Cineplex stated it was closing 5 of its movie theatre locations in Bangkok. They will stay closed until July 25. The move is a precautionary measure against Covid. The movie Major Cineplex theatres closing are: Ratchayothin Rangsit Pin Klao Sukhumvit Esplanade Certain establishments are still open inside the shopping centre, however. They will still be closed at 8…
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Rapid antigen tests to be made available to Bangkok public to relieve pressure on hospitals
The Public Health Ministry has approved in principle for rapid antigen tests to be made available for the public to purchase from Bangkok clinics and pharmacies. The idea is to relieve the pressure on hospitals struggling to meet an increasing demand for PCR tests as infections rise. According to a Pattaya News report, officials will meet today to confirm the…
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UPDATE: Beauty pageant scandal leads to Covid cluster, participants face potential prosecution
The beauty pageant women who participated in “Miss Grand Samut Sakhon” last month are possibly facing criminal charges for not wearing masks, say police. This, coming after a 22 person cluster arose after the show. 13 of the contestants’ tests positive for Covid, as well as 9 “others”, say police. Piya Tawichai, deputy commissioner of the metropolitan police told the…
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Protesters run “car mobs”, focus on eroding coalition parties | VIDEO
Anti-government protesters have continued their demands for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Senate appointments (the entire upper house/Senate in Thailand – 250 members – were hand-picked by the former NCPO military government). But this weekend they’ve added some new protest techniques and tactics. With lockdown and surging Covid-19, they have taken to car mobs, assembling vehicles to…
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Lockdown tomorrow: What to expect in Bangkok and beyond
Though the government won’t use the word, tomorrow sees 10 dark red zone provinces going into, essentially, a lockdown. Here’s a rundown of what to expect during the 2 week period beginning tomorrow (Monday). The restrictions apply to all 10 provinces, but the information below is focused on the lockdown in Bangkok. INSIDE BANGKOK Things are about to quieten down.…
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80 Bangkok roadblocks to curb Covid-19 spread before lockdown
“The law of unintended consequences has come to be used as an adage or idiomatic warning that an intervention in a complex system tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes. It is commonly used as a wry or humorous warning against the hubristic belief that humans can fully control the world around them.” – Wikipedia The last time the…
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Preparing for Bangkok lockdown measures from today on
The CCSA announced yesterday sweeping new Covid-19 lockdown measures for Bangkok and surrounding provinces, as well as 4 southern provinces, and now people and businesses are scrambling to prepare before provisions go into effect from now until Monday. Airlines have quickly implemented emergency measures for domestic travellers to handle the wave of cancellations and rescheduling due to Bangkok and other…
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1 million AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan for elderly in Bangkok
Japan recently donated just over 1 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand in hopes of battling the surging Covid-19 outbreaks hammering the country, and today the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announce plans to give those vaccines to the elderly in Bangkok. The 1.05 million vaccines that arrived today from Japan will be earmarked for senior citizens, both Thai nationals and…
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BREAKING: Stay at home orders, travel restrictions in Bangkok and 9 other provinces
Tight restrictions limiting travel and ordering residents to stay at home are being set in Bangkok and 9 other “dark red” provinces to control the spread of Covid-19 as the Delta variant of the virus becomes more prevalent. Many have been calling it a “lockdown,” but the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has been avoiding the word to describe the…
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Friday Covid Update: 9,276 new infections and 72 deaths
9,276 new Covid-19 cases and 72 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. With the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the CCSA expects daily cases to soon hit 10,000. While today’s case count is an uptick over the past several weeks. Thailand hit a record high in new cases in mid-May with 9,635…
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Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital opens registration for Moderna vaccine
Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok has opened an online booking system for the Moderna vaccine, with priority going to healthcare workers and people who remain unvaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that the vaccine will cost 1,650 baht per dose. Chief Executive Artirat Charukitpipat says the hospital has not been able to receive the number of vaccines it would have liked and…
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Stricter Covid restrictions likely for Bangkok, other “at-risk” provinces
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to consider a number of tougher restrictions aimed at flattening the curve of new infections in Bangkok and a number of other provinces. Yesterday, cases reached a record high of 7,058, with 75 Covid-related deaths. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government, which is still resisting the…
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Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 75 deaths; new infections in all 77 provinces
A record high of 75 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,462. An uptick of 7,058 new Covid-19 infections was recorded today with new cases in all of Thailand’s 77 provinces. The latest and most severe wave of the virus continues to rise due to the spread…
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Hundreds wait outside Bangkok temple overnight for Covid test
Use the rapid antigen test to speed up testing. Last night, hundreds of people waited outside a Bangkok temple for a free Covid test that began this morning. Like an anxiety-ridden new shoe launch, crowds of people were photographed outside the Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat temple in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district. Testing began at 8 am and the queuestarted…
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Residents near burned-out factory return home, environmental concerns remain
The Pollution Control Department has confirmed that residents within 2 – 5 kilometres of a factory that burnt down in the central province of Samut Prakan can now return home. The air quality in the surrounding area has been tested and deemed safe. However, a number of environmental concerns remain. According to a Bangkok Post report, governor Wanchai Kongkasem says…
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Lockdown not out of the question: CCSA
Will they, won’t they – it’s the question on everyone’s lips as Bangkok residents wait to hear if officials will lock down the capital in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. Natthapol Nakpanich from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has not ruled it out, saying the CCSA is prepared to consider all options as new cases…
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New terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport to be field hospital
A new plan will have Bangkok residents heading to the airport, but not in a good way, as authorities have decided to convert Suvarnabhumi Airport’s new terminal into a field hospital. The recently built Satellite 1 facilities are large enough to house a minimum of 5,000 beds for Covid-19 infected patients as outbreaks surge in the capital city. With 216,000…
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Bangkok doctor in critical condition after being stabbed by patient, blood donations needed
A doctor at a Bangkok hospital is in critical condition after she was stabbed in the chest by a psychiatric patient. B positive blood donations are urgently needed to treat the Chulalongkorn Hospital doctor. Donations can be made directly at the hospital or through the Thai Red Cross Society. Police say a 24 year old psychiatric patient a the hospital…
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More than 80,000 people affected by chemical factory fire in Samut Prakan
The massive fire at the chemical factory on the outskirts of Bangkok, billowing toxic gas into the air, affected around 80,000 people. An explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical polystyrene factory in Samut Prakan, just outside the capital, led to a chemical fire that took more than 25 hours to put out. Those in Bangkok could see the smoke. A…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases; provincial totals
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 5,420 new cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 294,653 and the Covid death toll to 2,333. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 265,790 of the total confirmed…
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5 protest leaders to have bail revoked following weekend rallies in Bangkok
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed it is filing to have bail revoked for 5 pro-democracy leaders accused of breaking their bail conditions. The move comes after a number of political rallies in Bangkok last weekend. The Pattaya News reports that Sukhun Prommayon from the MPB says that an investigation into the behaviour of protest leaders attending the rallies shows…
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Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital closes emergency room until further notice
Yesterday, Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital in Bangkok declared that it has to temporarily close its Emergency Room, until… further notice, as there are more patients than there is room. The hospital played coy as to when the ER will resume normal operations. However, they did apologise to people for the inconvenience. Another hospital, Rajavithi Hospital announced they would be stopping general…
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Covid alert issued for Thai smile flight from Bangkok to Phuket, arrived last Thursday
Phuket officials have issued an alert for all passengers who were on the Thai Smile flight WE201 that went from Bangkok to Phuket on Thursday, July 1. The passengers are being asked to get tested for Covid-19 ASAP at the nearest government hospital. The alert extends to any customers that went into 2 different Starbucks at the Floresta and Festival…
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