Central Thailand News
Central Thailand news, Ayutthaya news, Kanchanaburi updates, and business developments—stay informed on local events, tourism, and culture, including landmarks like the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted Central Thailand news source.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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New poll shows many have unfavourable feelings toward government’s handling of plastics factory fire
A new poll shows that most respondents have unfavourable feelings over the government’s handling of the fire at the plastics factory in Samut Prakan. The Suan Dusit poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University queried 1,266 people in Thailand from July 6 to July 9. Respondents had the option to pick multiple answers. The poll shows: 66.51% – of the…
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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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“Mastermind” arrested for posing as doctor, “selling” vaccines
A man, and what some media reports are calling a “mastermind”, has been arrested for allegedly selling (or not selling) vaccines through a Line App. The man was apprehended yesterday in the central Thai province of Saraburi. Police arrested 26 year old Weerasak Suksamdang near the TPI Polene building. They charged Weerasak with fraud and computer crimes. The suspect denied…
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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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After Samut Prakan fire, hazardous materials new concern
Earlier today, the Samut Prakan plastics factory was finally put out after over 25 hours. Now, the attention is on possible hazardous materials left in the fire’s wake. The hazardous materials are reported to be harmful to both the environment and people who live near the site of the fire. One of the main concerns is Styrene. Thai media reports…
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LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
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UPDATE: Rescuer killed, at least 60 injured in Samut Prakan factory explosion
UPDATE: A rescue foundation firefighter was killed and more than 60 people were in the fire at a chemical factory in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok. The Ming Dih Chemical Co factory exploded overnight, sending black toxic smoke into the air. Helicopters were deployed to the scene to spray flame retardant foam. By this evening, the fumes were headed toward Bangkok.…
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Man films stranger leering at him in Pathum Thani shopping Centre bathroom
Yesterday, a video shared on the Jay Moi V Plus page on Facebook showed a man leaning over a bathroom’s cubicle wall to watch his neighbour in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani. The bathroom was reported to be in a “well known shopping centre” in the Rangsit area. According to the person who shared the video, they heard…
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NACC to establish 5 panels looking into pricey lamp controversy
The saga of the pricey lamps continues with the news that Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission is establishing 5 panels to investigate the matter in Samut Prakan. The NACC Deputy Secretary-General Niwatchai Kasemmongko realized the TAO’s budgetary spending for the fiscal years 2013 and 2014, then 2018-2021 for the lamp posts fell out of the scope of the Interior Ministry’s regulations…
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Police raid alleged money sharks’ operation centre, many escape jaws of justice
An alleged online lending network has been busted in Nonthaburi, a province north of Bangkok. Police say the lending operation was led by Chinese nationals. The police arrested multiple people after raiding 3 buildings at the Pailin Park housing estate, yesterday. According to the police, the financial assistance network provided loans at exorbitantly high interest rates through the app “Chang…
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Man robs a gold shop with a kitchen knife
Last night in the central Thai province Pathum Thani, a man used a knife to rob a gold shop in the Lam Luk Ka district. He got away with 60 baht weight of gold necklaces. Pitch Suwatikul, a local police officer says the robbery happened about 7:20 pm at the Bangkok Gold shop on the 2nd floor of a Tesco…
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Restrictions may be eased at some Bangkok camps to allow essential work to continue
Tough restrictions on movement at construction camps in Bangkok may be eased slightly to allow essential work to go ahead. Natthapol Nakpanich from the National Security Council says officials discussed the issue at a meeting yesterday, noting that the suspension of some works could pose a risk for engineering reasons or by delaying hospital builds. For this reason, construction work…
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Stricter “bubble and seal” measures implemented at factories
Factories in and around Bangkok are implementing rigorous bubble and seal measures in accordance with government’s instructions in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19. The Bangkok Post reports that workers face tough travel restrictions, whereby they may be confined to the factories or can only travel between their place of work and their dormitory. Already, there have been…
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First case of Beta variant reported in Bangkok
Bangkok has reported its first case of the Beta variant of Covid-19, originally detected in South Africa. According to a Bangkok Post report, the patient had contact with an infected person in the southern province of Narathiwat. Hundreds of cases of the Beta variant have already been reported in southern Thailand and are believed to have been imported from Malaysia.…
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Businesses in dark red zones appeal for government aid
Businesses that have been affected by the latest round of Covid-19 restrictions imposed in Bangkok and 9 other provinces are appealing for state aid. New measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus come into force today, in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Pattani, and Yala. They include a ban on eating…
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Chum Saeng Hospital closed after 4 staff contract Covid-19
After 4 staff of Chum Saeng Hospital in Nakhon Sawan were infected with Covid-19, the hospital was forced to close until July 10. The medical personnel assisted in delivering a baby and after the birth, the woman complained of chest pains. She was then tested for Covid-19 and the results came back positive. The hospital, in the Chum Saeng district…
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Malaysian businessman found dead in his parked car
The body of a missing Malaysian businessman was found dead in his car parked near a fish pond in Samut Prakan an apparent suicide. The 43 year old man was found dead in the car with the engine still running, and with a still-warm charcoal stove in the passenger seat beside him. Wong Chen Hoe, a Malaysian national, was discovered…
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Covid-19 cluster found at children’s home outside Bangkok
A cluster of Covid-19 infections has been reported at a children’s home in the central province of Pathum Thani, with at least 33 children testing positive. The Bangkok Post reports that the children at the Rangsit Babies Home are all between the ages of 3 and 6 and 6 babysitters at the home are also infected. Apisamai Srirangson from the…
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PM orders investigation into pricey street lamps
Thailand’s PM has ordered an investigation into accused corruption over decorative street lamps in Samut Prakan. Prayut Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered an investigation into local governments for the purchase of 600 kinaree (animal-human hybrid/Buddhist mythical figures) street lamps in the Racha Thewa sub-district. The Racha administrative organisation is accused of blowing through over 642 million baht to install 6,773 lamps.…
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Parachutist dies after being smashed into cliff face, falling into forest
A 53 year old sublieutenant went base jumping over the weekend and died when a gust of wind propelled the chute toward a mountain’s cliff. The man smashed into the cliff but appeared conscious. Then he plummeted into the thick forest below. The incident took place in central Thailand’s Lopburi Province. The unidentified parachutist had gone base jumping with 5…
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Rain giving phallus cracks under the elements
The giant phallus that was erected on a road in accordance with an ancient rain making ceremony in Chachoengsao, a province in central Thailand, East of Bangkok is deteriorating due to sun and rain. The phallus is now showing deep, veiny cracks from the base of the structure, snaking up to the glans of the penis. The local villagers had…
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100 neglected cats rescued by Save Elephant Foundation
CORRECTION: An earlier report said another organisation rescued the cats. The correct organisation is the Save Elephant Foundation. 100 neglected cats were rescued from homes just north of Bangkok, many caged and kept in dark rooms piled with junk with poor ventilation. Dead cats were found under piles of trash and junk. 6 dogs were also kept in a small…
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Penis statue works as village sees rain after erection
Laugh and make jokes if you must (we certainly did!) but yesterday’s report on the village that erected a giant penis to bring rain has a, erm, happy ending. We’ll give you one guess on what the weather is like in the Yothaka sub-district of Chachoengsao province this weekend. If you guessed that the penis statue and rain blessing ceremony…
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Village need rain? Have you considered a giant penis?
Yothaka Subdistrict of Chachoengsao province is a fertile low river plain along the Nakhon Nayok River with rich agriculture. Since the residents there are heavily dependant on farming and therefore rain for their crops, locals in one village have a tradition to call in the rainy season by really using their (other) heads. Bringing new meaning to the phrase “member…
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High speed rail connecting airports may start construction in October
The construction of a major high speed rail project connecting the 3 airports of Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and U-Tapai is eyeing an October start date for contraction. The rail will be connected to 3 airports and make links from one airport to another, via Bangkok, much faster. The project has been on the table for the past 5 years. The…
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Fire ravages buildings used to store cosmetics
Early this morning, a fire ravaged 11 buildings used for keeping cosmetic products in Pathum Thani, a Thai province north of Bangkok. There were no reported deaths or injuries but the estimated damages exceed 50 million baht. Firefighters attempted to extinguish the fire using 20 firetrucks, says the investigation chief, Kriangkrai Saengyot from the Pratunam Chulalongkorn police station. The fire…
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Ayutthaya UNESCO status a headache for high-speed rail
Progress for Thailand’s high-speed rail link from Bangkok to the northern province of Nong Khai has hit a snag over construction in UNESCO World Heritage site Ayutthaya. The cultural status of Thailand’s former capital has complicated the process of building a new train station to accommodate the rail line. The Transport Ministry is working to resolve the issue, calling a…
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Samut Prakan uncovers Covid-19 cluster of 800 infections
Worries that Covid-19 had spread through a condominium complex with 8,000 residents in Samut Prakan were justified today as a cluster of 800 infections were uncovered in the housing community. Over 8,000 people residing in the Sin Charoen Thani condo complex are being tested for Covid-19 by a team of public health officials and immigration officers led by the Muang…
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Covid-19 outbreak in Phetchaburi factory of 682 employees
682 employees in a Cal-Comp Electronics factory in Phetchaburi have been infected with Covid-19, forcing a 14-day closure. The company has 3,300 employees and results are still pending for 2,000 more employees Covid-19 tested in the outbreak. The factory owners intend to take care of all their employees during this voluntary shutdown. The cluster has widespread repercussions, as the provincial…
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2 markets in central Thailand report hundreds of new infections
A Bangkok market and another in the central province of Pathum Thani have recorded hundreds of new Covid-19 infections. The Bangkok Post reports that over 860 new cases have been detected at Pathum Thani’s Simummuang Market, while officials in the Bang Kapi district of Bangkok have confirmed the 3-day closure of Bang Kapi Market following a spike in infections there.…
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