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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Pre-existing conditions? These expat insurance plans still have you covered
Many expats feel worried that their pre-existing health problems will stop them from getting insurance in a new country. This fear is common, especially when medical care can be expensive. But the good news is, some insurance, like the plans...
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Royal Thai Police say bitterleaf can’t cure Covid
The Royal Thai Police want the public to know that bitterleaf trees can’t cure cancer is not true and is fake news. Kissana Pattanacharoen, the deputy spokesperson for the RTT says the Anti Fake News Centre Thailand discovered the fraudulent claim about bitterleaf’s medicinal properties today and verified this with the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine. However, the…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,901 new cases, provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 18,901 new Covid-19 cases and 147 coronavirus-related deaths today, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic to 652,185 and the Covid death toll to 5,315. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 623,322 infections and 5,221…
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Air Asia technician arrested for allegedly stealing electronics
Bangkok Police have arrested a technical who worked for Air Asia for allegedly stealing multiple pieces of electrical equipment. The thefts had been discovered after Air Asia had noticed the equipment was missing. Officials then checked CCTV and saw 27 year old Preecha Inthachai allegedly putting items in a bag. Don Muang police then arrested Preecha and searched his home…
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“Pattaya Move On” reopening likely to be postponed as Covid cases surge
With Chon Buri ranking as one of the top provinces with the highest number of daily Covid-19 infections, the “Pattaya Move On” reopening plan will likely be delayed due to the rise in cases and slow rollout of vaccines. September was the eyed start date for the reopening plan for specified areas in Chon Buri. The project is similar to…
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Government says not to buy Favipiravir/Avigan online, says it might be fake
Yesterday, Traisuree Taisaranaku, the deputy government spokesperson said that people should refrain from buying the antiviral medication Favipiravir online because it’s possibly fake. The drug also goes by the brand name Avigan, as well as other names. The spokesperson says the medication should only be taken if it is prescribed by a doctor. Traisuree says people were tricked through social…
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Phuket bans alcohol sales at restaurants, issues order amid rise of Covid cases
The ban on alcohol sales and consumption at restaurants has been reimposed in Phuket and will be in place until at least August 16. Certain “social activities,” like parties at public places, are also now prohibited for the next two weeks. The order, Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew yesterday, could be extended longer if the Covid-19 situation does not improve. Phuket…
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Man goes missing off Freedom Beach, Phuket
Yesterday, a man went for a swim off of Freedom Beach in Phuket and was carried away by a strong current. He was last seen early in the afternoon. Boonyarit Inthakarn from the Patong Police arrived at the beach just after 2 pm. 21 year old Thanakit Srisuwanwichian, told police he, and his then non-missing friend, Akkarapol Pattranonwere, were swimming…
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Phuket tourism sector calls for island to be “green-listed” for foreign tourists – VIDEO
The executive chairman of the Banyan Tree Group is calling for Phuket to be given “green” status, promoting the island as a safe haven for foreign tourists. Singaporean KP Ho was addressing the Phuket Sandbox Summit via video-conference when he called on European airlines, business leaders, and officials to differentiate the southern island from the rest of Thailand. According to…
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Thailand’s foreign tourist numbers expected to plummet during 2021
Tourism officials have repeated a bleak prediction that international arrivals in Thailand are likely to drop to an all-time low this year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says foreign visitors to the Kingdom may only number 500,000 this year. “If the ongoing outbreak continues past September, the total number of foreign tourists this year might…
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Nurse dies of Covid-19 a week after receiving first dose of Sinovac
A nurse has died of Covid-19 a week after getting her first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, with a doctor saying she wouldn’t have built up enough immunity in that time. 45 year old Uraiwan Chantharaplin died at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, with the death confirmed by Samutsakhon Hospital where she worked. The Bangkok Post reports that on July 25,…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 18,901 new cases and 147 deaths
18,901 new Covid-19 cases and 147 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total case count in the latest wave, first recorded on April 1, to 623,322 confirmed Covid-19 infections. There are now 209,039 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Dozens of isolation centres are being set up in Bangkok, the epicentre of the…
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Suspected insurgent wanted for murder killed by forces in Pattani
A suspected insurgent wanted on murder and numerous other charges was killed in a clash by security forces in the Deep South province Pattani near the Malaysian border, an area prone to violence due to the ongoing religious separatist insurgency. A Thai government unit had surrounded a home on a rubber plantation in Nong Chik district suspected of being used by…
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How US-China sanctions create two parallel tech universes
As the US continues to blacklist dozens of Chinese companies, Beijing is increasingly imposing its own sanctions on US organizations and individuals it accuses of meddling in China’s internal affairs. Last month, the US government added 23 Chinese companies to an economic blacklist, including 14 companies that have allegedly enabled Beijing’s oppression of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province.…
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How US-China sanctions create parallel tech universes
As the US continues to blacklist dozens of Chinese companies, Beijing is increasingly imposing its own sanctions on US organizations and individuals it accuses of meddling in China’s internal affairs. Last month, the US government added 23 Chinese companies to an economic blacklist, including 14 companies that have allegedly enabled Beijing’s oppression of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province.…
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Phang Nga reopening and “Phuket Sandbox” island hop extensions postponed
The Phang Nga’s reopening to travellers from overseas has been postponed until August 15, and the “7+7 Island Hopping” extension to the “Phuket Sandbox,” which includes a sealed route to Phang Nga, has been postponed indefinitely. The province’s reopening to foreign tourists under the “Phang Nga Prompt” campaign was initially set for August 1, but the scheme has not yet…
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Korean Peninsula: Why is Pyongyang reaching out to Seoul?
The resumption of communications between North and South Korea across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has triggered renewed hopes of detente on a peninsula that has been divided since the end of the Korean War in 1953. It also raised expectations that a solution to the problems associated with Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs could, potentially, be found. The North…
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August vaccination plan: 80% of Bangkok residents; open to general public, expats
Thailand has opened its mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign to the general public who are at least 18 years old, including foreign residents. Priority is still given to those who are 60 and above, and those who have one of the specified underlying conditions that puts them at risk of severe infection if they were to contract Covid-19. By the end…
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300 beds added to Phuket’s second field hospital
300 hospital beds have been erected at a meeting hall at Phuket Rajabhat University AKA PRU, in Rassada. It is set to be the second field hospital for “light green” Covid cases. The Phuket Vice Governor, Pichet Panapong says the 300 additional beds were set up because all beds at the first field hospital at Prince of Songkla University were…
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The Thaiger launches the ‘I Am Strong’ campaign
(Video Link Below) Here is a link to the donation page… https://gogetfunding.com/the-thaigers-i-am-strong-campaign/ The Thaiger (The Thaiger Pte Ltd) is reaching out to readers and viewers of our news channels to help the thousands of people who are falling through the cracks of government and community help at this time. Many of these people are migrant workers, but many are also…
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Earthquake hits Papua, Indonesia
Earlier today, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Indonesia’s Papua region, says the United States Geological Survey. There was no reported tsunami warning, nor were there any reports of damage. The earthquake struck at what is considered a shallow depth of 12 kilometres. According to a 2020 census report, the population of Papua is over 4 million…
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Protestors fill Bangkok streets to protest Prayut, many protest leaders present
Yesterday, a multitude of pro-democracy protesters sat in their cars and motorbikes gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument demanding Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha resign. The “car mob” was full of pro-democracy leaders and anti-establishment groups, like Nattawut Saikua, former secretary general of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship/Red Shirt movement. As well as other protest leaders, such as Ratsadon leaders…
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Teenagers arrested for allegedly running underage prostitution racket
Two teenagers were arrested for allegedly running a prostitution racket where underage girls would provide sexual services. The 16 year old and the 19 year old were arrested at a hotel in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district by a task force investigating human trafficking. Officers also say they rescued two 15 year olds who were at the hotel and were hired to…
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PM’s daughters get letter asking them to tell their father to resign
A joint letter was sent to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters Tanya and Nittha, asking them to relay the message to their father that he should resign because of his mismanagement of the Covid situation. The letter was sent by the daughters’ former classmates and was addressed to “Ms Ploy” and “Ms Ploen”. The former classmates’, Class 40 of the Communication…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases, provincial totals
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 633,264 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,168 coronavirus-related deaths. The recent wave has accounted for 604,421 of those cases. Thailand now has 208,875 active Covid-19 cases. Over the…
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Police bust gambling operations in Bangkok and Kamphaeng Phet
Recently, police busted 3 separate places that were allegedly part of an online gambling operation. The buildings were located in Bangkok and Kamphaeng Phet, which sits in northern Thailand. Reportedly, the operation raked in 250 million baht a month and had collectively taken in 1.5 billion baht in the last 6 months. 2 unnamed women were arrested in the busts.…
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‘Dark red’ curfews, interprovincial public transport ban possibly until Aug 31 – CCSA
Tight disease control measures including nightly curfews and a ban on interprovincial public transportation from “dark red” provinces are set until August 16, but the measures could be extended until the end of the month, according to a spokesperson during yesterday’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration press briefing. The overall Covid-19 situation and disease control measures are reviewed every two…
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Narcolepsy suspected as cause of car accident in Chon Buri
Yesterday morning, 1 person died and 2 people sustained serious injuries after their truck hit a trailer truck and then went off the road in Chon Buri. The driver reportedly had narcolepsy and drove despite the protestations of his family. Early reports suggest the driver may have fallen asleep while driving. Police and medical personnel got to the scene around…
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Healthcare worker pleads with PM to set up “war room” to manage pandemic
A healthcare worker at the Thammasat University field hospital in central Thailand has urged the Thai PM to set up a “war room” for daily Covid-19 meetings. In a Facebook post, the unnamed medic pleads with the PM to hold daily meetings with his ministers in order to stay on top of developments and deal with issues immediately, as opposed…
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Thai AirAsia suspends flights, cuts salaries as financial woes continue
As Thailand’s airlines continue to struggle with the financial fallout from Covid-19, Thai AirAsia has suspended all flights for this month. The carrier is also cutting staff salaries or deferring partial or whole payment until September. According to a Bangkok Post report, the airline’s financial woes are worsening as low passenger numbers show no sign of improving and cash flow…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases and 178 deaths
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 604,421 confirmed Covid-19 infections. There are now 208,875 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Over the past several days, the daily Covid-19 case count has…
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