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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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Hong Kong police arrest 5 executives and raid offices of pro-democracy newspaper
Hong Kong newspaper, Apple Daily, has confirmed that police have raided its offices and arrested 5 executives accused of foreign collusion under the national security law. The controversial law was introduced by Beijing a year ago and prohibits, “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” According to Apple Daily’s own report, CEO Cheung Kim-hung,…
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Thursday Covid Update: 3,129 new cases and 30 deaths
CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story reported an incorrect number for the confirmed cases at correctional facilities. The correct number is 457 infections. 3,129 new Covid-19 cases and 30 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the most severe wave of Covid-19 infections in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 178,861 cases.…
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Medic says 10% of Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are Delta variant
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences says 10% of Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, formerly known as the Indian variant. According to a Bangkok Post report, 496 cases of the variant have been detected in the Kingdom between April 7 and June 13. DMS chief Dr Supakit Sirilak says 404 of those are in Bangkok,…
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TAT asked to make changes to Phuket sandbox before submitting for final approval
The Tourism Authority of Thailand has been asked to make further changes to the Phuket “sandbox” scheme before submitting it to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Apisamai Srirangson from the CCSA says the government’s Covid-19 task force wants clarification on the safety measures aimed at controlling Covid-19 when the plan is implemented from July 1. “The sub-committee is concerned…
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Ethiopia’s Oromia region is volatile ahead of elections
Kidane Bekele is farmer and a community leader in his small village of 2,000 people. With elections approaching, he spends his evenings guarding polling stations and surrounding areas, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Every night after dinner, he puts on the khaki uniform of Oromia’s militia and makes his way to the small compound of the election station, where…
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Health Department warns: Avoid Covid-19, don’t have sex
Thailand has had a long string of frustrating recommendations for lowering the risk of Covid-19 transmission from curfews to masks to hand sanitiser and social distancing. But a new recommendation from the Health Department may have crossed a line. Avoid Covid-19: Don’t have sex. The Health Department’s Director of the Office of Reproductive Health made a statement today that is…
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PM Prayut announces Thailand will fully reopen within 120 days
In a speech this evening, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that Thailand must reopen in 120 days, which would be October 14, despite slow vaccine rollout and risk of increased Covid-19 outbreaks. The speech seemed to mark a shift from trying to eradicated Covid-19 in Thailand through controlling the spread and vaccinating the population to an acceptance of the virus’s long-term…
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Thai Airways rehabilitation plan accepted by Bankruptcy Court
The debt rehabilitation plan of Thai Airways International has been accepted by Thailand’s Central Bankruptcy Court, paving the way for the survival of the company. The CBC’s acceptance of the plan is the first step in the debt restructuring process for the struggling airline. In this plan, the state would play an instrumental role in aiding Thai Airways to get…
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Isaan farmer and son electrocuted and killed by wire fence in rice field
A 58 year old farmer and his 26 year old son were both electrocuted to death last night in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. The farmer had been placing an electric fence at his rice field to protect wandering cattle from damaging his seedlings. Local residents walking by heard dogs barking and looked over to see the farmer, Prasert Nonpoo,…
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Another data breach: Info leaked on Bangkok Immigration website
In the second data breach this week involving a Thai government website for foreign residents, the Bangkok Immigration site leaked personal details, such as passport numbers and visa information, of expats who registered for an appointment. Expat and local blogger on Thai news, Richard Barrow, posted screenshots of the data breach, with personal details redacted, saying the website is exposing…
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Krabi men arrested after TikTok video of a shark shot and killed goes viral
Police arrested 2 men who allegedly killed a shark near Koh Phi Phi off the coast of Krabi in the Andaman Sea. A video posted on the social media app TikTok shows a man firing his gun at a shark that was hooked on a fishing rod. Men reeled in the line and pulled the injured shark onboard. It bled…
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Thailand’s FDA doesn’t approve Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, cites missing data
Today, Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration says Russia’s Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine isn’t approved as crucial data is still missing. TFDA Secretary General Dr Paisal Dunkhum says the information, sent last week by KinGen Biotech, the pharmaceutical company representing the vaccine manufacturer, is the same unfinished date that was already sent to the TFDA. The missing data is: GMP PIC/S…
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6 school closed after infections are found
6 schools in the northern province of Phitsanulok have been ordered to close until further notice after parents and a cable technician were determined to be infected with Covid-19. Luechai Chunakha, the Phitsanulok provincial educational chief says he received a report from a subordinate that the parents of a student from the Huaychangthang School in Suan Miang subdistrict were infected…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,331 new cases; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 2,331 new cases and 40 coronavirus-related deaths, an update in fatalities over the past week. The recent and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, infecting 175,732 people since April 1, is on a downward track with the number of active cases getting lower each day as the daily recovery count continues…
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Thai police chief donates 100,000 baht to Phuket man shot by a drunk officer
Thailand’s national police chief has donated 100,000 baht to support the man in Phuket who was shot and critically wounded by a drunk, off-duty police officer on the island’s Bangla Road, a popular nightlife area in Patong. Aroon Thongplad, a noodle vendor at the Phuket walking street, was grabbing a bowl from a customer when he was shot in the…
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Covid-19, food delivery brings rise in plastic and infectious waste
Often, evolving lifestyles, and the technology it brings, are first regarded for their revolutionary game-changing effect before facing down the road the negative unintended consequences of the change. It was decades between when we celebrated the way air travel allowed you to see the world and when we started talking about “carbon footprints”. Many years went by between seeing the…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says sorry again for delays in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has again apologised for holdups in the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines, saying there were a number of reasons for the delays. Earlier this week, 25 vaccination sites in Bangkok postponed inoculations. Several hospitals also delayed vaccinations over the weekend due to a limited supply. “As the prime minister and director of CCSA, I am the top executive…
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Trial begins in Myanmar for former leader Aung San Suu Kyi
Trials are now underway for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate, a beacon for democracy in Myanmar, and the ousted Burmese leader that has been held prisoner by the military junta for 4 months after their coup on February 1. The former leader of Myanmar is on trial for sedition and a number of lesser and archaic law violations.…
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Blacktip reef sharks get protected status as Environment Minister blasts video cruelty
Thailand’s Minister for Natural Resources and the Environment has blasted a TikTok video that shows Krabi boatmen shooting at blacktip reef sharks. Varawut Silpa-archa has slammed what he describes as an act of gratuitous violence and says the sharks will be added to the list of protected marine species. According to the Bangkok Post, the video surfaced on Monday and…
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Dozens of python eggs found underneath home
A homeowner in Phitsanulok, a northern Thai province, had a surprise that many would see as far from lucky, yesterday. 45 python eggs were discovered underneath their home. A discovery the owners interpret as a sign of good luck. The Phitsanulok emergency rescue team had been brought to the area after a homeowner had found sizeable amounts of snakeskins behind…
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Leading Thai doctor calls on government to accelerate vaccine rollout
A prominent Thai doctor has called on the government to ramp up the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, amid concerns at the low number of doses administered to date. The Bangkok Post quotes Dr Prasit Watanapa from Siriraj Hospital, who used a Facebook Live broadcast to urge officials to do more. He says Thailand must accelerate efforts to achieve herd immunity…
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Thonburi Healthcare Group to import 5 million doses of Moderna
A private healthcare group in Thailand says it’s planning to purchase 5 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. The Thonburi Healthcare Group says the vaccine will be purchased through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the only mechanism through which the private sector can import Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that THG expects GPO approval within the coming month, with…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,331 new infections and 40 deaths
2,331 new Covid-19 cases and an uptick of 40 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 infections, 175,732 cases have been recorded since April 1. While the daily case count remains high, the wave of infections is on a downward slope with the number of recent…
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Global travel demand driven by vaccine rollouts: Tripadvisor survey
Research into the latest travel trends shows that the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines is a big determining factor in how long tourists plan to stay and how much they will spend. A TTR Weekly report focuses on research carried out by Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel platform. Travellers across 6 large international markets were surveyed, to determine the impact of…
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Afghanistan: Polio vaccinators killed in ‘coordinated attack’
The Taliban have denied attacking five health workers who were gunned down at three separate locations on Tuesday. Four other workers were also wounded, with two of them in critical condition. But police spokesman Farid Khan said the Taliban were ‘’targeting health workers to deprive people of polio vaccines.” The attack has now halted the inoculation drive in the city…
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How local journalism can help rebuild democracy
When democratic principles are chipped away, what does it look like? Whether it’s the apparent hijacking of a plane to detain a critical journalist or arresting opposition leaders, the disruption of democracy is consequential and often punitive. So as technology and the media evolve, particularly in the digital age, such a powerful platform also has its vulnerabilities. Timothy Snyder, a…
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What can India gain from its ‘engagement’ with the Taliban?
Reports published in Indian media last week suggest that New Delhi is willing to start a dialogue with factions of the Afghan Taliban. The outreach is reported to be led by security officials and is limited to the Taliban factions that are considered “nationalist” and not under the influence of Pakistan or Iran. The reported move comes months after the…
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Tourism officials eye August reopening under “Pattaya Move On” travel scheme
Pattaya tourism officials are pitching a travel scheme similar to Phuket’s “Sandbox” where the mandatory 14 day quarantine is waived for foreign tourists who are vaccinated against Covid-19. The government plans to reopen Chon Buri to tourists in October, but tourism officials are hoping the start the proposed “Pattaya Move On” travel scheme in August. Under the proposed “Pattaya Move…
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Burkina Faso: ‘Terror is a big part of the economy’
Burkina Faso recently lived through one of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in its history. On the first weekend of June, armed men attacked the village of Solhan in Yagha province in the north of the Sahel state, set houses on fire and killed at least 138 people. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore described the arrack as “barbaric.” Violence and insecurity…
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Japan’s enduring love affair with Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
Every morning, as Kazunori Kamiyoshiwara starts his working day in the bustling Chuo district of Tokyo with a mug of coffee, it reminds him of the spectacular peaks of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, where the haze creeps through the valleys and gives the region its name. It may be almost exactly 12,900 kilometers (8,015 miles) from Tokyo to the…
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