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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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Czech gold for future generations?
Jilove u Prahy is a picturesque town with almost 5,000 inhabitants and a great many historical monuments. This region, along the River Sazava, a tributary of the Vltava near Prague, is a popular recreational area for citizens of the Czech capital. In the 14th century, Jilove u Prahy was the third-most-important town in the kingdom of Bohemia, after Prague and…
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Breakup goes south when girlfriend allegedly stabs boyfriend to death in Pattaya
Yesterday in the Chon Buri province of Bang Lamung, which is part of Pattaya, a woman allegedly stabbed her boyfriend to death in a case of self-defence. Bang Lamung Police and first responders got to the scene just after midnight. There, they found 36 year old Anuwat Ratchawong lying in front of the house. He was bleeding profusely from multiple…
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Royal Thai Navy goes ahead with plans to buy 2 submarines
Yesterday, a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Navy says they are going ahead with plans to buy more submarines from China. The Royal Thai Navy was undeterred by rampant outrage on social media over buying 2 submarines for 22.5 billion baht is an indulgence while the country is besieged by Covid. Others criticised the move by saying the submarines are unnecessary…
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Traditional Thai medicine “Fah Talai Jone” gains steam as a treatment, despite shaky scientific merit
A well known traditional Thai medicine is gaining steam as a potential treatment for Covid despite its dubious scientific merit. Fah Talai Jone, or andrographis paniculata, has been used to treat a number of different illnesses, including the flu, a sore throat, and inflammation. Now, the herb is also being used to treat mild Covid systems in “green level” patients, provided…
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THG head stock purchases before questionable Pfizer news
Thailand and Pfizer have had a tricky relationship with frequent announcements and then retractions about whether the vaccine will be approved and imported into the country. The latest was Thonburi Healthcare Group Dr Boon Vanasin announcing they had negotiated 20 million Pfizer vaccines to be brought into Thailand, only to be followed a few hours later by Pfizer-BioNTech responding that…
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Belgians pick up the pieces after deadly floods
The Belgian town of Pepinster, southeast of Liege, has just woken up from a nightmare. Wading through knee-high brown water with his wife and son, local resident Paul Brasseur looked back at what was left of their family home. “We’re alive and that’s all that matters — not everyone was so lucky,” he said. The Brasseurs’ house on the banks…
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Couple hangs themselves to escape Covid-19 debt
A couple who were said to be deeply in debt due to Covid-19 in Mueang Chon Buri were found hanging in their home, apparently by suicide. Neighbours say the man and woman were both food cart vendors who struggled to find enough customers to make ends meet and had turned to a loan shark for help paying their bills. Yesterday…
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Gatherings prohibited due to Covid-19 before planned protests
For the safety of its citizens and to protect from the spread of Covid-19, the greater Bangkok area Covid-19 command centre has banned any activities or gatherings that involve more than 5 people. The ban on gatherings comes coincidentally just hours before planned mass anti-government protests in the capital, scheduled for today. The ban went into effect for Bangkok, Samut…
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Covid UPDATE: 10,082 new infections, provincial numbers
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Yesterday there were 3,367 in ICU and 847 on ventilators. 127…
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Home Covid-19 test kits approved, but not for travel
With Covid-19 on the rise, screening kit shortages have left people waiting for RT-PCR tests from professional testing sites and medical facilities. Now Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration approved 4 Covid-19 antigen test kits that can be purchased over-the-counter for home use to test for the virus. The 4 approved self-testing kits will allow people concerned that they may have…
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200+ teams go door-to-door to find Covid-19 around Bangkok
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge in Thailand, passing the 5-figure 10,000 mark for daily infections today, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has deployed over 200 teams to do door-to-door Covid-19 testing in the most at-risk areas of Bangkok. The rapid deployment troops will be made up of a coalition of national police and Thailand armed forces, and the teams are attempting…
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The Singapore Covid experiment – is there a path to the new normal?
“Singapore’s reopening would be gradual, package by package, nothing big bang. Each step of the way, make sure we keep populations safe.” Singapore, with its 5.7 million residents, is looking to a longer term blueprint to manage Covid. Whilst some countries are still committee to containing and controlling the virus, some Singaporean ministers are imagining a future where Covid is…
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People fake age to get appointment at elderly vaccination centre
It’s not unusual for people to lie about their age to seem younger, but at Bangkok’s main vaccination centre for the elderly, as many as 100 people have attempted to get vaccinated against Covid-19 by pretending to be old. Since those over 60 years old, or with one of 7 chronic medical conditions considered high-risk for Covid-19 are eligible for…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 10,082 new infections, news briefs
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Suffice to say the October ‘reopening’ of Thailand is now looking…
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Africalink 16.07.21 – 16 UTC – MP3-Stereo
Ramaphosa vows army will return order to South Africa+++ Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan is in Burundi for a two-day State visit+++ UN Population Award goes to Niger policewoman SOURCE: DW News
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Getting paid to play — Kenya’s esports boom
The future of professional sports in Kenya — from where some of the world’s top athletic performers originate — is still rather uncertain in the face of the COVID pandemic. Athletes preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, or anyone wanting to get out and exercise, have had to make do with alternative spaces as coronavirus measures put many gyms and stadiums…
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Pro-democracy leaders indicted over last year’s protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument
14 pro-democracy protesters have been indicted for charges relating to a protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument last year when emergency orders were in place. In a series of youth-led rallies, activists demanded the government and monarchy reform, making statements considered unprecedented and taboo in Thai society. The 14 protesters were charged with inciting the public, gathering to cause unrest and…
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7 more provinces classified by the CCSA as “dark red” zones under maximum control
7 more provinces are classified as “dark red” provinces under maximum control, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today. Tight restrictions in dark red zones were imposed on Monday restricting interprovincial travel, limiting gatherings to no more than 5 people and ordering residents to stay at home from 9pm to 4am. Despite the new restrictions this week, the Covid-19…
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Police arrest 21 in Thong Lor party: drugs, alcohol, and birthday cake found
Thong Lor has again made the news for people partying. Recently, police raided a hotel room in Thong Lor, Bangkok. They arrested 21 suspects for allegedly taking drugs and breaking the emergency decree that forbids groups from gathering. The Thong Lor police were alerted that a hotel room on Soi Sukhumvit 31 was full of people being loud and not…
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BioNTech vaccine makes 10x more anitbodies than Sinovac
A recent Hong Kong study reports that people who are inoculated with the BioNTech vaccines have 10 times more antibodies than those who receive the Sinovac vaccine. While antibody numbers is not the only factor in a successful vaccine, the lower levels of neutralising antibodies in the Sinovac Vaccine may substantially lower its effectiveness. The study was published yesterday and…
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Covid-19 situation has not improved, stricter rules being discussed – CCSA
More stringent measures may need to be in place to control the spread of Covid-19 as the situation in Thailand has not improved, despite tight measures in “dark red” provinces which include nightly curfews and travel restrictions, a spokesperson representing the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today. In addition to talk of tightening restrictions, 7 more provinces were classified…
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UPDATE: Germany hammered by floods, 93 dead; nearby countries also affected
The death toll in Germany has risen from 59 people to 93. Emergency responders are still looking for hundreds of missing people. Belgium also reports that they now have 12 dead, up from the 9 reported dead earlier today. Political leaders have asserted that climate change is to blame. Meanwhile, scientists had warned that such a catastrophic event could happen.…
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Phuket Sandbox looking ahead to Russian, UK travellers
While the daily rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox tourist launch, with the jump from 7 to 14 days, the last-minute approval, the problems getting a Certificate of Entry, and the few cases of Covid-19 infections, it’s easy to overlook the forest for the trees. But if viewed not as a full reopening to the pre-Covid-19 heydays but rather as…
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Friday Covid Update: 106,951 active cases; provincial totals
The number of active Covid-19 cases has surged past 100,000. Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 9,692 new Covid-19 cases, raising the number of infections currently being treated or monitored to 106,951. Another 67 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today. Since the start of the pandemic last year, 382,907 confirmed infections and 3,099 deaths. Bangkok remains the epicentre in the…
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AstraZeneca asks to extend vaccine delivery date amid delays
After delays in domestic and international deliveries and halving the monthly vaccine delivery targets to 5 million for Thai use, AstraZeneca has now asked for an extension for their delivery schedule of 61 million Covid-19 vaccines. The company, which has partnered with Siam Bioscience to produce vaccines domestically, now expects to reach its goal by May of 2022. The delay…
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Germany hammered by floods, 59 dead; nearby countries also affected
59 people, and counting, are dead in the west of Germany as floods hammer the country and other surrounding counties such as Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands. The “extreme rainfall” pounded the city from Wednesday into Thursday. Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, says she fears that the country will only see the full extent of the disaster as the days unfold.…
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11 new local Covid-19 infections today in Phuket
While Covid-19 infections are still relatively low in the Phuket Sandbox, especially compared to the rest of Thailand, today’s 11 infections mark the highest number of local daily infections since the Sandbox began. The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office released the figures today the bring the total number of Covid-19 infections found in the last 7 days to 42. While…
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Thai PM returns to Government House after third negative Covid test
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, does not have Covid-19 and returns to work at Government House today. The PM had been self-isolating for 14 days after coming into contact with Veerasak Pisanuwong from the Surin Chamber of Commerce, while visiting Phuket for the island’s sandbox re-opening on July 1. Veerasak subsequently tested positive for the virus. The Bangkok Post reports…
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European Union slaps travel restrictions on arrivals from Thailand
Member states of the European Union have agreed to remove Thailand from the list of countries from which travellers can arrive freely during the pandemic. The EU operates a “green list” of countries, which are currently only around 20 in number. Visitors from these countries, which include the US, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan, can enter the EU without mandatory…
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Koh Samui’s tourism hopes pinned on international travellers
by Bill Barnett, c9hotelworks.com It’s baby steps at the moment as Thailand’s Robinson Crusoe-inspired, island-focused, international travel reopening plan rolls out in Koh Samui from July 15. Unlike the Phuket Sandbox program for vaccinated travellers, the Samui Plus sealed-route will test the water with a hybrid approach of 3 days in a hotel quarantine scenario and then allows visitor’s island-wide free…
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