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Officer survives fiery crash in Chon Buri
A police officer from Chon Buri police is lucky to be alive after his vehicle crashed into a pole before catching fire in Pattaya early this morning. Pattaya City Police learned of the incident Sukhumvit Road near the Central Pattaya at 2:00am. Emergency responders and reporters rushed to the scene and found a vehicle ablaze after crashing into a pole in…
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Despite low virus numbers, CCSA warns public not to be “reckless”
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today that no new Covid-19 cases were reported on Friday, and 3 today, but warns that people must remain vigilant because there are still infected people roaming undetected in public. CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin says that between May 8 and yesterday, 45 people tested positive for the disease. 20 were infected in other…
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Bangkok City Hall plans more proactive Covid-19 testing, new rules for pet cafés
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration aka City Hall plans a “sentinel surveillance approach” to aggressively test for Covid-19 in high-risk areas, and has issued new rules for pet cafés to ensure the safety of guests, animals and staff. Bangkok’s governor made the announcement yesterday. “BMA will perform saliva tests in high-risk areas on at least 400 people per day until the…
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3 new Coronavirus cases in Thailand – May 23
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesman Dr Taweesilp announced in his daily press conference that Thailand has confirmed 3 new cases of the Covid-19 virus. 2 of the new cases are classed as “imported,” as they were found in a state quarantine facility among repatriates from overseas. Of the imported cases, 1 was a 25 year old old Thai…
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No new Covid-19 cases in China, first time since outbreak began
There were no new confirmed Covid-19 cases in China yesterday, marking the first time it has seen no daily rise since the pandemic began in the city of Wuhan in late 2019. China’s National Health Commission said in a statement today that this compared to 4 new cases Thursday. It warned, however, that there are 2 new suspected cases: an…
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Thai Airways has officially lost its state enterprise status
The State Enterprise Policy Committee announced that Thai Airways has lost its state enterprise status after the Vayupak Fund bought a 3.17% stake from the Finance Ministry yesterday. The purchase was undertaken at a price of 4.90 baht per share, with a trade worth 285.2 million baht, leaving the national carrier owning 48% of its own shares and stripping its…
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Police say mom forced toddler to drink bleach “to make him look ill”
Police in in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, have arrested a woman for allegedly forcing her toddler to swallow bleach to make him look ill for an online advertisement selling her health products. A police source says the boy has been rescued and is now under the care of a shelter for children in the province. The mother, identified…
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Misery as arrival ban keeps families apart
Thailand’s ban on foreign arrivals is causing misery among families across the nation as foreigners married to Thai nationals plead with the government to let them return to be with their families. James Jacobs, a Briton stranded in France, told Nation Thailand he wants to return to his 29 year old wife Sopa, who lives in Chiang Mai. Speaking by…
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Former deputy commerce minister and 4 others plead not guilty to murder of judge’s brother
In a case which has shocked the nation, former deputy commerce minister, MP and police lieutenant Banyin Tangpakorn and 4 co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to the abduction and murder of the brother of the senior Bangkok judge who was handling his multimillion baht stock theft case. They entered their pleas via video conference from prison yesterday. The accused, including 56…
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Car bursts into flames on the way home from dealer – VIDEO
A couple in Nonthaburi province, just north of Bangkok, bought a used car for 22,000 baht, not expecting that would go up in flames before they got it home. The couple ran for their lives as the car was incinerated on the roadside. The Pak Kret Police Station was notified at 12:30 on Thursday of a car on fire on…
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Phase 3 of lockdown relaxations could begin June 1: CCSA
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration confirmed yesterday, that Phase 3 of lockdown relaxation will take effect on June 1, after 5 relevant procedures are completed. CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says the procedures would be executed from today to May 31. The first procedure is the collection of information on the Covid-19 situation by officials involved with the lockdown…
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Foreigner handing out cash in Pattaya robbed of more than 10,000 baht – VIDEO
A thief who snatched a bundle of 1,000 baht notes from a foreigner handing out cash to desperate people in Pattaya has been caught on video, according to an eyewitness at the scene. Musician Pom Santana said the clip, posted on his Facebook page, captures the aftermath of the incident at Jomtien beach, as people queuing for the cash handout look…
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Pakistani airliner crashes into neighbourhood, 80 confirmed dead
UPDATE: As of 3:30pm, the death toll in the incident has risen to 97. A Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 99 people crashed into a crowded Karachi neighbourhood yesterday afternoon after trying twice to land at the airport, according to an eyewitness. Provincial health authorities have confirmed at least 80 dead but it’s not clear whether they included casualties on…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, May 22
Zero new case in Thailand today. Upgrades to ‘luxury quarantine’ available for returnees Don’t like the accommodation the government have provided for you for your mandatory 14 day quarantine, sick of the boring Thai menu they’re serving you for three meals a day, don’t like the colour of the curtains? Fear not. Now you upgrade your quarantine accommodation. But you’re…
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Surat Thani police extortion case – police chief promises swift and thorough investigation
Police in the southern Surat Thani province have been ordered to speed up their internal investigation into allegations that 3 of their officers demanded 5 million baht from a trader to drop charges relating to the purchase of seafood from local fishermen. The report will be submitted to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. A spokesman said today that the investigation is…
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African horse sickness: Imported zebras need health check and quarantine
Humans have the coronavirus, the animal world in Thailand has an outbreak of their own: African horse sickness. The government is now requiring all imported zebras to be quarantined and tested before entering the country. The same goes for horses. Why are people importing zebras? Who knows, but apparently it hasn’t been that hard to get the exotic animals into Thailand.…
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More stranded Burmese workers to be allowed home
Burmese workers, stranded in Thailand since the start of the outbreak, will be allowed to travel from Bangkok to Thailand’s western Tak province from today up to July 20, to expedite their return to their motherland across the border in Myanmar. The concession was finalised after the Transport Company met with the deputy permanent secretary of foreign affairs and representatives…
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Man arrested for growing 1,200 cannabis plants
Police have arrested a man growing 1,200 cannabis plants in Eastern Thailand this morning. After a tip about the illegal marijuana plantation, police raided and uprooted the hundreds of cannabis plants, reporting that they weighed over 500 kilograms, according to Bangkok Post. The marijuana was planted on land near the Pang Sida National Park, in Sa Kaeo. The farm covered…
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Police arrest 3 involved in mystery woman’s marijuana syndicate
Police seized hundreds of kilograms of marijuana from a drug network run by a mystery woman in the Isaan region, north east Thailand. The syndicate was run by a woman known as “Jae Saigon,” meaning “sister on the merit path,” according to Bangkok Post. A photo from a police suspects chart shows a woman wearing a white robe and her…
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Accomplice in Chiang Rai robbery found hanging in Phayao forest
The alleged motorcycle driver in a recent Chiang Rai robbery has been found hanging in a forest in the upper northern Phayao province, in an apparent suicide. Two men pulled off the daring daytime robbery of more than a million baht in Chiang Saen district last Monday. Both men were then tracked down by police. The first suspect, identified only…
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U-Tapao airport maintenance facility going ahead despite obstacles
U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International airport is going ahead with its proposed Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul project, despite Thai Airways entering bankruptcy, according to the secretary general of the Eastern Economic Corridor Office. The 11 billion baht project to has already been approved by the Cabinet and a contract is expected to be signed in June. “In early June, project owner the…
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Government prepares for safe reopening of schools on July 1
Officials from Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health are working closely with the Education Ministry to facilitate the safe reopening of schools on July 1. There has been recent debate if the schools system would be ready by that date. The rollout of online learning has only been since Monday this week, with early bugs being ironed out and teachers, and…
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Thailand’s property market set to experience brokerage megashift
by Bill Barnett It’s clear that Thailand’s real estate sector is expected to undergo a megashift as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and search for a ‘new normal’, if that’s even possible. That said, one of the country’s leading PropTech groups FazWaz says the crisis has only accelerated dynamic charges to the sector that have been bubbling to the…
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Survey finds Bangkok’s public transport lacking when it comes to safety measures
A survey carried out by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation shows that some users of public transport in the capital are not confident new health guidelines are being adhered to. The biggest concern appears to be a lack of social distancing, blamed on a shortage of vehicles during peak times. A report in Nation Thailand says those considered “high risk”…
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Upgrades to ‘luxury quarantine’ available for returnees
Mandatory 14 day state quarantine for Thai returnees may not be so bad – if you’re prepared to pay for it. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration revealed yesterday that there’s an upgrade option. CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin says state officials are providing the alternative quarantine arrangements for people “who need more options.” Returnees are currently sent either to…
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Thai Chamber of Commerce warns 10 million jobs in peril if lock-down persists
The Thai Chamber of Commerce is appealing for businesses to be allowed to reopen ASAP, warning that if the lock-down goes on much longer, an estimated 10 million people could lose their jobs. The Pattaya News reports that TCC Chairman, Kalin Sarasin, says businesses should be allowed to reopen provided they abide by new public health measures. He says the…
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Animal activists claim police officer killed beloved campus dog
A Thai animal rights group is accusing a Chiang Mai police officer of abusing and killing a beloved dog, Tia, a stray adopted by students at Chiang Mai University. Watchdog Thailand, based in Chiang Mai, investigated the incident after the dog’s body was found last week and recently reported their findings to police, according to Nation Thailand. The autopsy of…
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Thailand’s contact tracing app currently unable to alert users
The Thai government says its contact-tracing app is vital to reducing a new flare up of the Covid-19 virus, while admitting the app is currently unable to issue alerts. Covid-19 Task Force spokesman Dr. Taweeslip Wisanuyothin adds that as the technology has only been in use since Sunday, any new cases reported since then are likely to have contracted the…
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Second company in Thailand to be granted license to import natural gas
In a step to cut down energy costs, Thai Gulf Energy Development Company says that they have obtained a government license to import up to 1.7 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per year. As Thailand moves to free up its natural gas market and position itself as a regional trading hub for LNG, Thai Gulf Energy has been reported…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, May 21
Covid-19 update: 3 new cases including German man, no deaths 3 new Covid-19 cases have been found over the past 24 hour period, but no deaths, bringing the national total to 3,037 and leaving the death toll at 56. The new cases were found in Bangkok and Chon Buri – 2 community infections while the other was a repatriate student…
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