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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 ‘Covid’ sniffer dogs can detect Covid-19 with a 95% success rate
Czech dog trainers say canines can sniff out Covid-19 with an astonishing 95% success rate. The team of trainers in Renda, a Czech mountain village, are working in their own time to teach the dogs to tell the difference between fake samples of Covid and real ones by sniffing pieces of cloth. Lenka Vlachova, a trainer who works at Prague’s…
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2 shot dead at Phuket Bus Terminal Saturday night
Police say 2 men were gunned down at the Phuket Bus Terminal by a colleague at the terminal along the stretch of Thepkasattri road heading into Phuket Town last night. The incident happened at about 10:15pm with the local police chief arriving along with medical staff from Vachira Hospital shortly after the incident. 60 year old Wian Iadchuthong, the alleged…
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29 arrested in Pattaya for smoking shisha above Indian restaurant
Police are investigating an Indian restaurant where they arrested 29 people for a late night party in Pattaya’s Soi 7. The incident took place at 12:30am at a 5 story building which had the first 3 floors closed. Police say the venue was actually operating as a shisha lounge, pool hall, and bar. The raid was based on a tip…
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Chonburi sees 0 new Covid-19 infections for 3 days in a row
Chonburi province has reported another day of 0 cases of Covid-19, marking the third day in a row to see no cases. In the past 6 days only one case has been reported in the province and all of that person’s relatives have tested negative for the virus. The provincial health office says they will keep doing doing targeted mass testing…
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Kanchanaburi police officer’s twin sons arrested for trafficking methamphetamines
Twin sons of a Thai police officer have been arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, according to Thai-language daily Matichon. The arrests were made yesterday. Thai army and border patrol Police stopped a car driven by the two 20 year old twins at a routine checkpoint in western Thailand. A routine search of the vehicle uncovered 2,000 methamphetamine tables in…
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Phuket lifts mandatory quarantine restrictions for ‘high risk’ arrivals. But were they ever applied?
Culminating 2 weeks of mass confusion over the apparent mandatory self-quarantine for arrivals to Phuket from Bangkok and other high risk provinces, Phuket’s provincial communicable disease committee has agreed to lift the mandatory 14 day quarantine “to help boost the local economy hit by the Covid-19 pandemic”. But for the vast majority of arrivals from Bangkok (DMK and BKK) to…
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Ring road collapses leaving at least 10 injured in Nakhon Ratchasima
An elevated section of a ring road in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima has collapsed, leaving at least 10 workers injured. The incident occurred on Sura Narai Road in tambon Khok Sung in Muang district at around 2pm today. The injured included 1 Thai and the others Cambodian and Burmese nationals. Most had cuts on their bodies while some…
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Phuket national park officer fired over peeping Tom incident
A national park officer has been fired after being accused of spying on a woman in the public toilet on January 17 at Phuket’s Sirinath National Park. 28 year old Abdulrama Mahaderi, was accused by a woman named Sopita and her boyfriend Panupong Rungrueng of climbing a wall that separates the men’s and women’s sections of the toilet at Nai…
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Border districts screening cars for smuggling illegal migrants
Security officers in Thailand’s 3 border districts are under strict orders to screen all cars at security checkpoints for illegal migrant smuggling. The orders come after the arrests of 3 Thais who allegedly smuggled illegal migrants into the country using their own cars, with all cases being linked to each other. The smugglers tried to escape being detected by authorities…
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Phuket wants Bangkok arrivals to skip quarantine to help tourism revenue
Phuket’s tourism representatives are calling for an end to the mandatory quarantine levied at tourists arriving to the province from Bangkok. The tourism delegation have also told Phuket’s provincial government to be prepared to start receiving international tourists starting in October. According to The Phuket News, such a plan would include a requirement for all international travellers to Thailand to…
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Eastern provinces growing impatient with safety measures as Covid cases decrease
Thailand’s eastern provinces are growing impatient as local businesses and residents await a relaxation in Covid-19 safety measures after seeing a drop in cases. Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Trat and Rayong are under a “highly controlled” status set by the CCSA (Samut Sakhon, south west of Bangkok, also falls into the same category at this time). These provinces, along with Samut Sakhon…
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Opposition to provide evidence against government in upcoming debate
Thailand’s opposition party members are preparing to provide evidence to back the charges being made against the government in an upcoming censure debate. The government is accused of policy-oriented corruption and of playing a part in structural conflicts. The allowance of illegal immigrants into the country and illegal gambling dens is expected to be discussed as it has been attributed…
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Thai PM is ready to work closely with the US President
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha sent a letter of congratulations to US resident Joe Biden. He says the Thai government is ready to work closely with the US government to promote cooperation in all aspects and all levels. He also says that Thailand and the US have a long relationship that dates back over 200 years. And, as Thailand is the…
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Wuhan remembers Covid-19 lockdown on 1 year anniversary
Wuhan is remembering the Covid-19 lockdown that 11 million residents endured on today’s 1 year anniversary. The 76 day lockdown on January 23, 2020 saw public transportation shut down by 10am and a ban on anyone exiting the city, unless they were given special permission. In a city the size of London, locking down painted an eerily quiet landscape. But…
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Patong, Phuket Town, Chalong to fund residents’ vaccination
Patong and Phuket Town are planning to fund registered residents’ Covid-19 vaccines, Thai and foreign, with the hope to speed up the inoculation process without waiting for the national government. The mayors of both cities say they have already allocated the funds to move forward with purchasing the vaccines after the government approves which ones may be used. Like any…
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Courteous thief apologises to Bangkok convenience store: Sorry I’ve a kid
A young man armed with a knife allegedly robbed a convenience store in Ladprao district of Bangkok, stealing 1,800 baht. Before fleeing on a motorcycle, he apologised to the staff, saying “Sorry. I’ve a kid”. It’s really hard to find a thief with good manners these days. The female staff who was in the store when the man came in…
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Chinese propaganda flick released about the Wuhan lockdown
A new, state-backed film marking the anniversary of the Covid-19 Wuhan lockdown, is using propaganda to praise the central Chinese city. The documentary “Days and Nights in Wuhan” chronicles the suffering that the city’s 11 million residents endured during the 76 day lockdown. 30 filmmakers contributed to the film which included footage of medical staff and front-line workers. The film…
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1.5 million Thais approaching poverty line
A new report by the World Bank has indicated that 1.5 million Thais are approaching the poverty line after Covid-19 ravaged the tourism-dependent economy. In 2020, the report says the poverty ratio in Thailand increased to 8.8%, compared with 2019’s figure of 6.2%. The report is troubling as the Thai economy already passed rock bottom in the 2nd quarter of…
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Chon Buri province reports 0 cases of Covid today
Chon Buri province is reporting 0 new cases of Covid-19, marking 3 out of 4 days with no new infections. Despite the good news, The Chonburi Department of Public Health is warning residents to “stay vigilant”. A migrant worker tested positive for the virus yesterday but all close contacts, 93 people, to the person have tested negative and went into…
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CCSA Update: 309 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand
The CCSA’s daily briefing today started with an update about a NBT news presenter who has attended the daily briefings at the CCSA studio and testing positive for Covid-19. The CCSA spokesman then announced that all people working in the CCSA studio, including himself, are defined as a “low risk” group for infections. The CCSA spokesman says he, together with…
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Thai tourism operators want to offer vaccination-inclusive packages
Vaccination seems to be the great new hope of most of Thailand’s businesses battered by Covid-19, especially the tourism industry. Thai tour operators are now floating the idea of “vaccination tour packages” to attract inbound travellers after the first inoculations are distributed in February. Sort of an STV with vaccination included. The tourism plan is expected to potentially benefit those…
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US President Biden jump starting Covid-19 strategy
Newly inaugurated US President Joe Biden is jump starting his Covid-19 strategy by signing more executive orders on his 2nd day in office. The orders include requiring Americans to wear masks for travelling in planes, ships, intercity buses and public transportation. The orders have fallen short of mandating the wearing of masks for everyone whilst in public spaces. Such mask-wearing…
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Chinese businessmen hand out food in Pattaya
Chinese businessmen are helping to feed people in Pattaya after handing out over 1,000 meals to the needy last night. The handouts occurred near Third Road with Pattaya City Police nearby to help ensure social distancing and other safety measures. Hundreds of locals were seen queing for the event well before it was scheduled to start, indicating the increasing need…
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Thailand’s broadband internet speed ranks #1
Thailand’s broadband internet speed is ranking number 1 after a speed test was conducted in December of last year. It’s ranking climbed 2 spots from the previous speed test out of 176 countries by the Speedtest Global Index, beating out the stiff competition. Singapore and Hong Kong are now at 2nd and 3rd place according to the test, which is…
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13 Bangkok businesses allowed to reopen tomorrow
Tomorrow, 13 types of businesses in Bangkok are being allowed to reopen but must have strict disease control measures in place. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration made the decision which would undoubtedly give many businesses some relief as well as potential customers. Such businesses with restrictions include: Banquet venues, which will need authorisation from BMA for events with over 300 participants…
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800+ people found in close contact with an infected food vendor in Nakhon Phanom
Local disease control workers are continuing to track and trace Covid-19 infections at several villages in the That Phanom district of Nakhon Phanom, north eastern Thailand. The areas were locked down after a 51 year old local food vendor tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 800 people were reported to have had contact with the infected person. According to…
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Banned politician says government silencing him by invoking Lese Majeste law
A banned politician, who criticised the government’s Covid-19 vaccine plan, is claiming the government is silencing him (again) by invoking the Lese Majeste law against him. The alleged defamation case concerns his questioning of using one of the king’s companies as part of the Covid-19 vaccine strategy that he says will slow down the process of inoculations. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit accused…
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Thailand News Today | Gambling crackdown, Seafood market to reopen, Vlogger challenge | Jan 21
In a nationwide crackdown on gambling, police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a warehouse and seized more than 400 slot machines. Acting on a court warrant, police searched the warehouse. The locks on the door had been changed and police had to break into the warehouse. Inside, canvases covered 418 slot machines. Police say the machines were “plug…
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Pattaya hotels take food to the streets in bid to survive
Pattaya’s hotels are taking their restaurants to the streets by offering food stalls outside and delivery in a bid to save their businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Such changes in their attempts to avoid closing, come as city officials say they will use funds to spruce up the city for Chinese New Years on February 12. As Chonburi province is…
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Phuket police confirm speed limit of bypass road after locals complain
Phuket police are confirming the island’s bypass road speed limit as 50 kilometres per hour. That is, despite years of back and forth between motorists and the law. The latest announcement comes after locals posted online copies of their speeding tickets, which showed the confirmed limit. The stretch of road, almost the only stretch of road where you could get…
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