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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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Thai government considers expanding Bangkok prisons due to many visitors supporting political prisoners
With a number of people facing charges related to their involvement in political protests, the Thai government is looking into expanding prisons to help reduce overcrowding, particularly for visits. Thailand’s justice minister Somsak Thepsuthin told reporters that Bangkok Remand Prison and Klong Prem Central Prison are becoming congested with families and other people who visit the prisons to support the…
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Young student pushed off school building by peer suffers skull fracture
A young schoolboy is recovering after allegedly being pushed off a school building by one of his peers. The 8 year old boy’s skull was fractured from the second storey fall and was sent to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, staying in the hospital for at least 9 days. The principal of the school, which is located in…
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Bangkok’s Wat Arun to go green as part of St Patrick’s Day celebration
A host of iconic landmarks around the world will celebrate St Patrick’s Day by going green on March 17 – and Bangkok’s Wat Arun will be among them. Thailand’s capital is participating in the “Global Greening Programme 2021” an initiative in which the spire of Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) will be temporarily lit in green. Also turning green will…
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Indonesia designates 3 areas of Bali as Covid-19 ‘green zones’ to welcome foreign tourists
In a move that Thai officials may watch with some interest, the governor of Bali, Indonesia, has designated 3 areas of the province as Covid-19 “green zones” to welcome international tourists. The popular tourist destinations of Ubud, Sanur, and Nusa Dua, have all been labelled “green zones” as Indonesia takes tentative steps towards re-opening its borders. Bali governor, Wayan Koster,…
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Reduced quarantine approved for some foreign arrivals
The Thai government has agreed to reduce mandatory quarantine for certain categories of arrivals from overseas. The national committee on communicable diseases, which falls under the umbrella of the Public Health Ministry, has approved the measure based on the fact that a global vaccination drive is leading to a gradual reduction in case numbers. According to a Nation Thailand report,…
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Speed limit on Thailand’s highways increased to 120 kilometres an hour
It’s official – the maximum speed limit on 4-lane highways in Thailand has been increased to 120 kilometres per hour, with the new regulation published in the Royal Gazette yesterday. Previously 90 kilometres per hour, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says the increase in the maximum speed limit is aimed at improving the flow of traffic in line with conditions, while…
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Thailand News Today | Polishing the Area Quarantine, protesters moved to prison | March10
Ministers are meeting in Phuket today to discuss the details of the new area quarantine, the Thai PM anoints the media scrum by spraying hand sanitiser at them…. or something, and the north and north east of Thailand today are facing very poor air quality, Chiang Mai getting the award for having the worst air quality in the world today…
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Man arrested trying to smuggle 28 million baht in gold across Burmese border
A Thai man is under arrest after police say he allegedly was caught smuggling a whopping 28 million baht worth of gold bars across the Burmese border. The man, identified only as 37 year old “Chart” was arrested after being searched at a checkpoint in Sanghklaburi district in Kanchanaburi province last night. Police say they were tipped off and went…
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CCSA Update: 39 new Covid-19 cases, Samut Sakhon lifts “factory quarantine”
After months of strict disease control measures to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, the epicentre of the recent wave of infections, Samut Sakhon, is lifting its so-called “bubble and seal” measures which quarantined migrant workers at factories where they worked. Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration deputy spokesperson Apisamai Srirangsan says the measures are being lifted today. 39 new Covid-19 cases were…
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Foreign students can take part in political gatherings as long as they follow the law
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau is clarifying that foreign students can, indeed, take part in political gatherings provided they follow the law. The news comes after The Asian Institute of Technology sent an email to its students saying it respected freedom of expression but was conveying a request from Thai immigration for foreign students not to join protests. The email also allegedly…
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Factories in Thailand required to have Green Industry certification by 2025
Factories in Thailand are ordered to “go green.” By 2025, all factories across the country need to have a Green Industry certification which means they are in line with standards set by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation to help developing countries move to more environmentally-friendly technologies and initiatives. All 71,130 industrial plants in Thailand will need to abide by…
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Thailand welcomes UN to inspect ethnic Karen village in Kaeng Krachan national park
Thailand’s government says it is welcoming the UN to inspect the ethnic Karen village in Kaeng Krachan national park, Phetchaburi, after ongoing allegations of human rights violations allegedly committed by Thai officials. The villagers were evacuated from their original village of Ban Bang Kloy or Jai Paendin in the national park after locals complained that the village’s location could potentially…
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1 dead, 1 injured, 2 businesses damaged in 6-vehicle collision in eastern Thailand
A collision involving 6 vehicles in the eastern province of Chon Buri has left 1 man dead, 1 woman injured, and damaged 2 businesses in the vicinity. The Pattaya News reports that the incident occurred in Si Racha, with traffic disrupted for several hours after the event. It’s understood the driver of a large trailer truck lost control of the…
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Jealous man stabs ex-girlfriend to death at dental office in Ratchaburi
A lover’s quarrel has ended with a man under arrest after allegedly using a 10 centimetre long knife to stab and kill his ex-girlfriend at a dental office in central Ratchaburi province. 38 year old Kaewmorakot Netniam was found dead on the 2nd floor of the Ban Sing Tantakam Dental Clinic, with multiple stab wounds, by police and a doctor…
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Officials meet in Phuket to discuss implementing “area quarantine” from April
A number of officials, including Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn will meet in Phuket today to discuss the implementation of area quarantine on the southern island, possibly as soon as next month. Thai PBS World reports that various hotel representatives and other tourism businesses are expected to attend the meeting. The idea of area quarantine has been proposed for a number…
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Anti-government activists moved to Bangkok’s Thon Buri prison
Officials say 3 protest leaders have been transferred from Bangkok Remand Prison to Thon Buri Prison, in the Bang Bon district of the capital, to avoid overcrowding. Panupong Jadnok (“Mike”), Piyarat Chongthep (“Toto’’) and Jatupat Boonpattararaksa (“Pai Dao Din’’) underwent processing and health checks in the reception area of Thon Buri prison before entering 14-day quarantine. The Bangkok Post reports…
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Thai tiger park faces permanent closure amid wildlife smuggling allegations
The threat of permanent closure hangs over a tiger park in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan, due to the alleged illegal smuggling of tiger cubs. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has brought charges against Mukda Tiger Park & Farm, also known as Mukda Suan Sua, and ordered the facility to close for 30 days. The DNP…
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Extra doses of Covid vaccine lined up for tourist provinces
Thailand’s Culture Ministry and the Tourism and Sports Ministry says provinces considered major tourist destinations could be given extra doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome says the government is being asked to agree to the proposal in order to boost residents’ confidence and help local economies. The chosen provinces included Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri (Pattaya), and…
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An exotic animal café in Bangkok – Foxes, racoons, kangaroos and more! | VIDEO
Here is an animal café in Bangkok that animal lovers, dogs and cats and a whole lot more, don’t want to miss. There are all the usual naughty and playful animals, our fluffy loyal domestic dog and cat companions, but there’s also raccoons, a Fennec fox, Arctic fox, meerkats, an Australian wallaby, squirrels, dogs, cats, and more. The Little Zoo…
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Thailand to reduce quarantine to 7 days, meeting to confirm next Monday | VIDEO
ASQ, changes for people arriving in Thailand. After 12 months of forcing foreign travellers into a 14 day mandatory stay in a hotel, at their expense, as part of the Alternative State Quarantine program… better know as the ASQ… the Thai government have slightly relented in a revised ASQ. The updated quarantine is a response to immense pressure from the…
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Koh Samui lights back up, underwater electricity cable repaired
Electricity is back on Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan after an underwater cable supplying electricity to the islands was damaged. Yesterday, blackouts swept over both islands in the Gulf of Thailand off the Surat Thani coast. Earlier reports say the cable was damaged by a Thai navy ship’s anchor, but now Provincial Electricity Authority district manager Jakkrit Meedet says…
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Officials mull over new guidelines for this year’s Songkran water festival
With Thailand’s massive water festival, Songkran, set to go on next month, officials are now mulling over potential guidelines to help reduce the risk of Covid-19. The culture minister says there is talk of setting up so-called “water play” areas that allow the water fights and splashes with a Covid-19 check-in at the entrance. Pattaya News says face shields, goggles…
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Vietjet CEO, dreams to transform the world
“Start-ups shouldn’t ‘save on’ dreams but rather dream big and realise them by simple acts each day at your business or organisation.” Meet the tour-de-force behind the establishment of VietJet, one of the region’s most successful aviation start ups. SPONSORED CONTENT Any first-timers meeting Vietnam’s only self-made female billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao will be taken aback by the opposites…
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Woman’s charred remains found near northern Thailand rubber plantation
The charred remains of a 19 year old woman was found near a rubber plantation in Phitsanulok, a province in northern Thailand. Police say the woman’s 18 year old boyfriend, a murder suspect, turned himself in. Jularat Kongkaew was reported missing on February 27. She had left her home the previous afternoon with her boyfriend, a Mathayom 6 student (equivalent…
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Travellers undergoing yacht quarantine to wear wristbands to track location and monitor health
Foreign tourists travelling to Thailand by yacht and undergoing the mandatory quarantine period onboard the vessel will be asked to wear a smart wristband to monitor their health and track their location. The Digital Economy Promotion Agency teamed up with Advanced Info Service, known as AIS, and Phuket tourism operators to launch the so-called “Digital Yacht Quarantine” programme. Apparently, tourist…
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Thailand government promotes cannabis as a cash crop at Buriram festival
Thailand’s government is pushing for cannabis use in all kinds of foods and products, as long as the plant’s psychoactive component, which causes the “high,” isn’t used. Over the weekend, people flocked to the Cannabis 360 festival held by the government in the Isaan province Buriram. Those at the festival could get a cone of hemp soft serve ice cream…
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Thailand to issue vaccine certificate to everyone who gets 2 doses of Covid jab
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says everyone who receives both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine will be issued with a vaccine certificate. The vaccine certificate will be similar to the vaccination books already in circulation for some time and used to prove inoculation against yellow fever. According to a Coconuts report, both the paper and online version of the certificate will…
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Drug use suspected as Chon Buri driver flips vehicle, damages 3 other cars
A 35 year old man is in police custody after flipping his car and damaging 3 other vehicles in a major accident in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that the driver, named as Chatchai Thaijiam, was arrested by police and is suspected of driving under the influence of illegal drugs. Emergency workers called to the…
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AstraZeneca rollout confirmed for Thursday, with PM first in line
First, there was the unexpected arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the same day Thailand took delivery of the Chinese one. Then there was the announcement that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha was too old for China’s Sinovac jab and would get the AstraZeneca one instead. And then there was the delay to the PM’s inoculation, blamed on paperwork that was missing…
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Economic think-tank says the future of tourism in Thailand hangs on vaccination
The research division of Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank says everything hangs on vaccination strategies, both here and abroad. Kevalin Wangpichayasuk from the Kasikorn Research Centre says the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines globally will have a significant impact on the recovery of tourism in the Kingdom, with 2 million foreign tourists expected to arrive in the last quarter of the year. However,…
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