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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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Singapore issues permanent ban for breaking curfew
Twenty four work pass holders had their work permits cancelled and are now permanently banned from working in Singapore for breaking Covid 19 “circuit breaker” rules. The foreign workers were caught eating, drinking and socialising in groups near Tuas View Square in Singapore’s western region. The Ministry of Manpower stepped up inspections of dormitories to ensure safe distancing measures are…
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Thailand Covid-19 cases rise to 34 (Tuesday), 1 more death
Thai health officials today confirmed 34 new Covid-19 cases from around the country, bringing the total to 2,613 since the beginning of the outbreak. There was one additional death, a Bangkok bus driver, raising the country’s death toll to 41. Today’s number is higher than the 28 recorded yesterday, and comes after five straight days of declines since the 111 recorded…
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Up to 100,000 Thais at risk from alcohol-related ‘withdrawals’ during national ban
Yesterday experts announced that up to 100,000 Thais who have become seriously dependent on alcohol are at risk during the nationwide booze ban. The ban on alcohol sales was imposed in order to minimise large gatherings and also to curb coronavirus related infection risks, especially during the traditional Songkran celebrations. According to the director of Centre for Alcohol Studies at…
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Drunken man incinerates ATM after running out of alcohol
Last night around 10pm a drunk man, apparently desperate to get more alcohol, became angry and aggressive, whereupon he decided to incinerate an ATM machine hoping that it was going to explode and rain cash, or alcohol, in Rayong, south east of Bangkok. General Montree Yimyam along with officials from the Rotong Police Station, arrested the man, later revealed as…
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Up to 10 million Thais out of work in next three months – CCSA
As many as 10 million Thais could be out of work in the next few months if the current Covid-19 epidemic drags on. Supant Mongkolsuthee, the president of the Federation of Thai IndustriesGovernment, says the Thai government needs to provide timely support for businesses. As head of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s working committee, tasked with overseeing small and…
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Bodies of two teen girls found in Kwae Noy river, Kanchanaburi
The bodies of two teen girls who went missing in the Kwae Noy river last Friday in the western province of Kanchanaburi, were discovered yesterday morning. Friday, three teenage students from Ban Kao Withaya School in Kanchanaburi went for a swim in the Kwae Noy river. The girls were quickly overpowered by the strong current and washed downriver. An onlooker…
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Thailand News Today – Monday, April 13
New virus cases nationwide fall to 28 Health officials confirmed 28 new cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus in the country today as the trend continues down. Today’s total brings the reported country total to 2,579 since the outbreak began in January. There were also 2 additional deaths announced today, bringing the national tally to 40. Today’s new infections are fewer…
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Chon Buri police raid late night ‘ladyboy’ cam show, arrest dozens – VIDEO
The show must go on! But not at the moment. Police in Chon Buri province southeast of Bangkok, acting on a tip, arrested dozens of people in a raid on an underground “cam show” at a Pattaya area luxury home at about 12:30 am yesterday. The raid was led by local police units along with a transnational crime unit and…
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Education minister does U-turn on ‘tablets for students’ plan
The government has done a swift U-turn on last week’s plans to purchase tablets (iPads and the like, not medicines) for Thailand’s students for home learning during the Covid-19 crisis. The Thai Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan says his ministry will now focus on maximising existing resources and “not invest money buying new equipment unnecessarily”. “We will ask for digital TV…
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Chiang Mai hiking spots go up in flames
Wildfires in Thailand’s north have made plenty of news in recent months, and now, Chiang Mai’s Doi Mon Jong mountain, one of northern Thailand’s most popular hiking spots has become the latest victim. Doi Mon Jong, in the province’s Om Koi District, is considered a legendary “unseen” destination for its breathtaking views, beauty and nature. Nearly 20 rai (3.2 hectares)…
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Still here, there and everywhere. The Beatles bringing joy 50 years after break-up.
BTS, Bangtan, RM, Jimin, V, Jin, Suga, J-Hope and Jungkook The Beatles may have broken up 50 years ago, on April 10, 1970. But the music is still bringing happiness around the world, to the generation that were around when the Fab Four were at the pinnacle of their career, and to a new generations who are just making the…
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PM urges Thailand to observe Songkran at home on April 13
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on all citizens and residents to refrain from celebrating Songkran, cancel their trips home and avoid all gatherings during the 3 day festival, which kicks off on Monday. The government announced last month that the Songkran holidays would be postponed to later, unspecified dates, in line with efforts to curb the spread of the Covid-19…
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Chon Buri struggles with severe drought
As Thailand faces its worst drought in 40 years, officials in Chon Buri met yesterday to discuss a solution regarding lack of water and low water pressure in the province’s Sattahip district, south of Pattaya, also the home to a naval base. Responding to many recent complaints, Sathira Pueakprapan, a member of the council in Chonburi, told reporters that Sattahip…
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Soi Dog Foundation distributes over 11 tonnes of food to stray animal feeders across Phuket
In preparation for the island-wide ‘lockdown’ and travel restrictions from April 13-26, the Soi Dog Foundation has distributed over 11 tonnes of dog and cat food to stray animal feeders across Phuket. A fleet of animal rescue vehicles delivered 470 large bags of dog food and 140 large bags of cat food to popular feeding hotspots, such as temples, as well…
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Thailand News Today – Friday, April 10
50 new coronavirus cases nationwide (Friday), 1 death 50 new Covid-19 coronavirus cases were confirmed around Thailand, a slight drop from yesterday’s 54. There was also one new death. The total number of infections since the outbreak began now stands at 2,473. 33 patients have died. The cases span 68 of Thailand’s 76 provinces. 1,013 people have completely recovered and…
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Village elder stomped and gored to death by wild elephant
A village elder in the central Thailand Tha Takiab district was stomped and gored to death by a wild elephant while collecting mangoes last night. Relatives told police that 53 year old Chalermphol Sukthawee, the elder of Moo 10 in Tha Takiab, was last seen leaving his home around 3pm yesterday. When he didn’t return home his family formed a search…
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Thailand News Today – Thursday, April 9
Chamber predicts 7 million Thai people to be jobless by June 7 million Thais could be on the unemployment queue by June in dire predictions from an industry chamber. The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking have predicted that 7 million people will be jobless by June. The report says… “Low wage workers will be affected the most…
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North still choked with dangerous smog
Chiang Mai takes the number one spot for air pollution yet again today, as a thick shroud of smog blankets huge areas of the province. Thailand’s Pollution Control Department reported today that dangerously thick smog covered the upper northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son. A red alert signifying severe air pollution was posted for the…
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Stranded Burmese permitted to return home
Stranded Burmese people at Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai Tachileik border crossing in Northern Thailand have been allowed to return home to Myanmar. The Burmese people, stuck in Thailand since borders were closed as a prevention in the spread of Covid-19, have been held in quarantine at Phra That Doi Wao temple in Mae Sai. Myanmar officials allowed them to cross…
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Burmese pair arrested at border for smuggling 16.5 million baht
Police in the Tak province, northern Thailand, yesterday arrested two Burmese nationals for trying to smuggle 16.5 million baht in cash into Thailand. Authorities say the two, identified as 29 year old Ded Paioou, and a 24 year old woman called “Namitu” were arrested in tambon Tha Sai Luad, following a tip-off. Officers say the pair were driving a pickup…
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Thailand News Today – Wednesday, April 8
111 new Thai coronavirus cases. 3 more deaths, all foreigners 111 new confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus have been announced today. Of the 111 cases announced today, 69 got the virus from contact other infected people, while 42 were those returning from a religious festival in Indonesia. Phuket is the province with the highest percentage of active Covid-19 cases,…
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Village headman fires 8 bullets into an officer at a check point in northern Thailand
A ‘Phu Yai Barn’ or village headman in Phayao province, just south of Chiang Rai, got into a row with other local officials last night, allegedly ending in a shootout, seriously injuring a local official at a checkpoint. Last night at 8pm local police were informed of the shooting incident at Ban Na Nun Community Checkpoint Village No 2. They…
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Facebook page advocates violence against ‘shit tourists’ in Phuket
Following up from yesterday’s report there has been no action taken to remove a Facebook page advocating violence against “shit tourists” stranded in Phuket. ‘Spotlight Thailand’, usually a ‘whistleblower’ for local corruption and fuelled by the admin’s political views, has nearly 600,000 followers. Now this week’s posts are going viral, spreading a disturbing message from local Phuket ‘vigilantes’, commenting about…
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Not recommended: Smoking marijuana at a police checkpoint
Most of us approach a police checkpoint with a bit of anxiety and apprehension but sometimes the “sabai sabai” approach makes for a more interesting interaction when you roll down your window. Last night in Chaiyaphum province, central Thailand, a tattoo-adorned man was stopped at a checkpoint in Kaeng Khro district around 9pm. His behaviour led police to believe he…
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Police hunt Burmese man accused of killing Chon Buri boy
Police in Chon Buri have launched a manhunt for a Burmese worker who is a suspect in the murder of an 11 year old boy. The boy’s body was found in a cassava farm in the province’s Sri Racha district on Sunday. Police believe the 49 year old Burmese national known only as “Wan,” may still be hiding in Chon…
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The post-Covid-19 era: Radical changes in Bangkok’s property market
Property consultants CBRE have come up with their own evaluation of the current Bangkok office market, already getting pounded by regional trends and a high baht, now suffering another challenge – the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. They report that this situation will “create another split in our historical timeline – pre and post Covid-19” in Thailand. “At present, people are talking…
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Indonesian cases spike, 24 doctors have now died
The Indonesian archipelago has announced its highest daily increase in Covid-19 coronavirus cases. There has also been a concerning rise in the deaths of doctors and health workers at the frontline of the national fight against the disease. Statistics have doubled in the last week. The 218 new coronavirus cases took the number overall in Indonesia to 2,491. The 209 confirmed…
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Tiger in Bronx Zoo tests positive for Coronavirus
Nadia, a four year old female Malayan tiger, has tested positive for Covid-19 according to the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Bronx Zoo in the US. She, her sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions all developed a dry cough but are expected to recover. This positive Covid-19 test for the tiger was confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary…
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Trio arrested with 47 kilograms of marijuana they were selling on Facebook
Pattaya police have arrested 3 people on Saturday who were caught with 47 kilograms of marijuana that they’d been selling around Chonburi and Bangkok 20 year old Nakarachai or Pon-noon, 21 year old Muay Subboonto and 20 year old Nawee Cherndecha were arrested after police received a tip-off. The enterprising trio had also been brazenly selling their ‘consumables’ through a Facebook…
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PCT – we’re all going to be suffering from Post-Coronavirus Trauma
OPINION The sun will rise. All this utter disruption to our lives will come to an end at some time. But the hangover will linger a lot longer than the fairly sudden stop to just everything we were familiar with. Whilst economists will argue whether it’s a recession or depression, the world will go into a long re-awakening after the…
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