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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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CentralWorld in Bangkok to host a five day New Year’s countdown party
For those who missed one of the biggest countdown events in Bangkok due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CentralWorld is back with a five-day countdown to 2022. The event, dubbed “centralwOrld BangkOk cOuntdOwn 2022,” will take place at Bangkok’s CentralWorld department store from December 25 to 31 from 8pm to 12:15am daily, according to Central Pattana Public Co. Executive vice-president of…
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US Secretary of State Blinken cancels Thai visit, meeting with PM due to Covid concerns
The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken cancelled the Thai leg of his Southeast Asia tour and his meeting with PM Prayut chan-o-cha after a journalist with the travelling press corps tested positive for Covid-19. Blinken had arrived at his second destination in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, on Tuesday for a two-day visit after he left Indonesia. The US embassy issued…
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Political activist and hunger striker Chalard Worachat dies of heart attack
The prominent political activist Chalard Worachat has died of a heart attack at his home in Bangkok, according to a Thai PBS World report. The 78 year old rose to prominence as a serial hunger striker, frequently forgoing food to protest political developments. Once the Democrat MP for Trat province in 1979, and then for Bangkok in 1986, he left…
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Man arrested for allegedly stealing 50,000 baht in railway property
A 51 year old man in northern Thailand’s Phrae province was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly stealing rail track screws and plates valued at around 50,000 baht. The man was detained by the Railway Police Division in Den Chai district and was charged with theft of official property. Railway authorities had been curious if someone was constantly stealing the screws…
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Cambodia to appoint foreign minister as next ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar
Following Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN for the year 2022, the country’s foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, will be appointed as the bloc’s new special envoy to Myanmar, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the press during a speech at the inauguration of a luxury hotel in Phnom Penh today. Sokhonn will succeed Brunei’s Second Foreign Minister, Erywan Yusof, as the current ASEAN…
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Activists in Vietnam land dispute jailed for criticising government on social media
Two Vietnamese activists have been jailed for social media content about a violent clash with the authorities that resulted in the deaths of 4 people. According to an AFP report, violence broke out as activist villagers were protesting plans to build a military airport on their land. Officials were trying to erect a fence at Dong Tam commune on the…
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Tourism cities welcome easing of Covid measures ahead of New Year celebrations
Officials in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Pattaya have all welcomed the CCSA’s decision to ease some Covid-19 restrictions to allow for New Year’s Eve celebrations. Alcohol can now be sold until 1am on New Year’s Eve, with the exception of Phuket, where alcohol sales can continue from 11pm to 6am on December 31. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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Thailand launches new tourism portal to make visiting the Land of Smiles easier
The Tourism Ministry has launched a new online portal it hopes will make visiting Thailand easier for the 8 – 15 million tourists currently expected next year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the website, called Entry Thailand, has been allocated a budget of 49.6 million baht for its first phase. The portal lists the information and documents travellers need…
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India: What is left of matrilineal societies in Kerala?
Aparna Gopinathan considers herself privileged because her daughters will carry forward her family name. In a country infamous for its preference for sons, Gopinathan comes from a family that follows a system of matriliny, which is now unusual in her southern state of Kerala. The system of matriliny in Kerala was most commonly seen among Nair people, a regional group…
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Peshawar school massacre parents: ‘We kept his pen’
For Shahana Ajoon, every December brings grief, anger and agony for her family which is still struggling to come to terms with the deadly terror attack on a school in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, seven years ago. Ajoon’s torture is mirrored among the parents of the 132 school children who were killed in the massacre on December 16,…
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Pattaya restaurant raided a fifth time for Covid-19 violations
Seemingly unfazed by an apparent complete lack of any punishment the first 4 times, a Pattaya restaurant has been raided a fifth time for violating Covid-19 restrictions. The restaurant, Sky Mountain, has been busted 4 times previously for operating as a bar, selling alcohol and opening without proper permitting, but has faced little repercussions for their disregard for the regulations…
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Artisanal bakeries in Niger fight for survival
Artisanal bakeries in Zinder, Niger, are threatened by industrial bakeries. This artisanal bakery has resisted the competition. Wheat flour and other products, such as oil, sugar and firewood, are becoming more and more expensive. Despite the difficult situation, the bakeries manage to retain their customers. Their street vendors sell the bread at crossroads, the bus station and markets. Modern bakeries…
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World in Progress: Kenya’s mysterious rising lakes
Antje Diekhans went to explore how people and wildlife are coping with the dangers of rising water levels. Her feature is narrated by Evelyn McClafferty. SOURCE: DW News
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Omicron variant: 9 cases confirmed, 5 more suspected in Thailand
Omicron is slowly creeping into Thailand. Officials have announced that there have now been 9 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 diagnosed within the borders of Thailand. Those nine cases have been fully genome sequenced and confirmed that they are definitely the new and highly infections variant. Omicron is believed to be more contagious but less severe than…
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Business and government leaders meet to reopen Pattaya bars
A high-level meeting is the latest in the non-stop attempts by businesses in Pattaya to reopen bars and entertainment venues, with business leaders and government officials meeting at Pattaya City Hall yesterday to discuss the issue. The conference was run by the president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, the Bang Lamung District Chief, the mayor of Pattaya, and…
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Cambodia, Phillippines report first cases of Omicron Covid-19 variant
Omicron appears to be quickly making its way into Southeast Asia, as the Philippines and Cambodia both reported the first cases of the new variant on the same day. The Philippine Department of Health said today that it has detected the country’s first two imported cases of the Omicron virus strain following the 48 samples sequenced yesterday. Those two patients…
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Sakharov Prize: European Parliament to honor Alexei Navalny
Speaking to DW ahead of the ceremony Navalny’s chief of staff Leonid Volkov said, “the Sakharov prize is a very important recognition of our anti-corruption activities as a whole and the achievement of the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Alexei Navalny 10 years ago.” “He’s not a lonely man in an ocean of silence, he is a man who managed to…
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Phuket taxi charged with death of Swiss tourist in motorbike crash
An accident in Phuket has left a Swiss tourist dead and a local taxi driver in custody being charged with his death. The crash took place Monday when taxi driver reportedly lost control of his vehicle and ploughed into the Swiss man who was driving by on his motorbike. The accident took place near Nai Harn in Rawai sub-district. Witnesses…
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Two women arrested for allegedly running unauthorized Covid-19 laboratory
Two women were arrested for allegedly issuing unauthorised Covid-19 certifications when police raided the D Lab Inter Group clinic in Muang district of Pathum Thani province on Monday. According to the head of the Consumer Protection Police Division, Pol Maj Gen Anant Nanasombat, two women who identified themselves as Wasita and Pornnapa were reportedly charging 500 baht for each Covid-19…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,370 new cases; provincial totals
29 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,260 with 21,166 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 3,370 new Covid-19 cases and 4,557 recoveries. There are now 46,315 people in Thailand being…
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Bangkok man calls for rescue after locking penis in padlock
In a story that we can’t believe has happened twice this year, a man has gotten his penis stuck in a padlock and required emergency medical rescue services. This time, the incident took place in the Phaya Thai district of Bangkok where Ruam Katanyu Foundation rescue workers were summoned to the scene. When they arrived at the street off of Rama…
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Ask the Girls (Part 2) – Questions you’ve always wanted answered
Should sex toys and porn be properly legalised in Thailand? Do Asian women like or prefer dating western men? Join Natty as she asks the girls questions you’ve always wanted answered. This is Part 2 of a new entertainment segment we like to call, Ask the Girls.
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Thais poke fun at TAT’s “fly the kite” event, the phrase has another meaning in Thailand
Thais are having a laugh over the headline for a kite festival promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in the Isaan province Buriram. In Thai, the phrase “flying a kite” can mean two different things… One is literally flying a kite, while the other means male masturbation. TAT Buriram is promoting the event with the headline “ชักว่าว เคาน์ดาวน์ ปีใหม่…
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Pfizer booster shots on offer in Rayong, 1,000 per day for 3 days
3,000 Pfizer vaccines are set to be administered as booster shots in Rayong from Wednesday to Friday, 1,000 each day at Memorial Hospital Sirindhorn Rayong. The vaccines will be given for free for qualifying people who meet the criteria laid out by the hospitals. The vaccines will be available for those who are already fully vaccinated with Sinovac, Sinopharm, Astrazeneca,…
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Japan donates used diesel trains, Thais criticise acquisition over transport costs
Japan has donated 17 second-hand diesel trains to Thailand which will be refurbished and ready to be in service in the Kingdom by 2023. The trains are the KiHa 183 series, which were constructed in the 1980s and late 1990s and were last used for UR Hokkaido limited express services. The State Railway of Thailand says the used trains can…
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Thailand set to host five alcohol-free New Year’s celebration events
The government has given the okay for booze at New Year countdown events, but for those who want to start 2022 sober, or just want to go to a more family-friendly celebration, the Thai government is hosting the alcohol-free “Amazing Thailand Countdown 2022” in five locations across Thailand. Locations include Royal Park Rajapruek in Chiang Mai, City Hall in Nakhon…
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Singapore Airlines launches vaccinated travel lane service to Bangkok
Singapore Airlines is joining Jetstar Asia in offering a vaccinated travel lane service between Singapore and Thailand, with 25 flights a week between Bangkok and the city-state. TTR Weekly reports that out of the 25, 14 will be VTL flights, meaning quarantine-free travel for vaccinated passengers arriving in Singapore The VTL flight numbers are SQ705 and SQ707, with the addition…
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Maya Bay re-opening to go ahead with strict conditions attached
The tourist hotspot of Maya Bay, in the southern province of Krabi, will re-open as scheduled on New Year’s Day. However, the re-opening comes with some strict conditions attached. There had been some doubt about whether the re-opening of the beauty spot would go ahead, but Thailand’s prominent marine ecologist, Dr. Thon Thamrongnawasawat from Kasetsart University, says it’s happening. According…
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Omicron surge warnings in Thailand & Going Green | GMT
In today’s episode Jay, natty and Forrest talk about warnings over omicron surge after new years in Thailand, Solar panels and a green future for Thailand, Phuket’s new road safety campaign ‘100% helmet’ and some light hearted stories regarding an all inclusive temple and lions on a plane!
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Health officials warn of potential Omicron surge after New Year holiday
The Department of Medical Services says Thailand could end up dealing with a surge of Omicron infections after the end-of-year celebrations. Department chief Somsak Akksilp says the public must continue to comply with disease prevention measures to keep the highly contagious variant at bay. He adds that mild symptoms can be treated while patients self-isolate at home. According to a…
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