Thailand News
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Thai flights up 25%, experts suggest travel bubbles, cheaper Covid tests
Thailand’s reopening isn’t just a boost for Thai tourism businesses; it also provided a ray of hope in Asia for the battered airline industry as the first reopening in the region. The Executive Chairman of Thai AirAsia’s largest shareholder, Asia Aviation, says this sets the tone for flights, the tourism economy, and businesses in the country. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok,…
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Tourism in Thailand is slowly returning, still a long road ahead
Though the government’s expected flood of tourists entering Thailand since the reopening 2 weeks ago has been closer to a trickle, businesses are seeing a bit of an uptick in tourism. Still, they are calling on the government to loosen Covid-19 restrictions and asking for federal financial programs to be extended and expanded to help speed recovery. The president of…
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COVID-19 SUNDAY: 47 deaths, 7,079 new infections
Today, the CCSA reported 7,079 new Covid-19 infections, up 22 since yesterday, and 47 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,989,547 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 6,917 recoveries, down 476 from…
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Unlicensed construction may be cause of Koh Larn resort death
A simple and tragic case of a girl who was found dead in her resort bathroom on the popular holiday island of Koh Larn has taken a twist as officials say the property had no construction license. Though the first information released about her death last week implied a night of heavy drinking led to a fatal accident, poor building…
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Will Thailand’s nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?
OPINION On Friday morning we were talking up the speculation that Thailand’s bars would be permitted to reopen on December 1. It had been a strong rumour, verified with countless politicians and police. Surely, with all the open flouting of the current alcohol ban, the government had just given up and were ready to reopen the bars, officially. The daily…
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First 10 days: 30,000 arrivals; 147,000 Thailand Pass applicants
The Tourism Authority of Thailand totalled up some data for the first 10 days of Thailand’s reopening, with over 30,000 arrivals so far and nearly 150,000 applications submitted for the Thailand Pass to gain entry to the country. The TAT’s report states that the combined total of international travellers arriving at all of Thailand’s international airports – both Bangkok airports,…
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Thitisan ‘Joe Ferrari’ and his officers now facing death penalty
The 7 police officers including Pol Col Thitisan “Joe Ferrari” Utthanaphon, who were arrested after a video leaked of them suffocating a suspect to death during interrogation, will now face full charges as the Attorney-General has given the go-ahead to begin prosecution. The 7 will be tried for multiple charges including premeditated murder by means of torture, coercion, illegal detention,…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY: 55 deaths, 7,057 new infections
Today, the CCSA reported 7,057 new Covid-19 infections, down 248 since yesterday, and 55 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 4 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 1,982,458 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,393 recoveries, up 507 from…
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Friday Covid Update: 7,305 new cases; provincial totals
51 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,934 with 19,840 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 7,305 new Covid-19 cases and 7,900 recoveries. There are now 95,804 people in Thailand being treated for…
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Reopening of bars and nightclubs pushed to mid-January 2022
It’s going to be at least two months until you’ll be able to legally drink a beer at a bar in Thailand… The long-awaited reopening of bars and nightlife venues has been pushed to January 15, 2022. The CCSA held a general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today and decided to push back the reopening date for entertainment venues.…
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RT-PCR Covid-19 tests still required for international arrivals – CCSA
After talk of whether to replace the mandatory RT-PCR Covid-19 test for international arrivals with the rapid antigen test kit method, the CCSA decided to continue to use RT-PCR tests to screen travellers upon arrival in Thailand. The antigen test kits, or ATKs, will be used for travellers on days 6 and 7, or if they develop coronavirus symptoms, according…
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List of provinces by the CCSA’s colour-coded zoning, in effect Tuesday
In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to approved the following zoning, starting next Tuesday, November 16. The “dark red” zones have been reduced from seven provinces to six, with Chanthaburi reclassified as a “red” zone under less stringent disease control measures. A spokesperson says the nightly curfew in “dark red” zones from 11pm to…
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Shining Stars – brightening young minds since 2008
Sponsored Article Shining Stars Kamala is excited to open its doors for its thirteenth year in the community. Shining Stars Kamala is a small progressive preschool and kindergarten located in Phuket, Thailand. This school offers an English-intensive curriculum for local and international students situated between the lush jungle hills and the west coast beach of Phuket. This small school allows…
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Dogs to help Thailand’s prisoners prepare for reintegration into society
Dogs are going to some of Thailand’s prisons as part of a new therapy programme by the Department of Corrections to help psychologically prepare inmates for reintegration into society after release and to improve the mental health of inmates by reducing anxiety and depression. Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin also said some convicts will learn vocational skills that could potentially help…
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Businesses call on government to accelerate return of migrant workers
Businesses in Thailand are urging the government to speed up the process that will allow for the legal return of migrant workers from neighbouring countries. The Labour Ministry recently confirmed its intention to sign MoUs with Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos that would permit workers from those countries to enter Thailand from December. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Thailand’s…
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Thailand will give fourth vaccine for those who need it for travel
Apart from the growing evident reality of global inequality of access to vaccines, across Thailand there is still a gap where some people are struggling to get access to their first vaccine while others have had their third booster shot already. Now Thailand is beginning a round of fourth Covid-19 vaccine injections for those who require one, mainly for international…
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Government considers easing entry rules, antigen testing may replace PCR test
In anticipation of more international arrivals in the coming months, the Thai government is reviewing current entry requirements. According to a Bangkok Post report, officials may replace the PCR test with antigen test kits and rules could be relaxed for people unfortunate enough to have sat near an infected passenger during their flight. Any amendment of the current rules would…
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CCSA meeting tomorrow to revise colour zones and restrictions
Tomorrow the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will hold a general meeting to consider possible colour zone adjustments and additional disease control measures for the country. The CCSA meeting will be chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and will discuss all areas of pandemic management. According to the Government House, the 3 primary topics of tomorrows meetings will be continuing and…
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Covid-19 medications are a boon, but don’t replace vaccines
The good news of several new anti-viral pills that have shown to be effective in greatly reducing Covid-19 hospitalisations and deaths, coupled with statistically rare vaccine side effects or deaths that some people latch onto, may tempt many to skip getting vaccinated and rely solely on medication once they get infected. But a Thai expert on crisis communication with the…
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Thailand Pass problems? Support beefed up with 24-hour hotlines
The Thai government has been touting the success of the Thailand Pass programme while quietly acknowledging a cornucopia of shortcomings and problems users have encountered and publicly complained about. But, due to the high volume of complaints about problems in attempting to register on the Thailand Pass website, the Department of Consular Affairs has beefed up their helplines with a…
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Loy Krathong celebration by ICONSIAM to be “magical” and under SHA standards
The Tourism Authority of Thailand partners with ICONSIAM, Thai Chamber of Commerce and alliance to preserve the Thai traditional festival of Loy Krathong by organizing ICONSIAM A Magical Loy Krathong Upon The Chao Phraya River under a high level of hygienic and safety measures according to SHA The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with ICONSIAM and business alliances…
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Thursday Covid Update: 7,496 new cases; provincial totals
57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 19,883 with 19,789 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 7,496 new Covid-19 cases and 7,452 recoveries. There are now 96,450 people in Thailand being…
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Hackers seized Constitutional Court website after protester ruling
In response to the Constitutional Court making a controversial decision that pro-democracy demonstrations, and the speeches leaders gave at them, were considered an illegal attempt to overthrow the government and monarchy, computer hackers took over the Court’s website homepage and did some redecorating. The website was hacked and text was changed to display the phrase “kangaroo court” – a slang…
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Motorbike law breakers: report them and win up to 20,000 baht
In an effort to increase traffic safety, or perhaps the fines that come with it, police are enlisting a new weapon in enforcement: you. A new program would offer the chance to win prizes of up to 20,00 baht from the Thai National Police for citizens who record and report motorbike drivers breaking traffic laws. The new programme, announced by…
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Road safety campaign aimed at Thailand’s motorbike riders
Thailand’s road safety record is once again up for discussion, with the launch of yet another safety campaign. In this instance, officials are focusing on motorbikes, which account for the vast majority of road traffic accidents in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, around 80% of bike accidents result in deaths. From Monday, a new campaign in the…
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Government defends lèse majesté law against UN criticism
Following criticism from a number of United Nations member states, the Thai government has defended the country’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law, or section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai monarchy and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Reuters reports that yesterday, a number of UN member countries voiced…
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Thursday Covid Update: 7,496 new cases and 57 deaths
7,496 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the CCSA. In the 24-hour since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 7,452 recoveries. There are now 96,450 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has recorded 1,968,106 confirmed Covid-19…
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Court: activists’ speeches illegally advocated government overthrow
Today the Constitutional Court ruled that activists and the speeches of 3 activist leaders are advocating for the overthrow of the government and the monarchy. They ordered Arnon Nampa, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and all their followers to cease all action against the kingdom and state. According to the court, the demands in speeches by the 3…
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Thammasat University vs. Foreign Affairs Ministry: 1.5 million vaccines lost
It seems that the dust is still settling on the back and forth that pitted Thammasat University Hospital against the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a struggle to import 1.5 million free Moderna vaccines donated by Poland. Each side argues that it was the other’s failure that prevented the vaccine from being received in Thailand. The university had coordinated a…
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Palang Pracharath MP fights to keep seat on panel
An MP accused of committing a serious ethical violation said that she will fight to keep her committee seat, even if she’s asked to give it up. The lawyer for MP Pareena Kraikupt of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party told the Bangkok Post that if the National Anti-Corruption Commission tells Pareena to vacate her seat, she will seek an official ruling…
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