Thailand News

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  • List of disease restrictions by colour-coded zoning

    List of disease restrictions by colour-coded zoning

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration decided to extend the colour-coded zoning and corresponding disease control restrictions as well as to lift some measures for provinces classified as “dark red” zones with high Covid-19 infection rates, including shortening the nightly curfew by an hour. The revisions go into effect on Friday. The zoning and restrictions will be in place until…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 9,489 new cases; provincial totals

    Tuesday Covid Update: 9,489 new cases; provincial totals

    129 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 16,498 with 16,404 of those fatalities recorded in the country’s latest wave since April 1.  9,489 new Covid-19 cases were recorded today, the first time cases have been under 10,000 over the past several weeks. Since the start of…

  • Nearly 200 police have been found guilty of misconduct this year

    Nearly 200 police have been found guilty of misconduct this year

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is demanding immediate and severe action be taken against police officers who are found guilty of misconduct. Since January, 176 Royal Thai Police officers have been found guilty of misconduct. The prime minister met with the Royal Thai Police Bureau yesterday to discuss the most recent cases of police misconduct. The Royal Thai Police says that since…

  • 6 dead and 30 provinces affected by tropical storm ‘Dianmu’

    6 dead and 30 provinces affected by tropical storm ‘Dianmu’

    The tropical storm Dianmu, which passed through northern Thaiand last week, has resulted in flooding across 30 provinces and has claimed 6 lives since September 23. The report says Dianmu has resulted in reported flooding in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Tak, Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Loei, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Yasothon, Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram, Surin, Si Sa Ket,…

  • Kanchanaburi experiences earthquake so minor hardly anyone notices it

    Kanchanaburi experiences earthquake so minor hardly anyone notices it

    A minor earthquake of magnitude 3.2 was recorded by seismologists in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province early this morning. No damage or injuries were recorded and the Bangkok Post says no one even felt the temblor. The Meteorological Department says the temblor happened just before 5am and was centred 6 kilometres underground, somewhere under the Sri Sawat district, and 50 kilometres…

  • Thailand’s reopening divided into 4 phases

    Thailand’s reopening divided into 4 phases

    Thailand is looking toward the future as the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced yesterday its plan to gradually reopen the country. The CCSA’s plan consists of 4 phases that take into consideration tourism revenue, geography, and Covid preventive measures. Pilot phase: October 1 to October 31. Phuket, Surat Thani, including Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao islands. Phang…

  • Thai PM hit with 50-million-baht lawsuit from angry restaurant operators

    Thai PM hit with 50-million-baht lawsuit from angry restaurant operators

    The Thai PM is being sued for 50 million baht by a restaurant group which is also representing 39 other restaurant operators. The Bangkok Post reports that the Never Ending Summer Co has filed a class-action suit against Prayut Chan-o-cha, seeking compensation for financial losses endured as a result of the government’s alleged mismanagement of Covid-19. The Civil Court issued…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 9,489 new cases and 129 deaths

    Tuesday Covid Update: 9,489 new cases and 129 deaths

    Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 9,489 new cases and 129 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, in Thailand’s latest wave of virus, the CCSA has recorded 1,552,552 confirmed covid-19 infections. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 12,805 recoveries. There are now 116,711  people in Thailand currently receiving treatment for Covid-19. Out of…

  • Government urged to clarify tourism marketing plan ahead of high season

    Government urged to clarify tourism marketing plan ahead of high season

    Following the government’s decision to re-open a further 10 provinces to international visitors from November, tourism operators are calling for a clear plan ahead of high season. Yesterday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration agreed a number of measures, including reducing curfew hours in the dark red provinces, allowing a number of businesses to re-open, and extending the emergency decree…

  • Police say new approach is needed to fight crime using a combination of technology and community participation

    Police say new approach is needed to fight crime using a combination of technology and community participation

    15 police stations across the country are participating in an innovative project that joins technology with an interpersonal approach to tackle crime. National police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk says police must reevaluate how they fight crime. He insists police must be knowledgeable and study modern policing. Suwat says educated police work more efficiently in what can be a fluid social environment.…

  • Monday Covid Update: 10,288 new cases; provincial totals

    Monday Covid Update: 10,288 new cases; provincial totals

    101 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 16,369. The country’s latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 16,275 of those fatalities. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 10,288 new Covid-19 cases and 12,494 recoveries. Thailand…

  • Thailand reduces quarantine to 7 days for fully vaccinated arrivals from October

    Thailand reduces quarantine to 7 days for fully vaccinated arrivals from October

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has approved a reduction in mandatory quarantine for vaccinated arrivals from Friday. Fully vaccinated travellers will now face quarantine of 7 days instead of 14. Unvaccinated arrivals, or those who cannot prove their vaccination status, will still be subject to a longer quarantine period of between 10 and 14 days. The CCSA also agreed…

  • Phuket Car rental business says gang rented cars and then sold them off

    Phuket Car rental business says gang rented cars and then sold them off

    The owners of a car rental business in Phuket are out 10 cars and vans after a gang said they wanted to rent the vehicles for business, including work with a large cannabis operation, but failed to return the vehicles. The owners say they are worried the vehicles have already been sold off in other provinces. One of the rental…

  • OnlyFans arrest sparks calls for reform of prostitution and pornography laws

    OnlyFans arrest sparks calls for reform of prostitution and pornography laws

    Following the arrest of an OnlyFans content creator on pornography charges, there have been renewed calls in Thailand for sex work to be legalised. A woman, known as Nong Khai Nao, who is a content creator for the subscription platform, and her boyfriend, were arrested for filming sexual acts and posting it on OnlyFans. The site allows people to pay…

  • DSI says land documents were illegally issued for the Phuket “Sri Panwa” resort

    DSI says land documents were illegally issued for the Phuket “Sri Panwa” resort

    The luxury resort in Phuket accused of land encroachment will now be investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Department of Land, and the Anti-Money Laundering Office. Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations looked into the “Sri Panwa” project in Phuket and said that the resort illegally acquired land rights documents. According to Nation Thailand, the DSI found that Sri Panwa…

  • CCSA to review curfew hours and allowing more businesses and venues to reopen

    CCSA to review curfew hours and allowing more businesses and venues to reopen

    The nighttime curfew might be reduced by an hour and 11 types of business and venues might be able to resume service as the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will review a proposal for such requests, today. If all goes well with the CCSA, the curfew would shrink back 1 hour to 10pm to 4am, compared to the now 9pm…

  • PM surveys damage from floods, says government needs better plan to handle floods in the future

    PM surveys damage from floods, says government needs better plan to handle floods in the future

    In light of recent heavy flooding that has swamped Thailand, including in Chaiyaphum where a hospital was forced to evacuate 40 patients, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has conceded that the government is at a loss on how to solve the country’s annual flood problems. The PM did say compensation for flood victims will be on the way shortly. Prayut’s comments come…

  • 300,000 more AstraZeneca vaccines donated from Japan arrived

    300,000 more AstraZeneca vaccines donated from Japan arrived

    In a well-timed shipment, 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines have arrived in Bangkok today, a donation from Japan. Today is the anniversary of a milestone for Thailand and Japan, as September 26 is the anniversary of the original establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Today marks the 134th anniversary of the relationship between Japan and Thailand, a perfect…

  • US calls meeting with Thai officials to resolve donated vaccines

    US calls meeting with Thai officials to resolve donated vaccines

    The saga continues for the additional 1 million Pfizer vaccines that the US donated to Thailand that has been lost in bureaucratic red tape. The United States has now said they will organize a meeting with Thai authorities to discuss the delivery of the donated vaccines. Previously, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul denied claims that he had dropped the…

  • Over 50 million vaccine doses administered in Thailand

    Over 50 million vaccine doses administered in Thailand

    Over 50 million Covid vaccines have been administered in Thailand after a record-setting 1.4 million doses were administered on Friday, which was set as a goal to commemorate Mahidol day. Of the doses administered on Friday, over half of them represent the first dose for the patients. The remaining doses were a booster shot, says government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. The…

  • Phuket relaxes checkpoint requirements to help tourists and health officials

    Phuket relaxes checkpoint requirements to help tourists and health officials

    Phuket is looking to bring in more domestic tourists and reduce the workload for healthcare officials who have to screen visitors, by reworking their health surveillance measures, says the provincial office. The measures are focused on the Chatchai checkpoint. Yesterday, Provincial governor Narong Woonciew announced that over 30,000 people have visited Phuket via the Sandbox programme that was launched 2…

  • Thailand welcomes its first AI influencer, “AI Ailynn”

    Thailand welcomes its first AI influencer, “AI Ailynn”

    Thailand is jumping into the influencer marketing game SkyNet style, with the introduction of AI Ailynn, a metaverse human designed by SIA Bangkok, which styles itself a “virtual influencer agency”. AI Ailynn, their first artificial intelligence influencer will chat with users, pose for pictures, and influence people to buy things. The company’s website describes AI Ailynn as a 21 year…

  • Umbrellas out, more monsoonal rain in the wake of ‘Dianmu’

    Umbrellas out, more monsoonal rain in the wake of ‘Dianmu’

    With tropical depression Dianmu now well into the Bay of Bengal and continuing to weaken, another low depression sits over Thailand’s lower north, continuing to drop rain in most parts of the country. The region is also coming to the end of the annual typhoon season which whips up west-moving storms from the Pacific and into the South China Sea…

  • Sunday Covid update: 125 deaths and 12,353 new cases

    Sunday Covid update: 125 deaths and 12,353 new cases

    Today, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 12,353 new Covid-19 cases and 125 coronavirus-related deaths. In Thailand’s latest wave of the virus, which was first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 1,532,775 confirmed Covid-19 infections. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA reported 14,305 recoveries. There are now 122,463 patients in…

  • Junk messages must now be blocked by Thai mobile carriers

    Junk messages must now be blocked by Thai mobile carriers

    An order made by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission this week declared that all mobile phone operators must now block junk messages and fraudulent SMS. The order is aimed at curbing unsolicited junk messages on people’s mobile phones and protecting them from scams or malicious advertisements. The new order went into effect on September 23 and applies to all…

  • Abusive Kanchanaburi temple rehab centre ordered to close.

    Abusive Kanchanaburi temple rehab centre ordered to close.

    Following explosive reports of abuse, extortion, and squalor in a drug rehab centre in a temple in Kanchanaburi, the Department of Medical Services ordered the temple be shut down immediately. The Moo 10 village headman in Dan Makhamtia district received an urgent notice Thursday night instructing an immediate closure of the Wat Tha Phu Rat Bamrung facility. The Narcotic Drugs…

  • Saturday Covid-19 Afternoon Update: full provincial totals

    Saturday Covid-19 Afternoon Update: full provincial totals

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration update today reported 11,975 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand along with 127 deaths, both lower than yesterday. Covid-19 data was relatively good over the last 24 hours as total patients in medical care (124,540), patients in ICUs (3,323), patients on ventilators (729), suspected infections by ATK test (2370), and infections in prisons (93) have…

  • Saturday Covid-19 Update: 11,975 infections, 127 deaths

    Saturday Covid-19 Update: 11,975 infections, 127 deaths

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 11,975 new Covid-19 infections in Thailand along with 127 deaths, both lower than yesterday. Covid-19 data was relatively good over the last 24 hours as total patients in medical care (124,540), patients in ICUs (3,323), patients on ventilators (729), suspected infections by ATK test (2370), and infections in prisons (93) have all fallen…

  • Contrary to Anutin, US says delivery of vaccines awaits Thailand

    Contrary to Anutin, US says delivery of vaccines awaits Thailand

    In a meeting with Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, founder of the new Thai Sang Thai Party, US Senator Tammy Duckworth stated that she is pushing for more vaccine donations from the US to Thailand, but that Thailand has yet to collect 1 million Pfizer vaccines waiting for them now. The conversation took place in Washington DC on Wednesday. Duckworth was born in Thailand and…

  • CCSA approves reopening delay, state of emergency extension

    CCSA approves reopening delay, state of emergency extension

    The state of emergency in Thailand has been extended and the reopening of the country postpone following approval by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA subcommittee met yesterday to approve the extension proposal and discuss reopening. Chairman of the subcommittee National Security Council Secretary-General Natthapon Nakpanich approved the proposal that keeps Thailand in a state of emergency and…