News
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Sponsored 5 best wine bars in Bangkok offering rich and quality wine
It’s wine o’clock! Whether you’re all about fruity reds, sweet whites, or funky naturals, Bangkok has many great spots to sip your favourite varieties. But with an array of options to choose from, and the constant rise and fall of...
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Philippines anti-child marriage law passed, age of consent law next
The landmark passage of a law banning child marriage in the Philippines enacted on Thursday hopes to turn the cultural tides on whether marriage, relationships, and sex with those under the age of 18 is a cultural practice or statutory rape. While the law is viewed as a huge win, the fight still continues to raise the age of consent…
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69 provinces moved to Covid-19 orange zone, no drinking
While the CCSA has stumbled over an exact decision regarding the closing of the Test & Go programme and what that means for people holding tickets after the currently proposed January 15th deadline, inside Thailand the party’s over as provinces have been rezoned with 69 of them being moved to the Orange Zone which forbids drinking among other Covid-19 curbs.…
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Thailand Test & Go registration suspended indefinitely, Sandboxes added
Registration for Thailand’s Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme will be closed indefinitely. Travellers, who are already approved to enter Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption program, may have to enter before January 15 (although the cut off date of January 15 was clearly announced at yesterday’s CCSA briefing there has been a random walking back of that…
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Bangkok and Pattaya left out of the Sandboxes
Goodbye Test & Go. Hello Sandboxes, but more Sandboxes. But all the Sandboxes are in Thailand’s south and Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, to name the obvious victims, have been left out in the cold the latest re-arrangement of Thailand Pass re-entry conditions. With the Sandbox programs, originally launched in Phuket on July 1, travellers can enter Thailand, stay and…
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6 more Covid-19 infected tourist on the run from Koh Chang
Apparently the 2,000 baht fine for the first tourist to ditch out of his hotel while waiting for RT-PCR test results was not as big a deterrent as Thai authorities thought as there now been a number of copycat runners that authorities have had to hunt down. Just 2 days ago, officials were able to track down 2 Indian tourists…
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Khao Yai hotel threatens 3 million baht lawsuit over negative review
It wouldn’t be the first time, but a Thai hotel is threatening to sue a customer over a negative review they left after their stay. The hotel, located in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima around the popular tourist destination of Khao Yai National Park, is threatening a 3 million baht lawsuit over a review where the past guest rated…
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Phuket to get 60,000 Moderna vaccines for 4th boosters
Phuket is lined up to get some of the millions of Moderna vaccines arriving in Thailand now with plans to begin administering fourth vaccines – second booster shots – beginning later this month. The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation has allocated budget money to procure 60,000 Moderna vaccines for residents of the province. Phuket has been among the most successful regions…
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Friday Covid Update: 7,526 new cases; provincial totals
19 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,799 with 21,705 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 7,526 new Covid-19 cases and 2,895 recoveries. There are now 42,580 people in Thailand being…
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Malaysia in talks with Brunei to open Vaccinated Travel Lane
Malaysia’s envoy to Brunei said both countries are willing to reopen borders by establishing a Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) system which allows travellers with minimum restrictions on quarantine or none at all. Although nothing is set in stone and discussions between the two Southeast Asian countries is ongoing. The High Commissioner, Dato’ Raja Reza Raja Zaib Shah, on Wednesday told…
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Security guard wanted in Bangkok condo rape case arrested in Sa Kaeo
The Bangkok security guard wanted by police for allegedly raping a Bang Khae condominum resident three days ago surrendered to police in the eastern Sa Kaeo, bordering Cambodia. The head of security at the Bangkok condominium, 40 year old Montri Yaikrathog, allegedly went into a tenant’s room, handcuffed her, and sexually assaulted her. The 36 year old woman told police…
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Hundreds barred daily on Phuket bridge lacking Covid-19 docs
Police are warning people that if you’re going to drive into Phuket, you better have a negative Covid-19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival or proof you are fully vaccinated or you will be turned away. The officers guarding the land entrance onto Phuket Island said they are turning away as many as 500 drivers per day who…
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Laos reports first case of Omicron strain, traveller from overseas
Laos reported its first Omicron case yesterday involving a woman who travelled from overseas. The woman’s family member, who was travelling with her, also tested positive for Covid-19, but the Omicron strain was not detected, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control. Both travellers are fully vaccinated. Before landing in the capital of Laos, Vientiane the…
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Bars and nightclubs can reopen on January 16… but as restaurants
After being closed for nine months, bars, karaoke venues, and nightclubs will be able to open temporarily as “restaurants” starting on January 16. And most won’t be allowed to serve booze (legally). As a New Year’s gift, the Thai government gave restaurants and approved venues across the country a free pass to serve booze the night of December 31 until 1am…
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69 provinces now “orange” zones with ban on alcohol sales at restaurants
Restrictions are tightening in a number of Thai provinces. Thailand’s Covid-19 task force revised its colour-coded zoning based on local infection rates and decided to classify 69 of Thailand’s 77 provinces as “orange” zones under tight control to curb the spread of Covid-19. The new zoning goes into effect on Sunday. The other provinces will remain classified as “blue” zone provinces,…
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Travel ban and restrictions lifted for those travelling from African countries
Thailand is lifting its travel ban on the eight African countries that were considered to be at high risk of the Omicron variant when the mutated strain was first detected. Restrictions for those travelling from other African countries will also be lifted. The revised measures go into effect on January 11. The countries being removed from Thailand’s ban list include…
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Surat Thani islands, Krabi, Phang Nga approved for Sandbox scheme starting January 11
With the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme suspended indefinitely, more areas have been approved to welcome travellers under the Sandbox programme, which allows those who are fully vaccinated to enter and stay in a designated area or province rather than undergoing quarantine at a hotel or facility. Starting January 11, travellers can register to enter Thailand through the Sandbox…
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BREAKING: Test & Go registration closed indefinitely
Registration for Thailand’s Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme will be closed indefinitely. And travellers, who are already approved to enter Thailand under the Test & Go quarantine exemption program, have until January 15 to arrive (although the cut off date of January 15 was clearly announced at yesterday’s CCSA briefing there has been a random walking back of that…
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72 year old foreign man fell to death from Pattaya condo
Another in the disproportionate list of people falling out of buildings in Pattaya occurred last night, as a 72 year old foreign man fell to his death out of a condo window in Central Pattaya. The man who is believed to be an expat was found dead on the street below the property. The details of both the condo name…
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Thai baht falling over Omicron fears and strong US dollar
As the Covid-19 pandemic drags on, it’s not just our patience and our resolve that is weakening. The Thai baht is falling too, weakening against a stronger US dollar and global fears over the impact of the Omicron variant rapidly spreading throughout the world. Today the conversion rate stands at 33.59 baht to the US dollar just off of its…
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Two foreign travellers wanted by Phuket authorities, Covid-positive and left hotel quarantine
Two French travellers are wanted by Phuket authorities leaving their hotel quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19. Thai media used a word meaning “escape” and posted mugshots of the man and woman like suspects on a wanted criminal poster. Authorities have asked those who have seen the travellers, who are both around 35 years old, to contact the Patong Police…
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Judge fined, driving licence suspended after Chiang Mai drink-driving crash
A court in Chiang Mai has fined a senior judge 14,500 baht and suspended his driving licence for 6 months after he caused a collision while drink-driving. Video footage posted on social media on December 31 shows a car driving into a rescue operation car at an intersection in the Muang district of Chiang Mai. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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Tourism officials warn that 7 billion baht could be lost due to suspension of Test & Go
Tourism officials warn that at least 7 billion baht of revenue will be lost in Thailand’s tourism sector this month if the suspension of the “Test & Go” scheme continues. The president of the Tourism Council of Thailand says that putting a hold on the scheme will not only have an effect on tourism in the short term, but it…
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Duterte orders the arrest of unvaccinated people who violate stay-at-home rule
Amid a surge in Covid-19 infections in the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte is coming down hard on the unvaccinated. The government recently tightened restrictions in Manila and several provinces, including banning unvaccinated people from leaving home unless for exercise or to purchase essentials. According to an AFP report, Duterte has gone as far as to sanction the arrest of anyone…
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France detects new Covid variant “IHU,” believed to be highly transmissible
While the world is grappling with new spikes in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant, scientists in France have discovered another variant. The newly-discovered variant, called B.1.640.2, was found in 12 patients near Marseille and features 46 mutations, making it vaccine-resistant and contagious. Also known as “IHU,” the strain was detected by scholars at the IHU Mediterranee Infection on…
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US CDC’s travel advisory changed to “level 4” after Covid situation considered “unknown”
The US’s CDC may have stirred another controversy, at least for Singapore, following its declaration of the Southeast Asian country as an “unknown” threat level, advising Americans not to travel to the country. The travel advisory is now at a level 4: Do not travel. But the “unknown” parked concern and reports say Singapore was in talks with the US…
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Phuket governor vows to iron out issues with sandbox requirements
The governor of Phuket has pledged to sort out a number of issues with the island’s sandbox scheme as infection rates continue to rise. According to a Bangkok Post report, Narong Woosiew says the matters identified will lead to improvements, adding that he will soon introduce “Phuket Sandbox Version 2“. “Currently, the local economy is doing well due to the…
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Restaurant alcohol sales, tightening quarantine on CCSA agenda today
It’s an all-too familiar scenario at this stage, and one that will have restaurateurs and others in the hospitality and tourism sectors putting their heads in their hands. While we must emphasise that nothing is confirmed yet, the CCSA meets today to consider a number of tough curbs proposed by the Public Health Ministry. Based on Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s…
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Thai vaccines recieve a 40 million baht donation from SET
To help develop domestic Covid-19 vaccines, the Stock Exchange of Thailand has donated 40 million baht to the Thai medical teams working on the vaccines. 2 vaccines are currently being developed at Chulalongkorn University, in separate departments and different partnerships. The president of the SET said that it is imperative that new and improved vaccines are developed and Thai people…
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6.2 billion baht earmarked by Exim Bank for bailout for airlines
Local airlines are getting a cash injection as the Export-Import Bank of Thailand has given over 6.2 billion baht to keep them afloat and planes in the sky. The financial assistance is aimed to increase liquidity and restructure airline debt to stay solvent through the long-lasting Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Exim Bank president. The bank is starting out by…
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Two children killed, 24,000 displaced in Indonesia’s Sumatra island flood
Flooding and landslides are common in Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia during the months-long rainy season, as all of them have suffered from natural disasters over the past few weeks. Environmentalists in Indonesia blame the government’s deforestation to grow oil plantations on Sumatra island for the floods that killed at least two children and displaced…
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