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    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...

  • Singapore lifts travel ban for 10 African countries

    Singapore lifts travel ban for 10 African countries

    Singapore eased restrictions for 10 African countries which were initially considered to be high risk for the Omicron variant and travellers from those nations, or who have been to those countries 14 days before travelling can now enter or transit through the Republic. Botswana, Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zimbabwe are now classified by the…

  • Some Tak locals say the deaths of 10 men are related to a ghost looking for a husband

    Some Tak locals say the deaths of 10 men are related to a ghost looking for a husband

    Locals reportedly believe that the deaths of 10 men in a community in the western province Tak, bordering Myanmar, were related… to a ghost of a widow. Some local men have even moved away for the time being until the “ghost” problem is solved. At one house, locals hung up a red shirt with a sign that read in Thai…

  • Camps set up in Tak for more than 5,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar

    Camps set up in Tak for more than 5,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar

    The governor of the Tak province, bordering Myanmar, set four temporary camps supporting victims who escaped the escalating violence between the Myanmar military and the armed wing of the Karen National Union. The camps are all located in Maesot Districts of Tak spreading to four sub-districts including Mae Tao, Mae Ku, Mahawan, and Phop Phra. Around 5,358 refugees who fled…

  • Christmas and New Year travel woes continue around the world

    Christmas and New Year travel woes continue around the world

    Worldwide, the travel misery lingers with Christmas in the rear view mirror but the new year holiday ahead. Another 1,300+ flights have been cancelled for Monday – Chinese and US destinations are the worst affected, according to FlightAware. The majority of the flights cancelled in China include 366 flights by China Eastern and another 127 from Air China. The most…

  • 17 year old drowns on Christmas while swimming at Southern Thailand beach

    17 year old drowns on Christmas while swimming at Southern Thailand beach

    On Christmas Day, a 17 year old drowned while swimming at a beach in southern Thailand. His body was found yesterday about 500 to 600 metres from shore. The teenager went to the Nai Pret beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Khanom district with two of his friends. The current was strong on Saturday and were around two to three metres…

  • Body of a foreign man found in Bangkok canal

    Body of a foreign man found in Bangkok canal

    A body of a foreign man, said to be around 50 years old, was found in canal in Bangkok’s Phra Khanong area yesterday. Earlier that day, at around 7am, a maid working nearby saw a man by the canal and said it looked like he was trying to catch fish using a black plastic bag. Her nephew later called her…

  • Thai medic says most Omicron cases mild or asymptomatic, expects jump in numbers

    Thai medic says most Omicron cases mild or asymptomatic, expects jump in numbers

    The head of the Department of Respiratory Disease and Tuberculosis at Siriraj Hospital says most of Thailand’s Omicron infections are mild or asymptomatic. However, Dr Nithipat Jearakul has warned of a surge in case numbers, according to a Nation Thailand report. To date, around 200 Omicron infections have been confirmed in the kingdom, but Nithipat says we will soon see…

  • UN urges authorities in Myanmar to investigate Christmas Eve massacre

    UN urges authorities in Myanmar to investigate Christmas Eve massacre

    A high-ranking United Nations official is urging authorities in Myanmar to investigate the massacre in Kayah State, where local sources report that the Myanmar military killed at least 35 civilians, including at least one child, on Christmas Eve. Two staff from the non-profit organisation Save the Children also went missing in the attack by the Myanmar military soldiers, according to…

  • China reports highest-daily rise in new Covid-19 infections since pandemic began

    China reports highest-daily rise in new Covid-19 infections since pandemic began

    An outbreak of Covid-19 infections in the south-western city of Xian has led to a 21-month high in China’s daily case numbers. According to a Reuters report, the city has become the country’s latest hotspot in the pandemic. Its 13 million residents are now entering day 5 of lockdown, with 155 new cases of community transmission. Xian reported 485 symptomatic…

  • Experts say Thailand still not prepared for another tsunami, public unaware of danger

    Experts say Thailand still not prepared for another tsunami, public unaware of danger

    17 years after the Boxing Day tsunami devastated Thailand’s south-west coast, the country remains unprepared for a repeat performance. That is the view of a number of public disaster experts, who warn that the general public is unaware of the risks posed by another tsunami. According to a Thai PBS World report, experts also say Thailand still doesn’t have an…

  • Health ministry to outline 3 best and worst-case scenarios as more infections reported

    Health ministry to outline 3 best and worst-case scenarios as more infections reported

    Following the discovery of more cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant, the Public Health Ministry says it will outline worst-case scenarios in a statement expected tomorrow. On Sunday, 2 probable Omicron infections were reported in Chiang Mai, with 1 infection in the north-eastern province of Loei and another in the southern province of Songkhla. The Bangkok Post reports that the…

  • South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid champion, dies aged 90

    South Africa’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, anti-apartheid champion, dies aged 90

    Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid icon who championed human rights in his native South Africa has died at the age of 90. Announcing his death, President Cyril Ramaphosa described Tutu as a patriot without equal, according to an AFP report. “Desmond Tutu was a patriot without equal; a leader of principle and pragmatism who gave meaning to the biblical insight…

  • Ministry of Tourism survey shows tourists enjoy Thailand in 2021

    Ministry of Tourism survey shows tourists enjoy Thailand in 2021

    Many expats might get complacent with all that Thailand has to offer, and be cynical about whether it’s worth the risk and complexity of coming to Thailand during the Covid-19 pandemic. But a survey conducted by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports revealed that foreign tourists have an overall positive view of travelling in Thailand. In fact, the average ratings…

  • Chiang Mai identifies 2 possible Omicron cases in tourists

    Chiang Mai identifies 2 possible Omicron cases in tourists

    Two foreigners who are visiting Chiang Mai have tested positive for Covid-19 and are believed to have the Omicron variant, marking the first detected in the province. Both travellers had come through Suvarnabhumi Airport as part of the Test & Go programme and both passed an RT-PCR test. One visitor was a 22 year old German traveller and the other…

  • OIC gives give New Year’s gift: 100,000 baht insurance for 10 baht

    OIC gives give New Year’s gift: 100,000 baht insurance for 10 baht

    Usually, it’s a disappointment to get a holiday gift that you never intend to use, but the government is offering a special gift you’ll hope to never have to use: insurance. The special one-month policy is being offered by the government as a New Year’s gift for an extremely discounted special price of 10 baht. The gift policy is being…

  • 64 Omicron infections in Kalasin yesterday, rapid spread predicted

    64 Omicron infections in Kalasin yesterday, rapid spread predicted

    A doctor at Siriraj Hospital believes half of all new Covid-19 infections in January could be the Omicron variant. In Kalasin province, 64 new Omicron infections were found on Christmas Day as a pub and restaurant has seen the rapid spread of the new strain of the virus. A married couple visited on December 12, unaware that they had the…

  • POLL: No good leader for PM, most support no political party

    POLL: No good leader for PM, most support no political party

    37% of people support no political party and believe there is no suitable leader for the role of prime minister, according to a new poll by the National Institute of Development Administration. The NIDA poll showed that current PM Prayut Chan-o-cha led the pack of potential candidates, but only 16% of people supported him as their choice for the next…

  • COVID-19 SUNDAY UPDATE: 22 deaths, 2,532 infections

    COVID-19 SUNDAY UPDATE: 22 deaths, 2,532 infections

    Today, the CCSA reported 2,532 new Covid-19 infections, down 234 since yesterday, and 22 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 8 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,181,097 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported.     In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 3,771 recoveries, up…

  • Risk of Covid-19 infection on flights increased due to Omicron

    Risk of Covid-19 infection on flights increased due to Omicron

    As tourism has been gaining traction until the Omicron variant threw a wrench into the works, the CCSA has warned that the chances of catching Covid-19 on flights have increased because of the more transmissible new variant. The warning has been repeated out to Thai people after a statement made by the International Air Transport Association, the global influential organization…

  • Thailand celebrates its 100 millionth vaccine, focuses on boosters

    Thailand celebrates its 100 millionth vaccine, focuses on boosters

    Health officials in Thailand celebrated the announcement that they have now administered its 100 millionth Covid-19 vaccine in the country. With the rise of the Omicron variant, more people are choosing to get the protection of a  vaccine, and officials are working to rapidly increase the number of third dose booster shots administered within Thailand as many brands have now…

  • Credit card payment coming next year for Bangkok transport

    Credit card payment coming next year for Bangkok transport

    One thing that expats often find different from home when they move to Thailand is how cash-based so much of the country is when so many Western countries use credit cards and digital payments almost exclusively. But soon people won’t get caught fumbling for change to catch a bus or train, as the Ministry of Transport announced that credit and…

  • Form must be completed before exiting plane in Phuket now

    Form must be completed before exiting plane in Phuket now

    In case the Thailand Pass and entry process wasn’t complicated enough with enough forms for you, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has added a public health form required for all international passengers to Phuket to fill out before being allowed to get off the plane. The new rule, a Notice to Pilots, was published in Thai only yesterday afternoon…

  • New Year’s events are not banned, Phetchabun to host 2

    New Year’s events are not banned, Phetchabun to host 2

    Authorities have cancelled state-sponsored New Year’s Eve parties – though the Tourism Authority of Thailand vowed to forge ahead with theirs – but a government spokesperson assures that the private sector is still allowed to host New Year’s countdown celebrations as long as Covid-19 safety regulations are strictly followed. Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang cancelled only 2 events that were state-sponsored…

  • Top 7 Christmas trees to check out in Bangkok

    Top 7 Christmas trees to check out in Bangkok

    Celebrating Christmas in Bangkok? Many shopping centres on lights and decorations reminding you that the best time of the year is here. Here are the most popular spots to get into the Christmas spirit in Bangkok. 1. CentralWorld CentralWorld’s holiday display is one of the biggest in Bangkok and will be up into the new year, ending around 5 January.…

  • Prayut promises aid to Burmese refugees amid border fighting

    Prayut promises aid to Burmese refugees amid border fighting

    After fighting flared between ethnic Karen rebels and the Burmese military and locals took refuge by fleeing across the border into the Mae Sot district of Tak, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has pledged to aid and care for every refugee. The humanitarian gesture was offered yesterday as the prime minister commanded local authorities to provide food rations and medical treatment to…

  • COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: 30 deaths, 2,766 infections

    COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: 30 deaths, 2,766 infections

    Today, the CCSA reported 2,766 new Covid-19 infections, up 95 since yesterday, and 30 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 3 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,178,565 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 3,805 recoveries, up 1,039 from…

  • Thai vaccination now accepted in the EU Digital Covid Certificate

    Thai vaccination now accepted in the EU Digital Covid Certificate

    In a move that will help expats and travellers who have weathered the Covid-19 pandemic in Thailand, the European Union is now accepting Covid-19 vaccination certificates and passports issued in Thailand as part of the EU Digital Covid Certificate. The announcement was made on a Twitter account belonging to the deputy chief of mission for the EU delegation to Thailand.…

  • Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists

    Koh Samui, Phangan and Tao see uptick in holiday tourists

    While tourism is still far below the levels of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic, it was showing an uptick before the Omicron variant drove government officials to cancel the Test & Go scheme that avoided any significant quarantine and which brought the vast majority of tourists since launching in November. But while tourism has been tepid, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan,…

  • 8 Christmas gifts to bring back with you after travelling Thailand

    8 Christmas gifts to bring back with you after travelling Thailand

    If you are spending Christmas in Thailand, you may be wondering what to gift to your friends and family, especially as Thailand is a Buddhist nation. Although Christmas festivities and decor are on the rise in the country, it can still be tricky to find a Christmas gift for someone from your travels. Here, we have a list of some…

  • Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    Pattaya tourist leaders call for local Sandbox as hotel bookings drop

    “The permit to arrive in Thailand is the least of the problems for many potential international tourists as airlines around the world have been cancelling services.” Whilst the southern island of Phuket appears to be a winner in the government’s recent, and selective, alterations to its Thailand Pass options, Thailand’s other main tourist hot spot outside Bangkok, Pattaya, has again…