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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...
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Phuket official says taxi fares have gone down since the pandemic
Following posts shared on social media on the notoriously high taxi fares amidst Phuket’s reopening under the “Sandbox” model, a provincial transport official is apparently saying the posts are old and the prices do not reflect the current rates. A local transport official says the prices have actually gone down. The Facebook post from a tourist planning a trip to…
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Police raid pornography shoot at Pattaya home, 5 people arrested
Police walked into the middle of a pornography shoot during a raid at home in Pattaya, Thai media reports. 5 people were arrested and allegedly told police that they got into the exotic film industry due to financial problems brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Officers say the suspects were wanted for filming sexually explicit content on a smartphone and…
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Northern Thai police seize assets, drugs valued at over 900 million baht
Northern Thai police have seized assets/drugs valued at $31.127 million US dollars (over 900 million baht) from a drug cartel that has been based out of the Golden Triangle. Secretary General of the Office of the Narcotics Board Wichai Chaimongkol, said yesterday that the cartel moved heroin from Northern Thailand into Malaysia by way of a production centre somewhere in…
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LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
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1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by US to go to senior citizens, pregnant women
The Thai government plans to administer 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60 and to pregnant women. Priority will be given to those in areas with high rates of infection. The doses have been donated to Thailand by the US government. According to a Nation Thailand report, a leaked memo shows that…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases and 57 deaths
5,420 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, 265,790 infections have been recorded by the CCSA since April 1. Out of the new cases confirmed today, 37 were found in correctional facilities. The current wave spread to Thailand’s overcrowded…
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Survey shows most hotels can only cover operation costs for less than 3 months
A survey by the Bank of Thailand shows that most hotels can only cover their operating costs for less than 3 months. 220 properties were surveyed between June 14 and 27. Of those, 17 are alternative state quarantine facilities, while 3 properties serve as “hospitels”. 68% of those surveyed say they only have enough liquidity to cover their operating costs…
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Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July
More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end…
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Donald Tusk returns to Poland’s political fray
Determined, confident, combative and goal-oriented — that’s how Donald Tusk presented himself at his comeback appearance in Warsaw on Saturday. A man who knows what he wants, which is to defeat the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which has been in power since 2015. The next parliamentary election will be held in just over…
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Bangladesh struggling to rein in COVID delta variant
Bangladesh has been witnessing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases over the past several days, prompting the government to deploy the military to the nation’s streets to ensure that people stay indoors and don’t violate lockdown restrictions. The surge in the South Asian country’s COVID infections is blamed largely on the highly infectious delta variant first detected in India. Hospitals…
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Journalists under threat: July’s 10 most urgent cases
Across the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert a toll on the way we live, it has also reshaped the way journalists work. Covering the pandemic and its aftermath has led to direct exposure to the virus, but just as concerningly, journalists have been exposed to the whims of authorities in some countries that use the contagion as…
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COVID: High medical expenses take toll on poor families in India
Anindita Gupta, a resident of the eastern city of Kolkata, said she had to sell some of her jewelry to pay for the treatment of her brother-in-law at a private hospital. Her brother-in-law, who had contracted COVID-19, needed the support of an ECMO, which is used to pump and oxygenate a patient’s blood outside the body. So, at the end…
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UPDATE: Rescuer killed, at least 60 injured in Samut Prakan factory explosion
UPDATE: A rescue foundation firefighter was killed and more than 60 people were in the fire at a chemical factory in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok. The Ming Dih Chemical Co factory exploded overnight, sending black toxic smoke into the air. Helicopters were deployed to the scene to spray flame retardant foam. By this evening, the fumes were headed toward Bangkok.…
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Indonesia bars unvaccinated foreign visitors as Delta variant spreads
Foreign nationals who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be barred from entering Indonesia as the Southeast Asian country works to contain the more transmissible Delta variant. The order goes into effect tomorrow. The government made an announcement yesterday saying that along with being vaccinated, foreign travellers must test negative for Covid-19 and undergo an 8-day quarantine upon arrival.…
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Power outages coming to Kathu, again
Power outages are coming to Kathu, Phuket again. The power will be out in parts of Kathu from 9 am to 4:30 pm. The affected areas will be along the Kathu-Koh Kaew road. This includes the Ban Suan Loch Palm housing estate, Golf Land View housing estate, Red Mountain Golf Club, Phanason Private Home housing estate, Soi Kathu 4 and…
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Thailand low on Covid-19 vaccines, priority given to at-risk groups
Thailand is running low on vaccines, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged today. With the most severe wave of Covid-19 continuing to rise, and the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials are giving priority to those most at risk of a severe infection. The elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions, particularly…
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PM in self-isolation after close contact with Covid-19 at “Sandbox” reopening
A public official who attended Phuket’s official reopening under the “Sandbox” model last week, and took a “selfie” with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, later tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to his home province. The prime minister, who is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, tested negative for Covid-19, but will be in self-isolation for 14 days as a precaution, Thai media…
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4 schools in Phuket close over Covid fears
4 schools in Kathu, Phuket have closed due to Covid fears. The 4 municipality schools closed in Phuket follows a parent and a student testing positive for Covid. The schools that are ordered closed are: Kathu Municipal School 1 Kathu Municipal School 2 Ket Ho Child Development Center Kathu Child Development Center The schools are ordered closed by the Kathu…
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Deputy Health Minister officially reopens Phuket Town’s Lard Yai Walking Street, encourages Covid cooperation
On Sunday, the Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pitutecha made an appearance in Phuket to officially reopen the once upon a time popular Lard Yai Walking Street market in Phuket town. Satit said his Phuket visit was done to “[re]open a safe, confident country without Covid-19”. He further articulated a 3 point plan to achieve this goal. The points are:…
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Monday Covid Update: 6,166 new cases, Delta variant on the rise, provincial totals
The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 continues to rise with 6,166 new Covid-19 cases and 50 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 289,233 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 2,276 virus-related deaths. Of those numbers, 260,370 cases and 2,182 were…
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Chaiyaphum man allegedly slits father’s throat
Last night, a man allegedly slit his father’s throat with a kitchen knife in the central province of Chaiyaphum. Thai media adds that the alleged assailant is mentally ill. Police Captain Pirom Malasi, says the attack was reported in Ban Wang Hin in tambon Ban Thao. Rescue workers and police rushed to the scene. At the house, the assembled rescue…
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Remaining section of collapsed Florida condo building to be demolished overnight
The local mayor says the remaining section of a collapsed condo building in Miami, Florida, will be demolished overnight, some time between 10pm and 3am. The number of people confirmed as having died in the collapse is 24, with 121 still unaccounted for. With tropical storm Elsa on the way, the authorities have decided to demolish what is left of…
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Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital closes emergency room until further notice
Yesterday, Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital in Bangkok declared that it has to temporarily close its Emergency Room, until… further notice, as there are more patients than there is room. The hospital played coy as to when the ER will resume normal operations. However, they did apologise to people for the inconvenience. Another hospital, Rajavithi Hospital announced they would be stopping general…
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Phuket reviews taxi rates after “Sandbox” tourists report high prices
The notoriously high taxi rates in Phuket have been looked into after reports of overcharging the “Sandbox” tourists. The governor says he ordered local authorities to review claims of overpriced rides and found that rates are appropriately priced. From the Phuket International Airport to Patong, a “Sandbox” tourist can pay 600 to 1,050 for a ride. One tourist planning a…
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Protesters to be charged over weekend rallies
The Metropolitan Police Bureau says it plans to charge the leaders of recent anti-government protests in Bangkok. Investigators from the Nang Loeng neighbourhood say they’ve reviewed footage of Saturday’s rallies and come to the conclusion that organisers broke several laws, including the emergency decree and disease control decree. The Bangkok Post reports that the first protest took place near Government…
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Tourism Ministry to ask for soft loans to help operators prepare for re-opening
The Tourism and Sports Minister says that if the Phuket sandbox is a success, he will have talks with the Finance Ministry about allocating soft loans to tourism operators. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the loans would come from the government’s 500-billion-baht borrowing and would help tourism operators prepare for an October re-opening. In the interim, he says domestic tourists can help…
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Thai government slammed for delays in vaccine procurement
The Thai government has been blasted for the slow rollout of AstraZeneca vaccines, following the news that the monthly delivery would be cut from 10 million to 5 million. Opposition MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn from the Move Forward Party says Thailand is also obliged to send batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine overseas as other countries have already placed orders for them.…
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Monday COVID update: 6,166 cases & 50 deaths
Today, Thailand has reported another 6,166 new Covid-19 cases and 50 deaths. 84 of the new infections are in prisons. More news on those figures coming later. Provincial totals will be available early afternoon. • The Chulabhorn Royal Academy says there will be enough Sinopharm vaccine as long as, “no one exceeds their allocation or jumps the queue”. Millions of doses…
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Meet the Sellers: First arrival in the Phuket Sandbox
Darren and Supattra Sellers may not have been part of the Siamese revolution that changed Thailand to a constitutional monarchy, or the coup that overthrew the government 7 years ago, but they will forever be a part of Thailand’s modern history now. You see, the Sellers and their 2 children were the first family off of Etihad flight 430 on…
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France hopes deporting more alleged radicals will bring security
When the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin summoned the country’s regional prefects in June, his message was clear. The authorities in France’s regions had to take swift, decisive action against foreigners who committed crimes. Residence permits should be reviewed, and more offenders should be deported if they had committed particularly serious crimes, such as second-degree murder, drug trafficking, and rape…
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