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Thailand and Japan sign defence transfer pact to counter China’s growing influence
Thailand and Japan have signed an agreement on the mutual transfer of defence technology and equipment, in a bid to counter growing Chinese assertiveness, according to a report in the Kyodo News. The Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, and Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, have also agreed to work together in providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and its neighbours. The agreement, signed…
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Yay May. Covid numbers down, arrival numbers up in Thailand.
May kicks off with an upbeat beginning in Thailand. Today’s May Day substitution public holiday saw the CCSA-reported daily Covid numbers drop below 10,000 for the first time since the start of February. And the number of daily deaths continues to fall below 100 after sitting over the milestone for most of April. 9,331 new Covid infections were reported in…
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How is Crypto currency used in Thailand?
Crypto currency has become very popular in Thailand. How do you use or trade cryptocurrency in Thailand? Is cryptocurrency transactions banned in Thailand? What does the law say regarding Crypto currency transactions. Tim newton sits with Ben hart from Integrity Legal to find out what the law says regarding cryptocurrency in Thailand.
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“No pants for women, only black shoes for men”. Internet trolls Thai conference dress code
Dress code details for an upcoming scientific event in Bangkok has the internet in a cosmic quandary. International physicists are finding themselves scratching their head over the obscure dress code requirements for the event’s opening day that harken back to the 1950s. The 13th International Particle Accelerator Conference is being held at the Impact exhibition and convention centre on the…
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Thailand braces for higher fuel and energy costs
The full impact of international fuel price rises and inflation is about to arrive in Thailand. After many months of shielding the full impact of price rises, mostly with a diesel subsidy which capped the pump price at 30 baht a litre, the prices are now set to soar The government’s diesel subsidy has been in place since last October…
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Thailand’s wet seasons and the annual monsoons
Thailand has just three seasons… damn hot, not-quite-so-hot and wet (sometimes torrential). The wet time of the year is variously called the wet season, the green season or monsoon. Whilst some people view the rain, sometimes very heavy, as a disruption, other embrace the annual downpours and enjoy the break from the hot weather. Depends if you’re riding on a…
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PM calls on schools to implement strict Covid safety measures on re-opening
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the Education Ministry to ensure schools are equipped to manage Covid-19 when they re-open. According to government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the PM wants education facilities to implement strict Covid-19 prevention measures when they re-open on May 17. According to a Nation Thailand report, the measures include: • Conducting regular checks on the virus…
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Thai-Burmese border checkpoints prepare to re-open in Tak province
In the long road to ‘normal’, Thailand is now reopening many of its land border checkpoints from today. But the Thailand Pass is still in force for Thais or foreigners hoping to cross these borders. Many of the borders are reopening from today. Others this week. As the Covid-19 situation appears to ease, Thailand is preparing to re-open 2 border…
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Feedback positive following cancellation of Test & Go entry scheme
Foreign tourists who’ve arrived since the cancellation of Test & Go have given the government’s decision the seal of approval, according to a Bangkok Post report. The publication spoke to a number of overseas arrivals to get their view on the simplified entry procedures. Canadian Kyle Sutherland confirmed that the decision to drop PCR testing on arrival has helped him…
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New upper speed limit increases to 120 kilometres per hour on some Thai motorways
From yesterday, the speed limit for all traffic will now increase to 120 kilometres per hour. The change covers at least four highways in Thailand as a pilot program. The announcement was made by the director-general of the Highways Department and is already published in the Royal Gazette. There’s been a few false starts on the raising of the national…
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Another Phuket festival showcases the island’s traditional clothing
Another Phuket seafood festival, but this time, there’s a unique new feature! From Friday until Saturday night, officials in Kathu district Phuket organised the ‘Suk Jai Naithu’ festival. The festival included a parade of people dressed in colourful, elaborate costumes. These costumes are the traditional clothing of Phuket. ‘Suk Jai Nathu’ means ‘Happy Naithu’. Phuket Vice Governor Amnuay Pitsuwan and…
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Beijing’s strict Covid-19 policies limit holiday acitivties
This year’s May Day may not have been so fun for Beijing residents. The country’s ultra-strict so-called ‘zero-Covid’ policies mean buildings and housing complexes with Covid-19 cases are on lockdown. In Beijing, parks and tourist attractions are only allowing 50% of their normal capacity. All restaurants in the capital city are only serving customers take-out, with no dine-in services, from…
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Phuket driver filmed obstructing ambulance claims he didn’t hear it
A Phuket driver, who was caught on film driving slowly and erratically braking, obstructing an ambulance that was taking a seriously injured woman to a hospital, has now presented himself to police. A video clip was posted online on Thursday, causing outrage among Thai netizens. The driver presented himself at Phuket City Police Station yesterday (Saturday). He claims he didn’t…
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First flight arrives in Phuket under revised “Thailand Pass”
Phuket’s first arrival flight under the Thailand Pass updated ‘eased’ restrictions has arrived! A flight from Qatar carrying with 324 passengers landed at Phuket International Airport this morning, and an airport director said 4,482 travellers in total are expected to arrive today. The director said that throughout May, an average of 27 flights per day were expected to arrive at…
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Floor of Bangkok condo collapses, 1 killed
One floor of a condominium in the Bang Sue district of Bangkok has collapsed between last night and this morning, killing a construction worker. Five other people were also injured when the floor came crashing down. It’s still unknown which floor in the 27 storey building collapsed, however, engineers and forensic investigators are inspecting the site today. The condo is…
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Cambodians caught dressing as monks in Thailand to be deported
Two Cambodian nationals who snuck across Thailand’s border illegally while dressed as Buddhist monks have been caught. The 2 men, one 30 years old and the other 27, first took a bus to Samut Prakan, just south east of Bangkok capital. They then headed into a woodland behind a market in the main city district, and built a temporary shack…
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Officials worried about low number of Irrawadday dolphins in Thailand
Thai officials are worried about the low number of dolphins of a particular breed in Thailand. Despite campaigns in past years to preserve Irrawaddy dolphins, only 14 of them were found in Songkhla Lake, and 89 in the Mekong River, according to a 2020 survey. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said that dolphins often die when they get…
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Building collapses in China, 18 people possibly still trapped
A six-storey building collapsed in China’s Hunan province on Friday, with 23 people inside. Rescuers managed to retrieve 5 people alive, who were brought to a hospital and are now in stable condition, according to authorities. But at least 18 more might still be trapped. The disaster happened in the city of Changsha. Meanwhile, the mayor of the city says…
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Thai Navy seamen discharge follows investigation over trainee hazing
The Thai navy has quickly responded to yesterday’s public revelation about a Royal Thai Navy instructor who was dealing out punishments to new Navy recruits by forcing them to drink a cocktail including diluted human semen. The incident happened at the Sattahip Naval Base in October last year. Petty Officer Second Class Thaksin Ngokpilai was first transferred to an “inactive…
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Official promises to give Phuket’s sea gypsies housing
As part of a larger effort to provide housing for the Andaman region’s indigenous people, an official is promising to provide sea gypsies with housing in Phuket and other Andaman areas. The official, Deputy PM and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit, made the announcement yesterday while visiting a sea gypsy village. Jurin has been in the news recently, as leader…
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Russia’s FM Sergei Lavrov warns US not to supply Ukraine with arms
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is urging the US and NATO to stop supplying Kyiv (capital of Ukraine) with arms. “If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis, then first of all they should wake up and stop supplying the Kyiv regime with arms and ammunition.” Months into an invasion, the Russian army is now…
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Days before curfew eases, Pattaya police raid ‘restaurant’ at 11:30pm over alcohol
Just one day before Thailand’s official alcohol curfew goes from 11pm to midnight, Pattaya police raided two ‘restaurants’ last night at around 11:30pm for allegedly serving alcohol past 11pm. The restaurants were on Walking Street, located at the south end of Pattaya beach. Pattaya police yesterday started enforcing a closure of Walking Street from vehicle traffic as the area was…
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Thailand tourism authorities want to attract 1 million tourists a month in final quarter
Things are looking up for Thailand’s tourism sector as several entry restrictions are set to ease tomorrow (Sunday). On April 25, it was reported that 713,183 international travellers had arrived in Thailand this year, more than 50% actual tourists. Now, the Tourism Authority of Thailand reportedly hopes to attract at least 1 million tourists every month heading into the next…
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Police keep Pattaya’s Walking Street safe after reopening to cars
After Pattaya’s Walking Street started reopening to cars again from 7pm to 6am, police went to the street last night to make sure tourists safe. A lieutenant from Pattaya Traffic Police told The Pattaya News that over 90% of business operators had cooperated with the closure, however, “some still don’t know the rules” and are parking in the area. Walking…
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Woman in northern Thailand allegedly planned to have husband killed
A woman in Thailand’s lower northern province of Nakhon Sawan allegedly planned to have her husband run over by a car, so that she and her friend could share his 10 million baht insurance payout. The woman, 48 year old Pratheep, and her friend, 60 year old Jaemchan, allegedly hired Jaemchan’s nephew to do the deed for them, running Pratheep’s…
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Is Thailand no longer a tourist favourite | Thailand Weekend Update
Jay takes you through Saturday’s main news topics in Thailand’s news and answers your questions live. Your views, comments and lots of Jay time. Today’s question is if the Thailand Pass has done more harm than good, and taken the gloss off Thailand’s favoured tourist destination title.
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Employers in Thailand object to raising minimum wage
In the midst of Thailand’s worst worker’s debt in 14 years, Thai employers are opposing a new proposal to increase the country’s daily minimum wage. The currrent minimum daily wages range from 313 baht to 336 baht, depending on which part of the country you’re in. In Bangkok it’s 331 baht. Earlier this week, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee and…
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Southeast Asia is finally seeing visitors again
After the seemingly endless Covid-19 slump, Southeast Asia is finally reopening to the world! The number of people doing Google searches about Singapore travel has reportedly gone up among travellers in Malaysia, along with Indonesia, India, and Australia. Flights to Singapore from several countries are expected to see a massive spike. Flights from Indonesia to Singapore are expected to quadruple…
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Inspections reveal 12 Thai prisons serving rotten food to inmates
Spot-check inspections conducted at prisons across Thailand reveal that a total of 12 prisons were serving rotten food to inmates. The prisons were serving chicken, pork, vegetables and condiments all past their use-by-date. Prison officers in the 12 prisons are thought to have profited from the scandal, according to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, who publicly addressed the results of the…
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Scalpers resell Justin Bieber concert ticket at more than one million baht
Justin Bieber Justice World Tour tickets have been scalped and resold for more than one million baht. The promoter’s official account says… “This is too much!” and warns of the cancellation of scalped tickets. Justin Bieber announced his Justice World Tour in Bangkok, and it will hit Rajamangala National Stadium on November 6. The ticket prices started at 2,500 baht,…
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