News
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Airlines worldwide ordered to follow new entry measures for Thailand from May 1
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has instructed all airlines to follow the new entry measures applicable from Sunday, according to a Nation Thailand report. The notification follows the decision by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to drop the Test & Go entry scheme. This means overseas arrivals no longer need to undergo PCR testing on arrival or book…
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HRW urges Japan’s PM to raise human rights issues on Thailand trip
For the first time in 9 years, Japan’s Prime Minister plans to visit Thailand. Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida plans to visit Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on May 1-2 (Sunday to Monday) next week. Now, Human Rights Watch is calling on Fumio to raise concerns with Prayut about freedom of expression and assembly. This is part of a larger call that…
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Death of elderly actor in quarantine raises concerns over Hong Kong’s Covid rules
The death of Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang while in mandatory hotel quarantine has raised concerns about the territory’s strict entry requirements. Tsang was found dead in his quarantine room having recently returned from Singapore. While tributes have been pouring in for the late actor, many, including renowned columnist Chip Tsao, have lambasted Hong Kong’s quarantine policy. “If it weren’t…
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Domestic tourism stimulus campaigns to be extended
The government will extend its “We Travel Together” domestic tourism stimulus campaign, as well as the less popular “Tour Teaw Thai” campaign, until the end of 2022, according to a Bangkok Post report. Yuthasak Supasorn from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says phase 5 of “We Travel Together” will offer 1 million room nights, after phase 4 ends next month.…
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Crowds of Thais travel to Pattaya’s Koh Larn before new school semester
Officials on Koh Larn, an island off Pattaya, suspect that large crowds of Thais have recently swarmed there to get a bit of R & R before the new school semester begins. Thai schools are set to open on May 17. The Pattaya News reported yesterday that even though it was a week day, large groups of mostly Thai tourists came to…
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Government says Thailand Pass not being cancelled, being “streamlined”
The Thai government says the Thailand Pass is not being cancelled (at least, not for now) but the process will be streamlined to make it faster and more convenient. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Sumanee Wacharasint from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the cancellation of Test & Go from May 1 means there will no longer…
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Sri Lanka’s political crisis continues with huge walkout
After Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency earlier this month, the world has seen massive political unrest in the country as protestors call on the president and his powerful family to step down. Last week, Sri Lankan police shot and killed a protestor in an incident that quickly spread across social media. Today (Thursday), Sri Lankan workers participated in mass…
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31 land border checkpoints in 17 provinces to reopen on May 1
Land border checkpoints in 17 border provinces will reopen on May 1, according to the Department of Disease Control. Vaccinated Thai citizens and travellers from neighbouring countries can enter Thailand via the checkpoints. Foreigners will still need to register for Thailand Pass prior to entering via land border. Today, Assistant Spokesperson of the Covid-19 Situation Administration Centre Sumanee Watcharasin revealed…
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80 year old noodle shop in Bangkok temporarily closed due to expensive ingredients
A well-known noodle shop named Look Chin Pla Ban Tad Thong in Bangkok has temporarily closed after 80 years in service. “We have to close all branches temporarily. We have never seen ingredients this expensive before,” said the shop’s owner. Since the pandemic hit, many businesses have closed down. Areas that were previously bustling have become quiet. Businesses hoped that…
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Survey says Thailand’s worker’s debt has hit a high after over a decade
A survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce says the average debt of each worker’s household in Thailand is 217,000 baht this year. This is a 14 year high for Thailand. At the end of 2021, the country’s overall household debt was 14.6 trillion baht, one of the highest in Asia, per capita. Most service sector workers…
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Woman drowns in Chao Phraya River
A 42 year old woman has drowned in Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River this afternoon. The woman was washing her clothes on the riverbank in the Phra Pradaeng District in Samut Prakan province, between Bangkok and the mouth of the river, when she fell into the water. At 12:30 today, officers from Phra Pradaeng Police Station received a report of a…
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Officials inspect Phuket airport ahead of entry restriction ease
Ahead of Thailand’s plan to ease entry restrictions starting May 1, officials have inspected a Phuket airport yesterday to inspect how ready it was for an expected rise in tourist numbers. The secretary-general of Thailand’s National Security Council went to make sure Phuket International Airport was ready to welcome tourists back to the island province. Among the officials joining the…
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China reports world’s first H3N8 bird flu case in human
China confirmed the world’s first H3N8 bird flu case in humans was found in the country. China’s National Health Commission insisted the disease was unlikely to spread to others. The patient was reported to be a four year old child in Henan province who had touched pet chickens and ravens at home. The child had a fever on April 5…
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Is Lazada coming to Europe?
Lazada might be coming to Europe! In efforts to target local European vendors, Alibaba Group reportedly plans to expand its Southeast Asian arm, Lazada, to Europe. Sources that told Reuters the news did not specify which European countries Lazada intended to expand to. Lazada is commonly known as an Asian version of Amazon. The sources said an overseas commerce head…
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Famous Thai YouTuber under fire for collecting hermit crabs
A famous YouTuber ‘OauJun Hi-End‘ with 4.5 million subscribers, posted a video of himself collecting a bunch of hermit crabs and bringing them home. He posted a video yesterday apologising for catching them, as he didn’t know he would attract so much attention. Varawut Silpa-archa, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, says he will investigate him for his actions.…
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Robber arrested after attacking, stealing from disabled man in Pattaya
Police arrested a man in Pattaya yesterday who allegedly violently attacked and stole from a disabled man on Monday. The robber, 26 year old Tanaphon ‘Beer’ Janthamol, admitted to robbing the man, a lottery ticket seller who is in a wheelchair, while under the influence of methamphetamine. The ticket seller, 39 year old Surachet Sithong, said he was rolling down…
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Pakistan terror attack kills 4, 3 victims Chinese teachers
The Baloch Liberation Army has claimed responsibility for a suspected suicide bombing in Kirachi, Pakistan which happened last Tuesday. The attack, which happened near a Chinese language centre, killed 3 Chinese teachers, and a driver. Kirachi police and the BLA say the bomber was a woman. The BLA is an armed separatist group which claims to be fighting to liberate…
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Melbourne City player mocks Bangkok Glass players’ height during match
Thai football fans are calling for Melbourne City FC to apologise on behalf of a player who mocked the height of two Thai football players during an AFC Champions League match between A-league club Melbourne City and Bangkok Glass, or BG Pathum United FC, at the BG Stadium in Pathum Thani province yesterday. Melbourne’s 34 year old defender Rostyn Griffiths,…
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Thursday Covid Update: 14,887 new cases; provincial totals
127 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 28,271 with 6,573 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 14,437 new Covid-19 cases and 18,509 recoveries. There are now 158,768 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. The trend in daily infections continues…
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Thousands apply for ‘weed licenses’ prior to delisting of marijuana as a narcotic
Cannabis will be delisted as a narcotic in Thailand on June 9, and thousands of people and organisations have already submitted applications for a “weed license” to Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The big questions such as “Can my home grown marijuana plant contain high levels of THC?”, “Does my medical condition qualify for cultivating and consuming marijuana…
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Rector of top university caught secretly photographing female flight attendants
The rector of a top university in Thailand, later specified as Silpakorn University’s rector, has been identified whilst secretly taking pictures of female flight attendants on board a flight. The pictures he took went viral on Thai social media after netizens saw his sexually inappropriate caption… “I always take pictures of the flight attendants and send them to junior team…
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Doi Suthep’s controversial land and houses returned to treasury department
After almost 4 years of waiting, protests and arguments, the Court had returned the controversial land and housing project at the foot of Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai to the Treasury Department. The Department’s Director-General revealed 45 houses would be demolished, and land would be adjusted for the “benefit of the residents”. For the other 9 condominiums in the area,…
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Thailand officials say diesel will be 32 baht per litre from May 1
Get ready to say goodbye to Thailand’s 30 baht per litre price cap on diesel on May 1. Starting on Sunday, the price will be 32 baht per litre, according to the Oil Fuel Fund Office. Thailand’s permanent secretary for energy said the current 11 baht subsidy per litre is falling to 9.6 baht per litre. Officials from Thailand’s energy…
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Thai virologist predicts more research into Covid treatments, not vaccines
Medical researchers will shift their focus from Covid vaccine development to specific Covid treatment, says one of Thailand’s top virologists. Dr Yong Poovorawan, citing the lower investment costs as a reason for the shift. “To study a vaccine’s efficiency, it is necessary to have more than 10,000 volunteers use both real and placebo jabs. However, a study on drug efficiency…
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Boxing champion joins Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party in Khon Kaen
A big name in Thailand’s boxing scene has now joined Thailand’s Palang Pracharath Party, and will represent the next election in Constituency 10 of the Khon Kaen province. The boxer, 49 year old Somrak Khamsing, won a gold medal in the US in 1996. After he retired from boxing, he became an actor. He then moved into politics. The Palang…
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Malaysia to ease restrictions for the unvaccinated, ditch outdoor mask mandate
From next month, Malaysia will no longer require people to wear face masks outdoors, although a mask mandate on public transport and for indoor activities will remain. The country will also lift restrictions on the unvaccinated, allowing everyone to enter public premises, whether inoculated or not. But the unvaccinated will still need a pre-travel negative PCR test. According to a…
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Krungsri Research gives conservative estimate of 5.5 million tourists this year
The research arm of the Bank of Ayudhya is forecasting just 5.5 million international visitors for Thailand in 2022, following the cancellation of Test & Go. Krungsri Research says that although the cancellation of the Test & Go entry scheme has generated some promising signs, the recovery of international tourism will be sluggish as a result of several factors. According…
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No more testing for fully vaccinated visitors coming on to Phuket
The governor of Phuket, Narong Woonciew, says all Covid-19 screening measures will be dropped for fully vaccinated visitors coming to the southern island. His announcement refers to DOMESTIC travellers. The announcement came on the back of the infection rate dropping to 98 cases a day. In addition, Narong says 70% of the island’s residents have now had a booster dose…
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Phuket officials announce electric scooters to be used for security operations
Even though Phuket officials banned electric scooters from all public roads in February, they have now approved their use for security operations around Phuket Provincial Hall Complex. Yesterday, officials announced at Provincial Hall they have approved the use of electric scooters as a test phase to determine how safe they are. Representatives from Beam Mobility Team Co Ltd handed two…
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Thailand Pass might be dropped by June 1
The cancellation of Thailand Pass registration could take place as early as June 1, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. With Thailand Pass gone, tourists would go back to using their TM6 immigration arrival forms for vaccine declaration. Earlier projected dates of July 1 to drop the much-debated Thailand Pass could happen a month earlier if the Centre for…
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