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Blazing opportunity: Four Twenty Thailand offers franchise programme
Did you know that Four Twenty, Thailand’s premier cannabis brand, has a franchise programme? That’s right, you can now join their efforts to bring high-quality cannabis products and a vibrant community experience to more locations across Thailand. Four Twenty has...
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Thai woman admits to stealing lottery tickets from blind ticket seller in Bangkok
A 57 year old Thai woman is admitting to stealing lottery tickets from a blind seller in Bangkok. The woman, Sumali Muangpluem, is now under arrest for allegedly stealing from the disabled seller in the underground Sutthisan Station train between November 25-27 of last year. Sutthisan police say they collected evidence of the same type of theft in many districts,…
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Thailand to remain on US Trade watch list over online piracy and intellectual property violations
Thailand is to remain on the US Trade Representative’s watch list as it tackles intellectual property violations and online piracy. Director-general of the Intellectual Property Department, Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, says the USTR made the announcement in its annual report that was released April 30. The report includes findings for more than 100 trading partners after engaging with stakeholders and further research.…
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WHO gives emergency authorisation to China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine
China’s Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine has been given the green light by The World Health Organisation for emergency use. The director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement yesterday in Geneva. The Chinese vaccine joins Pfizer/BioNTech, Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Janssen, Moderna, and Serum Institute of India in being authorised by the WHO for emergency use. “This afternoon, WHO gave emergency use listing to…
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Chon Buri sees slight drop in new, daily infections today – Saturday, 72
Chon Buri province, which includes Pattaya, is reporting 72 new, daily infections of Covid-19 this morning and 1 new death, a 19% drop from yesterday’s 89 infections. Today’s reported number of infections is the lowest since April 9. This makes a total of 3,202 cases and 8 deaths in the current wave of infections that begin in early April. 1,520…
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Chiang Mai sees 2 elderly deaths from UK Covid variant including French woman
Chiang Mai province is reporting the deaths of 2 elderly women from the UK Covid-19 variant, including a French woman. The provinces death toll is now 9 according to the governor. The 81 year old French woman was suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She fell down on April 22 and received treatment at a hospital. After coming…
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Bangkok governor extends closure order due to high Covid-19 count
Bangkok’s temporary closure order will be extended until May 17 to slow the spread of Covid-19. Since April, more than 16,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the capital. Surrounding provinces Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, and Nonthaburi have also reported high numbers of cases. The temporary closure order, signed by Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang, was initially set to be in…
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Pattaya fisherman surprised by friendly whale shark visit
A local Pattaya fisherman had a shocking surprise visitor and was conscious enough to record a video to share with the world. The man, a fisherman for 10 years, posted 2 videos to Facebook on Wednesday of what appears to be a friendly whale shark casually visiting his fishing boat. Sightings in Pattaya of the majestic sea creature are relatively rare.…
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Thailand News Today | Pfizer vaccines on the way, Phuket’s July re-opening | May 7
Disease Control Department back-peddled saying that that foreigners living in Thailand WILL also be vaccinated, governor of Chiang Mai is calling for the ban on dining in at restaurants in the northern city to be lifted and for eateries to be allowed to serve food on-site until 9pm, Tourism and Sports Minister insists the southern island of Phuket must record…
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Phuket red zone list adds Krabi, Trang, Ranong, Phatthalung
Visitors to Phuket from Krabi, Trang, Ranong, and Phatthalung will now have to prove they’re vaccinated or have a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of arrival, as they’ve been added to the red zone province list. People entering without those qualifications will have to take a rapid antigen test on the spot before being allowed into Phuket. The 4…
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Stimulus package gives more back the more you spend
A new stimulus package targeting middle and high-income people aims at increasing spending by offering more e-voucher the more you spend. Ying Chai Ying Dai, which translates to “the more you spend the more you get”, will reward those who spend between 46,000 and 70,000 baht with a 7,000 baht e-voucher. This part of the government’s 225 billion baht stimulus…
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Laos prime minister orders an extension on lockdown measures
While the majority of countries across the globe have been grappling with Covid-19 outbreaks for the past year, Laos, just North of Thailand, has only reported 1,177 cases with the vast majority of the infections detected over the past month. Laos PM Phankhan Viphavanh says ordered an extension on lockdown measures, now until May 20, saying it is essential in…
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Deputy PM declares Thammanat Prompow controversy finished
Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam says that the debate is over regarding Thammanat Prompow, the controversial Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives and influential Palang Pracharath Party ‘fixer’. The Constitutional court has already ruled that he is qualified to hold office under Thai law and will keep his position, though a huge backlash followed the ruling, and the public wondered how…
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Phuket visitor Covid-19 rapid antigen testing may end May 15
In a live broadcast, Phuket’s Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong said officials will consider discontinuing Covid-19 rapid antigen testing for people arriving into Phuket after May 15. The interview from the Phuket Check Point at Tha Chatchai yesterday seems to contradict a recent statement from the governor launching additional rapid testing from today. Entry to Phuket since April 22 has been…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,044 new cases and 27 deaths, provincial totals
2,044 new Covid-19 cases and 27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. There are now 29,320 active Covid-19 cases. 1,170 Covid patients are in critical condition including 367 on ventilators. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 78,855 Covid-19 infections and 363 virus-related deaths.…
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More thunderstorms and winds projected nationwide for weekend
The Thai Meteorological Department is extending the forecast of heavy thunderstorms and gusty winds to last through the weekend nationwide. Previously, it issued warnings of thunderstorms to last through today as a high-pressure system from China, winds, and a westerly trough from Myanmar are making landfall in the Kingdom. The system is bringing moisture to upper Thailand and the central…
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Pattaya fishing boat capsized in storm, 2 crew rescued, 2 missing
2 members of a fishing boat crew are still missing after a strong storm that capsized their boat off the Pattaya coast. Yesterday morning 2 people on board the boat were rescued after it was flipped in the high waves but confirmed that 2 more crew were aboard the ship and have not been found. The accident took place off…
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American man arrested in Chiang Mai for allegedly killing pregnant Thai wife
An American man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his pregnant, Thai wife and hiding her body in a rubbish bin. Police say 32 year old Jason Matthew Balzer then dumped his deceased wife’s body in a field in northern Thailand. 32 year old Pitchaporn Kidchob’s mother became concerned for her daughter’s welfare after seeing Balzer flee their home on…
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Chon Buri sees slight increase in daily Covid infections- Friday, 89
Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is seeing a slight increase from yesterday in new, daily Covid-19 infections at 89 today. Yesterday saw 76 new infections. The new infections bring the total amount of infections in the province since the beginning of April to 3,130. 1,549 are listed as being released from medical care and fully recovered, with 115 being…
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Homes and temples damaged, 11 boats sunk as major storm hits Chon Buri
The district of Sattahip, in the eastern province of Chon Buri, is picking up the pieces after a devastating storm struck in the early hours of yesterday morning. According to a Pattaya News report, 11 fishing boats have sunk and at least 20 homes have sustained damage, mainly along the coast. It’s understood most of the fishing boats belong to…
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Phuket to rollout rapid Covid-19 testing campaign for visitors
A rapid Covid-19 antigen testing campaign for visitors to Phuket is being rolled out to quickly detect cases in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. The island province is set to reopen to foreign tourists in July, that is if the virus is contained and if at least 70% of the population is vaccinated against the coronavirus.…
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Thailand’s private sector to open 372 vaccination points nationwide
Thailand’s Chamber of Commerce has confirmed the private sector will open 372 vaccination centres in an effort to accelerate the Covid-19 vaccine rollout. Nation Thailand reports that 82 of the centres will be in Bangkok, which, along with neighbouring provinces, is currently bearing the brunt of the third wave. The private sector aims to support the government’s plans to vaccinate…
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Chiang Mai restaurants want dine-in ban revoked as infections drop
The governor of Chiang Mai has called for the ban on dining in at restaurants to be lifted and for eateries to be allowed to serve food on-site until 9pm. Charoenrit Sa-nguansat’s request follows a drop in Covid-19 infections in the northern province. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has colour-coded Chiang Mai “dark red”, making it a maximum control…
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UN representative talks with Thai officials to help refugees fleeing Myanmar
With ongoing violence in Myanmar between the military junta and ethnic armies, a representative from the United Nations has held discussions with local authorities in Mae Hong Son, which borders Myanmar, to look into ways to help more than 2,000 Karen refugees who fled their homes to escape the violence. Following the military coup in February, ousting the state counsellor…
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Tourism Minister says Phuket must reach zero infections before July re-opening
The Tourism and Sports Minister insists the southern island of Phuket must record zero Covid-19 cases if a planned July re-opening is to go ahead. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn adds that, should new infections be reported once 70% of the island is vaccinated, the Tourism and Public Health Ministries will work together to decide what action to take. Tourism operators in Phuket…
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Friday Covid UPDATE: 27 more deaths, 2,044 new infections
The Friday report, compiling the regional totals from Thursday, indicates that has been 27 new Covid-related deaths and 2,044 new Covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a statistically consistent rise in the number of Covid infections over the past 2 weeks. The CCSA yesterday declared that is is focusing on containing major Covid clusters in 3…
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Education program ends September, 1,964 teachers face layoffs
Nearly 2,000 maths and science teachers are calling upon the Education Ministry to help them avoid layoffs in September. The teachers were hired in 2018 under a special project by the Office of the Basic Education Commission to improve maths and science teaching standards in Thailand. Now 1,964 teachers may face unemployment if action is not taken. The OBEC had…
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Thailand News Today | Promise to vaccinate expats, Thailand “electric vehicle hub” | May 6
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration has denied that the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine is already in Thailand, The Thai government has ambitious plans to turn the Kingdom into a Southeast Asian hub for the manufacture of electric vehicles., The Thai Hotels Association is urging the government to extend the domestic travel stimulus schemes, set to end on September 30 and Thai…
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Activist Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul granted bail
Jailed student activist leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul has been granted bail of 200,000 baht today after repeated denials of bail requests over the last 2 months. Rung was detained on charges using Thailand’s strict lese majeste laws that carry a 15-year maximum sentence for insulting the royal monarchy and has been held without bail since March 8. She joined her…
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160 infected in Bangkok’s Bang Kae Covid-19 cluster
An outbreak of about 160 new Covid-19 infections was identified today in Bangkok’s Bang Kae district, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 1,413 people were tested by health workers in a Bang Kae department store on three dates – April 28, April 30, and May 1 – after 9 Cambodian employees in the store were confirmed to have…
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Thai Meteorological Dept. warns northern Thailand of severe storms through May 7
The Thailand Meteorological Department says severe storms, especially in the north, will be present through May 7. The announcement detailed the forecast with gusty winds and hail being included in the conditions due to a high pressure system from China. It also warned residents to stay away from big trees, unsecured buildings, large billboards, and outdoor places in general. Farmers…
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