News
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Putin sends ‘peacekeeping’ troops to Ukraine after recognising breakaway provinces
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent troops to eastern Ukraine, after recognising two breakaway regions as independent entities on Monday. The move against Ukraine’s sovereignty puts the region one step closer to the brink of conflict, which the West has urgently tried to avoid in recent weeks through diplomatic talks and threats of sanctions. After Putin ordered the defense ministry…
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US guarded on whether it considers Russia’s “peacekeeping” mission in Donbass an invasion
Following Russia’s deployment of troops to separatist areas of Ukraine, in what President Vladimir Putin describes as a “peacekeeping” mission, the US is adopting a wait-and-see approach. According to an AFP report, US officials have declined to describe Putin’s latest move as an invasion, insisting that talks are still a possibility. US President Joe Biden has already imposed sanctions on…
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Prosecutors decide today if officer who fatally struck pedestrian will stand trial
Prosecutors will today decide whether to indict a police officer who fatally struck a pedestrian while riding a Ducati motorbike at speed. Norawich Buadokw was off duty and riding the un-licenced superbike when he hit Bangkok ophthalmologist Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul on a pedestrian crossing. The incident happened on Phaya Thai Road in the Ratchathewi district of the capital on January…
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Thailand’s Covid alert back at Level 4, CCSA says no lockdowns
As infections continue to rise sharply across the country, the government has raised the Covid alert to Level 4 nationwide. The move comes as the number of severe cases and deaths also continues to rise, with most of the deaths reported in the elderly, the unvaccinated, and those with underlying health conditions. However, the CCSA has stated that lockdowns will…
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Vietnam’s vaccine passport pilot programme for international travellers enters phase 2
Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has released guidelines for implementing the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine passport pilot programme to welcome international tourists. Phase 2 will continue from now until the country’s full reopening of arrival and departure tourism activities via air, land, and sea routes, which is set for March 15. Read: Tourism officials in Vietnam…
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Oil company gets approval to seal oil leak on underwater pipeline in Rayong
Following the oil leaks found polluting Rayong’s beaches, Star Petroleum Refining officers shared with Thai media that the company will repair and seal another spot on the underwater pipeline tomorrow. The company filed a request with the Mab Ta Phut Provincial Police Station and the Marine Department for permission to fix the leak and it has now been approved. This…
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Monk allegedly fires shots at residents in Northern Thailand
A monk allegedly fired shots at residents nearby a temple in the northern province Mae Hong Son yesterday. Reports say the monk fled the scene, but was later found and forced to leave monkhood. Officers searched the monk’s living quarters and found airsoft guns with equipment to modify the pellet guns as well as ammunition. The monk had gotten into…
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Public bus hits motorbike stopped for pedestrians at zebra crossing in Bangkok
A motorbike driver who stopped at a zebra crossing to yield pedestrians the right of way was hit from behind by an oncoming public bus. Thais on social media have been sharing a CCTV video clip of the accident. Pedestrian safety has been in the spotlight in Thailand after the fatal accident last month where a police officer sped and…
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Monday Covid Update: 18,883 new cases; provincial totals
32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,656 with 958 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 18,883 new Covid-19 cases and 14,914 recoveries. There are now 166,397 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Asia News Today | Vietnam’s vaccine passports & Hong Kong postpones elections
In Vietnam, The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has released guidelines for implementing the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine passport pilot programme to welcome international tourists.Phase two will continue from now until the country’s full reopening of tourism activities via air, land, and sea routes, which is set for March 15. During this period, overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese…
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Thailand’s long road back to ’normal’
OPINION Thailand is lagging behind the rest of the world with its turn tackling the Omicron variants of the coronavirus. The sudden surge, peaking, then dropping numbers of cases that define the waves of Omicron around the world have had their peaks at different times, in different countries. For the world, the peak was on January 21, for the US…
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Taiwan to impose athlete code of conduct in wake of controversy at Beijing Winter Olympics
The Taiwan Sports Administration announced yesterday that national team athletes must abide by a new code of conduct to compete in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September. The rules are being drafted in response to Taiwanese speedskater Huang Yu-ting’s (黃郁婷) seemingly unpatriotic behavior on the international stage. Huang, who was the flag bearer for Taiwan at the…
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MP sheds light on high-profile human trafficking case, head officer in exile in Australia
The story of a major human trafficking case involving Rohingya people being trafficked through Thailand and to the Malaysian border was brought back to light after an MP told another side of the story. During a general debate in parliament, he discussed how a former police officer, who is now living in exile in Australia, led the investigation which then…
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Australia reopens its borders to international travellers
Australia has reopened its border to foreign tourists for the very first time in over two years, after closing due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March 2020. More than 50 different flights are scheduled to arrive today. Fully vaccinated travellers can enter all states without undergoing a quarantine period except Western Australia, which is sealed till March 3 and will…
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Malaysia says its borders could re-open fully by second quarter of 2022
The Malaysian government is considering a full re-opening of international borders by the second quarter of this year. According to a Bloomberg report, the Malaysian PM, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, has given the country’s Health Ministry 2 weeks in which to prepare re-opening guidelines. However, the country’s health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, has stated that doesn’t mean the borders will re-open soon…
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Provincial governors ordered to ramp up disease controls as Covid cases surge
Bangkok has ordered all provinces to ramp up their Covid-19 prevention measures as infections continue to surge across the kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that Sutthipong Chucharoen, a senior official at the Interior Ministry, has instructed all provinces to up their game when it comes to curbing the spread of the virus. Sutthipong says all officials, from village heads to…
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Thailand’s daily Covid cases could hit 100,000, according to leading virologist
One of Thailand’s most respected experts in virology says daily new infections in the country could reach 100,000. Dr. Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University says the rapid spread of the Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, has taken daily infections to 15,000 in Singapore, where the population is a tenth that of Thailand. If the…
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Phuket wants to be first province to declare Covid-19 endemic
Phuket officials want to declare Covid-19 endemic, even as the infection rate is rising on the southern island. According to a Bangkok Post report, deputy governor Pichet Panapong says achieving endemic status would allow officials to focus on economic recovery. Local officials would also like to get rid of the daily reporting of new infections, instead only reporting Covid cases…
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Four migrants in Songkhla discovered to have Covid-19, treated in hospital
Police arrested 22 migrants from Myanmar in Songkhla last night, and four tested positive for Covid-19. They are now being treated at a hospital, while the rest of the migrants in the group await legal measures on charges of illegal entry, and pending deportation. District officials found the 22 men hiding in bushes, and reporters at the Bangkok Post said…
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Ukraine-Russia crisis, western leaders “convinced” Russia will invade
The British PM Boris Johnson claims he has evidence that Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”. Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Jonhson said “all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun”. “People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail. Asked if a Russian invasion is imminent, Mr…
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Saudi Arabia will have flights to Thailand available starting February 28
After Thailand and Saudi Arabia patched things up last month after decades of cold relations, flights from Saudi Arabia to Thailand will be available starting on February 28. Thai International Airways also plans to have direct flights between Bangkok and Riyadh in May. Thai tourism authorities have set a lofty goal of 20 billion baht from an expected 200,000 Saudi…
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BA.2, Covid-19 “stealth” subvariant of Omicron spiking in Thailand
The so-called “stealth” subvariant of Omicron, BA.2, has now surged to make up 18.5% of new Covid-19 cases in Thailand. A top and vocal Thai virologist says that although the symptoms of BA.2 are no more severe than BA.1, it spreads faster. The Public Health Ministry says BA.2 is called a stealth variant because PCR tests don’t always detect it.…
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Songkhla man arrested on suspicions of trafficking Burmese migrants to Malaysia
Following last month’s arrest of 31 Burmese migrants trying to cross through Songkhla province into Malaysia, police have now caught a man suspected of trafficking them. Yesterday, police in Sadao district arrested Saiyid Ratdaewa after finding him in a house he was renting. Police say they found that Saiyid was a job broker for migrants seeking jobs in Malaysia. Police…
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The Role of Embassies For Foreigners in Thailand
What is the role of embassies in Thailand and when do we need them as a foreigner or expat in Thailand? Are some embassies better than others? Tim sits with Ben Hart from Integrity legal to find out the use of embassies in Thailand.
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Patong tourists charged after driving unregistered electric scooters
Four tourists in Patong were charged with using unregistered and untaxed vehicles after they drove electric scooters near a beach resort. Several people had complained that the tourists were driving the scooters recklessly, threatening the safety of pedestrians and drivers alike. One of the tourists was stopped near a police booth on Pee Road last Wednesday evening, and the other…
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LATEST: Ukraine-Russia crisis, western leaders “convinced” Russia is ready to invade
The British PM Boris Johnson claims he has evidence that Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”. Speaking to the BBC, Mr. Jonhson said “all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun”. “People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail. Asked if a Russian invasion is imminent, Mr…
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Thai tourism industry demands Covid restrictions to be lifted, PM urges caution
The Thai Prayut Chan-o-cha is calling on all 77 provincial governments to do everything they can to reduce the spread of the latest Covid surge in Thailand. There has been more than 18,000 new infections over the past 2 days. Today, Thailand logged 18,953 official new cases with numerous additional un-official cases which have been registered from ATK tests. So…
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Thailand will purchase stealth jets if United States okays
Thailand will purchase Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets if the United States approves it. In January, Thailand set aside US$413 million for four jets, but one Thai air marshal said Thailand wants to buy as many as eight. A US State Department spokesperson said the department doesn’t confirm or comment on proposed transfers or sales until congress has been formally…
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Is the new Boeing 737 Max safe to fly? New Netflix documentary argues the case against Boeing
A new Netflix documentary, directed by Rory Kennedy, is a withering and forensic critique of the Boeing company and their complicit cover up of problems with their new Boeing 737 Max aircraft. “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” lacks overt drama or re-enactments of screaming passengers, but it catalogues a two decade-long decent from a company paranoid about safety to a…
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Test and Go might extend to land and sea tourists, cruise ships
Thai officials are considering letting tourists use Test & Go to enter Thailand through land and sea, if they follow the same rules as those travelling by air. Last week, the Covid-19 Situation Administration Centre considered a proposal to accept tourists entering Thailand through the Nong Khai border checkpoint in the Northeast, and tourists on sea cruises. The CCSA told…
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