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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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Woman sentenced to 43 years in prison for violating lèse majesté law
The Bangkok Criminal Court sentenced a former public official to more than 4 decades in prison for violating the country’s strict lèse majesté law on insulting or defaming the Thai Monarchy. The woman, a former Revenue Department official known as Anchan, was found guilty on 29 counts of violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the lèse majesté…
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Outbreak in Samut Sakhon is “worrying,” CCSA spokesperson says
While the number of daily new Covid-19 cases continues to drop, health officials are still scrambling to contain the virus in the prime hotspot: Samut Sakhon. The outbreak in the coastal fishing province is “worrying,” according to Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesperson Taweesilp Visanuyothin. Health officials rolled out a proactive mass testing campaign after a spike of Covid-19 cases…
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Chiang Mai night markets reopening tomorrow
Night markets in Chiang Mai will be reopened tomorrow after the province went 6 consecutive days with no new Covid-19 cases. According to Chiang Mai Governor, Charoenrit Sanguansat, the province and the provincial disease control committee agreed to ease up restrictions on social and business activities after the number of infections continually dropped and no new infections were reported during…
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Police raid Isaan farm, arrest 2 people allegedly involved in illegal horse meat trade
A 44 year old Thai woman was arrested for allegedly trafficking and selling horse meat illegally after police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a farm and found 44 horses that – they say – were about to be slaughtered. Reports say the farm owner was also arrested, but did not give any additional information. The horse meat was…
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Chon Buri records no new Covid-19 infections for first time in 3 weeks
For the first time in 3 weeks, since it was hit by the resurgence of Covid-19 in late December, the eastern province of Chon Buri has recorded no new cases. It comes after weeks of restrictions and the closure of businesses, including nightlife and entertainment venues. The provincial Department of Public Health confirmed the positive development, which is being attributed…
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Covid-19 in Thailand not a cause for concern – WHO, John Hopkins University
A top medic in Thailand says data from the World Health Organisation and John Hopkins University indicates that the Covid-19 situation in the Kingdom is not currently a cause for concern. Mondej Sookpranee, a specialist in infectious diseases at MedPark Hospital in Bangkok, says both the WHO and John Hopkins have evaluated the situation in Thailand. “Both organisations have evaluated…
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Thailand’s tourism in the Covid 2021 era
OPINION by Andrew J Wood Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine this week for emergency use in the country. Two private hospitals are also ordering millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines ahead of this regulatory approval. This is in addition to the government’s order of 63 million doses from two main sources as…
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Research shows home-learning causes 50% drop in mathematical ability among Thai students
Research shows that online learning causes a 50% drop in mathematical comprehension, and a 30% drop in reading literacy among Thai students. Research presented by the government’s Equitable Education Fund indicates that months of home-learning cannot match in-school study and in fact, can cause a deterioration in students’ ability. With schools currently closed in 28 Thai provinces, thousands of children…
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Record number of tourism firms quitting Covid-ravaged sector for good
As the devastating economic effects of Covid-19 restrictions persist, a record number of Thai tourism operators are quitting the sector for good. The number of tourism firms surrendering their licences peaked last month, and around 70% of outbound agents have shut up shop indefinitely. The final nail in their collective coffin has been the Covid-19 resurgence, which originated in a…
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Government in control of Mor Chana app, says user data will be kept private
The Thai government is taking full control of the Mor Chana application, which is used to trace Covid-19 infections and alert users if they are in a high risk area. The Digital Economy and Society Minister says the government will still be working closely with the app developers, adding that users can be assured that their data will be kept…
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Thailand News Today | Weekend Bangkok bombs, Thailand fires, Covid update | January 18
369 new Covid-19 cases were reported today during the daily briefing. Most cases were detected in Samut Sakhon in a mass testing campaign. Thailand currently has 3,147 active Covid-19 cases under treatment and investigation. 12,423 infections have now been detected since the start of 2020 – 8,186 of them reported since December 20 last year… just a month back. 12…
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Visitors to Phuket from “highest risk” areas must show Covid-19 test results
People arriving Phuket from the “highest risk” areas are required to take a swab test by the staff at emergency operation centres (EOC) or show the test result document endorsed by the EOC staff made within 72 hours of their arrival. The revised order is effective from now until January 31, according to the Phuket Governor. Those people who are…
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High demand for health insurance due to Covid-19 worries, premiums expected to rise
With the increasing demands for health insurance due to people’s worries over Covid-19, health insurance premiums are expected to grow 1.59% this year, according to the Insurance Commission. Commission secretary-general Suthipol Taweechaikarn says total premiums will see 101 billion baht revenues this year, an increase from 99 billion baht last year. He adds that the Covid-19 situation is a major…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha considers legalising gambling
In the midst of a nationwide crackdown on gambling, an effort driven to contain Covid-19 by stopping the illegal gatherings after an outbreak at a Rayong gambling den, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says now he will consider the legalisation of gambling. He says he’ll start by staging discussions about the pros and cons. In the recent wave of Covid-19, major clusters…
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Police to issue arrest warrants for 2 people allegedly involved in bombing outside Bangkok shopping centre
Police say arrest warrants will be issued for 2 people allegedly involved in the bombing outside Bangkok’s Chamchuri Square shopping centre following a rally protesting Thailand’s draconian lèse majesté law. The suspects allegedly drove together on a motorcycle on the Thai-Japanese Bridge and threw a “ping pong bomb” down on a group of police officers Saturday evening. The smoky handmade…
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Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger, January 18 | VIDEO
Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments to The Thaiger YouTube videos. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower of Babble each day. Facebook Bangkok smog Mcnab James And…
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Australia might keep borders closed throughout 2021
It might be a while until tourists can visit Australia. Borders might not be fully reopen until at least 2022. Australia is rolling out its immunisation program next month, but even if most of the population is vaccinated against Covid-19, the Australian government says it will probably wait to make sure the vaccine prevents the transmission of the virus before…
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Disease control measures ease up in Samut Sakhon
Disease control restrictions are easing up in Samut Sakhon. The coastal fishing province that has been under “maximum control” since last month’s Covid-19 outbreak at a major seafood market in the province’s Mahachai area. Salons and barber shops are now allowed to open from 6am to 9pm in all districts of Samut Sakhon, but services are limited to hair cutting,…
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Police raid Bangkok restaurant, more than 80 people face charges for violating Emergency Decree
More than 80 people face jail time and fines for allegedly violating disease control measures under the Emergency Decree after police raided a Bangkok pub and restaurant. The Indian restaurant Taj Café off Sukhumvit Road in the Watthana district was raided over the weekend after a complaint reporting that customers were smoking hookah, which is illegal in Thailand, and that…
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Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE
Police say they will issue arrest warrants for at least 2 people in connection to yesterday’s bomb attack in Bangkok. According to Thai PBS World, the people are suspected of throwing a ping pong bomb into a group of police officers in front of the Chamchuri shopping centre that injured 3 policemen and 1 reporter. But previous reports by Khaosod…
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Police hunt for those behind Bangkok bomb attack near pro-democracy protest site
Police are hunting for those responsible for yesterday’s bomb attack that hit near a pro-democracy protest site in Bangkok. The attack occurred at Samyan Intersection at around 6pm, leaving 4 people injured, including 2 policemen. Bangkok police chief Phukphong Phongpetra says the device used appears to be a pingpong bomb, which was filled with nails. Demonstrators gathered yesterday in front…
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Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder dies
Thailand’s first low-cost airline founder has died at the age of 66. Udom Tantiprasongchai, who passed away yesterday, started his business in 1994 with Cambodia International Airlines. The airline began operating regular flights from Phnom Penh to Phuket before expanding to other areas in Southeast Asia. After his airline licences were revoked by the Cambodian government, he started Orient Thai…
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374 new cases today – Covid update
New case numbers have jumped alarmingly again today, even though the growth curve was starting to flatten a bit this week. Thailand is reporting 374 new cases of Covid-19 today over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to over 12,000 infections since the pandemic began. Only 10 of those cases were non-local infections as they were found in state quarantine.…
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Companies pull out from Trump brand after storming of Capitol incident
Corporate America is adding its weight in response to the insurgency at the Capitol building on January 6, and are pulling out from any association with the Trump brand after the storming of the capitol incident which economists say will have a profound medium and long-term effect on his business interests. Recently, Signature Bank closed Trump’s personal accounts and the…
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BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
Bangkok’s BTS skytrain maximum fare rate is being raised to 158 baht despite receiving backlash over the hike. The Transport Ministry is behind the calls for City Hall to stop the increase as it says it is too expensive for the average commuter who takes the BTS 2 times a day. Saksayam Chidchob, the Transport Minister, says other routes should…
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Week in review – the best of Thailand News Today | VIDEO
Click to watch HERE….. https://youtu.be/O0HpP6nOSbs Thailand News Today covers five days a week. Now we have a weekend edition which goes over the biggest, or best stories from the week. Out every Saturday afternoon, catch up with Jett and Tim’s major Thai news stories. Welcome to the Thailand News Today Weekend Edition. Click to watch HERE….. https://youtu.be/O0HpP6nOSbs
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Norway adjusts advice after 28 possible vaccine-related deaths of elderly people
The deaths of 23 elderly people are being investigated after dying a short time of receiving their first Covid-19 vaccine in Norway. Apart from the 23 deaths, medical officials are also reporting several people falling ill after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. At this stage there has been no direct correlation between the people’s deaths and…
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The road less travelled – trekking to the Kalim Viewpoint
There are two well known ways to get from Kathu to Kalim or Kamala – one is across the Patong Hill, and the other is much longer, through Srisoonthorn and along the coastal road from Surin the Kamala (very scenic too). But there’s also another way. Also very scenic but will take you about 2 hours through dense forest although…
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Nonthaburi gamblers given jail sentences
Following a raid on an illegal gambling den in the central province of Nonthaburi, 41 people have been handed jail sentences at Nonthaburi Provincial Court. Somjit Hinkerd and Sorasak Janthamanee were convicted of running a gambling den in the Bang Bua Thong district and sentenced to 3 months and 15 days’ imprisonment. The other gamblers were sentenced to 15 days’…
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Pattaya City mayor planning local rollout of Covid-19 vaccine
The mayor of Pattaya city says officials hope to be able to buy 240,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for administration to local residents. Sonthaya Khunpluem is reviewing finances and plans to set aside approximately 80 million baht for vaccine procurement, subject to government approval. “Currently, house registration of Pattaya City has reached a total population of 120,000 people, then…
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