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- Covid-19 News
PM vows action against ‘not factual’ information on vaccine plan
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will order legal action against anyone who “distorts information” about the government’s Covid-19 vaccination plan after the banned opposition politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had raised the topic of “Royal Vaccine: Who Benefits and Who Doesn’t?” on his Facebook Live feed on Monday. On the Facebook Live, Thanathorn criticised the government’s vaccine procurement and production, commenting that the government…
- Economy News
Shoppers disgruntled as registration for co-payment scheme fills up in 10 minutes
Social media users are up in arms after registration for the government’s Kon La Khreung (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme filled up within 10 minutes. The scheme, first introduced as an economic stimulus measure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, gives shoppers 50% off the purchase of everyday items, up to 150 baht a day and capped at 3,500…
- Thailand Protest News
Security guard slaps student for displaying protest sign at Bangkok mall – VIDEO
A security guard at the luxury Iconsiam shopping mall in Bangkok has slapped a student activist after she held up a protest sign at the facility. The confrontation occurred at around 2.30pm yesterday, when the Thammasat University student displayed a sign that read, “You monopolised the vaccine so the Monarchy could take the credit.” The student, named as 21 year…
- Tourism News
The Thai government threw a tourist party (sound of crickets) | VIDEO
The Thai Government, flushed with the success of their containment of Covid-19, decided to market the Land of Smiles to the world as the safe place to travel. With the annual wet season starting to weaken the tourists would flock back to the S E Asian country that had such a remarkable success containing, then almost eradicating itself, of the…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Tourism News
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…
- Covid-19 News
Thai FDA expected to approve AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use
In the midst of a new wave of Covid-19 infections, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be approved for emergency use and injections could begin next month. The local roll out would start with vulnerable groups who are in the 5 coastal provinces under maximum control to contain the coronavirus – Samut Sakhon, Trat, Chon Buri, Chanthaburi and Rayong.…
- Thailand News
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…
- Thailand News
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…
- Politics News
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…
- Crime News
Central Thailand hospital adding marijuana to spa restaurant menu
A little sprinkle here and a little sprinkle there. A central Thailand hospital is now adding marijuana to its spa restaurant menu. The Chaophraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, in Prachin Buri, is serving patients dishes and drinks prepared with marijuana leaves at its Abhaibhubejhr Day Spa. Asala Chaocharoen, one of the hospital’s pharmacists, says they have developed the menu item using 1…
- Visa Information
Thailand threw a tourism party. No one arrived.
OPINION The Thai Government, flushed with the success of their containment of Covid-19, decided to market the Land of Smiles to the world as the safe place to travel. With the annual wet season starting to weaken the tourists would flock back to the S E Asian country that had such remarkable success containing, then almost eradicating, itself of the…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Economy News
Government considering another registration round for co-payment scheme
The Finance Ministery is considering adding another registration round to the Khon La Khrueng (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme, as 1.34 million rights have not yet been taken up. The government introduced the scheme last October, in an effort to stimulate the Covid-battered economy. Under the scheme, Thai citizens get a 50% subsidy on the purchase of food, drink and…
- Tourism News
Thailand to introduce 300 baht “tourism fee” to insure foreign visitors, manage tourist destinations
Thailand’s Tourism Minister, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, has confirmed a proposal to charge foreign tourists a fee of 300 baht per visit. The fee will be used to develop tourist destinations as well as providing visitors with insurance benefits while in the Kingdom. The proposal has been approved by the National Tourism Policy Committee and is set to be announced in the…
- Crime News
Drug trafficking suspects arrested after shootout with police, 1 injured
A drug suspect was injured in a shootout with police around 1am this morning in Isaan province Nakhon Ratchasima. The suspect and another man were both arrested for allegedly trafficking methamphetamine pills and crystal methamphetamine. Police say they believe the drugs were being trafficked from Nakhon Phanom, a province bordering Laos, to provinces in the central region. As the suspects’…
- Economy News
Thailand’s rich not eligible for 3,500 baht government handout
Thailand’s Finance Ministry has confirmed that wealthy citizens are not eligible for the government’s monthly cash handout of 3,500 baht. The Rao Chana (“We Win”) scheme consists of 2 monthly payments of 3,500 baht for those struggling with the financial fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Those with savings above a certain, unspecified threshold, will not qualify. The ministry has not…
- Business News
Future of Thai department stores is being redefined
While department stores have been a familiar destination for Thai people for many decades, CBRE, an international property consultant, is witnessing a decline in popularity and stunted growth, particularly in 2020 when Covid-19 adversely impacted the sector. CBRE believes that to adapt to e-commerce disruption and the changing consumer behaviour, department stores in 2021 (and beyond) will have to fine-tune…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry requests more info on Chinese vaccine after effectiveness rate revised down
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has called for more information from the makers of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine, after its effectiveness rating was revised downwards by researchers in Brazil. The Sinovac Biotech jab was originally confirmed as 78% effective in trials in the South American country, but that has now changed to just over 50%. The research team at Brazil’s Butantan…
- World News
US President Trump impeached for a second time, releases video | VIDEO
US President Donald Trump has been impeached for “incitement of insurrection” relating to last week’s Capitol Hill insurgency. Armed National Guard troops guarded both the inside and outside the Capitol building following the riotous mob that invaded the hallowed halls of America’s democracy, almost precisely one week before the impeachment vote. Wednesday afternoon, Washington DC time, the US House of…
- Covid-19 News
Trial data doesn’t “impact” Thailand’s plans to use Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine
The recent China’s Sinovac BioTech trial data reporting 50.4% efficiency does not “impact” Thailand’s plans to receive and administer vaccines for Covid-19 next month, according to director general of the Medical and Science Department Supakit Sirilak. Questions have risen around the vaccine’s efficacy rate, which was originally reported as 78% in trails in Brazil, but recently downgraded to just over…
- Thailand News
Warehouse owner arrested for allegedly reselling used medical gloves
A warehouse owner was arrested for allegedly repackaging and reselling used medical gloves. Police raided a warehouse in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, after receiving a tip that the building stored and repackaged used medical gloves. Officers found 654 bags of used rubber gloves and over 30,000 empty boxes as well as other repackaging equipment, according to FDA deputy…
- World News
Indonesia rolls out Covid-19 vaccinations, president gets first dose
Indonesia is rolling out its mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign with President Joko Widodo as the first in the country to get jabbed with China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine. Indonesia approved the vaccine for emergency use earlier this week. It’s the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China. Thailand has also made an agreement to purchase the 2 million…
- Covid-19 News
Thai travel agents call for vaccinated foreigners to be exempt from quarantine by third quarter of 2021
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to do away with the mandatory 14 day quarantine for vaccinated foreign arrivals by the third quarter of the year. The president of the ATTA, Vichit Prakobgosol, says 30% of 10,000 inbound tourism firms have had to close for good due to the financial devastation caused by the pandemic. He…
- Covid-19 News
Chinese Covid-19 vaccine reported as just over 50% effective, down from 78%
Confusion reigns over the exact efficacy rate of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine due to be rolled out in Thailand next month. Thailand has ordered 2 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine, while its rollout among high-risk groups in Indonesia is expected to begin this week. However, questions now hang over the vaccine’s efficacy rate, originally reported as 78% in…
- Tourism News
Thailand ranks 4th in the world for highest loss of tourism revenue – Official ESTA
The following article was submitted by a public relations company representing Official ESTA, a visa application and assistance processing firm. Thailand has one of the highest loss of tourism revenue in the world with a loss of $37,504 million USD. The country ranks fourth on a list complied by the company Official ESTA intended to show the financial impact the Covid-19…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Bangkok may ease restrictions, Phuket bar curfew, Vaccine roll out | January 12
• Starting off in the capital today, where officials in Bangkok say they may look at lifting some restrictions, despite yesterday’s reported infections going up by another 37, to a total of 1,989. But officials say they’re optimistic about the overall situation. The BMA has announced that, provided the capital avoids any further “super-spreader” events, officials may consider lifting restrictions…
- World News
Malaysia PM imposes nationwide travel ban, lockdown measures due to Covid-19 spike
As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to climb in Malaysia, PM Muhyiddin Yassin imposed a nationwide travel ban and ordered lockdown measures for Kuala Lumpur and 5 other states for the next 14 days. The country’s prime minister says “our healthcare system is at a breaking point.” Malaysia was able to keep the coronavirus at bay during the early…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Covid latest, Cockfights closed down, Bryde’s Whale beached | January 11
249 new Covid-19 infections have been reported today in the daily briefing. Thailand now has 3,914 active cases and has reported a total of 10,547 cases with 67 fatalities since last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson, apparently with a Covid crystal ball, speculated that the number of daily new cases is expected to decrease and significantly slow…
- Thailand News
Thai labour market bounces back despite the pandemic
Despite Covid-19 pandemic’s negative impact on the economy with numerous layoffs and business closures, the Thai labour market survived and is experiencing an unemployment rate that is lower than expected, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, Chalee Loysoong. While the unemployment rate is lower than expected at 2% or 700,000 individuals, Thammasat University associate professor…
