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- Best of
Top 5 Tax Firms in Thailand
As a busy professional, maintaining your tax affairs may not be at the top of your daily list. However, whether it be personal or professional wealth, completing your financial statements and complying with tax regulations is essential. This is complicated even further if you’re an expat living in Thailand as you’ll have to navigate an unfamiliar tax system in new…
- World News
Lockdown extended for another 2 weeks in Malaysia
The Covid-19 lockdown in Malaysia, which was due to be lifted today, is being extended for another 2 weeks, until June 28. The decision follows a spike in infections, including 60 clusters linked to religious festivals. According to a TTR Weekly report, the extension has been confirmed by Senior Defence Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob. During the lockdown, economic activities may…
- Things To Do
Top 10 Restaurant-Bars in Bangkok
Bangkok’s reputation as a popular foodie destination is now such that there’s almost too much choice. We venture to say that Bangkok is one of the best gastronomic cities in the world. But why do we love it? Not only can you find amazing food but also a selection of delicious cocktails as well, and all in the same joint!…
- World News
DW honors Nigerian reporter Tobore Ovuorie for defending the voiceless
Screams filled the dark corners of the high-security camp. The young women around Tobore Ovuorie scrambled to escape into the night. She was frozen from horror. Her clothes splattered with blood, and her eyes transfixed on the two bodiless heads that just tumbled to the ground. Everything turned black, her consciousness drifting from her body. When Ovuorie recounts her experience…
- Politics News
Despite rumours, PM and goverment not planning early election
Amid a scattered Covid-19 response and vaccine rollout, and plenty of political fingerpointing and whispers, government officials dismiss rumours that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will call an early special election. The rumours gained traction after the prime minister urged cabinet members to hasten their work as the administration had only 1 year left, when in fact the 4-year term ends in…
- World News
Dmitry Gudkov: ‘We have a choice between exile and jaiI’
The Russian authorities are intensifying their pressure on opposition politicians and activists and the upcoming elections are going to be an “election without a choice,” according to former member of the State Duma Dmitry Gudkov, who was forced to leave Russia last week. On June 1, his dacha in the outskirts of Moscow was searched and he was detained for…
- Thailand News
Survey shows lack of confidence in Government’s handling of vaccinations
Despite the mass vaccination campaign that has seen around 900,000 more vaccinations given, a lack of confidence in the government’s approach to Covid vaccinations still reigns. According to a new survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University (AKA the Suan Dusit Poll), over half of respondents had doubts that government could reach its stated goal of inoculating 50 million people…
- Thailand News
Goverment kind of discloses what the secret budget is spent on
The Thai government has shed some light on its “secret budget allocations” to parry criticisms that it should increase transparency about money being used on defence. The Prime Minister Operations Centre shared details on its Facebook page. They say the secret allocations taken out of the 3.1 trillion baht budget deal amounted to only .03% of the total (930 million…
- Tourism News
TAT declares Phuket “is ready” to reopen for tourism on July 1
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn attended a meeting with Phuket officials yesterday following months of vacillation by local tourism officials and central government departments. The tug-of-war between public health imperatives and Thailand’s battered tourist industry has caused a constant barrage of changes to announced details. “There will be no quarantine for foreign visitors under the Phuket Sandbox scheme…
- World News
Are we losing the fight against child labor?
When global coronavirus lockdowns and economic disruptions closed schools and curtailed millions of families’ income, an alarming increase in child labor across developing nations made headlines. But even before the pandemic, the number of children forced to work was on the rise. A report by the International Labor Organization found that 160 million children around the world are engaged in…
- World News
Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya says ‘harsh’ sanctions needed
Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya — currently living in exile in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius — has called for harsher sanctionsagainst strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, adding this is the only effective way to put pressure on him and his administration. “Lukashenko only understands the language of force and economic sanctions. This is the mechanism that should be used … the…
- World News
US President Biden persuades G7 to be more competitive towards China
The Group of Seven (G7) rich industrialized nations and the EU are presenting a harmonious front at their summit in the Cornish seaside resort of Carbis Bay in southwestern England. Diplomats seem pleased new US President Joe Biden is making transatlantic cooperation possible once again. While heads of state and governments meet in small groups or stroll along the beach,…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 3,277 new infections and 29 deaths, provincial totals
There are another 29 Covid-related deaths and 3,277 new infections announced today. 892 of today’s cases were from Thai prisons, an ongoing source of infections where around 22,000+ inmates have now been detected as new Covid cases (more below). Here’s the provincial totals for today… • Meanwhile the Thai Justice Ministry says the start of a vaccine rollout in the…
- Thailand News
Red tape and restrictions suggest a slow Phuket reopening
With the rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox reopening scheme, some government officials remain mostly optimistic, while many others are scaling back predictions and expectations. A slow return of tourist to Phuket is forecast as the plan, which won’t be officially approved until just days before the scheduled reopening on July 1, is meeting with a fair amount of blowback…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: Tourism Minister reportedly says July 1 ‘sandbox’ won’t happen
UPDATE By the conclusion of a meeting in Phuket this afternoon the only confirmation was that the July 1 date for a re-opening of Thailand, via the Phuket sandbox was “still on”, according to Bill Barnett from c9hotelworks.com who attended the meeting. More details when they emerge. Bottomline, nothing is confirmed until the Thai Cabinet discusses the issue, probably Tuesday,…
- Tourism News
Koh Samui eyes August 1 reopening, “Samui Sealed Route”
While Phuket’s July 1 reopening is hotly debated, Koh Samui has been quietly vaccinating its population and putting together plans to welcome tourists back, proposing an August 1 reopening. The proposal aims to ease Koh Samui and neighbouring islands Koh Phangan and Koh Tao back into tourism, potentially as a second stop for travellers arriving into Phuket with their Sandbox…
- World News
COVID vaccines in the workplace: Can I ask who got their shots?
Jon works for the local government in the US state of Virginia. The 40-year-old received both his COVID shots in April. Most of his coworkers are vaccinated, too. But how does he know that’s the case? “I find most people will volunteer the information,” Jon told DW. “Even though we’re not supposed to ask.” In many other workplaces around the…
- Covid-19 News
Site launched for June 14 vaccine signup for all foreigners
The latest update on Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine registration plans indicates that all foreigners can sign up online from June 14. The Thailand Intervac website seems to be constantly evolving and was first opened for diplomats on a specific URL and then for general foreigner signups on the main site, though hiccups and problems are often reported. The main site was…
- Covid-19 News
Free quarantine accommodation for arriving Thais to be cancelled
By the end of June, the government plans to phase out the state-provided free quarantine accommodation facilities for Thai nationals repatriating from abroad. Previously, the government was providing accommodation and medical care for all Thai people returning from other countries back to their homeland. Under a new proposal by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, starting July 1, state quarantine…
- World News
UN report: Changes in Southeast Asia drug trafficking during the pandemic
While the notorious Golden Triangle remains a major production base for methamphetamine, drug syndicates in Southeast Asia have changed up trafficking routes and added production bases to not only survive but capitalise during the pandemic. Large-scale methamphetamine production has emerged in Cambodia during the pandemic, according to the annual UN Office on Drugs and Crime report on synthetic drugs in…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s Golf Quarantine on hold until Covid situation improves
Thailand’s “Golf Quarantine” is on hold until the Covid-19 situation improves, an alternative quarantine option at a certified golf resort. The postponement was first announced last month. Travellers who made arrangements prior to the announcement and have been granted a Certificate of Entry, or COE, can still enjoy the Thailand’s Golf Quarantine. The programme allows foreign golfers to undergo the…
- Covid-19 News
Alpha variant of Covid-19 makes up 9 in 10 infections
The Department of Medical Sciences confirmed today that nearly 90% of all Covid-19 infections in Thailand are from the newly-labelled Alpha variant. The strain, previously known as the UK variant as it was first identified in the United Kingdom, was found in 88.48% of 4,185 cases that university labs studied between April and June, with 3,703 infections of the Alpha…
- Pattaya News
2 Chon Buri officials arrested for allegedly taking bribes
2 Chon Buri officials were arrested this week by anti-corruption police for allegedly taking bribes for a construction project. 67 year old Mr Payon, the chief executive of the Nong Hong subdistrict office, and the 51 year old head of engineering Mr. Boonmee from the same subdistrict, were arrested for allegedly taking bribes. Their full names were not provided to…
- Crime News
Meth production still going strong in Southeast Asia, despite Covid hurdles
Yesterday, counter narcotics agency, UNODC said the meth production has only gotten stronger in Southeast Asisa this last year, even though border restrictions were put in place due to Covid-19. A record was even set in 2020 for meth seizures. Almost 20% more meth was seized than in 2019 says the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime. About 75% of…
- Bangkok News
Police quell gun dealing network in Bangkok
Yesterday in Bangkok, the Crime Suppression Division reported a major quelling on illegal gun sales online in Bangkok. They think the guns are part of a weapon smuggling network that had a circulating fund of at least 100 million baht. Part of the quelling was a raid where 23 “short and long guns” and more than 1,000 cartridges of ammunition…
- Covid-19 News
Online learning only for schools in Bangkok and other dark red provinces
The government’s Covid-19 task force says students at schools in Bangkok and other dark red provinces will not have on-site classes while infection rates remain high. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says online learning will be used in 4 central provinces when schools re-open on June 14: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, and Samut Prakan. So far, the third wave…
- Education
CCSA announces schools can reopen June 14 in most of Thailand
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has announced today that schools all across Thailand will reopen for the new school year on June 14. In-person classes will resume throughout most of the nation, though in Bangkok and 3 surrounding provinces, all learning will be remote. After a meeting today, the CCSA announced the decision that they have given the go-ahead…
- Covid-19 News
TAT officially announces vaccine website for foreigners
The Tourism Authority of Thailand officially announced today a website for foreigners in Thailand to register for their Covid-19 vaccine. The site – ThailandIntervac.com – was launched in an updated format on Monday by the Ministry of Public Health and serves as a national registration site to supplement the individual registration processes each province in Thailand was tasked with creating.…
- World News
Defrocked American priest on trial in East Timor for alleged child sex abuse
The trial has started for the 84 year old defrocked American priest who allegedly sexually abused girls at an orphanage he founded in East Timor back in the early 1990s. Richard Daschbach, once revered by the Southeast Asian community for founding the Topu Honis Shelter to support impoverished children and orphans, is now facing charges of sexual abuse, child pornography and…
- Thailand News
Former Thai PM absolved of any wrongdoing
According to an insider from the investigative panel of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, Thailand’s former PM, Yingluck Shinawatra, and her cabinet have been absolved of any wrongdoing in relation to the approval of around 1.9 billion baht payment for victims of political protests and the quelling of red shirt protests by troops from 2005 to 2010. They were absolved by…
