Search Results for: Bangkok
- Thailand News
Poll reveals Thais took better care of their health in 2020
A recent poll has revealed that Thais are taking better care of their health in 2020, after being plagued by various other problems, including the Covid pandemic. According to the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University poll, which was conducted online between December 12 and 17 on 1,135 people nationwide, 68% said that they have paid more attention to their health this year.…
- World News
Netizens demand Minister of Public Health to resign after Covid surge
Today, Thai netizens are demanding the resignation of Thailand’s Minister of Public Health after the largest daily amount of Covid infections is being reported in Samut Sakhon Province. That number of infections, reported today, is now up to 576, 516 of which includes migrant workers who have been in the news recently after several were found to have entered Thailand…
- World News
Government urged to let in 100,000 migrant workers from Myanmar despite Covid surge
The government in Thailand is being urged by larger Thai multinationals, and the construction and fisheries industry, to let in about 100,000 migrants from Myanmar, despite a recent surge in Covid-19 infections inside the kingdom. Officials say they will comply with the demands to let the migrant workers in, however, they will regulate their arrivals. Suebsakun Kidnukorn, an academic with…
- Thailand News
Man’s body found tied up in upper central rice field
A man’s tied up body has been found in a rice field early this morning in the Nong Bua district of Nakhon Sawan, an upper central province in Thailand. A Nong Bua police officer says the discovery was reported at 8am near the Moo 2 village in tambon Wang Bo. The deceased man is thought to be aged 40 –…
- Covid-19 News
576 cases in one day – Latest test results from Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak
UPDATE: The number of cases linked to the Samut Sakhon outbreak has risen to 576. Earlier the figure was published as 516 cases. Thailand’s CCSA has announced more than 500 Covid-19 cases among migrant workers at the centre of its seafood industry, on an enormous 1-day rise in a country that had gone into mild panic after just 1 or…
- Covid-19 News
516 cases in one day – Samut Sakhon, Thailand’s new Covid-19 hotspot
UPDATE: Some publications are announcing Saturday’s daily total in Thailand as 576. We will update the precise number as more information becomes available. Thailand’s CCSA has announced more than 500 Covid-19 cases among migrant workers at the centre of its seafood industry, on an enormous 1-day rise in a country that had gone into mild panic after just 1 or…
- Visa Information
37 year old Egyptian arrested over an alleged protection racket
A 37 year old Egyptian is now in custody following his arrest over alleged “mafia ties” and “running a protection racket” in Bangkok. Police further alleged his dealings in illicit drugs and alleged ties to a foreign mafia gangs. He was also found to have overstayed his visa. Police say that the gang involved collected money from foreigners, mostly Middle…
- Thailand Protest News
United Nations condemns Thailand’s use of lèse majesté law against minor | VIDEO
The United Nations High Commission for Human Rights has expressed shock and dismay at Thailand’s use of its strict lèse majesté law against a 16 year old pro-democracy activist. The lèse majesté law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai Monarchy, and carries a punishment of up to 15 years’ imprisonment.…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry to confirm list of “quarantine” golf resorts
The director-general of the Department of Health Service Support says officials will name the golf resorts that have been approved as alternative state quarantine facilities next week. Tares Krassanairawiwong says those who enjoy a game of golf will be able to indulge their passion while in quarantine – provided they come from a “low-risk” country, that is. Quarantining golfers are…
- Crime News
Police charge 4 with swindling co-payment scheme, investigate over 700 others
The deputy national police chief, Damrongsak Kittiprapat, says 4 people have been charged with de-frauding the government’s co-payment stimulus scheme. He adds that around 700 others are also suspected of swindling the scheme. It’s understood the 4 people charged allegedly persuaded co-payers to carry out fake transactions so that money could be redeemed under the campaign. The Bangkok Post reports…
- Covid-19 News
Health Minister points to migrant workers as likely source of virus in Samut Sakhon
Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says migrant workers are likely to be the reason behind a small Covid-19 outbreak in the central province of Samut Sakhon. After a 67 year old woman with no international travel history was found to be infected with Covid-19, 3 of her family members have also tested positive. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
- Economy News
Deputy PM says pandemic exposed problems in Thai economy, time to improve
As the Covid-19 pandemic hit economies all over the world with business closures and travel bans, issues with Thailand’s economy were exposed, according to Deputy PM Supattanapong Punmeechaow. The country cannot go back to the way it was before the global outbreak, he says. Thailand’s large tourism industry was battered by the lack of foreign visitors. Small and medium businesses…
- Thailand News
Thailand sends smuggled orangutans back to Indonesia
After being smuggled through Southeast Asia, seized by Thai border officials, and then cared for at a Thailand wildlife centre for 3 years, a pair of endangered Sumatran orangutans are being sent back to Indonesia. Back in June 2017, border officials seized the orangutans, Ung Ing and Nathalie, from smugglers at a customs checkpoint in the southern province Songkhla, near…
- Bangkok News
Satirical fashion show leads to lèse majesté charges
A satirical fashion show led to a pair of young pro-democracy activists, one just 16 years old, to be charged with violating Thailand’s strict lèse majesté law after one of them dressed in traditional Thai dress, said to be mocking a royal consort, while the other wore a crop top. (An outfit a certain “someone” has been photographed wearing in…
- Covid-19 News
WHO praises Thailand’s unity as key to successfully tackling Covid-19
Unity between Thailand’s public and social sectors, healthcare workers, local organisations, and individuals, has been key to tackling Covid-19, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking yesterday at an online address to Thailand’s National Health Commission Office when he made his remarks. According to him, unity between all sectors in the country, coupled with…
- Tourism News
Thailand to ease travel restrictions for some countries
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed the government intends to ease travel restrictions for arrivals from some countries, but the 14 day quarantine remains in place for now. Spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin says the easing of restrictions will be applied to 56 countries, including Australia, the US and France, whose nationals will not require visas to enter Thailand. However,…
- Environment News
Discounts on services for old cars to reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality
To help ease air pollution in Bangkok, several car manufacturers are offering discounts on maintenance services for old cars as part of a campaign launched by the Automotive Industry Club Federation of Thai Industries, known as the FTI. Deals on car inspections, oil changes and other services will be going on from now until the end of February. This week,…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA starts study to determine if quarantine should be shortened
Covid-19 testing during the mandatory quarantine period for arrivals has been increased from twice to thrice in an effort to determine if quarantine can be shortened from 14 to 10 days. The study will last until January 15, according to spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, Thaweesilp Visanuyothin. Travellers were typically tested around 3 to 5 days after…
- Thailand News
Bank of Thailand says being on US currency “watchlist” won’t have a “material impact”
Thailand being added to the United States Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation won’t impact foreign trade and investment too much, the Bank of Thailand says. Now that Thailand is on the “monitoring list,” US government says it will keep “close attention” on the country’s currency practices to determine if any measures are intended to gain an unfair advantage in…
- Covid-19 News
20 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine
20 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand’s total number of confirmed cases is raised to 4,281 with 3,989 recoveries and 60 deaths. 232 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. 5 Thai men, ages 33 to 42, and a 42 year old Indian man travelling from India tested…
- Thailand News
Thailand on US Treasury’s “watchlist” for suspected currency manipulation
Thailand is now on the United States Treasury’s “monitoring list” for suspected currency manipulation, unfair policies to gain an advantage in international trade. Vietnam and Switzerland were both labeled currency manipulators in the US Treasury’s recent report “Macroeconomic and Foreign Exchange Policies of Major Trading Partners of the United States.” Along with Thailand, the Treasury also added Taiwan and India…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 task force to meet today for discussions on New Year festivities
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to discuss how New Year celebrations will be handled, with the possibility that they may be split into smaller groups. Officials are to consider a suggestion from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that countdown gatherings be split into zones, with numbers limited. The PM is concerned that large crowds would make it impossible to…
- Tourism News
New Year bookings slow amid delay in tourism subsidy
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the delay in extending the domestic travel stimulus scheme is hurting bookings over the western New Year period. The addition of 1 million room nights has been postponed while officials look into multiple claims of fraud. TAT and the Tourism and Sports Ministry have filed a police report against more than 500 hotels and…
- Technology News
China’s Moon probe successfully returns to Earth this morning | VIDEO
China’s Chang’e-5 mission has arrived safely back on Earth after a successful 3 week mission to the Moon, collecting rocks and soil from the surface, and then retuning. It’s the first time since the 1970s a space mission like this has been completed. China becomes only the 3rd country in the world to successfully collect rocks from the moon. The mission…
- Thailand News
Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating subsidy scheme
Hundreds of tourism operators face fraud charges for allegedly cheating the government’s “We Travel Together” subsidy scheme which was intended to help tourism businesses financially hit by the coronavirus pandemic and stimulate travel. Instead of lowering prices to draw in more travellers, some hoteliers and restaurateurs allegedly raised their prices to get more subsidies. The scheme paid 40% of room…
- Crime News
Thai police seize ketamine and heroin suspected to be trafficked to Taiwan
Police seized 300 kilograms of ketamine and 228 kilograms of heroin in a series of raids in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, a suburb just outside the city. Police suspect the drugs were awaiting shipment to Taiwan. The Thai Narcotics Suppression Bureau teamed up with Taiwan’s Central Criminal Investigation Bureau for the operation. Yesterday, police raided a warehouse in Nonthaburi, seizing 300…
- Covid-19 News
15 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine
15 new Covid-19 cases were detected in quarantine including 3 women who worked at entertainment venues in Myanmar, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases is raised to 4,261 with 3,977 recoveries and 60 deaths. 224 people are currently receiving medical treatment for the coronavirus. 3 Thai women, ages 24, 33 and…
- Visa Information
Property developers eye Elite Card residence scheme, amid interest from nationals of China, Hong Kong, Germany
Around 20 development companies have shown interest in an Elite Visa scheme that offers residency to foreign investors. Of those, Sansiri, Nusasiri, Four Seasons, and Raimon Land have confirmed they will join the programme that offers 5-year residency to foreign nationals who invest 10 million baht in condos. Thai media reports also indicate increasing interest in the scheme from nationals…
- Tourism News
Addition of 1 million hotel nights delayed as fraud detected in domestic travel scheme
The government’s plan to add 1 million hotel nights to its domestic tourism stimulus campaign has hit a snag, amid reports of fraud. Officials say irregularities have been detected in the transactions of around 514 hotels and other businesses registered with the scheme. The revelation comes as officials investigate allegations of fraud in the government’s co-payment scheme, “Let’s Go Halves”…
- Environment News
PM orders government agencies to get tough on air pollution
As the air quality in Bangkok and surrounding provinces continues to deteriorate, the PM is ordering all relevant agencies to get tough on combatting the problem. Yesterday, Bangkok recorded the highest level of PM2.5 matter in the Din Daeng district of the capital, at 118mcg/cm. The level considered safe in Thailand is 50 mcg/cm, which is still higher than most…
