Central Thailand

  • Covid-19 NewsSamut Sakhon to re-open 22 fresh markets from Monday

    Samut Sakhon to re-open 22 fresh markets from Monday

    The central province of Samut Sakhon, where the Covid-19 virus first re-surfaced in December, is to re-open 22 wet markets from Monday. However, the seafood market where the outbreak began is not one of them, and it is not yet known when that might re-open. The 22 markets have been closed since December 19 as a result of the virus…

  • Covid-19 NewsOfficials introduce stricter “seal and bubble” measures for Samut Sakhon factory workers

    Officials introduce stricter “seal and bubble” measures for Samut Sakhon factory workers

    Health officials in the central province of Samut Sakhon, epicentre of the Covid-19 resurgence, say they will introduce tougher restrictions on factory workers in a bid to suppress the spread of the virus. The “seal and bubble” measures are being introduced after the discovery of nearly 8,000 cases during proactive testing at 7 factories in the province in recent weeks.…

  • Covid-19 NewsSamut Sakhon officials seal off migrant workers in 7 factories for entire month

    Samut Sakhon officials seal off migrant workers in 7 factories for entire month

    Health officials in the central province of Samut Sakhon have taken the unprecedented step of sealing off 7 factories, where 40,000 migrant labourers live and work, until the end of February. The action is aimed at halting the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Public Health Permanent Secretary, Kiatipoom Wongrajit, says over 9,000 infections have been found in the 7 factories,…

  • Crime NewsCentral Thailand hospital adding marijuana to spa restaurant menu

    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…

  • Covid-19 NewsBangkok website lists 11 “high risk” areas, urges visitors to identify themselves

    Bangkok website lists 11 “high risk” areas, urges visitors to identify themselves

    A Bangkok website, known simply as BKK Covid-19, has listed 11 areas and venues now considered “high risk” and urged recent visitors to come forward. The places in question are spread across several provinces in the centre and east of the country. Those who have visited the following since December 15 are urged to register. 1. Samut Sakhon province 2.…

  • Covid-19 NewsOfficials in virus-hit Samut Sakhon put out urgent call for second field hospital

    Officials in virus-hit Samut Sakhon put out urgent call for second field hospital

    A local official in the central province of Samut Sakhon is pleading for a second field hospital to contain the spread of Covid-19. The province is at the epicentre of a resurgence in the virus, since Thailand’s first local case in months was detected in a fish market in the Muang district last month. Since then, the virus has spread…

  • Thailand NewsCentral Thailand restaurant offers free boxed meals to migrants

    Central Thailand restaurant offers free boxed meals to migrants

    With some restaurants refusing to serve migrants due to fears that they might carry Covid-19, a restaurant in the Central Thailand province Nakhon Sawan is offering free food to migrant workers. Many migrants, particularly from Myanmar, have faced discrimination after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon which impacted a large community of migrant workers around the Mahachai area fishing hub. Owner…

  • Covid-19 NewsCovid-19 measures strengthened in Samut Sakhon after local case confirmed

    Covid-19 measures strengthened in Samut Sakhon after local case confirmed

    The central province of Samut Sakhon is tightening restrictions following the confirmation of a Covid-19 infection in a local woman with no international travel history. According to a Nation Thailand report, Governor Weerasak Wijitsaengsri says the 67 year old woman runs a seafood business and was tested at a local hospital after exhibiting symptoms. “The patient is a 67 year…

  • Central Thailand NewsVenomous octopus grilled and up for sale at Pathum Thani market

    Venomous octopus grilled and up for sale at Pathum Thani market

    A venomous blue ringed octopus was found grilled up on a stick and up for sale at a Pathum Thani. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources posted photos of the octopus on their Facebook page, warning people to watch what they eat. While the octopus is small, about the size of a golf ball, its venom contains the powerful…

  • Road deathsLocal singer dies after crashing his car while on a video call

    Local singer dies after crashing his car while on a video call

    A Thai singer died after crashing his car into a lamppost while on a video call with his girlfriend. Thai media did not report on the estimated speed, but photos of the wreckage show severe damage. The roof ripped off the Toyota Altis and the car is almost unrecognisable. 23 year old Akkarachai, known as Ice, was found dead at…

  • Crime NewsMonk arrested for alleged involvement in large methamphetamine delivery

    Monk arrested for alleged involvement in large methamphetamine delivery

    Police arrested a monk on drug charges and seized 4.8 million methamphetamine pills from a resort in the Central Thailand province Chai Nat. The man, a senior monk from Chiang Rai, was allegedly hired to help deliver large qualities methamphetamine 3 times and paid 300,000 baht per delivery. The monk allegedly told police that he needed the money to enroll…

  • Thailand NewsUPDATE: Broken railway crossing signal contributed to fatal bus-train collision east of Bangkok

    UPDATE: Broken railway crossing signal contributed to fatal bus-train collision east of Bangkok

    A broken crossing signal led to the fatal collision yesterday, where a freight train smashed into a charter bus, killing 18 bus passengers and injuring another 44. Officials from the department as well as the State Railway of Thailand governor visited the site after the accident and say the broken crossing signal “contributed to the fatal incident”. The bus was…

  • Crime NewsPolice confiscate 300 kilos of marijuana in central Thailand drugs bust

    Police confiscate 300 kilos of marijuana in central Thailand drugs bust

    A drugs bust in the central province of Nonthaburi, just north of central Bangkok, has netted 300 kilos of marijuana, valued at around 2 million baht. Anti-narcotics officers confiscated the haul yesterday when they apprehended 3 men in a department store car park. Thai Residents reports that dried marijuana usually fetches around 6,500 baht per kilo on the black market.…

  • Crime NewsPolice crackdown on major drug syndicate, make 3 more arrests

    Police crackdown on major drug syndicate, make 3 more arrests

    “A warrant was issued for his arrest in 2018, but he wasn’t arrested until June of this year.” Police made 3 arrests in an effort to take down a major drug syndicate, totalling up to 16 arrests related to the gang. The 3 arrests, which included a man in monkhood, are all connected to a major drug dealer named Jittaphan…

  • Environment NewsKhao Yai National Park litterers will get their trash back in the mail

    Khao Yai National Park litterers will get their trash back in the mail

    “We purposefully collected all your rubbish in a box and sent them to your home as a souvenir as a lesson to not litter anywhere ever again.” So much trash was left at the Khao Yai National Park campsite that park officials have packed it in parcel boxes and sent it back to the campers. The Minister of Natural Resources…

  • Road deaths3 local government officials killed in head on collision

    3 local government officials killed in head on collision

    2 local village chiefs and a local secretary were killed in a head on collision in Ayutthaya last night when their car swerved across the road and collided with an oncoming 18 wheel lorry, police say. The local government officials were on their way home from a friend’s birthday party in the Nakhon Luang district. The 3 men served in…

  • Road deathsPopular Thai teenage game streamer killed in motorcycle crash

    Popular Thai teenage game streamer killed in motorcycle crash

    A well-known teenage game streamer died after he crashed his Ducati motorcycle while riding with a group of his friends. The 17 year old, Chanon Chuchart, made videos playing popular games like Grand Theft Auto V. He has more than 11,000 subscribers to his YouTube channel Omnuay Studio and his Facebook has more than 100,000 followers. Witnesses told local TV…

  • Crime NewsMan allegedly shoots and kills mother by accident

    Man allegedly shoots and kills mother by accident

    A man has allegedly shot and killed his mother in a tragic accident while having an argument with his wife yesterday. 31 year old Apichat Viriyatham allegedly got out his handgun intending to threaten his wife, but shot his mother by mistake, police say. Police in the Chachoengsao province, just east of Bangkok, received a call about a domestic dispute.…

  • Central Thailand NewsSex doll mistaken for dead body

    Sex doll mistaken for dead body

    A sex doll in a cardboard box dumped near the side of the road was thought to be a dead body. A man who found the box quickly called emergency responders to the scene. The man found the box partially hidden in tall grass near his home in Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok. He opened the box and saw…

  • World NewsPolice arrest truck driver carrying 140,000 meth pills

    Police arrest truck driver carrying 140,000 meth pills

    Police found around 140,000 methamphetamine pills hidden in a pickup truck at a checkpoint in Kanchanaburi, Central Thailand. Police arrested the driver, 49 year old Chen Sichan. The driver says he picked up the drugs from the Three Pagodas Pass, a Myanmar-Thailand border checkpoint, according to police. The drugs would be driven to a petrol station in Kanchanaburi town and…

  • Crime NewsMonk’s room ransacked, 10 million baht worth of gems taken

    Monk’s room ransacked, 10 million baht worth of gems taken

    A Central Thailand monk’s room was ransacked yesterday. Abbot of Wat Prathum Bucha in Prachin Buri came back to his room after performing religious duties and found his door forced open, bed searched and safes opened. Thousands of baht in cash and millions of baht worth of gems were taken. The thieves took off with more than 10 million baht…

  • Central Thailand News3 motorbike riders die in road traffic accident in central Thailand

    3 motorbike riders die in road traffic accident in central Thailand

    3 young motorbike riders have died in a road traffic accident in central Thailand. The accident took place in Suphanburi province and the deceased men have been named as 20 year old Ronnachai Wongsudin, 22 year old Warakorn Intharajorn, and 29 year old Apirak Phoreun. The first two victims died at the scene, while Apirak was rushed to Sriprajan Hospital,…

  • Hot NewsAmbulance explodes just before patient is loaded

    Ambulance explodes just before patient is loaded

    An ambulance exploded in front of a Central Thailand hospital just moments before a patient was being moved into the vehicle. Fortunately, no one was injured and the medical team moved the patient away from the scene in time. But Thai media says if the explosion happened just seconds later, it would’ve been a different story. The driver had just…

  • Central Thailand NewsDog finds missing owner’s dead body in Central Thailand

    Dog finds missing owner’s dead body in Central Thailand

    After an initial search for a missing man, a dog sniffed out his owner’s trail and found the man, sadly, dead in a canal. The man had been out cutting banana leaves by his home in Samut Songkhram, Central Thailand. The family says he left early but never returned. “We tried to search for him,” the man’s sister in law told…

  • Crime News5 men, 2 boys accused of raping 12 year old girl

    5 men, 2 boys accused of raping 12 year old girl

    A 12 year old girl was allegedly raped by 7 people, all who were either her in-law relatives or neighbours in Suphan Buri, Central Thailand. 2 of the suspects were minors and will be questioned by police later on. The other 5 adult men were arrested. A physical examination shows the girl had been sexually assaulted. But, at this stage, all…

  • Covid-19 NewsCourt adds “drive through” for filing complaint and documents

    Court adds “drive through” for filing complaint and documents

    One court just north of Bangkok is providing drive through service to ensure social distancing and protect people from a potential return of the coronavirus. People can now stay in their cars, or on their motorbikes, when they file complaints or submit documents to the Thanyaburi Provincial Court. The service is supported the Supreme Court president who wants to bring…

  • Crime NewsHundred arrested in illegal Rayong casino raid

    Hundred arrested in illegal Rayong casino raid

    Police have arrested more than one hundred gamblers at an illegal casino in a Rayong warehouse. The casino’s bank books show an average cash flow of 12 million baht per day, Thai media reports. Along with 106 gamblers, 12 dealers were also arrested. Police confiscated game equipment such as card tables, casino chips and 2 slot machines as well as…

  • Central Thailand NewsBang Saen plans to be a “zero waste beach”

    Bang Saen plans to be a “zero waste beach”

    A Chon Buri beach plans to be completely garbage free, aiming to be a so-called “zero waste beach.” The National Research Council of Thailand and Kasetsart University have teamed up to develop a waste management system and devices to help keep Bang Saen beach clean. Although there are far fewer people on the beach this year due to coronavirus restrictions,…

  • Crime NewsThai village official arrested for posting child pornography online

    Thai village official arrested for posting child pornography online

    An assistant village headman was arrested yesterday after posting videos online of him allegedly raping his daughter. The US based reporting system CyberTipline alerted Thai authorities that child pornography images were posted on Twitter by someone in Thailand. Police tracked down the mobile phone used to take the photos and videos. They traced back to 36 year old assistant headman…

  • Central Thailand NewsTemple criticised for painting internet comedian in ‘Buddhist’ mural

    Temple criticised for painting internet comedian in ‘Buddhist’ mural

    Thai internet comedian, Sitang Buathong, is known for her “power,” making a rolling orange stop by saying “orange stop!” At a central Thailand temple, an artist included 58 year old Buathong in a painting. Instead of facing up at Buddha like some others in the painting, she is portrayed looking down and pointing at an orange. Religious officials are not…