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  • Covid-19 NewsCCSA recommend an extension to the emergency decree in Thailand

    CCSA recommend an extension to the emergency decree in Thailand

    It has been decided to extend the emergency decree beyond the end of July 31. The National Security Council and the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration) have jointly agreed to extend the situation and will present the proposal to the Thai PM tomorrow. Opponents of the decree say the emergency decree is unnecessary now that Thailand has had 55 days…

  • Business NewsMurdoch closes all his regional and local newspapers in Australia

    Murdoch closes all his regional and local newspapers in Australia

    Australia’s largest media group, News Corp, has ditched its 100 local and regional newspapers, blaming the collapse of the businesses on a collapse advertising, migration of advertisers online, all made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch, announced on April 1 it was stopping printing of around 60 community newspapers “temporarily”. The collapse will cause the…

  • South Thailand NewsSongkhla zookeepers close up whilst keeping the tigers cool

    Songkhla zookeepers close up whilst keeping the tigers cool

    Songkhla Zoo has announced its closure today as part of the southern province’s lockdown, but the zookeepers still have to take care of animals with the summer temperatures high and on the rise. The animals can become distressed at this time of the year with the extreme heat and need constant veterinary care. The zookeepers say they’re are trying as…

  • Covid-19 NewsCabinet approves ‘force majeure’ closure of hotels

    Cabinet approves ‘force majeure’ closure of hotels

    The Cabinet has approved the ‘force majeure’ closure of hotels and any lodging businesses, with additional compensation for businesses that are under the social security scheme. There will now be compensation for employees of hotel and lodging businesses for their loss of income, either due to the government’s shutdown order or their owner’s decision to close down during the current…

  • Covid-19 NewsPrachuap Khiri Khan locks down ‘until further notice’

    Prachuap Khiri Khan locks down ‘until further notice’

    The Prachuap Khiri Khan municipality, 240 kilometres south of Bangkok, has locked down the province from April 3 to combat the spread of the Coronavirus Covid-19, ” with immediate effect until further notice”. The announcement includes Prachuap Khiri Khan’s main seaside town Hua Hin. The announcement, included on the Thailand Tourism Authority website, says there are now screening measures at…

  • Covid-19 NewsFour major banks close branches for the weekend to prevent crowds

    Four major banks close branches for the weekend to prevent crowds

    Four of Thailand’s biggest commercial banks are closing all branches over the weekend to promote social distancing and fight the spread of the Covid-19. Kasikornbank, Siam Commercial Bank, Krungthai Bank and TMB-Thanachart Bank announced yesterday that they would close all branches nationwide today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday). Electronic services will remain available. Krungthai Bank’s announcement said the decision was…

  • Covid-19 NewsSa Kaeo closes 19 Cambodian border checkpoints – Covid-19

    Sa Kaeo closes 19 Cambodian border checkpoints – Covid-19

    Despite denials only days ago, all 19 checkpoints in the eastern province of Sa Kaeo, two permanent and 17 temporary, along the border with Cambodia will be temporarily closed in a bid to stem the spread of the Covid-19 coronivirus. Thai health officials announced a new total of 599 cases. Read that story HERE. The order, dated yesterday, signed by…

  • Covid-19 NewsChiang Mai orders lights out and fences up

    Chiang Mai orders lights out and fences up

    Chiang Mai provincial governor Charoenrit Sanguansat yesterday announced 2 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 374 suspected cases in the region. “We will keep most public places closed throughout this month.” The governor has ordered fences up and lights out at all walking streets, entertainment venues, spas, karaoke bars, massage parlous, gaming centres, fitness clubs, cinemas and theatres. Even the…

  • Covid-19 NewsPattaya venues “willing to close” if ordered

    Pattaya venues “willing to close” if ordered

    “If the government ordered us to close entertainment venues, we are willing to cooperate.” Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha said yesterday that, for the time being at least, he is not ordering a shutdown of the country’s massive nightlife industry. But one of Thailand’s main tourist hotspots is bracing for the worst: the Pattaya Entertainment Operators Association conceded yesterday they are…

  • World NewsMt Merapi erupts, closes Adi Sumarmo International Airport in Indonesia

    Mt Merapi erupts, closes Adi Sumarmo International Airport in Indonesia

    Adi Sumarmo International Airport in Solo, Central Java, Indonesia has been closed because of an active volcano erupting, spewing smoke and ash into the sky. There have been no reports of casualties or damage, according to National Disaster Mitigation Agency. The airport on Indonesia’s Java Island was forced to close temporarily this morning after the volcano, Mt Merapi, erupted spewing…

  • Environment News10+ Blacktip reef sharks flock to Maya Bay for breeding season – VIDEO

    10+ Blacktip reef sharks flock to Maya Bay for breeding season – VIDEO

    PHOTO: The Nation Worapoj Lomlim, chief of Noppara Tara-Koh Phi Phi National Park in Krabi, says that more than 10 Blacktip reef sharks had been spotted hunting near Koh Phi Phi Ley’s famous Maya Bay, some of them more than 2 metres in length. The sightings were made yesterday at the closed beach. He noted that the presence of the…

  • OpinionOPINION: A sad, but inevitable, farewell to The Nation daily

    OPINION: A sad, but inevitable, farewell to The Nation daily

    Sad news that after 48 years, The Nation Multimedia Group is shutting up shop on its daily newspaper. It’s final edition hit news stands around Thailand today (June 28). It wasn’t entirely unexpected and is a decision that every newspaper has either already made, is constantly reviewing or will have to make in the future, probably soon. The Nation Multimedia…

  • Pattaya NewsRetribution: Pattaya police chief transferred, foreign bar owners deported

    Retribution: Pattaya police chief transferred, foreign bar owners deported

    Pattaya’s police chief has been transferred, the foreign bar owners are being deported and will be blacklisted. This has been the swift retribution for local senior police and the owners of ‘Coming Bar’ for allowing prostitution and under-age sex on their premises. In addition, the Bang Lamung district police chief says the offending bar will be shut for five years…

  • World NewsBangkok’s Wireless Road closed for two days – 34th ASEAN Summit

    Bangkok’s Wireless Road closed for two days – 34th ASEAN Summit

    Wireless Road (Witthayu Road), one of Bangkok’s most congested and popular stretches of road, will be closed for two days during the 34th ASEAN Summit. Thailand is hosting the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok on June 22 and 23 when it will welcome the regional leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Philippines,…

  • Krabi NewsBooking in advance, standardised tours, limited numbers – Maya Bay’s tourism future

    Booking in advance, standardised tours, limited numbers – Maya Bay’s tourism future

    “Both Thon and DNP executives emphasised that mass tourism would not be allowed again at Maya Bay.” by Pratch Rujivcanarom Maya Bay’s visitors will have to book in advance for limited day tours once the popular tourist magnet reopens to the public. After an official inspection of the rehabilitation efforts at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, local marine…

  • Environment NewsMaya Bay’s closure could be further extended – Dr Thon

    Maya Bay’s closure could be further extended – Dr Thon

    Maya Bay, closed to the public since last June to allow its beach and coral to recover, will remain shut to visitors for at least another two years as its ecology needs more time to heal. “The director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Tanya Netithammakul will have the final say on whether to reopen the…

  • Krabi NewsNew red flags set up at Maya Bay to prevent tourist swimmers

    New red flags set up at Maya Bay to prevent tourist swimmers

    The Mu-Koh Phi Phi National Park Officers have set new red flags around Maya Bay to prevent boats and tourists swimming into the area. Red flags and signs have also been placed at the Bay’s entrance that to prevent entry and swimming into the closed bay. National park officer say that there were some tour boat operators who have suggested…

  • Phuket NewsOvernight stays cancelled for Similan Islands

    Overnight stays cancelled for Similan Islands

    Environmentalists and marine biologists have scored another win for the local eco-system with the closure of the Similan Islands to overnight stays. Concern over degradation of coral reefs and the marine ecology of the Similan Islands, caused by polluted water discharged into the sea, is prompting the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation to prohibit overnight accommodation on…

  • Krabi NewsHands off Maya Bay

    Hands off Maya Bay

    In one corner, marine scientists and biologists who are urging the government to keep Maya Bay closed as it struggles to rehabilitate following years of tourism abuse. In the other, local tour operators who say that the region’s main money-spinner has been taken away from them affecting their pockets and the many people they employ. Meanwhile Maya Bay is slowly…

  • Krabi NewsThree alternatives to Maya Bay

    Three alternatives to Maya Bay

    “Stop complaining and take tourists somewhere else – National Park officials.” National parks officials, looking after the Phi Phi islands, say there are plenty of other great locations to visit besides just Koh Phi Phi Ley’s Maya Bay. They were responding to complaints from both tourists and tour operators. Tour operators say that the move to indefinitely close the famous…