Myanmar
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Chinese vaccine on the way to Thailand | February 9
The Criminal Court has rejected a bid by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society to remove a piece of online footage that criticises the government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout, or more precisely the lack of a Covid-19 vaccine roll out. The former leader of the Future Forward Party, Thanathorn, took to Facebook to live stream his thoughts on the…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Thai surrogacy ring, vaccine-passport | February 8
An alleged illegal transnational surrogacy ring, posing as a cleaning company, has busted by Thailand’s cybercrime police after surrogate mothers were unable to deliver the children to buyers overseas due to the current travel restrictions. Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau raided 10 locations suspected of being involved in the underground transnational surrogacy network, arresting 3 alleged agents and…
- Bangkok News
Burmese nationals rally outside UN office in Bangkok to protest against Myanmar coup
Hundreds of Burmese nationals gathered outside the United Nations office in Bangkok to protest against the military coup in their home country. Many raised their hands in the 3-finger salute, a symbol of resistance and democracy taken from the movie the Hunger Games and widely used in Thailand’s pro-democracy movement. Some protesters held photos of Aung San Suu Kyi, the…
- Thailand News
Thailand blocks natural borders following Myanmar coup, bounty for human traffickers increases
With thousands of Burmese people expected to flee to Thailand following the military coup in Myanmar, Thai immigration police say they have blocked at least 7 natural border passageways. Thai immigration police chief Sompong Chingduang says he estimates around 400,000 Burmese migrants are looking to enter Thailand, adding that the bounty for the arrest of human traffickers has increased. “We…
- World News
What’s happening in Myanmar? The background noise that led to an Army coup
Myanmar’s military has assumed control of the country in a coup in the early hours of Monday, February 1st. It wasn’t a total surprise as some of the Military’s leaders had been huffing and puffing out load about the November general elections when Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD party won all but 33 seats of the 476 seat national parliament.…
- World News
Court rejects police request to further detain 2 activists from Burmese embassy protest
A court has rejected a police request to further detain 2 of the 3 activists arrested following a protest at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok on Monday. Thai and Burmese activists had gathered to protest the military coup in Myanmar and the detention of several government figures, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Police arrested 3 suspects in total, who have…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Pattaya bank scam & Burmese coup update | February 2
CORRECTION: In the first story Jett referred to a Chinese man losing 130 billion baht. The correct amount was 130 million baht. We apologise for the error. Hundreds, perhaps more than 400, investors have been defrauded by a bank manager at a Kasikorn bank branch in Pattaya. The manager, named in a police report as “Mr. Gob”, was promising investors…
- World News
Thai investors in Myanmar concerned with future business following the military coup
With potential sanctions and boycotts against Myanmar likely following the military coup, the Thai-Myanmar Business Council says Thai investors are concerned their businesses in the neighbouring country will be affected. It’s unclear what effect the coup will have on Thai-owned businesses in Myanmar. The country’s economy, already battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, is expected to slow down with potential sanctions.…
- World News
3 arrests in Bangkok as activists gather at Burmese Embassy to protest military coup
Police have clashed with Thai and Burmese activists outside the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangkok yesterday. Activists from the We Volunteer (WeVo) group had gathered to protest against yesterday’s military coup in Myanmar, in which a number of government officials were arrested and are still being detained. The protesters, who began assembling around 3.30pm, gave speeches in Thai and Burmese,…
- World News
Thai Army boss plays down risk of migrant influx following military coup in Myanmar
A Thai Army commander has moved to reassure citizens over fears that yesterday’s military coup in Myanmar may lead to a surge in illegal migrants. Apichet Suesat from the Third Army says forces continue to man the border between Thailand and Myanmar and anyone trying to enter the Kingdom illegally will be arrested. “We are closely monitoring the situation. Burmese…
- World News
Thailand likely to have substantial trade losses following Myanmar coup
With Myanmar’s military now in power after a bloodless coup, Thailand is likely to see substantial losses when it comes to trade with the neighbouring country, possibly forgoing up to 50 million baht a day due to changes in transporting goods and strict military checkpoints. If the military’s tight security inspections continue in the long term, Thailand could lose more…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Burmese coup & tourist visa ’emergency extensions’ | February 1
Myanmar’s military has taken control of the country in a political coup, deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV announced a state of emergency had been declared for 12 months and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred…
- World News
Myanmar’s military takes control, politicians arrested
Myanmar’s military is taking control of the country and deposing the elected government after reportedly detaining de-facto leader and ‘State Counsellor’ Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other politicians early this morning. The military-owned Myawaddy TV has announced a state of emergency had been declared for 1 year and power transferred to the Junta. A news presenter referred to a section…
- World News
Kanchanaburi police officer’s twin sons arrested for trafficking methamphetamines
Twin sons of a Thai police officer have been arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, according to Thai-language daily Matichon. The arrests were made yesterday. Thai army and border patrol Police stopped a car driven by the two 20 year old twins at a routine checkpoint in western Thailand. A routine search of the vehicle uncovered 2,000 methamphetamine tables in…
- Thailand News
Australian man wanted for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand
A 44 year old Australian man is wanted by Thai police for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand. Adam James Fox financially supported some migrant children in poverty stricken areas and allegedly sexually abused them. Adam James Fox is wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting or abusing at least 3 Burmese boys, all under 15 years old, at his home in…
- Crime News
At least 33 police officers, officials, implicated in migrant smuggling operation
At least 33 police officers and other government officials are being investigated for their role in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers into Thailand. The people smuggling operation is thought to be at the root of Thailand’s second wave of Covid-19, with countless migrants helped across the border without undergoing mandatory quarantine or any form of health checks. The Bangkok…
- Thailand News
Health Minister considers making lawbreakers pay for Covid treatment
Thailand’s Public Health Minister is considering making lawbreakers pay for their own Covid-19 treatment after pointing out that those who put the public at risk for the coronavirus should foot the bill for treatment. Anutin Charnvirakul floated the idea on his Facebook after a meeting yesterday raised concerns about illegal gambling activities and human-smuggling that has contributed to the rise…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers to be granted 2-year work permit and health insurance
Undocumented migrant workers from 3 countries will be able to register for legal employment allowing a 2-year stay. The Cabinet approved the measure in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 after an outbreak at a Samut Sakhon seafood market affecting a large migrant community who worked around the fishing hub. Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will…
- World News
Bangladesh moves towards relocating Rohingya refugees, UN denies involvement
Despite rights groups advising not to relocate Rohingya refugees anymore, Bangladesh is pressing on to move a 2nd group of refugees from Myanmar to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal this month. The new group consists of about 1,000 refugees and is in addition to more than 1,600 refugees that were moved earlier this month,…
- World News
Thai social media gets nasty as old animosities resurface over the Burmese migrants
A Covid-19 outbreak in Samut Sakhon, centred around a seafood market and the local fishing industry’s Burmese migrant population, has unbottled a new wave of anti-Burmese sentiment in Thai social media, never bubbling far beneath the surface. The revelations of an outbreak of some 1,000+ positive infections has opened a long-standing wound between the two countries, including straight out online…
- Crime News
Thai police to crackdown on labour traffickers
Thai Police are shifting their focus from illegal migrants to labour traffickers, saying they plan to make major arrests after enough evidence is gathered. Fingers have been pointing at the Burmese migrant community after hundreds of migrant workers in Samut Sakhon tested positive for the virus. Since neighbouring Myanmar reported a rise in Covid-19 cases back in September, border patrol…
- Pattaya News
Several migrant workers flee Samut Sakhon detention, 3 re-captured in Chon Buri
A group of Burmese workers managed to flee a detention area in the Covid-19 hotspot of Samut Sakhon yesterday, with 3 later re-captured in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that photos showing a broken wall went viral on social media, with claims that several migrant workers had smashed the wall and torn down wire fences…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand News Today | 427 new C19 infections, Pattaya countdown cancelled, Elite Visa update | Dec 22
Plenty of talk around today about future lockdowns, but NOTHING IS CONFIRMED at this stage. The Thaiger will keep you up to date with the latest. Possibility of an “end of year travel boost” has been shattered As if things weren’t already bad enough for Thailand’s tourism sector, the events in Samut Sakhon in the past week have just made…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: 1,000+ Samut Sakhon Covid-19 cases
More than 1,000 Covid-19 cases are linked to the outbreak in Samut Sakhon, just southwest of Bangkok, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 242 cases were reported today, adding to the 821 previously confirmed cases, tallying up to 1,063. Since the surge of infections over the weekend, hitting a record high in daily cases, health officials have rolled…
- 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
End-of-quarantine party for 28 Thais who returned from Myanmar
An end-of-quarantine party was held for 28 Thais who were just released from quarantine after returning to Chiang Rai from Myanmar. Not many details were reported about the event, just that it was a ceremony at a riverside resort with the provincial governor Prajon Prachsakul… Definitely a lot different than the parties just across the border in Tachileik. Many Thai…
- 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…
- Thailand News
Recover from Covid-19, then go to jail: Illegal returnees could face charges
After they recover from Covid-19, at least 3 Thai women who crossed the border illegally from Myanmar’s Tachileik will face criminal charges, according to Provincial police Region 5 commissioner Prachuap Wongsuk. If found guilty, the returnees could go to jail. The Thai women worked at entertainment venues at the border town, many at the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel, a so-called “Covid-19…
- Economy News
Covid-19 cases could lead to a drop in revenue for New Years, economist says
A rise in local Covid-19 infections could discourage many people from travelling and going out for New Years celebrations, costing Thailand’s tourism industry 14 billion baht to more than 16 billion baht, according to economist Anusorn Tamajai. Recently, 17 Thais tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from the Myanmar border town Tachileik, crossing the border illegally and dodging the mandatory…
