Myanmar
- World News
Burmese child with Covid-19 was in Ayutthaya before leaving Thailand
Note: Previous reports from various news outlets say the Burmese child with Covid-19 is a boy while more recent reports say the child is a girl. Health officials are tracing back the Burmese family’s steps whose child who recently tested positive for Covid-19 after leaving Thailand. They say the parents worked in Ayutthaya and Nakhon Ratchasima provinces before heading to Tak’s…
- Covid-19 News
10 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine
10 new Covid-19 cases, including a 1 year old girl, were detected in Thailand state quarantine in the past 24 hours. Health officials say most of the cases are Thai nationals returning home. The travellers arrived to Thailand from Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Ethiopia. 8 cases are Thai nationals returning home. The others are an Ethiopian airline cabin crew member and…
- World News
‘Impossible,’ health official says Burmese boy didn’t catch Covid-19 in Thailand
Thai health officials are investigating a case where a Burmese child tested positive for Covid-19 in Myanmar just 9 days after he travelled out of Thailand. But it’s “impossible” the child contracted the virus in Thailand, according to the Department of Disease Control director general Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenhai. The 2 year old boy left Mae Sot border district on September 4 and…
- World News
Covid-19 testing units to be stationed along Thai-Myanmar border
In an effort to prevent a second wave of Covid-19, mobile testing units are being sent out to areas along the Thai-Myanmar border following a surge of cases in the neighbouring country. The Biosafety Mobile Units will be run by medical volunteers along with help from local doctors from the Department of Disease Control. The 13 units will have laboratory…
- World News
Police arrest 14 Laotian migrants for allegedly crossing the border
Border patrol police arrested 14 Laotian migrants who allegedly crossed the Thai-Laos border into Ubon Ratchathani. The arrests come after orders to tighten border security in fear that illegal migrants might carry the coronavirus. Police got a call that a white Toyota van looked suspicious and appeared to be carrying migrants from the border. Officers tracked down the van and found…
- World News
Tak immigration officials arrest 30 Burmese migrants and Thai driver
Immigration police in the northern province of Tak have arrested 30 Burmese migrants, along with the Thai driver who tried to drive them back into the Kingdom illegally. Police chief Sompong Chingduang says the Burmese nationals crossed the border via the Moei River and were then picked up by a Thai man, named only as Chinathip. He is accused of…
- Covid-19 News
Border police camps to be turned into quarantine centres
Border patrol police camps might be turned into quarantine bases for migrants workers employed through a labour program, but the government just needs the officers’ permission first. The plan would provide employers a cost efficient option for the mandatory 14 day quarantine and Covid-19 testing whilst allowing for migrants to return to work in Thailand since fleeing back to their…
- Covid-19 News
Myanmar locksdown parts of Yangon as Covid-19 cases spike
Myanmar is responding to its sudden spike in cases by increasing restrictions and curfews in the largest city Yangon. Burmese health authorities have reported another record daily spike in Covid-19 cases. 261 new infections were reported yesterday taking its overall cases to 2,150. Curbs on entry into Yangon and the Burmese capital Naypyitaw are also now in place. The graph…
- World News
23 Cambodians found in Thai forest after allegedly crossing the border
Nearly 2 dozen Cambodians were found in a forest near the Thai-Cambodian border. Thailand recently increased border patrol in fear that those sneaking in could be unknowingly be carrying the coronavirus. Numerous migrants have been arrested in the recent weeks for illegally entering Thailand through natural passageways, like rivers and forests, especially along the country’s western border with Myanmar. Thai…
- World News
Deserters from Burmese military confirm Rohingya massacres
2 army deserters from Myanmar have testified on video to the ritual slaughter of the country’s Rohingya Muslims, by order of the nation’s military – the Tatmadaw. 33 year old Myo Win Tun and 30 year old Zaw Naing Tun, are now believed to be in the custody of the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, after fleeing to Myanmar’s…
- World News
Myanmar Covid-19 outbreak could reach Thai border in 2 weeks, health offical says
A health official predicts the coronavirus will reach the Thai-Myanmar border in the next 2 weeks. Border security has already tightened up after Myanmar reported a surge of Covid-19 cases. While the Thai government is making sure the virus isn’t coming in from other countries, the Ministry of Public Health is also investigating potential local transmissions. The coronavirus situation in the…
- Northern Thailand News
2 Burmese nationals arrested while crossing river into Thailand
Border forces have arrested 2 Burmese nationals as they were crossing a river in the northern province of Chiang Rai in an attempt to enter Thailand. There has been an increase in security patrols along the border with Myanmar in recent weeks, as the country experiences a spike in Covid-19 cases. There have been reports of Burmese nationals attempting to…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 restrictions are back in Phang Nga
Coronavirus restrictions are being reimposed in the southern province Phang Nga after a local transmission was detected in Bangkok. The virus outbreak in Myanmar also continues to raise concerns. It’s the first province to reimpose virus prevention measures. Those who enter the southern province Phang Nga from areas considered “Covid-19 outbreak zones” will need self quarantine for 2 weeks. The…
- World News
Chinese nationals caught crossing the border
Border patrol officers arrested 6 Chinese nationals who allegedly crossed the Thai-Myanmar border this morning. The arrests follow a series of busts driven by Thailand’s heightened border patrol, a measure aimed at preventing the return of the coronavirus after Myanmar reported a spike in cases. The migrants had waded through the Moei River, which separates Thailand and Myanmar, and were…
- World News
Another school closed after Covid-19 scare
Another school near the Burmese border, along western Thailand provinces, temporarily closed down after students came in close contact with those who crossed the border and reported a “fever,” although no traces of the coronavirus have been detected or confirmed at this stage. The Ban Kui School in Kanchanaburi closed after some of their students came in contact with people…
- Pattaya News
Burmese man seriously injured after violent attack in Pattaya
A Burmese man has been hospitalised in Pattaya after being violently attacked by a group of unidentified men in the main city area. The Pattaya News reports that the 32 year old man, named only as ‘Aree’, sustained several injuries, including one to his left eye, after being beaten with a belt with a metal buckle. The attack occurred around…
- Economy News
Government’s economic task force meets to discuss job creation, “Phuket Model”
The government’s Covid-19 economic management team meets today, with a number of stimulus measures expected to be announced. Nation Thailand reports that officials plan to discuss job creation for graduates, along with yet more talks on how to safely welcome international tourists. Deputy PM and Energy Minister, Supattanapong Punmeechaow, says any measures announced are expected to be short-term. The government…
- World News
Hua Hin schools close after students get fever, families crossed Myanmar border
Class is cancelled for a week at 2 schools after some students reported a high fever. School officials discovered many Burmese students and parents have been crossing the Thai-Myanmar border. The Thai government recently told immigration police to patrol the country’s natural borders such as along jungles and rivers after Myanmar reported a spike in coronavirus cases. The 2 Prachuap…
- World News
Truck flips after police chase near the Myanmar border
A truck flipped over, critically injuring 2 people, after police chased a truck with Burmese workers who allegedly crossed the border illegally. The government recently ordered border officials to step up their patrol on Myanmar border and make sure people aren’t crossing illegally after the neighboring country reported a spike in coronavirus cases. Immigration police in the northern province Tak…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand is prepared for a 2nd wave of the coronavirus, health officials say
Thailand is prepared for a second wave of the coronavirus, according to the country’s public health officials. While there hasn’t been any local transmissions recently, numbers are on the rise in other countries and Thailand’s hospitals have stocked up on supplies to be prepared for any potential second outbreak of Covid-19. A 29 year old British woman tested positive for…
- World News
Thai PM orders the suspension of trade across the Burmese border in Kanchanaburi
Despite Thailand closing its international borders back in April, in reality, some of the country’s land borders are almost impossible to seal and prevent the ‘leaks’ of locals crossing over. Thailand has land and river borders with Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia – all with official checkpoints but also hundreds of well-worn tracks as villages casually traverse the official borders.…
- World News
35 illegal migrants arrested near Burmese border
Authorities in Kanchanaburi arrested 35 illegal Myanmar migrants and their 2 drivers in the Sai Yok district of the large western province early this morning. 2 pickup trucks travelling on a local road in tambon Sri Mongkhol were stopped for a search around 3:40am at a checkpoint manned by soldiers, police and immigration officers. 15 illegal Burmese migrants were found…
- World News
Border securty tightened as Myanmar virus cases surge
A significant surge in Covid-19 infections in neighbouring Myanmar has prompted authorities in the northern border province of Tak to tighten border security. More than 200 new cases have been confirmed since early last week, compelling Myanmar to shutter schools nationwide. Authorities say all border passes in the Mae Sot district and roads to the central city districts will be…
- Covid-19 News
US surpasses 6 million Covid-19 cases whilst the world trend is ‘down’
The US has surpassed the 6 million mark for the total number of Covid-19 cases. Brazil (3.7 million) and India (3.3 million) are the countries with the 2nd and 3rd highest number of cases. Around the world there is now a total of 24,331,524 Covid-19 cases, 829,664 deaths with 16,872,542 recorded as ‘recovered’. Of note, both the trend in new cases…
- World News
16 Burmese arrested for illegally crossing the border
Even though borders have tight restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, people have crossed the Malaysia border and entered Thailand illegally through what Thai media reports as “natural passageways.” Police arrested 16 Burmese workers who entered the country illegally including 2 pregnant women. They were found hiding at a Chinese Cemetery in the Southern province Songkhla. Thai media says many…
- Bangkok News
Burmese man, motorcyclist injured in Samut Prakan crash – VIDEO
A Burmese pedestrian was seriously injured yesterday evening when he was hit by a motorbike in the Bang Plee district of Samut Prakan, just south of Bangkok. The 300cc Kawasaki crashed into tables at a pork leg restaurant on a footpath before stopping in front of a sign. Police, rescue staff from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation and medics went…
- Crime News
Thai police find 1.6 billion baht worth of drugs hidden in truck
Police found 1.6 billion baht worth of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and heroin, inside a 12-wheel truck trailer at a checkpoint in Kanchanaburi near the Myanmar border. The national police chief says it’s the province’s biggest drug bust. The 59 year old driver, Sakchai Kaerod, was arrested. Thai PBS did not mention the charges the driver is facing. Sakchai says…
- World News
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…
- World News
Latest travel advisories for SE Asia, UK, Canada
While Thailand’s borders are still closed to all but a very few foreign visitors, there are outbound flights to some destinations, but the Covid-19 crisis means that entry requirements are fluid and often unpredictable; Singapore will require some returning residents who self-quarantine to use an electronic monitoring device effective August 10, while Myanmar has extended the ban on international flights.…
- Thailand News
Skeletal remains found in Chon Buri may be those of missing Burmese worker – VIDEO
A human skeleton found inside dense bushland is believed to be that of a Burmese national who worked at commercial fishponds nearby. The owner of the fishponds, 50 year old Somyot Lieamhan, says clothing found near the skeleton matched those worn by the man, named only as ‘Mint’, at the time he disappeared. Somyot says the worker disappeared shortly after…
