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Another bleak milestone for the US as Covid cases top 10 million
As scientists around the world cautiously welcome the positive news about the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, data from worldometers.info reveals that Covid-19 cases in the US have now topped the 10 million case mark. The latest figures on Worldometers show that the US has now recorded 10,421,956 cases of the virus and 244,448 deaths, both counts being the highest in the world.…
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Phuket’s tourism high season hopes shattered in policy flip-flop
“The time has come that Thailand must gain confidence from international benchmarks.” Thailand’s leading resort island Phuket has come face-to-face with the reality that it’s tourism high-season will not see a marked reopening to overseas travellers. In the wake of the dismantling of the ‘Phuket Model’ and refocus by the government on using Bangkok as a single international gateway, there…
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UPDATE: Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine candidate is “strongly effective”
Pfizer is claiming that it’s current Covid-19 vaccine candidate “may be 90% effective” at preventing infection from the coronavirus. The pharmaceutical company says later this month they could be ready to file an ’emergency use’ application with US regulators. US-based Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are claiming that their vaccine against Covid-19 was “strongly effective” and has “exceeded expectations”…
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Bangkok man arrested for selling e-cigarettes and vape liquid
Police raided a home in Bangkok, seizing 70 electronic cigarettes as well as refill liquid and other related products. While the products are legal in many countries, vape pens and e-cigarettes sales are illegal in Thailand. Police say the alleged dealer, 35 year old Chalitpon Saardrup, sold the e-cigarettes and vaping liquid through Facebook and used a private delivery service…
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Less Thais visiting temples due to Covid-19, religious tourism at a loss
While Google searches for “prayers” spiked during the Covid-19 outbreak, people in Thailand are spending less time going to temples to pray. In a recent poll, less people are travelling to temples and making merit due to the pandemic, according to the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office. The office recently did a poll and found that 44% of…
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Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha congratulates US President-elect Joe Biden
After the tight race for United States president, Thailand’s prime minister sent a message congratulating President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory against incumbents President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Reports say that Biden’s win could benefit Thailand. The Bangkok Post says trade tension between the US and China could ease up. The Thai…
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Police arrest “major drug dealer” in the Isaan region
Police say they’ve arrested a “major drug dealer” at a sugarcane farm in the Isaan province Khon Kaen and seized thousands of methamphetamine pills. Police say they’ve been looking for 25 year old Sukree Chaukhamhod for a while and were recently tipped off that the alleged drug dealer frequently goes to a sugarcane farm in the Nam Phong district. Officers…
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Bangkok nightclub has special booth to vet and upcharge foreigners
A Bangkok nightclub has set up what resembles an immigration counter outside the venue to check foreigners’ IDs and make them pay up before entering. At BarBarBar in Thong Lor, Thais get in free, but foreigners are asked to step aside to the booth and either pay 500 baht or buy a bottle of alcohol before entering the venue. Bouncers…
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A further threat to PM’s leadership as court set to rule in military housing case
The leadership of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha could be under threat, and not just from the tens of thousands of activists calling for his resignation. On December 2, the Constitutional Court will rule in a case that accuses the PM of abusing his power by occupying a military-owned residence, despite the fact that he retired from the army 6 years…
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Protesters use red letter boxes to receive petitions calling for reform of the Thai Monarchy
With police blocking their attempts to reach the Palace’s Household Bureau in Bangkok last night, anti-government protesters dropped their petitions and hand-written letters, calling for reform of the Thai Monarchy, into 4 ‘letter boxes’ instead. After the activists had brought the plastic red letter boxes with them, and, with police preventing them from marching to the Grand Palace, used them…
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Investors see opportunity in Pattaya hotel market
Although travel restrictions are still tight, investors see potential opportunities in Pattaya’s hotel market. Many are reimagining the 2021 market by focusing on domestic demand. Property consultancy JLL says the ongoing Eastern Economic Corridor development comes into play. U-Tapao International Airport in Rayong expanding to increase capacity by 5 million passengers and a high speed rail is in the works…
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5 injured after engine explodes on Phang Nga speedboat
5 people have been injured, 3 seriously, after a moored speedboat caught fire in Phang Nga province yesterday. The incident happened around 8.30am. The boat was tied up to the Thap Lamu boat pier, where most Similan Island-bound private tour boats depart from and return to. The injured were all crew from the boat. According to witnesses, the captain started…
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Men arrested for allegedly stealing 15 big bikes
After a number of bike bikes went missing in Samut Sakhon’s Krathum Baen district, just southwest of Bangkok, police arrested 2 people for allegedly stealing the bikes and selling them to buyers at the Thai-Myanmar border. Police first arrested a man Thai media reports as Nattapol back in September. Police say Nattapol admitted to the charges and tipped police off…
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Protesters face water cannons as they deliver thousands of letters to HM the King – VIDEO
Police turned the water cannons on thousands of protesters again as they marched to the Grand Palace to symbolically deliver hand-written letters to the Thai King. Thai media reports the crowd numbers were up to 10,000 – 12,000. Police say the crowd was around 7,000. The protesters were again demanding the resignation of the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a new…
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Officials tracing 290 contacts of Krabi Covid case – 79 considered “high-risk”
Efforts are underway to trace 290 people who had contact with a Covid-19 patient in Krabi, with officials declaring 79 of them, “high-risk”. The 37 year old man, an Indian national who lives on Koh Phi Phi, tested positive for the virus while undergoing medical tests as part of a work permit application. The Bangkok Post reports that while most…
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52 year old Russian head-butted by Thai protest leader in Pattaya
A small protest gathering in Pattaya’s Jomtien Beach last night turned ugly when one of the protest leaders targeted and assaulted a 52 year old Russian expat who was watching on with his 10 year old daughter and Thai wife. The tall Thai man in the floral shirt, named as Narathiwat “Kane” Khamma, became agitated and started yelling obscenities at…
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Police lockdown Royal Plaza as 9,000 police are deployed for today’s anti-establishment protest
Police have blocked access to the Royal Plaza in an effort to second guess protesters’ plans to march to the Royal Plaza this afternoon. Protesters announced this afternoon’s rally, scheduled to start at 4pm, with a proposed march to an unannounced location. Police have suspected it would ether be Sanam Luang, adjacent to the Grand Palace, the Royal Plaza, or…
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Play 18 holes during your quarantine in Thailand – new STV proposal
Quarantine, whilst wandering around a golf course, maintaining social distancing of course. That’s the latest STV proposal tabled for consideration by the CCSA to expand the current Special Tourist Visa and quarantine restrictions for golf tourists who may visit Thailand and do their quarantine in a secure golf course, whilst enjoying a few rounds at the same time. The proposal…
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Cement truck driver blames brake failure after vehicle overturns
A driver was able to escape serious injuries after the cement truck he was driving flipped over in Banglamung yesterday morning. The driver has blamed brake failure for the incident. Emergency responders were notified of the accident on Saturday morning at 10am in Baan Ton Krarok. Police arrived to find the overturned cement truck on the road. The 61 year old sustained…
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Bangkok Pride Parade demands reforms and rights for sex workers
The Thai LGBT community was joined by anti-government protesters in yesterday’s Pride Parade in Bangkok, which travelled from Sam Yan intersection to Silom. The parade took on a more political tone this year and was calling for democracy and equal rights, amid the usual demands for the resignation of Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and reforms to the role of the…
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Changes proposed to dress codes, haircuts and gender identity for Thai students
The ‘Bad Student’ campaign and its withering attacks on the Thai education minister appear to have hit their mark. The Education Ministry has now announced amended regulations that cover dress codes and haircuts for students after a 4 month campaign. The Bad Student protests have been under-reported due to the larger protest movements, but have seen hundreds of students conducting…
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UPDATE: US President continues to wage war against the election results on Twitter
President Trump continues to insist on Twitter that ballots “have not been properly considered” and argues that President-elect Joe Biden’s victory is premature. But sources from the President’s inner circle are saying that “under some conditions” the president would consider a civil transition of power, accord to Fox News. At this stage, lawyers representing the Trump campaign have already filed…
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Police say they’re well prepared for this afternoon’s anti-government protest
An anti-government rally is planned for today, scheduled to start around 4pm. Police say they have taken steps to ensure that no laws are broken and that the rally remains peaceful. Some 15 companies of what are reported to be crowd control police will be deployed at the Royal Plaza. Rally organisers have already foreshadowed they intend to march to an…
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Letter to President Donald Trump
OPINION John Magee was the owner of The Thaiger’s predecessor, the long-running Phuket Gazette. As a US citizen and longtime Republican, he’s penned a letter to the US President Donald Trump… November 7, 2020 Dear Mr President: Let me propose something to you in the simplest possible English, with no word exceeding ten letters or five syllables. As an American…
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Phuket & Koh Samui face financial ruin in the short to medium term – VIDEO
Phuket and Samui are both islands, fed mostly by arrivals at their international airports. Of course, both remain closed and the islands are trying to survive on a dribble of domestic tourists. And there’s no sign of hope any time soon for the future. Bill Barnett is ‘Mr Hotel & Hospitality’ for Thailand and the region. What does he see…
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The Phuket ‘light rail’ may end up being an electric bus instead
The Phuket mass rapid transport system, aka. Phuket Light Rail and Phuket Tram, is receiving more attention as the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand mull more changes to the design. The initial route, which would run from the Phuket Airport, follow the main north/south artery, Thepkasattri Road, then through Phuket Town and on to Chalong circle, has a projected…
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Vietnam plans to keep borders closed and not rely on vaccine strategy
The Vietnamese Covid-19 task force says it plans to maintain its strategy of containing the coronavirus rather than “rush into a vaccine”, even if a successful vaccine becomes available, that could pose a financial burden the country. Vietnam, despite a month-long surge around Da Nang, has been able to largely contain the local outbreak. Yesterday the world’s Covid numbers reported…
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Police brace for large anti-government rally at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument on Sunday
A protest rally planned for the Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Avenue tomorrow afternoon is shaping up to be the largest gathering up to date. Since July, anti-government rallies have been building, in number and frequency, with a consistent list of demands outlined in a 10 point manifesto. These, broadly, call for the resignation of Thailand’s PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, the dissolution…
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Financial hardship spiking Thailand’s suicide rate
Thailand’s police and health workers continue to work with online influencers such as Drama Addict, Mam Po Dum and More Lab Panda, to help identify, and if necessary intervene, in people sharing distressing messages over their battles in the current Covid era. Police have also been recruited specialist to help to prevent suicides and provide counselling. Thailand’s Department of Mental…
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UPDATE: Biden pulls ahead in key battleground states as vote counting continues
Former vice president Joe Biden currently sits at 264 electoral votes, in the race for the magic ‘270’ vote finish line. He’s also ahead in the count, by slim margins, in the battleground states Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada. If any one of those states gets called in his favour, he will pass the 270 electoral votes to become president (if he maintains…
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