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Thailand makes AstraZeneca its first choice for Covid vaccine
Thailand’s deputy PM and public health minister says the AstraZeneca vaccine is the nation’s first choice for protecting itself against Covid-19. Anutin Charnvirakul says more than 150,000 have received AstraZeneca jabs with only a low percentage having developed side effects. But the low amount of side effects seen is a different tune to the vaccine’s previous safety concerns as other…
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Report attributes 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand to air pollution
According to the State of Global Air 2020 Report, around 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand, back in 2019, have been attributed to air pollution. The report cites the PM2.5 pollution particles as the main culprit as particles in that size range are the most likely to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to these fine particles…
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Thailand’s Songkran headache – Bangkok entertainment venues closed days before holiday
In the day’s before Thailand’s biggest annual party begins there’s been fresh clusters breaking out in Bangkok and Chon Buri’s nightlife. Already the BMA has closed nightlife venues in three popular districts “as a precautionary measure” for at least two weeks, as of last night. Officials will meet today to mull a blanket closing time for entertainment venues and restaurants…
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PM doesn’t know if members of his Cabinet frequented Bangkok Covid hotspots
The Thai PM says he can’t say if members of his administration visited bars and entertainment venues where a cluster of Covid-19 infections has been reported. Prayut Chan-o-cha says he doesn’t know if ministers partied in the Thong Lor area of Bangkok, which was reported as a new hotspot of infection last week. On Saturday, out of 71 new cases…
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Aviation authority calling for 20,000 vaccine doses for crew, ground staff
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is calling for vaccine doses to protect around 20,000 airline crew and ground staff before the country re-opens to international tourists. The CAAT says it’s vital that those working in the aviation industry are protected and has submitted its request to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. According to Suthipong Kongpool from the CAAT,…
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Has the full moon set on Koh Pha Ngan’s Full Moon Party?
A full moon used to mean a full beach of party-goers along the Haad Rin strip on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan. But it hasn’t been like that for a year now as the Gulf of Thailand island waits out the restrictions and border closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The crowds of backpackers and revellers aren’t flocking to the monthly…
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Labour union angry over changes to Thai Airways staff contracts under rehab plan
Union representatives are questioning changes made to the employment terms of Thai Airways staff as part of the national carrier’s debt-restructuring plan. The labour union claims the changes have removed or diluted several staff entitlements and welfare benefits, pointing the finger at acting president, Chansin Treenuchagron, who signed the orders. The union is calling on the Department of Labour Protection…
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Nightlife shut down in 3 Bangkok districts following rise in Covid numbers
While most nightlife venues remain open, they must close by 9pm and cannot sell alcohol. Restaurants may remain open for dine-in services but must close by 9pm and are also banned from selling alcohol. Here we go again. Restrictions and closures to Bangkok’s nightlife are back. Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang has ordered the closure of nightlife venues in 3 districts…
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Songkran: Economy booster or Covid-19 spreader?
While the government is encouraging people to enjoy themselves and spend money in the struggling economy for the upcoming Songkran Festival, some Covid-19 experts are warning that this may bring about a third or even fourth wave of infections. The past has shown that people letting loose and partying free is often the source of viral outbreaks, as was the…
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Khon Kaen hospital’s 2 Covid-19 infected doctors limit services
Health officials say 2 doctors who work at Khon Kaen University’s Srinagarind Hospital are now infected with Covid-19. The hospital is now responding to the situation by suspending the acceptance of new patients and postponing scheduled operations. According to the provincial public health office chief, the 2 doctors worked in the hospital’s Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine. All hospital…
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Deputy PM says he doesn’t have Covid-19, despite rumours
Today Deputy PM and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow has quashed a rumour that he contracted Covid-19 in an entertainment venue on March 25. Alerts were raised as the Minister attended a cabinet meeting several days later. The minister denies that he has put anyone at risk of exposure and has already been tested for Covid-19 and is planning to be…
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Leader of Thai cryptocurrency exchange warns regulators about tight restrictions
The co-founder of Thailand’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has slammed regulators for plans to set requirements that would limit who can trade cryptocurrency. Following a drastic spike in domestic crypto trading, Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission, decided to look into tighter restrictions and say traders will be soon required to have experience, be educated in trading or pass an exam. Too…
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Thailand News Today | Bangkok nightspot Covid clusters, Tesco/CP merger goes to court | April 5
We’ll start off with a Covid whip around… some minor clusters popping up around parts of Thailand…. Thailand’s Chon Buri province, which includes Pattaya, has revealed 7 more Covid-19 infections today. There were another 8 yesterday. The new infections are worrying officials, who say they are the most the province has seen in 3 months. Japanese nationals are among the…
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CCSA Update: 194 new Covid-19 cases, outbreak at Narathiwat prison
194 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most cases are linked to an outbreak at a prison in the southern province Narathiwat. A number of other cases are linked to bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok. Out of the 194 new cases, 94 cases were in Narathiwat. Most are prison inmates.…
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Some Bangkok international schools close following rise of Covid-19 cases in the area
Some international schools in Bangkok are temporarily closing down due to the rise of Covid-19 cases in the area with 71 cases linked to bars and entertainment venues in parts of the city – primarily Thong Lor and Ekkamai along the Sukhumvit strip, and around Chatuchak, to the north of the city centre. Regent’s International School Bangkok sent out a…
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Thailand to discuss travel bubble with Singapore
Thailand is looking into setting up a travel bubble with Singapore. Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Ministry will discuss the idea this week with officials from the Singapore Embassy. Tourism officials are also looking at potential travel bubbles with other neighbouring countries with a low number of active Covid-19 cases, such as Vietnam and Laos, according to sports and tourism minister…
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Foreigners charged with DUI teach English to Koh Samui probation staff
Foreigners on Koh Samui who have been caught driving while intoxicated are now teaching English to probation officers as part of their community service. Those with a drink driving charge are ordered by the court to complete 24 hours of community service. The foreigners have been teaching probation staff basic greetings and conversational English as well as grammar and legal…
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Phuket’s pilot program to reopen Thailand – Interview Bill Barnett | VIDEO
There’s a lot more of Thailand besides Phuket, but the southern Thai island has received a lot of attention in the past few weeks because of the intention to remove quarantine for vaccinated international arrivals from July this year. There’s a lot at stake as the rest of Thailand will be watching the pilot program, eager to see it work…
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Chon Buri sees 7 more Covid infections today, 5 foreigners
Thailand’s Chon Buri province, which features the tourist city of Pattaya, is seeing 7 more Covid-19 infections today. The Chon Buri Public Health Office made the announcement after seeing 8 infections just yesterday. The new infections are worrying officials, who say they are the most the province has seen in 3 months. Japanese nationals claimed 5 of the infections today,…
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Thai man arrested after beating and killing dog for being “mangy”
A 24 year old Thai man has been arrested in northeastern Thailand’s Udon Thani province, for beating and killing a dog because it appeared to be “mangy.” Watchdog Thailand, posted a graphic video clip on Facebook of the man assaulting the dog several times with a knife and pipe in front of its owner’s house. Later that day, the dog’s owner…
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Thailand allows entry to 11 groups of travellers, cuts quarantine down for those vaccinated
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is allowing 11 groups of tourists to enter the Kingdom with shortened quarantine times for those who have been fully vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated are able to complete a 7 day quarantine upon entering as long as they can show proof along with registering at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. The registration process…
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Thailand unlikely to join ASEAN in pressuring Myanmar junta to stop bloodshed
Thailand’s government is unlikely to join other members of ASEAN in calling for Myanmar’s junta to stop the bloodshed. Fears over receiving a flood of refugees across the Burmese border and damages to its military ties may be of more importance to the Kingdom, despite the government’s recent claims that it is “gravely concerned” over the situation in Myanmar. If…
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New Covid-19 clusters at bars in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and Ekkamai areas
New Covid-19 clusters have been reported at several bars and pubs in Bangkok, primarily off Sukhumvit Road. So far, 40 people have tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting entertainment venues in Bangkok. Those who have visited bars in the Thong Lor, where most of the infections were reported, are asked to go to the website “BKKcovid19” and fill out an…
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Firefighters’ bodies retrieved, 100,000 baht to families
Bodies were retrieved in the early hours of today for the 4 firefighters who lost their lives during yesterday’s building collapse in Bangkok. The director of the Thawi Watthana District Office confirmed that at about 6:30 am rescuer workers were able to remove the bodies of the heroic firemen, most of them volunteers. The bodies were pulled from the wreckage…
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Travellers around the world eager to return to Phuket
Travellers of 28 nationalities have indicated that they would like to come to Phuket after mandatory quarantine is done away with for those that have received their Covid-19 vaccination. This according to the Phuket Tourist Association. The popular destination for foreigners will be the first location in Thailand to remove quarantine restrictions in the government’s long-term plan to reopen the…
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100+ Covid-19 infections cancels all prison visits in Thailand’s south
After a small Covid-19 outbreak reported yesterday, the Corrections Department has now cancelled all prison visits from tomorrow through May 5, after testing revealed more than 100 people infected within the prison systems in Narathiwat, a border province in the south of Thailand, and Surat Thani. Originally 2 prisoners in Narathiwat Central Prison were confirmed to have Covid-19 Friday, with…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand aims to attract expat golfers
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is poised to organise golf events targeted at Thailand’s expatriate community as part of efforts to restore confidence in domestic tourism under the banner “Stay Play Safe”. Minister of Tourism and Sports Phipat Ratchakitprakarn says that the motivation behind the campaign is “to re-energise a sector that has been badly hit closures and restrictions brought…
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Investigations continue after 5 people die during Bangkok house fire rescue
Police and BMA officials are continuing their investigations today after 5 people – 4 of them volunteer emergency responders – died as a building collapsed while rescuers were trying to find a man trapped inside. Another person was trapped, alive, under the rubble and was the subject of a longer rescue later yesterday. The fire took place early yesterday morning…
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10 rebel groups in Myanmar throw their support behind anti-coup protesters | VIDEO
Myanmar’s most prominent ethnic and political rebel groups are throwing their support behind the country’s anti-coup protesters. Yesterday, 10 of the groups convened a conference call to discuss the military leaders killing protesters and citizens. Nearly 600 Burmese citizens have now been killed in the violent crackdown that started after the February 1 coup that ousted the government of Aung…
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16 German tourists kick off Phuket’s tentative re-opening plans
3 months away and Phuket will be Thailand’s first province to waive the mandatory quarantine stay for foreign travellers who have been vaccinated. Well, that remains the plan as Thailand starts to work through a 4-phase re-opening schedule which will take the rest of 2021 to roll out. The subjects of these re-opening experiments will be the expected tourists who,…
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