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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored Long-term life in Thailand? 5 reasons private health insurance pays off in the long run
Thailand is a great place for expats and retirees, offering a warm climate, affordable living, and rich culture. However, healthcare can be tricky for foreigners since they aren’t eligible for public health coverage, and private care can be expensive. Private...
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Investigation finds no evidence PM paid MPs for votes
A House Secretariat investigation says it’s found no evidence that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha paid MPs to vote for him. The probe was in response to an accusation from an opposition politician in September. Wisarn Techathirawat, a Pheu Thai MP for Chiang Rai, accused the PM of paying 5 million baht to a number of MPs in return for votes of…
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Phuket governor says island will remain open for tourists, despite rise in infections
The governor of Phuket has reassured local businesses that the island remains open for tourists under its sandbox scheme. Narong Wunsiew says that despite a steep rise in Covid-19 case numbers, there are no plans for a lockdown. “As we aim to contain Covid-19 while boosting the economy, we have received pleas for us not to shut down the island…
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Test & Go suspension results in mass cancellations for remainder of high season
Thailand’s high season looks to be over already, with tourism operators reporting a surge in cancellations and plummeting hotel occupancy. The development follows the government’s decision to suspend the Test & Go entry scheme amid concerns about the highly-contagious Omicron variant, which is rapidly spreading around the world. The Bangkok Post reports that tourism operators are reporting a rise in…
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Thailand sees 32,627 travellers in 2022, Russians top the list
As the future of the Thailand reopening hangs in the balance, travellers rushed to get into the country before the doors are pulled shut any further. Russia led the entries into the Kingdom with a few surprising countries making the top 10 list. 32,627 people have entered the country this year, from January 1 to January 4, bringing with them…
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Mueang Chon Buri restaurants come under strict Covid-19 control
Mueang Chon Buri district is the latest part of the province to come under the strict Covid-19 restrictions for food and beverage facilities. The order was first enacted in Pattaya, ordered by the governor of Chon Buri late at night on January 1 requiring daily Covid-19 testing of all employees and that every patron at any restaurant have a negative…
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Vietnam welcomes over 1,700 travellers on the first three days of international flights resumption
Following the resumption of 11 flights by the Civil Aviation Administration last weekend, Vietnam welcomed a total of 1,753 travellers on the first three days from January 1 to 3. According to CAAV, the travellers have landed at Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai, Da Nang, and Can Tho international airports. In the first phase of restoration, the flights were operated…
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Philippines president says he will never apologise for deaths during his “war on drugs”
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte says he’ll never apologise for the deaths during his bloody war on drugs campaign where, according to government data reported by Reuters, around 6,200 drugs suspects were killed in police sting operations since Duterte took power in June 2016. “I will never, never apologise for the deaths… Kill me. Jail me. I will never apologise for…
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Half-Half subsidy programme 4th phase starting in March
The very popular Covid-19 financial relief programme Half-Half or 50:50 will be continued, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance. The spokesperson said the ministry is preparing the fourth phase of the programme, expected to launch in March. The plan that launched last year simultaneously aided people in need with meals and stimulated the small business economy by…
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Cambodian PM will not be allowed to meet Myanmar’s ousted leader, junta says
Cambodia’s PM Hun Sen is barred from meeting the former State Counsellor and ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the Myanmar military junta when he visits the country this weekend, according to a military spokesperson today. As the spokesperson for General Zaw Min Tun, from the military information team, says that only representatives from the political parties will have…
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Thailand’s traditional “Nora” dancers call for ban on performances to be lifted
Dancers of Southern Thailand’s traditional folk dance are asking the governor of Trang, a coastal province along the Andaman Sea, to allow them to perform. Due to disease control measures in place over the past eight months, Nora dancers have not been allowed to perform and now say they are struggling financially. Dressed in their colourful Nora costumes, the dancers…
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Soi Nana announces Covid-19 free zone, vaccine or test required
Without explaining how they managed to open when bars and entertainment nightlife venues are still supposed to be closed throughout Thailand, the bars of the Chinatown hotspot Soi Nana have announced their creation of a Covid-19 free bar area where patrons must be vaccinated or tested. Soi Nana is an alley linking Maitrichit Road and Rama IV Road in Bangkok’s…
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Trains in Thailand report 3.16 million passengers over New Year’s
Over 3 million people rode the rails (quietly, we hope) over the New Year’s holiday period, with the Department of Rail Transport reporting 3,160,216 passengers taking trains between December 29 and January 3. During those 6 days, nearly 2.9 million of the 3.1 million rides were on the electric trains that criss-cross Bangkok. The Rail Transport Department Deputy Director-General broke…
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Despite social media rumours, PM Prayut denies having Covid-19
Don’t believe the hype! A government spokesperson responded to rumours by denying that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has become infected with Covid-19. The rumours have been swirling around on Thai social media that the prime minister has the Coronavirus. The spokesperson for the government emphatically denied the online claims and confirmed that the PM Prayut is in perfect health with no…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 3,899 new cases; provincial totals
19 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,769 with 21,675 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 3,899 new Covid-19 cases and 2,508 recoveries. There are now 34,877 people in Thailand being…
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What to do if you test positive for Covid-19 in Thailand
Taking at-home Covid-19 tests on a regular basis as become the “norm” this week after many people travelled and met with friends and family during the New Year holiday. Officials are anticipating an uptick in Covid-19 cases, and some areas, like Bangkok and Phuket, have even prepared facilities to house patients. Here’s what to do if you test positive for…
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Khao San Road closed for 3 days after Covid-19 outbreak
As could be predicted after massive New Year’s Eve parties in tourist hotspots around the country, many Covid-19 outbreaks and clusters have been identified throughout Thailand. One such cluster of 10 tourists with Covid-19 was identified on the backpacker hub of Khao San Road in Bangkok, leading to a 3-day closure for sterilisation. The world-famous street in Phra Nakhon district,…
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Rok Islands in Trang sees rare sighting of manta rays
It’s been about 18 years since they’ve been spotted in this area of the Andaman sea off the coast of Thailand, but snorkelers around the Rok Islands spotted a few manta rays. They are a vulnerable species that are rarely sighted in the area and are known to be the largest type of rays in the world. The area off…
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Pattaya Mayor says there will be no lockdown despite Covid uptick in Chon Buri
Despite Chon Buri topping the chart of the highest new Covid-19 cases yesterday and an uptick of Omicron cases in the area, the Pattaya City Mayor says there will be no lockdown. Beaches will remain open, Mayor Sontaya Kunplome says, but individual businesses, not entire sectors, will be closed if they do not meet the mandatory Covid-19 measurements. The announcement came…
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Indian tourists who left Chon Buri before receiving positive test result found in Bangkok
Like wanted criminals, the mugshots of two Indian travellers were posted on a graphic released by the Chon Buri Health Department. Why? Because they tested positive for Covid-19. And after a search highly publicised in Thai media, the 30 year old and 32 year old were found in Bangkok. The two travellers entered Thailand through the Test & Go quarantine…
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Covid cluster linked to bar puts pressure on Isaan healthcare system
CORRECTION: An earlier report incorrectly gave the location of the bar, Ekkamai487. The bar is in Ubon Ratchathani. A recent Covid-19 cluster from a local bar is putting pressure on the healthcare system in the Isaan province Ubon Ratchathani. Out of the 315 new cases reported today in the northeastern province, 48 are linked to the local gastropub Ekkamai487. Under…
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Officials postpone activities for National Children’s Day as Omicron spreads
The Education Ministry has decided to postpone all official activities planned to mark National Children’s Day this Saturday. According to a Thai PBS World report, the decision was taken as a result of the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong says the activities are not being cancelled permanently and will go ahead at a later…
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Bangkok prepares field hospitals, isolation centres for anticipated Covid-19 uptick
Field hospitals and community isolation centres are being set up in Bangkok to handle the anticipated uptick of Covid-19 cases after the New Year’s holiday. Thousands of cardboard beds are being set up in facilities, like gymnasiums, to house those who are infected with the virus. There are now 40 community isolation centres that can support 5,066 patients who have…
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Health minister calls for re-opening of bars, nightclubs to be pushed back
Thailand’s Health Minister says the re-opening of nightlife venues should be postponed given the number of businesses that failed to implement disease prevention measures. Anutin Charnvirakul’s suggestion comes as a number of clusters of the Omicron variant have led to major outbreaks and can be traced back to bars and restaurants in a number of provinces. Anutin says there is…
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Phuket hotels to offer isolation rooms for asymptomatic guests who refuse hospital
Phuket hoteliers have come up with a solution for asymptomatic guests who test positive for the Omicron variant but refuse to be transferred to hospital. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says in order to keep Phuket’s re-opening going, tourists who test positive but have no symptoms should be offered isolation facilities at their hotel instead of having to…
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Travellers who break Philippines quarantine rules face US$1,000 fine or 6 months in jail
The Philippines has issued a warning to incoming travellers that those who break quarantine rules might face fines of up to 50,000 Philippine pesos (US$1,000) or six months in prison as it prepares to deal with the new strain of Omicron in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 cases. During a television interview yesterday, President Duterte’s spokesperson, Karlos Nograles,…
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Khao San Road getting cleaned, staff tested after 11 partygoers test positive for Covid-19
Bangkok’s Khao San Road is in for a big cleaning after the New Year weekend where 11 people tested positive for Covid-19. Authorities are now urging those who partied on the street on December 30 and 31 to get tested and to monitor their health. The nightlife walking street, known as a backpacker’s mecca with cheap drinks, laughing gas balloons,…
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Trip to Thailand turned sour for Love Island star after testing positive for Covid
A trip to Thailand went sour for an Australian star of the reality show Love Island after she and her boyfriend tested positive for Covid-19. The couple has been sent to a “hospital hotel” in Phuket to isolate themselves. 29 year old Australian model and Love Island winner, Anna McEvoy, has been documenting her trip and her isolation experience on…
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China’s Evergrande Group agrees to demolish 39 apartment blocks on Hainan Island
China’s Evergrande property mess just became a whole lot worse. Now shares in the indebted property group have been suspended after the developer was told to demolish 39 buildings in Hainan, the island off the southern coast of China in the South China Sea. To be clear, that is a demolition order for 39 under-construction buildings that have been built…
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Phuket officials order schools to close, hotels to prepare isolation services as Covid cases rise
Schools in Phuket are closed until January 14 due to the uptick in Covid-19 cases in the province. And with more cases anticipated, Phuket officials announced that 66 hotels on the island are preparing rooms and procedures for isolating those who are infected. Schools, universities, and other study centres are urged to offer online courses. Public schools will hold classes…
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UPDATE: Talk of Test & Go cutoff date, approved travellers can’t reschedule flights
UPDATE: At the conclusion of a Cabinet meeting this morning, a spokesperson for the Thai PM noted that Prayut Chan-o-cha supports extending the current suspension of the Test & Go program. The PM also indicated support for a January 10 sunset date for currently approved Thailand Pass applications – those approved before December 21 and for those applications made before…
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