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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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Thailand’s nightlife venues and bars told to keep closed until January 16
Thailand’s nightlife cat and mouse game between authorities and desperate bar and nightlife businesses will continue until the middle of January 2022. Following deliberations from the CCSA yesterday, entertainment venues will have to keep their doors closed until at least January 16. To put an exclamation mark after the latest announcement, the Thai government has also extended the emergency decree…
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Amnesty International under investigation for defending activists
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that Thai authorities have opened an investigation into human rights group Amnesty International after they spoke out against the prosecution of anti-government protesters. An opposing group of protesters who are devoted to the monarchy called for Amnesty International to be barred from Thailand. On Thursday, the group of royalists gave the government a letter saying that…
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New Covid-19 strain named “Omicron” and a variant of concern
Omicron is the new Covid-19 to watch out for, having just received its Greek name and the highest category of classification, “variant of concern”. The B.1.1.529 strain, recently uncovered in southern Africa and already seeing some spread, was given the Omicron name and classified as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation yesterday. From least worrisome to most…
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CCSA sticks with plan to reopen bars on January 16
This article was revised on Monday, November 29. Despite hopes from millions of tourists around the world and millions of bar, club, and nightlife staff and owners throughout Thailand, the CCSA is sticking with plans to allow the bars to reopen on January 16. The CCSA had a meeting yesterday that revisited and revised several rules for entering Thailand and…
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Nuclear power in Hungary: Green, cheap and independent?
While Germany is phasing out nuclear power and many EU states don’t have any atomic plants at all, others are expanding their nuclear programs as part of the fight against climate change. These states argue that atomic energy is low in CO2 emissions and allows them to produce cheap electricity and be more energy-independent. But can nuclear power really lead…
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AfricaLink on Air — 26 November 2021
The new southern African COVID “super variant” sparks a global scare +++ Kenya launches its 10-day mass vaccination campaign +++ Sierra Leone indicts a key opposition leader +++ Zambians raise concerns over increased alcohol consumption SOURCE: DW News
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Germany’s new Africa policy holds few surprises
The word “Africa” only appears four times in the coalition deal unveiled this week by the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the business-focused Free Democrats (FDP), which will form Germany’s next government. That’s considerably less than 15 times “Africa” appeared in the coalition treaty between the previous government of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the SPD,…
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Bangladesh’s BNP opposition party in dire straits as leader’s health deteriorates
Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister and arch-rivalof current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was admitted to the critical care unit of a Dhaka hospital early this month after her health deteriorated. The 76-year old former prime minister and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has been suffering from several chronic and life-threatening diseases. “She has chronic liver disease,…
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What next for migrants stuck in Belarus?
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko has called on Germany to accept migrants, a move Berlin says it has rejected. The EU is exploring possible repatriations. Meanwhile, concerns are mounting about a COVID outbreak. SOURCE: DW News
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Bang Sue Grand Station to use only Pfizer and Moderna vaccine
The Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok has announced that they will switch their operations to entirely use the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccine. The move will go into effect on November 26 and will replace the previously used vaccines in the main Bangkok vaccination centre, mainly Sinovac and AstraZeneca previously. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will…
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Phuket traffic police deny Facebook accusal of targeting tourists
After a Facebook post showing a motorbike checkpoint accused police of destroying tourism, the Phuket Provincial Police fired back. The post was made in Thai in the Phuket Sandbox – SHA Plus Facebook group on Sunday and went viral as it blamed traffic police for robbing foreigners now that tourists are returning. The post was accompanied by photos of a…
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CCSA hints that some bars and nightclubs could reopen before January 16
The long awaited reopening of bars and nightclubs is still set for January 16, but a government spokesperson has hinted that they could reopen sooner. The deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nopakun Natapanu, says that the CCSA decided to stay with the plan to for January, but will allow relevant agencies to continue to work closely with…
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Desperate to hire nurses, hospitals and clinics in Singapore offer “finder’s fee”
As the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the healthcare system in Singapore, the demand for nurses grows even as many have quit their jobs due to higher levels of stress and long hours duty to deal with the patients. For the first time in more than two decades, the number of nurses working in Singapore decreased in 2020 and the situation…
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Thailand, 5 other countries added to Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane list
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore today announced that travelers from Thailand, Cambodia, Fiji, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Turkey will be able to enter Singapore quarantine-free starting in mid-December Vaccinated Travel Lane scheme. Visitors from VTL countries who are fully vaccinated are able to enter Singapore without having to go through quarantine and simply have to take a Covid-19 test.…
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Heavy rain, potential flooding in the forecast for Southern Thailand
Eight provinces in Southern Thailand — Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat — have been warned by the Meteorological Department today to prepare for potentially flooding and runoff as heavy rain and strong winds continued in the Gulf of Thailand. The warning will be in effect until Tuesday, according to the weather services, adding…
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Cambodia authorities seize large shipment of cocaine from boat by Laos border
Cambodian officials in Koh Lung’s Stung Treng province managed to stop a boat carrying cocaine from Laos to their territory at 7pm Wednesday. Border police searched the vessel and found 10 sacks containing 170 packs of cocaine. Reports in local media do not clarify how many kilograms each pack weighs. According to the Stung Treng Provincial Police Commissioner, Ot Sivutha,…
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Pakistani artists concerned about Turkish actors taking away their roles
Pakistani businesses and brands are increasingly opting for Turkish artists in their commercials, heightening anxiety among local actors. SOURCE: DW News
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Emergency Decree extended until January 31
The Emergency Decree has been extended until January 31, giving the Thai government sweeping powers to impose measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. In its general meeting chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, the CCSA decided to extend the decree due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation. The decree was imposed at the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and…
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Vietnam urges to give third doses of Covid-19 vaccine
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health is urging local governments to accelerate giving out a third dosage of Covid-19 vaccines, prioritising people over 50 years old despite a recent spike in the Mekong Delta region with approximately 4,000 new infections per day. The MoH said 135.15 million of the 136 million vaccination doses received by Vietnam were distributed to various localities, which…
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Thailand to buy 30 million booster Pfizer shots
Had your booster shot yet? According to Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, the Department of Disease Control has signed an agreement to buy another 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccines, which will be administered as booster shots in the first quarter of 2022. He added that Pfizer has given Thailand a special deal where the additional 20 million doses…
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Thai police suspect fugitive Red Bull heir is living in Austria
The fugitive Red Bull heir who is wanted by Thai police for the 2012 fatal hit-and-run case is claimed to now be in Austria. Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya is wanted for speeding his Ferrari in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and running over a police officer, dragging his body several dozen metres, killing him. Boss managed to evade justice and fled the country…
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CCSA revises zoning: No more “dark red” zones with nightly curfews
No provinces will be under a mandated nightly curfew starting December 1. The CCSA approved new zoning today, reclassifying several provinces on its colour-coded zoning scale based on Covid-19 infection rates and reopening measures. Under the revised zoning, there are no provinces classified as “dark red” with stay-at-home orders. Kanchanaburi, Nonthaburi, and Pathum Thani were reclassified as “blue zones,” or…
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Bangkok is back – Thailand’s capital roars back into gear
OPINION Before the pandemic, Bangkok was the most-visited city on the planet – a thriving hive of energy and activity which attracted over 22 million international visitors per year. Then, without warning, it all went quiet. Now, following the long-awaited reopening of Thailand’s borders on November 1, 2021, Bangkok is back. The city is welcoming the world’s travellers once again,…
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AirAsia to resume Bangkok-Phnom Penh flights following Cambodia’s reopening
AirAsia is resuming flights from Bangkok to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh starting December 22. The Southeast Asian country recently lifted restrictions to allow fully vaccinated foreign travellers to enter without undergoing quarantine. Next month, flights from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport to Phnom Penh will take off on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Travellers who are considered fully vaccinated under the…
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Public Health Ministry drafts measures for reopening bars next month in 17 provinces
The Public Health Ministry has reportedly drafted measures for reopening bars and nightclubs in 17 provinces next month and will make a proposal to the CCSA. While entertainment venues nationwide are planned to reopen by mid-January, according to a report in Thai media, the ministry is proposing to open bars in “blue” zones a month earlier on December 16, but…
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Foreign Minister says visit to Myanmar was to oversee humanitarian aid delivery
The Foreign Minister has responded to questions about his visit to Myanmar by saying he was overseeing the delivery of humanitarian aid. Don Pramudwinai’s November 14 trip has been criticised by some as potentially legitimising the military leaders who overthrew the country’s democratically-elected government in February. Addressing the House of Representatives yesterday, Don said he went to the country purely…
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Transport Ministry says Thai land bridge will become transit port to rival Hong Kong
The transport minister is feeling optimistic about a new land bridge development which will connect the southern provinces of Ranong and Chumphon. The Bangkok Post reports that the project will link Chumphon, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand, to Ranong, on the Andaman Sea. Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob says the result will be a transit port with…
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Thailand entry may be simplified by switching to antigen test
At the CCSA meeting on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health will propose easing entry requirements by replacing RT-PCR tests with a much cheaper and faster antigen test. Health authorities report that Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul will propose the revision at Friday’s meeting to be enacted from December on. The simplifying of the required Covid-19 test is part…
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Thailand signs procurement deal for 50,000 courses of Molnupiravir Covid pill
Thailand has signed a 500 million baht deal to purchase 50,000 treatment courses of the new Covid-19 drug, Molnupiravir. According to a Thai PBS World report, the Medical Services Department signed the deal yesterday, with Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul present to witness it. A course of treatment is made up of 40 x 200mg capsules. A patient will need to…
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Travel agents call for tourism fee to be postponed until industry recovers
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to postpone the implementation of a new tourism fee until the sector has fully recovered. Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn says Thailand has averaged around 3,000 – 4,000 foreign tourists per day, since re-opening on November 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says confidence is low ahead of the coming high…
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