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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 Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
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Covid-19 task force pushes back on Bangkok lockdown proposal
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is so far resisting calls for a 7-day lockdown for Bangkok as cases in the capital soar. Yesterday, Thailand reported 3,174 new infections and a record high of 51 deaths, most of them in Bangkok. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, the CCSA says the pros and cons of locking down the capital…
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Hungary anti-LGBT+ law dispute overshadows EU summit
Tensions between Hungary and the European Commission over the country’s controversial anti-LGBT+ law intensified ahead of Thursday’s EU summit. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “the Hungarian bill is a shame.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban immediately refuted the criticism. Von der Leyen sent a letter to Orban, protesting against what she said was a bill that “clearly discriminates…
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Meteor causes explosion, green glow above Northern Thailand
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a…. bolide?! Last night in Nothern Thailand, sounds like an explosion were heard while many witnessed a mysterious greenish turquoise glow in the skies above. Scientists suspect it may have been a bright type of meteor called a bolide. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand explained that the sights and sounds many…
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Elephant that broke into Hua Hin kitchen now in memes and ads
Andy Warhol said, “in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” But in today’s world, you haven’t arrived until you’ve become a meme. The elephant that broke the wall into a Hua Hin home’s kitchen on Sunday to snack may have gotten a taste of fame (and a taste of rice too, reportedly) when its video went viral…
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Phuket governer reviews rules, new details for July 1 arrivals
In announcing what is expected for the first arrivals in the Phuket Sandbox plan on July 1, Governor Narong Woonsew mostly reconfirmed the rules set out, though a few details and additions came to light. Thailand will welcome back international travellers with the first international flights arriving next Friday. The first arrivals to Phuket will be fully vaccinated Europeans from…
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Shipment of 2 million Sinovac vaccines arrive from China
Today marks the delivery of another 2 million of the Chinese-made Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines arriving in Thailand from China. This delivery is the second this month, following the June 5 arrival of 500,000 vaccines from the Chinese manufacturer, donated by China to help Thailand in its vaccination drive that launched June 7. The arrival of these 2 million additional Covid-19…
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Pakistan picks up its COVID vaccination drive just in time
Laiba Zainab, a 25-year-old journalist in Pakistan’s central city of Multan, was eager to receive a shot of China’s Sinopharm COVID vaccine on June 10, after spending five months waiting for her age group to be called. Pakistan’s vaccination drive got off to a bumpy startearlier this year, beset by lack of supply and vaccine hesitancy. In February, only senior…
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Autopsy requested for young policeman with vaccine
An autopsy has been requested by the family of a young policeman who died suddenly just 11 days after his second injection of the Covid-19 vaccine. The family of the Khon Kaen police officer want to know definitively if the vaccine was connected at all to his unexpected death. The young man was an officer at the Muang district police…
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Indonesia: COVID cases surge as ‘pandemic fatigue’ sets in
Over the past few days, Hendra has been hearing ambulance sirens more often from the window of his home in Depok city, in Indonesia’s West Java Province. “The sound of an ambulance siren can be heard continuously every day,” the 38-year-old journalist told DW, pointing out that it’s due to the alarming rise in COVID cases in the region. Hendra…
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Despite corruption allegations, street lamp project continues in Samut Prakan
High-priced decorative lamp posts purchased by local governments have been in the public eye for possible corruption and heavily criticised. The lamp posts, equipped with solar cells and adorned with mythical and traditional Thai figures, have been seen as extravagant purchases during the pandemic. Several provinces are being investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Commission over the purchases of overpriced street…
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CCSA gives details on “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes
The “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel schemes were approved by the Thai Cabinet yesterday, allowing the islands to reopen to travellers who are vaccinated against Covid-19. Phuket is set to reopen on July 1 while the trio of islands in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao, is set to reopen on July 15.…
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Gap between AstraZeneca vaccines cut from 16 to 12 to 8 weeks
In response to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19, the Public Health Ministry plans to decrease the time between the first and second AstraZeneca vaccines for people. The Delta variant is more contagious and spreads more quickly than the original Coronavirus so the decision was made to accelerate the vaccination process to protect against it. Just a few…
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US is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who live overseas
The United States Department of State is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who are currently overseas as the US government’s global vaccine effort focuses on distributing millions of vaccines to countries seriously impacted by the pandemic, the Embassy of the US in Thailand Charge d’Affaires Michael Heath wrote in a statement addressed to Americans in Thailand. The US…
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Sandbox could be revised, cancelled if Covid-19 outbreaks occur
With Phuket scheduled to reopen to international travellers next Friday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has put together a “Plan B” for closing the Sandbox in case of outbreaks. Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information Natapanu Nopakun, who also acts as the Deputy Spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, outlines possible scenarios in an English address during the…
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US Warns its citizens against traveling to Thailand
While Thailand is pushing full steam ahead to reopen to international tourism, the United States government issued a statement warning Americans not to travel to Thailand citing Covid-19 risks and civil unrest in the south. The US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs regularly updates travel information for US citizens wishing to go abroad, issuing a Travel Advisory Level…
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Embassy of France in Thailand starts vaccine campaign for French nationals ages 55+
French nationals living in Thailand, who are 55 and older, can now register for a Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. The Embassy of France in Thailand has organised a vaccination campaign for French nationals, providing the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for free. The costs are subsidised by the French government. The campaign starts today and will end next month. Inoculations will…
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Bangkok public hospitals run low on beds for Covid-19 patients in critical condition
In the midst of the most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, public hospitals in Bangkok are running extremely low on available beds for patients in critical condition. Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms occupy all but 20 of the beds. Health authorities say they must keep 20 beds open for those who need emergency treatment. Bangkok is the epicentre in…
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Lao woman rejected while trying to register for Covid-19 vaccine
A formal investigation is being launched after a woman from Laos was refused registration for a Covid-19 vaccine. It’s understood the woman is married to a Thai man and has lived in Thailand for 14 years. The political activist, Srisuwan Janya, has lodged a petition with the Ombudsman, requesting an investigation into the case. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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First person charged under Hong Kong security law goes to trial – without a jury
The trial of the first person to be charged under a controversial national security law gets underway in Hong Kong today – and there will be no jury present. The national security law was imposed by Beijing last year, following huge pro-democracy protests. It signifies a landmark change in Hong Kong’s political and legal landscape and has been slammed by…
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Medical researchers look into combining vaccines to beat Delta variant
Researchers at the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University are investigating if combining vaccine doses from different brands can boost immunity against the Delta variant. The move comes as Sinovac, the vaccine widely administered in the government’s rollout, shows declining efficacy against the highly contagious mutation first reported in India. Prominent virologist Yong Poovorawan says researchers…
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Restrictions eased in yellow zones
The government has confirmed that some Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed in “yellow zone” provinces, although provincial governors are still free to introduce their own, stricter measures if necessary. Schools and educational facilities can re-open fully and shopping malls and department stores can return to normal hours. Convenience stores and supermarkets can also revert to normal operating hours. Restaurants can…
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It’s happening: Phuket sandbox approved by Cabinet
It’s been talked about until the buffalo came home – and then some. It was on, it was off, it was delayed, then it wasn’t. Finally, it’s been confirmed. After being closed to foreign tourists for over a year, the southern island of Phuket is set to re-open on July 1. Yesterday, the sandbox scheme, which will see the island…
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EU sanctions on Belarus go ‘beyond symbolic’
EU figures admire Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn for his directness. And he didn’t hold back after Monday’s decision to target key sectors of the Belarus economy with fresh sanctions. “We are clearly showing that Stalinism and state terror no longer have a place in the 21st century,” said Asselborn, referring to Minsk’s forced diversion of a Ryanair passenger plane…
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Carlos Ghosn, ex-Nissan chief, walks out of DW’s Conflict Zone interview
Ghosn, who was one of the most powerful men in the global car industry, abruptly cut short an interview with DW’s Conflict Zone host Tim Sebastian when he disliked the host’s line of questioning. The former car industry executive, who headed an automotive alliance including Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi, said Sebastian was speaking in “bad faith” after he pointed out…
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Thailand: Hazing rituals in universities foster authoritarianism
Thai universities’ infamous orientation activities have again come under the spotlight following the tragic death of a 22-year-old student Veeraphan Tamklang in the capital, Bangkok, this month. He was kicked to death by a group of 12 senior students as punishment for not pitching any ideas for hazing activities. These sorts of stories still regularly make headlines in Thailand, in…
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CCSA: Bars to stay closed for now, drunk customers risk the spread of Covid-19
It might be a while until bars and nightclubs reopen in Thailand. In today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration daily briefing, fingers pointed at customers who are far less likely to follow disease control practices when they are under the influence of alcohol. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, infecting more than 190,000 people since April 1, started…
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Woman dies after jumping from Phra Khanong BTS station in Bangkok
In an apparent suicide, a 38 year old woman jumped from the busy Phra Khanong BTS station over Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road yesterday afternoon. First responders and police officers from the Klong Tan station were called to the scene and attempted to resuscitate the woman. Reports say the woman had critical head injuries and died on the way to Police General…
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Japan proposes four-day working week to improve work-life balance
Japan’s famously hard-working salarymen — and, increasingly, salarywomen — are to be encouraged to reduce the amount of time they spend in the office environment as part of the government’s initiative to improve the nation’s work-life balance. The recently unveiled annual economic policy guidelines include new recommendations that companies permit their staff to opt to work four days a week…
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3 Cambodian activists arrested for plotting against the government/insulting the king after documenting waste run-off
Documenting pollution is a public service, not terrorism. We urge authorities to be responsive to its citizens, not to silence them 3 members of an environmental activist group called “Mother Nature” have been arrested after they documented waste runoff that fed into Phnom Penh’s Tonle Sap river. They have been charged with plotting against the government and insulting the king.…
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Chiang Mai eases restrictions, alcohol now allowed at restaurants
Alcohol is now allowed to be served in Chiang Mai restaurants. Provincial officials loosened disease control restrictions today, including lifting the alcohol ban at eateries, although bars and other nightlife venues must still remain closed. Restrictions eased nationwide this week and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration revised its colour-code zoning based on the Covid-19 situation in each province. Local…
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