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Chon Buri bar raided for violating Covid-19 restrictions
Police have raided a bar in the Banglamung district of Chon Buri after it was found to have violated a closure order currently in place to curtail the spread of Covid-19. The eastern province now has over 211 active cases of the virus. Earlier this week, the Chon Buri governor introduced strict restrictions in Banglamung and Pattaya in an effort…
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Thailand looking to speed up Covid-19 vaccination timeline
Amid a new surge in Covid-19 cases, Thai officials are planning to increase the number of vaccines available and speed up the timeline for administration. Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has confirmed the plan, following complaints from the country’s tourism industry when an initial statement said vaccination might not begin until as late as June.…
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More closures in Bangkok as BMA mulls further restrictions
• High risk entertainment venues closed • BMA’s 437 schools closed for at least 2 weeks • CCSA considering restricting Bangkok restaurants to take-any only services only The Bangkok Metropolitan Organisation has closed “high risk’ venues around Bangkok as of midnight last night. The city’s 437 public schools run by the BMA have also been ordered to close until at least January 17.…
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UPDATE: 279 new Covid infections, 2 new deaths
Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin has announced 279 new infections of Covid-19 from the past 24 hours at this morning’s media briefing in Bangkok. There’s also been 2 new deaths. 16 of today’s new infections are Burmese migrant workers, 5 are imported cases from arrivees returning to Thailand. The first of the 2 deaths was a 44 year old Thai man who…
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2020’s movers, shakers and influences (that weren’t Covid) | VIDEO
2020 The big events, the winners and the losers 2020 has been one of the most disruptive years in history, certainly for anyone that has lived since the great depression and the world wars. But although Covid-19 has been the big headline for the year, there has still been highlights and big news in all fields. Some of these big…
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Good things that happened in 2020
There’s no disputing the fact that none of us are going to remember 2020 with great fondness. With a global pandemic wreaking havoc around the world, and no end in sight in the immediate future, it’s hard to see any positives in the year just gone. However, buried in the midst of all the doom and gloom, there were some…
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WHO approves emergency use of the Pfizer/BionTech Covid vaccine
The World Health Organisation has granted “emergency validation” for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, allowing countries across the globe to now approve its import and distribution for their citizens. In a statement released on the final day of 2020, the WHO said its validation, the first since the start of the pandemic, “opens the door for countries to expedite their own…
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2020: A year in Covid-19 milestones
As the world embraces the dawn of a new year, while tentatively waiting to see what it has in store, it will be some time before the trauma of 2020 can be laid to rest. The year that has just ended will forever be remembered for the Covid-19 pandemic that has claimed over 1.8 million lives to date, infected millions worldwide,…
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His Majesty presents televised end of year message
His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn is appealing to Thai people to appreciate their rich culture, which exhibits virtue, beauty and progress… the foundation of life and mind. HM also asked all Thai people to conduct themselves “with virtue and reason in order” to overcome the Covid-19 crisis. His Majesty spoke in a televised end of year broadcast saying that cultural…
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Why Thailand celebrates the New Year not once, not twice, but 3 times
While the year just gone may be referred to as 2020 by most of us (with perhaps a few expletives thrown in, given the year it was), we are currently in the year 2563 in Thailand. As everyone who lives here knows, Thailand uses the Buddhist calendar, as well as the Western, or Gregorian, calendar, adding to our eternal confusion…
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Dawn Wells, “Mary Ann” from Glligan’s Island, dies at 82
Dawn Wells, one of the castaways in Gilligan’s Island, playing Mary Ann, has died in Los Angeles from Covid-19 complications. She was 82 years old. Her career lasted a lot longer than the fateful trip of the SS Minnow… the three hour tour! Dawn was born in Reno, Nevada, and started a career in Hollywood where she appeared in TV shows…
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2020’s top 3 stories in Thailand… besides Covid-19
Covid-19 dominated headlines in 2020. Here’s the other major stories in Thailand this year as rated by the Thaiger editorial team. We’ve also prepared a story rating the Top 10 stories as ranked by you, counting the number of clicks on the stories. You can watch that HERE. February mass shooting On February 8, a Royal Thai Army soldier shot…
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Inflight catering ban on domestic flights in Thailand amid Covid-19 surge
Damn. I was looking forward to another stale sandwich wrapped in 7 layers of plastic, unable to open it for fear of elbowing the lady next to me, on my flight today. Airlines flying domestic routes within Thailand have been instructed to not serve inflight meals or drinks from today. The ban has been introduced by the Civil Aviation Authority…
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2 dead, 1 missing, as tourist boat capsizes in eastern Thailand | VIDEO
Click HERE to watch Thai news report on the story. A tourist boat carrying 12 passengers, including 2 children, has sunk in the province of Chachoengsao, just east of Bangkok. 2 people have drowned, with a third still missing. The accident happened yesterday afternoon, as the sightseeing boat was carrying tourists on the Khlong Siyad Reservoir, a popular attraction in…
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The case for temporarily closing hotel and restaurant operations
OPINION by Bill Barnett As the final days of disruptive 2020 come screeching to an erratic end, hotel, and restaurant owners are peering into an unpredictable year ahead. Here in Thailand over the past week, the tourism industry has been shaken to its core over an uptick in Covid-19 cases and backroom speculation over fears of another round of lockdowns. (Restrictions,…
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PM says there will be no national lockdown, provincial measures up to local governors
Despite a rise in Covid-19 infections in the Kingdom, Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insists there will be no nationwide lockdown. He says local governors are empowered to make the necessary decisions for their own provinces, should stricter measures be required to contain the spread of the virus. The PM was speaking while on a visit to the eastern province of…
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Nonthaburi province, north of Bangkok, declared Covid-19 controlled zone
Nonthaburi, the province directly north of Bangkok, is now declared a Covid-19 controlled zone. Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai central market has been placed under “maximum control”. The 7 floor Pink Condominium has been locked down until January 12, as the 2nd wave of coronavirus continues to spread in Thailand. Outside greater Bangkok, high risk areas have also been declared in Rayong…
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WOW what a year! Thailand’s top news stories for 2020 as voted by YOU.
TOP 10 (non Covid) THAIGER STORIES FOR 2020 The Thaiger started 2020, as we all did, with high hopes and few clues that we were heading into a profound disruption for almost the entire year. Even as we were tapping away at the keyboards on January 1, 2020, there were stories emerging in Wuhan, China about a mysterious new respiratory…
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Thailand’s top virologist self-quarantines after coming in contact with infected governor
Thailand’s top virologist from Chulalongkorn University is in self-quarantine after he attended a meeting and sat near the Samut Sakhon governor, who has since tested positive for Covid-19. The virologist, Yong Poovorawan, made a post on Facebook page saying he sat near the provincial governor Verasak Vichitsangsri at a meeting in Samut Sakhon where more than 1,000 people have tested…
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Thailand News Today | Pattaya restrictions, 2021’s extra holidays, Covid update | December 30
From everyone at The Thaiger, thank you SO much for all your support over 2020. It’s been a difficult year! And we will be back in 2021 with a lot more Thailand News Today as well as other videos about Thailand and the region. Pattaya and neighbouring Banglamung in Chon Buri province are now classified as “highly controlled” areas with…
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Government bans gatherings that “risk” Covid-19 transmission
Some may need to count down the year at home. The Thai government has banned gatherings in provinces with high numbers of Covid-19 cases. The gatherings banned are only those that pose “risk of disease transmission” in provinces classified as “red: maximum control zone” and “orange: control zone.” In Bangkok, New Year countdown events need to be approved by the…
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Pattaya and Banglamung “highly controlled,” non-essential businesses shutdown
Pattaya and Banglamung are now classified as “highly controlled” areas with an emergency order shutting down bars, parks, schools and non-essential businesses after rise in Covid-19 cases. The emergency order was just released this morning by Chon Buri governor Phakarathorn Tienchai. The order is in place until further notice. There are no set curfews, checkpoints or travel restrictions, but the…
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Cabinet adds 8 holidays to the 2021 calendar including an extra day for Songkran
Get ready for more long weekends. The Thai Cabinet added 8 holidays to the 2021 calendar, including an extra day for Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated by massive water flights. Adding the extra holidays is an effort to promote domestic tourism and stimulate the economy which was battered by the pandemic. A government spokesperson confirmed the additional holidays with…
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Fewer travellers at Bangkok bus and rail stations as Covid worries take hold
It’s a lot quieter at Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong train station and the Chatuchak bus terminal as Covid-19 restrictions take hold in the capital, leading some passengers to cancel their travel plans. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has already urged people not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Public transport stations in Bangkok have implemented strict hygiene measures, including socially-distanced seating and the mandatory…
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Officials say strict containment measures will bring Samut Sakhon outbreak under control
Health officials in Thailand say a number of strict containment measures being implemented in the central province of Samut Sakhon, should bring the Covid-19 outbreak under control within the coming weeks. Permanent Secretary for Health, Kiatiphum Wongrajit, says around 4,000 migrant workers located at the epicentre of the outbreak are being detained for over 10 days to ensure they do…
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Multiple challenges to Thai PM’s leadership have failed
Some compare him to Teflon for his ability to survive all manner of allegations, because the legal challenges keep coming and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha keeps winning. The Thai PM has now survived 3 legal challenges to his leadership, not to mention the countless calls for his resignation that were a hallmark of the recent pro-democracy protests. It’s probably safe to…
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Migrant workers to be granted 2-year work permit and health insurance
Undocumented migrant workers from 3 countries will be able to register for legal employment allowing a 2-year stay. The Cabinet approved the measure in an effort to control the spread of Covid-19 after an outbreak at a Samut Sakhon seafood market affecting a large migrant community who worked around the fishing hub. Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will…
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Cluster of 22 infections traced to 3 Bangkok restaurants
The Public Health Ministry has named 3 Bangkok eateries thought to be linked to 22 new cases of Covid-19 in the capital. Dr Wichan Pawan from the Institute for Urban Disease Control and Prevention says several people who have tested positive for the virus can be traced to one of the restaurants. They are Saeb E-san Karaoke in Thewet, and…
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Thailand News Today | Covid update, Bangkok restrictions, Gold rush | December 29
All the latest updates about the Covid-19 situation in Thailand. 155 new Covid-19 infections were reported today in the daily briefing by the CCSA. The total count of confirmed cases in Thailand raised to 6,440 while the national death toll raised to 61 after a 45 year old man in Rayong, infected with Covid-19, died. Thailand currently has 2,195 active…
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Central Thailand restaurant offers free boxed meals to migrants
With some restaurants refusing to serve migrants due to fears that they might carry Covid-19, a restaurant in the Central Thailand province Nakhon Sawan is offering free food to migrant workers. Many migrants, particularly from Myanmar, have faced discrimination after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon which impacted a large community of migrant workers around the Mahachai area fishing hub. Owner…
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