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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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Hat Yai nightclub raided, owner arrested
A nightclub in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district was raided at 2am this morning after police were tipped off about the venue staying open beyond the authorised hours. Nation Thailand says people at the nightclub were “partying without protection” and not abiding by coronavirus prevention measures. Nearby residents also say they were disturbed by the noise during the early hours. The…
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6 senior police transferred after Bangkok gambling raid
A Bangkok police chief and 5 senior officers have been transferred for alleged negligence of duty following a gambling den raid in Bangkok’s Laksi area. The Metropolitan Police Bureau will investigate to determine whether the officers had any involvement in the illegal gambling operation. Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau raided the venue in the Thung Song Hong area and arrested 94…
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Gold sales go up as Thais sell jewelry to pay for routine expenses
With job losses and pay cuts brought on by the pandemic, many Thais are lining up to sell their gold to bring in some cash, like 22 year old Suvirat Namvicha, an office worker in Bangkok who had her overtime expenses cut. Survirat, who is also pregnant, says she needed to sell a gold necklace to pay for her medical bills.…
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Education Ministry to reduce classroom time as part of “system upgrade”
Thailand’s Education Ministry says it plans to reduce the amount of time students have to spend in the classroom, in favour of more personal learning time. The initiative is part of a wider upgrade to the country’s education system and is expected to be implemented next year. 2020 has been a year of student-led protests, with Thailand’s youth railing against…
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Rayong police chief transferred over Covid-19 outbreak at alleged gambling den
Following his claim that there was no illegal gambling den involved in a Covid-19 outbreak in the eastern province of Rayong, provincial police chief Papatdet Katephan has been transferred. The order came from national police chief Suwat Chaengyodsuk, following a cluster of infections linked to an alleged illegal gambling venue. One of the patients has since died. There were bizarre…
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Government launches seasonal road safety campaign ahead of New Year holiday
It’s that time of year again… The Thai government has launched its road safety and accident reduction centre, part of its annual road safety campaign for the “7 days of danger” over the New Year holiday. The campaign will run from today until January 4, in an attempt to reduce the carnage as holidaymakers take to the roads. The numbers choosing…
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Police arrest 89 people in Bangkok gambling den raid
Police raided a Bangkok gambling den and arrested 89 people for allegedly gambling and violating the Emergency Decree which prohibits unauthorised gatherings in crowded spaces to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The bust follows a Covid-19 outbreak at a gambling den in Rayong, around 60 kilometres from Pattaya and around 180 kilometres from Bangkok. Yesterday, a 45 year old man…
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190 Bangkok clinics and hospitals accused of corruption
190 clinics and hospitals in Bangkok are accused of falsely billing the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, for medical treatment that never happened. Back in July, NHSO filed a complaint against 18 clinics in Bangkok for 72 million baht in fraudulent claims under the government’s “Gold Card” universal healthcare scheme. The NHSO found that clinics and hospitals falsely billed…
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Bangkok entertainment venues hit with temporary closure order amid rise in cases
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered all entertainment venues in the capital to close until January 4, with the exception of bars and restaurants serving food and drinks. The establishments affected by the closure order include hostess bars, horseracing venues, cockfighting arenas, and massage parlours. Pubs and restaurants serving food and drinks only can remain open provided they observe strict…
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Man arrested for allegedly stealing from fatal car accident victims
A man was arrested for allegedly stealing valuables from victims of a fatal traffic accident where a 2 pickup trucks collided, killing 2 people and injuring 4. Police say the man pretended to help emergency responders during the rescue and stole valuables from both the deceased and the injured victims. The accident occurred around 11:50am this morning on Mitrapap highway…
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Thailand News Today | Rayong cluster, Samut Sakhon Gov Covid+, flights ‘quiet’ | Dec 28
The CCSA has reported 144 new Covid-19 infections today – 115 local infections, 14 migrant workers and 15 quarantined arrivals. The total number of cases in Thailand, since February is 6,285. 2,045 people are currently receiving medical treatment in Thailand for the coronavirus. The local infections are all linked to the cluster in Samut Sakhon 10 days ago. The current…
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Police raid factory, arrest man and detain 11 migrant workers
After announcing a crackdown on labour traffickers, police arrested a Chinese man who allegedly illegally operated a rubber glove factory and employed undocumented migrants. After a spike in Covid-19 cases involving more than 1,000 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon, many who worked in the Mahachai area fishing hub, police said they would investigate migrant trafficking and make major arrests. Before…
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2021’s new normal – the digital Covid passport
Looking forward to travelling, shopping, going to the movies? Now that Covid-19 vaccines are beginning to be rolled out around the world, you may now need something in addition to the actual vaccine. Documentation… a vaccine passport. Documentation, including your current Covid status and vaccination details, will become 2021’s biggest challenge as governments, businesses, and world travel, try and re-establish…
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Murder-suicide at Songkhla Zoo linked to missing rare animal investigation
Investigators say the apparent murder-suicide at the Songkhla Zoo is related to the case of the missing rare deer and claims of illegal wildlife trade. Back in October, the zoo’s senior veterinarian shot and killed a top official from the Zoological Park Organisation of Thailand before killing himself at his living quarters at the Southern Thailand zoo. The organisation’s director-general,…
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Private hospital in Bangkok told to take down vaccine pre-order ads
Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support is demanding a private hospital in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district to remove advertising for people to pre-order their Covid-19 vaccines. The vaccines they were advertising were from the US biotech firm Moderna. While the Moderna vaccine is now approved by food and drug authorities in Canada and the US, the vaccine still needs approval from…
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Thai returnee commits suicide from quarantine facility balcony
A Thai returnee from South Korea has reportedly committed suicide off the balcony of her quarantine facility in Bang Kapi today. The woman, whose name has been withheld, allegedly leaped to her death off of the 8th storey of the facility, with her body landing on the 2nd storey. The 51 year old woman tested negative for the virus initially…
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3 people summonsed after allegedly attacking world-renowned Buri Ram dancer
3 young men are being summonsed in connection with the assault of Nopparat Boonrat, a world-renowned dancer and Buri Ram native. Buri Ram is a north eastern province. The men, aged 20-23, whose names have been withheld at this stage, are accused of severely injuring Nopparat last Wednesday night at a restaurant in Lahan Sai district in this northeastern province.…
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Japan suspends entry for non-resident foreigners amidst new Covid variant
Japan is suspending nonresident foreign nationals from entering the country starting tomorrow through late January as a precaution to stop the spread of a new and possibly more transmissible strain of the Covid-19 virus. Japanese citizens and foreign residents alike will also have to submit negative virus test results within 72 hours of departing to Japan from countries and territories…
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Rayong identifies 49 new local Covid cases today
Rayong, south of Chon Buri province, has declared 49 new local cases of Covid-19 today, bringing today’s total number of new cases nationwide to 170 for the day. Channa Iamsaeng, the Governor of Rayong province, has told AP that the new cases were recently confirmed by local authorities and have not yet been reported to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation…
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Phuket Governor warns face mask price gougers
Phuket’s Governor is warning profiteers against face mask price-gouging after news of a second wave of Covid-19 has rattled Thais. There has been 1 new case of Covid-19 reported this week. Governor Narong Woonciew says violators could face a fine of up to 100,000 baht or up to 5 years imprisonment. Narong issued the order just a week after news…
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Pro-democracy movement making little headway… monarchy’s powers remain untouched
The cost of pushing for change in 2020 by Thailand’s pro-democracy movement is still being splashed all over the news after more than 55 protesters sustained injuries at rally sites, mostly minor. And, as the year comes to an end, protest leaders say they are taking a break, only to come back stronger in 2021. But some question whether the…
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Covid-19 cases in Thailand on Sunday, December 27
“…provincial governors can now decide if a Covid-19 lockdown must be imposed.” A total of 6,141 people have now been infected in Thailand. Today (Sunday, December 27) the CCSA has announced there was 121 new cases of Covid-19, (+9 imported cases & +112 local cases). 18 of the new local cases are migrant workers. 4,161 people have now been discharged from…
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Arriving in Chiang Mai? Prepare to be checked.
Anyone who has recently visited the new Covid-19 epicentre of Samut Sakhon and who arrives in Chiang Mai should prepare to be checked, according to health authorities. The efforts are underway to stop the virus from spreading and anyone who is suspected of being infected with Covid-19 or who has visited the central shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, must use the…
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12 months ago a number of “mysterious” respiratory cases came to the notice of a Chinese doctor
A year ago nothing much was known about the coronavirus that has now decimated the world’s economy and killed 1,764,697 people (as of Saturday morning, December 27, 2020 Thai Time). Exactly 12 months later there are now 80,720,204 positive infections registered around the world. On December 27, 2019, there was little known about the mysterious new coronavirus. How infectious was…
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Thailand remembers the 16th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
It was Boxing Day, now 16 years distant, when the Andaman Coast of Thailand, and coastlines around the Indian Ocean, suffered one of nature’s most disastrous events of our generation. The tsunami reached Phuket and provinces nearby around 10am on Boxing Day, December 26, 2004, and caused uncountable losses. Official Thai government statistics estimate 4,812 souls were lost to the…
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Booze ban in Thailand? Not for now.
There’s not going to be a national booze ban. Well, not for now anyway. A Thai Government spokesperson has walked back rumours that an alcohol ban is about to be enforced around the country. Rumours of the ban on the sale and distribution of alcohol started circulating online last week on the back of the cluster of new cases that…
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TAT launch new Alternative State Quarantine “one stop shop” in Thailand
The TAT have launched a new “one stop” shop for quarantine (Alternative State Quarantine) bookings in Thailand. The new website is designed to be a single place for booking quarantine hotels during the time when arrival in Thailand is welcomed with a mandatory 14 day stay (which seems to end up as 15 days in many cases) in a government-qualified…
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Covid-19 cluster confirmed following Koh Lanta “big bike” event
A “big bike” party on Koh Lanta, in the southern province of Krabi, has resulted in a cluster of Covid-19 infections, according to officials from the Department of Disease Control. The DDC says there are currently around 10 confirmed cases and 129 people considered “at risk”. The outbreak is linked to a patient who travelled to Koh Lanta from the…
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Minister’s insistence Thailand’s moon mission will go ahead sparks social media debate
Debate is raging on social media following a claim from the Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, that Thailand’s plan to orbit the Moon is going ahead. Anek Laothamatas adds that it will be “mission accomplished” within the next 7 years, costing, “only 3 billion baht”. A report in the Bangkok Post says that, according to Anek, Thailand…
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South Korea confirms Covid-19 outbreak in 32 Thai workers, 28 others awaiting results
South Korean officials have announced a Covid-19 outbreak in 32 Thai workers, with a further 28 waiting for test results. Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the development, with spokesman Tanee Sangrat saying the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul has been in touch with the affected workers and is ready to help if needed. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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