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Phuket orders 10-day closure for entertainment venues
This morning the government of Phuket has ordered the closure of all entertainment venues, bars, and nightclubs on the island of Phuket for 10 days. This shutdown will effectively cancel the upcoming Songkran festival for the popular holiday destination. Three entertainment venues have been closed for 14 days starting tomorrow aside from the blanket closures, as these venues were previously…
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Immigration police arrest Frenchman on drug charges, 3 other foreigners for overstay
Immigration police arrested a French man who was allegedly involved in a crime network who allegedly smuggled cannabis, and arrested 3 other foreigners on overstay charges. Police say the crime network sold cannabis to foreigners living in tourist cities in Thailand. Officers say they suspect there are more people involved in the alleged smuggling operation on the Eastern seaboard, which…
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40 Covid-19 infections in Chon Buri area; list of exposure sites
An outbreak of Covid-19 mostly related to bars and entertainment venues has brought 40 new cases to the Chon Buri province today. Provincial health department staff say entertainment venues in Pattaya, Si Racha and Bangkok are hubs for spreading the virus. 510 people considered to be at high risk of infection have been tested and are currently awaiting results. Walk-ins…
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Independent candidates polling well in Bangkok governor race
Independent candidates are trending in polls for the Bangkok governor election later this year, with undecided voters leaning independent. Undecided voters have grown to nearly 1/3 of all voters up from just under 30% in March, possibly due to voters being tired of political polarisation. The exact date of the election has not been announced yet but independent candidates have…
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London’s anti-coup Burmese Ambassador locked from embassy
In London, the Myanmar Ambassador has been tossed from his own embassy, locked out because of his stance against the military junta in his country. The lockout occurred as a result of Kyaw Zwar Minn’s breaking ranks with the Burmese military leadership and calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader who was jailed when the…
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If you went to a Kolour party in Phuket, go get tested for Covid-19
Partygoers who went to any of the Kolour Beachside parties in Phuket last weekend are asked to go to a local hospital for a Covid-19 test. The parties hosted more than 3,000 people, drawing concern after an attendee tested positive for Covid-19. The Phuket Provincial Government and Phuket Provincial Public Health Office released a statement yesterday advising all partygoers to get…
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Thai Health Minister pictured without mask, sitting next to infected Transport Minister
Do as I say, not as I do… Thailand’s Public Health Minister has been caught without a face mask while sitting next to a Cabinet minister who subsequently tested positive for Covid-19. Anutin Charnvirakul, previously considered an enthusiastic proponent of mask-wearing, sat next to Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob while attending a merit-making event on Tuesday. Saksayam tested positive for Covid-19…
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Bangkok prepares to open field hospital as officials warn of a rapid rise in infections
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is considering opening a field hospital in preparation for a rapid rise in Covid-19 infections that could overwhelm medical facilities in the capital. Thai PBS World reports that the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the BMA and the Ministry of Interior to arrange space in which a field hospital could be set up. The PM says…
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Thai tourism operators slam government’s inefficient vaccine rollout
Representatives from Thailand’s tourism sector have blasted what they see as an ineffective and disorganised national vaccine rollout. Operators say the scheme will not allow the Kingdom to achieve herd immunity, with tourism possibly affected by a third outbreak. Domestic tourism was starting to recover after taking a hit during the second outbreak late last year, with Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi…
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Under 30s in UK to be offered alternative to AstraZeneca jab amid concerns over rare blood clots
Health officials in the UK have decided that people under the age of 30 will be offered an alternative jab to the AstraZeneca vaccine. The decision comes following a review by the country’s drugs regulator that shows that by the end of last month, a number of people experienced blood clots after receiving the vaccine developed in partnership with Oxford…
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UK variant arrives in Thailand, top virologist warns against unnecessary Songkran travel
“Whatever will be, will be. The reason is, it’s a matter that involves a huge number of people. The government will have to try to cope with that later.” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. A prominent Thai virologist has confirmed that the so-called UK Covid-19 variant, aka B117, is behind the latest cluster of infections detected at Bangkok nightlife venues,…
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Phuket Covid infections reported as officials struggle with clusters in Bangkok entertainment venues
A week ago Phuketians were rallying behind the proposal to get the island open to tourists, quarantine-free, from July. The first tourists arrived from Germany and the local hotel industry were confident everything was heading in the right direction. That was until last weekend when the ‘Bangkok nightlife cluster’ came to town in the form of 3 big parties, the…
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Top doctors say Thong Lor cluster might be the UK Covid-19 variant
The UK variant of Covid-19 might be the strain of the virus that broke out at nightclubs and bars in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area, according to 2 top doctors in Thailand. The B117 variant is said to be faster-spreading – about 1.7 times more contagious than the original strain. Doctors suspect the mutated strain led to the outbreak at the…
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Taiwan ready to duke it out if China attacks
Taiwan officials say they are ready to duke it out if China decides to take its military activities a step further. The announcement, made by its foreign minister, comes after China has stepped up its aircraft carrier drills near the island along with other military activities in the past few months. “From my limited understanding of American decision makers watching…
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Sony, Amazon Falls to set up amusement park in Thailand
Sony Pictures Entertainment is setting up an amusement park in Thailand that is based on its Columbia Pictures movies. The entertainment giant is working with Thailand’s Amazon Falls to plan the venture, with an opening date set for this October. The water park, named Aquaverse, will be spread out among 14 acres and feature rides and attractions with Jumanji, Bad…
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Thailand tourism leaders come together to discuss the industry’s future
The following story was submitted by Bill Barnett, the managing director for C9 Hotelworks. The Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest global crisis tourism has ever faced. Against this unprecedented upheaval, many of Thailand’s leading hotel operators and other key players came together under the #ThaiTourismUnited banner at an event in Bangkok, creating a single unified voice to drive the Kingdom’s…
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Covid-19 update: Spike in cases linked to nightlife in Bangkok and Phuket
Bar and club hopping has led to numerous clusters of Covid-19 infections and a spike in the number of daily infections in Thailand. 334 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most of the cases are in Bangkok. The steep rise in new infections comes just days before the mass migration of…
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Thailand’s Transport Minister tests positive for Covid-19
Thailand’s Transport Minister has tested positive for Covid-19. Minister Saksayam Chidchob checked in at a hospital this morning with a high fever, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Earlier reports say a member of Saksayam’s staff tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting a nightlife venue in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area. Bar hopping in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and Ekkamai areas…
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Covid-19 patient in Phuket worked at Thong Lor nightlife venue
A Covid-19 patient in Phuket worked at an entertainment venue in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area where a cluster of coronavirus infections have been reported. The 29 year old woman worked as a receptionist at a venue on Thong Lor. Reports don’t say which bar she worked at, but dozens of Covid-19 cases are linked to bars and pubs in the…
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Leading Thai virologist warns of third wave, says herd immunity will take 2 years at current vaccination rate
A prominent Thai virologist says the Kingdom could be hit by a third and even a fourth wave of Covid-19, warning that rapid vaccination is the only solution. Yong Poovorawan from Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University says the latest resurgence of the virus in Bangkok is an example of the risk the country faces. Yesterday, the number of infections associated with nightlife…
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2 Cabinet ministers self-isolating after potential Covid exposure
Thailand’s Transport Minister and the newly-appointed Education Minister are both self-isolating after contact with 2 separate Covid-19 patients. Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong is self-isolating at her home in the eastern province of Sa Kaew, after receiving a visitor who subsequently tested positive for the virus. According to a Nation Thailand report, Treenuch’s visitor came to her home on Sunday to…
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Thailand hoping to be upgraded to a Tier 1 nation in anti-human trafficking efforts
Thailand is hoping its newest anti-human trafficking report will earn an upgrade from the US from Tier 2 to Tier 1. The report was submitted to the Washington’s Trafficking in Persons Report. Deputy government spokeswoman, Rachada Dhnadirek, said the government is ready to be upgraded after remaining on Tier 2 for 3 years in a row. Those nations who fall on…
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Australia sets travel bubble with New Zealand, Asian countries by August
Travel bubbles for those travelling from Australia to destinations in Asia and the Pacific region could be imposed by August. The country has already agreed on the Trans-Tasman travel bubble with New Zealand, set to start in a few weeks. Singapore is in the cards to be set up next while Australian authorities are looking into other potential bilateral agreements…
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Chiang Mai records 6 new infections after nearly 3 months virus-free
After nearly 3 months without any Covid-19 infections, the northern province of Chiang Mai is once again having to implement measures to suppress the virus after recording 6 new cases. 4 cases were reported on Monday, 3 of which are linked to nightlife venues in Bangkok and the central province of Nonthaburi. Another 2 cases were recorded yesterday, bringing the…
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Songkran travel okay to visit elderly relatives, not to party – Health Minister
Despite rising Covid-19 infections in Bangkok and other provinces, Thailand’s Public Health Minister says people travelling from the affected provinces during the Songkran holiday will not have to quarantine. “Although provinces have been divided into zones, designated by colours according to the infection rates, none will be locked down. People can still travel to other provinces without having to go…
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16 Thais busted running 10 illegal online gambling sites
16 web admins are in custody today after being arrested around the Buriram province today for allegedly operating 10 illegal online gambling websites. The group of Thai nationals are accused of renting a house where they secretly operated a string of websites where people could gamble online including sajoker123.com. Police received a number of complaints in March from neighbourhood residents…
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Unemployed elephants walk 500 kilometres from Pattaya to Surin
A group of 5 elephants and their owners began the long walk today from Pattaya to Surin after giving up on the return of tourism anytime soon. The 500 kilometre journey has to be done on foot as they couldn’t afford to hire trucks large enough to carry each elephant. After waiting a year for the Chinese tourists that make…
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Japanese man allegedly beaten by Pattaya bar security
A Japanese man is recovering after allegedly receiving a beating by security guards at a bar in central Pattaya just after midnight this morning, according to the Pattaya City Police. The 41 year old Japanese man, Takeshi Shigami, arrived at the police station at 1am, saying that two nightclub guards assaulted him “without provocation”. He claims he did nothing to…
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Thailand News Today | Nightlife crackdown in Bangkok, storm damage in north | April 6
On today’s program, Covid cases are rising, mainly in Bangkok and down in the south in Narathiwat, bars and pubs closed in 3 Bangkok districts for at least 2 weeks, and the State of Global Air report slams Northern Thailand with its latest statistics. It’s also Chakri Memorial Day, a public holiday here in Thailand. It commemorates the first King…
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Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee
A band member from Bangkok who attended three ‘Kolour’ party events in Phuket over the weekend has tested positive for Covid-19. The main Kolour Beachside Main Event was held at Cafe Del Mar, along Kamala’s foreshore. Other pre and post event parties were also held at Shelter and Illuzion, both in Bangla Road, Phuket. The promoters Kolour Beachside have a…
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