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Thai PM urges people not to travel over New Year holiday
“Please stay home.” That’s the message from PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is calling on people to avoid travel over the forthcoming New Year holiday. Thailand is currently experiencing a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus, after going months without a case of local transmission. Yesterday, the Kingdom reported 155 new cases, with over 2,100 active cases. Only 10 of yesterday’s new…
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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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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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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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COVID UPDATE: Bangkok bans, Anutin quarantined, another patient dies | VIDEO
A video summary of the current situation, today, as The Thaiger continues to keep you up to date with all the latest news about the current Covid-19 outbreak. The BMA’s order includes… bars with hostesses, horse racing tracks, cock-fighting arenas and massage parlours. But pubs and restaurants can stay open as long as they serve only food and drinks, and…
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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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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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Domestic tourism subsidy extended, 200,000 rooms booked in first 12 hours
The Tourism Authority of Thailand says an extension to the domestic tourism stimulus campaign has led to 200,000 hotel room bookings within the first 12 hours. TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, says average bookings before the extension were around 50,000 – 60,000 a day. Transactions under the scheme are now being closely monitored, following the discovery of fraudulent bookings during the…
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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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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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Police called after Bangkok bus passenger removes his mask to blow his nose
Police were called after a passenger on a public Bangkok bus blew his nose and spit in a tissue. Thai media reports that the bus driver ordered the man to get off the bus in Bangkok’s Petchkasem area and that the passenger eventually agreed after the police were called. The man had removed his mask and was wiping and blowing…
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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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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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Bangladesh moves towards relocating Rohingya refugees, UN denies involvement
Despite rights groups advising not to relocate Rohingya refugees anymore, Bangladesh is pressing on to move a 2nd group of refugees from Myanmar to the remote island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal this month. The new group consists of about 1,000 refugees and is in addition to more than 1,600 refugees that were moved earlier this month,…
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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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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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Red Bull heir ‘Boss’ has 6 more years until legally free of charges
At the start of the new year, Red Bull heir Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya will have 6 more years until he is free from being formerly charged over a hit and run case, involving the death of a police officer, that took place in 2012. The current statute of limitations for reckless driving causing death, one of the charges against Boss,…
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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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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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More pandemics to come if we don’t prepare for the future – WHO Chief
Today marks the first International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, and to some, such a day recognising the importance of thinking ahead, is long overdue. The WHO chief is warning that if preparations aren’t made for the future, more pandemics that rival Covid-19 will follow. Exactly 12 months today a number of mysterious respiratory cases presented at a hospital in Wuhan.…
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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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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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