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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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LATEST: Samut Prakan factory fire under control
LATEST: Around midnight this morning, the Samut Prakan Governor, Wanchai Kongkasem, informed a news conference that firefighters had closed off 3 valves on tanks that stored chemicals. Thus, flames had been put out and the walls of dense black smoke were reduced. Wanchai said that the valves being closed cut off the fuel to the fire. Which also reduced the…
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5 protest leaders to have bail revoked following weekend rallies in Bangkok
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has confirmed it is filing to have bail revoked for 5 pro-democracy leaders accused of breaking their bail conditions. The move comes after a number of political rallies in Bangkok last weekend. The Pattaya News reports that Sukhun Prommayon from the MPB says that an investigation into the behaviour of protest leaders attending the rallies shows…
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1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by US to go to senior citizens, pregnant women
The Thai government plans to administer 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 60 and to pregnant women. Priority will be given to those in areas with high rates of infection. The doses have been donated to Thailand by the US government. According to a Nation Thailand report, a leaked memo shows that…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 5,420 new cases and 57 deaths
5,420 new Covid-19 cases and 57 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, 265,790 infections have been recorded by the CCSA since April 1. Out of the new cases confirmed today, 37 were found in correctional facilities. The current wave spread to Thailand’s overcrowded…
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Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July
More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end…
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Phuket reports 7,347 “sandbox” hotel bookings for July
There have been 7,347 hotel bookings made for the southern island of Phuket as its “sandbox” re-opening continues. In the first 4 days of the scheme, the island has welcomed 1,416 international arrivals, most of whom are foreign nationals. Below is the breakdown: Day 1: 479 (303 foreign nationals, 176 Thais) Day 2: 544 (467 foreign nationals, 77 Thais) Day…
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Donald Tusk returns to Poland’s political fray
Determined, confident, combative and goal-oriented — that’s how Donald Tusk presented himself at his comeback appearance in Warsaw on Saturday. A man who knows what he wants, which is to defeat the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which has been in power since 2015. The next parliamentary election will be held in just over…
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Bangladesh struggling to rein in COVID delta variant
Bangladesh has been witnessing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases over the past several days, prompting the government to deploy the military to the nation’s streets to ensure that people stay indoors and don’t violate lockdown restrictions. The surge in the South Asian country’s COVID infections is blamed largely on the highly infectious delta variant first detected in India. Hospitals…
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COVID: High medical expenses take toll on poor families in India
Anindita Gupta, a resident of the eastern city of Kolkata, said she had to sell some of her jewelry to pay for the treatment of her brother-in-law at a private hospital. Her brother-in-law, who had contracted COVID-19, needed the support of an ECMO, which is used to pump and oxygenate a patient’s blood outside the body. So, at the end…
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Thailand’s CCSA warns against domestic travel as Covid wave hits record high
With the number of Covid-19 patients now at a record high, and the fast-spreading Delta variant becoming more prevalent, health officials are urging people not to travel. During the daily press briefing by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, a spokesperson said “the CCSA would like to urge everyone to avoid trans provincial travel at all costs.” “And, if travel…
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UPDATE: Rescuer killed, at least 60 injured in Samut Prakan factory explosion
UPDATE: A rescue foundation firefighter was killed and more than 60 people were in the fire at a chemical factory in Samut Prakan, just outside Bangkok. The Ming Dih Chemical Co factory exploded overnight, sending black toxic smoke into the air. Helicopters were deployed to the scene to spray flame retardant foam. By this evening, the fumes were headed toward Bangkok.…
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Indonesia bars unvaccinated foreign visitors as Delta variant spreads
Foreign nationals who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be barred from entering Indonesia as the Southeast Asian country works to contain the more transmissible Delta variant. The order goes into effect tomorrow. The government made an announcement yesterday saying that along with being vaccinated, foreign travellers must test negative for Covid-19 and undergo an 8-day quarantine upon arrival.…
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Thailand low on Covid-19 vaccines, priority given to at-risk groups
Thailand is running low on vaccines, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged today. With the most severe wave of Covid-19 continuing to rise, and the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, health officials are giving priority to those most at risk of a severe infection. The elderly and those with certain underlying health conditions, particularly…
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Pattaya parents want reduced or waived tuition fees
We have tried as much as we can to work with our parents Pattaya school closures are making Pattaya parents want tuition fees to be reduced or waived. Reportedly, more and more Pattaya area parents have been complaining about the educational fees staying the same as their children remain learning from home. It should be noted that parents whose children…
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PM in self-isolation after close contact with Covid-19 at “Sandbox” reopening
A public official who attended Phuket’s official reopening under the “Sandbox” model last week, and took a “selfie” with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, later tested positive for Covid-19 after returning to his home province. The prime minister, who is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, tested negative for Covid-19, but will be in self-isolation for 14 days as a precaution, Thai media…
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4 schools in Phuket close over Covid fears
4 schools in Kathu, Phuket have closed due to Covid fears. The 4 municipality schools closed in Phuket follows a parent and a student testing positive for Covid. The schools that are ordered closed are: Kathu Municipal School 1 Kathu Municipal School 2 Ket Ho Child Development Center Kathu Child Development Center The schools are ordered closed by the Kathu…
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Monday Covid Update: 6,166 new cases, Delta variant on the rise, provincial totals
The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 continues to rise with 6,166 new Covid-19 cases and 50 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 289,233 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 2,276 virus-related deaths. Of those numbers, 260,370 cases and 2,182 were…
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Man films stranger leering at him in Pathum Thani shopping Centre bathroom
Yesterday, a video shared on the Jay Moi V Plus page on Facebook showed a man leaning over a bathroom’s cubicle wall to watch his neighbour in the central Thai province of Pathum Thani. The bathroom was reported to be in a “well known shopping centre” in the Rangsit area. According to the person who shared the video, they heard…
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Chaiyaphum man allegedly slits father’s throat
Last night, a man allegedly slit his father’s throat with a kitchen knife in the central province of Chaiyaphum. Thai media adds that the alleged assailant is mentally ill. Police Captain Pirom Malasi, says the attack was reported in Ban Wang Hin in tambon Ban Thao. Rescue workers and police rushed to the scene. At the house, the assembled rescue…
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Remaining section of collapsed Florida condo building to be demolished overnight
The local mayor says the remaining section of a collapsed condo building in Miami, Florida, will be demolished overnight, some time between 10pm and 3am. The number of people confirmed as having died in the collapse is 24, with 121 still unaccounted for. With tropical storm Elsa on the way, the authorities have decided to demolish what is left of…
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Phuket reviews taxi rates after “Sandbox” tourists report high prices
The notoriously high taxi rates in Phuket have been looked into after reports of overcharging the “Sandbox” tourists. The governor says he ordered local authorities to review claims of overpriced rides and found that rates are appropriately priced. From the Phuket International Airport to Patong, a “Sandbox” tourist can pay 600 to 1,050 for a ride. One tourist planning a…
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Surat Thani province to launch “Samui Plus” re-opening model
From July 15, the islands of Samui, Koh Tao, and Koh Pha Ngan embark on the “Samui Plus Model”, to re-open the Surat Thani tourism destinations to vaccinated tourists. Provincial governor Witchawut Jinto has confirmed that preparations are underway, with over 70% of the islands’ residents now vaccinated. The “Samui Plus Model” will be a local rework of the Phuket…
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Protesters to be charged over weekend rallies
The Metropolitan Police Bureau says it plans to charge the leaders of recent anti-government protests in Bangkok. Investigators from the Nang Loeng neighbourhood say they’ve reviewed footage of Saturday’s rallies and come to the conclusion that organisers broke several laws, including the emergency decree and disease control decree. The Bangkok Post reports that the first protest took place near Government…
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Tourism Ministry to ask for soft loans to help operators prepare for re-opening
The Tourism and Sports Minister says that if the Phuket sandbox is a success, he will have talks with the Finance Ministry about allocating soft loans to tourism operators. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the loans would come from the government’s 500-billion-baht borrowing and would help tourism operators prepare for an October re-opening. In the interim, he says domestic tourists can help…
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Monday COVID update: 6,166 cases & 50 deaths
Today, Thailand has reported another 6,166 new Covid-19 cases and 50 deaths. 84 of the new infections are in prisons. More news on those figures coming later. Provincial totals will be available early afternoon. • The Chulabhorn Royal Academy says there will be enough Sinopharm vaccine as long as, “no one exceeds their allocation or jumps the queue”. Millions of doses…
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Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone building airport, crime feared
Construction has resumed on a private airport in Laos on the Thai border as part of the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, a casino resort complex considered to be rife with illegal activity. The owner of the development, Zhao Wei, is the chairman of the Dok Ngiew Kham Group and has been named in connection with human trafficking, drugs, money…
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Meet the Sellers: First arrival in the Phuket Sandbox
Darren and Supattra Sellers may not have been part of the Siamese revolution that changed Thailand to a constitutional monarchy, or the coup that overthrew the government 7 years ago, but they will forever be a part of Thailand’s modern history now. You see, the Sellers and their 2 children were the first family off of Etihad flight 430 on…
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France hopes deporting more alleged radicals will bring security
When the French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin summoned the country’s regional prefects in June, his message was clear. The authorities in France’s regions had to take swift, decisive action against foreigners who committed crimes. Residence permits should be reviewed, and more offenders should be deported if they had committed particularly serious crimes, such as second-degree murder, drug trafficking, and rape…
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Philippines military plane crashes, 17 confirmed dead
A C130 Hercules, Philippines military plane crashed earlier this morning. 92 people were on board. 17 people have been confirmed dead and 40 people have survived and were taken to a nearby military hospital. The plane crashed in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, 950 kilometres/600 miles south of the capital, Manila. The condition of the remaining soldiers is currently…
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Phuket unveils “colour” festival to reinvigorate economy
In an attempt to build excitement for the reopening of Phuket, Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism, working with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Phuket officials, has unveiled a campaign called “The Colourful Phuket Bring Back the Happiness”. The festival is intended to bring back “engaging” activities and the touristic atmosphere of the island. The project commenced yesterday and extends to…
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