Songkran
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry advises work from home policy for 7 days after Songkran holiday
Thailand’s health ministry is advising businesses to have employees work from home for 7 days, according to Chakrarat Pittawawonganon from the Department of Disease Control. The advice is designed to prevent a surge in infections following the recent Songkran holiday. “Once the Songkran festival is over, the number of cases may increase by 20 – 30%.” According to a Bangkok…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s Covid trend is ‘down’ as we wait for the fallout from Songkran travel
The trend for Thailand’s daily new Covid infections is definitely heading down, for now. Despite the warnings of increased cases from some medical authorities in Thailand (up to 100,000 infections per day in one estimate), the trend over the past week has been down. The current surge hit its peak on April 1 with 28,029 new infections but has been…
- Songkran News
Thailand’s Songkran road deaths decrease by 20% since last year
Thailand’s Deputy Interior Minister says road deaths during Songkran have reduced by 20% compared to last year, during the first 4 days between April 11-17 (aka. Seven Deadly Days). The first 4days saw 1,195 road accidents, with 157 deaths, and 1,185 people injured. Last year there were 1,795 road accidents, with 192 people killed, and 1,818 injured, during the same…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for sixth straight day
As people in Thailand celebrate Songkran, the nation’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 6 consecutive days from Sunday to today. This morning, the Public Health Ministry reported 119 new Covid-related fatalities and nearly 20,300 new infections nationwide, besides around 9,300 positive ATK results since Thursday morning, for a total of more than 29,600 cases,…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Bangkok authorities try to limit the water games on Khao San Road
We warned you, but we can’t stop you. That’s the message being conveyed by the actions of Thai authorities, who have shown restraint toward prohibited water splashing on Khao San Road in Bangkok during this week’s Songkran festival. Police, and even soldiers, have been called in to remind tourists and Songkran revellers about the government’s ban on water splashing this…
- Songkran News
Police use water cannons to stop illegal water fight/protest at Democracy Monument
We knew this would happen. Police using water cannons to ‘dampen’ protesters defying the water-splashing ban. How ironic. The protesters used the Songkran festival to make a point about their ongoing battle demanding greater democracy in Thailand. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, when Police deployed two water cannons on Ratchadamnoen Nok Road in response to pro-democracy groups defying the…
- Songkran News
40 dead, 323 injured on Day 3 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’
Thailand saw 331 road accidents, resulting in 40 deaths and 323 injuries on Wednesday, Day 3 of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran holiday. The main causes of road accidents yesterday were the same as the previous two days, namely speeding and drink driving, according to data provided by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department. Since the start of…
- Songkran News
Thailand deploys troops to Khao San Road to combat water splashing tourists – VIDEO
Call in the troops! That’s been the response from Thailand’s government after reports of foreign tourists (you get bet there were plenty of locals in there as well) engaging in “dangerous water splashing behaviour” spread like wildfire on social media at the start of the Songkran festival, well Songkran eve to be precise. Bangkok authorities deployed the military, in addition…
- Phuket News
Phuket tourists better stop splashing water, or else – PM Prayut
Some splash-happy tourists, and probably a few locals, in Phuket obviously didn’t get all the “dry Songkran” memos. Reports of foreign tourists splashing water in and around some of Thailand’s tourist hotspots these past two days has drawn the ire of Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. In the case of Phuket, and specifically Bangla Road, the local walking street, the PM…
- Songkran News
Have a virtual water fight on Facebook or Instagram this Songkran
Everyone is disappointed that water splashing is banned for yet another year this Songkran (officially). Instead, Meta invites you to have a virtual water fight with your loved ones on Facebook and Instagram using an augmented reality effect called “Songkran Together”. The director of Facebook Thailand says the aim is to encourage Thais to celebrate the New Year with their…
- Songkran News
Songkran: Where to celebrate the Thai New Year in Thailand 2022
Despite the lack of official water fights this year, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate Songkran 2022 in Thailand. Events in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Songkhla, Chiang Mai, Samut Prakan and other major cities have been organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, or the TAT, in line with Covid-19 prevention measures. So put the water gun down and take…
- Road deaths
8 year old driving motorcycle dies in accident
An 8 year old boy was driving a motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it when he lost control and flipped over at around 10:30am this morning in Chanthaburi province in eastern Thailand. The vehicle fell back down on top of him and crushed him. He hit his head off the concrete road and sadly died from his injuries at…
- Road deaths
301 injured and 47 deaths on Day 2 of Songkran – Seven Deadly Days
On Tuesday, the second day of the “Seven Deadly Days” of the Songkran break, there were 301 road accidents, resulting in 47 deaths and 292 injuries. Accidents are still caused by drink driving and speeding. 84% of the accidents occurred on straight roads. Motorcycles and pick-up trucks were involved in the majority of the accidents, 80%, and 10% respectively, about…
- Songkran News
More than 180 trains added during Thailand’s Songkran holiday
The Thai State Railway has added over 180 trains during the Songkran holidays, and will run through to April 17. 45,000 travellers are predicted to board the trains from Hua Lamphong in Bangkok on the first day of Songkran. The old Hu Lamphong train station has been kept running since plans to move all train services to Bang Sue, the…
- Northern Thailand News
Two Thai women escape sinking car after GPS leads them into a canal
Another GPS horror story occurred this morning when 2 women driving home for the Songkran holiday ended up trapped in their sinking car in a canal in Prachin Buri province, northeast Thailand. Their GPS navigation system led them off the edge of the road, causing their car to drop 10 metres and land in a drainage canal. The women managed…
- Thailand News
Why is Thai New Years 3 Days Long? | Songkran Special
Have you ever wondered why Thai New Years celebration is 3 days long? Traditionally, each day of the Songkran festival has a different meaning. What does each day symbolise? Watch this clip to find out more about the Thai new year as Nan dives deep into the meaning and traditions of each day from 13 -15 of April.
- Songkran News
26 killed in 200 plus vehicle accidents on Day 1 of Songkran’s ‘7 Deadly Days’
On Monday — the first day of the “Seven Deadly Days of the Songkran” — there were 237 vehicle accidents, killing 26 people and injuring 238 others. Speeding is the biggest problem so far. Thailand’s road-safety campaign spans the week of the Thai New Year, from April 11 to 17, during which vehicle accidents are notoriously common. The government has…
- Songkran News
Drink driving claims 70% of traffic violations at start of Songkran’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’
The Department of Probation is releasing its statistics for the first day of driving violations administered by the court during the “Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran” from April 11 – 17. On Monday, the court issued 459 fines, 328 of which were for drink driving cases. The top three provinces with the most drunken drivers were Nonthaburi, Ubon Ratchathani and…
- Songkran News
5 Thailand expressways waive tolls for motorists during Songkran holiday
Five expressways in Thailand will waive their tolls during the Songkran holiday, in order to encourage domestic tourism by helping people save money and speed up travel times back to their home provinces. From April 12 to April 18, the Bang Na-Chon Buri and Bang Phli-Suksawat expressways will be free of charge. The Chalerm Maha Nakhon, Si Rat and Udon…
- Thailand News
Thailand predicts a million passengers to catch flights during Songkran festival
Airports of Thailand, or AoT, expects about a million air travellers to transit through its 6 airports during Songkran this week. The estimate includes both international and domestic passengers who will catch flights to, from and around Thailand. Since the government scrapped the pre-travel PCR test requirement on April 1, the AoT says that’s the reason the number of travellers entering…
- Phuket News
Phuket police set up 11 checkpoints to prevent road accidents during Songkran
The Songkran holidays, or the Thai New Year, is a time notorious for road accidents all over Thailand. During the long holiday, drunk driving increases and road accidents are even more common than usual on Thailand’s dangerous roads. Phuket police officers have set up 11 checkpoints around the island to catch anyone drunk driving or driving dangerously and to help…
- Chiang Mai News
Chiang Mai elephant camp invites tourists to visit for free this Songkran
If you can’t splash each other this Songkran, splash an elephant instead — in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai’s Maesa Elephant Camp invites tourists to splash in the water with elephants during the Songkran holidays, which will be celebrated this week from April 13 – 16. The camp is open from 9am – 3pm every day and admission is free. After…
- Thailand News
Songkran travellers can enjoy FREE parking at Suvarnabhumi airport from April 11-17
There’s good news for those flying out of Bangkok during the Thai New Year. You can now park your car at Suvarnabhumi Airport Zone C for FREE during the entire Songkran period, as the parking fees are being scrapped from April 11 to April 17. Zone C is zoned for long term parking and has 700 parking spaces. Airport authorities…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s daily Covid death toll exceeds 100 twice in 24 hours as Songkran begins
As people throughout the country begin their Songkran celebrations, Thailand’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark twice in the past 24 hours — with 108 deaths and 105 deaths reported for yesterday and today, respectively. Sunday marked the first time the nation recorded a hundred daily deaths from the virus this year. The Public Health Ministry…
- Thailand video news
Pollution haze across Thailand | GMT
Unsafe levels of PM2.5 ‘particulate’ cloud Bangkok and surrounding areas today. The kingdom is expected to record about 100,000 new Covid-19 cases per day following the Songkran holiday. April will see THAI Cargo operate 58 flights to Guangzhou, 12 to Chengdu, eight to Kunming, and another nine from Kunming to New Delhi. With traditional Songkran water fights banned in Thailand…
- Songkran News
With splash parties banned, Thais celebrate Songkran with characters on chat app
With traditional Songkran water fights banned in Thailand due to Covid-19, Thais are now “celebrating” the holiday with avatars on a chat app. The ONESIAM x Zepeto Metaverse Songkran Festival 2022 is a collaboration between property giant Siam Piwat, and the Zepeto chat app. Would-be Songkran revellers who are customers of Siam Piwat malls can download Zepeto. Users can then…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Ministry of Interior urges tight Covid enforcement during Songkran
The Permanent Secretary of Thailand’s Ministry of Interior is calling on provincial governors to “rigidly enforce Covid-19 restrictions” during the looming Songkran annual break. The Permanent Secretary, Suthipong Julcharoe, also suggested 10 “Universal Prevention” methods. These include frequent handwashing and not touching your face, as well as vulnerable groups staying at home. Suthipong also suggested “double masking” (wearing 2 face…
- Northern Thailand News
Songkran, and traffic, are in the air as Bangkok dwellers head ‘upcountry’
The spirit of Songkran is in Thailand’s air, as is heavy traffic, as Bangkok residents make road trips ‘upcountry’ to the Northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima and beyond. Motorway 6, or M6, in Pak Chong district, is not yet open to public travel. It will be open to drivers for two periods: April 11 to 14, and after Songkran from…
- Economy News
Songkran: Academics predict 10 year low in festival spending this year
Thailand academics predict the public’s spending during next week’s Songkran holiday will be the lowest in 10 years. An associate professor at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said he expects people to spend around 106 billion baht altogether across Thailand this year. This will be 5.4% less than last year, when public spending was recorded at about…
- South Thailand News
Both sides in Thailand’s Southern Insurgency agree to 40 day ceasefire
The Thai government and the most influential rebel group in Southern Thailand have agreed to stop violence for 40 days, from April 3 – May 14, for the holy month of Ramadan and the Songkran holidays. For the first time in the decades-long conflict, unarmed rebels will be allowed to visit their families during Ramadan. The agreement was made at…
