Thai Government
- Tourism News
Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand advises airlines of new entry rules effective today
International airlines have been issued with a notice from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, advising them of revised rules for entry to the kingdom from today. CAAT chief, Suttipong Kongpool, says all international airlines serving Thailand are required to screen and categorise passengers into 3 groups. The first group is the fully vaccinated passengers, who, if suspected of having…
- Covid-19 News
Thai government considers lowering Covid-19 alert to Level 2
As the overall pandemic situation continues to improve, the Thai health ministry is considering lowering the country’s Covid alert level to Level 2. Chakrarat Pittayawonganon from the Department of Disease Control says the alert could be reduced from Level 3, while keeping the focus on protecting high-risk groups and ensuring they have received booster vaccine doses. Thailand’s high-risk groups include…
- Tourism News
Thai government expects 1 million tourists per month by the end of the year
The Thai government has refuted the opposition’s claim that it is ignoring the plight of the country’s tourism sector. According to a Nation Thailand report, spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the government’s decision to cancel Test & Go has revived the tourism industry, with around 20,000 foreign arrivals now entering the kingdom each day. Thanakorn adds that if this trend continues,…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok nightlife venues frustrated with June 1 re-opening rules
The owners of bars, clubs, and other nightlife venues in Bangkok have expressed frustration with conditions governing the June 1 re-opening. From Wednesday, such businesses can re-open, provided they are located in the 31 blue or green zones, adhere to disease prevention measures, and close by midnight. It’s the midnight closure that most are finding frustrating, with several business owners…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Thai Govt announces “zero road deaths” policy
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the government aims to cut the number of road deaths by almost 2 thirds by 2027. Thailand has the ninth highest road death rate in the world, with 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the WHO. Thailand’s target for 2027 is to cut this number to 12 people per 100,000. It also announced…
- Phuket News
Things looking up in Phuket following return of international tourism
Provincial officials on the southern island of Phuket say the return of tourists has raised income levels and created more jobs. According to a Bangkok Post report, the return of international tourists has started to revive the island’s economy and reduced unemployment across Phuket. Data shared by Phuket governor, Narong Wunciew, reveals that since the launch of the Phuket sandbox…
- Covid-19 News
Government says the WHO will use Thailand as a role model for Covid-19 management
The Thai government is patting itself on the back again, with a spokesperson saying officials have been praised by the World Health Organisation. Traisuree Taisaranakul says the administration has been cited as a “role model” for its management of the Covid-19 pandemic. She was speaking after a meeting between the health minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghrebreyesus, and…
- Thailand News
Thailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”
The Public Health Ministry has raised its alert level for the monkeypox virus, classifying it as a communicable disease requiring close surveillance. This is despite no cases of the virus having been reported in the country to date. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon from the Department of Disease Control says the virus is far less…
- Politics News
Government says PM listening to concerns over draft law on public gatherings, NGO funding
The Thai PM is paying attention to, and welcomes, the opinions of those opposed to a draft law on NGO funding and public gatherings. So says deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, according to a report in the Bangkok Post today. Wissanu says Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to compile a list of objections to the…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Thailand to develop and launch monkeypox Test
Representatives of various NGOs have gathered at the UN headquarters in Bangkok to oppose a draft law that would give the Thai government more control over public gatherings and be able to monitor the financial transactions of NGOs. The NGOs say the law will be used as a weapon against freedom of expression. According to the Bangkok Post, the…
- Phuket News
Cruise ships set to return to Phuket for first time since pandemic
All aboard! The southern Thai island of Phuket is set to welcome back the cruise ships, for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Spectrum of the Seas will dock in Phuket next month. Pichet Songtan from the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre Region 3 says officials have given the…
- Thailand News
NGO representatives gather at UN in Bangkok to protest draft control law
Representatives of various non-profit organisations have gathered at the United Nations’ headquarters in Bangkok to oppose a draft law being considered by the government. Under the law, the government would have more control over public gatherings and be able to monitor the financial transactions of NGOs. A group of non-profit organisations are calling for the draft law to be ditched,…
- Thailand Protest News
Political activist has bail denied over missing pay slip
A bail application from monarchy reform activist Tantawan Tuatulanon has been rejected over a missing pay slip. Thai PBS World reports that the Criminal Court denied a bail application submitted by Move Forward leader, Pita Limjaroenrat. The reason given was that Pita had not submitted his MP’s pay slip with the application. According to the court, Pita needed to provide…
- Tourism News
Thailand to welcome one millionth tourist this year by end of May
Thailand expects its one millionth foreign tourist this year to arrive by the end of May, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The kingdom has seen a sharp increase in tourists since the Test & Go programme and other entry requirements were scrapped at the start this month. However, the current influx of tourists still has nothing on pre-pandemic…
- Thailand News
Prawit is confident Thailand will rise to Tier 2 in US human trafficking report
Thailand has done a lot to combat human trafficking and deserves to move up to Tier 2 in the US State Department’s next Trafficking In Persons report, says Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan. Prawit addressed Thailand’s progress in tackling human trafficking in a press conference yesterday. In the latest annual TIP report, published in June 2021, the US demoted Thailand…
- Business News
Labour Minister says government considering increasing minimum wage to 492 baht
Thailand’s Labour Minister says the government is considering increasing the daily minimum wage to 492 baht. Suchart Chomklin was addressing the Anti-Fake News Centre in an attempt to clarify rumours circulating on social media, according to a Nation Thailand report. “The ministry has discussed the raise with representatives of workers’ unions and businesses based on the rate submitted by the…
- Economy News
Government economic agency says China’s zero-Covid policy hurting Thai economy
China’s relentless pursuit of a zero-Covid status, coupled with tough import restrictions, is having a negative impact on the Thai economy. So says the Thai economic planning agency, the National Economic and Social Development Council. According to a Nation Thailand report, the NESDC says it’s watching China closely, after a strict lockdown was enforced in Shanghai and other cities. “China’s…
- Business News
Nightlife venues in “blue zones” want permission to re-open from June 1
Thailand’s nightlife venues are demanding to be allowed re-open for business in “blue zone” tourism areas from June 1. According to a Bangkok Post report, the proposal is one of several being submitted to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha today. Sa-nga Ruangwatthanakul from the association of Khao San Road business operators says the proposals are being put forward by over 10 associations…
- Tourism News
Tourism operators not getting their hopes up, still wary of government U-turns
Despite a further easing of entry restrictions at the start of the month, with the lifting of PCR testing on arrival, Thailand’s tourism sector is not getting its hopes up. According to a Bangkok Post report, tourism operators are concerned about several factors that have left them uncertain about any potential recovery. Chief among these is the risk of new…
- Thailand News
Thailand borrows 50 billion yen from Japan to cope with Covid aftermath
The Thai government has signed a loan contract to borrow 50 billion yen or about 13 billion baht (US$385 million) from Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA to cope with costs of handling the Covid pandemic in Thailand. Thai PM and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Thais not to criticise the government borrowing money again because the amount was included…
- Tourism News
Thai PM expects tourism to recover to half of pre-pandemic levels by next year
The Thai PM says he expects 20 million tourists to visit the kingdom next year, around half the number of pre-pandemic years. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says this prediction still relies on the Covid-19 situation not deteriorating. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM has acknowledged that tourism numbers have increased significantly since the easing of some restrictions. ‘Significant’ is…
- Politics News
PM shrugs off claims of MPs being bribed to vote against him in no-confidence debate
The Thai PM has dismissed allegations that MPs are being bribed to topple the government in a forthcoming no-confidence debate. The claims were made on Facebook by former deputy PM, Trairong Suwannakhiri, according to a Bangkok Post report. Trairong says he’s learnt that between 5 and 30 million baht has been offered to MPs from smaller coalition parties, in an…
- Tourism News
Officials hope Test & Go cancellation will see flights to Thailand double by year end
With Test & Go now tested and gone, the Thai government hopes to see a surge in flights to the kingdom, up to twice the current number by the end of the year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is anticipating 83,500 flights a month across all airports by the end of 2022. The…
- Covid-19 News
PM calls on schools to implement strict Covid safety measures on re-opening
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has instructed the Education Ministry to ensure schools are equipped to manage Covid-19 when they re-open. According to government spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the PM wants education facilities to implement strict Covid-19 prevention measures when they re-open on May 17. According to a Nation Thailand report, the measures include: • Conducting regular checks on the virus…
- Thailand News
Thai government promotes the 5 Fs: Food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals
The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Commerce responded to the policy to promote Thailand’s ‘soft power’ from PM Prayut and has launched Thailand’s “5 Fs soft power,” which aims to promote five major Thai cultures to international eyes… food, films, fashion, fighting and festivals. “Soft power” is indirect or spontaneous promotion of Thai culture by celebrities, sportspeople and…
- Tourism News
Thai PM endorses India travel bubble in bid to boost international tourism
A travel bubble arrangement between Thailand and India has received the backing of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, as officials look to revive foreign tourism in the kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says the travel pact between the 2 countries has also been endorsed by Thailand’s public and private sectors. In the pre-Covid days, Thailand welcomed nearly…
- South Thailand News
Rebel group PULO won’t engage in peace talks if independence is off the table
The leader of a rebel group in Thailand’s Deep South said the rebels will not engage in peace talks with the Thai government if the possibility of independence in Thailand’s southern border region is off the table. Under the framework of Thailand’s current constitution, the kingdom remains indivisible. The group’s leader Kasturi Makhota made the announcement days after his rebel…
- 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…
- Thailand video news
Asia News Today | The US “must stay engaged in Asia-Pacific”, China plane crash report ready in 20 days
China has finished the main recovery work at the site of a China Eastern Airlines crash 10 days ago and plans have a preliminary report ready within 30 days of the incident. A final report into the crash of the Boeing 737-800 model will be completed and made public after the investigation is concluded. The plane plummeted nose-first into a…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry revises criteria for administration of booster vaccine doses
The Public Health Ministry has revised the formula for the administration of Covid-19 booster vaccine doses, according to a Nation Thailand report. The confirmation follows chatter on social media that the ministry had changed the criteria, prompting Thailand’s Anti-Fake News Centre to investigate and confirm it was true. According to the Nation Thailand report, the new criteria for getting a…
