Thailand
- Economy News
Thailand’s Prayut to hold public forum on economy
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced yesterday at a cabinet meeting that the government will hold a public forum on the economy. The date for the forum has not yet been announced. PM Prayut said the government is trying to ensure better welfare for elderly citizens and vulnerable groups in Thailand. He said it wants to introduce measures to help medium-sized…
- Bangkok News
New Bangkok monorails will be FREE in September
In September, the new Yellow Line monorail train will begin testing between Lat Phrao and Samrong and the Pink Line monorail train will begin testing between Min Buri and Khae Rai. The Yellow Line is 92% completed, while the Pink Line is a step behind at 86%. Thailand’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority controls the monorail/skytrain services (MRTA). The routes and…
- Pattaya News
Suspects allegedly shoot at Pattaya motorcycle shop more than 10 times
In the early hours of the morning yesterday, four suspects allegedly fired over 10 gunshots into a Pattaya Harley-Davidson motorcycle shop. Nongprue police suspect the shooting was over a business or personal conflict, though not about theft. The police are continuing to interview the shop’s staff and management to further investigate what caused the shooting. A security guard who was…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand removed from US ‘Do Not Travel’ list, in travel advisory reshuffle
Thailand is no longer a dangerous place to travel to — for fully vaccinated travellers. That’s according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — or CDC — which removed Thailand its “Do Not Travel” list for Covid-19 on Monday. The move comes as the US reshuffles its travel advisory categories of which countries pose a risk…
- Bangkok News
Two women stabbed with box cutter at CentralWorld shopping mall in Bangkok
Yesterday, officers from Pathum Wan Police Station arrested a man who used a box cutter to stab two women at CentralWorld, a famous shopping mall in Bangkok. The suspect claimed he visited the mall to find a job and had no explanation for his actions. At about 4 pm, staff of the famous Bangkok shopping centre reported to the police…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Covid hotline inundated with calls over Songkran holiday period
The National Health Security Office says the Covid-19 1330 hotline received around 10,000 calls a day over the Songkran holiday period. According to NHSO secretary-general, Dr Jadet Thammathat-aree, many of the calls were requests for medication for Covid patients who were isolating at home. Other callers wanted to find out about treatment available under the universal healthcare scheme. The Bangkok…
- Economy News
Will Milli’s mango stunt help Thailand’s farmers?
After budding Thai rap star “Milli” ate a bowl of sticky rice and mango onstage in front of a crowd of hundreds of thousands at California’s Coachella festival, Thailand’s mango farmers might rake in some dough. Despite being the largest exporter of mangoes in the world, Thailand has had problems with mango shipment due to Covid-19. Sayan Bunying, president of…
- Bangkok News
Investigation launched into Don Mueang passenger building collapse
The Ministry of Transport has begun an investigation into the partial collapse of a new passenger building at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, the home of most of the international discount airlines and some of the domestic budget carriers. According to the initial damage assessments, a heavy storm on Sunday evening led to a build-up of rainfall that the building’s guttering…
- Politics News
Democrat party leader apologies, ‘accepts responsibility’ for Prinn’s sex scandal
Thailand’s Democrat party leader has publicly apologised and accepted responsibly for the high-profile sex scandal of Prinn Panitchpakdi, who stepped down last week as the party’s deputy leader, as a wave of sexual abuse and rape allegations mount against him. Speaking at a press conference at party headquarters in Bangkok on Monday, commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit apologised on the party’s…
- Thailand News
Billionaire asks PM Prayut to scrap Thailand Pass and Test & Go
An American-born Thai billionaire has written another open letter to Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calling for an ease in entry restrictions to help the country’s tourism industry recover. William ‘Bill’ Heinecke, founder of the huge Minor Group, says scrapping Thailand Pass and Test & Go will attract international tourists back into the kingdom. The letter, written yesterday, presents quite the…
- Politics News
Arrest warrant issued for former Thailand PM Yingluck after she skips court date
Thailand’s former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was issued an arrest warrant by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Tuesday, after she failed to appear at the court’s hearing for charges in a case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC. Hardly a surprise, the former elected PM of Thailand fled the country in 2017 and…
- Property News
Bangkok real estate developer confidence dipped in Q1 due to supply chain woes
Thailand’s home developer sentiment index was 47 in the first quarter of 2022, compared to 52 in the fourth quarter of 2021. The reason for the dip in confidence? Russia’s war in Ukraine, of course. The ongoing conflict has significantly influenced the cost of petrol and numerous construction supplies, notably steel, which has seen a 35% increase in price since…
- Hot News
Japanese TikToker apologises for bizarre dancing spree on BTS
A Japanese woman has caused a stir on Thai social media, after she posted TikTok videos under the username “Shizu0405fc3” of herself dancing without a face mask on, as well as spraying water at strangers and a security guard, while riding the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok. Thai netizens were annoyed and angered by the woman’s seemingly random antics in the…
- Environment News
Thailand slides down world’s marine plastic index
Thailand’s spot on the list of countries with the highest levels of marine plastic pollution is down from #6 to #10 in light of the country’s efforts to combat plastic waste. Thailand recently reached an international agreement to combat the looming problem of plastic waste at the UN’s most recent Environmental Assembly, or UNEA, meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya. Thailand…
- Pattaya News
Koh Kham locals celebrate post-Songkran tradition — ‘Carrying Girls into the Sea’
Koh Kham, located near Koh Sichang in Chon Buri province, held a traditional activity to celebrate the post-Songkran tradition of “Aum Sao Long Nam” — or “Carrying Girls into the Sea”. The event is traditionally held annually on April 18 following the Songkran festival. Yesterday marked the first time the event has been held in the past two years due…
- Thailand News
Officers insist total traffic accidents, deaths during ‘Seven Dangerous Days’ is “not so bad”
Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM, has announced that the total traffic accidents and injuries during last week’s “Seven Dangerous Days” had actually reduced, compared to the average for the past three years, even though the number of deaths this year had increased. According to a summary of the data, from April 11 to 17, there were…
- Phuket News
Thailand DSI seizes counterfeit luxury goods in Phuket valued at more than 50 million baht
Officers from Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation raided warehouses in Phuket on Monday, where they seized more than 100,000 counterfeit items valued at more than 50 million baht. The director of the Intellectual Property Department under the DSI investigated 5 warehouses that were reported to have stockpiled counterfeit goods. Authorities found fake luxury brand goods stored in 5 warehouses, including…
- Thailand News
Tuesday Covid Update: 16,891 new cases; provincial totals
129 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,135 with 5,437 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 16,891 new Covid-19 cases and 24,927 recoveries. There are now 197,349 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- 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…
- Thailand News
Police raid illegal ‘casino’ on Koh Samui located near police station
Officers from Bor Put police station in Koh Samui raided an illegal “casino” located in the middle of the island yesterday evening. They were joined by the island’s mayor, Chayapon Intarasupa. Those running the operation allegedly allowed people to gamble in different games to win money, according to reports. Thai media reported that the illegal gambling centre was a one-story…
- Crime News
3 more women break their silence, adding to claims of Prinn’s alleged sexual abuse
More potential #MeToo victims are coming out of the closet, as Thailand faces what may be the largest sex scandal involving a senior politician. On Monday, another three women filed complaints with police against former Democrat deputy leader Prinn Panitchpakdi, for a total of eight women who have officially accused him of sexual misconduct, according to a report by the…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry sticking to plan to declare Covid-19 endemic by July
The Public Health Ministry says it’s on track to declare Covid-19 endemic in Thailand by July 1, despite a prediction of increased deaths, particularly among the elderly. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr Chakkarat Pitayowonganon from the Department of Disease Control says it will take between 2 and 4 weeks to determine if case numbers will reach over 100,000 a…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry stockpiles medication in anticipation of Covid-19 surge
Thailand’s health ministry has stocked up on Covid-19 treatment, in anticipation of a surge in infections following the Songkran holiday. Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul says hospitals are also standing by to treat at-risk patients, while those who are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms can be treated at home. The Bangkok Post reports that around 110 million favipiravir pills have…
- Thailand video news
Thailand endemic on track | Good Morning Thailand
The Public Health Ministry is reportedly stockpiling medical supplies to ensure the country’s readiness to handle rising Covid-19 cases after the Songkran festival. It is also however keeping to its original schedule of declaring Covid-19 as endemic on July 1. Mango sticky rice as a cultural heritage item, Minister in a lot of trouble with allegations from several women and…
- Thailand Protest News
Thailand feminists protest at Democrat party HQ, demand justice in ‘#MeToo’ scandal
Thai feminist groups banded together this morning to stage a protest in front of Democrat party headquarters, in the wake of a slew of sexual assault allegations against the party’s former deputy leader, Prinn Panitchpakdi. On Sunday, Bangkok’s South Criminal Court detained Prinn for 3 counts of sexual assault and harassment, before temporarily releasing him on bail, on the condition…
- Thailand News
Rescue worker shot dead after rival volunteer groups brawl in Bangkok
A volunteer rescue worker has died, after reportedly receiving a lethal gunshot wound to the chest during a street brawl that broke out between two rival volunteer foundations on Sunday in Bangkok. Officers from Thonglor Police Station investigated Kasam Rat Road in front of Lotus’s Rama 4 branch in Bangkok yesterday, after receiving a report of a fight between two…
- Thailand News
100 year old banyan tree falls down, kills 10 year old boy
A 10 year old boy was crushed to death by a 100 year old banyan tree which fell down this morning at a temple in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, southern Thailand. The boy was sitting near the tree studying online when the incident happened. The boy sadly died instantly when the tree fell on him, crushing him underneath. The boy’s…
- Phuket News
Thai man and 78 year old foreign stepfather arrested over child sex abuse in Phuket
A Thai man and his foreign stepfather have been arrested for allegedly engaging in child sex crimes and sexual abuse in Phuket. Police say the Thai man pretended to be a swimming coach and lured male children less than 15 years old into swimming at his stepfather’s house for potential sexual exploits. More than 15 children were reportedly involved in…
- Road deaths
Drink drivers put on probation, 278 dead during ‘seven deadly days’ in Thailand
During the “seven deadly days” of the Songkran Holiday, between April 11 to 17, there were nearly 8,000 drivers who were arrested for drink driving or driving recklessly. The courts have already sentenced them to probation, according to director-general Witthawal Sunthornkachit of the Department of Probation. Drink driving has increased by over 1,000 cases this year compared to over 6,000…
- Phuket News
Hotel and bar staff protest on Phuket’s Bangla Road after viral video prompts crackdown
The disgruntled staff of a Phuket hotel that was being used for late night parties have staged a protest on Phuket’s Bangla Road Walking Street, after their hotel was ‘outed’ for violating Thailand’s alcohol sales laws under current Covid-19 restrictions. The hotel had been operating as a defacto nightlife venue, assumedly away from the hustle bustle and attention of Bangla…
