Thailand
- Thailand News
Songkran: MOPH to measure blood alcohol levels during festival’s ‘7 Dangerous Days’
The Ministry of Public Health plans to use blood testers to measure the alcohol level of drivers during the “Seven Dangerous Days of Songkran”. Authorities say the blood test would be used in addition to the standard breathalyzer test. If anyone refuses to get tested, officers will assume them to be drunk. The crowded roads during the annual Songkran Festival…
- Thailand News
Rare sea creatures spotted in Krabi, southern Thailand
Rare marine animals were spotted enjoying Thailand’s coastal waters last week in Krabi, southern Thailand. Dugongs (manatee’s little cousins), humpback dolphins and sea turtles were seen from above in an aerial survey conducted by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) from March 27 – April 1. A total of 34 dugongs, colloquially known as “sea cows”, were seen…
- Covid-19 News
France donates over 3 million doses of Pfizer vaccine to Thailand
France has shown its support for Thailand’s fight against Covid-19 by donating over three million doses of Pfizer vaccines to the Kingdom of Thailand. The donation will be well-received by Thai people as surveys reveal that Thais have more confidence in the effectiveness of the U.S.-produced Pfizer vaccine than they do in Thai vaccines. The French ambassador Thierry Mathou officially…
- Thailand video news
Are tourists flooding back to Thailand? | GMT
Are Tourists flooding back to Thailand? PM Prayut wants to fix Bangkok’s smelly canals, Renting SF Cinema halls to play games, TAT partners with Air Asia, True and DTAC merger and more coming up on todays Good Morning Thailand with Jay and Tim.
- Thailand News
Bank of Thailand updates 20 baht banknote for improved hygiene and longevity
The Bank of Thailand has launched a new 20 baht banknote made of polyester. The banknote is said to resist moisture and grime, resulting in a longer shelf-life. The central bank began distributing the shiny new baht greenbacks on March 24. The Bank of Thailand announced that people used the 20 baht banknote the most frequently, making them dirty and…
- Thailand News
PM Prayut wants to fix Bangkok’s smelly canals
It’s no secret that Bangkok stinks. When you take a breath of “fresh air” on the street, it’s not rare for a concoction of barbecued chicken, pollution and sewage to enter your nose. Even after living in Bangkok for a number of years, the smell never gets any less pungent, especially in the summer months. The issue is untreated wastewater…
- Thailand News
Gamers in Thailand can rent out SF Cinema theatres from now until May 3
Gamers everywhere are familiar with the pleasure of playing video games on the sofa in the comfort of their own living room. But just imagine the next-level fun of playing your favorite RPG or first-person shooter on the silver screen, complete with a thundering cinematic sound system. That’s exactly the kind of upgraded experience SF Cinema is offering in its…
- Thailand News
Teenage boy trampled to death by wild elephant in Hua Hin forest
The body of a teenage boy was found lying on the road near Kaeng Krachan National Park in Hua Hin district of the southern province Prachuap Khiri Khan in the early hours of Saturday morning. Local residents reported seeing a wild elephant wandering around the community foraging for food. They say the teenage boy might have been riding his motorbike…
- Thailand News
1 groom, 3 brides at unusual Thai wedding… who paid the dowry?
Thai traditions went out the window at an unusual wedding last week in Nonthaburi province, central Thailand. The groom was in for a surprise when his three girlfriends asked for his hand in marriage and presented him with a dowry of 100,000 baht each on his 35th birthday. Together, the women have a total of nine children with the groom,…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Cybercrime police charged in kidnap for ransom plot, 2 former officers suspected
The Royal Thai Police arrested two officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, or CCIB, on Sunday for allegedly kidnapping a gambling couple and their child last week. The wife claimed that officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau kidnapped her and her family for ransom, after winning 2 million baht from online gambling. The woman said that she, her…
- Thailand News
UPDATE: Police arrest Asoke gold necklace thief, trans woman wanted to pay gambling debt
Police have arrested a transgender woman who allegedly stole a gold necklace off the body of a farang in Bangkok’s Asoke neighbourhood last week, after a video of the incident went viral. The thief reportedly said she stole the golden accessory because she’d lost her job and had to pay off a gambling debt. CCTV footage of the incident shows…
- Thailand News
Monday Covid Update: 24,892 new cases; provincial totals
97 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 25,512 with 3,814 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 24,892 new Covid-19 cases and 27,254 recoveries. There are now 256,667 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand stocks its Covid-19 war chest for Songkran fever fight
Health authorities are stocking up on medical supplies to fight Covid-19 as Thailand prepares to celebrate Sonkgkran next week. Infections have been spiking to more than 20,000 a day with the death toll occasionally approaching 100. By mid-April, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation plans to deliver some 30 million Favipiravir tablets to the Public Health Ministry, just in time for Songkran.…
- Thailand News
Tourists flood back to Thailand as travel restrictions ease before Songkran
Travellers are flooding back into Thailand after the country scrapped its pre-flight Covid PCR testing requirement. Arrivals to Suvarnabhumi International Airport have almost doubled to around 12,000 passengers per day, arriving on a flurry of new inbound flights. On Sunday afternoon, international travellers teems throughout the airport, reaching near pre-pandemic levels. They were greeted by officials and hotels reps who…
- World News
Thailand seeks Asean extradition convention to battle cybercrime in Southeast Asia
Thailand is seeking to ink a new regional extradition pact with 10 other Southeast Asian countries in a united effort to combat transnational crimes by 2024. Senior officials discussed the matter during a seminar about how to combat cybercrime at the Office of the Attorney General’s 129th anniversary meeting, the Bangkok Post reported. Thailand has seen an uptick in recent…
- Covid-19 News
First case of ‘XE’ Covid variant in Thailand, nothing to fear
Don’t be alarmed, it’s not so bad. That’s the gist of the message from the Public health Ministry, which dismissed fears of the new XE variant’s appearance in Thailand, as experts say the symptoms aren’t as severe as previous strains of Covid-19. On Saturday, Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics, or CMG, revealed they’d diagnosed the first patient with the…
- Pattaya News
Police arrest alleged Sri Racha drug dealer with gun, Chon Buri
Yesterday, police arrested an alleged drug dealer in Sri Racha, Chon Buri. According to reporters at The Pattaya News, the alleged dealer had 92 amphetamine pills and 10.8 grams of crystal meth, along with a gun and six bullets. The alleged dealer reportedly confessed that all the illegal substances and weapons belonged to him. Two suspected female addicts were with…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya police arrest 10 in alleged Chon Buri gambling party
Pattaya police arrested 10 people after busting a gambling party in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province yesterday. An undercover agent had tipped off the police, saying a gambling party was secretly being held in an abandoned area. After the police arrived, the alleged gamblers tried to flee, but police caught 10 of them. The police found gambling…
- World News
Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation to give US$250,000 to Ukrainian pets
Phuket’s Soi Dog Foundation plans to give a grant of US$250,ooo to a clinic in Poland for Ukrainian pets whose owners fled Russia’s invasion. The money will also help a Polish animal society give immediate care to pets in desperate need right now. An estimated 40,000 dogs and cats have come with their owners to Poland since the invasion began…
- Bangkok News
Business owners on Bangkok’s Khao San Road kiss goodbye their Songkran plans
Businesses on Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road are axing their Songkran celebration plans, following news that they would have to abide by several restrictions. This would include an alcohol ban, having to provide free face masks to partiers if their masks got wet, and being held responsible if partiers took off their masks. The president of the Khao San Road…
- Koh Samui News
Spiking Songkran tourist demand on ferry services in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan
Ferry services in Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are trying to meet an influx of tourist demands leading up to Songkran. Songkran will be between April 13 – 15 this year, followed up with a convenient weekend on April 16 and 17. A ferry port managing director at the Raja Ferry terminal at Don Sak told Nation Thailand that his…
- Environment News
Agriculture ministry to give one million farms in Thailand solar panels
Thailand’s agriculture ministry plans to install solar panels on at least one million of Thailand’s farms in a new pilot project aiming to reduce farms’ electricity bills by 20-30% in 15-20 years. The ministry plans to issue a non-fungible token named “Solar Panels NFT for Thai Farmers” worth around 697 billion baht to legally trade with international investors in Singapore.…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri man shoots and kills son, wounds wife, before killing himself
A man shot and killed his son before killing himself at a school in Mueang district of Chon Buri province yesterday. The father and son both had gunshot wounds on their heads. The man also shot and wounded his wife, who was rushed to Chon Buri Hospital. The wife, Arissara, had arrived at the school with their son first. The…
- Phuket News
Phuket introduces new seafood and gastronomy “Tastival” festival
Following Phuket’s Roi Rim Lay seafood festival last weekend, the island’s officials have come up with another seafood and gastronomy festival for the first time yesterday. The festival is called “Phuket Tastival Seafood and Gastronomy: Roi-Yok-Lo”. It will run until Monday, April 4. Phuket Deputy Governor Anupap and several other officials attended the opening at Saphan Hin, the huge public…
- Thailand Protest News
Thai student activist charged with lèse majesté will be allowed to study in Germany
The South Bangkok Criminal Court ruled yesterday that a student activist charged with lèse majesté who was barred from studying abroad in Germany earlier this month will now be allowed to study there. The activist, Rawisara Eksakul, nicknamed “Dear”, won a prestigious scholarship for a Master of Management in Non-Profit Organisations. The court was told that Ms Rawisara holds a…
- Phuket News
Phuket man wins 18 million baht from lottery, plans to pay off debts
After praying at several temples with high hopes, one Phuket man’s dream of winning the lottery has come true! The man, who lives in Ratsada on Phuket’s east coast, won 18 million baht yesterday, which just happened to be April Fool’s day. The national Thai lottery is drawn twice a month. But the winning was no joke. The man, Panuwat,…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s finance ministry closes 2 insurance firms due to Covid-19 claims
After an overwhelming number of Covid-19 claims caused 2 of Thailand’s insurance providers to owe billions of baht in compensation, Thailand’s finance minister has revoked the providers’ business licenses. The decision was made effective yesterday. One provider, Southeast Insurance, owes 13 billion baht in compensation, while the other, Thai Insurance, owes 4.6 billion baht. The Secretary-General of the Office of…
- Thailand Travel
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry plans to request new entry rules
If the CCSA approves it, Thailand could have new entry rules starting on May 1. The new rules the Public Health Ministry plans to request are intended to revive the country’s crippled tourism economy,. The country’s Tourism and Sports Minister has also stated that his ministry will ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to consider further easing entry rules,…
- Eastern Thailand News
Thai swimmer recovering after being ‘speared’ by Needlefish in Trat
Spearfishing is still a thing, but usually by humans hunting fish, not the other way around. Thai national Noppadol Sringam is now in a stable condition recovering from a freak marine accident. The Thai tourist was left in serious condition after a needlefish skewered him in the neck while he was swimming on the Trat coastal beach of Ao Tan…
- Thailand News
Villagers pay homage to giant mango in central Thailand
Villagers offered incense to a giant mango in Uthai Thani province in central Thailand on Wednesday. Locals believe that the mango, weighing in at 1.8 kilograms, is sure to bring good luck. The average mango weighs in at a measly 150 grams in comparison. The owner of the mango, 47 year old Wirat Haewphet, is a farmer with many mango…
