Thailand
- Covid-19 News
Friday Covid Update: 8,450 new cases; provincial totals
28 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,126 with 428 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,450 new Covid-19 cases and 7,484 recoveries. There are now 83,698 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Thailand News
Thailand and Saudi Arabia patch things up 33 years after Blue Diamond Affair
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week, and Thailand and Saudi mended relations they broke 33 years ago following the Blue Diamond Affair in 1989 where a Thai cleaner in Saudi’s royal palace stole diamonds worth US$20 million from the prince. The next year, three Saudi diplomats and a businessman trying to recover the gems were killed. According…
- World News
Surat Thani immigration police arrest human trafficking suspect from Myanmar
A 46 year old Myanmar national was arrested by Surat Thani Immigration Police today for allegedly smuggling six others into Thailand. The suspect, who is identified as Bumaw, was reportedly seen on a road in Tambon Talad in Surat Thani province’s Mueang district, and Immigration Police arrested him at the spot, nearly four months after the Surat Thani Court issued…
- Thailand News
Sneak peek into MONOPOLY: Phuket Edition coming in March
A new version of MONOPOLY heads to shelves this March, this time it’s Phuket edition. The game will include sights like Sarasin Beach, Kata Beach, Central Phuket and Karon Viewpoint. All these sites are well know to both locals and tourist. Sarasin Bridge was the first bridge that linked Phuket to mainland Thailand (a mere 300 metres). Kata Beach is…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya discusses “hotel isolation” for Test & Go, Sandbox travellers with Covid-19
After hundreds of horror stories of foreign tourists being required to stay in a quarantine hotels around Thailand after testing positive for Covid-19, officials in Pattaya discussed a so-called “hotel isolation” to allow travellers to continue staying at their hotel or resort if they test positive for the virus and have mild or no symptoms. The idea is not to…
- Thailand News
Australia at the top of women’s world cup, defeats Thailand
Australia now leads Group B of the FIFA Women’s World Cup after players Emily van Egmond and Sam Kerr scored two goals against Thailand, beating Thailand 2-1. Thailand still made it to the quarter-finals as a third-place team, along with Vietnam. Up next, Thailand will play against Japan in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Thailand started the cup this Monday, losing…
- Thailand News
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon discusses Phuket pedestrian safety
Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon brought up pedestrian safety crossings yesterday at an online meeting with a road safety policy committee, and the interior minister. Phuket officials have now been told to paint warning lines ahead of pedestrian crossings, letting drivers know they will have to slow down soon. The group also talked about the new points system that started in…
- Northern Thailand News
Government allocates 851 million baht for organic farming and projects
Thailand’s government will give 851 million baht to organic farming projects. 552 million will go to projects on production and management. 176.8 million will go to projects on research and development, innovation, database development and knowledge transfer to farmers. 122.2 million will go to projects improving marketing and standards. An agriculture ministry spokesperson said in the past five years, around…
- Tourism News
TAT offices in India introduce online training course for Indian travel agents
Indian travel agents can now sign up for an online training course to brush up on their knowledge of all things Thai, thanks to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. According to a TTR Weekly report, the so-called Thailand Specialist Programme is designed to teach the travel agents about new attractions and tourist offerings in the Land of Smiles. Cholada Siddhivarn…
- Business News
Employees laid off in insurance firm collapse demand overdue payments
Former employees from an insurance firm bankrupted by Covid-19 have rallied outside the Office of the Insurance Commission, demanding overdue salaries and severance monies be paid. Around 300 employees of The One Insurance were made redundant when the firm collapsed, but have yet to receive payments and other compensation owed to them. According to a Thai PBS World report, one…
- Northern Thailand News
Soldiers in Chiang Mai seize drugs after gunfire exchange, suspects still at large
Three armed men in Chiang Mai near the Myanmar border opened fire on Thai soldiers on Wednesday night. The soldiers shot back, and after five minutes of shooting between the two sides, the gunmen ran into the jungle. The soldiers then searched the area and found 200,000 methamphetamine pills and 750 grams of heroin. The methamphetamine pills were wrapped in…
- Road deaths
Officials tightening traffic rules, new penalties expected in July
A draft amendment to the Land Transport Act has received approval by the House Committee on Transport, according to an MP from the Chartthaipattana Party. Nikorn Chamnong, who chaired the panel, says the amendment seeks to increase fines for traffic offences and could be enacted by July. The amendment now goes before the Senate, which is expected to approve it…
- Economy News
Real estate consultancy says pandemic continues to affect foreign demand
A leading property consultancy says the ongoing pandemic and associated restrictions continues to hamper the real estate market. CBRE Thailand chief, Roongrat Veeraparkkaroon, says the low number of foreign arrivals means the sector continues to rely on local demand and must now adapt to these circumstances. “A decline in tourist numbers affected both residential and retail sectors. Given this challenge,…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: 8,078 new cases; provincial totals
22 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,098 with 400 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,078 new Covid-19 cases and 6,595 recoveries. There are now 82,760 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
- Thailand News
Another Bangkok pedestrian killed crossing the road
After last week’s tragic killing of a pedestrian by a motorbike at a Bangkok zebra crossing, a pickup truck killed a pedestrian crossing the road in Samut Prakan this morning. A pickup truck struck 33 year old Win Mar Soe, who is from Myanmar, and reportedly swung her 10 metres. First responders took her to Chularat 9 Airport Hospital in…
- Thailand News
Mixed feelings on new Move Forward guburnatorial candidate
Thailand’s Move Forward Party has selected a candidate for Bangkok’s gubernatorial election, the party’s spokesperson Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn. Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was proud to introduce Wiroj, saying no other candidate had “the party DNA” like him. Many of the party’s supporters agree with Pita, but some observers say Move Forward failed to find a more experienced, qualified candidate. One programme…
- Thailand News
Domestic vacationers, not international, will be majority of Phuket hotel guests
A report by one real estate consultancy says domestic vacationers, not international tourists, will probably make up the majority of Phuket hotel guests in 2022. After a peak of 5.3 million arrivals at Phuket hotels in 2019, the arrivals dropped by 80% in 2020 to only 1.1 million. Constantly changing Covid-19 policies and confusion over them hinder travellers from booking…
- Thailand News
Foreign man in Pattaya arrested for allegedly trying to fight locals
Police arrested a shirtless foreign man at a supermarket in South Pattaya between last night and this morning. The man allegedly harassed locals by shouting and trying to pick fights. Police say he seemed very intoxicated. They eventually arrested the man and brought him to the station to slap him with multiple legal charges. The man’s nationality hasn’t been reported…
- Pattaya News
Toddler drowns at Chon Buri’s Bangsaen beach during family vacation
A family vacation turned into a horrific tragedy when a toddler drowned at Bangsaen beach in Chon Buri earlier this week. The boy, who was only three years old, had been on a vacation with his parents, who live in Samut Prakan, a province just southeast of Bangkok. The boy’s mother says he disappeared from her sight for only a…
- Pattaya News
Thai man assaulted on Pattaya Beach, hospitalised for severe facial injuries
A 27 year old was found lying in a puddle of his own blood on Pattaya Beach and his face severely injured. A beach mat vendor nearby found the man at around 11:30pm last night after he heard men yelling. Responders from the Pattaya-based non-profit humanitarian organisation Sawang Boriboon arrived at the scene by the Central Festival shopping centre. The…
- Environment News
Oil spill threatening tourism recovery on Thailand’s Koh Samet
Koh Samet’s fragile tourism sector, already battered by the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, now faces another threat from an oil spill heading for the island’s, and nearby, beaches. Sarinthip Tupmongkholsup from the Tourism Association of Koh Samet is reminded of a 2013 oil spill at the island’s Ao Phrao and is desperate to avoid a repeat scenario. “We…
- Road deaths
Calls for tougher punishment for drivers ignoring pedestrian crossing rules
Road safety advocates are demanding tougher punishment, including manslaughter charges, for drivers who fail to observe pedestrian crossing rules. According to a Bangkok Post report, 30 members of various road safety networks gathered at Government House to file a petition with Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwon, who chairs the national committee on road safety policy and prevention. The move is in…
- Cannabis News
Not so fast, government tells Thailand’s pot growers new law not in effect yet
People planning to grow cannabis after it was removed from Thailand’s list of controlled drugs should just be patient and wait as the new law is not in effect yet. This from the deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, who points out that the regulation only relates to some cannabis products, not all. The Bangkok Post reports that the law will be…
- Pattaya News
Two illegal online gambling suspects arrested in Chon Buri, police search for employer
After an extensive investigation, police are looking for the employer of two suspects who were arrested in Chon Buri district earlier this week for allegedly running illegal internet gambling websites with over 100,000 users and a monthly revenue of more than 100 million baht. The Cyber Task Force, Region 2 Police and Saensuk Police raided a modest residence in a…
- Thailand News
Bangkok district invites LGBTQ+ to sign unofficial marriage certificate this Valentine’s Day
For this Valentine’s Day, Bang Khun Thian district in Bangkok has invited LGBTQ+ couples and people of all genders to sign the unofficial “marriage” certificate for the first time in Thailand. However, the district’s official Facebook page seems to have taken down the post advertising the event. Under Thai law, marriage is only between a man and a woman. The…
- Thailand News
Thailand improves crosswalks, other safety measures after fatal pedestrian accident
Following the fatal crash where an off-duty police officer ran his Ducati into an eye doctor walking along the zebra crossing, Thais are pointing out traffic violations and officials are making changes to reduce traffic accidents involving pedestrians. Some changes include repainting crosswalks and roads to increase crosswalk visibility and encourage drivers to reduce their speed. The woman was walking…
- Thailand News
Thai women’s football team to play against Australia tomorrow
After winning 4-0 against Indonesia on Monday, the Thai women’s football team will play against Australia tomorrow. The AFC Women’s World Cup is being hosted in India right now. Even though Thailand lost their first game to the Philippines, the win over Indonesia has brought back their stride. The team hopes that player Chaba Kaew will help it qualify for…
- Bangkok News
Thailand to study whether to increase the daily minimum wage
Thai authorities are studying whether to increase the daily minimum wage. The Labour Ministry will start a feasibility study. The State Enterprises Workers Relations Confederation has recommended 492 baht as the starting pay. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin told reporters that the Office of the Permanent Secretary for the Labour Ministry would conduct a study to examine the minimum wage’s suitability.…
- Thailand News
Thailand and India strengthen relations, plans to work together on trade, tourism
After a break, Thailand and India plan to work together on trade, maritime activity, and tourism. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, India’s ambassador in Thailand said it was important to remember the overlaps between the two countries in culture, language, and religion. Earlier this month, the Indian embassy launched a competition for the best logo promoting bilateral relations…
- Thailand News
Monkey with ghost face and slug snake part of 224 new Mekong species
A monkey with white circles around its eyes, making it look like a ghost, is one of 224 species newly added to a list of species in the Mekong region. Scientists discovered these species in 2020, but the report last year was delayed. The monkey is the only mammal on the list, and the rest are reptiles, frogs and newts,…
