Thailand
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE Saturday: 10,082 new infections, news briefs
This morning the public health department has announced 10,082 new infections & 141 Covid-related deaths over the past 24 hours across Thailand. The two figures are a record number of cases for the Kingdom and sweep the numbers over the psychological barriers of 10,000 cases and 100 sad deaths. Suffice to say the October ‘reopening’ of Thailand is now looking…
- Thailand Protest News
Pro-democracy leaders indicted over last year’s protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument
14 pro-democracy protesters have been indicted for charges relating to a protest at Bangkok’s Victory Monument last year when emergency orders were in place. In a series of youth-led rallies, activists demanded the government and monarchy reform, making statements considered unprecedented and taboo in Thai society. The 14 protesters were charged with inciting the public, gathering to cause unrest and…
- Thailand News
7 more provinces classified by the CCSA as “dark red” zones under maximum control
7 more provinces are classified as “dark red” provinces under maximum control, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced today. Tight restrictions in dark red zones were imposed on Monday restricting interprovincial travel, limiting gatherings to no more than 5 people and ordering residents to stay at home from 9pm to 4am. Despite the new restrictions this week, the Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 situation has not improved, stricter rules being discussed – CCSA
More stringent measures may need to be in place to control the spread of Covid-19 as the situation in Thailand has not improved, despite tight measures in “dark red” provinces which include nightly curfews and travel restrictions, a spokesperson representing the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said today. In addition to talk of tightening restrictions, 7 more provinces were classified…
- Crime News
Methamphetamine en route to Hong Kong seized at Bangkok shipping company
Police arrested 3 suspects and seized 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine stuffed in floor mattresses that were being prepared for shipment to Hong Kong. Over the past few months, Thai law enforcement has been cracking down on illegal drug shipments en route to other countries. The Seaport Interdiction Task Force searched a pickup truck shipping company in the Navamin area…
- Visa Information
Thailand looks into 10 year visa for the rich allowing land and property ownership
Thailand wants to attract the rich. A scheme to offer long-stay visas to wealthy and “highly skilled” foreigners is in the works. The visa would allow a stay of up to 10 years and foreigners would be able to own land and property in Thailand. Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow plans to propose the visa plan to the Cabinet. So…
- World News
European Union slaps travel restrictions on arrivals from Thailand
Member states of the European Union have agreed to remove Thailand from the list of countries from which travellers can arrive freely during the pandemic. The EU operates a “green list” of countries, which are currently only around 20 in number. Visitors from these countries, which include the US, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan, can enter the EU without mandatory…
- World News
Covid-19 crisis unfolding across several Asian nations
Just as the US and Europe are gradually emerging from the devastation brought by Covid-19, the pandemic is wreaking havoc across Asia. Earlier this week, Indonesia overtook India as the epicentre of the virus, reporting over 54,000 new infections and 991 deaths in a single day. Just a month ago, daily new infections were averaging 8,000. Indonesian officials are concerned…
- Travel Guides
Top 10 Hotels to Stay at Near Bangkok BTS Stations
Bangkok is known as one of the most visited cities in the world. Thus, its public transport network is intricate and can accommodate crowds of travellers. This allows explorers to conquer any part of the city by simply hopping onto the BTS Skytrain or MRT, which offers cheap, safe and fast transportation. Furthermore, as each area in Bangkok offers a…
- Thailand News
BioNTech says there are no talks with Thonburi Healthcare for vaccines
Following reports that the Thonburi Healthcare Group in Thailand was planning to sign an agreement for 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, Germany BioNTech said it was not in talks with the Thai hospital group. In an email sent to Reuters reporters, BioNTech said “We are not in negotiations with the company you mentioned below about vaccine supply.” The…
- Bangkok News
Available Covid patient beds at Bangkok hospitals hit “critical level”
The available beds at Bangkok hospitals for Covid-19 patients have hit a “critical level” with only 10% of beds now open for those with severe coronavirus symptoms, according to the Public Health Ministry. With the uptick in Covid-19 cases over the past several months and a sharp increase over the past few weeks, said to be due to the spread…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: Provincial totals; 2,224 new cases in Bangkok
All of Thailand’s 77 provinces recorded new Covid-19 infections today. A total of 9,186 new Covid-19 cases and a record daily high of 98 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA recorded a total of 372,215 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 3,032 Covid-related fatalities. Out of…
- Covid-19 News
Government Pharmaceutical Organisation sues over Moderna profiteering allegations
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is suing the chairman of the Thonburi Healthcare Group and a mathematician, both of whom have criticised its procurement of the Moderna vaccine. The Bangkok Post reports that the GPO has filed police complaints against THG chairman Boon Vanasin and mathematician Loy Chunpongthong. Both men have alleged that the GPO profited from the purchase of Moderna…
- Thailand News
Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 98 deaths; 9,186 new cases
A record daily high of 98 coronavirus-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA also logged 9,186 new Covid-19 infections, continuing on the trend of daily infections hitting the 8,000s and 9,000s. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, there have been 343,352 confirmed…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to purchase another 120 million vaccine doses for next year
Thailand’s National Vaccine Committee has approved the purchase of an additional 120 million vaccine doses for 2022. However, it has yet to approve a draft announcement on the export of AstraZeneca doses manufactured in Thailand, due to concerns over insufficient doses for Thai citizens. Thai PBS World reports that Nakorn Premsri from the National Vaccine Institute says the extra 120…
- Covid-19 News
1 million additional vaccine doses being purchased for Bangkok residents
The Thai government has pledged to purchase an additional 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for Bangkok residents in the coming 2 weeks. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the plan is to vaccinate 70% of the capital’s residents, but to date only 43.6% have been vaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that the Disease Control Department will…
- Thailand News
No foreign tourists to arrive tomorrow, the first day of “Samui Plus” reopening
No tourists will arrive in Koh Samui tomorrow, the first day of the island’s reopening under the “Samui Plus” travel scheme, similar to the “Phuket Sandbox.” Only 4 foreign tourists are expected on Friday. Tourism officials say it will be a slow start and they expect that an influx of travellers to the trio of islands in the Gulf of…
- Thailand News
Market vendor goes to police station, reports a spirit is harassing her
A Thai woman in northern province Phrae went to the local police station to report that a spirit was harassing her. The 39 year old market vendor who sells boiled corn told police the spirit was trying to possess her body and causing her heart and abdominal pain, according to the Thai media outlet Thairath. She tried taking medicine, but…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: 9,317 new cases; provincial totals
9,317 new Covid-19 cases and 87 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Out of the total of 363,029 Covid-19 cases reported by the CCSA since the start of the pandemic last year, the latest and most severe wave, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 334,166 of the infections. The 87 new coronavirus-related fatalities…
- Thailand News
Thailand tries to catch up in the space race, draft Space Affairs Act gets Cabinet approval
Thailand is far behind in the space race, but they’re still in and trying to catch up. A draft Space Affairs Act intended to help Thailand get up to speed with space-related technology was approved yesterday by the Thai Cabinet. The Space Affairs Act will be sent to the Council of State and then passed to Parliament. Thailand’s first satellite…
- Covid-19 News
Government extends emergency decree for the 13th time
The Thai Cabinet has approved an extension to the emergency decree until at least the end of September, meaning it has now been extended 13 times. According to a Pattaya News report, the extension comes into effect on August 1 and means the government will retain extraordinary powers, including the ability of the courts to hand down heavy penalties to…
- Phuket News
Government dismisses rumours of Phuket sandbox collapse as “fake news”
The government says the Phuket sandbox scheme is going “very well”, describing rumours of its imminent demise as, “fake news”. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchan from the Centre for Economic Situation Administration says the only thing threatening the sandbox scheme is false reporting on social media that claims the island has been ordered to close due to…
- Koh Samui News
Strict measures to mitigate virus risk as Surat Thani re-opens tomorrow
The governor of Surat Thani says the measures in place under the “Samui Plus” model will help guard against the spread of Covid-19 as 3 islands re-open to international tourism. Governor Witchawut says foreign visitors to Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phang Ngan will have to adhere to strict rules as part of the Samui Plus model. From tomorrow,…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: 9,317 new infections and 87 deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration logged another 9,317 confirmed Covid-19 infections and 87 coronavirus-related deaths. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus, the CCSA has recorded 334,166 Covid-19 cases since April 1. The virus is still spreading in Thailand’s overcrowded prisons and health officials have been rolling out active testing to identify infections, even asymptomatic, and…
- Thailand News
Thailand monitoring Myanmar situation, will work to end conflict
Since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, the Thai government has been relatively quiet on the situation in the neighbouring country, with a few statements urging for peace and an end to the violence after more than 700 people were killed by Burmese security forces. Some clashes between the military and ethnic troops have been along the Thai border,…
- Thailand News
Public warned about immigration police impersonators asking for bribes
The Thai Immigration Bureau is warning foreign residents and the general public to be careful of people who are impersonating as immigration police officers and asking for bribes or other payments. Apparently, the people posing as immigration officers are approaching individual foreigners and are inspecting establishments like factories, which tend to employ migrant workers. If approached by someone claiming to…
- Bangkok News
More than 1,000 people file damage complaints related to Samut Prakan chemical fire
More than 1,000 residents in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phili district have filed damage complaints relating to the Ming Dih Chemical Company explosion and massive fire last week which took more than 24 hours to control. Helicopters were deployed to spray fire retardant foam. Residents within a 5 kilometre radius were told to evacuate. Toxic black smoke billowing from the chemical…
- Travel Guides
Top budget Airbnbs to rent in Bangkok
For Bangkok visitors, finding a place to rest is certainly at the top of the list, especially when there are so many accommodations in which to choose. From hotels to apartments, Thailand’s capital has it all available at your fingertips. Moreover, some of the coolest places to stay the night are, surprisingly, quite affordable. Instead of booking a hotel where…
- Covid-19 News
Tuesday Covid Update: 8,685 new cases; provincial totals
Continuing on a sharp upward trend in the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, Thailand now has 95,410 active coronavirus cases. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 8,685 new Covid-19 cases today, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 353,712. The latest and most severe wave of the virus, first recorded on April…
- Covid-19 News
Chon Buri governor orders nightly closures and requests residents to stay at home
With Covid-19 still on the rise in Chon Buri, the governor imposed new disease control measures ordering nightly business closures and officially requesting residents to stay at home from 9pm to 4am, unless travel is essential. The order goes into effect today. The restrictions are in place until the Covid-19 situation in Chon Buri improves. Chon Buri, which includes Pattaya,…
