Thailand
- Crime News
Pedigree cats seized in drug raid find new home with “cat lady”
A cat lady has taken in 6 pedigree cats who were auctioned off yesterday after their owner was arrested in a drug raid. The auction proceeds went to the Narcotic Control Fund, which organises drug raids. The 6 cats, consisting of 5 Scottish Folds and 1 Bengal breed, were sold to Nutch Prasopsin, who owns a Facebok fan page called,…
- Covid-19 News
85 year old dies while waiting for Covid-19 treatment indicates overwhelmed hospitals
An 85 year old, who died while waiting to be admitted for Covid-19 treatment, is furthering claims that Thailand’s medical sector may soon be overwhelmed. The woman was sent home to wait as there weren’t enough hospital beds to admit her. She was among 6 elderly family members living in a shop house in Bang Kholaem district of Bangkok who…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket finds 4 Covid infections from newly-mandated rapid antigen tests
Phuket is reporting 4 new Covid-19 infections from those arriving from red zone provinces on the first day of the new requirement for such travellers to undergo rapid antigen tests. As of Thursday, all people arriving from the 17 red zoned provinces must undergo the test if they can’t prove that they have been fully vaccinated or have received a…
- Covid-19 News
Face masks required in 31 provinces, fine is 20,000 baht for not wearing
Face masks are now being required in 31 Thai provinces with a fine of 20,000 baht going to those who don’t wear them. Chiang Rai is one of the new provinces to be included in the list, but so far, Chiang Mai is being left out. As daily Covid-19 infections have reached an all-time high, it is only a matter…
- Bangkok News
Man arrested for allegedly stealing from foreign men he met through online dating
Immigration police in Bangkok arrested a 29-year-old Thai man who allegedly stole from foreign men he met through dating applications like Grindr. Allegedly, he even drugged some of his dates. Police say the man would sleep with the men in hotel rooms and then somehow get them to reveal their passwords for their online banking account. Police say he would…
- Covid-19 News
High-risk warning issued for Phuket International Airport passenger van riders
A high-risk warning is being issued to those riding in a passenger van from Phuket International Airport on April 15. The warning is urging those who were in the van from 8:30pm to 9pm to contact the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, at 094-5938876 as health officials have deemed those passengers to be at a high-risk of contracting Covid-19. The…
- Covid-19 News
Pattaya, Chon Buri gives timeline of visited places of those infected with Covid
Chon Buri health officials are releasing a timeline of visited places by those recently infected with Covid-19. Chill Zone at Zen Siri Market in Sattahip on April 7th from 11:00pm to 1:30am Siam Commercial Bank at Central Marina Pattaya on April 7th to April 16th from 11:00am to 6:30pm Oishi Ramen restaurant on the 3rd floor at Central Plaza Chonburi in the…
- Covid-19 News
More staff to man Covid-19 hotlines after complaints of unanswered calls
Thousands of people have been calling Thailand’s Covid-19 hotline each day and many calls from those seeking hospital beds, medical attention or ambulance services are going unanswered. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha even called 2 of the hotline numbers and he says no one answered his calls. Now the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to revamp the emergency call centre with plans to…
- World News
PM Prayut will skip ASEAN summit addressing Myanmar situation, says he needs to deal with Covid situation
Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will skip out of attending the Asean summit in Jakarta, Indonesia this Saturday, saying he needs to stay to deal with the country’s Covid-19 situation. The summit was to specially address the worsening situation in the neighbouring country of Myanmar, which saw a military coup February 1. The decision for PM Prayut to skip out is…
- Thailand News
Buddhism officials call on temples to cremate those who die while infected with Covid-19
With Thailand’s Covid-related death toll on the rise, Thai Buddhism officials calling on temples to cremate the bodies of those who died and were infected with the coronavirus. Many Thais believe that cremation helps the spirit move on. Director of the National Office of Buddhism, Narong Song-arom, says the office has coordinated with temples across Thailand to make sure those…
- Thailand News
Briton stranded in Thai hospital after balcony fall appealing to return home
A 56 year old Briton is appealing to be repatriated after surviving an attempted suicide, falling from a 6-storey balcony here in Thailand. The family of the man is trying to raise £10,000 to fly him home, after he has been stuck in a Thai hospital recovering from his injuries. He has no insurance, and before the accident, he has…
- Crime News
6 cats up for auction after owners in drug raid, proceeds go to Narcotics Control Fund
6 cats in Thailand are up for auction after their owners were involved in a drug raid. Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board says, according to the law, the cats are considered living assets, and must be put up for auction. Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Wichai Chaimongkol, explained that the felines were confiscated, along…
- Covid-19 News
Koh Kood closed from today until May 1 after 2 hotel employees contract Covid
Koh Kood, an island in Thailand’s southeastern Trat Province, is closing as of today after 2 hotel workers were found to be infected with Covid-19. The island will close until May 1 as a safety precaution. A hotel bartender was the first to register a positive test for the virus, and, after tests on other employees, another infection was found.…
- Tourism News
Tourism officials revise revenue forecast, insist Phuket will re-open on schedule
The governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand admits it may need to revise its 2021 revenue forecast, but insists the Phuket “sandbox” project is still going ahead – and on time too. Yuthasak Supasorn says tourism officials will set a new revenue target, for both domestic and international tourists, as Thailand battles with a third wave of Covid-19. In…
- Visa Information
Thai Immigration says online system for 90 day reports is back up and running
The Thai Immigration’s online system for 90 day checks for foreigners living in Thailand is back up and running. So we’re told anyway. Expats should now be able to report their address every 3 months online rather than in person or by mail. The announcement was made on the immigration bureau’s Facebook page and was written in Thai. Just yesterday,…
- Covid-19 News
Russia agrees to sell Sputnik V vaccine doses to Thailand
Thailand is to take delivery of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, along with 10 million doses from US vaccine manufacturer Pfizer. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced on his Facebook page that the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, has agreed to sell the vaccine to Thailand through a “government to government” contract. The PM says the…
- Thailand News
37 inmates at Chiang Mai prison test positive for Covid-19
At least 37 new inmates at Chiang Mai Central Prison have tested positive for Covid-19 in routine testing during the quarantine period for new inmates before they enter the general prison population. Provincial public health chief Jatchuchai Maeerat said the inmates who tested positive for the virus were sent to a field hospital at the prison in Chiang Mai’s Mae…
- Phuket News
Expats condemn Phuket’s “xenophobic” rapid-test payment policy
Expats living in Thailand are up in arms after Phuket officials confirmed that foreigners arriving on the island would have to pay for a rapid Covid-19 test that is free for Thais. The testing requirement is part of new restrictions now in force to combat the spread of the virus. However, it is not the cost of the test –…
- Covid-19 News
No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to Covid-19 hotlines
No one answered PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s calls to the country’s Covid-19 hotlines. The prime minister is now ordering more staff to work for both the 1668 and 1669 Covid-19 hotlines to make sure calls don’t go unanswered. There is now an official LINE account primarily for Covid-19 patients requesting hospital beds after the hotlines were “overwhelmed” with callers, a spokesperson said.…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 1,470 new Covid-19 infections, 7 deaths, provincial totals
1,470 new Covid-19 infections and 7 deaths were reported today by the CCSA. 446 new cases are in Bangkok which remains the hotzone of new infections, although the latest outbreak has now spread to most Thai provinces. Out of the 7 deaths, one was a 24 year old Thai woman with a history of visiting an entertainment venue in the…
- Thailand News
Petition site Change.org back online in Thailand after 6 month ban
The popular petition website, Change.org, is once again available to activists in Thailand, after being temporarily blocked last October. Coconuts reports that a statement on the site’s social media account confirms that it’s back up and running in the Kingdom. “Throughout these months we had worked hard, fighting through the legal process for our mission to have the website’s access…
- Bangkok News
Police officer infected with Covid-19 commits suicide at hospital
A police officer infected with Covid-19 killed himself yesterday at a Bangkok hospital. The Royal Thai Police spokesperson says 59 year old Boonchu Panklin committed suicide due to stress after testing positive for the virus. The railway police deputy inspector was also diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension. He tested positive for Covid-19 after coming in contact with another patient. At first,…
- Thailand News
Deputy transport minister investigated by anti-corruption commission
Thailand’s deputy transport minister and his wife are being investigated after a debt of 10 billion baht was somehow written off. The National Anti-Corruption Commission, or NACC, is reviewing documents related to the debt, according to the commission’s Secretary General Worawit Sukboon. If the commission finds that Weerasak and Yolanda Wangsuphakijkosol attempted to conceal their wealth, the case could go to the…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to continue with Chinese vaccine after side-effects in small number of cases
Government-appointed medical experts say there are no plans to suspend use of the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine after adverse side-effects were reported in 7 recipients. 6 of them were medical staff in the eastern province of Rayong, who developed “stroke-like” symptoms after receiving the first dose of the CoronaVac jab from Sinovac Biotech. Side-effects included numbness in the limbs and drowsiness,…
- Thailand News
Human Rights Watch calls on Thailand to release activists detained on lèse majesté charges
The Human Rights Watch is calling on Thai authorities to release pro-democracy activists who are detained on lèse majesté charges which carry an up to 15 year prison sentence for insulting the Thai Monarchy. HRW says the charges should be dropped because the activists’ rights to freedom of expression and assembly have been violated. 2 of the detained activists, both…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to purchase additional 35 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Thai government will purchase another 35 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in addition to the 65 million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. The prime minister made a post on his Facebook page today announcing that Thailand will produce the additional doses from 2 or possibly 3 companies. Out of the 35 million…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 1,458 new Covid-19 cases, provincial totals
1,458 new Covid-19 cases and 2 deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing, stabilising the recent upward spike of new infections since the outbreaks at nightlife venues in Bangkok. Since April 1, 17,780 Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths have been reported by the CCSA. The 2 additional Covid-related deaths today were a 56 year…
- Thailand News
Free media threatened by Covid-19-inspired laws
The International Commission of Jurists is warning that media and journalists in Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam are seeing legal repression grow during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the group outlined the expanding threat. New laws that many claim violate human rights also serve to throttle the space…
- Thailand News
Thai monk beheads himself with guillotine in attempt to reach nirvana, followers could face charges
A monk, apparently ‘seeking nirvana’, has beheaded himself with a handmade guillotine in the northeastern province of Nong Bua Lamphu. Police are now investigating to determine if any of the monk’s followers should be charged for helping the abbot with his untidy path to enlightenment. The monk, Dhammakorn Wangphrecha, reportedly spent 5 years planning his death and believed it would…
- Thailand News
Debate continues in Thailand over new NGO law
With a new draft law to allow closer government scrutiny of NGO funding and activities, Thailand has been tightening its grip on non-governmental organisations operating within their borders. There’s much debate over whether these restrictions are an effort to limit foreign influence and act in the interest of national security, or an attempt to silence critics of Thailand’s government. Amnesty…
