Thailand
- Thailand News
DDC eases concerns about cool weather affecting the spread of Covid-19
The Department of Disease Control is easing people’s worries about the spread of Covid-19, saying that low temperature won’t make the virus more transmissible. They say disinfectants and sunlight are still effective to kill the virus. With cool weather in Central and Northern Thailand in recent days, some have been concerned that the low temperatures could impact the spread of…
- Covid-19 News
Trial data doesn’t “impact” Thailand’s plans to use Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine
The recent China’s Sinovac BioTech trial data reporting 50.4% efficiency does not “impact” Thailand’s plans to receive and administer vaccines for Covid-19 next month, according to director general of the Medical and Science Department Supakit Sirilak. Questions have risen around the vaccine’s efficacy rate, which was originally reported as 78% in trails in Brazil, but recently downgraded to just over…
- Thailand News
Tower Of Babble – Have your say on The Thaiger| VIDEO
Tower of Babble is where we read some of your comments to The Thaiger YouTube videos. Some are insightful, some are interesting, some need to be shared! And some are just plain funny. If you leave a comment under any of our videos it may be shared on our Tower of Babble each day.
- Thailand News
Warehouse owner arrested for allegedly reselling used medical gloves
A warehouse owner was arrested for allegedly repackaging and reselling used medical gloves. Police raided a warehouse in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, after receiving a tip that the building stored and repackaged used medical gloves. Officers found 654 bags of used rubber gloves and over 30,000 empty boxes as well as other repackaging equipment, according to FDA deputy…
- World News
Indonesia rolls out Covid-19 vaccinations, president gets first dose
Indonesia is rolling out its mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign with President Joko Widodo as the first in the country to get jabbed with China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine. Indonesia approved the vaccine for emergency use earlier this week. It’s the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China. Thailand has also made an agreement to purchase the 2 million…
- Thailand News
Bangkok Covid-19 Update: 3 month old infected; market closes after vendor tests positive
A 3 month old baby in Bangkok tested positive for Covid-19 yesterday, the youngest case in the new wave of infections, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Spokesperson Taweesilp Visanuyothin says local health officials are investigating to determine how the baby was infected. A major wet market in Bangkok, Klong Toey Market, has closed for cleaning after a…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 157 new Covid-19 cases
157 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. There are now 3,981 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. The CCSA has reported a total of 10,991 infections and 67 deaths since last year. 90 of the new cases are local transmissions, 42 cases were detected in proactive testing, 4 cases were detected in…
- Covid-19 News
Thai travel agents call for vaccinated foreigners to be exempt from quarantine by third quarter of 2021
The Association of Thai Travel Agents is urging the government to do away with the mandatory 14 day quarantine for vaccinated foreign arrivals by the third quarter of the year. The president of the ATTA, Vichit Prakobgosol, says 30% of 10,000 inbound tourism firms have had to close for good due to the financial devastation caused by the pandemic. He…
- Crime News
Officials say Thailand being used as transit hub for ketamine smuggling
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board says Thailand is being used as a transit hub for gangs smuggling ketamine into the Kingdom from Taiwan and China. The drug is then destined for re-export to places like Hong Kong and Malaysia, where it can fetch high retail prices. However, use within Thailand is on the up too, with the ONCB…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry says local administrations can buy Covid vaccines for roll-out in their areas
The Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says local administrations can use allocated funds to buy approved Covid vaccines for administration in their localities. “The government plans to provide free jabs to the public but it is alright too if a local administration wants to use state-allocated funds to launch their own vaccination drive. It is good that local administrative bodies…
- Covid-19 News
Chinese Covid-19 vaccine reported as just over 50% effective, down from 78%
Confusion reigns over the exact efficacy rate of a Chinese Covid-19 vaccine due to be rolled out in Thailand next month. Thailand has ordered 2 million doses of the Sinovac Biotech vaccine, while its rollout among high-risk groups in Indonesia is expected to begin this week. However, questions now hang over the vaccine’s efficacy rate, originally reported as 78% in…
- Tourism News
Thai Vietjet announces 6 and 12 month unlimited travel passes
Following the successful launch of Hat Yai Pass and Northeastern Pass, today, Thai Vietjet is now introducing the ‘Thailand Power Pass’ – an unlimited flight pass that allows passengers to fly on Thai Vietjet’s domestic network as often as they like within 6 or 12 months. The passes are available in two types – a 6 months pass at 12,000…
- Tourism News
Thailand ranks 4th in the world for highest loss of tourism revenue – Official ESTA
The following article was submitted by a public relations company representing Official ESTA, a visa application and assistance processing firm. Thailand has one of the highest loss of tourism revenue in the world with a loss of $37,504 million USD. The country ranks fourth on a list complied by the company Official ESTA intended to show the financial impact the Covid-19…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Bangkok may ease restrictions, Phuket bar curfew, Vaccine roll out | January 12
• Starting off in the capital today, where officials in Bangkok say they may look at lifting some restrictions, despite yesterday’s reported infections going up by another 37, to a total of 1,989. But officials say they’re optimistic about the overall situation. The BMA has announced that, provided the capital avoids any further “super-spreader” events, officials may consider lifting restrictions…
- Thailand News
Temperature drop affects Lop Buri’s monkeys
The quick drop of temperature is affecting thousands of monkeys living around Lop Buri’s Phra Prang Sam Yot and San Phra Kan Shrine. Villagers say monkeys were shivering and cuddling each other during last night’s strong winds. Some of the monkeys are staying in their shelter to keep warm. They’re also less likely to leave their shelters for food or…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Cool weather in central and northern Thailand, strong wind, waves in the south
Temperatures are dropping throughout the North, Northeast and Central regions. Frost is even on some mountaintops. The Thailand Meteorological Department says the cool weather is due to the high-pressure system from China covering the upper part of Thailand. Bangkok today reports a temperature drop with a low of 16-18 degrees Celsius, while the Central region is expected to have cool…
- Crime News
New illicit drug cocktail on Bangkok’s streets | VIDEO
Watch the video here… WARNING: This article contains content related to drugs and drug use. A cocktail of narcotics known to police as “K powdered milk” or “K Nompong’ in Thai, is suspected to be linked to a number of deaths among young Thais in Bangkok. The “K powdered milk” is a mixture of ketamine, heroin, methamphetamine and a sleeping…
- Covid-19 News
Late-night alcohol ban in Phuket, bars to close at midnight
Bars and other entertainment venues in Phuket must close at midnight, according to an order imposed by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Restaurants can stay open late, but are ordered to stop selling alcohol at midnight. The order is effective today until January 20, but could be extended further if the Covid-19 situation does not improve.…
- Thailand News
Cannabis café: Prachin Buri hospital opens “Taste of Ganja” restaurant
Cannabis is now on the menu at a Thailand hospital restaurant, but don’t expect to get high from the meals seasoned with cannabis leaves. Only parts of the plant that contain very, very low traces of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, are legal for consumption. The THC-rich, euphoria-inducing buds are still illegal and classified as a Category 5 narcotic.…
- Pattaya News
Angry passenger attacks motorbike driver following collision in Pattaya – VIDEO
An angry motorbike passenger involved in a collision that injured 3 in Pattaya has attacked the driver for crashing. The Pattaya News reports that 3 people have been injured after a motorbike drove into road barriers at an intersection on South Pattaya Road. Emergency workers arrived at the scene to find a damaged motorbike and the injured driver and his…
- Covid-19 News
Thai health officials form vaccine rollout committee
Health officials have formed a sub-committee to oversee the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand. The Bangkok Post reports that the sub-committee will be headed up by Sophon Mekthon, chairman of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and adviser to the Public Health Minister. The team will be responsible for the overall vaccine programme, including deciding priority groups. Meanwhile, Opas Kankawinpong from…
- Covid-19 News
21 Thais test positive for Covid-19 after allegedly crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally
21 Thai returnees tested positive for Covid-19 after they were detained for allegedly crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally, fleeing from a Covid-19 outbreak at the Sky Complex Casino where they had worked. The returnees are now in quarantine at a Mae Sot district hospital. Around 300 Thais work at the casino in the neighbouring country’s Myawaddy town just across the…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Covid latest, Cockfights closed down, Bryde’s Whale beached | January 11
249 new Covid-19 infections have been reported today in the daily briefing. Thailand now has 3,914 active cases and has reported a total of 10,547 cases with 67 fatalities since last year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson, apparently with a Covid crystal ball, speculated that the number of daily new cases is expected to decrease and significantly slow…
- Thailand News
Thai labour market bounces back despite the pandemic
Despite Covid-19 pandemic’s negative impact on the economy with numerous layoffs and business closures, the Thai labour market survived and is experiencing an unemployment rate that is lower than expected, according to the Deputy Chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, Chalee Loysoong. While the unemployment rate is lower than expected at 2% or 700,000 individuals, Thammasat University associate professor…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket is hit with a triple Covid crisis | VIDEO
Phuket has had a triple hit over the past 12 months. Firstly with the original Covid-19 outbreak and lockdowns back in April and May in 2020, then again just before Christmas and New Year when the new clusters emerged in Samut Sakhon and the eastern coastal provinces, further dampening even local traveller traffic to the island, then some further restrictions…
- Crime News
Police raid 5 homes and businesses suspected of gambling, arrest 21 people
Police arrested 21 people on gambling charges after 5 raids in Bangkok over the weekend. While deputy chief of the Central Investigation Bureau, Jiraphop Phuridet, says the raids on January 8 and 9 are part of a nationwide crackdown initiated by the national police chief after a Covid-19 outbreak at a Rayong gambling den, the raids busted what seems like…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand orders 63 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines
The following article was submitted by Andrew J. Wood. The Thai Cabinet has acknowledged that Thailand has ordered 63 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from overseas. Here’s how the vaccines will roll out: Phase 1 The first shipment of 200,000 doses of vaccine is scheduled to arrive in Thailand in February from China’s pharmaceutical manufacturer Sinovac Biotech. Medical personnel and…
- Crime News
At least 6 deaths in Bangkok suspected to be caused by new illicit drug cocktail
A cocktail of narcotics known as “K powdered milk” is suspected to be linked to a number of deaths among young Thais in Bangkok. Nation Thailand says the narcotic mix is suspected to have caused 6 deaths and others were found unconscious after taking the “K powdered milk.” Thai PBS reports that 7 young Thais have died from unexplained reasons…
- Thailand News
Dead whale found washed up on Koh Samui beach
A dead Bryde’s whale was found washed up on Koh Samui’s Choeng Mon beach yesterday. By the look of the rotting carcass, said to be around 11 metres long, marine resource specialist Thon Thamrongnawasawat says he believes the whale died several days ago. The cause of death is currently under investigation by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Thon said…
- Covid-19 News
Hundreds recover from Covid-19, released from Samut Sakhon field hospital
Nearly 300 Burmese migrants in Samut Sakhon have recovered from Covid-19 and have been released from a field hospital set up at a sports stadium while another 300 people are expected to be discharged from the field hospital today. The released migrants were sent back to the Central Shrimp Market in the Mahachai area fishing hub where they live and…
