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Trang residents with Covid complain of lack of food in government’s aid packages
A number of locals in the southern province Trang say provincial authorities have skimped on the aid packages for those in home isolation while they recover from Covid-19. During the 10-day mandatory time in self-quarantine, the residents say authorities have only been giving them instant noodles, canned fish, and rice… not the three meals a day they say they were…
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UN expert claims Russia, China, and Serbia arming Myanmar junta against civilians
A United Nations human rights expert released a report on Tuesday saying Russia, China, and Serbia are supplying weapons to Myanmar’s junta government, knowing they will be used against civilians. The human rights expert, Thomas Andrews, said Russia and China are providing the junta with fighter jets. Myanmar’s military and Russia’s foreign ministry couldn’t be reached by Reuters on time…
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7 men arrested for allegedly posing as monks, asking for cash donations
Seven men are accused of posing as monks to scam residents in the eastern province Rayong by asking for cash donations. Reports say police found the men carrying fake monk identification cards. The seven “monks” were seen as unconventional as they refused to accept food and other offerings, and only accepted money. A local monk then reported them to the…
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Thursday Covid Update: 23,557 new cases; provincial totals
38 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,768 with 1,070 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 23,557 new Covid-19 cases and 16,131 recoveries. There are now 180,993 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Asia News Today | Starving Burmese Refugees & Terrorist groups in Philippines
South Korea’s PM is calling for calm after a record number of Covid infections, amid warnings that the latest surge is still yet to peak. He says that serious cases and deaths were still at “manageable levels”, after health authorities reported 171,452 new infections yesterday, a sharp increase from the 99,573 cases a day earlier and the previous all-time high…
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Oil tanker investigated after Thai Navy spots waste off the coast of Chon Buri
Thai authorities are investigating an oil tanker after waste was found floating near an island off the coast of Chon Buri’s Sattahip district, according to a Royal Thai Navy spokesperson. Yesterday, the Royal Thai Navy’s corvette reported a waste spill about 9 kilometres away from the island and said it spread across a large area of the Gulf of Thailand.…
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Cabinet approves the use of chemical castration on repeat sex offenders
The Thai Cabinet approved a bill aimed at preventing repeated sexual offense cases, which includes chemically castrating sexual predators, if at least two medical professionals agree with the procedure and the offender gives consent. MP and spokesperson from the Palang Pracharath Party, Pacharin Sumsiripon, and Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin had proposed the so-called “Sex Act” to prevent repeated sexual offense…
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Roof tiler fractures skull after falling through school roof in Sri Racha, Chon Buri province
A man seriously fractured his skull after he fell through a roof on Tuesday in Bang Phra, a sub-district of Sri Racha district in Chon Buri province. The man’s colleagues say he stepped on a broken piece of roof at the auditorium of a school. He fell six metres onto the cement floor. He also bled heavily, although The Pattaya…
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Universal coverage scheme has spent over 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment
Thailand’s Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients has spent more than 101 billion baht on Covid-19 treatment over the past two years. In 2020, the government spent 3.8 billion for treatments, and that number spiked to 97.7 billion last year. This year, the total treatment cost has been 32.4 billion baht. For patients with mild symptoms or no symptoms at all,…
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Thai Embassy in Poland preparing to evacuate Thai citizens from Ukraine
The Thai Embassy in Poland says it’s making preparations to evacuate Thai nationals from Ukraine as a result of the escalating tensions with Russia. A spokesman for the embassy in Warsaw says officials have created a special Line group with which to communicate with 250 Thai citizens living in Ukraine. The embassy is preparing to evacuate them to safe houses…
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Bangkok court rejects bail applications of prominent pro-democracy activists
Bail applications from anti-government activists Anon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak have been rejected by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. The decision follows an earlier ruling by the Criminal Court that granted bail of 2,079,000 baht in relation to other charges. The pro-democracy Ratsadon group did not have sufficient funds to pay the requested amount and launched an online crowdfunding…
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Pending bill could help families of disappeared Thai activists take legal action
A bill awaiting senate approval that criminalises torture and forced disappearances could help parents and partners of missing Thai activists take legal action. Those convicted of political disappearances and torture cases involving death could be imprisoned between 15 and 30 years. After it had been delayed for decades, lawmakers in the house of representatives unanimously passed draft laws on Wednesday.…
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Thailand working on 4 Covid-19 vaccines that could be ready by 2023
Thailand is currently developing 4 different Covid-19 vaccines, which could be ready for public use next year. According to a Nation Thailand report, the CCSA was briefed on the progress of each vaccine at its meeting yesterday. Chula-Cov19 is an mRNA vaccine being developed by a team at Chulalongkorn University and has received over 2.7 billion baht in funding from…
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Anutin says reduced Test & Go insurance requirements enough to cover Covid costs
Following the CCSA’s decision yesterday to lower the insurance coverage required of overseas arrivals, the health minister says the new figure is enough to cover Covid treatment. The mandatory insurance coverage required to enter Thailand will be reduced from US$50,000 to US$20,000 from March 1. Anutin Charnvirakul says the amount was lowered in order to reduce the costs of travelling…
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Northeastern deputy principal accused of flirting with female students
Yesterday and today, a Facebook page posted chat screenshots of the deputy principal of a Northeastern school offering to change a female student’s grades and buy her a phone if she visited him at his house. The names of the man and the school are not mentioned, but a hashtag trended on social media about the school’s colours and location,…
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Phuket makes plans to attract more Thai tourists, same day Level 4 alert anounced
Even after the Test & Go program was rebooted on February 1, along with the additional and unpopular Day 5 PCR test, there hasn’t been a large increase in the number of international tourists visiting Thailand. Indeed the new applications and actual arrivals have fallen well below expectations by Thailand’s tourism tzars. Now, Phuket officials have launched new plans to…
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Monks and novices caught drinking alcohol and involved in an intimate relationship
Thai social media has featured a video showing 8 monks and novices were celebrating and drinking alcohol inside their temple accommodation. Another video and a screenshot of the conversation also indicated that the monk had an intimate relationship with the novice. The party was identified to be happening at the Nikom Kitiyaram temple in the northeast province of Ubon Ratchatani.…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 21,232 new infections, provincial totals
39 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,730 with 1,032 of those fatalities since the start of this year, mostly related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,232 new Covid infections and 16,662 recoveries. There are now…
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Army general and two others swindled over 43 million baht in fraud case
An army general and two other people were charged yesterday with colluding to defraud others. The three swindled over 43 million baht from two companies between December 2017 and August 2018. They offered the companies services that didn’t exist. One of these fake projects involved telling a firm they could land it a state contract by installing LED lights in…
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BREAKING: Thailand Test & Go changes
Day 5 PCR test for the Test and Go Program has been scrapped and the mandatory Covid insurance has also been reduced. Tim Newton goes live with the breaking news and answers your questions regarding the Thailand Pass.
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Is Russia invading Ukraine? Biden says so
US President Joe Biden has called out Russia’s Vladimir Putin for claiming two sections of land in eastern Ukraine under the guise of new “sovereign” states and for sending so called peacekeeping troops to the region. In a televised statement on Monday, Putin confirmed his recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk — 2 breakaway areas in the Donbas region of eastern…
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Covid-19 patients found on Bangkok streets waiting for treatment after cases spike
Today, Thailand’s CCSA reported new Covid-19 infections over the past 24 hours have reached 21,232 with 39 Covid-related deaths. Thai media and volunteer groups are also reporting that the availability of beds is “at a crisis point”. Photos of patients being left to wait for treatment on the street or on temple grounds are also being shared around social media.…
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Low hanging cable flings a man off his motorbike – VIDEO
A low hanging electricity cable caught a man by the neck and dragged him off his speeding motorbike in Khon Kaen, north eastern Thailand. The rider, who also was wearing a full face helmet, was able to bounce back, repair his broken bike, and continued on his journey. The footage was captured by a security camera at a car maintenance…
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Tourists complain of more scams at a free public carpark at Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier
Residents and Thai tourists are again complaining to Pattaya authorities saying that they were charged a parking fee at a ‘free’ public carpark at the Bali Hai Pier. The residents report there was a group of people around the carpark and demanding a fee of 300 baht per day from the drivers. Many tourists, both Thais and foreigners, weren’t aware…
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Officials to review Test & Go requirements at CCSA meeting today
The government’s Covid-19 task force meets today to review the country’s entry requirements, with a decision expected on whether to ditch the day 5 PCR test. Under Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme, overseas arrivals are required to take 2 PCR tests, despite already having a negative test result prior to departure from their home country. The first test is…
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Phuket police officially ban electric scooters from public roads, in wake of ‘scooter-gate’ crackdown on tourist rentals
In the wake of last week’s “scooter-gate” crackdown in Patong, electric scooters have now been officially banned from all public roads in Phuket. Local police stations received an official notice from Major General Sermphan yesterday clarifying how the stand-up form of scooter transportation, popular among tourists on the island, fits in with existing traffic laws. He stated that anyone caught…
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UPDATE: Junior policeman admits guilt over 9 charges relating to Bangkok zebra crossing death
UPDATE: In an evening session, Pol L/C Norawich Buadok admitted guilt to the nine charges laid over the incident on January 21 where opthalmologist Waraluck Supawatjariyakul was hit and killed when the officer’s Ducati motorbike hit her on a zebra crossing in downtown Ratchethewi, Bangkok. The nine charges include driving a vehicle with no licence plate, using a vehicle without…
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TAT says Phuket sandbox has generated over 43 billion baht in revenue
The Phuket sandbox scheme has so far generated over 43 billion baht in revenue, with visitor numbers steadily increasing. So says the Phuket office of the TAT, in a Bangkok Post report today. According to TAT Phuket director, Nanthasiri Ronnasiri, the sandbox scheme initially welcomed around 300 foreign tourists a day when it first launched last July. Since then, that…
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Chon Buri thief allegedly steals wallet with only photo of man’s missing son
One Chon Buri mechanic is begging a thief who allegedly stole his wallet to return what he says is the only photo of his missing son. The mechanic, Apichit, told The Pattaya News he was fixing a washing machine at a car wash shop in Bang Lamung, when he put down his bag on a white box in the shop.…
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Tourism businesses respond angrily to Covid alert being increased to Level 4
Thailand’s tourism operators have slammed the government’s decision to raise the Covid-19 alert to Level 4, accusing officials of damaging domestic travel sentiment. They say people should be allowed to move to “living with the virus” instead of being discouraged from travel and taking a backward step in Thailand’s recovery. Chamnan Srisawat from the Tourism Council of Thailand says the…
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