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Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
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Sponsored How to reduce out-of-pocket medical expenses in Thailand?
Managing medical expenses in Thailand is important as healthcare costs continue to rise. The country’s healthcare system includes both public and private options, but even with the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for citizens, many still face high out-of-pocket medical expenses....
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Protestors fill Bangkok streets to protest Prayut, many protest leaders present
Yesterday, a multitude of pro-democracy protesters sat in their cars and motorbikes gathered at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument demanding Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha resign. The “car mob” was full of pro-democracy leaders and anti-establishment groups, like Nattawut Saikua, former secretary general of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship/Red Shirt movement. As well as other protest leaders, such as Ratsadon leaders…
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Teenagers arrested for allegedly running underage prostitution racket
Two teenagers were arrested for allegedly running a prostitution racket where underage girls would provide sexual services. The 16 year old and the 19 year old were arrested at a hotel in Kanchanaburi’s Muang district by a task force investigating human trafficking. Officers also say they rescued two 15 year olds who were at the hotel and were hired to…
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PM’s daughters get letter asking them to tell their father to resign
A joint letter was sent to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s twin daughters Tanya and Nittha, asking them to relay the message to their father that he should resign because of his mismanagement of the Covid situation. The letter was sent by the daughters’ former classmates and was addressed to “Ms Ploy” and “Ms Ploen”. The former classmates’, Class 40 of the Communication…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases, provincial totals
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 633,264 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 5,168 coronavirus-related deaths. The recent wave has accounted for 604,421 of those cases. Thailand now has 208,875 active Covid-19 cases. Over the…
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Police bust gambling operations in Bangkok and Kamphaeng Phet
Recently, police busted 3 separate places that were allegedly part of an online gambling operation. The buildings were located in Bangkok and Kamphaeng Phet, which sits in northern Thailand. Reportedly, the operation raked in 250 million baht a month and had collectively taken in 1.5 billion baht in the last 6 months. 2 unnamed women were arrested in the busts.…
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‘Dark red’ curfews, interprovincial public transport ban possibly until Aug 31 – CCSA
Tight disease control measures including nightly curfews and a ban on interprovincial public transportation from “dark red” provinces are set until August 16, but the measures could be extended until the end of the month, according to a spokesperson during yesterday’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration press briefing. The overall Covid-19 situation and disease control measures are reviewed every two…
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Narcolepsy suspected as cause of car accident in Chon Buri
Yesterday morning, 1 person died and 2 people sustained serious injuries after their truck hit a trailer truck and then went off the road in Chon Buri. The driver reportedly had narcolepsy and drove despite the protestations of his family. Early reports suggest the driver may have fallen asleep while driving. Police and medical personnel got to the scene around…
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Healthcare worker pleads with PM to set up “war room” to manage pandemic
A healthcare worker at the Thammasat University field hospital in central Thailand has urged the Thai PM to set up a “war room” for daily Covid-19 meetings. In a Facebook post, the unnamed medic pleads with the PM to hold daily meetings with his ministers in order to stay on top of developments and deal with issues immediately, as opposed…
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Thai AirAsia suspends flights, cuts salaries as financial woes continue
As Thailand’s airlines continue to struggle with the financial fallout from Covid-19, Thai AirAsia has suspended all flights for this month. The carrier is also cutting staff salaries or deferring partial or whole payment until September. According to a Bangkok Post report, the airline’s financial woes are worsening as low passenger numbers show no sign of improving and cash flow…
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Monday Covid Update: 17,970 new cases and 178 deaths
17,970 new Covid-19 cases and 178 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 604,421 confirmed Covid-19 infections. There are now 208,875 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Over the past several days, the daily Covid-19 case count has…
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Europe remembers Sinti, Roma murdered under Nazi rule
“Dear Banetla, I have to tell you that my two youngest children have died.” Those words were written by Margarete Bamberger in a 1943 letter to her sister in Berlin. It was smuggled out of the so-called “gypsy camp” at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Margarete, her husband Willi and their children were all detained at the death camp. Margarete and…
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Thailand conservation adds 17 rare Indochinese tigers this year
In one of the great injustices of the animal kingdom, sharks get a whole week, while the majestic tigers of Thailand are afforded only International Tiger Day, recently celebrated on Thursday. But the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation used the occasion to announce that Thailand has at least 17 more wild Indochinese tigers roaming the country this…
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Palestinians in Jerusalem neighborhood fear for their future
Muna al-Kurd, a 23-year-old university graduate living in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied east Jerusalem, is facing possible eviction along with her family from their home of more than 60 years. “All probabilities are on the table. They might reject our appeal which means expulsion, or they might postpone again,” said al-Kurd in a video update on social media…
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Family finds long lost man after he is rescued from 17 metre well
They say when you lose something valuable you’ll often find it in the place you’d least expect it. That certainly turned out to be true for a family with an estranged uncle who they had lost 15 years ago who was reunited with them after a freak accident that found the man at the bottom of the well in Sattahip.…
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16 new dark red provinces and restrictions extended to August 16
16 more provinces will be added to Thailand’s dark red zones and all will see partial lockdown restrictions extended until August 16 according to a statement this late afternoon by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The announcement extended the lockdowns set to expire August 3 for an additional 2 weeks, and expanded the number of provinces classified as dark…
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Hua Hin Maya Club execs get 3 months for superspreader event
Many people living in Thailand long term grow weary of the persistence of action without consequence, especially for those that are well connected or with deep pockets. But a new ruling Hua Hin gives credit where credit is due and sentenced 2 executives of the Maya Club in Hua Hin to 3 months in prison plus fines for the illegal…
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Foreigners able to register on vaccine site despite data leaks, glitches
The debut of Thailand’s new vaccine appointment registration site expatvac.consular.go.th has now opened to mixed reviews. Many reported a host of problems, but quite a few people said that in the end they received emails confirming their registration and forthcoming appointments. And of course, it opened to a data breach. The vaccine registration site launched at 11 am and within…
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Covid UPDATE: 18,027 infections, provincial totals
Today the public health department has announced an additional 18,027 infections and 133 Covid-related deaths from the past 24 hours. 374 of the new cases were found in Thai prisons. 13,402 patients have been released from hospital. Yesterday there were 18,912 new infections announced, a record high. 4,691 patients are still under care in ICU with 1,012 people on ventilators. Vaccines……
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More violence, less income: Arab women bear the brunt of COVID-19, study finds
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned Heba Mordaa’s life upside down. “Ever since the lockdowns started in March 2020, my work has been deteriorating,” the 29-year-old manicurist and mother of three in Beirut says. “At first, the shop owner deducted our salaries because we had no customers coming in. Then, in July 2020, the owner decided that we will start offering…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 18,027 infections, expat vaccine registration
Today the public health department has announced an additional 18,027 infections and 133 Covid-related deaths from the past 24 hours. 374 of the new cases were found in Thai prisons. 13,402 patients have been released from hospital. Yesterday there were 18,912 new infections announced, a record high. 4,691 patients are still under care in ICU with 1,012 people on ventilators. Thai…
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New site for foreigner vaccine; Mor Prom deletes appointments
In life – as in vaccine registration processes – if at first you don’t succeed, try a few dozen more times. Following on the myriad plans to register people, local and foreigners for vaccines, many of which started and ended within days and suffered data leaks, site crashes, glitches (see the second half of this article) and near-constant confusion, a…
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Facebook fake news post suggesting a coup faces prosecution
While pressure has been mounting against PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, a Facebook user posted a false claim that an army had captured the Prime Minister and is staging a coup and is now facing charges. The story was posted midday yesterday and seemed to detail a coup attempt, alleging that 300 military members from Lop Buri were already holding PM Prayut…
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Samui Covid-19: 14 new Black Club infections, 2nd cluster
[UPDATE 9 pm: Information on Black Club staff with Covid-19 has been updated, as well as Bangkok Airways Samui flight cancellations and Bangkok Hospital bed shortage details.] The emergence of Covid-19 in Koh Samui has caused some upheaval for the residents as more infections and more details are revealed each day. 14 new infections were diagnosed today on the island,…
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Phuket Sandbox Covid-19 infections: 35 today, 209 this week
35 new Covid-19 infections pushed rolling 7-day total in Phuket to 209, more than doubling the feared 90 per week that would trigger Sandbox reconsideration according to the original official plans. When the total first passed the 90 infection threshold and surpassed 100, the Department of Disease Control declared that the overall situation was still far from critical and the…
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Bangkok Train market to possibly close for good
It has recently been reported that the immensely popular Ratchada night market/AKA the Train market located in Bangkok, will possibly close for good. The train market, which enjoyed patronage from both farangs/and Thais alike was previously closed due to restrictions with the goal of curbing Covid infections. Now, however, it seems the market will close permanently. Vendors have already reportedly…
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Border between Kanchanaburi and Myanmar closed until…
Kanchanaburi, a western Thai province, has been ordered to close its border with Myanmar, effective Monday. The border will stay closed until further notice. The closure is a precaution against people fleeing the deteriorating Covid situation in the nearby country. The order comes from Kanchanaburi’s governor, Jirakiart Phumisawat. Myanmar’s healthcare system is reportedly in shambles, a result of mass arrests…
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Covid UPDATE: 18,912 infections, provincial totals
Today the Public Health department has announced 18,912 new infections and 178 Covid-related deaths for the past 24 hours around Thailand. There were 810 cases from Thai prisons. Today’s totals are a new record for daily cases since the start of the pandemic. Here are today’s provincial totals for the past 24 hours… • 10,678 patients were released from medical…
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PCD says don’t throw away used masks in water bottles after infections linked to bottles
Don’t discard your used face masks in water bottles is the advice the Pollution Control Department wants the public to heed after 20 people tested positive for Covid in Nakhon Ratchasima/Kora, a northeastern Thai province. The department says the infections stem from virus ridden water bottles. Atthapol Charoenchansa, the PCD director general, says a plethora of face masks have been…
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Bangkok volunteer group “Sai Mai Will Survive” overwhelmed with calls
Covid infected people in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district are reportedly desperate for help. A volunteer group, “Sai Mai Will Survive”, which assists the area, is being inundated with calls for assistance. The group gets around 100 calls a day asking for assistance. Sai Mai Will Survive was established during the first wave of Covid in Thailand. At that time, the…
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Phuket reservations slow down for August
Reservation bookings in the Phuket/Phuket Sandbox are slowing down for August amidst speeding up Covid cases on the island. Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, an official from the Tourism Authority of Thailand says hotel reservations for August has gone down by 5% over the last couple of days. As of Thursday, a person shy of 13,000 people had visited Phuket. 30 travellers tested…
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