News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond.
-
Sponsored Digital nomading in Chiang Mai? What US$1,000 a month really gets you
Chiang Mai has become a popular destination for digital nomads due to its low living costs, rich culture, and active remote work community. The city offers affordable housing, tasty food, reliable internet, and many co-working spaces, making it a great...
-
More than 100 doctors sent to Bangkok as Covid-19 deaths hit a record high
While PM Prayut Chan-o-cha attends the welcoming of foreign tourists under the “Phuket Sandbox” reopening scheme, more doctors have been sent to Bangkok following a spike in Covid-19 cases and a record high in coronavirus deaths. Hospitals in the capital, the epicentre in the latest and most severe wave, are experiencing a shortage of beds in intensive care units to…
-
Khon Kaen schools closed until July 16 as Covid continues to spread
Khon Kaen, a northeastern province and part of the Isan region, is closing its schools closed until July 16 as Covid continues to spread throughout the province and nearby areas. Further, students that attend boarding schools have been closed off and parents are not allowed to visit until July 16. In the Khon Kaen province, there have been 667 reported…
-
Construction workers blamed for Covid outbreaks
Health officials are pointing fingers at Thai workers who left their Bangkok/nearby dormitories for the Covid outbreaks throughout the nation. Thai media says “many” construction workers left their home provinces prior to Monday’s new lockdown. Health officials say many of the new Covid infections seen in over 30 provinces are connected to people coming from Bangkok (and close by provinces).…
-
Emergency restrictions to be imposed in Indonesia as Covid infections surge
The Indonesian government is introducing emergency measures aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19 as infection rates rise steeply. President Joko Widodo says the restrictions are aimed at reducing new daily cases to below 10,000 and avoiding a collapse of the country’s healthcare system. “This situation has forced us to take stricter steps. I have decided to impose emergency restrictions.”…
-
PM in Phuket visit calls for cooperation in making re-opening a success
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has called on all sectors on Phuket to work together to make the sandbox re-opening a success. The PM was speaking while on a visit to the southern island, which re-opened to vaccinated foreign tourists yesterday. The first international arrivals in over a year jetted in on Etihad Airways, which had 25 passengers from Abu Dhabi…
-
Volcano eruption in the Philippines, thousands evacuated
The public is reminded that the entire volcano island is a Permanent Danger Zone One of the world’s smallest active volcanoes, the Taal Volcano in the Philippines, is forcing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate after it started blasting out a kilometre high plume of gas and steam yesterday. The alert went out that that the volcano, which is…
-
ICU beds full at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital
The head of the respiratory disease and tuberculosis division at Siriraj Hospital says the facility has run out of beds in its intensive care unit. Dr. Nithiphat Chiarakun says at least 5 Covid-19 patients have been left waiting for an ICU bed as healthcare workers try to juggle what’s available. The Bangkok Post reports that one Covid patient whose symptoms…
-
Friday Covid Update: Another record high, 61 deaths and 6,087 new cases
Another record high in Covid-related deaths and an uptick in new coronavirus cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA recorded 61 more deaths involving Covid-19 patients, the highest daily death count in Thailand since the start of the pandemic last year. 6,087 new Covid-19 cases were also reported, an uptick in cases over the…
-
Next 2 weeks in Phuket will decide the fate of other sandbox areas: Tourism Ministry
Thailand’s Tourism Minister says the first 14 days of the Phuket sandbox will determine if other tourist destinations can re-open as planned from July 15. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn acknowledges there were some hiccups with the re-opening: some of the 500 tourists expected to arrive yesterday ended up postponing because of delays getting a Certificate of Entry. The Bangkok Post reports that…
-
Belarus tells Germany’s Goethe Institute, DAAD to shut down
On Thursday, Germany’s cultural Goethe Institute issued a short press statement announcing that it had been asked to cease its Belarus activities. It was clear that they were taken by surprise. “This is an unprecedented step for the Goethe Institute, which can freely work in its 157 institutes across the world,” the organization’s secretary-general, Johannes Ebert, said on Thursday. He…
-
Department of Land Transport tackles motorbike delivery boxes
With all of Thailand laser-focused on Covid-19 outbreaks, vaccine availability, and apparently Phuket has got some sort of brouhaha over some foreigners showing up, it’s easy to lose track of the important daily tribulations of keeping a country functioning. But never fear, there are those that don’t get distracted by the glitzy headlines and are doing the thankless work to…
-
Entertainment and nightlife reps submit petition for aid, reopening
At 10 o’clock this morning a rally of owners, staff, musicians and entertainment sector workers gathered at the House of Representatives to submit a petition for support after long-term Covid-19 closures or permission to reopen August 1. Dozens of representatives from the entertainment industry took part in the demonstration after 3 continuous months of shuttered businesses due to the pandemic…
-
India: Fake vaccines undermine fight against COVID
The discovery of fake vaccination camps in cities like Mumbai and Kolkata has shocked India, with authorities vowing to take firm action against unauthorized inoculations. Media reports say that thousands of people, desperate to get a COVID vaccine, have fallen prey to the scam. In one such case, Debanjan Deb, a 28-year-old man, posed himself as a civil servant and…
-
Uptick in Covid-19 in Isaan as workers flee Bangkok construction camps
With numerous workers fleeing to their home provinces to avoid Bangkok’s recent disease control restrictions sealing off construction camps for the next month, there has been an uptick in Covid-19 cases in other various provinces, particularly in the Isaan region. This week, 129 people in 32 provinces tested positive for the virus after travelling from Bangkok. 84 people tested positive…
-
DTAC extends benefits and policies to LGBTQ+ employees
As Pride month came to a close yesterday, one large Thai corporation took a big step towards equality, extending policies to same-sex unions and offering policies helpful to the LGBTQ+ community. Mobile phone service provider DTAC, officially known as Total Access Communication PLC, has enacted a range of LGBTQ+-friendly new policies for their employees. The CEO of DTAC made clear…
-
More than 30 children at Isaan care centre test postive for Covid-19
More than 30 young children at a care centre tested positive for Covid-19. Health officials say a 2 year old boy, who was first infected by this mother, spread the virus to the childcare centre in the Isaan province Khon Kaen. Altogether, 8 teachers and 34 students at the centre tested positive for the virus. The 2 year old boy’s…
-
Police arrest woman for possession of 20,000 meth pills she claims she found next to electrical pole
Police in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok have arrested a 56 year old woman for possessing 20,000 meth pills. Yesterday, the Sai Mai police arrested 59 year old “Somgsong” yesterday for possessing 20,00 meth pills that she claims she found the pills next to an electrical pole. The woman allegedly confessed that pills were in her room in a…
-
South Korea lifts quarantine for some travellers who are vaccinated
Today, South Korea is lifting its 14-day quarantine for some foreign arrivals who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. Those from countries classified as a high risk for infection must still undergo quarantine. Foreigners who are vaccinated against the coronavirus can enter South Korea under the new policy, but only if they are entering the country for business, for academic or…
-
Man and underage girlfriend arrested for allegedly stealing from government office to bankroll girlfriend’s birthday party
A man and young girl have been arrested in Bang Lamung, a district in Chon Buri for allegedly twice stealing items from a culture offical’s office. Reportedly, the unemployed 28 year old Lek Aksorn stole items from the Culture Ministry’s office valued at hundreds of thousands baht for his 14 year old girlfriend’s birthday party. According to Thai media, the…
-
COVID: Life slowly coming back to normal in India
Less than two months ago, India’s health care infrastructure was dealt a hefty blow by the second wave of the coronavirus. After a period of collective grief, Indians are now stepping out as life resumes. SOURCE: DW News
-
Thai researchers to study animal antiparasitic drug for treating Covid-19
Thai researchers are studying whether an antiparasitic medication, which is typically used for animals, can be used to treat humans infected with Covid-19. Reports on the new study come after a warning from Thai Food and Drug Administration advising people not to use the drug Ivermectin as it is typically used for veterinary treatment and not for human use, especially…
-
Can drone warfare in the Middle East be controlled?
Last weekend, the US launched airstrikes against militant groups loyal to Iran near the Iraqi-Syrian border. According to a statement issued by United States defense officials, the strikes were in retaliation for the groups’ drone attacks on American troops in Iraq. The US military said that drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (or UAVs), have been used against their…
-
Bangkok police arrest suspected motorcycle stealing ring
Bangkok police announced yesterday they had arrested suspects who they believed were stealing motorcycles in Bangkok and selling them to neighbouring countries. The 4 suspects that were arrested are 37 year old Prateep or “Dee Dee Iamsamang”, 34 year old Sarayut AKA “Mu Yosain”, 22 year old Sutharat or “Jane Lomchan”, and 46 year old Wichai AKA “Nu Ku Rahong”.…
-
Thursday Covid Update: Cases and deaths spike amid Phuket reopening
Just as Phuket is reopening to foreign tourists, Thailand’s current and most severe wave has hit a high of 52,052 active Covid-19 cases, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily death toll has set a record high with 57 coronavirus-related fatalities today, raising the total Covid fatality count since the start of the pandemic to 2,080. 5,533…
-
Thailand’s virology expert: give Sinovac to children over 3
Thailand’s top virologist Yong Poovorawan has suggested that the Sinovac vaccine be given to children older than 3 years old by the end of 2021 in an effort to reach Covid-19 herd immunity. The doctor who heads the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University said he believes that the Chinese vaccine has the least severe side effects…
-
Police in Bangkok seize 2 truck loads of sex toys valued at 1 million baht
Sex toys valued at 1 million baht were seized by police in Bangkok. Reports don’t say exactly how many sex toys were seized by police, but apparently, police filled 2 large trucks with the dildos, vibrators and other pleasure enhancing products. A Chinese man was arrested for allegedly smuggling illegal sex products into Thailand and selling them online. Photos from…
-
Police raid alleged money sharks’ operation centre, many escape jaws of justice
An alleged online lending network has been busted in Nonthaburi, a province north of Bangkok. Police say the lending operation was led by Chinese nationals. The police arrested multiple people after raiding 3 buildings at the Pailin Park housing estate, yesterday. According to the police, the financial assistance network provided loans at exorbitantly high interest rates through the app “Chang…
-
Phuket reopens but botched preparation limits travellers
So Phuket is finally reopened with today marking the start of the Phuket Sandbox and the welcoming of international travellers without quarantine. But the days leading up to the launch saw a precipitous drop in expected arrivals as constant changes, lack of preparation, delays in implementation, and overall chaos marred the Phuket rollout and damaged tourist confidence in the scheme.…
-
Phuket police to patrol bridges for Covid carriers
Police in Phuket have been ordered to patrol the bridges to be on the lookout for anyone not adhering to Covid protection measures. However, it is not just the police that will be monitoring the bridges, soldiers and navy personnel will also monitor the bridges. The news came at a general assembly earlier this week. Region 8 Police Commander Kitrat…
-
PM orders 1,500 extra field hospital beds as infections surge in central Thailand
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has ordered an additional 1,500 beds for a field hospital in the central province of Nonthaburi. According to a Nation Thailand report, the beds are to accommodate patients in the red and yellow groups at the Bussarakham Field Hospital. Red group patients are those who have severe symptoms and are in need of respirators. Yellow…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.