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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 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...
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Small businesses fear Phuket Sandbox will leave them behind
With the Phuket Sandbox reopening just hours away, many businesses in the tourist-reliant province hopefully await the return of foreign travellers and the restart of the economy. But while businesses that had the financial means to weather the long-term closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic prepare excitedly, many smaller businesses that lacked the funding to revive themselves are not nearly…
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How Nigeria arrested secessionist leader Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of a group that has called for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria, was presented before a federal high court in Abuja on Tuesday, days after his arrest at an undisclosed location. “Nnamdi Kanu has been intercepted. … He has been brought back to Nigeria in order to continue facing trial after disappearing,” said Justice Minister…
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COVID: Kashmir’s transgender community left to fend for themselves
A series of lockdowns have barred transgender people from working in the wedding industry. Ostracized from society and without access to government aid, many are on the verge of starvation. SOURCE: DW News
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Nightlife, restaurants suggest opening in defiance of restrictions
After a year and a half of closures and lockdowns and restrictions and regulations that often start and even end with the nightlife and entertainment industry, some bar and restaurant owners are sick of it and growing defiant. Citing the lack of government assistance and the sporadic and last-minute closure decisions that through livelihoods into chaos, some owners are urging…
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World in Progress: Brazil’s controversial land bill spells disaster for the indigenous
Indigenous people in Brazil have come under threat as miners and loggers continue to invade their lands. A bill limiting indigenous land rights is threatening their livelihoods even further. It’s backed by the country’s powerful farm lobby and President Jair Bolsonaro. Critics say it would be the biggest set-back for the indigenous since their rights were enshrined in the 1988…
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World in Progress: Brazil’s controversial land bill to spell disaster for the indigenous
Indigenous people in Brazil have come under threat as miners and loggers continue to invade their lands. A bill limiting indigenous land rights is threatening their livelihoods even further. It’s backed by the country’s powerful farm lobby and President Jair Bolsonaro. Critics say it would be the biggest set-back for the indigenous since their rights were enshrined in the 1988…
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New details in the Phuket Sandbox Royal Gazette publication
By now we’ve all read (and re-read and re-read) the general rules of the Phuket Sandbox reopening tomorrow. If you haven’t, one of our numerous previous stories has the full text in English released by Phuket’s governor. But with the Royal Gazette finally publishing the reopening, making it legal and 100% approved just 1 day before the opening, a few…
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Hong Kong national security law: Can civil liberties survive another year?
One year ago, a national security law took effect in Hong Kong, handed down by Communist Party authorities in Beijing in response to a massive pro-democracy movement in the semi-autonomous city. The law criminalizes so-called acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. Since the law came into effect on June 30,2020, authorities have removed all opposition lawmakers…
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Police officer that allegedly drunkenly shot noodle seller changes plea to not guilty
The (former) Phuket police officer that allegedly drunkenly shot Aroon Thongplab, a 25 year noodle seller, is now pleading not guilty. He plans to see his day in court, instead. Pornthep Channarong allegedly shot Aroon in the stomach last Febrraury as Aroon was retrieving a noodle bowl from a customer. Pornthep was soon relieved of duty and currently faces charges…
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Bangkok airport police stop Chinese with babies, seize fake birth certificates
Police are investigating a suspected illegal surrogacy operation after 2 Chinese nationals were stopped at a Bangkok airport as they were attempting to leave the country with 2 baby boys. Police say they seized fake birth certificates. The Chinese nationals were at the Suvarnabhumi Airport with the 6 month old and 1 year old boys. Airport officers stopped and checked…
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Government urged to get mRNA vaccines over Sinovac
The Thai government is being urged to get mRNA vaccines in preference to the CoronaVac vaccines from Sinovac in China. The Infectious Disease Association of Thailand points to reported efficacy concerns of the Sinovac vaccine, especially toward new variants like the Delta one. Today, the IDAT sent a letter to Thailand’s PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha. They stated that Sinovac is a…
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Ethiopia: Uncertainty in Tigray after rebels take control of restive north
The former ruling party in Tigray said it took back control of the regional capital Mekele on Monday after Ethiopia’s federal government troops controlled the city for eight months. The Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) is “in control of Mekele and people are now dancing in the streets,” said Million Haileselassie, a DW correspondent based in the city. The TDF is…
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2 illegal Chinese immigrants in Tak arrested eluding quarantine
In the northwestern province of Tak, where Covid-19 cases are surging, 2 illegal Chinese immigrants who snuck out of quarantine were arrested in Mae Sot Town today. The pair were found wandering in town and taken into custody by army members of the 4th Infantry Regiment. In Tambon Mae Ku, the two migrant workers, Zhang Yong Lyu and Liu Wei,…
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Rayong governor orders nightly beach closures to curb the spread of Covid-19
Starting today, all beaches on the coastal province Rayong, near Pattaya, will be closed to the public during the night and early morning hours. The beach closures are an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19 after the province reported an uptick in infections. Rayong governor Charnna Iamsaeng signed an order earlier this week to close the beaches from 8pm…
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Tourism jobs continue to be lost – nearly 1 million in 2021
It’s easy to look scornfully at the government and tourism industry’s rose-tinted predictions of the Phuket Sandbox reopening and further return of international tourism to Thailand by the end of the year. But a look at the current statistics for the battered tourism industry helps explain the need for hope. This quarter, 550,000 jobs were lost in the tourism industry.…
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Wednesday Covid-19 Update: 4,786 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 53 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,023. The vast majority of Covid patients died over the past 3 months with the daily fatality count in the 20s to 40s. 4,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, with most infections reported in…
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US and NATO withdraw from an Afghanistan still at war
On April 14, United States President Joe Biden told Americans when their country’s longest war would finally end: “I’m now the fourth US president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.” Biden delivered his address in the White House Treaty Room. It was in this…
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US and NATO withdraw from an Afghanistan still at war: What you need to know
On April 14, United States President Joe Biden told Americans when their country’s longest war would finally end: “I’m now the fourth US president to preside over American troop presence in Afghanistan: two Republicans, two Democrats. I will not pass this responsibility on to a fifth.” Biden delivered his address in the White House Treaty Room. It was in this…
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New study:Moderna effective against Delta variant
A new lab study shows that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna is reasonably effective against the growing Delta variant first identified in India. The study found that the vaccine was only slightly less effective against the newer strain than it is against the original Covid-19 virus. The study tested blood serum from 8 subjects who had finished their second…
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Dutchman arrested for allegedly selling used cars with fake registration
Thai Immigration police arrested a 35 year old man from the Netherlands who ran a dodgy used car business where he allegedly faked the vehicle registrations. Police say he was also overstayed his visa by 10 years. Police identified the Dutchman as Stanley Richy. They say he ran a second-hand car business and had a business page on Facebook under…
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Thailand tourism officials predict best and worst case scenarios for reopening
The best-case scenario in Thailand’s reopening… 3 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, Tourism Council of Thailand says. It’s a far cry from the around 40 million welcomed to Thailand in 2019. But with Phuket set to reopening tomorrow under the “Sandbox” travel model, and other areas posed to reopen later this year, tourism officials guess, that in the best…
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Vaccine walk-ins for 75 and up available today-July 18 at Bang Sue Grand Station
From today, until July 18, people 75 and older can get inoculated at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok. Reportedly, even without registration. The decision is an effort to drive up the number of elderly being vaccinated. The Department of Medical Sciences says that number is currently low. The inoculation campaign is intended to reach the elderly who may not…
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Monk arrested on charges of assault and drug possession in Chon Buri
Police in Chon Buri arrested a Buddhist monk and seized a small amount of crystal methamphetamine after the monk allegedly slapped a woman in the face during a heated argument. The 32 year old monk was taken back to the temple following the arrest and the abbot defrocked him. He was then taken to the Samet police station and charged…
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110 faulty bottles of Sinovac vaccine rejected by Thai FDA
The Food and Drug Administration says it has found 110 faulty bottles of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Biotech that contain lumps of gel. Surachok Tangwiwat from the FDA says CoronaVac vials need to be shaken prior to use but, in the case of the defective bottles, even shaking would not dissolve the gel. According to a Coconuts report, the…
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Top medic says cloth masks don’t protect against Covid-19
A prominent infectious disease specialist at Bangkok’s Phramongkutklao Hospital says cloth masks are ineffective against Covid-19 and people should wear surgical masks. Nation Thailand reports that Dr Thanaphan Phibunbannakit has called on the government to procure additional surgical masks as Thailand logs 4,786 new infections and a record high of 53 deaths. Thanaphan says people who are yet to receive…
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Thai FDA issues warning about using Ivermectin to cure Covid-19
The Thai Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use a drug usually reserved for veterinary treatment to treat Covid-19. Surachoke Tangwiwat from the FDA (and many other international studies) have determined that the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin is not designed for human use. “The side-effects can be severe and include dizziness, rash, nausea, hives, and the potential to…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 4,786 new cases, record high of 53 deaths
4,786 new cases and a record daily high of 53 Covid-related deaths were recorded today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily coronavirus death tally in Thailand has been in the 20s to 40s during the current and most severe wave of the virus, infecting 230,438 people since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 127…
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Rush to build extra field hospitals in Tak as over 600 new infections reported
A cluster of over 600 Covid-19 infections has officials in the northern province of Tak rushing to build 4 new field hospitals as the existing 2 are now full. The Bangkok Post reports that the infections were detected at a clothing factory in Mae Sot district. Local health officials carried out mass testing of 1,000 workers, with 606 of them…
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Travelling to Phuket for the Sandbox starting tomorrow, July 1
Now officially announced in the Royal Gazette, a whopping full day before the start of Thailand’s reopening plans, here is the list of who will be able to travel to Thailand. You will need to be fully vaccinated, that’s the key point, and rather than quarantining in a hotel room for 14 days, your ‘quarantine’ is now the huge tropical…
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Bali plans 5-year visa scheme for digital nomads as island stalls reopening
Digital nomads in Bali will be granted a 5-year visa, according to Indonesia’s tourism minister. The government is waiting until the Covid-19 situation improves before reopening the island to foreign tourists. To revive the tourist island’s economy after the pandemic, tourism officials hope to attract more digital nomads, online-based business owners and people who work remotely. Under a proposed scheme,…
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