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.
-
Rohingya vs. Facebook: What are the chances of success?
In August 2017, tensions escalated between Myanmar’s Buddhist majority and the Rohingya, a Muslim minority that lives mostly in the country’s northwestern state of Rakhine. Prior to that, the militant group “Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army” (ARSA) had carried out a number of attacks on police stations and border posts. The Myanmar military responded with a massive operation in the course…
-
Plant-based Baiya vaccine can be adjusted for Omicron variant
Baiya Phytopharm says that the plant-based Covid-19 vaccine they have been developing in Thailand can be adjusted to be effective against the Omicron variant. The vaccine is currently in the middle of the human trials phase of testing and the Chief Technology Officer says the vaccine formula can be modified to fight Omicron. Baiya has developed a genetically engineered tobacco…
-
AfricaLink On Air — 10 December 2021
Odinga’s bid for the Kenya presidency+++Ghana introduces Mandatory vaccinations +++Tackling COVID surge in Johannesburg+++Zambia’s domestic workers fight for their rights+++Qatari sportswashing SOURCE: DW News
-
Pakistan: Where did billions of rupees in COVID aid go?
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has recently hit back at claims that corruption is behind the billions of rupees in financial irregularities, following an audit of cash intended for Pakistan’s coronavirus response. The report released last month by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) claimed that irregularities amounted to 40 billion Pakistani rupees ($226 million, €200 million). The almost…
-
Chaiyaphum rebuilding after grandson burns down family’s house
An 86 year old woman, along with her daughter and 3 girls will be receiving a new house courtesy of the Chaiyaphum provincial authorities after her druggie grandson burned down the family home. Last Friday, the old woman’s grandson, who is said to be a drug addict, threatened the lives of his mother and grandmother and then set fire to…
-
Afghanistan opium trade booms since Taliban takeover
The cultivation of opium poppy as a medicinal plant has a long tradition in Afghanistan. The milky sap extracted from the seed pods is dried to produce raw opium, an effective remedy for severe pain. Today, opium is used primarily as an intoxicant and as a raw material for the production of stronger drugs like heroin. In the last harvest…
-
200 funeral attendees quarantined after deceased diagnosed with Covid-19
Attendees to a large funeral in Phetchabun province have now been isolated after it was discovered that the person who died was infected with Covid-19. The funeral took place in the Nong Phai district of the northern province and was attended by over 200 people who then had to be quarantined. The Nong Phai District Hospital said that they were…
-
China makes a donation of 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines
China has made many donations of Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand throughout the year as the kingdom battled the pandemic and rolled out its vaccination programmes. Now, the Chinese Embassy announced that their government has made another donation of 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok made the announcement yesterday and the first of the shipments of the 200,000 vaccines…
-
Eyesore wires and cables are being cleaned up in Bangkok
Looking up in Bangkok might be a bit clearer now, and you’ve got Hollywood to thank for it. After Russell Crowe went viral during his trip to film a movie in Thailand for his tweets, particularly one displaying the mess of wires strung across Bangkok streets, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission worked with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority to clean…
-
Key info for those planning to retire in Thailand
If you are planning to retire in the beautiful and tropical country of Thailand, there are many places which will suit your interests. From up north in Chiang Mai where the air is cooler (during winter), to a tropical oasis in the southern islands, Thailand has it all. Of course, with all things, you will need to get sorted before…
-
Weekend travellers expected to general 5.72 billion baht
As we enter a long holiday weekend (the second long weekend in a row), the Tourism Authority of Thailand says 5.72 billion baht is expected to be generated by local tourists. The announcement comes after a TAT survey among domestic travellers about the upcoming weekend and their travel plans. Predictions from the TAT over the past 18 months have been…
-
Huge stash of marijuana intercepted near the Malaysian border
Police have discovered some 1.6 tonnes of compressed high-grade marijuana. The stash was hidden in amongst other freight being carried on an 18 wheeler truck in Narathiwat. That’s a LOT of weed! The truck was on its way, allegedly to transfer into a boat to cross the Malaysian border, nearby. Local drug authorities estimate the high-grade marijuana would have a…
-
Meta bans Myanmar military-owned telco from Facebook
Myanmar’s military junta chief has woken up to find his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being barred from Facebook as Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s new company umbrella, is pulling the plug on business related to the Tatmadaw, the Burmese military. Facebook has nearly 29 million users in Myanmar, in a country with a population of 54 million. Mytel is on of…
-
Former “Lord of Soapy Massage” says old prostitution is over
Chuwit Kamolwisit – a colourful character who has been a TV presenter, politician, and prison inmate, but is known as the former “Lord of Soapy Massage” – says that Thailand’s heyday of soapy massage prostitution has passed. The legendary man was tapped to comment by Channel 3 on the story of a massive soapy massage venue that was offered for…
-
Siam Piwat unveils the “ONESIAM SuperApp” – a smart platform that delivers extraordinary experiences
Press Release Joining forces with partners across 13 industries to create a world of digital business through a world-class ecosystem of success. Siam Piwat is launching a groundbreaking premium world-class business ecosystem that homes in on over 7 million affluent customers in Thailand and reaches powerful customer bases around the globe. Advancing its Co-creation initiatives, Siam Piwat is joining forces…
-
First international flight to Krabi launches, Finnair from Helsinki
Finnair has launched the first international flight to Krabi with a flight running from Helsinki 4 times a week. The inaugural test flight came last week on December 1 and brought 96 travellers to the tourism hotspot that has been struggling to reopen. After the first flight last week, regular service began on Wednesday and will run through March 24.…
-
Constitution Day is today – Here’s what the public holiday commemorates
Today’s public holiday in Thailand is Constitution Day. It commemorates the charters that have been written since the 1932 Siamese Revolution when Thailand ended 800 years of absolute monarchy and transitioned to a constitutional monarchy. Since then there have been 20 different charters with the most recent was drafted by the military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order,…
-
Thai female lawyers to fight law that bans them from wearing trousers in court
Female lawyers in Thailand are fighting back against an archaic law that prohibits them from wearing trousers in court. Thai PBS World reports that the Human Rights Lawyers Association has teamed up with the Nitihub forum for public discussion to petition the Thai Bar Association to change the law. Both groups say they will take their complaint to the Central…
-
Thailand participates in exercise simulating cyber-attack on global financial system
Thailand is one of 10 countries to participate in a simulation exercise that mimicked a cyber-attack on the global financial system. According to a Reuters report, the exercise was led by Israel, with the intention of building on cooperation between countries to mitigate potential damage to global markets and financial institutions. The exercise was named, “Collective Strength” and included officials…
-
From child mother to entrepreneur in Cape Verde
Sara de Pina is a regular at this market in Assomada. She’s searching for the best bananas on the whole of Santiago Island. Then she meticulously sets to work. She and her family fry about 30 kilos of bananas a day. In the morning, she takes her daughter to school. She washes the utensils and peels the bananas to fry…
-
Is this the end of Kashmir’s bespoke gun-making?
Civilian shotguns have been a traditional handicraft in Indian-administered Kashmir for decades, but as gun ownership has become increasingly difficult in the restive region, the industry may be breathing its last breath. SOURCE: DW News
-
Man stabbed and killed his mother, wrapping plastic bags on her head
A man in Bangkok has been charged with the brutal murder of his mother after she was found stabbed and with plastic bags wrapped tight around her head and neck. The murder took place last night in the Lumphini district of Bangkok, where the 26 year old engineer killed his mother in a wild attack in the food court where…
-
Bangkok’s Train Night Market Ratchada opens in a new location under new name
Bangkok’s Train Night Market Ratchada is now returns with a new location and new name, but still with the same vendors with a wide variety of stalls including street food, clothes and accessories, furniture, vintage items, handcrafts. The market, now called JODD Fairs, isnear CentralPlaza Grand Rama 9. The new spacious area has open-air bars to hang out and more…
-
Meta removes Myanmar military businesses from its Facebook following lawsuit
Myanmar military junta chief Min Aung Hlaing yesterday woke up to see his partly-owned telecom company Mytel being removed from Facebook as Meta started to ban businesses related to Tatmadaw, also known as the military, from functioning on its platform. The move came just hours after lawyers from the US and the UK launched a $150 billion lawsuit on behalf…
-
Possible fourth Omicron case in Thailand, waiting for confirmation
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry today said that a 41 year old Thai man who arrived from Congo via the “Test & Go” quarantine exemption program is likely to be the fourth Omicron case of the kingdom, adding that the results are due in 1-2 days. The Tes & Go entry scheme is for fully vaccinated travellers from select countries. Reports…
-
Italian-Thai Development is in good health, CEO Premchai is not
Italian-Thai Development CEO Premchai Kanasutra has been sentenced by the Supreme Court to over 3 years in jail for poaching. Now officials at his company say operations will be unaffected while officials at the Corrections Department report Premchai is in poor health. The ageing tycoon was sent to Thong Pha Phum Prison yesterday, and doctors at the hospital there are…
-
Opinion: Postpone the AFCON in Cameroon due to the Anglophone crisis
Africa’s most prominent soccer championship, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), has twice been pushed forward. The first postponement was because Cameroon was deemed unprepared to host the games, and the second was because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) — Africa’s soccer governing body — is now being asked if the escalating violence in the…
-
DSI official under investigation for Krabi island land received
The Department of Special Investigation is launching its own special investigation into one of its officials who received a plot of land on an island in the Krabi province under suspicious circumstances. The deputy spokesperson for the DSI said they received a complaint regarding title deeds of land plots on islands in the region. The land plot in question that…
-
Truck driver killed during traffic accident in Nakhon Ratchasima
Police are investigating the fatal car crash where the driver of an e-taen farm truck was killed, injuring two other individuals in Chok Chai district in Nakhon Ratchasima province yesterday. A horrible accident was caught on black box footage of a passing-by vehicle, which later circulated on Facebook. According to the police investigator Pol Lt Col Ruam Kleepklangdon, the incident happened…
-
Sinovac is testing its effectiveness against Omicron variant
Following the good news announcement from Pfizer that 3 doses of their vaccine can neutralise the Omicron variant, Sinovac came out with a more reserved announcement stating that lab studies about its effectiveness against the new strain would take time. The Chinese-based Sinovac is the most widely used vaccine in the world with over 2.3 billion doses shipped worldwide so…
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.