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Health Minister insists AstraZeneca vaccines will be delivered on time
The required doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will be ready for the government’s June 7 rollout. So says Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in response to concerns over supply issues. A number of hospitals have already suspended use of the vaccine, due to low or no supplies. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anutin met with representatives from AstraZeneca…
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Over 2 dozen assault rifles missing from military base in Narathiwat
A military base in the deep south province of Narathiwat, discovered 28 AK-102 automatic rifles were missing. The rifles were first noticed missing on May 18 from the 2nd Narathiwat Territorial Defence Company, located in tambon Kamphu. The next day Mayusor Kudae, the assistant chief, filed a complaint with local police against those whom he believed were responsible for the…
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Monk talks man down from a telephone tower in Sattahip
Last night, a monk came to the aid of a man who was preparing to jump off a telephone tower in Sattahip, the elbow of land between Pattaya and Rayong. Sattahip police were dispatched to the telephone tower after they were notified of the man’s situation at 9:30pm. Once at the scene, police and local media found a 54 year…
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Motorbike death believed to be caused by face mask
PHOTO: Sanook.com A motorbike driver in the northern Thai province of Uthai Thani has died from injuries he sustained after he drove into a utility pole. Witnesses said they saw a face mask covering the motorbike driver’s eyes and they believe it obstructed his vision, causing the crash. Mew, a 43 year old Burmese national, had bought the motorbike only…
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515 test positive for Covid at construction site in Nonthaburi, mostly migrant workers
Another construction site, this time in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, has reported an outbreak of Covid-19 after active testing revealed 515 people infected with Covid-19, over half of the 959 total workers who were there and screened. The worksite, Sin0-Thai, has been ordered to close. The majority of those who tested positive were asymptomatic, according to provincial health officials who…
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Southern Thailand: Wet weather forecast from tropical cyclone Yaas
Heavy rain to very heavy rain is forecast for Southern Thailand from today until the end of the week. The rain, and the bad weather, is coming from the north-moving Tropical Cyclone “Yaas”, which is currently situated over the Bay of Bengal, south of Bangladesh and heading for landfall on the Indian coast. “Yaas” is heading in a North/Northwesterly direction…
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Motorbike driver sustains serious injuries after dog walks into Pattaya road
A stray dog in Pattaya has wandered into the street and caused 33 year old Supanya Saeeunf to crash his motorbike. The man incurred serious injuries and his unnamed female passenger sustaining minor injuries. The dog was sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders were called to the scene, a spot on Sukhumvit Road in front of a Big…
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Thai healthcare workers use dance routine to cheer up quarantined village | VIDEO
Healthcare workers in the north-eastern province of Buriram have come up with a novel way to help residents in a closed-off village in Krasang district. The villagers in the Samet Moo 7 community have been sealed off from the outside world as a result of a Covid-19 outbreak. On Sunday, healthcare workers therefore decided to break into a dance routine…
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Covid-19 breath test with 1-minute result approved for use in Singapore – VIDEO
The National University of Singapore says a breath test that can detect Covid-19 infection within a minute has been approved for use in the city state. The revolutionary test was developed by university start-up company Breathonix. According to a Bloomberg report, the breath test works in a similar way to a standard breathalyser used to detect alcohol. The person being…
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Covid UPDATE Tuesday: 3,226 new infections, 26 deaths
Thailand’s public health ministry has reported 26 new Covid-related deaths and 3,226 new infections for today. 882 of the new infections were from prisons. • The Thai government has rescheduled the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccines “16 weeks after the first dose”. This is instead of the previously announced 10 weeks. But they’re insisting the delay to the second vaccine…
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Former Finance Minister petitions to revoke approval of government’s 700 billion baht loan
A former politician, who served as Finance Minister from 2011 to 2012, is petitioning the Supreme Administrative Court to revoke approval for the government’s 700 billion baht loan. Cabinet recently approved an executive decree that allows the government to borrow the funds, in order to restore Thailand’s decimated economy and combat the Covid-19 crisis. Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala says he doesn’t object…
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Brand new villas set to be demolished and replaced by identical ones
A foreign resident in Pattaya is demolishing 2 brand new villas he recently purchased for more than 46 million baht, clearing the way for the eccentric architect, Mario Kleff, to construct newly designed properties with the same façade. The owner of the property at Pattaya’s Majestic Residence on Pratumnak Hill said “I love the location, but I want a home…
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Government urged to clarify private hospitals’ vaccination role
The government is being urged to clarify whether private hospitals can administer Covid-19 vaccines to employees. According to a Bangkok Post report, the Employers’ Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry, also known as EconThai, says the government needs to eliminate the legal barriers preventing private hospitals from vaccinating workers. Last week, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said workers under Section 33 of…
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Man’s body found in Pattaya lotus lagoon
A man’s body was found floating facedown in a lotus lagoon in Pattaya. Police are still investigating the cause of death, but say there were no signs of struggle. They suspect the man, later identified as 56 year old Narin Kongjaroen, died about 2 days before he was found. Narin’s neighbour, 64 year old Snae Boonmuang, found the body and contacted Banglamung…
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Thailand News Today | South African variant, private hospitals to offer vaccines | May 24
Officials in the border province of Narathiwat have sealed off 9 villages after 3 confirmed cases of the Covid variant first detected in South Africa, Private hospitals in Thailand say they are ordering 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying customers, foreign or Thai, who may want a different vaccine brand,
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Rebel troops kill 20 Burmese officers, former leader Aung San Suu Kyi appears in court
At least 20 Myanmar security forces were killed in a clash with rebel troops on Sunday and a police station was seized by the rebel fighters, according to the anti-coup movement the People’s Defence Force. The former state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, also appeared in court for the first time since the February coup when the see was detained…
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Trained dogs highly accurate at identifying Covid-19 infections, study shows
Dogs could replace temperature and infrared scanners at Covid-19 screening points. A new study shows that dogs can be trained to identify the coronavirus, even when people are asymptomatic. The dogs are more than 90% accurate, the study says. Socks and face masks from 200 people who tested positive for Covid-19 were collected by researchers from the London School of…
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Monday Covid-19 Update: 2,713 new cases and 30 deaths, provincial totals
2,713 new Covid-19 cases and 30 coronavirus related deaths were reported today in Thailand, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic to 135,439 and the death toll to 806. The are now 45,307 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. Out of the new cases reported today, 206 infections were at correctional facilities. Thousands of inmates at around…
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Man arrested for alleged involvement in 600 million baht lottery ticket scam
Police arrested a man for his alleged involvement in a fraudulent lottery ticket scam which generated an estimated 600 million baht. More than 50 people say they fell victim to the scheme with some claiming they lost thousands of baht after they purchased lottery tickets online, but the tickets were never delivered. Wutthipat Lerlob allegedly coaxed people into investing in…
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Donald Trump sued for using the term “China Virus” to refer to Covid-19
A civil rights group is suing former US president Donald Trump for coining the term, “China Virus” to refer to Covid-19. The Chinese Americans Civil Rights Coalition have filed a complaint in a federal court in New York, alleging that Trump’s terminology had no substance to back it up and was a source of distress to Chinese Americans. The former…
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Police shoot and kill suspected hitman and 16 year old in Chumphon
A suspected hitman was killed by police in the upper southern province Chumphon. Police say he was the most wanted hitman in the region. A 16 year old was also killed by police during the altercation and another man was injured. The suspected hitman, 43 year old Thirayut Chukaeo from Nakhon Si Thammarat, had 4 warrants out for his arrest…
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Chip shortage sees spike in new computer product prices
A global chip, or semiconductor shortage, is pushing new computer prices higher along with the demand for IT devices as more and more people turn to remote work and schooling. Somsak Pejthaveeporndej, chief executive of VST ECS Thailand, says the worldwide shortage includes integrated circuits that are used in a wide range of devices such as computers and IT products. Somsak…
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13 killed in northern Italy cable car accident
13 people have lost their lives after an Italian cable car slammed into the side of a mountain in northern Italy. 2 children were also critically injured in the accident. The 9 and 5 year olds were taken to a pediatric hospital in Turin by helicopter. The Italian president and PM expressed their “profound grief,” while offering condolences to the…
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Private hospitals to order 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying customers
Private hospitals in Thailand say they are ordering 5 million Moderna vaccine doses for paying clients who may want a different vaccine brand. Thailand’s Private Hospital Association, which includes more than 200 private hospitals across the country, is reviewing orders for the vaccine from its members and will order the vaccines through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. Officials say private hospitals…
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Experts say a choice in Covid-19 vaccines will help boost immunity against variants
A choice in Covid-19 vaccines is being touted by health experts as a way to help protect against virus variants. Such experts are calling on the Thai government to include a variety of brands in its national vaccination drive after the South African variant was discovered in the South last Saturday. The B.1.351 variant is thought to be the most…
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Phetchaburi factory sees more than 2,000 infections, field hospital on the way
After a Phetchaburi province factory has seen Covid-19 infections go from 682 to more than 2,000, a field hospital is on the way to help treat infected workers. The Cal-Comp Electronics factory in the southern province’s Khao Yai district features 781 Thai workers, while the rest are from Myanmar and other countries. Authorities say the 2,111 infections are expected to…
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Villages in southern Thailand closed off due to cases of South African variant
Health officials in the southern province of Narathiwat have sealed off 9 villages after 3 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Disease Control Department says the villages in the Tak Bai district have been closed off to prevent the virus spreading further in the province. The district sits across the Kolok…
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400k baht in donations for noodle vendor shot by off-duty police
The unfortunate noodle vendor that was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a drunken off-duty police officer fired a stray shot that paralysed the vendor has received nearly 400,000 baht in donations. Aroon Thongplab was accidentally shot on Bangla Road in Patong in the early morning of Feb 23 by the agitated inebriated officer. The bullet hit…
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Suan Dusit Poll: most people will get gov’t Covid-19 vaccine
A new Suan Dusit Poll this week reveals that a majority of people in Thailand are willing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 by whatever shot is available from the government. The poll, conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, surveyed 2,644 people online throughout Thailand between May 17 and May 20 about their opinions on the government’s push to vaccinate people…
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Sunday UPDATE: 3,382 new infections and 17 deaths, provincial totals
This morning the public health ministry has announced 3,382 new cases of Covid-19 and 17 new deaths across Thailand. The daily numbers, again, are oddly statistically consistent with the daily toll around 1,900 – 2,500 for the past month (with few variations). Although the daily totals, even without the prison numbers, are slowly creeping up, mostly as a result of…
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