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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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Phuket businesses beg to allow import of private vaccines
With the July 1 deadline for reopening to internationals travellers approaching and Covid-19 spreading rapidly, Phuket industry leaders are begging the Thai government to allow private importing of vaccines. Phuket’s sandbox plan required a 70% vaccinated resident policy, which looks unattainable, in order to allow tourism without quarantine again. With the pandemic spread across all 77 provinces now, vaccines that…
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Taxi driver relieves stress by shooting slingshot at cars and shops
Life is pretty stressful lately, but there are right and wrong ways to relieve that stress. A taxi driver in Bangkok chose the wrong way to blow off steam: shooting at cars, buses and restaurants with a slingshot. The 48 year old driver Phaiwan Aechaiyaphum was arrested by the Metropolitan Police Bureau last night at his Suksawat-area room. He is…
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Thailand to issue international vaccine passport for travellers
An international vaccine passport, certifying Covid-19 immunisation, will be an official travel document for those travelling overseas, according to an order by the Public Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department. A copy of the vaccine passport along with an order outlining the issuing process, both approved by the department’s director general Opas Karnkawinpong, were published in the Royal Gazette, making it…
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Quarantine period for international arrivals is now back to 14 days
Quarantine for those entering Thailand from overseas will now go back to the original 14 day period (which ends up being 15 to 16 days). The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced the quarantine extension this afternoon, saying those who obtained their Certificate of Entry prior to May 1, and arrive in Thailand before May 6, will still be able…
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Restrictions tighten nationwide, Bangkok and 5 other provinces now “dark red” zones
Disease control restrictions are tightening nationwide. Bangkok and 5 other provinces with a high number of Covid-19 infections are now classified as “dark red” zones under the highest control to combat the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Under the new zoning measures, the dark red provinces include Bangkok, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Nonthaburi,…
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YouTubers in Bali may be kicked out of Indonesia after face mask prank
2 YouTubers in Bali, Indonesia may be getting kicked out of the country after posting a video of one of them breaking local mask-wearing regulations. The local government has seized Josh Paler Lin and Leia Se’s passports and are facing deportation as a result of posting the video, which shows them entering a grocery store with Se being turned away…
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Thailand joins other Southeast Asian countries with hospital bed shortages amidst Covid crisis
As Southeast Asian nations are struggling to control new waves of Covid-19, Thailand is joining its neighbours in running out of hospital beds for patients. Last Friday, the government warned that beds could run out in as little as 6 to 8 days, unless the situation is brought under control. Malaysia and the Philippines are also struggling to provide the…
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Historical sites in Thailand closed until May 9 for Covid-19
In another step to help curb the rampant third wave of Covid-19 throughout Thailand, all ancient and historical sites will be closed until May 9. Director-general Prateep Pengtako, leader of the Fine Arts Department in Thailand, announced the closure, ongoing since April 26th and currently scheduled until May 9 depending on pandemic developments. The decree included national museums, national archives,…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,871 new infections and 10 deaths; provincial totals
1,871 new Covid-19 cases and 10 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by Thailand’s Public Health Ministry, raising the total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 63,570 Covid-19 infections and 188 fatalities. Covid-related deaths in Thailand have been reported each day since April 17. Thailand now has 27,988 active Covid-19 cases with many infections related to entertainment…
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Thailand’s manufacturing production highest in 23 months
After 2 years of falling, largely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Thailand’s manufacturing production index has grown for the first time in 23 months. The index, which measures manufacturing activity, hit 107.73 last month, which is the highest it has been since April of 2019. With a growth of 4.12% in the last year, the index had its strongest performance…
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Phuket to close land border from 11pm to 5am each day, essential travel only
The Phuket governor issued an order to close all land borders to the island province from 11pm to 5am each day to help combat the spread of Covid-19. The borders include the main Tha Chat Chai entry checkpoint in the Thalang district. The closure order will be in place until May 12. Only essential travel will be allowed to pass…
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Officers seized 31 million baht in cash and assets in 20 drug trafficking raids
In a major crackdown on a suspect drug network run by a woman in Northern Thailand, officers raided 20 locations in the Eastern region and seized cash as well as other assets valued at a total of 31 million baht. Thailand’s Office of the Narcotics Control Board launched an investigation back in October into a suspected drug network said to…
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Chon Buri foundation rehabilitating Thailand’s disabled dogs
A dog charity in the eastern province of Chon Buri is giving disabled stray dogs a second chance at life. Michael J. Baines, a Swedish national, set up The Man That Rescues Dogs in 2011 after seeing numerous sick and injured stray dogs in the streets. Originally, Michael would take the animals to a local veterinary clinic for treatment, while…
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Suvarnabhumi check-in counters become vaccine administration points
It’s probably the most traffic check-in counters at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport has seen in a while. Officials are using the area as a makeshift vaccination centre, where airport staff are lining up to receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The initiative is the latest attempt to speed up vaccine administration as Thailand finds itself battling a far more virulent…
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Health declining for jailed protestors on hunger strike
Continuing their hunger strike, 2 leaders in the pro-democracy demonstrations that were jailed for speaking out against the king’s power are experiencing declining health. Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul stopped eating over the last few weeks in protest against the denial of bail as they sit in jail waiting to be tried using Thailand’s harsh lese majeste laws…
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Thai sweet shop gets mixed reviews over Buddhist amulet candies
A Thai sweet shop is facing criticism from many locals and praises from others for making candy Buddhist amulets, which are usually worn around the neck as ‘protection’ from evil spirits. Madam Choops candy shop in Samut Songkhram, just southwest of Bangkok, says the edible amulets made from Thai sugar candy can protect your inner organs (but probably less successful…
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‘One Night In Bangkok’, an unlikely hit about a bygone era in Thailand
“One night in Bangkok and the world’s your oyster The bars are temples but the pearls ain’t free” When ‘One Night In Bangkok’ was released in 1984 it was an unlikely hit. It was the opening song from a (at the time) little-known stage pop-opera called ‘Chess’. The song made Number 1 in South Africa, West Germany, Switzerland and Australia,…
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Opposition calls for the Thai PM to stand down, Democrats re-iterate their support
Seizing the opportunity, Thailand’s opposition political parties are taking advantage of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s current poor standing amidst a crisis of high Covid infections and botched vaccine roll out. Opposition parties jointly issued a statement demanding the PM’s resignation. Among a list of general failures, they also accused PM Prayut of “causing irreversible damage to the nation”. The opposition bloc, led…
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Burmese military launch more airstrikes close to Thai border
For the second day in a row, the Burmese junta has carried out airstrikes close to the border with the northern Thai province of Mae Hong Son. The strikes, hitting at rebel-held areas, were confirmed by a Thai official yesterday. Myanmar has been in a state of upheaval since a February 1 military coup ousted the democratically-elected government of Aung…
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Locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine will be available by June
AstraZeneca Thailand has released a statement to confirm that doses of its locally-produced vaccine will be available by June. Siam Bioscience has been given the sole rights to manufacture the vaccine within Thailand, with an AstraZeneca representative saying the manufacturing process has progressed significantly. The Bangkok Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration has worked with the government to…
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PM Prayut proposes private sector partnerships for vaccinations
In an effort to speed up Covid-19 vaccinations, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha plans to work closely with the private sector to vaccinate 50 million people by the end of the year. The Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Chamber of Commerce will work alongside the government to help import and distribute vaccines after Thailand is off to a particularly slow…
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Thai border town evacuated after Karen army attack on Burmese military outpost
Around 450 villagers in Thailand’s Mae Hong Son province near the Myanmar border evacuated the area after a Karen army attacked and took over a Burmese military camp. The attack was so close to the Thai village that residents could hear the gunshots and explosions. One evacuee was shot in her knee by a stray bullet, the governor says. Since…
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Pro-democracy Burmese: no negotiations until prisoners released
Until the Burmese military junta releases all political prisoners, the pro-democracy unity shadow government in Myanmar are refusing mediation talks. This throws a wrench in the works of the ASEAN summit’s plans to keep a dialogue open and bring about peace in the turbulent country. In their meeting this week, Burmese General Min Aung Hlaing had said he was open…
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National Vaccine Institute head says Thailand never turned down an offer from Pfizer
After reports claiming that the Thai government turned down an offer from Pfizer for 13 million vaccine doses, the director of the National Vaccine Institute is debunking the claims saying the reports are false and the country is still looking into acquiring doses from the company. Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is negotiating with several Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to acquire more…
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Thailand News Today | Scrap THAI and rebuild, Phuket promises expats will be vaccinated | April 28
Plans to create a new national airline to replace the struggling Thai Airways are meeting opposition from the national airlines’ employee union, Phuket’s resident foreigners are being called out again over their alleged failures to comply with Covid-19 safety measures. Phuket Governor re-promises that expats and foreigners will be vaccinated. 2,012 new Covid-19 infections and 15 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported…
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Bangkok places biohazard bins throughout the city for used face masks
To help combat the spread of Covid-19 in Bangkok where cases have soared past 10,000 over the past month, more biohazard garbage bins are being placed throughout the city to dispose of used face masks and other waste that could be contaminated with the virus. Medical waste in Bangkok has increased to 20 tonnes per day since the start of…
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Hat Yai’s Kim Yong market closed after trader infected with Covid
Thailand’s southern city of Hat Yai’s Kim Yong market is closed after a trader there became infected with Covid-19. The market, popular with both foreigners and Thais, has been closed for 3 days for disinfecting. The market, a major tourist landmark in the heart of the city, is closed until April 30. The market sells fruit, snacks, clothing and flowers.…
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Covid UPDATE: 2,012 new infections, provincial updates
2,012 new Covid-19 infections and 15 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Disease Control this morning. Over the past month, more than 32,000 Covid-19 infections have been reported. There are currently 27,119 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. 695 patients are in critical condition with 199 of those patients on ventilators. Out of the 2,012…
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Miss Grand helps “inefficient” government find Covid-19 beds
Miss Grand International Thailand has jumped in to help find hospital beds, citing an inefficient government response to the newest Covid-19 outbreak. The beauty pageant has launched the “Covid Patients Must Be Treated” campaign, pledging to use their resources to connect Covid-19 infected patients with available hospital beds for treatment. Miss Grand International president Nawat Itsaragrisil was moved by the…
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Nuns arrested for allegedly scamming hundreds out of a total of 10 million baht
Police arrested 3 Buddhist nuns at a meditation centre in Thailand’s Isaan region for allegedly scamming more than 400 people, promising returns to those who invested in a fund for the poor. Victims say the nuns took off with a total of around 10 million baht. A nun at the centre claims those who made merit would receive returns, but…
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