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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 New in July: Save 10% for life on family health plans in Thailand
Cigna has a special offer this July for families in Thailand. When you sign up three or more people on a family health plan, you will save 10% on your premiums for life. This deal helps you get affordable, high-quality...
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Northern Thailand summer storms damage almost 3,000 homes
Almost 3,000 homes are damaged after northern Thailand summer storms wreaked havoc in 11 provinces. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department says Pichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai and Nan are among the hardest hit. 1 death was also reported in Nan province when a tree branch fell onto a woman’s car, killing her. 5 others were injured in Nan, Pichit and Surin.…
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Thailand makes AstraZeneca its first choice for Covid vaccine
Thailand’s deputy PM and public health minister says the AstraZeneca vaccine is the nation’s first choice for protecting itself against Covid-19. Anutin Charnvirakul says more than 150,000 have received AstraZeneca jabs with only a low percentage having developed side effects. But the low amount of side effects seen is a different tune to the vaccine’s previous safety concerns as other…
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Report attributes 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand to air pollution
According to the State of Global Air 2020 Report, around 32,000 premature deaths in Thailand, back in 2019, have been attributed to air pollution. The report cites the PM2.5 pollution particles as the main culprit as particles in that size range are the most likely to travel deeply into the respiratory tract, reaching the lungs. Exposure to these fine particles…
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Thailand’s Songkran headache – Bangkok entertainment venues closed days before holiday
In the day’s before Thailand’s biggest annual party begins there’s been fresh clusters breaking out in Bangkok and Chon Buri’s nightlife. Already the BMA has closed nightlife venues in three popular districts “as a precautionary measure” for at least two weeks, as of last night. Officials will meet today to mull a blanket closing time for entertainment venues and restaurants…
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New infections in Chiang Mai linked to Bangkok nightlife cluster
3 out of 4 new Covid-19 infections reported in the northern province of Chiang Mai are in patients who frequented nightlife venues in Bangkok. The communicable disease committee has confirmed 4 new infections, while introducing restrictions to curb any further spread. According to a Nation Thailand report, the first patient visited a nightlife venue in the Ratchadaphisek area of Bangkok…
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Aviation authority calling for 20,000 vaccine doses for crew, ground staff
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand is calling for vaccine doses to protect around 20,000 airline crew and ground staff before the country re-opens to international tourists. The CAAT says it’s vital that those working in the aviation industry are protected and has submitted its request to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. According to Suthipong Kongpool from the CAAT,…
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Has the full moon set on Koh Pha Ngan’s Full Moon Party?
A full moon used to mean a full beach of party-goers along the Haad Rin strip on Thailand’s Koh Pha Ngan. But it hasn’t been like that for a year now as the Gulf of Thailand island waits out the restrictions and border closures caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The crowds of backpackers and revellers aren’t flocking to the monthly…
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Labour union angry over changes to Thai Airways staff contracts under rehab plan
Union representatives are questioning changes made to the employment terms of Thai Airways staff as part of the national carrier’s debt-restructuring plan. The labour union claims the changes have removed or diluted several staff entitlements and welfare benefits, pointing the finger at acting president, Chansin Treenuchagron, who signed the orders. The union is calling on the Department of Labour Protection…
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Possible 9 pm closing of Bangkok bars to curb Covid-19
In order to limit outbreaks of Covid-19 before the upcoming Songkran holiday, the Health Ministry is eyeing more restrictive rules, including possibly shutting Bangkok bars at 9 pm. This week, new infections were found in the Thong Lor and Ekkamai areas of Bangkok, popular for evening entertainment such as bars and nightclubs. Entertainment venues are an easy target for Coronavirus spread…
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Songkran: Economy booster or Covid-19 spreader?
While the government is encouraging people to enjoy themselves and spend money in the struggling economy for the upcoming Songkran Festival, some Covid-19 experts are warning that this may bring about a third or even fourth wave of infections. The past has shown that people letting loose and partying free is often the source of viral outbreaks, as was the…
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Khon Kaen hospital’s 2 Covid-19 infected doctors limit services
Health officials say 2 doctors who work at Khon Kaen University’s Srinagarind Hospital are now infected with Covid-19. The hospital is now responding to the situation by suspending the acceptance of new patients and postponing scheduled operations. According to the provincial public health office chief, the 2 doctors worked in the hospital’s Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine. All hospital…
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Deputy PM says he doesn’t have Covid-19, despite rumours
Today Deputy PM and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow has quashed a rumour that he contracted Covid-19 in an entertainment venue on March 25. Alerts were raised as the Minister attended a cabinet meeting several days later. The minister denies that he has put anyone at risk of exposure and has already been tested for Covid-19 and is planning to be…
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Bangkok may soon be classified as a “red” zone following new Covid clusters
Bangkok may soon be classified as a “red” zone under maximum control to prevent the spread of Covid-19 following the rise of infections linked to bars and entertainment venues, primarily off Sukhumvit Road in Thong Lor and Ekkamai. Thailand’s top virologist Yong Poovorawan says the recent Covid-19 clusters, along with Thailand’s slow rollout of vaccines, is “worrying” and fears that…
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Thailand News Today | Bangkok nightspot Covid clusters, Tesco/CP merger goes to court | April 5
We’ll start off with a Covid whip around… some minor clusters popping up around parts of Thailand…. Thailand’s Chon Buri province, which includes Pattaya, has revealed 7 more Covid-19 infections today. There were another 8 yesterday. The new infections are worrying officials, who say they are the most the province has seen in 3 months. Japanese nationals are among the…
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CCSA Update: 194 new Covid-19 cases, outbreak at Narathiwat prison
194 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Most cases are linked to an outbreak at a prison in the southern province Narathiwat. A number of other cases are linked to bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok. Out of the 194 new cases, 94 cases were in Narathiwat. Most are prison inmates.…
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Some Bangkok international schools close following rise of Covid-19 cases in the area
Some international schools in Bangkok are temporarily closing down due to the rise of Covid-19 cases in the area with 71 cases linked to bars and entertainment venues in parts of the city – primarily Thong Lor and Ekkamai along the Sukhumvit strip, and around Chatuchak, to the north of the city centre. Regent’s International School Bangkok sent out a…
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Phuket hammering out Covid vaccines, beating out rest of Thailand | VIDEO
The tourism-heavy island of Phuket is ramping up its local vaccine roll out, beating out the rest of Thailand in an attempt to achieve a herd immunity before it is able to reopen to tourists. The island is holding vaccination drives, with 9 centres in place to handle the estimated amount of 460,000 residents who are scheduled to get jabs…
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Foreigners charged with DUI teach English to Koh Samui probation staff
Foreigners on Koh Samui who have been caught driving while intoxicated are now teaching English to probation officers as part of their community service. Those with a drink driving charge are ordered by the court to complete 24 hours of community service. The foreigners have been teaching probation staff basic greetings and conversational English as well as grammar and legal…
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Phuket’s pilot program to reopen Thailand – Interview Bill Barnett | VIDEO
There’s a lot more of Thailand besides Phuket, but the southern Thai island has received a lot of attention in the past few weeks because of the intention to remove quarantine for vaccinated international arrivals from July this year. There’s a lot at stake as the rest of Thailand will be watching the pilot program, eager to see it work…
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Chon Buri sees 7 more Covid infections today, 5 foreigners
Thailand’s Chon Buri province, which features the tourist city of Pattaya, is seeing 7 more Covid-19 infections today. The Chon Buri Public Health Office made the announcement after seeing 8 infections just yesterday. The new infections are worrying officials, who say they are the most the province has seen in 3 months. Japanese nationals claimed 5 of the infections today,…
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Thai Foreign Minister says Karen refugees were not forced back to Myanmar
Following reports and criticism on Thailand forcing Karen refugees back across the Myanmar border, Foreign Minister and Deputy PM Don Pramudwinai says the claims are not true and that Thailand has been caring for refugees for decades. With the escalating violence in Myanmar following the February 1 military coup, many have fled to Thailand. The United Nations Human Rights Office…
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Thailand allows entry to 11 groups of travellers, cuts quarantine down for those vaccinated
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is allowing 11 groups of tourists to enter the Kingdom with shortened quarantine times for those who have been fully vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated are able to complete a 7 day quarantine upon entering as long as they can show proof along with registering at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. The registration process…
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Thailand unlikely to join ASEAN in pressuring Myanmar junta to stop bloodshed
Thailand’s government is unlikely to join other members of ASEAN in calling for Myanmar’s junta to stop the bloodshed. Fears over receiving a flood of refugees across the Burmese border and damages to its military ties may be of more importance to the Kingdom, despite the government’s recent claims that it is “gravely concerned” over the situation in Myanmar. If…
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New Covid-19 clusters at bars in Bangkok’s Thong Lor and Ekkamai areas
New Covid-19 clusters have been reported at several bars and pubs in Bangkok, primarily off Sukhumvit Road. So far, 40 people have tested positive for Covid-19 after visiting entertainment venues in Bangkok. Those who have visited bars in the Thong Lor, where most of the infections were reported, are asked to go to the website “BKKcovid19” and fill out an…
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Japanese Ambassador to Thailand infected with Covid-19
Among the new infections of Covid-19 reported yesterday in Thailand was Kazuya Nashida, the Japanese Ambassador to Thailand. The Japanese Foreign Ministry released a brief statement yesterday confirming the Ambassador has contracted the Coronavirus in Bangkok. Mr. Nashida is currently receiving treatment at an unnamed hospital in Bangkok, and the information provided indicates that the ambassador is showing signs of…
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Travellers around the world eager to return to Phuket
Travellers of 28 nationalities have indicated that they would like to come to Phuket after mandatory quarantine is done away with for those that have received their Covid-19 vaccination. This according to the Phuket Tourist Association. The popular destination for foreigners will be the first location in Thailand to remove quarantine restrictions in the government’s long-term plan to reopen the…
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100+ Covid-19 infections cancels all prison visits in Thailand’s south
After a small Covid-19 outbreak reported yesterday, the Corrections Department has now cancelled all prison visits from tomorrow through May 5, after testing revealed more than 100 people infected within the prison systems in Narathiwat, a border province in the south of Thailand, and Surat Thani. Originally 2 prisoners in Narathiwat Central Prison were confirmed to have Covid-19 Friday, with…
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Tourism Authority of Thailand aims to attract expat golfers
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is poised to organise golf events targeted at Thailand’s expatriate community as part of efforts to restore confidence in domestic tourism under the banner “Stay Play Safe”. Minister of Tourism and Sports Phipat Ratchakitprakarn says that the motivation behind the campaign is “to re-energise a sector that has been badly hit closures and restrictions brought…
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Man’s genitals cut and flushed by jealous girlfriend
Ever felt like your sex life has been flushed down the toilet? A man in Taiwan experienced that literally when his girlfriend cut off his genitals while he slept and flushed them down her toilet on the evening of March 30. The story, first published by the website Mothership the day after the incident, involves a 52 year old man…
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10 rebel groups in Myanmar throw their support behind anti-coup protesters | VIDEO
Myanmar’s most prominent ethnic and political rebel groups are throwing their support behind the country’s anti-coup protesters. Yesterday, 10 of the groups convened a conference call to discuss the military leaders killing protesters and citizens. Nearly 600 Burmese citizens have now been killed in the violent crackdown that started after the February 1 coup that ousted the government of Aung…
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