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Thailand Foreign Ministry concerned about Myanmar situation
A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Thailand expressed the country’s concern for their troubled neighbour Myanmar and the violence that rages on there. They called for the country, mired in protests and violent skirmishes against the military junta that seized power on February 1, to follow the actions agreed upon by leaders of the surrounding Southeast Asian nations. In…
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Phuket sells cheap food packages to struggling inhabitants
Starting yesterday, to help ease the strain of financial hardships from Covid-19, a Phuket organization has made cheap food packages available for sale. 15,000 food packages from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization were made available at 24 locations throughout the Island. The packages cost 70 baht per set. They include: 5 Kilograms of rice at 40 baht per pack 1…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 2,671 new infections and 23 deaths, provincial totals
There has been another 2,671 new infections of Covid-19 detected across Thailand in the past 24 hours. There’s also been 23 deaths. 604 cases were detected in Thai prisons. Most of the current outbreaks continue to be around Bangkok and its immediate provinces. Bangkok registered 675 cases yesterday. Provincial totals below… GRAPH: worldometers.info • A recent survey, conducted by the Centre…
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#FreePALESTINE billboard taken down in Bangkok
A billboard in Yan Nawa, a district in Bangkok, has been taken down. It was reportedly put up by a group of Thai Muslims who support the Palestinian cause. The billboard consisted of the Palestinian flag with “#FreePALESTINE” superimposed on the bottom of the flag, as well as the dome of the Al-Aqsa mosque. Reportedly, Thai officials had asked the…
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Last WWII Thai airman died at 102 years old
World War II ended 76 years ago before many of us were born, but this week, the last Thai airman who actively fought in World War II died at the age of 102. Thai airman Choy Lodethanong died on Wednesday morning. At the age of 102, the death was considered to be of natural causes. Choy was part of the…
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Car chase starts at checkpoint, goes downhill from there
Over the weekend, a 51 year old man from Trang allgedly sped through a checkpoint and led police on a reported 60 kilometre police chase. The chase ended when the man overturned his car. The “60 Kilometres” presumably referred to the man’s speed. The man, Parit Poldet, had initially declined to stop for the check at the Phuket entry Tha…
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Tourism program adds a plus
This weekend, the Phuket government announced a program whereby businesses can now flout their relative vaccinated status to customers with a certificate with a literal plus. The Amazing Thailand SHA Plus certification is reached via an online registration from the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration aka SHA. The government has urged all businesses and venues that are 70% inoculated…
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Pride Month celebrates the LGBTQ community in Thailand
In the United States, June is Pride Month – a month to celebrate the LGBTQ community, in memory of the Stonewall riots in June of 1969. It is a month to recognize the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer population in the US. While Pride Month isn’t officially international, some acknowledgement and celebration have been seen in Thailand. In Bangkok,…
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TAT proposes eased restrictions and 10 year visa to key groups
Key word – PROPOSAL. Perhaps tired of piecemeal baby steps to attract tourists while missing the bigger picture, The Tourism Authority of Thailand proposed a sweeping plan to give 4 target groups easy access to live, work and prosper in Thailand for a decade at a time. The radical proposal was presented to PM Prayut Chan-o-cha in a video conference…
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Over 4 million people vaccinated in lead-up to June 7 campaign
But not all have yet had both doses of their vaccines. As Thailand ramps up to finally get its mass vaccination campaign underway, over 4 million people have been at least partially vaccinated so far. The most recent data reports that 4,142,994 people have received at least one vaccine in Thailand. Our World in Data statistics last updated 2 days…
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Man almost drowns looking for shells, suffers serious injuries
Yesterday afternoon, a man required medical attention after nearly drowning and suffering serious injuries after his search for shells went awry. He had been looking for shells near the Bali Hai Pier in Pattaya, a city on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand. The (name withheld) 60 year old man, was found lying unconscious on the beach when…
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Phuket Sandbox to be approved by Cabinet on Monday
It’s official, sort of. After months of kicking sand around, debating if it will really happen, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration officially approved the Phuket Sandbox plan, an important step forward. The announcement, made on Friday afternoon, appears to answer the often-posed question if the sandbox plan would ever happen as the much more intense and deadly third wave…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 2,671 new infections and 23 deaths
There has been another 2,671 new infections of Covid-19 detected across Thailand in the past 24 hours. There’s also been 23 deaths. 604 cases were detected in Thai prisons. Thailand has now registered a total of 148,604 cases, the vast majority since the start of April in what’s being called the third wave, which emerged from the bars, nightclubs and…
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Studio designs solution to online class uniform debate
They say nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool and a controversial school rule for online classes has just proved that to be the case. When school authorities announced the foolproof plan of making it mandatory to wear a uniform even during online classes, the decision was met with backlash from students who didn’t see the need to dress…
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Burmese coup leader says in interview he’s surprised by backlash
In an interview with a Hong Kong TV channel recently aired on Burmese television, Burmese coup leader Min Aung Hlaing said that he was struggling to control Myanmar after a surprise backlash. The interview by the Chinese language Phoenix Television was just aired Thursday in Myanmar. In the interview, the military leader said he did not anticipate such widespread and…
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Loei postponing appointments due to shortage of vaccines
With a lot of good news on Covid-19 vaccines being received from China and being mass-produced in Thailand, things are starting to look up for Thailand’s alarmingly slow national vaccination efforts. But the province of Loei announced yesterday that they would be postponing appointments for vaccines due to a shortage of jabs available to them. The governor of Loei took…
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TAT and Tourism Ministry push for domestic tourism in Phuket
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is partnering with the Tourism and Sports Ministry to build confidence and boost domestic travel to Phuket as it reopens to international tourism next month. They hope to give Phuket a much-needed boom by attracting local travellers as well as fully vaccinated international passengers. Aiming to get domestic travel up and running in August, the…
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Covid Update Saturday: 36 deaths and 2,817 infections
For Saturday the Public Health department has announced 36 new Covid-related deaths and 2,817 infections. 315 of those cases are from prisons. The daily totals have been statistically consistent for over a month now. Bangkok is still the key ‘hot spot’ with clusters around shopping areas, high density housing communities and worker camps. • Alternative state quarantine hotels are aiming…
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Cancellation of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix for 2021
Race promoter Singapore GP have announced the cancellation of the 2021 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix due to “ongoing safety and logistic concerns” brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Colin Syn, Deputy Chairman of Singapore GP says the local GP has attracted fans from over 100 countries. “We understand that our fans were looking forward to another edition…
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Covid-19 sees a rise in dangerous scams in India
While Covid-19 was wreaking havoc across India, some devious scammers saw the desperation of a pandemic crisis as an opportunity. India has frequently been known to be a hotbed for ripoffs and scams, and the Coronavirus pandemic has only worsened the situation. In December an Indian call centre made US $14 million by cheating 4,500 Americans whom they tricked into…
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Foreign workers get jabs in 2-day Phuket mass vaccination drive
In 2 days, yesterday and today, Phuket has set out to vaccinate 22,613 migrant workers and 5,758 foreign workers who are legal with a work permit. Vachira Phuket Hospital has teamed up with Angsana Laguna Phuket resort in the north of Phuket and Central shopping centre in the middle of the island for the foreign worker mass vaccination drive. The…
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Which Thai provinces have been the hardest hit by Covid?
As Thailand starts to ramp up its vaccination, especially in the hardest hit provinces, we ask which ARE the hardest hit provinces? The third wave of Covid-19 around Thailand has had the most pronounced affect on the Kingdom and is now threatening the re-opening of the country to general travel – starting with the Phuket Sandbox on July 1. Here’s…
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Si Racha ice factory closed due to Covid
An ice factory in Si Racha, a district to the north of Pattaya and south of Samut Prakan, has been ordered to close for the time being as there have been multiple confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections stemming from their business. As ordered by the Chon Buri Governor today. Chon Buri Governor, Phakarathorn Teanchai, gave this notice via the Chonburi…
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Man arrested for allegedly smuggling durian into Thailand
Last night, a man was arrested and charged with smuggling durian into Thailand from Myanmar. 25 year old Pairat Wattanom, a Thai Man from the Thai Province Ranong, which is part of the isthmus that has the Andaman Sea on one side and the Gulf of Thailand on the other, has been arrested and waits for the judicial system to…
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Siam Bioscience delivers 1.8 million local AstraZeneca vaccines
Well, it’s a start. Good news today for Thailand’s snail-paced rollercoaster of vaccine rollout as the Ministry of Public Health has taken possession of the first 1.8 million AstraZeneca vaccines produced domestically. The vaccines were manufactured in the Bangkok by Siam Bioscience and are slated to be an integral part of Thailand’s mass vaccination scheme officially launching next Monday. Siam…
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Taxi driver/alleged drug dealer takes police on chase before being arrested
Yesterday, police had a car chase with a taxi driver who also allegedly worked a second job as a drug dealer in the Bang Khen area of Bangkok. He was arrested in an alley after smashing into a police car, then 10 more cars. 44 year old Narong or “Neung” Kaewkamnert, was arrested by police after they mounted a stakeout.…
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Covid UPDATE Friday: 2,631 new cases and 31 deaths, provincial totals
2,631 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest wave of infections in Thailand, the CCSA has recorded 143,116 Covid-19 infections and 1,083 deaths. In total, there have been 171,979 Covid infections and 1,177 Covid-related deaths reported in Thailand since the pandemic started last year. Of the…
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Scrutiny over public and media idolising of suspect Uncle Phol
Following the arrest of Chaiphol Wipha, known as Uncle Phol to murdered 3 year old ‘Nong Champoo’, his elevation in the media to celebrity status is receiving criticism. He’s been a prime suspect in the murder for over a year, but a warrant was issued June 1, he surrendered yesterday, and is now in police custody. At first, the media…
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US President Biden pledges vaccines donation, 25 million to start
The UN-backed COVAX program, to help supply vaccines around the world, got a boost today as US President Biden vowed that America will donate 25 million vaccines to start. The donation would make up nearly 25% of all vaccines procured through the COVAX program to date. The UN effort seeks to bulk up vaccine supplies in Asia, Africa, and South…
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Missing man’s body found in pond in Phuket
Yesterday, police found the dead body of a Burmese worker in a pond near a durian plantation in Thalang, a district in central Phuket. At approximately 10am yesterday Thalang police arrived after being alerted by the missing man’s boss, Paisit Uthitkul, who is also the village head of Moo 1, Thepkrasattri. When the police and rescue workers got to the…
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