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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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Health officials point to Thailand’s porous borders as biggest “Indian variant” threat
Thailand’s health officials say the Kingdom’s porous borders pose the greatest risk in terms of the so-called Indian variant of Covid-19 being imported. Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital says there is a distinct possibility the highly contagious variant, currently wreaking havoc with India’s healthcare system, could be imported by migrants slipping into the country illegally.…
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Nakhon Phanom man struck and killed by lightning bolt
An unfortunate farmer seems to have been killed by a lightning bolt in his rice field in the Phon Sawan district of Nakhon Phanom. His wife found his body on Monday afternoon in a condition described as unconscious and burned. Kamol Praking was 49 years old and lived and farmed near Huay Hai Village. After calling for emergency help, medics,…
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Krabi tourism operators call for vaccination ramp up, clarity on national park rules
With Krabi eyeing October 1 for a re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists, operators in the region are calling for greater clarity and for vaccination to be ramped up. Ekawit Pinyotamanotai from the Krabi Tourism Association says tourism workers need to be prioritised for vaccination and there is a need for clarity on regulations governing national parks. The Krabi sandbox model…
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Pfizer vaccine OK for US children 12-15, critics urge better use
While drug regulators authorised Pfizer vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 in the US, critics are saying that the jabs would be more useful if sent to poor countries. The American Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine on Monday, saying that it was safe for children over the age of 12, and the US Centres for Disease Control…
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Jailed activists Penguin and Ammy finally granted bail
Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, the high-profile student activist leader that has been jailed for months, has finally been granted bail after 10 requests. Another student protester champion, singer Chaiamorn “Ammy the Bottom Blues” Kaewwiboonpan, was also released yesterday. Both activists were being held without bail in Bangkok Remand Prison, charged under Thailand’s strict lèse majesté laws that prohibit anyone from speaking…
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Wednesday Covid UPDATE: 34 deaths and 1,983 new infections
The Thai public health ministry is reporting an additional 34 Covid-related deaths and 1,983 new infections from the past 24 hours of Bangkok and provincial reports. We’ll post all the provincial numbers just after lunch when they become available. • Bangkok health officials are aiming to get around 70% of the Bangkok’s residents – about 5 million people – vaccinated…
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PM Prayut pushes vaccine priority for the national agenda
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha asked the Thai cabinet to make the Covid-19 vaccine part of the national agenda in order to make it Thailand’s top priority. He urged Thai people through a Facebook post to get vaccinated and not hesitate. The PM reminded people that getting everyone vaccinated to the point of herd immunity is the only way to end the…
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Airlines can face penalties for failure to check passengers’ Certificate of Entry – CAAT
Airlines with routes to Thailand are told to check passengers’ Certificate of Entry, a required document to travel to Thailand, prior to departure. Airlines will face penalties if they allow passengers who don’t have the required documentation to land in Thailand, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand warns. If passengers do not have their COE prior to boarding the aircraft,…
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Thailand News Today | More bubbles?, Burmese journalists arrested, Malaysian lockdown | May 11
Thailand will travel travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October, Police in Northern Thailand arrested 3 senior journalists who had fled Myanmar, Thai officials say expats living in Thailand will be included in the government’s mass Covid-19 vaccination plan, but exactly when that will be is still…
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PM Prayut Chan-o-cha seeks looser restrictions in ‘red’ zones
Covid-19 infections are still high, but PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says he wants restrictions to loosen up and businesses to reopen as soon as possible in provinces classified as “red” zones under tight control to combat Covid-19. The prime minister says he has ordered governors of red zone provinces to look into easing disease control measures. Looking into each province’s Covid-19…
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Suspected insurgent killed in gunfire exchange with rangers in Thailand’s deep south
A suspected insurgent was shot and killed in a gunfire exchange with Thai rangers in Narathawit, a province in Thailand’s deep south by the Malaysian border plagued with violence from the religious separatist insurgency. 2 other men were arrested after the clash with rangers in the Bacho district this morning. Another suspected insurgent is on the run. Rangers got a…
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Thailand signs trade agreement with EU, same tax rates as before Brexit
Under a new agreement with the European Union, Thailand can export to the trade bloc under the same tax rates and trade privileges from before Brexit. After the UK left the trade bloc on January 1, the tariff rate quota deal between Thailand and the EU was renegotiated. The agreement goes into effect next month. The recent agreement only covers…
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British citizens fined 6,000 baht each for illegal ‘party’ in Phuket
An unedited video circulating, showing Phuket police raiding an illegal gathering in Cherngtalay, ended up with 2 UK citizens, working in Phuket, being fined 6,000 baht each. The Cherngtalay police are also calling on another 4 foreigners attending the party to present themselves to the police station to be charged as well. Cherngtalay Police descended on the property around 5pm…
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Police step up border patrols and checkpoints, arresting 49 illegal migrants today
Police are stepping up border checkpoints and patrolling as 49 more illegal migrants from Myanmar are arrested today. In the North, Trairong Piewpan, deputy commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, says checkpoints have been set up along the roads, waterways and natural foot trails in an effort to block all possible channels for illegal border crossings from Myanmar. In Songkhla, a…
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American leaves hospital after being denied Covid treatment in same room as Thai wife
An American man, who tested positive for Covid-19, is back in the hospital after fleeing when he was denied a shared room with this Thai wife-who was also undergoing Covid treatment. The 51 year old man left the northeastern Amnat Charoen province Chanuman hospital on May 9th after doctors declined to move his bed to that of his wife’s room.…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,919 new cases and 31 deaths, provincial totals
1,919 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand now has 29,435 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 86,924 infections and 452 Covid-related deaths. At today’s CCSA briefing, Ministry of Foreign Affairs deputy spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun said…
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Travel bubble talks to pick back up once Covid-19 is under control
Once the Covid-19 outbreak is under control, Thailand will pick back up on travel bubble discussions with countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Laos and Malaysia. Travel bubbles could start as soon as October if the daily Covid-19 count significantly decreases by the end of the month. The country’s Covid-19 immunisation plan needs to be accelerated and the daily Covid-19 count…
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China sees slowest population growth since 1960’s despite relaxing 1 child policy
China is seeing the slowest amount of population growth since the 1960’s despite relaxing its 1 child policy. The birthrate has been in a steady decline since 2017, and its growth is being measured at 5.4% since the last census in 2010. The population has reached 1.41 billion, but that number is low due to the sluggish growth rate. The…
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3 journalists from Myanmar arrested in Chiang Mai
Police in Northern Thailand arrested 3 senior journalists who had fled Myanmar due to orders from the military junta to stop reporting, the director and editor of the news agency Democratic Voice of Burma said in an email to the Associated Press. The journalists, along with 2 associates, were arrested yesterday in Chiang Mai for allegedly illegally entering Thailand. Police…
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Pattaya motorbike taxi driver dies after being hit by car while trying to save dog
A female motorbike taxi driver has been killed after she was struck by a car while trying to save a stray dog on a Pattaya highway. The Pattaya News reports that the tragic incident occurred on Sukhumvit Road near the Chaiyapruek Intersection around 8pm on Sunday night. It’s understood the woman, named as 21 year old Roongnapa Jaroensook was trying…
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Flight booking data shows vaccinations are key to rebooting travel globally
The latest findings from a research firm that analyses flight booking data confirms that vaccination is the key to rebooting international travel. The most recent research from ForwardKeys shows that destinations prepared to welcome vaccinated tourists have seen a surge in bookings. In particular, Greece and Iceland, have had a significant uptake in inbound flights, while countries where mass vaccination…
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National lockdown in Malaysia as Covid-19 infections surge
Malaysia has gone into full national lockdown amid a surge in Covid-19 infections, including highly contagious variants that are putting the healthcare system under pressure. According to Thai PBS World, the Malaysian PM, Muhyiddin Yassin, has announced a ban on social gatherings and inter-state and inter-district travel. “Malaysia is facing a third wave of Covid-19 that could trigger a national…
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Chinese study confirms Sinovac vaccine safe for over 60s
Health officials in Thailand say there is no need for concern about use of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine the over 60s, after a Chinese study confirmed it is safe. Sophon Mekhton from the Public Health Ministry says the independent study should reassure everyone about the vaccine’s safety in the older age group. According to the Bangkok Post, the study also…
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Tuesday Covid UPDATE: 31 new deaths and 1,919 new infections
The Thai public health officials have reported that there has been 31 Covid-related deaths and 1,919 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. • An entry ban has been extended to cover foreign travellers coming from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as India, to help contain any further “highly contagious” Indian variants of Covid-19. The includes all foreigners departing…
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Health officials race to vaccinate 70% of Khlong Toey slum residents
Health officials are racing to vaccinate 70% of residents in Bangkok’s Khlong Toey neighbourhood, the largest slum in the city where hundreds have tested positive for Covid-19 since April. With people living in crowded conditions and many unable to take off work to self-isolate, Thai authorities have been rolling out proactive Covid-19 testing and a mass vaccination campaign in an…
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ICU beds for Covid-19 patients in Phuket are close to a “critical” low
Covid-19 patients in severe condition may have to been transferred from a government hospital in Phuket to a private hospital as the number of available hospital beds at public intensive care units in Phuket is close to a “critical” low, according to Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Chalermpong Sukontapol. There are 9 ICU rooms at the Vachira Phuket Hospital. 5 are…
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Thailand News Today | Thai government throws TG under bus, new police uniforms | May 10
Forum Moderator Application… HERE In today’s Thailand News Today we look at… State Enterprise Policy Office says the government will not bank-roll a billion-baht cash injection for Thai Airways, Public buses, cars, and motorbike taxis now need to comply with tougher Covid-19 measures, After a 3-day search, a body of a missing fisherman was found off the coast of Lin…
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Covid-19 variant first detected in India reported in Thailand state quarantine
The mutated strain of Covid-19 that was first reported in India has been detected in Thailand. Health officials say a Thai woman and her young son tested positive for the variant while in quarantine for those arriving in Thailand from overseas. The mother and her sons, ages 4, 6, and 8, had arrived in Thailand from Pakistan on April 24,…
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‘Safe zone’ in Thailand for refugees fleeing Myanmar violence
Due to the ongoing violence between the Myanmar military and ethnic troops, the Thai military has set up a “safe zone” for thousands of refugees in Mae Hong Son near the Salween River, the natural border between Thailand and Myanmar. The prominent armed wing of the Karen National Union has openly supported the anti-coup movement in Myanmar, leading to clashes…
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Covid UPDATE: 1,630 new cases and 22 deaths, provincial totals
1,630 new Covid-19 cases and 22 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. There are now 29,376 active Covid-19 cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 85,005 Covid-19 cases and 421 Covid-related deaths. Out of the 22 deaths, most of the patients had chronic illnesses. Many contracted…
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