Thailand

Thailand’s gold shops are running out of cash because so many people want to sell ornaments, jewelry and bars amid an economic slowdown. “I’m asking people to sell gradually, not in large amounts, as shops may face a cash crunch,” Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said in a briefing Wednesday in Bangkok. The yellow metal remains a popular way for Thais …

The Energy Ministry confirmed the private sector’s call for it to reduce the price of electricity by 5 per cent for large enterprises and is looking into what can be done to help them, Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong has said. He added that initially the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) had told the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) and the …

Provinces across the country have continued to enforce stringent measures to minimize the spread of COVID-19. In Nong Khai, the alcohol sale ban has been extended to 30th April, while the governor of Phichit has attended a local flea market, giving vendors recommendations for personal protection. Nong Khai province has announced an extension of the ban on the sale of …

From April 24th or 25th, to May 23rd or 24th this year, Muslims will observe Ramadan. During this period, they will practice fasting and take part in religious activities at mosques, residences or other designated areas. The Sheikhul lslam of Thailand, Aziz Phitakkumpon, has issued an announcement urging Muslims to take the necessary precautionary measures to help prevent the spread …

Thai social media users mocked China for authoritarian rule and likened President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh. A comparison that is also banned in China. “Thailand is poor, but China is Pooh,” read one viral tweet. Social media anger from Chinese communists over a Thai internet model’s comments on the virus from Wuhan has set off a storm. Uniting …

Nonthaburi Governor Sujin Chaichumsak announced on Monday (April 13) that the province would ease its shutdown order for some establishments that are necessary for daily life. From April 15, barber shops, beauty salons (for hair cutting only), courier services, lottery stalls, office equipment stores, construction material shops, furniture shops, mobile phone service shops and stores dealing with computers, electrical appliances …

The Agriculture Ministry is asking the government to hand farmers monthly payments of Bt5,000 for six months to maintain the agricultural supply amid forecasts of global food shortages within three months. Alongkorn Ponlaboot, adviser to the agriculture minister, said that the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the World Trade Organisation all predict that food shortages will become another …

Thailand’s total number of Covid-19 patients rose to 2,613 with 34 new cases confirmed over a 24-hour period, and one more death, Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, as of April 14, 2020. This compares with 54 new cases on Thursday, 50 on Friday, 45 on Saturday, 33 on Sunday and 28 on Monday. He …

The US Consulate in Chiang Mai has reported the U.S. DEA assisted the Thai Government in a large-scale operation to take down 5 drug trafficking networks with money laundering operations worth over 3 billion baht. With support from U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Chiang Mai Sensitive Investigative Unit (SIU), the Royal Thai Government arrested 15 suspects who are involved in …

A 51 year-old Muslim man from southern Thailand who was due to be released from Covid-19 quarantine has jumped to his death. He jumped from the 5th floor of a state hospital in Samut Prakan on Monday morning, police said. Police found the body of a man in a pool of blood on the terrace of the second floor. He was wearing …