.($ 1= 33. 3500 baht)( Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Emelia Sithole

( Fixes typo in paragraph 1 to show word is viral vaccine, not vital) BANGKOK( Reuters)-Thailand's mass immunisation strategy against the coronavirus will now include administering a shot of AstraZeneca's viral vector vaccine after one dose of Sinovac's vaccine, its health minister said on Monday, The move aims to increase protection against highly transmissible variants, Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters.( This story fixes typo in paragraph 1 to show word is viral vaccine, not vital)( Reportin

BANGKOK( Reuters)-Thailand had rescued 59 Rohingya refugees, including children, from an island who had been abandoned by people smugglers on an island close to the Malaysian border, police said on Sunday. The Rohingya-31 men, 23 women, and five children-were found on Dong island in Satun province, which borders Malaysia, assistant national police chief Surachate Hakparn said in a statement." The boat driver told them they had arrived in Malaysia and left them on the island a few days ago before

AYUTTHAYA, Thailand( Reuters)-Several temples in Thailand's historic city of Ayutthaya were underwater on Wednesday, as heavy monsoon rains flooded provinces across the country. More than 40 temples in Ayutthaya, home to ancient Buddhist temples, ruins, and monuments, have been affected by the floods, the city administration said.At one of the temples, Wat Satue, monks paddled small boats through water that ranged from thigh deep to neck level." This is the worst flood in 10 years," its abbot Ph

" The health ministry will propose measures first to limit travel and so that people do not leave their homes unless necessary," the ministry's permanent secretary, Kiatiphum Wongrajit, told reporters, noting a halt to inter-provincial travel was also being proposed.... Other measures being proposed include closing down non-essential venues and areas that attract crowds, Kiatiphum said. The rules would be in place for 14 days and would cover the Bangkok metropolitan area and" buffer zones", Kia

BANGKOK( Reuters)-Thai police on Saturday said that a man had been taken into custody for the death of a Swiss tourist on the island of Phuket earlier this week.... It's finished," police chief Suwat Jangyodsuk told reporters.... He said a suspect had been detained, but did not give further details when responding to questions from reporters....

BANGKOK( Reuters)-Hundreds of freight trucks deliberately clogged a major thoroughfare of Thailand's notoriously congested capital on Tuesday, seeking to pressure the government into lowering diesel prices.... Ministry spokesperson Sompop Pattanariyankool said truck drivers' demands would require 18 billion baht($ 546.8 million) per month in state subsidies, which" cannot be done".... Khomdet Jumpaman, who drove 700 km( 435 miles) from the northern province of Chiang Mai, said he was strugglin

BANGKOK( Reuters)-Thailand's cabinet has backed a plan to buy four fighter jets starting in the next fiscal year, an air force spokesman said on Wednesday, with a budget of 13.8 billion baht($ 413.67 million) set aside for the procurement. The approval follows a recent expression of interest by the air force chief, Air Chief Marshal Napadej Dhupatemiya, in procuring eight F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin Corp of the United States. The cabinet has agreed the budget for a four-year period st

By Jiraporn Kuhakan, Chayut Setboonsarng2 Min ReadBANGKOK( Reuters)-More than a thousand Thai anti-government protesters clashed with police on Saturday, as they demonstrated against the government’s failure to handle coronavirus outbreaks and its impact on the economy. Slideshow( 4 images) About a hundred police officers in riot gear sealed off a road near Victory Monument in the capital Bangkok with containers and used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to stop a march toward Government

BANGKOK( Reuters)-Thousands of people on the outskirts of Thailand's capital were being evacuated on Monday as firefighters battled blazes for hours after a factory explosion that killed a rescue worker and wounded 29 people, officials said.... A large cloud of black smoke could be seen from Bangkok and the city's water authority warned people against drinking potentially contaminated rainwater.... Samut Prakan residents living within five kilometres( 3.1 miles) of the factory were being moved