Daily news from Thailand

[thailandgr]

Beach’s Closed! Full Moon Party Cancelled by Virus Fears

SURAT THANI — The wildest party for gap year farangs in the world has been cancelled due fears of the coronavirus, local administration announced Thursday.

Per directives from the Ministry of Health, Koh Phangan chief Wattana Buranathanang said the Full Moon Party would be cancelled until the coronavirus subsided, starting from March 8 – a further major blow to the already struggling tourism industry.

Provincial authorities have also asked private operators to cooperate with the ban on Full Moon parties, which draw at least 10,000 tourists every month.

The Full Moon Party is a free-for-all party full of body paint, music, and buckets of alcohol at Rin Beach on Koh Phangan.

It is unclear whether other gatherings on Phangan, like Half Moon and Black Moon parties, would also be cancelled, but an official there said a similar ban is very likely.

In November, it was announced that 12,000 Russians alone were coming to visit Surat Thani from Dec. 27 through April 22.

[thailandgr]

Tesco sells its Asian stores in £8bn deal

UK retail giant Tesco has agreed to sell its operations in Thailand and Malaysia for ($10.6bn) £8bn.
The supermarket chain has 2,000 stores across both countries, under the Tesco Lotus brand, and is selling them to Thai conglomerate CP Group.
Chief executive Dave Lewis said the sale would allow Tesco "to further simplify and focus" its business.
He also said £5bn of the proceeds would be returned to shareholders via a special dividend.
Tesco revealed in December it had received interest for its Asian stores, which employ about 60,000 people, but did not reveal the bidders.

Tesco's only other overseas stores are in Ireland and in central Europe, including Poland and Hungary.
The retailer added that the sale would also slash debt and streamline the group, enabling a "stronger focus" on UK, Irish and central European activities.
The proposed sale was unanimously agreed by the Tesco board, but needs approval from shareholders and regulators. The deal is set to be finalised in the second half of this year.
The move comes as Mr Lewis prepares to step down this year, having overseen a major overhaul at Tesco during his five years in charge. He has cut thousands of jobs as part of a massive cost-cutting programme.
CP Group is Thailand's largest private company and one of the world's largest conglomerates, owning more than 10,000 Seven Eleven stores and one of Asia's largest telecommunications firms.
The group actually owned the stores - when they were known as Lotus - back in the late 1990s, but sold them to Tesco after losing money during the Asian financial crisis of 1997.

[thailandgr]

Krungthai Bank joins Kasikorn Bank with suspending all foreign currency exchange

Krungthai Bank has stepped up its Covid-19 measures, including suspending currency exchange service at all branches and closing its 53 FX booths nationwide from 2 pm today (March 11) until further notice.

Staff involved in FX service have been told to self-quarantine at home for 14 days. As of now, none have been tested positive for the virus infection.

Earlier Kasikornbank announced a similar statement that it had halted currency exchange service at all branches and forex booths nationwide indefinitely, starting from 5 pm Sunday( March .

Suspension of the service will continue until the coronavirus outbreak eases off.

Employees working at forex booths that have been closed are instructed to self-quarantine at home for 14 days in accordance with the guidelines of the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health. As of now, no KBank employee has been found to be infected with the virus.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30383861

[thailandgr]

#COVID19 THAILAND — Chiang Mai and Hat Yai province has cancelled all Songkran Festival activities this year planned for April 12-15 in a decision to help prevent the coronavirus spread.

[thailandgr]

Store Workers In Thailand Caught Ironing And Reselling Used Facemasks

The coronavirus outbreak is a rising pandemic and it seems it is bringing out the worst in people as well. There is panic everywhere in the world and hoarding of facemasks and sanitizers is becoming increasingly common. However, that is not the only way in which human greed has come to the forefront as this deadly disease spreads. Some truly horrifying cases have come to light that put humanity to shame.

Capitalizing on mass fear is not unheard of but you wouldn’t have guessed what the Thai police uncovered in a raid on 2nd March, Monday. At a second-hand store near Bangkok, in a province named Saraburi, officers discovered an operation of reselling used facemasks.

6 workers were caught washing and repackaging used masks for sale. The owner of the store admitted that she had so far sold almost 200,000 such recycled masks on online platforms such as Facebook. The workers were paid up to 1 baht for every recycled mask. That is approximately $0.03 per mask. They were recycling up to 400 masks daily. The authorities suspect that the store was processing tens of thousands of facemasks by putting them in washing machines, ironing them out, and then packaging them in new boxes. The used masks were allegedly sourced through a third-party dealer. They were being resold at the price of 3 Baht or $0.10 on Facebook.

The first incident of a death caused by coronavirus was recorded on 29th February in Thailand. At the time of writing this article, there are 47 cases of infection out of which 31 have recovered. A shortage of masks and hand-sanitizers is expected as people are in a hoarding frenzy.

The Thai government announced on 4th March that they’d be overtaking the full responsibility of distributing face masks throughout the country. The Ministry of Commerce will have a ‘Mask Management Centre’ for authorized distribution of masks in the country. Before this announcement, the manufactures were only liable to supply half the quantity of their production to the government and sell the rest directly in the market. No wonder it has led to inflation.

Earlier, in February the government had listed them as price-controlled products. But despite that, up to 43 retailers were found guilty of overcharging for the product. Even then the quality is not assured as a lot of users complained of getting sub-par quality masks, which were so thin you could see through them, like this person posted on Twitter:

บาปกูยังหนากว่า pic.twitter.com/I4x4ksgfLR

— ITRC 😼กล้ามากกกกกกที่จะไม่กลับไปรักเธอ! (@charoenpura) March 2, 2020

The people soon came up with creative ideas to avoid this. They have started inking or slashing the facemasks before disposing of them to deter those trying to profit from this unethical practice.

Other countries too face the problem of hoarding and inflation of facemasks and hand sanitizers. People in the US are facing an all-time high prices for commodities such as hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes. The price of the former is shooting up to as much as $149 for two bottles and the latter up to $58.84 per container.

It is advisable to consult your physician and take the precautions they and the government are mentioning. Let’s not spread panic and misinformation about coronavirus.

[thailandgr]

SCB and Krungthai Banks following Kasikorn in closing their foreign exchange facilities, as well as adding other measures to protect their staff

[thailandgr]

IATA (The International Air Transport Association) has daily updates on the worldwide travel situation, noting country by country restrictions, here: https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/international-travel-document-news/1580226297.htm
Current requirements regarding Thailand in the attached image.
Note the requirements from the current list of top tier risk countries including Italy require medical insurance of 100,000 USD.

[thailandgr]

Krungsri Bank becomes fourth major bank to stop foreign currency exchange



Following the lead of several banks, Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya PCL) has also temporarily suspended its currency exchange services at all branches and forex booths nationwide, starting at 1 pm today (March 13 , 2020) as a pre-emptive measure against the spread of Covid-19.

According to the bank’s statement today, suspension of the service will continue until the situation improves, taking into account the safety of all customers, employees, and visitors.

In this regard, the bank’s clients can continue to use its forex services by applying for Krungsri Boarding Card service via Krungsri Mobile App (KMA) for convenient, speedy, and safe transactions.

All employees working at forex booths have been instructed to self-quarantine at home for 14 days.

On March 11, Krungthai Bankannounced that it was stepping up Covid-19 measures, including suspending currency exchange service at all branches and closing its 53 FX booths nationwide from 2 pm Wednesday (March 11) until further notice. Siam Commercial Bank also stopped.

Earlier Kasikornbank announced a similar statement that it had halted currency exchange service at all branches and forex booths nationwide indefinitely, starting from 5 pm Sunday( March .

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30384023

[thailandgr]

BREAKING: Laos closing most if not all of its borders. Nakhon Phanom Immigration (photo) closing indefinitely.

Not there yet - but if land borders around #Thailand are completely closed, obviously this will affect those who do border or visa runs in order to extend their stay here.

[thailandgr]

TAT update: Thailand postpones Songkran 2020, temporarily closes venues with large crowds

Bangkok, 17 March, 2020, at 16.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to inform international and domestic tourists that the Royal Thai Government today announced several measures to limit the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Measures to limit people’s movement and travel

    Thai New Year, or Songkran, holidays and celebrations, from 13-15 April, 2020, to be postponed until further notice.
    14-day closure of universities, international schools and tutorial schools, from 18 to 31 March, 2020
    Temporary closure of Muay Thai stadiums, sports stadiums, horse race tracks, cinemas, pubs/bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok and the vicinity until the situation improves.
    The hosting of events and activities which attract large crowds; such as, concerts, exhibitions and trade fairs, and religious, cultural and sport events, will be up to the discretion of each provincial governor and the local communicable disease control office.

For venues that need to remain open, including shopping venues, markets and office buildings, the government has asked for stricter surveillance measures. Operators of shops and restaurants are also asked to implement stricter screening and cleanliness.

This press release is published on 17 March, 2020, at 16.00 Hrs. All information is accurate at the current time but can be changed depending on the situation. The TAT Newsroom will not be updating this press release but will issue new updates as soon as further information becomes available.


https://www.tatnews.org/2020/03/tat-update-thailand-postpones-songkran-2020-temporarily-closes-venues-with-large-crowds/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tat-update-thailand-postpones-songkran-2020-temporarily-closes-venues-with-large-crowds

[thailandgr]

[thailandgr]

Coronavirus Follow Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Thailand here – live tracker

Understandably residents in Thailand are wanting to know where the current Covid-19 Coronavirus cases are around the Kingdom.

HERE’S an interactive map to follow the cases around the country.

Check todays latest news on the Coronavirus cases in Thailand here…

https://covidtracker.5lab.co/en

[thailandgr]

📢 The FCO #TravelAdvice for Thailand 🇹🇭 has been updated on 21 March.
The situation is changing rapidly. Read the full advice and keep up to date by signing up to email alerts on our Travel Advice page: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand

📍On 21 March the Governor of Bangkok announced a further set of restrictions in Bangkok including closing malls and markets from 22 March – 12 April. Supermarkets, pharmacies, sections in malls selling foodstuffs and restaurants offering takeaway service remain open. Many entertainment venues such as pubs and clubs, and educational institutions are already closed. Further restrictions are expected.

📍If you wish to leave Thailand you should make a plan to leave now and contact your airline. We are aware that many airlines are suspending or reducing flights, both direct and indirect, to the United Kingdom. All British Airways flights are suspended from 29th March. We anticipate that you will find it increasingly difficult to return to the UK. This disruption is likely to last for many months.

📍You should also familiarise yourself with your airline’s policies towards coronavirus, including whether special requirements are in place such as providing a medical health certificate during the check-in procedure. You should also familiarise yourself with the coronavirus policies of your travel or health insurance provider.

📌If you have consular enquiries please contact us at https://www.contact-embassy.service.gov.uk/…

📌If you’re in Thailand and you need urgent help, call +66(0)2 305 8333. If you’re in the UK and worried about a British national in Thailand, call 020 7008 1500.

[thailandgr]

 Mo Chit bus station earlier today. Lots of people, including migrant workers trying to get to Laos, all leaving Bangkok after their work shutdown due to COVID-19

[thailandgr]