Daily news from Thailand

[thailandgr]

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[thailandgr]

[thailandgr]

Thailand might be the next Italy



A doctor has posted online his opinion on the Covid-19 situation in Thailand, stating that Thailand might become the next Italy. The Facebook Page “Stories from doctor on the border” in Thai posted “I can predict that 10 days from now Thailand will be the next Italy.

The number of patients will jump up and people will die so fast that no one can help them. This can be someone in your family, or you. This is because our definition of Social distancing and Self-quarantine is not serious enough. Still going out, dining outside, celebrations with more than 60 people. You can’t warn them because they’ll just give you hell.

Citizens are traveling outside of the shutdown areas and no one is stopping them. When people are traveling out of the city with the highest number of cases to return home, this is just like Italy… When those in charge aren’t doing anything and in some ways making it worse. There is already a shortage of hospital equipment. I am not confident enough to say that this is controllable. Is it time that the people work together to stop the pandemic?”

Another doctor Withan Thanawuth, M.D., from Siriraj Hospital, revealed a graph of the situation in Thailand that is similar to Italy’s and Iran’s graphs. The number of cases is rising fast in a short period of time, leading to a health care system that cannot keep up. The graph is based on Vox analysis of the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University data, through March 15. Iran is represented in Orange, South Korea in yellow, Italy in navy, USA in pink, Japan in blue, Singapore in green, Hongkong in purple, and Thailand in red.

The doctor reveals that Thailand right now is at a crucial point, if we can control the situation in time then Thailand will follow Japan and Singapore. But, if the number keeps on jumping up in the next 5-7 days then we will follow Italy and Iran. He also expressed his confusion as to why the government won’t communicate more to the people, this is so that we can all understand how important this situation actually is and take action in preventing the spread of Covid-19. The most useful action the people can take right now is to stay home.


https://pattayaone.news/thailand-might-next-italy

[thailandgr]

Nine Thai airlines get the nod to ground flights during Covid-19 crisis

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has allowed nine airlines to halt their flights due to the Covid-19 situation, director-general Chula Sukmanop said on Tuesday (March 24).
“The nine airlines that had submitted requests to temporarily halt their operations are: Thai Airways International, THAI Smile, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai AirAsia X, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Nok Scoot and Thai VietJet Air,” he said. “Most airlines want to cancel only some flights and some routes, so we have approved their requests accordingly.
"However, they must have plans to compensate customers who have already bought their tickets and they must notify the customers of flight cancelations in advance.”
Thai Lion Air had earlier announced that they would suspend all domestic and international flights between March 25 and April 30, while THAI Smile, Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways also announced that they would suspend all international flights from March 22 until further notice.
THAI also announced on Tuesday that all TG flights to Europe will be suspended from April 1 to May 31, while regional flights (including Singapore) would be suspended from March 25 to May 31.
The Ministry of Transport had earlier announced that airlines wishing to cancel their flights due to force majeure must compensate their customers by refunding the cost of tickets and other related fees. In case the customers had bought tickets with cash, the refund transaction must be completed within seven days of the customers submitting their request.

http://www.nationthailand.com/news/30384783

[thailandgr]

State of emergency tightens rules for foreigners travelling to Thailand

Thailand has effectively closed its doors for non-resident foreigners wanting to enter the country under the state of emergency that comes into force on Thursday (March 26), Only some groups of people will be allowed to enter and exit the country and only the prime minister and responsible authorities will be authorised to open the borders in special cases.

Those who transport goods will be allowed to enter the country provided they leave quickly. Operators of land, sea and air transport like drivers, pilots and ship crew must follow their time table. Diplomatic staff, members of international organisations and government representatives who have missions in Thailand are allowed to come in. Their family members also will be allowed if authorised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Non-Thai nationals who have work permits in Thailand also will be allowed. Thai nationals contracted with a Thai embassy or consulate must obtain a fit-to-fly health certificate issued no more than 72 hours before travelling.

[thailandgr]

30 horses die in one day in Thailand’s Northeast

30 horses have mysteriously died in Thailand’s Northeast yesterday.
The Thailand Equestrian Federation is urging horse fanciers not to transport any animals until a cause can be identified. It’s unlikely the situation has anything to do with the Covid-19 outbreak.
10 of the horses had sudden severe seizures before dying and the other 20 repeatedly bucked and jumped before collapsing, dead.



Veterinarians are performing autopsies to try and discover what happened.
The federation is concerned that a shared disease could be the cause, and has asked the Department of Livestock Development and other government agencies to investigate the matter urgently.

[thailandgr]

Bangkok Post headline on Saturday:
♦️PM condemns curfew breakers https://t.co/jKJNlpUWO2
♦️Prayut to attend virtual Asean leaders meet over virus efforts https://t.co/DLDnYRwsoh
♦️Cold water poured on fun at Songkran https://t.co/3HvBxdKjRu #COVID19 #โควิด19 #Thailand pic.twitter.com/xkVPPc1nTU

— Richard Barrow (@RichardBarrow) April 11, 2020

[teo]

https://sea.mashable.com/culture/9977/on-top-of-coronavirus-thailand-is-now-battling-forest-fires-too

[thailandgr]

TOURISM
Thailand will close this year with only 16 million international tourists plus 60 million domestic trips.
Before Covid-19 outbreak the prediction was for 40 million international and 172 million domestic trips.
The (always optimistic) TAT estimates that Thailand will have lost almost 24 million tourists and 1.9 trillion baht this year.
When do you think international tourists will start coming back?







thethaiger.com

[YanniF]

Stranded foreign tourists are expressing their gratitude to Thai local authorities and the people of Thailand for their hospitality and assistance after being stranded in southern Thailand due to flight cancellations amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Foreigners stuck on Ko Phi Phi are expressing their sincere appreciation and gratitude for Thailand’s renowned hospitality and warmth to strangers, and say they are coping as well as can be expected given the current conditions that prevent them from returning home to their respective countries.

They are keen to express their appreciation, including praising the Thais for being a good host, each is receiving free medical care, free food, free masks, free hand washing gel, and free visa exemption while staying in a tropical paradise.

One foreign visitor said, "The generosity of the Thai people has warmed my heart after spending two months on a small island in the South of Thailand during the global COVID-19 outbreak. Thailand is helping foreign tourists regardless of their status with compassion, warmth, and kindness.”

As part of Ko Phi Phi’s ‘We Care, We Share’ initiative, it is covering the medical expenses for everyone possibly infected with COVID-19, in addition to providing free masks and hand washing gel. Tourists on Ko Phi Phi are also given two free meals a day, along with daily monitoring of symptoms and free testing for those at risk.

Another tourist who posted a message said she had also been stranded on the island for two months and wished to thank Thailand for being a good host, and that she would never forget the kindness extended to her.

Foreign travelers are also finding sanctuary in Thai Buddhist temples across the country. In Surat Thani, Ivan, a 25-year-old Russian engineering student stranded in the country’s South said he could not return home because of the suspension of air services between the two countries. He asked to reside at Wat Mai Phatthana Ram in Surat Thani on 26 March and has remained there ever since.

Ivan is lending a hand with the daily temple work, preparing food in the temple cafeteria, giving out food boxes to Thai villagers in need, while also assisting local villagers who are also dealing with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Surat Thani cattle.

https://thailand.prd.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=9452&filename=index

[Yiannis]

Αν ειναι ετσι, μακάρι να είχα εγκλωβιστεί και εγώ.
   

[YanniF]

Thailand tourism recovery- are we doing enough?

By The Thaiger16-06-2020
OPINION by Andrew J Wood

The wheels of Thailand’s tourism industry are slowly turning. Travel and tourism is starting to move again. Weekends in Hua Hin hotels for instance are close to capacity (with some resorts experiencing 90% occupancy and some even higher). Being close to Bangkok; the weather, air quality and the fact that you can drive from the metropolis definitely helps.

But two out of seven days are not enough and our islands, away from Bangkok are suffering the most. Domestically they receive very few guests and are EXTREMELY reliant on international travellers.


International flights into Thailand are currently not allowed for tourists. The only flights in are carrying repatriated Thai nationals or those with jobs here and holding a work permit or are invited government guests. All have to enter 14 days of quarantine on arrival.


We need international arrivals to support our tourism industry but they will not travel without flights and on arrival having to spend 2 weeks in quarantine. We cannot survive on domestic tourism alone. Last year Thailand welcomed 39.8 million guests.


We are asking for your support. To all our industry friends and professionals we ask you to talk about what our industry decision makers, government and tourism agency/ association colleagues can do to help restart flights. We need to reopen our skies.

We are grateful for the Thai government’s leadership in controlling Covid-19. Thailand was recently ranked second in the Global Covid-19 Recovery Index after Australia, and is first in Asia in the same index.


Thailand is regarded as a leading light, a flagship of Asian tourism. Thailand’s tourism industry needs flights to recover and, in turn, protect valuable jobs. Opening up a dialogue to help make it more accessible for foreign visitors to travel to Thailand is vital.

The industry requests the help from Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn and Tourism Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn. PM Prayut Chan-ocha announced that international travel is possible on a bilateral basis. No further details however have been released.


The Thai Government has done an excellent job in controlling the coronavirus pandemic with only 3,135 infections and just 58 deaths. They are to be congratulated. It is encouraging to note that Thailand has logged no new local Covid-19 infections for the past 22 days. As we move into the recovery phase we need to now restart international flights into and out of Thailand.

Without air lift, recovery for some businesses, will simply not happen. 1,000 tourists, which is the maximum figure per day the government are suggesting, will in our opinion be too few to support the tourism industry. Thailand’s tourism industry, is a major employer, which directly and indirectly affects millions. For almost two decades, the industry has been providing employment for 1-in-10 of all workers here.


The peripheral grey market that supports tourism has also been widely affected. The street vendors for instance and other low paid informal workers struggle daily.

It is important to all business owners to keep our valued employees and maintain trust with them. Please help support the tourism industry’s call to allow international tourists to once again revisit these shores.

In your webinars and zoom meetings; in your social media interactions and discussions and industry meetings, please ensure that your opinion on restarting international flights and protecting tourism jobs are made known.

Respectfully,

Andrew J Wood, President

Skål International Bangkok

About the author…

Andrew J Wood was born in Yorkshire England, he is a professional hotelier, Skalleague and travel writer. Andrew has 48 years of hospitality and travel experience. He is a hotel graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh. Andrew is a past Director of Skål International (SI), National President SI Thailand and is currently President of SI Bangkok and a VP of both SI Thailand and SI Asia. He is a regular guest lecturer at various Universities in Thailand including Assumption University’s Hospitality School and the Japan Hotel School in Tokyo.

https://thethaiger.com/news/opinion/thailand-tourism-recovery-are-we-doing-enough

[YanniF]

Seven groups of foreigners expected to be allowed entry


The government plans to allow seven groups of foreigners to enter the country, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announced today (June 22). The committee has divided these into two main groups.

The first group may not include those under the so-called “travel bubble” international pact as they may be required to undertake state quarantine on entry:

1. Businessman and investors (around 700 have registered to enter).

2. Skilled labourers and exporters who need to inspect factories or for specific business purposes (around 22,000 have registered).

3. Foreigners married to Thais, or permanent residents of Thailand (around 2,000 have registered).

4. Medical and wellness tourists (around 30,000 have registered).



The other group comprises travellers who won’t need to go into quarantine on entry:

1. Businessman on short-duration stays, including those coming into the country for business discussions. This group might need a specific area and intense screening both before travel and at arrival at airports. Considered a “power group”, these are entrepreneurs who will visit the country to sign business contracts or inspect sites or factories, which is essential to the economy.

2. Government guests who are invited for ceremonies or specific seminars.

3. Tourists under the travel bubble. Dr Taweesin said that the target countries are China, Japan and South Korea, which are presently trying to contain the virus.

The CCSA aims to discuss the issue in depth with the Cabinet after finalising the details

[halfway inn]

State of emergency extended until end of July

June 29, 2020

The state of emergency was extended for another month, until July 31, at Monday (June 29)’s meeting of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The meeting, which was headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, considered the fifth phase of lockdown easing, the state of emergency, and the reopening of Thailand’s border to foreigners.

The CCSA reportedly extended the state of emergency to aid the fifth-phase easing and the reopening of schools and colleges on July 1.

Businesses set to be reopened on July 1 include pubs, bars and entertainment venues.

THE NATION

[halfway inn]

UK supermarkets may ban Thai coconut products over use of monkeys

July 4, 2020



The Thai Animals Protection Association has urged the Commerce and Agriculture ministries to issue a clarification to British retailers quickly about the use of pigtailed macaques in the harvesting of coconuts in Thailand.

Mr. Roger Lohanan, secretary-general of the association, made the call after four British retailers pledged to stop offering coconut products that use monkey labour in their production.

According to a BBC report on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s conservationist fiancée, Carrie Symonds, called on all other supermarkets to stop selling the products, which include certain brands of coconut water and coconut milk.
“I am glad Waitrose, Co-op, Boots & Ocado have vowed not to sell products that use monkey labor, while Morrisons has already removed them from its stores,” Symonds tweeted.

Mr. Lohanan said that the use of animal labor, such as macaque monkeys to pick up coconuts, is a separate issue from cruelty to animals, pointing out that farmers have been using the labor of cattle and elephants for generations, just as farmers in the West have used horses and dogs in agriculture.
Animal rights protection groups should evaluate how the animals are treated and trained, before declaring it whether cruelty is involved, said Mr. Lohanan, adding that monkeys, cattle and elephants are treated like part of the family.

Accusing Thai people of being cruel to the monkeys for using them to pick coconuts is unfair, he said.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an American animal rights group, however, said it had found eight farms in Thailand where monkeys are forced to pick coconuts for export. Male monkeys are able to pick up to 1,000 coconuts a day while a human can pick about 80, said PETA.

The group claims that monkeys are captured as babies and trained, often being chained to old car tires or confined in cages.

The Walmart-owned ASDA supermarket chain said it was removing two specific brands from sale, while it investigates the report with its suppliers.

“We expect our suppliers to uphold the highest production standards at all times and we will not tolerate any form of animal abuse in our supply chain,” it said in a statement.


Source: Thai PBS WORLD