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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
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Showdown at Suvarnabhumi roils retail
Luxury outlet mall Central Village is threatening established players near the airport, and a similar complex is due to land next year
PUBLISHED : 2 SEP 2019 AT 04:30
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS
A plane flies over Central Village, a luxury outlet near Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
The shopping landscape is about to change drastically around Suvarnabhumi airport with the addition of two new premium outlet malls, representing a challenge to the retail throne dominated by the local duty-free kingpin.
Central Village, a 5-billion-baht project of Central Pattana Plc (CPN), is beset with regulatory issues raised by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) and has set its footprint by moving into an area dominated by duty-free giant King Power Group. The outlet opened Saturday on a site just a 10-minute drive from the airport.
Siam Premium Outlets, a joint venture of Siam Piwat and US-based Simon Property Group, will be situated a similar distance from the airport and is slated to launch in the first half of 2020.
Outlet malls, which feature a collection of brand-name stores offering surplus and out-of-season merchandise at deep discounts, are a long-time fixture in Europe, North America and East Asia.
Usually located on the outskirts of big cities, these developments provide a way for brands to offload excess stock while letting bargain-hungry shoppers grab normally expensive brands at low prices.
Since Thailand has cemented its reputation as a major tourist destination in Southeast Asia, these retailers also aim to kill two birds with one stone by luring both locals and foreign tourists to designated outlet malls.
But it remains to be seen whether this burgeoning retail model will succeed, and whether Thailand stands to benefit.
A GOOD FIT?
The outlet mall model offers a challenge, but it also presents an opportunity for the two new developments, according to Derek Keswakaroon, a partner in Bain & Co's Bangkok office.
The retail market in Thailand has been growing at a healthy rate of 3-4%, mostly driven by Chinese tourism, Mr Derek said. Thailand's 30% tax on imported luxury products makes it tough to compete against more shopper-friendly Hong Kong and Singapore.
"In Thailand, particularly when talking about luxury products, especially with the tax, purchasing power for premium products is not that much and retailers' primary goal is to get consumers to buy them at full retail," he said. "Demand for luxury products is inelastic in Thailand, so it could be risky to offer these prices, and offloading excess inventory is not as urgent in a market like Thailand where they are not holding that many products to begin with."
Looking at Central Village's brand line-up, top-tier brands like Gucci and Boss are not available at the much-touted outlet mall, Mr Derek said.
"There may be some hesitation as to which brands want to associate with outlets," he said. "If you compare to the US, only a small percentage of brands are available that you would see in a US outlet."
But both outlets have good locations for attracting tourists with deep pockets, and the current line-up of stores at Central Village also includes a mid-range band of stores that would be popular with Thai shoppers.
For the current dominant force in the area, King Power -- which owns and operates duty-free stores at Suvarnabhumi airport and at King Power Srivaree Complex, 15 kilometres from the airport -- the new outlets will likely cause a tremor to its presence and earnings.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
According to CPN deputy chief executive Wallaya Chirathivat, the company's strategy for making Central Village a success will be to offer everyday sales of 35-70% off on a wide range of luxury brands and attract tourists and locals with restaurants, a hotel and other amenities.
"This is the first time that a luxury outlet mall is built in Thailand, and this kind of project can help boost Thailand's economy, especially in the tourism industry," Ms Wallaya said. "Every tourist destination city around the world must have this shopping format to attract customer traffic with high purchasing power."
She expects 65% of the outlet's customer base to be Thais, while the remaining 35% will be tourists mainly from China, Russia, South Korea and Malaysia.
Global brands are also starting to target a new consumer segment, the "young affluent" -- brand-obsessed status hunters aged 25-45 who catalogue their lives on social media.
The launch of the brand-new Central Village has not proceeded without controversy.
On Aug 21, AoT claimed that the project was encroaching on state land (owned by the Treasury Department) under the supervision of AoT and put up a sign to that effect on the disputed land.
It then blocked the entrance to Gate 1 of Central Village the next day by setting up a large tent and placing intermittent barriers on the road for a distance of 1km. As a result, the project's construction workers could not bring materials and tools to the site.
CPN responded by filing a petition with the Central Administrative Court and accusing AoT of breaching the permit it received from the Highways Department to build the access road from Highway 370.
One day before the scheduled launch date, the court granted CPN an injunction and ordered the lifting of obstacles blocking access to Central Village.
AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn denied criticism that AoT was protecting the interests of King Power, its duty-free shop concessionaire and the party seen with the most to lose if a mall of this scale opens nearby.
A rendering of an outlet mall to be developed by Simon Property Group through a joint venture with Siam Piwat.
SIZZLING BANG NA
For flyers with long layovers at the airport, they now have an alternative shopping option to duty-free stores and could take a trip to the outlets nearby.
Phattarachai Taweewong, associate director of the research department at property consultant Colliers International Thailand, said the recent opening of Central Village is something new to Thailand.
"Tourists are likely the main targets at the new luxury outlet mall, as Thais usually buy luxury items abroad," Mr Phattarachai said. "But the new mall will draw local people with food and beverages."
He said upper-end foreign tourists have high purchasing power, as shown by their high spending at inner-city luxury shopping complexes like Siam Paragon, Central Chidlom, Central Embassy, Emporium and EmQuartier.
With the improving domestic political situation, the number of tourist arrivals is estimated at 40.2 million this year, with international tourist revenue anticipated at 2.21 trillion baht, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
"Retail business in the Bang Na area will be more active with the opening of the two new luxury outlets," Mr Phattarachai said. "If Bangkok Mall at the Bang Na-Trat intersection is completed, competition will be even higher."
According to market research by Colliers, the Bang Na area had total retail space of 501,000 sq m with an occupancy rate of 98% in this year's second quarter. Rental rates are rising 5-7% a year.
The largest facilities were shopping malls with a total of 468,000 sq m, accounting for 93% of total retail space. Some 4% with 22,000 sq m were special stores, and 2% or 10,000 sq m were community malls.
"The Bang Na area attracts investors both from the housing and retail sectors because the location has potential," Mr Phattarachai said. "With high demand for land, land prices have increased by more than 13% per year over the past five years, as building height is limited by city plan regulations."
King Power is the sole duty-free operator at airports operated by Airports of Thailand. WALAILAK KEERATIPIPATPONG
MUCH TO PROVE
Despite having selling points as cash cows equipped with extensive logistics and sourcing networks, especially for Central Group, the two new premium outlets will face a daunting task to live up to the dream of establishing luxury outlet empires of their own.
"A slowdown in tourist arrivals will make [the starting phase of new outlet malls] face difficulty, at least over the next six months, due to the Sino-US trade war, as Chinese tourists make up almost one-third of total tourist arrivals to Thailand," said Thanapong Chirapanidchakul, chief executive of Tanachira Retail Corporation Co, the distributor of Pandora jewellery and Marimekko bags.
Suttatip Perasub, an analyst for commerce and food at Maybank Kim Eng Securities Thailand, said luxury outlets are another business model for business expansion opportunity.
But luxury outlets are not a cure-all for Thailand's existing economic problems.
"The buyer groups are not low-income earners," Ms Suttatip said. "Focus groups are the middle class and high-end consumers with purchasing power. It is difficult to assess whether this business model will be sustainable or not, but luxury outlets in foreign countries have been operating to this day."
In 2008, a report by FSP estimated that the 171 trading outlet centres produced sales of €6.7 billion. Despite the banking crisis and growth of online shopping, outlet centres have gone from strength to strength. Estimated European outlet industry sales rose by 51% from €11.5 billion in 2013 to €17.3 billion in 2017, according to FSP.
Core characteristics luring shoppers to visit outlet malls are brands, location and prices, according to FSP managing director Ken Gunn.
"[Foreign] luxury brands are on sales at the outlets, but there could be local brands as well because tourists would want to purchase products with local aesthetics," said Deunden Nikomborirak, research director for economic governance at the Thailand Development Research Institute.
From a consumer perspective, fiercer competition in the retail industry is favourable because there are more options for consumers to choose from, she said.
"The outlets could help rev up the tourism industry, as the industry is the segment with the highest income distribution," Ms Deunden said. "It is better to have these outlets than not have them near an airport."
Luxury outlet mall Central Village is threatening established players near the airport, and a similar complex is due to land next year
PUBLISHED : 2 SEP 2019 AT 04:30
NEWSPAPER SECTION: BUSINESS
The shopping landscape is about to change drastically around Suvarnabhumi airport with the addition of two new premium outlet malls, representing a challenge to the retail throne dominated by the local duty-free kingpin.
Central Village, a 5-billion-baht project of Central Pattana Plc (CPN), is beset with regulatory issues raised by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) and has set its footprint by moving into an area dominated by duty-free giant King Power Group. The outlet opened Saturday on a site just a 10-minute drive from the airport.
Siam Premium Outlets, a joint venture of Siam Piwat and US-based Simon Property Group, will be situated a similar distance from the airport and is slated to launch in the first half of 2020.
Outlet malls, which feature a collection of brand-name stores offering surplus and out-of-season merchandise at deep discounts, are a long-time fixture in Europe, North America and East Asia.
Usually located on the outskirts of big cities, these developments provide a way for brands to offload excess stock while letting bargain-hungry shoppers grab normally expensive brands at low prices.
Since Thailand has cemented its reputation as a major tourist destination in Southeast Asia, these retailers also aim to kill two birds with one stone by luring both locals and foreign tourists to designated outlet malls.
But it remains to be seen whether this burgeoning retail model will succeed, and whether Thailand stands to benefit.
A GOOD FIT?
The outlet mall model offers a challenge, but it also presents an opportunity for the two new developments, according to Derek Keswakaroon, a partner in Bain & Co's Bangkok office.
The retail market in Thailand has been growing at a healthy rate of 3-4%, mostly driven by Chinese tourism, Mr Derek said. Thailand's 30% tax on imported luxury products makes it tough to compete against more shopper-friendly Hong Kong and Singapore.
"In Thailand, particularly when talking about luxury products, especially with the tax, purchasing power for premium products is not that much and retailers' primary goal is to get consumers to buy them at full retail," he said. "Demand for luxury products is inelastic in Thailand, so it could be risky to offer these prices, and offloading excess inventory is not as urgent in a market like Thailand where they are not holding that many products to begin with."
Looking at Central Village's brand line-up, top-tier brands like Gucci and Boss are not available at the much-touted outlet mall, Mr Derek said.
"There may be some hesitation as to which brands want to associate with outlets," he said. "If you compare to the US, only a small percentage of brands are available that you would see in a US outlet."
But both outlets have good locations for attracting tourists with deep pockets, and the current line-up of stores at Central Village also includes a mid-range band of stores that would be popular with Thai shoppers.
For the current dominant force in the area, King Power -- which owns and operates duty-free stores at Suvarnabhumi airport and at King Power Srivaree Complex, 15 kilometres from the airport -- the new outlets will likely cause a tremor to its presence and earnings.
BREAKING NEW GROUND
According to CPN deputy chief executive Wallaya Chirathivat, the company's strategy for making Central Village a success will be to offer everyday sales of 35-70% off on a wide range of luxury brands and attract tourists and locals with restaurants, a hotel and other amenities.
"This is the first time that a luxury outlet mall is built in Thailand, and this kind of project can help boost Thailand's economy, especially in the tourism industry," Ms Wallaya said. "Every tourist destination city around the world must have this shopping format to attract customer traffic with high purchasing power."
She expects 65% of the outlet's customer base to be Thais, while the remaining 35% will be tourists mainly from China, Russia, South Korea and Malaysia.
Global brands are also starting to target a new consumer segment, the "young affluent" -- brand-obsessed status hunters aged 25-45 who catalogue their lives on social media.
The launch of the brand-new Central Village has not proceeded without controversy.
On Aug 21, AoT claimed that the project was encroaching on state land (owned by the Treasury Department) under the supervision of AoT and put up a sign to that effect on the disputed land.
It then blocked the entrance to Gate 1 of Central Village the next day by setting up a large tent and placing intermittent barriers on the road for a distance of 1km. As a result, the project's construction workers could not bring materials and tools to the site.
CPN responded by filing a petition with the Central Administrative Court and accusing AoT of breaching the permit it received from the Highways Department to build the access road from Highway 370.
One day before the scheduled launch date, the court granted CPN an injunction and ordered the lifting of obstacles blocking access to Central Village.
AoT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn denied criticism that AoT was protecting the interests of King Power, its duty-free shop concessionaire and the party seen with the most to lose if a mall of this scale opens nearby.
A rendering of an outlet mall to be developed by Simon Property Group through a joint venture with Siam Piwat.
SIZZLING BANG NA
For flyers with long layovers at the airport, they now have an alternative shopping option to duty-free stores and could take a trip to the outlets nearby.
Phattarachai Taweewong, associate director of the research department at property consultant Colliers International Thailand, said the recent opening of Central Village is something new to Thailand.
"Tourists are likely the main targets at the new luxury outlet mall, as Thais usually buy luxury items abroad," Mr Phattarachai said. "But the new mall will draw local people with food and beverages."
He said upper-end foreign tourists have high purchasing power, as shown by their high spending at inner-city luxury shopping complexes like Siam Paragon, Central Chidlom, Central Embassy, Emporium and EmQuartier.
With the improving domestic political situation, the number of tourist arrivals is estimated at 40.2 million this year, with international tourist revenue anticipated at 2.21 trillion baht, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
"Retail business in the Bang Na area will be more active with the opening of the two new luxury outlets," Mr Phattarachai said. "If Bangkok Mall at the Bang Na-Trat intersection is completed, competition will be even higher."
According to market research by Colliers, the Bang Na area had total retail space of 501,000 sq m with an occupancy rate of 98% in this year's second quarter. Rental rates are rising 5-7% a year.
The largest facilities were shopping malls with a total of 468,000 sq m, accounting for 93% of total retail space. Some 4% with 22,000 sq m were special stores, and 2% or 10,000 sq m were community malls.
"The Bang Na area attracts investors both from the housing and retail sectors because the location has potential," Mr Phattarachai said. "With high demand for land, land prices have increased by more than 13% per year over the past five years, as building height is limited by city plan regulations."
King Power is the sole duty-free operator at airports operated by Airports of Thailand. WALAILAK KEERATIPIPATPONG
MUCH TO PROVE
Despite having selling points as cash cows equipped with extensive logistics and sourcing networks, especially for Central Group, the two new premium outlets will face a daunting task to live up to the dream of establishing luxury outlet empires of their own.
"A slowdown in tourist arrivals will make [the starting phase of new outlet malls] face difficulty, at least over the next six months, due to the Sino-US trade war, as Chinese tourists make up almost one-third of total tourist arrivals to Thailand," said Thanapong Chirapanidchakul, chief executive of Tanachira Retail Corporation Co, the distributor of Pandora jewellery and Marimekko bags.
Suttatip Perasub, an analyst for commerce and food at Maybank Kim Eng Securities Thailand, said luxury outlets are another business model for business expansion opportunity.
But luxury outlets are not a cure-all for Thailand's existing economic problems.
"The buyer groups are not low-income earners," Ms Suttatip said. "Focus groups are the middle class and high-end consumers with purchasing power. It is difficult to assess whether this business model will be sustainable or not, but luxury outlets in foreign countries have been operating to this day."
In 2008, a report by FSP estimated that the 171 trading outlet centres produced sales of €6.7 billion. Despite the banking crisis and growth of online shopping, outlet centres have gone from strength to strength. Estimated European outlet industry sales rose by 51% from €11.5 billion in 2013 to €17.3 billion in 2017, according to FSP.
Core characteristics luring shoppers to visit outlet malls are brands, location and prices, according to FSP managing director Ken Gunn.
"[Foreign] luxury brands are on sales at the outlets, but there could be local brands as well because tourists would want to purchase products with local aesthetics," said Deunden Nikomborirak, research director for economic governance at the Thailand Development Research Institute.
From a consumer perspective, fiercer competition in the retail industry is favourable because there are more options for consumers to choose from, she said.
"The outlets could help rev up the tourism industry, as the industry is the segment with the highest income distribution," Ms Deunden said. "It is better to have these outlets than not have them near an airport."
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Found a nice home cook style restaurant in Bangkok known as Baan Ying (meaning Ying's Home I guess owner's name is Ying)
At The Promenade
Simple wholesome food not oily - dishes with boiled rice
Bitter gourd with eggs
Cabbage with crab meat
Egg plant with lean ground pork
Rice noodle with flowers
Bean sprouts with tofu
Lunch
Location: 2nd floor of The Promenade https://goo.gl/maps/JYKnTJ7J3vqnjgHW9
At The Promenade
Simple wholesome food not oily - dishes with boiled rice
Bitter gourd with eggs
Cabbage with crab meat
Egg plant with lean ground pork
Rice noodle with flowers
Bean sprouts with tofu
Lunch
Location: 2nd floor of The Promenade https://goo.gl/maps/JYKnTJ7J3vqnjgHW9
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2008
- Messages
- 20,251
- Reaction score
- 4,824
- Points
- 113
1 IN 5 THAIS HAVE EXPERIENCED SEXUAL HARASSMENT, SURVEY SAYS
August 26, 2019 7:15 pm
Enactment of sexual harassment on a public bus.
BANGKOK — Though 1 in 5 Thais have experienced sexual harassment, almost half remain reluctant to speak out, according to a survey of over a thousand Thais.
In a survey of 1,107 Thais by UK-based market research agency YouGov, 21 percent said they have experienced sexual harassment. Sexual assault was the most common form of sexual harassment reported by respondents (44 percent).
The second most common form of sexual harassment was verbal comments of a sexual nature (42 percent) and flashing (35 percent). YouGov said the definitions of each form of sexual harassment were left open-ended and up to the respondents.
Men are almost equally as likely as women to experience sexual harassment (18 percent vs. 23 percent), according to the survey. The data did not investigate the genders of perpetrators.
The survey found that most experiences of sexual harassment seem to take place in public venues, such as public transportion (27 percent), nightclubs (18 percent), school/university (17 percent), and other public places (29 percent).
Just over half of respondents (57 percent) told someone about being sexually harassed. The survey found people are more likely to tell a friend (55 percent) or family members (39 percent) than the police (10 percent). Men were found to be more likely to report their experiences of sexual harassment than women (60 percent vs. 55 percent), reported the data.
Read: ‘Thaiconsent’ Breaks the Silence With Untold Stories
The main reason people choose not to report sexual harassment is embarassment (46 percent), followed by fear that no one will do anything about the problem (27 percent). Both the fear of repercussions and cultural pressure also scored highly (both 25 percent).
Only one in five respondents were aware of the #MeToo movement. Of these respondents, most agree the movement has made people more open to talking about sexual harassment (64 percent). Only 10 percent believe the movement has created no change, while another 10 percent think the movement has made people less open to talking about sexual harassment.
Read: Why Few Thai Women Are Saying #MeToo
Khaosod English interviewed several Thais about whether the survey’s findings aligned with their own experiences of sexual harassment.
Praew, a 25-year-old employee at a foreign company, agrees that people are more likely to report perpetrators if the stigma and embarassment surrounding sexual harassment is broken. She herself was not sure whether the actions of a former superior at work were inappropriate until she began speaking with colleagues.
“It began with a gentle rub on my head. I thought he was just being kind to me,” said Praew. “Then it became creepier as he touched my waist and shoulder. I initially believed it was accidental, until I learned from my colleagues that they had all experienced the same thing.”
“I think it’s true that if more people talk about it, it will become a less taboo topic to share with someone else,” Praew continued.
Contrary to the stats though, William, a 22-year-old student, believes that men are less likely to speak out than women.
“It’s the nature of men to keep their emotional experiences to themselves, as they are expected to be tough and bold,” William said. “Even I thought I could just let it go, but it kept bothering me until I felt I had to vent it out.”
“I haven’t seen a guy come out in the #MeToo campaign yet, at least in Thailand. But I believe the movement can raise public awareness that men can be victims too,” Min added.
The survey was conducted online from June 11 to 14 using a pool of 1,107 Thais, who signed up to participate in return for compensation.
The survey did not find a correlation between experiences of sexual harassment and age or socio-economic status. YouGov states the study has a margin of error of 3 percent.
August 26, 2019 7:15 pm
Enactment of sexual harassment on a public bus.
BANGKOK — Though 1 in 5 Thais have experienced sexual harassment, almost half remain reluctant to speak out, according to a survey of over a thousand Thais.
In a survey of 1,107 Thais by UK-based market research agency YouGov, 21 percent said they have experienced sexual harassment. Sexual assault was the most common form of sexual harassment reported by respondents (44 percent).
The second most common form of sexual harassment was verbal comments of a sexual nature (42 percent) and flashing (35 percent). YouGov said the definitions of each form of sexual harassment were left open-ended and up to the respondents.
Men are almost equally as likely as women to experience sexual harassment (18 percent vs. 23 percent), according to the survey. The data did not investigate the genders of perpetrators.
The survey found that most experiences of sexual harassment seem to take place in public venues, such as public transportion (27 percent), nightclubs (18 percent), school/university (17 percent), and other public places (29 percent).
Just over half of respondents (57 percent) told someone about being sexually harassed. The survey found people are more likely to tell a friend (55 percent) or family members (39 percent) than the police (10 percent). Men were found to be more likely to report their experiences of sexual harassment than women (60 percent vs. 55 percent), reported the data.
Read: ‘Thaiconsent’ Breaks the Silence With Untold Stories
The main reason people choose not to report sexual harassment is embarassment (46 percent), followed by fear that no one will do anything about the problem (27 percent). Both the fear of repercussions and cultural pressure also scored highly (both 25 percent).
Only one in five respondents were aware of the #MeToo movement. Of these respondents, most agree the movement has made people more open to talking about sexual harassment (64 percent). Only 10 percent believe the movement has created no change, while another 10 percent think the movement has made people less open to talking about sexual harassment.
Read: Why Few Thai Women Are Saying #MeToo
Khaosod English interviewed several Thais about whether the survey’s findings aligned with their own experiences of sexual harassment.
Praew, a 25-year-old employee at a foreign company, agrees that people are more likely to report perpetrators if the stigma and embarassment surrounding sexual harassment is broken. She herself was not sure whether the actions of a former superior at work were inappropriate until she began speaking with colleagues.
“It began with a gentle rub on my head. I thought he was just being kind to me,” said Praew. “Then it became creepier as he touched my waist and shoulder. I initially believed it was accidental, until I learned from my colleagues that they had all experienced the same thing.”
“I think it’s true that if more people talk about it, it will become a less taboo topic to share with someone else,” Praew continued.
Contrary to the stats though, William, a 22-year-old student, believes that men are less likely to speak out than women.
“It’s the nature of men to keep their emotional experiences to themselves, as they are expected to be tough and bold,” William said. “Even I thought I could just let it go, but it kept bothering me until I felt I had to vent it out.”
“I haven’t seen a guy come out in the #MeToo campaign yet, at least in Thailand. But I believe the movement can raise public awareness that men can be victims too,” Min added.
The survey was conducted online from June 11 to 14 using a pool of 1,107 Thais, who signed up to participate in return for compensation.
The survey did not find a correlation between experiences of sexual harassment and age or socio-economic status. YouGov states the study has a margin of error of 3 percent.
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- 846
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- 113
Education Minister issues new rules to crack down on sexy mini skirts and deadly inter-school rivalry
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-n...egulations-sexual-dress-inter-school-rivalry/
Minister used his powers under the Child Protection Act 2003 to tighten up and add to regulations that had not been amended since 2005. There is a serious problem with inter-school violence which has seen a number of students killed in Bangkok this year in lethal street attacks including one notorious case where a handgun purchased for ฿2,000 was used to kill a student.
Last Friday, the new Thai Education Minister announced changes to regulations governing student behaviour in schools which appears to herald a tighter policy on sexually suggestive clothing and behaviour as well as the growing menace of inter-school rivalry and violence.
New school regulations prohibit sexually suggestive behaviour and dress in Thai schools
The second key change to the school regulations deals with sexually suggestive behaviour and attire by pupils at school. It is understood that this is to counteract a trend among some female students to wear such attire including short mini skirts.
The new regulation calls for stricter adherence to the uniform requirements at school overall. It specifies that all school uniforms should be worn in an orderly fashion and particularly outlaws attire that may be construed as obscene. The regulation itself also extends beyond clothing to sexually suggestive behaviour by school students which is considered by school authorities to be inappropriate.
- Joined
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yummilicious
Education Minister issues new rules to crack down on sexy mini skirts and deadly inter-school rivalry
https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-n...egulations-sexual-dress-inter-school-rivalry/
Minister used his powers under the Child Protection Act 2003 to tighten up and add to regulations that had not been amended since 2005. There is a serious problem with inter-school violence which has seen a number of students killed in Bangkok this year in lethal street attacks including one notorious case where a handgun purchased for ฿2,000 was used to kill a student.
Last Friday, the new Thai Education Minister announced changes to regulations governing student behaviour in schools which appears to herald a tighter policy on sexually suggestive clothing and behaviour as well as the growing menace of inter-school rivalry and violence.
New school regulations prohibit sexually suggestive behaviour and dress in Thai schools
The second key change to the school regulations deals with sexually suggestive behaviour and attire by pupils at school. It is understood that this is to counteract a trend among some female students to wear such attire including short mini skirts.
The new regulation calls for stricter adherence to the uniform requirements at school overall. It specifies that all school uniforms should be worn in an orderly fashion and particularly outlaws attire that may be construed as obscene. The regulation itself also extends beyond clothing to sexually suggestive behaviour by school students which is considered by school authorities to be inappropriate.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2008
- Messages
- 20,251
- Reaction score
- 4,824
- Points
- 113
Bangkok ranked the most internationally visited city
National
Sep 05. 2019
Despite the global economic slowdown, Bangkok has retained its title of the most visited city on Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index for the fourth year in a row. Mastercard's index ranks 200 cities based on a proprietary analysis of visitor volume and spending data that is publicly available.
According to CNN, the number of international overnight visitors has increased by 76 per cent globally since 2009.
In 2018, the Thailand capital welcomed 22.78 million international overnight visitors, with 3.34 per cent growth forecast for 2019. Travellers who visited Bangkok mostly came from Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, India and the United Kingdom respectively. The most popular tourist attractions included Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - in Ratchaburi.
Paris and London ranked in second and third place, both welcoming more than 19 million international visitors for overnight stays in 2018.
London was the only city in the current top 10 that saw a visitor year-over-year decline with a nearly 4 per cent drop.
The index also ranks cities by international overnight visitor spending. Dubai is the No. 1 city with International overnight visitors spending $30.82 billion in 2018, an average of $553 per day. By comparison, visitors to Bangkok spent an average of $184 per day. Bangkok ranked third for the visitor spending ($20.03 billion) after Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at No. 2 ($20.09 billion).
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said on July 5 that the total number of visitors to Thailand grew 2 per cent, compared to the same period in the previous year, to around 20 million visitors ad brought it Bt1 trillion in revenue.
Despite the growing numbers, the number of visitors staying in hotels in main attractions such as Phuket and Pattaya has decreased since the beginning of the year and this will likely continue as the strength of the Baht pushes visitors to choose lower-cost destinations.
National
Sep 05. 2019
Despite the global economic slowdown, Bangkok has retained its title of the most visited city on Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index for the fourth year in a row. Mastercard's index ranks 200 cities based on a proprietary analysis of visitor volume and spending data that is publicly available.
According to CNN, the number of international overnight visitors has increased by 76 per cent globally since 2009.
In 2018, the Thailand capital welcomed 22.78 million international overnight visitors, with 3.34 per cent growth forecast for 2019. Travellers who visited Bangkok mostly came from Mainland China, Japan, South Korea, India and the United Kingdom respectively. The most popular tourist attractions included Grand Palace, Wat Arun, and Damnoen Saduak Floating Market - in Ratchaburi.
Paris and London ranked in second and third place, both welcoming more than 19 million international visitors for overnight stays in 2018.
London was the only city in the current top 10 that saw a visitor year-over-year decline with a nearly 4 per cent drop.
The index also ranks cities by international overnight visitor spending. Dubai is the No. 1 city with International overnight visitors spending $30.82 billion in 2018, an average of $553 per day. By comparison, visitors to Bangkok spent an average of $184 per day. Bangkok ranked third for the visitor spending ($20.03 billion) after Mecca, Saudi Arabia, at No. 2 ($20.09 billion).
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said on July 5 that the total number of visitors to Thailand grew 2 per cent, compared to the same period in the previous year, to around 20 million visitors ad brought it Bt1 trillion in revenue.
Despite the growing numbers, the number of visitors staying in hotels in main attractions such as Phuket and Pattaya has decreased since the beginning of the year and this will likely continue as the strength of the Baht pushes visitors to choose lower-cost destinations.
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Old habits die hard: Stores try to cut down on plastic bags,
but shoppers remain stubborn
National
Sep 08. 2019
After a rescued dugong died from ingesting plastic bags, Thailand has been on high alert about plastic pollution. This topic is being widely discussed among Thai netizens, who have been suggesting many measures, including controlling the use of plastic bags at supermarkets and convenience stores.
Upon asking CP All – the owner of 7-Eleven convenience stores – about their measures and results, it said they have enforced a strong policy to reduce the use of plastic over 10 years. Its campaign, “reduce plastic bags every day, you can do it”, has saved the company the cost of 646 million plastic bags, and this money saved will be donated to hospitals for medical equipment. As of August 29, CP All said it has donated Bt126 million.
Tesco Lotus began campaigning for customers to “say no to plastic” since 2015 and even introduced a variety of incentives such as reward points. As of August this year, Tesco had implemented a policy of not giving out plastic bags for purchases of one or two items at all its 1,800 hypermarkets.
According to Amazon Café, the number of clients who bring their own cup for coffee has risen from around 1.8 million in January 15 to 2.2 million by August 15. In about seven months, Amazon coffee shops were reportedly able to reduce the use of 16.7 million plastic cups, averaging at 2.2 million cups per month
However, when we monitored the Amazon Café near Interlink Tower during lunch break for an hour, we discovered that not a single person had brought their own cup to the coffeeshop. This is even though staff insisted that 20 to 30 regular clients brought their own cup for a Bt5 discount.
We also wanted to see if the behaviour of shoppers has really changed.
So, on August 31, we decided to count the number of customers at Tesco Lotus and 7-Eleven who rejected plastic bags. The test at Tesco Lotus (Seacon Square) ran for an hour from 12.45pm, and we found that 453 shoppers still asked for plastic bags, while only 29 either rejected a plastic bag or used their own cloth bag.
During the hour, we discovered that on average, individual shoppers used one or two plastic bags, while a family of four averaged at eight to 10 plastic bags. There were eight shoppers who used both plastic bags for wet products and cloth bags for dry products.
Another test at a 7-Eleven opposite Central Plaza Bangna for an hour from 10am showed that 27 customers still demanded plastic bags, while 23 people who bought either cigarettes, bottled water or coffee rejected plastic bags. Only three people were seen bringing their own bags.
After learning about our tests, Tesco Lotus announced on September 2 that all express checkout lanes at 200 of its hypermarts will become “green lanes” and will not give out plastic bags. It said its goal is to close the loop on packaging, not to just limit single-use plastic bags.
Though it is not yet clear if the measure will work, the company is obviously taking a first step towards a better environment.
The government recently announced that by the end of this year, Thailand will stop producing three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastic. It also aims to stop single-use plastics by 2022.
Though the joint effort by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the supermarket network has reduced more than 2 billion plastic bags or 5,755 tonnes of plastic valued at Bt400 million since July 21, 2018 to August 31, 2019, experts doubt if this is enough to end the pollution.
Anusorn Tamajai, dean of Economics Faculty at Rangsit University, said that the government must come up with both short and long-term measures to tackle the pollution problem, and suggested the introduction of pollution tax.
Though many conservation organisations and related government agencies have suggested that the state impose “green” or “pollution” tax to tackle the problems of air and plastic pollution, there has been no clear message on the subject from the government.
Another suggestion is to impose the “polluter pays” principle, in which the producer of the pollution must cover the cost of damaging people’s health or the environment.
This policy has proved to be successful in many countries. Ireland was one of the first countries to levy a tax on plastic bags in 2002 and has managed to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags by 90 per cent, generating US$9.6 million (Bt294 million) for environmental projects.
but shoppers remain stubborn
National
Sep 08. 2019
After a rescued dugong died from ingesting plastic bags, Thailand has been on high alert about plastic pollution. This topic is being widely discussed among Thai netizens, who have been suggesting many measures, including controlling the use of plastic bags at supermarkets and convenience stores.
Upon asking CP All – the owner of 7-Eleven convenience stores – about their measures and results, it said they have enforced a strong policy to reduce the use of plastic over 10 years. Its campaign, “reduce plastic bags every day, you can do it”, has saved the company the cost of 646 million plastic bags, and this money saved will be donated to hospitals for medical equipment. As of August 29, CP All said it has donated Bt126 million.
Tesco Lotus began campaigning for customers to “say no to plastic” since 2015 and even introduced a variety of incentives such as reward points. As of August this year, Tesco had implemented a policy of not giving out plastic bags for purchases of one or two items at all its 1,800 hypermarkets.
According to Amazon Café, the number of clients who bring their own cup for coffee has risen from around 1.8 million in January 15 to 2.2 million by August 15. In about seven months, Amazon coffee shops were reportedly able to reduce the use of 16.7 million plastic cups, averaging at 2.2 million cups per month
However, when we monitored the Amazon Café near Interlink Tower during lunch break for an hour, we discovered that not a single person had brought their own cup to the coffeeshop. This is even though staff insisted that 20 to 30 regular clients brought their own cup for a Bt5 discount.
We also wanted to see if the behaviour of shoppers has really changed.
So, on August 31, we decided to count the number of customers at Tesco Lotus and 7-Eleven who rejected plastic bags. The test at Tesco Lotus (Seacon Square) ran for an hour from 12.45pm, and we found that 453 shoppers still asked for plastic bags, while only 29 either rejected a plastic bag or used their own cloth bag.
During the hour, we discovered that on average, individual shoppers used one or two plastic bags, while a family of four averaged at eight to 10 plastic bags. There were eight shoppers who used both plastic bags for wet products and cloth bags for dry products.
Another test at a 7-Eleven opposite Central Plaza Bangna for an hour from 10am showed that 27 customers still demanded plastic bags, while 23 people who bought either cigarettes, bottled water or coffee rejected plastic bags. Only three people were seen bringing their own bags.
After learning about our tests, Tesco Lotus announced on September 2 that all express checkout lanes at 200 of its hypermarts will become “green lanes” and will not give out plastic bags. It said its goal is to close the loop on packaging, not to just limit single-use plastic bags.
Though it is not yet clear if the measure will work, the company is obviously taking a first step towards a better environment.
The government recently announced that by the end of this year, Thailand will stop producing three types of plastic – microbeads, cap seals and oxo-degradable plastic. It also aims to stop single-use plastics by 2022.
Though the joint effort by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the supermarket network has reduced more than 2 billion plastic bags or 5,755 tonnes of plastic valued at Bt400 million since July 21, 2018 to August 31, 2019, experts doubt if this is enough to end the pollution.
Anusorn Tamajai, dean of Economics Faculty at Rangsit University, said that the government must come up with both short and long-term measures to tackle the pollution problem, and suggested the introduction of pollution tax.
Though many conservation organisations and related government agencies have suggested that the state impose “green” or “pollution” tax to tackle the problems of air and plastic pollution, there has been no clear message on the subject from the government.
Another suggestion is to impose the “polluter pays” principle, in which the producer of the pollution must cover the cost of damaging people’s health or the environment.
This policy has proved to be successful in many countries. Ireland was one of the first countries to levy a tax on plastic bags in 2002 and has managed to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic bags by 90 per cent, generating US$9.6 million (Bt294 million) for environmental projects.
Last edited:
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When I receive a call from my fellow salesman to help him visit a customer this morning I was delighted when I came to know the address, its like 30m from one of my favourite restaurants in Bangkok serving Chinese braise goose. So I quickly left earlier to catch lunch there -
Front of the restaurant
Interior
Braised goose and beer then best
Bitter gourd soup with pork ribs
Cabbage stir fry with "shao-rou"
This is what I came here for
What a lovely lunch
www.hanpalo.com
Front of the restaurant
Interior
Braised goose and beer then best
Bitter gourd soup with pork ribs
Cabbage stir fry with "shao-rou"
This is what I came here for
What a lovely lunch
www.hanpalo.com
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So unbelievable news, and I'm not talking about Thailand, Singapore ranked 24th below India (19) this surely is fake news.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailan...nds-healthcare-ranked-sixth-best-in-the-world
Thailand's healthcare ranked sixth best in the world
Beats Spain, France, Belgium in CEOWORLD's 2019 list
published : 9 Sep 2019 at 18:07
Thailand is gaining worldwide recognition for the quality of its healthcare services, after the US magazine CEOWORLD placed Thailand sixth in its' 2019 list of countries with the best healthcare systems, the Public Health Ministry said.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hailed the ranking as an indication of the country's success in developing its healthcare sector.
However, Mr Anutin also said on Monday that the government must not rest on its laurels, as mere rankings do not matter as much as how well the ministry performs its duty of maintaining public health.
According to CEOWORLD, which published the list early last month, Thailand was among the few Asian countries which managed to enter the top 10 in 2019, along with South Korea in second place and Japan in third place.
European countries dominate the list, with Austria leading at fourth place, followed by Denmark (5th), Spain (7th), France (8th) and Belgium (9th).
Australia rounded out the top 10 at 10th place.
Of the 89 countries surveyed, Taiwan’s health care topped the the list, scoring 78.72 out of 100 on the Health Care Index. At the opposite end of the spectrum, with a score of 33.42, Venezuela was named the country with the worst health care system in 2019.
The Health Care Index is a statistical analysis of the overall quality of a country's healthcare system, including infrastructure; health care professionals' (doctors, nursing staff, and other health workers) competence, cost, availability of quality medicine, and government readiness, according to the CEOWORLD website.
It also takes into consideration other factors including, environmental sustainability, access to clean water, sanitation, government readiness on imposing penalties on high-risk behaviour, such as tobacco use, and excess sugar intake.
Thailand received an overall score of 67.99 out of 100. Breaking down the figure into categories, the country was given a score of 92.58 for its healthcare infrastructure, 17.37 for professionals' competence, 96.22 for cost, 67.51 for medicine availability and 89.91 for government readiness.
On Monday, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said Thailand is leading the way in healthcare policy implementation in the region.
He said the success of Thailand's healthcare programmes was owed in part to professional and volunteer public health personnel at all levels.
"Collective effort got us here," the deputy minister said.
https://ceoworld.biz/2019/08/05/revealed-countries-with-the-best-health-care-systems-2019/
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailan...nds-healthcare-ranked-sixth-best-in-the-world
Thailand's healthcare ranked sixth best in the world
Beats Spain, France, Belgium in CEOWORLD's 2019 list
published : 9 Sep 2019 at 18:07
Thailand is gaining worldwide recognition for the quality of its healthcare services, after the US magazine CEOWORLD placed Thailand sixth in its' 2019 list of countries with the best healthcare systems, the Public Health Ministry said.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hailed the ranking as an indication of the country's success in developing its healthcare sector.
However, Mr Anutin also said on Monday that the government must not rest on its laurels, as mere rankings do not matter as much as how well the ministry performs its duty of maintaining public health.
According to CEOWORLD, which published the list early last month, Thailand was among the few Asian countries which managed to enter the top 10 in 2019, along with South Korea in second place and Japan in third place.
European countries dominate the list, with Austria leading at fourth place, followed by Denmark (5th), Spain (7th), France (8th) and Belgium (9th).
Australia rounded out the top 10 at 10th place.
Of the 89 countries surveyed, Taiwan’s health care topped the the list, scoring 78.72 out of 100 on the Health Care Index. At the opposite end of the spectrum, with a score of 33.42, Venezuela was named the country with the worst health care system in 2019.
The Health Care Index is a statistical analysis of the overall quality of a country's healthcare system, including infrastructure; health care professionals' (doctors, nursing staff, and other health workers) competence, cost, availability of quality medicine, and government readiness, according to the CEOWORLD website.
It also takes into consideration other factors including, environmental sustainability, access to clean water, sanitation, government readiness on imposing penalties on high-risk behaviour, such as tobacco use, and excess sugar intake.
Thailand received an overall score of 67.99 out of 100. Breaking down the figure into categories, the country was given a score of 92.58 for its healthcare infrastructure, 17.37 for professionals' competence, 96.22 for cost, 67.51 for medicine availability and 89.91 for government readiness.
On Monday, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said Thailand is leading the way in healthcare policy implementation in the region.
He said the success of Thailand's healthcare programmes was owed in part to professional and volunteer public health personnel at all levels.
"Collective effort got us here," the deputy minister said.
https://ceoworld.biz/2019/08/05/revealed-countries-with-the-best-health-care-systems-2019/
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How much to buy a thai PR?
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This is a talk cock report. Don't believe a thing it says.
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But I am serious. How to get a long-term Thai visa via property investment. Any recommendations?
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There's no such thing
dinolingam
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Think a majority prolly here for this.
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