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Poor man, can't help threatening to jump off (every time wifey reject his intimate advances).
Drives the rescue team nuts
Suicide threats of man spurned by wife driving rescue volunteers up the wall National
Jun 10. 2020
Rescue volunteers in Chonburi's Samet district are frustrated with the repeatedthreats of a man to kill himself every time his wife rejects his advances at night.
On June 9, Samet Police Station was notified of a man trying to jump from a flyover in front of a shopping mall in the district and sent its officers to the scene.
They found a 43-year-old man standing on the edge of the flyover looking down at the road where cars were passing while bystanders watched the scene with shock.
The policemen teamed up with rescue volunteers to bring the man to safety. When questioned, the man reportedly said that his wife had declined to sleep with him at night.
Amnui Wasasiri, a rescue volunteer, said the man had threatened to kill himself in public places seven times and every time the reason was he could not be intimate with his wife.
He said the man's actions were aimed at seeking attention and useless but he had to come and rescue the man in any circumstance since it was his duty.
Curfew to be lifted, emergency powers to remain Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 10 JUN 2020 AT 10:51
The streets around Democracy Monument in Bangkok are deserted as the night curfew deadline approaches. Authorities plan to lift the curfew soon. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
The night curfew could be lifted for 15 days, as a trial, but the emergency decree will remain in force to ensure continued containment of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Deputy army chief Gen Nathapol Nakpanit, who is also deputy of the government's committee on Covid-19 control, said on Wednesday the committee planned to lift the 11pm-3am curfew for 15 days.
However, use of state of emergency power under the executive decree on public administration in emergency situations will continue.
"Without the curfew people can resume their normal lives, but the state of emergency will remain in place in case the government needs to take swift action to stop Covid-19 from spreading," he said.
Normal laws would not facilitate swift and effective responses to the disease, he said.
The responses include 14-day quarantine for people arriving from other countries. The emergency decree prevented airlines from suing the government for banning their flights, Gen Nathapol said.
He did not say when the curfew would be tentatively lifted. He did say that during the 15 days officials would evaluate public feedback.
Gatherings would not be prohibited, to show that imposition of the emergency decree had nothing to do with any political interests, Gen Nathapol said.
Gen Somsak Roongsita, secretary-general of the National Security Council and head of the disease control committee, said that boxing stadiums might reopen in the fourth stage of relaxation of business and other activities.
However, all disease control decisions would be made by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, he said.
Thailand's condo market sinks as Chinese investment ebbs Coronavirus travel bans speed drop sparked by stronger baht and trade war
Thailand's coronavirus lockdown left central Bangkok deserted. The pandemic has rubbed salt in the wound left by falling Chinese real estate investment. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
JASON TAN, Contributing writerJune 10, 2020 13:00 JST
BANGKOK -- Beijing native Bobby He has a dozen Chinese friends who own condominium units across Thai hot spots such as Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya.
"Some even bought three units at the same project," he said. "They plan to retire in Thailand, so one unit is for self-stay while the other two are to rent out to support retirement life."
Though property in Thailand seemingly offers an attractive bargain for Chinese buyers compared with their home market, these Thai investments are plunging in value as the coronavirus pandemic hammers the global economy.
The Beijing native said he even heard of a Chinese investor who spent 3.8 million baht ($121,000) on a condo unit in the outskirts of Bangkok, only to learn that the developer recently slashed prices to below 3 million baht.
It is no secret that Thailand's residential market depends heavily on Chinese investors, who became the biggest source of tourism income in recent years thanks to the kingdom's proximity to China, its cheaper cost of living and pleasant weather.
Mainland China and Hong Kong accounted for 43% of the 92.16 billion baht transferred from abroad by all foreigners to buy condo units in Thailand in 2018, according to the Bank of Thailand, the country's central bank. The U.S., Singapore, Taiwan, the U.K. and Japan were also among the biggest spenders. Foreigners are allowed to own 49% of a condo project in Thailand, and they are barred from owning landed property.
But Chinese money has ebbed from Southeast Asia's second-largest economy since last year due to a stronger Thai baht and a simmering U.S.-China trade war. The pandemic has rubbed salt in the wound.
Huang Cheng, a native of the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, owns several condo units in Bangkok's Wong Wian Yai and On Nut -- two popular rental locations for Chinese Airbnb travelers. Though Huang easily rented out units for at least 1,000 baht before the pandemic, most of his condos now are idle.
Thailand has barred international commercial flights into the country until the end of June. Despite talk of allowing travelers, especially Chinese, into the tourism-reliant country, market observers said tourism activity will not resume until the October-December quarter.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand projected in May that foreign travelers will decline this year by almost two-thirds to 14 million, the lowest number in 14 years. The country hosted a record 39.8 million foreign arrivals in 2019.
Thailand reported slightly over 3,100 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, largely bringing the pandemic under control in comparison to neighboring countries such as Singapore, which logged over 38,500 in the same period.
Thailand's property market was depressed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis, regaining momentum only in 2010. Record-breaking investments in condo projects were made in 2012 and 2013, thanks to the government's incentive for first-time house buyers.
From 2010 to 2018, an average of 105,000 new units debuted in Bangkok yearly, according to Bank of Ayudhya's research house Krungsri Research. But sales totaled only about 96,000 units per year, which lifted housing inventory.
As the pandemic hurts the country's economy, Thai developers are adopting various tactics including 50% discounts to entice buyers.
The condo trend "is likely to slow both in terms of supply and demand," said Risinee Sarikaputra, director of research and consultancy at Knight Frank Thailand. She said it is expected to take "another two years for the condominium market to improve."
Around 100,000 units remained for sale in Bangkok as of May, she said.
AP (Thailand), which builds the Aspire condo brand, reported a drop of over 40% in first-quarter net profit from a year ago to 618 million baht. Revenue dipped 31% to 5.4 billion baht.
Rival Sansiri, familiar to overseas buyers for its premium condos, saw a steeper 85% decline in net profit to 62 million baht. The company already felt the pinch last year, when it logged a mere 3 billion baht in total presales from foreign buyers, a plunge from 14 billion baht in 2018.
To increase liquidity as most buyers -- local and foreign -- are expected to tighten their purse strings, Sansiri recently rolled out a "pay early discount scheme" for its luxurious XT Ekkamai project.
The 38-story high rise developed by Sansiri and Japan's Tokyu is slated for completion in December. Buyers who opt to deliver as much as 75% of the outstanding payment can enjoy discounts of up to 12%. That means a 30-sq.-meter unit at the prime location of Ekkamai is now for sale at 4 million baht.
Vichai Viratkapan, acting director-general of the Real Estate Information Center, said the government could devise visa-incentive schemes for foreign buyers if they expedite their transfer of ownership of property. The center is an industry researcher under the purview of the Thai Ministry of Finance.
Thailand doesn't grant foreign property buyers an automatic resident visa. If these people wish to stay in the country, they need to apply for work, investment or retirement visas.
The "Malaysia My Second Home" program in Thailand's Southeast Asian neighbor allows foreigners a 10-year renewable residence visa, provided that they put in a minimum fixed deposit of 150,000 ringgit ($35,170) with a local bank. In October, Malaysia reduced the threshold for foreigners to buy property to 600,000 ringgit, from 1 million ringgit, hoping to ease a supply glut.
Bobby He, who resides in Bangkok, is taking a more cautious approach. He currently invests in only one property, where he plans to stay with his partner upon completion over the next two years.
"It's better to be safe than sorry," he said. "Doing homework is critical."
Night curfew to be lifted from June 15 but international travel to be controlled National
Jun 12. 2020
By THE NATION
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) approved ending the night curfew from June 15.
The centre made the decision at its meeting on Friday (June 12). The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The 11pm-to-3am curfew will be lifted from next Monday (June 15) but the state of emergency in the country will continue. The centre decided to strictly control travel in and out of Thailand, as most of the Covid-19 patients in recent days were returnees from foreign countries.
The CCSA also said that some high-risk activities, such as the use of school buildings or some sports, will be relaxed in the fourth phase of the lockdown relaxation. Sale of alcoholic beverages will be allowed, as well as the holding of concerts. However, bars and pubs will remain closed in this next phase.
On Wednesday (June 10), the National Security Council had proposed the lifting of the nationwide night curfew for a 15-day trial period while maintaining the state of emergency.
Bangkok is really getting back on its feet, this was yesterday Friday at around 10.30am at Ratchada's Central Plaza Rama 9, so early and already so busy
Civil aviation authority to discuss resumption of flights with airlines next week National
Jun 13. 2020
By THE NATION
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has invited 14 airlines and charter jet operators registered in Thailand to discuss their readiness to restart international flights.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday (June 16).
Before allowing resumption of services, the CAAT needs to know the destinations they want to fly to and whether their chosen destinations allow flights, said Chula Sukmanop, the CAAT director-general.
He also said that permission to allow international flights from July 1 would depend on the recommendation of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and the Public Health Ministry. The CAAT has banned all international flights, except in special cases, until June 30.
A CAAT report specified that the agency would allow flights to safe destinations or destinations needing restart of services. Also, the CAAT would permit only some groups of people to travel, such as business people.
According to statistics, international flight passengers in May totalled 36,058, down 18.6 per cent from April. Domestic passengers totalled 422,359 in May, up 3.6 times over April, due to the government’s easing of the ban on domestic flights.
Quarantine in style for up to B144,000
Thai returnees seeking alternatives to free state-provided sites offered seven choices
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 13 JUN 2020 AT 16:10
The view from the Mövenpick BDMS Wellness Resort Bangkok, where “alternative state quarantine” costs 60,300 baht for 14 days.
Thai people returning from abroad who don’t want to spend their 14-day coronavirus quarantine at a free government-provided site have some stylish options — if they feel like spending up to 144,000 baht.
The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Sydney recently released a price list for the “detention choices” — the English translation provided on its Facebook page — at seven Bangkok hotels.
Officially, the programme is known as Alternative State Quarantine or ASQ. According to the consulate in Sydney, Thais in Australia who want to select the option can make a booking at one of the hotels, agreeing to pay all related expenses, and then inform the consulate of their intentions.
Under measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a 14-day quarantine is mandatory for all Thai nationals returning from abroad. The government provides free accommodation under an arrangement with hoteliers across the country for about 9,000 rooms. The participating hotels are reportedly paid 1,000 baht per person per day.
For those willing to pay for a slightly more upscale confinement, the following ASQ hotels have been evaluated and approved by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Defence. The prices shown are the basic room rates for 14 days:
Foreigners to be allowed in 'Travel bubbles' tipped for approval
PUBLISHED : 15 JUN 2020 AT 04:30
An expressway interchange, photographed from Baiyoke Tower II Sunday night, shows light traffic. Busy traffic is set to return after the night-time curfew was lifted from 11pm Sunday. The lifting of the curfew was published in the 'Royal Gazette'. Arnun Chonmahatrakool
One thousand foreign visitors are expected to be allowed entry to Thailand per day and the standard 14-day Covid-19 quarantine rule will be waived, according to an implementation plan for "travel bubbles" to be submitted for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)'s approval on Wednesday.
These visitors, who in the beginning will be mostly business people and patients seeking medical treatment in Thailand, must come as part of bilateral cooperation on tourism between Thailand and selected countries which have managed to contain the coronavirus, Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy government spokeswoman, said on Sunday.
General foreign tourists will later be allowed to visit Thailand if the tourism promotion programme proves successful in terms of the transmission control, she said.
Covid-19 screening tests will be required both before the visitors leave their countries and upon arriving in Thailand, she said.
This, however, doesn't meant the visitors will be able to travel freely while in Thailand as they will still be prohibited from visiting certain parts of the country and will be tracked via a smart phone application, she said.
Final details of the programme are being discussed by the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Public Health Ministry, Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry.
The CCSA had on Friday agreed in principle on the travel bubbles proposal despite objections raised by security authorities.
The travel bubbles programme is seen by the Tourism and Sports Ministry as the first step to safely reopen Thailand's tourism to international visitors, she said. It is hoped to help accelerate a recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic on tourism, she said.
Despite the CCSA's preliminary approval on the travel bubble proposal, security authorities had expressed strong objections to the idea at Friday's meeting, a source said.
They asked that the proposal be put on hold because it isn't certain the tourism promotion programme won't lead to a new spike of imported Covid-19 infections and possibly a new wave of local transmissions, the source said.
Worse still, giving privilege to these specific foreign visitors while still imposing the 14-day quarantine on Thai nationals being repatriated will likely prompt negative reaction by those Thais, the source said.
The source said the programme may not be welcomed by communities in Thailand's tourist destinations that are being urged by the government to strictly maintain health measures to stay free of new Covid-19 cases. It is not known if special preparations will be needed in places likely to be popular with foreign tourists.
According to a recent online survey on public opinion about the government's reopening policy, most Thais were concerned about the possibility of Thailand reopening the country too soon to international visitors.
A slight majority (54.39%) of all 1,116 respondents asked in the survey by Suan Dusit Poll, conducted on Jun 9-12, said it still wasn't time to invite international tourists back to Thailand.
But only 24.28% of them thought tourists should be welcomed back now for the sake of boosting the economy.
Most of the poll respondents also thought strict limits on the number of local tourists should be maintained at every tourist attraction across the country while domestic tourism activities resume, said the poll.
The top destination found in this survey was Chiang Mai and most respondents (41.40%) expected Thailand's tourism to fully recover in about a year.
Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Friday the ministry has prepared three stimulus packages valued at 20 billion baht to kick start the tourism sector from next month until October.
Meanwhile, Narongchai Khunpluem, mayor of Saen Suk municipality in Chon Buri's Muang district, said those who continue to flout the ban on drinking alcohol on the beach will now face a fine after previous warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
"There they did it again, drinking alcohol on the beaches despite all these warnings. So they deserve to be fined, don't they?" the mayor wrote on his Facebook page.
