A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[yinyang]

July 27 set as lieu day for Songkran
PUBLISHED : 30 JUN 2020 AT 16:50

The cabinet has approved July 27 as a substitute holiday for Songkran it postponed earlier, creating another four-day holiday next month.
Since July 28, which falls on Tuesday, is already a holiday observing His Majesty the King’s birthday, the announcement adds another day to the period, creating a long weekend from July 25-28.

Earlier, the cabinet put on hold three Songkran holidays this year at the height of the coronavirus outbreak to prevent people from travelling and spreading the disease. It has yet to assign the remaining two Songkran holidays it put on hold earlier.

State enterprises, the Bank of Thailand and the Labour Ministry will consider setting the holidays as they see fit after the government made the announcement.
The other long weekend for the month is July 4-7 — Asarnha Bucha for Sunday, Buddhist Lent on Monday and lieu day for Asarnha Buch on Tuesday.
However, the two four-day weekends in July are official holidays for public offices only. Banks, stock markets and financial institutions normally use the calendar announced by the Bank of Thailand. For the private sector, the holidays may vary. For example, most companies have designated July 4-6 for the first long holiday of the month.

 

[yinyang]

 

[yinyang]

Masks and bikinis as red-light districts reopen with new rules
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 JUL 2020 AT 10:16
REUTERS

Women wearing face masks are reflected in a mirror as they dance inside the XXX lounge at in Bangkok's Patpong
district after bars and nightclubs were reopened nationwide, on Wednesday. (Reuters photo)

With performers wearing facemasks as well as bikinis, Bangkok's red-light districts reopened on Wednesday after more than three months of shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Bars, karaoke venues and massage parlours were in the latest category of businesses allowed to reopen - with conditions - now that Thailand has gone 37 days since recording any local transmission of the virus.
It meant a return to work for some of the hundreds of thousands of people in the nightlife industry who have been struggling to survive.

"I lost all my income," said Bee, a 27-year-old dancer who goes by her stage name at the XXX Lounge in the Patpong district.
"I'm glad that I can come back to work in a job that I'm good at. I'm OK with the mask because it's one of the precautions."

• Indonesia to shutter all red-light districts by 2019
• Osaka rolls out red carpet, not red-light district for G20
• Fatal 8-vehicle pile-up at red light

All customers have their temperature taken. They must give a name and telephone number. Inside, everybody must sit at least one metre (yard) apart and two metres from the stage.
British expatriate Michael Theo was among those who questioned the need.
"You can take a BTS (train) in the morning with 200 people on a packed train but then you can come into a bar and still have to sit 2 metres apart," he said.

The government has staggered the reopening of public places over several weeks. Schools also resumed on Wednesday.
Cockfighting and fishfighting venues remain closed.
The coronavirus has killed 58 people out of 3,173 infections, a relatively low number even within the region.
But Thailand's economy is forecast to sink further than any other in Southeast Asia with the number of foreign tourists expected to drop 80% this year.

At the Dream Boy club on Patpong's Soi 1, bare-chested men with faceshields tried to encourage the few passers-by off the street. But many businesses remained shut and there were few customers.
"There are bars all over Bangkok that have been open for 10 to 15 years and now they are closed and they are not coming back," said Christian Henrich, who manages the XXX Lounge.

 

[yinyang]

6 new Covid quarantine cases Thursday
The government on Thursday reported six new coronavirus cases detected in quarantine,
taking the country to 38 days without a local transmission, while global Covid-19 cases rose at a record pace.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1944664/6-new-covid-quarantine-cases-thursday

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

Just went to googled this memorable speech

 

[Froggy]

Masks and bikinis as red-light districts reopen with new rules
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 JUL 2020 AT 10:16
REUTERS

Women wearing face masks are reflected in a mirror as they dance inside the XXX lounge at in Bangkok's Patpong
district after bars and nightclubs were reopened nationwide, on Wednesday. (Reuters photo)

With performers wearing facemasks as well as bikinis, Bangkok's red-light districts reopened on Wednesday after more than three months of shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Bars, karaoke venues and massage parlours were in the latest category of businesses allowed to reopen - with conditions - now that Thailand has gone 37 days since recording any local transmission of the virus.
It meant a return to work for some of the hundreds of thousands of people in the nightlife industry who have been struggling to survive.

"I lost all my income," said Bee, a 27-year-old dancer who goes by her stage name at the XXX Lounge in the Patpong district.
"I'm glad that I can come back to work in a job that I'm good at. I'm OK with the mask because it's one of the precautions."

• Indonesia to shutter all red-light districts by 2019
• Osaka rolls out red carpet, not red-light district for G20
• Fatal 8-vehicle pile-up at red light

All customers have their temperature taken. They must give a name and telephone number. Inside, everybody must sit at least one metre (yard) apart and two metres from the stage.
British expatriate Michael Theo was among those who questioned the need.
"You can take a BTS (train) in the morning with 200 people on a packed train but then you can come into a bar and still have to sit 2 metres apart," he said.

The government has staggered the reopening of public places over several weeks. Schools also resumed on Wednesday.
Cockfighting and fishfighting venues remain closed.
The coronavirus has killed 58 people out of 3,173 infections, a relatively low number even within the region.
But Thailand's economy is forecast to sink further than any other in Southeast Asia with the number of foreign tourists expected to drop 80% this year.

At the Dream Boy club on Patpong's Soi 1, bare-chested men with faceshields tried to encourage the few passers-by off the street. But many businesses remained shut and there were few customers.
"There are bars all over Bangkok that have been open for 10 to 15 years and now they are closed and they are not coming back," said Christian Henrich, who manages the XXX Lounge.

After 3 months I’m now a monk . . . . . sathu sathu

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

After 3 months I’m now a monk . . . . . sathu sathu

I went to drink four pints last night.
and puke.

hahaha, once upon a time,12 was nothing to me.

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

Thailand Monkey Wars Escalate As Rival Gangs Force Locals To Flee Homes
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopoliti...-escalate-rival-gangs-force-locals-flee-homes


Monkeys in the Thai city of Lopburi have become particularly aggressive since coronavirus lockdowns significantly cut into the supply of treat-throwing tourists which had been feeding the city's wild macaques.

The monkeys, numbering in the thousands, have set up shop in an abandoned local cinema - brawling with each other when they aren't aggressively attacking locals.



They're also super horny, according to The Telegraph.

Local efforts to offer the monkey mobs some nutrition may have backfired as some say a sugary diet of fizzy drinks, cereal and sweets has fuelled the animals’ sex lives, making their population grow even more.
"The more they eat, the more energy they have... so they breed more," Pramot Ketampai, who manages the city’s Prang Sam Yod temple shrines, told AFP. -The Telegraph

In March, a rival monkey gang staged a 'brazen raid' on a group of macaques trying to butt in on their territory near the Phra Kan Shrine. The street fight caused mayhem, as traffic came to a standstill for approximately 10 minutes during the melee.

 

[yinyang]

Option for non-quarantine, swap tests at Suvarnabhum airport

Thailand's main airport offers rapid coronavirus test
for international arrivals

People walk inside Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, on July 3, 2020.PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Reuters/Sts Times PUBLISHED
JUL 3, 2020, 7:09 PM SGT

SAMUT PRAKAN (REUTERS) - Thailand's main international airport unveiled rapid coronavirus tests on Friday (July 3) for some overseas arrivals after a three-month ban on foreign visitors was partially lifted this month.

All foreigners, except those with work permits, have been barred since March, but after more than five weeks with no recorded community transmission of the virus, Thailand is allowing in some groups of foreigners.
Business travellers, diplomats and government guests staying for less than 14 days are considered "fast-track travellers", who will be swab-tested for the disease at Suvarnabhumi airport to make ensure they are infection-free before entry.

"The test itself takes around 1½ hours," said Mr Suwich Thammapalo, an official of Thailand's disease control department, adding that its use could be expanded in future for other arrivals and tourists.

The airport test, costing 3,000 baht (S$134) each, is one requirement for fast-track entry without spending 14 days in quarantine, and is required of other foreigners recently allowed in, ranging from those with resident status or family in the country, as well as international students.
About 1,700 foreigners have applied to visit Thailand for medical treatment such as cosmetic surgery or fertility treatment after a ban on medical tourism was lifted this month, said Dr Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the task force on the disease.

The government is considering a plan to open more international travel with a "travel bubble" arrangement with some countries in September, he added.

As the pandemic hits travel, Thailand is expected to draw at most eight million foreign tourists this year, down 80 per cent from a year earlier, the Tourism Council of Thailand estimates, although the sector is expected to recover in 2021.
Last year, spending by a record 39.8 million foreign tourists accounted for about 11 per cent of GDP.

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...d-coronavirus-test-for-international-arrivals

See also Thai news media:
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1945448/suvarnabhumi-shows-off-quick-covid-tests

 

[yinyang]

Travel bubble scheme drawn up in 3 phases
1,000 tourists a day in 5 provinces to start
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 2 JUL 2020 AT 06:01

Phuket's nightlife area before its reopening on Wednesday. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)

A travel bubble plan for leisure travellers has been drafted with three phases for opening, starting with a mere 1,000 tourists per day across five provinces.

Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said the ministry already asked the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta) and the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) to design 6-7 day tour packages in five areas that are ready to join the pilot project, comprising Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Krabi, Phuket and Pattaya.
The number of international tourists is capped at 1,000 per day nationwide in the first phase without a 14-day quarantine, and is expected to start in August. If any province's capability to handle swab tests for the coronavirus rises, the government will allow a higher number based on that volume.

The draft requires approval from the Public Health Ministry, including a list of countries with similar requirements that should be finalised within two weeks.
The draft calls for Thailand to offer a bubble scheme to countries that are low-risk, meaning free from the pandemic for 30 days, according to the World Health Organization.

• Priority boarding
• Travel bubble scheme 'asking for trouble'
• Locals pin hopes on travel bubble

Three countries fall into this category: China, Japan and Taiwan.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry plan to hear local opinions this week, after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration assigned the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and TCT with conducting a survey of eight destinations: Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Samui, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai.
Mr Phiphat said after the government approved domestic tourism stimulus packages on Tuesday, he estimates the domestic tourism goal this year could be 120 million trips, up from 100 million trips, as the subsidy can trigger those with purchasing power to spend on tourism activities.

The number of international tourists is expected to be slow because of more requirements regarding health safety concerns.


Achieving 1.23 trillion baht in revenue will be a challenge because domestic tourists typically spend less than foreigners, said Mr Phiphat.
In the first phase of the travel bubble for the leisure market, Thailand has to start with tour groups because it is easier to manage routes, areas, and activities, said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
He said within a month of the first phase reopening in designated destinations, if Thailand succeeds in handling services for inbound guests without triggering new infections, the second phase will see more destinations and a higher number of tourists allowed in.
The third phase is when the whole country can open to international tourists again, for both tour groups and individual travellers, by adopting the same screening standards from the first two phases.

Mr Yuthasak said TAT will also have to increase travel frequency among Thai tourists, from an average of 2.7 trips per year to three trips this year, to help tourism operators.

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

Slave Monkeys of Thailand - https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/western-supermarkets-drop-coconut-goods-picked-slave-monkeys

PETA found Thailand's major coconut milk producers are forcing monkeys to pick coconuts as slave laborers. After the report emerged, major Western supermarket chains have removed coconut water and oil from their store shelves that are connected with these farms.

Eight farms were noted in the report. Two in focus are Aroy-D, and Chaokoh, which have dozens of monkeys picking upwards of 1,000 coconuts each, per day. It was found these two farms supply coconut products to Giant Food, Food Lion, Stop & Shop, and Hannaford in the U.S.

PETA said Walgreens Boots Alliance had dropped products from Aroy-D and Chaokoh:

After hearing from PETA, Walgreens Boots Alliance has pledged to not stock Aroy-D or Chaokoh, and not knowingly sell any own-brand coconut food and drink products of Thai origin in their 9,277 Walgreens and 250 Duane Reade stores in the U.S. and 2,758 Boots stores in the U.K. and Thailand, and Morrisons has suspended its supply of Chaokoh products pending an investigation and Ocado, Waitrose, and Co-op have committed to never knowingly stocking any products from suppliers that use monkey labour. - PETA said on its website

PETA released disturbing images of the coconut picking monkeys:

 

[yinyang]

 

[yinyang]

No new Covid-19 case in past 24 hours
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1947260/no-new-covid-cases-in-thailand-tuesday

 

[ftan42]

is it they are their testing criteria is the same as Taiwan?

 

[yinyang]

 

[CPTMiller]

If all goes well.
I am going Bangkok next month.

 

[Froggy]

Treated myself to a big lunch yesterday after work. Traditional bak kut teh by Singapore's Song Fa in Bangkok's Mega Bangna



The entrance

Nice design and renovation

Lunch

This is what I came for

Meal doesn't come cheap though S$37.50 but then what to do right?

 

[tobelightlight]

View attachment 85457

Is it correct to say that Thailand uses women, sex to entice men to go there to spend money? If that is the case, it will be a perfect place for boomers to retire there. No wonder such thread exist in this forum.

 

[yinyang]

Is it correct to say that Thailand uses women, sex to entice men to go there to spend money? If that is the case, it will be a perfect place for boomers to retire there. No wonder such thread exist in this forum.

You succumbed to (popular) misconception, understandably so with all the media cover by westerners aka farangs on ladies of the night.
True, prostitution is real in LOS with a sizeable proportion populace making a living (most from poor Isaan north east region). They support families back home, and the farangs are seen as a meal ticket. Irony is prostitution is ilegal in LOS, but try telling cops that.

The vast majority are regular ladies, so you'll get your chances -minus the need to taste the seedy night life
Thailand offers a good alternative for retirement (albeit gotten more expensive now), given the large foreigner nos.

 

[Narong Wongwan]

Is it correct to say that Thailand uses women, sex to entice men to go there to spend money? If that is the case, it will be a perfect place for boomers to retire there. No wonder such thread exist in this forum.

Superficial. Commercial Sex and women are abundant everywhere la even cheaper in neighbouring countries. You’re a fucking noob.