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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand
- Thread starter Leongsam
- Start date
Bangkok asks for cooperation to refrain from all New Year activities
Dec 21. 2020
By The Nation
The governor of Bangkok, General Asawin Kwanmuang, along with his deputy Lt-General Sophon Phisutthiwong, called an urgent meeting of relevant agencies, such as the Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Interior and hospital directors in Bangkok to assess the situation amid the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon province and nearby areas.
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Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a spokesman for the city administration, said the meeting was called as Bangkok is a neighbouring province of Samut Sakhon and is vulnerable to the epidemic spreading.
Two persons who have been found to be infected in Bangkok had travelled to the affected area. Therefore, Bangkok will have a proactive investigation, especially in 472 markets, including construction sites and the places where the goods were picked up from Samut Sakhon province.
The committees of the Communicable Diseases Committee emphasised three main locations to prevent an outbreak:
1. Entertainment establishments, pubs, bars, entertainment venues and establishments similar to entertainment venues will see more stringent preventive measures by prohibiting dancing or gathering of crowds. Table must not be less than 1.5 metres apart.
2. Boxing stadium, which had seen an outbreak months ago, must be strict about people wearing masks and implement preventive measures, including limiting the number of visitors
3. Markets must emphasise on 100 per cent wearing of masks.
Meanwhile, people can visit public parks and temples wearing a mask.
The Bangkok administration has asked for cooperation from every sector to refrain from New Year activities. If they want the event to be organised, permission must be requested by applying to the Bangkok Health Office with a strict disease control plan.
Bangkok has coordinated with schools in three districts, which are in the boundary area of Samut Sakhon province, namely Bang Khun Thian, Bang Bon, and Nong Khaem, to be closed for 14 days, from December 21 to January 4. The schools must have a study plan and online teaching arrangements. As for schools in other areas, if it is deemed appropriate to close, the decision can be made by the school administrator to reduce the risk of further transmission.
Dec 21. 2020
By The Nation
The governor of Bangkok, General Asawin Kwanmuang, along with his deputy Lt-General Sophon Phisutthiwong, called an urgent meeting of relevant agencies, such as the Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Interior and hospital directors in Bangkok to assess the situation amid the risk of the Covid-19 virus spreading after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon province and nearby areas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, a spokesman for the city administration, said the meeting was called as Bangkok is a neighbouring province of Samut Sakhon and is vulnerable to the epidemic spreading.
Two persons who have been found to be infected in Bangkok had travelled to the affected area. Therefore, Bangkok will have a proactive investigation, especially in 472 markets, including construction sites and the places where the goods were picked up from Samut Sakhon province.
The committees of the Communicable Diseases Committee emphasised three main locations to prevent an outbreak:
1. Entertainment establishments, pubs, bars, entertainment venues and establishments similar to entertainment venues will see more stringent preventive measures by prohibiting dancing or gathering of crowds. Table must not be less than 1.5 metres apart.
2. Boxing stadium, which had seen an outbreak months ago, must be strict about people wearing masks and implement preventive measures, including limiting the number of visitors
3. Markets must emphasise on 100 per cent wearing of masks.
Meanwhile, people can visit public parks and temples wearing a mask.
The Bangkok administration has asked for cooperation from every sector to refrain from New Year activities. If they want the event to be organised, permission must be requested by applying to the Bangkok Health Office with a strict disease control plan.
Bangkok has coordinated with schools in three districts, which are in the boundary area of Samut Sakhon province, namely Bang Khun Thian, Bang Bon, and Nong Khaem, to be closed for 14 days, from December 21 to January 4. The schools must have a study plan and online teaching arrangements. As for schools in other areas, if it is deemed appropriate to close, the decision can be made by the school administrator to reduce the risk of further transmission.
Covid cluster swells
Migrant Covid cases soar
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED
UPDATED: 21 DEC 2020 AT 13:03
People queue to get tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon on Saturday after cases of local infections were detected and linked to a vendor at the market. (AFP file photo)
The confirmed Covid-19 caseload in Thailand soared by 382 on Monday, 360 of them migrant workers from Myanmar linked to a wholesale shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, the province bordering Bangkok on the southwestern side.
The spike in infections followed the 576 new cases recorded on Sunday. Monday's rise was expected because of ongoing, intensive testing of thousands of migrant workers in the province's fishing industry, mainly in the areas locked down since Saturday night.
Surat Thani bans travel by migrant workers
SURAT THANI: Migrant workers have been banned from moving in or out of the province until further notice, and employers have been told to screen them all for Covid-19, Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto said on Monday.
The new infections raised the accumulated total in Thailand since the start of the outbreak to 5,289, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said additional cases linked to the Central Shrimp Market in tambon Mahachai are expected to be announced in an update from the Public Health Ministry on Monday afternoon.
"New reports keep flowing in. There will be more new cases," Dr Taweesilp said.
The spokesman urged all workers from Myanmar to come out to be tested, including those who sneaked across the border into Thailand. Illegal migrants will not be punished, he said.
"We emphasise only health measures, not immigration regulations," he said.
The issue of illegal Myanmar workers hiding from health officials was raised in talks between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the ministry's team led by Public Health Minister Auntin Charnvirakul. National Security Council secretary-general Nattaphon Narkphanit also attended the talks.
Dr Taweesilp said a field hospital of 100 beds will be set up in the sealed area in Samut Sakhon in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. "We will not let the patients move out of the area," he said.
About 1,000 people regularly come to the Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of the new outbreak, to buy shrimp for wholesale and retail sales in Samut Sakhon and other provinces.
The CCSA spokesman said authorities are tracing all of them.
Migrant Covid cases soar
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED
UPDATED: 21 DEC 2020 AT 13:03
People queue to get tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon on Saturday after cases of local infections were detected and linked to a vendor at the market. (AFP file photo)
The confirmed Covid-19 caseload in Thailand soared by 382 on Monday, 360 of them migrant workers from Myanmar linked to a wholesale shrimp market in Samut Sakhon, the province bordering Bangkok on the southwestern side.
The spike in infections followed the 576 new cases recorded on Sunday. Monday's rise was expected because of ongoing, intensive testing of thousands of migrant workers in the province's fishing industry, mainly in the areas locked down since Saturday night.
Surat Thani bans travel by migrant workers
SURAT THANI: Migrant workers have been banned from moving in or out of the province until further notice, and employers have been told to screen them all for Covid-19, Surat Thani governor Wichawut Jinto said on Monday.
The new infections raised the accumulated total in Thailand since the start of the outbreak to 5,289, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said additional cases linked to the Central Shrimp Market in tambon Mahachai are expected to be announced in an update from the Public Health Ministry on Monday afternoon.
"New reports keep flowing in. There will be more new cases," Dr Taweesilp said.
The spokesman urged all workers from Myanmar to come out to be tested, including those who sneaked across the border into Thailand. Illegal migrants will not be punished, he said.
"We emphasise only health measures, not immigration regulations," he said.
The issue of illegal Myanmar workers hiding from health officials was raised in talks between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the ministry's team led by Public Health Minister Auntin Charnvirakul. National Security Council secretary-general Nattaphon Narkphanit also attended the talks.
Dr Taweesilp said a field hospital of 100 beds will be set up in the sealed area in Samut Sakhon in order to contain the spread of Covid-19. "We will not let the patients move out of the area," he said.
About 1,000 people regularly come to the Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of the new outbreak, to buy shrimp for wholesale and retail sales in Samut Sakhon and other provinces.
The CCSA spokesman said authorities are tracing all of them.
Women on frontlines of democracy movement
AFP PUBLISHED : 21 DEC 2020 AT 14:46
WRITER: AFP
On the protest frontlines, they are urging for gender equality in a kingdom where workplaces and politics are still dominated by men.
AFP met three of them.
- Chief negotiator -
On the night police tried to stop protesters from marching to the parliament, activist Chonticha Jangrew remembers rallying them to push past the barricades.
"We cut the barbed wire, we approach the parliament as close as we can. We won't back down," she recounts herself saying during the November rally.
Moments later, police fired tear gas and water cannon at the marchers -- a turning point for a movement that has brought thousands onto the streets since July.
Ms Chonticha, 27, is a familiar face at demonstrations and is often the only one trusted to negotiate with police, but her visibility has also led to a spate of criminal charges -- including sedition.
She said she received death threats and "sexual insults" from ultra-royalists who oppose the protest movement but insisted the struggle must continue.
"We must do as much as men if we want equality," she said.
Like the majority of protesters, she is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, reform to the monarchy and a rewriting of the military-scripted constitution.
She is also fighting for better representation of women in politics -- so far, they make up only 14% of lawmakers in parliament and 10% of the cabinet.
Ms Chonticha was raised by a military father in a conservative environment.
"I needed to emancipate myself. Today, I don't hide my opinions from my family. They accept them, but they are afraid for me," she said.
Actress Intira "Sai" Charoenpura sits on an inflatable duck, associated with the pro-democracy movement, at her home in Bangkok on Dec 7, 2020. (AFP photo)
- Star attraction -
A star of Thailand's silver screen since her teenage years, Inthira Charoenpura -- better known by her nickname "Sai" -- says she has had movie contracts cancelled since joining the protests.
"In show business, nobody dares to talk about politics for fear of ruining their career," she says.
She faces criminal charges for allegedly insulting the monarchy under the country’s tough royal defamation laws.
The 40-year-old actress has nearly half a million fans on social media and is one of the few celebrities in Thailand to publicly acknowledge her financial support for the movement, earning her the moniker "Sugar Mama" from young protesters.
She collects donations and distributes meals, helmets, gas masks and inflatable ducks -- which have emerged as a symbol for the movement.
"The demonstrators are so courageous. In our country, protest movements often end in deaths," she says, referring to civil unrest in 2010 that ended in a bloody crackdown.
The protests today have been largely peaceful, with young students coming together demand social change -- including an end to sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
"Women in the protests dare to talk about what they are going through as victims," says Ms Sai.
Born to a director father and film producer mother, Ms Sai considers this year's protests one of the most worthwhile causes she has supported.
"We cannot yet speak of victory, but there is an irreversible change," she says. "This fight is even more important than the cinema that flows through my veins."
- Abortion campaigner -
Chumaporn Taengkliang, co-founder of Women for Freedom and Democracy, is pictured during a protest rally in front of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok on Dec 3, 2020. (AFP file photo)
Chumaporn Taengkliang, known as "Dao", once smuggled 10,000 abortion pills from China into the kingdom, where the drugs were not widely available.
Seven years later she is a frequent presence at protests calling for the decriminalisation of abortion and the legalisation of sex work.
Abortion is legal in Thailand but restricted, except in specific cases such as rape or when the woman's health is threatened -- otherwise women can be prosecuted and jailed for three years.
"It's archaic," says Ms Dao, who welcomes recent news that the government is working on decriminalising abortion even though "we have to go much further to really protect women."
Ms Dao grew up in Thailand's south to a conservative family where domestic violence was normal, and knew from the age of 12 that she "had to fight against all this".
She urges other pro-democracy leaders, many of them men: "Let us make ourselves heard more. We will never stay in the back seat again, we will always be in the front line."
AFP PUBLISHED : 21 DEC 2020 AT 14:46
WRITER: AFP
-
Chonticha "Lookkate" Jangrew talks to fellow pro-democracy protesters during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on Oct 14, 2020. (AFP file photo)
On the protest frontlines, they are urging for gender equality in a kingdom where workplaces and politics are still dominated by men.
AFP met three of them.
- Chief negotiator -
On the night police tried to stop protesters from marching to the parliament, activist Chonticha Jangrew remembers rallying them to push past the barricades.
"We cut the barbed wire, we approach the parliament as close as we can. We won't back down," she recounts herself saying during the November rally.
Moments later, police fired tear gas and water cannon at the marchers -- a turning point for a movement that has brought thousands onto the streets since July.
Ms Chonticha, 27, is a familiar face at demonstrations and is often the only one trusted to negotiate with police, but her visibility has also led to a spate of criminal charges -- including sedition.
She said she received death threats and "sexual insults" from ultra-royalists who oppose the protest movement but insisted the struggle must continue.
"We must do as much as men if we want equality," she said.
Like the majority of protesters, she is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, reform to the monarchy and a rewriting of the military-scripted constitution.
She is also fighting for better representation of women in politics -- so far, they make up only 14% of lawmakers in parliament and 10% of the cabinet.
Ms Chonticha was raised by a military father in a conservative environment.
"I needed to emancipate myself. Today, I don't hide my opinions from my family. They accept them, but they are afraid for me," she said.
Actress Intira "Sai" Charoenpura sits on an inflatable duck, associated with the pro-democracy movement, at her home in Bangkok on Dec 7, 2020. (AFP photo)
- Star attraction -
A star of Thailand's silver screen since her teenage years, Inthira Charoenpura -- better known by her nickname "Sai" -- says she has had movie contracts cancelled since joining the protests.
"In show business, nobody dares to talk about politics for fear of ruining their career," she says.
She faces criminal charges for allegedly insulting the monarchy under the country’s tough royal defamation laws.
The 40-year-old actress has nearly half a million fans on social media and is one of the few celebrities in Thailand to publicly acknowledge her financial support for the movement, earning her the moniker "Sugar Mama" from young protesters.
She collects donations and distributes meals, helmets, gas masks and inflatable ducks -- which have emerged as a symbol for the movement.
"The demonstrators are so courageous. In our country, protest movements often end in deaths," she says, referring to civil unrest in 2010 that ended in a bloody crackdown.
The protests today have been largely peaceful, with young students coming together demand social change -- including an end to sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
"Women in the protests dare to talk about what they are going through as victims," says Ms Sai.
Born to a director father and film producer mother, Ms Sai considers this year's protests one of the most worthwhile causes she has supported.
"We cannot yet speak of victory, but there is an irreversible change," she says. "This fight is even more important than the cinema that flows through my veins."
- Abortion campaigner -
Chumaporn Taengkliang, co-founder of Women for Freedom and Democracy, is pictured during a protest rally in front of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok on Dec 3, 2020. (AFP file photo)
Chumaporn Taengkliang, known as "Dao", once smuggled 10,000 abortion pills from China into the kingdom, where the drugs were not widely available.
Seven years later she is a frequent presence at protests calling for the decriminalisation of abortion and the legalisation of sex work.
Abortion is legal in Thailand but restricted, except in specific cases such as rape or when the woman's health is threatened -- otherwise women can be prosecuted and jailed for three years.
"It's archaic," says Ms Dao, who welcomes recent news that the government is working on decriminalising abortion even though "we have to go much further to really protect women."
Ms Dao grew up in Thailand's south to a conservative family where domestic violence was normal, and knew from the age of 12 that she "had to fight against all this".
She urges other pro-democracy leaders, many of them men: "Let us make ourselves heard more. We will never stay in the back seat again, we will always be in the front line."
Update: +500 today at Samut Sakorn cluster, after 43% all tested.
Ticking time bomb (not unlike our dorm cluster before)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2038103/samut-sakhon-locked-down-as-new-cases-top-500
A map provided by the CCSA depicts the density of patients in different parts of Thailand. Red stands for most cases (Samut Sakhon),
orange covers provinces with cases linked to Samut Sakhon and green marks provinces from where people travelled to the affected area
but did not get infected.
Ticking time bomb (not unlike our dorm cluster before)
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2038103/samut-sakhon-locked-down-as-new-cases-top-500
A map provided by the CCSA depicts the density of patients in different parts of Thailand. Red stands for most cases (Samut Sakhon),
orange covers provinces with cases linked to Samut Sakhon and green marks provinces from where people travelled to the affected area
but did not get infected.
BMA orders strict implementation of Covid-19 measures in public places
National
Dec 22. 2020
By THE NATION
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Monday ordered strict implementation of measures at four public spaces – markets, parks, religious places and entertainment venues – in the capital.
The order requires operators of each place to provide health measures to staff and visitors, such as space for social distancing, temperature checking and hand sanitising gel.
Visitors and staff are also ordered to wear face masks, and the places must be cleaned regularly.
Besides, the operators must collect visitors’ information for tracking, and run a queue system, particularly at parks and entertainment venues.
Under the announcement, entertainment venues – pubs, bars and karaokes – face the greatest challenge to strictly implement the measures.
In addition to the "new normal" measures, operators of entertainment venues are required to limit their customer numbers, with at least four cubic metres for one person. Group customers should be limited to a maximum of five persons.
Singers or other staff are prohibited from being close to customers. Nevertheless, the singers and dancers are allowed to dance on stage.
The BMA also has banned entertainment venues from running promotions of products they sell. Serving of drinks in mugs or other sharing containers are prohibited, while customers are not allowed to bring their drinks into the venues.
The BMA has urged the operators to install CCTV cameras at their venues, and ordered them to save the footage for at least one month before deletion.
National
Dec 22. 2020
By THE NATION
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on Monday ordered strict implementation of measures at four public spaces – markets, parks, religious places and entertainment venues – in the capital.
The order requires operators of each place to provide health measures to staff and visitors, such as space for social distancing, temperature checking and hand sanitising gel.
Visitors and staff are also ordered to wear face masks, and the places must be cleaned regularly.
Besides, the operators must collect visitors’ information for tracking, and run a queue system, particularly at parks and entertainment venues.
Under the announcement, entertainment venues – pubs, bars and karaokes – face the greatest challenge to strictly implement the measures.
In addition to the "new normal" measures, operators of entertainment venues are required to limit their customer numbers, with at least four cubic metres for one person. Group customers should be limited to a maximum of five persons.
Singers or other staff are prohibited from being close to customers. Nevertheless, the singers and dancers are allowed to dance on stage.
The BMA also has banned entertainment venues from running promotions of products they sell. Serving of drinks in mugs or other sharing containers are prohibited, while customers are not allowed to bring their drinks into the venues.
The BMA has urged the operators to install CCTV cameras at their venues, and ordered them to save the footage for at least one month before deletion.
pdated map by
@MorningNewsTV3
showing that local cases of #COVID19 have now reached 23 provinces. Samut Sakhon remains the epicentre at 1,063 cases.
Most cases are in Bangkok (10), Samut Prakan (9), Nakhon Pathom (8), Suphanburi (7) and Samut Songkhram (6) #Thailand
@MorningNewsTV3
showing that local cases of #COVID19 have now reached 23 provinces. Samut Sakhon remains the epicentre at 1,063 cases.
Most cases are in Bangkok (10), Samut Prakan (9), Nakhon Pathom (8), Suphanburi (7) and Samut Songkhram (6) #Thailand
Thai man revives baby elephant with CPR after motorbike accident
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55409137
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55409137
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Tu...1&pub_date=20201223190000&seq_num=16&si=44594
Thailand protesters take 'a break' with key demands unmet
Splits and mixed messages cool demos but leaders vow to return in 2021
From left, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Patsaravalee "Mind" Tanakitvibulpon, and Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree. (Source photos by Reuters and Lauren Decicca)
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT and MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writersDecember 23, 2020 15:30 JST
BANGKOK -- After five months of street protests, Thailand is expected to have a relatively quiet New Year period as pro-democracy protests led by the youth go dormant with no progress on three key demands.
So far, protest calls have been ignored by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, and his administration remains intact. The students meanwhile appear to have come up short on new issues to protest over, and there is a growing impression that the youthful reform movement is running out of steam. Rifts have also become apparent in the leadership.
Many Thais are wary of change and the older generation continues to revere the monarchy as an institution. As youthful radicalism collides with the fundamental conservatism of Thai society, student leaders remain defiant.
"We will take a break for now," Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the main protest leaders, told Nikkei Asia. "We will start fighting for democracy again next year."
"We are just taking a break, but we will never stop the fight," said Patsaravalee "Mind" Tanakitvibulpon. "Next year, we will come back with stronger force to make our dream come true."
"Next year we will fight on with a tougher movement," said Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak. "We will rip off the dictator's mask."
The prime minister's determination to stay in power drove protesters to abandon their slim hopes for quick reforms, and to regroup for a grueling campaign. The House and the Senate had started to formally consider the constitutional amendments. The process will take at least a year or two. The next general elections will happen no later than 2023.
The protests started on July 18 when COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed and offline activism became easier. Police and other observers estimated that over 20,000 protesters gathered at Democracy Monument demanding the resignation of Prayuth and his cabinet, constitutional amendments with public consultation, and reform of the monarchy.
The protests gathered momentum after students at Thammasat University read out a 10-point agenda for reform of the monarchy in August.
One of the largest protests was on Oct. 26 when thousands gathered outside the German embassy to demand Berlin investigate whether King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been conducting Thai affairs of state on German soil.
The king has been mostly resident in Bavaria in recent years. He returned to mark the fourth anniversary of his father's death on Oct. 13, and has remained in Thailand for the longest period since his accession in 2016.
With Germany in a COVID-19 lockdown, the king has used his extended time at home to mingle with royalists and members of the conservative establishment, sometimes with unusual public intimacy. Members of the royal family have accompanied him on a public relations campaign not previously seen.
Super Poll contacted 1,200 respondents in the second week of December, and reported that 98.7% wanted constitutional monarchy to remain. Super Poll is run by Assistant Professor Noppadon Kannika who is regarded as conservative despite his claims to being neutral.
There has been no debate in Germany's Bundestag, the federal parliament, in response to the student demands. Parliamentary checks have, however, confirmed that the king has been visiting on a private visa -- which does not diminish his status as a head of state in German eyes. But there has been speculation that Germany might in future require that a regent be appointed in Thailand during the king's absences for future visas to be issued.
The authorities have on occasions taken a firm stance, deploying water cannons to counter the most determined rally outside parliament on Nov. 17 when royalists actually clashed with demonstrators.
Cargo containers, concrete barriers and razor wire have also been used to block off access to sensitive areas, particularly royal properties.
In July, Prayuth announced that the king had made it clear that he did not want the controversial law of lese-majeste used against demonstrators. As the protests continued, however, anti-monarchy sentiment grew stronger, and sites with strong royal connections -- such as the Crown Property Bureau and the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank -- were targeted as rally venues.
On Nov. 19, Prayuth reversed the official position on lese-majeste, but did not reveal if he was acting on instructions. At least 34 protesters have so far been charged under the law, which is meant to protect senior members of the royal family from hurt and offense. Those facing charges include Panasuya, Penguin and Mind. Unusually, actual arrests have not yet been reported.
Yuthaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammatirat University, notes that many of the student leaders are facing multiple charges that require them to present themselves in different places. "That will prevent them from joining rallies and reduce their force," he said.
On Dec 7, Free Youth, one of main protest groups, launched its Restart Thailand campaign highlighting the importance of laborers and farmers. The adoption of a controversial hammer and sickle banner with obvious communist connotations attracted considerable criticism.
Jaran Ditapichai, 72, a veteran of the Communist Party of Thailand, which was officially wound up in the mid-1980s, posted on Instagram that the Communist Party of France had endorsed the Thai protests in early November. Jaran, a former member of the Human Rights Commission of Thailand, has political asylum in France.
Wherever it drew its inspiration, Restart Thailand apparently caused confusion among protesters who want genuine reform but have no interest in Cold War ideologies. Some key leaders immediately distanced themselves from the move.
"Let me make it clear that I am not a member of Free Youth, and I have nothing to do with the Restart Thailand movement," Penguin told Nikkei. "I still insist on our three key demands."
"Everybody has a right to express their political idea," said Panasuya. "However, I am not a member of Free Youth, and I don't want to create confusion -- I am still fighting for the three key demands."
Mind, the student leader who led more than 10,000 protesters to the German embassy, was also reluctant to discuss Free Youth's leftist branding. "If they want to float communist ideas, I think we should talk and make it clear before raising the issue," she told Nikkei. "I am not clear what Free Youth is trying to say."
Paisal Puechmongkol, a former assistant to Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan, said Free Youth's leftist inclinations were clear, and this would alienate many protesters. "I think parents of young students who don't want communism will discourage their children from joining the protests," Paisal posted on Facebook.
"It is one of several movements that our group want to propose to all protesters as one of a number of strategies to move Thailand forward," Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, head of Free Youth told Nikkei.
Business leaders have insisted on the need to move on from ideological debates to reviving the economy. "I think the spending mood is getting back to normal, and we are seeing increased business activity that supports the economy," said Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries. "I think the tolerance for political chaos is subsiding as most people see economic issues as the priority."
The mixed-up political agendas and protest goals will make it harder to regenerate momentum when attempts are made to restart rallies next year. Yuthaporn said the recent political fractures are likely to break protesters down into smaller groups and reduce the overall pressure they can exert on the government.
"They have different political ideas and are fighting in different directions," said Yuthaporn. "We may not see any big protests next year."
"They might have to hold back and rethink their strategy as all the protests were unsuccessful, and they still have not got what they demanded," Jade Donavanik, a political scientist with the College of Asian Scholars said.
Thailand is experiencing a resurgence of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the latest flare-up coming from a province next to southwestern Bangkok. The virus could slow protesters' momentum after the year-end break, in the same way the demonstrations against the disbandment of the Future Forward Party in February were interrupted by the first phase of the pandemic.
Thailand protesters take 'a break' with key demands unmet
Splits and mixed messages cool demos but leaders vow to return in 2021
From left, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, Patsaravalee "Mind" Tanakitvibulpon, and Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree. (Source photos by Reuters and Lauren Decicca)
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT and MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writersDecember 23, 2020 15:30 JST
BANGKOK -- After five months of street protests, Thailand is expected to have a relatively quiet New Year period as pro-democracy protests led by the youth go dormant with no progress on three key demands.
So far, protest calls have been ignored by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, and his administration remains intact. The students meanwhile appear to have come up short on new issues to protest over, and there is a growing impression that the youthful reform movement is running out of steam. Rifts have also become apparent in the leadership.
Many Thais are wary of change and the older generation continues to revere the monarchy as an institution. As youthful radicalism collides with the fundamental conservatism of Thai society, student leaders remain defiant.
"We will take a break for now," Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the main protest leaders, told Nikkei Asia. "We will start fighting for democracy again next year."
"We are just taking a break, but we will never stop the fight," said Patsaravalee "Mind" Tanakitvibulpon. "Next year, we will come back with stronger force to make our dream come true."
"Next year we will fight on with a tougher movement," said Parit "Penguin" Chiwarak. "We will rip off the dictator's mask."
The prime minister's determination to stay in power drove protesters to abandon their slim hopes for quick reforms, and to regroup for a grueling campaign. The House and the Senate had started to formally consider the constitutional amendments. The process will take at least a year or two. The next general elections will happen no later than 2023.
The protests started on July 18 when COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed and offline activism became easier. Police and other observers estimated that over 20,000 protesters gathered at Democracy Monument demanding the resignation of Prayuth and his cabinet, constitutional amendments with public consultation, and reform of the monarchy.
The protests gathered momentum after students at Thammasat University read out a 10-point agenda for reform of the monarchy in August.
One of the largest protests was on Oct. 26 when thousands gathered outside the German embassy to demand Berlin investigate whether King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been conducting Thai affairs of state on German soil.
The king has been mostly resident in Bavaria in recent years. He returned to mark the fourth anniversary of his father's death on Oct. 13, and has remained in Thailand for the longest period since his accession in 2016.
With Germany in a COVID-19 lockdown, the king has used his extended time at home to mingle with royalists and members of the conservative establishment, sometimes with unusual public intimacy. Members of the royal family have accompanied him on a public relations campaign not previously seen.
Super Poll contacted 1,200 respondents in the second week of December, and reported that 98.7% wanted constitutional monarchy to remain. Super Poll is run by Assistant Professor Noppadon Kannika who is regarded as conservative despite his claims to being neutral.
There has been no debate in Germany's Bundestag, the federal parliament, in response to the student demands. Parliamentary checks have, however, confirmed that the king has been visiting on a private visa -- which does not diminish his status as a head of state in German eyes. But there has been speculation that Germany might in future require that a regent be appointed in Thailand during the king's absences for future visas to be issued.
The authorities have on occasions taken a firm stance, deploying water cannons to counter the most determined rally outside parliament on Nov. 17 when royalists actually clashed with demonstrators.
Cargo containers, concrete barriers and razor wire have also been used to block off access to sensitive areas, particularly royal properties.
In July, Prayuth announced that the king had made it clear that he did not want the controversial law of lese-majeste used against demonstrators. As the protests continued, however, anti-monarchy sentiment grew stronger, and sites with strong royal connections -- such as the Crown Property Bureau and the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank -- were targeted as rally venues.
On Nov. 19, Prayuth reversed the official position on lese-majeste, but did not reveal if he was acting on instructions. At least 34 protesters have so far been charged under the law, which is meant to protect senior members of the royal family from hurt and offense. Those facing charges include Panasuya, Penguin and Mind. Unusually, actual arrests have not yet been reported.
Yuthaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammatirat University, notes that many of the student leaders are facing multiple charges that require them to present themselves in different places. "That will prevent them from joining rallies and reduce their force," he said.
On Dec 7, Free Youth, one of main protest groups, launched its Restart Thailand campaign highlighting the importance of laborers and farmers. The adoption of a controversial hammer and sickle banner with obvious communist connotations attracted considerable criticism.
Jaran Ditapichai, 72, a veteran of the Communist Party of Thailand, which was officially wound up in the mid-1980s, posted on Instagram that the Communist Party of France had endorsed the Thai protests in early November. Jaran, a former member of the Human Rights Commission of Thailand, has political asylum in France.
Wherever it drew its inspiration, Restart Thailand apparently caused confusion among protesters who want genuine reform but have no interest in Cold War ideologies. Some key leaders immediately distanced themselves from the move.
"Let me make it clear that I am not a member of Free Youth, and I have nothing to do with the Restart Thailand movement," Penguin told Nikkei. "I still insist on our three key demands."
"Everybody has a right to express their political idea," said Panasuya. "However, I am not a member of Free Youth, and I don't want to create confusion -- I am still fighting for the three key demands."
Mind, the student leader who led more than 10,000 protesters to the German embassy, was also reluctant to discuss Free Youth's leftist branding. "If they want to float communist ideas, I think we should talk and make it clear before raising the issue," she told Nikkei. "I am not clear what Free Youth is trying to say."
Paisal Puechmongkol, a former assistant to Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan, said Free Youth's leftist inclinations were clear, and this would alienate many protesters. "I think parents of young students who don't want communism will discourage their children from joining the protests," Paisal posted on Facebook.
"It is one of several movements that our group want to propose to all protesters as one of a number of strategies to move Thailand forward," Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, head of Free Youth told Nikkei.
Business leaders have insisted on the need to move on from ideological debates to reviving the economy. "I think the spending mood is getting back to normal, and we are seeing increased business activity that supports the economy," said Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries. "I think the tolerance for political chaos is subsiding as most people see economic issues as the priority."
The mixed-up political agendas and protest goals will make it harder to regenerate momentum when attempts are made to restart rallies next year. Yuthaporn said the recent political fractures are likely to break protesters down into smaller groups and reduce the overall pressure they can exert on the government.
"They have different political ideas and are fighting in different directions," said Yuthaporn. "We may not see any big protests next year."
"They might have to hold back and rethink their strategy as all the protests were unsuccessful, and they still have not got what they demanded," Jade Donavanik, a political scientist with the College of Asian Scholars said.
Thailand is experiencing a resurgence of the COVID-19 outbreak, with the latest flare-up coming from a province next to southwestern Bangkok. The virus could slow protesters' momentum after the year-end break, in the same way the demonstrations against the disbandment of the Future Forward Party in February were interrupted by the first phase of the pandemic.
No lockdown, but Covid-control zoning of provinces
Four zones, depending on degree of infection
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 24 DEC 2020 AT 14:02
There will be no national lockdown but Covid-19 control zoning is being imposed, based on the number and degree of new cases, with New Year celebrations permitted only under strict conditions, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced on Thursday.
CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin said there are four zones for Covid-19 control measures now being applied to provinces, effective immediately.
They are:
- Red zone: maximum control, considerable number of Covid-19 cases
- Orange zone: control zone, more than 10 cases and rising.
- Yellow zone: high surveillance, with no more than 10 cases and control possible.
- Green zone: surveillance, with no cases or likelihood of infection.
The red zone, maximum control, presently covers only Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the latest Covid-19 outbreak, he said.
In this zone, infected and at-risk people as well as at-risk businesses and activities are quickly identified. Infected people are admitted to a field hospital and at-risk people are quarantined.
At-risk premises are closed or have operating hours limited. Transport of migrant workers out of the area is banned. Transport of Thais is restricted while impacts on business and industries are limited. Work from home is maximized.
Education moves online. Crowd activities are banned. Maximum Covid-19 prevention is imposed at workplaces, factories and workers' dormitories.
Fishing continues but fishermen and seafood must be subject to active Covid-19 tests. Affected people are rehabilitated.
Measures in the three other zones are gradually relaxed in accordance with the degree of Covid-19 infection.
The transport of migrant workers out of an orange zone is banned.
The control zone (orange) covers provinces surrounding Samut Sakhon - Bangkok, Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi and Nakhon Pathom.
The high surveillance zone (yellow) comprises 25 provinces - Saraburi, Samut Prakan, Suphan Buri, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Uttaradit, Chachoengsao, Kamphaeng Phet, Phetchabun, Ayutthaya, Phuket, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Prachin Buri, Krabi, Khon Kaen, Chai Nat, Udon Thani, Phichit, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chaiyaphum, Nakhon Sawan and Ang Thong.
The surveillance zone (green) applies to provinces without an infected case.
Dr Taweesilp said New Year celebrations are banned in the maximum control zone, unless entirely online. Parties can be held in the control zone, on the condition the number of attendees is limited.
Celebrations can be organised in the two other zones, but must be downsized and no crowded gatherings allowed.
Dr Taweesilp said the zone control designations of the various provinces could change, depending on the situation there.
81 new Covid cases, including migrants
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 25 DEC 2020 AT 13:12
The government on Friday reported 81 new Covid-19 cases - 37 local infections, 35 migrant workers and nine quarantined arrivals - raising the total to 5,910.
Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said 26 of the 37 local infection cases were linked to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Samut Sakhon province. The other 11 were still under investigation.
The local infections included vendors, government officials, seafood transport workers and bank employees. Most were of working age and showed symptoms of the disease, he said.
So far, the outbreak that emerged at the Central Shrimp Market of Samut Sakhon province had spread to 31 provinces, the spokesman said.
The 35 new cases among migrant workers were detected by active testing.
They were among 8,810 people tested in Samut Sakhon. Of those tested, 1,308 (15%) were positive. Health officials planned to test about 10,000 people in Samut Sakhon to ensure Covid-19 control, Dr Taweesilp said.
Of the 1,308 infected migrant workers, about 500 were admitted to hospitals, with a few cases of serious illness. The others were quarantined only, he said.
Dr Taweesilp asked local people in Samut Sakhon not to oppose the establishment of a field hospital in the province. It was important to detect cases in Samut Sakhon as soon as possible, and the field hospital had an important role in the process, he said.
The field hospital did not pose any transmission threat to local people. It was as safe as quarantine facilities, including the hotels providing quarantine services in urban areas, Dr Taweesilp said.
He said that as long as Covid-19 cases, and the spread of the virus, were at controllable levels, people and businesses cooperated, and there were adequate medical and public health resources, the system of Covid-19 control zoning would continue.
However, if any of the conditions failed there would be a national lockdown, as was imposed in March this year, Dr Taweesilp said.
The nine quarantined arrival cases came from the United States, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates.
Of the total 5,910 local cases, 4,130 had recovered, including 21 discharged over the past 24 hours, and 1,713 were in hospitals. The death toll remained at 60.
Since the pandemic started early this year, local Covid-19 cases have consisted of 3,967 local infections, 1,943 arrivals and 1,308 migrant workers, the CCSA said
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 665,189 over the previous 24 hours to 79.73 million. The worldwide death toll was up by 11,718 to 1.75 million. The US had the most cases at 19.11 million, up 193,030.
Koh Lanta big bike party turns out to be Covid cluster
National
Dec 25. 2020
By The Nation
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has revealed a new Covid-19 cluster from a “big-bike party” in Koh Lanta, with around 10 confirmed infections and 129 people at risk.
A Covid-19 patient travelled from Samut Sakhon on December 9 with two friends to attend the Multistrada Thailand Meeting of Ducati bikers on December 11 in Koh Lanta.
There he came in contact with 133 people, 129 of whom are at high risk and four not at such high risk. All these people have been tracked and contacted as the hotel had registered every partygoer.
So far, 10 cases related to this party have been detected, including the initial one from Samut Sakhon.
Four cases have been found in Krabi, one of whom attended the party in Koh Lanta and then transmitted the virus to his wife, daughter and relative.
One partygoer transmitted the virus to his two sons in Phuket, while two infections were recorded in Songkhla, as one of the big bikers transmitted the virus to his younger sister.
DDC has called on authorities in each province to look out for people who may have attended the Koh Lanta party and passed the infection on to others.
National
Dec 25. 2020
By The Nation
The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has revealed a new Covid-19 cluster from a “big-bike party” in Koh Lanta, with around 10 confirmed infections and 129 people at risk.
A Covid-19 patient travelled from Samut Sakhon on December 9 with two friends to attend the Multistrada Thailand Meeting of Ducati bikers on December 11 in Koh Lanta.
There he came in contact with 133 people, 129 of whom are at high risk and four not at such high risk. All these people have been tracked and contacted as the hotel had registered every partygoer.
So far, 10 cases related to this party have been detected, including the initial one from Samut Sakhon.
Four cases have been found in Krabi, one of whom attended the party in Koh Lanta and then transmitted the virus to his wife, daughter and relative.
One partygoer transmitted the virus to his two sons in Phuket, while two infections were recorded in Songkhla, as one of the big bikers transmitted the virus to his younger sister.
DDC has called on authorities in each province to look out for people who may have attended the Koh Lanta party and passed the infection on to others.
YEAR ENDER: TOURISM STRUGGLES TO FIND WAY OUT IN RENEWED OUTBREAK
By
Xinhua News Agency
-
December 24, 2020 11:00 am
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php...truggles-to-find-way-out-in-renewed-outbreak/
Visitors at a botanical fair in Khon Kaen province registers her temperature on Dec. 23, 2020.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Five-star hotels in Bangkok, Thailand have dimmed their lights for more than half a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the country to shut its doors to foreign tourists since April.
In a once-bustling riverfront night bazaar in Bangkok, Christmas lights have been put up only to attract few visitors and the dazzling lights could hardly beat the gloom. The city is not in a festive mood.
In southern Thailand’s resort island Phuket, hotel occupancy rate hovers at less than 20 percent. “Cheaper flights, public holidays added by the government and drastic drop of hotel rates are still far less likely to win domestic tourists,” a receptionist at a local hotel told Xinhua.
Unprecedented Crisis
Tourism and hotel industries are suffering from the absence of international tourists. Only 1,201 foreign tourists visited Thailand in October, as the country gradually opened up to a select number of visitors to help its struggling, tourism-reliant economy.
Thitiporn Maneenetr, director in charge of the East Asian market of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Xinhua that Thailand welcomed 3.07 million foreign visitors in the same month last year. Two thirds of the kingdom’s tourism revenue comes from foreign arrivals.
Few visitors are seen at Phuket Old Town on Dec. 19, 2020.
“Though domestic tourism started to recover with people flocking to some destinations during weekends, it’s not enough to salve the whole industry as the domestic market contributes only 30 percent of total tourism revenue.”
Tourism-related businesses that are heavily reliant on foreign tourists have to adapt and now cater to local customers. If they keep shutting down their businesses, facilities will be run down and staffs dismissed, said Thitiporn.
“Price war will damage the whole industry. It’s the toughest challenge ever for tourism industry.”
Find Way Out
Facing the pandemic-induced economic woes, some tourism-related businesses in Thailand are trying to find a connecting piece within the collapsing jigsaw.
The hotel industry is in an unprecedented crisis. “Our enemy is even invisible. Yet the pandemic has only served to push us to realign our strategies to suit domestic travellers who now seek exclusive escapes with a component of seclusive, valued-added and heightened wellness experiences,” Suphajee Suthumpun, CEO of Dusit International, a leading hotel and property development company, told Xinhua.
“We partner with travel platforms, such as travel agencies and local communities, to jointly explore some niche routes, the hidden gems that could be hardly discovered in mass tourism. We offer guests bespoke itineraries and value-added packages. We try to reinvent ourselves to stay attractive to domestic travellers,” she said.
Tourists pose for photos with a field of sunflowers in Lopburi province on Dec. 21, 2020.
Hotels under Dusit group are baiting consumers with bundle deals, such as the flower field trip package, including accommodation, meals, transportation and personal photographer. It offers tourists trips to less visited local communities all over the kingdom with authentic experiences.
To whet the appetite of the visitors, some hotels invite chefs from less known local restaurants with family recipes to prepare meals with distinct tastes.
The pandemic has enhanced customers’ demand for health wellness. Some Thai hotels offer personal coaching sessions with experts or celebrity trainers. Some bring medical services, sleep tests, and sound treatments to hotels.
“Hotel industry needs to diversify its services to survive. Hotel should no longer be the mere place to stay and eat, but a second home for guests to experience different life,” said Suphajee.
Beachgoers walk along the mostly empty Chaweng Beach on Samui Island, Dec. 18, 2020.
She said the tourism industry is suffering a reshuffle by COVID-19, adding that the hospitality sector has to undergo inevitable changes as part of the “new normal,” including an added emphasis on hygiene, a redefined business concept and design alteration.
“Integration of tourism resources and new partnerships with tour agencies seem to be the only way for operators to survive. We have to move forward together, though less profitable,” said Suphajee.
Opaque Prospect in Near Future
As a way to make the pandemic-hit economy move, the Thai government has given greenlight to extend a stimulus package for local tourists. The “We Travel Together” campaign, which subsidises 40 percent of hotel expenditure and airfares, is likely to run from January to March next year.
In tandem with the domestic tourism stimulus plan, the government tries to invigorate the domestic economy by holding events and festivals.
The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has launched a Festival Economy policy to nurture partnerships between professional festival associations and local city governments to co-create new festivals with lasting economic, social and environmental impacts.
Phuket’s old town seemed to be wakened from a long quiet low season, with people flocking to trendy destinations at the recent Living Art Festival.
Security officers inspect hygeniene measures at a beer hall in Khon Kaen province on Dec. 23, 2020.
TCEB is bringing new and high-profile festivals based on the city’s unique DNA. Such festivals will help attract visitors with high spending power and help revive the local economy, stimulate job creation and spur infrastructure development, said Nichapa Yoswee, TCEB senior vice president who chaired the opening ceremony of the art festival.
“We don’t focus on how much revenue it creates, we just aim to generate events to bring tourists to local communities, thus to make their business run,” she told Xinhua.
However, consumer sentiment is likely to be dented in the wake of recent surge in COVID-19 cases. With the New Year countdowns cancelled in many provinces and Samut Sakhon province, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, locked down, the prospect of tourism industry remains opaque.
The tourism sector may have to wait until 2022 to see “normal,” or 80 percent of the pre-pandemic level, as major markets are reluctant to ease travel restrictions unless there is distribution of a successful vaccine, said the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
By
Xinhua News Agency
-
December 24, 2020 11:00 am
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php...truggles-to-find-way-out-in-renewed-outbreak/
Visitors at a botanical fair in Khon Kaen province registers her temperature on Dec. 23, 2020.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Five-star hotels in Bangkok, Thailand have dimmed their lights for more than half a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that forced the country to shut its doors to foreign tourists since April.
In a once-bustling riverfront night bazaar in Bangkok, Christmas lights have been put up only to attract few visitors and the dazzling lights could hardly beat the gloom. The city is not in a festive mood.
In southern Thailand’s resort island Phuket, hotel occupancy rate hovers at less than 20 percent. “Cheaper flights, public holidays added by the government and drastic drop of hotel rates are still far less likely to win domestic tourists,” a receptionist at a local hotel told Xinhua.
Unprecedented Crisis
Tourism and hotel industries are suffering from the absence of international tourists. Only 1,201 foreign tourists visited Thailand in October, as the country gradually opened up to a select number of visitors to help its struggling, tourism-reliant economy.
Thitiporn Maneenetr, director in charge of the East Asian market of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Xinhua that Thailand welcomed 3.07 million foreign visitors in the same month last year. Two thirds of the kingdom’s tourism revenue comes from foreign arrivals.
Few visitors are seen at Phuket Old Town on Dec. 19, 2020.
“Though domestic tourism started to recover with people flocking to some destinations during weekends, it’s not enough to salve the whole industry as the domestic market contributes only 30 percent of total tourism revenue.”
Tourism-related businesses that are heavily reliant on foreign tourists have to adapt and now cater to local customers. If they keep shutting down their businesses, facilities will be run down and staffs dismissed, said Thitiporn.
“Price war will damage the whole industry. It’s the toughest challenge ever for tourism industry.”
Find Way Out
Facing the pandemic-induced economic woes, some tourism-related businesses in Thailand are trying to find a connecting piece within the collapsing jigsaw.
The hotel industry is in an unprecedented crisis. “Our enemy is even invisible. Yet the pandemic has only served to push us to realign our strategies to suit domestic travellers who now seek exclusive escapes with a component of seclusive, valued-added and heightened wellness experiences,” Suphajee Suthumpun, CEO of Dusit International, a leading hotel and property development company, told Xinhua.
“We partner with travel platforms, such as travel agencies and local communities, to jointly explore some niche routes, the hidden gems that could be hardly discovered in mass tourism. We offer guests bespoke itineraries and value-added packages. We try to reinvent ourselves to stay attractive to domestic travellers,” she said.
Tourists pose for photos with a field of sunflowers in Lopburi province on Dec. 21, 2020.
Hotels under Dusit group are baiting consumers with bundle deals, such as the flower field trip package, including accommodation, meals, transportation and personal photographer. It offers tourists trips to less visited local communities all over the kingdom with authentic experiences.
To whet the appetite of the visitors, some hotels invite chefs from less known local restaurants with family recipes to prepare meals with distinct tastes.
The pandemic has enhanced customers’ demand for health wellness. Some Thai hotels offer personal coaching sessions with experts or celebrity trainers. Some bring medical services, sleep tests, and sound treatments to hotels.
“Hotel industry needs to diversify its services to survive. Hotel should no longer be the mere place to stay and eat, but a second home for guests to experience different life,” said Suphajee.
Beachgoers walk along the mostly empty Chaweng Beach on Samui Island, Dec. 18, 2020.
She said the tourism industry is suffering a reshuffle by COVID-19, adding that the hospitality sector has to undergo inevitable changes as part of the “new normal,” including an added emphasis on hygiene, a redefined business concept and design alteration.
“Integration of tourism resources and new partnerships with tour agencies seem to be the only way for operators to survive. We have to move forward together, though less profitable,” said Suphajee.
Opaque Prospect in Near Future
As a way to make the pandemic-hit economy move, the Thai government has given greenlight to extend a stimulus package for local tourists. The “We Travel Together” campaign, which subsidises 40 percent of hotel expenditure and airfares, is likely to run from January to March next year.
In tandem with the domestic tourism stimulus plan, the government tries to invigorate the domestic economy by holding events and festivals.
The Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has launched a Festival Economy policy to nurture partnerships between professional festival associations and local city governments to co-create new festivals with lasting economic, social and environmental impacts.
Phuket’s old town seemed to be wakened from a long quiet low season, with people flocking to trendy destinations at the recent Living Art Festival.
Security officers inspect hygeniene measures at a beer hall in Khon Kaen province on Dec. 23, 2020.
TCEB is bringing new and high-profile festivals based on the city’s unique DNA. Such festivals will help attract visitors with high spending power and help revive the local economy, stimulate job creation and spur infrastructure development, said Nichapa Yoswee, TCEB senior vice president who chaired the opening ceremony of the art festival.
“We don’t focus on how much revenue it creates, we just aim to generate events to bring tourists to local communities, thus to make their business run,” she told Xinhua.
However, consumer sentiment is likely to be dented in the wake of recent surge in COVID-19 cases. With the New Year countdowns cancelled in many provinces and Samut Sakhon province, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, locked down, the prospect of tourism industry remains opaque.
The tourism sector may have to wait until 2022 to see “normal,” or 80 percent of the pre-pandemic level, as major markets are reluctant to ease travel restrictions unless there is distribution of a successful vaccine, said the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tr...10&pub_date=20201225123000&seq_num=6&si=44594
Thai Airways targets mid-2021 for approval of turnaround plan
Carrier eyes revenue from COVID-19 vaccine flights and greater cargo demand
Thai Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The airline is trying to generate revenue from cargo flights. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerDecember 25, 2020 08:28 JST
BANGKOK -- Thai Airways International's turnaround plan is expected to receive court approval in mid-2021, at which time the flag carrier could proceed with debt restructuring, cost cutting and coronavirus-related projects designed to bring new revenue.
The plan being devised by the airline covers haircuts on company debt as well as the new revenue initiatives over the next few years, said Chansin Treenuchagron, acting president.
Thai Airways became one of the most prominent Asian corporate victims of the coronavirus pandemic this year as flights into and out of Thailand were frozen by the global travel restrictions. Now, the carrier is looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Since the COVID-19 remains and the number of passengers is very low, we are trying to generate revenue from cargo flights," Chansin said.
"All projects are in the plan, which is due to be submitted for the court approval in April to May next year. That will make the plan immediately effective, and we are ready to start our job if the court approves the plan."
The country's Central Bankruptcy Court accepted Thai Airways' request for rehabilitation in September. The court-supervised restructuring will boost the airline's creditworthiness, but the carrier still must generate funds to carry it through the rehabilitation.
The sharp fall in passengers due to the COVID-19 pandemic slashed the company's fleet by 26%, with 17 to 25 aircraft operating. But rising demand for cargo flights is expected to lift the number of planes to 45 in 2021. The fleet is due to reach 75 in 2025.
Nond Kalinta, the company's acting executive vice president, said Thai Airways has conducted cargo flights to 25 to 35 cities this year since COVID-19 regulations were relaxed beginning in June, earning around 45 billion baht ($1.49 billion) so far. Cargo flights are projected to reach about 80 cities and generate around 135 billion baht in 2025.
The airline hopes to gain more revenue amid the pandemic, Nond said, including with flights carrying vaccine for Thailand and other clients in Southeast Asia.
Nond said Thai Airways owns refrigerated containers that can store vaccine at minus 20 C, matching the requirement for some vaccines. The company also has a logistics partner to help transport vaccine directly from airports to hospitals.
"Not only vaccine, but we can set up flights carrying specific medicine to our clients," Nond said, generating revenue in a time of few passenger flights.
The carrier's net loss for the quarter ended in September totaled 21.5 billion baht, widening from 4.6 billion baht in the year-ago period. Thai Airways recorded a net loss of 49.5 billion baht for the nine months through September.
Cash and cash equivalents shrank to 11.1 billion baht as of Sept. 30 from 21.6 billion baht at the end of 2019. The carrier had recorded negative cash flows from operations and investment and financial activities.
Thai Airways also is working to raise cash apart from the debt restructuring plan. The company put 34 passenger aircraft from its fleet up for sale, following measures such as introducing an early retirement scheme and franchising its popular deep-fried dough sold at the airline's food outlets.
Read Next
Thai Airways targets mid-2021 for approval of turnaround plan
Carrier eyes revenue from COVID-19 vaccine flights and greater cargo demand
Thai Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The airline is trying to generate revenue from cargo flights. © Reuters
APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writerDecember 25, 2020 08:28 JST
BANGKOK -- Thai Airways International's turnaround plan is expected to receive court approval in mid-2021, at which time the flag carrier could proceed with debt restructuring, cost cutting and coronavirus-related projects designed to bring new revenue.
The plan being devised by the airline covers haircuts on company debt as well as the new revenue initiatives over the next few years, said Chansin Treenuchagron, acting president.
Thai Airways became one of the most prominent Asian corporate victims of the coronavirus pandemic this year as flights into and out of Thailand were frozen by the global travel restrictions. Now, the carrier is looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Since the COVID-19 remains and the number of passengers is very low, we are trying to generate revenue from cargo flights," Chansin said.
"All projects are in the plan, which is due to be submitted for the court approval in April to May next year. That will make the plan immediately effective, and we are ready to start our job if the court approves the plan."
The country's Central Bankruptcy Court accepted Thai Airways' request for rehabilitation in September. The court-supervised restructuring will boost the airline's creditworthiness, but the carrier still must generate funds to carry it through the rehabilitation.
The sharp fall in passengers due to the COVID-19 pandemic slashed the company's fleet by 26%, with 17 to 25 aircraft operating. But rising demand for cargo flights is expected to lift the number of planes to 45 in 2021. The fleet is due to reach 75 in 2025.
Nond Kalinta, the company's acting executive vice president, said Thai Airways has conducted cargo flights to 25 to 35 cities this year since COVID-19 regulations were relaxed beginning in June, earning around 45 billion baht ($1.49 billion) so far. Cargo flights are projected to reach about 80 cities and generate around 135 billion baht in 2025.
The airline hopes to gain more revenue amid the pandemic, Nond said, including with flights carrying vaccine for Thailand and other clients in Southeast Asia.
Nond said Thai Airways owns refrigerated containers that can store vaccine at minus 20 C, matching the requirement for some vaccines. The company also has a logistics partner to help transport vaccine directly from airports to hospitals.
"Not only vaccine, but we can set up flights carrying specific medicine to our clients," Nond said, generating revenue in a time of few passenger flights.
The carrier's net loss for the quarter ended in September totaled 21.5 billion baht, widening from 4.6 billion baht in the year-ago period. Thai Airways recorded a net loss of 49.5 billion baht for the nine months through September.
Cash and cash equivalents shrank to 11.1 billion baht as of Sept. 30 from 21.6 billion baht at the end of 2019. The carrier had recorded negative cash flows from operations and investment and financial activities.
Thai Airways also is working to raise cash apart from the debt restructuring plan. The company put 34 passenger aircraft from its fleet up for sale, following measures such as introducing an early retirement scheme and franchising its popular deep-fried dough sold at the airline's food outlets.
Read Next
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